Coffee Stain remain dissatisfied with Satisfactory, their first-person factory sim, despite Matt Cox giving it the Cox’s Orange Pippin Award in our Satisfactory 1.0 review. They’re just about to release update 1.1 into public testing. This adds Photo Mode, programmable personnel elevators, and a bunch of twisty furnishings.
One thing it doesn’t add is rain, which used to exist in Satisfactory but was removed because it wasn’t working properly. Apparently, Coffee Stain need to do an Unreal Engine upgrade before they can restore the missing precipitation. Many players are sad about this. Ah, I think it’s kind of poetic that there are people in the Satisfactory community who wish only to be rained upon.
Speculation surrounding a potential remake of Final Fantasy IX has seemingly been growing for years at this point, rising exponentially when an NVIDIA leak made mention of the unannounced project in 2021.
Now, we may well be on the brink of a reveal as Square Enix teases “a variety of projects” in accordance with the original game’s 25th anniversary on its official website (thanks Push Square).
YouTuber Jacksepticeye has revealed he spent a year working on a Soma animated show only for it to fall apart, leaving him “quite upset.”
In a new video titled ‘A Bad Month,’ Jacksepticeye, real name Seán William McLoughlin, not only revealed the existence of the Soma animated show, but that it had been canceled.
Soma, a survival horror science fiction video game from Amnesia developer Frictional Games, launched back in 2015 and was met with critical acclaim. Jacksepticeye streamed the game extensively at the time it came out, and often mentions it as one of his favorites.
In the video, Jacksepticeye talked generally about what has been a difficult period creatively following various projects that have either been canceled or failed to progress far enough to show his fans. Lamenting his lack of content creation lately, Jacksepticeye then revealed the Soma animated show.
“I had a very large creative project that I was very excited to do, and — I don’t actually know if I’m allowed to say what it is — I’m just going to say what it is, and then if I’m not allowed to say it then this next part won’t be in it,” he said.
“I was planning to do a Soma animated show. Because I love Soma — Soma is top five, top 10 at least video games of all time for me. I absolutely love that game. It has one of the best stories ever in a video game.
“And I was so excited to do that. We’ve been talking to the developers for like a year, talking about that, and we were ready to go into full production on that. And I was so excited, and I really wanted to announce that to people, and to talk about it and get really stuck in and share it.
“Because I wanted to play the game all in one video. And I was like, okay, I’ll hold off on that then till we can announce that we’re doing it. So that’s why I haven’t done it yet.”
Jacksepticeye went on to say the Soma animated show fell apart abruptly after an unnamed party suggested they wanted to do “in a different direction,” but he deliberately left out specifics because he was left so upset.
“We were making really great progress on that, and then it all just fell apart out of nowhere,” he said.
“I’m not going to go into too many of the specifics of what happened, because I’m quite upset about what actually went down. But, it’s more of a, ‘we’re going in a different direction,’ kinda vibe. And that really upset me.”
Jacksepticeye did not name the other parties involved. IGN has asked Frictional for comment.
The upset is the cancelation of Jacksepticeye’s Soma animated show “flipped” the YouTuber’s plans for 2025 “upside down.”
“I had planned a lot of my year around it. I was like, you know what? I won’t be able to upload as much because I’ll be focusing everything I have into that. But at least I’ll have a really cool creative thing to show off. And I’ll have something for you and we can talk about it and share it and be part of this thing together and have fun with it. And then it all fell apart.
“So all of my plans for the year are flipped upside down. Now what is the priority? What am I doing? I don’t know. I’ve had so many calls over the last couple of weeks. It’s been a lot. It’s been a tough month. I took time off and did all that and I have nothing at the end of it. It’s so frustrating. I hate that.”
“While all of our games have been horror in some way, what we really try to do is to get a kind of playable immersion,” Grip said.
“We want to give the player some sort of immersive fantasy, be that being a [World War 1] soldier trapped in a bunker or a robot stuck at the bottom of the ocean.
“Horror games naturally are where emotions are front and centre. Games really excel at this. However, we are also exploring themes outside of making things spooky.”
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.
“Alien Ant Farm or we boycott,” reads the top comment on Activision’s recent reveal of the next wave of tracks for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 – a response to the revelation that the upcoming remasters have both been hit and struck by some soundtrack changes, which hasn’t gone down completely smoothly with fans. You could almost say they feel making alterations to such classics is criminal. OK, I’ll stop. For now.
It turns out these changes come straight from the large Hawk himself. “It was my choice to pick some different songs by the same artists featured in THPS3+4 OST,” he wrote on Instagram, as spotted by Very Gary Computing. “I’m hoping that discovery is half the fun, and a big reason that these soundtracks resonated in the first place. So listen and enjoy the ride. More to come… both old and new.”
Rumours of a Final Fantasy IX remake have been remaking themselves part of the discourse for several years now, sparked by the announcement of an animated series and a Nvidia leak back in 2021, and stoked by manifestations of severalotherSqueenix games from the leaked Geforce list. Now, Square Enix have added a dedicated 25th anniversary page flogging figures, spectacles, and other charming tat to their website.
The JRPG‘s 25th cake day isn’t until July 7th, but this new page lines up with claims from Oblivion remake leaker NateTheHate that we’re getting closer to an announcement, if not a release. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has also claimed that the Final Final Tactics remaster is still being worked on – a rumour that’s been twinned with the FF9 one for about as long as it’s been floating about.
Monster Hunter Wilds’ phenomenal success shows no sign of slowing down. It’s just breezed past the 10 million sold mark, setting a new record for developer and publisher Capcom.
That’s a first month sales record for Capcom — no game in the company’s history has sold more after a month on sale. Wilds was already the fastest-selling game in Capcom history after selling 8 million copies in just three days.
