IGN

THQ Nordic has announced that the long-awaited Biomutant will be released on May 25 this year. In a press release, THQ Nordic revealed that Biomutant will arrive on previously confirmed platforms - PC, PS4, and Xbox One - in May. No mention was made of a next-gen version of the game.

Biomutant is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on May 25th, 2021. pic.twitter.com/qVdTMaxxS5

While Halo Infinite isn't scheduled to be released until Fall 2021, developed 343 Industries has committed to monthly updates regarding Master Chief's newest adventure, and the first one is coming later this week. 343 Industries employee ske7ch343 responded to a Reddit post claiming its been a long time since we've gotten any news on the much anticipated game, reassuring fans that all is under control and much more Halo Infinite news is on its way. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ps5-xbox-series-x-10-delayed-and-mia-games-next-gen-console-watch"] "Has it though? Not saying it's right or a good thing, but considering we went 12 month stretches of total darkness and our last update was on December 8, I don't think there's any cause to worry," ske7ch343 wrote. "Keep in mind that many of us around the studio were out of office for 2 or more weeks to end the year and then it takes time to get back into the swing of things, etc. "We also confirmed our Fall release window in that update, so now it's clear we have some runway ahead of us and some time to go. That said, we're committed to at least monthly high level updates and the next "Inside Infinite" is coming out this week! This month we're talking with members of the sandbox team to share some insights into their vision for Halo Infinite and the work they're doing.

IO Interactive has revealed that the protagonist in the developer's upcoming James Bond game won't be based on any previous actor who has filled the role – and a director at the company has hinted at a trilogy. The news arrives as part of an interview conducted by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, which also talks about how the studio plans to double its staff over the next few years, as it works on this ambitious project. "We have been allowed to make our own digital Bond, which will not lean on a Bond actor," IO interactive's director Hakan Abrak told the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. This means that we won't see the likeness of Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan coming to the game - the character will be entirely unique and unrelated to previous Bond performances. "We also come up with a completely original story, and you could easily imagine that a trilogy could come out of it," Abrak added. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/19/io-interactive-bond-game-project-007-teaser-trailer"] This suggests that Project 007 may not just be a singular game. It could be a series, much like Hitman, with new locations and missions in every iteration. Abrak also revealed that IO Interactive is scaling up and planning to hire a lot more staff to deliver on its ambitions. "Today we are 200 employees and I expect that we will be over 400 employees over the next few years," Abrak said. Abrak also recounted the meeting in which IO Interactive convinced the licence owners, EON Productions, that the game was a good idea. According to the interview, IO had a meeting with Barbara Broccoli of the Broccoli family, who control the rights to the James Bond franchise. Broccoli was "expressionless" at first but quickly came around to the idea.

Figuring out how to adapt a classic collectible card game like Magic: The Gathering into a more action-focused game genre isn't an easy task. Luckily, isometric action RPGs like Diablo apparently lend themselves quite well to the deep lore, deceptively complex mechanics, and underlying sense of constant action that pervades Magic. It’s a tall order for Magic: Legends, an online action RPG slated to hit Open Beta for PC on March 23, 2021. A game of Magic can sometimes take hours to finish depending on how slowly turns unfold or how skilled the players are. The first order of business to blend that property into a fast-paced action RPG, then, is to eliminate the turn order and condense down the concepts. Notably, developers have been careful to no longer describe Magic Legends as an “MMO” at all but a “persistent online action RPG” instead. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/26/magic-legends-official-deckbuilding-101-trailer"] In a recent hands-off demo presentation about Magic: Legends, developer Cryptic Studios showed me a pre-release build of the game featuring a variety of gameplay styles and an exclusive first look at how deckbuilding works. Take a look at the exclusive 'Deckbuilding 101' trailer above. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=If%20you%E2%80%99ve%20ever%20played%20Diablo%2C%20Torchlight%2C%20Path%20of%20Exile%2C%20or%20any%20fast%20action-based%20RPG%20then%20you%E2%80%99ll%20have%20a%20good%20idea%20of%20what%20to%20expect%20here."] If you’ve ever played Diablo, Torchlight, Path of Exile, or any fast action-based RPG then you’ll have a good idea of what to expect here. The camera is positioned at an isometric top-down angle and you’ll spend time gearing up and preparing back at town hub locations before venturing out into the game world and on dangerous quests.

