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This is your last chance to use the NEW15 code on at eBay, as the promo code will expire at 23:59 GMT on January 9 (tonight). So, before it expires, make sure you check it out and have a full browse of everything on offer. My favourites from this deal are definitely the preorder discounts for Hogwarts Legacy and Dead Space, with a particular highlight being the Deluxe Edition of the new wizarding world game coming down to just £59.46. There's plenty more to check out as well, so see everything else included in today's Daily Deals just below, and make sure you're following @IGNUKDeals on Twitter for even more UK deal updates.

TL;DR - My Favourite UK Deals Right Now

Last Chance: Preorder Hogwarts Legacy on PS5 and Xbox for Just £49

Right now you can preorder one of the most hotly anticipated games of the year Hogwarts Legacy for just £48.41. To give you some perspective, its RRP is £64.99, and Amazon currently has it listed for £59.95. This is a huge deal, and well worth considering if you want to get the game on release day.

Not only that, but the (seemingly sold out at every other retailer) Deluxe Edition is also available for just £59.46. This Deluxe Edition will ship three days early February 7 (rather than the regular release day of February 10), and includes a bunch of other digital goodies to enjoy within the game. Just use code NEW15 to receive the discount at checkout.

As if beating Malenia - arguably Elden Ring's hardest boss - wasn't a feat enough in itself, Twitch streamer MissMikkaa just beat two Malenias at one time with a controller and a dance pad.

MissMikkaa accomplished this astonishing feat during an "Ultimate Challenge Run," where she tasked herself with playing "two Elden Rings games simultaneously with different controllers (Dance Pad & PS5 DualSense)." She also had to kill the "bosses on the same try on both game instances."

You can see a clip of the victory below, and you can click here for the full battle.

2x MALENIA HAS BEEN DEFEATED! After 3 days and 199 tries Malenia is dead in the Ultimate Challenge Run where I play Elden Ring twice simultaneously (with a dance pad & controller). In the beginning I was not even sure if this run was possible. Radagon/Elden Beast is next! pic.twitter.com/cS9VQLvrlE

— MissMikkaa (@MissMikkaa) January 5, 2023

It took her three days and 199 tries, but she prevailed in the end. She plans on taking down Radagon/Elden Beast next, and who knows what other challenges she will come up with in the future.

The tabletop industry looks to be undergoing a seismic shift based on leaked documents showing that Wizards of the Coast intends to implement a more restricted Open Gaming License (OGL) agreement.

According to a recent Gizmodo report, Hasbro subsidiary Wizards of the Coast is poised to revoke its longstanding OGL, which allows for third-party publishers and fans to create D&D content using their game rules. For over 20 years, this license has empowered countless creators to make and distribute their own D&D content using tools like Kickstarter, and has allowed large publishers like Paizo, creators of Pathfinder, to become titans of the tabletop space in their own right.

Reportedly, the new license, called OGL 1.1, makes numerous revisions to the D&D policy, including adding a requirement that all creators register any products they’re selling with Wizards of the Coast. The new agreement also introduces a new 20-25% royalty to be paid to Wizards by license-users making an excess of $750,000 in a year while giving Wizards a “non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, sub-licensable, royalty-free license” to use content created using OGL for any purpose. The new agreement would force all creators to adopt OGL 1.1 despite the current version’s explicit language that a move like that could never be forced upon creators.

Anyone in the market for a wireless VR headset should look first at the Meta Quest 2. It hits a nice sweet spot in terms of price, quality, and the availability of games and apps. Here's a deal: between now and January 19, if you buy a Meta Quest 2, you’ll get an Elite Strap thrown in for free (see it at Amazon). Those usually cost $59.99, so it’s a nice value proposition.

Free Elite Strap with Meta Quest 2 Purchase

• Get it at Amazon
• Get it at Best Buy
• Get it at Target
• Get it at Meta

The Elite Strap is an add-on that makes using the Meta Quest 2 more comfortable. The standard Quest 2 uses fabric straps, so the headset feels a little front-weighted and possibly looser. The Elite Strap has plastic straps to hold it in place, plus a flexible rear brace that makes it stay more securely in place. It offers better balance for the device as well, and it has a wheel you can twist to tighten the headset on your head.

As for the current VR market, I’d say the Meta Quest 2 is still the best bet for most people. It’s cheaper than the upcoming PSVR 2, and you don’t need to connect it to a PS5 to run it. It’s way cheaper than the upcoming HTC Vive XR Elite. If you want to run more impressive games than the Quest 2’s hardware allows, like Half Life: Alyx, you can connect it to a gaming PC and use it like a regular VR headset.

