September 2022

1047 Games announced today that its free-to-play portal-based arena shooter, Splitgate, will end feature development following the release of its next and final battle pass. Given the fact that the highly popular game is still in its infancy (and only came to consoles just over a year ago), many fans were caught off-guard by the announcement. Even more surprising was the revelation that the team at 1047 Games is working on a new game set in the Splitgate universe.

"After careful consideration and much deliberations, the 1047 Games team has determined that in order to build the game fans deserve--and to build it in a way that isn't trying to retrofit and live-operate an existing product--we are ending feature development of Splitgate," read a portion of a message tweeted from the official Splitgate Twitter account earlier today.

Call of Duty Season 5: Last Stand recently went live in Warzone, and now a new update on September 2 brings a change to the season's recently added gas mask toggle setting. This latest update should make the gas mask easier to use for those who use the new manual option.

According to Raven Software's patch notes, Warzone's gas mask will now appear in the first slot of the Quick Inventory Menu for easier access during engagements for players using Season 5's Manual Gas Mask toggle setting. Additionally, the Manual Gas Mask text description was improved in the settings menu to better detail how players can manually equip the gas mask.

The developer also included an update for Season 5's limited-time Heroes Vs. Villains community event. The Hero and Villain event tokens will now reward 200 points, which is up from the 100 points the tokens awarded at launch of the event. This point change will be implemented for all Warzone modes.

For Season 5's new Supply Box UAV Killstreak, a change was made to make sure players are able to locate the best loot. The update removes Warzone's Resurgence supply boxes from appearing on Supply Box UAV scans to focus the scan on the best supply boxes for players.

Clefairys in Pokemon Go will gather en masse during the Harvest Moon on September 10. From 6 PM to 9 PM local time, trainers will encounter Clefairys more often in the wild--and if they're lucky, they may be able to catch a Shiny Clefairy.

Pokemon Go's Season of Light just went live on September 1, marking the start of a new season and the appearance of the Nebula Pokemon Cosmog. The Season of Light will end in December, and like other seasons, the story of the featured Legendary will slowly unfold.

September will also feature a Psychic Spectular event focused around Deoxys and Mega Alakazam. Deoxys' raid day will take place on September 11, and all formes of Deoxys will appear at an increased rate in five-star raids. Inkay will also be receiving a dedicated special day, and on September 3, trainers can participate in a limited research for Inkay.

September's Community Day is on September 18, and the whole slate of Community Days for Season of Light has been announced. Community Day Classic will take place on November 5.

Content warning: this piece contains descriptions of the mortuary process.

Morgues. All I have to do is write the word and it evokes a reaction. These places are steeped in our fundamental fears and preoccupations with death, and those fears and preoccupations are preyed upon by entertainment and amped up for horrors or police dramas. Chances are, you've never been in a morgue, but I bet you have an idea of what one looks like.

I've been thinking about morgues this week because I've been in a couple and they made a strong impression on me. They're not real, they're in games, and the games are very much based around them.

Read more

Galadriel’s brother, Finrod, was a noble warrior that fought in several battles, along with his kind-hearted nature that befriended many elves and men. But, since he is briefly mentioned in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, some question how the character died in the show. In this guide, we’ll provide you with some answers to this inquiry by examining the events of the Amazon series and The Silmarillion.

How Does Finrod Die in The Rings of Power? Answered

During Episode 1 of The Rings of Power, Galadriel tells the story of the infamous enemy, Morgoth, that once brought darkness to their realm until he was finally defeated. Unfortunately, the Dark Lord’s most loyal servant, Sauron, survived, resulting in Finrod’s mission to bring him down. Yet, while the elf searches for his enemy, Sauron finds him first and ultimately kills Finrod in battle.

Therefore, Galadriel carries on his goal of eliminating Sauron as she tries to decipher the strange markings on her brother’s body. However, the storyline within The Silmarillion differs from The Rings of Power since Finrod doesn’t die at the hands of the show’s main antagonist.

