Gaming News

Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker's Stardew Valley Mode Sounds Relaxing as Heck

While not included in the upcoming expansion, Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker will receive a post-launch patch with a new mode that vaguely sounds like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing called Island Sanctuary. In an interview with IGN, Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida shared more details about this upcoming mode and what you can and can't do. Details for the Island Sanctuary mode remain sparse, especially since it's not planned to be released until after the Endwalker expansion is released in November. But we did know that you can tend to animals and crops similar to a farming sim. Speaking with IGN, Yoshida elaborated further by explaining in Japanese it's vaguely called "pioneering of a deserted island" which the team...

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Final Fantasy 14 Surpasses 24 Million Players, Becomes Most Profitable Final Fantasy Game In the Series

During a recent hands-on preview event for the upcoming Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker expansion, director Naoki Yoshida revealed that Square Enix's popular MMORPG recently has surpassed 24 million players. Furthermore, it is the most profitable Final Fantasy game in the series. Speaking to the press in a digital preview event, Yoshida revealed that the player count has hit 24 million players 11 years after Final Fantasy 14 was first released. In a chart Yoshida shared with the press, Final Fantasy 14's player count back in 2015 was 4 million registered players. That number hit 10 million by the time the third expansion, Stormblood, was released in 2017, before doubling in the next four years. "You all know just how hard things were...

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Aussie Deals Up to 80% Off Fallouts, Tomb Raiding, Just Causes and More!

Three franchises that I dig got the discount chop today. The Fallout series probably needs very little introduction, so I'll simply use this space to recommend you score New Vegas at any cost (a pip over 4 clams). Not into the post-apoc or RPGs? Maybe get your action fix in Just Cause 4 or experience some of the most on-point reboots ever devised—Crystal Dynamics' do-over of Tomb Raider. The first two, at least, belong in a museum. They represent master-Croft-smanship. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Sign up to get the best Aussie gaming deals sent straight to your inbox! Adam's an Aussie deals wrangler who spends too much of his income on the...

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Surprising No One, Forza Horizon 5 Is Awesome – Unlocked 515

It's the busy fall games season and we've got a LOT to talk about, from Forza Horizon 5 preview impressions (spoiler: it's absurdly good) to Back 4 Blood first impressions, the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy remasters being real, Ubisoft's latest uninspiring announcement in Ghost Recon Frontline, and more. Plus a special show announcement! 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 Halo Infinite Flight performance preview, which does a deep-dive tech analysis on the still-in-development slice of Halo Infinite multiplayer: Oh, and you can be featured on Unlocked by tweeting us a video Loot Box question! Tweet your...

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Mortal Kombat's Ed Boon Shows Off the Original 1992 Scorpion Video Capture

Like everyone else, Ed Boon appears to be feeling nostalgic for Mortal Kombat. Boon, who helped create the franchise nearly 30 years ago, recently posted a series of tweets filled with info about Scorpion's legendary hook attack, complete with motion capture footage that dates all the way back to 1992. Boon published the video on his Twitter on Tuesday. He says that, even though Mortal Kombat will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2022, Boon says developing the game began 30 years ago in 1991. Boon shared the video to celebrate and commented on how spontaneous the video shoots were. "We certainly did a ton of prep for our video shoots, but some ideas came to us while filming," Boon said. "With Scorpion’s spear, it started with 'You...

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Avowed Reportedly Has Destructible Environments And Is 'Deep Into Pre-Production'

A little more than a year since its original announcement, we still know comparatively little about Avowed — the new first-person RPG from Obsidian based in the Pillars of Eternity universe. However, a new report by Windows Central appears to shed light on the project, revealing that it's well into pre-production and that it will "feature many elements Pillars of Eternity fans are familiar with." They reportedly include familiar spells such as Jolting Touch and Fetid Caress, as well as creatures like the Xaurips. The report repeatedly compares Avowed to Skyrim and Oblivion, describing it as "undoubtedly Obsidian's take on The Elder Scrolls." It may go as far as to include destructible environments, with fire spells leaving areas...

