IGN

The Resident Evil series has always embraced its sillier side (look no further for proof than the Chainsaw Controller), and some newly-revealed costumes for Resident Evil 4 remake's Ashley fit right in.

Thanks to the Resident Evil website's preorder page (via Resident Evil Central), we finally know what the two hidden Ashley costumes are for the game's Digital Deluxe version.

The "Casual" costume has the President's daughter embracing her emo side, with pink highlights and a very punk outfit. The "Romantic" costume, on the other hand, matches Leon's previously-revealed outfit. Take a look at the costumes for yourself below.

The full roster of Resident Evil 4 Remake Deluxe Edition extras have been revealed on the official RE website.

What do you think of the Ashley skins?#REBHFun #ResidentEvil4Remake pic.twitter.com/rnDRtxhLRy

Award-winning music producer Bloodpop who's worked with renowned artists such as Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, has announced Genpop Interactive with the help of former DeNA and Bandai Namco executive Aubrey Tennant. GenPop Interactive is a new studio that will be working on AAA games focusing on "music, fashion, and gaming culture."

The studio has more than 25 developers who worked on titles such as Halo Infinite, Cyberpunk 2077, The Sims, and more. GenPop Interactive's first game will be a third-person shooter featuring "novel movement and combat mechanics."

The upcoming shooter will be marketed toward Gen-Z, and CEO and game director Bloodpop said the following about the upcoming game.

"Gen-Z is eager for new IP that speaks to them and has a long legacy that defines their generation. Major studios have become complacent, relying on giving the Weekend at Bernie's treatment to their old IP with their publicly traded necromancy. We aren't just on a mission to create the next great game, but nurture the next generation of popular culture," Bloodpop said.

GenPop Interactive has raised $6.5 million in funding with the help of various companies and people, including Studio Trigger, the animation studio behind critically acclaimed animes such as Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Kill la Kill, and more.

Aubrey Tennant, the co-founder and COO, said in a statement that they believe they're in a unique position "to change the shooter genre with a layered social world that changes based on feedback from the community."

Microsoft has signed yet another 10-year deal with a new cloud gaming provider. This time, it’s with Ubitus, a provider based in Tokyo, Japan.

On Twitter, Xbox’s Phil Spencer said, “Microsoft and Ubitus, a leading cloud gaming provider, have signed a 10-year partnership to stream Xbox PC Games as well as Activision Blizzard titles after the acquisition closes. Our commitment is to give more players, more choice.”

Microsoft corporate VP Sarah Bond added, “Giving customers more choice is core to what we do. Thrilled to partner with Ubitus to give gamers yet another option for how they play Xbox PC games.”

Giving customers more choice is core to what we do. Thrilled to partner with @UbitusKK to give gamers yet another option for how they play Xbox PC games #TeamXbox 💚🎮 https://t.co/5jR2NFPGXf

— BondSarahBond🎮 (@BondSarah_Bond) March 15, 2023

Ubitus is most known for working with many publishers on cloud versions of games for Nintendo Switch, including The Forgotten City, Control, A Plague Tale: Requiem, and Resident Evil Village.

Activision Blizzard veterans Jen Oneal, J. Allen Brack, and John Donham have come together to create a new studio called Magic Soup Games. The studio’s goal is to build original AAA games that focus on being uplifting and inclusive to players across the world.

Magic Soup Games is currently working on an unannounced game and also hiring for new positions at the studio. There are two positions open right now on its career page: concept artist and server-side engineer. The existence of the latter position could hint that the studio’s debut game might involve some sort of live service or have online elements.

Troubled exits

J. Allen Brack became president of Activision Blizzard in 2018 and stepped down in 2021 amidst the company facing a lawsuit from the State of California alleging widespread discrimination and harassment within.

On the chitin-covered heels of the impressive Witch Queen expansion and a relatively strong year of live-service support overall, it seemed like Destiny 2 was finally gaining momentum as it headed toward the conclusion of its epic saga. Sadly, my optimism for a game I’ve put thousands of hours into has come crashing down like a Cabal drop pod after spending 80 hours with its latest expansion, Lightfall. The story is so shockingly incoherent that even someone who has spent countless hours reading Destiny’s lore like me couldn’t understand its nonsense, the new destination on Neptune feels as lifeless as the real planet, and the passable endgame/seasonal activities have so few surprises that they give me deja vu in the worst possible way. Thankfully, there are a number of things Lightfall excels at as well, like the new Strand subclass, which is an excellent addition to Destiny’s sandbox. Many of the expansion’s new campaign activities and Nightfall Strikes are refreshingly challenging too, and the most recent batch of quality-of-life improvements largely succeed at making my time shooting space rhinos in the face a less bumpy ride. Still, even Lightfall’s best parts can’t disguise this significant step back from The Witch Queen.

Sony has announced a new batch of games coming to its PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, with Ghostwire: Tokyo, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, and Immortals Fenyx Rising headlining this month.

