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Star Wars fans received some exciting information this week from EA and DICE. The publisher and developer announced that Star Wars Battlefront will be released on November 17th for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. They also shared some details about the game at this week’s Star Wars Celebration and based on the information provided, it sounds like the new Battlefront will be similar to the previous Battlefront games, but with a few additions thanks to the Frostbite 3 engine. We’re excited for additional information to arrive in the coming weeks and months.

We also got our first bit of information (potentially) about Mass Effect 4 thanks to a survey released by developer BioWare. According to a Redditor who claimed to have taken the survey, the new Mass Effect game will focus heavily on colonization and exploration, and allow players to scout worlds, gather resources, and craft items. We imagine BioWare will release more information at E3.

In addition to the above stories, here are a few more from the week we found interesting.

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'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' 4K Screenshots Revealed

Developer CD Projekt released some impressive new 4K resolution screenshots of their upcoming release The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The screenshots, seen below, show off the incredible detail of the game’s characters and environments within the game.

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So far we’ve been quite impressed with the graphical detail and gameplay shared in the last few weeks by CD Projekt. It looks like the game’s delays are paying off. Hopefully the final product will sport the same high-quality visuals that have been shared recently. Also, we fully expect the game to be near-perfect at release thanks to the numerous delays. Sure, there will likely be a few issues since the game is so massive, but hopefully the game doesn’t experience any Assassin’s Creed Unity type game-breaking bugs.

With only a month left until launch, we’re confident CD Projekt will share more information very soon about their upcoming open-world RPG.

Source: Twitter

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Electronic Arts Shutting Down Multiple Free-to-Play Games

Electronic Arts has announced they are shutting down four free-to-play PC games: Battlefield Heroes, Battlefield Play4Free, Need for Speed World, and FIFA World. In their announcement, EA shared that they’re decision to end support for the games is based on customer feedback and the lack of popularity for the games.

Instead, the publisher is going to focus attention on games that are seeing a growth in player numbers, including their popular MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. We imagine the move is also due to the publisher's focus on supporting current Battlefield games and the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront, all of which require, or will require, dutiful attention and consistent updates.

EA said they will support the free-to-play games for 90 days after the announcement, meaning they’ll end on July 15, 2015.

Source: Electronic Arts

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'Majora’s Mask 3D' Nears 1 Million in Sales

Majora's Mask 3D Release Date

Fans of the popular first Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, originally released on N64, saw their wish come true when Nintendo released an updated version of the game for 3DS a couple months ago. Those same fans have shown their appreciation by purchasing the game in droves, helping it climb to almost a million units sold in just 60 days. And that’s just in the United States.

The success of Majora’s Mask 3D is another confirmation about the success of remastered and revamped games over the last year. With players excited to continue reliving old experiences on current-gen consoles, we’re sure the practice won’t be going away anytime soon.

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'Minecraft' Exploit Could Crash Thousands of Game Servers

Every so often, gamers will discover exploits that allow them to change the way they and others play a certain game. While most of these exploits are harmless, sometimes they can be used for malicious purposes.

One gamer recently discovered an exploit in Minecraft that has the potential to damage the experience of thousands of players. The gamer, a developer from Pakistan, published the exploit online after first sharing it with Minecraft developer Mojang almost two years ago, only to have them ignore his discovery (at least according to him). Based on a blog post he shared, it sounds like he’s hoping that by releasing the details of the exploit to the public, the developer will be forced to find a solution.

While many will debate the ethics of the gamer’s decision to publish the exploit, the fact remains that it’s now available for anyone to use, provided they have the know-how to do so. Hopefully Mojang will correct the issue before too many gamers are affected.

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'Goat Simulator' Launches on Xbox One and Xbox 360

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Who could have predicted that a game where players run around as a goat would be as successful as Goat Simulator is today. The game, which was originally developed as a joke, continues to find great success among gamers, enough so that it continues to expand to additional consoles. This week, the game released on Xbox One and Xbox 360.

Those who purchase the game on the Xbox consoles will discover nothing has changed from the iOS, Android, or PC versions of the game. Like other independent games before it, nothing needs to change for gamers to make the purchase. Goat Simulator's unique and silly offering are enough for gamers to continue opening their wallets to play and support the game.

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Xbox One Receives Further Energy Consumption Criticism

Those who own an Xbox One are likely very familiar with the console’s ability to quickly turn on from hibernation, allowing owners to quickly jump back into their favorite apps. However, the console’s Instant-On function means it uses more energy than other consoles currently available, causing the Natural Resources Defense Council to request changes from Microsoft to lessen the console’s energy consumption.

In response, Microsoft has shared that owners will be able to choose their energy-saving mode right out of the box, rather than having the consoles automatically set players to Instant-on. Despite the option, Microsoft is confident most players will continue to opt for the Instant-On mode, based on the feedback they received during the Xbox 360 years, and the positive response from current Xbox One owners.

For those current Xbox One owners who are interested in trying the Energy-Saving mode, the option is available in the console’s settings.

Stay tuned to Game Rant for the latest in video game news, reviews, and trailers.