Redfall will see the release of one final update amid the closure of its developer, Arkane Austin.

Game Update 4 will revamp the Neighborhood and Nest systems, add single-player pausing, and add the promised offline mode, among other things.

Thank you for all your supportive messages.

We are working to release our final update, Game Update 4, that brings revamped Neighborhood and Nest systems, Single Player Pausing, Offline Mode, and more.

We’ll provide additional details soon. Thank you all.

— Redfall (@playRedfall) May 17, 2024

IGN had reported that Redfall had a roadmap of support that was being actively worked on before Microsoft scrapped all development and closed its developer as part of significant cuts at Bethesda that also saw the end for Hi-Fi Rush maker Tango Gameworks.

Arkane Austin was working on DLC and updates for the game with the expectation they would release in May, IGN understands, suggesting Microsoft’s internal announcement that it was closing the developer came as a shock to staff.

IGN was told that the now canceled Hero Pass content, which was set to add two new characters to the vampire co-op shooter, was scheduled for release this Halloween. There is no suggestion this Hero Pass content will be released.

In an email sent to staff on May 7, Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, blamed the cuts on a “reprioritization of titles and resources.” The email, verified by IGN, stated that Redfall’s previous update would “be its last as we end all development on the game.”

Redfall’s servers will remain online, Booty added, with a “make-good offer” to players who purchased the Hero DLC. At the time of this article’s publication, the details for this ‘Redfall credit program’ had yet to be announced.

Redfall’s offline mode arrives over a year after the game’s disastrous launch and following an ever-shrinking playerbase. In March last year, ahead of Redfall’s release, Arkane Austin said it was working on a fix that would reverse Redfall’s always-online requirement, an aspect that was met with backlash when first announced.

Redfall is one of the highest-profile disasters in Xbox history. The game was widely panned by critics and players at launch and reportedly had a deeply troubled development. Redfall's launch struggles ultimately resulted in executives like Phil Spencer and Matt Booty issuing statements about Xbox's own role in its weak release. Last year, then-Bethesda Softworks publishing head Pete Hines reassured players that Arkane wouldn’t give up on Redfall, insisting he was confident it would be a good game people wanted to play on Game Pass 10 years from now.

But it took over a month for Arkane to release its first big patch for Redfall despite the launch being criticized for having bland missions, boring combat, poor AI enemies, struggling performance, myriad bugs, an always-online requirement, and more.

It then took five months for the Xbox Series X version to get 60 frames per second support, and Arkane upset fans again the following month when its third patch was headlined by a new sniper rifle instead of highly requested features like the offline mode. And this was the last fans heard.

In our 4/10 review, IGN said: "Redfall is a bafflingly bad time across the board. Plagued with bland missions, boneheaded enemies, and repeated technical problems, Redfall simply wasn't ready for daylight in this state."

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

X-Men '97 showrunner and executive producer Beau DeMayo, who was fired just ahead of the series premiere on Disney+ on March 20, has clarified his involvement with Season 2.

In a tweet responding to questions from fans following the Season 1 finale, DeMayo said that while he wrote “a lot” of Season 2, he will not be heavily involved in the production of it.

“I did write a lot of Season 2,” DeMayo said. “However, unlike Season 1, I will not be heavily involved or leading production, cast records, design, editorial, post, music, etc., nor doing any production rewrites as it relates to the creative vision of the show.”

DeMayo continued: “This is why I’ve said I can’t really speak to Season 2. But, looking forward to seeing the final product with you all whenever it airs. I have high hopes.”

DeMayo has been active on social media throughout X-Men '97’s hit first season, commenting on a number of plot points, including the whereabouts of The Avengers and Deadpool during the cataclysmic events The X-Men deal with on earth.

Warning! Spoilers for X-Men '97 Season 1 follow.

In one tweet, DeMayo confirmed that the scene in which Morph transforms into Jean Grey to tell a badly injured Wolverine that they loved him was the superhero’s way of confession their feelings for Logan.

Yes, Morph was confessing romantic feelings for Logan #xmen97
pic.twitter.com/FhgShK5CX9

— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) May 16, 2024

“You know when you’re secretly in love with a close friend, and you’re terrified to tell them?” DeMayo tweeted. “Wouldn’t it be nice to turn into someone you know THEY love, say the words to just finally say them and have them feel it, even if you haven’t fully accepted you feel them?”

DeMayo later tweeted to confirm that Morph was both playing as Jean to convince Logan he had something to live for and confessing romantic feelings for him.

Yep. Morph was giving the object of their desire the comfort of hearing those words from the woman he loves because Morph is in love with him

— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) May 16, 2024

X-Men ‘97 ends with a number of tantalizing teases for Season 2. Check out IGN’s X-Men '97 Season 1 review, then head over our feature on How the Series Sets Up Season 2.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Microsoft will soon announce its intention to release this year’s mainline Call of Duty game straight into Game Pass, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft will announce the plans during its Xbox showcase event in June.

"Microsoft plans a major shakeup of its video game sales strategy by releasing the coming installment of Call of Duty to its subscription service instead of the longtime, lucrative approach of only selling it a la carte,” WSJ reported. Microsoft declined to comment when contacted by the publication.

The report tallies with recent comments from Xbox president Sarah Bond, who indicated all Microsoft’s games, including those developed by the recently acquired Activision, will launch straight into Game Pass.

Microsoft has faced tough questions around the potential cannibalization effect of Game Pass, particularly on games that launch on the service day-one. While Xbox executives have insisted sales can be boosted by a game’s presence on Game Pass, some publishers remain unconvinced. Former Activision boss Bobby Kotick, for example, was always against putting Call of Duty into subscription services. Unlike Microsoft, console rival Sony does not release its new exclusives straight into its subscription service.

