Blizzard is making a survival game in an all-new universe

By Emily Morrow January 25, 2022

Blizzard has shared the first details about an upcoming title — and it’s a brand-new IP. In a news post and accompanying tweet, Blizzard says that the title is “a survival game in an all-new universe.”

The storied, but troubled developer called for job applicants to help “write the next chapter in Blizzard’s story.” The game will come to both PC and console, but few other details are available at this time. The blog post was primarily used to advertise open positions on the project, which include roles in art, design, and engineering.

The announcement comes hot on the heels of Microsoft’s historic acquisition of Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion.

We’re building a survival game in an all-new universe.

Join us in writing our next chapter: https://t.co/yf7W5p9ERQ pic.twitter.com/vWtkDYh1kX

— Blizzard Entertainment (@Blizzard_Ent) January 25, 2022

This is Blizzard’s first foray into a new IP since the release of Overwatch in 2016. Blizzard has a history of sticking with established IP and characters rather than creating new worlds. After creating the Warcraft series in the early 2000s, the company used the same characters and settings in World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm. It’s unclear whether this departure into new IP has anything to do with the company’s recent acquisition by Microsoft, which will almost certainly influence the company’s offerings and games in future years.

Concept art of an upcoming game from Blizzard shows two characters walking through the woods toward a castle in the distance. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Alongside the announcement, Blizzard showed off two pieces of concept art for the new project. One shows what appears to be a hunter crouched in front of a set of footprints within a forest, while the other shows two people walking through the woods toward a distant castle. Survival is an unusual game genre for Blizzard, but the concept art conveys the usual magical charm of the company’s existing work.

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Emily Morrow is a games journalist and narrative designer who has written for a variety of online publications. If she’s…

Gaming

All new Pokémon in The Teal Mask DLC

A big green bear Pokémon in the teal mask.

Even though it isn't a new generation, The Teal Mask DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is still introducing a handful of new Pokémon to add to your Pokédex. Whether or not you've already been filling out and completing your collection in the base game, everyone is curious to see what new types, designs, and abilities a new set of Pokémon brings to the table. Here are all the brand new Pokémon you can find while exploring the Land of Kitakami and their types.
Every new Pokémon in The Teal Mask

Ogerpon (4 types)
Ogerpon is the newest Legendary to be added to the series, and is by default a Grass type. However, in keeping with the theme of masks, it will change its form and type depending on what mask it is wearing, such as the Wellspring mask, Hearthflame mask, and Cornerstone mask. By default, Ogerpon is wearing the titular Teal mask.
Okidogi
This is a dog-themed Poison and Fighting-type Legendary that is a Hero of Kitakami. This Pokémon has no evolutions.
Munkidori
This curious monkey is a Poison and Psychic-type Legendary that also holds the title of Hero of Kitakami. Munkidori has no evolutions.
Fezandipiti
The final Hero of Kitakami is Fezandipiti, the Poison and Fairy-type Legendary. As usual, this Legendary can't evolve.
Dipplin
A rare Grass and Dragon type, Dipplin is an evolution of Applin.
Poltchageist
You could probably guess Poltchageist was a Grass and Ghost type by its name and design. This Pokémon can evolve into Sinistcha using either an Unremarkable Teacup or Masterpiece Teacup.
Sinistcha
The evolution of Poltageist we just talked about, Sinistcha remains a Grass and Ghost type.

Gaming

Unity clarifies what types of game installs count toward its new Runtime Fee

Unity angered lots of game developers earlier today when it unveiled its upcoming Unity Runtime Fee program, which takes a cut every time a Unity game is installed. It is particularly harsh for smaller developers using Unity Personal, as they will be $0.20 per install if their game makes over $200,000 within 12 months and gets over 200,000 lifetime game installs. There has been a lot of confusion over what exactly Unity defines as a "game install" in an industry full of subscription services, game bundles, and piracy. Digital Trends reached out to get clarification on what counts, and Unity responded.

