Red Dead Online Beta Now Available to All Players

The Red Dead Online Beta is now officially open to everyone with a copy of Red Dead Redemption 2.  Choose to make your mark as either a gunslinger or an outlaw. Join or form posses, battle enemy gangs, hunt, fish and search for treasure, challenge other settlers and much more in this brand new multiplayer story.

Over the first few days of early access, we've already received a lot of great feedback from the community. Please make sure to keep it coming atreddeadonline.com/feedback – as we’re constantly working to improve and evolve the experience.

In response to some early feedback we’ve seen from players, here are a few quick tips to help you succeed and thrive on the frontier.

·        Character Creation: Use the character creator’s in-depth tools to detail your character’s appearance and facial features. To further adjust a number of facial features, tap X/A to enter the Customize section and use the sliders to fine-tune your character. You can also click R3/Right-Stick to quickly see your character’s face without facial hair, and tap L1/LB and R1/RB to quickly check your character’s profile. While you can always make changes to your character’s hair, facial hair, makeup and dentistry at the local Barber or clothing from your Wardrobe or shops, your permanent features like your nose, eyes, mouth and freckles will not change after you finish creating your character. If you’d like at any point to start anew with a different character, you can delete your current character and create a new one by going to the PLAYER section of the pause menu and holding down Square/X; please keep in mind that this will delete your existing character and progression.

·         Player Menu: Tap d-pad left to bring up the Player Menu. From here you can find many practical tools and features: see other players in the session and your friends, form or join a Posse, manage your Camp and horses, quickly join matches or series, adjust your voice chat options – select Everyone to chat with everyone in your proximity, or isolate your chat to your Posse, Friends or Crew only – and much more.

·         Fast Travel: Visit Fast Travel signposts to quickly travel to where your Posse or friends are located and various other locations around the map, or return to your camp for a flat fee.

·         A Land of Opportunities: Visit Horley in Blackwater to start A Land of Opportunities, a cooperative series of story-based missions that can push your honor high or low based on your decisions. You’ll get to know some new characters in Red Dead Online, fight alongside fellow outlaws and earn a pretty penny along the way. If you made all positive honor decisions throughout and want to see how the storyline changes and push your honor in the other direction, you can replay making all negative honor decisions (and vice versa), all while receiving further payout and experience.

·         Treasure Maps: When you hit Rank 10 you’ll receive a Treasure Map, uncover the treasure for Gold and Cash. You’ll receive Treasure Maps for every 5 ranks after that. There’s also a chance you’ll uncover a Treasure Map when looting enemy bodies after clearing a Hideout or surviving an Ambush.

·         Catalogue: Hold down left on the d-pad to bring up the Catalogue and pick up provisions, tonics, weapons, ammo and more while on the go. Alternatively, when not in-game, purchases can be made via the web Catalogue on Social Club. Once purchased, you can recover most of your goods from your Camp’s lockbox or the Post Office, new weapons can be found on your horse and clothing will be added to your Wardrobe. Any horses or saddles will go to the Stable.

·         Ability Cards: Utilize different Ability Card categories (combat, recovery and defense) to help you survive the frontier. You can upgrade Ability Cards through 3 tiers of benefits and you can adjust them at any time to suit any scenario: use combat cards for attacking missions where you’ll rely on your weapons, or switch to defensive cards when escorting a wagon.

Look for lots more updates to the Red Dead Online Beta in the coming weeks and months, along with some more tips here at the Newswire

 

Only Five Days Left to Take Out Elusive Target #1 Starring Sean Bean; Contract Ends on 4th Dec 

With only five days left to take out Elusive Target No. 1 Starring Sean Bean in HITMAN 2, the team at IO Interactive today released an infographic providing a closer look at various players statistics from the past week, including contract completion percentage (60.94%), fastest completion time (47 seconds), most popular firearm (ICA 19 handgun), rarest creative method (shuriken throwing stars) and more. However, these stats can drastically change at any moment as players still have until 4th Dec. to take down Mark Faba (a.k.a. Sean Bean), and if anyone can eliminate Faba for the last time, it’s Agent 47.

You can also hear IO Interactive’s own Marta La Mendola recently discussing Elusive Target #1 here: https://www.facebook.com/hitman/videos/2491847557522065/  

Elusive Target No. 1 Starring Sean Bean, entitled The Undying, is available now and will run until Dec. 4, therefore players only have one chance to successfully take out The Undying during this period. By participating in the Elusive Target mission, gamers will unlock and add the new, fan-selected Explosive Pen weapon to their inventory. Additionally, players will begin unlocking suits for Agent 47 by playing and completing Elusive Target challenges.