In an interview with IGN last year, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was asked how he’d handle his and Kotick’s different ideologies after the deal to buy Activision Blizzard closed. "Well, there's a different person making the decisions," Spencer laughed.

New Call of Duty games sell for $70 and usually shift around 25 million copies, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. By releasing this year’s Call of Duty straight into Game Pass, Microsoft potentially risks cannibalizing those sales.

Of course, Activision will also launch Call of Duty across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC as a game that can be bought outright. But with Game Pass subscriber numbers failing to grow meaningfully Microsoft is under pressure to attract new customers. Adding a mainline Call of Duty game at launch will no doubt help with that.

The Verge reports Microsoft is considering raising the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate again, and that Activision is currently targeting a late October 2024 release for this year’s Call of Duty, which is expected to be called Black Ops 6 after teasers discovered in Warzone were acknowledged by developer Treyarch. Microsoft is also rumored to be ready to release the Call of Duty back catalog of video games into Game Pass ahead of Black Ops 6's release.

Microsoft is in the process of cutting 1,900 staff from its gaming business. Earlier this month, the company shocked the video game world by announcing the closure of Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin. There are fears more cuts are to come.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Images and details for what is reportedly Valve’s next game have leaked online.

Valve reporter Tyler McVicker published a video to YouTube in which he claimed Deadlock is currently in closed alpha, with an announcement said to be imminent. Competitive gaming YouTubers are reportedly already playing under a non-disclosure agreement.

However, that hasn’t stopped what looks like a slew of screenshots showing off Deadlock. X/Twitter account @gabefollower was first with the details, describing Deadlock as a third-person hero-based shooter, with 6v6 battles on big maps with four lanes. There are abilities and items alongside tower defense mechanics. The setting is described as fantasy with steampunk.

Since testers started sharing Deadlock screenshots all over the place, here's ones I can verify, featuring one of the heroes called Grey Talon. pic.twitter.com/KdZSRxObSz

— ‎Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) May 17, 2024

These elements will be familiar to players of Valve’s multiplayer online battle area (MOBA) game Dota 2 as well as its own hero shooter, Team Fortress 2. Blizzard’s Overwatch, Riot's Valorant, and Hi-Rez’s Smite also look like they're in the mix.

Valve boss Gabe Newell is yet to announce Deadlock. IGN has asked Valve for comment.

Valve’s last developed game to release was competitive first-person shooter Counter-Strike 2, which effectively replaced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Before that, in 2020, Valve released Half-Life: Alyx exclusively for virtual reality headsets. Valve has also released a Dota-themed digital card game called Artifact and a Dota auto chess game called Dota Underlords, although both have failed to find as big of an audience as the company’s previous titles.

All the while, the wait for Half-Life 3 continues. Back in 2020, a making-of for Half-Life: Alyx revealed a swathe of games developed and shelved by Valve between the release of Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Valve's latest VR game. That list included details on a version of Half-Life 3 that was in development for around a year, and an open-world Left 4 Dead 3.

Photo by Olly Curtis/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Strategy game specialist Creative Assembly is reportedly working on a Total War Star Wars video game.

DualShockers reports Total War: Star Wars is one of three new Total War games in development at the Sega-owned studio. IGN has asked Sega for comment.

Creative Assembly has endured a difficult time in recent years, with the cancellation of its live-service shooter Hyenas as well as the sales failure of Total War: Pharaoh, released last year. The studio also apologized for various missteps it had made with Total War: Warhammer 3 DLC.

In March, Sega announced sweeping layoffs that affected Sega Europe, Creative Assembly, and Sonic Dream Team developer Hardlight. Meanwhile, Sega off-loaded Company of Heroes and Dawn of War developer Relic Entertainment

At the time, Sega told IGN that Creative Assembly “continues to have multiple projects in development with Total War and a new unannounced project.”

Total War fans have called on Creative Assembly to give a Star Wars game a shot for years, although there are equally vociferous calls for the studio to follow its Warhammer trilogy of Total War games with a similar effort for Warhammer 40,000.

That’s all we have for now. Creative Assembly has traditionally used gamescom as a platform to show off its games. Perhaps we’ll know more when gamescom 2024 launches in August.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

With the PlayStation 5 entering the second half of its life, figures from Sony indicate around half of all current PlayStation gamers are yet to upgrade to current gen.

As pointed out by Game File’s Stephen Totilo, Sony announced this week that PlayStation has 118 million monthly active users (MAUs), up 9% year-on-year, but around half of those are still on the 11-year-old PlayStation 4. PS5 has sold over 59 million units since going on sale in November 2020, and it has yet to see a price cut. Infact, Sony has raised the price of the console.

Speaking to the investment community (as reported by Totilo) Sony president Hiroki Totoki painted a rosy picture of the situation, saying MAUs will steadily increase as PS4 players eventually upgrade to PS5, but as Daniel Ahmad, Director of Research and Insights at Niko Partners, pointed out in a tweet, the transition from PS4 to PS5 has so far been “slow.”

On console PlayStation Network MAU’s have barely grown since the PS5 launch.

It’s just been a slow transition from PS4 > PS5

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 16, 2024

So, why have so many PS4 gamers held off on upgrading to a PS5? Or, perhaps to put it a better way, why are so many PS4 gamers content to stick with the console they have?

Mat Piscatella, Executive Director and Video Game Industry Advisor at Circana, suggested in a tweet that the most-played games in the U.S. are all currently available on the last generation of consoles, and that’s enough for most people. These games (Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox, GTA 5, and Call of Duty), are all available on PS4. “Any console that can play a majority of, or all five, of these games will be just fine for many people,” Piscatella commented.

