Tag: Video Games

Xbox X018 Inside Xbox Live Update Thread

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Microsoft and Xbox take over Mexico City on November 10th for the X018 FanFest, and are brining a special live edition of Inside Xbox with them! Info on the event can be found below:

Time: 4 PM EST/1 PM PST

Streaming

Updates

Update 4:01 PM

  • PlayerUnknown’s BattleGround is coming to Xbox Game Pass – Twitter

Update 4:03

  • Void Bastards, from the co-creator of the Bioshock series, arrives in 2019 on Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass – Twitter

Update 4:15 PM

  • Crackdown 3 is shown with new gameplay footage, along with an updated release date of February 15th, 2019; day & date release on Game Pass – Twitter
  • Crackdown (2007) will be available for free digitally on Xbox Store until end of November.

Update 4:19 PM

  • New Battlefield V trailer is shown, detailing Xbox One X enhancements.

Update 4:25 PM

  • Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice comes to Game Pass on December 17th

Update 4:30 PM

  • New Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer is revealed, with new gameplay and story elements.

Updated 4:35 PM

  • Final Fantasy XIII and it’s expansions, along with Civilization Revolution come to the Backwards Compatibility program on November 13th.

Update 4:37 PM

  • Ori & the Blind Forest (December 20th), Ori & the Will of the Wisp (Launch), and Thief of Thieves (today) headed to Game Pass

Update 4:41 PM

  • Sea of Thieves introduces new competitive mode, the Arena; available early 2019

Update 4:52 PM

  • Jump Force gets a new gameplay trailer, and a release date of February 15th, 2019

Update 4:53 PM

  • Zedhunter Update coming to State of Decay 2. New weapons, gear, and ways to survive. Arrives November 16th.

Update 4:57 PM

  • Just Cause 4 gets new trailer and details. Drops December 4th, 2018.

Update 5:12 PM

  • Aftercharge, Supermarket Shriek, and Kingdom Two Crowns are coming to Game Pass.

Update 5:18 PM

  • Minecraft announces new update, Cats & Pandas. No release date, “Coming Soon”

Update 5:19 PM

  • Devil May Cry 5 gets some one on one time with fans, with some new gameplay footage detailing the new “Void Mode”, various attacks, defenses and more.

Update 5:26 PM

  • A sneak peak is shown of Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s first DLC titled “the Forge”. A new challenge tomb, that fans can play both in solo or co-op modes, a new score attack mode, time attack mode, along with a new grenadier skill, Brocken outfit and Umbrage 3-80 weapon highlight the content pack. Available November 13th, 2018.

Update 5:27 PM

  • Pathologic 2, Secret Neighbor, the Good Life and Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden are being added to Game Pass.

Update 5:31 PM

  • Metro Exodus gets a new trailer revealed, along with a new Spartan Collector’s Edition, that includes a 30.5″ Resin statue, “Artyom’s Memories” collectible postcards, authentic Spartan Order dog tag and patches, gigantic metal sealed canister, and is purchasable with or without Aurora limited edition; available when the game releases February 22nd, 2019.

Update 5:32 PM

  • Razer and Xbox announce partnership to bring wireless mechanical keyboard and mouse, designed from the ground up specifically with the Xbox One family of consoles in mind. More details will be released in January by Razer at CES 2019.

Update 5:37 PM

  • Forza Horizon 4 gets DLC update, Fortune Island; labeled “largest, most extreme location ever seen in a Horizon game”. Available December 13th, 2018.
  • Ken Block’s GymkhanaTen vehicles hit Horizon 4 come to Horizon 4; 2016 Ford Focus RS RX, 1977 Ford D150 Hoonitruck available now; 1991 Ford Escort Cosworth Group A, 2017 Ford Fiesta ST, 1965 Ford Hoonicorn Mustang coming soon.

Update 5:39 PM

  • ID@Xbox boasts 1,000 games now available on Xbox One platforms; over 4 billion hours of gameplay. Winter event coming in December.

