Category: IGN

The biggest leak in gaming history took over the internet last week. Much of the information — revealed from the FTC and Microsoft’s own court submissions — detailed Xbox’s plans for 2024 and beyond, including a new console planned to launch next year. However, this may not be the console many expected.

As detailed in the leaks, Xbox’s next console is focused on what Microsoft calls an ‘All Digital Future’ and the refreshed, discless, Xbox Series X — code-named ‘Brooklin’ — is not a Pro console like the Xbox One X mid-gen refresh. Instead, it’s more like the previous slim re-designs we have seen in prior generations – think Xbox 360 Slim, not PS4 Pro. It makes sense though, as it better aligns with the Game Pass and a cloud-based future Microsoft has long been steering us towards.

Adorably Digital Dimensions

One thing the new console is definitely not is a slim version of the X, at least from the visuals shown so far anyway. It’s not significantly smaller than the current ‘Tower of Power’ Series X, although it is less ‘edgy’ – not in a ’90s attitude kinda way, but rather its cylindrical shape and the same external vents at the top.

Furthermore, we examined the leaks extensively and discovered the following conclusions based on Xbox’s own internal roadmap. On the technical side, a new USB-C front port has been added, which will likely increase the port’s speed over the current model. SSD storage is also doubled thanks to a 2TB internal drive, meaning you can download and play even more games than the current model.

Three years after Xbox and CD Projekt Red partnered to release a limited edition, Cyberpunk 2077-themed Xbox One X console, many of those who bought it are beginning to regret the purchase. Why? Because they’re still waiting, years later, for any information at all regarding a refund for the recent Cyberpunk 2077 DLC release: Phantom Liberty, which was originally supposed to be in the bundle.

Back in 2020, CD Projekt Red and Xbox partnered to offer a limited edition, Cyberpunk 2077-themed Xbox One X console for sale. The $400, 1TB console came with a Cyberpunk-themed controller, a digital copy of Cyberpunk 2077, a one-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial, and was promised to also include the “future first expansion release” per a Best Buy listing. Supposedly only 45,000 were manufactured; it was the last limited edition Xbox One X version to be released.

However, in 2022, CD Projekt announced that it was concluding development on the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Cyberpunk 2077, and that Phantom Liberty would not be released on those platforms. In a blog post, the studio promised that those who had purchased the limited edition console would be reimbursed with Microsoft store credits for a portion of their purchase to make up for the missing DLC. However, one year later and with the DLC out in the world, these console owners are still wondering where the reimbursement is.

Multiple Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) posts over the last few days, weeks, and months have expressed confusion as to the status of these refunds. Several individuals claimed they had gone to customer support for both Microsoft and CD Projekt, but said that both sides seemed to be washing their hands of the situation by redirecting them to the other company for assistance. And while many users have rightfully pointed out that the DLC was still awarded to the Xbox account attached to the console and thus would be available on a Series S or X console, that doesn’t do much good for anyone who doesn’t have a Series S or X to begin with.

IGN reached out to CD Projekt for comment, and was told that Microsoft would be reaching out to customers who purchased the limited edition console “soon,” but received no further details. We’ve also reached out to Microsoft for more clarity, and will update upon hearing back.

It is too bad that Phantom Liberty never made it to the last generation, because according to our reviewer, it’s pretty good – a 9/10 that “completes an immense turnaround for CD Projekt Red’s future RPG.”

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Blizzard Entertainment has announced today that Chris Metzen, former creative lead on multiple World of Warcraft expansions, is moving into a full time position as executive creative director on the Warcraft franchise once again.

pic.twitter.com/Nemf5s6NDM

— World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) September 26, 2023

“We are excited to share that Chris Metzen has taken on a full-time role as executive creative director of the Warcraft universe,” the statement reads. “Right now, his main focus is supporting our World of Warcraft leadership in crafting the next generation of adventures.”

