Gaming News

Tim Sweeney, CD Projekt, and Other Experts React to AI's Rise, and Some Are More Skeptical Than You Think

All anyone wants to talk about in the games industry is AI. The technology — once a twinkle in the eye of sci-fi writers and futurists — has shot off like a bottle rocket. Every day we're greeted with fascinating and perturbing new advances in machine learning. Right now, you can converse with your computer on ChatGPT, sock-puppet a celebrity's voice with ElevenLabs, and generate a slate of concept art with MidJourney. It is perhaps only a matter of time before AI starts making significant headway in the business of game development, so to kick off AI week at IGN, we talked to a range of experts in the field about their hopes and fears for this brave new world, and some are more skeptical than you'd expect. What do you think the...

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Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle Needs to Dig Deeper to Live Up to its Resident Evil Inspiration

I can’t think of a worse environment for Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle to exist in than firmly in the long shadow cast by its inspiration, the Resident Evil series. Everything about the demo I played, from its bland corridor crawling exploration to its trivial run and gun action, feels like a cheap imitation of some of the greatest survival horror games of all time, maybe even more so these days in a post-Resident Evil 4 Remake world. What's worse, there's almost nothing differentiating it from Capcom’s zombie-horror masterpieces save for the setting, which is understandably undercooked as my 20-minute demo was not nearly enough time to build a world or establish likable characters. Nothing about my time with this slice left me with much...

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Dark and Darker Developer Sued as Legal Issues Escalate

Dark and Darker developer Irongate is being been sued by Nexon for copyright infringement following a DMCA takedown in March. As reported by Eurogamer, Nexon's lawsuit highlighted similarities between its own P3 and Dark and Darker, and also claimed some of Irongate's employees, who previously worked for Nexon, had signed a one-year-non-compete clause that stopped them from taking "Nexon's trade secrets" straight to a new developer. The lawsuit added that "condoning the defendants' conduct would threaten Nexon, the video game industry, and all of the consumers who enjoy playing sophisticated video games. Video game developers would not be able to invest years' worth of person-hours in developing video games if their employees could...

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Aussie Deals: Catch Pokémon Scarlet for $56, FIFA 23 for $38, and FFXVI for the Least Amount of Gil!

Let's kick off another week of savings by paying 65% less for FIFA 23. Not into sportsballin'? Other AAA pursuits have dropped as well. Stuff like Call of Duty MW2 being at a historical low, not to mention GTA V and RDR 2 slipping into the $20 range. They're all great companions to have if you want to burn through some school holiday hours. Or to come home and unwind with after yet another shift at the salt mines. This Day in Gaming - Wild Arms 5 (PS2) launch, 2008. - Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (PC) launch, 2008. - Injustice: Gods Among Us (PS3, WiiU, X360) launch, 2013. Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation LEGO Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Back to top Purchase Cheaply for PC Back to top Exciting Offers for...

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The History and Evolution of Minecraft

Minecraft is a game that has been taking the world by storm for well over a decade now, yet it feels as though it has been a part of our lives and our gaming histories for as long as we can remember. With the new release of Minecraft Legends, the latest action strategy spinoff from Mojang, it’s worth taking a trip down memory lane to take a look at exactly where this industry-changing saga began. How did this sandbox game become one of the best-selling games of all time? Who Created Minecraft? Minecraft was initially created by Markus “Notch” Persson, a Swedish game programmer. Markus Persson had worked for King for over four years until 2009, when he began full-time development on Minecraft. His idea brewed from a game he was...

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Gone in a Split/Second

Some gaming gems get forgotten over time, some never get the chance to be discovered in the first place. Out of all of the games that instantly impressed me when I first played them and frustratingly faded into obscurity, Split/Second surely takes the pole position. Welcome to the third installment of my ongoing column, Forgotten Gems! Black Rock Rocked If you’ve never played Split/Second and you’re into arcade racers, know that it’s not too late. Largely forgotten -- or rather, unknown -- it may be, but it’s still easy to find and play (see bottom of this article). Split/Second was the brainchild of Black Rock Studio, a company formerly known as Pixel Planet, then Black Rock Studio, then Climax Brighton, then Climax Racing, then…...

