Gaming News

Monster Hunter Wilds Beta Is Off to a Wild Start on Steam

Good morning, happy Monster Hunter Wilds beta day! And what a day it is! A quick glance at SteamDB this morning indicates that a lot of people are playing the Monster Hunter Wilds beta this morning: over 463k at some point in the last 24 hours, with plenty of room to grow further over the weekend. As of this morning, the Monster Hunter Wilds beta is currently the fourth most-played game on Steam, behind only Counter-Strike 2, PUBG, and Dota 2. It's managed to surpass GTA 5, Call of Duty, Naraka: Bladepoint, and even Banana, the weird game that's consistently had massive player counts for months despite just being a game about clicking bananas. Anyway, yes, Monster Hunter Wilds is more popular than clicking a banana. That player...

View full article »

Remedy Has Recouped 'Most' of the Development and Marketing Expenses for Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake 2 continues to be a success for Remedy, with the company reporting today it has recouped "most" of the development and marketing cost of Alan Wake 2 as of the end of September. In its quarterly earnings today, Remedy reported that while the game is not yet generating royalties, it's close to fully recouping costs thanks to continued strong sales. The studio has released two expansions for Alan Wake 2 this year that have likely helped - Night Springs and, more recently, The Lake House. Alan Wake 2 shifting to generating royalties seems inevitable, and will likely be a big deal for Remedy. It's the company's fastest-selling game so far, selling 1.3 million copies as of March 20 this year. Currently, the company's only major...

View full article »

Black Ops 6’s Coolest Mission Shows It’s Time Call of Duty Left Modern Warfare Behind

Warning: Full spoilers for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s campaign follow. The 2020s have not been kind to Call of Duty’s single-player campaigns. Black Ops Cold War was squeezed thin by the COVID pandemic. Vanguard was a rote, forgettable trip back to the war that started it all. Modern Warfare 2 was a hollow cover of the series’ greatest hits, while its 2023 sequel is largely considered the worst COD campaign ever made. Though chaotic development cycles inflicted by publisher Activision certainly haven’t helped, the past few years have highlighted that Call of Duty’s tried-and-tested approach is wearing thin. In 2007, the sniper battles of All Ghillied Up and all-in pushes of War Pig were pure adrenaline. Today, their modern...

View full article »

Exclusive: Showa American Story Gets Dramatic New Trailer, Release Window

It’s been close to three years since the January 2022 reveal of Showa American Story, whose B-movie style trailer depicting 1980s America as a colony of Japan became a viral hit. Updates have been few and far between since then, but IGN can now exclusively reveal a new trailer along with a 2025 release window on PlayStation 5 and PC (Steam). The game genre is described as an “end of the century romantic RPG fantasy ensemble period drama”. The dramatic trailer introduces new boss character named Shogun, a tough-looking villain who holds a shield like Captain America, a fluttering cape, and floats like Superman against the sunset. Elsewhere in the video, we see Shogun riding on the back of a pitch-black giraffe. Creative Director...

View full article »

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Launch Beats Jedi Survivor to Make It EA's Biggest Ever Single-Player Game on Steam

Dragon Age: The Veilguard's launch has already made it EA's biggest ever single-player game on Steam, topping the charts and beating out the concurrents for 2023's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. At the time of publication, Dragon Age: The Veilguard's peak was about 70,414 concurrents, putting it just outside the top 10 most played games on the platform with mostly positive reviews. It sits one spot ahead of Baldur's Gate 3, which continues to enjoy ongoing success thanks to the introduction of mods and other new features. EA previous high watermark was Jedi Survivor, which managed an all-time peak of 67,855. EA CEO Andrew Wilson predicted success for Dragon Age during Tuesday's earnings call, saying that BioWare had "returned to its...

View full article »

The House of the Dead Film Adaptation in the Works From Resident Evil Director Paul W.S. Anderson

The House of the Dead will be the latest video game to head to the big screen, and it's got a seasoned adaptation director at the helm. Per a Deadline report on Thursday, Paul W.S. Anderson will write and direct the big-screen version of The House of the Dead, the Sega horror shooter series. He'll also be producing alongside his longtime creative partner Jeremy Bolt. And it seems Anderson just can't stay away from this genre, with The House of the Dead marking his fourth adaptation of a video game property. Previously, Anderson directed Mortal Kombat (1995), Resident Evil (2002), and most recently Monster Hunter (2020). Anderson also gave an interview to Deadline where he gave a quick glimpse as to how he'll be approaching this...