Elusive Targets are unique, high-stakes contracts that are only available for a limited time. These missions are FREE for all HITMAN 2 owners, allowing one chance to assassinate the target and if not successfully completed, the contract cannot be retried.

HITMAN 2 is the follow-up to the internationally acclaimed video game, HITMAN. Featuring entirely new hyper-detailed sandbox locations full of living, breathing environments to explore, HITMAN 2 offers players the freedom to plan the ultimate assassination utilizing an assortment of tools, weapons, disguises and a variety of stealth techniques to creatively trigger their own unique chain of events.

HITMAN 2 introduces new ways to play with Sniper Assassin, a standalone mode that brings a co-op experience to the Hitman series for the first time, allowing two players to work together online to take down their targets. HITMAN 2 also features a unique and brand-new take on 1-versus-1 multiplayer competition with Ghost Mode, allowing players to put their assassination skills to the ultimate test while competing against each other online, both as Agent 47.

HITMAN 2 is available now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and PC.

To learn more about HITMAN 2, please visit www.hitman.com or join the HITMAN 2 conversation on Twitter (@Hitman), Facebook (@Hitman), Instagram (@Hitman), YouTube (Hitman), Twitch (Hitman), Discord (Hitman), Reddit (Hitman) or the Hitman Forum.

 

MAYHEM COMES TO UBISOFT®’S THE CREW^® 2

WITH SECOND FREE MAJOR UPDATE,

 DEMOLITION DERBY

The Update Plans All-New Demolition Derby Discipline, PvP Mode and More 

Today, Ubisoft announced that Demolition Derby, the second free update brought to Ubisoft’s open world motorsports game, The Crew^® 2, will be available on December 5 on PlayStation^®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X and Windows PC.

The Demolition Derby update introduces a new Demolition Derby discipline where competitors must try to earn a top-three spot by getting the highest score in a limited amount of time. Two new arenas have been built to house the destruction. The Bonneville Salt Flat where players will earn points by crushing their opponents’ cars while avoiding obstacles like being smashed by an elevator, a spring-loaded boxing glove or other cars. And a new circuit built in the heart of the Tucson aircraft cemetery, where players will be able to push their opponents off of the track for even more devastation. In addition to the Demolition Derby discipline, the update brings the highly anticipated PvP mode to The Crew 2. Starting at the Rookie level, up to eight players can compete against each other in a variety of disciplines, such as Street Racing and Motocross, in a constantly renewed selection of events across the US map. Players eager to shift the competition into top gear can enter in the in-game PvP leagues for higher stakes and rewards. Four new demolition derby cars will be included in the update and for the first time in The Crew 2, whether in a specific mode or in freedrive, the demolition derby cars will be completely destructible.

The update will also feature more high-octane contests, including exclusive Drift, Alpha Grand Prix and Rally Cross challenges as well as additional skills and in-game activities.As part of The Crew 2’s monthly vehicle drop, the Audi RS3 LMS - 2017 and the Aeroboat – VS12 - 2018 are now available for all players to access.

The release of Demolition Derby is the next step in the The Crew 2 post-launch development schedule, and the team is committed to continue introducing ample new content through regular updates in the months ahead. September saw the release of the first major free update, Gator Rush and the Hovercraft discipline. For more information on The Crew 2 post-launch plans, please visit: www.thecrewgame.com/postlaunch

Developed by Ubisoft Ivory Tower,* a studio based in Lyon, France, The Crew 2 lets players experience the thrill of the American motorsports spirit inside a fully redesigned USA. The game’s playground pushes physical boundaries to let driving and open world fans test their skills in nonstop competition and exploration. From coast to coast, drivers can explore America and compete to become the greatest motorsports champion by collecting a wide variety of exotic cars, bikes, boats and planes, and dominating the motorsports scene on the land, on the water and in the air. They can find challenges and inspiration among four different motorsports families: street racing, off-road, pro-racing and freestyle, and will be given a broad set of options among a wide selection of vehicle types.

For the latest news on The Crew and all of Ubisoft’s games, please visit blog.ubi.com/

For more information about The Crew 2, please visit thecrewgame.com/ and please follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/thecrewgame.uk and on Twitter attwitter.com/TheCrewGame or hashtag #TheCrew2.

