Gaming News

Warzone Has a New Frank Woods Cutscene — Finally Making a Crucial Moment in Call of Duty Black Ops Lore Canon

A new Warzone cutscene shows Black Ops protagonist Frank Woods dishing out orders from a wheelchair, appearing to confirm a Black Ops 2 ending as canon and offering our first look at the character in the upcoming Black Ops 6. The intro, added to the battle royale ahead of Microsoft’s big reveal of the upcoming Black Ops 6, sees fan-favorite character Woods talk about the discovery of a “mole”, presumed to be Russell Adler from Black Ops Cold War. But it is Woods’ appearance in a wheelchair that has caught the attention of the Call of Duty community, and sparked excited discussion about the storyline running through the Black Ops series. First, some background: in 2012’s Black Ops 2, Woods is tricked into killing his best friend and...

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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – First Impressions of the Big DLC

There was something magical about that first playthrough of Elden Ring – when everything was new and there was a prevailing sense of discovery and awe as I rode through The Lands Between, stumbling upon the horrors of Caelid, the beautiful vistas of Limgrave and Liurnia, and the treasures that awaited after a challenging dungeon. Which is why my three hours with Elden Ring’s DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree was so exciting, because it felt like I was playing Elden Ring again for the first time, in a brand new realm to explore, with new discoveries, new surprises, new gear, and you’d better believe new challenges, even despite my provided level 150 character with end-game level gear. My three hour play session began at the Cocoon of the...

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XDefiant Y1S0.2 Update Blocks PS5 Players From Using Activities to ‘Sneak Into Places They Shouldn’t’

XDefiant developer Ubisoft San Francisco has issued an update for the free-to-download shooter, targeting a range of issues across all platforms. The XDefiant Y1S0.2 patch (Ubisoft uses a patch naming convention based on the year and season from now on) fixes issues across social play and other parts of the game. As has become XDefiant’s style, Ubisoft has had a bit of fun with the patch notes, below, picking out a change on PlayStation 5: Fixed a thing on PS5 where people could sneak into places they shouldn't via PS5 Activities. XDefiant launched its pre-season last month and Ubisoft’s Call of Duty competitor appears to be off to a decent start, earning praise from competitive shooter fans hankering for an old-school experience...

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Remnant II's World Stone Immortalized in New Dark Horse Collectible

Dark Horse is adding another major property to its growing lineup of video game-inspired collectibles. Remnant II is getting a statue, one that immortalizes the iconic World Stone from the game. IGN can exclusively debut the first images of the Remanant II: World Stone statue. Get a closer look in the slideshow gallery below: This collectible brings the transdimensional portal to life as a statue measuring 10.5 inches tall and 4.5 inches in diameter. The statue rotates atop its pedestal base and features LED lights and customizable sound effects. The statue was sculpted by BigShot Toyworks, with prototyping and painting by J.W. Productions. It's limited to 1000 pieces worldwide and features a hand-numbered certificate of...

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IKEA Will Pay People £13.15 an Hour to Serve Meatballs at Its Virtual Roblox Store

Furniture store IKEA will pay people £13.15 / €14.80 per hour to work in a virtual store it’s opening inside Roblox. The Co-Worker Game, as it’s called, will let players “experience working in IKEA’s virtual universe”, the company said. “Fans will be able to live their home furnishing dreams and get paid for it, with a limited number of paid roles available,” IKEA continued. Applications run to June 16, with the game itself launching June 24. “The immersive experience gives players the opportunity to experience IKEA's unique approach to careers where non-linear career journeys are the norm and lateral moves across departments are commonplace,” IKEA said. It is IKEA’s first foray into mainstream gaming. There are paid shifts on...

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MultiVersus Tournament Player Sees Their Main Character Pulled From the Game Mid-Bracket, Wins Anyway

A MultiVersus players had to react fast after the developer pulled their main character out of the game in the middle of a tournament. A post on the MultiVersus X/Twitter account signaled the removal of Iron Giant from the recently released brawler due to various issues with the character, which players believe include overpowered combos and an infinite chain grab. Garnet was added to the Preview Rotation in response. Fair enough, you’d think. But for one MultiVersus player the removal of Iron Giant couldn’t have come at a worse time. As revealed in an X/Twitter post by @NickSF_SSB, co-owner of No Style eSports, a player going by the name of ‘FlaSHFReeeze’ was in the middle of a bracket when their main, Iron Giant, was pulled from...

