Gaming News

Crystal Dynamics Will Continue to Co-Develop Perfect Dark With The Initiative Following Embracer Deal

Following the Square Enix and Embracer deal, Crystal Dynamics will continue to co-develop Microsoft's Perfect Dark reboot with The Initiative. The Initiative took to Twitter to confirm the continued partnership alongside sharing the team has made "great progress" building the next-gen take on Perfect Dark. "We’re excited to see Crystal Dynamics take these next steps with their studio," The Initiative wrote. "Our teams have made great progress in building Perfect Dark together as co-development partners, and we will be continuing this work with them in their next chapter." The Perfect Dark reboot was first announced at The Game Awards 2020 as a first-person shooter with an "eco sci-fi" theme. The game, which would be the first new...

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Signalis: The First Preview

When I first laid eyes on Signalis, I was immediately fascinated by its futuristic sci-fi setting and the enigmatic aura that was brought alongside it. I knew very little about it going into my demo, but after my 30-minute playtime with the opening segment, I walked away with more questions about what lies throughout this mysterious adventure. Signalis put me in the shoes of a Replika named Elster who wakes up from cryo sleep on a desolated spaceship. As I explored, I quickly found myself encountering foreign lifeforms who have infiltrated the ship, but lacked any apparent intelligence aside from their only known goal – that being killing you. I also learned that the ship’s goal was to find planets that were habitable to eventually...

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Square Enix Says Embracer Acquisitions Allow It to Invest More in the Blockchain, AI, and the Cloud

Square Enix has shared some of its reasoning behind the decision to sell Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, and Square Enix Montréal to Embracer Group, saying the transaction will allow the company to invest more in the blockchain, AI, and the cloud. Square Enix revealed the purpose of the transaction in its execution of share transfer agreement with change to subsidiaries document, saying it will assist the company in "adapting to the changes underway in the global business environment by establishing a more efficient allocation of resources, which will enhance corporate value by accelerating growth in the Company’s core businesses in the digital entertainment domain." "In addition, the Transaction enables the launch of new...

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Embracer Group Enters Agreement to Acquire Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix Montreal, and More

Embracer Group has entered into an agreement to acquire Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix Montréal, and a "catalogue of IPs including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain and more than 50 back-catalogue games from Square Enix Holdings" for $300 million. Embracer shared the news in a press release, saying this acquisition includes roughly 1,100 employees across three studios and eight global locations. The deal, if it goes through, is expected to close during Q2 of Embracer's financial year 2022/2023. ”We are thrilled to welcome these studios into the Embracer Group. We recognize the fantastic IP, world class creative talent, and track record of excellence that have been demonstrated time and again over the past...

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Someone Modded the Fisher-Price Game Controller to Work on PC and Played Elden Ring With It

Rudeism on Twitter has modded the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Game & Learn Controller to actually work on PC, and they even played Elden Ring with it. Rudeism shared footage of Elden Ring being played with the Fisher-Price toy, which he effectively turned into an Xbox controller. He also explained a bit about how he modded the controller while leaving many of the toy's original sounds intact. One of the biggest challenges was the fact that the controller has no right analog stick. To get around this, Rudeism utilized the mode switch on the controller that changes the mode from music to numbers. When you switch the mode over, it turns the left joystick into a right joystick. It also changes some of the face buttons to do different...

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Aussie Deals: $49 Metroid Dread, $78 Elden Ring, Plus Cheap Niers and Personas!

Let's begin with a quick reminder that's mostly meant for me and my kind, The Ones Who Usually Forget. Mother's Day is but six days distant. Use the below discounts to load up on what us Simpsons fans call A Bowling Ball Present. (Basic Homer logic: purchase your loved one something you fully intend to enjoy yourself.) For more tips on how to infuriate your significant other or the one who brought you into this world, keep it locked to IGN AU Daily Deals. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam’s our Aussie deals wrangler. You can watch him game on YouTube. Continue reading...