The developers of 2018's Celeste have released a surprise semi-sequel to mark the game's third anniversary. Celeste director Maddy Thorson posted the news to Twitter, revealing that Celeste 2: Lani's Trek or Celeste Classic 2 is a sequel to the original prototype of the game, built in Pico-8. Pico-8 is a "fantasy video game console" game engine that allows for its games to be played within a browser. This means you can play Celeste Classic 2 right now if you follow this link to the game's Itch.io page.

To celebrate the 3rd anniversary of Celeste, we made a sequel to Celeste Classic for PICO-8 :D you can play Celeste Classic 2 now on web or pico-8! https://t.co/EHp7dTgGlE

— Maddy Thorson (@MaddyThorson) January 25, 2021

According to the short description that accompanies the game, Celeste Classic 2 was built in just three days. The mini-sequel is a challenging aside clearly set within the Celeste universe. You play as a new character called Lani, who has a grappling hook. Here's our review of Celeste from 2018, a game we scored a 10, noting its incredible platforming and innumerable secrets. If you're looking for more Celeste content, here's a speedrun of the game which manages to achieve the True Ending in just 54 minutes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/01/25/celeste-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

More than 19 million people picked up Star Wars Battlefront 2 for free during the game's recent Epic Games Store promotion. That's approximately the same number of new players as the population of Chile. The news was revealed by the EA Star Wars account on Twitter, in a tweet that thanked players for their continued support. "More than 19M PLAYERS got #StarWarsBattlefrontII from the Epic Game Store promo," the tweet reads. "Thank you so much for the continued support, even after our final content drop!" The promotion, which allowed players to pick up the game free of charge, saw a massive influx of new players to the game. The promotion caused some trouble with the game's servers, forcing EA to increase capacity. This also coincided with a bug that saw players losing XP, which was promptly fixed.

More than 19M PLAYERS got #StarWarsBattlefrontII from the Epic Game Store promo!Thank you so much for the continued support, even after our final content drop! We’ll watch your careers with great interest! May the Force be with you, troopers! pic.twitter.com/fC4A92HLNN

Konami has provided more clarity on the future of its gaming division, saying it restructured to allow for games to be developed more efficiently.

UK retailer Argos has been targeted by PS5 scalping groups, possibly contributing to lower-than-expected availability during a recent stock update. In the early hours of January 26, UK gamers were delighted to see the PS5 back in stock at Argos. But, just as we've seen time and time again, the stock lasted for a much shorter time than expected, amid widespread issues. Not only was the site buggy, alongside the app, but there was also supposedly even less stock than expected on the already limited supply of consoles. Multiple sources (who wished to remain anonymous) have confirmed to IGN that this is in part because individuals were able to order PS5 consoles from Argos on January 25, a full day before the aforementioned official stock drop. This was down to a loophole discovered by scalping group Express Notify, a paid-for Discord server that shared links allowing users to buy the PS5 before the general public even knew about the new stock. Express Notify has been publicly taking credit, with many of its users showing off their orders for multiple consoles. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"] Argos supposedly shut these rogue links down quickly, but not without several consoles being sold and even collected from Argos outlets beforehand. There hasn't been any confirmation of how many PS5s were claimed before the loophole was closed, but this is just another example in the growing list of frustrations that customers are facing when trying to purchase the next-gen system. To compound the issues, those who were attempting to buy legitimately via Argos in the early hours of the morning weren't exactly given a head start.

Capcom’s release of the Resident Evil Village demo, Maiden, is a short slice of what the full release will offer...sort of. Maiden doesn’t even include combat, it’s over in about 15-20 minutes (unless you get stuck on a simple puzzle, like I did), and in one of my favorite demo design choices, it isn’t even a scenario you’ll encounter in Village itself. Instead, it’s a mood piece, designed to give a sense of the atmosphere of one of Village’s main locations, tease some of the characters we can expect to face, and, hopefully, creep the hell out of you with a constant feeling of dread, as it did me. While they’ve perhaps less ubiquitous than when publishers tucked demo discs into a gaming magazine, Maiden and other recent examples show there are many right ways to execute a demo, reminding us of just how damn effective they can be in selling players on a game in a way no other part of the video game hype machine can. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/22/resident-evil-village-maiden-demo-gameplay"]

How a Demo Can Be So Effective

Regardless of what form a demo takes, a good one should accomplish at least a few things: let a player get a sense for some key aspect of gameplay, whether it’s basic gameplay mechanics or how they’ve changed within an ongoing series (like last year’s Bravely Default II demo), or introduce you to an atmosphere of a new world (like BioShock’s demo did back in 2007), or give you a sense of scale and spectacle, (like Final Fantasy VII Remake’s demo in 2020). I’ll never forget the BioShock demo specifically, as BioShock was a game I was unsure whether I’d like before launch. That demo, which replicated BioShock’s opening minutes in Rapture, is forever ingrained in my head. I don’t know if I would have ever picked up the full game had I not actually played it; it gave me just enough to want more.

