IGN

EA and FIFA are parting ways, but EA will continue to make soccer/football games under the new name EA Sports FC. And the world’s biggest clubs are already lining up to join the new franchise, even without the FIFA branding.

Starting in 2023, EA’s official soccer sims will be released under the name EA Sports FC. But other than official FIFA World Cup content, EA is promising access to the same players, clubs, stadiums, and leagues FIFA is known for.

EA has already revealed that it has signed agreements with the world’s top clubs and leagues including the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and UEFA for team licenses. And on social media, the world’s top football clubs have revealed their support for EA Sports FC.

Top teams from across the world and in various different leagues like the Premier League and MLS have shared tweets that say “We’re in the Club” with the hashtag #EASPORTSFC, signaling their intent to sign up with EA’s renamed franchise.

The two teams competing in the upcoming Champions League Final, Real Madrid C.F. of La Liga and Liverpool FC of the Premier League both tweeted in support of EA Sports FC, as have many other top teams.

We are in the club.
More information in July 2023.#EASPORTSFC pic.twitter.com/ZrsABMu1tZ

I really wanted to love Salt and Sacrifice, and for a little while, I did. As the sequel to one of my favorite soulslikes, Salt and Sanctuary, it hit all of the buttons I had hoped it would: challenging combat, a huge variety of grotesque and intimidating enemies, fun boss fights, and an expansive world to explore. But there’s a monster-sized twist to Salt and Sacrifice’s gameplay formula: It introduces Monster Hunter-like elements, complete with repeatable boss hunts, roaming area bosses, and exhausting chases of your targets through gigantic zones. It’s a risky experiment, and one that doesn’t quite pay off.

Right out of the gate, Salt and Sacrifice doesn’t initially seem all that different from its 2016 predecessor. It still has that signature gloomy and grim Ska Studios flavor, though all of the hand-drawn art and animations have been completely redone for the better; the tutorial borrows heavily from the Dark Souls school of teaching you the bare minimum, then crushing your spirit with a tutorial boss that’s technically possible to beat, but you’re not really supposed to; and combat maintains a very quick pace despite being tied to a fairly strict stamina meter that highly discourages button mashing.

Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams joins us to discuss a busy week of Xbox news, from EA seemingly accidentally revealing Shepard's return to Mass Effect (do we even want Shepard back? Are we hyped for this?), where Activision can take Sledgehammer's Call of Duty games from here after the disappointing Vanguard, Gotham Knights leaving Xbox One behind, Clippy in Halo Infinite, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 download of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our latest IGN Unfiltered interview, where Joseph Staten – one of Halo's original creators and now the head of creative on Halo Infinite – discusses his fascinating career:

Oh, and you can be featured on Unlocked by tweeting us a video Loot Box question! Tweet your question and tag Ryan at @DMC_Ryan!

For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review.

Between both of Aloy’s Horizon journeys, I’ve spent dozens of hours meticulously dismantling robotic foes big and small. Scanning for weakpoints, learning what parts make those creatures tick - and which parts will make them go boom - is one of the most thrilling aspects of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West.

So I gained a bit of newfound appreciation for these virtual technical marvels as, rather than tearing one apart, I got to construct one with PlayStation and LEGO’s collaboration, a Horizon Tallneck LEGO set. Coming in at 1,222 pieces and standing over a foot tall once fully built, the first LEGO set inspired by the Horizon universe offers a new perspective on these creatures, and gave me a newfound appreciation for how they’re assembled, even if it’s a brick-ified approximation. The set is a ton of fun to build and see come together as you carefully piece the Tallneck together, with a pretty adorable base, Aloy minifig, and Watcher mini-build to boot. It’s a design clearly made with love for the source material, and one that should make any hunter happy.

Electronic Arts offered its investors a sneak peek at what it's got cooking for 2023 today during its earnings report, including a planned "major IP" as well as an unannounced "remake."

A slide on EA's Q4 2022 earnings presentation gives a look at its next four months of releases, with F1 22 in Q1, FIFA and Madden NFL in Q2, and Need for Speed and NHL in Q3. In Q4, which covers January through March of 2023, we get one named franchise: PGA Tour. But we also see four big, enticing unknowns:

• Major IP
• Partner Title
• Remake
• Sports Title

It's not clear now exactly what any of these four are. The "Remake" invokes thoughts of the known Dead Space remake, but it's unlikely this is the case. EA both mentions in a footnote that all four games "have not yet been publicly disclosed," and Dead Space was officially announced last year. So it looks like we're getting a second remake of something in 2023.

