Gaming News

After Warner Bros. Shut Down Shadow of Mordor Developer Monolith and Canceled Wonder Woman, Fans Lament the 'Wasted Potential' of Its Nemesis System

Yesterday’s shock news that Warner Bros. had shut down three studios and canceled its Wonder Woman game sent shockwaves throughout the industry and the gaming community at large. And as the dust settles on yet another devastating round of cuts, fans of Monolith Productions’ much-loved Nemesis System are lamenting its "wasted potential." The Nemesis System began life as part of Monolith’s well-received 2014 action adventure game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. It fuels randomly named enemies in Sauron's army that are generated uniquely with each playthrough of the game. Each nemesis has their own personality and will rise or fall within their social structure as the game progresses. They are affected by protagonist Talion's actions, and...

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How Long Is Monster Hunter Wilds?

It is finally time for Monster Hunter Wilds as it makes its way to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The next entry in the long-running beast-battling action series from Capcom follows in the large footprints of its predecessor Monster Hunter World and its generous Iceborne expansion. But just how long is it? Here we’ll let you know exactly how many hours it took different members of the IGN team to finish the main story, what they prioritised doing with their time, and how much they’ve put into the postgame. Tom Marks - Executive Reviews Editor, Games I took just under 15 hours to reach the credits in Monster Hunter Wilds’ campaign - and that’s the actual end of the story, unlike the first credit roll in Monster Hunter Rise, which comes...

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This Fan-Favorite Sims Character Is Finally Making an Appearance in The Sims 4

Careful, Sim fans... The Burglar is back. The Burglar, a familiar sight for those of us who've spent time with any of the older Sims games, is sneaking back into your life as part of the latest update for The Sims 4. Rolling out across PC and console, the update (re)introduces Robin Banks, which means it's time to hide your valuables well out of sight. She only strikes at night, usually only sneaking into homes when everyone's asleep, but she has been known to attempt a daring heist even when Sims are awake... so be alert. To combat the thief, Sims can make use of the handy burglar alarm. If Banks trips it, the police are guaranteed to turn up in time to arrest her and recover your goods. But even homes without an alarm can call the...

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Tekken 8 Director Blasts Fan for Criticizing Anna Williams' New Look, Saying 'The Content of Your Argument Are Entirely Unconstructive, Utterly Pointl

Tekken 8 veteran Anna Williams is returning to the roster, and while her redesign seems to be going down well with most fans, some aren't so sure and are even comparing her new look to Santa Claus. When one fan asked Tekken game director and chief producer Katsuhiro Harada if the development team could bring back the "old Anna design," Harada slammed the criticism, saying: "If you prefer the old design, I am not taking those away from you." "While 98% of the fans are welcoming this, there will always be people like you," Harada wrote. "I understand and sympathize that it may not suit your personal taste, but if you prefer the old design, past works already exist. I am not taking those away from you. "Also, you refer to yourself as...

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FragPunk Preview: Exclusive Hands-on with New Character Chum and Dongtian Map

Hot on the heels of the global success of Marvel Rivals and with other popular live-service games like Naraka: Bladepoint and Once Human under its belt, NetEase has turned its attention to the hero shooter genre with FragPunk. New internal development team Bad Guitar Studio is made up of young, hardcore FPS fans, and after joining them for a one-hour play session where we tried a new character and map revealed exclusively in this preview, the team’s eye for detail is clear to see. FragPunk’s main game mode is the 5v5 Shard Clash mode. On its surface, this mode resembles your typical Overwatch-like hero shooter skirmish, but it also pulls from a variety of influences to mix up the gameplay. The rounds in this mode are closer to the...

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AU Deals: Save a Heap on Must Have Horror Games, Indiana Jones, RoboCop, Harry Potter, and More!

Once again, it’s time for me to level up your library without breaking your bank account. Today is all about bringing legendary adventures, pulse-pounding action, and some deep cuts into game prices. Personally, I’m all about a sub-15-buck Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered, as it’s basically the Ghostbusters 3 we should have been on a movie screen. I will also extol the brilliance of Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut to anyone who will listen (especially when its price has been katana sliced in half). This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I'm celebrating the dual 16 year birthdays of Halo Wars and Killzone 2. The former was a gateway RTS that deftly dodged between the hardcore micromanagement of real-time strategy and the...