Scavengers Studio's Season, which had an impressive debut trailer at 2020's The Game Awards, has reportedly had a tumultuous development that is due to the latest in a reported pattern of workplace harassment and toxic behavior at the studio. A new comprehensive report from GamesIndustry.biz lays out a host of allegations from nine current and former employees of Scavengers Studio, the team behind the previous Darwin Project and the upcoming Season, against co-founder and Darwin Project creative director Simon Darveau. Specifically in regard to Season, the report describes an alleged, previous worry among developers at Scavengers that, should Darveau become a part of the team working on Season, he would essentially "override" the current creative director, Kevin Sullivan (who IGN previously spoke to about Season), and the rest of the team's work. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/season-announcement-trailer"] According to the report, these concerns became real, with allegations that, despite his actual role on the game remaining unclear, he has come in and led to "a considerable shift in focus and scope" on Season than what had previously been in place. "Several current employees mentioned that Darveau had used the partnership with Sony to force his own ideas onto the game, saying he had promised a number of features to seal the deal - such as a larger world, quests, and objective markers - that either weren't planned or had already been scrapped by the team.

Dragon Age 4's main location will be Tevinter, according to a new BioWare book. BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development was recently released and in it, it's revealed that the forthcoming Dragon Age game will be set in the land of Tevinter, as originally reported by Eurogamer. Tevinter, while existing in the lore, is a place that hasn't been visited in the Dragon Age games before, making it a first for the series. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dragon-age-4-game-awards-trailer-screenshots&captions=true"] As pointed out by Eurogamer, Tevinter was set up at the end of the Trespasser expansion for 2014's Dragon Age Inquisition. The book indicates that places other than Tevinter will be visited as well, which makes sense considering Dragon Age usually sees players trekking across multiple different lands. Antiva City, the capital of Antiva, is shown in the book too. This city borders Tevinter to the east and is surrounded by water. Other concept art depicts an Antivan Crow, who is an assassin "celebrated for their mastery of stylish slaying" that wears a mask, wields a sword, and has multiple sidekicks, according to Eurogamer. Alongside that concept art is an image of Mourn Watch, who guards Thedas from occult threats and hangs out in a necropolis. Eurogamer points out that while the location of this necropolis isn't mentioned, necropolises are used in Nevarra, which is a part of Thedas, as its citizens are known for mummifying their dead. Like Antiva City, Nevarra also borders Tevinter.

Whether you're starting with Hitman 3 or want to transfer your progress from Hitman 1 or 2, find out how you can play all three in the same game.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's upcoming projects, including core games in major franchises, will have a "heavy focus on live service", according to an internship advert from the company. Spotted by Twitter user MauroNL3, an advert for a Games Production MBA Intern includes a section that reads: "WBIE is currently involved in a variety of new projects, ranging from casual games to core games featuring our well-known franchises on all platforms (console, digital, mobile) with a heavy focus on live service. " Live service refers to the process of continually updating a game after release to keep players invested, adding new features, items, storylines and more – and has become an increasingly profitable model for developers and publishers across the industry. It's not without controversy, however, with high-profile releases like BioWare's Anthem launching with notably little content, and Marvel's Avengers failing to recoup its costs after failing to enamour its audience at launch. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/17/back-4-blood-hands-on-preview-the-spiritual-successor-to-left-4-dead"] No specifics are given, but we can likely assume that the upcoming Back 4 Blood will include live service elements, given its modular, online nature.

