Gaming News

Apex Legends Director Chad Grenier Is Departing Respawn

Apex Legends director Chad Grenier is departing Respawn, the studio he helped form in 2010. He will be replaced by Steve Ferreira, who joined the Apex Legends team as a lead in 2019. "It's an emotional day for me. After years of making great games with some of the best in the biz, I'm saying goodbye to a studio that I love and helped form 11 years ago," Grenier wrote. In Grenier's note, he thanked Respawn founder Vince Zampella and the rest of the team, saying that he feels like a "kid leaving the nest." Grenier has been Apex Legends' director since mid-2019, and was among the developers who departed Infinity Ward alongside Zampella when he and Jason West were fired in 2010. Grenier did not reveal his intentions for the future...

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Josef Fares Game It Takes Two Is Hit With Claim from Take-Two Interactive

Grand Theft Auto parent company Take-Two Interactive has hit Hazelight Studio's game, It Takes Two, with a trademark claim. Records indicate that Hazelight has seemingly been forced to abandon ownership of the game's name. In a statement to Eurogamer, a Hazelight spokesperson told the outlet that the studio cannot comment on ongoing disputes, but hopes that the situation will be resolved. Take-Two has also been filing trademark claims for names that include words like "rockstar," "social club," "mafia," and "civilization." These words all have connections to products or services that Take-Two owns, such as Rockstar Games, Rockstar Social Club, and the Mafia franchise. Not only is Hazelight affected, but other businesses unrelated to...

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Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker Players Are Queuing to Play... Then Getting Error Codes

Players heading into Final Fantasy 14's recently launched Endwalker expansion are reporting a number of problems with the game, including long queue times, and even error codes sending them back to the end of the line. As is quite often the case when it comes to content launched for MMOs, FF14's Endwalker expansion is seeing some teething issues when it comes to server wait times. As reported by VG247, the server queue times for the game seem to be causing additional frustration for players due to the fact that they're being mixed in with a number of error codes that seemingly keep pushing players back to the end of the queue. As per reports from fans, error 2002 appears to be the main code that players are encountering when sitting...

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Valve Shows Off the Steam Deck's Packaging

Valve has shared a number of images showing off the packaging for its upcoming handheld PC, the Steam Deck. According to a blog post by Valve, the company has recently completed its Design Validation for the handheld which it says is the "final prototype build before production." While this is the newest build to come from the company and offers improvements on its previous prototype (EV2) Valve has said that there will be "additional minor changes in the final product.” One of the major changes between the current prototype and its predecessor comes through the product's design packaging - which the company says it is now testing before it ships to fans next year. Included within the post are a number of images (as seen above) that...

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Battlefield 2042's Controversial Santa Skin Could Be For 'Single Time Use' and May Not Appear This Year At All

After Battlefield 2042's latest update accidentally revealed a 'Father Winter' skin – which wasn't received well by some fans – DICE has said that Holiday-themed cosmetics could be for 'single-time use' and that some may not appear in the game this year at all. A Twitter thread (below) shared by the Battlefield developer looked to address fans' concerns surrounding the leaked skin. "Today some of you accidentally got a glimpse of some Holiday themed cosmetics and we wanted to help clarify their intended usage," reads a statement. "Development for Live Service requires us to work months in advance, and enables us to have options when we reach key moments in our first year. Today, we have other priorities, and so whilst we have the...

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IGN 25: THE GAME TRAILER - PLAY NOW

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, IGN made a free game that has you play as the anthropomorphic D-pad known as Iggy in a side-scrolling platformer that lets you travel through the past 25 years in pop culture. Witness the birth and evolution of IGN while avoiding the danger posed by every iconic video game, movie, and piece of technology of the last 25 years. It'll be available in a few weeks and you'll be able to play it right here, on IGN. Continue reading...