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How to Play the Uncharted Games in Chronological Order

“Greatness from Small Beginnings.” Engraved in Latin on the ring that hangs around the neck of series protagonist Nathan Drake, these four words have come to define Naughty Dog’s immensely popular Uncharted series. It’s a rather fitting catchphrase considering the franchise itself has grown significantly since its debut in 2008. Whether it’s battling pirates in the depths of the Amazon Jungle or exploring hidden cities in the center of the Rub’ al Khali desert, Nathan Drake has had no shortage of daring adventures in the years following his PlayStation 3 debut. With so many entries in its universe, it’s easy to get lost deciphering Uncharted’s lengthy timeline. To help make sense of it, here’s a chronology of the full Uncharted game...

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Sega is Reportedly Close to Acquiring Angry Birds Developer Rovio for $1 Billion

Sega is reportedly close to acquiring Angry Birds developer Rovio Entertainment for about $1 billion. According to Wall Street Journal, the deal between Sega and Rovio Entertainment is expected to finish early next week, provided that discussions between the two companies don’t fall apart or prolong. Neither Sega nor Rovio has made an official announcement yet. Rovio was previously in talks to be acquired by Israeli mobile company Playtika for $800 million, but those negotiations ended last month. Sega has acquired a few companies over the past few years, including Company of Heroes developer Relic Entertainment, Two Point Campus developer Two Point Studios, and most notably Persona developer Atlus. There have been many...

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Dark and Darker Devs Distributing Game on Discord as Playtest Goes Ahead Amid Legal Issues

Just before the upcoming dungeon crawler Dark and Darker was slated to launch a playtest, its team was served a cease and desist letter and a DMCA takedown in March. Now, development team Ironmace is going ahead with another playtest as originally scheduled, albeit via an interesting method. Today, Ironmace began encouraging people to participate in Dark and Darker's playtest through torrents made available in a message in the game's Discord server. The playtest will be available until April 19. "Rest assured that we are working around the clock to safeguard the continuance of Dark and Darker," the team's Discord message, which was reposted on Reddit, reads. "Unfortunately, due to the complexities of our situation, especially across...

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Best Camera 2023

While smartphones are getting better every day with computational photography and crazy telephoto lenses, dedicated cameras still produce images you just can get on your mobile device. Cameras give you so much more flexibility with your changing your focal length, bokeh, and tweak your exposure. Not to mention dedicated cameras are far more capable for shooting sports, landscapes, video, and almost anything you throw their way. TL;DR - These are the Best Cameras: Fujifilm X-T5 Sony A7 IV Panasonic Lumix S5 II GoPro Hero 11 DJI Mini 3 Pro Fujifilm X-T5 Best Camera See it on Best Buy Sensor Size: APS-C) CMOS | Resolution: 40.2MP | Viewfinder: 3,690K Dot | Screen: 3” 1,084K Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD | Autofocus: 425-point...

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Call of Duty Warzone Players Are Complaining About the Introduction of 'Pay to Win' Content

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 is now out, and it introduces quite a few cosmetics and a new battle pass. However, a few of the update's paid cosmetics grant players advantages in Warzone's DMZ mode, and some fans aren't happy. On April 12, Activision introduced a new cosmetic bundle to Warzone 2.0. In what Activision referred to as a "DMZ boost," the game's new $12 Bomb Squad bundle gives players a skin for Fender, a SAKIN MG38 LMG blueprint, an active duty slot, a sticker, and an emblem. But, as PC Gamer pointed out, the boosts that this bundle provides in DMZ, the game's extraction mode, are quite valuable. Players who equip Fender's skin are given a medium backpack, and the LMG has a cooldown that's much...

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Destiny 2: Where Is Xur Today? Location and Exotic Items for April 14-18

The iconic personification of a bowl of soup, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week's reset. If you're looking to get your some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further. Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he's got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians. We've rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP. Where Is Xûr Today? Xûr's...