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Warner Bros. Cancels Wonder Woman Game, Closes Three Studios

Warner Bros. is canceling its planned Wonder Woman game and shutting down three studios: Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego, according to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier. Schreier broke the news on Bluesky today, followed by the release of a full report on Bloomberg. Shortly after Schreier's post, WB confirmed the shut downs to Kotaku in a statement: Earlier this year, another Bloomberg report suggested Wonder Woman was in trouble after rebooting and switching directors in early 2024. This came amid larger struggles at the company's gaming division, including layoffs at Rocksteady, the lukewarm reception to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and the shutdown of MultiVersus. And even more recently, WB...

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Edge of Memories, a New JRPG, Announced for PC, PS5, and Xbox

Introducing Edge of Memories, a new JRPG for PC, PS5, and Xbox from Nacon and developer Midgar Studio. It's the sequel to 2021's Edge of Eternity. It's being worked on by decorated team, including Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsda, NieR lyricist Emi Evans, Xenoblade Chronicles character designer Raita Kazama, and Final Fantasy XV combat designer Mitsuru Yokoyama. In Edge of Memories' world of Heyron, the Corrosion has either killed or transformed inhabitants into "misshapen abominations." You play as Eline, with Ysoris and Kanta in your party, as you travel through the Corrosion-ravaged continent of Avaris. Check out the announcement trailer above, and the first screenshots in the gallery below. Combat in Edge of Memories is...

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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 Rated on Singaporean Website

Add some more fuel to the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater remake rumor fire! Singapore's rating board has rated "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4" for a 2025 release. The rumored remake, consisting of the next two mainline games in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, would be heading to a hefty lineup of platforms. The ratings board lists Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S as platforms for the THPS collection. No official confirmation has arrived just yet for this collection, though a countdown timer spotted in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is teasing some Tony Hawk's Pro Skater news is coming. The countdown is ticking down to March 4, 2025. Additionally, Tony Hawk told Mythical Kitchen that he's been talking to...

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Mecha Break Is Garnering Tons of Players on Steam, but With a ‘Mostly Negative’ User Review Rating — Here’s Why

Mecha Break recently launched into a new round of open beta play on Steam, and quickly dethroned some titans in the process. Even though it's just a glimpse of the final experience, Mecha Break's demo is bumping elbows with the likes of Marvel Rivals, Grand Theft Auto V, Apex Legends, and Naraka Bladepoint. So why's it got such a bad rating on Steam? The open beta launch pulled in over 300,000 players on Steam, deseating Marvel Rivals and hitting a top-four place in the most played games on Valve's platform. Even right now, at the time of writing this, Amazing Seasun Games' mecha battler has the fourth-highest concurrent players per SteamDB, though it falls behind Rivals' 24-hour peak. Popularity doesn't naturally incur positivity...

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Fable Delayed to 2026, Microsoft Reveals Brand New Pre-Alpha Gameplay

Microsoft has delayed Fable from its 2025 release window to some point in 2026, while also providing a first look at brand new gameplay. Fable is the upcoming reboot of the Xbox franchise made famous by the now defunct Lionhead Studios. It’s in the works at UK studio Playground, which is known for the much-loved Forza Horizon series of driving games. In the latest episode of the Xbox Podcast, Craig Duncan (formerly Rare studio head who took over as head of Xbox Game Studios last fall) moved to reassure fans that this new Fable game is “definitely worth the wait.” “I just want to start with, really excited about progress,” Duncan began. “Really excited about where Playground are. We previously announced the date for Fable as 2025. We...

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The Avowed Secret Side Quest That Hides a Huge Consequence

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Avowed’s second region, Emerald Stair. The second act of Avowed ends tragically. Fior mes Ivèrno, the town at the centre of the Emerald Stair region, burns to the ground. Its people, already pushed to the edge of starvation thanks to failed harvests, are driven from their homeland by the tyrannical Steel Garotte, an army of fanatical paladins from the invading Aedyr Empire. When the flames finally fade, the city is removed from your map, its ruins occupied by the paladins who razed it. But this is an Obsidian game. And so, as the developer’s tradition of branching storylines and player choice dictates, there is a way to prevent the town from burning. But unlike most choice-supporting RPGs...

