Animal Crossing: New Horizons - How Long are the Mario Items Available for?
Written by Richard WarrenLeaked Elden Ring Trailer Has Big Implications for the Game's Title
Written by Megan GingerichDead by Daylight Announces K-Pop Chapter With BTS Producer
Written by Callum WilliamsMLB The Show 21 Trailer Shows New-Gen-Exclusive Features Including Stadium Creator
Written by Brian Shea 
MLB The Show 21 is establishing several firsts for the franchise. Not only is it the first game in the Sony-developed baseball franchise to appear on Xbox platforms, but it is also the first game in the series to make the leap to the new-gen hardware. Today, the development team at Sony's San Diego Studio released a trailer showcasing the list of upgraded features that new-gen players will enjoy.
We already knew that MLB The Show 21 is coming to both current and last-gen consoles with cross-platform play, but the new trailer also gives us additional details of what to expect from the newer hardware. Those who have a compatible headset on PS5 can enjoy 3D Audio, while all PS5 owners will experience special DualSense controller features. Regardless of which new-gen console you play on, you'll experience 60 frames-per-second performance. But that's not all; in addition to the performance and fidelity boosts, players on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S also get to quite literally build a home for their dynasty in the new stadium creator.
If you'd like to see the new-gen version in action (plus see a couple of puppets, including one voiced by cover athlete Fernando Tatis Jr., in a very silly skit), check out the trailer below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaMLB The Show 21 heads to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 20. If you want the most complete experience, you can check out the collector's editions starring Jackie Robinson. We haven't gotten our hands on this year's game yet, but for more on the franchise's recent past, read our review of last year's game. If you're a Switch or PC player hankering for some baseball action, your best bet is either the Super Mega Baseball series or the upcoming R.B.I. Baseball 21.
[Source: Sony San Diego on YouTube]
PlayStation Store Will No Longer Offer Movie And TV Sales Or Rentals
Written by Liana Ruppert 
Sony has pivoted quite a bit going into this generation, including going backwards compatible, more PC jumps for exclusives, and changes made to the ecosystem as a whole. Part of that change going forward includes the removal of movie and TV purchases and rentals from the PlayStation Store.
Vanessa Lee, head of video business at Sony Interactive Entertainment, took to the PlayStation Blog to provide the latest update on what's new. In an effort to "strive to provide the best entertainment experience for PlayStation fans," the team has decided that the continued evolution of the PlayStation Store has outgrown both film and television experiences. With so many subscription options available now, including the much-talked about Disney Plus service, the consumer need for movies and TV just isn't there like it has been in the past on PlayStation.
The post continues by saying that the store has seen immense growth through the years thanks to subscriptions and ad-based entertainment services but that Sony wants to focus its efforts on what players want the most: games. Because of this, movie and TV purchases, as well as the ability to rent, will be going away on August 31, 2021.
What does this mean for your current purchases?
For those that have purchased shows and movies in the past, or before that August deadline, don't worry; PlayStation users will still be able to access any content previously bought through the store for on-demand playback across both the PlayStation 5 and PlayStaton 4, as well as mobile devices.
Sony has always pushed to serve players high-quality first-party exclusives, and that's not going to be changing any time soon, but that doesn't mean that what the company has to offer isn't going to go through a metamophorisis to "stay with the times." With Microsoft pioneering accessibility efforts, streaming services, and ease-of-access to its own ecosystem, Sony is looking to adopt new ways to do the same, especially regarding its PlayStation Now services and ongoing tweaks made to PlayStation Plus, which means less of a pull on resources for aspects that the core player base no longer cares about. In this case, that's movies and TV.
What do you think about the current state of PlayStation and the decision to remove movies and TV from the PS Store? What other changes would you like to see Sony implement next? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below!
[Source: PlayStation]
Former Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Studio Suffers Layoffs
Written by Liana Ruppert 
Last month, Paradox Entertainment announced that it fired Hardsuit Labs from continuing to work on the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 game. This month, that studio is now facing mass layoffs.
The studio in Seattle has downsized tremendously following the news that Hardsuit will no longer be heading Bloodlines 2. A variety of roles were impacted, including the entire narrative team (as confirmed by Hardsuit's Samantha Wallschlaeger and Nicole Standford).
For those that may have missed the earlier announcement, with the full statement seen here, Paradox announced that it would no longer be working with Hardsuit on the upcoming Bloodlines 2 title, thus pushing back the anticipated 2021 launch window back. "This game is very important to us, and it has been an ambitious project from the very start," read the announcement. "To meet our goals for it, we've come to the conclusion that a change is needed and, as a result, more development time is required."
Sometimes, these decisions need to be made, especially with a beloved franchise such as Vampire: The Masquerade. That being said, the decision to pull Hardsuit Labs was just the latest roadblock that has fans concerned that the Bloodlines 2 adventure will never see the light of day, and instead, they fear that it will join other titles like it in development limbo.
There is no word yet on what studio Paradox is looking to replace Hardsuit Labs with, nor any idea for a new release window. Following the creative director's exit last year, alongside several other notable senior developers leaving the project, only time will tell what the future holds for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2.
Layoffs are never an easy situation to deal with, both with those impacted and those around them. Our hearts are with those devs that have been affected by this decision. If you, or someone you know, have been hit with the wave of layoffs, the #gamedevjobs tag on Twitter is a phenomenal tool that is constantly updated to see what other games industry jobs are currently available.