“Faithfully crafted under official license from HBO and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad is a blockbuster story-driven action-adventure RPG that invites players to step into the immersive world of Westeros,” Netmarble said, dropping the previous MMO (massively multiplayer online) messaging.
“In Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, you will embark on a journey to restore your house’s legacy, forging alliances through trials and betrayals while navigating a realm rife with intrigue, danger, and opportunity. The game’s original storyline expands on that of the legendary TV series, allowing you to forge your own path amidst the power struggles of noble houses and the looming threat of what lies beyond the Wall.”
Players can choose from three classes: the knight, sellsword, or assassin. Each “offers a distinct playstyle inspired by the archetypes seen in Game of Thrones.”
The knight class uses a longsword and has “a sophisticated fighting style,” the sellsword uses a battle axe and has a “brutal fighting style,” and the assassin “employs agile and precise attacks” while dual-wielding daggers.
Little else has been said about Game of Thrones: Kingsroad despite it being revealed in 2022, but Netmarble will likely begin sharing more and more as its 2025 release draws closer.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
It’s official: The Game Awards named Astro Bot as 2024’s Game of the Year. This delightful game absolutely deserves the recognition, and if you’ve been hoping to pick it up there’s no better time than now. It currently has a $10 discount at several different retailers, dropping its price to $50 (see here at Amazon).
Speaking of our Astro Bot review, IGN’s Simon Cardy had high praise for this game. He said that Astro Bot is a “collection of endlessly inventive levels and fantastically fun abilities, it delivers joy in spades, never once becoming even remotely dull or repetitive. And while you don’t need a long history with Sony systems to enjoy it, it is especially a delight for those with a piece of PlayStation in their heart as a treasure trove full of playable nostalgia awaits.”
Astro Bot even got a free expansion recently called Winter Wonder, which is a very nice little bonus for shoppers. According to the PlayStation Blog post from Nicolas Doucet, Studio Director at Team Asobi, “You will need to have completed the game for this special update to appear. Since we want it to remain a little surprise, we will not say too much, but you should expect a fun-filled level with shiny presents, a good dose of jingle bells, and brand-new special bots to add to your crew!”
This new level is a great way to spend the holidays, so take advantage of this Astro Bot deal while it’s still live. If you’re looking for even more game deals, there are plenty to take advantage of right now alongside Astro Bot. Have a look through our roundups of the best PlayStation deals today, the best Xbox deals today, and the best Nintendo Switch deals to see the latest highlights.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
Ryu Ga Gotoku revealed Project Century at The Game Awards 2024 last night and Yakuza / Like a Dragon fans are already deep in the theorizing phase to figure out what the heck it actually is.
Some fans believe Project Century is directly connected to RGG Studio’s other games by being set in Kamurocho, the fictional version of Tokyo’s red light district at the center of the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series. While its streets are obviously a far cry from the modern metropolis that is Tokyo today, a certain building seen in the trailer looks similar to a prominent location in Kamurocho.
“I saw a building that looked like Shangri-la at the start of the trailer,” Reddit user Jenkitten165 said, referencing the one at the bottom-left of the street in the image on the left, below. Shangri-La, a brothel which has appeared in various states across several Yakuza / Like a Dragon games, is on the right.
There are differences, of course, but the shape of the building, its position on the street, the large front door, and the balcony directly above it all match. Shangri-La is also a distinctively older looking building than most in Kamurocho.
If it is in fact Shangri-La, this would make the main street seen in the Project Century trailer East Taihei Boulevard, just along the road from where the Millenium Tower now stands and the home of Kobuki Drugs.
Details are still slim on Project Century but it seems similar in style to the Yakuza / Like a Dragon games, with lots of street fights and, well, actual yakuza walking around. Sticking to this theme would therefore make Tokyo’s red light district, once again, a perfect setting for Project Century.
Is Project Century a Yakuza / Like a Dragon game?
This raises the question of canon, as while Project Century is set in 1915 and therefore 90 years before Yakuza 1, it could still be set in the same universe and timeline. The Yakuza / Like a Dragon series time hops plenty already, with prequel Yakuza 0 going back to 1988 and some cutscenes going back decades earlier.