A Resident Evil fan has released a concept video of what Resident Evil 7 could look like with the series' original fixed camera angles – and we're now hoping it becomes a fully-fledged mod. YouTuber Enveloping Sounds has used a free camera mod to find fixed positions for the camera around Resident Evil 7's Baker Mansion location, and another mod that depicts the game's hero Ethan with a head for third-person mods. With some smart editing of both visuals and background sound effects, they've been able to show off an alternate reality version of Resident Evil 7 that didn't even begin using Resi 4's over-the-shoulder view, never mind 7's first-person approach – and you can watch the video below (kindly provided by Enveloping Sounds). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/resident-evil-7-with-a-classic-resi-fixed-camera-concept-video"] Sadly, this is just a concept right now. "Just to be clear, this is not an actual realized playable 'mod'," Enveloping Sounds tells IGN. "This is more of just a concept that I created using the free camera tool and spliced scenes together to show what COULD be." So... any enterprising mod makers want to make this a reality? Enveloping Sounds has previously given the same treatment to the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remakes, transplanting the original versions' locked cameras into the shiny new games. Those earlier videos got a lot of fans of classic Resi in the comments wishing the new games had followed the original style. Seeing 7 – a game never designed to even be seen in third-person – presented this way is a very interesting follow-on  experiment.

Update 01/26/2021: Konami has provided more clarity on the future of its gaming division after announcing that it will dissolve its Production Divisions. Per a company spokesperson, the move has been made to allow for games to be developed more nimbly. Speaking to IGN, Konami explained the difference between the soon-to-be dissolved Divisions, and the company's remaining Production Departments: "The divisions supervised the Production Departments, which develops the games [sic]." With that supervisory aspect now removed, the hope is seemingly that the company will be able to make games more efficiently: "The Production Departments will report directly to upper management, allowing them to respond quickly to the market," explains the spokesperson. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Konami has announced an internal restructure in which three production divisions will be dissolved – but has denied that it is shutting down its gaming production after fans and media began speculating about the move. The story began in an announcement to investors of, among other things, organizational restructuring. A post on the Konami Digital Entertainment website explained that it will dissolve Production Divisions 1, 2, and 3, "to respond to the rapid market that surrounds us." With Production Divisions previously representing the company's home of game development, some took this to mean that gaming production at the company was being shuttered as a whole. However, in a statement to IGN, a Konami representative wrote: “The announcement made refers to an internal restructure, with Production Divisions being consolidated.

A GTA Online cheatmaker has been forced to close and donate its proceeds to charity following legal action from Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive. As spotted by Rockstar Intel, Luna Mod Menu distributors Luna Cheats has replaced its website with a short statement, alluding to the legal action. "After discussions with Take-Two Interactive, we are immediately ceasing all maintenance, development, and distribution of our cheat menu services. We will also be donating our proceeds to a charity designated by Take-Two. We apologize for any and all problems our software has caused to the Grand Theft Auto Online community." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/20/gta-online-the-cayo-perico-heist-teaser-trailer"] The Luna Mod Menu allowed players to cheat in GTA Online, letting users drop money, spawn vehicles, buff damage and protect themselves from hazards. You can see the menu in action in this YouTube video. This has clearly been done to help halt griefing and stop cheaters, but Luna Cheats is by no means the only cheat distributor for GTA Online. It remains to be seen whether Take-Two will summon similar measures across the board. For more on GTA Online, check out our interview with Rockstar North about how The Cayo Perico Heist brings together the best of the last seven years of GTA Online. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Cyber Shadow sets out to answer a very simple question: what would an NES Ninja Gaiden game look and play like if it were made today? Admittedly, it’s a hypothetical that The Messenger sort of already answered back in 2018... but look, sometimes questions like these can have multiple good answers, and Cyber Shadow is no better proof of that.

This retro-styled action platformer developed by Mechanical Head Studios and published by Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Game is a  truly great take on the 2D Ninja Gaiden formula – but more than that, it’s constantly evolving and brilliantly adds new gameplay and level design challenges with every new upgrade that it gives you. These upgrades continue to compound upon each other to the point that, by the time you reach the end of Cyber Shadow’s seven to eight-hour adventure, it’s morphed from a simple yet fun action platformer to an absolutely wild and occasionally brutally difficult one that surpasses its inspiration in every way.

