Diablo general manager and Gears of War veteran Rod Fergusson has left Blizzard.
Fergusson confirmed the news on his personal Twitter/X account:
After five years of driving the Diablo franchise forward with four big launches, it’s time for me to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what’s next. The teams are set up for success, with an exciting slate of releases ahead. I’m incredibly proud of what… pic.twitter.com/Fsh4gjmgVl
“After five years of driving the Diablo franchise forward with four big launches, it’s time for me to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what’s next,” Fergusson wrote. “The teams are set up for success, with an exciting slate of releases ahead. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together and looking forward to what comes next for Diablo, and for me.”
Blizzard confirmed this news to IGN today as well, but declined to offer further comment as to why Fergusson has left the company, or who will run the Diablo franchise going forward.
Blizzard president Johanna Faries responded on Twitter/X, with the following:
Guiding a franchise like Diablo takes rare talent, vision, and collaboration. Thank you, Rod, for bringing all of those in spades. Sanctuary’s future is brighter because of the impact you’ve had! 🙏🏽✨ https://t.co/r479RGDkm3
Xbox head Phil Spencer also responded on BlueSky: “You brought strength, hellfire, and vision to one of gaming’s most iconic franchises. Playing Diablo IV with you was a blast—thanks for everything you gave to the game and the community.”
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.
Wizards of the Coast is gearing up to release a brand-new introductory D&D set. Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Heroes of The Borderlands is set to release September 17, but it’s now available to preorder over on Amazon. It comes with everything you need for you and your friends to get started on your first three adventures.
Dungeons & Dragons – Starter Set: Heroes of The Borderlands
The idea of a starter set, a box that includes everything a group needs to try out the legendary tabletop roleplaying game, isn’t new, but this brand-new set changes up the formula a bit to help make the onboarding and learning process even more welcoming. To that end, Heroes of the Borderlands forgoes the more traditional character sheets for a character board that has slots for cards. These cards cover the various backgrounds, species, spells, equipment, magic items, and more for their character, removing the need to manually write them down or scour through a book to find.
The goodies included aren’t just tailored to new players, though. It comes with plenty of tools and items to make the process smooth for new game masters, too. The included adventure booklets are built to highlight a particular adventure style, be it combat, exploration, or roleplaying. It also comes with maps and a combat tracker to ease new storytellers into their important role.
One particularly neat thing about this starter set is its connection to the legacy of Dungeons & Dragons itself. The area known as the Borderlands was first introduced all the way back in 1979 with the adventure module, “The Keep on the Borderlands”. This adventure was design and included in early iterations of the game’s starter sets, referred to as the Basic Set, so this release almost feels like the game is coming home.
Dungeons & Dragons – Starter Set: Heroes of The Borderlands releases on September 16, 2025 for a retail price of $49.99. Preorders have also gone live for a Stranger Things-themed set ahead of the Netflix series’ final season.
Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.
If I went to hell, I can’t imagine the first thing on my mind would be trying to pull off a bank job with a crew of fellow damned souls. However, in freshly announced tactical RPG Thousand Hells: The Underworld Heists, that’s the sort thing you’ll be doing, with plenty of choice and consequence if things go pear-shaped.
Thousand Hells is the latest cool thing from Six Ages and King of Dragon Pass devs A Sharp. While they’re working with Kitfox Games as publisher again, there’s plenty of different stuff going on, including a move away from world of Glorantha as a setting. That’s in favour of fantasy pastures new, inspired by myths of the ancient proto-Indo-European, Norse, and Mesopotamian varieties. Oh, and a dash of Hieronymus Bosch’s lovely paintings.
A short time ago, Dbrand came under fire for design issues with its Killswitch Case for Switch 2 – in short, some users were finding that, with the case attached, the magnetic connection between the console and its Joy-Con 2 controllers was weakened, leading to them disengaging unintentionally.
At the time, Dbrand appeared to dismiss the issue, only to quickly apologise and promise to issue replacement parts that would solve the problem. It has now contacted its customers to clarify how it is dealing with the fault.
History Reclaimed, Futures Reimagined: Celebrating Indigenous Storytelling Through Games
Team Xbox
Summary
Indigenous creators are reshaping the gaming landscape by telling authentic stories that reclaim historical narratives and imagine empowered futures, rooted in tradition and lived experience.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition spotlights this shift, with cultural expert Anthony Brave leading the respectful representation of Indigenous peoples as he penned the new ’Shadow’ campaign storyline.
Xbox is celebrating and supporting Indigenous voices in gaming through a curated collection of games by Indigenous developers and storytellers, highlighting the power of games as a modern vessel for cultural preservation, education, and community.