The walking, talking vending machine Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week's reset. If you're looking to get your some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further.

Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he's got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians.

We've rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP.

Where Is Xûr Today?

Xûr's location today can be found at Watcher's Grave on Nessus on January 6 through January 10. To reach him, travel to the landing point at Watcher's Grave. When you arrive, make for the red moss-covered tree straight ahead. Climb up the roots and you'll find Xûr waiting at the top to sell you exotic items and legendary weapons.

Developer Supertrick Games and publisher GungHo Online Entertainment announced that Deathverse: Let it Die will temporarily suspend online services on July 18 for the game as they attempt to fix issues such as in-game matchmaking and lag.

“This was a difficult decision for us to make. However, we believe that re-releasing the game with significant improvements will allow it to be enjoyed by a wider audience as well as our current players,” said GungHo in a statement on its website.

GungHo continued, “Considering how much time goes into developing a game–and that there’s a finite number of games one can possibly make in a lifetime–it’s impossible to say at this stage whether this is the right choice. But we love this game and are proud to have developed it together as a team. Therefore, we believe this is the best possible decision at this time.”

[IMPORTANT] Suspension of Service
DEATHVERSE: LET IT DIE will be suspending its services as of 7/18/2023 at 19:00 (PDT).
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of our players for their support.https://t.co/VbHNHzNhty

— DEATHVERSE & LET IT DIE Universe HQ 🐀 (@LETITDIETheGame) January 6, 2023

The free-to-play multiplayer game has struggled to capture high player count numbers, with its all-time concurrent high on PC being barely above 1000.

Vampire Survivors developer Poncle was forced to release its game on mobile “ASAP” after several exact copies began appearing on the market.

As reported by GI.biz, Poncle had initially attempted to bring Vampire Survivors to mobile devices in the wake of its successful 2022 launch on PC and Xbox, but struggled to find a partner that shared its views on monetization.

“Soon after the initial success of VS, I started to look for a business partner to work on a mobile version of the game,” reads a new blog on the game’s Steam page. “Unfortunately, nobody I spoke with was on board with the monetization I had in mind for the platform: non-predatory.”

In the wake of these conversations, however, unlicensed versions of the game started appearing on mobile stores. “Months passed by and a large number of actual clones - not "games like Vampire Survivors", but actual one to one copies with stolen code, assets, data, progression - started to appear everywhere,” the post continued.

“This forced our hand to release the mobile game ASAP, and put a lot of stress on the dev team that wasn't even supposed to worry about mobile in the first place.”

Cardy, Dale, and Mat watched and played a lot over the Christmas break, so here's 15 of their favourites. From big hits like Glass Onion and Avatar: The Way of Water to slightly more hidden gems like The Menu and White Noise, there may well be something you like the sound of.

Got a game for us to play or some feedback you'd like read out on the show? Why not email us: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast #678: Wot We Did Over Christmas

Okay so here's the gravy; there's a big sale on at eBay at the moment with code NEW15 which can take an extra 15% off your order. That's good, but here's what makes it better; it can be used on preorders via discount gaming retailer The Game Collection.

We all know TCG for its stellar preorder deals, but this just takes it to a whole other level with up to £20 off the RRP on upcoming games Dead Space and Hogwarts Legacy.

To snag the deals below, all you need to do is use code NEW15 at checkout. But, TCG has already increased the Dead Space preorder price today (from £48.41 to £50.11), so I'd jump on and order ASAP if you want to get the best price (this promo will also expire after January 9).

TL;DR - Preorder Using Code NEW15

Hogwarts Legacy

Dead Space Remake

Preorder Hogwarts Legacy for Just £48.41

Right now you can preorder one of the most hotly anticipated games of the year Hogwarts Legacy for just £48.41. To give you some perspective, its RRP is £64.99, and Amazon currently has it listed for £59.95. This is a huge deal, and well worth considering if you want to get the game on release day.

The stars of HBO's The Last of Us series, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, have shared their reactions to seeing the half-zombie, half-fungus infused Clickers for the first time.

Revealed in a new interview with IGN (below), Pascal seemed to have a reaction somewhere between disgust and fear, while Ramsey found them to be somewhat beautiful.

"You were very grossed out by them," they said to Pascal. "I found them sort of beautiful. That's what was scary actually. I think the beauty that they had, that was what was terrifying."

Pascal did agree somewhat, describing the Clickers - which are humans who act like zombies as a result of what's called the Cordyceps fungus growing out of their heads - as "a monstrous, floral nightmare".

