Nintendo has said it will finally announce its Switch successor console “within this fiscal year”, so at some point before March 31, 2025.
In a statement published to X / Twitter, Shuntaro Furukawa, President of Nintendo, confirmed the new console as Nintendo published its financial report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024. Furukawa also confirmed a Nintendo Direct for this June, but said there will be no mention of the Switch successor during that presentation. Instead, it will focus on Switch games for the latter half of 2024.
The wording suggests fans will have to wait until at least July for a first glimpse at Nintendo’s next-gen console, dubbed Switch 2 by many. Here’s Furukawa’s statement in full:
“This is Furukawa, President of Nintendo. We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015. We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.”
“We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year.
Recent alleged details on the power of the Switch 2 weren’t the first rumors to spread about Nintendo’s new console. Other allegedly leaked details have suggested that the device will feature magnetic versions of the Joy-Cons and maybe even let players use their old controllers, too. If these recent rumors are to be believed, you’ll also be able to enjoy your physical and digital games on the Switch 2.
For more on what may eventually become the Switch 2, you can read everything else we know about the company’s next console.
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.
Nintendo has shared a first look at its Tetris 99 x Endless Ocean: Luminous Maximus Cup event, which you can view above. Once again, this event will kick off later this week on 10th May and runs until 13th May. Nintendo is also currently offering some Endless Ocean-themed icons.
After a surprise announcement at The Game Awards in 2022, the sequel to Hades has finally entered its early access phase.
While it’s only available on PC for now, it’s given many fans of Supergiant’s original roguelike hope there’ll be an announcement about console devices at some point in the future.
Manor Lords launched for PC players late last month, and it only took about a week for modders to add Shrek as a playable character.
The animated ogre icon can now be used to terrorize innocent medieval citizens thanks to developer NorskPL on Nexus Mods. It’s a simple mod that allows players to control Shrek as part of Manor Lords’ third-person Visit mode. Parading around town as the green menace might be a bit immersion-breaking, but there is no denying that the character fits into the setting extremely well.
Manor Lords was one of Steam’s most Wishlisted titles for quite some time, so while developer Slavic Magic hasn’t officially added mod support, it isn’t much of a surprise to see players creating new content on their own. Of course, that also means Shrek is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to some of the project’s currently available mods.
One mod in particular allows players to experience Manor Lords in VR. It’s a custom gameplay change so impressive that even developer Slavic Magic couldn’t help but praise it.
With or without Shrek, we think Manor Lords is a good time. In our 7/10 early access review, we said, “Manor Lords is a gorgeous medieval city-builder that kept me occupied for hours building my perfect, cozy hamlets, but it definitely feels very early in its Early Access development.”
Image credit: NorskPL
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
With the PSN account linking fiasco now in the rearview mirror, what was nearly a disaster moment for Helldivers 2 is now becoming a part of community lore. Fans have been busy working on cape designs since Sony reversed course, at least some of which have seemingly caught the eye of the development team.
The movement began after Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt noted an “accidental cape design” from a member on Discord — four red lines denoting Helldivers 2’s plummeting reviews over the weekend.
Since then, designs have rapidly proliferated. Over on Reddit, one Helldivers 2 fan made a full-blown concept they refer to as “The Prodigal Son.” The cape contains a visual reference to Helldivers 2’s Steam reviews and a description that reads, “The cape’s cropped length symbolizes the brevity of galactic conflicts, thanks to the efficiency of the Helldivers.”
Apparently inspired, the Helldivers 2 team appears to be working on an official version of the cape, though Pilestedt says they’re still thinking of a good name for it. Asked if it will be free, Pilestedt joked that it will be “$999.99 easy” before promising that it will “ofc be free.”
The community effort follows a three-day saga that began with the notice that Helldivers 2 would require Steam players to link a PSN account beginning May 7. The subsequent uproar included Helldivers 2 getting hammered by hundreds of thousands of negative reviews while being delisted in 177 countries. PlayStation finally backed down on Sunday night, saying that it is “still learning what is best for PC players.”
One way or another, it seems like business as usual again as fans celebrate one of the biggest games of 2024. And even if the great PSN account linking debacle winds up being a footnote in Helldivers 2’s history, it looks like the community will have a way to remember it.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
Final Fantasy 14’s servers are currently under a worldwide DDoS attack that’s preventing players from logging into Square Enix’s MMORPG.
