Latest news with #Lanzillo
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Xbox's ‘S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2' Coming to PlayStation; Wizards of the Coast's Jess Lanzillo Heads to White Wolf (Gaming News Roundup)
Former Xbox exclusive 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl' is heading to PlayStation consoles later this year. Following its November 2024 global launch on PC and Xbox Series X and S, the GSC Game World-developed title will be released on Sony's PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro in late 2025. More from Variety Netflix's 'Squid Game' Mobile Game Adds Season 3 Competitions, Including Hide and Seek and Sky Squid Game (Gaming News Roundup) Xbox's Next-Gen Console to Be Powered by AMD (Gaming News Roundup) Remastered 'Backyard Baseball '97' Heads to Switch, PS5 (Gaming News Roundup) This news comes on the heels of last week's announcement that 'Helldivers 2,' a PS5 video game, will soon be available to play on Xbox Series X and S. These moves mark the latest shifts across devices as the gaming industry takes notice of consumers' habits and desires to be more title focused and less beholden to what's available on one pricey hardware platform. Per the description for 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2,' which was completed by Ukrainian game developer GSC Game World over the past few years during Russia's ongoing invasion in the country, the game 'is set in a fictional, reimagined Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.' 'The nuclear disaster at the Chornobyl Power Plant in 1986 was not the only incident, as a second explosion struck the reactor in 2006, giving rise to the Zone,' according to the synopsis. 'This dangerous region is inhabited by mutated creatures, hostile anomalies, deadly radiation, and an enigmatic, anomalous energy. Bounty hunters venture deep into the Zone, drawn in by the temptation of its treasures and mysteries. Some are fleeing their past, others are driven by greed, and a few are determined to uncover the truth behind the Zone's darkest secrets.' Watch the trailer announcing 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2' making its way to PlayStation in the video below. See more gaming news from this week in Variety's roundup. 'World of Darkness' IP ('Vampire: The Masquerade, 'Werewolf: The Apocalypse' and 'Hunter: The Reckoning') holder White Wolf has tapped Wizards of the Coast vet Jess Lanzillo as its new creative director. Before joining White Wolf, Lanzillo served as vice president of franchise and product for Wizards' Dungeons & Dragons brand, following years of franchise creative direction for Magic: The Gathering. As White Wolf's new creative director, she will lead the vision and IP development for World of Darkness story worlds across its transmedia catalog, encompassing TTRPG sourcebooks, video games, and other media. 'World of Darkness has been my creative north star since the '90s, and I've seen firsthand how these games create communities and inspire storytellers,' Lanzillo said. 'My focus is on supporting and amplifying what makes these worlds special—the rich lore, the player agency, the mature themes—while ensuring they reach everyone who would love them. World of Darkness is so much more than just games; it's a cultural touchstone with a passionate community and incredible untapped potential.' 'Bringing Jess on board to shape the creative future of World of Darkness is a big win for White Wolf,' White Wolf executive vice president Marco Behrmann added. 'She's a world-class Creative Director with deep roots in developing transmedia properties and a sharp instinct for audience-first storytelling. Jess's experience makes her the perfect fit to lead White Wolf in bold, ambitious ways. Jess is a key pillar of our expanding studio, helping drive a strong and clear creative vision from the heart of our team. Her arrival underscores Paradox's long-term commitment to White Wolf and our goal to make World of Darkness the number one horror entertainment brand in the world.' Krafton's forthcoming game 'Subnautica 2' has announced a delay in release following the July 2 exit of the game's co-creators, Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, from studio Unknown Worlds. The trio, who were also the co-founders of the game studio, were replaced by Striking Distance Studios vet Steve Papoutsis, who was appointed CEO upon their departure. According to tghe South Korea-based Krafton, the game's delay to 2026, which was revealed Wednesday, 'had already been under discussion prior to recent leadership changes' at Unknown Worlds. 'During playtests for 'Subnautica 2,' we received valuable feedback from our community that reinforced our confidence in the game's direction,' Krafton said in a statement to Variety. 