He did retch at the word "fungus", however, as Ramsay added: "The whole fungus, [the] Cordyceps infection is based on science. Theoretically it's possible, and that's what's also terrifying."

Fans will get to enjoy (or not) their own reaction to the Clickers when The Last of Us premieres on HBO Max on January 15. Details around the show were hazy for a long time but the marketing train has been speeding up for the last few months, with HBO sharing new looks at the cast and a dramatic official trailer.

CD Projekt Red has settled another lawsuit over Cyberpunk 2077's rough launch for $1.85 million.

As reported by GameSpot, the settlement will see CD Projekt Red pay investors who bought stock between January 16, 2020 to December 17, 2020 settlement administration costs, taxes, attorney's fees, and more.

Investors filed the class-action lawsuit in 2020 claiming that CD Projekt Red hid the state of Cyberpunk 2077 from them after the game launched with several bugs that, at least on console, rendered the game unplayable for many.

Multiple lawsuits were filed against CD Projekt Red following the game's launch, one of which was settled in December 2021 for the same $1.85 million figure.

The video game industry has lately had to face a difficult truth: hardware and software prices are going up.

In the last year, Ubisoft, Take-Two, Xbox, and Sony all formally announced a bump in game prices from $60 to $70, and other AAA publishers such as Activision Blizzard, EA, Square Enix, and Warner Bros. have quietly followed suit with games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Final Fantasy 16, and Gotham Knights. In hardware, the PlayStation 5 got a price bump earlier this year across a number of regions – though its cost remains steady in the US for now.

So what’s going on here? Why are prices going up? And will they continue to rise in 2023?

In short, yes – game price increases are likely here to stay. But the answer, as always, is a bit more complicated than that. There are a lot of conflicting factors at play, from game pricing history to inflation to the general games landscape where consumers have wildly different perceptions about the value of a $60 versus one priced at $20.

If you’ve played the demo then you already know this, but Team Ninja’s upcoming game Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is, well, hard! With a focus on acrobatic Chinese martial arts, wielding weapons in Wo Long may make you feel like a badass, but enemies will quickly bring you back down to earth. To help you gear up for the battle ahead, IGN spoke with Team Ninja to learn about the strengths and disadvantages of some of the game’s weapon types. While Wo Long is still two months away from release (it’s out on March 3, including on Xbox Game Pass), it’s never too early to start preparing.

Wo Long has a total of 13 melee weapon types, as well as three long-range weapon types. In the gallery below, director Masakazu Hirayama explains the characteristics of seven of these, including the Staff that was first shown in our IGN First gameplay video.

“We chose weapons that were the best match for Chinese martial arts,” Hirayama-san said about the team’s general approach towards Wo Long’s weapon selection. “The motions for each weapon type were based on motion-captured forms performed by real martial artists specialized in these weapons. Then we tuned things here and there to make them feel good as an action game.”

At CES 2023, Asus has announced a new game controller compatible with Xbox Series X/S and PC that features a tiny, built-in OLED display.

The Asus ROG Raikiri Pro features a 1.3-inch OLED display just above the Xbox button, which can display things such as a custom image (or animation) and battery life. The controller features two buttons between a USB-C port, which are used to swap between your controller profiles.

Additionally, the Raikiri Pro includes four programmable back buttons, trigger locks, and a circular D-Pad. In addition to a dedicated mute button and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Asus Armoury Crate PC app will be used to remap buttons, adjust joystick sensitivity, and enable trigger modes and dead zones on the controller.

More interestingly, the ROG Raikiri Pro offers tri-mode connectivity, allowing you to connect the controller via Bluetooth, 2.4GHz RF mode, or a wired connection using a USB-C cable. Asus' product listing for the page totes how this is a "pro" controller for those with PC as their platform of choice, while the compatibility on Xbox is through a wired USB-C connection.

The controller's display reminds me of similar controllers and concepts. Such as the Datel Xbox 360 Turbo Fire wireless controller. Or a Sega Dreamcast controller with a visual memory unit (VMU) attached. With the option of running custom imagery or animations, it will be interesting to see

Asus has yet to share a release date or price for the controller.

The developer behind Konami's Silent Hill 2 Remake is "faithfully" sticking to the original game's story but updating outdated gameplay mechanics.

Speaking to Dread XP (and spotted by Siliconera), Bloober Team's chief marketing officer Anna Jasińska promised the development team isn't "missing the point" on the remake.

"We are focusing on bringing the distinct, visceral atmosphere back in the modernized Silent Hill 2," said Jasińska. "Longtime fans shouldn’t worry about us missing the point while we’re livening up the title.

