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Following reports that PlayStation is asking UK retailers to begin removing PS Now retail cards, PlayStation has confirmed that it is streamlining its gift card offerings.

According to a message sent out by Game store retailers to staff, UK stores were asked to remove PlayStation Now subscription cards by January 21. In a statement to IGN, PlayStation says, “Globally, we are moving from PlayStation Now Gift cards to focus on our current cash denomination PlayStation gift cards, which can be redeemed for PlayStation Now.”

PlayStation Now got a head start on the idea of video game streaming, but cloud streaming has still trailed traditional native gaming. So it makes sense that PlayStation would want to streamline the different retail gift cards it offers.

The move also sparked intense speculation about the future of PlayStation Now as a service. Bloomberg previously reported that Sony intends to merge PlayStation Now with PlayStation Plus in a new multi-tiered program where for an additional cost users can access cloud gaming on top of PS Plus.

Xbox offers something similar already with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate which bundles its Netflix-style subscription service with Xbox Live Gold and xCloud gaming.

We've all heard the Golden Rule since kindergarten: treat others how you want to be treated. Now, Final Fantasy 14 Director Naoki Yoshida is urging fans to follow this rule, speaking out against verbal abuse directed towards developers and other players.

In a YouTube video translated on Reddit, Yoshida addressed fan feedback, saying while he supports constructive criticism from fans, verbal abuse should not be tolerated.

"Of course I'm thankful and grateful for players to tell us that 'we should do this, or this should be that' and whatnot, but verbal abuses are [something we wish could stop]," Yoshida said.

Last month, Square Enix released Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, the latest expansion for the immensely popular MMO set in the Final Fantasy universe. However, before its release, Square Enix had to delay the game by two weeks. Yoshida says that delay led to some unwanted toxicity in the community.

"Ever since the unfortunate release delay of the expansion... for some reason there seems to be some [haters of the game] laying around attacking other players despite not playing the game and it was quite glaring," Yoshida said. "I felt as if those strong words used in arguments against people ended up holding people back because of this."

STALKER 2 developer GSC Game World has taken the decision to delay the game until later this year.

As announced on Twitter, the developer has notified its fans that STALKER 2's new release date has been shifted back to December this year.

pic.twitter.com/E4bdKVmzxV

— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) January 12, 2022

"We have made a decision to postpone the release of STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl to December 8, 2022," reads a statement from the development team.

"These additional seven months of development are needed to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game. STALKER 2 is the biggest project in the history of GSC, and it requires thorough testing and polishing. We are convinced that development should take as long as necessary, especially in the case of such a project."

PUBG: Battlegrounds' recent decision to make the game free-to-play is "in no way a response" to similar successful free-to-play shooters such as Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, and Apex Legends, who have all similarly adopted that model.

During an interview with GamesRadar, studio creative director Dave Curd discussed its move to a free-to-play structure on PC and consoles from today. "We came to the decision to make PUBG: Battlegrounds free to play because we feel that it is truly the right time," explained Curd.

"Our game is in a great place with eight maps, an engaged community, and our deep gun mechanics, so this is the natural next step and a great way to introduce more players to our universe. I know there are a lot of people who are interested in PUBG: Battlegrounds but have never gotten around to playing it for various reasons - now is the perfect moment to get started."

Elsewhere in the interview, Curd explained that the decision was "in no way a response" to other similar Battle Royale titles on the market. "They're all great games which specialize in their own unique strengths, just as we do. We develop our game independently of others and are excited to see what is to come," he said.

A new trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land has revealed a March release date, as well as support for co-op play.

The Kirby and the Forgotten Land release date is March 25, 2022, and it will celebrate 30 years of the Kirby series. The trailer also shows off co-op in action, as well as a variety of Kirby's copy abilities.

Showcased in the video is the new Drill and Ranger copy abilities. The Drill copy ability allows Kirby to submerge into the ground and attack enemies from below. The Ranger, meanwhile, is a long-range ability that allows you to attack faraway enemies.

Should you wish to go into the Forgotten Land with a buddy, a co-op partner can play as Bandana Waddle Dee. Nintendo notes that co-op is single system multiplayer only, and so must be played in 'couch co-op' rather than online.

The open-world design of Kirby and the Forgotten Land includes a central hub, known as Waddle Dee Town. As you rescue more Waddle Dees during your adventure, the town will develop more and more, with new shops opening up and the ability to play games with the townsfolk. As an example, you'll be able to help out in the Waddle Dee Café by preparing customer orders to keep them satisfied.

A fan-made Titanfall 2 mod going by the name of Northstar may finally be the solution that fans have been looking for in order to remedy the game's persistent online problems.

