An avalanche of quality.
The Switch 2 has gotten off to a bit of a weird start.
Although there’s no denying that the console has been a massive commercial success since its launch on 5th June 2025 — officially selling over 10 million units — there’s a niggling, underlying sense of dissatisfaction amongst some fans regarding Nintendo’s first-party lineup (and let’s just save Game-Key Cards for another time, hm?).
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
What if every puzzle you solved revealed another hidden layer beneath? Boxes: Lost Fragments invites players into a world of intricate mechanisms and mesmerizing mystery.
Hi everyone, we are Big Loop Studios – the creators of Boxes: Lost Fragments.
We have made many puzzle games before, but when developing Boxes: Lost Fragments, we decided to double down on intricate and satisfying mechanical designs, sensible puzzles, unexpected quirks, and a bit of surreal surprises. This game is for players who like tinkering with multi-component, beautifully crafted puzzle boxes at a relaxing pace.
We wanted each puzzle box to hold many layers of hidden mechanisms, riddles, and surprising revelations waiting to be uncovered.
The entire development took around 30 months – way, way longer than initially planned. But this extended period turned out to be a true blessing. As time passed, many ideas evolved naturally into better versions of themselves, and some were completely replaced. For example, the tower-like upward progression of the game was introduced in the last three months of production. Talk about last-minute…
If we have to share another peculiar detail, the initial release had a different ending that players did not like. So, thanks to our fans, we created an even better game.
It was essential for the game to draw you in with its sheer atmosphere even before the puzzles begin. All puzzle boxes needed to be highly detailed and beautiful to just observe. In other words, a triumph of the visual crafts, combined with polished animations, effects, and audio.
We approached each box like a piece of art, carefully considering how each part connects to the whole, how each level transforms and evolves as the player solves different puzzle pieces, and how sound cues could build atmosphere and immersion. The result is a cohesive blend of visuals, animation, and audio designed to draw players deeper into the world without overwhelming them.
The load on our artists and designers was immense compared to previous projects, and they did an excellent job. So prepare to get mesmerized.
Boxes: Lost Fragments rewards logical thinking, careful observation, and a willingness to experiment. The puzzles are varied, from clue finding to mechanical inventions and multi-step challenges that unlock new layers of intricacy. Striking the right balance between difficulty and flow was one of our primary goals. We will let you decide for yourself how close we got to this goal. If you ask us, we think the result leans more towards “enjoyably puzzling” than “brain-meltingly hard”.
Bringing Boxes: Lost Fragments to Xbox allows us to showcase every polished animation and detailed mechanism in full fidelity. The tactile feeling of interacting with the puzzle boxes using the controller’s precise feedback feels especially satisfying on Xbox Series X|S.
Boxes: Lost Fragments launches today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Dive into a beautiful detailed world of puzzle solving today!
Snapbreak Games
Suddenly, you realize that this is no ordinary building and that you are no longer in control of what is unfolding, and perhaps never were. What should have been a quick in-and-out, turns into your own harrowing struggle for freedom and answers.
Inspired by the cryptic atmosphere, intricate machinery, and smooth controls of the best room escape games, we have created a diverse set of original puzzle levels that will test your resolve and skills to navigate this mysterious and compelling journey. Each level is beautiful, unique, and a true delight to explore and figure out.
The post An Inside Scoop of the Boxes: Lost Fragments Development Process appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Square Enix is undergoing mass layoffs today, potentially impacting over 100 individuals, alongside a broader effort to consolidate its publishing organization and focus its development work in Japan.
Via public posts from former employees as well as confirmation from internal sources, IGN has learned that employees in the UK and US are being informed of the layoffs today, with an unknown number of US employees being dismissed by the end of the week, and a possible 137 jobs at risk in the UK. Under UK law, Square Enix must undergo redundancy consultations to see if any jobs can potentially be saved, so the final number in the UK could be smaller. It is not yet clear which teams were impacted by this, or to what extent.