When it comes to shows only available through streaming, there’s no set schedule or release pattern that they all follow. Some shows release all at once and others instead follow legacy TV’s airing weekly format. We’re here to help you figure out just what exactly the release schedule is for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power along with all episode dates.

What Is the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Release Schedule

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be comprised of eight episodes for its first season. These will be weekly releases after the first and second episodes dropped on Sept. 1.

Every episode will release at 9 pm PST on Thursdays. However, that’s not the easiest time for everywhere else. This means viewers on the east coast will have to stay up until 12 am and is an especially early premiere for all time zones outside of North America.

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode Release Dates

Going off of what’s known, the current release dates for the remainder of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season one will go something like this:

• Episode 3 – Sept. 8/9
• Episode 4 – Sept. 15/16
• Episode 5 – Sept. 22/23
• Episode 6 – Oct. 6/7
• Episode 7 – Oct. 13/14
• Episode 8 – Oct. 21/22

According to the above, you can expect the season one finale for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power to be released on Oct. 21 for the west coast and on Oct. 22 almost everywhere else.

Toho Animation premiered the latest trailer for My Hero Academia Season 6, which opens in October 2022. The trailer also previewed the season's opening theme, while teasing upcoming events in Studio Bones' ongoing adaptation. It's the third promo video for the season.

Check it out below.

Note: The trailer and article contain spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxCJMYbGtzA

The new trailer shows some more of the large-scale battles teased in the last trailer. Season 6 adapts the My Hero Academia "Paranormal Liberation War" arc, where the Paranormal Liberation Front headed by Tomura Shigaraki goes up against the Heroes. Tomura is seen in a medical capsule of some kind, likely receiving a power upgrade that he requested from the villainous Doctor Daruma. The war begins when the assembled forces of the Heroes conduct raids on the Paranormal Liberation Front's strongholds. The students of Class 1-A and 1-B are brought in as backup for the pros, but as can be expected, are quickly drawn into their own engagements.

The trailer for Season 6 spotlights My Hero Academia characters like Endeavor, Gigantomachia, Bakugo, Deku, Midnight, Yaoyorozu, Mr. Compress, Mirko, Hawks, Dabi, Himiko, Twice, and more are all present. During the montage, text flashes over the screen: "The beliefs of Heroes and Villains, to Protect and to Destroy...enter All-Out War".

Season 6 will also see a new opening theme song. The song is "Hitamuki" by the band Super Beaver. The ending theme is "Sketch" by Kiro Akiyama.

University sim Two Point Campus has clocked up one million players in just a fortnight.

Publisher Sega said its "bags of charm and tongue-in-cheek comedy" means the hit management sim has "surpassed the milestone even faster than its much-loved predecessor, Two Point Hospital".

"Two Point Campus was such a thrill to create so we’re ecstatic to see so many people enjoying the game as much as they do!" said studio director, Mark Webley. "We had high hopes that we had created something that fans would love, but the response has exceeded all expectations! We’d like to send a massive thank you to all of the players out there who are showing support by building their wild and wonderful campuses – we can’t wait to see what more you’ll create."

Read more

"Good writing" is a phrase that gets used quite often, and it can mean a lot of different things. Is good writing a good story? An unguessable twist? Fancy prose or deliberate themes? I'm sure I've used it at some point when what I meant to say is really: "lots of long words I don't completely understand."

Still, Pentiment has good writing - wonderful writing, actually - and in this case I do know what it means. This game's writing is witty, it has tempo and timing, it is genuinely, wickedly funny. It is also, above all, natural - something that so often seems impossible in games, things where you're so often controlling a character impulsively, pulling their puppet strings on a whim. How do you write around that? Pentiment, Obsidian's surprise new thing that I am judging from an admittedly quite brief hands-on at Gamescom, seems to manage it remarkably well.