Hitman 3 speedrunners have managed to finish the game's first level in less than 10 seconds, and they're only getting faster, with the current leader beating it in just eight. The Dubai assassination mission 'On Top Of The World' can be beaten incredibly quickly due to the position of the two main targets at the start of the level, and Speedrun.com currently shows a number of users vying to claim the Any% world record, with 5 people currently cracking the sub-10 second mark. User Goron managed to finish it in eight seconds on January 25 and, as can be seen in the accompanying video, they don't need to even walk up the stairs to dispatch of the two marks. Using the Atrium elevator entrance to the level, Goron first shoots the wall to alert the targets – stopping them from moving – before quickly picking them off with a silenced pistol. Then, all they need to do is head back to the elevator to complete the mission. Could it be done in even faster? Only time will tell, but our money's on yes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/08/hitman-3-gameplay-trailer"] But what about getting the Silent Assassin accolade too? Goron has to compromise 47 to complete the mission (brilliantly, an 8-second finish only awards a 2-star rating for the level), but other users have found ways to complete Dubai in less than 20 seconds while staying completely hidden. User GuLe manages it in just 17 seconds by using a silenced sniper, pinging walls to draw the targets into their crosshairs. Going forward from here, the sky's the limit really.

Valve boss Gabe Newell has given an interview about the potential of brain-computer interfaces, and how they could be used to augment the future of gaming. Newell has spoken to IGN previously about his work on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), technology that will allow direct control of devices using your brain, and potentially for devices to provide feedback to your brain. Speaking to New Zealand's 1 News, the Valve co-founder went into more detail about what he sees as the potential of the technology – and reiterated that developers shouldn't ignore this emerging technology. "If you're a software developer in 2022 who doesn't have [a BCI headset] in your test lab, you're making a silly mistake," Newell notes. Valve has been working with technology organisation OpenBCI – which has shown off a design for a BCI headset, Galea, which can work in tandem with Valve's Index VR headset. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/18/ign-first-half-life-alyx-gabe-newell-interview"] Newell is particularly interested in the idea of using BCIs to enhance immersion and personalise interactive experiences such as video games. With BCIs able to interpret if a player is "excited, surprised, sad, bored, amused and afraid", games could programmed to adjust for what the player is experiencing.

Use these tips and tricks to get an advantage as a Survivor or a Killer.

Find how to to escape the creepy dungeon and solve every puzzle in Resident Evil Village's Maiden Demo.

A new Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic game is reportedly in the works, and it is not being developed by EA and BioWare - the studio behind the original game.. As reported by VGC, this latest rumor comes courtesy of credited Star Wars insider Bespin Bulletin, who spoke on a recent B.O.B. The Podcast episode about this project that is said to be in development outside of EA and that "we’ll ‘never guess’ who the studio is that’s making this game.” “Amongst my digging, I heard there is a Knights of the Old Republic project in development somewhere,” Bespin Bulletin said.

Cyberpunk 2077, despite all of its launch issues and refunded copies, reportedly had the biggest digital launch of all time based on digital revenue and digital units sold. As reveled by SuperData's worldwide digital games market report for December 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 sold over 10.2 million digital copies, with PC accounting for around 80% of those sales. It's important to note that Sony removed Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store in the middle of December 2020 following the performance issues that are especially prevalent on base PS4 and Xbox One consoles. SuperData notes that these estimates do include the digital copies that have been refunded but that its "data shows that refunds did not substantially affect the game's aggregate sales." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/21/cyberpunk-2077s-current-state-before-patch-11-patch-106-performance-review"] Cyberpunk 2077 helped digital game sales reach $12 billion in December, which is a 15% increase year-over-year and made December have the highest monthly total revenue ever.

Claim one of the most legendary and mythical swords in history in Assassin's Creed Valhalla with our guide to obtaining Excalibur.

Tencent has acquired a majority stake in Klei Entertainment, the studio behind such games as Don't Starve and Mark of the Ninja. Klei Entertainment founder Jamie Cheng took to the the studio's forums to announce the news and to assure its fans that "as part of this agreement, Klei retains full autonomy of creative and operations across all aspects of the studio, including projects, talent, and more." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/04/05/dont-starve-nintendo-switch-edition-trailer"] As for what's going to change, Cheng mentions that while there are some "boring accounting changes" that will need to be adjusted to, he will still be running the studio as before, with "no changes to staffing, projects, or other operations." Cheng continued to discuss why this decision was made and, among other things, how it will help Klei Entertainment continue to do what it does best - "making unique experiences that no one else can." "Klei has been around for 15 years, and we have made many changes over the years in order to respond to a changing world," Cheng wrote. "Consistently, my wish has been to enable people to do their best creative work, to learn and grow, to not have to worry about finances, and be able to enjoy their lives outside the studio. This has not changed. This partnership helps us navigate a changing industry, and helps us focus on what we do best: making unique experiences that no one else can." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2012/09/07/mark-of-the-ninja-video-review"] Tencent, which has invested in other companies that have produced such titles as Path of Exile, League of Legends, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Clash of Clans, Fortnite, and more, helped Klei distribute its games in China in 2016.

