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PS5 and PC Single-Player Action Game Lost Soul Aside: The Big Interview

After roughly a decade in development, Lost Soul Aside is finally scheduled for a launch. Originally the passion project of solo developer Yang Bing, Lost Soul Aside has grown to become a major Sony-published title under the company’s ‘China Hero Project,’ with Bing now the founder and CEO of Shanghai-based studio Ultizero Games.

With a release date of May 30 on PlayStation 5 and PC closing in, IGN had the opportunity to sit down with Yang Bing to discuss the long road to launch. So many years of development went into this single-player action game, escalating from a solo creator’s vision to a trailer reveal at Sony’s State of Play. Through it all the hype has grown, with some calling Lost Soul Aside an exciting mix of Final Fantasy characters and Devil May Cry combat — even from the moment Yang Bing’s initial reveal video went viral in 2016.

With the help of a translator, IGN asked Yang Bing about the early origins of Lost Soul Aside, its inspirations, what challenges the team has faced over the years, and much more.

It’s been almost nine years since the first glimpse of Lost Soul Aside, on your YouTube channel. How did you get started on this project, and how old were you at the time?

Yang Bing: So I remember our first promotional video was released in 2016. I was born in 1990, so when the video was released, I was about 26 years old, so that was actually when the project started. I remember [Lost Soul Aside] probably started around, at the end of 2014, the beginning of 2015.

What were the original inspirations behind Lost Soul Aside? Has that ever shifted over the course of development?

Yang Bing: So personally, I have loved playing games since I was young. And of course, back at that time, I had some personal favorite genres. Later on, [my] passion towards games wasn’t changed, didn’t change a lot. So I wanted to develop something that I really like. And then the tools and game engines were relatively mature. So that was the beginning of [Lost Soul Aside].

The overall style and then, the inspiration, has not changed that much. From the beginning, the beginning of 2016 until now, about like nine years or 10 years, it continues to feature a blend of fantasy elements with some realistic visuals, characterized by this real-life aesthetic. So this style has not changed. The combat style has also consistently leaned towards high speed and flashy action. So this is something that we have been sticking to for all these years. During this development process, we, of course, continued to see some new and excellent works, which maybe we got some influence through, [on] our thought along the way. So from the beginning, this personal trailer gradually evolved into a more mature and well-run version, I should say.

How did the Sony collaboration come around? Can you describe what that first meeting was like, and how the partnership has been since?

Yang Bing: Well, actually, back to 2016, I had some contact [with a] PlayStation colleague. That was, for me, a turning point, which I think is quite remarkable. So when I released this promotional video, I got a message from a colleague at PlayStation, who said that they wanted to discuss the project in detail and explore a potential collaboration. Back at that time, I was still in South Korea, and I felt really grateful for this opportunity. At the end of 2016, I went back to China and then immediately, I went to PlayStation, Sony in Shanghai, visited them, and met with them in person. And so from that time, we kind of started our collaboration.

In recent years, the collaboration has been continuously deepening. Initially, it started with the Sony China Hero Project. And then, later on, we kind of joined this collaboration with Sony, and then Sony officially announced that it’s going to be published by PlayStation.

What would you say makes Lost Soul Aside stand out from other games in its genre?

Yang Bing: So the play will be very smooth, because we think that when the players play, they will likely be impressed by the overall operability of the game, including the combat experience and the interaction with the environment. It will be very smooth. And in order to achieve this kind of smooth feeling, we actually try our best, utmost, to ensure that the player’s input receives immediate feedback. For example, all the weapons can be switched seamlessly.

Additionally, the combat for this kind of skill combination can be combined seamlessly as well. All the skills can be canceled as well. We have spent a significant amount of time ensuring that everything flows as smoothly as possible. So, this is something that I think will impress players the most. And then, furthermore, the intent, our intention, is to shape the two main characters, the combination, Kaser and Arena. So we can provide players with the option like turning Arena into a weapon and other elements, to help Kaser fight in battle. [He] can provide some help during his journey. So I think that all these elements combining together can become a very outstanding and recognizable aspect for our game.