Update 5:42 PM

  • MXGP 3, Agents of Mayhem, and thomas was alone hitting Game Pass on November 22nd.

Update 5:55 PM

  • Obsidian Entertainment and inXile officially acquired by Microsoft as first party studios, aimed to develop exclusive titles for the Xbox family of systems.

 

Show concluded at 6 PM EST. Stay tuned for a detailed write up on the press conference as a whole within the next 24 hours.

 

For more on X018, and all things Xbox, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @BonusAccessory, and keep it locked in at Bonus Accessory.

Sony’s Revenue Increased 40% Year Over Year, Highest Among Top Gaming Companies

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In a console generation dominated by the Sony’s forth home console, the PlayStation 4, it doesn’t come as a shock to learn that the Japanese tech giant has continued to increase revenue consistently; but the new financial findings reveal they are having one of their best years to date currently.

According to a market analysis done on the gaming industry, Sony’s revenue has increased 40% year over year, with the company generating a estimated $6.1 billion this fiscal year comparative to $4.4 billion in 2017. This gives them to highest percentage in revenue growth out of the top 10 gaming companies listed.

With their continued ability to lock in large AAA third party games to exclusive marketing and timed content right (such as the critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption 2), it is easy to see how Sony and the PlayStation brand are able to continue to appeal to a broad casual audience; not to mention the continuous wave of exclusive first party hits that have landed in 2018, including Game of the Year front runner in many critics’ eyes, God of War.

While Sony may be the front runner in terms of greatest growth, its competitors have found great financial success over the last year as well. Nintendo, riding a stellar wave of critical and financial success due to their newest home hybrid console, Nintendo Switch, increased revenue by 20%, from $1.2 billion in 2017 $1.5 billion in 2018. Nintendo has rarely discounted both their first party games and hardware over the past year, which would result in a higher revenue per unit sold.

Microsoft also saw success from 2017 to 2018, including the release of their mid-generation console iteration, the Xbox One X, which helped in increasing their revenue an estimated 30% ($3.7 billion in 2017 to $4.4 billion in 2018). On top of that, their staple Xbox Live service, the new game service Game Pass, and continued strong sales of third party titles, the American based company continues to make strides to position themselves well for the future.

The Chinese gaming publisher and developer, Tencent, led all of gaming, due to their increasing stranglehold over the Chinese gaming market, along with a multitude of other investments in different sects of media. Tencent increased their revenue nearly 20%, from $8.5 billion in 2017, to a staggering 10.2 billion in 2018.

 

For all things gaming, including updated market analysis on gaming, follow us on Twitter at @BonusAccessory, and keep it right here on Bonus Accessory.

Nintendo President Believes Not Realistic to Expect All Major Titles on Switch

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With every big AAA game announcement, more and more gamers have started to expect Nintendo’s popular hybrid home console, the Nintendo Switch, to be included within the platforms supporting the game; and while that is becoming more and more a reality as the systems continues to sell astronomically well, publishers have tried to temper fans expectations for some titles making their way to the Switch. Now, Nintendo is joins the conversation themselves, solidifying those views that publishers and developers share.

In a Q&A session during the Nintendo’s most recent financial briefing for the first six months of their fiscal year (ending in March 2019), president and CEO Shuntaro Furukawa expressed happiness over fan’s passion for the system, but to have realistic expectations. When asked about how the company is addressing concerns of major third party titles missing from the console’s lineup, Furukawa stated “We believe that giving consumers a wide selection of software is an extremely important part of operating our platforms. Thats is why we welcome the introduction of a variety of titles from many different software publishers. Even so, I do not think it is realistic to expect that every major title will become available on Nintendo Switch.”

While support from third party developers has increased since Nintendo’s previous home console, the Wii U, many titles either have been skipped over on the console, or are released at a later date than other systems. Factually, the system’s hardware is not as powerful as its competitor’s (i.e. PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC etc.), providing at times an uphill battle for developers to create lesser versions of said games.

