Starfield launched in September of 2023. But as creative director Todd Howard has stressed in previous interviews, the game was made to be played for a long time. That means updates and changes to the game are likely expand the experience the days and years to come. The most recent update from Bethesda indicates that…
According to an official announcement from Cover via social media, the Hololive Vtuber Murasaki Shion will be on an indefinite hiatus from December 21, 2023. Effective immediately, she will not participate in streaming or content creation until further notice.
In Murasaki Shion’s post, she mentioned that she will be completing some work that has already been pre-determined for her. She will complete what is currently on her schedule at this time, and then refrain from making any more content for the foreseeable future.
An explicit reason for this hiatus was not stated by Cover or Shion, but she did mention that she hopes to meet with fans again once she returns to feeling her best. She also included that it would make her the most happy if her fans didn’t worry too much and waited patiently for her return.
Here's the official social media post from Cover regarding the decision about her indefinite hiatus below:
It's the most wonderful time of the year i.e. the last working week for us at the RPS Treehouse, and therefore the last week of the Electronic Wireless Show podcast for 2023. We take a look back at the year that was, in very broad terms - was 2023, in fact, a good year for games? - share our favourite games of 2023, and talk about the games we're playing right now. It appears Nate is quite unfamiliar with time travel films. We also think up some some resolutions for next year, and you've also got our regular recommendations to look forwards to at the end of the show. Plus, Nate does a thrilling end of year quiz with a question for each month. It goes about as well as you'd expect.
EA Sports FC 24 has continued its hold at the top spot, making it the best-selling game in the 2023 UK retail charts heading into Christmas.
According to the latest GfK data, the game experienced a 29% increase in sales after a slight dip last week. Hogwarts Legacy returned to No.2 due to a 17% boost in sales, pushing Super Mario Bros Wonder down to No.3.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 stayed at No.4, while Spider-Man 2 rose from No.7 to round out the Top 5.
2023 is almost over, folks. I’d say, “We made it,” but who am I kidding? 2024 will begin, and all the same shit that made 2023 a non-stop hellscape will continue in perpetuity. But 2023 did have a lot of cool games, and every December, we gather to talk about our favorites. We’re doing it here at Kotaku, as well. You…
Idol Corp took to social media to announce that Vtuber Momo Otako is now be on hiatus. The reason for the break, which is indefinite, is to allow her time to focus on her health and recover.
Here is Idol Corp’s statement about Momo. It didn’t offer any details about her condition, but did offer well wishes as she goes through treatment.
Momo herself also offered a brief statement on the situation. She wished people a Merry Christmas and thanked people for their understanding.
Death Stranding's iPhone, iPad and Mac release has been delayed.
Originally set to arrive on an unspecified date this year, publisher 505 Games said that it and Kojima Productions had now decided to move the release into 2024.
"We just need a little more time," 505 wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, earlier today.
Square Enix announced a new FFVII Ever Crisis Character Quest starring Barret. "A Dad's Struggles" is available now in-game.
These sorts of quests tend to flesh out stories that people might be aware of, due to events in the game, but that never were told in game-format or given as much attention. In the case of this story, we get to see more insight into the relationship between Barret and his daughter Marlene. While the announcement didn’t explain exactly how the story will go or what rewards it will net players who go through it, it did share a trailer showing part of the story.
Here’s the first teaser for the FFVII Ever Crisis Barret Character Quest Code 1 “A Dad’s Struggles.” It appears to show Barret carrying Marlene via a wrap around his chest. They’re out in the wild. He also keeps asserting, “Daddy’s gonna make it!”
Onkyo has revealed new VR goggles with NieR Automata Ver1.1a and YoRHa brands. It will open pre-orders on Friday, December 22, 2023, at 3 PM JST (1 AM ET). The item will cost ¥15,000 (~$105.50). International shipments for the item may also be available, as Onkyo's web store supports the Buyee widget.
The smartphone VR goggles will be based on the Homido Prime VR headset, which normally costs €69.99 (~$77). Onkyo's official X account added that the device 9S used in the tenth episode of the Ver1.1a anime will serve as a design basis for the goggles.
The VR goggles will not be Onkyo's first NieR Automata-branded item. The company had previously released earphones with YoRHa logos in 2022. Other companies have also revealed audio-related items with the popular game brand, such as Yamaha's game streaming mixers and Arma Bianca's AirPods cases.