Internally, a slide presentation now publicly available was also shared with employees earlier today, offered a progress report on Square Enix’s ongoing “reorganization of overseas organizations”, of which this restructuring seems to be a part. Per Square Enix, the strategy has already involved “clos[ing] overseas development studios and shift[ing] toward consolidating development functions in Japan.”
As a part of this, Square Enix already sold Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montreal, Square Enix Montreal, and a number of associated IPs to Embracer Group. It also already laid off workers across its Western operations in 2024.
That leaves Square Enix with the Life Is Strange, Outriders, and Just Cause franchises currently managed by its Western studios, as well as the publishing of Powerwash Simulator.
In that same presentation, Square Enix also shared that it expects 70% of its QA work to be handled by generative AI by the end of 2027. The company has stated in the past that it intends to be “aggressive in applying AI” across both development and publishing.
IGN has reached out to Square Enix for comment.
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.
And you can upgrade from Switch 1, too.
At last, Sega has confirmed that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition launches on 4th December 2025 for $69.99, right in time for the holidays (via Gematsu).
Note that a physical release, where the game is fully on the cart, will be following in early 2026.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
What’s better than a few? That’s right… more!
We’re back with even more of Obsidian’s favorite character builds for The Outer Worlds 2. From sharpshooters to smooth talkers, to something else that starts with S, we’re bringing you five new builds to help inspire your own role-playing creations. Like our glorious feature from earlier, we’re once again tapping the experts of Arcadia, The Outer Worlds 2 QA team, to share more of their favorite character builds with us here today.
If you’ve yet to experience it yourself, The Outer Worlds 2 features an array of character customization options that take Traits, Skills, Flaws, Backgrounds, and Perks to produce your very own soon-to-be hero (or menace). Later, as you dive further into the game, Perks and Flaws will tweak your character even further, giving you a gameplay experience that grows alongside you.
You can start playing The Outer Worlds 2 today for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Battle.net, Steam, and PlayStation 5. It’s also an Xbox Play Anywhere title and available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Melee/Sneak focused build; Sneak kills make stacking Serial Killer easy.
“This build has high damage, survivability, and mobility. You get peak damage and survivability by running around and weaving in and out of a fight.” – Roberto Bautista, Obsidian QA Analyst
Sneaky snipey gunslinger who’s just trying to get by.
“I really love this build because it’s powerful enough to one-shot enemies from a distance when sneak-attacking. A bit more generalistic to get around, but it does have the most focus on sneak and guns.” – Kota Reyes, Obsidian QA Analyst
Masochistic scientist who’s addicted to Zyranium and inhalers.
“This build lets me survive tough encounters, thanks to the combination of Zyranium Armor and Zyranium-related perks.” – Oskar Miziński, QLOC FQA Tester
Clothing, crit explosive build based around Serendipitous Slayer and SMGs.
“I like when things shoot fast and I like when things explode, so the build is really fun to use.” – Michał Wiśniewski, QLOC FQA Tester
A white-haired man in his late 40s clad in light armor, wielding only melee weapons mostly a hammer shooting out shotgun slugs with each swing.
“It is a melee only build that was able to get me through the hardest difficulty despite the added challenge of restricted weaponry and only one companion.” – Mateusz Błażewicz, QLOC FQA Tester
The Outer Worlds 2 is available October 29 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Battle.net, Steam, and PlayStation 5. It is an Xbox Play Anywhere title and available day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Xbox Game Studios
The Outer Worlds 2 Premium Edition includes:
– The Outer Worlds 2 base game
– Up to 5 days early access
– DLC Pass for 2 future story expansions*
– Moon Man’s Corporate Appreciation Premium Prize Pack
– Access to The Outer Worlds 2 Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
* Story expansions available as released
The Outer Worlds 2 is the eagerly-awaited sequel to the award-winning first-person sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment (just look at the exciting number of dashes in this sentence!). Time to clear your calendar – get ready for an action-packed adventure with a new crew, new weapons, and new enemies in a new colony! So much newness!