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Chinatown Detective Agency Is the Carmen Sandiego Reimagining I Always Wanted

Disclosure: Humble Bundle, the publisher of Chinatown Detective Agency, is owned by Ziff Davis, the parent company of IGN. Humble Bundle and IGN operate completely independently, and no special consideration is given to Humble Bundle announcements or promotions for coverage. Before I ever owned a game console or settled into the identity of being a gamer, I was still playing games. Specifically, educational games on a clunky Packard Bell like Reader Rabbit, Cluefinders, and one of my favorites, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? This was before our household had internet, or even before internet game guides were a thing. So when an in-game witness told me, a nine-year-old child, “He asked if I wanted to come along, because he had...

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Game Scoop! 673: The Richest & Poorest Video Game Characters

Welcome back to IGN Game Scoop!, the ONLY video game podcast! This week your Omega Cops -- Daemon Hatfield, Sam Claiborn, Justin Davis, and Nicholas Limon -- are discussing the richest and poorest video game characters, Elden Ring, Rogue Legacy 2, Spiritfarer, and more. And, of course, they play Video Game 20 Questions. Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service. Listen on: Apple Podcasts YouTube Spotify Stitcher Find previous episodes here! Continue reading...

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Marvel's Heroes Are Being Dragged Into Fortnite's Greatest Battle Yet

A big part of the appeal of Fortnite is that it gives life to all our childhood fantasies about heroes from different universes teaming up to battle evil. The game now includes skins based on Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Tron, Naruto, Street Fighter and countless other iconic franchises. But sometimes those crossovers are more than merely superficial, and that's where Fortnite x Marvel: Zero War comes in. A followup of sorts to 2021's Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point, Zero War explores a major escalation in the endless conflict raging on Fortnite's Island. In this story, a fragment of the Zero Point lands in the Marvel Universe, forcing the heroes of Fortnite to join forces with the Avengers to prevent a disaster that could affect all worlds...

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Destiny 2: Where Is Xur Today? Location and Exotic Items for April 29

Our boi, 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 location can be found at Watcher's Grave...

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Xbox Games With Gold for May 2022 Revealed

Microsoft has announced that May 2022's Games with Gold are Yoku's Island Express, The Inner World - The Last Wind Monk, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, and Viva Piñata: Party Animals. As revealed on Xbox Wire, the four Games with Gold will be available to anyone with Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, with Yoku's Island Express and Hydro Thunder Hurricane available starting on May 1. Yoku's Island Express is an open-world pinball game with Metroidvania and platforming elements. Players take on the role of Yoku, a pint-sized mailman turned hero as he traverses and works to save Mokumana Island. We named it among our top ten Metroidvania games (that aren't Metroid or Castlevania), and in our 8/10 review said: "Yoku’s Island Express...

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PlayStation Cat Game Stray Pushed to Summer 2022

PlayStation has quietly announced a delay to it's cat game Stray with a release now expected this summer. The release window was previously set as spring 2022, but in a tweet (below) advertising indie games coming soon spotted by Eurogamer, PlayStation sneakily confirmed the delay. Stray's launch on PS5, PS4, and PC will mark two years since it was first shown at the PS5 reveal event, when it was originally expected to be a 2021 release. Developer BlueTwelve's objective is simple: "Our goal is to create a unique experience playing as a cat," they said at the time. But this isn't your average house cat, as the players controls the kitty as it explores a robotic cybercity and tries to return home with the help of a drone called...

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Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Explained - What Is the Animated Anthology Series?

While Star Wars Celebration 2022 is still weeks away, we already know one of the new projects Lucasfilm will be revealing at the convention. Thanks to a now-deleted panel schedule posting, we've learned a new animated anthology series called Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi is in the works. Fans of the classic Legends timeline will probably recognize that particular branding. Tales of the Jedi is a name with deep significance to the Star Wars mythos. The original Dark Horse Comics series was among the first Star Wars stories to flesh out the ancient history of the Jedi Order and their war with the Sith. Will this animated series follow that example? We don't know much yet, but this is a good opportunity to look back at Tales of the Jedi...

