Gaming News

Skyrim Lead Designer Is 'Eternally Shocked' At The Game's Lasting Appeal, Saying: 'I Think Skyrim Did Open World in a Way That Nobody Had Ever Done Be

The lead designer of Skyrim is "eternally shocked" at not just the RPG's success, but its enduring appeal, suggesting it's the game's open world and "quirkiness" that keeps players coming back 14 years after its debut. Skyrim released way back in 2011. An open-world RPG, it puts players on the precipice of determining the future of Skyrim as the Empire waits for the prophesied Dragonborn to come, a hero born with the power of The Voice, and the only one who can stand among the dragons. IGN's Skyrim review returned a 9.5/10. We called it "a rare kind of intensely personal, deeply rewarding experience, and one of the best role-playing games yet produced." Now, speaking on the FRVR Podcast, lead designer Bruce Nesmith offered his...

View full article »

'The Only Reason Call of Duty Exists Is Because EA Were Dicks,' Battlefield Boss Vince Zampella Says

Battlefield boss Vince Zampella has said that Activision's best-selling Call of Duty franchise only exists "because EA were dicks." It's an eye-opening but typically frank statement from Zampella, who is of course now an EA employee himself once again. Over his career, Zampella has ping-ponged between rival publishers EA and Activision, working first on EA's Medal of Honor series, then founding Infinity Ward and helping create Call of Duty — specifically so it could be Activision's Medal of Honor "killer" — before returning back to EA after helping create Titanfall and Apex Legends at Respawn. "The only reason that Call of Duty exists is because EA were dicks," Zampella told GQ, reflecting on his career. Zampella initially worked...

View full article »

Hollow Knight: Silksong Patch 1.0.28891 Is Heavy on the Fixes, Light on the Balance Changes

Post-launch support for Hollow Knight: Silksong continues, this time with patch version 1.0.28891 out now. The update makes a number of improvements and fixes, and some light balance changes. The game now pauses when the controller disconnects, which is an important safety net for such an intense game. Indeed, there are controller support improvements across the board. On the balance side of things, there’s a slight increase to Sharp Dart and Cross Stitch damage, updated damage scaling on Rune Rage to match other Silk Skills, and a slight decrease to Thread Storm damage at higher needle levels. It’s also worth noting that the patch changes Fine Pins wish drops from 50% chance to 100%, but raises the required quantity. Developer Team...

View full article »

AU Deals: The Hottest Games You Can Score Without Copping a Wallet Critical Hit

I've seen enough sales to know when the stars align, and right now the savings galaxy is sparkling mighty nice. Between long-awaited sequels, slick remasters and a few certified time vampires, this is one of those weeks where our backlogs are going to expand. Here's what caught my attention across the big four platforms, plus some LEGO fun to keep your shelf from looking too tidy. Contents Retro Nintendo Xbox PlayStation PC LEGO This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I'm waxing up a cake to mark 23 years since Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer first dropped in. For Illawarra South Coast groms like me and my mates, this game was basically a pipeline to paradise. We frothingly repped the Aussie spots like Bells and Kirra, legends like Curren...

View full article »

Battlefield 6 Players are Using the Repair Tool to Beg for Revives, But Medics Say Saving Downed Players Isn't as Easy as It Looks

Medics have found themselves fighting their own war in Battlefield 6 as desperate players take to using the repair tool to leave messages begging for revives. EA and Battlefield Studios opened the floodgates when Battlefield 6 launched last week, October 10, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. As more than 740,000 players gathered to play on Steam alone, a new discussion about in-game classes has bubbled to the top with one question: are medics doing their job? The Support class no doubt plays an important role in any Battlefield 6 multiplayer match. While Assault, Engineer, and Recon classes, too, bring important tools and skills to a fight, it’s only the Support class that can get downed soldiers back on their feet at...

View full article »

IGN Fan Fest 2025: Fall Edition Humble Bundle Announced with Train Sim World 6, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, and More

In celebration of IGN Fan Fest 2025: Fall Edition, Humble Bundle is releasing a special bundle that, for at least $25, will get you a collection of 8 games and DLC worth $293, including Train Sim World 6, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, and TerraTech. In addition, your purchase will go a long way in supporting Code for America, a civic tech nonprofit that partners with the U.S. government to build digital tools, change policies, and improve programs. The IGN Fan Fest 2025: Fall Edition Humble Bundle is available right here and will be available for purchase until tktktk. This is just one of the many ways we are celebrating IGN Fan Fest 2025: Fall Edition, which streams live on October 15 at...