This is not a situation unique to PlayStation, either, Piscatella added, as it affects all consoles. IGN has already reported on tumbling sales of the Xbox Series X and S, which looks like it will struggle to outsell its predecessor, the much-maligned Xbox One. Microsoft’s answer includes bringing its Xbox games to rival platforms, including PS5, but it has also committed to releasing a more powerful next-gen console, and there are rumors it plans an Xbox handheld, too.

As for Sony, PS5 sales currently trail those of PS4 after the same amount of time after launch, but it’s worth pointing out the PS4 had undergone price cuts totaling $100 by now. Sony has said it expects PS5 sales to continue to decline, although it is also expected to launch a PS5 Pro later this year.

Sony’s plan to increase sales and profits from PlayStation in the coming years depends upon its ability to expand the number of active PlayStation users and user engagement, and cutting business costs. In February, Sony announced a significant round of layoffs affecting around 900 staff, or about 8% of its global PlayStation workforce. The layoffs affect a number of PlayStation studios, including Insomniac, Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, Firesprite, and, most significantly, PlayStation's London studio. Alongside the layoffs, a number of in-development games were canceled.

Sony also plans to grow sales of first-party games. It has said this financial year ending March 2025 will not see the release of big new games in its major franchises, ruling out sequels in the Spider-Man and God of War series. But Sony is expected to release a number of big-hitters from April 2025 onwards, including the likes of Insomniac’s Wolverine.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Take-Two plans to go big on Borderlands now it owns Gearbox Entertainment.

In March, the embattled Embracer Group sold Borderlands developer Gearbox to Take-Two for $460 million. As part of the deal, Take-Two, which through its publishing division 2K already had a long history with Gearbox, now owns the franchises Borderlands, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms, and Duke Nukem. Gearbox is joining 2K Games and will continue to be led by CEO and founder Randy Pitchford.

Gearbox has enjoyed enormous success with the looter shooter Borderlands franchise over the years. It’s sold nearly 86 million units across all titles, with Borderlands 2 secure as 2K’s top-selling video game with 28 million sold. Borderlands 3 is 2K’s fastest-selling video game ever, and has sold nearly 20 million units to date.

Currently, Gearbox has both a new Borderlands and "at least one exciting new intellectual property" in development. 2K Games plans to reveal the "next iteration in one of its biggest and most beloved franchises" at Summer Game Fest, which is set to take place on Friday, June 7. Fans speculate this game may be Borderlands 4.

If so, it would match up neatly with the release of the Borderlands movie, which comes out on August 9. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has teased Borderlands 4 in the past. "Look, we haven't even announced anything of it," Pitchford said back in March. "Clearly, we're working on something. And I know what we're working on, and holy shit... It's the greatest thing we've ever done. And I can't wait, but it's not time yet. It's not time yet. There will be a time."

Speaking in an investor-focused call following its latest financial results, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said the company now plans to double-down on Borderlands, and had already identified “many potential growth opportunities” for the series.

“Borderlands 3 outpaced our forecasts and we are thrilled that Randy Pitchford and Gearbox Entertainment are slated to join officially 2K’s renowned internal studios in the coming weeks,” Zelnick said.

“We have already identified many potential growth opportunities for the Borderlands series and Gearbox’s catalog, which we plan to pursue once the studio is integrated into our organization. We are also excited to see growing buzz for the star-studded Borderlands feature film which is planned for release by Lionsgate this summer.”

The Borderlands franchise has already expanded with a number of video game spin-offs and is set to expand further with the release of the aforementioned Borderlands movie, starring the likes of Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jamie Lee Curtis. One spin-off Take-Two has singled out as doing particularly well is 2022 action role-playing first-person shooter Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, which is set within the world of a fantasy-themed tabletop RPG.

Expanding on the decision to buy Gearbox during the investor call, Zelnick said that when the opportunity presented itself to buy the company “on terms that we felt were reasonable, we frankly jumped at the opportunity.”

“We have all the respect in the world for Randy Pitchford and his team,” Zelnick continued. “He has the ability to bring AAA products to market, responsibly and on a very reliable and rather rapid cadence. And he is a hit maker. And it's very hard to make a new hit, and [Tiny Tino] was a new hit. And of course, Borderlands just goes from strength to strength. So we're thrilled to have Gearbox in the family.”

Based on Zelnick’s comments, we can expect plenty more Borderlands in the future now Gearbox is under the Take-Two umbrella. But there are issues elsewhere in the company. Earlier this month, Take-Two announced a cost reduction plan that included project cancellations and layoffs amounting to 5% of its workforce. Amid this announcement came reports based on internal documentation that seemed to confirm Take-Two was closing OlliOlli World developer Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 developer Intercept Games. But when IGN asked Zelnick why these closures happened, he replied: "We didn't shutter those studios.” Reports also indicate publishing label Private Division, which is behind was also gutted.

This week, Take-Two narrowed the hotly anticipated GTA 6 release date window to fall 2025.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Medieval city builder Manor Lords is a smash hit, selling two million copies in just three weeks.

Slavic Magic’s debut game launched on Steam priced $39.99 and straight into PC Game Pass in Early Access form on April 26. On Steam, the game is particularly well-received, with a ‘very positive’ user review rating. IGN’s Manor Lords Early Access review returned a 7/10. We said: “Manor Lords is a gorgeous medieval city-builder that kept me occupied for hours building my perfect, cozy hamlets, but it definitely feels very early in its Early Access development.”