2023 was a rough year for a lot of people. But even a shitty year like this one can offer up tiny moments of happiness or wonderful trinkets that we can all enjoy for a bit before we go back to doomscrolling on whatever social media service we’re using as the best Twitter replacement.
If you find yourself thinking, "you know what, I feel more like grazing a big Smörgåsbord of culinary delights rather than taking on a herd of Grazers with Aloy right now", then I have good news. There is an official Horizon cookery book in the works.
Known as Tastes of the Seven Tribes, this book will allow you to whip up a batch of spicy Fireclaw stew or even some Bitterbrew Boar (which is described as "mouth-watering").
It's coming from Insight Editions, Rick Barba and prolific recipe writer Victoria Rosenthal, whose name you may recognise from a myriad of other video game related cookery books such as God of War's Official Cookbook of the Nine Realms and the Donlan-approved Destiny cookbook.
Epic Games Store has relaxed its content guidelines for publishers to allow games which have been rated Adults Only by the ESRB, so long as the rating has only been applied due to the presence of blockchain technology.
The subtle changes were noticed two days ago on 19th December, when Epic announced two games, Gods Unchained and Striker Manager 3, have been relisted on its storefront. Both games were removed from the store after they received an Adults Only rating from the ESRB in the USA.
Previously, Epic banned all games with an Adults Only rating from its store but has openly welcomed blockchain games. In order to allow Gods Unchained and Striker Manager 3 back onto its store, Epic has tweaked its policies on prohibited content.
3goo has announced that it will release the Japanese version of UFO Robot Grendizer: The Feast of the Wolves for PlayStation 5 and 4 on April 18, 2024. It will include Japanese voiceovers, and Microids will also add the new voice option to the global release once the game is formally out in Japan.
The Japanese version will have a different subtitle: Tatoe Waga Inochi Tsukiru tomo (Even if My Life Were to Perish). A limited Collector's Edition will be available at ¥7,980 (~$56), and it will include an artbook, two character pins, a Grendizer keychain, an original soundtrack album, and four postcards. The Japanese box will still have less content than the European Collector's Edition, which comes with a 25cm (~9.84 inches) tall figurine and costs more at £249.99 (~$316).
3goo has also published a new trailer to announce the Japanese release date. But while the end of the trailer confirms the inclusion of Japanese voiceovers, it mostly reused the English launch trailer with English voiceovers while adding Japanese subtitles.
Earlier this month, developer Bethesda Game Studios revealed on the Starfield subreddit that it was working on new ways to travel, mod support, and more for the game. Now, the company has expanded on its 2024 plans for Starfield in a new end-of-year update, including additional ship customization.
"We'll be adding new ways to travel and you'll now be able to access city maps while exploring the major cities," the update reads. "For those who love ship building, we'll also be expanding on ship customization with ship decorations, new ship building options, and more.
"We're also excited to be adding all new gameplay options. With these new settings, you'll be able to alter your gameplay to allow for an easier or more challenging experience that will expand beyond our normal 'difficulty' setting. These will also you to easily customize carry capacity, cargo access distance, ship damage, vendor credits, how you suffer afflictions, new survival mechanics, and more."
Bethesda says these updates will begin rolling out in February, with the team targeting updates roughly every six weeks.
As 2023 winds to a close, one of the most common refrains from those in and around the video game industry is how this year was one for the history books, and gave us one of the very best game release calendars we've ever seen. While this is true regardless of genre, with highly anticipated sequels like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 being some of this year’s best-reviewed games on Metacritic, it's especially true for horror games.
It wasn't that long ago that horror fans didn't have a lot to get excited about--I recall the Xbox 360/PS3 era being particularly barren, with only a few notable exceptions. But as major studios learn to make the age of high-fidelity gaming work for the genre and indie studios continue to innovate in haunting new ways, 2023 will go down as perhaps the best calendar year for horror video games we've ever seen.
Don't believe me? Just crunch the numbers. Looking at the top of Metacritic's aggregate scores for 2023, three horror games boast 90+ scores, with nine total games garnering scores of 73 or higher. I've tried to find a year that competes with that and I came up empty. That's because not only were this year's horror games really good, but there were also many of them. Horror is not a tentpole genre the way shooters, action-adventure games, and sports are. It's more of a dressing for some major genres, which usually means only a handful of horror games rise to the middle or top each year. Yes, Steam is loaded with new horror games every single month, but many of those are games churning through early access and often aren't ready to be enjoyed yet, if ever.
