Assassin's Creed Anthology Dated and Priced

Following on from yesterday's leaked retail listing on Amazon France, Ubisoft has confirmed the existence of the Assassin's Creed Anthology Edition, and detailed when we'll be able to get hold of it.

The Assassin's Creed Anthology Edition will be available for Xbox 360 and PS3 exclusively through Amazon in both Europe from November 29 for €150, and the UK from November 30 for £119.99.

Unfortunately for those of you Stateside, it appears Ubisoft has no plans to bring the Anthology Edition to America. A representative for the company told IGN that the bundle is not currently scheduled for release in the US.

The Assassin's Creed Anthology Edition will include include Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - The Da Vinci Edition, Assassin's Creed: Revelations - The Ottoman Edition and the just-released Assassin's Creed III. The bundle will also include all the expansion packs and DLC for the Assassin's Creed games, as well as the Assassin's Creed III Season Pass, which provides full access to all forthcoming downloadable content for the game.

Also included in the pack are five lithographs, a steel book and a collector’s box. For more details on the Assassin's Creed Anthology Edition, check out the original story.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Report: Amazon Outs Assassin's Creed Anthology

Every console game in the Assassin's Creed series will be released in one box, according to a new listing on Amazon France.

The Assassin's Creed Anthology Edition is slated to include Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed: Revelations and the just-released Assassin's Creed III.

The listing also states that all singleplayer and multiplayer bonus DLC created for the games will be included, whether it be extra maps or bonus missions. Judging from the promotional image leaked below, it seems that the Assassin's Creed III Season Pass will also be part of the package.

According to the image, the pack will include "all Assassin's Creed games ever released on Xbox 360". Does this mean the bundle will only be available on Microsoft's platform?

IGN reached out to Ubisoft for a statement, but was told the company wasn't ready to comment on the leak. Given how Amazon France has previously proved reliable in outing both Call of Duty: Black Ops II and also the Killzone Trilogy bundle, it's a safe bet that this package is also legit.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Is Forza 5 Already in the Works?

A new job listing suggests that production could be gearing up for Forza 5. A listing for a software development engineer on Microsoft’s site contains the text “We are Turn 10 Studios and we need you for the next version of Forza Motorsport.”

The listing is specifically looking for “a strong senior software engineer to own the testing of our multiplayer networking system” and was posted in late July. The listing also mentions a “scalable multiplayer system” -- could this mean the game would communicate between current-generation and next-gen consoles?

For now, no details on the next Forza have been revealed, but we do know that Forza Horizon is coming on October 23rd with an expansion to follow in December.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft about the listing and will update with any info we receive. Until then, read our hands-on impressions of Forza Horizon for more on what you can expect.

Thanks to VG247 for the heads up.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Amazon Outs Black Ops 2 Zombies Campaign

A product listing for Call of Duty: Black Ops II has revealed that Zombies will be included as an option in the game’s campaign. A rundown of key features on Amazon listed “The inclusion of Zombies in gameplay, both as an option in multiplayer, and as a campaign option.”

The section related to Zombies has since been removed, but was captured in a screenshot by Kotaku. While Activision has never detailed Black Ops II’s Zombie functionality, zombies were teased shortly after the game’s announcement, and later revealed to be involved with the game’s Nuketown map.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II hits stores on November 13th. We don’t know much else about Zombies yet, but Activision has already has already revealed the first details about Black Ops II multiplayer. We’ve reached out to Activision for comment about Zombies and will update with any additional info we receive. Until then, read about how Black Ops II reboots Call of Duty’s multiplayer as well as the game’s eSports initiative.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Valve Confirms Hardware Development

A job listing on Valve’s site confirms that the company will begin developing hardware. A listing for an industrial designer says “Valve is traditionally a software company. Open platforms like the PC and Mac are important to us, as they enable us and our partners to have a robust and direct relationship with customers. We’re frustrated by the lack of innovation in the computer hardware space though, so we’re jumping in.”

The post continues, adding that Valve is interested in creating new user experiences. “Even basic input, the keyboard and mouse, haven’t really changed in any meaningful way over the years,” it says. “There’s a real void in the marketplace, and opportunities to create compelling user experiences are being overlooked.”

The post specifies that the position will add “expertise in product design and manufacturing, ergonomics, usability, aesthetics, and surfacing.” Candidates are also expected to have “6+ years of professional experience shipping world-class, high-tech hardware products” and “a thorough understanding of product design principles.”