Where did the concept for Arena, the transforming dragon companion Kazer has, come from?

Yang Bing: So that kind of idea and thought actually started at a very, very, very early stage, even before this project started back to 2016. So, I remember I watched some YouTube video… there’s a special effects creator who makes a segment featuring a crystal that can [transform] into various weapons, a shade, and many other things. Combined with my idea, I always thought about this idea, about a dragon [that] can transform, all kinds of shapes. Even before this game project has started, I had the idea about something like this.

Other than this dragon, I was thinking that the protagonist has a companion, which at that time is somewhat similar to a dragon-like creature that can transform into a weapon, [to help] the character, assisting in the battle. So I always had this kind of idea from the beginning, I had the idea to incorporate [it] into this project. This idea that the protagonist has a dragon partner that can become a weapon, this idea actually, I had it since 2014.

What ideas and themes does Lost Soul Aside center on, that you want players to take away from this game?

Yang Bing: So, the core theme primarily just revolves around Kaser, the protagonist, and his companion Arena, and they embark on various adventures together. And of course, during that process they face numerous challenges, including traps and a variety of formidable enemies. So the focus is on Kaser, who starts off as an ordinary individual, an ordinary person. And then after he meets Arena, and then later, they continuously establish some kind of relationship with other characters. So in this adventure, we want the players to experience the growth of the characters, transforming from ordinary people, or him from an ordinary person at the beginning, to a hero who can save the world by the end. Of course, saving the world was not his initial intention, but players can gradually and consciously embrace the idea of saving the world and defeating villains throughout the process.

What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced, working on this one game for so long?

Yang Bing: So, well, it started from the idea, [my] personal idea, and then it’s a promotion video, it’s a conceptual idea. And then we have to accumulate experience and to enhance the development experience during all this process and all these years. So, I think this is very essential, for developing this kind of skill and type of project, this is one thing. And then the other challenge for me, I should say this because for me, I started from my personal ideas. I work. I used to work just by myself. And later on, I continuously [accumulated] knowledge on how to collaborate with other members as a team, with the help of Sony PlayStation, and now because we have established a team. So it requires everyone to come together to make the idea happen. So for me, this is constantly a learning process, and I need to overcome this challenge to make the project a successful one.

You’re planning to launch day one for both PC and PS5? What was the reasoning behind targeting both for the launch, over just PlayStation?

Yang Bing: So, launch for PC as well. I think it’s a very new experience for players and it would be quite intriguing for them, I think. So this is the final stage, and the final decision was made during the communication process between me and Sony. So I feel that everyone cooperated in a very good manner and harmoniously throughout all the process.

After working on Lost Soul Aside for so long, are you excited for whatever comes next for yourself and Ultizero Games?

Yang Bing: Well, so at this stage, and then both my team, and myself, and the PlayStation team, we’re continuously communicating with each other about the follow-up plans. I’m sorry, I cannot provide a very clear answer at this moment.

But you’re excited to get Lost Soul Aside out there?

Yang Bing: Yes.

Lost Soul Aside launches on PS5 and PC on May 30, 2025.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Marvel Rivals Players are Already Worried Human Torch Is OP Days Before Mid-Season Update

As Marvel Rivals players plot how they’ll use the Human Torch to smoke enemy teams when he arrives alongside a mid-season update later this week, others are already worried the fiery Fantastic Four member will be overpowered at launch.

NetEase Games pulled back the curtain on its next Duelist hero addition yesterday, revealing a first look at how Johnny Storm’s gameplay will light up the Marvel Rivals battlefield. While it’s easy to look at things like flight as standout features for the character, there are a few specific abilities that have players fearful of Human Torch takeovers once the Season 1.5 update launches February 21.

Concerns about the fire-based Marvel hero’s impact really kicked off when content creator Necros shared an early peek at some of the character’s abilities. It was here players got a closer look at how the Pyro Prison ability, which allows Human Torch to burn enemies within a certain area, can be used to control a match. In short, Pyro Prison’s reach can extend across massive portions of a stage, inflicting constant damage to any enemy who steps in the affected location. It’s not an insignificant amount of damage either, as the viral clip shows training range bots losing health at a staggering pace.

