Author: Game Infliction

An old foe returns with The Elder Scrolls Online’s new 2025 adventure

During the recent 2025 ESO Direct livestream, The Elder Scrolls Online team unveiled an exciting year of adventures, stories, and improvements. This included the new 2025 Content Pass and Premium Edition, the Seasons of the Worm Cult zone and storyline, a unique kind of in-game event, and base-game additions. Want to know more? ESO’s Game Director Rich Lambert and Executive Producer Susan Kath are here to expand a little on what was revealed during the big show. 


An old foe returns with The Elder Scrolls Online’s new 2025 adventure

A sequel 10 years in the making

“For this year, we knew we wanted a story that celebrated 10 years of the game being live,” says Lambert. “We’ve always been interested in doing a sequel to the original launch game and figured this was the perfect opportunity. As we started in on the process, one piece of player feedback kept coming up—players wanted something different. So, we took that to heart this year.”

Because of this feedback, the Seasons of the Worm Cult continues ESO’s base game story and returns Tamriel original bad guys to the fore: the Order of the Black Worm. 

In addition to the returning foe and storyline, Seasons of the Worm Cult introduces Solstice, a new zone divided by an arcane barrier known as the Writhing Wall. The wall itself is the focus of a new in-game event in Q3/4, which will take place between Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 and 2 and open the way to the second half of the zone and the conclusion of the larger storyline.

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“This is a new server-wide event—the shattering of the Writhing Wall—that will see players’ collaborative actions determine the outcome of the conflict,” explains Kath. “Solstice and the wall are all part of the 2025 Content Pass, but if you don’t have access and still want to help in the war effort, there will be special activities that everyone can participate in from mainland Tamriel as well.”

Introducing 2025 Content Pass and 2025 Premium Edition

Also announced during the ESO Direct was the 2025 Content Pass and 2025 Premium Edition. For the first time in the game’s history, you can acquire an entire year of adventures in one. 

“We’ve talked recently about our plans to move away from the yearly Chapter release model, and this year is where we’ll start that evolution,” says Kath. “In the past, because of the lead time and resources necessary to create Chapters, it’s been difficult to allocate time to experimental updates, because we had to have every little detail planned far in advance.”

Now, the team has more flexibility to introduce emergent content such as the recent Cyrodiil Champions test, which saw players help the development team collect valuable PvP data and feedback on a unique Alliance War campaign. 

The 2025 Content Pass (and Premium Edition) includes a ton of adventures and challenges for you to discover, including Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 and 2 (zone and storyline), two dungeon packs, and access to the Writhing Wall event—everything coming in 2025 in one.

“Another benefit for players this year is that it means there’s always something exciting around the corner, rather than a big release in June that you can play through and then find you’re waiting a year for the next big release,” explains Kath. “With all that in mind, this year is a transition year for us, and you’ll see even more changes coming in 2026.”

Big base-game additions

In addition to all the new adventures, the Update 46 base-game patch introduces a host of free updates for all ESO players, including the powerful Subclassing system.

“Subclassing is something I’m very excited about,” says Lambert. “It gives you even more freedom and flexibility in how you play your character, without having to reroll a new one and lose all the time and progress you have put in over the years.”

A major shakeup to the way you manage your character builds, Subclassing allows you to replace two different class skill lines to create your ideal hybrid playstyle.

Arriving alongside Subclassing is the new Hero’s Return system—helping you get back into the game after a prolonged absence. 

“With all of these changes, we want to make it as easy as possible for past players to hop back in and check it all out, and that’s at the core of Hero’s Return, updating tutorials, and refreshing the early game zones,” says Kath. “We’re also looking to the ESO community for more insight and feedback into what they really want us to be working on next.”

Your pass for adventure 

Big changes are on the horizon for The Elder Scrolls Online, and the above are just some of the new adventures and changes coming in 2025. 

Don’t forget, you can purchase the 2025 Content Pass or Premium Edition right now on the PlayStation Store and get immediate access to the Fallen Banners dungeon pack, with the Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 arriving June 18 on PS5 and PS4—we’ll see you in Tamriel!

