Apple employees have been using the Apple Arcade early access program this summer. An App Store API suggests the price will be US$5/month.
Games
'Telling Lies' Game Available for Preorder at $6.99
Annapurna Interactive, makers of games like Donut County, Gorogoa, Gone Home, and more, have a new game coming out called Telling Lies. An investigative thriller game with non-linear storytelling, Telling Lies revolves around a cache of secretly recorded video conversations. Starring Logan Marshall-Green, Alexandra Shipp, Kerry Bishé, Angela Sarafyan and directed by Sam Barlow, creator of Her Story and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Telling Lies sits you in front of an anonymous laptop loaded with a stolen NSA database full of footage. The footage covers two years in the intimate lives of four people whose stories are linked by a shocking incident. Explore the database by typing search terms, watch the clips where those words are spoken and piece together your story. Unlike anything you’ve played before, Telling Lies is an intimate and intense experience. A game where you decide the truth. App Store: Telling Lies—US$6.99
The Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Bundle: $4.99
We have a bundle of apps for Mac gamers: the Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Bundle. It includes both STAR WARS – Knights of the Old Republic and STAR WARS Knights of the Old Republic II on the Steam platform for just $4.99.
Back to Hogwarts Brilliant Event Starts Tomorrow for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will host a Brilliant Event tomorrow called Back to Hogwarts. Players will get new Brilliant Foundables, earn Restricted Books, and more.
Week 1: Runs from August 13, 2019 (11 A.M. PT/2 P.M. ET) – August 20, 2019 (11 A.M. PT/2 P.M. ET)
Week 2: Runs from August 27, 2019 11 A.M. PT/2 P.M. ET) – September 3, 2019 (11 A.M. PT/2 P.M. ET)
Pocket Build 2.5 Rolls Out First-Person Mode
Pocket Build is a building game where you can build your own little worlds, and Pocket Build 2.5 rolling out first-person mode.
Here's How to Watch the Fortnite World Cup Finals
If you didn’t know that Fortnite World Cup Finals was a thing, don’t worry because I didn’t either. But if you’re interested, Melissa Locker tells us how to watch it.
Over the course of three days this week (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), the world’s most elite Fortnite players will be competing in front of a live audience at New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Duos final is set for Saturday with 50 teams of two competing, while Sunday features the Solo competition, where 100 players will battle it out over the course of six matches, with points awarded for match placement and number of kills. Winners of the Solo and Duo finals will receive $3 million each.
Civilization VI 'Rise and Fall' Expansion Available on iOS
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI recently made its Rise and Fall expansion pack available on iOS, and another expansion—Gathering Storm—will arrive later this year.
New Game Pathless Challenges You With Puzzles
In the futuristic dark world of Pathless it is easy to get lost, will you find the way out? Watch, memorize, repeat. Is your memory as good as you think it is? Memorize the different paths and try to repeat them in the same order. You must repeat the sequence of steps precisely to succeed. Features: One-finger control, 140 unique levels with more to come, player records and ladder system, randomly generated endless gameplay. It’s a coo game that reminds me of Bop It and that Simon Says toy. App Store: Free (Offers In-App Purchases).
Link Your YouTube Account to Fortnite for Fornite Drops
Epic Games is adding a new rewards system to Fortnite called Fortnite Drops. Link your Epic Games account and YouTube account to earn special rewards.
In order to get the special cosmetic rewards in Fortnite, you’ll need to watch 20 minutes of footage from specific YouTube Premier streams. There are going to be multiple times that you can accrue the needed 20 minutes of time watched, though if you want to get every single reward, you’ll have to watch 20 minutes from each individual stream.
Minecraft Earth Registration Now Open
Speaking of Minecraft, registration for Minecraft Earth is now open for those who have iOS 10 or later.
Alas, since it’s a closed Beta, registering doesn’t guarantee you access — but in its FAQ about the Beta, the team notes that they’re planning to open it up to “hundreds of thousands of players” eventually, so your odds of getting in probably aren’t too bad. You’ll need to be over the age of 18, have a device running iOS 10/Android 7 or newer, and a Microsoft or Xbox Live account to get registered.
Apple Texas Hold'Em App is Back for 10 Year Anniversary
In celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the App Store, the Apple Texas Hold’em game is back. Apple Texas Hold’em Apple released its game in 2006 for the iPod and eventually the App Store. Now it’s back: Apple’s Texas Hold’em is back! To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the App Store, we’ve brought…
Pokémon Masters Coming to iOS Later This Summer
A new game called Pokémon Masters is heading to iOS this summer. On the island of Pasio, players will form teams of Trainers and their partner Pokémon and engage in 3-on-3 real-time battles.
Players can team up with duos such as Korrina & Lucario, Brendan & Treecko, Clair & Kingdra, and many more. With all sorts of Trainers on Pasio, there are sure to be some exciting and unexpected encounters in this new story. At launch, there will be 65 sync pairs to recruit in Pokémon Masters, with additional sync pairs to come following the game’s release.