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Madden 22's Ongoing Roadmap Will Be 'Slightly Less Ambitious' Than in the Past

Fans shouldn't expect too many big content drops for Madden 22. Speaking with IGN about Madden 22's rocky launch, executive producer Seann Graddy discussed the roadmap for Madden 22 and beyond, saying new modes aren't the priority right now. "I would say [the roadmap is] probably slightly less ambitious than years past because we are really focused on a few core areas of Madden 22 and also getting started up on Madden 23 in a big way," Graddy says. "So I will stand by what we've always said the last couple of years: we're a live service and we'll continue to update the game, but we’re definitely not going to be talking about a brand new mode." In the past, developers have dropped new modes and features in free updates to the game...

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6 Things You Need to Know About Myth of Empires

Myth of Empires is the new large-scale multiplayer sandbox game from development studio, Angela Game. Player freedom and survival elements feature front and centre against the backdrop of an open-world ripe for customization, crafting and conflict-management. If you’re looking to get a head-start on the path to power, here’s six things you need to know about Myth of Empires. 1. Survive and Thrive The recent closed BETA gave us plenty of time to explore Myth of Empires’ detailed world and revealed it to be full of a great many and varied threats to our survival. A mix of wild animals, starvation, exposure to the elements, and roving bandits and NPC factions were amongst the omnipresent hazards waiting to catch out the reckless...

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Hearthstone's New Mercenaries Mode Is Inspired By Classic JRPGs

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. Hearthstone has changed a lot over the last few years. The development team's approach to the core game has become much more dynamic - they've added a tenth class and a free, rotating core set of cards, for one, and they've been hugely proactive in keeping the meta game as fresh and balanced as possible, whether that's through regular balance patches or the introduction of mini-sets between every major expansion release. Hearthstone has also evolved as a platform, thanks to the introduction of brand new ways to play, such as...

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Lets You Prank Call Amanda Waller In Real-Life

We’re days away from another Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League preview at DC FanDome, but it looks like Rocksteady is starting up a good old-fashioned ARG ahead of time. The official Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Twitter account shared the phone number (310) 564-7047. Don’t worry, IGN tested it out and you won’t be dialing some poor random person’s number like what happened during Squid Game. Instead, you’ll receive an automated message from Amanda Waller yelling at Harley Quinn for making prank calls instead of focusing on the mission. Here’s a full transcript of the “call” below. “I know this is you, Harley. I have given you weapons, resources, and full sign-off to execute the Justice League and you’re here spending...

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Fortnite Finally Admits Its Impostors Mode Was Inspired by Among Us

Epic Games has finally acknowledged that Fortnite's cloak-and-dagger style Impostors game mode was inspired by Innersloth's Among Us. As part of a blog post detailing the game's latest patch notes, Epic Games noted a number of changes to its Impostors mode while also clarifying what influenced the concept's initial inception. "v18.20 brings improvements to Impostors, the game mode inspired by Among Us from Innersloth," reads the post. Despite Epic's acknowledgement, at present, this seems to be the only nod toward Among Us. As reported by Eurogamer, Impostor's in-game description hasn't been updated to include a reference to Innersloth's game - a factor that some fans may still find disappointing. Impostors initially entered...

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Sable and Other Games from Publisher Raw Fury to Be Adapted for Film and TV

Raw Fury and production company Dj2 Entertainment have officially partnered up to adapt the video games Sable, Night Call, and Mosaic for film and television. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, this "first look partnership" will also include the option to adapt Out of the Blue's Call of the Sea, Long Hat House's Dandara, laymestudio's The Signifier, and Geography of Robot's Norco. Dj2 Entertainment has previously worked on 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog film, and is currently working on a few other TV adaptations, including Life is Strange, Disco Elysium, My Friend Pedro, and Tomb Raider. "There's so much to love about working with the Raw Fury team, including the team's incredible taste for some of the most unique, beautiful, and...