There’s also Human Torch’s team-up ability with Storm, which allows the X-Men hero to create a giant fire tornado. The move seems to be one of Marvel Rivals’ stronger team-up moves, and although we don’t know exactly how effective it will be in your average match, there are plenty of players already worried about running into this exact strategy for the next few weeks. X/Twitter user @xBattledR0id is convinced this means we’ll see Human Torch “perma banned” in upper-tier competitive games out of the gate.

“I am just being honest,” they added in a follow-up post. “Between this and the Storm team-up there will be very few games where he isn’t banned.”

Making matters worse is Human Torch’s ability to fly, a feature that has already had players fearful of Iron Man attacks from the sky since launch. As with any live-service title, new character additions will draw attention from players regardless of their preferred playstyle. In other words, expect to see a lot of Johnny Storms lighting up matches for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, some fans are looking for their own solutions to a potential Johnny Storm problem. Many have jokingly come up with the idea that water-based heroes like Jeff the Land Shark and Namor should be able to extinguish Johnny’s flames or even do a bit of extra damage. There’s no sign that any such mechanic will be made available in Marvel Rivals for now, of course. We won’t really know how the new hero will shift the meta until he launches in a few days.

If anyone thinks Human Torch looks OP, just pick the counter.
byu/ShaoIsMCHammer inmarvelrivals

The Human Torch isn’t the only Fantastic Four member touching down this Friday. When the Season 1 mid-season update launches, it will also introduce The Thing as the newest Vanguard member. Although the rocky hero isn’t quite as scary as his silver-tongued teammate, he’ll almost certainly be showing up in most players’ matches in the weeks ahead.

For more on Marvel Rivals, you can read about NetEase’s recent decision to cut members of Marvel Rivals’ U.S.-based design team in Seattle. You can also learn more about why NetEase those rumored hero leak plants are nothing to worry about.

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).

Upcoming Nintendo Switch Games: Release Dates for 2025 and Beyond

The Nintendo Switch is going out in a blaze of glory, with some exciting games launching to make way for the console’s successor: the now officially announced Switch 2. Whether they’re exclusively developed for the Switch or ported over from other platforms, these upcoming Switch games will wrap up the Switch’s final year while also being compatible with the Switch 2 upon release.

In 2025, we’ll get our hands on the last few games that were announced during last year’s Nintendo Directs as well as The Game Awards 2024. Whether you own the original Switch or are looking ahead to what will release on the Switch 2, here are all the new Switch games we can look forward to in 2025 and beyond.

Take a look at our guide to all upcoming video games for release dates on every platform.

All Upcoming Switch Games With Release Dates

Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection (February 27, 2025)

Duelists, rejoice. This collection comes jack-packed with some of the earliest games in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series: 16 of them, to be precise. Most of the Konami-developed titles originally released in the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance generations, with highlights including 2001’s The Eternal Duelist Soul and 2002’s The Sacred Cards.

Suikoden I&II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars (March 6, 2025)

Not the first, and probably not the last, remastered compilation of Konami’s first two Suikoden games. Suikoden I & II were first released on the original PlayStation back in the late 90’s and were previously remastered for the PlayStation Portable in the 2000’s. In early 2025, new HD remasters of the classic RPGs are arriving on the Nintendo Switch.

MLB The Show 25 (March 15, 2025)

Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz, and Gunnar Henderson are all featured on the cover of this year’s MLB The Show, which will celebrate the series’ 20th anniversary. The baseball sim has advertised more enhancements to baseball mechanics, including an all-new Ambush Hitting difficulty, as well as more personalization in its “Road to the Show” gameplay mode.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (March 20, 2025)

Xenoblade Chronicles X was originally released on the Wii U back in 2015, and a “visually enhanced” Definitive Edition of the action RPG is coming to Switch in 2025. This release follows a Definitive Edition of the original Xenoblade Chronicles that was released for Switch back in 2020, while Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and 3 were released straight onto the handheld console in 2017 and 2022, respectively.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land (March 21, 2025)

The newest addition to Koei Tecmo’s Atelier series introduces a new alchemist, Yumia Liessfeldt, and a host of new companions. Try to uncover the mysteries of an empire’s fall while learning synthesis skills to defeat enemies in real-time combat.

Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game (March 25, 2025)

A cozy farming game set in The Shire is pretty much a match made in heaven. Tales of the Shire lets you create your own hobbit during a time of peace in Middle-earth. Starting in March 2025, you’ll be able to indulge in the ultimate fantasy by spending your days cooking and eating delicious meals with your friends.

Care Bears: Unlock the Magic (March 27, 2025)

Remember the Care Bears? Apparently the show got rebooted in 2019 as “Care Bears: Unlock the Magic,” and now the family-friendly franchise is getting a Switch game tie-in. The arcade-style collection features staple characters from the cartoon, including Cheer Bear, Grumpy Bear, and Funshine Bear.

Star Overdrive (April 10, 2025)

Star Overdrive is an upcoming indie adventure game set on a distant alien planet. Fly around on your hoverboard while conquering enemies and solving puzzles to try and reunite with your lost love.

Rusty Rabbit (April 17, 2025)

Several years after Nitroplus revealed Rusty Rabbit in a concept trailer, the side-scrolling action platformer is finally coming to Switch. Play as the middle-aged rabbit, Stamp, who has built his own mech to traverse a post-apocalyptic frozen wasteland.

LUNAR Remastered Collection (April 18, 2025)

This remastered collection brings the two original Lunar JRPGs, LUNAR Silver Star Story and LUNAR 2 Eternal Blue, to modern consoles. The remasters come with several quality-of-life improvements, including enhanced graphics and both English and Japanese voice-acting.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (May 16, 2025)

That’s right, it’s another fighting game collection. This time, Capcom is compiling games released between 1998 and 2004, which is what some would call a peak era for arcade fighting. This second fighting collection includes both the English and Japanese versions of six games total, including Capcom vs. SnK and the Power Stone beat-em-up series.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (May 21, 2025)

The highly-anticipated sequel to 2014’s Fantasy Life finally has a release date. This “slow-life” RPG combines adventure storylines with life-sim mechanics, allowing players to build a life (and a city) on a deserted island while facing mysteries of the past. Explore randomized dungeons, switch between 14 different “Jobs,” and meet friends to help you in your journey.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma (May 30, 2025)

The iconic RPG social sim is back. As a powerful Earth Dancer, you must travel across the eastern nation of Azuma to battle monsters and restore villages. The new Rune Factory game looks like it places a stronger emphasis on action and anime-style character designs, though improved Switch performance with an all-new storyline will hopefully mark an improvement over Rune Factory 5. This is Rune Factory, so there will be plenty of romance, now with fully voiced “scenarios” and even the ability to romance the unselected MC.

Upcoming Switch Games With Unknown Release Dates

There are plenty more Nintendo Switch games in development that don’t have a solid release date yet. Here are some more Switch games we know are on the way:

When Is the Nintendo Switch 2 Coming Out?

Over the last year, we’ve been hearing rumors about the Nintendo Switch successor regarding its appearance, release date, and name. On January 16, Nintendo finally confirmed a decent chunk of these rumors with the official announcement of the Switch 2. While the announcement trailer shows off some new features (including what looks like the potential to use the Joy-Con as a mouse), it doesn’t provide any insight into specs or game launches. More official info, including pricing and a release date, will arrive via a Nintendo Direct scheduled for April 2.

What Games Will Launch on the Switch 2?

One thing the trailer confirms is that the Switch 2 will be, for the most part, backward compatible, supporting both physical and digital games from the original Switch. Otherwise, it definitely looks like the trailer features a new Mario Kart game, and plenty of leaks have suggested third-party games like Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake will be ported onto the console. For more info, you can check out our list of games reportedly set to release on the Switch 2.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

Microsoft and Hellblade Developer Ninja Theory Built an AI Called Muse Designed to Generate Ideas for a Game’s Design — and It’s Already Making ‘Complex’ Gameplay Sequences

Microsoft has announced a new generative AI model designed for gameplay ideation.