"We faithfully stick to the traditional story canon while remaking the gameplay and updating the graphics from the ground up. These are the reasons why Konami entrusted us with the remake in the first place."

Exactly what would change in the remake was a little unclear when Konami first announced it, with director Mateusz Lenart only saying that Bloober Team would "make everything that made the game a timeless classic".

Jasińska reiterated just how committed the team is, adding that they "take a very safe approach to any changes. We remain faithful to the original title. Nonetheless, we are applying adjustments to certain areas where things need modernizing due to the passage of time."

Sony has announced that its PlayStation 5 console has now surpassed more than 30 million units sold, and that the console shortage is now essentially over.

Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan revealed the new figure at Sony's CES tech conference, a number which is up five million from the 25 million figure revealed two months previously on November 1.

"We truly appreciate the support and patience of the PlayStation community as we managed unprecedented demand amid global challenges over the past two years," Ryan said.

"PS5 supply improved toward the end of last year, and I'm happy to share that December was the biggest month ever for PS5 console sales and that we have now sold than 30 million units through to consumers worldwide."

Confident that supply issues are now solved completely, Ryan added that "everyone who wants a PS5 should have a much easier time finding one at retailer globally, starting from this point forward."

A crippling semiconductor chip shortage seriously restricted the creation of new PS5 consoles but this didn't stop the PS5 from surpassing 20 million units sold as of June 2021, at which point Sony executive Veronica Rogers announced that the company was "planning on a significant ramp-up in PS5 production".

Sony's CES 2023 press conference has wrapped up, and the company shared a handful of updates for PlayStation gamers. The headline is Project Leonardo, which is a brand new accessibility controller kit in development for PlayStation 5. Sony also shared updates on the Gran Turismo movie, PSVR 2, and more. Read on to learn about everything announced at today's event.

Project Leonardo Revealed: New Accessibility Controller Kit for PlayStation 5

Project Leonardo is PlayStation's brand new accessibility controller kit that's currently in development. There's no word yet on a release date or price, but Leonardo aims to ""remove barriers to gaming and help players with disabilities play more easily, more comfortably, and for longer periods on PS5." It was developed with contributions from accessibility experts, community members, and game developers.

Gran Turismo: The Movie Sneak Peek Revealed

Sony shared a first look at the upcoming Gran Turismo movie, which is set to hit theaters this August. The footage had words from stars Archie Madekwe, Orlando Bloom, and David Harbour, and showed off the movie's combination of real-life racing and Gran Turismo action.

Gran Turismo 7 is getting support for PSVR 2, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan announced tonight during Sony's CES 2023 press conference.

Released nearly a year ago, Gran Turismo 7 is the eighth mainline installment in Sony's long-running racing sim franchise. In our review of Gran Turismo 7, which we gave a 9, my colleague Luke Reilly praised the title's graphical fidelity, an abundance of racing options, and the haptic feedback available thanks to the PS5's DualSense controller.

Gran Turismo 7 for PSVR 2 will be available as one of many launch title games when the PSVR 2 releases on February 22, and will be a free upgrade for those that own Gran Turismo 7. Additional launch titles confirmed for Sony's second-generation VR headset include Horizon: Call of the Mountain, No Man's Sky, and Resident Evil Village.

In addition to news of Gran Turismo 7's VR mode for PSVR 2, Sony's CES 2022 press conference also shared a sneak peek at the Gran Turismo movie, which hits theatres later this year. Alongside the announcement of Project Leonardo, a new accessibility controller kit compatible with the PS5.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

PlayStation has revealed a brand new accessibility controller kit in development for PlayStation 5, and its codename is Project Leonardo.

Revealed on stage at CES 2023, and later detailed in the PlayStation Blog, Project Leonardo is designed to, "remove barriers to gaming and help players with disabilities play more easily, more comfortably, and for longer periods on PS5."

Sony revealed Project Leonardo in a trailer, which you can watch below.

Sony said the new controller was developed with contributions from accessibility experts, community members, and game developers. Project Leonardo includes a kit of swappable components, including a variety of analog stick caps and buttons in different shapes and sizes.

On PS5, players will be able to customize their game experience with button mapping, where the controller's buttons can be mapped to any supported function on the controller. And, players can map two functions onto the same button. The PS5 will also include up to three control profiles, where players can store their preferred settings and easily switch between them.

Project Leonardo can be used on its own, or paired with an additional Project Leonardo or DualSense controller. It's also designed to be compatible with external, third-party devices via its four 3.5mm AUX ports.