Publisher Hooded Horse said on Manor Lords’ opening weekend, the concurrent player count peaked at over 173,000 on Steam alone (the highest ever concurrent player count for a city builder on Valve’s platform), and the first one million sales were made by the next day. Since then, solo developer Greg Styczeń has been hard at work processing feedback from the player base, and the first patch recently went into open testing.

“It’s been wonderful to see so many players give Manor Lords a try,” commented Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender. “We had some pretty optimistic expectations and even some wild hopes, but reaching two million copies on Manor Lords so quickly has exceeded even those.”

The two million sales figure is across all platforms Manor Lords is sold on: PC via Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store, and comes despite its availability in the PC Game Pass subscription.

Insane! Thank you for playing https://t.co/Q4PNIS42BK

— MANOR LORDS (@LordsManor) May 16, 2024

Slavic Magic has said Manor Lords may remain in Early Access for around a year, “but that might change depending on how the design develops with player feedback.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Sony and LEGO are reportedly collaborating on a new PlayStation video game called LEGO Horizon Adventures.

Insider Gaming reports the unannounced video game is “essentially Horizon Forbidden West but Lego”, with “realistic graphics.” IGN has asked Sony for comment.

X/Twitter user @Kurakasis had previously flagged the collaboration, and Insider Gaming suggests this was the result of a recently discovered trademark filing.

That’s pretty much all we have right now. We don’t know which studio is behind the game, or the platforms it will launch on. But Sony is rumored to be set to hold a PlayStation showcase this month. Perhaps we’ll learn more there.

While a LEGO Horizon video game may sound like an odd choice, the two brands have collaborated before on LEGO sets based on Guerrilla’s post-apocalyptic franchise.

Sony has a quiet year ahead for first-party PlayStation games, and has ruled out sequels in its major franchises such as Spider-Man and God of War until at least April 2025. But it still has a number of key games set to release over the next 12 months, including PS5 and PC FPS Concord and, potentially, LEGO Horizon Adventures.

In February, Sony announced a significant round of layoffs affecting around 900 staff, or about 8% of its global PlayStation workforce. The layoffs affect a number of PlayStation studios, including Insomniac, Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, Firesprite, and, most significantly, PlayStation's London studio. Alongside the layoffs, a number of in-development games were canceled.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The Helldivers 2 community has been through a lot lately, with everything from failed Major Orders to Sony’s aborted attempt to force PC players to link their accounts to PSN to contend with. Now, the community’s attention has shifted onto a player who has unwittingly become the focus of an altogether more wholesome story.

The story starts with a seemingly innocuous player interaction that went viral. A Helldiver called Dremskiy joined a group only to face being kicked from it.

“Sorry… I have to kick you,” Dremskiy was told by another Helldiver who said they were playing with friends only.

“im frend,” was Dremskiy’s heartbreaking reply.

“Don’t make this more difficult…” the player said.

The interraction that can make a grown man cry pic.twitter.com/lGhvCzoPgy

— Helldivers 2 Media (@Helldiversmedia) May 13, 2024

Like a Helldiver ragdoll butting heads with a Charger, that interaction flew off, enjoying millions of views across social media, Discord, and forums before inevitably becoming a meme. “im frend”, complete with misspelling, is now part of Helldivers lore.

The next mainline Call of Duty game looks set to be called Call of Duty Black Ops 6, not Black Ops 5 as previously thought, after developer Treyarch acknowledged the recent discovery of the Sally pistols in Warzone.

The Sally is a variant of the Akimbo version of the 9mm Daemon Pistol, and rekindles memories of 2010 Black Ops’ iconic cover art.

To unlock the gun in-game you must first find the Sally as ground loot in battle royale Warzone and get just one kill with it. This unlocks the Sally for use in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone.

Treyarch responded to the discovery of the Sally pistols, which feature six scratched tally marks, in a series of tweets.

😉

— Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) May 15, 2024

👀

— Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) May 15, 2024

Fans have speculated about the name of the next Call of Duty for years now, with everything from Black Ops Gulf War to Black Ops 5 mooted. But it now seems clear Activison has decided on Black Ops 6, which makes sense given Call of Duty 2024 is the sixth main Black Ops game, but that does also mean we’re skipping Black Ops 5 (2020's Black Ops Cold War looks set to be considered Black Ops 5 in the run).

Reports from last year indicated Black Ops 6 will take place during the Gulf War, additionally touching on the global political fallout after the Cold War. Additionally, the reports suggest the new game will lean back into more traditional military combat tech and Black Ops gadgets, rather than focusing on the futuristic tech some of the more recent Call of Duty games have embraced.

Currently, Black Ops 6 is planned for a launch in 2024 around roughly the usual time in late fall/early winter. Activision owner Microsoft has announced an Xbox showcase for June, with a Call of Duty Direct to follow afterwards. Fans are expected to get a first look at the game then.

We’re going to be talking about games of course

Tune in to the Xbox Games Showcase followed by [REDACTED] Direct on Sunday, June 9 @ 10am PT: https://t.co/z78G8h75r2 | #XboxShowcase pic.twitter.com/XgOGJy2gLv

— Xbox (@Xbox) April 30, 2024

Microsoft is in the process of laying off 1,900 staff across its gaming business, including people at Activision Blizzard and Bethesda owner ZeniMax. This month, Microsoft shocked the gaming world by closing down Hi-Fi Rush maker Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin, with fears more cuts are to come.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Skull and Bones Season 2 is on the way after what Ubisoft called a “tremendous response” from the game’s community.