In a blog post, Square Enix informed players that Final Fantasy 14’s technical issues began around 6 a.m. on March 6. As of right now, the DDoS attack may cause players to experience difficulty logging in, accessing/sending data, and disconnecting from Japanese, North American, European, and Oceania data centers.
While Square Enix has yet to pinpoint the cause of the technical difficulties, the developer has promised players that an investigation into the attack, as well as countermeasures is underway.
Today’s DDoS attack comes weeks after director Naoki Yoshida announced a graphical update was in development for Final Fantasy 14’s upcoming expansion, Dawntrail. The graphical update is a direct response to fans’ negative feedback over character model’s lifeless eyes in Dawntrail’s benchmark trailer.
In a follow-up blog post, Yoshida revealed Final Fantasy 14’s updated Benchmark Tool is slated to release either on May 23 or sometime later in the week. Final Fantasy 14’s DDoS attack also comes a week ahead of the game’s upcoming live letter which will showcase new jobs and patch note adjustments on May 16
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail launches on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on July 2, with early access kicking starting on June 28 for those who pre-order.
Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow them on Twitter @ShinEyeZehUhh.
It is shocking to see that Hades 2 is only in early access, and that Supergiant Games plans to let it spend at least the rest of 2024 there before it’s ready to call it version 1.0. Shocking, because it already has just about everything I want from a sequel to one of the best roguelite action games of all time. Hades 2 manages to keep everything that made the original such a masterclass of design, but it does so in a way that changes up how each of the pieces fits together and gives it its own unique identity rather than feeling like a glorified expansion. The result is a familiar, but fresh follow up that challenged, surprised, and delighted me with every triumph and failure in equal measure. There are a few things missing, with an actual ending to its story being the most substantial among them, but once it’s complete it’s hard to imagine Hades 2 not living up to the mythological legacy of the first.
I’m not going to spend too long explaining why what’s carried over from the original Hades works so well. IGN gave it our Game of the Year Award in 2020 for a reason, and if you haven’t played the Greek gods’ gift to gamers yet and think you might enjoy some of the smoothest, most stylish isometric action ever made, tied up with a story that just keeps getting deeper with each run, you absolutely should before jumping into round two. I’ll wait.
Alright, now that you’re up to speed you can appreciate that what Hades 2 does exceptionally well is swap out all of the old weapons, boons, boosts, and other pieces from the previous game with brand new ones that do a lot of the same things, but in fresh and exciting ways. To begin with, this time around you play as Melinoe, Zagreus’s sister and the daughter of Hades, who very much shares her brother’s smooth vocal tones and cool demeanor. She’s a bit more proper and less playful than Zag, with a personality befitting of the Princess of the Underworld, but she’s no less likable and equally well written.
Mel’s no less likable than Zag, and equally well written.
She controls largely the same as Zag, but with a couple of key changes that lead to some dramatically different playstyles. For instance, there’s a sprint that can be used endlessly to escape danger, or – if you have the proper boons enhancing it – to charge head-first into it. The increased sustained speed comes at a price, though: She’s far less dash-happy than Zag. She still has a dash that allows her to slip through enemy attacks or cross gaps, but in my 40 or so hours of play so far, I’ve yet to see an upgrade that allows her to increase the number of dashes she has. This is a big change because Hades is a game where I dash a lot. Heck, I dash more than I run for the most part. But Supergiant has done a great job of designing its enemies and bosses around that gameplay change, and as a result I never found myself missing multi-dashes too much. Eventually I fell in love with the sprint and the boons that enhanced it, which might increase its speed to make it better at evasion, or turn it into an aquatic bulldozing attack, or turn you into a moving crosshair for Zeus’s lightning, electrocuting any enemy you run close to.
Since Melinoe is a witch, she’s also got a completely revamped magic system that adds several wrinkles to combat that require you to think a bit more about resource management. By holding down the button for her three offensive techniques – attack, special, and cast – she can use an Omega variation of those abilities that use mana. So for example, the starting magic staff has a regular attack that just does a standard three-hit combo, but if you hold down the attack button to charge up an Omega attack, when you release it you’ll shoot out a powerful magic blast that extends a great distance both in front of and behind you. Omega attacks are an incredible addition that not only improve the moment-to-moment action and decision making of Hades’ combat, but also add some new options when it comes to build crafting.
I always felt like I had a shot of getting further than I did before, regardless of my build.