For the major IP, it's possible we're looking at the next Dragon Age or Mass Effect game, both of which are currently in development but haven't been given full-blown, public announcements with titles and fanfare. It's worth noting that in the following slide, EA lists "New Studios" in the Seattle area that are working on an "unannounced open world action adventure game," which is another possible candidate for whatever this is. Plus, Motive has an "unannounced IP" under its banner, alongside Dead Space.

With the announcement of EA and FIFA's split, FIFA will work with other third-party developers to launch new soccer games, and non-simulation games are already in the works and are planned to release in Q3 2022.

After almost 30 years, EA will no longer release soccer games under the FIFA banner starting in 2023. EA cites the high price tag and creative restrictions as reasons for the split, but FIFA will now work with other developers to keep its name in the video game sphere.

"I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football [soccer] fans. The FIFA name is the only global, original title. FIFA 23, FIFA 24, FIFA 25 and FIFA 26, and so on - the constant is the FIFA name and it will remain forever and remain the best," says FIFA president Gianni Infantino in a statement.

He continued, "The interactive gaming and esports sector is on a path of unrivalled growth and diversification. FIFA’s strategy is to ensure we can make the most of all future options and ensure a wide range of products and opportunities for gamers, fans, member associations and partners."

Additionally, EA will still be able to publish FIFA 23 later this year as the company was given an extension for the simulation soccer category only. This allows other studios and publishers to create different kinds of games using the FIFA name.

Update 2:30pm PT: During today's earnings call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson offered a bit more context on why the publisher made the decision to part ways with the FIFA license, emphasizing the ability of EA to work with even more partners and create more focused football experiences for speciifc internaitonal markets:

"When we think about the future of football right now, we really made this decision on the basis of being able to deliver experiences that our players wanted," he said. "They told us they wanted more modalities of play. They told us they wanted to see more commercial partners in the game that are representative and authentic to the broad global world of football. They're telling us they want us to move beyond just the core experience and really build out this digital football experience. And they're telling us they want us to move really, really fast."

Later on the call, he added:

"The important thing to understand though is that as you travel around the world and you meet with players who really are deeply engaged with our game, for a player in the UK, the most important thing to them is the Premiere League. For a player in Germany the most important thing to them is the Bundesliga. In Spain it's La Liga, and so on and so forth as you go around the world. What we're focused on right now is building very unique experiences for each of those fans in each of those markets, and what you've seen today is many of our partners come out in support of our ability to do this for our fans."

Gotham Knights is set to release on October 25 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. There will be no previous-gen versions of the game, so PS4 and Xbox One are out of luck unless they upgrade. Developed by WB Games Montreal, Gotham Knights is an open-world action RPG that takes place in the dark metropolis after Batman has died (uh, spoilers). You can play solo or with one other player, taking the role of Robin, Batgirl, Red Hood, or Nightwing as you confront Gotham’s criminal element.

Gotham Knights will be available in standard, deluxe, and collector’s editions. Below, you’ll find all the info about what comes in each edition, how much it costs, and where to preorder.

Gotham Knights Collector’s Edition

PS5

• Get it at Amazon - $299.99
• Get it at GameStop - $299.99
• Get it at GAME UK - £279.99
• Get it at Best Buy - SOLD OUT

Xbox Series X|S

• Get it at Amazon - $299.99
• Get it at Best Buy - $299.99 (includes $10 gift card)
• Get it at GameStop - $299.99
• Get it at GAME UK - £279.99

PC

I’ve never seen a small spin-off game meet my expectations this comprehensively before. Fun, short-lived, slightly repetitive, yet leaving me interested to know more, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising was exactly how I pictured it. Releasing a companion game before the main game – in this case the upcoming Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, is certainly an unusual choice, especially given that Rising takes a very different approach to its JRPG sibling by swapping turn-based battles for a 2D action-RPG format. Make no mistake though, it’s worth playing for its own strengths.

Our goal in Rising is to rebuild New Neveah, a town decimated by an earthquake several months ago. That same event also unearthed several ruins stacked with treasure, which is where we come in. Playing as an honourable scavenger, CJ, our role in the reconstruction is providing each resident with whichever materials they’ve requested, ranging from basic ores and lumber to more specialized items later on. Just be aware this isn’t a city-building sim like Cities: Skylines – here, every building location is predetermined and there’s no finer tinkering, so don’t expect anything too in-depth. You can’t freely interact with the average NPC either, so New Neveah’s not always the most exciting place to be. Still, there’s an undeniable charm this small town presents as it grows, and while this isn’t the most inventive premise, there’s an unfolding mystery within that held my attention.

Monster Hunter Rise will soon have more official Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers than any other franchise as Capcom has announced a new design based on the incoming Sunbreak DLC.