As noted in a recent PlayStation Blog post, these games and fourteen others will be available to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members at no additional cost.

Here are some of the highlights.

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Released nearly a year ago as a timed exclusive on the PS5, Ghostwire: Tokyo was developed by Tango Gamesworks. Earlier today, we learned that Ghostwire: Tokyo is getting a major update and launching on Xbox Series X/S and Game Pass next month. In our review of Ghostwire: Tokyo, we praised its visual design despite its "one-dimensional combat and uninteresting mission design."

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a remastered compilation of Uncharted IV: A Thief's End and The Lost Legacy, released on January 28, 2022, for PS5 before making its way onto PC last October. Enhanced visuals and faster load times aside, the Legacy of Thieves Collection includes additional features, such as DualSense support, 3D audio, and multiple graphical options.

The supernatural wastelands of Remnant 2 can be a lonely place. But for those who would rather not go it alone, there’s the Handler archetype: a character class that gives you an incredibly reliable dog companion. My trusty mutt and I chewed our way through countless baddies, and even a few bosses, before I commanded principal designer Ben Cureton to “sit” and tell me all about the Handler archetype himself.

“The fantasy with the Handler is: I always have somebody that has my back, and we're cooperating, we're working together, we're taking down big enemies. I can draw aggro for it. It can draw aggro from me,” Ben explained.

Designed primarily for those who wish to play through Remnant solo, the Handler is a support class that made me a little better at everything with the help of an extremely handy dog. Not only did the dog have a chunky health bar and continuously draw attention away from me during battle and help me take down enemies with his deadly teeth, but he could be toggled into one of three modes depending on which strategy I wanted to deploy. In his Guard Dog mode, he gained the ability to howl and draw aggro from every enemy in the area, while in his Support Dog mode, he could heal me and my allies within an area of effect. Of course, if I just wanted to go on a rampage I could toggle him to Attack Dog mode and give him even more DPS. Best of all: every time I toggled between these options, the dog’s bandana would change color to reflect which role he currently had equipped.

Stray Souls, a psychological horror game from director Artur Laczkowski, developer Jukai Studio, and publisher Versus Evil, has been officially announced for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PS4. It is due out later this year, and it's being developed using Unreal Engine 5.

The premise of Stray Souls is an interesting one: teenager Daniel's grandmother has died and left him her house – totally debt-free (no mortgage, etc.) – but the real-estate dream quickly turns into a nightmare when the sun goes down and all hell starts to break loose in the house. Jukai will be using Epic's Metahuman technology to craft more lifelike NPCs. Take a look at the debut trailer above and the first screenshots in the gallery below.

Jukai describes the thriller as such: "Stray Souls combines beloved elements of Japanese survival horror games with an array of new tricks, including a variety of randomized systems where enemy encounters, item placement, paranormal activity and even weather patterns are always changing so no two playthroughs are exactly the same."

You can wishlist Stray Souls on Steam if you're interested.

Ghostwire: Tokyo’s PlayStation console exclusivity is ending as developer Tango Gameworks has announced the game will hit Xbox Series X|S and Game Pass on April 12.

A major free update for Ghostwire: Tokyo, called the Spider’s Thread update, will be released on the same day for all users (on PS5, Xbox, and PC) and adds a new game mode, extended story cutscenes, new areas, and more.

The Spider’s Thread game mode puts players through a gauntlet of 30 stages, pulled from a selection of 120 hand-crafted levels, with the sole goal of reaching the end. Progressing through the levels lets the player earn in-game money, unlock more skills, and gain upgrades.

New parts of Ghostwire: Tokyo’s map are also being opened up, headlined by the local Middle School area, and each new location comes with new missions and mysterious to uncover.

A variety of new enemies are also being added to the game including the invisible Silent Gaze and elusive Retribution, and players can unlock new skills designed to counter the spooky beasties.

Tango Gameworks has also promised that the Spider’s Thread update will come with a variety of quality of life improvements to make players’ journeys through the haunted version of Tokyo a little smoother.

In our 7/10 review of the base game, IGN said: “With superb visual design and an incredibly well-realised rendition of Tokyo, Ghostwire gets a lot right, but just doesn't quite have the gameplay chops to push it over the top.”

This article contains full spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2. If you have not played the game and want to remain spoiler-free for HBO’s TV show stop reading now!

HBO’s The Last of Us has been an undeniably successful television adaptation of the beloved Naughty Dog game. Now the challenge for creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin will be how to tackle the emotionally complicated beast that is The Last of Us Part 2. So, I’ve (perhaps foolishly) had a go at planning out the show’s second season and sketching a rough outline of what could happen in each episode.

The video game sequel is over twice as long as its predecessor, so cramming it all into one more season of TV seems like a bit of a stretch to me, so let’s assume this is going to be a story told over two. Alongside issues of length, there’s also no doubt that Part 2 is in need of more of a tinkering with than the mostly straight adaptation that was Part 1. Despite being a masterpiece in my eyes, Part 2 relies more heavily on gameplay and the involuntary nature of your actions to get its point across, which is inherently not viable in a TV show. But through some minor restructuring of the story and a liberal use of flashbacks, I think there could be an effective way of telling the layered and divisive tale.