'At the same time, the feedback highlighted a few areas that could benefit from further refinement before release. As community voices play a central role in how we shape our games, we've made the decision to give the development team more time to implement that feedback and deliver a more complete experience. As a result, 'Subnautica 2's Early Access launch has been rescheduled for 2026. This decision was based solely on our commitment to quality and to delivering the best possible experience for players. It was not influenced by any contractual or financial considerations.' On Tuesday, new studio Opus Major announced its debut project, 'MAJJAM.' Described as a 'multiplayer adventure game where music shapes the gameplay, from movement and combat to exploration and interaction,' the title is being developed as 'a vibrant co-op adventure inspired by the communal creativity of a live jam session, where players can build their own expressive arsenal of melodies, rhythms, and harmonies to explore and rescue a vibrant and ever-evolving world.' Watch the trailer for 'MAJJAM' below. On Thursday, Samsung revealed a new product for gaming advertisers, Mobile Conversion, which aims to help 'mobile gaming brands turn TV viewers into mobile gamers.' Per Samsung ads, 'Designed specifically for mobile-first and gaming brands, Mobile Conversion is a performance-driven solution that empowers game publishers to find CTV viewers with a high propensity to convert or download gaming apps using advanced machine learning and AI.' According to Samsung's beta testing, Samsung Ads exceeded client ROAS goals by up to 150% on Day 7, 'demonstrating CTV's effectiveness in driving mobile game installs.' Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Dungeons And Dragons Updates System Reference Document For Creators
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 22: Attendees play Dungeons & Dragons during TwitchCon 2023 Las Vegas at ... More the Las Vegas Convention Center on October 22, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by) A vital component to the success of Dungeons and Dragons is the System Reference Document, or SRD. This helps Dungeon Masters, content creators and third party publishers know what elements of D&D are free for them to use. On April 22nd, 2025, a new version is being released that will update the System Reference Document to bring it in line with the 2024 Core Rule Books. 'Play and creation are two different activities, although in D&D they overlap quite frequently,' said Jess Lanzillo, VP of Franchise and Product for Dungeons & Dragons. 'These things can be something that you create and then decide to commercialize or do anything like that with. That's within the realms of the SRD.' The SRD 5.2 includes a revised and expanded set of content from SRD 5.1, such as additional spells, feats, monsters, and equipment. Everything is now available under a Creative Commons license, giving creators confidence and clarity on what they can build. Third party support has been vital to the success of the game. 'We've added some stuff,' said Lanzillo. 'it's a little bit expanded. There might be a few reskins of things that might have a specific IP associated name that we might call something else. You'll still have the exact same mechanical content for that. One of the things I'm excited about, I know it's minor, but it's fun; the hippo is now in the SRD.' For creators, the new Systems Reference Document means more freedom and clarity about what they can use in their releases, unlocking creativity and lowering barriers to entry. The 2024 Players Handbook, 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide and 2024 Monster Manual are compatible with earlier versions of those books but there are still changes between the 2014 and 2024 versions of the game. Upcoming tools will make it easier to transition from the earlier Systems Reference Document. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder 'We're expanding our creator hub resources,' said Lanzillo. 'There will be conversion calculators and things like that. People who have previously made content can adapt that content for the new core rules. We're going to expand on that at D&D Beyond by mking it a creator central where we can give people really good advice for not just creating third party content but being a creator for D&D in general.' The new Systems Reference Document will be part of the errata process, ensuring it is regularly updated as official clarifications and corrections are published for the 2024 Core Rulebooks. D&D is a living, breathing game and any updates to the rules will now be centrally located at D&D Beyond. The central location of rules updates allows the designers to respond to how players are playing D&D and what creators are creating within the game. Once the trilogy of core books was finalized, the design team moved to ensure the System Reference Document supported the creators who rely on it. Supporting third party creators is a top priority for the success of the 2024 Core Rulebooks. This update is the fastest update of any version of the document. 'It was a living document that was created as we went through the development of the core rules,' said Lanzillo. 'It was in line with our rules development the whole way. In earnest, we go back and we're looking at everything altogether. As well as seeing the impacts in the community and the reactions in the community to the materials that have been released. That way we can make sure when SRD 5.2 comes out it can incorporate that first round of errata.' System Reference Document 5.2 is due to be released on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025. More information will be available on D&D Beyond in the coming days.