View full article »

Blue Protocol: Star Resonance Codes (October 2025)

Last updated on October 13, 2025: Added a new Blue Protocol: Star Resonance code! If you're looking for Blue Protocol: Star Resonance codes, IGN has you covered! In this article, you'll find all the active and working Blue Resonance codes in October 2025 that you can redeem for free rewards and bonuses, including resources such as Luno and Rose Orbs. All the Blue Protocol: Star Resonance codes below have been tested as working at the time of submission. However, codes with unknown expiry dates may stop working at any time. Active Blue Protocol: Star Resonance Codes (October 2025) Here are all the active Blue Protocol: Star Resonance codes in October 2025 and the free rewards you unlock for redeeming them: BPSRFUN - 109x Rose...

View full article »

12 Free Demos for indie.io Games Available Now as Part of Steam Next Fest Party

The latest Steam Next Fest began this week, showcasing a wide range of upcoming titles. And as has become a trend, publishing platform indie.io has several titles featured. To celebrate, it has launched a campaign called Next Fest Party that will run from October 13–20 and includes free demos for 12 different games. The games come from a variety of different developers in a variety of different genres, so we figured we’d give you a rundown of everything that’s available. Below you’ll find brief descriptions of each game, with each title linked to its free demos so you can try them for yourself. Monsters and Me This 2D top-down roguelite shooter is chaotic, silly, and a bit gross (well, as gross as a 2D game can be). Your city has...

View full article »

Battlefield 6 Presents Players With a Campaign Uninstall Button After They Beat It, Tells Them It'll Save Space

EA and Battlefield Studios want players to know they are free to delete the Battlefield 6 campaign from their platform of choice after completing its story mode. While many who hopped into Battlefield 6 after its October 10 launch quickly locked themselves away in its smorgasbord of multiplayer maps and modes, others dived straight into its new campaign. It’s a short shooter romp that spans nine missions and about five hours of gameplay, with some players, including leaker and X/Twitter user BobNetworkUK, beating it quickly enough to discover a pop-up window with an option to uninstall the story mode after it’s been completed. The official recommendation first directs players to explore in-game challenges for unique unlocks tied to...

View full article »

Enginefall Is a Compelling Extraction Shooter Set on a Moving Train

Enginefall’s greatest strength based on the limited time I had with it is that it doesn’t have that immediate signature identity of survival extraction battle royale-y sorts of games that it resembles on paper. The Tarkov or Fortnite experience might not get you as far as it would out of the gates in other games. This early learning curve comes from equal parts creative systems that create a faster and more dangerous pace than others, but the amount of all the little things you’ll need to learn to make good choices is intimidating. Every run on the Titan Train starts a similar way: raiders, either by themselves or in crews of up to five, start at the back of the colossal city-state on rails. When the timer starts, it's off to the...

View full article »

Crimson Desert: See a Mechanical Dragon Go Wild in New Quest Gameplay

October’s IGN First continues with even more gameplay from Crimson Desert. This time we’re taking a look at a main story quest, one which brings us face to face with one of the campaign’s most imposing foes: Golden Star, a colossal mechanical dragon. So far, we’ve shown off a lot of combat. Crimson Desert is an open-world action game, of course, so naturally combat is key to the entire experience. You’ll see plenty more sword-slinging in the video above. But we also wanted to showcase a little more of the story and help contextualize where some of those… stranger elements come from. But first, the basics. You play as Kliff, leader of the Greymanes free sword company. Not that he’s doing much leading right now. Crimson Desert’s...

View full article »

Gears of War: Reloaded for PS5 Drops to a New Low Price at Amazon

Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale had plenty of excellent video game discounts, and even though Black Friday isn't until next month, the retailer isn't making us wait for more. It still has some discounted surprises for shoppers to check out between sale events, and right now that includes a great offer for PS5 users on Gears of War: Reloaded (see here at Amazon). This game has dropped to $34.99 from its $39.99 list price, offering a sweet little $5 discount on it. More importantly, though, it's the first big price drop for this game, marking its lowest price yet. So why wait to pick it up? If you've been wanting to jump into the world of Gears on PlayStation, now is your chance to do it and save a little cash in the process. Gears of...