Gaming has evolved into more than pure entertainment. It’s now a dynamic canvas for culture. It can breathe life into ancestral knowledge, preserve endangered languages, give form to lived experiences, and become a vessel for empathy and understanding. A new generation of Indigenous creators are leveraging this canvas, not just to tell their stories, but to reshape how history is remembered and how futures are imagined.
Through games, indigenous creators are reclaiming the narrative; telling stories of survival, resilience, joy and identity rooted in tradition and grounded in truth. When Indigenous creators make games that reflect their cultures, these games become vessels for continuity, remembrance, and self-determination – and, from those playing them, new understanding.
This year, in honor of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Xbox is proud to spotlight Indigenous voices reshaping the world of interactive storytelling. Among them is Anthony Brave, a Sicangu Oyate (Rosebud Sioux Tribe) and Chippewa-Cree descendant, who served as the lead cultural expert on Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition.
Anthony helped ensure Indigenous representation in the game was accurate, nuanced, and deeply respectful. He also penned ‘Shadow’, the second act in The War Chiefs storyline, an emotionally rich campaign told through the perspective of an Indigenous protagonist navigating the complexities of identity, survival, and legacy.
As a consultant, writer, and cultural ambassador, Anthony’s work exemplifies what’s possible when Indigenous creators are empowered to tell their own stories. Through his voice, and those of other creators featured in our curated collection of games by and about Indigenous communities, we see a new standard emerging, one where consultation is expected, and cultural respect is foundational.
When history gets a new perspective directly from the source, everyone benefits. These stories do more than entertain; they teach, challenge, and inspire. They remind us that tradition is not stuck in the past. It is active, evolving, and ready to shape the future.
Join us in celebrating Indigenous creators, honoring their contributions to gaming, and supporting a more thoughtful and truthful way of telling stories today and for generations to come.
PLAY
Discover Games Shaped by Indigenous Communities
Celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples through the power of play. During August and beyond, you can play a variety of game collections highlighting iconic games and franchises created by Indigenous developers, showcasing how their unique perspectives have shaped the gaming world we know today.
Check out a few highlights from our full Xbox Games Collectioncelebrating International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples:
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition completes the celebration of one of the most beloved real-time strategy franchises in definitive form, with enhanced features and modernized gameplay. Command mighty civilizations from across Europe and the Americas or jump to the battlefields of Asia in stunning 4K Ultra HD graphics and with a fully remastered soundtrack. Now featuring two new game modes: Co-Op Historical Battles and The Art of War Challenge Missions, including all previously released expansions and all 14 civilizations, plus two brand new civilizations – the Swedes and Inca.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits A story-driven action-adventure set in a charming world rich with exploration and fast-paced combat. Players find and grow a team of tiny spirit companions called the Rot, enhancing their abilities and creating new ways to manipulate the environment. Kena, a young Spirit Guide, travels to an abandoned village in search of the sacred mountain shrine. She struggles to uncover the secrets of this forgotten community hidden in an overgrown forest where wandering spirits are trapped.
Aztech: Forgotten Gods A cyber-stone action-adventure following Achtli, a young woman who battles the colossal Forgotten Gods. To uncover the truth behind her far-future Mesoamerican metropolis, she’ll have to turn the Gods’ power against them, as she soars through the city with power and grace using an ancient artifact, remnant of a time long forgotten.
Carto A charming adventure game wrapped around a unique, world-altering puzzle mechanic. Separated from her Granny during a storm, young Carto must use her innate cartography powers to map and manipulate the world around her on her quest to be reunited. As she discovers new “pieces” of the game map, players can rearrange them to shape the levels themselves – unlocking new paths, puzzles, and story moments. Use this power to explore mysterious lands, help a quirky cast of characters, and guide Carto on her journey back to her family. Carto will traverse strange new lands, learn their cultures, and enlist the help of new friends along the way in this hand-crafted adventure.
Aritana and the Harpy’s Feather “At the sunrise, it will be too late…” Run against time in a platform adventure with a unique poster changing mechanic – each one changing your attributes like speed, jumps, attacks and special abilities. Choose the right posture to get over obstacles and fight spirits from the forest in a fast, intuitive and fun game. All the while, the beast Mapinguari will chase you, leading to battles that require focus and mastery of all the skills learned.
Rewards members in the United States can earn and donate points to organizations supporting indigenous communities with Xbox. The organizations below will be available on the Rewards hub:
AISES: AISES is a national nonprofit organization focused on substantially increasing the representation of Indigenous peoples of North America and the Pacific Islands in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies and careers.
First Nations Development Institute: Our mission is to uplift and sustain the lifeways and economies of Native communities through advocacy, financial support, and knowledge sharing. We envision a world in which Tribal Sovereignty is upheld, and Native ingenuity and knowledge are honored and respected.
Xbox players 18 and older can earn Rewards points in various ways, such as playing games, completing Game Pass Quests (terms apply), and purchasing games and other eligible items at the Microsoft Store (exclusions apply). Start earning for impact today and redeem your points for great rewards. Donate your points on the Rewards hub or on the Rewards redeem page.