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Terminull Brigade, a New Roguelike Co-op Shooter, Announced for PC

Pew Pew Games has announced its first game, Terminull Brigade, a free-to-play co-op roguelike shooter for PC with a distinct and colorful art style that offers distinct (and customizable) playstyles. A closed beta test is expected soon. In Terminull Brigade, you fight against AI as one of the Rogueteers, such as Blade, Heynckes, and Aurora in fast-paced third-person shooter combat. You'll equip perks on each run to uniquely customize your playstyle, with each run building up to a big boss battle that will require precision teamwork. “We are incredibly proud to introduce Terminull Brigade to the world,” said Game Design Director Ning Ni. “Our team has poured their passion into crafting an experience that brings fresh excitement to PvE...

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Two Point Museum Review

After the past few years of hit-and-miss business sims I had convinced myself that the real heyday of tycoon games was back in the ‘90s, but Two Point Museum may have finally changed my mind. It's not a huge, revolutionary departure from Two Point Studios' recent run of quirky games, Hospital and Campus, but this time they've finally perfected the recipe. With its varied and challenging management layer, tons of cool props and exhibits to unlock, and a refreshingly dry sense of humor, I sometimes had a hard time dragging myself away from it. The thing that impresses me most about Two Point Museum compared to other recent games like Planet Coaster 2 is that it actually seems interested in challenging you to manage the finances of your...

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Monster Hunter Wilds Could Be The Best Entry For Newcomers Yet

Monster Hunter games are famous for their massive weapons, brutal fights, and seemingly endless grinding. This reputation often makes them seem intimidating to newcomers. But as a long-time player who’s been playing Monster Hunter since the series’ first entry (no need to look up how long ago that was!), I disagree. The series isn’t nearly […] Continue reading...

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Tekken 8 Hits 3 Million Sold a Year After Launch, Milestone Achieved at a Faster Pace Than Tekken 7

Tekken 8 has sold 3 million copies a year from release, Bandai Namco has announced. The company said it had achieved the sales milestone at a faster pace than Tekken 7, which has so far sold 12 million copies worldwide 10 years after launch. Tekken 8 had sold 2 million units a month after going on sale in January 2024, so it’s sold an additional 1 million units in the last 12 months. “We hope that everyone will stick with us, as we have a lot of cool stuff planned to keep the franchise going,” Bandai Namco said during a live stream update. For context in the fighting game world, NetherRealm’s Mortal Kombat 1 is now up to 5 million copies sold, having gone on sale in September 2023, and Capcom’s Street fighter 6 is on 4.4 million...

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Activision Finally Admits It Uses Generative AI for Some Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Assets After Backlash Following 'AI Slop' Zombie Santa Loading Scre

Call of Duty maker Activision has finally admitted to using generative AI in the development of Black Ops 6, nearly three months after fans had accused the company of creating an “AI slop” Zombie Santa loading screen. In December, following the release of the Season 1 Reloaded update, fans noticed a number of telltale signs in Black Ops 6 loading screens, calling cards, and art used to explain how Zombies community events work. At the centre of the backlash was a loading screen image of Zombie Santa, aka 'Necroclaus,' which some said showed the undead Father Christmas with six fingers. Generative AI often struggles with hands, adding extra fingers where they shouldn't be. Another image of a gloved hand was used to show off a new...

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Quantic Dream Responds to Closure Fears as NetEase Insists It 'Has Not Wavered in Its Global Expansion Plans'

Star Wars: Eclipse developer Quantic Dream has released a statement as reports circulate that Chinese megacorp NetEase was looking to sell off its overseas gaming businesses. With mass layoffs, cancellations, and shutdowns for multiple years now, NetEase's reported withdrawal from western video game development is concerning, particularly given a number of expensive and high-profile games have flopped in spite of high company expectations. However, in a statement posted to LinkedIn, Quantic Dream CEO and head of publishing, Guillaume de Fondaumière, said he was "deeply saddened to learn about the recent layoffs and studio closures affecting some of the NetEase group’s divisions," but assured players that Quantic's studios in Paris and...

