Honkai: Star Rail update v2.3 brings new friends and Simulated Universe on June 19

Dear Trailblazers, greetings from the Honkai: Star Rail dev team. Today, we are excited to share the details of Honkai: Star Rail version 2.3, Farewell Penacony. This update introduces the highly anticipated Stellaron Hunter, Firefly, as well as a significant figure from the IPC, Jade. Additionally, under the guidance of Mr. Screwllum, the new update in the Simulated Universe – Divergent Universe – will be unveiled as well.

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After inheriting the Watchmaker’s Legacy and embarking on the new Path of Harmony, Trailblazers awaken in the real world following the climactic battle with Mr. Sunday. Now, the abrupt termination of the Charmony Festival has left The Family’s reputation in tatters, with numerous delicate issues urgently demanding attention. In response, aside from the Oak Family, the major lineages are preparing their strategies to address the aftermath. In the version 2.3 Trailblaze Mission, the Express Crew will be invited aboard the Radiant Feldspar, soaring into the skies above Penacony to witness crucial Family discussions firsthand.

Meanwhile, aboard the Radiant Feldspar, a new project within the Simulated Universe, Divergent Universe will be conducted under the guidance of Mr. Screwllum, utilizing technology from his home planet to bring gameplay improvements. For instance, the Arithmetic Mapping function in the Divergent Universe testing removes character download limitations. If a character’s level is below the current Equilibrium Level Cap, it will automatically increase to meet the cap. The update also introduces the Equation feature, where combining buffs from two different Paths grants corresponding combat abilities once the required amount is achieved. Additionally, when facing defeat in the Divergent Universe, Trailblazers can now restart challenges without needing to force-stop the game. With the new Restart Challenge option, players can regroup and give it another shot.

In the upcoming version, Origami Birds will also make their way onto the Radiant Feldspar, bringing a new mini-game. In this arcade challenge, Trailblazers must achieve eliminations within a set number of moves to boost the birds’ Combat Power. During the Origami Bird Clash event, Trailblazers can not only participate in Story Challenges, but also freely battle friends from across the universe!

After venturing alongside the Trailblazers for a time, we will uncover more about Firefly in version 2.3. Firefly is a member of the Stellaron Hunters, originating from the long-destroyed world of Glamoth. Once a prosperous and expansive empire, Glamoth was left thrashed and devastated by the calamity brought on by the Swarm. Firefly, a young girl encased in mechanical armor known as SAM, was created as a weapon against the invasion. Unfortunately, she suffers from Entropy Loss Syndrome due to genetic modification. Driven by the quest to find meaning in life and to defy fate, she joined the Stellaron Hunters to further her goals and calling.

As a 5-star Fire-Type character, Firefly possesses an immense power. After using her Technique, she can summon her SAM armor and leap into the air, moving freely, with SAM attacking all enemies within a set range to enter battle. Each wave of enemies can have Fire Weakness forced upon units without Fire Weakness, lasting for a set number of turns. In the heat of battle, SAM will be operating in two forms. In the initial form, using her Skill consumes HP but simultaneously replenishes her Ultimate energy. The less HP Firefly has, the less damage she sustains. Furthermore, when activating her Ultimate, SAM transforms into its second battle form — the dazzling Complete Combustion state! Alongside more potent Basic Attacks and Skills, her Speed and Weakness Break efficiency are also heightened. The Break DMG dealt by SAM is increased until the countdown for Complete Combustion ends. An aspect worth mentioning is that this state not only displays SAM’s might, but also provides players with a unique perspective from within the cockpit of the SAM mech. In this perspective, Firefly’s unwavering gaze is an embodiment of her fiery spirit, capable of setting the starry seas ablaze.

Another Quantum-Type 5-star character, Jade, is set to make her distinguished debut. As a senior manager in the IPC Strategic Investment Department and one of the Ten Stonehearts, she is recognized by her Cornerstone, Jade of Credit. Cold and elegant, Jade is a skilled moneylender with a keen understanding of the human heart. Her personal hobby, Bonajade Exchange, highlights her patience in waiting for high-value acquisitions through accepting pawning of assets and her ability to extract value from seemingly destitute clients.