Things begin in Pentiment with you choosing a background, in a fairly typical, tabletop RPG-inspired way but with a nicely in-theme twist, whereby you play as a semi-educated bloke with a choice of studies and interests. I chose to have studied Logic and dropped out halfway through Theology, with an interest in the Occult, a mediaeval gap year to Flanders and a bit of a taste for Hedonism (although I was tempted to be a Rapscallion who liked scampering about picking fights and generally being a peevish little imp, like a kind of Dark Age Bart Simpson. Hedonism ultimately just felt like it suited a dropout Theologian a little better.)

Read more

Set thousands of years before the events of the iconic books by J.R.R Tolkein, the new spin-off show introduces new faces and cultures, some of which are familiar and others not so much. If you’re wondering what the face on the Elves’ armor is in The Rings of Power, here’s what you need to know.

What Is the Face on the Elves’ Armor in The Rings of Power? Answered

J.R.R Tolkein was a master world builder. His fantasy novels feature some of the most compelling lore ever conceived and actually serve as a basis for dozens of fantasy franchises ever since their release back in the 1930s. That doesn’t mean everything you’ll see or read in The Lord of the Rings is entirely made up; Tolkein appears to have based much of his lore on medieval and pagan cultures from throughout real history.

In the case of the face on the Elven armor we see in The Rings of Power, the design looks very much like the Green Man, a pagan design that is frequently seen across Britain today. The face represents the tiding of spring and is a popular ornament in British gardens even to this day. There are even festivals that celebrate the Green Man and the arrival of spring.

J.R.R Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings franchise is back in the spotlight this month following the debut of its anticipated spin-off, set thousands of years before the events of the iconic books. Given the discrepancy in time between the new show and the original source material, there are some unfamiliar races and cultures spread across Middle Earth. Here’s what a Harfoot is in the Rings of Power if you’re unsure.

Are Harfoots and Hobbits the Same? Answered

No, Harfoots and Hobbits are not the same, though they are related. Harfoots were actually described by Tolkein in the original books as ancestors to the Hobbits familiar to us from the mainline books. Harfoots, Hobbits, and Fallohides are the three different types of Hobbit races in Middle Earth.

Tolkein describes Harfoots as smaller in stature and browner in complexion. They are essentially the original Hobbit-like species who entered Eriador from the Misty Mountains and eventually settled the land that includes the Shire.

Harfoots are said to have interbred with Fallohides, which, in turn, created the “modern” Hobbit that we see in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

Why Did the Men Have Giant Antlers on Their Backs in The Ring of Power?

One of the very first scenes in The Rings of Power is a panning shot across grassland areas where two Harfoots are seen traversing across a hillrange. This particular pair, however, are distinct from those we see later on in that they have giant antlers on their backs. So, what gives?

Gotham Knights is nearing its anticipated launch, and it won’t be long until players are finally able to don their favorite hero’s outfit and play out their superhero fantasy. Of course, voice acting adds so much to the authenticity of that experience; if the voice actor can’t pull it off or doesn’t fit, it stands out like a sore thumb. So, if you’re wondering who’s who, here’s a list of all voice actors in Gotham Knights.

Dragonball is well known for having numerous amounts of transformations and powerups in the franchise. It’d be an understatement to say that when Goku went Super Saiyan for the first time, it changed the anime world forever and kicked off a lot of popular and well-known franchises we know now. But of course, we also can’t forget the enemy that Goku faced off against at that time, Frieza. Today we will discuss whether Frieza will get a new transformation in Dragonball Super.

Spoiler alert: this article contains minor spoilers, so read on with caution.

Waking Oni Games released its latest game, Onsen Master, on September 1, 2022. It is available on the Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X. Onsen Master is a management game in which the player “must revitalize various hot springs” in Izajima.

In Onsen Master, your day consists of taking customers to the onsen of their choice, as well as keep up with maintenance. Most of the time, however, you are dealing with the customers and making baths to suit their particular ailments. In total, there are six levels in the story mode. There is also a co-op function, as well as a local PvP element.

