Author: Game Infliction

Rocksteady Studios has been forced to pull Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League offline just one hour into its Deluxe Edition’s early access launch due to a bug that automatically completed players’ games.

Though the Batman Arkham universe live service game doesn’t launch proper until February 2, those who paid an extra $30 for the Deluxe Edition were granted three days of early access. This means it now should be available in New Zealand, but as reported by VGC, the game is currently offline and will be for “several hours”.

Rocksteady issued a statement on X/Twitter addressing the issue, though didn’t indicate if the game would still be offline as of its launch in the U.S. or other regions. The developer didn’t say if it would issue refunds for customers who paid the extra $30 either.

“We’re aware that a number of players are currently experiencing an issue whereby upon logging into the game for the first time, they have full story completion,” the statement said. “To resolve this issue, we will be performing maintenance on the game servers.

“During this time the game will be unavailable. We expect this to take several hours and will update once we have more information. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

Those looking forward to Suicide Squad have responded with frustration to the game being taken offline, adding more fuel to the fire of what’s already been a rocky reception. “That’s pretty poor that they did not catch this in quality assurance. Sucks for the people that paid extra to play it early,” ethan_mac said on Reddit. “Absolutely does not help with the image that the game has,” added Mr_Rafi.

The issue also brought upon more calls for the importance of an offline mode, which Suicide Squad doesn’t have despite Rocksteady’s refusal to call it a live service game. An offline mode will be added after launch, but the developer only gave a vague 2024 release window.

Rocksteady has faced an uphill challenge bringing its fans on-side following the announcement of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and the revelations about its live service elements, with many hoping for a return to the developer’s roots with a Batman Arkham-style game in the future.

The PC community will also likely grow frustrated at the quiet addition of digital rights management (DRM), which has long been a controversial subject as players claim it negatively impacts performance. As reported by PC Gamer, Rocksteady added Denuvo to Suicide Squad’s Steam page just a week ahead of launch.

Official previews for Suicide Squad were also largely critical, with IGN’s own saying: “Once the fun story bits end, you’re left with a much less inspired combat system, and an open world that’s filled with tedious tasks.”

Rocksteady lifted the non-disclosure agreement for its closed alpha in response, letting fans who were granted early access share their opinions too.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Stardew Valley creator Eric ‘Concerned Ape’ Barone has confirmed that the long-awaited 1.6 update will launch in 2024, and that it will likely be coming to PC ahead of console and mobile versions of the game.

“1.6 ended up being a little larger in scope than originally planned,” said Barone in a post on Twitter / X. “I’m done adding major new content to it now, though, and it’s in a bug-fixing and polishing phase until it’s ready for release. Thx for your patience. It’ll be fun to see everyone play it!”

In a subsequent post, the developer told one curious fan that they would be able to experience most of the new 1.6 content without having to start a fresh game, but also advised that a new file would allow fans to see everything in its proper context. “It’ll be fine to play on an old save, but I’d probably recommend a new save just to experience everything in context, otherwise you’ll unlock a bunch of stuff right away when you load up your old save,” posted the developer.

Barone also revealed that the update will likely land on PC first, before making its way to console and mobile platforms at a later date. In the same post, the developer emphasised that he was striving to avoid a big delay between platform releases, which had proved to be “a nightmare in the past”.

The substantial 1.6 update is set to bring a smorgasbord of new content to the farming RPG, ranging from hundreds of lines of new dialogue to fresh items, enhanced modding support, and late game content. Barone has also begun development on his next title, the Haunted Chocolatier, which is set to place a greater emphasis on combat while sharing many design features and aesthetic elements of Stardew Valley.

Barone shared a number of screenshots from The Haunted Chocolatier last year, which revealed in-game locations and characters, including the town square, a spooky library, and a familiar-looking Grandpa-esque character. The developer has also hinted that he would be open to adapting Stardew Valley into a Studio-Ghibli-esque movie, should the right partners come along.