The Last of Us Complete Launches as Surprise Bundle for PS5

Naughty Dog has re-released both of its critically acclaimed The Last of Us games (again), this time as an all-in-one bundle for PlayStation 5 (PS5) called The Last of Us Complete.

The studio behind beloved PlayStation titles like Crash Bandicoot and Uncharted announced and launched its two-pack collection today. It’s a bundle that includes the 2022 remake The Last of Us Part 1 and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered for players to enjoy.

“Experience the complete story that inspired the TV show with definitive versions of two award-winning games,” an official description for The Last of Us Complete says, “featuring graphical and gameplay improvements made possible by the PlayStation 5 console.”

The Last of Us Complete comes with both mainline stories as well as the bonus content both have received in the years since their original releases. That means the Left Behind Ellie-focused prequel DLC, as well as The Last of Us Part 2’s No Return and Lost Levels content are all included. If you’re a fan of the HBO TV series retelling starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey but have yet to dive into the video games that started it all, you should know that the all-encompassing digital bundle costs $99.99.

As shared in a PlayStation.Blog post authored by Naughty Dog Head of Studio Neil Druckmann, a physical The Last of Us Complete Collector’s Edition is currently set to launch July 10 for $109.99, with pre-orders available now. It comes with a few extra goodies to justify the slightly increased price, including a Steelbook case, game discs, The Last of Us: American Dreams comics 1 – 4, four lithographic art prints, and a thank-you letter from Druckmann.

“From our entire studio, thank you so much for your incredible support for The Last of Us and Naughty Dog over the years,” Druckmann’s post says. “This is such an exciting moment for both the franchise and our teams. We are so humbled by your personal stories of what the series has meant to you, have marveled at your incredible Photo Mode shots, and inspired to keep pushing ourselves forward to create more stories and worlds you’ll love.”

The Last of Us series launched for the PS3 in 2013, and while it has remained an undeniably beloved offering in the PlayStation catalog, its many re-releases and remasters have been the subject of criticism from naysayers and fans alike. Joel and Ellie’s adventure came to PS4 with improved graphics in 2014 and was then reimagined for PS5 with a remake in 2022. The Last of Us Part 2 continued Ellie’s story in 2020 and then went on to receive its own remaster in early 2024. Both stories have also since come to PC, with The Last of Us Part 1 arriving in 2023 and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered arriving just last week.

The Last of Us Complete brings all of Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic offerings together under one umbrella as yet another re-release. While many may be confused to see PlayStation revisiting Joel and Ellie’s world once again, the timing does coincide with HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2, which will premiere its first episode this Sunday. Season 3 was greenlit just yesterday.

For more on The Last of Us, you can read up on why many fans aren’t expecting to hear about The Last of Us Part 3 anytime soon. You can also check out how Druckmann and the rest of the team behind the show may continue the story in the future.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor 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).

X4: Foundations, the space sim that lets you take an empire to war, will let you just talk things out in its next update

There’s a whole bunch of games set in space that let you duke it out in dogfights, form strategies around entire fleets, terraform planets, all often pretty violent acts. So, I found it very funny to see X4: Foundations at the Triple-I showcase today, which received a trailer for its upcoming Diplomacy update which is literally about just talking things out. Seriously, when it says that it’s introducing diplomacy it means it, as when it arrives you’ll be able to send diplomats to negotiate and forge alliances so that you don’t have to jump to war right off the bat.

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Devs React to Speedruns Returns This Weekend

Buckle up because one of IGN’s biggest original shows returns this Saturday!

If you’re not familiar with Devs React to Speedruns, let me fill you in! Devs React to Speedruns is an IGN show that celebrates speedruns in the best way we know how—by showcasing the incredible playthroughs completed by the speedrun community and presenting them to the developers of those games. There’s nothing quite like watching developers who have spent years working on a game witness it being completed in mere minutes.

In the upcoming season of Devs React to Speedruns, we’ve partnered with some of the biggest games and developers in the world to bring you a series of exciting episodes. It all kicks off this Saturday, April 12, at 8:30 AM PT with Larian Studios, where we’ll show them a sub-20-minute speedrun of Baldur’s Gate 3. Will it sadden them to learn that their game can be finished in just 20 minutes? You’ll have to watch to find out!