And this is where Hades 2 really shines even brighter than Hades did before: There are just so many options you can build your character toward during any given run that dramatically change how you approach it. And the beauty is that, while there are certainly builds that are stronger than others, I always felt like I had a shot of getting further than I did before, regardless of what kind of build I tried. So many roguelites suffer from this feeling of having “doomed runs” where you just don’t get the kind of scaling or key upgrades that you need to survive in later levels, but that was never my experience with Hades 2. My deaths largely came down to encountering new enemies that I wasn’t yet familiar with, getting too greedy with my attacks, or just simply making too many mistakes, as opposed to feeling like I just fell behind the power curve. (Though I will say that the final boss in the Underworld currently seems a little overpowered compared to everything leading up to him.)
One run had me getting a bunch of powerups for my cast, which is now a circular sigil you can place on the floor that will temporarily snare enemies that run into it. One particular boon, though, made it so that after remaining on the floor for a few seconds, the sigil would do rapid-fire explosions and deal huge damage to anything snared inside. So I would dart in, drop my Omega cCast down, then charge up my Omega special – which, on this run caused multiple projectiles to circle me – and just watch with glee as the enemies melted in my circle of death.
That was completely different from my run with the Giant Axe weapon, which had me enhancing my sprint speed so I could put a ton of distance between me and my enemies before charging up an extremely powerful Omega special that would virtually wipe out all enemies in a line in front of me – if I got a chance to let the move rock, which takes a little time. Like any good roguelite, every run of Hades 2 has felt different, taught me a lesson I could use in the future, and was fun in its own unique way.
Every run of Hades 2 has felt different, and was fun in its own unique way.
Everything that we’ve covered so far has largely been stuff that was already good in the first game that’s tuned to be just a bit better in this sequel, but the one area where Hades 2 absolutely blows the original out of the water is in the depth and variety of its regions. No two are anything alike, with the third Underworld area in particular being a series of more open fields that requires you to clear multiple encounters and obtain multiple rewards before being able to move on to the next.
You may have noticed that I keep specifying the Underworld regions, which is because there’s a whole separate set of levels, enemies, and bosses waiting for you above ground as well. I don’t want to spoil too much of what awaits you if you take the stairs going up, but suffice it to say that these levels are where Supergiant really experiments with the level design, to great effect.
I Went Down to the Crossroads
In between runs you’ll find yourself back at the Crossroads, a hidden sanctuary in between the surface and the Underworld. Pretty much everything that you could do in the House of Hades in the first game can be done in the Crossroads as well: You’ll go around gifting nectars to NPCs in order to increase your bonds with them and gain their keepsakes, you can cross off long-term milestone goals from the prophecy list for a variety of rewards, and you can engage in seemingly endless dialogues with the many legendary Greek figures who inhabit it, from the heroic Odysseus, to the rebellious Nemesis, to the adorably sassy shade, Dora.
Arcana Cards are a great system that balance powerful bonuses with higher costs.
That said, the way in which you progress Mel’s strength is very different from how it worked with Zag. This time around there’s a grid of Arcana cards that each require a certain amount of resources to unlock; once you do you can equip its bonuses (assuming you have enough Grasp, which limits how many cards can be equipped simultaneously), and will also reveal the bonuses of the two adjacent cards on the grid. It’s a great system that balances powerful bonuses with higher Grasp costs, and also makes the decision of what you want to prioritize finding once you’re in a run feel even more important. Do you go for more of the resources needed to actually unlock more Arcana cards, or more Psyche, which is used to increase your maximum Grasp and allows you to equip more cards?
In addition to these resources, there’s a lot more to find in the levels of Hades 2. There are different types of flowers, metals, and monster parts, with all of them being used to concoct incantations that unlock some sort of new gameplay element or mechanic. This is very similar to the House Contractor from the first game, but it works even better in Hades 2 where you can make more decisions about what kind of resource-collecting tool you want to take with you into a run and prioritize one concoction over another.
You can invite NPCs on a bit more of an intimate hot springs date.
One of my favorite incantations actually adds a hot spring to the Crossroads, and that allows you to invite NPCs on a bit more of an intimate hot springs date. As you might imagine, this leads to some fun conversations that dive a little bit deeper into these characters than your standard chats when they’ve got an exclamation point over their heads.
While I can’t say there’s been a dramatic improvement in how Hades 2 looks relative to the first game, that’s an extremely high bar and I’m not sure I’d want it to change that much anyway. The art style remains as stellar as ever, with a soundtrack to match. My favorite boss fight is currently Scylla and the Sirens, which has a banger theme song that dynamically adjusts whenever you take out one of the performers to remove their part from the song. That’s a really cool touch on an already awesome boss fight, and it’s things like that that make me especially excited to see what Supergiant has held back to really wow us when Hades 2 launches out of early access.