View full article »

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game Was Canceled Last Year, but Now It's Back on With a Debut Gameplay Trailer and a New Developer Whose Entire Existenc

The pre-alpha footage trailer for Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game has got fans of the enormously popular Avatar the Last Airbender animated series excited, but there are questions over exactly what type of game fans can expect, and who’s actually developing it. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is described as being “rooted in the spirit of elemental mastery.” Its official blurb continues: “Designed for both newcomers and veterans, it channels the energy of classic fighting games while breaking new ground in movement, style, and combat expression. Built with a focus on fluidity, responsiveness, and online integrity, the game invites players to discover what it truly means to fight with purpose. Hand-drawn in 2D, it is crafted to...

View full article »

Code Vein 2 Preview: New Moon, Same Blood

Code Vein getting a sequel, as announced at Summer Game Fest earlier this year, was a pleasant surprise. The original was good! It was one of those games that necessarily didn’t blow people away, but was fun popcorn for action-RPG fans who like deep character creators, over-the-top plots, and far more weapons and customization choices than any person can reasonably keep track of. But good or not, loads of excellent games in this genre never resurface after their initial debut, so Bandai Namco being willing to return to its twist on vampires and take another crack at perfecting the pitch is some seriously good news. Sure, the developer has disavowed any plot connections to the original, which has some fans worried. But I just got 45...

View full article »

Borderlands 4 Reveals Bounty Pack 1: How Rush Saved Mercenary Day, the First Seasonal Mini-Event, an Invincible Boss, and More

Gearbox has revealed Borderlands 4 Bounty Pack 1: How Rush Saved Mercenary Day, the first seasonal mini-event for the game, an invincible boss, and more. Bounty Packs are paid DLC that bring new “bite-sized-yet-flavourful” narrative content to Borderlands 4. In Bounty Pack 1, due out November 20, players team up with Rush and “show the Timekeeper's Minister of Culture the true meaning of Mercenary Day, a jolly time for gift-giving and gunslinging with friends and family.” Bounty Pack 1 also includes a Vault Card with new rewards that players will earn through gameplay, with 24 cosmetic items to unlock and four pieces of rerollable gear. The rerollable gear can be earned as many times as players like, so it can be an opportunity to...

View full article »

Assassin's Creed Shadows Gets Another Nintendo Switch 2 Leak, and It Looks Like It's Another Game-Key Card

A French retailer has all but confirmed Assassin's Creed Shadows is indeed coming to Nintendo Switch 2, and it looks like it'll be another controversial Game-Key Card game. While rumors of the port have been swirling around ever since PEGI rated the adventure game for its console back in April, this is the first time we've seen a retailer share Assassin's Creed Shadow box art, and news players will be able to "experience Assassin's Creed Shadows in a whole new way with Nintendo Switch 2." As noted by the eagle-eyed members of the GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit, however, the key art used in the new retail listing also suggests the game will come as a Game-Key Card. This means that unlike, say, Cyberpunk 2077, which is fully contained...

View full article »

Borderlands 4 Chief Randy Pitchford Says if More Developers Better Understood Why Gamers Love Making Decisions About Loot, 'We'd Have Good Competitors

Borderlands 4 chief Randy Pitchford has said that if other developers better understood why gamers love making decisions about loot, Gearbox would have “good competitors.” Pitchford was speaking in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss the release of Borderlands 4 and Gearbox’s journey alongside the series’ success. The outspoken developer said that even though the Borderlands franchise will break through 100 million units sold with Borderlands 4 (publisher 2K Games has yet to announce a sales figure), he insisted “we suck!” because that 100 million is but a drop in the ocean that is the total number of potential gamers globally. “Our mission is to entertain the world,” Pitchford said. “Which means we suck! Because there are...

View full article »

Black Myth: Wukong Patch Makes Significant Performance Improvements, but Brace Yourself for a 93GB Download on PS5

A new update for Black Myth: Wukong makes significant performance improvements, but brace yourself for a mammoth 93.3GB download. On PS5, you'll need the install space to download the huge update, but during the install process that follows the game itself is rewritten, resulting in the same install footprint or perhaps even lower than before. As a result, if you're playing on PS5 and short of space, it may be worth uninstalling the game then downloading it again, rather than downloading the update on top of the game itself. For the PS5 version, patch 1.0.20.21756 improves the game's loading speed, the clarity of certain textures, CPU and rendering performance in numerous scenarios, memory usage, and the quality of motion blur to...