Following Baldur’s Gate 3, we’ll be releasing a brand-new episode every Saturday for the next couple of months—all at 8:30 AM PT. These new episodes will feature some of the most popular games from world-renowned studios, including Team ASOBI, MachineGames, Bloober Team, Shared Memory, Surgent Studios, and Megagon Industries.

If you’re not already familiar with Devs React to Speedruns, I highly encourage you to check out our extensive 100-episode library! Some highlights include Doom Eternal, Half-Life 2, The Outer Worlds (the very first episode of Devs React), and much, much more!

Barotrauma devs’ next game is Frostrail, an icy cosmic horror co-op shooter where you get your very own train

FakeFish, the devs behind the cosmic/ survival horror co-op game Barotrauma, have just revealed their next game at the Triple-i showcase, Frostrail. It’s another cosmic horror co-op game, albeit with an incredibly different vibe. Where Barotrauma has you trundling through a submarine, Frostrail opens things up a bit, putting you in an icy, apocalyptic looking setting where you have your own train to get you from place to place.

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Free-to-Play Mythic Sci-Fi Action RPG Black Beacon Is Out Now on iOS and Android

Black Beacon is the newest title from publisher Glohow that recently launched on mobile devices. It’s a mythic sci-fi action RPG with a story that sees you travel through time and visit different eras of history to try to prevent catastrophe.

In this world, there are mysterious substances known as beacons that seemingly defy logic — they change size, shape, and texture depending on who’s observing them and how they’re observed. What stays consistent is their abyssal black color (which gives the game its name) and the fact that anomalies accompany them wherever they’re found.

Throughout human history, the phenomena these beacons created have been considered miracles or revelations, causing them to be worshipped as sacred objects. Ancient humans embedded them in obelisks, sealed them under temples, or cast them into stained glass frames.

That’s the background lore, but the story of Black Beacon picks up with you playing the Seer. You’ve been entrusted with the key to the Library of Babel, which is essentially an endless labyrinth that contains all possible permutations of the past, present, and future. You get a vision of a disastrous future, setting you on your time-traveling path to prevent it.

To accomplish that, you’ll need to gather a team of heroes. That starts with Zero and Ereshan, who will join up with you at the beginning of the story. Zero is a mysterious guardian of the Library of Babel who shows little emotion and doesn’t seem to care about worldly events. Ereshan is the granddaughter of the former director of the Library of Babel who was stripped of her inheritance when Zero showed up, leading to loathing that has since cooled.

You’ll have the opportunity to add plenty of other characters to your crew, from the affable Nanna to the intimidating Shamash to the elegant Viola. There’s more than 10 characters available at launch, with more to be added in the future.

You’re able to take three characters into each combat encounter; you only control one at a time, but can switch between them on the fly. Each character’s abilities are on individual cooldowns, so you need to swap them in and out quickly and efficiently to chain their attacks and abilities together in fluid combat.

The main story progresses in chapters that are further broken down into several stages, some of which are purely cutscenes while others are combat stages. Both advance the story forward and include full voice acting.

As you complete stages, you’ll earn rewards that can be used to improve characters or their weapons. Skill books are used to level up characters, and they each have unique abilities you can also level up. Once characters reach a certain level threshold, you’ll need certain items to let them “breakthrough” that threshold and continue gaining levels.

Weapons have a similar system. Each weapon starts with an innate rarity measured in a star level, up to 5 stars. You can level up weapons to a certain threshold, then use items to “breakthrough” that threshold and both power up the weapon and increase its star rating.

You can earn more of the items necessary for character and weapon progression outside of the main story in the Resources mode, which you can select from the main menu. You can choose to focus on items to level up, increase skills, or break through thresholds. Whichever version you choose, you’ll get new combat encounters that provide rewards for completion as well as goals specific to that stage, like completing it within a certain amount of time.

There’s also an EX mode, which basically acts as a tutorial to teach you how to use particular characters and a practice space to get better with them. And if you want to take a break and just hang out with some of the characters in your squad, you can do that too.

Black Beacon is available now for free through the App Store on iOS, Google Play on Android, and through Google Play Games if you prefer to play on a PC client. For more info, you can check out the game’s official website or follow along with the community on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, or Discord.

