G4 was originally expected to be rebranded as the Esquire Network this year, but those plans have apparently been discarded. Instead, it will launch on the Style Network.
The initial plan was to scrap G4 and kick off the Esquire Network in late April. But that never happened, and G4 will still be kept around. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the channel will continue “for the foreseeable future, though it’s highly unlikely the company will invest in more original programming.”
Drop, a new indie action game, has a shot of coming to Nintendo platforms. A Wii U version will be created if Kickstarter funds hit $220,000. A 3DS version is further away at $310,000.
Now, what about the actual goal? That comes in at $85,000 CAD. The campaign will have until October 9 to reach that target.
You can find details about Drop over at the Kickstarter page here.
Nintendo has previously spoken about making Zelda accessible. This is something that was discussed even prior to the reveal of Skyward Sword. And it’s something that Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma is striving for, though he’s not looking to lessen the experience.
Speaking with IGN, Aonuma said the following when asked if he’s trying to reintroduce any themes given how long the 3D Zeldas have been around:
“That’s a tough one. Well, for us, when we’re developing a new Zelda, we’re not necessarily focused on which target audience we’re aimed at. We definitely think about who the target audience is, but we’re not focused on a specific age range or specific gender. What we want is a wide audience, so that this game is open and accessible to as wide an audience as possible and everyone enjoys it.”
“I think there’s been a tendency lately to see games as more focused in on a specific audience or a specific age. We’re seeing that range of interest in a game become narrower as we feel like we’re forced to make a game that appeals to a certain group. If we don’t make it appeal to a teenager, then it’s not a game that they’re going to mark off on their calendar.”
“What I want to do going forward is to find that balance, where the game appeals to a wide audience, but is still true to what we’re trying to create. That’s the challenge for us, trying to find that balance. Going forward, I want to make Zelda accessible to a wide audience. It’s trying to find that direction and the vehicle through which we can accomplish that goal that’s the challenge we face every day in development.”
Another interview with Eiji Aonuma has gone live. USGamer has spoken with the Zelda producer about Wind Waker HD, A Link Between Worlds, and a few general topics such as previous comments he made about capturing the feeling of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
You can find a few excerpts below. There’s even more over at USGamer.
Polygon has published a new interview with Eiji Aonuma which focuses mostly on the upcoming release of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. Still, a couple of questions regarding A Link Between Worlds and Zelda Wii U were also asked. You can find the full Q&A roundup below.
Mighty Switch Force! 2 wasn’t always planned for Wii U. WayForward’s James Montagna told Siliconera that the Wii U version came about due to fan feedback.
Montagna said:
“On Miiverse, the Mighty Switch Force community has been very vocal about bringing Mighty Switch Force 2 to the Wii U. We had no intentions of bringing it to the Wii U, originally. [Mighty Switch Force: Hyperdrive Edition] was an experiment, something we just wanted to try out—but [because of feedback] we are bringing Mighty Switch Force 2 to the Wii U. We caved.”
Interestingly, it sounds like Mighty Switch Force! 2 will adopt a unique style on Wii U. According to Montagna, ” it won’t be quite like Hyperdrive Edition”.
“It’s a pixel version of the game with high-definition interstitial screens, so it won’t be quite like Hyperdrive Edition or anything like that.”
Mighty Switch Force! is tentatively scheduled to arrive on Nintendo’s console in October.
Mighty No. 9’s Kickstarter campaign has been updated with several new stretch goals.
The next closest target is the boss rush mode at $2 million. Wii U, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions still stand at $2.2 million, followed by a challenge mode at $2.4 million, extra end stage and boss at $2.55 million, beck & call online co-op challenge mode at $2.75 million, and PlayStation 4/Xbox One versions at $3.3 million.
3DS and PlayStation Vita versions are still absent from Mighty No. 9’s Kickstarter. However, they’re still very much in consideration. Even if they aren’t added as stretch goals, a release on handhelds could still be made a reality through “other” means.
Handhelds are still a possibility! Just because you don’t see them in this next set of goals doesn’t mean we aren’t working on this. : ) We know many of you have been asking about the possibility of Vita and 3DS versions of Mighty No. 9, so now we know the desire is most definitely there — what’s left is to figure out if the money and production realities can make this possible. We wish we could say more at this point, but we can say this: There might be other ways to make this happen (besides stretch goals) that we are currently investigating. (Or maybe it will end up being a later stretch goal after all?)