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Epic Games Is Reportedly Considering Making a Fortnite Movie

Epic Games is reportedly considering making a Fortnite feature film as part of the company's plans to expand into wider media. A report from The Information claims that discussions have already taken place over the prospect of a Fortnite film adaptation. Those talks have also reportedly formed part of a broader conversation at Epic about the possibility of "launching an entertainment division focused on scripted video programming" as a way to diversify the studio's brands. The report notes that three former Lucasfilm employees have joined Epic Games this year, including Epic's new president of Special Projects, Jason McGatlin. He previously served as the vice president of Physical Production at Lucasfilm and was executive producer...

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Aussie Deals: Up to 77% Off AC titles, Must Own Co-op Gems, and More!

I've got discounts for both types of gaming temperaments today. If you love nothing better than mucking in with other like-minded maniacs for co-op shenanigans, best look to the deals on Back 4 Blood, It Takes Two and Minecraft Dungeons. Alternatively, if you're a "one canine wolf pack" sorta person, go hoodie up and take a stab at those heavily discounted Assassin's Creed games. Black Flag, especially. It's the pirate game so good, it ought to be rated 'arrr'. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Sign up to get the best Aussie gaming deals sent straight to your inbox! Adam's an Aussie deals wrangler who thinks AC Syndicate is underrated. Unity...

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Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Has Given Us the Gift Of a SpongeBob SquarePants Xbox Series X

Microsoft has revealed two new limited-edition Xbox Series X consoles featuring classic cartoon characters to celebrate the release of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. The first is a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed console, and SpongeBob fits perfectly with the boxy shape of the Series X. The second features Leonardo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with "Turtle Power" written on the side of the console. The consoles also each come with controllers featuring the designs of the characters. You can check out both designs for yourself below. The consoles won't be appearing in stores, unfortunately. Fans will have the chance to win the custom consoles and controllers by retweeting the Xbox sweepstakes tweet. The contest is on now, and it ends...

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The Best Xbox One Games

While we have officially transitioned into the Xbox Series X|S generation, Microsoft is still supporting Xbox One — something the company will continue to do for the foreseeable future through Xbox Cloud Gaming, which will allow last-gen console owners to play Series X|S exclusives later this year. For now, however, we're looking back at the 25 best Xbox One games. These games were chosen by the entire IGN content team and – after plenty of internal debate – and represent what we believe to be the very best that Xbox One has to offer. Most recent updates were made in May 2021. More on the best of Xbox: Best Xbox Series X|S Games Best Xbox 360 Games Where to buy an Xbox Series X 25. The Outer Wilds Outer Wilds may be a Sci-Fi...

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Diablo 2 Resurrected Is Still Struggling With Server Issues

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. Diablo 2: Resurrected is still dealing with online server issues. As of 8 a.m. Pacific Time this morning, players are unable to log in to Diablo 2: Resurrected, with Blizzard saying they are still working to resolve the login issues. Over Saturday and Sunday, Blizzard's customer support Twitter account for North America posted six times in regards to Diablo 2: Resurrected outages, emergency maintenance, and failed login attempts. Now, the Diablo subreddit is filled with posts from frustrated players waiting to get back into...

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New World's Most Unfair Weapon of War Could Be Its Banhammer

New World features the ability for player factions to declare war on one another to take territory, but one weapon apparently being used to win those wars ought to break Aeturnum's version of the Geneva Convention – the game's banning tools. Swathes of players are reporting having been banned just before a timed war, with Amazon giving mixed messages about why (or even if) that could be the case. A quick look at the New World subreddit and New World forums reveals multiple topics along this subject, some stretching back days. The topics tend to hew along similar lines – players complain that they've received 24 hour bans just before a war, despite claiming to have broken no rules. In many cases, the groups of players targeted appear...