The company detailed what it calls the first World and Human Action Model (WHAM). The WHAM, Katja Hofmann, Senior Principal Research Manager and lead of the Microsoft Research Game Intelligence team, said in a blog post, is a generative AI model of a video game that can generate game visuals, controller actions, or both.

Microsoft calls this generative AI model Muse, which was developed by the Microsoft Research Game Intelligence and Teachable AI Experiences (Tai X) teams in collaboration with Hellblade developer Ninja Theory. It’s open sourcing the weights and sample data and making the executable available for the WHAM Demonstrator — a concept prototype that provides a visual interface for interacting with WHAM models and multiple ways of prompting the models.

The company provided a number of gameplay clips showing what Muse is capable of. Currently, the model can generate “complex gameplay sequences that are consistent over several minutes” just by prompting the model with 10 initial frames (one second) of human gameplay and the controller actions of the whole play sequence.

The game used to train Muse was Ninja Theory’s 2020 multiplayer game Bleeding Edge. “We worked closely with our colleagues at Ninja Theory and with Microsoft compliance teams to ensure that the data was collected ethically and used responsibly for research purposes,” Hofmann insisted.

“It’s been amazing to see the variety of ways Microsoft Research has used the Bleeding Edge environment and data to explore novel techniques in a rapidly moving AI industry,” said Gavin Costello, technical director at Ninja Theory.

“From the hackathon that started it all, where we first integrated AI into Bleeding Edge, to building AI agents that could behave more like human players, to the World and Human Action Model being able to dream up entirely new sequences of Bleeding Edge gameplay under human guidance, it’s been eye-opening to see the potential this type of technology has.”

Muse is used in “world model mode” meaning it is used to predict how the game will evolve from the initial prompt sequence. The more closely the generated gameplay sequence resembles the actual game, the more accurately Muse has captured the dynamics of that game.

Generative AI is one of the hottest and most controversial topics in the creative industries. As video game development costs rise, publishers are increasingly looking to AI tools to speed up work and cut costs. Call of Duty reportedly sold an “AI-generated cosmetic” for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in late 2023, and fans accused Activision of using generative AI again for a loading screen last year. EA said in September that AI was “the very core” of its business, and just last month, Capcom said it was experimenting with generative AI to create the “hundreds of thousands” of ideas needed for in-game environments.

Head of PlayStation Productions and head of product at PlayStation Studios Asad Qizilbash weighed in on AI to say its use in video games is important to Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers who seek “personalization across everything.”

“For instance, non-player characters in games could interact with players based on their actions, making it feel more personal,” Qizilbash said. “This is important for the younger Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences, who are the first generations that grew up digitally and are looking for personalization across everything, as well as looking for experiences to have more meaning.”

Microsoft is all-in on generative AI, as anyone with even a cursory knowledge of ChatGPT and OpenAI will be aware of, and so this development with Ninja Theory comes as little surprise. Still, the company will face tough questions from some within the video game development community who are worried models like Muse will put them out of a job.

In the blog post, Hofmann insisted that Microsoft’s team “focus on exploring the capabilities that models like Muse need to effectively support human creatives.”

“I look forward to seeing the many ways in which the community will explore these models and build on our research,” Hofmann continued. “I cannot wait to see all the ways that these models and subsequent research will help shape and increase our understanding of how generative AI models of human gameplay may support gameplay ideation and pave the way for future, novel, AI-based game experiences, including the use cases that our colleagues at Xbox have already started to explore.”

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.

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake Is on Sale for Up to 23% Off

Presidents’ Day video game deals may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some worthy discounts to check out. If you’ve had Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on your radar to add to your collection of physical games, we’ve got good news: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake for Xbox, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch is on sale right now at Amazon.

Each copy has varying discounts, though. The Xbox Series X version is currently 23% off, dropping its price to $45.99, the Nintendo Switch version is 16% off, dropping its price to $50.40, and the PlayStation 5 version is 9% off with a price tag of $54.50. Regardless of the price, though, we consider this game a “shining example of how to remake a classic RPG” in our review, so pick it up at a discount for your collection today.