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IGN UK Podcast #642: Overwatch 2 is a Playable Thing that Exists

The Overwatch 2 beta is live, so of course, we’re going to talk about it. To do just that are Cardy, Matt and Alex who delve into just how new it feels. We also have impressions of Switch Sports and Richard Linklater's latest film, Apollo 10 ½. Then there’s the stuff you care about, such as milk, out of date chocolate, and father and son bonding stories. Want to get in touch to talk about digging graves? Or maybe about chocolate? Feel free to send us an email at ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast #642: Overwatch 2 is a Playable Thing that Exists IGN UK Podcast #641: Grave Digger 4000 IGN UK Podcast #640: The 2013 Build-a-Game Workshop IGN UK Podcast #639: Three Bunged Up Boys IGN UK Podcast #638: The Steam Deck Is a Big Boi...

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Skull & Bones: Gameplay Leak Shows Combat, On-Foot Exploration, and More

Gameplay from Ubisoft's pirate game Skull & Bones has leaked online, giving us a look at several mechanics, including naval combat and on-foot exploration. It's unclear which version of the game this "technical test build" is from, as Skull & Bones received a major reboot before entering an alpha stage in July 2021. Ubisoft invited some players to test an early version last month, however, meaning this leaked gameplay, shared by Wesam_L on reddit, could well be from this Insider Programme. In this version of the game, Skull & Bones gameplay revolves around a hub area – similar to The Tower from Destiny 2 – that players will frequent in order to craft items, visit shops, take on missions, and so on. The hub, called Sainte-Anne, is...

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The First Few PS Plus Premium Retro Games Seem to Have Leaked

A handful of retro games likely coming in PlayStation Plus's upcoming Premium tier have seemingly leaked online. Tekken 2, Worms Armageddon, Worms World Party, and Mr. Driller for the original PlayStation have all appeared on the PSN backend, alongside Ridge Racers 2 for PSP. Reddit user the_andshrew spotted the hidden games, as reported by Eurogamer, which will likely be part of the most expensive PS Plus tier when the service is refreshed in June. The Premium tier, which will cost users $119.99 a year, will include 340 retro games from the PS1, PS2, and PSP, plus the ability to stream PS3 games and access to around 400 PS4 and PS5 games that are included in the previous Extra tier. PlayStation itself has yet to confirm which...

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Where to Buy the LEGO McLaren F1 Race Car and Some Game-to-Bricks Gems!

Ever since we snapped that Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill (21331) together, we've rediscovered our love of LEGO building. Obviously, there are a ton of actual game tie-in sets available (check the bottom of this article for those) but we're not afraid to highlight the odd set which is gaming adjacent. Today's topic, for example, isn't tied to any Codemasters title—but hey, it also wouldn't look out of place in a game-cave that's already rocking a racing seat. Unless you have nearly 300,000 LEGO bricks tucked away in the toy bucket (and close to 2000 hours of spare time up your sleeve) replicating the life-size F1 replica LEGO recently unveiled at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix is out of the question. Fortunately, there's a compromise...

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Xbox Showcase Announced: Here's What to Expect - IGN Daily Fix

Xbox and Bethesda have announced a showcase this June, right around the time E3 would normally happen, but if you haven’t heard, E3 isn’t happening this year. But that’s ok, because Bethesda looks to have a pretty solid lineup of games to show off, including the Indiana Jones game, State of Decay 3, the Perfect Dark reboot, Avowed, and a ton more. In PlayStation news, Sony won’t allow you to stack PS Plus memberships anymore, even if you legitimately bought a code. Recently, Sony announced current PS Plus and PS Now users will get bumped to the “premium” tier of the new PS Plus. Word got around real quick that you could stack current subscriptions in order to save money on the PS Plus premium tier, and it looks like Sony is trying to...