Capcom revealed the new dragon-like Malzeno design in its latest Monster Hunter Digital Event and confirmed the Pro Controller will launch alongside the Sunbreak expansion on June 30.

The Malzeno version is silver and black with the dragon coming in from the left. Compare that with the gold and black design of the previous Monster Hunter Rise controller, which sees another monster coming in from the right.

This #NintendoSwitch Pro Controller featuring a Malzeno design launches alongside the massive DLC expansion Monster Hunter Rise: #Sunbreak on 30/06! pic.twitter.com/i2JmSrblMc

EA has announced that the FIFA series will officially change its name to EA Sports FC after this year's FIFA 23, ending what will be an almost three-decade partnership with football's governing body.

Announced in a blog post, EA Sports said the name change would take place after the next FIFA game, with more information coming about the first EA Sports FC in July 2023. "This new independent platform will bring fresh opportunity – to innovate, create and evolve," reads a message from Group GM of EA Sports, Cam Weber.

Weber made clear that despite dropping the name license, EA Sports FC will keep FIFA's league, club and player licenses, including "19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues". EA included a number of messages of support for the move from the English Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, European football organization UEFA, and more. FIFA itself has not released a statement at time of writing.

Speaking to the BBC, EA Sports vice president David Jackson explained what wouldn't be in EA Sports FC: "In terms of things that they'll miss, players will notice only two things: The name and a World Cup piece of content every four years. Outside of that, very little will change about the things they know, and love about the current FIFA products."

FromSoftware's developers are "actively working" to fix the Dark Souls trilogy's PC servers after a serious exploit brought them down in January.

As reported by PC Gamer, reddit user Relevant-Heart-1751 received an email from publisher Bandai Namco saying the servers would be brought back online "as soon as possible".

The user had contacted Bandai Namco to ask if the servers for Dark Souls (Prepare to Die Edition and Remastered), Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls 3 - turned off after an exploit allowed other players to take over the user's PC - would ever be turned back on.

"I'm happy to confirm that the developers are actively working on resolving the issue in question and re-launching the Dark Souls servers for PC as soon as possible," the email read.

It didn't give any indication of when the servers would be restored, however, which have already been offline for three and a half months.

Bandai Namco said at the time: "PvP servers for Dark Souls 3, Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls: Remastered have been temporarily deactivated to allow the team to investigate recent reports of an issue with online services."

Update 05/11/2022: BioWare project director Michael Gamble says that the store listing seemingly implying a return for Commander Shepard in the next Mass Effect was a simple mistake.

On Twitter, Gamble replied to a thread about the listing, saying: "The original [description] was written by the people who run the store and aren't familiar with the game".

Of course, this is unlikely to totally put out the fires of speculation around a possible return for Shepard but, unless this is an elaborate double-bluff, it seems this particular 'leak' was nothing more than an error.

The BioWare store listed and quickly deleted a product description that implies original Mass Effect protagonist Commander Shepard is returning in the next game.

As reported by Video Games Chronicle, YouTube user MrHulthen noticed a plot synopsis in the description of a Mass Effect 5 poster, which indicates that Shepard would return.

Though it was quickly removed, the description originally read: "The show goes on. Shepard's final quest may have ended the threat of the Reapers but at great cost including Earth itself. While Shepard and the survivors are left to pick up the pieces, fans are left wondering what's next."

Proudly continuing the tradition of every Warhammer game needing to have at least three titles, Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters is more than just XCOM with space marines. It's an often unforgiving and deceptively deep crusade against the disgusting minions of Nurgle with an ever-evolving strategic map and intense turn-based tactical battles. There are certainly times when it crosses the line from satisfying challenge into pure frustration, with excessive use of reinforcement swarms and some pretty wicked built-in failure spirals. But you know what they say about the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium.

We've seen so many 40K games in the last decade that the announcement of a new one can make me roll my eyes, even as a long-time fan of the setting. But I was pleased to discover that Daemonhunters is probably one of the best since 2009's Dawn of War II. This expansive action-horror epic is centered on the Grey Knights, a uniquely deadly chapter of Space Marines who are recruited exclusively from those with psychic abilities. And I can tell the devs did their homework, because even the basics of the combat system are built around what makes these dudes special.

Combining elements of survival, deception, and a dash of cannibalism, Dread Hunger is a social deduction game in which a crew of eight embark on a perilous trip into the Arctic during the 19th century. As if the lack of resources and freezing conditions you’ll encounter on these dangerous expeditions don’t already test your survival skills enough, two crew members known as Thralls are out to sabotage the entire operation. Here are five things you need to know about Dread Hunger before hopping into this backstabbing voyage of the damned.

