Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is getting another new class, revealed last night as the Hive Scum. They’re a suitably skull-adorned outlaw who can dual-wield guns or shivs, while indulging in a cheeky bit of chemical warfare by homebrewing stimulants and lacing their weapons with harmful chems. Basically the opposite of the space-narc Arbites class added this summer, then: they got exploding dogs, the Hive Scum gets exploding drugs.
Liz Albl, the new BioShock game’s narrative lead, has now joined Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher studio CD Projekt Red.
The move follows 2K’s recent decision to “rework” development of its long-gestating BioShock 4 project, which has been in development now since at least 2018.
Albl joined Cloud Chamber, 2K’s secretive studio tasked with building a fresh BioShock chapter, back in 2022. Now, an update on LinkedIn makes clear that the former narrative boss departed the company back in August — at the time 2K indicated it was unhappy with progress and announced layoffs.
“Work on the next BioShock game has been underway for several years,” noted an email to Cloud Chamber staff sent at the time by 2K president David Ismailer, and obtained by IGN. “While we’re excited about the foundational gameplay elements of the project, we’ve made the decision with studio leadership to rework certain aspects that are core to a BioShock game, and in doing so are reducing the size of the development team to focus on this work and give the game more time in development.”
A Bloomberg report confirmed that Cloud Chamber Games studio head Kelley Gilmore had been removed, amid other layoffs, while creative director Hogarth de la Plante had been shuffled into a publishing role.
The timing of Albl’s departure from the studio in August also makes sense, then, and it was reported at the time that 2K Games had been particularly critical of issues with the game’s narrative. BioShock 4’s story is now expected to be overhauled, and development will be overseen by former Gears of War head and Diablo franchise lead Rod Fergusson, who 2K has installed as the new overall boss of both Cloud Chamber and the BioShock franchise.
Prior to Cloud Chamber, Albl had served two years at Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor studio Monolith Productions working on Warner Bros.’ now-cancelled Wonder Woman game. Prior to that, Albl had worked for several years at PlayStation’s Sucker Punch studio writing Ghost of Tsushima, and at Ubisoft working on the Far Cry and Watch Dogs franchises.
Little is known about the next BioShock game, though sporadic hints from job descriptions and other possible leaks have suggested it will be set in a brand new location, and feature open world elements. When IGN last asked Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick about the game’s progress, he reassured that BioShock 4 was “going to come out” for certain, but could not say when.
As for BioShock’s original creator Ken Levine, there’s little new word on his own long-awaited next project — the BioShock-esque Judas. Despite previously being expected by March 2025, we’ve not had a fresh update now in a little while.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Battlefield 6 players are split after the new 323 cosmetic pack introduced a collection of grounded infantry skins… and a $24 price tag.
EA and Battlefield Studios published their California Resistance Season 1 update today, adding a laundry list of fixes and features alongside a fresh store update. With another free gift and more cosmetics in rotation, Battlefield 6 fans hoping to see more grounded skins were happy to find The 323 pack cosmetic pack brings exactly the kind of customization options they were looking for.
“Yes DICE, these are the skins we want!” one popular Reddit post says. The downside, though, is players will have to cough up some serious cash if they want to wear them.
“Four American soldiers from different walks of life suddenly find themselves as the only defense when Pax Armata assaults the town of Eastwood,” a description for Battlefield 6’s The 323 skin pack says. “This guerrilla unit makes do with anything on hand, and clears through urban conflict block by block.”
For 2,400 Battlefield Coins, or $24 USD, you get the Class skins seen above, as well as access to the 323 unit and a few other cosmetics. There is an in-game bundle option to purchase 2,400 Battlefield Coins for $19.99, but it’s far from enough to stop players from dropping their jaws as they see how much these otherwise well-received skins cost.
“Obviously the most beautiful (and appropriate) ones are paid for, and on the battle pass they put the colored fluorescent ones that can see you at 100km,” one popular comment says. “Rascals!”
“It’s s**t like this that makes me realize I am not the target audience of this game,” another adds. “I’m the wrong kind of financially irresponsible to pay for garbage like this lol.”
The goofy skin debate has been nearly inescapable since Battlefield 6 launched for PC and consoles on October 10. It’s a movement that has seen vocal fans calling out some of the more vibrant infantry skins in the hope of warding off the controversial outfits seen in other shooters like Call of Duty. Even as BF Studios worked to address some of the more divisive skins, it’s remained one of the few topics the Battlefield community just can’t seem to shake.
High prices now add a new wrinkle to the discourse as fans weigh the value The 323 pack adds to the Battlefield 6 experience. As fears of goofy skins have mounted, so too have comments from select players who declared they would pay for high-quality grounded skins should they ever come to multiplayer. Now that The 323 pack is here with a high price tag and pages are dominated by dissatisfaction, other Battlefield 6 fans have been quick to fire back.