From using distractions to dodging incoming attacks, here are several strategies that you can use for dealing with Sharks in Raft.

Don't miss these important tips for stalking your target, learning everything about your environment, and using every tool to assassinate in Hitman 3.

Microsoft has announced that it is reversing its decision and will not change Xbox Live Gold pricing. Furthermore, free-to-play games will no longer require an Xbox Live Gold membership to play on Xbox consoles. As detailed in an Xbox Wire post, this decision comes after an earlier announcement that it would be raising the prices of Xbox Live Gold, which would mean that $60 would have gotten you only six months instead of 12. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/23/why-xbox-live-gold-price-hike-is-a-bad-look-for-microsoft"] Microsoft's full statement is as follows; "We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing. "We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience. Free-to-play games will truly be free and you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months. "If you are an Xbox Live Gold member already, you stay at your current price for renewal. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live Gold for the same prices they pay today.

Following the news that Vicarious Visions has been merged into Blizzard Entertainment, a new report says that the studio was brought into Blizzard to work on on the Diablo franchise, including a planned remake of Diablo 2. As reported by Bloomberg, Vicarious Visions, the studio behind such games as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, has been working with Blizzard since last year, even though the announcement of its merger was only made today, January 22. Up until 2020, the Diablo 2 remake was set to be developed by Blizzard's Team 1, which is located at its Irvine, California campus and was the go-to group for reworking classic games. Its latest title, Warcraft III: Reforged, was not received positively and currently has a 59 on review aggregate site Metacritic, which also happens to be Blizzard's lowest score to date.

CD Projekt Red has released Patch 1.1 for Cyberpunk 2077 on PC, consoles, and Stadia. As detailed on Cyberpunk.net, this update's big focus is on stability improvements.

UPDATE: Microsoft has heard the community's outcry over this and reversed its decision. Even better, free-to-play multiplayer games will soon no longer require an Xbox Live Gold account. [poilib element="accentDivider"] ORIGINAL EDITORIAL BELOW: Microsoft knew that announcing a significant price hike to Xbox Live Gold wasn’t going to go over well. That’s why it dumped the news on a Friday. So what’s the deal – or lack thereof, in this case? In short, $60 will now get you just six months of Gold instead of 12. Three months is $30, and one month is $11. The new pricing isn’t quite as bad as it looks on the surface, but to be clear, it isn’t good either, for a number of reasons. First, it’s a straight-up surprise considering how Microsoft has spent the past few years not just saying but doing the right thing by gamers. Backwards compatibility, Xbox Game Pass, Smart Delivery, etc. – Microsoft has been focused on doing the right thing by its consumers, earning goodwill from the gaming community for a while now. This sharp price increase on the service, which is required to play even free-to-play multiplayer games, is both unexpected and unfortunate. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=28-best-xbox-game-pass-games&captions=true"]

Xbox Live Gold: Microsoft vs. Sony vs.

Activision Blizzard has confirmed that Vicarious Visions, the developer behind such titles as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, is officially being merged into Blizzard Entertainment. As reported by GamesIndustry.Biz, the Vicarious Visions team of about 200 people will now be employees of Blizzard and are "fully dedicated to existing Blizzard games and initiatives." This means Vicarious Visions will no longer be creating games as a lead developer. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/03/tony-hawks-pro-skater-12-review"] "After collaborating with Vicarious Visions for some time and developing a great relationship, Blizzard realized there was an opportunity for [Vicarious Visions] to provide long-term support," a representative said to GamesIndustry.Biz. However, Activision Blizzard did not reveal what the team has/will be working on going forward. Vicarious Visions studio head Jen Oneal has been promoted to Blizzard executive vice president of development and will be part of Blizzard's leadership team and will report directly to Blizzard president J. Allen Brack. Simon Ebejer, who was the chief operating officer for Vicarious Visions, will take over the studio head role from Oneal. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/06/29/crash-bandicoot-n-sane-trilogy-review"] Vicarious Visions was founded in 1990 and was acquired by Activision in 2005. The studio has worked on everything from Guitar Hero, Spider-Man, Tony Hawk, Crash Bandicoot, Destiny, Skylanders, and much more. Founding members Karthik Bala and Guha Bala departed the company in 2016 in order to establish Velan Studios, the development studio behind Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us?