As reported by PC Gamer, the Northstar mod was released in December and essentially allows fans to run their own custom servers in Titanfall 2. For the Titanfall community, this is a massive and incredibly important change to the game, as it allows players to bypass Titanfall 2's official servers, and at the same time, its constant issues with DDoS attacks.

Similar to other modern shooters, Titanfall 2's official servers use matchmaking playlists that allow players to jump into games with ease. However, vulnerabilities in the game's servers have left them open to a number of attacks by hackers over the years and for long periods have made the game virtually unplayable for the game's fanbase.

As per PC Gamer, the Northstar mod essentially takes a step away from matchmaking by instead pushing the community toward an old-school browser system. While servers on the new system are still theoretically able to be attacked, the process is both slightly more difficult and less likely to cause widespread issues. This point was further illustrated by the community-led Save Titanfall account on Twitter.

There's a lot of games coming out over the next month or so, and the next biggest on our list is Pokemon Legends Arceus for Nintendo Switch. As the next big Pokemon entry in the franchise, this is a huge game for fans. If you want to play it at launch, the cheapest option is a preorder with Currys, bringing the preorder down to £38.24 with code ARCEUS15 (see here).

Other deals today include discounts on incredible PS5 SSDs, such as the Samsung 980 Pro 1TB, down to £126.99 (see here), The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Edition for £86.25 (see here), and £10 off Horizon Forbidden West PS5 preorders (preorder on PS4 and upgrade for free, see here). You can also get Far Cry 6 for £24.83 when importing the game from Amazon US (see here), PS5 games are not region locked so this will work on your console.

TL;DR - Our Favourite Deals Right Now

Pokemon Legends: Arceus Preorders for £38.24 (was £44.99)

Use code ARCEUS15 at checkout to preorder Pokemon Legends Arceus for £38.24.

Get £10 Off Horizon Forbidden West PS5 Preorders

Horizon Forbidden West on PS4 will provide a free PS5 upgrade, which means you can save £10 on your preorder by purchasing the PS4 version rather than the PS5 copy.

To deal with the ongoing global PlayStation 5 shortage, Sony has allegedly decided to produce more PlayStation 4s than it had initially planned to help "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem."

As reported by Bloomberg, sources say Sony has told assembly partners that it is planning to produce PS4s throughout 2022 despite having plans to "discontinue assembly at the end of 2021."

This strategy would add roughly one million PS4s to help with the fact that it can't produce enough PS5s due to the global chip shortage that is impacting so many parts of the tech world thanks to challenges that have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This number could be adjusted based on demand and the decision was said to be reached because, "the older console uses less advanced chips, is simpler to make and provides a budget-friendly alternative to the PS5."

According to a Sony official who asked to remain anonymous, this strategy is meant to "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem."

Furthermore, increasing the production of PS4 consoles appears to give Sony "more leeway when negotiating with manufacturing partners for a better deal."

Sony has confirmed to Bloomberg that PS4 production would continue throughout 2022, but it has also denied that it was planning on discontinuing the assembly of its previous console.

The Anacrusis is correct to believe that co-op shooters are in dire need of a new flavor. Nearly every game that’s followed in Left 4 Dead’s footsteps puts four players in a forlorn zombie apocalypse and asks them to blast out an escape route before they succumb to the horde. The bleakness can get overbearing; does teamwork really have to be so dark? The Anacrusis counters that notion with bright pastels and a pulpy Jetsons-inspired verve, which delightfully strays from the broken cities in Back 4 Blood or the depths of Hell in GTFO or Call of Duty’s Zombies modes. Unfortunately, The Anacrusis is unable to generate the crucial white-knuckle tension that makes a co-op experience memorable. In fact, after playing the three episodes available in The Anacrusis' early access version, I'm left thinking that the only novel idea it brings to the genre is a fresh coat of paint.

You and your friends embark on a slick, tangerine-hued starship adrift in psychedelic outer space. Guns and ammunition are splayed across the safe room — all sheathed in a porcelain, '60s sci-fi aesthetic — and together, you’ll attempt to fend off a massive incursion of possessed, Cthulhu-headed crewmembers stalking the halls between you and the next checkpoint. It’s not hard to understand exactly where The Anacrusis draws its chief inspiration from: Chet Faliszek, co-founder of developer Stray Bombay, logged time on both Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 while he was at Valve, and despite the vast disparities in tone and setting, The Anacrusis still has you cutting down thousands of chittering zombie facsimiles before sealing off the swarm behind a magically impenetrable door.

We have a random assortment of Xbox topics to discuss this week, from Dying Light 2's supposed 500-hour play time, Amazon getting the Fallout TV show off the ground with a big name attached, Xbox Game Pass landing another big third-party game on day one, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our new 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.

