Gaming News

Soulslike Sequel Mortal Shell 2 Announced at Summer Game Fest 2025

Geoff Keighley kicked off Summer Game Fest 2025 with the announcement of Mortal Shell 2. Cold Symmetry's Soulslike is due out at some point in 2026 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. It's a standalone sequel action-RPG with "adrenaline-charged, high-stakes combat." Here's the official blurb: If you need a catch up, check out everything announced at Summer Game Fest 2025. Developing... Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me. Continue reading...

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Hogwarts Legacy Nintendo Switch 2 Review Update

With the Nintendo Switch 2 finally in my hands, naturally the first thing I set out to do was play the stuff that didn’t run great on the original Switch, just to see how much of an improvement the new console is. One at the top of the list was Hogwarts Legacy: an ambitious open-world game that really struggled on Switch. First, let's look back at why I loved it the first time around, when I reviewed it on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. What We Said About Hogwarts Legacy (2023) In nearly every way, Hogwarts Legacy is the Harry Potter RPG I’ve always wanted to play. Its open-world adventure captures all the excitement and wonder of the Wizarding World with its memorable new characters, challenging and nuanced combat, and a...

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Silent Hill f Combat Has 'A Heavier Focus on Melee' and Is 'More Action-Oriented' Than Silent Hill 2 Remake's, Producer Says

Our most recent sighting of Silent Hill f came during Sony's State of Play June 2025 showcase, and with it came our first look at Hinako in action. Literally. For some, the emphasis on combat encounters may be surprising, as Silent Hill is a series that has tended to focus on environmental storytelling and psychological horror over combat. However, this latest trailer — the first we've seen to offer a meaningful glimpse at gameplay and combat — coupled with a new interview with producer Motoi Okamoto, suggest that our protagonist may have to endure a more physical experience. "The game features unique combat," Okamoto said in a post on PlayStation Blog. "The encounters are as challenging as the obstacles that Hinako must overcome in...

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Lies of P: Overture Trailer Leaks Online, Teases Imminent Shadow-Drop

If what looks like a leaked trailer is anything to go by, Lies of P's upcoming DLC, Overture, could shadow-drop very soon. The trailer — which is already making the rounds on social media — concludes with the statement: "Available now." This trailer has leaked just hours ahead of the Summer Game Fest showcase and two days before Microsoft's Xbox Games Showcase, so perhaps we'll get an official announcement and release at one of the presentations. Summer Game Fest kicks off at 2pm PT / 5pm ET today, June 6, while Xbox Games Showcase starts at 10am PT / 1pm ET on June 8. Lies of P is a unique, darker twist on the classic story of Pinocchio, offering a challenging action game with a unique "lie" system where what you do and say...

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Dune: Awakening Addresses Server Stability With First 'Head Start' Patch

Dune: Awakening was down for a couple of hours earlier today as Funcom applied a hotfix to help improve server stability and address a number of issues that have popped up since the game went live for "head start" players yesterday, June 5. Top of the list was "improved server stability" — although there was no specifics — and a pop-up has been added so that when you click on the "Private" tab in the server browser, you'll be informed that these servers are managed externally. (For more about what you do and don't get when you rent a private server, we've got you covered). As for the other fixes? Here you go… Dune: Awakening June 6 Hotfix 11.0.5 Patch Notes Fixed an issue where certain player base placeables’ menu would fail to...

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T-Pain Is Getting His Own Fortnite Character and a Custom World That Is 'Redefining Zone Wars Gameplay'

T-Pain is making his grand debut in Fortnite today, June 6, and IGN can exclusively reveal the first look at his in-game character and details on his custom world that is "redefining Zone Wars gameplay" and giving players the ability to shrink down and battle across T-Pain's gaming setup, use food-powered abilities, and more. T-Pain is making his arrival in Fortnite debut alongside Jack in the Box's Jack Box, and you can check out that first look of the pair in the slideshow below. Among other exciting surprises, players will be able to look forward to the following in 'Jack Zone Wars'; Micro Arena Combat: Players shrink down and battle across T-Pain's oversized gaming setup, using monitors, energy drinks, and controllers as cover...