You can take a look at the new controller kit in the photos below.

Happy New Year! It’s a fresh start for Xbox in what should be a huge 2023 for them. We discuss the one thing Microsoft needs to do ASAP in order to get the year off on the right foot, and then we make a total of nine predictions for Xbox’s year.

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our interview with Todd Howard, who answered all of our Starfield questions after the big reveal at the Xbox Showcase:

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

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Welcome to 2023! Switch gamers get first pick at deals with these great bargains. You can get a 1 year Nintendo Switch Family Membership plus a 256GB memory card for only $49.99, Ring Fit Adventure for only $55, or the officially licensed Taiko no Tatsujin Drum Kit from Hori for only $62.99. These deals and more below.

Nintendo Switch Online Family Membership and 256GB Memory Card

Amazon is offering a free officially licensed Nintendo Switch 256GB Micro SDXC memory Card when you pick up a 12 month Nintendo Switch Online Family Membership. Nintendo Switch Online lets you play online against other people in games like Super Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, or Splatoon 3, download custom levels in games like Super Mario Maker 2, play free retro SNES games, save your game data to the cloud, and much more. The "Family" membership allows for up to 8 different account holders, not necessarily in the same household. Split the price among your friends for even greater savings (and keep the memory card for yourself).

Nintendo Switch Holiday Console Bundle with Free Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and 3 Months of Switch Online Membership Still Going In & Out of Stock at Amazon

The Black Friday Nintendo Switch bundle, which includes a copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and a 3 month subscription to Nintendo Switch Online, is still available at Amazon for $299.99. Note that it's constantly going in and out of stock. Amazon is probably unloading the very last of its remaining stock and once it's gone, it's gone until the next Black Friday.

EA's Madden NFL series has once again seen another nasty round of Franchise errors. This time, some players who logged in to Madden 23 over the holidays experienced an issue related to data storage that corrupted their files — causing irreparable damage to some.

According to EA, the issues began on December 28 around 2:45 pm EST, continuing into early the next day, December 29, at 12:45 am. Players trying to log in to the Madden Franchise server around this time experienced a data storage error noting Leagues were unavailable, subsequently corrupting their Online Franchise, Connected Franchise Mode Leagues, and Face of the Franchise files.

EA says its Madden teams are attempting to restore those files, but they estimate 60% are unrecoverable —some players have permanently lost their saves. The publisher expects to have a timeline by sometime next week, explaining "the potential restoration of save files from a backup."

For those who didn't log in during that window, EA notes you're safe from the data storage issue and should be able to play. As for anyone who experienced a loss, there doesn't seem to be much more to say until that update next week, but the publisher did encourage players to start a new Franchise since the service is back online.

While The Last of Us fans are currently setting their sights on the upcoming HBO show and multiplayer title, Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann isn't ruling out the possibility for The Last of Us Part 3.

Speaking to THR ahead of The Last of Us show's premiere later this month, Druckmann couldn't reveal if Part 3 is in the works at Naughty Dog, but said, “I think there’s more story to tell.”

This is the first we've heard of a potential follow-up to 2020's The Last of Us Part 2 since April 2021, when Druckmann said he and Part 2 co-writer Halley Gross have written an outline for a story that "we're not making – but I hope one day can see the light of day – that explores a little bit what happens after this game. We’ll see.”

Naughty Dog also shared new concept art for the upcoming multiplayer game today. Druckmann promised that more details on The Last of Us multiplayer title will come this year, which marks the 10th anniversary of the original game's release in 2013.

Kenny Omega may be debated as one of professional wrestling's greatest talents, but he’s undoubtedly one of the sport’s most dedicated gamers, proving it with a recent tribute to Final Fantasy 7’s Sephiroth at Japan's Wrestle Kingdom.

At this year's event, which is the largest in the huge professional wrestling market of Japan, the Canadian former AEW World Champion attended to face England’s Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.

Omega entered the bout wearing a costume reminiscent of Sephiroth and made his way to the ring while the iconic One Winged Angel theme played in the background.

🔥東京ドーム大会 WRESTLE KINGDOM 17🔥

ダブルメインイベントⅠ USヘビー級選手権試合🇺🇸@KennyOmegamanX is Back👉💥

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Naughty Dog has shared new concept art from The Last of Us multiplayer game and promised it will release more information later this year, possibly on the original game's 10th anniversary.

Studio co-president Neil Druckmann said in a blog post that, while the game obviously is a multiplayer experience and therefore different to what Naughty Dog is known for, it will still be a story and character rich game.