As one of the most popular and influential franchises of all time, the Harry Potter movies are something that viewers of all ages have come to love. For some, however, it's more than just a book-to-movie series; it's a personality. Determining one's Hogwarts house has become almost synonymous with horoscopes, Meyers-Briggs, and enneagrams when it comes to identifying oneself. Finding a saga with a similar cultural impact is difficult to impossible to find. The curious, magical wonder of the whole story is something that has drawn audiences far and wide to its appeal, inspiring dreamers to wish they could exist in the Wizarding world just to experience it.

Factors such as these are what makes it so challenging to find movies that are even close to being like Harry Potter, but they're out there. While the Potter series reigns supreme, some of the movies on this list do a great job of worldbuilding, making them worthy additions to the magically synonymous universe. Without further ado, here are the movies like Harry Potter worth watching if you need more magic in your life.

Valheim developer Iron Gate Studios says that there are no currently no plans to bring the survival game over to other platforms outside of Xbox, including PlayStation.

In an episode of the Xbox Expansion Pass podcast, senior developer Jonathan Smårs said, “Currently, we’re only looking at the Xbox, but you never know.” Valheim is coming to early access preview on Xbox, and while Smårs wasn’t part of the conversations to bring the game over to that platform, publisher Coffee Stain worked with Microsoft to do so.

Valheim was a sleeper hit back in February 2021 when it entered Steam Early Access, even becoming one of the year's best selling games on the PC storefront and sold over 5 million copies one month from release.

It was then announced for PC Game Pass in 2022, and then most recently for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, as well as Xbox Game Pass. While other console versions of Valheim aren't in consideration right now, that doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of it coming to platforms like PlayStation, or even Nintendo Switch.

Bleak Faith: Forsaken developer Archangel Studios has issued an issue to IGN about allegations of stealing assets from games such as Elden Ring and Dark Souls.

Earlier this week, people noticed that the game utilized very similar animations for its characters and enemies from FromSoftware games and accused the Archangel Studios of reusing them.

“Since the start of development, Archangel Studios has always been transparent with their community about the use of Epic Marketplace assets. While only 10% of the game has been outsourced in this manner, it has helped speed up the development process immensely,” Archangel Studios explained in a statement to IGN.

It continued, “As a three-person studio, it was a vital resource to utilize throughout the four-year development. The assets in question were purchased from the Epic Marketplace in good faith and with the understanding that Epic went through the proper vetting and review process before listing them for sale.”

The studio also said that it had reached out to Epic Games about an investigation, to which it then responded, “Pursuant to the Marketplace Distribution Agreement, each Marketplace seller represents and warrants to Epic that they have appropriate rights to upload their content. As with any store that hosts third-party content, however, Epic is not in a position to independently verify such rights, and Epic makes no such guarantee to purchasers of the content.”

CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced Meta will lay off around 10,000 employees and 5,000 open roles at the company in the coming months. The cuts are part of Zuckerberg's "Year of Efficiency" plan, adding to the 11,000 layoffs last November.

Zuckerberg shared his announcement on Facebook, where he briefly laid out some of Meta's restructuring timeline. The layoffs begin with recruiting teams tomorrow, March 15, while other employees find out if their position is cut in April and May. In some cases, Zuckerberg noted these changes may not happen until the end of 2023, and international teams may not share the same timeline.

The layoffs come with 5,000 opening closures and plans for sweeping organizational changes at Meta, too. Zuckerberg's statement articulates some of the guiding principles for the Meta strategy, like "flatter is faster" regarding its new management structure and "leaner is better," referencing last year's cuts.

Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann confirmed that the studio has chosen what its next game will be. However, he didn’t reveal whether it was The Last of Us Part 3 or a completely different IP.

On an episode of the Kinda Funny Spoilercast, Druckmann said, “I know the fans really want The Last Of Us Part 3, I hear about it all the time. All I can say is that we're already into our next project, and the decision has already been made. I can't say what it is, but that is the process we went through. There was a lot of consideration of different things, and we picked the thing we were the most excited for."

He added, “At the end of every project we purposefully explore several different projects. Some of them might be a sequel, and then a bunch of new ideas. And then we feel like, 'Where do our passions lie?’”

Druckmann also reiterated that the upcoming The Last of Us multiplayer game is Naughty Dog’s next release and that more information will be shared later this year.

A new partnership between NASA and Microsoft will allow Minecraft players to launch their own Moon rockets and experience life as an astronaut aboard an Orion spacecraft.

NASA has set its sights on returning humanity to the Moon for the first time since the 1970s as part of its Artemis program. For this ambitious multi-decade mission to be a success, humanity will need to develop complex technologies, construct leviathan Moon rockets, and inspire a whole new generation of astronauts, engineers, and scientists to carry on the good work.