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Steam Hit Content Warning Reaches 2.2 Million Sold After 2 Months

Steam viral hit game Content Warning has sold 2.2 million copies in two months, with a console version possibly waiting in the wings. That’s up from the one million sold in mid-April, itself an impressive figure that came after an eye-catching free launch period. Publisher Landfall released Content Warning for free for the first 24 hours, signaling that it planned to charge for the game after the launch period. The Lethal Company-style co-op survival horror saw an impressive peak concurrent player number of 204,439 on Valve’s platform off the back of the promotion, but some questioned whether it would prove successful in the long run. Landfall said this week that over 8.8 million players own Content Warning on Steam two months...

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Team Fortress 2 Steam Reviews Drop to ‘Mostly Negative’ as Players Plead With Valve to Do Something About Bots

The Team Fortress 2 community has come together in an attempt to brute force developer Valve into fixing a bot problem that has plagued the hero shooter for years. Disgruntled players of the near 17-year-old shooter, which remains one of the most-played games on Steam, have taken to user reviews to let their feelings be known about bots. This review campaign has caused Team Fortress 2’s recent reviews user rating to plummet to ‘mostly negative’, with pretty much all the comments complaining about bots. “It's time Valve does something about the bots,” reads one review from a user with over 630 hours on Team Fortress 2. “The game has been overrun with people willing to doxx, DDOS, and SWAT anyone who takes action against the problem.”...

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Like a Dragon: Yakuza Live-action Series Announced for Amazon Prime Video This Fall

Amazon has announced an original live-action series for Prime Video based on Sega’s successful Like a Dragon game series, previously known as Yakuza. Simply titled Like a Dragon: Yakuza and including six episodes, this original series is directed by Masaharu Take, best known for the drama series The Naked Director. Made in Japan, the series stars the hugely popular Japanese drama and stage actor Ryoma Takeuchi in the role of Kazuma Kiryu. Like a Dragon: Yakuza will be available on Amazon Prime in over 240 countries and territories worldwide, released in two batches on October 25 and November 1, 2024. A new story loosely based on the original Yakuza The live-action crime-suspense series is based on an original screenplay loosely...

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Here's What We Know Won't Be at Summer Game Fest

The final countdown to a week of game announcements, trailers, updates, in-person activities in Los Angeles, and general shenanigans is upon us. One of the major lynchpins holding it all together is Summer Game Fest, a showcase put together by Geoff Keighley with the aim of uniting the game industry around a summertime shebang of video game news. But as he does every year before this and other hosted events like Gamescom Opening Night Live and The Game Awards, Keighley is trying to temper wild fan expectations by clarifying some of the things we absolutely will not see at Summer Game Fest on Friday. In a live question and answer session hosted on Twitch over the weekend, Keighley answered some burning questions from fans about the...

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Tekken 8 Director Katsuhiro Harada Has More Questions About Waffle House

It has been months since Tekken 8 director Katsuhiro Harada was made painfully aware of fans’ grassroots movement to get an official Waffle House stage in the long-running fighting game series. After having received tons of information about the American Southern Diner chain via memes, viral videos, and earnest replies from fans, Harada is still baffled at the “culture” of Waffle House. Yesterday, Harada took a different approach to his inquiry into why fans were so adamant about a Waffle House Tekken 8 stage. Instead of asking who and what Waffle House is, as he did at the end of March, Harada asked his X (formerly Twitter) followers why fights happen so often at Waffle House to warrant its unrelated fame as the unofficial American...

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Just Cause Developer Avalanche Shuttering Two Studios and Laying Off 50 Workers

Just Cause franchise developer Avalanche Studios is laying off 50 employees as it moves to shutter its New York and Montreal locations in what it calls an “exceptionally difficult decision.” The company announced the news in a post on its website, saying that the layoffs in these areas affect nine percent of its worldwide workforce. It says the decision is “necessary to ensure a stable and sustainable future for the company.” “Our focus is now supporting all Avalanchers through this challenging time,” the studio says. “We’re grateful for the invaluable contributions of those leaving and remain committed to creating incredible gaming experience for our players.” It’s currently unclear how Avalanche will be supporting those affected...