When it comes to the multitude of ways players can acquire games, Unity says developers don't need to worry about fees related to trials, bundles, and giveaways. That said, developers who put their games in a subscription service like Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus Premium will need to take these fees into account."Demos, trials, game bundles, and giveaways like the Humble Bundle do not count as installs," a Unity spokesperson tells Digital Trends. "Subscription services, like Game Pass, do count as an install."

Gaming

Game developers are furious over Unity’s new runtime fees

Art of Unity

The makers of Unity, one of the most popular video game engines, announced a new "Unity Runtime Fee" that is set to take effect next year. Game developers aren't taking kindly to the announcement as the new fee is financially punishing, especially for smaller developers using the Unity Personal and Unity Plus plans.
Unity went into more detail about this in a blog post on Tuesday morning. It explains that starting on January 1, 2024, games that pass certain revenue and install thresholds will have to pay the Unity Runtime Fee. For developers using Unity Pro or Unity Enterprise, games "that have made $1,000,000 USD or more in the last 12 months and have at least 1,000,000 lifetime game installs" will have to pay the fee. For smaller developers using the free Unity Personal plan, this threshold is for titles that "have made $200,000 USD or more in the last 12 months and have at least 200,000 lifetime game installs." It doesn't matter whether or not your game was released before January 1 or this announcement, the fee will still apply starting next year if your game boots up with Unity Runtime.
This chart breaks down the fees Unity game developers will have to pay. Unity
According to a chart produced by Unity, Personal and Plus plan holders will end up paying the big fee proportionally, with it being $0.20 per install. For indie titles that have cheaper price tags and don't make that much more than $200,000 but are installed a lot, the financial risk is clear. While Unity said it "set high revenue and game install thresholds to avoid impacting those who have yet to find scale, meaning they don’t need to pay the fee until they have reached significant success," this announcement is not going over well with indie developers, many of whom used Unity Personal because of its cheaper and more accessible nature.
A tweet from game developer Rami Ismail explains that this fee being tied to the number of times the game is installed makes using Unity a risk for developers accounting for subscription service downloads, charity bundles, a free-to-play model, giveaways, and even piracy. Tomas Sala, the developer behind the Falconeer franchise, tweeted about how he's worried about paying exorbitant fees in the future because he's given away so many keys to charity. "This is ball-and-chaining me for an engine I already pay every year," Sala says.
Ultimately, the Unity Runtime Fee will punish developers that release receive don't receive much in the way of revenue but do see high install counts, which is not uncommon in the indie space bolstered by Xbox Game Pass and Humble Bundle. For now, Unity seems to be sticking with its decision, but this is definitely something developers using one of the most popular game engines out there will need to keep in mind when releasing games in the future.
Update: In response to the backlash, Unity posted the following statement on X:
"Today we announced a change to our business model which includes new additions to our subscription plans, and the introduction of a Runtime fee. We wanted to provide clarifying answers to the top questions most of you are asking. Yes, this is a price increase and it will only affect a small subset of current Unity Editor users. Today, a large majority of Unity Editor users are currently not paying anything and will not be affected by this change. The Unity Runtime fee will not impact the majority of our developers. The developers who will be impacted are generally those who have successful games and are generating revenue way above the thresholds we outlined in our blog. This means that developers who are still building their business and growing the audience of their games will not pay a fee. The program was designed specifically this way to ensure developers could find success before the install fee takes effect. We want to be clear that the counter for Unity Runtime fee installs starts on January 1, 2024 - it is not retroactive or perpetual. We will charge once for a new install; not an ongoing perpetual license royalty, like revenue share. We looked for ways to lessen the impact on developers, and provide ways to bring the Runtime fee to zero. If you’re using any of our ad products, Unity Gaming Services or cloud services, etc. please contact us to discuss discounts. We are actively listening to and following your questions closely. Please review our FAQ on today’s announcement. We also invite you to continue to discuss these changes with us on our forums."