You can watch the trailer here:

https://twitter.com/wakingonigames/status/1565386848595230721?s=20&t=Y6ga27lokS-E4BndTJcKdQ

The story puts you in the shoes of Mu, who is an apprentice of the great “Onsen Master.” Yokai have returned to Izajima, and are causing trouble in the hot springs on the islands. Mu must figure out what happened to the Onsen Master and help return the island to what it was before. There is also the option to just start playing the game without the story in Arcade Mode.

The Quarry developer Supermassive has confirmed it's already commenced work on its next game and yes, it's going to be the "same sort of horror" as its predecessors.

In an interview with our friends at VGC, studio director Will Byles said that while he wasn't sure "how far [the team] could stretch the teen horror thing out further", another horror is on the way in either 2025 or 2026, and it will be the equivalent size of The Quarry rather than follow the episodic format of its anthology series, Dark Pictures.

“We’ve started working on [the next game],” studio director Will Byles told VGC. "I can’t really tell you very much at all about it, but we have started. Again, it’s the same sort of horror genre, we’re sticking to that. It’s equivalent in size to The Quarry… and that’s about as much as I can say without giving too much away.

Read more

Some might say the best way to predict the weather is to look out your window, but thanks to modern-day technology like The Weather Channel, we can check the weather with ease while listening to bomb-ass music that sounds ripped right out of a Japanese RPG soundtrack.

Read more...

Rumbleverse is the latest entry in a seemingly endless list of free-to-play battle royale games. However, this latest spin on the aging format is more creative and interesting than I expected, as Rumbleverse ditches the usual SMGs, shotguns, and grenades for wrestling grapples, melee combos, and high-flying elbow…

Read more...

Weekends are for content that might get you in trouble if viewed at work or in public. That's why we waited a bit to post about the latest trailer for the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime, which actually went up back on Wednesday. Studio Trigger's "Official NSFW Trailer" for the series leans heavily into over-the-top violence and spicy content that puts the "edge" in "edgerunners". It's also one of the most substantial looks yet at the show's action scenes, just under two weeks before it debuts on Netflix.

Check it out at this link, and see some safe-for-work screens from it in the gallery. As mentioned earlier, viewer discretion is advised. More story details and character moments are available in the Official Trailer from earlier in August.

[gallery ids="934826,934825,934827,934828,934829,934830" link="file"]

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is based in the same setting as the Cyberpunk 2077 game (and the Cyberpunk tabletop game setting created by Mike Pondsmith). Its story is standalone, and not directly related to the content of the game. David is a young edgerunner (an outlaw mercenary) in Night City. He teams up with Lucy, a skilled Netrunner (read: hacker) with a dark past. They hook up with other Night City luminaries like Maine, Dorio, Kiwi, Pilar, and Rebecca on their way through the city's shadows and back streets. They also encounter powerful corporations like Arasaka, gangs like the Maelstrom, and more.

Diablo Immortal players who purchased Eternal Orbs via third-party sellers with real money have had their purchases revoked, leaving them with in-game debts.

As one of the key currencies in the game, Eternal Orbs are crucial to progression, and are bought with real money. However, players who have forked out for Eternal Orbs via third-party sellers - no doubt in a bid to try and save a bit of money; in-game, they cost £0.89 GBP ($0.99 USD) for 60 all the way up to £89.99 GBP ($99.99 USD) for 7200 - have had their Orbs revoked.

While there's little doubt that the Eternal Orbs were sold contrary to Blizzard's ToS and most players likely knew that going in, it's had a devastating impact on some players and led to significant deficits that will prevent them from fully participating in the game until the "debt" is cleared.

Read more

UPDATE 4th September 10.45am UK: Striking Distance CEO has apologised for yesterday's tweet, saying it was "wrong" and insisting the studio "values passion and creativity, not long hours".

"Anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about the people I work with," Schofield explained in a new tweet. "Earlier I tweeted how proud I was of the effort and hours the team was putting in. That was wrong. We value passion and creativity, not long hours. I’m sorry to the team for coming across like this."