Save up to 23% on Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

IGN’s Logan Plant has plenty of praise for this game in our Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake review. He explains that, “It spruces up the 36-year-old original with great quality-of-life improvements that enhance the journey without unrecognizably transforming it, along with a beautiful new coat of paint that proves Dragon Quest and the HD-2D art style are a perfect match.”

If you’re on the hunt for even more gaming deals, have a look at our roundups of the best Nintendo Switch deals, the best Xbox deals, and the best PlayStation deals. In each of these we’ve gathered up our favorite discounts at the moment across video games, hardware, and accessories so you can save some cash while stocking up on excellent items for your preferred platform. It’s also worth checking out our breakdown of the best video game deals for an overall look at the best offers for each console.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Xbox Game Pass February 2025 Wave 2 Lineup Confirmed

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass February 2025 Wave 2 lineup, which kicked off with Obsidian entertainment’s single-player fantasy role-playing game Avowed on February 18.

On February 20, EA Sports F1 24 (Cloud, Console, and PC) hits Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on EA Play. IGN’s F1 24 review returned a 7/10. We said: “In isolation, F1 24 remains a slick, deep, and marvellous motorsports experience, but it’s hard to argue it’s essential for returning players.”

Also on February 20, the well-received Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) enters Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Standard. “Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an isometric RPG by Owlcat Games, set in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium,” reads the official blurb. “As a powerful Rogue Trader, you command a starship, assemble a crew, and explore the Imperium, making fateful decisions in tactical, turn-based combat.” IGN’s Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader review returned an 8/10.

Here’s a big one: on February 25, Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs: Legion (Cloud, Console, and PC) hits Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Standard. “Explore a massive urban open world featuring London’s many iconic landmarks and fun side activities where you can recruit (and play as) anyone. Everyone you see has a unique backstory, personality, and skill set for unique situations. Team up with your friends to complete new four-player co-op missions and PvP matches online.” IGN’s Watch Dogs: Legion review returned an 8/10.

Xbox Game Pass February 2025 Wave 2 lineup

  • EA Sports F1 24 (Cloud, Console, and PC) EA Play – February 20
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
  • Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – February 20
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
  • Watch Dogs: Legion (Cloud, Console, and PC) – February 25
    Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard

As usual, a number of games leave Game Pass this month as new games enter the subscription. You can use your membership discount to save up to 20% on your purchase to keep a game in your library.

Leaving Xbox Game Pass on February 28

  • F1 22 (Console and PC) EA Play
  • Gris (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Maneater (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • PAW Patrol World (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Space Engineers (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Wo Long Fallen Dynasty (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Yakuza 3 Remastered (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Yakuza 4 Remastered (Cloud, Console, and PC)

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.

Activision’s Costly Call of Duty Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Crossover Has Some Players Saying Black Ops 6 Should Just Go Free-to-Play at This Point

Call of Duty’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover looks set to cost up to $90’s worth of COD Points in order to obtain all the items — and the community is now saying Activision should just make Black Ops 6 free-to-play at this point.

Activision unveiled the Black Ops 6 Season 02 Reloaded content coming to the shooter on February 20, and detailed the mid-season Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover in the process.

Each of the four turtles (Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael) has their own premium bundle. Based on previous collaborations, these bundles are expected to cost 2,400 COD Points, or $19.99, each. So, if you want all four turtles you face the prospect of handing over $80’s worth of COD Points.

But that’s not all. As it did with the controversial Squid Game crossover, Activision has created a premium event pass for the Turtles crossover, which costs 1,100 COD Points / $10. This includes a number of eye-catching cosmetics, chief among them Splinter. Again, there is no other way of getting Splinter than paying the $10 for the premium track of the event pass. The free track includes two Foot Clan soldier skins, among other cosmetics.

As many have pointed out, the Turtles crossover is heavy on the cosmetics but does not feature gameplay affecting items. No-one has to buy any or all of it to compete in Black Ops 6 multiplayer. And there are many within the community saying it’s easy to ignore Call of Duty crossovers like the Turtles one and leave those willing to spend more to it.