At the same time, Nintendo continues to explore different avenues to address console limitations, including gaming streaming. In May of this year, Nintendo released a cloud-based version of Capcom’s hit title “Resident Evil 7” in Japan, in which user would stream the game to their console via a dedicated cloud-based server. The company then followed this trend by partnering with continuous third party supporter Ubisoft by release a cloud-based version of the newest entry into the Assassin’s Creed series, “Odyssey”, same day and date release as the traditional versions.

Furukawa elaborated on the topic more, stating “We are speaking with publishers about them actively putting titles on Nintendo Switch that would be an especially good fit for its unique features as a home console system you can carry around, including handheld mode and the availability to bring systems together for local multiplayer.”

The company’s newly appointed president, hired in June 2018, expressed positivity for the future of the console moving forward. “Given the strong publisher support Nintendo Switch has, I would expect the number of titles on it will increase a lot more. That is what really keeps the Nintendo Switch business on the right track.”

For more updates on all things Nintendo, including the Switch’s ever growing library, follow us on Twitter @BonusAccessory, and keep it right here on Bonus Accessory.

Breaking: Prima Games Shutting Down by 2019

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Another unfortunate casualty in print games media has come to the end of its road. As first reported by EGM Now, the long-running and successful Prima Games will cease operations by the end of Spring 2019.

In what was described as an “extremely difficult decision”, the Dorling Kindersley division of Penguin Random revealed to sources close to EGM yesterday that they will discontinue the Prima Games printing by March 2019. All offices of Prima Games, which include Roseville, Indianapolis, and New York will be affected by the ceasing of the division.

While the company is still taking preorders on guides, even dated for February 2019, the company is expected to begin closing doors as soon as this month, starting with the Roseville location. Groups of employees based out of the Indianapolis offices are reported to stay on until the end of March 2019, while the timetable for the New York office remains unknown.

Prima Games was founded in founded in 1990 by Ben Dominitz, and grew to be one of the premiere publishers for gaming print publications, with their most popular being the gaming strategy guides they produced. Prima has been attached to some of the biggest franchises in the gaming industry, including the Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, God of War, and Assassin’s Creed to name a few. The company has produced over 1,400 titles and has stated to have over 90 million strategy guides in print.

For updates on the future of Prima Games, please follow us on Twitter at @BonusAccessory, and keep it right here at Bonus Accessory.

PlayStation Classic Uses Open Source Emulator PCSX, Confirmed

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Nintendo’s successful and sought-after line of “Classics” including models replicating both the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo has inspired multiple companies to try to enter that same marketing; including Sony, with their PlayStation Classic. We have now learned that the “mini” PlayStation is running off of the open source emulator PCSX.

Frank Cifaldi, founder of the Video Game History foundation, released a thread of tweets expounding on the finding, including a very adamant stance on the debate of companies using emulation. “Lesser educated people might see this as a cause of frustration”, Cifaldi stated, “but here’s the reality: it’s an acknowledgement that an ‘amateur’ emulator can be just as valid as an ‘official’ one (and they’re usually better!)”.

Cifaldi also makes reference to the media giant’s past history of legal battles, including its unsuccessful attempt at suing an early Playstation emulator almost two decades ago. In 1999, Sony ultimately lost a legal battle between now defunct company Connectix over its Mac-based PlayStation emulator, Virtual GameStation. Months later, the company ended up being bought out by Sony and having the emulator shut down, but now it seems that the company is open to using consumer made software for their own devices.

“There’s been this decades-long myth that emulators a company makes and sells you are somehow better. Now we have acknowledgement from THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE PLAYSTATION that a free emulator is good enough to be official” Cifaldi continued. While this seems to be an issue with most large console companies, there has been a small, but positive shift occurring betweens consumer-made software and the official producers. In recent years, Sega has proudly supported fan made products and titles using their software and IPs, even bringing in creators of said projects to work on developing official Sega produced games, including 2017’s critically acclaimed Sonic Mania.