Yakuza gangs were active during this time period too, so despite its much earlier presence it could easily be about the Japanese underworld. The main family in the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series, the Tojo Clan, has never had its origins explored either, perhaps presenting an opportunity to do so here.
Project Century could still be set within the Yakuza / Like a Dragon canon without technically being a Yakuza / Like a Dragon game, however. RGG Studio has done this before with Judgement and Lost Judgement, a series set within the same world but featuring (mostly) different characters and a different story.
Some fans even think it’s linked to Judgement directly. “Genuinely think it may be Judgement: Isshin,” said crazyred88 on Reddit. Like a Dragon: Isshin is the somewhat confusingly non-canon Yakuza / Like a Dragon game that is essentially a piece of historical fiction featuring characters from the modern setting games.
But is the protagonist of Project Century, presumably the man we see beating up baddies in the trailer, an alternate history version of Takayuki Yagami from the Judgement series? The trailer only shows a single shot of his face, so it’s still hard to say, but some fans certainly think so.
Other theories exist too, of course, with the most common comparison being made between the protagonist and the actor who played protagonist Kiryu Kazuma in the 2007 live action adaptation of Yakuza / Like a Dragon, Kazuki Kitamura.
“He looks like Kazuki Kitamura, who played Kiryu in the first movie,” said SomeChunkyMilk on Reddit. “He’s my guess. The nose and the hair look pretty damn similar.” FarEast_Frez chimed in too: “He’s quite tall as well, which would probably help with the mocap since the character looked quite tall.”
This would mean he wasn’t Yagami, of course, who’s played by Takuya Kimura. Like a Dragon: Isshin previously brought over all the characters one for one, with the same models and voice actors and so on, so this would dissuade the Judgement Isshin theory.
Others, again, point to a completely fresh character though: the founding member of the Tojo Clan. ” I wonder if it’s the first Tojo patriarch, the one who takes Kamurocho under his control and establishes the family, then later the Tojo Clan,” said Hold-My-Sake on Reddit. “Dude if this is legit the progenitor of the Tojo Clan I will actually eat a shoe,” added Terrible_Guidance599.
Is Project Century a Dragon Engine game?
Whoever he is, the protagonist of Project Century is much more violent than the likes of Kiryu or Yagami. Despite having beaten up thousands of people and taken down helicopters with rocket launchers and so on, Kiryu has officially never killed someone. The same can’t be said after 90 seconds of this new protagonist, who’s stabbing baddies with crowbars and ripping out their innards.
This is notable for other reasons though; the current Dragon Engine has so far been used to create Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, Judgement, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Lost Judgement, Like a Dragon: Ishin, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and the upcoming Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, for a total of 11 games over eight years.
Fans are debating whether Project Century is, or is not, a Dragon Engine game. “It’s like they pushing the Dragon engine to its limit, even for RGG standard this is insane,” Reddit user honoyom said, but was refuted by AnyImpression6 who thought it was Unreal Engine 5.
Others pointed out that Project Century is already reusing animations from other RGG Studio games though, something that’s fairly common practice. “Like four of the combat animations are straight from the other games too,” said AppealToReason16. “I knew it was an RGG game before the name reveal at that first movement.”
RGG Studio does make clear the trailer footage is pre-alpha, however, meaning very early in development. RGG Studio has otherwise made clear it favors the Dragon Engine for its ability to produce a realistic atmosphere for cities at night time. It could therefore make sense that, for Project Century, which doesn’t feature the bright lights of modern day Tokyo, RGG Studio would be more comfortable stepping away from the Dragon Engine in favor of something more technologically advanced.
Fans will just have to wait patiently for answers to all of these questions. Project Century is probably still a while away given it doesn’t have a title yet, and RGG Studio is currently developing Virtua Fighter 6 and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii alongside Project Century.
It is known for its unbelievably speedy development times, however. In the last five years, for example, its released Yakuza 4 Remastered, Yakuza 5 Remastered, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Judgment Remastered, Lost Judgment, Like a Dragon: Ishin, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, alongside three Super Monkey Ball Games and an enhanced remaster of Virtua Fighter 5. That’s 12 games in total.