"We’re looking ahead to The Last of Us’ 10th anniversary in June, and we’re so excited to share more with you about the future of this franchise," said Druckmann. "We’ll have some fun surprises for you along the way, but later this year we will begin to offer you some details on our ambitious The Last of Us multiplayer game."

So, you’ve got the Xbox Series X/S, and now you’re ready to grab the best accessories to make playing even more enjoyable. There are a number of excellent gaming headsets to choose from and quite a few controllers. And for an even more immersive experience in flying, fighting, or racing games, you might want specialty controllers, like H.O.T.A.S., yokes, racing wheels, and fight sticks. These devices are much more limited and slow to be released, though there are still some solid options.

All that makes choosing reliable Xbox Series X/S accessories a tad tricky, which is why we are here to help. From controllers and headsets to storage and charging stations, we’ve put together a list of the best options while keeping in mind quality, budget, and functionality. It isn’t a massive list, but rest assured, we’ll continue to add and update products as more great ones trickle in.

Perhaps somewhat in thanks to its turbulent launch period, Cyberpunk 2077 has been given the Labor of Love award at the Steam Awards 2022.

Steam published the winners of its player-voted awards, and while Elden Ring took the overall Game of the Year position, Cyberpunk 2077 also made an appearance in what's essentially the most improved game category.

Up against No Man's Sky, Deep Rock: Galactic, Dota 2, and Project Zomboid, Cyberpunk 2077's stream of post-launch updates and fixes was seemingly enough to push it over the top.

The game has undergone somewhat of a resurgence since its incredibly rocky launch (that did mostly affect consoles) thanks to these improvements and further excitement brought on by Netflix's Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime series.

"This game has been out for a while. The team is well past the debut of their creative baby, but being the good parents they are, these devs continue to nurture and support their creation," reads the award synopsis. "This game, to this day, is still getting new content after all these years."

The leaps forward for Cyberpunk 2077 arguably began in February with the launch of the next-gen update, or Version 1.5 for PC players, which saw several bug fixes and even free DLC added to the game.

Wizards of the Coast is canceling at least five unannounced games as it seeks to focus on games "strategically aligned with developing our existing brands," according to a new report by Bloomberg.

While it's unclear which games have been canceled, Wizards of the Coast claims that fewer than 15 people at the company have been impacted by the changes. The company told IGN in a statement:

We remain committed to using digital games as a cornerstone of our strategy for bringing our games to players around the world. We have made some changes to our long-term portfolio to focus on games which are strategically aligned with developing our existing brands and those which show promise in expanding or engaging our audience in new ways.

Hidden Path Entertainment and OtherSide Entertainment, both of which were working on games for Wizards of the Coast, are among the studios potentially affected by the cancellations.

The cancellations come in the wake of an ambitious 2022 expansion that saw the company open multiple new studios. They included Skeleton Key, an Austin-based studio led by former BioWare developer Christian Dailey, and Invoke Games, a Montreal-based studio organized by the developers of 2021's Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance.

With Team Ninja’s upcoming action game Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty as January’s IGN First, 2023 is off to a good start. If you like dying, that is – because you’ll be doing that a lot. Expect tons of exclusive coverage throughout the month of this new Soulsborne based on Chinese martial arts, developed by the team behind Ninja Gaiden and Nioh.

First off, we have 10 minutes of exclusive gameplay from Tianzhushan, a stage early in the game. The beautiful mountainscape and lush bamboo forests are breathtaking, but with bloodthirsty enemies around each corner, it might be best not to spend too long admiring the scenery.

With items hidden on top of rocks that can be reached using the double jump and secret passages that can be discovered by cutting bamboo trees, Tianzhushan is a good example of Wo Long’s diverse exploration.

Our video debuts gameplay of the Staff as well. Iconic to traditional Chinese martial arts, the Staff is one of Wo Long’s 13 melee weapon types and boasts acrobatic body movement.

The eerie mermaids and fearsome tigers from the demo are back, but new enemies including a giant ape and a hedgehog-like creature with a spinning attack reminiscent of Nioh’s Wheelmonk caught us off guard. Inside a creepy cave, we were welcomed by a surprise attack from an enemy that still gives us nightmares. Check out the video to see for yourself!

He who is more rat than man and more jackal than rat, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week's reset. If you're looking to get your some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further.

Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he's got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians.

We've rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP.

Where Is Xûr This Weekend?

Xûr's location today can be found at Watcher's Grave on Nessus on December 23 through December 27. To reach him, travel to the landing point at Watcher's Grave. When you arrive, make for the red moss-covered tree straight ahead. Climb up the roots and you'll find Xûr waiting at the top to sell you exotic items and legendary weapons.