The PlayStation Classic is set to launch on December 3rd, 2018, with 20 games pre-loaded onto the console, including Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy VII, and Resident Evil: Director’s Cut. The system will retail for $99.99, and is currently available for preorder.

For more information regarding all thing PlayStation, including the PlayStation Classic, follow us on Twitter at @BonusAccessory, and keep it right here on Bonus Accessory.

PlayStation Now Accounts for 51% of All Gaming Subscription Services

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In a console generation that has seen Sony’s fourth home console dominate the market, it now seems that they can say the same in the subscription realm.

According to a report produced by SuperData, Sony’s on demand game streaming service, PlayStation Now, has earned $143 million in 2018, making the most of any game subscription service, which accounts for 51% of the gaming subscription market. The report also reported that Xbox’s popular service Game Pass accounted for 15%, while EA Access accounted for 16%.

While another successful venture isn’t shocking to hear for Sony during this current generation, it does come to the surprise of many as the service has received little to no marketing or publicity for most of 2018. The most recent news to come from Sony via a official blog post, announced the service was now supporting the ability to download games to the user’s hard drive, compared to streaming them; a feature user have asked to have added for quite some time. For reference, Xbox’s Game Pass service, which launched in June of last year, released with a download function for games built in.

PlayStation Now was first announced on January 7th, 2014, with a full launch on May 12th of the following year. As of October, there are over 650 games available for the streaming service, with new titles being added each month.

For more information regarding all things PlayStation, along with updates to the PlayStation Now service, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @BonusAccessory, and keep it right here on Bonus Accessory.

Esports Arena Partners with Walmart, Bringing LAN Stations In-Store, New Line of PCs/Laptops

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eSports is a sect of gaming that continues to rapidly grow, and it may be getting exposure to an even broader audience very soon. Esports Arena, a Santa Ana, California based company who has a chain of state of the art, large, indoor facilities focused on holding eSports events has partnered with the popular retailer Walmart to bring a multitude of services and products both in store and online.

 

In a video released on both the company’s YouTube and Twitter accounts, Esports Arena COO Tyler Endres, said that the company’s partnership with Walmart was two fold; the first would be bringing miniature eSports “arenas” to Walmart stores, while the second part would entail releasing a new line affordable yet power gaming PCs/laptops exclusively through Walmart’s online storefront. “We are super pumped from Esports Arena to bring the esports experience to the Walmart shopper, to the everyday customer, and it allows us to expand rapidly.”

Endres continued, by saying “About a year ago, Walmart came over to the Esports Arena in Orange County (CA), and we had a long conversation about bringing the esports gaming experience to Walmart shopper”. Those conversations lead to the announcement of Epsorts Arena opening up LAN gaming centers within five Walmart locations, including three locations opening this week in Roseville, CA, Colorado Springs, CO, and Spokane Valley, WA. “Each one of the locations will have about 25 stations inside. They’ll all be connected to each other, so basically you could compete in Roseville, CA and you could compete with our original Esports Arena in Orange County; or you could compete against a brand new arena in Colorado Springs, CO.”

Walmart.com will also be the exclusive home to Esports Arena’s new line of gaming PCs & laptops, titled Over Powered or “OP” for short. “We started developing this concept about a year ago, and I’m a PC gamer myself, we have PC gamers who work here, they build esports arenas; we know what PC gaming needs. That is why we created this brand” Endres proudly expressed. The line includes three different models of pre-built gaming PC towers, along with three different models of gaming laptops as well, with the latter all including 144hz monitors.

Esports Arena plans to continue rolling out the Esports Arena centers in the remaining two locations, which weren’t disclosed, through the end of 2018 and into 2019, with hopes of expanding the program to even more locations as time goes on.

For updates on Esports Arenas new partnership with Walmart, along with everything else esports related, make sure to follow us on Twitter at @BonusAccessory and keep it locked in right here at Bonus Accessory.

Fortnite Reaches 8.3 Million Concurrent Players Worldwide

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Fortnite continues to be the most popular game in the world, and the team at Epic Games have another feather they can tout in their hat now. The massively successful battle royale-centered game now has 8.3 million concurrent players worldwide.