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The Games Leaving Xbox Game Pass in June 2024 Have Been Revealed

Xbox Game Pass is losing High on Life and more on June 15, Microsoft has announced. Revealed on the Xbox website, High on Life is one of five games leaving the platform in June in the regular rotation of games available on the subscription service. Here are some of the most notable departures. High on Life High on Life is a bizarre first person shooter where players take on the role of an intergalactic bounty hunter that uses living, foul-mouthed guns to fight aliens. It launched straight onto Game Pass and quickly proved popular, immediately breaking three records for the biggest launch of 2022, the biggest third-party game launch ever, and the biggest single-player launch of all time. Rune Factory 4 Special Rune Factory 4 Special...

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Helldivers 2 Players Win the Day and Birth a New Black Hole, But a Creeping Worry Is Overcoming Some

Helldivers 2 players have succeeded in their mission to destroy a Terminid supercolony by turning its host planet into an all consuming black hole, but are now growing concerned at what might step through. The creation of the black hole has been brewing since Helldivers 2's first major order — large scale missions which shape the game's overall narrative — as it saw players "liberate" a string of planets from the claws of a bug-like alien race known as the Terminids. This mission, dubbed Operation Valiant Enclosure, allowed for the creation of a network of termicide-dispensing towers which were later activated in a March campaign that was also, seemingly, successful. But the introduction of the termicide forced the aliens to evolve...

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Dragon is Dead Preview: Just One More Run...

I beat Dragon is Dead’s first boss at 5 AM. I died about 3 seconds later. I thought I was in a cutscene, watching him die, and I was - for about three seconds. Then the cutscene ended, and one of his little skeleton minions whacked me in the face, and I was back to the start. But I knew I had a build that worked. I felt lucky. Twenty minutes later, he went down again, and I kept going. When I finally bought it and respawned at the Fountain of Life, I was happy to drag myself to bed… but I was also already planning the next run. What I’m saying, then, is that Dragon is Dead is a game for sickos (complimentary), and I’m sickos. Developed by Team Suneat, who you may know as the team behind Blade Assault, Dragon is Dead is part...

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MultiVersus Dev Bringing Back Some Missing Features

The final version of MultiVersus is missing several features present in the open beta, but developer Player First Games has now said some of these are coming back. After close to a year long hiatus, the Warner Bros. brawler featuring Gizmo from Gremlins, Rick and Morty, Lebron James, Batman, Arya Stark, Bugs Bunny, Shaggy, Tom and Jerry, Jason, and more returned in May 2024 to many players and many complaints. "This feels more like a beta than the beta," complained fans who noted missing team color options, the ability to test characters before buying, leaderboards and after battle reports, and much more. This comes after MultiVersus spent a year in open beta before being taken offline as Player First Games transitioned to Unreal...

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Our Favourite Power Bank for Steam Deck Gets Another Massive Discount In The UK

The perfect power bank to use with your Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch is back on sale in the UK right now. We are, of course, talking about the INIU 100W 25000mAh Fast Charging Portable Charger, available on Amazon for just £24.99 right now (see here). Ensure you use the listed voucher (35% off) and promo code TKP5F6W2 to get the full discount. This incredibly affordable INIU power bank is ideal for portable gaming systems like the Steam Deck or the Switch. It boasts super-fast charging capabilities, a robust battery capacity, and a sleek design. It's our favourite pick for portable gaming, and well worth it at such a discounted price. Taking your Steam Deck or Switch on the go is undeniably convenient. We've all experienced that...

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The Best EOFY Gaming Deals in Australia for 2024!

It's time to get busy bargain huntin' in the second-best time of the year—end of financial. I've scoured every store worth shopping in for the cheapest prices on the games worth caring about. I'm also all about hooking you up with free things. Four of those await you below. Check back tomorrow for more, because I see some extra ones on my radar. In retro news, I'm celebrating the 31st birthday of Starwing, aka the PAL version progenitor of the Star Fox series. Interestingly, its N64 sequel was named Lylat Wars, at which point Nintendo Europe said, "Screw it, we'll just use the US naming convention from here on out." Starwing is the shoot 'em up that deserves special acclaim as the first hardware-accelerated 3D gaming experience on a...