In our 9/10 review of the last RGG Studio release, IGN said: “Sprawling, enthralling, and packed with dynamic brawling, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth isn’t just the best turn-based Like a Dragon game, it’s one of the greatest games in the entire series.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
If you watched The Witcher 4’s debut trailer during The Game Awards 2024, you’ll have heard a line of dialogue that sounded very much like it was coming from previous protagonist Geralt: “Time for a new saga. See you on the path.”
IGN can confirm that Geralt is indeed in The Witcher 4, and that is indeed the voice of veteran Geralt voice actor Doug Cockle. Confirmation comes from CD Projekt itself, which told IGN: “Geralt will appear in the game, but we don’t want to spoil his role precisely. You’ll have to wait to learn more for now.”
So, how can Geralt appear in The Witcher 4 after The witcher 3 left the character in semi-retirement at his vineyard in Toussaint? In an interview with IGN ahead of the reveal of The Witcher 4, CD Projekt franchise and lore designers Cian Maher and Marcin Batylda explained how the already established timeline of events makes it make sense.
“I mean Geralt will probably be around for a long time to the extent that in Season of Storms, the prequel novel that takes place actually before Geralt attends that banquet we mentioned earlier on, there is an epilogue in that book,” Maher explained.
“It takes place in a place called Magpie Forest in 1373, 101 years after The Witcher 3. And in that epilogue there is a certain white-haired witcher hunting a monster who remains unnamed, but who behaves in a certain way and obviously he has white hair. So by which I mean I think we can expect Geralt to be around for a long time. The capacity in which he does is, we’ll see, but I don’t think he’s going anywhere.”
“I don’t actually know if that’s true now because they came back and they went, ‘We haven’t put anything out there, don’t say anything,’ ” Cockle said, before adding: “The truth is I can’t answer the question because I’ve signed an NDA. So even if I did know, I’d have to lie to you.”
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.
FromSoftware surprised everyone at The Game Awards 2024 last night with the reveal of co-op spin-off Elden Ring Nightreign, but if that’s not shocking enough, it also features bosses from Dark Souls.
Their appearances will be limited, Ishizaki said, as they represent creatures that have strayed into this twisted version of Limgrave from other universes. While he only mentioned Dark Souls, this theoretically opens the door for other FromSoftware games such as Demon’s Souls, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and, dare we say it, Bloodborne to cameo.
Elden Ring Nightreign drops up to three players into a condensed version of Limgrave from the main Elden Ring and tasks them with surviving. Enemies and structures are procedurally generated to allow for a varied experience, with players encouraged to battle to grow stronger and survive the night, when a boss appears.
Cardy and Matt had the pleasure of visiting CD Projekt Red ahead of The Witcher 4’s reveal at The Game Awards 2024. On this special bonus episode, they speak about what they learned from talking to the studio, and what might be in store for Ciri. The IGN UK Podcast will return for an extra episode on Monday where we’ll discuss all of the other reveals from Geoff’s Big Night.
Remember to send us your thoughts about all the new games, TV shows, and films you’re enjoying or looking forward to: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.
Astro Bot is the winner of Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024, taking home the prize in a category that also included Balatro, Black Myth Wukong, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Baldur’s Gate 3 director Swen Vincke, who won last year’s GOTY, presented this year’s award, saying that it “changed his life.” He also joked, “Should you be told to wrap it up, you can always come back and chat for three minutes.”
Team Asobi studio head Nicolas Doucet thanked his development team and PlayStation for believing in Astro, and also paid tribute to Nintendo, recalling how he played Super Mario Bros as a child. He also offered a nod toward 30 years of PlayStation history, which formed the foundation of Astro Bot’s gameplay.
Astro Bot was one of the biggest winners of the night, taking home a total of four awards in categories including Best Family Game and Best Game Direction. Other notable winners included Metaphor: ReFantazio, which won Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, and Best RPG, and Balatro, which one Best Indie and Best Debut Indie.
In addition to the winners, The Game Awards contained its customary array of trailers, including first reveals for Witcher 4, a new Elden Ring game, Okami 2, and Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic. We have tons of follow-up coverage on the site, including deep dives into both Elden Ring Nightreign and Witcher 4 and lots more.