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Showa American Story Is a Wild and Sexy Chinese Depiction of America as Set in Showa 66

"Actually, we didn't really do any research in particular. I just wanted to depict what I imagined America would look like if it had been invaded by Japanese culture in the early nineties," says X.Y. Luo, creative director of Showa American Story. His words will surely come as a surprise to anyone who's seen the trailer released this January. This game developed by the Chinese studio NEKCOM Games is set in a fictional America decorated with carp streamers and Jizo statues, having become culturally colonized by Japan in the year Showa 66, a parallel 1991 where Japan's Showa era didn't end in 1989. The Statue of Liberty is wearing a kimono, while a massive paper lantern with the Japanese character for "gold" written on it hangs from the...

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Aussie Deals: Cheapest Prices on Nintendo Switch Sports, Skywalker Saga, Sonic Origins and More!

Call your old pin pals, pack away that glass coffee table and foam up your telly. Nintendo Switch Sports is upon us and it's time to party like it's 2006. Alternatively, you might want to spend your weekend playing some seriously discounted JRPGs (thanks to a Golden Days sale) or there's always the universally loved co-op of LEGO The Skywalker Saga. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam’s our Aussie deals wrangler. You can watch him game on YouTube. Continue reading...

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Rocket League New Mode Is Battle Royale For People Who Hate Battle Royale

You're probably thinking "not another battle royale" and you'd be justified. However, Rocket League's new Knockout game mode seems to be for people who hate battle royale games. Knockout is part of Rocket League's spring in-game event called Knockout Bash, which goes from April 27 to May 10. This new game mode involves using the driving/soccer skills you'd use in the normal game in an eight player destruction derby-type battle royale. In addition to the existing movesets, there are three new skills to master: Attack, Block, and Grab. Attack is basically dodging into an opponent to send them flying if placed right. Block is essentially a parry which reflects Attacks back onto the opposing player with proper timing. Grab allows you to...

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Remember When Ninja Ruled Everything?

Ninja once ruled everything. Gaming, streaming, even the late night talk show circuit wasn't off limits. He was inescapable, pulling in tens of thousands of viewers per stream and striking sponsorship deals left and right. And then it just kind of stopped when he moved to Mixer. So how did Ninja rise to become the face of Fortnite, and was the move to Mixer (for a reported $30 million dollars) worth it? Spoiler: It probably was. Continue reading...

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Yuji Naka Opens Up About Balan Wonderworld Troubles: 'I Think Square Enix Is No Good'

Veteran developer Yuji Naka hit out at his former publisher, Square Enix, after a court case over his removal as director of Balan Wonderworld concluded. Naka is best known for his work on Sonic The Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, and Nights into Dreams. In a series of tweets, Naka said that “Square Enix is no good” and that neither they nor co-developer Arzest are “companies that care about games or fans.” Naka had served as the director of Balan for much of its development but was removed from the post about six months before the game was released. He resigned from Square Enix shortly after Balan was released and filed a lawsuit against the company. He also floated the idea of retiring from the games industry for good. In his thread...

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Activision Blizzard Stockholders Approve Microsoft Acquisition, But Questions Remain

Activision Blizzard shareholders voted today to approve the company's pending acquisition by Microsoft, but that doesn't mean it's a done deal, with several other hurdles remaining. Announced via press release today, over 98% of shares voted in favor of the acquisition, which is expected to close sometime in the upcoming Microsoft fiscal year, which is between July 2022 and June 2023. The voters approved the acquisition at $95 per share - considerably higher than the share price of late, which has been slowly dropping over the last month from the low-$80 range and has been hovering between $76 and $77 per share for the last few days. The lowering share price ahead of the deal could indicate a lack of shareholder confidence that the...

