Daily Briefing: Thursday 3rd June (Patreon)
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Valorant is headed to mobile
Valorant is celebrating its one-year anniversary and, to celebrate, Riot announced that the game will be headed to mobile platforms. We don't really have any details beyond that, though executive producer Anna Donlon says that the team's utmost priority was to ensure that they could deliver a full Valorant experience on phones.
- While Riot are endeavouring to offer an authentic Valorant experience on mobile devices, Donlon says that the team recognise that mobile and PC players have different requirements, and will not be offering cross-play between the two platforms. There is still a console version on the way, though it looks like it's lower down the team's list of priorities with mobile being a better fit for Valorant.
Nintendo announce E3 Direct presentation
E3 is fast approaching and that means it's time for an increasingly-rare Nintendo Direct presentation. Nintendo confirmed this week that a "roughly 40 minute" presentation will air on June 15th - followed by the usual Treehouse Live post-show that will offer three hours of "deep dives into select games."
- Nintendo have confirmed that the show will focus specifically on Nintendo Switch software "mostly releasing in 2021" though what exactly they'll show off remains a mystery. Nintendo's release slate includes games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and the recently-announced Splatoon 3, so we'll just have to see.
God of War Ragnarök delayed to next year
We haven't heard anything much of Ragnarök since a brief teaser was released last year but the belief was that it would be releasing this year. Turns out this won't be the case, as Sony Santa Monica this week confirmed that they will be shifting the game's release window to 2022.
- A statement published to the studio's Twitter account also says that the team have some "exciting things in the works" so it'll be interesting to get some news in future. Sony also announced this week that both Ragnarök and Gran Turismo 7 will be releasing on PS4 as well as PS5, so it looks like we'll have to wait a little longer for a full generational leap.
EA nab Call of Duty boss to lead Battlefield
According to a new report from IGN, Byron Beede has joined EA as SVP and GM of the Battlefield franchise. EA say the move represents a "strategic, long-term commitment to the growth of the franchise."Beede was previously Call of Duty GM so the move is an intriguingly dramatic one.
- Beede joined Activision Blizzard way back in 2009 and held a variety of roles - he was president and GM of Destiny before taking up a similar role within Call of Duty, overseeing the release of Call of Duty Mobile and Warzone. He'll report directly into Vince Zampella.