Take 400 Pre-Loaded Classic 8-Bit Games Wherever You Go with This Retro-Inspired Handheld: $29.99
We have a deal on the GameBud, a retro-inspired handheld gaming device with 400 pre-loaded classic 8-bit games. You can play up to three hours on a single charge, and you can play games on your own TV via the TV-out port and included AV cable. The GameBud if $29.99 through our deal.
Niantic Surprises Us: Harry Potter Wizards Unite Available NOW
Niantic has decided to surprise us. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is available to download now, with the original launch date being tomorrow, June 21. I’ve spent a couple of minutes playing and reached level 2. Certain aspects of the game are slow, like UI-wise, like when you level up. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is set in J.K. Rowling’s fictional universe where players help protect the wizarding world from exposure to muggles. Players will use their smartphones to capture magical creatures running loose, hunt potion ingredients, and use portkeys to travel to popular locations in the wizarding world. Download it here: App Store: Free
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Launches July 21
Niantic announced that its upcoming augmented reality game, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, will launch this Friday, June 21. In a press conference outside Universal Studio’s Wizarding World in Florida, Niantic said it would hold Wizards Unite events similar to its Pokémon GO Fests. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is set in J.K. Rowling’s fictional universe where players help protect the wizarding world from exposure to muggles. Players will use their smartphones to capture magical creatures running loose, hunt potion ingredients, and use portkeys to travel to popular locations in the wizarding world.
Reddit Deciphered Harry Potter Wizards Unite Letter
Redditors have deciphered the Harry Potter: Wizards Unite letter, bits and pieces of which appeared in the official trailers.
League of Legends Coming to iOS, Unlikely in 2019
Popular game League of Legends is coming to iOS and Android, but it’s unlikely it will appear in 2019.
One of the sources said Tencent and Riot have been working on a mobile version of “League of Legends” for more than a year, although a separate source said it was unlikely to be launched in 2019.
The sources declined to be identified as details of the project were confidential. A spokesman for Tencent declined to comment. Representatives for Riot did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
AR Game Minecraft Earth Launches This Summer
This summer Microsoft will be launching an augmented reality game called Minecraft Earth. And it wants to be bigger than Pokémon Go.
Microsoft says it will kick off a closed beta of Minecraft Earth this summer on iOS and Android. Naturally, there are going to be limited slots, and you’ll also have to be 18 or older to sign up. And while the plan is to get Minecraft Earth completely global, it’s going to start off with a gradual rollout in select locations. You can also expect it to support all the languages in the original game, at least.
I never got into Minecraft, but I look forward to trying this game out.
Valve’s Steam Link app is Available on iOS
Valve’s Steam Link is back on the App Store, this time maybe for good. The Android app launched in May 2018, but when Valve submitted it to the App Store, Apple rejected it, citing business conflicts. The Steam Link app brings desktop gaming to your iPhone or iPad. Just pair an MFI or Steam controller to your device, connect to a computer running Steam on the same local network, and start playing your existing Steam games. Requirements: iPhone or iPad using iOS 10 or higher Computer running Steam – Windows, Mac, or Linux. * iOS device must be on the same local network as the computer running Steam. For best performance: Connect your computer using Ethernet to your 5Ghz WiFi router Connect your iOS device to the 5GHz band of your WiFi network. * Keep your iOS device within a reasonable range of your router. App Store: Free
New Pokémon Game Rumble Rush Heading to iOS
A new Pokémon game called Rumble Rush is heading to iOS soon. It first launched in Australia and will make its way to other countries.
Apex Legends Coming to iPhone
Popular game Apex Legends is coming to iPhone. The Verge reported on EA Games announcing its desire to bring the game to mobile during its earnings call Tuesday.
According to EA, the Respawn-developed battle royale game is “easily the fastest-growing franchise we’ve ever had.” What might be surprising, though, is that EA said it’s looking to bring the game from PC and console to mobile platforms. “We are in advanced negotiations to bring Apex Legends to China and to mobile,” the company said during today’s call….There’s no word on when this might happen for Apex, nor what form the mobile iteration will take. But it appears that EA is trying hard to keep the game’s early momentum going. “We are hugely excited about the future of Apex Legends,” the company said today.
Here are Some of the Games Included in Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade is the company’s new gaming subscription service. It will feature games from indie developers and bigger studios alike.
Pre-Register for Call of Duty Mobile on iOS
Activision is bringing Call of Duty: Mobile to iOS and Android. It will launch later this year as a free download.
The game will include classic Call of Duty multiplayer modes such as Team Death Match and Free-For-All, and fan-favorite maps like Nuketown.
There is no pre-order app on iOS but you can do it on this website.
Apple Security Tool Unveiled at RSA Conference 2019
The RSA Conference is a series of computer security conferences. This year, security researcher Patrick Wardle announced a new tool for Macs called GamePlan.
…GamePlan, a tool that watches for potentially suspicious events on Macs and flags them for humans to investigate. The general concept sounds similar to other defense platforms, and it hooks into detection mechanisms—has a USB stick been inserted into a machine? has someone generated a screen capture? is a program accessing a webcam?—Apple already offers in macOS. But GamePlan, cleverly written with Apple’s GameplayKit framework, collects all of this data in a centralized stream and uses the videogame logic engine to process it.
I use a couple of Mr. Wardle’s security tools. I look forward to downloading GamePlan.