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Magic: The Gathering Arena’s New Alchemy Mode Leans Into Digital-Only

Magic: The Gathering developer Wizards of the Coast has announced a new play format coming exclusively to MTG Arena on December 9. Called Alchemy, this new mode will regularly rebalance cards instead of outright banning them, as well as introduce brand new digital-only cards. While Alchemy will use the same sets and rotation schedule as Standard, Wizards of the Coast is explicit about the fact that this is not intended to replace what it’s now calling “Printed” formats. Instead, it’s using Alchemy to create something new that is free to more fully embrace the digital nature of Arena in a way other digital card games like Hearthstone already do. That means certain printed cards will have versions with rebalanced text or abilities...

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EA Wants to Create a Battlefield Connected Universe

EA is not only going to continue supporting the recently released Battlefield 2042, but also plans to expand the franchise to create a "connected Battlefield universe. Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella is also now overseeing the Battlefield franchise. Speaking with GameSpot, Zampella says, "We will continue to evolve and grow Battlefield 2042, and we'll explore new kinds of experiences and business models along the way that we can add to that foundation to provide an awesome array of experiences for our players." As for what could be in store for a "connected universe," Battlefield Mobile is in development over at Industrial Toys, along with DICE working on a next-gen Battlefield title for both PC and consoles. Additionally, Ripple...

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Respawn's Vince Zampella Taking On Larger Role In Battlefield Franchise As DICE GM Departs EA

EA is restructuring as it shifts focus to building out the Battlefield franchise. Following a troubled launch for Battlefield 2042. DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson is leaving the company at the end of the year to pursue another role outside of EA. In response, Zampella will be adding DICE to his portfolio of EA studios as Group GM, which already includes Ripple and Respawn, GameSpot reports. Zampella had already been working more closely with DICE since early 2020, when it was announced he'd be the new head of DICE LA with plans to launch an original game. Zampella's duties at Respawn will reportedly continue as normal, focusing on managing Apex Legends and Respawn's unannounced projects, which potentially includes the rumored...

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Halo Infinite Players Are Learning How To Communicate Through Teabag Dancing

Halo Infinite players are learning how to put aside their differences and communicate in one of the world's most sacred languages - teabag dancing. In a clip posted by Reddit user Local_Floridian (as spotted on Twitter by Washington Post games reporter Gene Park), the player can be seen trading weapons with an enemy player during a match. While normally we would advise a more cautious approach when fraternizing with the enemy, it seems that this foolhardy soldier was able to communicate through the power of teabag dancing in order to successfully facilitate a weapons trade-off with an opposing Spartan. After a tense period of repetitive crouching, which somewhat resembled an animal mating ritual you might find in a nature...

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Fortnite Chapter 2's Ending Seems to Have Leaked Because of a TikTok Advert

A huge leak for Fortnite Chapter 2's ending appears to have surfaced online, coming via a TikTok advert that has been making the rounds on social media. The end is nigh for Fortnite's current storyline and second chapter. Chapter 2 is set to draw to a close this Saturday (December 4) during an in-game live event called 'The End', which should set up the Battle Royale for its next big adventure. However, footage detailed in an advert on TikTok has seemingly shown off a pretty key element of the finale. We won't be linking to the footage here but, suffice it to say, if you're waiting to find out what happens, tread carefully on social media. For those looking to jump into the Chapter 2 finale, the event will begin on December 4 at...

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Santa Claus Is Coming to Battlefield 2042, and Some Players Aren't Happy About It

Battlefield 2042's latest update has, possibly inadvertently, revealed some upcoming skins for the game – and many players don't seem pleased that 'Father Winter' is coming to town. Battlefield 2042's Update #3 adds weekly missions, improvements to menu UI, and over 150 gameplay fixes – but it also seems to include a range of new cosmetics. As shown in the tweet below, some of the Specialist skins included are a little outside of Battlefield's more serious norm, including a Father Winter skin for Boris that sees him sporting a Santa-like cloak and a white beard. At time of writing the skins have been removed from public view having seemingly been revealed too early, but the response to the Father Winter skin in particular has...