It is time to go to the Arctic and decide which of you is the dog

Announced just now at the Triple-I Initiative, Ikuma – The Frozen Compass is a wintry 3D action adventure in which a tenacious young buck and his dog get stranded on an Arctic island. The key thing to know is that it’s a co-op game, a co-op splitscreen game, if you please, which means that you and your friends must decide, right now, which of you will play the dog.

This game is described as “a powerful story of love, loss, and endurance”, which doesn’t bode brilliantly for the dog, so whoever dons the collar needs to a great tragic actor. I encourage you to spend a few weeks rehearsing the business of lying bloodied in the snow next to a dead yeti, whining heroically at the back of your departing owner, who has decided he’s more of a cat person anyway. Come now, let me see your expression of puppy-eyed anguish. There’s a nice juicy biscuit in it for you if you can make me cry.

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Vampire Survivors And Square Enix Team Up For Free DLC, But It’s Not The Series You’d Expect

It’s a whole SaGa.

Surprise! Vampire Survivors is getting a huge free update today, and it’s moving away from Konami and joining forces with Square Enix.

Announced during today’s Triple I showcase, it’s not a Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts DLC — both of those would be amazing, of course, but we really admire the choice that poncle settled on. The new Emerald Diorama Expansion focuses on Square most unusual series, SaGa.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Duskfade – A Journey Through Nostalgia, Loss, and Moving Forward

Duskfade – A Journey Through Nostalgia, Loss, and Moving Forward

  • Sarah Hoeksma, Chief Marketing Officer, Fireshine Games

Hi! I’m thrilled to welcome you to Duskfade, a fast-paced, nostalgic action-platformer from the talented indie team at Weird Beluga Studio, coming to Xbox Series X|S in 2026.

Duskfade sees players setting off on a journey to restore time to a world seized in eternal night, playing as young apprentice Zirian on an adventure across a wondrous clockpunk world. If you grew up playing action-platformers in the early 2000s (just like I did!), Duskfade is being made for you, expertly blending the best of classic design with modern mechanics to deliver an emotional story that leaves a lasting impact.

Take a look at our brand new trailer – and welcome to the world of Duskfade.

A Tribute to Classic Action-Platformers

There’s something truly special about the golden era of action-platformers – the tight controls, iconic characters, fluid movement, and the sense of joy, discovery and reward in every level. Duskfade captures that magic with fast, responsive traversal, satisfying combat, and a world that feels like a forgotten classic, reimagined for today.

At its core, Duskfade is built on the DNA of beloved titles from the past, but pushes forward with modern refinements. Whether you’re dashing between floating islands, rail-grinding through a crystal mine shaft, or fending off clockwork foes, the game is designed to feel intuitive, dynamic, and full of momentum.

Duskfade’s world is built on old watchmaking knowledge, where magic blends with gears and clocks,” says Diego Redondo González, Lead Artist on Duskfade. “Players can expect a wide range of dynamic, magical worlds full of surprises, with a colourful and imaginative art style that mixes innocent, stylized visuals with a few darker touches.”

Duskfade strikes a careful balance between accessibility and depth, offering a difficulty curve that welcomes newcomers while still challenging seasoned players. The game’s platforming encourages exploration at your own pace, letting players fully take in the beauty and mystery of each world. Combat is easy to grasp but hard to master, designed to be both challenging and fun, with mechanics that reward timing, skill, and strategy. As players progress, they’ll unlock new abilities and gadgets that not only deepen combat but also open new ways to explore, encouraging discovery in every corner of the game.

“Our movement system is built around speed, agility, and flow,” says Tomás Manzano Sobrido, Duskfade’s Lead Programmer. “We want players to feel like Zirian is gliding through the world – chaining actions effortlessly, moving with momentum, and covering large distances in a way that feels smooth and dynamic.”

Esteban Marín Illana, Game Designer on Duskfade, adds: We want Duskfade to strike a balance that makes it accessible for newcomers, but with enough depth to keep experienced players engaged. The platforming lets you explore at your own pace, while the combat is simple to learn but offers real challenge as you progress. With new abilities and gadgets unlocking over time, the experience keeps evolving and rewarding curiosity.”