Survival of the Fittest

As an Explorer, you’re tasked with keeping your ship afloat and moving towards the objective while just about everything – from the harsh environment to treacherous teammates – works against you. Starvation, freezing to death, an d getting mauled by a polar bear can all lead to an early demise, and that’s even before a couple of nefarious crewmates are thrown into the mix.

The PlayStation Store recently suggested that Gotham Knights had transitioned from a maximum of 2-player to 4-player co-op, but this was seemingly a mistake.

Last week, users on Reddit noticed that a PS Store listing mentions that the game would support up to 4 players online. However, that PS Store listing has quietly been changed to reflect that the game actually "supports up to 2 online players".

Nintendo has announced a new Indie World Showcase stream for tomorrow, Wednesday, May 11.

No major details have been announced, but the showcase will air for roughly 20 minutes at 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern / 3pm UK / Midnight AEDT.

Tune in May 11 at 7:00 a.m. PT for a new @IndieWorldNA Showcase featuring roughly 20 minutes of information on upcoming indie games headed to Nintendo Switch. #IndieWorld

Watch it live here tomorrow: https://t.co/OCOJhqYfD9 pic.twitter.com/5nuNImMLB0

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 10, 2022

The last Indie World showcase came in December 2021, and included a prequel to The Messenger called Sea of Stars, River City Girls 2, AfterLove EP, and much more.

While this isn't a full Nintendo Direct, we're almost guaranteed to see one next month, given that Nintendo always releases a showcase for E3. While E3 may be cancelled this year, it likely won't stop Nintendo from showing off its slate in a major presentation.

AMD announced today that it is adding new graphics cards to its Radeon RX 6000 series. Promising faster game clocks and memory.

Three new GPUs have been added to the Radeon RX 6000 line: the RX 6650 XT, the 6750 XT, and the 6950 XT. Like other GPUs in the RX 6000 series, the latest cards use RDNA 2, the graphical architecture that is used in the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and the Steam Deck.

The most powerful of the three new SKUs announced today, the RX 6950 XT is for those looking to play games in 4K resolution. It features 16GB of GDDR6 memory and will now serve as the current flagship in the RX 6000 family of graphics cards. AMD aims to make this GPU a competitor to Nvidia's RTX 3090. Pricing for the RX 6590 XT starts at $1,099.

For those looking for an AMD card aimed at 1440p gaming, the RX 6750 XT promises to deliver that experience. It features 12GB of GDDR6 memory and sits between the RX 6700 XT and the RX 6800, aiming to compete with the Nvidia RTX 3070. The RX 6750 XT's retail pricing starts at $549.

A new 13-minute gameplay demo for Gotham Knights has revealed a closer look at Nightwing and Red Hood, two of the game's playable heroes. The demo shows off some of their combat and traversal mechanics, as well as a look at how gear works, some crime activities, and a rumble with the Court of Owls.

The video above shows off gameplay from Gotham Knights in both single player and two player co-op. We get to see two crimes in action, which are short activities found in the open world which Game Director Geoff Ellenor describes as being their own mini game modes with rules and optional objectives. Shown first is Illegal Hack, which sees your chosen hero busting up a gang attempting to hack a bank, and later in the video is Illegal Shipment, which involves chasing a truck through the streets of Gotham and taking out its driver and crew.

Dispatching thugs appears to be somewhat similar to the combat seen in Rocksteady's Batman Arkham games, although there's a clear focus here on special abilities as well as regular punches and kicks. Red Hood, for example, is shown to have a 'Barrage' ability that can be used to fire bullets that penetrate and interrupt so-called 'Armored Attacks'. From this it seems as though there may be a distinct collection of move types and appropriate counter moves.

Accompanying those regular and special abilities is Momentum, which builds with well-timed strikes, dodges, and combos. When the Momentum guage is filled, further special abilities can be used.

Gotham Knights will no longer be released for PS4 and Xbox One.

When the game was first revealed in 2020, it was set to include PS4 and Xbox One versions, but those have seemingly been cancelled ahead of release.

In an announcement about a new gameplay trailer today, publisher Warner Bros. Interactive included a very short note about the last-gen versions of the game no longer being released. No specific reasoning was given, other than to say that it would "provide players with the best possible gameplay experience."

After a delay, the game will arrive on October 25 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store) only.

Gotham Knights comes from Batman: Arkham Origins developer WB Montreal, and allow players to take on the roles of Red Hood, Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl in a version of Gotham where Batman has seemingly been killed.

