Fortnite Was The Most-Played Game On Switch Last Year In Europe

Nintendo has revealed the most-played Nintendo Switch games of 2018 in Europe, and the title at the top of the list probably will not surprise you.

The news feed on the console in Europe reveals the most-played Switch game of the past year was Epic’s free-to-play battle royale game, Fortnite. Rounding out the top five were all Nintendo-made games: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The only reason Super Smash Bros. Ultimate isn’t near the top is probably because it only just launched in December. Nintendo didn’t share any numbers about specific play-time hours, so we don’t know the gaps between the different games.

Still, it’s not all that surprising that Fortnite is No. 1 given the game’s immense global popularity. As mentioned, this chart is only for Europe. It doesn’t appear that Nintendo published similar most-played lists in the US or other parts of the world.

NintendoEverything first reported this news. The top 20 most-played games for Nintendo Switch in Europe can be seen at the bottom of this post.

NPD analyst Mat Piscatella responded to the news, saying he expects Fortnite’s massive success to have an impact on the wider industry in 2019. Specifically, he said the way in which the game’s massive success propelled gains for hardware and microtransaction spending in 2018 may be hard to replicate, especially in the first half of 2019.

Most-Played Switch Games Of 2018 In Europe

  1. Fortnite
  2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  3. Super Mario Odyssey
  4. Splatoon 2
  5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
  6. FIFA 18
  7. Minecraft
  8. Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu
  9. Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee
  10. Xenoblade Chronicles 2
  11. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  12. Rocket League
  13. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
  14. Pokemon Quest
  15. Stardew Valley
  16. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
  17. Octopath Traveler
  18. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
  19. Paladins
  20. Super Mario Party

A Reboot Of The Very Scary Series Final Destination Is In The Works

The Final Destination horror movie franchise is getting a reboot. According to The Hollywood Reporter, film company New Line has started working on a new Final Destination movie, with Saw writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan attached to write the story.

The new movie is described by THR as a “re-imagining” of the Final Destination series, but plot details are under wraps for now.

The first Final Destination premiered in 2000, starring Devon Sawa and Ali Larter. It was a huge hit, making $112 million globally against a budget of only $23 million. Unsurprisingly, New Line went on to make four sequels, which together have made nearly $700 million worldwide.

In the first Final Destination, a group of teenagers are about to get on an airplane, when one of their friends has a vision that the plane goes down and they all die. They get off the plane, only to watch it go up in flames after take off. Because they were supposed to die, the force of Death goes after them, killing them off one by one in horrific, gruesome fashion.

This same setup is used in the four sequels, though the circumstances are changed. It is a highly repeatable formula, which must have made studio executives happy. Presumably the new movie will be similar in structure and tone, but nothing has been announced as of yet.

There is no word yet on when the new Final Destination movie might come to theatres. We also don’t know who will star in it or who may direct. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.

The most recent entry, Final Destination 5, was released in 2014.

Melton and Dunstan were announced as the writers of a God of War movie for Sony, but that was back in 2012, and things could have changed since then.

The Early Days of Blizzard With Co-Founder Allen Adham

It’s been an interesting time for Blizzard of late. 2018 was particularly turbulent, with a lot of changes within the company, from the departure of long-running president and co-founder Mike Morhaime, through to shake-ups on other teams, such as major turnover on Hearthstone’s Team 5. Even BlizzCon, usually a celebration of all things Blizzard, turned toxic after the ill-advised BlizzCon reveal of Diablo Immortal. And then, to close out the year, there was the announcement that development on Heroes of the Storm would be scaled back and its esports program axed.

Of course, the year held plenty of highlights for the company too. There was the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, which drew a wide range of viewers and fan support from across the globe, while World of Warcraft received a brand-new expansion in the form of Battle for Azeroth, among many other updates to the studio’s stable of titles.

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Game Of Thrones Season 8: What’s Going On In The Premiere Date Trailer?

Their Statues

Their Statues

In front of the three are their statues. Both Arya and Sansa’s statues look young, while Jon’s looks older. Does this foreshadow their fate for the end of Season 8? Will both Arya and Sansa perish during the battle with the White Walkers, while Jon lives on to become old and rule Winterfell?

After this, the white raven feather freezes, and a white fog fills the crypt. The three draw their weapons and prepare themselves for battle. We’ll learn more about the final season of Game of Thrones in the upcoming months, up until the premiere on HBO on April 14 at 9 PM ET / PT.

Mortal Kombat 11 Gameplay Reveal And More Next Week

It’s going to be a big week for Mortal Kombat 11. The previously announced community reveal event is slated for January 17, and it looks like it’ll be a big event you’ll want to watch.