Skull and Bones launched in February on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, anbd PC (but not on Steam) after years of delays and was thought to have suffered from low player numbers. IGN’s Skull and Bones review returned a 7/10. We said: “Skull and Bones is a maritime RPG with a strong foundation, even if it feels like a live-service first draft.”

Season 1 soon followed, and now Ubisoft has confirmed what to expect from Season 2. “Let us begin by saying how amazing it has been for all of us working on Skull and Bones to witness the tremendous response from our entire community since the launch of our game,” Ubisoft said in a blog post.. "From the ways our players engage with our game and content, to the ton of screenshots, videos and livestreams shared across social media, Discord and Reddit."

“It is thanks to your incredible engagement, that we were able, throughout Season 1, to observe, listen, understand, and more importantly react to your feedback on a weekly basis," Ubisoft continued. "Our commitment continues to remain the same - to create and update our game together, with our community. This wouldn't have been possible without the passion and dedication you've shown to Skull and Bones.”

During its most recent financial report, Ubisoft failed to say how many copies Skull and Bones sold since going on sale at full price on February 16. But it did say the game saw “strong engagement”, with the second-best daily playtime for a Ubisoft game. That included an average of four hours in the first weeks following launch. Ubisoft put this down to end-game content that launched with Season 1.

“We target to further improve this retention and enlarge the player base with the upcoming launch of Season 2, Chorus of Havoc, that will continue to enrich the end-game with the addition of new bosses, world events and ship upgrades,” Ubisoft added. “Season 2 will also bring new PvE & Solo game modes.”

Ubisoft has committed to at least one full year of content for Skull and Bones, divided up into four seasons. It will be interesting to see if the game gets a second year of support.

A PlayStation Store listing for Star Wars: The Clone Wars has sparked speculation that PlayStation 2-emulated games are coming to the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 soon.

So far, Sony has added PSOne and PSP games to the PS Store via the PS Plus Premium subscription alongside rewind and quick save features.

Gematsu, via PS Deals, spotted that a PS2-emulated Star Wars: The Clone Wars was added to the PSN backend, with a release date of June 11 on PS5 and PS4. If true, it would be the first new PS2-emulated title to come to PS5 or PS4 since 2019. And given the June 11 release date, Star Wars: The Clone Wars may well launch into the Classics Catalog titles as part of the June PS Plus lineup.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars was developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts for GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox across 2002 and 2003. New features for Star Wars: The Clone Wars on PS4 and PS5 include up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters.

Here’s the description from the store listing:

Experience STAR WARS The Clone Wars originally released on the PlayStation®2 console, enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters.

You are thrust into the heat of battle in the galaxy's most unforgettable conflict. Lead the Republic army in the greatest battles of the epic Clone Wars as Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Your directive: stop the Separatists from reassembling an ancient Sith weapon of mass annihilation!

• Take over where Episode II ends. Play out the greatest battles of the epic Clone Wars.

• Sixteen single-player missions on six expansive worlds from the Star Wars universe.

• Pilot five unique craft (Republic gunship, speeder bike, fighter tank, assault walker and even a maru) against over 30 different combat units.

• Missions range from intense close combat engagements to enormous large-scale battles.

• Four entirely different multiplayer modes: team-based strategy, deathmatch, king-of-the-hill, and co-op endurance.

This title has been converted from the PlayStation®2 version to the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5 consoles and provides newly added features. Consequently, there may be times where the title plays differently from the PlayStation®2 version, or where some features may cause the title to not function properly. This version does not support the PlayStation®2 console’s peripherals, therefore some functionality may not be available.

Offline multiplayer (2 players)

Online features require an account and are subject to terms of service and applicable privacy policy (playstationnetwork.com/terms-of-service & playstationnetwork.com/privacy-policy).

Software subject to license (us.playstation.com/softwarelicense).

One-time license fee for play on account’s designated primary PS4™ system and other PS4™ systems when signed in with that account.

There’s even box art and screenshots:

Assuming this store listing is accurate, it could mark the beginning of a new push from Sony to properly emulate PS2 games on PS5 and PS4, after a rather poor effort on PS4. Sony is rumored to be set for a PlayStation showcase at some point in May. Perhaps then we’ll know more.

Which PS2 games would you like to see get a native PS4 and PS5 port? Let us know in the comments!

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Helldivers 2’s ongoing meta-narrative took another twist this week after players failed the last Major Order and thus failed to unlock a promised new Stratagem.

The explosive PC and PlayStation 5 co-op shooter had set the community a stiff challenge: kill 2 billion Automatons in five days and the Anti-Tank Mines Stratagem would unlock.

But despite players’ best efforts, Helldivers came 78% towards the stated goal, and in an in-universe Galactic War update from Super Earth High Command posted to the Helldivers Discord, Arrowhead signaled it would hold the the Anti-Tank Mines Stratagem back — for now.

“After five days of intense decommissioning of Automatons into scrap metal for use in advanced anti-tank mines, the Helldivers came 78% towards the stated goal of 2 billion dead bots,” the message reads. “This means that the new stratagem will continue to elude the Helldiver arsenal for now…”

It’s perhaps no surprise to see this Major Order failed, given Arrowhead had warned it had fixed a bug that caused a previous Major Order to kill 2 billion bugs to be completed too quickly. The Anti-Tank Mines Stratagem will obviously be released in time, but what’s interesting is what comes next in the Galactic War.

Dungeon Master Joel, who pulls the meta-narrative strings from within the bowels of Arrowhead headquarters, appears to have a surprise up his sleeve. The rest of Super Earth’s statement says the war has now escalated into what’s called The Second Galactic War, and that all conflict leading up to this point “was merely an elaborate special operation.”