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What to Expect from Lineage2M

WHAT IS LINEAGE2M? Based in the fantasy universe of Lineage, Lineage2M is a mobile MMORPG set in the open world of Aden full of monsters, treasure, and adventure alike. So, what exactly differentiates Lineage2M in a crowded genre? Lineage2M is here, and developer NCSOFT aims to bring a host of innovations to the genre. From a vast, seamless open world; to bosses that compel both collaboration and competition on a large scale; to gameplay systems that reward you for your playing time -- here are some of the key features you can expect in Lineage2M. GRAPHICS OPTIMIZED FOR MOBILE AND PC Lineage2M’s character and environmental visuals don’t stutter even in full 3D on your mobile device. For example, when taking down detailed boss...

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What Are PS5's Best Games So Far? - Beyond 727

On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to answer one very important question - what are the PS5's best games so far? In Podcast Beyond's episode 727, the trio comes up with their completely unofficial, and not at all contentious list by looking through the entire first year category to decide what PS5 games are the best of the bunch. From Spider-Man Miles Morales, Astro's Playroom, and Demon's Souls at the PS5's launch, to PS4 exclusives like Returnal and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, to other Marvel hits like Guardians of the Galaxy or multiplatform games like Death's Door or Knockout City, and even big MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV, the trio and our...

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Aussie Deals: 95% Off an 8 Game Batman Bundle, a 7 Buck Ghostbusters Remaster, and More!

If you never took the plunge on Rocksteady's Batman series, then you really have to rectify that today. Said franchise stands (right alongside Insomniac's Spider-Man series) as the most authentic super hero experience one can get without suffering spandex rash. It's highly unlikely you'll regret a purchase. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam's an Aussie deals wrangler who thinks Arkham Origins was underrated. He's @Grizwords. Continue reading...

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CD Projekt Red Reveals Cyberpunk 2077 Wristwatch That Incorporates Blockchain Technology

There's a new wristwatch based on Cyberpunk 2077 that you can preorder right now. CD Projeckt Red is partnering up with Blonie Watches to release the T-2077, a limited edition wristwatch born out of the dystopian setting of Cyberpunk 2077. The watch's case and bracelet are made out of pure grade 2 titanium, with the latter having a butterfly clasp, and its mechanism is quartz with a digital LED-type yellow display. The glass is a darkened mineral with an additional sapphire coating. The watch is water-resistant to up to 5 atmospheres, or 50 meters. For the battery, it uses a model CR2032, with lithium manganese dioxide/organic electrolyte. It's 3V with a capacity of 220mAh. The watch also has both 12-hour and 24-hour options, as...

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Respawn Is Ending All New Sales of Titanfall, Removing it From Subscription Services Later

After seven years, Respawn is finally ending all new sales of the first Titanfall game starting today. Titanfall will also be removed from subscription-based services on March 1, 2022. However, any players who've already purchased Titanfall will still have access to live servers. Despite the removal, Respawn insisted that Titanfall is part of the company's DNA and that the universe will continue. Respawn announced its decision Wednesday morning, adding that Titanfall is a central part of the studio's identity. "Rest assured, Titanfall is core to Respawn's DNA and this incredible universe will continue," Respawn wrote. "Today in Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends, and in the future. This franchise is a north star for the caliber of...

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PlayStation Plus December 2021 Free Games Announced

PlayStation has announced the PS Plus lineup for December 2021, and the games included are Mortal Shell and LEGO DC Super-Villains for PS4, as well as Godfall for players on PS4 and PS5. The games will be available from next Tuesday, December 7, until Monday, January 3. Godfall was one of the launch titles for PlayStation 5 last year. It's a multiplayer, gear-based action game that showed off some of the graphical capabilities of PS5. It was later announced that it would be coming to PS4 after launch. We called the game "okay" in our Godfall review, saying, "the repetition of its missions wears thin before the end of its campaign, and even thinner in the endgame afterward." Mortal Shell is a brutal indie game clearly inspired by...