3...2...1 Lift off! The #Artemis Missions have landed in Minecraft in partnership with @NASA! 🌙 🚀

Design your own rocket and navigate the Orion space capsule on a mission to the moon! #MinecraftEdu

Explore: https://t.co/COzau1UCAb pic.twitter.com/Tsmrd2Jgie

Uncovered footage of a Sonic the Hedgehog tech demo from 2005 has shown off what the infamous Sonic 06 could have been.

The footage, courtesy of Adam Doree (below), shows almost ten minutes of gameplay that was celebrated by Sonic fans in a live demo during Sega's next-gen showcase at 2005's Tokyo Game Show.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, commonly known as Sonic 06, would become an infamous entry in the franchise with players criticising its poor game design, bland character abilities, and selection of technical problems. IGN gave the game a 4/10 at the time, plainly calling it "a mess" and "one hell of a disappointing game".

The TGS footage painted a different picture of what Sonic 06 could have been, however. Opening with an extended cinematic trailer, it then switches to gameplay of Sonic exploring bright and colourful 3D environments, collecting rings and battling enemies.

Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka, who was reportedly arrested last year for insider trading, presented the demo, and told those attending the show that Sonic 06 would honour the 15th anniversary of Sega's mascot.

The long-awaited System Shock remake has been delayed until May on PC, two months on from its previously planned March launch.

While Shodan's return is still imminent, a transmission received from Citadel Station brought news of System Shock's release date pushback, with the PC edition of the remake now set to launch on May 30.

"We had hoped to bring the game to market by the end of March," Nightdive Studios acknowledged in a post on Steam on Tuesday, "but that turned out to be just beyond our reach; we are after all merely human (unlike Shodan!)"

"Console editions of System Shock will be released on PlayStation 4|5 and Xbox One and Series S|X in due course," the developer added. "More details on this when we have them."

Nightdive Studios first launched its Kickstarter campaign for the System Shock remake back in 2016. After initially setting a goal of $900,000, the project went on to raise over $1.3 million in total.

After several years in development, Larry Kuperman from Nightdive announced in June last year that the System Shock remake was "largely complete," though he also noted that the studio's goal was to make the release version "as close to perfection as possible."

IO interactive is putting its Hitman franchise on hiatus as it focuses on its long anticipated James Bond game instead.

As reported by PC Gamer, IO Interactive chief creative officer Christian Elverdam told Eurogamer that it might be a while before fans get another major entry, though Hitman: World of Assassination will continue to be updated.

"Right now a major, major new Hitman game... that's a little bit on hiatus, as we're building another agent fantasy that's also taking up a lot of our time," Elverdam said. "But obviously we'll come back to beloved Agent 47. He's still very much in the heart of this company."

The "agent fantasy" Elverdam is talking about is, of course, the James Bond game that was announced in 2020, that currently has just a codename of Project 007. Very little has been revealed about it since, however, though we do know it will have an original story.

What if I told you Bayonetta wasn’t always the confident, ass-kicking witch we’ve known for all these years? That unexplored history is what Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon shines a light on, painting a thoughtful picture of a time when the scariest monsters a young Bayonetta had to face were her own inner demons. This spin-off puts the usual wild stylish action aside for a whimsical and harrowing adventure brimming with childlike wonder and genuinely heartwarming moments. It’s a fascinating side of the Bayonetta world we’ve never seen before, and one that leaves me with a deeper appreciation for a series I already loved.

There’s so much to adore in Bayonetta Origins that I was smiling from ear to ear, giggling from all the charming gags, or exclaiming “Aww!” more times than I can count. Every corner of it is brought to life with a beautiful storybook presentation to frame the action-adventure thrills. It’s such a joyous journey in an imaginative world, steeped in Irish mythology, where faeries have trapped Cereza in the labyrinthine Avalon Forest and lurk about with tricks and ambushes. It also explores elements only alluded to in the mainline games with a grounded and earnest approach. Yet, it’s distinct enough as a prequel to stand on its own merits so newcomers can jump in and thoroughly enjoy. And after its roughly 15-hour journey, I was left a bit sad when it came time to close the book on it.

If you're a fan of life simulation games, you'll be happy to hear that The Sims 4 has officially gone free to play. Although the expansion packs and DLCs will still cost money, you can download the base game for free and start playing today.

If you're wondering how to get access to the title yourself, take a look at our download guide below. With EA already teasing it's next Sims game, Project Rene, now is a great time to start playing the latest installment in the series for free.

How to Download The Sims 4 for Free on PC, Mac, and Consoles

Downloading the game on a PS5 and Xbox is pretty straight forward, but if you're hoping to pick up your free copy on Mac or PC, there are a few extra steps you have you have to go through. This is primarily due to the new EA app that is replacing Origin.

CD Projekt Red is rolling out the 4.02 update patch for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, bringing in sweeping quality-of-life changes for the PC, PlayStation and Xbox versions.