I’m especially excited to see what Supergiant has held back.
It’s also worth mentioning that after beating the final boss of the underworld, you unlock Hades 2’s equivalent of the Pact of Punishment, called the Testament of Night. This allows you to add specific difficulty modifiers to your next run that might increase the damage of enemies, or make healing items less effective, or make all enemies faster. It’s basically a customizable New Game+ mode with rewards and incentives that was brilliant in Hades 1, and I’m stoked to see it already in Hades 2.
So, what’s unfinished about Hades 2 to make it release in Early Access? Well, there are still some placeholder portraits for characters like Charon, Narcissus, and a few others I won’t spoil; some boon icons are missing unique art and just have letters to differentiate them; there are a few visual effects that I imagine will be cleaned up when the game reaches version 1.0, and most importantly, even though you can unlock it’s version of New Game+, the story doesn’t currently have an ending. The development road map on the title screen also makes it clear that they’re still working on a whole new region to explore, new cosmetic features for the Crossroads, and another new weapon to be released in the next major update.
I’ve been sampling Hades 2’s early access build on the Steam Deck, and my only complaint – besides the smooching frog having eluded me for hours – is that it’s giving me very little to write about, performance analysis-wise. Honestly, it fits the dinky PC so well you’d have thought Supergiant had decided to make this roguelike sequel a Steam Deck game that just happened to run on desktops by accident.
Hades the first was much the same, taking to the Deck like Hercules to Augean shit, but Hades 2 barely even gives away that fact that it’s unfinished. It doesn’t crash, stutter, or hang, and there’s no point in talking about settings when it runs at a practically perfect 60fps on max quality. Make that 90fps on the Steam Deck OLED, too. It’s just a fabulous game for handhelds, even in its earliest of early access days.
Ah, Super Monkey Ball… Since its debut back in 2001, Sega’s platforming, puzzle-solving, party extravaganza has had its ups and downs over the years, but has nevertheless remained a firm favourite with gamers – particularly those with a certain proclivity for Nintendo consoles.
In fact, Super Monkey Ball has shown up on pretty much every Nintendo platform bar the Wii U (pause for tiny violin) since its inception, making it almost as synonymous with The Big N as franchises like Animal Crossing, Mario Party, and — bizarre as it may be — Sonic the Hedgehog.
Xbox Grows Support of Veterans, Military Service Members and their Families
Team Xbox
Summary
Xbox reviews a year of partnership with the USO.
Call of Duty Endowment announces new operator packs.
Microsoft supports veterans, transitioning service members, and now military spouses with free technical career training through MSSA
Last year marked the beginning of a memorable journey as we joined forces with the United Service Organizations (USO) to bring the joy of gaming directly to you, even when your service takes you across the world. It’s our honor to provide a digital bridge back to your families and friends, ensuring that distance does not diminish the bonds that matter most.
This year, we’re proud to deepen our commitment as a premier gaming partner of the USO, ensuring that Xbox gaming is a staple wherever the USO Gaming program reaches. We understand that being away from loved ones is the most significant challenge of military life for many of you. We’re inspired by all the ways we’ve learned from you how video games can positively influence your lives, offering a tangible connection to your loved ones and the broader military community.
We recognize that deployments and remote assignments can be challenging, and the absence of friends and family can feel profound. Video games are more than entertainment ― they’re a conduit for camaraderie, a momentary escape from the rigors of duty, and a tool to remain engaged with life back home. With Xbox Play Anywhere, you can continue your gaming adventures seamlessly across Xbox console and Windows 10/11 PC, ensuring you can stay connected with loved ones, whether near or far you can stay connected with loved ones, whether near or far.
Xbox is excited to expand our gaming offerings, host more communal events, and introduce new initiatives designed to elevate your gaming experiences and strengthen the connections with your loved ones. Read on to discover the Call of Duty Endowment update, new career training for military spouses, and more ways we’re connecting with the military community:
Xbox and USO: A Year of Partnership
Last year, we announced our partnership with the USO to further its mission delivery capabilities by providing more substantial access to services like Xbox Game Pass and gaming equipment, and through partnership in events and program collaboration. This year, we’ve expanded our partnership as a premier gaming partner of the USO and providing Xbox gaming wherever the USO Gaming program is. With 50% of service membersciting time spent away from family as their number one issue in military life, it’s heartening to witness the real, positive impact gaming can have in the lives of service members by keeping them connected with their loved ones and the broader military community.