Original story follows.

Read more

Furyu will release its JRPG Trinity Trigger in the West in 2023. The game launches in Japan on September 15, 2022. XSEED Games and Marvelous Europe will take up publishing duties for it in North America and Europe, respectively.

XSEED also included an announcement trailer in its September 1, 2022 press release. Check it out below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjF7y1w9LQ0

Developed as a throwback to iconic JRPGs of the 1990s and early 2000s, Trinity Trigger takes place on the fantasy continent of Tritania. In the distant past, the gods of Order and Chaos clashed for dominance in an epic struggle that nearly destroyed the mortal realm. Chastened by the calamity their direct combat caused, the gods withdrew from the front lines, leaving their "Arma", massive weapons, stuck in the ground. Rather than risk destroying everything in their struggle again, the gods resorted to an indirect conflict, selecting "God Warriors" as proxies to represent their side and fight in their name. Cyan Elreius, a man who wants a quiet and normal life, discovers that he's been chosen to become the Warrior of Chaos. Rather than accede to the cruel destiny God Warriors face, he sets out on a journey with his companions Elise and Zantis to defy the gods and save the world from their conflict.

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford is auctioning off his selection of "loud shirts" to support "a developer scholarship".

A tweet posted by the official Gearbox account links to a week-long auction which currently features 47 lots. At the time of writing, all have active bids on them, although it's impossible how much for, as every one is a "blind bid".

"Gearbox fans may have noticed the loud shirts worn by our head honcho over the years," Gearbox tweeted. "Now these shirts can be yours!

Read more

Apex Legends has set another record, setting a new minimum daily peak count of 329,041 players on Steam last month.

As that only reflects the number of players on Steam and doesn't account for the thousands of players hot-dropping on console, too, it's a significant milestone for Respawn's fan-favourite battle royale, and is further bolstered by the shooter's recently revised concurrent player peak, which was also broken earlier this month.

As evidenced on SteamDB and spotted by PCGN, in July, the minimum daily peak was 311,275, but in August jumped to 329,041 players.

Read more

Compile Heart revealed more new trailers of its upcoming JRPG Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord.

First of all, we get a new trailer introducing two members of the playable cast, Shalman and Ryushin.

Another trailer shows the “Avalanche Rush” mechanic, which is pretty much what it says on the tin.

Lastly, two more trailers introduce two of the diva’s songs and show more gameplay. The first is “Kyou Hi Sengetsu” performed by Chihiro Yonekura, one of the singing voices of Glace.

The second is “Kage to Kyoukai,” performed by Saki Mitsuki, one of the singing voices of Fleur.

You can check them all out below.

Good Smile Company has opened up pre-orders for its Pop Up Parade figure of Hatsune Miku as she appears in “Vampire.” This is the large version, which means that she stands at around 24 centimeters tall, instead of the usual 17-18. Pre-orders close on September 29, 2022. She costs 8,800 JPY/$62.99. Those in Japan will get her around March 2023, while those in North America can expect her in May 2023.

Miku still has her signature pigtails, but they are a lot shorter than the default version. Another difference is the fact that she has a mole under her eye. And, of course, that she is a vampire. Like in the music video, she is posing like she is pulling down a mask to reveal her teeth.

You can see more pictures of the Vampire Hatsune Miku Pop Up Parade figure here:

[gallery columns="2" ids="934817,934816" link="file"]

Clouded Leopard Entertainment released another trailer with English subtitles of Nihon Falcom’s upcoming Trails JRPG The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki II – Crimson Sin.

This time around it’s an extensive video over three minutes and a half-long. It’s also really epic, focusing on the large cast of characters and on hard-hitting cutscenes.

Unfortunately, like previous trailers with English subtitles released by Clouded Leopard, this is no indication of an upcoming English localization.

The publisher has the license to localize the latest games of the beloved Trails series for the Asian market in Traditional Chinese and Korean, but not in English.