Wallpapers and Dynamic Backgrounds
The Xbox International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples design is available today as an Xbox wallpaper and dynamic background on console – follow these steps to apply the dynamic background:
Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
Select Profile & system > Settings > General > Personalization > My background > Dynamic backgrounds.
You can choose between Games, Xbox, or Abstract dynamic backgrounds. Choose the background art that you want with the A button.
This past week players took a vacation through their favorite games using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
dodgykebaabshares Astro taking a relaxing moment in the sun in Astro Bot.
BBSnakeCorngoes jetskiing in Grand Theft Auto Online.
mandylorian__shares their space adventurer exploring a colorful planet in No Man’s Sky.
snakemanuele shares Sam riding a coffin board through the desert in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
xenobitz shares a hunter with a giant beach ball in Monster Hunter Wilds.
JacoBee___shares a historical site in ancient Egypt from Assassin’s Creed Origins.
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Filter SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 13, 2025
Next week, pick a filter! Share moments from the game of your choice that have been stylized with a Photo Mode filter using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
However, one bright spot on the horizon appears to be signs of Bethesda finally adding the highly-requested ability to travel in your spaceship from one planet to another — rather than what happens now, as you load up a loading screen to enter orbit, and from there load up another loading screen to get to where you’re going.
Fragments of code uncovered by Starfield fans now suggest Bethesda has a more streamlined experience in the works, though potentially still with some caveats. While you may be able to travel between planets within the same system, fans say it looks like you won’t be able to fly all the way between systems. Oh, and you also won’t be able to fly directly from a planet’s surface into orbit, like No Man’s Sky. Oh, well.
References to the new offering, referred to in the game’s code as “Cruise Mode,” were detected by players this week and shared on reddit, though Bethesda has reportedly now issued another small patch to scrub them from view.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has reaffirmed 2K Games’ assertion that the reportedly troubled BioShock 4, currently in the works at Cloud Chamber, will make it to release.
The reassurance follows a report from Bloomberg earlier this week which reported that the game had failed a recent internal progress check, with the story specifically being tapped as an aspect that needs reworking, and some of the devs working on it have been reassigned to non-BioShock roles.
To speedily summarise a lot of very knotty reporting, last month a bunch of credit card companies and payment processors forced Steam and Itch.io to alter their definitions of acceptable sexual material in PC games. Seemingly faced with the prospect of having all transactions blocked, the two storefronts now require developers to comply with the extremely open-ended adult content policies of their financial partners. This has led to a spate of delistings or outright takedowns across Steam and especially Itch, with projects affected ranging from anime stepdaughter fantasies on Steam to bundles of self-described “games for girlthings with something wrong with them”.
Borderlands 4 will cost $70, publisher 2K Games confirmed in June. That seemingly innocuous fact was big news after the price of the upcoming looter shooter was thrust into the headlines when Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford sparked a backlash with a series of controversial tweets.
A) Not my call. B) If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen. My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach and I found a way to make it happen.
Pitchford ended up having to address the negativity surrounding his comments, which some suggested might have harmed Borderlands 4’s chances of success. But this was hardly the latest drama revolving around Randy Pitchford, who often gives the press plenty to talk about whenever he addresses hot topics within the video game industry.
So, in an interview with Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Gearbox parent company Take-Two, ahead of the company’s latest (and impressive) financial results, I asked whether he has a mini heart attack whenever Pitchford tweets anything.
In his response, Zelnick admitted Pitchford can be a controversial figure, and even suggested some of his antics are deliberate, but ultimately he’s a big fan.
“I love Randy, first of all. Let me just say that on the record,” Zelnick began. “And I love his big personality. I love his passion and he is one of the all time great game makers. He also can be controversial at times — sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally. I still love him to death.”
Some had expected Take-Two to follow Nintendo’s (and at that time, Microsoft’s) lead and make the jump to $80 for Borderlands 4, which it’s now decided will hold the line at $70. I asked Zelnick why that was the right decision for the looter shooter, and his response was along similar lines to his answer to 2K’s Mafia: The Old Country being set at $50.
“We’ve always engaged in variable pricing and we really want to make sure that the consumer’s experience of the title is that Borderlands 4 is a great, great game, which we believe it is, and that we’re offering a terrific value at the same time,” Zelnick said.
Zelnick has used this sort of response to answer questions about GTA 6’s price (some believe it will be $80, some as high as $100). “We always want to make sure that we deliver way more value than whatever we charge consumers, because we think of the consumer’s experience as an intersection of the thing itself and what you paid for it,” Zelnick said, talking generally of Take-Two’s strategy.
“So we just want to make sure we’re always delivering way more value than whatever we charge.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