And here’s a very interesting line, already being picked apart by the Helldivers community: “New recruits are being trained to bolster the ranks of SEAF, and the Helldivers are tasked with guarding these training facilities so that each recruit can be given their rigorous 72 hour basic training.”

It could be nothing, but some players are speculating that this is a tease for the arrival of NPC squads. Perhaps an upcoming Stratagem will call in a four-person team who drop down onto the battlefield to help out until they, inevitably, bite the dust.

Here’s the rest of the statement in full:

“The war now escalates into what is officially called ‘The Second Galactic War.’ All conflict leading up to this was merely an elaborate special operation. New recruits are being trained to bolster the ranks of SEAF, and the Helldivers are tasked with guarding these training facilities so that each recruit can be given their rigorous 72 hour basic training.”

Helldivers 2 is the fastest-selling PlayStation game of all time, selling an astonishing 12 million copies in just 12 weeks. But it’s had a bumpy ride since coming out earlier this year, with Arrowhead butting heads with Sony over PSN account linking. This week, Arrowhead said it plans to roll back changes to patrols and spawn rates, admitting the PSN controversy had diverted its attention away from gameplay tweaks.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The Dune: Prophecy TV show has its debut trailer, teasing the events leading to the founding of the Bene Gesserit.

Dune: Prophecy, set 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, is a six-episode season that debuts on Max this fall, Warner Bros. Discovery announced. It tells the origin story of the Bene Gesserit, the mysterious sisterhood who pull the galactic strings from the shadows in Frank Herbert's influential sci-fi series.

10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides, before the universe knew them as the Bene Gesserit...

The new Max Original Series #DuneProphecy is streaming this fall on Max. pic.twitter.com/MvPwIhMG1U

— Max (@StreamOnMax) May 15, 2024

Here’s the logline:

From the expansive universe of Dune, created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, Dune: Prophecy follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. Dune: Prophecy is inspired by the novel ‘Sisterhood of Dune,’ written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

The cast includes Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Edward Davis, Aoife Hinds, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Jihae, Tabu, Charithra Chandran, Jessica Barden, Emma Canning, and Yerin Ha.

Alison Schapker serves as showrunner and executive producer. Anna Foerster executive produced and directed multiple episodes including the first. Author Brian Herbert is on-board as executive producer, along with Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert as executive producers for the Frank Herbert estate. Author Kevin J. Anderson serves as co-producer.

The release of Dune: Prophecy follows Denis Villeneuve’s two Dune movies, the most recent of which, Dune Part 2, released to enormous success earlier this year. Villeneuve is working on Dune Part 3 to close out Paul Atreides’ story. Dune: Part 2 makes its streaming debut on Max on Tuesday, May 21.

IGN’s Dune: Part 2 review returned an 8/10. We said: “Featuring absolutely staggering visuals, Dune: Part 2 is an arresting, transportive middle entry in Denis Villeneuve’s tricky sci-fi saga.”

For more on Dune: Part 2, check out IGN’s Ending Explained, as well as what to expect from Dune: Part 3.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Warner Bros. Discovery has unveiled a first look at The Last of Us Season 2, showing off Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie officially after set photos recently hit the internet.

The Last of Us is HBO’s smash hit TV show based on Sony’s hugely successful post-apocalyptic adventure video game franchise. Season 1, which premiered in 2023, was the most-watched debut season of a series ever for HBO.

The Last of Us Season 2 images were unveiled today by Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO and Max Content, during the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront presentation. There’s still no release date for Season 2, but we do know it’s set to debut on HBO at some point in 2025 and will be available to stream on Max.

Hi-Fi Rush is set for its final patch later today, May 15, amid the closure of its developer Tango Gameworks.

Earlier this month, Microsoft shocked the gaming world when it announced the closure of Tango Gameworks, also known for The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo, as well as Redfall and Prey developer Arkane Austin as part of deep cuts at Bethesda.

The critically acclaimed rhythm action game Hi-Fi Rush was deemed a success upon its 2023 launch. It shadow-dropped straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC, and was sold outside the subscription service priced $30. IGN’s Hi-Fi Rush review returned a 9/10. We said: “Hi-Fi Rush marches to the beat of its own drum with stunning animation, loveable characters, and stylish rhythmic action that are anything but one-note.”

Last year, amid reports that Hi-Fi Rush had failed to sell well enough, Aaron Greenberg, vice president of Xbox games marketing, insisted the game “was a break out hit for us and our players in all key measurements and expectations." Greenberg added: "We couldn’t be happier with what the team at Tango Gameworks delivered with this surprise release.”

Last week, just a day after Microsoft announced the closure of Tango Gameworks, Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty reportedly told Bethesda staff “we need smaller games that give us prestige and awards.” Tango Gameworks staff reacted to Booty’s reported statement with social media posts expressing their clear exasperation at the situation. John Johanas, creative director at Tango Gameworks and director on Hi-Fi Rush, reacted to Booty’s quote in devastating fashion:

https://t.co/Cz2fW01QVc pic.twitter.com/ADV4ZTpIuP

— johnjohanas (@johnjohanas) May 9, 2024

Kazuaki Egashira, game project manager at Tango Gameworks, offered their own take:

Not enough?#HiFiRush #TangoGameworks pic.twitter.com/3OLhYAPbxU

— KazuakiEgashira (@ega1002) May 9, 2024

Hi-Fi Rush, which hit a peak of 6,132 concurrent players on Steam when it launched in January 2023, saw an uptick in players on Valve’s platform following the announcement, and was the subject of a positive review bombing campaign by users who hit out at Microsoft’s closure of Tango Gameworks.