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Ubisoft Responds to Assassin's Creed Shadows Leak

Yesterday, February 24, we reported that Assassin’s Creed Shadows had leaked online, with numerous people streaming the game a month ahead of its official release date on March 20. Over the weekend, and as spotted by the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, now-deleted social media posts showed physical copies of the game being sold ahead of its street date, and multiple streams of the unreleased game popped up on platforms like Twitch. Developer and publisher Ubisoft has now responded to the leak, confirming on the Assassin's Creed subreddit that it was aware of the issue, and implored players not to "spoil the experience for others." "We are aware players have accessed Assassin’s Creed Shadows ahead of its official release. The...

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ID@Xbox Showcase February 2025 - Every Game Pass Game Announced In One Handy Place

Microsoft's latest ID@Xbox Showcase has been and gone, stuffed with updates and announcements from some of the best indie games around, including Balatro, which shadow-dropped onto Xbox Game Pass yesterday, February 24. Another fan-favorite indie, Buckshot Roulette, is also making the jump to Xbox. Within a year of its release back in December 2023, the tabletop horror game was a hit, taking over four million of us through a fiendish – and terrifying – game of Russian roulette with a pump-action shotgun. But those aren't the only games jumping onto Microsoft's subscription service. We've rounded up all the new indie games confirmed at last night's show as coming to Xbox Game Pass later in 2025. Xbox Game Pass 2025 lineup: Balatro...

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Silent Hill 2 Remake Developer Bloober Signs Deal for Another Game for Konami — Could It Be More Silent Hill?

Bloober Team has announced it has signed a deal with Konami to make a new game based on the Japanese company’s IP, following the successful release of the Silent Hill 2 remake. While neither Bloober nor Konami said what the game is, or which franchise it’s in, given Bloober’s expertise with horror games and the success of the 2 million-selling Silent Hill 2 remake, another Silent Hill game of some type seems likely. Bloober said Konami will continue as both the publisher and rights holder of the mystery game. Here’s the official blurb from Bloober CEO Piotr Babieno: Silent Hill 2 remake went on sale on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam on October 8, 2024 (there’s no word on an Xbox Series X and S version yet), and just a few days...

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The Best Steam Deck Chargers for an Extra Power Boost

The original Steam Deck has a notoriously terrible battery life; the Steam Deck OLED made marginal improvements, but it still won't last all day. You’ll want a reliable USB-C charger close by to make sure you don’t run out of juice during pivotal game moments. Our favorite charger for Steam Deck is the compact and speedy Anker 715 Charger. Whether you’re after the best power bank for charging on the go, something cheap to leave in the car or office, or a wall charger rocking extra ports to top off multiple devices simultaneously, we’ve got you covered. TL; DR – The Best Steam Deck Chargers One of the best Steam Deck accessories you can grab is obviously a charger – the one the Steam Deck comes with taps out at 45W, has an attached...

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AU Deals: Hook Sling Into the Hottest Monster Hunter Wilds Deals, Cheap AAA Must Owns, and More!

Gamers of all genres, bargain hunters, and lovers of digital delights, gather round and get ready to save serious dough. Of particular note, right now is review D-Day for the very well-received Monster Hunter Wilds (worth a preorder). Otherwise, this week's lineup of gaming discounts looks to be packed with unmissable deals, so let's Hook Sling into the best of the bunch. This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I've spent some craaazy money on a 25-shaped birthday cake for Crazy Taxi. This Dreamcast classic was the start of a better-than-fare open-world racing trilogy that was steadily ported across from the arcades. Ludicrously fast and brimming with an uncommon level of freedom in its A to B delivering antics, this version came with...

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The Best Classic Board Games to Play in 2025

Board gaming is great in part because of the variety of new options available nowadays. You'll find plenty to choose from, whether you're interested in family board games, strategy board games, or just about any other genre. But just because modern games are the best they've ever been doesn't mean older games are bad. There's a good reason why the best board games have been popular choices for both beginners and veteran players for such a long time. TL;DR: The Best Classic Board Games Modern games are mostly the product of a design trend that dates back to the mid-'90s. So it's of particular interest to go digging for gold in the years prior to that explosion. Here, presented in reverse chronological order, are some of the best...