View full article »

The Best Deals Today: Wuchang, Apple AirTags, Death Stranding 2, and More

We've rounded up the best deals for Sunday, October 12, below, so don't miss out on these limited-time offers. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers for $39.99 Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is available on sale for the first time since launch. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, "Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is yet another great soulslike to add to the ever-increasing pile, featuring excellent combat, wonderful level design, an incredible skill tree, and fearsome bosses." Death Stranding 2: On The Beach for $49.99 Death Stranding 2: On The Beach has hit a brand-new all-time low price today on Amazon, sitting at $49.99 for a physical copy. Months after the events of the first game, Sam Porter Bridges sets off on a new journey to link together the continent of...

View full article »

The Best Deals Today: Death Stranding 2, LEGO Marvel, Nike Air Max Shoes, and More

We've rounded up the best deals for Saturday, October 11, below, so don't miss out on these limited-time offers. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach for $49.99 Death Stranding 2: On The Beach has hit a brand-new all-time low price today on Amazon, sitting at $49.99 for a physical copy. Months after the events of the first game, Sam Porter Bridges sets off on a new journey to link together the continent of Australia in hopes of connecting it to the recently established UCA. The sequel upgrades gameplay tremendously, with a fantastic narrative and score that are sure to be memorable for any player. Nike Air Max Dn Roam Available Now The Nike Air Max Dn Roam are the perfect shoe to level up your style game. These sneakers maintain the...

View full article »

Battlefield 6 Gets Off to Huge Start on Steam With Over 740,000 Concurrent Players Just Hours After Launch

Battlefield 6 has enjoyed an enormous start on Steam, with over 740,000 concurrent players. At the time of this article’s publication, Battlefield 6 had 747,440 concurrent players on Steam. That’s enough to make EA’s new first-person shooter the second most-played game on Valve’s platform, behind only Counter-Strike 2. Battlefield 6 is already the 14th most-played game ever on Steam, with Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3 in its sights. For context, the Battlefield 6 open beta hit a peak concurrent player count of 521,079. No other Battlefield game has ever come close to these numbers on Steam before. Indeed, Battlefield 6 already has more players than EA's previous Steam record-holder, the free-to-play Apex Legends, which makes the $70...

View full article »

Battlefield 6 Launched Just Hours Ago and Players Have Already Recreated Call of Duty Map Shipment in Portal

Battlefield 6 launched mere hours ago, and someone has already managed to recreate the iconic Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare map, Shipment, in its Portal mode. After years of waiting, leaks, and hype, EA and Battlefield Studios launched Battlefield 6 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S today, October 10. Its promise of a back-to-basics approach for the series has attracted a lot of attention, especially in the Call of Duty community. Battlefield 6 players can hop into the community tab on the main menu and play on the close-quarters map for themselves right now by simply searching “Shipment” in the Search Experiences or Browse Servers tab. It’s chaotic, noisy, cramped, and constantly riddled with bullets or, in other...

View full article »

'Once Again, F*** Off': Fantastic Four and Assassin's Creed Star Ralph Ineson Reacts to Report Ubisoft Cancelled Post-Civil War Game Featuring Former

Marvel actor Ralph Ineson, who played Galactus in this year's The Fantastic Four: First Steps, has weighed in on Ubisoft's decision to reportedly cancel a post-Civil War Assassin's Creed game starring a former Black slave as its star. According to a Game File report published this week, Ubisoft walked away from the project last summer while the idea was still early in development, due to concerns surrounding the current U.S. political climate and the negative backlash to Black co-protagonist Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Ineson previously featured in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag as pirate Charles Vane, an ally of the game's hero Edward Kenway. Black Flag notably also featured Adéwalé, a former Black slave whose character went on...

View full article »

Battlefield 6 Developer Triggers Queue System for Launch as Fans Immediately Face Full Servers

Battlefield 6 is out now, and in the blink of an eye the game's servers became full with hundreds of thousands of players waiting to get in on the action. IGN was among the many facing server queues today, October 10, as the developers at Battlefield Studios braced themselves for the incoming horde. At the time of this article's publication, less than an hour after Battlefield 6 went live, it had a staggering 606,000 concurrent players on Steam. The true concurrent number will be much bigger, but Microsoft and Sony do not make Xbox and PlayStation player numbers public. EA issued a statement saying it anticipated many players logging in at the same time at launch, and had added a queue system for this “peak” moment. “A short update...