View full article »

Apex Legends Drops Steam Deck Support Over Rampant Cheating

EA and Respawn Entertainment are making a change to Apex Legends that will no longer allow players to access the game via Linux OS, including Steam Deck using Linux. The developers announced the shift away from Linux support in a post on its website. Although it’s a move that will no doubt surprise those affected, EA says dropping support for the OS option is part of the company’s wider initiative to maintain “competitive integrity” and fight off cheaters. “In our efforts to combat cheating in Apex, we've identified Linux OS as being a path for a variety of impactful exploits and cheats,” the post says. “As a result, we've decided to block Linux OS access to the game. While this will impact a small number of Apex players, we believe...

View full article »

Call of Duty Franchise Reaches Half a Billion Sales... Not Even Counting Black Ops 6

Xbox subsidiary Activision Blizzard has revealed the Call of Duty franchise has now crossed an eye-watering half a billion units sold ahead of the release of Black Ops 6. Activision Blizzard told The Washington Post of the 500 million figure, which was reached prior to Black Ops 6 having the biggest Call of Duty launch of all time. It enjoyed the highest player numbers, hours logged, and total matches played in its opening weekend. Black Ops 6 is undeniably a huge success, not only because critics have praised its fast-paced multiplayer modes and return to form single player campaign, but there are some caveats to the figures boasted by Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. The former now owns the latter, meaning Black Ops 6 was the...

View full article »

No More Room in Hell 2 Early Access Review

Sometimes playing No More Room in Hell 2 feels like actually being in hell. One minute, you're approaching a console to start flipping switches with friends, and the next, you're completely stuck – no keyboard inputs work, you can't equip any of your items, and your teammates have to try and lure a zombie over hoping it will put you out of your misery. Issues like this are part of a large pile of problems that could be excused by its Early Access label on Steam; there's only one map released so far, character models are incomplete, and there are plenty more bugs to encounter. But that grace only goes so far. While No More Room in Hell 2 is technically playable, it's not close to actually feeling Early Access-ready. And even if it...

View full article »

Resident Evil 4 for PS5 Drops to Its Lowest Price Ever

Amazon's giving us quite a treat to cap off spooky season: the Resident Evil 4 remake for PS5 has dropped to just $20 at the retailer. According to price tracker camelcamelcamel this is its lowest price ever, making it an excellent time to jump on this deal. And considering we hailed this game a 'Masterpiece' in our 10/10 review, why not add it to your collection right now? Resident Evil 4 Drops to $20 Writer Tristan Ogilvie said in his Resident Evil 4 remake review that the game's "combat is friction-free but no less stress-inducing thanks to its ferocious cast of creatures, its story rapidly shuttles through a series of action scenes that are diverse in structure but uniformly unwavering in intensity, and its world is rich in detail...

View full article »

Former Arkane Studios President Says Microsoft Closing the Studio Was 'Stupid' and 'Not a Good Decision'

Microsoft shut down Redfall and Prey developer Arkane Austin in a sudden, devastating move earlier this year, and the studio founder has now called the move "stupid" and "not a good decision." In an interview with PC Gamer, Arkane Studios founder and current head of WolfEye Studios Raphaël Colantonio was asked about the move. Colantonio, who left Arkane in 2017 to found WolfEye, had some thoughts to share: "I think if you look a little bit, it's obvious that Arkane Austin was a very special group of people that have made some cool things and that could pull it off again," he said "I think it was a decision that just came down to, 'We need to cut something.' Was it to please the investors, the stock market? They're playing a different...

View full article »

The Office Stars Reveal the Names of Michael and Holly's Kids

Pam Beasley actress Jenna Fischer and Angela Martin actress Angela Kinsey have revealed the names of Michael and Holly's kids who never made it into The Office themselves. The pair revealed on their Office Ladies podcast, which is essentially an insiders' commentary on each episode, that the kids originally had a scene in the show's finale before being cut. The two sons, named by Michael, are called Chebonshur and Lowshebin. Amy Ryan's Holly said in a talking head section that Michael's Steve Carell named the kids "based on the feeling he had when he first saw them." Holly was therefore intended to run for the final episode alongside Michael but Ryan's scheduling didn't allow it, and the scene was cut. The Office ended its nine...