Epic Games’ coveted golden goose saw its release in South Korea this week, home to one of the biggest PC gaming markets in the world. Players flooded PC Bang cafes (similar to LAN centers in the US), to compete in specialty challenges that can only be unlocked at the specialty cafes. These cafes are quite common in Asia and even some European countries, leading to PC gaming have a huge spike in participation compared to the US.

Speaking to Korean media outlet Inven, Sung Chul Park, a spokesperson for Epic Games Korea, stated that Fortnite now succeed in having 8.3 million concurrent players. Thats right, 8.3 million players, all playing at one time. To say that is an unfathomable amount might be an understatement. This number has been confirmed by multiple outlets, including VG247.com who first broke the news.

The free-to-play battle-royale mode of the game, which launched in September of last year, has dominated the gaming ecosystem in every aspect. Now on its 6th season of content, the popularity of the game has crossed a multitude of boundaries, taking over aspects of mainstream culture, including a tie-in with Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War earlier this year and recently a line of NFL-themed player skins. It continues to dominate multiple game streaming platforms, and has launched multiple streamers like Tyler “Ninja” Blevins into the same stratosphere. From children to adults, hardcore gamers to newcomers, streamers to mobile players, the game has become a pop culture phenomenon; and now that the game is everywhere, including the Korean markets, it has no plans of slowing down.

For all things Fortnite and continued updates on its population numbers, follow us on Twitter at @BonusAccessory and keep it right here at Bonus Accessory.

Microsoft, Xbox Release Free In-Game Items for Sea of Thieves, Forza Horizon 4, at X018

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Yesterday, Director of Programming for Xbox Live Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb released a press article siting ways fans can watch the upcoming live edition of Inside Xbox from X018 FanFest in Mexico City this Saturday. While available on a multitude of platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and Twitter, Hryb promised fans who watched through Microsoft’s Mixer streaming service the chance to receive free in-game items for Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 4, and we now know what kind of goodies we are receiving.

In a tweet released yesterday, Mixer touted the ability to receiving one of a kind in-game items for the two Microsoft exclusive titles. “Tune into a very special episode of #InsideXbox LIVE from #Z018! Make sure you’re logged in to get an exclusive MixPot featuring in-game content for Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 4 – and, be there live for all the latest announcements!”

 

Sea of Thieves’ official Twitter account plunged into more detail on the in-game items you can received by watching the show through Mixer, including an Obsidian drum and spyglass. “Another reason to tune in to the X018 episode of Inside Xbox on Saturday: you’ll receive the Obsidian drum and spyglass if you watch via mixer.com/xbox!”

The Forza team at Playground Games have yet to release a social media post detailing the exact item(s) you can receive, but from the original tweet, we can see pictured a black shirt for your in-game character, with yellow trim and lettering, stating “Welcome to the Horizon Festival”.

Microsoft’s newly revamped X018 FanFast is set to take place in Mexico City starting Friday, November 9th and going through Sunday, Sunday November 11th. Events include the FanFest pre-party Friday night, the full FanFest Saturday, and concluding on Sunday with an ESports Extravaganza. For information regarding dates, times and options to watch, visit the official Xbox site.

For updates on the X018 FanFest this weekend, including all game announcements, be to sure to follow us on @BonusAccessory and be sure to keep it right here at BonusAccessory.

Deals of the Day: Best Buy’s Black Friday Ad Released

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Believe it or not, Thanksgiving (US) is two weeks from today. Pretty soon you’re going to blink and it’s going to be Christmas. Time passes us by too fast, but I digress.

With Black Friday bleeding into Thanksgiving more and more every year, retailers are pushing out their ads for the massive sales as soon as they can, and one of the first to do so is Best Buy.