Before you open this door on the Advent Calendar, make sure you have enough batteries for your mega-powered torch. The environment be damned, throw those spent batts on the floor where you stand and open-palm slam the new ones in, because light is the only way you're getting out of here alive.
Super Mario Run, Nintendo's first mobile game to feature its moustachioed mascot, has been updated with a tie-in to recent Switch game Super Bros. Mario Wonder.
The smartphone app now lets you activate Wonder Flowers during levels in the game's Toad Rally mode, as part of a special event that runs until 14th March 2024.
What happens in Super Mario Run when you activate a Wonder Flower? Well, you can see the process in the video below.
A Plague Tale: Requiem was one of my favourite games of last year. You might have noticed I recorded - and wrote - a whole Making Of A Plague Tale feature earlier this year. Well, I also spoke to the standout star of it - Charlotte McBurney - who plays Amicia in the game. We spoke shortly before she found out whether she'd won the Performer in a Lead Role BAFTA, which sadly she didn't - Kratos' Christopher Judge did. Nor did I manage to publish our conversation, because this year has been very busy. But now there's a bit of quiet, I'm returning to it, to release it as something of a Christmas gift.
Charlotte McBurney has had an incredible rise to fame. She was only 16 when she was cast in the first A Plague Tale game, Innocence, during the middle of her GCSE exams. Then, when it came time to record, she had to run home from sixth form college to fit it in.
The developer of the game, Asobo, was cautious with McBurney in A Plague Tale: Innocence. She was young and the studio wasn't sure what she could do - they knew this was McBurney's first voice acting job. It didn't take long for McBurney to pick up the skills she needed, though, nor did it take long for Asobo to realise the talent she had. The role quickly increased.
Yesterday, The Pokémon Company announced it will add an epilogue to the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero next month.
The epilogue will be available to players once they complete the main quests of the DLC's two adventures, The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk, and a "certain" postgame event in the base game.
Fans are speculating what the epilogue might contain and are hoping to see Nemona, Penny, and Arven from the base game added to the DLC. However, for fans who are too impatient to wait, the epilogue has already been datamined and shared online.
If there are some games you would rather your friends and family didn't know you were playing, for whatever reason that may be, Steam has your back.
As part of its recent Steam Client Beta update, Valve has added the ability for players to mark certain games as private. How handy!
"Starting today you'll be able to mark specific games as private and they'll disappear from anywhere they'd be viewed by someone other than you," it wrote on Steam.
War Thunder players are back at it, posting more restricted military documents on the game's forums when discussing the game's vehicles.
This is not a rare occurence, as War Thunder players have become known for uploading military documents to win arguments against other players or to argue developer Gaijin Entertainment over the realism of the vehicles. It's happened again, not once but twice last week.
On 11th December, one user posted training material for the Norinco VT-4 tank (as reported by Cyber Daily). On 12th December, a user posted a manual for the M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (as reported by Task and Purpose).
Rocksteady has now confirmed the return of iconic DC Comics character Poison Ivy in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
The character - now just named Ivy - returns in Suicide Squad with a radically changed appearance following her apparent demise in 2015's Arkham Knight. (As a reminder, Suicide Squad is a canonical follow-up to the Arkham series, also developed by Rocksteady).
Rocksteady debuted Ivy's new appearance via an extended look at the character in a fresh developer diary, which you can watch below.
Newzoo has maintained its games market forecast for 2023 to remain at $184 billion in its annual review.
In October, the data firm lowered its games market value forecast predicting a stable growth of 0.6%, which it attributed to challenges in the mobile market.
Earlier this year, Newzoo estimated that the global games market would rise by 2.6% to reach $187 billion in 2023.
Can you believe it, but it is nearly the end of 2023. We made it guys! While many of us will likely be setting our sights on a bottle of Baileys and novelty Christmas pudding shaped confectionery, Bethesda is still all business, and has laid out its Starfield plans for 2024.
In a new blog post, Bethesda promised to provide "updates roughly every six weeks starting in February".
These updates will include everything from Quality of Life improvements to content and feature updates, such as new ways to travel, new ways to customise ships and new gameplay options which will allow players to further adjust their difficulty levels.
Come, take a flick through World of Horror's rolodex of nightmares; see faces flayed by vengeful wives, wild-eyed teachers with rictus grins, soul-bartering telemarketers, trypophobia-inducing latticework rendered across human skin, and other lurid things.