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Diablo 4: Blizzard Is Making a Ton of Changes Based on Player Feedback

Blizzard is making a ton of changes to Diablo 4 based on feedback provided by players who participated in its two betas. Combining this feedback with actual gameplay data allowed Blizzard to review and make changes to Diablo 4 in time for its official launch on June 6. Minimizing backtracking The first thing changing is dungeon layouts, with Blizzard saying one of the most common pieces of feedback it received was around backtracking within certain dungeons. Multiple dungeons have since been optimized to reduce this, including Caldera Gate, Defilied Catacombs, Derelict Lodge, Forbidden City, Hoarfrost Demise, Immortal Emanation, Kor Dragan Battacks, Maulwood, and Rimescar Caverns. "Our primary goal with the layout changes was to...

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Bungie Continues Anti-Cheating Crack Down as It Targets Third-Party Peripherals

Destiny 2 developer Bungie has revealed a hardened policy designed to deal with cheaters who use third party peripherals that “manipulate the game” to provide an unfair player versus player advantage. “Our community has grown increasingly frustrated by a form of cheating that uses third-party peripherals with the intent to manipulate the game client,” read a post on the Bungie website spotted by GI.biz “These devices are plugged into a computer or console, where they can, for example, execute simple scripts or trick the game into giving you extra aim assist.” Bungie made a point of not naming the creators of the offending hardware, but stressed that it would hand out restrictions, warnings, and bans to individuals who use “external...

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Gets New Art Book From Dark Horse

Like its predecessor, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a game packed full of massive, striking environments and memorable creatures. It seems only fitting that the game receives an art book that delves deeper into the design and evolution of such an ambitious Star Wars project. IGN can exclusively reveal The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the latest in Dark Horse's ever-growing lineup of video game-themed art books. Check out the cover art below: The Art of Star Wars: Jedi Survivor is a 192-page hardcover book featuring a mixture of concept art and developer commentary on the game. The art featured within ranges from early concept designs to final renders of the games environments, characters, weapons and ships. In addition, Dark...

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IGN UK Podcast 692: Zelda and Final Fantasy Look Good Innit

What's the wettest ever film? Cardy, Jen, and Mat are here to answer this and other pressing questions this week. Tears of the Kingdom looks good, doesn't it? Let's talk about that. So does Final Fantasy 16. Let's talk about that, too. Immortals of Aveum could be good. Evil Dead Rise has lots of blood in it. Beef (the meat) also has blood in it, but we're talking about the Netflix show which is very good and also has a little blood. Got a game for us to play, or ever traded in a bunch of bananas for a game? Drop us an email: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast 692: Zelda and Final Fantasy Look Good Innit IGN UK Podcast 691: The Mario Movie vs Tetris: Which is Better? IGN UK Podcast 690: Dunjackets & Dadragons IGN UK Podcast 689...

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Minecraft Legends Review

A good strategy game is ultimately one about choice. Which units to create, where to allocate resources, which strategies to implement. The right decisions lead to victory, while the wrong ones force you to adapt and adjust or else suffer bitter defeat. I found myself at the crossroads of these decisions time and again as I played Minecraft Legends, Mojang and Blackbird Interactive's simplified take on an action-RTS. It doesn’t always do a perfect job opening the door of this often intimidating genre to a wider audience, but the way it largely manages to streamline things without losing most of those important tactical moments is what makes Minecraft Legends work. Simplicity is one of Minecraft Legends greatest strengths. Evil Piglins...

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Ferrari Esports Drifts Down Under for the First Time, Plus Mad Discounts on the Assetto Corsa Series!

If you self identify as a petrolhead, today’s a day of interesting opportunities. For starters, the Assetto Corsa series is seeing whopping discounts of up to 90% off (which you can zip to here). For seconds, Ferrari has announced the return of the Ferrari Esports Series and, for the first time, Australian and New Zealand racers can roll up to the grid. Whoever prevails in these Asia Pacific heats will then go door handle to door handle against the winning racers from Europe and North America. What’s a Ferrari Esports Series? It’s a six-month racing tournament that allows international sim racers to unite, fight, and find out who is number one in a grand final race on October 12, 2023. The sims in question are Assetto Corsa and...