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Enter Our Sweepstakes to Win Cash, a Vacation, EA SPORTS FC 26, and More

IGN is teaming up with Xfinity for the Kick It With Xfinity Flyaway Sweepstakes, with prizes that include $5,000 cash, an expenses-paid trip to visit the EA Studio in Vancouver, free copies of EA SPORTS FC™ 26, gaming accessories, custom jerseys, and more. Wondering how to enter? All you need to do is follow these simple steps: Equip the Xfinity Connections Kit, which is available for free for all North American accounts via the EA SPORTS FC™ 25 Store. Clip your best plays in EA SPORTS FC™ 25 with the Xfinity Kit equipped. Here are some tips for capturing your highlights and getting the best videos possible. Fill out the entry form at the bottom of this page between 12:00 a.m. PT on February 24th and 11:59 p.m. PT on March 24th, with...

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Warriors: Abyss Review

Stop me if you've heard this pitch before: a warrior is summoned to another world to fight hordes of enemies in the name of a deity usurped by an evil force. Yeah… but while its story and its boss fights might be phoned in, Warriors: Abyss still manages to confidently put the "1v1000" spin of its Dynasty Warriors roots onto the tried and true room-to-room roguelite template of games like Hades, and that’s something I haven’t seen quite as many times before. Combined with one of the most extensive rosters of characters I’ve seen in this genre, a simple yet impactful upgrade system, and screen-filling special attacks, this new roguelite managed to get at least a fair number of those good old “just one more run” hooks in me before its...

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Jump Ship Preview: It's Sea of Thieves Meets Left 4 Dead, and it's Even More Polished and Fun Than Last Year

It was almost exactly one year ago that I walked into a meeting during the Game Developer’s Conference and first got introduced to Jump Ship, a four-player sci-fi PvE shooter that blends mechanics from Sea of Thieves, Left 4 Dead, and FTL into something I thought was extremely special. I recently had a chance to play the latest build with a few of the developers, and let’s just say that if any indie game can break out big in what’s already an absolutely stacked year of releases, I’d bet my money on Jump Ship. As it heads towards an Early Access launch this Summer, it’s more polished and more fun than ever. If you aren’t familiar with Jump Ship already, it’s a non-grindy space romp for up to four players — and I specifically didn’t say...

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Surprise, Balatro's on Xbox Game Pass Now

Today's ID@XBox showcase featured a surprise appearance from everyone's favorite trickster, Jimbo, with a big announcement: Balatro is coming to Xbox Game Pass starting today, and some new friends of Jimbo are coming along with it. During a showcase trailer today, we saw that Balatro is getting another "Friends of Jimbo" update, adding several more face card customizations to the game. Based on the trailer, these appear to include Bugsnax, Civilization, Assassin's Creed, Slay the Princess, Dead by Daylight, and Fallout. Past Friends of Jimbo updates have included The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077, Among Us, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Vampire Survivors, Stardew Valley, and more. This is the fourth Friends of Jimbo update to be released, and...

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ID@Xbox Showcase February 2025: Everything Announced - IGN Fan Fest Day 1

IGN is excited to have partnered with ID@Xbox for this latest ID@Xbox Showcase, which featured some big announcements from the brightest indie games out now and on our way in the future. From Balatro being available on Xbox Game Pass RIGHT NOW to new looks at Lies of P: Overture and Tron: Catalyst and so much more, there was a lot to celebrate today. To ensure you don't miss a thing, we've gathered all the biggest announcements and reveals from this latest ID@Xbox Showcase below, and we'd love to hear what your favorite was in the comments! Balatro Is Now on Xbox Game Pass and Has Card Customizations From Fallout, Assassin's Creed, and More Balatro had some big announcements for this ID@Xbox Showcase, including that it is now...

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Delta Force Launches Its New Campaign, Black Hawk Down

In 1993, a military operation was conducted in Mogadishu, Somalia with the goal of capturing two lieutenants of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. Known as Operation Gothic Serpent, it became a rescue mission after two Black Hawk helicopters went down, trapping their passengers behind enemy lines. What ensued was a bloody, intense firefight that ultimately sent reverberations beyond military boundaries. Now, the free-to-play shooter Delta Force has a new co-op campaign that will drop you and your squad into the thick of that battle. Called Black Hawk Down, it draws inspiration from the iconic film of the same name and reimagines the original campaign of 2003’s Delta Force: Black Hawk Down. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the campaign has been...

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