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Aftermath, a New Psychological Thriller, Announced for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X

Italian developer One O One Games and publisher META have announced Aftermath, a new narrative-driven psychological thriller that's in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X utilizing the Unreal Engine. Players take on the role of former European astronaut Charlie Gray, who is desperately searching a devastated planet for her daughter in the, well...aftermath of something terrible. The extent of that catastrophic event is hinted at in the cinematic trailer, which you can watch at the top of this page. Though there is crafting and (of course) combat, Aftermath intends to double down on story. One O One CEO David Gallo says that Aftermath "aims to tell a mature story through survival mechanics, one that’s far away from the...

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Rockstar Delays GTA Trilogy Physical Edition Release Dates

Rockstar has delayed the physical release for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. As shared by the studio on Twitter (below), Rockstar has announced that is delaying the physical release for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy to multiple different dates. While that change now means that the game will release on Xbox consoles and PS4 on December 17 (a ten-day delay), it's worse news for Switch fans, where the game now won't be available physically until early 2022. The delay of the physical versions of the game follows a turbulent digital release for remasters of the iconic trio. Following their release, fans jumping into the three games included in the remastered bundle (GTA 3...

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Solar Ash Review

I glide serenely through the undulating turquoise sea, enjoying the silky sensation of movement as I cut a path through this landscape of… what? Clouds?! The Ultravoid is an utterly surreal place - beautiful, colourful, yet also broken, desolate. This is all that’s left of a host of forgotten worlds, sucked inexorably into the gravitational pull of a massive black hole. Above me, a monstrous-looking creature known as a Remnant patrols the sky, and it’s so large I’ll literally skate along its back when I confront and kill it; part of a desperate bid to save my home planet from becoming the latest victim of The Ultravoid’s insatiable appetite. Solar Ash has some big ideas, and while it’s not all smooth skating thanks to minor control...

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Call of Duty Warzone Is Making a Big Gameplay Change, and Fans Are Warring Over It

Activision Blizzard is currently facing serious ongoing allegations of harassment and mistreatment of marginalized workers. To learn more, please visit our timeline as well as our in-depth report on the subject. As the game moves to a new map, Call of Duty: Warzone is making some big changes to how loadouts will operate – and fans can't agree whether it's better or worse for the game. Call of Duty: Warzone's new map, Caldera will bring with it a tropical new destination, new points of interest, and new changes to the way that fans will play Warzone. While a full list of announced tweaks to the Battle Royale can be found in our full rundown, one feature that has left fans divided is the way that loadouts will work in Warzone going...

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Nerf Legends Review

There was a time in the early 2000s when you could reach into the bottom of a cereal box and occasionally pull out an entertainingly bad, low budget video game. Nerf Legends feels like it was supposed to be in one of those boxes, but was left out because it's not safe to package something this harmful to your health alongside someone’s breakfast. With atrocious gunplay, joyless puzzles, cringey writing, painful bugs, and legitimately broken multiplayer, this half baked disaster has absolutely nothing of interest to offer – even to those just looking for a nostalgic laugh. It’s a sloppy, tragic first-person shooter, and one of the worst games I’ve played in a long time. Arming you with an array of foam dart firing Nerf Blasters, the...

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Halo Infinite: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscribers Will Get Monthly Bonuses

Microsoft has announced that subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will gain access to monthly bonuses in Halo Infinite, just for being signed up for the service. In a new blog post shared on the Xbox website, the company announced the news that those signed up to the subscription service will be able to gain access to additional content bundles that include a range of useful in-game items. "It’s an awesome time for Perks because we’re excited to reveal that Ultimate members will be locked in to get monthly Halo Infinite Multiplayer bonuses, starting with the first bundle on December 8," reads the post. Upon release, subscribers to the service will be able to get their hands on an exclusive 'Pass Tense' MA40 Assault Rifle coating...