As a daring and most likely good-looking Earth Directorate agent, you must uncover the source of devastating rifts threatening to destroy all of humanity. Your investigation leads to Arcadia, home of skip drive technology, where the fate of the colony, and ultimately the entire galaxy, rests on your decisions – your strengths, your flaws, your crew, and the factions you choose to trust.
Explore a New Frontier
The Arcadia colony is engulfed in a factional war, as the Protectorate’s so-called benevolent rule is challenged by the rebellion of their religious order and a corporate invasion. As destructive rifts spread across the colony, each faction fights to control or close them for their own ends. Navigate diverse zones, uncover hidden lore, and shape the fate of a system on the brink!
Your Commander, Your Way
Build your character with the abilities and choices that reflect your playstyle. The colony reacts to your every move, crafting a narrative that’s yours to own -whether you’re a disciple of diplomacy, an astute strategist, a crusader for chaos, or something different altogether. And yes, you can dumb!
Enlist Your Companions
Recruit companions with unique traits, backgrounds and goals. Whether you choose to help them achieve their ambitions or steer them toward your own objectives, your influence shapes their growth (or death), making them an integral part of the immersive story you create together.
Xbox Game Studios
Upgrade* from Standard Edition and receive the following content:
– Up to 5 days early access
– DLC Pass for 2 future story expansions**
– Moon Man’s Corporate Appreciation Premium Prize Pack
– Access to The Outer Worlds 2 Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
*Requires base game or Xbox Game Pass membership (PC or Ultimate only), all sold separately.
The Outer Worlds 2 is the eagerly-awaited sequel to the award-winning first-person sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment (just look at the exciting number of dashes in this sentence!). Time to clear your calendar – get ready for an action-packed adventure with a new crew, new weapons, and new enemies in a new colony! So much newness!
As a daring and most likely good-looking Earth Directorate agent, you must uncover the source of devastating rifts threatening to destroy all of humanity. Your investigation leads to Arcadia, home of skip drive technology, where the fate of the colony, and ultimately the entire galaxy, rests on your decisions – your strengths, your flaws, your crew, and the factions you choose to trust.
Explore a New Frontier
The Arcadia colony is engulfed in a factional war, as the Protectorate’s so-called benevolent rule is challenged by the rebellion of their religious order and a corporate invasion. As destructive rifts spread across the colony, each faction fights to control or close them for their own ends. Navigate diverse zones, uncover hidden lore, and shape the fate of a system on the brink!
Your Commander, Your Way
Build your character with the abilities and choices that reflect your playstyle. The colony reacts to your every move, crafting a narrative that’s yours to own -whether you’re a disciple of diplomacy, an astute strategist, a crusader for chaos, or something different altogether. And yes, you can dumb!
Enlist Your Companions
Recruit companions with unique traits, backgrounds and goals. Whether you choose to help them achieve their ambitions or steer them toward your own objectives, your influence shapes their growth (or death), making them an integral part of the immersive story you create together.
Xbox Game Studios
The Outer Worlds 2 is the eagerly-awaited sequel to the award-winning first-person sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment (just look at the exciting number of dashes in this sentence!). Time to clear your calendar – get ready for an action-packed adventure with a new crew, new weapons, and new enemies in a new colony! So much newness!
As a daring and most likely good-looking Earth Directorate agent, you must uncover the source of devastating rifts threatening to destroy all of humanity. Your investigation leads to Arcadia, home of skip drive technology, where the fate of the colony, and ultimately the entire galaxy, rests on your decisions – your strengths, your flaws, your crew, and the factions you choose to trust.
Explore a New Frontier
The Arcadia colony is engulfed in a factional war, as the Protectorate’s so-called benevolent rule is challenged by the rebellion of their religious order and a corporate invasion. As destructive rifts spread across the colony, each faction fights to control or close them for their own ends. Navigate diverse zones, uncover hidden lore, and shape the fate of a system on the brink!