Sony is investing a further $300 million into its first-party PlayStation studios as a two-pronged strategy to grow its gaming business – alongside releasing games on "multiple platforms".

Revealed in its latest earnings call, Sony made clear this investment is for developing software at existing studios - such as God of War's Santa Monica Studio or Horizon: Forbidden West's Guerrilla Games - and is separate to its acquisition plans.

"We plan to increase software development expenses aimed at strengthening first-party software at our existing studios by approximately ¥40 billion [$308 million]," it said.

"Going forward we aim to grow the game business by strengthening our first-party software and deploying that software on multiple platforms."

Sony didn't go into what platforms it means, but it likely refers to the joint PlayStation 4 and 5 release of games such as Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the incoming God of War: Ragnorok, in addition to its recent venture into releasing PlayStation console exclusives on PC.

Regardless, Sony clearly sees great value in its first-party software, as it has continued to increase its investment in owned studios each year, highlighted in a graph (below) that shows first-party sales growing in line with that increased funding.

Nintendo has announced that it sold 235 million games for Switch in financial year 2021 – the highest number sold in a single year in the company's history.

In its Financial Year 2021 earnings report, the company explained that software sales – both for first-party and third-party games – rose by 1.8% year-on-year to 235.07 million units. Nintendo says this is "the highest annual software sales figure ever posted for a Nintendo platform to date."

Switch hardware itself didn't fare quite as well by the incredibly successful console's high standards. Between them, the three Switch models sold 23 million units in FY 2021. While this is a huge number (by comparison, PS5 sold 11.5 million in the same period), it's a 20% drop on FY 2020.

Nintendo seemingly puts the drop down to two factors: shortages of semiconductor components, and the lack of a game that drives hardware sales, in the way that Animal Crossing: New Horizons did for Switch in 2020.

Pokémon was a huge winner for Nintendo in the last year, with Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl selling 14.65 million, and Legends: Arceus reaching 12.64 million. Mario Party Superstars hit 6.88 million, and Zelda: Skyward Sword HD hit 3.91 million. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continued its cominance as the Switch's biggest game, selling almost 10 million units almost 5 years after launch, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons added 6 million to its total.

Sony's PlayStation 5 has now sold 19.3 million units, but fell short of its original FY 2021 sales target by 3.3 million. Despite the dip, Sony still expects to sell more units than ever before in the next year.

Sony originally forecasted selling 14.8 million units of PS5 hardware in its second year on the market, but Sony revealed in its latest financial earnings results that it instead sold 11.5 million units. This matches the late adjustment that Sony made two months before the conclusion of the 2021-22 financial year, which lowered PS5 sales expectations to 11.5 million.

As you'd expect, Sony puts the underperformance down to an ongoing difficulty in obtaining hardware components after global shortages.

Despite missing its goal, Sony set its goal for FY 2022 (between April 2022 and March 2023) higher than ever before, and close to the first two years combined, at 18 million units.

Sony's chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki said in the earnings webcast that this is "a number based on our current visibility into parts procurement," meaning the company is still expecting component shortages to be an issue over the next year.

Paramount+ has released the first trailer for Players, an upcoming League of Legends esports mockumentary from American Vandal creators Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault.

The trailer invites viewers into the world of competitive gaming by tagging along with a fictional League of Legends esports team as they set out to "pursue their first championship after years of close calls and heartache," though "to win it all, they will need their prodigy, a 17-year-old rookie, and their 27-year-old veteran to put their egos aside and work together."

The veteran needs a win. The rookie needs to prove himself. The untold story of the greatest game ever played... at least in esports. The new original series #Players premieres June 16th, only on #ParamountPlus. pic.twitter.com/NfUdGr8Ofu

— Paramount+ (@paramountplus) May 9, 2022

Players will premiere on June 16, exclusively on Paramount Plus. The series is being produced by CBS Studios in association with Funny or Die and has reunited Yacenda and Perrault after their work on two seasons of American Vandal. They serve as co-creators and executive producers on this new original series, with Yacenda also having taken on the role of director.

Activision Blizzard is actively discouraging Raven Software QA employees from voting in favor of unionization, ahead of an ongoing election with a deadline of May 20.

According to a Washington Post report, Raven management has been sending employees messages and holding town hall meetings about the election, including an April 26 town hall where employees were told that unionization might harm game development and impact promotions or benefits.

Following that event, an email was reportedly send around to employees with a graphic attached that read, "Please vote no."

The National Labor Relations Board approved the unionization vote in late April, following an extended back and forth between quality assurance workers and management beginning last year after Activision Blizard laid off around a dozen QA contractors unexpectedly.