The 4.02 patch notes, which the Polish game studio published on Monday, detail different bug fixes within the game depending on the platform you play it on. However, the most important part is that the update has improved the game’s overall stability and performance.

In the PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the patch has improved CPU core utilization in the DX 12 version and restored horizon-based ambient occlusion. It also includes fixes for other bugs including the “My Rewards” section not being localized in the REDlauncher; the landscape in Toussaint flickering when Nvidia HairWorks is disabled; and the game temporarily stuttering as a result of particle optimization.

On both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the patch improves Performance Mode and the alleviates the crashes that occur when Geralt runs away from Shani after initiating dialogue in the “Whatsoever a Man Soweth…” quest. It also fixes bugs that have been popping up on individual consoles, incuding crashes that have been occurring as a result of memory usage while using ray tracing on Xbox Series X, and blurry characters in the PS5 version.

The 4.02 patch also placed some nifty optical improvements across all platforms, including added refraction to SSR and ray-traced reflections on water for improved immersion and a Motion Blur slider.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is Nintendo's first $70 game, and Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has shared why Nintendo chose to raise the price of this specific Nintendo Switch title.

"We look at what the game has to offer," Bowser told AP News in a recent interview. "I think fans will find this is an incredibly full, deeply immersive experience. The price point reflects the type of experience that fans can expect when it comes to playing this particular game. This isn’t a price point that we’ll necessarily have on all our titles. It’s actually a fairly common pricing model either here or in Europe or other parts of the world, where the pricing may vary depending on the game itself."

Bowser's statement echoes what Nintendo has previously said on the matter. Shortly after revealing Zelda's $70 price tag, Nintendo confirmed that it determines "the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”

Tears of the Kingdom is currently the only $70 game on Nintendo's publishing slate, as the upcoming Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon and Advance Wars 1+2: Reboot Camp are listed for $60. Even Pikmin 4 — which launches after Nintendo launches Zelda at $70, will retail for $60.

Raid: Shadow Legends is the latest video game to get an animated show adaptation, with ten shorts coming to YouTube in May.

Publisher Pixel United and developer Plarium announced that episodes of Raid: Call of the Arbiter, coming in at five minutes each, will premiere once per week starting on May 18, 2023. Promising cinematic-quality animation, the shorts look to elevate Raid's core characters with deeper, more immersive storylines.

Rollman Entertainment CEO and former president of Marvel Television Eric Rollman will produce the series, Lex + Otis CEO Jay Oliva will be showrunner, and composer Jesper Kyd (who has worked on Assassin's Creed and Borderlands) will create original music for the show.

"We’re thrilled to be working with such a high calibre team on this exciting new series that takes Raid: Shadow Legends to the next level for our fans,” said Plarium vice president creative and executive producer Nicholas Day.

"We want to establish Raid as a bankable evergreen IP, with enough strength to do more, all while appealing to our core fans and capturing interest from a broader audience."

Raid is entering a competitive market, however, as the calibre of animated video game adaptations has arguably grown considerably in the last couple of years.

Professor Layton is making his grand return to Nintendo consoles in Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, and Level 5 has revealed that his trusty assistant, Luke Triton, is coming back too.

Level 5 recently released a new trailer for the upcoming detective puzzle game that greatly expands upon the short announcement teaser from last month's Nintendo Direct.

The trailer begins with a voiceover from Luke, who's writing a letter to Professor Layton. The trailer reveals that it's been one year since Luke parted ways with Layton at the end of 2010's Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, and that he's settled into his new life in America.

Luke is writing to the Professor because of something "deeply puzzling" that's "tailor made for Professor Layton and his apprentice." The trailer then shows Layton flying to a very steampunk inspired town called Steam Bison to reunite with Luke.

The dynamic between Professor and apprentice might be slightly different in The New World of Steam, as Luke has started to make a name for himself in America, while Layton is just an anonymous gentleman.

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is the tenth entry in the Layton franchise, and the eighth starring Hershel Layton himself. We haven't seen the good professor in a starring role since 2014's crossover with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

Activision Blizzard executive Rod Ferguson has confirmed that Diablo IV will not launch on Xbox or PC Game Pass and encourages players to try out the early access beta this upcoming weekend.

"It's awesome seeing the excitement around the Diablo IV Beta, and our Wolf Pack puppy! We’ve been getting some questions about D4 on Game Pass and I want to let you know we have no plans for that,” Ferguson explained on Twitter. “See you in Sanctuary during the Beta Early Access weekend starting on March 17!”

While some may have expected the game to launch on Microsoft’s subscription, it also makes sense that it won’t. All of Xbox’s first-party games are put on the service on release day, but Microsoft’s merger with Activision Blizzard still hasn’t been officially approved in places like the EU. As such, Activision Blizzard isn’t part of Xbox’s first-party lineup quite yet.