There are some pretty incredible deals on PS5-compatible 2TB SSD storage upgrades right now. Some of these prices are significantly lower than what we saw on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. At this point you can easily triple the storage space in your PS5 without spending as much as the PS5 console itself! Keep in mind that you can't use any old SSD and expect it to perform well on the PS5 console. You'll want to pick up an PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid state drive with a rated 5,500MB/s read speed to match the PS5's internal drive.

Better Than Black Friday: Crucial P5 Plus 2TB M.2 PS5-Compatible SSD for $149.99

Crucial's newest M.2 SSD meets all the requirements for your PS5 SSD upgrade. It supports transfer speeds of up to 6,660MB/s which is well above the 5,500MB/s minimum threshold. Yes there are faster SSDs out there, but if your intention is to put this in your PS5, then that extra speed is worthless because you're bottlenecked by the original PS5 SSD. If you're worried about opening up your PS5 case, don't worry it's very easy. Crucial has an official YouTube PS5 SSD install guide to see you through the process.

The Best PS5 SSD Deals Right Now

There may be other SSD deals out there, but these are the PS5 SSDs we've tried ourselves and highly recommend. They also double up as outstanding boot drives for your gaming PC, in case you don't need additional storage for your PS5 console.

Microsoft’s fourth-generation Xbox consoles, the Xbox Series X and Series S, are now entering Year 3. And though Year 1 started with a soft launch in the exclusive games department, the second half of this generation’s first year delivered the flood that parched Xbox fans have waited years for. From Forza Horizon 5 to Halo Infinite to Psychonauts 2 to Microsoft Flight Simulator, it sure seemed like the Xbox’s exclusive games drought was finally over [Editor’s note: Whoops!]. Of course, by now you know the story because you lived through it. The whole of 2022 was like a mirage in the desert: you thought you could see water up ahead, but was it really there? As such, 2023 simply must deliver for Xbox gamers who’ve invested so much in the platform. Microsoft is a trillion-dollar company who has seemingly exhausted the patience of its player base. Fortunately, though, there’s reason to be optimistic.

You’ve probably familiar with video game development jobs like programmer, artist, or designer. But one of the most influential roles at Ubisoft is one that doesn’t always immediately parse for most people: the role of its editorial team.

This advisory group’s job is, on a large scale, to determine the creative direction for Ubisoft and its games, and it’s been in a state of upheaval lately. The editorial team had previously gotten an overhaul in early 2020, only to need another later that year after a wave of abuse allegations levied at multiple senior Ubisoft employees, including editorial leads.

In the pre-2020 structure, reports suggested that many of Ubisoft’s games ended up very same-y due to just one or two people dictating the creative direction of the company as a whole. And while the initial team shake-up may have been well-intentioned enough, it left at least two individuals with allegations against them dictating the company’s creative pillars. So it had to change again.

Dale, Alex and Emma are here with the only game awards that matter. The alternative list of stuff they've made up as an excuse to talk about what they've enjoyed playing in 2022, and other things that have driven them crazy.

Got a game for us to play or some feedback you'd like read out on the show? Why not email us: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast 676: Alternative Game Awards 2022

The PlayStation 5 DualSense controller has dropped back down to the same price we saw on Black Friday. You can get several different colors for only $49 each, a hefty price drop from its $70-$75 MSRP. Note that none of these controllers are likely to arrive before Christmas. Most of the colors have a ship date that's been extended out to early January.

Sony PS5 DualSense Controller for $49

The new PS5 DualSense is one of the most advanced controllers on the market. Once you've held and tested out this controller, you'll begin to see why it commands such a premium price (although it's still competitive with the price of official Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch controllers). The DualSense features haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, a built-in microphone and speaker, integrated touchpad, internal gyroscope and accelerometer for motion sensing, USB Type-C charging, and native compatibility with Windows (with either the cable or wirelessly over Bluetooth). This is inarguably the best controller for the PS5 at this price.

Better Than Black Friday: Crucial P5 Plus 2TB M.2 PS5-Compatible SSD for $149.99

Sony Santa Monica announced that a New Game Plus mode will come to God of War Ragnarok in Spring 2023.

“We know many of you have been asking, so we’re happy to confirm that New Game Plus will be coming to #GodofWarRagnarok in Spring 2023,” Sony Santa Monica’s official Twitter account revealed. “We’ll share more details once we get closer to the release!”