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Officially Delayed to February 2024

Rocksteady has officially delayed Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League to February 2, 2024, quite a few months from its previous May 26, 2023 date. The developer announced the news on Twitter today, writing in a statement, "We have made the tough but necessary decision to take the time needed to work on getting the game to be the best quality experience for players." "Thank you to our amazing community for the continued support, patience, and understanding," the statement goes on. "There is much more to share in the months ahead and we look forward to seeing you in Metropolis next year." It's only the most recent delay for Kill the Justice League, which was previously set for a 2022 release before being moved to Spring 2023...

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Microsoft Is Experimenting With Windows Handheld Mode for Steam Deck

Microsoft is experimenting with adding a Windows handheld mode for Steam Deck, according to a leaked video from a September 2022 hackathon within Microsoft shows several optimized UI elements for a prototype handheld mode. In these hackathons, employees can present ideas to Microsoft executives and they could end up supporting and shipping them. First spotted by The Verge, the video first describes some of the problems that Steam Deck has, such as a lack of controller support outside of the Steam app and games. The touch keyboard isn’t optimized for handhelds with displays around 7 inches, and also there isn’t support for controller navigation of the keyboard. Additionally, some Windows games won’t open or run properly because they...

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Thanks for All the Great Halo, Joseph Staten

Joseph Staten just left Microsoft. Technically it didn’t really change anything when talking about the future of Halo compared to when he left Halo developer 343 Industries to return to his previous role at Xbox Publishing back in January. That came amidst the layoff-fueled shakeup at the studio that saw many senior leads leave either at that time or in the past year since Halo Infinite first shipped. And yet somehow, his complete severance from Microsoft feels a bit more somber for this longtime Halo fan, because it means that he’s unlikely to have much, if any, influence on the future of the franchise – which he still could’ve from his Xbox Publishing perch. And so while it’s fair to wonder where Halo is heading from here – I’ll get...

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XDefiant Closed Beta: First Impressions

Ubisoft’s XDefiant is an upcoming free-to-play first person arena shooter that, if I’m being honest, I didn’t originally feel interested in at all. I had no real connection to any of the factions from different Ubisoft games showcased in XDefiant, and the gameplay didn’t capture my interest. However, I got to play for about an hour in a closed preview event and I was surprised to find that I was wanting to get more playtime in after the servers closed down. An hour isn’t really a lot of time to give a full preview in any game, so this is just a first impressions piece I wanted to share with you all. I had actually played XDefiant in 2021 with one of Ubisoft’s extremely NDA-ed closed tests, and this was a huge change up from that...

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Company of Heroes 3 Gets Console Release Date

Company of Heroes 3 is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on May 30. It's the first console release in the RTS series' 17-year history. The PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of Company of Heroes 3 will include a custom interface specifically designed for consoles and a tactical pause feature that freezes the action so players can explore the battlefield and queue up actions "without the pressure of doing it all in real-time," according to developer Relic Entertainment. The feature is also found in the previously released PC version. Company of Heroes 3 comprises two single-player campaigns, one set in North Africa and another in Italy, as well as the series' staple multiplayer mode. We reviewed the two components separately...

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Immortals of Aveum Is a First-Person Shooter Without Guns

Any fan of first-person shooters has handled a wide variety of digital weaponry in their gaming career. We’ve fired historical weapons while storming the beaches of Normandy, shot modern guns in modern warfare, and used futuristic blasters in sci-fi shooters. One thing we don’t often do in FPSes, though, is cast spells. That will change with Immortals of Aveum, a magic shooter that replaces mechanical weapons with magical abilities. In a recent hands-off preview, I got a look at this upcoming shooter, and I’m intrigued to see more. Pitched as a “single-player, story-driven, magic shooter,” Immortals of Aveum appears to live up to that tagline, based on what I saw. The combat shares many ideas with the military shooters we know and...