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Fall Guys Could Try to Revive a Scrapped Idea Because of Squid Game

Fall Guys, the platform battle royale game developed by Mediatonic and published by Devolver Digital, may try to revive a scrapped level concept due to the popularity of Squid Game. During an interview with Techradar, lead game designer Joe Walsh spoke about the difficulty the team faces in coming up with new concepts for the game and how many level ideas end up being scrapped compared to those that make the cut. During the segment, Walsh talked about one discarded concept that the team may actually revive, based upon the immense popularity of Netflix's South Korean survival drama, Squid Game. "Oh, yeah, there's definitely a lot," Walsh said about the number of levels that don't make it into the game. "One of the ones that's come up...

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Fans Conflicted as the Original GTA Trilogy Is Removed From Sale

The existing versions of Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will be removed from digital storefronts today, and many fans are conflicted about the move. As announced when GTA Trilogy: The Definitive Edition was revealed, Rockstar is delisting older versions across all digital stores today, October 11. The developer hasn't explained its exact reasoning for the move. At time of writing, the original games are still available on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox, but it's not clear for how long. We've contacted Rockstar to find out if there's a specific time the games will be removed from sale. The decision to remove the original games has sparked a lot of discussion, particularly around the...

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Forza Horizon 5: The Final Preview

It’s really only a few weeks until Forza fans will be set loose in Forza Horizon 5 and its slice of Mexico presented in Playground Games’ typical style: a picturesque and idyllic driving paradise. But with the full game just around the corner, Playground has given us an early hands-on of roughly the first 90 minutes of Forza Horizon 5. That’s certainly only a brief snapshot in the context of a Horizon game I’m likely to spend hundreds of hours playing, but it’s definitely enough to get an early taste of some of the campaign and a first sense of some of the other improvements Playground has been promising. After close to three years of playing Forza Horizon 4 virtually every single week, collecting every new car and trialling every...

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Back 4 Blood Devs 'Discussing' How to Make Solo Mode More Rewarding

Turtle Rock Studios, the developer behind Back 4 Blood, has acknowledged community frustration around the game's lack of progression in solo mode and is looking at ways to make it more rewarding. As spotted by Eurogamer, the developer thanked fans on Twitter regarding their feedback on solo mode before explaining that it is looking at different ways to remedy the community's concerns. "We have heard your frustrations about progression in solo mode and are discussing ways to address the issue," said Turtle Rock Studios. "Thank you for your patience and feedback at this time - we'll have more news as we strategize on potential ways to make it happen." Complaints about Back 4 Blood's solo mode were exemplified in a thread on the...

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New World Server Transfers Have Been Delayed, No Transfers Between Regions Allowed

Amazon has delayed the server transfer feature in New World due to some "edge cases where the transfer experience does not meet our standards for its release." Furthermore, it has said that there will be no server transfers between regions despite previously saying it would be allowed. Community Manager TervzorFTW shared the news on New World's official forums and said the team needs "some extra time to get these issues resolved before we feel comfortable giving everyone their free server transfer token." For those unaware, every account will get one free server transfer token that will let them pick a new server in their selected region. However, the "team will continue monitoring world populations, queue times, and will evaluate...

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Aussie Deals: Back to School Game Storage Specials, Cut-Price AAAs, and More!

Schooling has resumed, and this represents a rare opportunity for the savvy among you. A ton of discounts on HDDs, SSDs and MicroSDs will let you make noises about needing to "grab some extra space for your work/school PC," while the going's good. Then, when term 4 wraps in no time, redistribute that sweet, sweet storage into your gaming device instead. Diabolical. Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch Purchase Cheaply for PC Exciting Offers for XO/XS Product Savings for PS4/PS5 Sign up to get the best Aussie gaming deals sent straight to your inbox! Adam's an Aussie deals wrangler who always needs more terabytes. He sometimes shouts at clouds @Grizwords. Continue reading...