We know many of you have been asking, so we’re happy to confirm that New Game Plus will be coming to #GodofWarRagnarok in Spring 2023!

We’ll share more details once we get closer to the release! 🐻 🐺 pic.twitter.com/vmv5X2USuW

— Santa Monica Studio – God of War Ragnarök (@SonySantaMonica) December 22, 2022

God of War (2018) added a New Game Plus mode a few months after its release. There, players were able to carry over earned equipment and abilities. Players were also able to create new armor sets for Kratos and Atreus, as well as the ability to convert talismans into enchantments. New Game Plus mode also changed the attack patterns for Valkyries and introduced Timed Realm Tears.

When I say Rhythm Heaven, which minigame pops into your head instantly? Is it the karate guy punching plant pots? The choir kid trio singing? Plucking hairs off of vegetables? For me, it’s the wrestler interview in Ringside.

Whichever one it is, there’s no denying there’s something deeply memorable and satisfying about those rhythmic minigames, which is why I was instantly drawn into Melatonin. It’s a new indie release from developer Half Asleep that successfully (if ironically, given the sleepy theme) replicates those serotonin hits from landing perfects in a Rhythm Heaven minigame. Set within the mind of a very sleepy person, Melatonin’s rhythm games are all loosely themed around their fantastic dreams of mundane activities: food, shopping, exercise, work, gaming, and so forth. It’s a soothing, pastel backdrop for the pleasant audio and visual call-and-response gameplay I desperately miss from the Nintendo DS days.

And, like many of the games I’ve covered in this series, it’s mostly the brainchild of one person: David Huynh, the founder and only member of Half Asleep. Melatonin is his first game, a huge first milestone on a career path he only recently began to envision for himself.

Huynh’s educational background is in general design – graphic, audio, UI, architecture, the works. While he was always a gamer, he explicitly didn’t want to get into game design at first.

PlayStation had a fantastic mix of critical success, big sellers, and indie darlings to celebrate in 2022, thanks to the releases of God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, and Stray. That pattern is set to continue over the next 12 months as Sony looks to add to its growing library of great games. With many to get excited about on the horizon, as well as an imminent next step into virtual reality, PlayStation looks set for a busy 2023.

Games of All Shapes and Sizes

Horizon Forbidden West was one of PlayStation’s biggest hits of 2022 and it’s back for more in 2023. The Burning Shores DLC arrives on April 19 and takes Aloy to the flooded, volcanic ruins of Los Angeles. If Zero Dawn’s expansion, The Frozen Wilds, is anything to go by, we’re in for a sizeable and action-packed addition to the Horizon story.

PS5 console exclusive Forspoken launches January 24th and Square Enix’s action RPG is a modern take on the classic Alice in Wonderland tale, as New Yorker Frey finds herself in a fantastical world full of magic, dragons, and demons.

Almost six years after the last mainline game, Final Fantasy XVI launches exclusively on PS5 on June 22nd. It’s a return to the series’ high fantasy roots but that doesn’t mean the return of turn-based combat, because fast-paced action takes centre stage with Devil May Cry 5 and Dragon’s Dogma’s Ryota Suzuki holding the reins as Combat Director.

Konami has released the first major update for TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection that brings several improvements and fixes to the bundle of 13 games.

Increased online functionality is the headlining feature of the update, with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4: Turtles in Time for Super Nintendo getting full multiplayer. Konami also announced that TMNT 3: The Manhattan Project will be getting an online mode in a future update.

This update otherwise includes customisable lobby sizes for the two arcade games and an automatic frame delay option to adjust input lag depending on the number of players. Arcade stick support on both PlayStation and Xbox has also been added.

See the full patch notes below:

Kojima Productions, the studio headed by director Hideo Kojima, celebrated its seventh anniversary on December 16, 2022. It used this opportunity to move its office to a larger floor in the same building, marking a new beginning. In a previous interview with IGN Japan, Kojima compared his previous office to Star Trek's USS Enterprise, and that concept has been carried over to this new location as well. The studio boasts an even bigger white room to house a new 1:1 scale Ludens statue, and you can sense Kojima's desire to set off into new creative waters in its spacious studio, photogrammetry room, and kitchen-lounge area that allows for large-scale socializing.

The studio is only gaining more momentum, releasing a teaser video for Death Stranding 2 [DS2] to the world at The Game Awards 2022 [TGA], the first one held in person in three years, and announcing a film adaptation of Death Stranding. Kojima Productions has been using its connections as it tirelessly runs forward, but where is it heading next? IGN Japan spoke to Kojima about the path taken by Kojima Productions so far and where it will be going from here.