LEGO® DC Super-Villains Aquaman Movie DLC Revealed

Players Embark on Daring Missions in the Underwater Kingdom of Atlantis 
to Prevent the Seven Kingdoms from Uniting Against the Surface World

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today revealed content and characters in two upcoming Aquaman movie packs for LEGO® DC Super-Villains available on PlayStation® 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch™, and Windows PC. The downloadable packs add levels and DC characters inspired by the much-anticipated Warner Bros. Pictures film, Aquaman, in theatres nationwide on 21st December.

For Season Pass holders, Aquaman Movie Part 1 will be available on 4th December and Aquaman Movie Part 2 will be available on 8th January 2019.  The Season Pass, which adds six level packs and four character packs, is included in the LEGO® DC Super-Villains Deluxe Edition or can be purchased separately for £11.99.  For players that want to purchase the Aquaman movie packs à la carte, they can be purchased together in a bundle for £4.99 on 8th January 2019.

The action-packed Aquaman movie packs offer players the chance to control DC’s legendary pair, Aquaman and Mera, in the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. It’s up to them to lead their people against Aquaman’s brother, Orm, who seeks to unite the seven kingdoms against the surface world. The packs expand the main game’s already large roster of over 150 iconic DC characters. The first pack adds new playable characters Aquaman (Gladiator), Black Manta (Movie), Mera, Orm (Gladiator), King Nereus and Queen Atlanna. The second pack adds new playable characters Aquaman (Movie), Vulko, Trench Creature, Murk, Brine King and Orm (Movie).

In LEGO® DC Super-Villains, the Justice League has disappeared, leaving Earth’s protection to a newcomer group of heroes from a parallel universe, proclaiming themselves as the ‘Justice Syndicate’. Renowned DC Super-Villains from the ‘Legion Of Doom’ discover Earth’s newest heroes may not be the heroes they claim to be. With each player’s completely customisable Super-Villain character in command, this team of misfit lawbreakers must join forces to discover and foil the evil plans the incognito strangers have in store.

At the beginning of the campaign, players can create their own unique villain and main character throughout, while also teaming up with a variety of DC Super-Villains throughout the story mode. As players progress, they will unlock new abilities, powers and can continue to customise their character to take on the evil threat. Friends and family can join story mode at any time with the fun, two-player, local co-op experiences where players can team up in epic boss fights.

For more game information, visit chaos-is-coming.wbgames.com and follow the official LEGO® DC Super-Villains social channels on Facebook and YouTube, and @LEGODCGAME on Instagram and Twitter.  

The Red Dead Redemption 2 Collection by Barking Irons

We've teamed up with Barking Irons to create this limited edition collection of items inspired by Red Dead Redemption 2 - featuring exceptional quality and authentic, heritage materials and subtle nods to in-game designs. 

Modeled on the apparel worn by Arthur Morgan, the Red Dead Redemption 2 Collection by Barking Irons combines a commitment to period era detail with contemporary Americana styling. Waxed cotton and leather, Japanese denim, and weighty workwear pieces highlight the collection’s unyielding commitment to high-end, authentic materials, while clever design touches ground the collection in a style that feels wearable every day.

Now available in sizes ranging from Extra Small to XXL at https://www.barkingirons.com. And look for t-shirts to be added to the collection soon.

Gunslinger Jacket: Water-resistant waxed cotton and leather, bound buttonholes, A. Morgan collar print, Van der Linde Gang inside pocket print, and Rockstar insignia print.

Denim Chore Shirt: Soft-washed, Japanese denim work shirt, antique brass shanks, A. Morgan collar print.

Railroad Shirt: Weighty workwear shirt with railroad stripes, A. Morgan collar print, red Rockstar embroidery on front pocket, and western Rockstar insignia on shirt hem.

Everyday Shirt: Authentic western ticking fabric, bi-swing shoulder, A. Morgan collar print, western Rockstar insignia on shirt hem.

Union Henley: Soft-washed, American cotton, 3-button closure, A. Morgan collar print, made in the USA.

Riding Duffel Bag: Hefty 18 oz. twill cotton, antique brass hardware, cowhide shoulder strap, Rockstar logo print.