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Every Take-Two Game in Development

Between publishing labels 2K, Rockstar, and Private Divison, Take-Two is one of the largest and most renowned game publishers in the business; the company’s stable of acclaimed franchises includes Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Borderlands, BioShock, NBA 2K, XCOM, and Civilization, among many others. Between now and March 2024, the company plans to release over 40 games for console/PC, including 23 “immersive core” titles, which covers staples like GTA, BioShock, and 2K sports games; six Private Division games; four “mid-core” games (think WWE Battlegrounds); and nine ports or remasters. Given Take-Two’s pedigree, the prospect of 40 new games over the next two years is an exciting one. To give you a better idea of what to...

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Rogue Legacy 2 Review

Back in 2013, the original Rogue Legacy added a revolutionary twist to the standard roguelike formula: Instead of losing everything upon death, you’re able to spend your currency on permanent upgrades that make each successive run just a little bit easier. This kickstarted an entire subgenre called roguelites, which now includes such incredible games as Hades, Returnal, Dead Cells, and many more. That’s a daunting landscape to return to nine years later, but Rogue Legacy 2 is a sequel that wisely doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel. Instead it successfully modernizes its look, premise, and mechanics to meet the heightened modern-day standards of the genre, and hones the design to razor sharpness. Rogue Legacy 2 feels like a...

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge Preview: Nostalgia Time!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have a notable history of beat-’em-up games on arcade cabinets and retro consoles like the NES and Super NES. Now Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Donny are back again for another adventure in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, and it looks… like a modernized version from the same era, which adds an immediate nostalgic appeal. Developed by genre veterans Tribute Games, the build I played shows that this retro-rules pseudo-sequel is shaping up to be a charismatic – albeit safe – return to the genre. Something important to share first and foremost is that Shredder’s Revenge is its own game. It may be based off the 1987 Ninja Turtles, but the story is not connected to TMNT: The Arcade Game or Turtles...

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The Quarry: How Movie Mode and Multiplayer Work - IGN First

Supermassive Games knows the appeal of a good horror story. Millions of the studio’s fans have jumped and screamed through Until Dawn and the Dark Pictures games. But the developer recognises that not everyone enjoys horror in the same way. That’s why The Quarry, Supermassive’s upcoming spiritual successor to Until Dawn, has multiple different game modes in order to allow a whole spectrum of horror fans to join in. It can, of course, be a choice-based story game. But, much like the spookiest of shadows, it can morph into other guises. If you want, The Quarry can be a movie you just sit back and watch for ten hours. Or it can be a movie you direct, where you instruct your cast ahead of time on how they should respond to the adventure’s...

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Mass Effect: Dark Horse Reveals Reaper Sovereign Ship Replica

Dark Horse Direct is returning to the Mass Effect series with another replica statue. This time around, the fearsome Reaper Sovereign ship is being immortalized in three dimensions. Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive first look at the Reaper Sovereign ship replica: The Reaper Sovereign is cast in polyresin and was sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios. The piece measures roughly 14 inches in height and 11 inches in diameter. The display base is meant to depict the battle-ravaged terrain of the planet Eden Prime, with the statue itself inspired by the original Mass Effect game. The Reaper Sovereign is priced at $299.99 and is limited to 1000 pieces worldwide. The statue is available to preorder now on the Dark Horse...

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PlayStation Plus Games for May 2022 Announced

Sony has revealed the PlayStation Plus games for May 2022 are FIFA 22 (PS5 & PS4), Tribes of Midgard (PS5 & PS4), and Curse of the Dead Gods (PS4). Revealed on the PlayStation Blog, all three games will be made available at no extra cost to all PlayStation Plus subscribers on May 3. FIFA 22 is the latest entry in EA's football series, which is now almost 'officially' the best football game on the market thanks to the pretty disastrous launch and subsequent updates to Konami's eFootball 2022. Back to the freebie though, in IGN's 7/10 review, we said: "Microtransactions still loom large, but small iterative changes and the horsepower of new-gen consoles combine to make FIFA 22 feel like a worthwhile upgrade without needing anything...

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