Your Commander, Your Way
Build your character with the abilities and choices that reflect your playstyle. The colony reacts to your every move, crafting a narrative that’s yours to own -whether you’re a disciple of diplomacy, an astute strategist, a crusader for chaos, or something different altogether. And yes, you can dumb!
Enlist Your Companions
Recruit companions with unique traits, backgrounds and goals. Whether you choose to help them achieve their ambitions or steer them toward your own objectives, your influence shapes their growth (or death), making them an integral part of the immersive story you create together.
The post More of Obsidian’s Favorite Character Builds for The Outer Worlds 2 appeared first on Xbox Wire.
First and foremost, on behalf of everyone at San Diego Studio, thank you to the fans for making 2025 a huge year for MLB The Show!
Our mission has always been to create a baseball experience that resonates with everyone from longtime veterans of the franchise to brand-new players picking up the game for the first time. And this year, the team brought fresh ways for you to enjoy the sport you love.
The development team really leaned in, bringing fans all-new ways to enjoy their favorite sport from Road To The Show’s new high school and college journeys, to Diamond Dynasty’s exciting new experiences in Diamond Quest and Weekend Classic.
We introduced gameplay innovations with ShowTech, like revamping the throw meter and adding hundreds of new animations. We also made the offseason more strategic and rewarding in Franchise Mode and proudly continued our commitment to storytelling and baseball history with another season of Storylines presents The Negro Leagues.
And that’s just the beginning.
None of this would be possible without your passion and feedback. Thank you for helping shape the future of MLB The Show. We’re listening and truly appreciate your continued support.
In fact, last year your feedback helped inform the changes and improvements we outlined that would be coming to MLB The Show 25. Thank you for helping shape the future of MLB The Show. We’re listening and truly appreciate your continued support.
Last year, we shared information earlier in the season and we aim to continue that going forward. With that said, see below for a sneak peek at a few of our areas of focus for MLB The Show 26:
Gameplay continues to focus on delivering the most authentic on-field baseball experience. We’re focusing on advanced logic and new data metrics… redefining ratings, pitch effects and bat ball physics.
Now and Later Packs are just the beginning. We will continue delivering engaging content for players to live their MLB fantasy as well as new ways to play and use your squads.
Experience the ultimate player’s path; building off ‘25, MLB The Show 26 takes Road To The Show further than ever before, with a suite of new colleges and a focus on the mid-to-late career.
Continue evolving the front office experience by building deeper, more immersive, and challenging systems shaped by community feedback.
Celebrate the rich history of baseball with the continuation of Storylines: The Negro Leagues, the award-winning mode that invites fans to take the field and play in the moments that shaped the careers of some of the sport’s most talented, yet often overlooked legends.
This is just the start — stay tuned for more as we head into 2026. Want to stay in the loop and help us improve? Sign up for MLB The Show’s The Scouting Report for exclusive surveys to share your feedback, get updates, and more.
If you just happen to be jumping back into MLB The Show 25, there is no better time than now, as Now & Later Packs are back this year with a new way to earn as you continue enjoying live content into the new year.
Now & Later Packs contain items you’ve come to expect “now” from The Show Packs in MLB The Show 25 with the added bonus of allowing you to redeem a The Show Pack “later” in MLB The Show 26 at no additional cost.
Each Now & Later Pack you earn in MLB The Show 25 will give out a Now & Later voucher that will automatically be redeemed into The Show Packs when logging into MLB The Show 26 during its standard release. Make sure you log into ‘26 with the same account you used to earn Now & Later Packs in ‘25.
While that’s all for today, in the meantime, get a head start and get ready to start earning those Now & Later Packs in MLB The Show 25.
For all the latest MLB The Show information, head to TheShow.com, sign up for The Scouting Report, and follow our X, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.
What if the 1980’s became the jumping off point for the future? Like how this year’s Fantastic Four movie was a ’50’s version of the future? Enter ROUTINE, an upcoming first-person sci-fi horror game set on a lunar base. Like all good horror games, silence and loneliness are your worst enemies, and that’s true in ROUTINE – except for the part where you discover a foe who thinks the primary threat is, in fact, you. Piece together the events that took place prior to your arrival, and try to survive.