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The Walking Dead's Rick Grimes Has Joined Fortnite During Fortnitemares 2021

The Walking Dead's Rick Grimes has joined Fortnite during its Fortnitemares 2021 event. While Rick is appearing in Fortnite for the first time, he is joined in the Item Shop by returning Walking Dead outfits inspired by both Daryl Dixon and Michonne. While Rick can be purchased by himself for 1,500 V-Bucks, the 1,900 V-Bucks Rick Grimes Bundle will also get players the Sheriff's Duffle Back Bling, the Crashin Satellite Glider, and the Walker Club Pickaxe. If you want the complete Walking Dead collection, the 2,500 V-Bucks Survivors in Arms bundle includes Rick, Daryl, Michonne, and all their accompanying items. This news arrives just after AMC revealed that Walking Dead's Season 11 Part 2's premiere date is February 20, 2022...

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Game Scoop! 646: Far Cry 6 & Metroid Dread Review Discussions

Welcome back to IGN Game Scoop!, the ONLY video game podcast! This week your Omega Cops -- Daemon Hatfield, Tina Amini, Sam Claiborn, and Justin Davis -- are discussing Far Cry 6, Metroid Dread, Konami, 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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Resident Evil 7 Becomes the First Game in the Series to Ship 10 Million Copies

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard has become the first game in the series to ship over ten million copies, Capcom confirms. As announced in a press release, Capcom says that Resident Evil 7 has set new milestones for the company as it becomes the first game in the series to ship over ten million units globally. It's worth pointing out that shipped copies are those sent to retailers, as opposed to sold copies, which have been bought by players. According to the studio, the game's impressive figures have largely been down to the "promotion of digital sales" and "synergies" with the series' latest installment, Resident Evil: Village, which launched in May. The latest news from the studio comes after a string of successes for the series. In...

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Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Officially Announced

After many, many leaks, Rockstar Games has officially announced the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, comprising Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas. The updated games will be released for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (via the Rockstar Games Launcher) "later this year". Mobile ports will follow next year. All three games "will feature across-the-board upgrades including graphical improvements and modern gameplay enhancements for all three titles, while still maintaining the classic look and feel of the originals." More details will follow in the coming weeks. Rockstar has not yet confirmed if the games will be released as a single package, as individual titles, or both...

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IGN UK Podcast #613: Pokemon Dread

Lots of games are coming out so why don't we talk about them? Dale has played Far Cry 6 so tells us all about his adventures in Yara, Emma has finished Metroid Dread and lets you know why you should play it too, plus Cardy can't believe quite how good Hot Wheels Unleashed is and just how bad eFootball 2022 is. Want to submit your own Endless Search, food opinion, or a bit of other nonsense? Feel free to get in touch with the podcast at: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast #613: Metroid Dread IGN UK Podcast #612: Finally, Time to Die IGN UK Podcast #611: New Spicy Arrakis Flavour IGN UK Podcast #610: Deathloops and Toffee Hoops IGN UK Podcast #609: Too Much Happened This Week IGN UK Podcast #608: A Far Cry from The Forgotten...

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Character Art Shows Detailed Close-Ups of Our Anti-Heroes

Staff from Rocksteady Games are tweeting artwork from Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, which features detailed renders of each of the game's leading characters. The art is set to be released individually throughout the day, but began started with an image of Deadshot, posted by Rocksteady's marketing manager, Gaz Deaves. "Here's the Man Who Never Misses," he said. "Check out that disappointed dad energy." That was followed up by Rocksteady's new take on Harley Quinn, posted by associate producer Holly Gordon. "IT'S HARLEY QUINN, BABY!," Gordon wrote. "I'm so excited to share this fierce image of Harley and can't wait for you all to meet our badass and headstrong QUEEN in SSKTJL!" Check out all the images in the gallery below...

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