“That’s what y’all were asking for lol,” one Reddit user said. “Can’t even count the number of post where people said they would be willing to just give money for grounded skins rather than do challenges or if dice added grounded skins in the shop they would give them money.
“Also tired of people acting like theirs no grounded skin options, legit every launch skin (I guess other than the mastery skins because of the orange lol) are grounded.”
Another user replied: “Maybe if they were a reasonable price, sure. But a $20+ bundle? In a game we already paid $70+ for?”
While Battlefield 6 players continue to work out their disagreements about cosmetics, others are diving into the content introduced in today’s 1.1.2.0 update. These include the new Eastwood map and new weapons, as well as a host of bug fixes for both the base game and its REDSEC offshoot. More hot topics, such as map sizes, are said to be under review as Season 1 presses on.
For more, you can check out the smaller changes accompanying today’s main update. If you can’t decide whether to stick with Battlefield 6 or try out Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, click here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
No “try before you buy” option.
The Switch 2 has already got a decent library of demos, but if you were hoping to see something similar for Capcom’s upcoming title Resident Evil Requiem, it supposedly won’t be happening…at least right now.
Speaking to Australian game website Stevivor recently, Requiem’s producer Masato Kumazawa revealed there is currently “no plan” to make a demo accessible to the general public “at this stage”. The team instead wants to focus its energy on “finishing off the game”, which is due out early next year.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
EA has today announced that the 2026 Formula One World Championship will be coming as a paid expansion for the existing F1 25. The content update is set to reflect all the sport’s upcoming changes next year, with new cars, new drivers, and the new regulations.
The next full game in the series will be delivered in 2027. It will be “reimagined into a more expansive experience with new ways to play for fans around the world,” according to today’s statement. EA explained this plan comes as part of a “multi-year strategic investment” in the publisher’s F1 franchise.
“F1 25 has been an incredible success, fueled by the passion of fans and the energy of the sport,” said Lee Mather, Senior Creative Director at Codemasters. “With Formula 1’s momentum on and off the track, now is the perfect time for us to look ahead and build for the future. We’re fully committed to the EA Sports F1 franchise. Our multi-year plan extends this year’s excitement with the 2026 expansion and reimagines the F1 experience for 2027 to deliver even more for players at every level around the world.”
IGN’s F1 25 review described it as a far broader and better package than last year’s installment, and “comfortably the strongest the series has been since the fan favourite F1 2020.” Codemasters has been building Formula One games since F1 2009 for Wii and PSP, although EA also had its own history with the sport in the early 2000s, beginning with F1 2000 on PS1 and PC.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.
Available for a “limited time”.
Among Us has dabbled in all sorts of crossovers, and for the latest event, it’s teaming up with the farming and lifestyle sim Stardew Valley.
The Stardew Cosmicube (a special item featuring themed cosmetics you can unlock) will be available from now until 18th February 2026 and is completely “free”. During this time, you’ll be able to unlock all sorts of goodies.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Here at PlayStation, we’re excited to celebrate the holiday season and another year of gaming experiences with PlayStation’s Black Friday offers which kick off this week. Starting from November 21 for a limited time* gamers can explore a range of incredible deals on games, and more on PlayStation Store.
Visit the official PlayStation Black Friday site starting on November 21 for updates on local offers, as promotions will vary by region.
Players in participating countries who join PlayStation Plus during PlayStation’s Black Friday promotion can save up to 33% on a 12-month membership (or 30% in Thailand). Current PlayStation Plus members can save 33% on the remainder of their membership when upgrading from PlayStation Plus Essential/Extra to PlayStation Plus Deluxe (or 30% in Thailand).
PlayStation Plus offers fantastic value, with access to hundreds of games including hit titles like The Last of Us Part II, Cyberpunk 2077, Mortal Kombat 1, and Hogwarts Legacy*** in the Extra and Deluxe tiers.
All PlayStation Plus members get access to monthly games, exclusive discounts, online multiplayer, and more.
Check out offers on hundreds of PS5 and PS4 digital games with savings of up to 75% on the PlayStation Store. Visit PlayStation Store when the promotion begins on November 21 to view the full selection and find out your local savings.
***Availability of Classics and Game Catalog varies over time, region/country, and plan. See https://www.playstation.com/Plus for details and updates on PlayStation Plus offerings. PlayStation Plus is an ongoing subscription subject to a recurring subscription fee taken automatically (at the then-current PS Store price) at the frequency you choose at purchase until cancellation. Terms apply: play.st/psplus-usageterms
Vedinad, developer of Megabonk, has withdrawn his game from The Game Awards following its nomination for Best Debut Indie Game, saying it doesn’t qualify for the category.