Disney’s ‘90s animated series Gargoyles helped set a new standard for animated storytelling with complex villains, serialized episodes and deep narrative arcs. The show would provide excellent material for a story-driven game, but unfortunately that’s not what Ravensburger’s Disney Gargoyles: Awakening delivers. Almost entirely lacking in fluff or flavor text, the game relies on fans to fill in the blanks about what is happening in a game session and why they should care.

The cover of the Gargoyles: Awakening rule book includes the voiceover text from the show’s introduction, explaining that 1,000 years ago the Gargoyles were betrayed by humans they had sworn to protect and were frozen in stone. In the modern day of 1994, the spell that had bound them was broken in Manhattan. While that concept provides a tantalizing intro to the show’s fantasy world and its characters, that’s effectively where the narrative stops in the game. That’s a true shame because the concept of letting players team up for scenarios based on favorite episodes of the show is a great one.

Fans of Red Dead Online are fed up with Rockstar's seeming inattention of late, and they've been making their feelings known on social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit with the hashtag #SaveRedDeadOnline.

The hashtag kicked off after Rockstar published an announcement on January 6 about new content coming to Red Dead Online... though most of those using the hashtag would probably hesitate to call it content. The gist of the update is that it increases the rewards for doing a bunch of existing activities in Red Dead Online for a period of time, making it easier to earn gold, experience, items, and other currency. It's all enhancement to stuff that's already there, rather than anything new.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is too beautiful to abandon @RockstarGames #SaveRedDeadOnline pic.twitter.com/WlDF7PNFn2

Attack on Titan and Call of Duty are crossing over for a new item pack that turns you into a member of the infamous Survey Corps in Warzone and Vanguard.

The Tracer Pack: Attack on Titan: Levi Edition Bundle includes several new skins for various weapons and more. Chief among them is a new skin for the Daniel Yatsu operator that gives him Levi Ackerman's split hairdo, beige Survey Corps jacket, and white jabot collar.

Here's what else is included:

• A new finishing move, MVP highlight, and highlight intro based on the Survey Corps high-flying aerial slash maneuvers they use against titans.
• An emblem emblazoned with the Survey Corps wings.
• Three weapon blueprints: The "Historia," designed for close-range from-the-hip fire, and the "Ymir Curse," a mid-to-long range weapon with near-zero vertical recoil. The third weapon blueprint is for a pair of dual-wield knives that look exactly like the titan piercer blades used by Survey Corps members.
• A weapon charm designed to look like the infamous key to Eren Yeager's basement.
• "One hot potato" sticker, a reference to the ravenously hungry character Sasha.

The new pack releases on January 20. Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part Two debuted just last weekend, kicking off the conclusion to the long-running anime franchise. IGN's official review called it "brutal, devastating, exciting table setting."

Activision Blizzard is currently facing serious ongoing allegations of harassment and mistreatment of marginalized workers. To learn more, please visit our timeline as well as our in-depth report on the subject.

LEGO has decided to delay a new Overwatch 2 LEGO set, as the company continues to review its relationship with Activision Blizzard due to misconduct and harassment allegations against the game developer.

First reported by The Brick Fan, the Overwatch 2 Titan set was supposed to be released on February 1. Now, LEGO says it will update fans on the partnership once the company comes to a decision.

"We are currently reviewing our partnership with Activision Blizzard, given concerns about the progress being made to address continuing allegations regarding workplace culture, especially the treatment of female colleagues and creating a diverse and inclusive environment," LEGO said in a statement. "While we complete the review, we will pause the release of a LEGO Overwatch 2 product which was due to go on sale on February 1, 2022."

Following a number of high-profile FIFA 22 Ultimate Team traders reporting that their accounts have been hacked and drained of FIFA points and in-game currency, EA has responded by saying an investigation is underway and work is being done to restore everything these players have lost.

EA shared its update on the ongoing situation on its The Pitch Notes page, saying that it can confirm that a number of accounts were "compromised via phishing techniques."

"Utilizing threats and other 'social engineering' methods, individuals acting maliciously were able to exploit human error within our customer experience team and bypass two-factor authentication to gain access to player accounts," EA wrote.

As of this writing, EA estimates that less than 50 accounts were impacted by these hackers and that it is working to "identify rightful account owners to restore access to their accounts, and the content within, and players affected should expect a response from our team shortly."

EA also shared a list of actions it has already taken to "increase the administrative and technical safeguards for EA Accounts." The changes are as follows;

Ubisoft has announced that Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection - which includes Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, and Assassin's Creed Revelations - will be released on Nintendo Switch on February 17, 2022 for $39.99.