Limited Run Games, meanwhile, has indicated it still plans to release Hi-Fi Rush’s previously announced physical version. The game launched on PlayStation 5 earlier this year as part of Microsoft’s multi-platform video game push. Hi-Fi Rush's long-rumored Nintendo Switch port recently popped up in an age-rating from the ESRB.

A tweet from the official Hi-Fi Rush account confirmed this physical edition is still in the works, and signaled the release of the final patch. “Thank you all for your continued support. We’re working to release the physical edition of Hi-Fi Rush with our partners at Limited Run Games, as well as a final patch to address some minor issues releasing later today,” the tweet reads.

While reassuring, some are concerned Hi-Fi Rush will eventually face being delisted due to the licenced music used for its soundtrack.

Why did Microsoft close Tango Gameworks? Xbox executive Sarah Bond offered a response in a recent interview. IGN understands a pitch for Hi-Fi Rush 2 was rejected in part because it was deemed too expensive. IGN recently spoke with analysts to find out What the End of Tango Gameworks Means for Game Pass.

Below are the final patch notes for Hi-Fi Rush.

Hi-Fi Rush Update 9 Patch Notes

• PS5 & PC
  • (Track 01) After reducing QA-1MIL to zero health, a collision issue would occur where players would fall out of the geometry. Chai will now properly fall to the ground, instead of into the abyss.
  • (Track 01) Fixed an issue during the latter half of the 2D area whereby the camera would not follow Chai when the elevating lift falls.
  • (Track 02) Corrected a defect whereby if you touched Rekka during her electric charge, your final Rank would not correlate with the Chorus score.Some issues would occur when trying to use Macaron’s Gravity Well while Rhythm Parrying an enemy. Well, this is now fixed!
  • (Track 03) Cutscenes previously would not play correctly if a Health Tank was consumed during the fight with the HG-0G. Feel free to block a few more hits with your face because this bug is fixed!Fixed various text issues.
• All Platforms
  • (Track 01) We also QA’d some other issues during the QA-1MIL fight, particularly around transitions between phases.
  • Fixed even more text bugs! They just don’t stop!
  • Drink prices adjusted in Vandelay vending machines to reflect local currency conversion.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Ubisoft has said its Call of Duty rival XDefiant does not feature skill-based matchmaking in its casual playlist.

For years, skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) has been the hottest of topics within the Call of Duty community, with some proclaiming it ruins the experience, others saying quite the opposite. High-skilled Call of Duty players often bemoan SBMM for chucking them into what they call “sweaty” lobbies full of similarly high-skilled players. Activision has defended its use, insisting skill in matchmaking means all players (regardless of skill level) are more likely to experience wins and losses more proportionately. “We use player performance to ensure that the disparity between the most skilled player in the lobby and the least skilled player in the lobby isn’t so vast that players feel their match is a waste of time,” Activision said earlier this year.

“Our data shows that when lower skill players are consistently on the losing end, they are likely to quit matches in progress or stop playing altogether,” Activision continued. “This has an effect on the player pool. A smaller player pool means wait times for matches increase and connections may not be as strong as they should be. This can compound over time to create a spiral effect. Eventually, when only high-skilled players remain because lower skilled players have quit out of frustration, the result is an ecosystem that is worse overall for everyone.

“Game data indicates that having some limitations on the disparity of skill across the players in a match makes for a healthier ecosystem. We also understand that many high skill players want more variety of experience, but often feel like they only get the ‘sweatiest’ of lobbies. We have heard this feedback clearly and will continue to test and actively explore ways to mitigate this concern.”

Ubisoft, though, clearly has a very different philosophy for its free-to-play first-person shooter, which it outlined in a blog post.

“The most important thing to know is — there is no skill-based matchmaking in our casual playlist,” Ubisoft confirmed. “We believe that no SBMM is paramount to a fun and varied game experience in the long-term. Frankly, skill-based matchmaking means every casual game is repetitive — constantly repeating matches that are just as stressful and matched as ranked. We believe casual playlist should be fun and no SBMM is the way to do that. If you want that competitive every second counts go all out playstyle — you'll find our ranked mode to your liking.”

Ubisoft’s stance on SBMM makes for a clear distinction between XDefiant and Call of Duty multiplayer, and is sure to go down well with a subset of hardcore competitive FPS fans. Ubisoft has been keen to attract disgruntled Call of Duty fans with a number of crowd-pleasing design decisions as it works to wrestle players away from Activision’s behemoth. Indeed, XDefiant developer Ubisoft San Francisco is helmed by Mark Rubin, a former Call of Duty executive producer at Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward.

After a number of delays, XDefiant’s pre-season launches May 21 on PC via Ubisoft Connect, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. The game is not set to launch on Steam or the Epic Games Store.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Microsoft has put 66 Xbox 360 games on sale ahead of the planned shutdown of the Xbox 360 Store on the console and the Xbox 360 Marketplace.

In an announcement on Xbox Wire, Microsoft published the list of on-sale Xbox 360 games, with the promise of more to come on June 18 and July 16. These price reductions will remain in place for each game through the 360 store closing on July 29, 2024, Microsoft said.

Starting on July 29, 2024, Microsoft will stop supporting the ability to purchase new games, DLC, and other entertainment content from the Xbox 360 Store on the console and the Xbox 360 Marketplace (marketplace.xbox.com). This change will not affect your ability to play Xbox 360 games or DLC you have already purchased — Xbox 360 game content previously purchased will still be available to play.

Here’s the list of Xbox 360 games included in the sale alongside their discounts, as of May 15, 2024:

Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Sony shipped almost five times more PlayStation 5 units than Microsoft shipped Xbox Series X and S consoles during the last financial quarter, according to one analyst.