The publisher is going to release the game for PS5 and PS4 on October 27, 2022, but western fans are still going to be left behind, unless they happen to understand Chinese or Korean.

That being said, since English is still spoken by many in certain Asian territories, Clouded Leopard also released the trailer in English (as they did with another a few months ago and one more recently), and you can enjoy it below, as long as you can find this cruel tease enjoyable, considering that we’re most likely not going to play the game English for a long while.

Incidentally, the same English trailer deal was done the same back in May for The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! I, @zombiepie, am honored to be your host this week as we look back at the best community-made works from the community.

News

Unfortunately, some are reporting that the most recent batch of t-shirts are still not of the quality they would like. Rorie posted an update on what the site is doing about this setback and responding to anyone who has experienced this.

Let the site know by tagging them on Twitter or sending an email to support@giantbomb.com if you are still seeing an old version of the Bombcast in your RSS feed or podcast reader! If it is a third party app, provide the name and hopefully they can try to figure out what's going on! The feed has been updated with the correct file so if your app lets you refresh or redownload that might help?

Good news for wiki editors that submit release data on the site. The full form for "add release" should be fixed on the site. If you still experience issues, drop a comment in the thread below!

Today 2K Sports released a new trailer of its upcoming basketball game NBA 2K23.

The trailer showcases the appearance of hip-hop dance crew Jabbawockeez, which has a history of appearing during the half-time show of NBA finals, on top of other sports.

You can check it out below and compare it with the group’s appearance during the half-time show of the 2022 NBA finals.

It’s worth mentioning that the small print mentions that Jabbawockeez will appear only on new-gen platforms.

NBA 2K23 is coming on September 9, 2023, for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

Third-party Microsoft Flight Simulator developers released a couple of new airports and a look at an upcoming aircraft.

We start with the aircraft as SimWorks Studios and PILOT’s provided new screenshots and a development update for the de Havilland Canada Dash 7.

“The plane has been a challenge, but we are going all in and the final crunch is almost over. The instrumentation and all systems respond as expected and we were able to fly the plane to a variety of places: Okavango, Courchevel, Athens, Crete. We were able to fly visually with a clock and compass, shoot an ILS approach as well as use VOR navigation on island hopping trips. What was impressive was the STOL performance, where the Dash 7 is a beast. We were able to replicate some flights from Air Kenya that we saw on YouTube, it’s both amazing and impressive to be able to lift off in distances of less than 500m with such a big airplane!

Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order released a new video showing the upcoming new expansion for Cities Skylines, titled Plazas & Promenades.

We get to take a look at some of the titular plazas that you’ll be able to build in your favorite cities, on top of some service buildings.

These include police and fire department stations, a hospital, schools of various levels, and mass transit stations as well.

You can check out the video below, on top of another showing one of the two content creators pack that will release at the same time.

Plazas and Promenades will cost $14.99, £12.99, or €14.99 depending on where you live, bu doesn’t have a release date just yet.

As a reminder, the expansion will come with the following goodies.

The My Hero Academia anime’s sixth season has received a new trailer ahead of its October release, and it’s packed with character motivations and story bits.

Streamed by Toho Animation via YouTube on Sept. 3, the trailer provides a glimpse of the stakes both the heroes and villains face. For the heroes, the villain group’s continued growth and establishment of the Paranormal Liberation Front threatens the stability of the world as they know it. Failure could mean the collapse of the hero-driven society, and far worse conflicts on the horizon.

For the villains, the risks are just as high. Many see their actions as the last thing standing between them and earning a world where they’re no longer shunned, mistreated or hated, and are instead able to live as they wish. Of course, others merely see it as a chance to act out their darkest ambitions, be it revenge or wanton destruction.

These bits are accompanied by plenty of new bits of footage, ranging from scenes showing the heroes getting into position for their assault to Shigaraki’s progress in inheriting All for One’s powers.