Switch owners will soon be able to experience the full tale of Ezio Auditore da Firenze in one complete package, and this collection will take "full advantage of the capabilities of the Nintendo Switch, including
enhanced features such as Handheld Mode, HD Rumble, Touchscreen Interface, and Optimized HUD."

Furthermore, all solo DLC will be available alongside two short films - Assassin's Creed Lineage and Assassin's Creed Embers - that "dive even deeper into Ezio's story."

Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection was first released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016 and, in our review, we said, "Ezio’s trilogy helped build Assassin’s Creed into the giant franchise it is today thanks to its fantastic storytelling, amazing characters, and gorgeous world building. And while all of that is still here in The Ezio Collection, the lack of meaningful improvements and any sort of substantial bonus content make it a tough compilation to recommend."

Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection joins Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection - which includes Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Rogue - as the only games from the franchise on Nintendo's latest system.

Activision Blizzard is currently facing serious ongoing allegations of harassment and mistreatment of marginalized workers. To learn more, please visit our timeline as well as our in-depth report on the subject.

If this headline feels familiar that's because it almost certainly is. Last week we reported that Call of Duty Warzone was facing issues with a skin that was accidentally causing players to turn almost completely invisible. Now, only a week later, players are once again reporting that enemies in the game are disappearing before their eyes.

As spotted by VGC, the issue of invisible skins in Call of Duty Warzone appears to have once again returned. Following reports from the community, Raven Associate Community Manager Austin O'Brien has publicly highlighted the issue on the game's community Trello board and Raven has stated that it is looking into the problem.

Days Gone game director Jeff Ross has said in a recent interview that a sequel to the game would have moved the series in a "more technical direction" had Sony decided to revisit the franchise for a second time.

In a recent interview with USA Today's ForTheWin, Ross spoke further about where he would have taken Days Gone 2, stating that among other aspects he'd have liked to have delved further into the relationship between the series' main protagonist Deacon and his wife Sarah - who for large parts of the first game the player spends time searching for.

“Yeah, they’re back together, but maybe they’re not happy,” Ross explains in the interview when talking about the pair. “Well, what can we do with that? Okay, we were married before the apocalypse, but what about the future?" With a strong focus on the game's characters, it's no surprise that Ross says a sequel would have also kept in theme with the original's "heavy, strong narrative."

"We would have kept the bike, obviously. And I think we would have expanded the tone a little bit in a more technical direction, kind of like, ‘Alright, now we have all this NERO tech – what can we do with it?’ The tone would have expanded one ring outward towards some of the new reality. I think this would have been a little bit more – I don’t want to say Avengers, but something where the player had resources, he had some sort of the remnants of whatever the government had."

Two years ago, a group of Polish AAA industry veterans launched a new studio in Wrocław with big ambitions of making next-gen, "AA+" games. Now, Far From Home is ready to unveil its debut project: a sci-fi survival game about climate disaster called Forever Skies.

Originally code-named "Project Oxygen," Forever Skies is a first-person, action/survival game that takes place on a ruined Earth years after a massive climate disaster renders it uninhabitable. It's expected to launch on PC in early access later this year, with a next-gen console release to follow.

With the announcement, Far From Home shared a teaser trailer for Forever Skies that gives an idea of what players will experience in the post-apocalyptic world. You play as a scientist who returns to Earth in an airship that serves as your base while you explore the ruins in search of a cure for the disease ravaging the remaining population of survivors, who await in orbit. Because toxic clouds have taken over Earth's ground level, you'll spend a lot of time either in your airship or at the tops of tall buildings originally built to escape the increasingly dangerous surface level. There's crafting, base building, planting, research and, eventually, combat with whatever it is lurking beneath the deadly cloud layer — an element that Far From Home wants to keep mysterious for now.

As Rainbow Six Siege moves towards its seventh year, Ubisoft has announced that new creative director has been appointed.

As revealed on Ubisoft's website, the game's current creative director, Leroy Athanassoff, will be leaving Siege to work on other Ubisoft-made games projects. Siege's art director, Alexander Karpazis, will step up to fill the role. This change in staff marks the third time that the game has introduced a new creative director over its almost seven year lifespan.

In light of his departure, Athanassoff spoke briefly about his decision to leave the position. "I wanted to let you know that due to personal reasons, I will be leaving my role of Creative Director on Siege to pursue other opportunities at Ubisoft," said Athanassoff in a statement.

"This isn’t a decision I make lightly – I love this game and this community, and I’m so proud of everything our team has accomplished together over the last two years – but I’m confident that it’s the right one, and the team has given me their full support. Don’t worry, I won’t be going too far, and I have a feeling that my journey with this incredible game is far from over."

Warcraft director Duncan Jones really wants to make a Full Throttle film.

The filmmaker, who also created the modern sci-fi classic, Moon, took to Twitter to remind Disney that he wants to adapt the iconic LucasArts point-and-click adventure game.