Both Sony and Microsoft are still battling the merger out. Sony wants to stop the deal from going through, stating that the terms Microsoft offered for future Call of Duty releases on PlayStation would irreparably harm competition in the industry. Sony is also worried that Microsoft could sabotage Call of Duty on PlayStation by doing things like raising its price or only offering it on Game Pass.

Here’s some good news for anyone who’s not wild about spending $70 on a video game. The new 2023 remake of Dead Space is on sale for $49.99 for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. That’s $20 off the standard retail price, and a much easier pick up for anyone who didn’t want to drop major cash on a ramade version of an (admittedly excellent) game they’ve already played.

Save Up to $20 on Dead Space

• Also at Best Buy
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Dead Space 2023 is a remake of the 2008 original that came out for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Like its predecessor, it’s a single-player survival horror game that puts you in the boots of an engineer named Isaac Clarke. You unfortunately find yourself on a derelict mining space ship that’s been overrun by violent (and terrifying!) beasts called Necromorphs.

Thankfully you have access to a series of mining tools that act as weapons that do a good job of slicing the enemies limb from limb. You can also upgrade them along with your armor to make yourself into a potent Necromorph-killing machine. It’s all good fun.

From our Dead Space review: "With its stunningly redesigned spaceship, smartly and subtly enhanced story, and spectacularly reimagined action scenes, Motive Studio has managed to successfully breathe new life into the seminal sci-fi horror universe of Dead Space."

Magic: The Gathering has been doing a lot of Universes Beyond crossovers, from Warhammer 40,000 to Street Fighter, but its next might be one of the most exciting yet. The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth will be a full, draftable card set legal for play in Magic’s Modern format. We have an exclusive look at the first cards to be revealed from it, including both Gandalf the Grey and The One Ring itself, as well as some insight from the team at Wizards of the Coast.

Watch the reveal video above or flip through the gallery below to see for yourself:

Illustrated by Veli Nystrom, The One Ring is a 4-mana legendary artifact that’s indestructible and gives you protection from everything until your next turn – as long as you cast it, that is, so no shenanigans where you can blink it for endless protection here. The One Ring also taps to draw you cards at the cost of life later. The more times you tap it, the more cards you will draw, but also the more damage you will take at the start of your next turn, which seems like a delightfully flavorful way to express the tempting but costly power of using The Ring. I also like the idea that not using it doesn’t actually stop you from taking damage each turn… so after all, why shouldn’t you tap it again?

UPDATE: Bleak Faith: Forsaken developer Archangel Studios has issued a statement to IGN about the allegations, which you can read in full here.

Bleak Faith: Forsaken developer Archangel Studios has been accused of using animations from FromSoftware games including Elden Ring for their own.

As reported by PC Gamer, there are some striking similarities between some of Bleak Faith’s animations and those from the likes of Elden Ring and Dark Souls. A compilation has been put together of these instances, including an enemy with a large sword in Bleak Faith having similar attacks as the Abyss Watchers in Dark Souls 3. There’s also a character that has similar moves and animations to that of Malenia from Elden Ring.

On the Steam forums, a developer named Roia addressed the accusations, saying: “Any animations not made in-house are from the Epic Marketplace and have been up there for years, rigged to an Epic Skeleton.

"We've heard this comment before, but you can buy the animations yourself if you want as they are publicly available and have been for a long time. Any other question or concern should be taken up with Epic themselves.”

Laurence Fishburne may lead another rescue mission in space.

During a press junket for John Wick: Chapter 4, the actor told IGN that he was open to playing Captain Miller in the series adaption of Event Horizon at Amazon.

“If they reach out to me, I certainly would have to consider it,” he said.

Fishburne starred in the 1997 sci-fi horror film as Captain Miller, the leader of the rescue vessel called Lewis and Clark. Set in 2047, the original follows Miller and a crew of astronauts who are sent to investigate a missing spaceship — the Event Horizon — that mysteriously reappears. Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan and Joely Richardson also starred.

In August 2019, Variety reported that Amazon and Paramount Television were developing a series adaptation, with Adam Wingard set to direct and executive produce the show. During the interview, Fishburne revealed to IGN that he “had no idea” that an Event Horizon series is currently in the works.

Up next, Fishburne reprises his role as Bowery King in John Wick: Chapter 4. He previously appeared in the second and third installment of the franchise.

John Wick: Chapter 4 premieres in theaters on May 27.

Michaela Zee is a freelance news writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @michaelakzee.

Resident Evil 4: Remake's demo has a secret cheat code that lets players unlock the demo-exclusive brutal Mad Chainsaw difficulty.

As shown by Jigzaw Killer on YouTube, players must go to the main menu in the demo with the “Main Story” choice highlighted. Then, hold L1 and R1 and press up, left, down, right, Square, Triangle, Circle, X, X on PlayStation, or hold LB and RB and press up, left, down, right, X, Y, B, A, A on Xbox. This will bring up the option to select Mad Chainsaw difficulty mode for the playthrough.