This week, Sony announced it had shipped 4.5 million PS5 units during the three-month period ending March 31, 2024, down from the 6.3 million it had shipped the same period the previous year.

Microsoft has said Xbox hardware revenue declined 31% during the quarter, predicting more declines to come. But the company does not report console sales figures — perhaps with good reason. Now, one analyst has provided an estimated PS5 to Xbox Series X and S ratio that gives us an idea of just how far behind Microsoft has fallen when it comes to console sales.

Daniel Ahmad, Director of Research and Insights at Niko Partners, tweeted to say the firm’s estimates put the PS5 and Xbox Series X and S at 5:1 for the quarter. Given Sony shifted 4.5 million PS5s during the period, that would mean Microsoft shifted approximately 900,000 Xbox Series X and S consoles combined.

5. The PlayStation 5 shipped 4.5 million units in the last quarter. According to our estimates, this is almost 5x more than the Xbox Series X|S shipped in the same period.

(This is a bonus one for the console warriors + my rent is due)

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 14, 2024

As Ahmad later pointed out, this huge gap is relatively new, with Xbox Series X and S closer to 2:1 versus PS5 in lifetime-to-date sales. But the gap is clearly widening. If that 2:1 ratio is accurate, Xbox Series X and S has sold around 29 million units at best, given PS5 has sold 59.3 million so far. For comparison’s sake, Xbox One ended up selling 58 million. It seems unlikely Xbox Series X and S will beat that figure.

Perhaps the huge gap between PS5 and Xbox Series X and S shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given Microsoft’s clear shift away from the console as the be-all and end-all of its gaming ambitions. Microsoft has admitted Xbox has lost the console war, and there’s little sign Xbox will catch PlayStation this generation. Indeed, Microsoft is now selling some of its Xbox games on rival platforms, including PS5, with the expectation that more are to come. Still, Microsoft has confirmed plans to release more powerful hardware in the future, and there are rumblings it also plans to release an Xbox handheld.

The Xbox console’s failings come during a particularly difficult time for Microsoft’s gaming business, which is in the process of laying off an eye-watering 1,900 staff. Earlier this month, Microsoft shocked the video game world by closing down Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, and there are concerns more cuts are to come. Last year, Microsoft spent an incredible $69 billion on buying Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard, a move that has reportedly put the gaming business under pressure to cut costs. IGN recently asked analysts what's next for subscription service Game Pass amid these troubling times.

As for Sony, it’s said the PS5 is past its sales peak as it enters its fourth year on sale. The company is reportedly set to release a PS5 Pro model, with Rockstar’s GTA 6 waiting in the wings.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has announced plans to roll back changes made to patrols and spawn rates following a recent patch after admitting the PlayStation Network controversy was the focus of its attention in recent weeks.

Arrowhead butted heads with Sony over the Helldivers 2 IP owner and publisher’s decision to force PC players to link their accounts to PlayStation Network in order to continue playing. Sony eventually backed down, although not before a Steam review bombing campaign that looks set to become the inspiration for a new in-game cape.

Clearly, events of the past few weeks have taken their toll on Arrowhead staff, who have had to contend with a player revolt while also trying to work with Sony on a change of policy. Community manager Twinbeard had said the PSN controversy was a huge tax on resources: "... when sth like the PSN-gate (TM) happens, a lot of things come to a halt. Many of us at AH more or less 'lost' a week due to this, and only now are slowly getting back to what we were doing before all of this (and that's even with it not being entirely resolved as well)."

Now, in a new statement issued to the Helldivers Discord, Twinbeard announced the studio’s intention to address patrols and spawn rate following what has been a “hectic” past couple of weeks.

“As many of you have noticed, something has been off with patrols and spawn rate for some time now,” Twinbeard said.

“This primarily leads to more enemies rearing their ugly heads than they're supposed to, indirectly to players feeling overrun, kiting, and subsequently less fun gameplay. This has been the case for all players, but predominantly for smaller teams and solo playing. We've been aware, but frankly, the past couple of weeks have been so hectic that we haven't been able to give this the TLC that it required. We now have, and we've concluded that it's not working as intended and we're changing it.

"There might be some minor tweaks, but overall we're reverting back to how patrols and spawn rate worked before the patch that changed them a few weeks ago. We believe that this is more or less how you currently want them to be.

“We also know you want us to do things and changes properly instead of rushing them, and we do as well. Therefore, implementing this will take some time. We want to give it proper testing and review it... ah heck, simply see that it works this time. Even if this means we're faced with more bugs and bots than even the bravest of citizens would deem realistic for a while longer, we hope you're happy with us fixing the problem.

“Onwards and upwards!”

Twinbeard’s statement touches on a call from the Helldivers 2 community for Arrowhead to take more time with its balance patches, and even slow down the release of new weapons and gear via what have so far been monthly Premium Warbonds. The feeling at the moment is Arrowhead is feeding the Helldivers 2 live service beast too often and to the detriment of other parts of the game, such as weapon balance and gameplay, and that new content added to the game fails to make an impact.

Earlier this month, Arrowhead boss Johan Pilestedt acknowledged that weapon nerfs had gone "too far in some areas” while responding to complaints the studio had patched the fun out of the explosive PC and PlayStation 5 shooter. "It feels like every time someone finds something fun, the fun is removed," Pilestedt admitted.

Despite these issues, Helldivers 2 is an astonishing success story for both Arrowhead and Sony. This week, Sony announced Helldivers 2 had sold an incredible 12 million copies in just 12 weeks, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation game of all time.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.