View full article »

Baldur's Gate 3 Players Download More Than 50 Million Mods, Including 10,000 That Rename Withers 'Bone Daddy'

Baldur's Gate 3 players have downloaded more than 50 million mods in less than two months, including 10,000 that renamed Withers "Bone Daddy." Developer Larian Studios shared the milestone in an X/Twitter post, saying the feat had been achieved in the time since official modding support arrived via Patch 7 on September 5. This means traditional mods created outside of the Patch 7 modding tool aren't counted in the 50 million figure, so the actual number will be much, much higher. "Together, you've downloaded more than 50 million mods since Patch 7 introduced modding support," Larian said. "Apparently 10,000 of those downloads were you renaming Withers to Bone Daddy. So, uh, glad we could facilitate that." Modding the beloved...

View full article »

Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 Will '100% Come Out in 2025' Says Creator Toby Fox

Today is the sixth anniversary of Deltarune, the episodic release "sequel" (sort of) to beloved indie darling Undertale. To celebrate the occasion, as well as Halloween, creator Toby Fox took to X/Twitter with an adorable illustration and some news: he's releasing Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 in 2025 "100%". Deltarune first came out in 2018 in a surprise launch, with the initial version of the game being released on PC for free as a strange application called "SURVEY PROGRAM" that was actually the first chapter of the turn-based RPG. It received subsequent releases under the name Deltarune on Nintendo Switch and PS4, and Chapter 2 was released also for free in 2021. Fox has previously stated that a third, fourth, and fifth chapter were...

View full article »

Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered Global Release Times Confirmed

Sony has revealed the global release times for Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered across PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. A PlayStation Blog post outlined Sony's launch plans for the somewhat controversial remaster of Horizon: Zero Dawn, which arrives later today, October 31, for $49.99. Those looking to play the game on PS5 have an easy answer: Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered launches at midnight local time, meaning it's already available on console. But PC is a different story, with different launch times around the world. Silent Hill 2 Remake PC via Steam Release Times Los Angeles - 8am Quebec - 11am Rio De Janeiro - 12pm London - 3pm Amsterdam - 4pm Madrid - 4pm Cape Town - 5pm Mumbai - 8:30pm Kuala Lumpur -...

View full article »

Access Tips on Becoming a Pro in EA SPORTS FC™ 25

To celebrate the partnership between EA SPORTS FC™ 25 and Uber One, we are launching the Uber One Underdog Academy hub, a space where EA SPORTS FC™ 25 players can access quick, insightful video guides to help improve their in-game skills and begin scoring goals like a pro. Kicking off the game help videos is a countdown of the top five tips EA SPORTS FC™ 25 players need to know when beginning their in-game journey, including simplifying team formations, learning the best time to sprint and how to harness the power of the Finesse Shot Modifier. The Uber One Underdog Academy hub also hosts an epic giveaway exclusive to Uber One members, who have the chance to win an EA SPORTS FC™ 25 prize pack that will help boost their gaming setup...

View full article »

AU Deals: The Hottest Halloween Discounts Available Right Now!

Well, I'm back from a short break to once more bring you a daily deluge of the best discounts in gaming. I've got three days worth of bargains to catch up on, and not a lot of time. So let's skip the preamble and get to the gold! In retro news, I'm celebrating the 21st birthday of The Simpsons: Hit & Run, the best-in-franchise (non-arcade) adventure ever made. I have very happy memories of playing this at launch and feeling delighted as my skepticism peeled away—because I'd played the patently awful Simpsons Wrestling and Road Rage. From then on, I experienced quality quips, fan-service Easter eggs, and a perfectly cromulent Springfield sandbox. One of this industry's longest-running sins is that this was never remastered. This Day...

View full article »

Marvel’s Wolverine Director Departs Insomniac to Take Charge of Perfect Dark

Marvel’s Wolverine on PS5 has a new leadership arrangement, according to a new report by Game File. Game File’s sources indicate that creative director Brian Horton has not been part of the project since mid-year, and that Wolverine’s game director Cameron Christian has since taken on a different role at Insomniac. Wolverine’s new creative director is reportedly Marcus Smith, and its new game director is Mike Daly. Smith previously served as one of three creative directors on 2021’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Daly as one of its three game directors. For his part, Horton has since jumped the first-party fence to Xbox as the new creative director for Perfect Dark, which is being co-developed by The Initiative and Crystal...