​​Jade’s Skill allows her to forge a binding agreement with a single ally, making them her Debt Collector and bestowing upon them enhancements. Interestingly, if she selects herself as the Debt Collector, the only part of the enhancement will be applied. Each attack launched by Jade or her Debt Collector accumulates Charges for Jade. Once fully charged, Jade unleashes a follow-up attack against all enemies. Her Ultimate, however, enforces the terms of the agreement with unyielding precision, dealing damage to all enemies while also enhancing her follow-up attack.

It’s worth noting that the limited 5-star characters — Ruan Mei and Argenti — will make their appearances in event warps during the first and second halves of version 2.3, respectively. Their formidable strength ensures they will remain powerful allies in your future adventures.

That wraps up our insights on Version 2.3. While there are still more surprises in the wings, we’ll keep this update brief and delightful. We hope you’re enjoying your cosmic adventures, that Firefly and the new Simulated Universe will bring surprises to everyone, and look forward to rendezvousing with you in the next one.

LA Billboard Shouts Out ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’ Game Studios Ahead of Major Showcases

Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and more “gone but not forgotten” video game studios were honored by a Los Angeles billboard ahead of this week’s major summer showcases.

Spotted by Stephen Totilo on X/Twitter, the electronic billboard was created by publisher New Blood Interactive in the wake of brutal industry lay-offs and studio closures.

“Gone but not forgotten,” the billboard reads, before listing affected studios and their 2024 closing dates: Arkane Austin, Roll7, Tango Gameworks, Volition, and Sony’s London Studio. It also shouts out “everyone laid off, downsized, and made redundant.”

“Thank you for your great games from your friends at New Blood,” it added. “We love you. We mss you. We hate money.”

Microsoft shut down Redfall developer Arkane Austin alongside Hi-Fi Rush and Ghostwire Tokyo developer Tango Gamework in May 2024 in a move met with shock and anger by industry peers and fans. Xbox owner Microsoft posted a 17% increase in revenue and $21.9 billion in profit in its latest financial earnings report. Xbox executives have blamed the move on the video game industry’s lack of growth and a need to prioritise other games and studios.

OlliOlli World developer Roll7, meanwhile, was seemingly shut down by Take-Two Interactive in the same month despite its CEO Strauss Zelnick refusing to confirm this in an interview with IGN and dodging follow-up questions. Last month IGN reported on how the closure of Kerbal Space Program 2 developer Intercept Games and Roll7 are a part of a larger move by Take-Two to either sell off or shut down the entirety of its indie label, Private Division.

“Thank you for your great games from your friends at New Blood. We love you. We mss you. We hate money.

The embattled Embracer Group shut down Saints Row developer Volition in 2023, while Sony shut down its London Studio in March 2024 amid layoffs affecting 900 staff across the PlayStation business.

The billboard will be seen by many still in the video game industry as it looms over downtown LA in the lead up to a number of summer events, including Summer Games Fest, a showcase featuring several high profile announcements in the place of defunct video game event E3. Microsoft is set to host an Xbox showcase followed by a Call of Duty Direct, where it will unveil Black Ops 6.

Xbox and PlayStation are both confirmed as SGF partners, though Nintendo, as usual, is a no show. As for what to expect, a LEGO game based on Horizon: Zero Dawn, Sonic X Shadow Generation, what’s seemingly a console version of Amazon’s New World, and Civilization 7 have all leaked.

Image Credit: Stephen Totilo on X/Twitter

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

Civilization 7 Leaks via 2K Games Website

An announcement for Civilization 7 appears imminent after an image for the game was spotted on 2K Games’ official website.

As spotted by users on ResetEra and Reddit, the banner for the unannounced strategy sequel was briefly available on the 2K website homepage and even pointed to a currently non-existent trailer and Steam page for wishlisting before it was removed. The leak suggests an announcement at Summer Game Fest today, June 7. 2K is yet to comment.