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After Various Leaks and Voice Actor Comments, Persona 4 Remake Is Reportedly Set for an Official Reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase

Persona 4 Remake — one of the worst-kept secrets in video games — is reportedly set for an official reveal during Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase. Both Windows Central and MP1st reported that the so-far unannounced game will finally get confirmed at the Xbox showcase this Sunday, June 8. While Atlus’ Persona 4 Remake will be announced during the Xbox Games Showcase, it’s set for launch across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. A Nintendo Switch 2 version remains up in the air. Persona 4 Remake has endured a number of remarkable leaks from voice actors who have said they are not in the game. Last month, three of the original voice actors said they weren’t coming back for Persona 4 Remake — despite Persona 4 Remake not being...

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Summer 2025 State of Play Breaks Viewing Record for Sony

The bumper State of Play June 2025 showcase set a peak concurrent viewership record for Sony. Sony kicked off the summer reveal season with a bang, presenting a smorgasbord of new games to whet our appetites going into Summer Games Fest Week, including peeks at 007 First Light, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Romeo is a Dead Man, and Silent Hill f. According to Streams Charts, this week's State of Play peaked at over 2.2 million live viewers for the first time in the series’ history. According to data compiled by the website, State of Play now ranks as the third most-popular gaming or tech showcase of 2025 by peak concurrent viewership. Only two Nintendo Direct presentations pulled in...

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Elden Ring Nightreign Developer FromSoftware Concludes Server Maintenance Designed to Improve Matchmaking

Elden Ring Nightreign developer FromSoftware has concluded a fresh round of server maintenance designed to improve matchmaking. During the game’s launch weekend, FromSoftware acknowledged Elden Ring Nightreign matchmaking issues and offered suggestions to players affected, including restarting the matchmaking process and, specifically on PlayStation 4 and 5, checking their NAT type. Now, following server maintenance conducted on June 6 “to improve expedition matchmaking with an active Remembrance,” online functionalities have been restored, and fans are hoping for a better experience. “Thank you for your patience, Nightfarers,” FromSoftware said. “Limveld awaits.” Despite these issues, Elden Ring Nightreign sold 3.5 million copies...

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Dune: Awakening Hit Nearly 100,000 Concurrent Players on Steam — and It's Not Even Properly Out Yet

Dune: Awakening isn't even properly out yet, but it has already set a concurrent player record on Steam of almost 100,000 players. According to Steam's official stats, Dune: Awakening peaked at 93,634 concurrent players yesterday, June 5, even though the game only released for "head start" (read: early access) players who bought either the $69.99 Deluxe Edition or the $89.99 Ultimate edition. For everyone else, the game goes live on June 10, 2025. Concurrent players isn't the only metric we should use when measuring how successful a game is, of course, but it's a good starting point, even though it doesn't account for players on other platforms (not that Dune: Awakening is available on other platforms just yet; the PS5 and Xbox Series...

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Cyberpunk 2077 Is Getting Another Surprise Final Patch: 'We Have Been Cooking for You in Secret…'

Cyberpunk 2077 was thought done and dusted, and with good reason — CD Projekt had said it was itself! But alas, just when you thought the developer was out, it pulled itself back in, and now fans are set to get a surprise last (for real this time) patch for the game. CD Projekt announced patch 2.3 is coming to Cyberpunk 2077. “We have been cooking for you in secret for a bit,” Paweł Sasko, Associate Game Director at CD Projekt on Cyberpunk 2, said in a post on social media. “As usual, I'm taking care of the update personally and we will communicate more, when it's ready. Much love chooms 🥰” CD Projekt didn’t say what is in patch 2.3, but given how meaningful December 2024's patch 2.2 was, fans are already getting excited. Let’s...

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Black Myth: Wukong Finally Makes Its Way to Xbox Series X/S on August 20

Black Myth: Wukong, the action RPG inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West, will finally make its way to Xbox Series X/S on August 20, 2025, exactly one year after it was released on PS5 and PC. Xbox shared the news on Twitter/X, saying, "You are the Destined One. Black Myth: Wukong is coming August 20. Pre-order begins June 18!" Black Myth: Wukong has been a megahit, as it has sold over 25 million copies as of January 31, 2025. However, its absence from Xbox Series X/S has always been notable since it was never billed outright as an exclusive. There were sources who claimed the delay was due to a Sony exclusivity deal and not tech issues, but the boss of Black Myth: Wukong developer Game Science, Fen Ji...

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AU Deals: Why This Moza Multi-Function Peripheral is Worth Stalking for Deeper Immersion, Best Prices, and More!