View full article »

Backyard Sports Leads Announce Completion of the Retro Collection, Discuss Animated Special Wrapping Production, and More

During its panel at New York Comic Con, Playground Productions not only looked back on the return and relaunch of the beloved Backyard Sports video games, but it also announced it will be completing its Backyard Sports retro collection with Backyard Basketball '01 and Backyard Hockey '02 in mid-November, that there are high scores and events coming to Backyard Baseball '97, and it shared a few new details for the series' upcoming animated special. To learn more, IGN had the chance to speak to Playground Productions CEO Linday Barnett and Chief Product Officer Chris Waters about the past and future of this fan-favorite franchise, and we began by chatting about what makes these games so special. "We think it works because the games have...

View full article »

After 250 Job Losses and 'Disastrous' Management, MindsEye Staff Past and Present Unite in Open Call For Better Conditions, as Further Layoffs Feared

More than 90 staff who worked on this year's blockbuster flop MindsEye have sent a searing open letter to the company's management calling for change, after "one of the worst video game launches this decade." The letter states that between 250 and 300 staff have now lost their jobs due to MindsEye's failure, something which is blamed squarely on the decisions of company bosses. There's strong criticism, too, of the way layoffs were handled, with the suggestion that misinformation may have lead to the "wrongful dismissal of dozens of staff members." Today's letter, published through UK game development worker union IWGB, calls on MindsEye developer Build a Rocket Boy, and specifically its founder Leslie Benzies and co-CEO Mark...

View full article »

So, Does Bubsy 4D Scatch an Itch or Choke on a Hairball? We Played it to Find Out

Let’s get one thing out of the way: I hate Bubsy. Not Bubsy 4D, the interesting, vibrant game I’m actually previewing here, but rather Bubsy himself, the mangy, atrocious feline, a poisonous product of a cynical age of mascot marketing. Born in a dark hour when it seemed practically every video game company tied their fortunes to some clone of a clone of a Sonic sidekick, Bubsy has a well-deserved reputation as a D-tier cash-in character better left forgotten. Fortunately, I have much more positive things to say about what I’ve seen of Bubsy 4D, a brand-new reconstruction of the furball’s tainted legacy that, while far from perfect, distinctively improves on Bubsy’s dubious past in almost every way. During a little over an hour with...

View full article »

Layers of Fear: The Final Masterpiece Edition Is Coming to Nintendo Switch 2, Along With a Mysterious Switch Exclusive Horror Game Codenamed 'Project

Silent Hill 2 Remake and Cronos: The New Dawn developer Bloober Team is working on a number of new projects, including a Nintendo Switch 2 version of its disorientating horror Layers of Fear, Layers of Fear: The Final Masterpiece Edition, and a number of smaller games from its subsidiary, Broken Mirror Games, which include a mysterious Switch exclusive, codenamed Project M. We don't quite know exactly when The Masterpiece Edition will land — it's still labelled as coming in 2025 despite the fact we're running down the clock of what's left of the year — but as reported in the firm's recent investor briefing, it's described as a "complete edition," presumably bundling the base game with subsequent content and the refreshed visuals we saw...

View full article »

17-Year Halo Veteran Sparks Fan Concern After Departing Franchise With Ominous Message About Not Trading Away 'Ethics or Values,' and Promising to Exp

Glenn Israel, a 17-year veteran of Halo game development, has announced his departure from the series via a startling message that has left fans worried over the future of Xbox's flagship shooter franchise. Originally an artist at Bungie, Israel ultimately served as an art director at 343 Studios (now Halo Studios), with contributions to a long list of Halo projects from 2009's Halo 3: ODST, through Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo 5 and Halo: Infinite. Now, however, Israel has announced he is "officially no longer contributing to the Halo universe" via a post on LinkedIn, and updated his profile to indicate he departed Halo Studios this month. "As of today and after 17 long years, I am officially no longer contributing to the Halo...

View full article »

'I Want to Know What Sort of Odds I Am Trying to Beat When I Am Grinding a Game' — 150 Hours and Over 3,000 Boss Kills Later, a Superfan Has Worked Ou

If you’re big into Borderlands 4, you’ll be wondering about its drop rate. The looter shooter is, when it comes to the endgame, all about getting the right items for the right build so those damage numbers keep on going up. But what are the actual chances of getting a legendary drop from a boss in Borderlands 4? Developer Gearbox keeps the drop rate hidden from players, as it and so many other developers do when it comes to games like this. It wants the grind to keep players going for months, even years on end, after all. But the hardcore Borderlands community really wants to know how things work under the hood. And so, you end up with superfans like Siphonicfir, who are happy to spend hundreds of hours killing thousands of bosses to...

View full article »