A Personal Story About Loss and Letting Go

Beneath its vibrant visuals and exhilarating gameplay, Duskfade tells a deeply personal story. The game follows siblings Zirian and Allira, who find themselves trapped in a mysterious reality shaped by memory and grief.

The story is shaped by Narrative Designer Ricardo Chorques Mesa’s experience of a deeply personal loss, which became the heart of exploring the many ways that people deal with grief and loss.

“Losing someone you love, especially a guide and role model, leaves a lasting wound. That’s what I experienced with the loss of my grandfather,” Mesa tells us. “But in that grief, I found the strength and inspiration to write this story. Overcoming the absence of a loved one is not about forgetting; it’s about learning to walk accompanied by their memory.”

A Game That Hits Both Heart and Memory

Nostalgia is powerful: it isn’t just about the games we played, but about the feelings we had while playing them. Duskfade taps into that magic, not only with its gameplay, but with its story about the memories that have shaped us over the years.

For players who grew up with action-platformers, we want Duskfade to feel like home. For those experiencing the genre for the first time, it’s a fresh, modern adventure. Either way, it’s a journey that you won’t forget.

We hope this brief introduction has given you a closer look at what to expect from this wondrous new action-platformer, and we can’t wait for you to experience Duskfade for yourself when it launches on Xbox Series X|S in 2026.

The post Duskfade – A Journey Through Nostalgia, Loss, and Moving Forward appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The Last of Us Complete hits PS5 today, physical Collector’s Edition coming July

Here at Naughty Dog, we have some exciting news to share with The Last of Us fans, whether you’ve been with us since its debut in 2013 or are just wanting to jump into the games now. We wanted to celebrate our studio, the series, and you, the fans, by making it easier than ever to experience this story.

We’re proud to introduce The Last of Us Complete.

Check out our announce trailer below:


The Last of Us Complete hits PS5 today, physical Collector’s Edition coming July

Available today on the PlayStation 5 console, The Last of Us Complete allows players to experience both The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II Remastered in one package. The Last of Us Complete makes it easier than ever to experience the full story on PS5, whether you’ve played both entries, just one, or have yet to immerse yourself in the world of Joel, Ellie, Abby, and all of our characters.

The Last of Us Complete digital download is available now, but we’ve also created a special physical version. The Last of Us Complete: Collector’s Edition is also now available for pre-order exclusively at direct.playstation.com and will be available on July 10.*

The Last of Us Complete’s physical release is housed in a beautiful collector’s box featuring new artwork capturing the humanity at the heart of our story through a beautiful, intricate design. Included is a Steelbook Case with this artwork, which stores physical discs with new, minimal designs for both The Last of Us Part I and Part II Remastered.  

The complete experiences of Part I and Part II Remastered are the definitive ways to play each of these games. Our team rebuilt The Last of Us Part I from the ground up specifically with PlayStation 5 in mind, offering full DualSense support, 3D audio, and more. The Last of Us Part II Remastered allows you to not only experience an enhanced edition of the sequel, but also dive behind-the-scenes with hours of commentary, and additions like Lost Levels, the roguelike No Return mode, Guitar Free Play, and more. 

Additionally, we’re proud to include a set of lithographs from a host of talented artists. Our team hand-picked artists who we felt could offer beautiful takes on these characters that mean so much to both our studio and to all of you. They make for wonderful pieces to display, representing the heart, humanity, and beauty at the core of our series. 

From our entire studio, thank you so much for your incredible support for The Last of Us and Naughty Dog over the years. This is such an exciting moment for both the franchise and our teams. We are so humbled by your personal stories of what the series has meant to you, have marveled at your incredible Photo Mode shots, and inspired to keep pushing ourselves forward to create more stories and worlds you’ll love.

*direct.playstation.com purchase information: Starting April 10, 2025 at 10am PT in the U.S., and 6pm local time in the U.K and Portugal., 7pm France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, players will be able to pre-order The Last of Us Complete: Collector’s Edition exclusively through direct.playstation.com in limited quantities. When ordering directly from PlayStation, enjoy free launch day delivery for eligible pre-orders – visit direct.playstation.com for more details.

**3D Audio via built-in TV speakers or analogue/USB headphones.