My old man is a stoic, rug-on-Valium kind of guy, and it takes a lot to make him shriek like a horror movie starlet. That said, I do recall seeing him on the verge of this as he clawed at the dash of my ‘86 Ford Laser during my very first L’s lesson. It would be the one and only father-son attempt we’d make. He gladly shelled out for professional lessons (and possibly therapy for himself) the next day. Somehow, it’s now 30 years later, and that fond memory now terrifies me. Soon, I’ll have to repeat the exact same process, albeit riding shotgun as I watch my eldest son “drive.” To put that danger into sharper focus, he’s been raised on a diet of Burnout games and the drift-centric anime called Initial D. Being an ideas man who...

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Borderlands 2 Goes Free to Keep on Steam, Where Recent EULA Changes Have Sparked a 'Mostly Negative' User Review Rating Across the Entire Franchise

Gearbox Software is giving away Borderlands 2 for free on Steam, but some fans are warning others to stay away from the series due to a recent controversy surrounding its terms of service. The studio behind the looter-shooter series surprised PC gamers with the free offer today, allowing all Steam users to add the sequel to their libraries for free. It’s a freebie that grants access to the 2012 title at no extra cost, but as many share their excitement online, Borderlands 2 Steam reviews are telling a different story. While the All Reviews section boasts a “Very Positive” rating on Steam with more than 287,000 user reviews, the more than 3,300 Recent Reviews have the second Borderlands game’s reactions labeled “Mostly Negative.” The...

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AU Deals: Freebie Borderlands 2 and Deathloop, A Slew of Switch 2 Launch Title Savings, and More!

Those game shop and digital shelves are looking mighty tempting this Friday, with price drops that’ll loosen even the tightest wallet strings. Whether you’re planning a wintry weekend indoors or chipping away at your gaming backlog, this fresh stack of discounts across consoles and PC has something worth clicking into. From long-awaited sequels to welcome cuts on prime Switch 2 launch titles. This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I'm celebrating the 22nd birthday of WarioWare Inc., the Game Boy Advance grandaddy of a beloved microgames empire. Along with absurd tasks like picking one's nose skillfully or shooting a bidet sprayer at a starfish-shaped something, I recall being delighted with the snippets from NES classics and this weirdly...

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4 Upgraded Sega Games on the Nintendo Switch 2

The day has finally arrived — the Nintendo Switch 2 is here! Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably already know that. What you might not know is that Sega has four games coming to the console, three of which are available now and one with a release date fast approaching. This batch of games brings some titles to the Switch for the first time and covers a range of genres. From pure action to platforming to puzzles, there’s a little something for everyone, whether you’re a solo gamer or want something to play with friends. If you’re one of the many people who has a shiny new Switch 2, here are some options to get the most out of it. Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut This is the definitive edition of the Yakuza series’ origin...

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Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 Shadow-Drop on Xbox Game Pass as Part of Impressive June 2025 Lineup That Also Includes Crash Bandicoot 4

Microsoft has announced Wave 1 of the June 2025 Xbox Game Pass lineup, which includes a shadow-drop of Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2. As detailed on Xbox Wire, Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Editions (Cloud and Console) are available today, June 5, on Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass Standard. Perfect timing for anyone who’s wrapped up Baldur’s Gate 3 and wonders how the series began. Bizarrely, neither game is on PC Game Pass. Moving on to June 10, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) hit Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. This is the reworked first Space Marine game, which comes with quality of life and graphics improvements. Again, it’s well-timed for anyone who...

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Final Fantasy Tactics Was Made To Rally Against Division and Inequality, Creator Says — 'The Will to Resist Is In Your Hands'

Final Fantasy Tactics creator and director Yasumi Matsuno has opened up about how the game came to be, revealing he wrote the story to bring joy to those in an era "robbed of hope." Now, with the long-rumored Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles finally getting a release date later this year, Matsuno posted a heartfelt message to X/Twitter, saying he "offers this story once again," as though addressing the profound unrest and division plaguing us in 2025, too. "Nearly 30 years ago, the collapse of Japan's bubble economy engulfed the nation's financial institutions in mountains of bad debt, triggering a wave of corporate bankruptcies, a sudden and extreme rise in unemployment rates, and stagnation of Japanese society as a...