View full article »

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Biggest Call of Duty Launch Ever, Sets New Single Day Game Pass Sub Record

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was the biggest Call of Duty release ever, setting new day one and opening weekend records as sales on PlayStation and Steam jumped 60 percent compared to 2023's Modern Warfare III. Game Pass also benefited from Call of Duty's release, setting a new record for amount of new subscribers in a single day. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 launch last week saw strong concurrents on Steam that outperformed Modern Warfare II and III. The leap in subscribers would seem to validate Xbox's big bet in launching Black Ops 6 straight into Game Pass, giving the service a shot in the arm in the midst of its recent growth struggles. Analysts predicted that Black Ops 6 could boost Game Pass...

View full article »

PlayStation Urgently Needs To Rethink Its Live-Service Strategy After Concord's Failure

After years of console domination, we’re starting to see cracks in the PlayStation brand as it tries to brute force its way towards live-service supremacy. There’s no clearer example of this than the high-profile failure of Concord and the closing of Firewalk Studio. This week, PlayStation announced that it was shuttering Firewalk Studio, a developer founded in 2018 that Sony acquired just last year. The reason for the acquisition and the closure are the same: Concord, a live-service PvP hero shooter released on both PS5 and PC, developed by creatives who cut their teeth on games like Destiny and Call of Duty. To be perfectly frank, Concord bombed. According to SteamDB data, player counts on PC never broke 1000, and estimated sales...

View full article »

Death Note: Killer Within Is a Social Deduction Game Based on the Beloved Anime

Death Note: Killer Within is an Among Us-esque social deduction game based on the beloved anime, coming to PlayStation and PC on November 5. Bandai Namco announced the game, which will be available to subscribers of the PlayStation Plus Essential tier at no additional cost, as a "social deduction game of life and death for up to 10 players." Players split into two teams to deduce who is Kira, who is L, and who has the Death Note. The game is presented in the style of the little figures used by Near towards the end of the anime and manga, with each player embodying one of the toys as they move around the map. "The Death Note is hidden among the players, leading to a thrilling game of cat and mouse until one team overpowers the other,"...

View full article »

PlayStation Plus Games for November 2024 Announced

Sony has announced the PlayStation Plus Essential Tier games for November 2024 are GhostWire: Tokyo (PS5), Death Note: Killer Within (PS4 and PS5), and Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged (PS4 and PS5). Revealed on the PlayStation Blog, all three games will be made available at no extra cost to PlayStation Plus subscribers on November 5. Death Note: Killer Within also arrives on its launch date after being revealed today, October 30. GhostWire: Tokyo is a first person action adventure game set in, unsurprisingly, Tokyo as it becomes overcome with mysterious ghouls and ghosties. With superb visual design and an incredibly well-realised rendition of Tokyo, GhostWire gets a lot right, but just doesn't quite have the gameplay chops to...

View full article »

Evade Codes (October 2024)

Last updated on October 30, 2024: Checked for new Evade codes! If you’re on the hunt for some redeemable codes to help conquer Evade’s free-roaming world in style, then you’re in the right place. On this page, you’ll find all the current and active Evade codes available in the popular free-running Roblox hit, so you can grab yourself some tokens and other goodies instantly. Active Evade Codes (October 2024) Here are the currently active and working Evade codes in October 2024: thebig5 - 555 tokens (NEW!) 444 - 444 tokens 222 - 222 tokens therealdeal - Bird Badge How to Redeem Evade Codes To redeem Evade codes, boot up the game and, once you’re in, follow the steps below: As you reach the main menu, look at the five icons in...

View full article »

Bee Swarm Simulator Codes (October 2024)

If you’re looking to beef up your Bee Swarm Simulator hive with some free redeemable codes, we have you covered. This article has compiled all of the active Bee Swarm Simulator codes currently available, so you can get your hands on plenty of rewards instantly. Before we get stuck in, it's worth briefly mentioning that certain codes will require you to be part of the Bee Swarm Simulator Club to access them. This club is entirely free to join and we’ll detail how a little further down. Active Bee Swarm Simulator Codes (October 2024) Below, you'll find all of the currently active and working Bee Swarm Simulator codes in October 2024: Boo Swarm (requires Bee Swarm Simulator Club membership) - Various rewards (NEW!) Octobersmas -...