In May, Summer Game Fest said 2K Games would reveal the “next iteration in one of its biggest and most beloved franchises” during the show. The tease instantly got fans speculating on the possibilities, with many wondering whether BioShock 4 would finally be revealed after a five year wait. Others suggested it might be Mafia 4 or Borderlands 4. It seems likely now that the tease is related to Civilization 7.

Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 was developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K on PC in 2016, before ports for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and mobile were released. IGN’s Civ 6 review returned a 9.4. We said: “Civilization 6 is fully loaded with features and makes some very smart changes to its winning 4X strategy formula.”

Given the game’s enormous popularity (Civ 6 remains in the top 20 most-played games on Steam and the franchise has sold an impressive 71 million copies to date), a seventh entry in the long-running series was inevitable. Indeed, in February last year Firaxis announced it was working on the next mainline Civ, although it didn’t call it Civ 7 at the time.

That’s all we have to go on for now, with more sure to be revealed during Summer Game Fest.

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.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Support Reportedly Scaled Back at Rocksteady Following Disastrous Launch

What now for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League? The live service shooter flopped to the tune of $200 million upon its launch earlier this year, and ever since players have wondered just how long support would last.

Following a Bloomberg report into the development of the game, the author of that report, Jason Schreier, has tweeted to say Rocksteady is now providing “some barebones support, definitely not as much as they’d originally planned.”

That’s a worry for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s small but loyal fanbase, which is made up of fans who continue to play the game despite its failings. And it calls into question how long publisher Warner Bros. will have Rocksteady devote resources to the game.

According to Bloomberg, staff at the studio are currently working on a director’s cut of the phenomenally successful Hogwarts Legacy, while leadership pitches a return to single-player following this live service misstep.

Warner Bros. has so far failed to respond to IGN’s request for comment.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League did look set to receive new content (the game recently teased the introduction of Mrs. Freeze as a playable character for Season 2) in the short-term, at least. But Rocksteady has yet to announce Season 2 or what it will add to the game. Season 1 added Joker as a playable character. Datamining has suggested playable characters on their way include Mrs. Freeze, Lawless, and Deathstroke.

But will Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice actually get these playable characters, or even subsequent seasons? The game’s community, such as it is, has declared the game dead following Bloomberg’s report. “I honestly don’t think the planned Seaons 2 to 4 are happening,” redditor Gizmo16868 said. Those in the game’s official Discord have already turned their attention to Rocksteady’s next game and the hope it will rekindle the excitement around the studio’s much-loved Batman: Arkham series.

For now, though, it seems a question of when, not if, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League goes the way of so many live service failures and its developer officially moves on.

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.

Satan’s Feeling Glum In Antonblast’s Wonderful Opening Cutscene

“Who is this red guy?!”.

Ahead of Antonblast‘s launch later this year on 12th November 2024, developer Summitsphere has released the game’s opening cutscene, and it’s pretty great.

It showcases Satan (naturally) who, after conversing with a magical mirror, discovers that there is a ‘red guy’ who happens to ‘shine more crimson’ than he. This, of course, is our protagonist, Dynamite Anton, so poor ol’ Satan decides to take what Anton loves the most, coax him into his lair, and ‘siphon his delightfully rosy tone’.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Looks Like Amazon MMO New World Is Coming to Console

Amazon’s MMO New World looks set to hit consoles after the game was spotted on the PlayStation Store.

Redditor OMG_R3A11Y saw New World appear on their console’s PlayStation Store and published a screenshot before the listing was apparently removed.

New World launched in 2021 on Steam and became a rare video game hit for Amazon. The free-to-play MMO set in an alternate 1600s America saw huge concurrent player numbers on Steam, and is currently the eighth most-played game on Valve’s platform all-time with a whopping 913,634 peak concurrents. Player numbers have declined since that peak, however, with Steam concurrents hovering around the 10,000 mark in recent weeks.

A console release would certainly provide a boost, and a confirmation seems imminent after the official New World X/Twitter account teased “an exciting announcement” for Summer Game Fest, which kicks off today, June 7, at 2pm Pacific / 5pm Eastern / 10pm UK.