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Exclusive Assetto Corsa Competizione Trailer Reveals New-Gen Upgrades

IGN is pleased to exclusively debut the new trailer for Assetto Corsa Competizione, showcasing the new features coming as part of the newly upgraded PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions. The free upgrade will bring Assetto Corsa Competizione up to 60 frames-per-second, as well as add a progressive full day cycle to races for authentic sunsets and atmospheric lighting. Randomly generated weather further contributes to the atmosphere, with cloudy skies and rain really making Silverstone feel authentic. Weather is about more than just making the atmosphere authentic, though; rain affects the physics of the track, combining with other systems to affect gameplay. Rubber deposits on the track that build up lap after lap create enhanced grip...

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New Call of Duty: Warzone Map Seemingly Includes a Fresh Take on a Fan-Favourite Map

Activision Blizzard is currently facing serious ongoing allegations of harassment and mistreatment of marginalized workers. To learn more, please visit our timeline as well as our in-depth report on the subject. Call of Duty: Warzone's upcoming Battle Royale map Caldera seems to include a fresh take on a fan-favourite multiplayer map, Shipment. As spotted by @ModernWarzone on Twitter, recently revealed footage of Call of Duty: Warzone's upcoming Pacific-based map Caldera seems to include a portion of the map modeled from the popular close-quarters map Shipment. As seen in the tweet above, the area similar to Shipment in Caldera brings a slightly new take to the multiplayer map, while also closely resembling its format in Call of...

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Halo Infinite Dev Says It 'Anticipated' Cheaters, Is 'Committed' to Taking Action

343 has addressed the current state of cheating in Halo Infinite. In a thread of tweets, community manager John Junyszek explained that the developer had 'anticipated' the issue in the game and that it was 'committed' to taking action against offenders. "Let's talk about cheating," says Junyszek in his original tweet. "Unfortunately, cheating is a natural part of supporting a F2P PC game and it's one we anticipated. It'll never go away entirely, but we're prepared and committed to releasing consistent improvements to our game’s systems and taking action on bad actors." While the phrase "releasing consistent improvements to our game's systems," is rather vague, Junyszek was quick to address this in a follow-up explaining what appears...

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Aussie Deals: Half Off Deathloop, GTA V, RDR 2, NBA 2K22, Nioh Collection, and More!

With the holidays fast approaching, there really is no arguing with getting 50% off a quick gift purchase. That's even better if the present in question is an iconic Rockstar title, a genre mixing GOTY contender by Arkane or a two-game compilation with more demon slaying than you can poke a katana at. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Adam's an Aussie deals guy who's currently "finishing this fight". He's sometimes @Grizwords. Continue reading...

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Ruined King: A League of Legends Story Review

Airship Syndicate’s work on Ruined King: A League of Legends Story weaves a wonderful tale that is primed to capture League of legends fans new and old. Blending the design ideas of its previous turn-based RPG, Battle Chasers: Nightwar, with LoL’s lore, it brings together a handful of favorite characters and gives them room to grow over the course of a lengthy and well-paced campaign. While some bugs slowed me down, a compelling story, gorgeous graphic novel-style art, modest character development, and versatile combat kept me entertained as I finally got to experience the world of Runeterra from a different perspective. Riot has spent the last decade creating diverse, unique, and memorable characters for its MOBA, but until recently...

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A Mass Effect TV Series? Here’s What We’d Want – Unlocked 522

Happy holidays! As we push into the final (huge) month of the Xbox year, we discuss Amazon's rumored Mass Effect TV show. Can it work? Who should it focus on? Who should star in it? Plus: Halo Infinite multiplayer impressions, Scalebound's director speaks candidly about the canceled Xbox exclusive, and more! Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our new YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 download of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our latest IGN Unfiltered interview, where Joseph Staten – one of Halo's original creators and now the head of creative on Halo Infinite – discusses his fascinating career: Oh, and you can be featured on Unlocked by tweeting us a video Loot Box question! Tweet your...

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