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.
No Man’s Sky developer Hello Games has announced it’s publishing the next game from Ghost Town Games, the studio behind indie hit Overcooked.
Announced at The Game Awards 2024, Stage Fright is a two-player couch co-op game that can also be played online. Think Luigi’s Mansion meets Overcooked with a really charming story, Hello Games said. Expect Overcooked-style chaotic moments mixed with escape room-style co-op. The setting is “magical and spooky,” Hello Games added.
So why is Hello Games, already busy continuing to support No Man’s Sky and working on the upcoming Light No Fire, adding to its slate with publishing? “Hello Games has a bunch of experience we can lend behind the scenes, support we can give, but if we’re honest it really appeals to us to have fun working with a bunch of creative people we just love spending time with,” the studio said. “When we played an early version of Stage Fright we got the same buzz as we had with Overcooked all those years ago, it’s just something we wanted to be involved in.”
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.
Yakuza / Like a Dragon developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has revealed Project Century at The Game Awards 2024, a new action game set in 1915 with some absolutely fantastic vibes.
Despite a pretty lengthy trailer, we don’t actually know much about what Project Century is. It looks kind of like a classic Yakuza action game, with a tough guy protagonist walking around what we probably can safely assume is Japan, beating people up. But this is much gorier than we’re used to seeing, the protagonist seems to be a mystery man we haven’t met before, and the Japan we’re exploring seems to have some sort of alt-history stuff going on? Neat!
The developer is known for juggling multiple games at once, as in the last five years, for example, RGG Studio has released Yakuza 4 Remastered, Yakuza 5 Remastered, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Judgment Remastered, Lost Judgment, Like a Dragon: Ishin, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, alongside three Super Monkey Ball Games and an enhanced remaster of Virtua Fighter 5. That’s 12 games in total.
In our 9/10 review of the last RGG Studio release, IGN said: “Sprawling, enthralling, and packed with dynamic brawling, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth isn’t just the best turn-based Like a Dragon game, it’s one of the greatest games in the entire series.”
CD Projekt has explained why it went with Ciri as protagonist for The Witcher 4 instead of continuing with Geralt as the main character.
The Witcher 4, just revealed at The Game Awards 2024 with a debut trailer, is the first in a new trilogy of Witcher games set after the events of The Witcher 3.
Speaking exclusively to IGN ahead of the reveal, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga said Ciri was “the very organic, logical choice.”
“It was always about her, starting from Saga when you read it in the books. She’s an amazing, layered character. And of course, as a protagonist we said goodbye to Geralt previously. So this is a continuation. I guess for all of us it’s like she was meant to be. That was always her.”
Game director Sebastian Kalemba added that because Ciri is younger than Geralt, players will have more freedom to define her character in a way they couldn’t with Geralt. This also affords the developers more space to explore her character.
“She’s actually about to become the Witcher,” Kalemba explained. “She’s about to actually form her own codex, but on her own terms. The way she actually deals with the monsters, the way she deals with quests, the adventures, it’s her own unique way. And also I think that she gives more room to be able to tell different stories here and there. Of course, we want to give the opportunity for the player to explore more nuance because this is what we do. But she deserves that.”
Both Mitręga and Kalemba acknowledged a potential backlash from some corners of the internet at Ciri’s role as protagonist in The Witcher 4, but both insisted Ciri was always going to be the game’s main character.
“There was an intention behind this choice,” Kalemba said. “It was far from roulette. It wasn’t random. I remember we had discussions nine years ago, we were talking about who’s next? The very, very instant answer was Ciri. There are many reasons behind that. We’ve already mentioned a few. But she really deserves a stage and we want players to really experience her story because she has so much to tell, so much to prove. The amount of challenges that are in front of her give us so much amazing energy and fuel to create an epic saga that we had no choice but to go with it. We all felt that this is the way. I believe this is the super right choice.”
We’ve got plenty more exclusive content on The Witcher 4, including a trailer breakdown and an interview with CD Projekt where the developer explains why The Witcher 4 will avoid a Cyberpunk 2077-style launch disaster.
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.