Questions remain, however. The PlayStation Store insert is for a game called New World Aeternum, whereas the Steam version is simply called New World. Perhaps the console version is a different game entirely, or Aeternum is the name of a new expansion that will replace the original name across all versions.

Or, New World Aeternum may mark a new beginning for the MMO, similar to Final Fantasy 14 A Realm Reborn. Fans are also wondering whether New World is also set for Xbox Series X and S, given the insert was spotted on the PlayStation Store.

Image credit: OMG_R3A11Y / Reddit.

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.

Playing Bella Wants Blood is satisfying in the same way pulling clogged hair from a shower drain is

In my eternal quest to describe games concisely enough that you don’t feel robbed of time you could have just watched a trailer with, I am compelled to use many of the same words and word combinations ad nauseam. So, when a game like horror tower defence Bella Wants Blood comes along and uses some odd nouns, I get all excited. Here, that’s because I get to recklessly spaff out terms like ‘Blood Gutters’, ‘The Rattler’, and your friend and mine, ‘The Stabber’. Barely an atom quivers in Bella Wants Blood that hasn’t been stylised or made odd and alluring in some way.

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There’s No Bloodborne Remake, but There Is a Bloodborne Outfit for Astro Bot

Bloodborne fans have called on Sony to remake the game or release a sequel for years now. What they have instead is, well… it’s not quite what they expected.

During Sony’s State of Play showcase in May the company revealed a brand new Astro Bot for PS5, and the announcement sparked excitement from PlayStation gamers across the internet. Now, Sony has announced pre-order details for Team Asobi’s game as well as the various outfits set to hit the eye-catching platformer — and, you guessed it, one of the outfits is Bloodborne.

As detailed in a PlayStation Blog post, the Astro Bot Digital Deluxe Edition includes an early unlock for Astro’s Yharnam Tourist outfit, which is the one that’s caused a bit of a fuss across social media and forums today.

Most of the reaction is light-hearted, with plenty of jokes about Astro Bot now being the Bloodborne remake fans have been waiting for, a few perhaps wishful thinkers suggesting the skin is a sign of better things to come, and more than a few accusations that Sony is trolling Bloodborne fans hard. You have to imagine Sony knew what sort of reaction this outfit would spark, and it’s sure to drive plenty of Deluxe Edition sales as a result. Either way, we have a confirmed Sony acknowledgement that still Bloodborne exists, so there is that.

It’s worth noting that the Bloodborne outfit and all the others will become available during the adventure as you unlock their respective buildings on the crash site in-game, so what you’re paying for here is early access. But it is early access to something new for Bloodborne, so…

Meanwhile, the wait for an actual new Bloodborne game continues. In February, Bloodborne director Hidetaka Miyazaki, while promoting upcoming Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree, told IGN it wasn’t his place to talk about the possibility of a Bloodborne remake.

“We simply don’t own the IP at FromSoftware,” Miyazaki explained. “For me personally, it was a great project, and I have a lot of great memories for that game, but we’re not at liberty to speak to it.” No promises, no hints of anything in the works, and to hear Miyazaki tell it, the decision isn’t even really up to FromSoftware — it’s entirely on Sony, which owns Bloodborne.

Bloodborne fans have been desperate for a remake for years now. We gave the game a 9.1/10 when it first launched, but despite critical acclaim and incredible sales success, Bloodborne has remained relegated to PlayStation 4 exclusivity. There’s no dedicated PS5 version, nor is it available on PS5 or other consoles. With other FromSoftware games such as Demon’s Souls and the original Dark Souls getting a remake and numerous ports, respectively, hope has been kept alive. For now, FromSoftware fans will have to be content with… an Astro Bot skin.

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.

This game will be deleted from Steam unless players can beat the developers at it

Back in 2020, fresh out of high school and feeling unstoppable, Charles Maddock and a few friends “decided to code a game about Fish Wizards.” The result was Fishards, Magicka-inspired PVP arena action that has you out-squirt, out-splash, and out-spellcast your mates. It’s a charmer, but after two years of dev, release saw it suffer the same sad fate as many multiplayer-only indies. People would play for half hour, says Maddock, then refund the game because they couldn’t find others to play with.

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