“If you could all tell [Disney] how much you’d love them to let me make Full Throttle for [Disney+], that would be adorable and I’d be very appreciative,” he said.

If you could all tell @DisneyStudios how much you’d love them to let me make Full Throttle for @Disney+, that would be adorable and I’d be very appreciative.💪🏼❤️👍🏼

— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) January 9, 2022

Full Throttle was originally released in 1995 and tells the story of Ben, the leader of a biker gang who gets caught up in an intriguing conspiracy of murder, mayhem, and motorbikes. It’s a classic of the point-and-click adventure genre, and for many gamers of a certain age, was an introduction to gaming.

A recent remake from Double Fine saw Full Throttle return to our screens in 2017 as Full Throttle: Remastered.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Jones has expressed interest in the property. Back last year, he penned a ‘fan script’ during a difficult period working on another project.

A fix for Halo Infinite's Big Team Battle matchmaking bug is on the way, says developer 343 Industries.

In a post-holiday update post, Halo Infinite's Community Director, Brian Jarrard, has stated that the team has been continuing to work on a fix for the game's Big Team Battle bug that has been affecting matchmaking in the game.

"As you know, we’ve been dealing with some frustrating issues with BTB nearly since launch and despite a few attempts at solving and mitigating before the holiday break, we were not able to get this fixed," explained Jarrard in the post. "While BTB has remained playable, there are matchmaking issues that increase with more players and larger fireteams have a low chance of successfully joining into a game together."

"A strike force continued to work on this over the break and we’re optimistic to say we believe we have a fix in hand for the core issue. This went into QA last week and so far it’s looking positive - we are not seeing this issue occur internally using this build."

While Jarrard hasn't given a specific date for when a fix for the issue will go live, it sounds as if it could well be in the near future. According to the community director, the company is set to continue testing the fix in the immediate future to ensure that it does indeed rectify the issue before then certifying it and preparing to release it as a patch.

If you didn't get the chance to play it last year, you're absolutely in luck. Metroid Dread is down to just £30 in the UK right now (see here), an incredible saving for the Game of the Year contender.

Right now Amazon has Metroid Dread for Nintendo Switch listed for £30, that's £30 off the regular list price, and the best discount we've seen on the game since its release in October of 2021.

Save £30 on Metroid Dread for Nintendo Switch (Limited Time)

This is a limited time deal, so I'd suggest picking it up as soon as possible to ensure you don't miss out on the incredible discount.

In case you missed the news as well, You can currently pick up a Nintendo Switch OLED Model from Amazon as well, for £309.99, as the consoles recently came back into stock for the online retailer.

Nintendo Switch OLED Model Available at Amazon

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

The new year is upon us and it's already time for a friendly public service announcement. Yesterday (January 10), a number of images apparently taken from a leaked copy of the PlayStation 4 version of Horizon Forbidden West began making the rounds online.

In a report from VGC, sources said that aside from some missing art assets, the leaked version of the build is authentic and contains all of the core content planned for the sequel's final release - meaning that spoilers could soon follow.

Images have been sighted on Twitter that appear to be from the leaked version of the game. While these have since been removed due to "a report from the copyright holder", it might be wise to start taking measures to avoid spoilers ahead of the game's official launch on February 18.

When Horizon Forbidden West does launch next month it will see a number of notable improvements over its predecessor. Guerrilla has revealed that series protagonist Aloy is set to come with a number of new tricks up her sleeve. These include the likes of a far more open free climbing system, new tools and gadgets for traversing the landscape such as the Shieldwing and Pullcaster, and an overhauled skill tree.

Two Los Angeles police officers were fired after they chose to chase a Snorlax in Pokemon GO instead of helping stop a robbery in progress at a local mall.

As reported by Vice and detailed in court documents, former LAPD officers Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell were on foot beat patrol on April 15, 2017, when a robbery at the Macy's at Crenshaw Mall was taking place. Calls began going out to police in the vicinity to respond and some, like a unit that was at a homicide crime scene, rushed over to the mall.

Lozano and Mitchell, on the other hand, ignored the call at first and then responded with a simple, "no," when asked again. As it turns out, they "willfully failed to respond to the robbery call and attempted to conceal the fact" by saying they were somewhere other than where they actually were.

After listening to the recording in Lozano and Mitchell's police car, the LAPD also discovered they were playing Pokemon GO on the day of the robbery.

"The recording showed that, at approximately 6:09 p.m. (just five minutes after Officer Lozano said “screw it” to checking in with communications about the robbery call), Officer Mitchell alerted Lozano that 'Snorlax' 'just popped up' at '46th and Leimert,'" the court documents read. "After noting that 'Leimert doesn’t go all the way to 46th,' Lozano responded, 'Oh, you [know] what I can do? I’ll [go] down 11th and swing up on Crenshaw. I know that way I can get to it.' Mitchell suggested a different route, then told Lozano, 'We got four minutes.'