ROUTINE is our IGN First “cover story” game for November, ahead of its December 4 release for PC (Steam and Xbox on PC) and Xbox (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Xbox Cloud) – including Xbox Game Pass on day one. This exclusive video (watch it above) introduces you to the Megazone Arcade area of the lunar base, including playable minigames.
ROUTINE has quite the development story, having originally been announced over a decade ago. It was re-revealed in 2022, and we finally played it for the first time earlier this year. Stay tuned all November long for more exclusive IGN First coverage, like our C.A.T. Ultraview gameplay tool reveal that kicked off our coverage. In the meantime, you can wishlist ROUTINE on Steam if you’re interested.
With a final lick, the weasel expires. Its head is mine. I slink back to my nest and shove this new head onto my strangely thick duck neck. Then, I take off in a flutter and scutter of beetle wings and legs. I pass an Oscar the grouch-style bloke in a basket selling animal body parts for crystals. Ahead lies a giant salamander wearing a fedora. He asks me to go and steal some eggs from an ant queen who’s wearing an actual crown. I refuse. We fight. He keeps whistling for backup. My weasel head bites away, an openly terrified expression written across its whiskers.
That, in so many words, is Strange Seed, which came out in full yesterday and also has a demo I’ve gioven a go for this article. It’s a cartoonish evolution murderfest from devs Chronicle Games, who cite E.V.O.: Search for Eden and Spore’s creature stage as their inspirations.
Fortnite developer Epic Games has said it will adjust an image within its newly-launched The Simpsons season that depicts shopkeeper Apu Nahasapeemapetilon with light-colored skin.
Fans spotted the image earlier this week on the wall of Moe’s Tavern, where a classic picture from The Simpsons depicts Apu, Barney, Homer and Principal Skinner during their tenure as barbershop quartet The Be Sharps.
Apu is erroneously shown with the same yellow skin tone as his fellow singers, though as many were quick to point out, the character is depicted correctly in other pictures within the same location.
As bad as this looks, I’m pretty sure this was an oversight. He’s on a different picture presented correctly https://t.co/Rqyy5o79p3 pic.twitter.com/Q6mS2aV4XJ
— dille (@nescartridges) November 4, 2025
Now, amid press reports that suggested Epic Games was somehow trying to erase the character, the developer has responded with a short statement posted to social media. “This wasn’t intentional, it’s being adjusted in our next release,” Epic Games wrote, in an update on its Fortnite Status account.
Recent years have seen Apu take more of a backseat on The Simpsons, following the release of the 2017 documentary The Problem With Apu which strongly criticised the character as a racist South Asian stereotype. Long-term The Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria subsequently announced he would no longer portray the role — and since then, the character has only appeared without dialogue.
Earlier this week, Epic Games celebrated a spike in player numbers as Fortnite’s The Simpsons season launched to a positive response. Fans have poured praise on the game’s Easter egg-stuffed recreation of Springfield, though there has been criticism for this week’s introduction of new pet-like Sidekick cosmetics, which need to be bought multiple times to be fully re-customized.
Next up for Fortnite is a major end of year event on November 29 that will see The Simpsons’ mini-season end and a new Chapter Seven era of the game arrive — with the expectation the game will feature some kind of Quentin Tarantino crossover.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
I’m about an hour into Whiskerwood, the new city builder from Minakata Dynamics and publishers Hooded Horse, and I’ve already made an absolute mess of my coastline. A clever and charismatic hybrid of Against The Storm, Robin Jarvis novels and the settlement of North America, Whiskerwood puts you in charge of some mice building colonies on cuboid islands. The islands are lovely so far, their Minecrafty nooks and crannies crying out to be decked with gardens and windmills and cobblestone paths. But you’ve got taxes to pay, so the first thing you do is sink a bunch of mineshafts at random, scooping out coal and copper for the literal fat cats back at court.