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Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement, A Prequel to Ritual of the Night, Coming in 2026

Publisher 505 Games and developer ArtPlay have announced Bloodstained prequel Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement for 2026. Set in England during the 16th Century, before the events of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, The Scarlet Engagement sees a mysterious floating castle under the control of Demon Lord Elias terrorizing the people with its demonic forces. You play as two new protagonists: Leonard Brandon — a young fighter with the Church's Black Wolves clan — and Alexander Kyteler, a knight of the Kingdom's White Stags. Together, they rise to defeat Demon Lord Elias’ reign of terror and shatter the chains of a kingdom tormented by evil forces. Created by Koji Igarashi, the mastermind behind classic games like Castlevania...

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Sony's All-New First-Party PlayStation Fight Stick 'Project Defiant' Goes On Sale in 2026

It's 2025, and Sony PlayStation has finally designed its own wireless fight stick for PS5 and PC. Edwin Foo, VP of product development at Sony Interactive Entertainment, said the stick — codenamed internally as Project Defiant — will give players "more flexibility to play their favorite fighting games." Sony promises ultra-low latency through a wireless connection on PS5 or PC, as well as the option to play with a wired connection. This is essential for fighting game fans who need their combo inputs to be as precise and as instant as possible. It also boasts an ergonomic design, a "high-quality digital stick" that's been custom-designed by Sony, and toolless interchangeable restrictor gates, so players can choose between square...

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MindsEye Dev Calls on Fans to Wait for Official Launch After Street Date Breaks a Week Early, Confirms 'Major' Day-One Update for Physical Copies

MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy has called on fans to wait for the official release date before playing the game after some got their hands on a physical copy a week early and took to social media to post their impressions. X / Twitter user @MrHazel88 posted a picture of a physical copy of MindsEye and a series of subsequent tweets bemoaning the state of the game, calling it a “technical mess.” MindsEye officially launches on June 10, which means it’s out in the wild a week early. In response, Build A Rocket Boy took to social media itself to issue a statement calling on players to avoid posting spoilers, and to confirm a day-one update the developer wants fans to have downloaded before they experience the game. This “major”...

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XDefiant Chief Quits Industry Entirely, Claims Ubisoft's Doomed Call of Duty Rival Had 'Very Little Marketing' or 'The Right Resources to Make Content

XDefiant's servers went dark on Tuesday, June 3, a little over a year after Ubisoft's free-to-play arena shooter was released. Ubisoft gave its Call of duty rival just four months before confirming it would discontinue support. Almost half the team lost their jobs as Ubisoft made a swath of cuts across its San Francisco and Osaka studios. Producer Mark Rubin, who led development fo the game having previously worked on the Call of Duty series at Activision, called it a "sad day" in a lengthy statement posted to X/Twitter earlier today. After thanking his co-workers for making a "really fun and terrific game," he announced he's decided to "leave the industry" for good. "In case everyone doesn’t know, the team behind XDefiant was all...

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Tim Sweeney Says Fortnite's Biggest Challenge Is Convincing People It's 'The Everything Game' and Not Just a Battle Royale

Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has discussed the future of Fortnite, and the developer's continued desire to grow the game from something known primarily as a battle royale into a platform that offers experiences of numerous different genres. Several years after Fortnite's much-promoted Big Bang event that launched Lego Fortnite, Rock Band developer Harmonix's Festival and Rocket League maker Psyonix's Rocket Racing, Sweeney told IGN at Unreal Fest 2025 that Epic Games' key issue remained the fact that people still think of Fortnite simply as its leading battle royale portion. "That's our central challenge, to have everybody recognize that Fortnite is the everything game and you can experience anything there," Sweeney said, "and that's...

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James Bond Fans Think They've Worked Out Secret Identity of 007 First Light Actor

Fans of secret agent James Bond haven't taken long to decide who they think is the (not so) mysterious actor playing the role in 007 First Light. The game's new trailer, revealed at Sony's State of Play broadcast, shows off a notably younger-looking Bond, fresh out of the Royal Navy and keen to earn his 00 agent status. But who is playing the title role? Minutes after the trailer aired, fans on reddit began guessing that Dexter: New Blood star Patrick Gibson was the behind the new Bond — and he certainly shares a strong similarity with the character in the trailer. "I clocked it THE SECOND I saw the dirty smirk of his," wrote one 007 aficionado. "Yeah I peeped that as soon as I seen it," said another. "Watching the trailer and knew...