Saddle Bag: Water-resistant waxed cotton and leather, antique brass hardware, lined interior, cowhide shoulder strap, two large exterior pockets, Red Dead Redemption 2 print and Rockstar branding.

RDR2 Beach Tote: Sturdy, large capacity, 18 oz. natural canvas tote, antique brass rivets, and Red Dead Redemption 2 stencil print, Made in the USA

ASSASSIN’S CREED^® ODYSSEY

LEGACY OF THE FIRST BLADE, EPISODE 1, AVAILABLE DECEMBER 4

Play the First Episode of the New Episodic Post-Launch Story Arc from the Biggest and Most Ambitious Post-Launch Plan for Assassin’s Creed 

Today, Ubisoft^® announced the release dates for the episodes of the first post-launch story arc of Assassin’s Creed^®Odyssey, Legacy of the First Blade. The first episode, Hunted, will release December 4 across all available platforms. Throughout Hunted and the following two episodes, players will continue their grand Greek Odyssey to encounter Darius, the legend who was first to wield the Assassin’s Hidden Blade.

As the story of Hunted unfolds, players will discover whether Darius is friend or foe, while meeting new characters, engaging in gripping naval combat, fighting new and powerful enemies, and uncovering revelations about the Assassin’s Creed universe.

Legacy of the First Blade continues to bring players’ choice to the forefront through the relationships they build with colorful characters and the decisions they make along the way. In Legacy of the First Blade, players can also customise new equipment and master new special abilities as they fight their way across Greece, engaging in visceral battles on land and on sea to continue their Odyssey and become a true hero of legend.

After Hunted releases on December 4, the second episode, Shadow Heritage, and the third episode, Bloodline, will complete the first story arc in early 2019 across all platforms.

The Assassin’s Creed Odyssey post-launch plan is the biggest and most ambitious in the franchise, and the launch of Legacy of the First Blade is just the beginning for players who wish to progress further with new content in Ancient Greece. Season Pass owners will access two major episodic storylines, Legacy of the First Blade and The Fate of Atlantis. Players can dive into new episodes as they premiere, or experience the epic adventures in their entirety once all episodes are available. The Season Pass also includes Assassin’s Creed^® III Remastered and Assassin’s Creed^® Liberation Remastered, which will be released in March 2019.

Legacy of the First Blade can be purchased as part of the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Season Pass, which is available from £29.99, or separately as a story arc, on December 4.

For more information on Assassin’s Creed, please visit: assassinscreed.com.

For the latest on Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and all of Ubisoft’s games, visit Ubisoft News: https://news.ubisoft.com

Red Dead Online Beta LaunchEarly Access Starts Today

The Red Dead Online Beta is launching this week with early access beginning today. We are easing our servers and systems into handling the increasingly larger player base by scaling up the online population throughout this week – until Friday the 30^th – at which point the Beta will be open to everyone with a copy of Red Dead Redemption 2. This will help ensure that our servers can handle a steadily growing volume of concurrent players in the early hours and first days of the Beta and hopefully reduce the likelihood of any server crashes during the launch week as we get things up and running.  Here are the rollout specifics:

-          Tuesday, November 27: All Red Dead Redemption 2: Ultimate Edition owners. Please note, players who purchased the physical Ultimate Edition must redeem the Ultimate Edition code in the packaging to be eligible.

-          Wednesday, November 28: All players who played Red Dead Redemption 2 on October 26th according to our data.

-          Thursday, November 29: All players who played Red Dead Redemption 2 between October 26th to October 29th according to our data.

-          Friday, November 30: All players who own Red Dead Redemption 2.

We are aiming to deliver a stable and fun experience while collecting as much crucial information and feedback as possible to help us continually improve Red Dead Online. As with any Beta period, we plan to take the time necessary throughout to make Red Dead Online a complete, fun and fully-functional experience, which may take several weeks or months as we continually work to fix bugs, improve systems and implement player feedback into current or future plans.

If you encounter technical issues of any sort, please visit our dedicated Rockstar Support site to find help or report these issues. And we strongly encourage everyone to send us feedback on your experience, from ways to improve gameplay to suggestions for future content – we want to know what you like, love or dislike and what you’d like to see added, changed or implemented into Red Dead Online. Please visit reddeadonline.com/feedback to share your experiences and input with us.

Make sure you’re staying tuned here at the Rockstar Newswire for regular updates about Red Dead Online, including new content additions, features, changes, and other news about the game.