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EA Originals' 'First Person Magic Shooter' Immortals of Aveum Arrives This July

EA Originals' upcoming "first person magic shooter" Immortals of Aveum launches on July 20, 2023 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via the EA App, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Immortals of Aveum puts players in the shoes of Jak as he joins the Order of the Immortals and becomes part of mankind's endless war over magic. The game is solely single player, and will play like a first person shooter but with magic abilities instead of guns, somewhat similar to Ghostwire: Tokyo that was released last year. A trailer has also been released. Immortals of Aveum is naturally set in a fantasy universe and promises a visceral, cinematic, story-driven campaign with fast-paced action and spell-based combat that defies FPS conventions...

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Elden Ring Creator Hidetaka Miyazaki Named Amongst Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2023

FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki has been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2023 following the release of the smash hit open world action RPG Elden Ring in February 2022. Time publishes a list honouring the 100 most influential people each year who, in the opinions of the magazine editors, were most responsible for shaping the year. As noted by VGC, Miyazaki is only the second video game developer to be selected for the prestigious list, following in the wake of Time’s 2007 selection of Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. The 2023 list included big names, such as American Gods author Neil Gaiman, Disney CEO Bob Iger, U.S. President Joe Biden, footballer Lionel Messi, Elon Musk, and MrBeast. Accompanying each entry...

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Redfall: Remi's Robot Bribón Shreds Vampires and Accepts Pets | IGN First

In this third of four Redfall hero profiles, Remi doesn't care to share much about herself and her partner Bribón other than they were part of the crew that assisted civilian evacuations after the vampire attack began. See their teamwork showcased in the exclusive trailer above and see what tools you'll have at your disposal if you play as Remi by taking a peek at the details of her kit below. Power 1: Siren – Command Bribon to distract nearby enemies, making himself a target and absorbing damage. Power 2: C4 Charge – Toss an explosive device that sticks to targets and surfaces. Once armed, press the action button to detonate. Ultimate Ability: Mobilize – Create a rallying point where you and your allies are healed over time. Like...

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Disney Speedstorm Preview: A Charming Kart Racer That Has Some Baggage

The loveable and charming cast of Disney characters has a particular way of venturing into different genres of games, such as sprawling RPGs or a life-simulation, and making it feel all their own. Now, Mickey Mouse and friends land in the realm of an arcade racer, where they'll compete to see who's the top driver. Disney Speedstorm sees Disney icons tear through various racing tracks and circuits inspired by the well-loved cartoons and films from across 100 years of the company. I got to spend some time diving into the opening hours of Disney Speedstorm ahead of the early access launch on April 18, and so far, it’s been shaping up to be a fun Disney twist on a kart racer. Unfortunately, some elements overcomplicate what is an...

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Resident Evil 4 Fans Keep Drawing Ashley as a Tiny Mouse, and It's Adorable

If you're a Resident Evil 4 fan or are at all following the game online, you might have noticed some goofy art over the last month involving the character Ashley looking strangely rodent-like. Turns out, it's a fantastic and hilarious trend that caught on upon the release of Resident Evil 4's recent remake, where fans are drawing Ashley from Resident Evil 4 as a little tiny mouse obsessed with cheese. And it rules. It all started with this tweet: The artist, @Agrimmora on Twitter, followed up by explaining that "I saw a joke drawing that depicted ashley with big ears and this came to my mind, i never got past the boulder chase scene as a kid." This is pretty cute and funny, but it gets better: the Resident Evil 4 community has...

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AEW Fight Forever: Developers Say Game Isn't Finished Yet, Despite AEW Head's Comments

AEW Fight Forever, the officially licensed All Elite Wrestling game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ Nordic, is supposed to be out this year. But a series of comments from AEW leadership and the game's developers have left fans confused as to the game's actual development status. The confusion can be traced back to February when AEW wrestler and executive vice president Kenny Omega said on the Swerve City Podcast (via WrestleZone) that "the game has been done," but was currently in limbo trying to get an ESRB rating finalized. This was then reiterated by AEW president Tony Khan during a media scrum following pay-per-view event AEW Revolution: "I can't say the exact release date," he said. "There's a lot of things that go into...

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