Following a walkout in protest, Raven Software moved to unionize, filing a petition with the NLRB when Activision Blizzard did not voluntarily recognize their union by the set deadline. Ballots have been mailed out to eligible QA workers with a deadline of May 20 and a planned ballot count on May 23 over video conference.

The Super Nintendo port of Wolfenstein 3D is notorious among retro fans for being the worst version of the pioneering shooter. On top of the console's technical limitations and lousy controls, it was heavily censored, leading to some bizarre artistic choices.

A new clip from FPS: First Person Shooter, an upcoming documentary about the rise of the genre with words from more than 45 well-known developers, showcases the origins of Wolfenstein 3D. Toward the end of the clip, it delves into the Super Nintendo port and what a nightmare it was deal with Nintendo censors."

"We knew we would have to get rid of some of the Nazi paraphernalia due to the fact that they wanted to sell the game in Germany," programmer Becky Heineman remembers. "But the most notable thing was that we had German Shepherds in the original version of Wolfenstein 3D come ahead and bite you, and Nintendo's censors were totally like, 'You can't shoot dogs.' So we had to change them to rats."

Check out the NEW TRAILER for our FPS: First Person Shooter documentary & celebrate the launch of our Indiegogo campaign! Join us for a sneak peek of 45+ gaming legends in our 3+ hour documentary on the greatest games ever made. https://t.co/kMD7Ihdl7b #FPS #gaming #retrogaming pic.twitter.com/BjNYiCMEvY

EA has announced the date of its next developer diary stream for Dead Space Remake titled "Crafting the Tension." It will premiere later this week on May 12 at 10 am PT/1 pm ET on EA's various official video channels including YouTube and Twitch.

As part of EA's ongoing behind-the-scenes deep dives into the development of the Dead Space remake, the company has been hosting various livestreams that focus on a particular aspect of the survival horror title. Past videos have focused on sound design and physics, but the upcoming video will highlight the art.

According to EA, the next developer livestream will "offer a deep dive into various aspects of the upcoming game's art design. The team at Motive will show early footage into how they're leveraging the Frostbite engine, Gen 5 hardware and PCs to visually evolve and remake the original Dead Space's environments, characters, VFX, lightning and more from the ground up to create a new level of immersion and quality for today's modern audiences."

EA Motive is leaning particularly hard into next-gen features related to realism. For example, the audio is such that Isaac will sound and talk differently based on how much damage he has taken. And EA Motive appears to be taking the dissection mechanic from the game series to a whole new level.

It’s no secret that Formula 1 is surging in popularity right now – largely because they’ll tell you, any chance they get. In fairness, that’s what quality promoters do – and it’s precisely this sort of promotion that’s seen F1 gather such an impressive amount of momentum over the past few years.

On the back of explosive online growth, the success of Netflix’s surprise hit Drive to Survive, and some long-awaited rising interest in the US, F1 is in a very healthy spot. The fastest growing sports league on the planet in terms of online follower growth in 2021? F1. The highest-attended live sporting event in the world last year? The US F1 Grand Prix. In fact, the Abu Dhabi season finale had a higher TV audience than Superbowl LVI – almost 30% higher than the same race in 2020. It may have been marred by controversy but the historical showdown between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton attracted remarkable interest.

“It’s a really exciting time for us to be making a Formula 1 game,” says long-time F1 series senior creative director Lee Mather. “It’s really growing across the globe and those figures are increasing on a race-by-race basis, so that sets us up really strongly for where we’re going to take things in F1 22.”

As the sport itself enters a new era, Codemasters appears to be following suit.

Resident Evil Re:Verse may still be on track for release in 2022, despite developer Capcom going completely silent on it following a series of delays.

As shared by Gematsu on Twitter (below), the Google Stadia version of Re:Verse – the PvP game originally scheduled to arrive alongside Resident Evil: Village – has been rated by European ratings board PEGI.

Though Capcom hasn't confirmed any release window except just "this year", a game being rated usually signifies that a relatively complete version has been presented and it therefore isn't too far from being released.

Stadia version of Resident Evil Re:Verse was just rated in Europe: https://t.co/81wlUU8Gj0

The PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions were rated a year ago today.

It lives...? pic.twitter.com/c3toZ0aFep

— Gematsu (@gematsu) May 7, 2022

The PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC versions were rated exactly one year earlier (on May 7) but this was also the release date of Resident Evil: Village, and Re:Verse was originally intended to be a multiplayer mode within that game.

While nothing is officially confirmed until Capcom itself announces it, the rating does indicate that progress on Re:Verse is at least being made.

EVE Online developer CCP Games is working on another first person shooter set in its sci-fi universe, after its first two attempts failed to break through.