Speculation about Valve’s entry into the hardware market has been flying since March, when rumors suggested Valve was working on a Steam Box console. Valve later debunked the rumors, commenting that the world is “a long way from Valve shipping out any sort of hardware.” Later, a listing for an electronics engineer to work on "platform hardware" emerged, as well as a blog post discussing wearable computing.

We’ve reached out to Valve for comment about the job listing and will update with any additional information we receive.

Thanks to CVG for the heads up.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Report: Killzone Trilogy Incoming for Playstation 3

A listing on Amazon France suggests that Sony will release the Killzone games as a boxed trilogy this October.

The posting, which you can see below, claims that all three of Sony's shooters will be released on October 24 for €59.99, which works out as roughly £47 or $75.

While nothing has been confirmed, and the price and release date for other territories could change even if the posting is correct, Amazon France has previous form in accurately leaking the existence of titles. It was the website that first listed Call of Duty: Black Ops II, outing the identity of this year's Call of Duty shooter, and it did the same for the Ratchet & Clank Trilogy (or Collection, if you're American).

It's this second title that's most interesting to consider in relation to the Killzone Trilogy, as all three games in that collection were originally released on PS2 just like the first Killzone. As they all received HD remastering before coming to PS3, could this mean that the same is in store for the shooter that started the series off? We heard rumours earlier this year that Killzone 1 would be released on PSN as an emulated and updated version, but this was later "delayed indefinitely".

If the game is about to come to PS3 at long last, it'd make sense that they'd want it to compare favourably in terms of visuals with others in the series, especially if updating the graphics has been mentioned before.

We've reached out to Sony for comment and will update the story with any comment we received.

The original Killzone title released on PS2 in 2004. This was followed up by Killzone 2 in 2009 and Killzone 3 in 2011, both on PS3. The next Killzone title currently confirmed as in development is Killzone: Mercenary, which is planned for a 2013 release on Vita.

Thanks, TheSixthAxis.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and was always more of a Resistance guy. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Rage Developer Hiring for Next-Gen Game

Doom and Quake creator Id Software is hiring for a new game on next generation consoles. According to a listing for a UI programmer, Id is seeking a candidate “to work on cutting-edge technology for an unannounced game on future-generation consoles.”

The listing adds that “experience with DirectX 11 [is] a plus.” DirectX11 support is notably absent from current-generation consoles, but rumored to be included in next-gen systems.

Finally, the listing notes that "familiarity with id Software games, characters, brands and universes" is a requirement, potentially hinting that this project could be Id's long-rumored Doom 4

In addition to creating classic shooters Doom and Quake, Id last released Rage in October of 2011. A listing for Rage downloadable content recently appeared on Europe’s PEGI ratings board, though no official announcement has been made. Id is expected to talk about its upcoming projects at Quakecon next month.

Meanwhile, a new re-mastered version of Doom 3 called the Doom 3: BFG Edition will be released later this year.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Microsoft Job Listings Hint at Next-Gen Kinect

New job listings on Microsoft’s site indicate that the publisher may be gearing up development on the next generation of Kinect. According to a listing for a software development engineer, “the team that shipped Kinect for Xbox 360” is seeking a candidate to work on “the future of Natural User Input.” More specifically, the listing later refers to the fact that “The Xbox Platform Team is gearing up towards the next generation of Natural User Interface (NUI) technologies.” The listing also refers to “rapid prototyping” and that a “successful candidate must be able to come up to speed with new technologies.”

A separate listing for a senior electronic engineer specifies that it’s looking for a candidate who would be responsible “for designing, building and delivering the devices and the innovative solution for Xbox and various future NUI applications.” It also includes its mission statement to “re-invent entertainment, led from the living room, powered by the cloud, across multiple screens and best experienced on our devices.”

The listings were posted in late June and early July, and fit in with rumors we previously heard about Microsoft working on an improved Kinect sensor. A Microsoft patent that emerged last month also hinted at a new Kinect sensor that could capture depth by using infrared light “to determine a physical distance from the capture device to a particular location on the targets or objects in the scene.” Previous rumors also suggested that the next Kinect will be accurate enough to read lips.

We know that Microsoft is likely working on the next-generation Xbox, as developers told us in an anonymous survey that the next generation of consoles will begin in 2013. We’ve also seen other Microsoft job listings refer to a new system, including a listing from Rare about next-gen games and a listing that implied a next-gen Halo is already in the works.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft about the job listings and will update this story with any comment we receive.

Thanks to OXM for the heads up.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com