It is 198X and the world is on the cusp of a technological revolution (and Eldritch annihilation, but we'll get to that), caught between the superstitions of the old world and the suspicions of the new; a place where diabolical rituals are still performed by the light of the moon, while Bulletin Board Systems send murderous dial-up messages from beyond the veil. It's also a world immediately indebted, both visually and tonally, to manga horror master Junji Ito, whose stories of everyday mundanity succumbing to the grotesque here shape countless original horrors drawing upon influences as wide as Lovecraft, Japanese folklore, urban legends, and creepy pasta. Yet for all its reverential pilfering, World of Horror - which technically falls under the banner of rogue-like RPG, even if its text-heavy, point-and-click design feels like something else entirely - still manages to conjure a wonderfully idiosyncratic mood of its own.
When thinking about AMC's involvement in the industry, you'd be forgiven for immediately picturing how it has licensed its star franchise, The Walking Dead, to several game studios over the years.
But that's not its only foray into games. The company actually also runs an indie publisher, headed by (and composed entirely of) AMC Networks director of games Simon Ferrari.
"I started at AMC seven years ago as a freelancer, working mostly on The Walking Dead mobile games," he tells GamesIndustry.biz. "But a little-known thing about AMC is that their approach to the new media landscape is to become an aggregate of boutiques instead of a big, monolithic service."
Hololive Vtuber Kiara Takanashi made a statement clarifying circumstances surrounding her recent End of the Year / Birthday Live 2023 3D concert. The performer clarified on social media that it didn’t happen because of a previous Twitter Space which included commentary regarding a 3D concert and noted that she was recording this performance when she did have that talk.
Back on November 18, 2023, Kiara hosted a zatsudan Twitter Space during which she discussed things such as her desire to do a 3D concert. She brought up how other Hololive Vtubers like Calliope Mori and Hoshimachi Suisei got those opportunities, and how she wanted to do something similar for DoKomi. At the time, she mentioned, “Please let me do [a 3D concert] too. I want to do it too, please.” She also brought up wanting an anniversary 3D and “insisting on it since February [2023].” She also mentioned it feeling “discouraging” and “disheartening” at the time.
You can listen to that below. Discussions about it come up at about the 49 minute mark.
In a brief interaction on social media, Danganronpa series creator Kazutaka Kodaka commented on the type of games he creates. In his statement, the developer explained that he values creating games that he himself likes and prefers to make distinct projects rather than “perfect” games.
Kodaka first shared two posts on his personal social media account on December 18 and 19, 2023, about the physical edition of Rain Code currently being discounted, and added that this was “a chance to play the best visual novel and the best detective game” with “the best stories and characters.”
When another user stated that Kodaka was “feeling himself,” the developer once again shared a post going into detail about the type of games he creates. Kazutaka Kodaka emphasized the importance of liking the projects he works on, regardless of how well they sell, and his wish for people with similar sensibilities to play the games he makes.
You can read the original post by Kazutaka Kodaka here:
You’ve heard it time and time again—2023 was a huge year for game releases, which made the battle for game of the year (GOTY) at sites and award shows across the globe hard-fought and difficult. Baldur’s Gate 3 won at this year’s Game Awards, other publications have handed the crown to Tears of the Kingdom, and Kotaku’…
Hololive VTuber Yukihana Lamy updated her fans on her current health condition and future plans for her streaming activities via social media. As her doctors have not been able to identify the cause of her illness at this time, she has been instructed not to stream until given official approval.
In her post, Lamy mentioned that she is being examined by doctors to determine the cause of her poor health condition. She said she wishes to work with her manager to continue to communicate with her fans, even though she is feeling ill. Additionally, it has been decided that she will not go through with her planned Heaven Burns Red stream. However, she will watch the upcoming Christmas live with her fans via chat. She ended her announcement by saying that she is trying to recover so that she may return to streaming as soon as possible.
You can see the official announcement from regarding the current break Hololive Vtuber Yukihana Lamy is taking in her social post below:
Controversial Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick will depart the company on 29th December, it's been announced.
Kotick's reign lasted 32 years, during which time the company became one of the biggest and most influential video games publishers on the planet.
His departure this month is not unexpected - Activision Blizzard had previously confirmed Kotick's presence only until the end of this year to "ensure a smooth and seamless integration" following Microsoft's long-winded but ultimately successful $68.7bn acquisition. Now, we know exactly when Kotick leaves and how the company will be shaped without him.