As reported by PCGamesN, CCP Games announced at EVE Fanfest 2022 that the shooter was already in development and, while it's not ready for a full reveal yet, a piece of concept art (below) was shown.

"We recognise that a hard sci-fi FPS game set in the Eve Universe is a very popular concept, and CCP is committed to offering an innovative multiplayer shooter with atmospheric visuals," the developer said in a statement. "We want to show you rather than tell you how we have evolved the concept, and we’re looking forward to doing so when the time comes to reveal the game."

Scientists have invented mouth haptics for VR that allow users to feel different virtual experiences with their mouths.

These include feeling the wind on your face while riding a bike, taking a sip from a fountain and feeling the water on your lips... and covering yourself with spiders that you'll feel running in and around your mouth.

As reported by IFL Science (and spotted by PC Gamer), scientists from Carnegie Mellon University’s Future Interfaces Group added ultrasonic transducers to a Meta Quest 2 (previously Oculus) that focus acoustic energy on the mouth.

When partnered with virtual reality demos, this essentially means that users will feel different sensations on their lips, teeth, and tongue depending on what they're doing in-game.

The mouth haptics are programmed to do different things depending on the situation, including single impulses (taps), pulse trains (multiple taps in a row), swipes in the x, y, and z directions (moving along, down, and towards your mouth), and persistent vibration.

The different demos shown in Future Interfaces Group's video include walking through cobwebs in a forest before being covered in spider venom, drinking from a water fountain, sipping coffee, smoking a cigarette, brushing your teeth, and riding a motorbike, with different sensations being used to emulate each experience.

The New York Times has pulled today's Wordle answer for some users, as it was unintentionally "closely connected to a major recent news event".

Today's Wordle solution for some users will be revealed in the rest of this article.

The word "fetus" was scheduled to be today's word more than a year ago, but The New York Times changed it last week to something different. That's because it's a word that will remind many of last week's proposed overturning of the Roe vs. Wade legal ruling, which secured abortion rights across the U.S.

Users who haven't refreshed their browser since the update will still be given the "fetus" answer, but The New York Times' editorial director for games, Everdeen Mason made clear this choie of word was purely a coincidence.

"At New York Times Games, we take our role seriously as a place to entertain and escape, and we want Wordle to remain distinct from the news," she said in an article on Times' website.

"But because of the current Wordle technology, it can be difficult to change words that have already been loaded into the game. When we discovered last week that this particular word would be featured today, we switched it for as many solvers as possible."

Mason added: "We’re now busy revamping Wordle’s technology so that everyone always receives the same word. We are committed to ensuring that tens of millions of people have a gratifying and consistent experience, every day."

Electronic Arts has announced it's making a mobile Lord of the Rings game, which will be a free-to-play collectible RPG entitled The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth.

The publisher has been coy about details thus far, and hasn't released any images or gameplay beyond this one piece of art:

The game is being made in partnership with Middle-earth Enterprises as the image suggests, and will be "solely inspired by Middle-earth as described in the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien" according to chief brand and licensing officer for Middle-earth Enterprises, Fredrica Drotos.

Heroes of Middle-earth will apparently feature "immersive storytelling, turn-based combat, deep collection systems, and a wide roster of characters" from both The lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Gameplay will involve battles across various known stories from Tolkien's works, and will include social and competitive play.

EA has not offered a release window, but if you're itching for Lord of the Rings content sooner rather than later, Amazon's prequel series The Rings of Power is on its way in September and we've already gotten a look at multiple new characters.

Return to Monkey Island director Ron Gilbert says the game doesn't feature pixel art because he didn't want it to be considered a throwback – and has responded to those who have criticised the long-awaited sequel's new looks.

In a blog post, Gilbert addressed fan criticism of Return to Monkey Island's art style as it doesn't match the art of the first two games, to which it's a direct follow-up.

But Gilbert said this sequel wouldn't look like the first two games even if he'd developed it in the early '90s, because the point wasn't to have pixel art but to instead use the latest and greatest technology.

"Monkey Island 1 and 2 weren't pixel art games. They were games using state-of-the-art tech and art," he said. "If I had stayed and done Monkey Island 3 it wouldn't have looked like Monkey Island 2. We would have kept pushing forward, and Day of the Tentacle is a good example of that."

A scrapped 2001 version of Duke Nukem Forever has seemingly leaked online, apparently showing the game four years into its turbulent development.

Duke Nukem fan website Duke4 shared details from a 4Chan post that seemingly shows gameplay footage and several screenshots of what is essentially a completely different game to the eventual 2011 release.