In a note to press, Capcom explained why it believes Monster Hunter Wilds has proven so successful, even blowing Monster Hunter World out the water. It pointed to the introduction of crossplay and the day-one launch across console and PC (World launched on PC half a year after console) as key factors in Wilds’ appeal.
“The title provides an environment where a wider range of players can enjoy the game together with the introduction of crossplay, a first for the series, and a simultaneous release on Playstation 5 system, Xbox Series X|S, and PC,” Capcom explained.
“Additionally, the introduction of the new Focus Mode mechanic and the implementation of seamless movement between settlements and ecosystems have provided an even more immersive gaming experience, while the fusion of numerous new elements with Monster Hunter’s appeal has generated significant excitement, all of which led to the company first-month sales record of over 10 million units sold.”
The Monster Hunter series had already ‘broken’ the west with the 2018 launch of World, which remains Capcom’ best-selling game ever with 21.3 million sold. But it seems likely that, over time, Wilds will surpass even that figure.
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 weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, March 30, below:
Super Mario RPG for $19.99
The remake of Super Mario RPG is $19.99 at Target right now, which is a great price for this classic title. If you’ve yet to either play the original or check out the remake, this is the perfect time to do so. Composer Yoko Shimimura returned to compose the remake’s original soundtrack, and each boss and environment has been expertly recrafted for the Nintendo Switch.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake for $40
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake takes the beloved NES game to brand-new heights using HD-2D. For $40, this is an excellent deal and the lowest we’ve seen the game yet. I spent 70 hours obtaining the Platinum Trophy for this one on PlayStation 5, so you can expect a giant adventure ahead.
This weekend, you can save over $100 off the Logitech G915 TKL Lightspeed Keyboard. This wireless mechanical keyboard is perfect for any setup, with a wide variety of customization options available. You can expect around 40 hours of battery with one full charge, with low profile mechanical switches to deliver faster speed and accuracy with each key press.
SanDisk 1TB Extreme M.2 NVMe SSD for $59.99
If you’re in the market for a new SSD, this SanDisk 1TB Extreme Gen 4 SSD is on sale this weekend for just $59.99. It’s perfect for media storage, games, or anything you need!
Apple AirTag 4 Pack
Why buy one AirTag when you can get four for just $69.99, down from $99? Throw one in your luggage, attach one to your keys, slap one in your backpack, and hand one to a forgetful friend. With Ultra Wideband Precision Finding and the Find My network, losing your stuff is basically impossible. This 4-pack is one of the best deals Apple offers, so grab it while it’s discounted.
$40 Off This LEGO Back to The Future Time Machine Set
You can also save $40 off the LEGO Icons Back to The Future Time Machine set. If you’re a fan of the beloved sci-fi trilogy, this is the perfect set to add some out of this world decor to your collection.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection for $34
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection brought both Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit in one package, with Prosecutor’s Gambit releasing in English for the very first time. This release features updated visuals, new animations, gallery mode, conversation history, and more. You can even switch between the old and new sprites!
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $32.99
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is $32.99 at Woot right now, making this the lowest we’ve ever seen the RPG. The massive adventure across the planet to track Sephiroth was one of the biggest games of 2024, and it’s absolutely a must-play game. A 40+ hour main story awaits, with over 35 side quests available after you clear the story.
Kiki’s Delivery Service Film Comic: All-in-One Edition
Studio Ghibli has produced many of the most beloved anime films ever, and Kiki’s Delivery Service is a prime example. If you wish to experience this film in a new way, the Kiki’s Delivery Service Film Comic: All-in-One Edition is a great way to do so! This hardcover book contains the entire film across 584 pages – perfect for any Ghibli fan.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake received a new trailer at last week’s Nintendo Direct, and pre-orders have officially opened as a result! These remakes are crafted in the HD-2D art style, and there’s even a tease of a brand new character.
Before the Switch 2 takes over, a recent March Nintendo Direct showed off some exciting new game announcements. This included a teaser trailer for the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. If you’ve been patiently waiting to pick this one up for your game library, especially after the release of the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, today’s your lucky day.
The Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X versions are live now to preorder for $59.99. While we don’t have an exact release date for it yet, the teaser trailer and sale pages both note that it’ll arrive sometime in 2025. On Amazon, the checkout page says the item will be released on Dec 31, 2025. See below to secure your copy today.
The Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is, as its name suggests, HD remakes of the first two Dragon Quest games. Following the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake that dropped last year, the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake continues the Erdrick Trilogy in an HD-2D style, making for a great addition to your game library if you’re a big Dragon Quest fan.
The most recent March Nintendo Direct offered a glimpse at what the game looks like with a brief teaser trailer, too. While it doesn’t provide an official release date by the end of it, it does say that it’s coming in 2025. Hopefully that means sooner rather than later.
Other Preorder Guides
2025 is already shaping up to be an exciting release year for games. Alongside the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, there are plenty of other great games releasing in the coming months that are worth keeping on your radar. Below you can see some more of our preorder guides covering exciting releases like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Doom: The Dark Ages.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
Hello reader who is also a reader, and welcome back to Booked For The Week – our regular Sunday chat with a selection of cool industry folks about books! I woke from a terrible nightmare last night. I’d just released a book and every three or so pages, the publisher had inserted a double page spread trying to sell the reader a wireless mouse with Minecraft movie Jack Black’s gormless, gouty grin on it, turning my carefully curated atmosphere to shit! Phew. Thank goodness it was just a nightmare! Just an utter, utter nightmare.
Anyway, never mind all that. The sun is out, and books still exist and are and mostly advertisement free! Here to talk about them this week is game maker, Dicey Dungeons writer, Now Play This festival founder, and The Husbands author, Holly Gramazio! Cheers Holly! Mind if we have a nose at your bookshelf?