But that hasn’t stopped some players within the community from criticizing Activision once again for the high cost of these cosmetics, and are saying this second ever Call of Duty premium event pass suggests Black Ops 6 is now being monetized as if it were a free-to-play game like Fortnite.

“Activision casually glossing over the fact that they want you to pay $80+ if you want the 4 Turtles, plus another $10+ if you want the TMNT event pass rewards,” redditor II_JangoFett_II said. “Call of Duty’s Gross greed strikes again… DESPICABLE!”

“Guess we can expect an event pass sold every season now,” Hipapitapotamus suggested. “Remember when events were good and got you cool universal camos for free.”

“The Turtles don’t use guns,” APensiveMonkey declared. “Their fingers wouldn’t even… I hate this…”

It’s worth going into more detail on how Activision monetizes Black Ops 6. Each season brings with it a new battle pass, the base version of which costs 1,100 COD Points / $9.99. There’s an extra premium version of the battle pass, called BlackCell, which costs $29.99 (you can’t buy this one with COD Points). Then there is a constant stream of cosmetics available to buy from the store. The Turtles crossover, with its premium event pass, is on top of all this.

“So they expect the playerbase to buy the game itself, buy the battle pass/black cell and now this? Na that’s too much,” PunisherR35 added. “If this is gonna be the norm moving forward, CoD needs to move to a FTP model (campaign, MP).”

In truth, Activision’s aggressive monetization of Call of Duty is nothing new. It’s just that the new premium event pass, which made its debut with Black Ops 6’s Squid Game crossover, has pushed some fans over the edge. And as has been pointed out many times before, the standardized monetization across the $70 Black Ops 6 and the free-to-play battle royale Warzone does Black Ops 6 no favors. What might be acceptable for Warzone given it’s free-to-play isn’t necessarily acceptable for Black Ops 6, given it costs $70 just to be able to play Multiplayer.

And that’s where the calls for Black Ops 6 Multiplayer to go free-to-play come from. With each new microtransaction Call of Duty Multiplayer feels more and more like Fortnite, Apex Legends, Marvel Rivals, and of course Warzone.

Activision and parent company Microsoft will of course stick to its guns, given Call of Duty’s incredible popularity. Black Ops 6 was the biggest Call of Duty launch ever, and set a new single day Game Pass subscription record. Sales on PlayStation and Steam jumped 60% compared to 2023’s Modern Warfare 3. Clearly, Call of Duty is doing the business for Activision and new owner Microsoft, which the financial officers will no doubt be delighted with given the Xbox maker paid an eye-watering $69 billion for the company.

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.

Team Fortress 2 Modders Rejoice as Valve Releases Full Client and Server Game Code

Surprise! Valve’s just released a massive update to the Source SDK, adding “all” the Team Fortress 2 client and server game code.

Valve said the update lets players build entirely new games from its source code, and unlike Steam Workshop or local content mods, it gives modders access to change, extend, and even rewrite Team Fortress in pretty much any way imaginable.

You won’t be able to sell anything you make with it — which means any mods or spin-off content will have to be released for free on a non-commercial basis — but creations can be published on the Steam Store, “appearing as new games in the Steam game list.”

“Players have a lot of investment in their TF2 inventories, and Steam Workshop contributors have created a lot of that content,” Valve explained via a blog post. “The majority of items in the game now are thanks to the hard work of the TF2 community.

“To respect that, we’re asking TF2 mod makers continue to respect that connection, and to not make mods that have the purpose of trying to profit off Workshop contributors’ efforts. We’re hoping that many mods will continue to allow players access their TF2 inventory, if this makes sense for the mod.”

Valve also added that it was making “a big update” to all its multiplayer back-catalog Source engine titles, too, adding 64-bit binary support, scalable HUD/UI, prediction fixes, and “a lot of other improvements” to not only TF2, but also DoD:S, HL2:DM, CS:S, and HLDM:S.