Before this cheat was discovered, Mad Chainsaw difficulty only appeared to unlock by chance, as the game would said: “You must wait until Mad Chainsaw Mode is triggered again for subsequent attempts.” This difficulty increases enemy damage and health, as well as changes their placements in the game and makes them even more aggressive.

Additionally, the chainsaw-wielding Dr. Salvador will come equipped with a flaming chainsaw this time around. There are also no checkpoints, so if players die during this playthrough it’s a complete game over.

The difficulty option might keep fans entertained until Resident Evil 4: Remake launches on March 24. Though the game is fully single player, Capcom has announced that it's working on a Day One patch to improve the game's rain effects that fans found to be too distracting.

Dead Island is finally back, unleashing us into a dangerous zombie-slaying playground teeming with countless foes, lashings of guts and gore, and plenty of cheeky dark humor. Introducing its new F.L.E.S.H tech that’ll see us dismembering the undead in deliciously gruesome new ways, Dambuster Studios encourages us to embrace chaos and get creative. Look above for our video showing 10 ways you can tear zombies apart in Dead Island 2, or check out our slideshow below for a gory illustration:

For more on the zombies wandering around in Hell-A, check out our Dead Island 2 Final Preview.

Emma Matthews is IGN's Junior Syndication Editor.

As the one survivor seemingly immune to the zombie infection running rampant in its quarantined Los Angeles setting, Dead Island 2 lets you become the most pugilistic plastic surgeon in Hollywood, doling out blunt force facelifts to every valley ghoul and undead surfer dude staggering around its post-apocalyptic paradise setting. During my recent hands-on with the first five hours of this long awaited zombie-slaying sequel, I had a blood-splattered blast becoming the rotting flesh prince of Bel-Air and turning every floor in the city into a ghastly red carpet, even if it did feel at times like I’d curb-stomped a lot of these same skulls before.

After surviving a plane crash in its opening moments during an aborted attempt to escape the city, Dead Island 2 sent me on a search for fellow survivors from Bel-Air to Beverly Hills. The Los Angeles setting is not one big open world – rather 10 districts stitched together by loading screens – and despite the presence of countless abandoned vehicles, you’re forced to remain carbon neutral by roaming around entirely on foot at a speed that feels somewhat listless in the wake of Dying Light 2’s high-speed wall-runnings. Still, each section of the city I’ve seen so far is sizable and encourages exploration and return visits. Fuses bought from vendors can be used to open locked garages, allowing you to ransack them for rare items and weaponry, while certain other areas are guarded by overpowered zombies denoted by a skull symbol that killed me with one hit – clearly they’re intended to be avoided at first encounter, before eventually overcome later on once you’ve leveled up your character to be resilient enough to withstand their attacks.

Here’s some good news for any crossover fans of both Magic: The Gathering and The Lord of the Rings. A new LotR-themed MTG card set is up for preorder. It's called The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, and you can preorder the cards in a number of configurations, including Commander decks, set boosters, jumpstart boosters, collector boosters, and more (see on Amazon). They’re all set to release June 23. You can also check out our exclusive MTG: LotR card reveal article. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s take a look at what’s available.

Starter Kit

I suspect this Lord of the Rings-themed Magic set will bring in lots of new (and long-lapsed) players. If that’s you, this is the bundle to pick up. It comes with two ready-to-play decks of 60 cards each (including 1 foil Mythic Rare card and 4 Rare cards), a How-to-Play guide, two boxes for deck storage, and codes to unlock both decks to play online in MTG Arena.

Bundles

These bundles offer an assortment of items from the Lord of the Rings MTG set. You get 8 Set Booster packs, 4 Traditional Foil alternate-art cards, 40 Land cards (including 20 foils), plus a “spindown” life counter, a card storage box, and two reference cards.

Warning: Full spoilers ahead for episode 8 of HBO's The Last of Us.

HBO's The Last of Us episode 9 has arrived and we finally get to see the conclusion to the first series. But how close does the show compare to the game?

To help answer this question, we've gathered images from episode 9 of HBO's The Last of Us and put them next to stills from Naughty Dog's The Last of Us game to see how faithful the adaptation is. Check out the slideshow, or watch the video above to see the scenes from both the show and the game in action.

In our The Last of Us episode 9 review, we said "The season one finale of HBO’s The Last of Us is a thrillingly faithful adaptation of one video games’ greatest endings, even if it doesn’t pack quite the same punch as the original. Pedro Pascal excels in Joel’s defining moment, displaying both the tenderness and brutality we’ve come to expect from Ellie’s protector. Wonderfully shot and hauntingly soundtracked, it’s an ending that will long linger in the memory of those first experiencing it, and one that ultimately sticks the landing on the comparatively shorter runway that’s been built for it.."

For more, be sure to check out our similar comparison for last week's episode.

Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for HBO's The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II.

The first season of HBO's The Last of Us has officially ended, which means it's time to turn the page to Season 2.