Image credit: Eric Barone / Twitter

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

Tekken 8 is already down to just £47.16 in the UK (see here), over £22 off its RRP of £69.99 and a tremendous saving for what is a spectacular new entry for fighting series. Similar to the Suicide Squad deal we’ve discussed, all you need to do is use code PAYDAY20 to save on the game.

This deal can be found at trusted UK retailer The Game Collection via their eBay storefront. We’ll leave some handy links to the deal just below as well so you can easily find your chosen platform for the deal. But, just as a reminder, this promo code will expire after January 31 — so you’ve not got long left to take advantage of it.

We gave Tekken 8 a mighty 9/10 in our review, stating: “Tekken 8 is an incredible evolution for the series, with tons of single player content, an excellent suite of training tools, a great online experience, and exciting new mechanics that make Tekken more dynamic than ever.”

There’s definitely still a benefit to buying physical games, especially when there are deals like this to be found only days before release on new AAA titles. As we’ve mentioned Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is also down to just £43.96 right now as well with JANJOY20, which is over £26 off the RRP.

JANPAY20 is one of the best promo codes we’ve had at eBay since the Black Friday sales, so it’s well worth taking advantage of while you can. Other deals available right now include Tekken 8 for £47.16 on PS5 and Xbox, alongside the Steam Deck 512GB for just £374.95.

For instant updates on the latest and greatest gaming, tech, and everyday item deals, make sure to follow @IGNUKDeals on Twitter/X. Additionally, we’re on the lookout for more PlayStation Portal stock in case you missed out last year.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

There’s definitely still a benefit to buying physical games, especially when there are deals like this to be found only days before release on new AAA titles like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (or other new titles like Tekken 8). Suicide Squad is down to just £43.96 from trusted seller The Game Collection via eBay right now, which is over £26 off the RRP.

This is a tremendous discount, especially since the game isn’t out until February 2. All you need to do is use code JANPAY20 to secure the deal, and we’ll leave some handy links just below so you can find the game on your correct console nice and quickly.

The Deluxe Edition is also available for those interested, it costs £65.86 with code JANPAY20, down from its £99.99 RRP. Note, you’ll need to be logged into your eBay account in order to utilize the promo code, so make sure to do that before trying to make any purchases.

Moreover, this promo code will expire on Janurary 31, so you don’t have long to secure this incredible offer on Suicide Squad, or any other amazing games that are on sale via The Game Collection (just remember to use code JANPAY20)!

We see amazing deals like this all the time from handy eBay codes, so consider following @IGNUKDeals on Twitter/X for immediate updates on the next best deals in gaming, tech, and everyday items. We’re also keeping an eye out for more PlayStation Portal stock if you weren’t able to secure one last year.

JANPAY20 is one of the best promo codes we’ve had at eBay since the Black Friday sales, so it’s well worth taking advantage of while you can. Other deals available right now include Tekken 8 for £47.16 on PS5 and Xbox, alongside the Steam Deck 512GB for just £374.95.

There’s also plenty of other amazing offers in the UK right now, including a discount on the Dark Souls Trilogy Compendium reprint, Xbox Series S Toasters, and PlayStation Gift Cards.

Is Early Access Available for Suicide Squad?

Players opting for the Deluxe Edition can enjoy early access to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, starting from January 30 at midnight in their local time, providing a 3-day head start before the official release. As we’ve mentioned, the deluxe version of the game (physical copy) can be preordered for £65.86 using code JANPAY20, down from it’s £99.99 RRP and saving you over £34 in total.

Suicide Squad Release Date?

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is set to launch worldwide on February 2 at midnight across all regions. Players with the Standard Edition can access the game if their timezone is set to midnight on February 2.

Can I Pre-Load Suicide Squad?

Gamers have the option to pre-load Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League starting January 28 at midnight for Deluxe Edition owners and January 31 at midnight for Standard Edition owners.

Which Gaming Platforms Support Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be accessible on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Gameplay of a canceled Call of Duty codenamed NX1 has leaked online, revealing an effort to release a futuristic game in the franchise from former Guitar Hero developer Neversoft.