In a post to Twitter/X from the official Megabonk account, vedinad made the announcement today:
“I’m withdrawing from The Game Awards.
“It’s an honor and a dream for Megabonk to be nominated for TGA, but unfortunately i don’t think it qualifies for the category ‘Debut Indie Game’
“I’ve made games in the past under different studio names, so Megabonk is not my debut game 🥸
“i really appreciate the nomination, support and votes, but it doesn’t feel right in this category. you should vote for another one of the amazing debut titles, they are all amazing games!
“thanks again! new megabonk update coming soon ✌️”
It’s unclear whether or not this means Megabonk will actually be removed from the voting pool or awards by the organization. At the time this piece was written, Megabonk was still listed under Best Debut Indie, along with Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Despelote, and Dispatch.
Critically, Best Debut Indie is awarded to the “best debut game created by a new independent studio.” So what counts as a new, independent studio? This definition certainly can get a little fuzzy – game dev teams are often Ships of Theseus, with certain groups sticking together, hiring others, and rebranding. For instance, Dispatch was made by AdHoc Studio, and is the team’s collective first original game. However, AdHoc was founded by a team of former Ubisoft and Telltale developers who had previously been working together. Cocoon, by Geometric Interactive, won Debut Indie back in 2023 and was arguably in a similar situation with former developers from Playdead. But by that logic, it’s also unlikely anyone’s “first game” would ever make it to The Game Awards, as most people’s first projects are small, student, or experimental.
Vedinad’s argument at least makes a bit more sense for himself, given that he is effectively a solo developer and has worked on other projects under other names. But even solo developers have help: Miguel Angel, for instance, is credited with the OST, Giovanni Fim made the Steam art, and there are a handful of names listed as playtesters, as well as a “special thanks” to vedinad’s mom. Vedinad seems to be as close to a solo dev as anyone really gets. What really is a game studio, anyway?
What this ultimately seems to boil down to is that there’s at least some level of confusion about what the categories of The Game Awards actually mean. This isn’t the first time this has happened. In 2023, Dave the Diver – a game made by a subsidiary of Korean gaming giant Nexon – was up for Best Indie, leading TGA creator Geoff Keighley to respond that indie can “mean different things to different people,” and even the director admitted the nomination was confusing. We’ve also seen some oddities like Sifu being up for Best Fighting Game in 2022 (it’s an action beat-em-up), and even some recent eyebrow raisers like Monster Hunter Wilds being nominated this year for best RPG.
Define it all however you want, but Megabonk’s developer has spoken. Will he be heeded? IGN has reached out to The Game Awards for comment. You can catch up on all the other 2025 nominees right here, and check out our early thoughts on Megabonk here.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director Guillaume Broche of Sandfall Interactive would very much like to play a remaster of Lost Odyssey, the mournful 2007-released Xbox 360 RPG from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and development studio Mistwalker. He feels the game was cruelly dinged by reviewers of the era for adhering to certain conventions. He also reckons it’d have done better if it had released for hardware other than the Xbox 360, which was trying to make in-roads among Japanese consumers at the time.
It’s nearly here: Black Friday sales are kicking off this week. And if you’re a fan of board games, you’ll probably want to have an idea of what to expect deal-wise on popular tabletop titles. You’ve come to the right place. I’m the board game editor at IGN, and I’ve been following all the Black Friday board game deals for years. Let’s dive in.
You don’t actually have to wait for Black Friday to save on board games. Right now, both Amazon and Target have sales that get you half off a board game when you buy one at regular price. This applies to a decent number of popular games for board games, including Catan, Splendor, and Horrified. But tons of classics and family board games are also eligible, like Scrabble and Mouse Trap.
When it comes to Black Friday board game deals, such a wide swath of games go on sale each year that basically nothing is off the table (please excuse the pun). If this year is like years past, you’ll be able to save on just about every board game on the market.
The discounts we saw last year ranged from 20% off games all the way up to 65% off. You could save on popular standards like Azul and Pandemic. You could save on family-friendly games like Exploding Kittens and UNO. You could save on horror-themed board games like Alien: Fate of the Nostromo and Arkham Horror: The Card Game. Whatever games you’re interested in, you can likely find something on sale that you’ll want to pick up.
Additionally, for Cyber Monday last year, Amazon ran a “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” sale. Since many of the games were already discounted, that was like a deal on top of a deal. So keep an eye out during Black Friday 2025 for opportunities to stack discounts.
As for the retailers where the deals can be found, the main ones to look at are Amazon, Walmart, and Target. If you want to branch out a bit, Barnes and Noble is usually a good place to look for discounts as well. With Amazon’s Black Friday sale kicking off on November 20 this year, that will likely be the first place you should start looking for deals.
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