Phil Spencer thinks Netflix is smart for leveraging its successful streaming business and jumping into video games.

In an interview with Kara Swisher for the New York Times’ Sway podcast, Spencer spoke more in-depth at video games’ continued growth and how it’s oftentimes a trendsetter for tech companies. Including how some tech companies look to games for inspiration.

Take Netflix, for example, which announced it’s making steady inroads into games first by including mobile games in with existing Netflix subscriptions, and then by acquiring critically-acclaimed studios like Nightschool. Spencer believes this is the right approach for the streaming giant.

“I think it’s smart what [Netflix is] doing,” Xbox boss Phil Spencer says. “They’re buying some studios. They’re learning about the creative process of interactive entertainment. And I think it’s a very smart way for them to move into the space.”

After announcing one of the biggest acquisitions in game industry history, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick named his company's biggest franchises. It contained some expected names, and one outlier – Midnight Club, which hasn't seen a new release since October 2008.

Speaking in an investor call, Zelnick was laying out how he wants new acquisition Zynga to help bring its biggest franchises to mobile. Before doing so, Zelnick named some of the company's key properties: "Our labels are home to some of the most iconic brands in the world, including Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Midnight Club, NBA 2K, BioShock, Borderlands, Sid Meier's Civilization, Mafia, and Kerbal Space Program."

It's a list of heavy-hitters from across Take-Two's developers, but Midnight Club feels a little out of place. Every name on that list has seen a new release in recent years, or is currently seeing development of a new one – except the Rockstar-developed Racing Series, which saw the release of Midnight Club: Los Angeles in 2008, before going dormant.

It's not clear exactly why Zelnick brought the game up in this context, although it's possible he's alluding to the series getting a mobile version in future. Within Zelnick's presentation to investors, Midnight Club is also included on a list of console and PC franchises that Take-Two sees as potential opportunities for mobile development.

Sony's rumoured reboot of Twisted Metal is reportedly no longer under the remit of Lucid Games and instead has been handed over to one of Sony's first-party studios.

In a report by VGC, sources told the outlet that a reboot of the car combat series is still on the cards but that it is no longer being developed by UK-based studio Lucid Games – which created PS5 exclusive Destruction All-Stars – and instead has been handed over to one of its first-party studios in Europe.

Sony's European studios include Guerrilla Games (Horizon: Forbidden West), Housemarque (Returnal), London Studio (Blood & Truth), Media Molecule (Dreams), and new acquisitions Nixxes and Firesprite.

At present, neither Sony nor Lucid Games have inclined to comment in regard to the report. VGC states that the sources providing the information did not give a reason for Sony's change in developer, though one person did suggest that the mixed reception to Destruction AllStars could have factored into the decision.

AllStars was met with muted reviews when it launched last year. In our very own rundown of the game, we awarded it a 6/10, stating that it contained a "disappointing lack of depth beneath the loud crashes, bangs, and wallops that feel so exciting at first."

Grand Theft Auto parent company Take-Two just bought Zynga in a practically unprecedented $12.7 billion deal, and part of the reasoning is that it wants the opportunity to bring some of its biggest console and PC game properties to mobile.

In an investor presentation following the announcement of the deal, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick discussed the deal and presented a slideshow to investors. Under a slide titled, 'Product Portfolios are Highly Complementary', Take-Two shows how the company's respective games and studios can be used in tandem.

Of particular interest to many fans will be the line-up of Take-Two games, with the likes of Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, BioShock and Mafia listed alongside a caption reading, "Opportunity to bring Take-Two's console/PC properties to mobile & add new game modes". Those games are paired with a list of Zynga's in-house studios, which are listed as having a "track record of successfully executing mobile game development."

From Software's upcoming action-RPG Elden Ring has begun 2022 with a flourish by becoming Steam's most-wishlisted game.

As spotted by Eurogamer, Elden Ring, which is directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki and includes world-building elements by Game of Thrones novelist George R. R. Martin, has become Steam's most wanted upcoming release.

Slated for release on February 25, Elden Ring's move to the top of the Steam wishlist rankings ends a 12-month unbeaten streak from Techland's Dying Light 2: Stay Human, which maintained pole position throughout the entirety of 2021.

Other notable entries on the list include Recreate Games' multiplayer physics brawler Party Animals, the PC release for Santa Monica Studios' God of War, and FNTASTIC's upcoming post-apocalyptic open-world MMO, The Day Before.