Platform:
PlayStation 5
Publisher:
Square Enix
Developer:
Square Enix
Release:
Rating:
Teen
Final Fantasy VII Remake set the tone for what players could expect from this three-part retelling of the beloved 1997 Square RPG. The excellent updates to the combat system, the fantastic expansions on character relationships, and the stellar production values told us Square Enix is not taking the responsibility of remaking one of its most iconic games lightly. However, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth looks to take several components of the experience to the next level, largely thanks to its emphasis on side content.
I hated how Final Fantasy XVI handled Jill. Despite being a Dominant, for most of the game she feels like she exists to elevate Clive and provide motivations for his actions. Now that I’ve gone through the Echoes of the Fallen DLC for Final Fantasy XVI, it feels like another reminder that the game’s heroine isn’t getting her due.
Jill’s existence as an accessory for Clive kicks off in the story’s beginning. While she’s shown growing up alongside Clive and Joshua and being present before the events that set things in motion, she’s quickly left behind. She’s there to act as a foil to the more important Rosfield brothers during their introduction, then quickly disappears onto the sidelines while the two of them head to the life-changing events at Phoenix Gate.
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Bobby Kotick will resign after more than 30 years as CEO of Activision Blizzard.
In a formal announcement to employees, the executive said he would be leaving on December 29.
Xbox owners haven't had many wireless controller options in the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One eras. Microsoft's wireless protocol has largely been limited to standard first-party controller and high-end Elite Series 2. Great third-party wired controllers exist for Xbox, but we're only now starting to see officially licensed wireless controllers from manufacturers outside of Microsoft. PowerA released a solid mid-range Xbox controller earlier this year, and now Turtle Beach has joined the party with the officially licensed Stealth Ultra, a premium alternative to the Elite Series 2. Turtle Beach's Stealth Ultra is pricey at $200, but it's an incredible controller that's worth your consideration.
The Stealth Ultra retains the conventional Xbox controller layout. Though it doesn't have the same heft to it as the Elite Series 2, it has superb ergonomics with textured grips and a premium finish. As far as inputs go, I actually prefer the Stealth Ultra to the Elite Series 2, which was a surprise since the Elite Series 2 has long been my favorite controller. Buttons, triggers, and sticks are a cut above their Elite Series 2 counterparts (and most controllers in general).
We knew that Activision Blizzard’s longtime CEO, Bobby Kotick, would be stepping down at the end of this year following Microsoft’s historic acquisition of his company—but we didn’t know that he’d officially leave on the last workday of 2023, technically two days before the end of the year. This tidbit was one of…
Elden Ring’s very Soulslike OST will be performed live in the UK for the first time next April, as a “Symphonic Adventure” concert based on the game’s score heads to London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Good job folks, that’s another year down. This year, like so many recent years, was a mess as we continued to deal with the ongoing effects of the pandemic while governments and businesses around the world pretended everything is better now. And now, I can’t even complain about it on Twitter because the site sucks, is…
Two Pokemon Scarlet and Violet bugs involving leveling up the Pokemon Inkay and crafting the TM 223 Metal Sound will be fixed soon. Nintendo and Game Freak acknowledge these bugs, and confirmed that Ver. 3.0.1 will fix the issues, and is scheduled to release after late January 2024.
The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Inkay bug appears when using Rare Candy or Experience Candy to level up the Pokemon when it is under level 30. After the level up message appears, there is a chance that button inputs won’t register and players will be effectively soft locked. This issue can be avoided by not using leveling items before Inkay reaches level 30 until the patch arrives.
Meanwhile, the bug involving the TM 223 Metal Sound affects its crafting materials. At the time of writing, one of the components used to create TM 223 is only available from Shieldon, which is exclusive to Pokemon Violet. As a response to this issue, Game Freak announced that it will give away TM 223 as a Mystery Gift in both Pokemon Scarlet and Violet until the release of patch Ver. 3.0.1.
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has announced he’s stepping down from his position on December 29. The news comes two months after Microsoft officially completed its acquisition of the developer/publisher.
While it was previously announced Kotick would remain as CEO throughout 2023 to help ease the Microsoft/Activision transition, it had been believed (though not confirmed) that he would step down on January 1, 2024. Although his actual departure date is only a few days earlier, it means Activision Blizzard will be kicking off 2024 without Kotick at the helm for the first time in over 30 years.
Microsoft has not yet named Kotick’s replacement. According to The Verge, several other Activision executives will be departing the company through March, including vice chairman of Blizzard and King Humam Sakhnini and chief communications officer Lulu Meservey, who leave in December and January, respectively.