In addition to premiering the first gameplay from Mortal Kombat 11, a description of the reveal event promises “exclusive reveals.” It’ll also contain details on the game’s story and characters, as well as some of its “new features.”

Whether or not there are any character reveals remains to be seen. Pennywise the killer clown from the It franchise is rumoured for the game, and given that the film comes from NetherRealm’s owner, Warner Bros., it seems like it could happen. An It sequel is also on the way in 2019, and putting Pennywise in Mortal Kombat 11–which is also due out in 2019–could help promote the film. This is all speculation at this point, however.

The event will be broadcast live, and you’ll be able to watch on Twitch and other streaming sites. Check back later for more on how, when, and where to watch the event.

Mortal Kombat 11 launches on April 23 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch, and those who pre-order a copy will receive Shao Kahn as a playable character.

Pre-orders on PS4 and Xbox One also come with access to the fighting game’s pre-launch beta. The test will be held for those two platforms sometime in March, although further details have yet to be announced.

In other news, Mortal Kombat 11’s cover art has been revealed–check it out here.

True Detective Season 3 Premiere Review

Warning! Full SPOILERS below for the Season 3 premiere of True Detective, titled “The Great War and Modern Memory.” 

Let’s be real: four years ago True Detective spun right off the rails in Season 2, so much that the very thought of the anthology series returning seemed like a distant – and quite exasperating – possibility. But the premiere episode of Season 3 – titled “The Great War and Modern Memory,” directed by Jeremy Saulnier and written by series creator Nic Pizzolatto – promises that it is back on track with a crisp, haunting episode seeped in mystery.

And it’s not only the mystery of the criminal case at the center of the narrative – the sudden disappearance in the Ozarks of two children in 1980 -that is so compelling. It’s that of its characters, Detectives Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali) and Roland West (Stephen Dorff), whose enigmas only enhance the tension. Part of that is because their stories are told non-sequentially, beginning in an Arkansas office in 1990 where Hays has been called in to discuss the still unanswered case.

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Game of Thrones’ Final Season’s Premiere Date Revealed

Game of Thrones’ eighth and final season will premiere on April 14, 2019.

Announced by HBO, the date was accompanied alongside a teaser that features Jon Snow, Arya Stark and Sansa Stark walking through the Crypt of Winterfell.

As Jon, Arya, and Sansa are walking through the crypt, we hear from some of those no longer with us, and the teaser ends with the three characters arriving at statues of themselves, as darkness and ice threaten to consume them.

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20 Essential Travel Tips for Gamers Going to Japan

If you grew up playing video games, chances are you feel some kind of connection to Japan. So many of the iconic games we all played – and the consoles we played them on – came from this densely-populated island nation. Perhaps you’re even planning a trip over there for the cherry blossoms in April, or to hit up Tokyo Game Show in September.

This feature should be useful if a trip is on the cards and you haven’t spent much time in Japan before. You may also like to check out my profiles of two of Tokyo’s most legendary game arcades – Taito Hey! in Akihabara and Game Center Mikado in Takadanobaba.

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Game Of Thrones Season 8 Premiere Date Revealed In Cryptic New Video

HBO’s titanic hit series Game of Thrones is coming back for its eighth and final season this spring. Before the premiere of the new season of True Detective, HBO aired a brief video showing three of the four remaining Starks, which the series has followed, then revealing the April 14 premiere date for Season 8.

In the video, which you can watch above, Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) are in the crypts below their home of Winterfell, when everything freezes over. Winter is here, and it’s going to be a challenge for everyone in Westeros.

As you probably remember from the end of Season 7, the Night King reanimated one of Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons–who died in the north–and it is now a part of the undead army, trying to head south. The only thing in the army’s way was The Wall, which the reanimated dragon burned down, giving the White Walkers an opening to invade.

However, we won’t know what’s in store for the Starks–as well as the villains we love to hate like Cersei Lannister–until this spring, when HBO releases the final episodes in this story, for now. Hopefully, Bran can make it to the Stark family reunion because as every Game of Thrones fan knows, people you love tend to die.

It’s been pretty quiet when it comes to the final season of Game of Thrones, but we do know a few things. The premiere of the new season will mirror Season 1 in various ways, so it may be a good time to go back and rewatch the show before the April premiere. The final battle for the new season is the largest in the series to date and most brutal as well. Additionally, there is a Game of Thrones prequel on the way, which has cast a few actors and a director.

Game of Thrones returns to HBO for its final season on April 14 at 9 PM ET / PT.