GamesBeat weekly roundup: We try Nintendo’s Switch, and game sales are up in 2016

Welcome to another GamesBeat weekly roundup! This time, Nintendo reveals new Fire Emblem games, the PlayStation 4 wins December, and we look at the upcoming strategy game Halo Wars 2.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Pieces of flair and opinion

• The DeanBeat: 10 predictions for games in 2017
• Did Nintendo’s Switch reveal set the new console up for success? GamesBeat decides
• Here’s a closer look at Nintendo Switch’s game cards
• Hearthstone’s Jade Golem mechanic used to be a lot different
• Hearthstone’s Hunter class was was once in a different Mean Streets gang

Above: Patches the Pirate from Hearthstone.

Image Credit: YouTube

News

• Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney to receive lifetime achievement award at GDC
• Nintendo Switch projected to easily outsell the Wii U
• Talking Tom maker Outfit7 confirms it has been sold to United Luck Consortium for $1 billion
• Tehran will host its first regional Middle East game conference
• U.S. gaming industry earned $30.4 billion in 2016, up from 2015
• 2016 NPD: Call of Duty No. 1, Battlefield No. 2 on 2016’s list of best-selling games
• December 2016 NPD: Final Fantasy XV shows it has a new recipe for franchise’s sales
• ModDrop hopes to reignite interest in the Torchlight games through mods
• Silicon Studio adapts Graphine’s texture software for console, PC, and VR development
• Ubisoft hires an Oscar winner for The Division movie: Traffic’s Stephen Gaghan
• XCOM 2’s Long War 2 fan mod is now available for PC
• Fig raises $7.8 million to expand game crowdfunding platform
• DigiLens raises $22 million to make ‘eyeglass-thin’ augmented reality displays
• HTC launches $10 million VR fund to promote the planet’s sustainability
• Nintendo reveals new Fire Emblem games for Switch, 3DS, and mobile
• EA Play goes to Hollywood as the publisher further distances itself from E3
• Resident Evil 7 gets Play Anywhere support for Xbox One and PC
• Exploration-based puzzle game Solo seeks funding on Fig
• Genvid releases interactive streaming for esports broadcasts
• Former Techland COO starts a new game studio in Poland
• PAX South will host NGE’s Overwatch Winter Premiere Live Finals
• MIT launches Play Labs to help AR, VR, and AI startups get off the ground
• MMOne unveils commercial version of insane giant simulator arm for wild VR rides
• GAConf event to tackle how to make games more accessible to everyone
• Nintendo’s next Direct presentation focuses on Fire Emblem
• LGBTQ-friendly dating game Kitty Powers’ Matchmaker is coming to PS4 and Xbox One
• Survios to launch Raw Data game in virtual reality arcades
• Patches is Hearthstone’s most-played card since Mean Streets of Gadgetzan released
• Valve boss Gabe Newell will hold Reddit AMA this week
• ZeniMax doubles-down in statement against Oculus VR as trial begins (update)
• 505 Games unveils original Steam game Quarantine

Above: Super Mario Run’s price is most likely annoying people who don’t spend money on mobile games anyway.

Image Credit: Nintendo

Mobile and social

• Super Mario Run drops from U.S. top 50 grossing iOS apps (update)
• Tapjoy: Mobile games are more engaging and fun than social networks
• Clash of Clans maker Supercell hacked; 1 million forum accounts compromised
• Pokémon Go fights poverty with 17 PokéStops at the World Economic Forum
• Sensor Tower: Q4 game revenues grew 70%, downloads up 33%
• Halo Wars 2 inspires a social media strategy game on Twitter
• Decluttr: Pokémon Go makes $2,412.19 in a minute
• Pokémon Go generated revenues of $950 million in 2016
• App Annie: Worldwide app downloads grew 15% and revenue soared 40% in 2016
• Angry Birds maker Rovio opens new game studio in London

Previews, reviews, and interviews

• How Creative Assembly tried to make Halo Wars 2 more accessible on Xbox One
• Halo Wars 2 shows how The Creative Assembly is adapting its PC chops for consoles
• Blitz mode turns Halo Wars 2 into a furious multiplayer fray
• Halo Wars 2’s 2-vs.-2 mode speeds up real-time strategy multiplayer for consoles
• Nintendo Switch hands-on: Intriguing tech comes with some concerns
• How Digital Extremes built Warframe into a free-to-play sci-fi juggernaut
• Hypersuit promises to let you fly through virtual reality
• The State of Hearthstone: How Mean Streets of Gadgetzan changed everything — and where it goes next