As Elden Ring approaches its launch, George R. R. Martin recently spoke briefly about his time working on the game. During a blog post, Martin explained that when Miyazaki and his fellow game designers had pitched the idea of Elden Ring to him, he'd found the offer "too exciting to refuse".

Looking for something new to play while hunkering down this weekend? Today only, Amazon has select digital Nintendo Switch games on sale for up to 50% off. Some notable Switch games on sale include Capcom's Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, Shin Megami Tensei V, and Donkey Kong Country: Tropic Freeze. There's a decent laundry list of other games that are on sale today at Amazon. Keep scrolling to shop the best digital Nintendo Switch games on sale and see how much you can save.

The Best Digital Nintendo Switch Games

Nintendo Switch Games on Sale at Amazon

Popular Nintendo Switch Deals

Digital Versus Physical Nintendo Switch Games

When it comes to Nintendo Switch games, players have a choice of purchasing both physical and digital versions of the game(s). If you're indecisive like me, it can sometimes be difficult to know which version is more worth it. Here are some benefits that come with buying digital or physical Switch games.

Footage of the Elden Ring character creator has leaked, and fans are pleasantly surprised to find it's a much more in-depth system than that featured in Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

Leaked by YouTuber ER-SA, the character creator allows for the making of much more natural looking human characters than FromSoftware's previous games. Part of that comes from the graphical fidelity of Elden Ring; while arguably not quite on par with the PS5 Demon's Souls remake, the characters are far more comparable, and of a significantly higher quality than those seen in Dark Souls 3 or Bloodborne. A comparison between recent FromSoft character creation results was posted to Twitter by fan SkeleMann:

FromSoftware Character Creators
Elden Ring - Dark Soul 3 - Bloodborne pic.twitter.com/0my4zjI5c1

We're still in January of 2022, but all eyes in the gaming world are already turning their attention to next month. In an unusual turn of events, February 2022 is looking like a massive month for gamers, with the likes of Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring, and Dying Light 2, and Pokemon Legends Arceus (January 28) all coming out within 30 days of each other.

If you're looking to pick all four up, we'd recommend trying to save a little cash along the way. Right now, you can save £10 on Horizon Forbidden West for PS5, simply by purchasing the PS4 edition and using the free upgrade available to you (see here). Other deals today include discounts on incredible PS5 SSDs, such as the WD Black 1TB now down to £129.95 (see here), Metroid Dread for just £30 (see here) and even a bar of Cadbury's Chocolate which is now £5 for 850g worth (see here).

TL;DR - Our Favourite Deals Right Now

Metroid Dread is £30 at Amazon (Save £20)

Get £10 Off Horizon Forbidden West PS5 Preorders

Cadbury's 850g Chocolate Bar Down to £5 (was £9.99)

Absolute Best PS5 SSDs on Sale in the UK

A new entry in Elden Ring developer FromSoftware's Armored Core series has allegedly been revealed via a survey sent out to consumers.

ResetERA's Red Liquorice shared that they recently finished a consumer survey about "a new Armoured Core game with description, screenshots and two 30 second-ish videos of gameplay — the first a boss fight and the second more in-world gameplay, a snow area."

They were unable to share any screenshots as they are all "unique ID watermarked," but alleged screenshots have since begun circulating on social media. In the meantime, a description was provided of the rumored game.

Screenshots of the upcoming Armored Core game from the consumer survey by FromSoftware.

Source: https://t.co/rn0fLxrjJQ pic.twitter.com/rAKWGwS0Pt

— Mordecai (@EldenRingUpdate) January 10, 2022

"Melange, an unknown substance that could dramatically advance human society," the game's description reads. "In the past, the substance caused a cosmic catastrophe on planet Bashtar that engulfed the surrounding star systems, and eventually its very existence was lost. Decades later, the Melange reaction was confirmed again on planet Bashtar."

Those who are looking to purchase Dying Light 2 on February 4, 2022, and beyond will be happy (or terrified) to know that developer Techland has confirmed it will take "at least 500 hours" to fully complete the game.

Techland shared the news on Dying Light's Twitter, saying that the sequel to its 2015 first-person zombie action survival horror game is "almost as long as it would take to walk from Warsaw to Madrid." For those wondering, that walk would take around 534 hours.

This news took the internet by storm and there were those who felt that 500 hours was a bit of a daunting mission to undertake. Techland quickly put those fears to rest by saying that the enormous amount of time to reach 100% was reached by doing literally everything, and most players will be able to finish the main story and side quests in under 100 hours.

"500 hours is related to maxing out the game - finishing all the quests, endings, and exploring every part of the world, but a regular player should finish the story + side quests and do quite a lot of exploring in less than 100 hours, so don't worry," Techland wrote.