The world of Red Dead Online will be a continually expanding experience. There will also be some additions and updates throughout the Beta period. Starting this week, you can ride with friends in a Posse, set up your Camp, embark on cooperative story-based missions or go head-to-head in competitive series, find strangers throughout the world to help (or hurt), tackle spontaneous Free Roam challenges, go hunting, fishing, bond with your horse, explore with friends or on your own (but look out for ambushes), and much more.

All the while, you’ll accumulate XP through your explorations and encounters that counts towards your rank and provides added bonuses .  Unlock items and improve your attributes while you progress. You can also take on Award challenges throughout your open-world experiences to earn Awards in 12 categories like combat, hunting, sharpshooter and survivalist.

Red Dead Online begins with creating your character. Detail your appearance and attributes before you set out on your journey from Sisika Penitentiary where you’ll acquire a horse, set up a Camp, hunt down a treasure, equip your first Ability Card and meet some fateful characters with a larger story to tell; one that involves chasing truth, revenge, and honor.

In Red Dead Online, your honor will shift high and low based on your decisions and behavior. You’ll shape your honor through your choices: from life or death decisions to natural interactions such as caring for your horse.

In addition to the world responding to you in subtly different ways, you’ll also notice the nature of certain missions will reveal themselves to you based on your current honor state.

Free Roam Missions

Head over to the Stranger icons throughout the map alone or with your Posse to embark on Free Roam Missions. You’ll see some familiar faces along the way, and these missions can vary based on how noble or nefarious you are – for example, an honorable gunslinger may be asked to help escort a convoy, defending it from attacking gangs or even other players’ Posses, whereas a dishonorable outlaw may be asked to help spring a felon from the law.

A Land of Opportunities

Honor also plays into this deeper cooperative strand for two to four players that we will continually build upon. In A Land of Opportunities, you’ll be faced with a multi-part series of missions, with some parts changing as your honor changes on a larger journey to seek truth and justice, or revenge.

  

  

Of course, Red Dead Online comes with all new competitive game play. The Beta includes 5 new modes at launch that are a part of a larger series of Showdowns, and you can also enter your trusted steed into races including point-to-point, lap and open races strewn across the map.

Enter one of the Showdown Series markers for fast matchmaking into a variety of modes:

Shootout & Team Shootout

Classic gunfight modes with unlimited lives. Compete to rack up the most kills before the timer runs out. Sudden death will trigger in the event of a tie: whoever gets the first kill wins.

Make it Count

A true test of resourcefulness in two game modes: use nothing but a bow and a handful of arrows or throwing knives to be the last one standing. With a gradually shrinking player area, there’s nowhere to run.

Most Wanted

A tactical race to the top. Every kill pushes you up the scoreboard, but watch out: the closer to the top you are, the more points everyone else gets for killing you.

Hostile Territory

Work in teams to control the land. Capture a territory to start racking up points: the team with most points wins - or you can win outright by capturing every territory.

Name your Weapon

Demonstrate your personal specialty in this free-for-all or team based match: the trickier the weapon you use to land the killing blow, the more points you get.

  

·         Look out for more details and tips around all of the Red Dead Online Beta gameplay in the days ahead. And be sure to check the Companion App or log in to Social Club to see when you can jump into the Beta.

As always, we want to hear from you and we ask for your help especially during the Beta process. In addition to reporting bugs, technical issues, glitches and exploits at https://support.rockstargames.com, please continue to send us your feedback and suggestions at reddeadonline.com/feedback.

·         We also ask for your help in keeping Red Dead Online a fun and fair environment for everyone. Please use the in-game reporting tools to report any abusive behavior, cheating or exploits you see occurring during the Beta, or that you happen to see posted on external sites like YouTube. A friendly reminder that our longstanding copyright policy rules about posting material from Rockstar games applies now as ever – any videos encouraging cheating in any way are subject to takedown.

·         You may notice some areas of the in-game menus are not yet accessible or available during this early period of the Beta, such as the Red Dead Online in-game Store which will eventually open up to provide the option of purchasing gold bars to directly acquire cosmetic items like Camp décor, or a special style for your weapons.

·         We hope that all player progress during this early period of the Beta will be able to remain intact long term, however as with many betas for large scale online experiences such as this, there is always the chance that we may need to implement rank or other stat resets in case of issues.

 Stay tuned for more updates to Red Dead Online over the coming weeks and months.