About halfway through the trailer though, these scenes make way for the reveal of the season’s first OP. Sung by SUPER BEAVER, the track is lively and upbeat while also a little melancholy. It rings out to footage of the heroes and villains busting out their powers with reckless abandon, occasionally even clashing with one another.

It’s an active and engaging trailer, and fans will want to check it out for the snippet of the season’s first OP alone. The trailer can be viewed in full down below.

Following the announcement that 1047 Games is going to stop active development on Splitgate to work on a game in the same universe, they hosted a Q&A session on Discord.

Among other things discussed by co-creator Ian Proulx and head of marketing Hilary Goldstein, we hear that the new game will not be released in 2023.

Another interesting element is that there will be a sort of beta before the game launches.

Interestingly, Prolux also mentioned that the developers have very high ambitions for the new game, to the point that they would like to be the next Apex Legends or even the next Fortnite.

You can lead to the full recording below.

Splitgate is currently available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

In case you missed the news, yesterday 1047 Games announced that it’s going to end active development on the original Splitgate in favor of developing a brand new game in Unreal Engine 5 which will be set in the same universe, will be a shooter, will still have portals, and will be free-to-play.

Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier began its fourth season recently, and with the Variant Mode event that had allowed players to play as Sephiroth wrapped up, an all-new Style Mastery was added: Trickster. With the game almost approaching 10 Mastery Styles, Trickster is definitely one of, if not the best, Mastery Style for players to use.

Trickster is a suave and dapper Style joining Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier. With its melee attacks using cards to slash, throw, and explode on impact, it really has made a name for itself with its powerful Mastery Style in comparison to the other newly added Mastery Styles such as Dragoon alongside Machinist already present in the game. We will break down how to effectively play Trickster, its best Materia choices, which of its two Skills to use, and more in this guide.

Melee Attacks

Trickster has a three-window melee combo. First, the user does a quick forward slash using its card that propels the player in the direction. The second part of its combo is two quick slashes in a row that move the user forward. If the full combo is used, then Trickster leaps back slightly and throws several cards that explode on impact.

Meta's streak of acquisitions in the VR space continues, as the Wall Street Journal today reported that the company has acquired Berlin-based VR haptics start-up Lofelt.

"We're excited that members of the Lofelt team have joined Meta," a Meta spokesperson confirmed for the paper.

Lofelt had previously worked on tools for haptic tech in mobile and PlayStation 5 games, but announced it was ending support for those products in July.

Read more

Today Splitgate developer, 1047 Games announced that its ending development on the shooter and instead will be focusing on creating a new title.

The studio made the announcement via Twitter, it said that the new game will share similar mechanics and the same universe as well.

"We are, in a way, bailing water while also trying to keep everyone who bought a ticket to board our ship happy, while also trying to turn our boat into a rocket ship," 1047 Games said.

Read more

After a $1 billion loss in its lastest quarterly financials report, tech firm Sea is halting its game livestream service and closing projects in development, according to Reuters.

Sea is also the parent company of Singaporean game developer and publisher Garena – the studio behind Garena Free Fire.

Sources speaking with Reuters said that gaming livestream Booyah!, a business unit of Garena, and Sea's development team would be seeing staff layoffs.

Read more

Microsoft has reiterated its intention to keep Call of Duty available on PlayStation should its acquisition of Activision Blizzard go through.

The Verge reported today that Xbox head Phil Spencer made a commitment to his PlayStation counterpart Jim Ryan in a letter earlier this year, and a comment from Microsoft confirmed the report.

"In January, we provided a signed agreement to Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation, with feature and content parity, for at least several more years beyond the current Sony contract, an offer that goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements," Spencer said in a statement provided to The Verge.

Read more

Games company Lockwood Publishing is poised to lay off 15% of its staff by the end of the day, according to The Gamer.

Current and former employees speaking with the publication said that 34 positions are at risk of redundancy.

These firings come nine months after the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) called Lockwood's redundancies of 33 staffers unlawful.

Read more