The hugely successful HBO series has been renewed for a second season that will adapt the story from Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II. As fans of the game know, The Last of Us Part II takes place five years after Part I, leading to some discussion surrounding if the show would part ways with Bella Ramsey and recast the role of Ellie for the time skip.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the season finale, executive producer and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann put those concerns to rest, saying he and showrunner Craig Mazin want to make Season 2 with Ramsey at the forefront.

"When we made the game, I felt we were incredibly lucky," Druckmann said. "It was like lightning in the bottle that we found Ashley Johnson. I can't imagine that version of Ellie being anybody else. And then somehow we got lightning in the bottle again with Bella.

"We are extremely lucky to have Bella and the stuff you saw throughout this entire season. The only way we would ever, ever consider recasting Bella is if she said, 'I don't want to work with you guys anymore.' Even then, I'm not sure we would grant her that. We might still force her to come back to Season 2."

Editor's Note: The war in Ukraine is an ongoing, painful and emotive topic. IGN urges community members to be respectful when engaging in conversation around this subject and does not endorse harassment of any kind.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl developer GSC Game World has revealed it was hacked by a group on a Russian social network.

On Twitter, the GSC Game World team posted a statement about the hack, explaining what happened and revealing that the studio has faced cyberattacks since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"Recently, our employee's account for a collective work-with-images application was hacked," GSC Game World wrote. "The responsibility for this was claimed by a community from a Russian social network. They are threatening to use the data obtained for blackmail and intimidation.

A message from GSC Game World team pic.twitter.com/rqRM0tFZmO

— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) March 12, 2023

"This is not the first attempt to hack and leak our data, including personal information. We have been enduring constant cyberattacks for more than a year now. We have faced blackmail, acts of aggression, hacks, attempts to hurt players and fans, and efforts to damage the development process or the reputation of our company."

During a panel at the Monaco Anime Game International Conferences 2023 (MAGIC 2023), two legends of the Japanese video game industry looked back on 30 years of history they helped shape. Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night creator Koji Igarashi gave their opinions on how Japanese video games became a worldwide phenomenon, how things went wrong in the early 2000s, and how Japan made a comeback over the last decade.

Sakaguchi said that the release of Dragon Quest in 1986 greatly inspired him. Before Yuji Horii’s domestic hit, Sakaguchi believed that developing RPGs for the NES (or Famicom in Japan) would not be possible. The Legend of Zelda, which was released in that same year, was a game he greatly enjoyed as a player, but did not directly inspire him.

“Nintendo and (Shigeru) Miyamoto’s games were on another level,” Sakaguchi said.

“Mario already kind of had a story,” he added. “I think that the story in Zelda was an extension of that. In these games, the story is not the most important component. I personally wanted to make a game in which the story comes first, which is why Dragon Quest felt closer to what I wanted to achieve. The music and systems are of great importance as well, but it is the scenario and story by Yuji Horii that made Dragon Quest special.”

For Igarashi, it was quite the opposite. He has previously stated that he was influenced by The Legend of Zelda when creating Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Much like its bloodsucking antagonist, Castlevania has lain dormant for many years, but Konami's classic vampire-slaying franchise is finally beginning to awaken thanks to projects like Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania.

Released earlier this week, the heralded DLC stars Richter Belmont and Alucard in what Konami Return to Castlevania supervisor Tsutomu Taniguchi half-jokingly refers to as an isekai — slang for anime about characters suddenly being transported into a new and unfamiliar world.

"Is 'isekai' a buzzword ? Because this is how I would define this storyline," Taniguchi told IGN in a new interview. "Let's just say that Dracula's Castle teleported on the Beheaded's Island and what happened on the island stays on the island."

No, Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania isn't canon, but it is a fun reimagining of the old-school platformer, which got its start on the Famicom way back in 1986. The DLC has been heralded by fans and critics alike, with IGN's review calling it a "shining blueprint of how to do a crossover right."

'Respectfully stolen'

According to Evil Empire chief operating officer Benjamin Laulan, it got its start at 2019's BitSummit festival in Kyoto, which the studio attended in the hope of making a deal to sell Dead Cells in the Japanese market. A meeting with Konami convinced Laulan to shoot his shot and pitch a crossover, and was surprised to find a receptive audience.

The Finals is a fast-paced first-person shooter that focuses on arcade-y game styles and game-show mechanics. What makes it unique is that everything, and I mean everything, can be destroyed. It’s a lot to take in, but after playing a bunch of it, all of the elements manage to work really well together when the game isn’t stuttery and buggy.

All For The Fame

The premise of The Finals is that you’re a contestant in a virtual combat entertainment game show. You compete for fame, money, and the opportunity to get generous sponsors on your side. Developer Embark Studios has said The Finals was inspired by The Hunger Games, Gladiator, and other arena-style competitions. You can customize your own Competitor, which is pretty cool though the options are fairly limited.

The maps in The Finals matches take place in real-life locations that have dynamic time of day and weather conditions like fog and rain that are randomized each time you start a new game. I played in Monaco, a more horizontal close-quarters map, and Seoul, a vertical map with lots of height and layers to play on.