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Disney Dreamlight Valley Review

Like grabbing a hot drink and unwinding with a good book, Disney Dreamlight Valley makes the hours pleasantly fly by. With two beefy maps to unlock and explore, more than 30 Disney characters to befriend, and a plethora of quests to complete, this Disney-infused cozy life simulator kept me blissfully entertained for dozens of hours – even having already played a whole bunch of it during its Early Access over a year ago. But despite hitting 1.0, Dreamlight Valley still feels as unfinished as it ever has in some ways thanks to persistent bugs, a newer storyline that ends on another unsatisfying cliffhanger, and a merciless grind that not even the wonderful cast of characters can entirely compensate for. That means it still has plenty more...

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Tales of Kenzera: Zau Director Addresses 'Constant Targeted Harassment,' Lowers Price of Game on Switch

Abubakar Salim, the founder of Surgent Studios and creative director of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, issued a strong statement today addressing harassment both he and his studio have faced since the release of Tales of Kenzera in April. In a five-minute video posted to X/Twitter (which you can watch below), Salim opens by saying he didn't want to address the harassment, and that he's dealt with assertions that he didn't "deserve the opportunit[ies]" he got from the beginning of his career: "No, it was simply because I'm Black, and I've turned my other cheek and just kept doing my thing," he says. Salim is also an actor known for roles in Assassin's Creed Origins, Max's Raised by Wolves, and an upcoming part in Season 2 of HBO's House of...

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The Rogue Prince of Persia Early Access Review in Progress

As a traditionally parkour-heavy series with a main character who often has a difficult time dying when it counts, a roguelike Prince of Persia game feels like a concept that was simply waiting for an execution. Pair that intuitive idea with Evil Empire, the developers behind Dead Cells, and you’ve got an ideal coupling for Ubisoft’s second sidescrolling Prince of Persia of 2024. But while The Rogue Prince of Persia has a lot of potential, at this stage in its Early Access life, there doesn’t seem to be quite enough to hang onto for this time loop adventure to really shine yet. I still have more to play before I put a final score on it, but what I’ve seen so far is a skeleton of a roguelite adventure that will entertain for a few hours...

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Take-Two Is Quietly Killing Private Division

In recent weeks, reports have surfaced that Take-Two is shuttering Kerbal Space Program 2 developer Intercept Games and OlliOlli World developer Roll7. Now, IGN has learned that not only are these closures imminent, but they are a part of a larger move by Take-Two to either sell off or shut down the entirety of its indie label, Private Division. Earlier this month, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told IGN that Take-Two "didn't shutter" its owned indie studios Intercept Games and Roll7. At the time, that was technically true; both studios are currently operational, but they won't be for long. Speaking to multiple anonymous sources familiar with the matter, IGN has independently confirmed that Intercept Games is set to close on June 28...

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Geoff Follin, Well-Known Composer for Games of the '80s and '90s, Dies at 58

Video game composer Geoff Follin, known for his role in crafting ‘80s and ‘’90s-era songs for the Nintendo Entertainment System, has passed away at the age of 58 from pancreatic cancer. Follin’s passing was announced yesterday by his brother and fellow composer Tim in a Facebook post (spotted by Time Extension). According to Tim, Follin passed away earlier this week while awaiting scans from his pancreatic cancer diagnosis on May 7. “The speed at which this has happened has been utterly brutal. He leaves behind an amazing wife and three amazing children, the oldest 19 and the youngest only 16. You can imagine how devastating this is for all of them and for the rest of us,” Tim wrote on Facebook. “He was four years older than me and I...

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IGN Live 2024 Schedule: Daily Breakdown

TICKETS FOR IGN LIVE ARE AVAILABLE NOW! IGN Live is coming to Los Angeles June 7-9. The event promises to be an epic, action-packed weekend full of huge exclusives, playable games, giveaways, demos, and more from your favorite properties across games and entertainment. Scroll down to find out who will be there on what days! Jump to: Friday, June 7 Saturday, June 8 Sunday, June 9 What to Expect It all takes place at Magic Box @ The Reef from 10am-6pm PT each day. Select highlights from the show will be broadcast across IGN platforms each afternoon. Tickets are still on sale, so don’t miss out on your chance to see the one-of-a-kind show live and in person. In addition to the exclusive programming below, IGN Live will feature...