As we enter 2021 and the PS5 is officially in the wild (well, sort of), it’s time to take a look at the state of Sony’s first-party studios. The launch of the PS5 brought with it a host of new PlayStation exclusive games, but the stable of PlayStation Studios has plenty more in store.

One quick note — we’re specifically discussing internal, first-party owned studios. So no third-party exclusives or second-party games (think Lucid’s Destruction AllStars for PS5) will be included.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"]

But from recently released like The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima to impending exclusives like Horizon Forbidden West, let’s take a look at what every PlayStation Studio has in the works.

Bend Studio

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/22/days-gone-the-world-of-days-gone-video"]

Last release: After years of teases, Bend Studio finally released its post-apocalyptic thriller and motorbike simulator Days Gone in 2019. Set in the Pacific Northwest, Bend’s open-world adventures introduced us to Freaker hordes, Boozeman, and Deacon St. John, while also — SPOILERS — possibly tying in a beloved Bend franchise into its world.

Currently working on/next project: Days Gone… still! Bend has actually done a great job of post-launch support for Days Gone, from performance patches to free weekly challenges, and even wackier DLC options like a Death Stranding-themed bike. And it’s even got improved performance on PS5, with framerates up to 60 FPS. The studio has since been recruiting for a new project, but has revealed no details on it just yet.

Genshin Impact's 1.3 Update has been officially detailed ahead of its February 3, 2021 release date and will allow players to celebrate the Lantern Rite in Liyue Harbor, win a free four-star Liyue character, and earn over 1,600 Primogems. As revealed on PlayStation.Blog, the Lantern Rite is the biggest festival in Liyue's calendar and is packed with festivities that all culminate in a "spectacular ceremony on the first full moon of the year that sees every household release specially made Xiao Lanterns into the night sky." These lanterns, according to Liyue locals, deliver their wishes to the heavens and guide the lost souls of fallen heroes back home. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/22/genshin-impact-version-13-all-that-glitters-trailer"] The Traveler (you) and Paimon have been called upon to help prepare for event, which is divided into three stages. Each stage comes with a series of requests that will help the locals prepare for the Lantern Rite. By completing these requests, players can raise the Festive Fever level and unlock even more quests and stories. During the Lantern Rite, the brightly lit streets of Liyue will be filled with festival-exclusive games, snacks, activities, and more.

The much rumoured remake of Resident Evil 4 is reportedly seeing a 'partial reboot' at Capcom, and a change in development leadership, after disagreements over its direction. VGC reports that, per sources close to the project, core Resident Evil studio Capcom Division 1 has taken the lead on the project, with original developer M-Two seeing its role reduced. The changes could apparently lead to a 2023 release date. The report explains that, following a project review, M-Two was seen to be too faithful to the original game, with Capcom preferring that the remake takes inspiration from Resident Evil 4, but introduces new elements and features. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/resident-evil-4-is-pretty-much-perfect-but-heres-how-capcom-could-remake-it"] The latter approach was taken in both the Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes, with varying levels of fan response. M-Two is said to have wanted to stick to the Resi 4 formula due to backlash against Resident Evil 3's changes, which saw portions of the original game entirely removed. The Resident Evil 4 remake has been rumoured for some time, with this year's huge leaks of apparent internal Capcom documents pointing to a Q4 2022 release date. It feels like a likely prospect, not least after the new Resident Evil 3 included a specific reference to the sequel.

Microsoft has announced that the Games with Gold for February 2021 are Gears 5, the remastered version of Resident Evil, Dandara: Trials of Fear, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, and Lost Planet 2. Announced on Xbox Wire, Gears 5, Resident Evil, and Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb will become available for those with Xbox Live Gold on February 1, 2021. Dandara: Trials of Fear and Lost Planet 2 will become available on February 16. Gears 5, which will be available until February 28, is the latest entry in the Gears of War franchise and has been fully optimized for Xbox Series X/S. In our Gears 5 review, we said "No matter which mode you approach it from, Gears 5 is an incredibly fun and polished game." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/13/gears-5-final-review"] Resident Evil, which will be available until February 28, is a remaster of the original Resident Evil from 1996. This news also follows yesterday's Resident Evil Showcase that announced the release date of Resident Evil Village, a playable demo called Maiden, and much more. In our Resident Evil review, we said "Resident Evil does a good job of updating the look and feel of a classic survival horror game for a new audience." Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, which will be available until February 15, was released on the original Xbox in 2003.