The 2001 version – of which "a huge chunk" is apparently playable – looks more similar to the previous game, 1996's Duke Nukem 3D, than the Forever we eventually got in 2011.

Duke Nukem Forever build from 2001 leakedhttps://t.co/zJJx0LA6k0 pic.twitter.com/DofR0X6G3Z

— Instant Gaming (@InstantGamingEN) May 9, 2022

The leaker has allegedly built an editor to get this version of Duke Nukem Forever working and plans to release the full version in June.

Almost every level is present in some form according to the post, though some with missing enemies and other content, and most weapons are also fully functional.

Content from the 2001 E3 trailer is also reportedly playable, which is the last time fans saw this build of the game before it was delayed again and again.

Xbox Series X is back in stock once again in the UK, with the popular new-gen console currently available at Amazon, Currys, GAME, and Microsoft. Amazon is our pick of the bunch here, especially for those with a Prime account to get next-day delivery (and possibly use and vouchers you've got saved up). There's even the option to split the payment over 5-months (£90/month) if you prefer to delay the overall cost of the console.

Other deals today include Nintendo Switch Sports dropping to just £33 at Amazon and Currys. You can also get the highly acclaimed Sony XM4 headphones for just £209.99 right now, that's almost £70 off the original list price and one of the best discounts on the headphones this year.

TL;DR - Our Favourite UK Deals Right Now

Xbox Series X is Back in Stock at Amazon UK

Xbox Games on Sale Right Now

Sony XM4 Headphones for £209 (was £279)

Nintendo Switch Sports for £32.99 (was £39.99)

Update (5/8/22) - Xbox Support has confirmed that players should "no longer be seeing issues when it comes to purchases, launching games, or joining Cloud Gaming sessions."

They also thanked everyone for being patient and wished everyone some "happy gaming!"

The original story follows.

Xbox Support has warned that "some users are unable to purchase & launch games or start Cloud Gaming sessions" on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and devices that support Cloud Gaming.

Xbox Support tweeted out its latest update on May 7 at 2:34 PT/5:34pm ET, saying 'We are still working on resolving the issue. In the meantime players may see improvement with launching games by rebooting your Xbox console."

While those with games on disc should have no issues, users with digital games may have trouble starting them. Starting cloud games can also be a problem, and users that do connect my be unexpectedly disconnected after it begins. Lastly, users may not be able to purchase new games from the Microsoft Store.

We will add any new updates to this page, but anyone can check out the official Xbox Status page to see up-to-the-minute updates.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Welcome back to IGN Game Scoop!, the ONLY video game podcast! This week your Omega Cops -- Daemon Hatfield, Sam Claiborn, Justin Davis, and Nicholas Limon -- are discussing the richest and poorest video game characters, Elden Ring, Rogue Legacy 2, Spiritfarer, and more. And, of course, they play Video Game 20 Questions.

Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

YouTube

Spotify

Stitcher

Find previous episodes here!

In its first closed alpha test, Marauders takes the “extract and survive” concept from games like The Cycle and tweaks it into a formula that has the potential to replace your favorite survival shooter. Its moment-to-moment gunplay is straightforward and satisfying, serving as the base for which all of its other more eccentric systems flourish. Some things, like its ship-to-ship combat, could use some calibration, but as a whole, the life of space piracy is promising one.

Your goal in any given round of Marauders is to pull off a successful pirate raid in one of a handful of areas. I came across two in my time with the alpha so far” the abandoned space station and the derelict iridium mine. I appreciated how different each location looked, but without a minimap they both can feel equally labyrinthine. It takes a good amount of reps to learn to get to the various different landmarks within each map, and wandering around lost in claustrophobic caves and tiny catwalks is a quick way to get dead.

It’s been over two years since miHoYo announced the Nintendo Switch port of Genshin Impact. News about the port has been sparse since then, but the company confirmed that the project is still in development on Thursday.

During the lengthy wait for the Switch port, some players began doubting the project’s eventual completion, theorizing that miHoYo had abandoned the project due to the Switch’s technical limitations. miHoYo, however, took to a statement to reassure players that the project is still in progress.

“The Switch version is still in development, and we will release more information as we progress further along,” a representative told GoNintendo.

No further details were provided by miHoYo regarding the upcoming port.

While the Switch port’s release date still remains unknown, the Genshin Impact team has been consistent in updating the game every six weeks (aside from a currently unexplained hiatus). Most recently, miHoYo introduced Version 2.6, which introduced the new character Kamisato Ayato and an expansion to Liyue called The Chasm. Version 2.6 also further fleshed out the story of the Kamisato Clan, a well-loved family from the in-game land of Inazuma.