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IGN Plus Games: Claim a Free Destiny 2: Lightfall Steam Key!

If you're an IGN Plus member, a new free expansion is available to claim now from IGN Rewards! Destiny 2: Lightfall can be claimed for free for a limited time by all IGN Plus members, which is just in time for the upcoming Destiny 2: The Final Shape expansion. Developed by Bungie, Destiny 2 is one of the most popular multiplayer shooters out there, with hundreds of hours worth of content at your fingertips. The upcoming expansion offers loads of new features, including an exciting campaign, a new subclass, new enemies, and more. Claim a Free Destiny 2: Lightfall Steam Key! The next Destiny 2 expansion, titled Destiny 2: The Final Shape, is set to release on June 4. This expansion brings Guardians into The Pale Heart of the Traveler...

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Xbox Is Publishing Toys for Bob's Next Game

Toys for Bob, the Crash Bandicoot 4 developer and Call of Duty support studio that left the Xbox-owned Activision in February 2024, has signed an agreement with Xbox directly to publish its next game. Revealed in a post on X/Twitter, Toys for Bob confirmed reports from March 2024 that claimed it would team up with Xbox once again. Its next game, which the studio said will return it to its roots, is still in "very early development," but it's partnering with Xbox to publish it. "We're excited to announce that we'll be partnering with Xbox to publish our next new game," Toys for Bob said. "We're still very early in development, so you might not hear from us for a bit, but know that we're working hard on an experience we're so sooo...

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1000xResist Review

“Just be grateful you get to say goodbye.” “There’s nothing here for you anymore.” “Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing.” Simple one-liners like these are plentiful in the early conversations of 1000xResist, a story-driven game set in a far-flung future where humanity's scant remains live on through generations of clones. It’s easy to see that kind of writing and get the impression developer Sunset Visitor is perhaps a bit too eager to be melodramatic – but it trusts you’ll stick with it because their delivery and the context around them make moments like these as thoughtful as they are gut-wrenching. A striking visual style and an intoxicating mystery pull you in as its ambitious narrative structure comes together brilliantly, and in...

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Valorant Boss Says Toxic Players 'Aren't Welcome' in Its Community as It Commits to Stricter Policies

Riot Games has made clear its stance on toxic players in its multiplayer shooter Valorant, saying those who make "evil statements" against others "aren't welcome here." In a post on X/Twitter, below, Valorant studio head Anna Donlon said Riot "absolutely needs to do better" in protecting its players from others and outlined changes it's making to do so. "Too often it takes someone experiencing the worst behaviors — something egregious, something painful, something threatening — for us to better understand where the gaps in our systems and processes are, and that's exactly what we're experiencing and addressing right now," Donlon said. "We've been working on systems and technologies, and we actually have been making a lot of...

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Anger Foot is Like John Wick with Some Extra Kick

Fast-paced first-person shooters may be a dime a dozen these days, but Anger Foot has a unique gameplay hook that is literally kicking the door down for your attention. This colourful and completely chaotic shooter from the makers of Broforce is like a first-person take on the compelling, room-clearing carnage of Hotline Miami, with an emphasis on using your left foot of fury to violently smash a path through locked doors, obstacles, and gangs of anthropomorphic animal enemies. It’s a shoot and boot ‘em up that feels like John Wick with some extra kick, and I enjoyed the two hours I spent playing an early build of Anger Foot every skull-stomping step of the way. There are guns too, of course, but the pistol in your hand is merely a...

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Embracer Boss Mulls Increasing the Price of Video Games Beyond $70

The controversial boss of Embracer Group has discussed the topic of increasing the price of video games beyond $70 amid rising development costs and a brutally competitive market. Lars Wingefors, who has laid off thousands of staff, shut multiple studios, and sold off subsidiaries in the last financial year, told GI.biz that pushing the price of video games higher is something Embracer has discussed, and that doing so would mean more video games would be released. "I'm not saying you can't increase the price," Wingefors told the site. "But the reality is no one has tried it. If you create an enormous role-playing game, for example, with 100 or 150 hours of gameplay, very polished, and a unique experience, would the consumer be...

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