In a follow-up tweet, the developer confirmed that, "if you're not in a rush," Dying Light 2's story and side quests should take roughly 70-80 hours to complete.

Converse has revealed an exciting line of products that celebrate Pokemon's 25th anniversary, including themed Chucks, shirts, hats, backpacks, and more.

There are currently 14 products available on Converse.com and, while a lot of them are already sold out because of course they are, there are a few still ready for purchase. Hopefully, there will be restocks as there are some items here that will surely help make anyone the very best, like no one ever was.

The first shoe featured is the Converse x Pokemon Poke Ball Chuck Taylor All Star and it retails for a suggested price of $70 USD. It is a white shoe that has Poke Ball ankle patches and black-and-white images of Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Meowth, and Jigglypuff all over them.

For those looking for a black shoe, the Converse x Pokemon First Partners Chuck Taylor All Star is for you. These have the same Pokemon as the other Chucks, but this time they are in full color. They also will cost $70 USD.

Alongside kids version of the previous shoes, younger trainers will also be happy to know there are adorable Pikachu and Jigglypuff shoes that cost $40 and will make many wish they had bigger sizes for them.

There is also a Pikachu hat and shirt, a sweater and hoodie, and even a Pikachu-themed backpack.

Welcome back to IGN Game Scoop!, the ONLY video game podcast! This week your Omega Cops -- Daemon Hatfield, Tina Amini, Sam Claiborn, and Justin Davis -- are looking ahead to all the big games coming this year. Breath of the Wild 2, God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, 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!

Boba Fett leads an impressive slate of new Star Wars projects fans can expect in 2022! From misfit stormtroopers to a whole bunch of Mandalorians to the return of The Chosen One himself, Star Wars is adding to the canon in a major way in 2022, even with no new movies on the docket.

Here’s a breakdown of all the streaming shows, video games, novels, comics and theme park attractions to look forward to. Grab those quadnoculars and stare straight into the binary sunset.

The Book of Boba Fett (December 29)

Are you ready for new Boba Fett adventures? We are too, kid! So it’s probably a good thing that the Book of Boba Fett is first on deck to kick off the new year.

Premiering on December 29th, the 7-episode season will follow Boba Fett as he flexes some muscle in the Outer Rim while taking over the remnants of Jabba the Hutt’s criminal empire. Boba Fett, of course, returned in The Mandalorian: Season 2, some years after having been defeated by a giant hole in the ground. But he’s back in action, he’s got his armor back and he’s making up for lost time. Will he be a better crime boss than he was a bounty hunter? We will soon find out.

Despite a relatively well-received run of games from 1999 to 2007, the Syphon Filter series has seemingly vanished, with no reboot in sight. But Sony appears to have had one on the mind recently, and even pitched it as a project for one of its studios: Bend, which made Days Gone.

On a stream yesterday with Twisted Metal director David Jaffe, former Bend Studio director and writer John Garvin and game director Jeff Ross talked about Bend's struggle to get a green light for a Days Gone sequel as the studio's next project. While former Sony head Shawn Layden had apparently championed the game, Ross said that "as soon as Shawn was gone, Days Gone was dead."

"It was very obvious that we shouldn’t be talking about Days Gone while we were working on the pitch and generating it. It was clear that it was a non-starter. And there was nothing in the pitch that made the local manager and his boss feel good about it. That's probably a failure of the creative group, but it was just an uphill battle the whole time."

Ross went on to say that in the process of figuring out what Bend Studio would work on instead, Sony asked them if there were any other Sony IPs they would be willing to use for a pitch, including Bend's old project, Syphon Filter. But Bend turned them down, Ross said. "I have zero ideas on how to reboot Syphon Filter."

He added later that he was unsure if the pitch was ever serious, however, and that it seemed mostly like an idea to keep them busy while Sony figured out Bend's actual next project.

Forspoken is set to release for PS5 and PC on May 24. It stars Frey, a young woman in modern-day New York who finds herself transported to Athia, a land of magic and danger. Accompanied by a talking bracelet that has appeared on her arm, she sets off on a journey to find her way back home.

You can preorder Forspoken right now from a variety of retailers. It's available in two editions and, depending on where you get it, you may get a preorder bonus. We have all the details about all of that below. Let’s get to it.

Preorder Forspoken

PS5

• Get it at Amazon - $69.99
• Get it at Best Buy - $69.99
• Get it at GameStop - $69.99
• Get it on PS Store (digital) - $69.99

PC

• Get it on GMG (DRM: Steam) - $69.99
• Get it on EGS - $69.99
• Get it on Steam - $69.99

The standard edition of Forspoken comes with the game itself, plus any applicable preorder bonuses (see below).

Forspoken Digital Deluxe Edition

PS5