Over the weekend, a Twitter / X account called @mangafigurines published two minutes of previously unreleased gameplay for what was reportedly called Call of Duty: Future Warfare, showcasing an explosive moon mission in low gravity conditions.

Fuck it, NX1. pic.twitter.com/KDPh6pwHxn

— Josh H. (@mangafigurines) January 27, 2024

The tweet, which has over 5.5 million views, saw a reply from Brian Bright, who was multiplayer lead on the game at Neversoft. Bright confirmed the footage is from NX1, and explained its origin. It turns out that after the acrimonious exit of Infinity Ward co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella and their formation of Titanfall and Apex Legend developer Respawn Entertainment in 2010, Neversoft ditched the Guitar Hero franchise it had inherited from Harmonix to make a futuristic Call of Duty game of their own.

“This mission was on the moon, some experiments with low g and was really about the team learning the engine,” Bright explained. “We were making GH games on our THPS [Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater] engine prior.”

Bright added that NX1 would have taken the place of Infinity Ward’s Ghosts, which launched in 2013 as a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch title. Neversoft had completed two or three campaign missions and some multiplayer work before NX1’s cancellation.

@mangafigurines followed up with another video of NX1, this one 10 minutes long.

That’s all folks 🤠 pic.twitter.com/7TOg7JgdjE

— Josh H. (@mangafigurines) January 29, 2024

Speaking of multiplayer, footage of NX1 MP also leaked courtesy of a Twitter / X account called @catgurlfriend. Again, Bright confirmed the legitimacy of the footage in a reply, saying the map on show is called Sandstorm, and the mode is Escort.

fuck it, NX1 multiplayer. https://t.co/wGRQlQjSMl pic.twitter.com/OSjycBusDl

— Internet Crush (@catgurlfriend) January 28, 2024

“We didn’t have much of an art team on MP at the time, so the level designers used mainly MW2 assets,” Bright explained. “This map allowed for Escort mode gameplay, where teams would push a large UGV through the map’s checkpoints. The UGV had a trophy system on it.”

There’s an early map list, too, which shows maps called Bin Laden’s Compound, Apartment, and Genk, as well as a number of legacy maps. “This map list was from early on in mp dev on NX1,” Bright said. “Most of these are test maps, we had four or so maps that were fleshed out in the standard modes and two we played Escort modes in. They are not on this list.”

Based on the weekend’s revelations, it seems Call of Duty could have gone in a different direction at the start of the last generation if Neversoft had successfully released its own mainline game in the franchise and Infinity Ward’s Ghosts was canceled or pushed back a year. Ghosts, it’s worth remembering, kicked off Call of Duty’s ill-fated foray into futuristic warfare, which continued with Advanced Warfare and then Infinite Warfare. Infinite Warfare, whose announcement trailer became the second most-disliked ever on YouTube, did so badly that Activision ditched any whiff of spacefaring and instead pushed the tagline ‘boots on the ground’ for 2017’s Call of Duty: WWII, which laid the groundwork for the hugely successful soft reboot Modern Warfare in 2019. Neversoft was eventually absorbed by Infinity Ward in 2014 to form a “super studio”, the Neversoft name, alongside NX1, consigned to the annals of video game history.

The weekend’s Call of Duty leaks don’t end with NX1. A Twitter / X account called Yuno posted footage of the canceled War mode for Treyarch’s Black Ops 4. War mode debuted in WWII as a multiplayer variant that was less about your k/d ratio and more about your ability to help the team progress across different phases of action.

oh it’s time to post cut cod content again? bet.

Here’s some prototype Black Ops 4 “WAR” gameplay by DJ Vahn himself from Oct 31 2016 https://t.co/YLVwUPYK7v pic.twitter.com/EdLN31yhHN

— Yuno (@mysticaIfrog) January 28, 2024

pic.twitter.com/YWvdyfIiP1

— Yuno (@mysticaIfrog) January 28, 2024

From the looks of things, there was at least a plan for a War mode for 2018’s Black Ops 4, but, like its campaign, it was scrapped before release.

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.