View full article »

Outlast Film Adaptation in the Works From Saw Studio

Outlast is getting a film adaptation, and it's in the hands of a studio well-versed in the horror genre. Saw studio Lionsgate, which is also behind series like The Hunger Games and John Wick, announced on Wednesday a deal with developer Red Barrels to bring Outlast to the big screen. The adaptation (which was first revealed by Bloody Disgusting) is being led by horror producer Roy Lee (It, Barbarian, Late Night with the Devil). JT Perry, who served as the primary writer on the Outlast games, is working on the screenplay. In a statement, Perry called the adaptation "an incredible opportunity to dive deeper into the characters and killers we love.” Lionsgate hasn't revealed too much else about how closely it'll follow the plot of the...

View full article »

Score Sonic X Shadow Generations for $39.99 Right Now at Woot

Sonic fans are in for a real treat, as Sonic X Shadow Generations already has a nice little discount at Woot (see here). Normally this game is listed for $49.99, but it's currently down to $39.99 so you can save $10 on it. Keep in mind though that this version is probably not the North American version with ESRB rating, but it’ll play just fine on your Switch since the plarform is region-free. Sonic X Shadow Generations for $39.99 This title comes with a remaster of Sonic Generations and a new campaign for Shadow. Its part of Woot's 'Fall In Love With Video Games' sale event and likely won't be around for long, so if you've been hoping to add it to your collection, now's a great time. In our glowing 9/10 review of Sonic X Shadow...

View full article »

Ritual Tides Announced for PC, With Console Versions to Follow

Introducing Ritual Tides, the first game from Vertpaint Studios, a new developer made up of industry veterans who've worked at Rockstar, TT Games, and more. Ritual Tides is a horror game in which players find themselves washed ashore on an island beach with just one goal: uncovering the island’s terrifying secrets. Ritual Tides is due out in Q3 2025 for PC, with console versions to follow later. "The team also promises to set the visual quality bar for 2025, giving Ritual Tides players a near photo realistic immersive story to unfold," according to the press release. Watch the first teaser trailer above and check out the first pieces of concept art in the gallery below. Gameplay details are still a mystery for now, but the...

View full article »

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Gets Nuketown This Week as Activision Reveals Season 1 Plans

Nuketown comes to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on November 1 ahead of Season 1 arriving on November 14, Activision has revealed. A Call of Duty blog post outlined the wealth of updates planned over the next few weeks, beginning with the release of fan favorite multiplayer map Nuketown. This map is a recreation of the original Nuketown from the first Black Ops, meaning players can enjoy its 1950s motif and unabridged chaos. "This remaster remains extremely faithful to the original design and layout of the map, even down to the precise placement of parked vehicles and other scenery harking back to the original three-lane design," Activision said. Two weeks later and the publisher promises a "massive content drop" in the form of Season...

View full article »

Concord's Initial Development Deal Was $200 Million, But It Wound Up Costing Sony Much More - Report

Concord's initial development deal was around $200 million according to a report by Kotaku, offering a glimpse of how much it cost Sony to develop its disastrous live service game, which lasted just two weeks before being unceremoniously shuttered. Kotaku's report, which cites two sources familiar with the agreement, says that the $200 million was not enough to fund Concord's entire development, nor did it include the purchase of the Concord IP rights or Firewalk Studios itself. Kotaku's number aligns with an earlier report saying that ProbablyMonsters — Firewalk's original parent company — raised $200 million in 2021. Firewalk's goodbye post sheds additional light on its development costs. Looking back on the studio's history, the...

View full article »

EA Boss Says BioWare Has Returned to Its Strengths With Dragon Age, Predicts 'Breakout Potential' Thanks in Part to 'Limited Competition'

EA CEO Andrew Wilson says BioWare has returned to its strengths with the impending release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, praising its reviews while predicting that it has "breakout potential" thanks to what he characterizes as limited competition. Speaking with investors in EA's quarterly earnings call, Wilson reflected on some of BioWare's troubled recent history, which has been defined in part by the failure of Anthem — a multiplayer game Wilson described as "very, very different than something that would be known as a BioWare game." In the wake of Anthem, Wilson said a "big shift happened" that saw "BioWare really returning to BioWare-type games; really returning to BioWare's strengths." "BioWare has rallied around what made...

View full article »