According to one of the game's writers, the Mass Effect 2 character Jack was originally written as pansexual, but her romance options were apparently changed late in development to only allow for a heterosexual romance, seemingly because of critical response to the first game's sex scenes, and a Fox News panel on Mass Effect. In an interview with The Gamer, Jack's lead writer, Brian Kindegran, said that the character was "essentially pansexual for most of the development of that romance." There are references in Mass Effect 2's dialogue to Jack's interest in men and women, which is why many fans have since wondered why Jack was only romanceable by a male Commander Shepard. Explaining the reasoning behind the change, Kindegran pointed to criticism from media outlets in the US: "Mass Effect had been pretty heavily and really unfairly criticized in the US by Fox News," Kindegran told The Gamer, referring to a 2007 panel about the use of sex scenes in the first game." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2011/03/30/mass-effect-2-arrival-video-review"] "The development team of Mass Effect 2 was a pretty progressive, open-minded team, but I think there was a concern at pretty high levels that if Mass Effect, which only had one gay relationship, Liara - which on paper was technically not a gay relationship because she was from a mono-gendered species - I think there was a concern that if that had drawn fire, that Mass Effect 2 had to be a little bit careful.” Kindegran didn't agree with the change, but told The Gamer that it was done in an attempt to "minimize the amount of critique that would be directed towards the community by outlets like Fox News again." "It wasn’t like some anti-gay person high up on the Mass Effect 2 team saying, ‘we’re not going to have that’.” In

What are all of these squirrels up to? This is the question I asked myself for three hours straight as I played through Nuts, a peculiar puzzler adventure. It tells a tightly written tale that reaches a satisfying conclusion without ever taking too many risks on a storytelling or gameplay level. It’s short but sweet, and like its furry stars stashes its most fruitful moments away until the end, just before becoming tired. As a rookie rodent researcher at Viago University, you’ve been assigned the role of keeping an eye on the squirrel inhabitants of Melmoth Forest, an atmospheric setting that is tranquil to the point of being eerie. To begin with, you must find and follow a single squirrel to its stash of nuts. Sounds simple enough! The problem is that these critters only make their movements at night, so you’ll need the assistance of your surveillance equipment. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/nuts-official-trailer"] You’ll position up to three cameras during the day so you can keep track of a squirrel and follow them through the trees. Then, once you’re happy with where your cameras are placed, you head back to your office/caravan to hit record on your VCR. Positioning these cameras is amixture of methodical planning and trial and error which offers a level of risk/reward if you try to second guess where the squirrel is going. Being bold with your placement can mean completing certain tasks quickly if you get lucky, on the other hand, get too smart for your own good and it could be backtracking your steps to the start which is never fun. You’ll then time travel to the evening where you scrub through your recorded camera feeds to spot the squirrel’s next movements and start to piece the puzzle together. Once found, you’ll switch back to daytime once more and reposition your cameras to follow them further on their trail.

Rare has announced that Sea of Thieves Season One will begin next week - bringing new content and a battle pass.

CD Projekt Red concept art has revealed what Cyberpunk 2077's Johnny Silverhand character may have looked like, prior to Keanu Reeves taking on the role. As spotted by AltChar, concepts found on CD Projekt Red Senior Concept Artist and Coordinator Lea Leonowicz' ArtStation profile provide a glimpse at Johnny Silverhand without Keanu Reeves' likeness. [caption id="attachment_2464136" align="alignnone" width="3426"] 'Cyberpunk 2077 Johnny Silverhand Concept Art', posted with permission of Lea Leonowicz.[/caption] This version of Silverhand looks a little younger than the Johnny we see in the game, lacking the facial hair and featuring a more toned physique. The character still has his trademark cybernetic arm, and many of the outfits shown are very similar, including Silverhand's shiny pants, red sunglasses and Samurai tanktop. One piece from the 'First Sketches' concept art is a little bit more glam rock than the rest, showing a vision of Johnny wearing a bandana and an oversized jumper. One cool detail that didn't make the final game was a spiked bracelet around the wrist of Silverhand's robot arm.