Best Buy is always a fan favorite to shop at on Black Friday, due to their selection of tech-related items on sale, which includes many popular video games and systems. Below are some hot ticket items to keep an eye on as you plan your budget for the biggest shopping day of the year:

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  • PlayStation 4 Slim 1 TB Bundle w/ Marvel’s Spider-Man – $199.99
  • PlayStation VR CREED/SuperHot VR Bundle – $249.99
  • PlayStation VR Astro Bot/Moss Bundle – $199.99
  • PS+ 12 Month Membership – $39.99
  • PS4 Dual Shock Controllers – $39.99
  • FIFA 19 – $29.99
  • Madden 19 – $29.99
  • Detroit: Become Human – $19.99
  • Monster Hunter: World – $19.99
  • MLB the Show 19 – $19.99
  • Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age Edition of Light – $29.99
  • God of War – $24.99
  • Call of Duty: WWII Gold Edition – $24.99
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (w/ free shot glass) – $59.99
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – $44.99
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered – $14.99
  • Star Wars Battlefront 2 – $7.99
  • L.A. Noire – $14.99
  • Borderlands: The Handsome Collection – $14.99
  • Burnout Paradise Remastered – $9.99
  • Watch Dogs 2 – $14.99
  • DOOM VFR – $14.99
  • Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection – $14.99
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR – $29.99
  • NHL 19 – $29.99
  • Overwatch Legendary Edition Holiday Bundle – $29.99
  • NASCAR Heat 3 – $29.99
  • Vampyr – $29.99
  • For Honor: Marching Fire Edition – $29.99
  • Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker – $29.99
  • PES 2019: Pro Evolution Soccer – $29.99
  • F1 2018 – $29.99
  • Destiny 2: Forsaken Legendary Collection – $34.99
  • Diablo III: Eternal Collection – $19.99
  • Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition – $19.99
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition – $19.99
  • Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection – $19.99
  • Resident Evil 7 Biohazard Gold Edition – $19.99
  • The Crew 2 – $19.99
  • Nier: Automata – $19.99
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ – $19.99

 

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  • Nintendo Switch Super Mario Kart Deluxe Bundle – $299.99
  • Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle – $19.99
  • Rocket League Ultimate Edition – $19.99
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ – $29.99
  • Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy – $24.99
  • Just Dance 2019 – $24.99
  • Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 – $24.99
  • Legendary Fishing – $14.99
  • Tennis World Tour – $29.99
  • Overcooked! 2 – $29.99
  • Hello Neighbor – $29.99
  • Hasbro Game Night – $24.99
  • LEGO The Incredibles – $19.99
  • Namco Museum Arcade Pac – $19.99
  • Super Bomberman R – $19.99
  • Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate – $34.99
  • Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido – $34.99
  • Fire Emblem Warriors – $34.99
  • Megan Man Legacy Collection 1+2 – $24.99
  • Sports Party – $19.99
  • Carnival Games – $24.99
  • America’s Greatest Game Shows: Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy – $19.99

 

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  • Xbox One X 1TB Gold Rush Special Edition Battlefield V Bundle/ Extra Controller – $429.99
  • Xbox One S 1TB Minecraft Creators Bundle – $199.99
  • NBA 2K19 – $29.99
  • Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – $29.99
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider – $29.99
  • Far Cry 5 – $19.99
  • Assassin’s Creed Origins – $19.99
  • Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition – $19.99
  • Lego DC Super Villains – $29.99
  • Forza Horizon 4 – $29.99
  • WWE 2K19 – $29.99
  • Fallout 76 (w/ Vault Boy keychain) – $59.99
  • PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds – $14.99
  • Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition – $9.99
  • State of Decay 2 – $14.99
  • Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition – $24.99
  • SoulCalibur VI – $34.99
  • UFC 3 – $24.99
  • Sea of Thieves – $24.99
  • NBA Live 19 – $19.99
  • The Sims 4 – $19.99
  • Injustice 2 Legendary Edition – $19.99
  • Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition – $19.99

 

For more updates of Black Friday gaming deals, be sure to follow us on Twitter @BonusAccessory and keep it right here on BonusAccessory.