For many service members, being deployed overseas or stationed on remote bases can be an isolating experience. Separation from friends and family can leave them feeling disconnected from their civilian lives. That’s why video games can be a lifeline, providing a way to stay in touch, have fun, and decompress after a stressful day. As an example, last year, Xbox donated 500 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate codes to the USO for their gaming centers, enabling service members to play hundreds of games on their preferred platform, with access on multiple devices in many regions across the globe.
Last year, the USO and Xbox also collaborated on USOCON, an event at Fort Knox where families and cadets stepped away from the stressful challenges of their day-to-day lives and relaxed at their own mini-gaming convention. During USOCON, the partnership with Xbox was a standout feature that not only provided fantastic prizes but also created the “F.O.B. Xbox Area.” This unique space was designed to resemble a forward operating base, offering attendees a fun, free-to-play environment filled with Xbox consoles. An immersive setup allowed soldiers and their families to play a variety of games, enhancing the feeling of community during the event and demonstrating Xbox’s commitment to supporting our troops through interactive and engaging gaming experiences.
In September 2023, Xbox worked with the USO to facilitate a pop-up gaming activation on an aircraft carrier during a family day. This activation provided a unique opportunity to bring gaming to the seven seas, where service members and their families could sit back, relax, and enjoy themselves while underway. This collaboration demonstrates the value of the partnership between Xbox and the USO to not just our nation’s service members, but their families and loved ones as well.
In addition to our well-received virtual Xbox series in partnership with USO in 2023, we hosted a partnered session at the Game Developers Conference in March 2024 entitled “Operation Innovation: How Xbox Employs Military Talents in Gaming,” featuring Xbox and USO expert panelists who shared their insights on how Xbox and USO approach supporting U.S. vets and active-duty military in career development. More than 70 GDC guests attended the session, including both active military and former military across most U.S. forces.
Transitioning to Video Game Careers
The USO Transition Program extends the USO experience to active duty, Reserve, National Guard and military spouses by offering professional development services throughout the duration of military service as well as in preparation for life post-military. Your military role doesn’t dictate what you do when you transition from the service or capture how the skills developed in that role translate to other industries.
Xbox partnered with the USO Transition Program to host a series of panels showcasing different career paths within the video game industry. More than 340 attendees joined to attend sessions from 219 locations across the world, to learn about the daily work and career paths of panelists with careers in video game engineering, production, and communications.
Panelists shared key points on their pathways to their rewarding careers in the game industry and included military veterans who joined Xbox by way of the Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA), Microsoft’s 17-week training program enabling veterans and transitioning service members to find meaningful careers in tech. U.S. service members can apply through SkillBridge or as a veteran for a spot in Microsoft’s rigorous, fully-funded program, designed to build the technical and career-building skills to equip military professionals to get started in IT.
After 10 years working with over 3,700 transitioning and former service members, let’s just say we’ve learned a thing or two about the enormous skillset developed by many in military service, by service members of all MOSs―and also by military families. Juggling the logistics of the military lifestyle, like family obligations amid multiple deployments, is a monumental skillset that’s tough to capture on a resume. In April Microsoft Military Affairs announced the pilot cohort of MSSA–Military Spouse and a new Technical Program Management (TPM) learning path designed to do just that! This free 17-week program uses live virtual instruction to equip military spouses with the technical skills to access remote, portable employment as a TPM. Applications are accepted from May 13–27, so learn more about this exciting opportunity for military spouses and other success stories.
Call of Duty: Endowment
Make a legendary difference to U.S. and U.K. military veterans by purchasing the Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) Knight Recon: Tracer Pack for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone. The full purchase price for this special item, less VAT/sales tax, will be donated to the Call of Duty Endowment, which provides grants to registered charities that place unemployed and underemployed veterans in the U.K. and U.S. into high-quality jobs. By purchasing this pack, you will directly contribute to the Endowment’s mission. Get it now in the Xbox Store.
Gaming and Impact with Rewards
A reminder that Rewards members can earn and donate Rewards points to the USO and Call of Duty Endowment in specific marketplaces.
Xbox players can earn Rewards points in various ways, such as playing games, completing Game Pass Quests, and purchasing games and other eligible items at the Microsoft Store (exclusions apply). Start earning today and redeem your points for great rewards. Donate your points on the Rewards hub or on the Microsoft Rewards redeem page.