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Romeo Is A Dead Man Hasn't Got a Firm Release Window Because 'Every Publisher Wants to Make Sure to Steer Clear Of That One Game’s Release Date'

It's been some time since we've heard from Goichi "Suda51" Suda's Grasshopper Manufacture, but both he and the studio were back with a vengeance at last night's State of Play, showing off a bombastic trailer for upcoming "ultra violent" sci-fi adventure, Romeo Is a Dead Man. It's so violent, in fact, that GhM calls the violence the "main feature of this game," letting you swap between a wide array of weapons to "unleash wave after wave of splattering blood, and experience unmatched levels of violence and hyper-stimulating action." "At this point, our development team is working at full force to get this thing finished. Back in the day, this would’ve been right around the time when staff members started bringing in sleeping bags to...

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Bethesda Finally Reveals The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered's First Patch — but Performance Improvements Will Have to Wait Until Patch 2

Bethesda has released details of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered’s first post-launch patch, which is available today (June 5, 2025) in Steam beta form before a release across all other platforms on June 11. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered - Update 1.1 is the first of two separate patches to be launched in the coming weeks, Bethesda said in a post on Steam. Both are on Steam Beta first. This first update focuses on quests, major bugs and blockers, and quality of life fixes. The second update will focus on performance. Bethesda said it will share more details “when we are able.” A performance patch is much needed. Oblivion Remastered has enjoyed a hugely successful launch, with over 4 million players and a ‘very...

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PlayStation Plus Summer 2025 Additions Include Resident Evil, Twisted Metal, Sword of the Sea, and More

PlayStation Plus subscribers can look forward to playing a selection of video games, new and old, as part of its Extra and Premium catalogs, including classic titles from the Resident Evil, Twisted Metal, and more. New PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 additions to the ever-changing lineup of titles were revealed during today’s June 2025 State of Play showcase. Every game on the list is prepped to drop at some point throughout the summer, with some titles launching on the service day-one. Sword of the Sea, an atmospheric adventure game about surfing through a colorful oasis, is the headliner here. It’s the next project from the Abzu and The Pathless team at Giant Squid and promises an experience that focuses on skateboarding-like...

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007 First Light Reveals New, Young James Bond, With The Walking Dead's Lennie James Set to Co-Star

Today's PlayStation State of Play broadcast has provided our first proper look at 007 First Light, the upcoming James Bond game from Hitman studio IO Interactive that's due to launch in 2026. A cinematic trailer for the game showcased a fresh-faced James Bond at the beginning of his career as an agent, who joins MI6 and meets new versions of classic characters M, Q and Moneypenny. The trailer also revealed the involvement of The Walking Dead's Lennie James, who will portray Bond’s mentor John Greenway in the game. 007 First Light's trailer reveals this incarnation of James Bond was involved in a childhood tragedy that left him as an orphan aged 11, after which he spent the rest of his childhood in various British boarding schools...

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Nioh 3 Revealed at Sony State of Play June 2025

Team Ninja has officially revealed Nioh 3 today at Sony's State of Play June 2025 presentation. The debut trailer revealed an early 2026 release window for the action RPG sequel, which is set for release across PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam. This time, there are open fields for players to explore and both Ninja and Samurai styles to get to grips with. A demo is live now on PS5 until June 18. Players who complete the demo will unlock an exclusive in-game helmet at launch. Here's the official blurb, from PlayStation Blog: We're pretty big Nioh fans here at IGN. We gave the original Nioh a 9.6/10, calling it "an epic, unforgettable adventure carried by a fierce combat system that cleverly balances style and strategy." We...

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Final Fantasy Tactics' Long-Rumored Remake is Real After All, Includes Voice Acting and Classic Original Version

Surprise! Beloved PlayStation tactics game Final Fantasy Tactics is getting a full-blown remake for modern consoles, as announced at today's Sony State of Play. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will include two versions of the game — the classic original (which includes the War of the Lions translation), and a fresh new version with full-blown voice acting, revamped interface, "extensive additions and adjustments to the story", and smoother visuals. Today's trailer also revealed a release date for the game, which launches for PlayStation 4 and PS5 on September 30, 2025. Rumors of a Final Fantasy Tactics remake or remaster have been circulating since 2021, when a list of upcoming games were datamined from Nvidia GeForce...

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