Back in December, after seven long years, The Team Fortress 2 comic released its seventh and final update. The comics have not only been a great place for fans to uncover new information about their favorite characters and stories, but they’re also a testament to Valve’s own continuing interest in one of its oldest series.

Image credit: Valve.

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Pokémon Go Developer Niantic Reportedly in Talks to Sell Video Game Business to Saudi-Owned Company Behind Stumble Guys

Pokémon Go developer Niantic is reportedly in talks to sell its video game division to Saudi-owned Scopely for $3.5 billion.

As first reported by Bloomberg, the sale would likely include Pokémon Go, the hit augmented-reality mobile game that sends players out into the real world to collect Pokémon.

A source talking to Bloomberg under the promise of anonymity said that while the deal was by no means complete, if approved, it could be confirmed in a matter of weeks.

Neither Niantic, Scopely, nor its owner Savvy Games Group were prepared to comment publicly on the reported acquisition.

Savvy Games Group acquired Scopely back in April 2023 in a deal worth $4.9 billion that came after the Saudi Arabia government said it wanted to buy “a leading games publisher.” Scopely publishes a range of hit mobile titles, most notably The Walking Dead: Road to Survival, Stumble Guys, Marvel Strike Force, and Monopoly Go.

Savvy Gaming Group also purchased two of the world’s biggest esports companies, ESL and FACEIT, for a total of $1.5 billion in 2022.

“Savvy Games Group is one part of our ambitious strategy aiming to make Saudi Arabia the ultimate global hub for the games and esports sector by 2030,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz said at the time.

“We are harnessing the untapped potential across the esports and games sector to diversify our economy, drive innovation in the sector, and further scale the entertainment and esports competition offerings across the Kingdom.”

Vikki Blake. Reporter. Critic. Columnist. Consultant. Guardian. Spartan. Silent Hillian. Legend. High Chaos.

Marvel Rivals Director and Entire Seattle Design Team Laid Off, NetEase Tells Fans Not to Worry About the Game

Marvel Rivals developer NetEase has confirmed cuts to its Seattle-based design team for “organizational reasons.”

Overnight, Marvel Rivals game director Thaddeus Sasser took to LinkedIn to announce that he and his team were laid off.

“This is such a weird industry,” Sasser began. “My stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games…

“…and were just laid off!

“Oh well! Times are tough all over – Let’s find these incredible people new jobs, because we all need to eat, right? :D”

The video game development community reacted with a mix of shock and anger to the cuts, given Marvel Rivals’ explosive success. The free-to-play hero shooter has seen over 20 million downloads since launch in December, and huge peak concurrent player numbers on Steam.

According to Sasser’s LinkedIn profile, his team focused on game and level design work for Marvel Rivals, “offering guidance, strategy, and design direction over the last couple of years.”

NetEase issued IGN a statement confirming the layoffs, but failed to specify how many people were cut.

“We recently made the difficult decision to adjust Marvel Rivals’ development team structure for organizational reasons and to optimize development efficiency for the game,” NetEase said.

“This resulted in a reduction of a design team based in Seattle that is part of a larger global design function in support of Marvel Rivals. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of those affected and will be treating them confidentially and respectfully with recognition for their individual contributions.”

But NetEase was keen to stress that the layoffs won’t impact ongoing support for Marvel Rivals, whose primary development team is based in China.

“We want to reassure our fanbase that the core development team for Marvel Rivals, which continues to be led by Lead Producer Weicong Wu and Game Creative Director Guangyun Chen in Guangzhou, China, remains fully committed to delivering an exceptional experience,” NetEase continued.

“We are investing more, not less, into the evolution and growth of this game. We’re excited to deliver new super hero characters, maps, features, and content to ensure an engaging live service experience for our worldwide player base.”

This is the latest round of layoffs at NetEase, which has pulled back from a number of overseas investments and closed studios in the U.S. and Japan, including Visions of Mana developer Ouka Studios. In November, Worlds Untold, headed by Mass Effect alumni Mac Walters, announced a pause of operations after a split with publisher NetEase. And in January it cut Jar of Sparks, founded by Halo and Destiny 2 veteran Jerry Hook in 2022.

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.