Metzen has played a key role in the Warcraft franchise since its very beginning on WarCraft 1, going on to work on all three WarCraft games and serving as creative director on the original World of Warcraft and its subsequent expansions, including the celebrated Wrath of the Lich King, through Mists of Pandaria. He took on a smaller role in Legion while also working as creative director on Overwatch in 2016 before departing the company entirely to start a tabletop gaming venture. He returned to Blizzard late last year in a “creative advisor” role.

The language of Blizzard’s announcement puts Metzen not just in charge of the creative direction of World of Warcraft, but of the whole Warcraft franchise. While World of Warcraft has been its primary pillar in recent years, there have been signs that Blizzard is keen to explore other options. It recently remade WarCraft 3, and released a Warcraft mobile tower defense game last year as well. Blizzard’s reference to the “next generation of adventures” could simply imply more World of Warcraft expansions, but it’s possible the company has something entirely new in mind for the franchise under Metzen’s guidance.

World of Warcraft itself is currently midway through its ninth expansion, Dragonflight, with fans currently expecting the next major patch sometime before the end of the year. We gave Dragonflight a 7/10 at launch, saying it was “a sharply-written and breathtaking experience for the first few dozen hours, but suffers from somewhat threadbare endgame options.”

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

CD Projekt has disabled Cyberpunk 2077 mods today, September 26, to ensure they don’t clash with content added in Phantom Liberty and disrupt the playing experience for PC players.

A message on CD Projekt Red’s support account on X informed Steam and Epic Games players that their versions of the game would automatically disable mods. The developer confirmed those who absolutely want to use mods can still reactivate them, but they do so at their own risk.

“We wanted to let you know that mods will be automatically disabled for the launch of Phantom Liberty,” CD Projekt said. “This is to prevent issues with the game that are caused by mods before they receive their update from the modding community. We want to make sure you have the best experience when playing the game.”

Attention all Steam and Epic players!

We wanted to let you know that mods will be automatically disabled for the launch of #PhantomLiberty. This is to prevent issues with the game that are caused by mods before they receive their update from the modding community. We want to…

— CD PROJEKT RED CS (@CDPRED_Support) September 25, 2023

CD Projekt Red didn’t mention if mods will be disabled when launching Cyberpunk 2077 through its own GOG Galaxy launcher, though the situation is likely the same. It’s also unclear if the ability to install mods will be turned back on later, though it likely will as CD Projekt is otherwise very supportive of the modding community and released official mod support for Cyberpunk 2077.

The game-changing Update 2.0, which arrived just a few days ahead of Phantom Liberty, completely revamped Cyberpunk 2077 with features such as a new perk system and improved AI. It also brought closure to an Elon Musk fan theory, a reference to the late racing legend Ken Block, and bizarre additions to the game’s biggest mystery.

All this caused a spike in Cyberpunk 2077’s popularity on Steam, a number that’s all but guaranteed to grow further as players get their hands on Phantom Liberty.

In our 9/10 review of the expansion, IGN said: “Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty completes an immense turnaround for CD Projekt Red’s future RPG kickstarted with the anime spin-off, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and its latest 2.0 Update.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

13 years after the launch of its predecessor, Alan Wake 2 finally continues the story of gaming’s favourite haunted novelist. But the sequel is expanding more than just Alan’s tale. This game is the third entry in the Remedy Connected Universe, an idea that will see the Finnish studio’s works overlap, connect, and influence each other.

For IGN First we spoke to Sam Lake, creative director of Alan Wake 2 and Remedy’s beloved storyteller, to learn more about the Remedy Connected Universe and how the studio’s games have always been linked in weird and interesting ways.

Remedy Entertainment has been in business since 1995 and has created five different worlds over the years. But while this new connected universe will unite Remedy’s games, not everything the studio has made will be included.

“It is very clearly Alan Wake and Control, because they are Remedy’s own IPs,” Lake explains. “Quantum Break and Max Payne, out of our earlier games, are something that we do not have or control, so they are not really part of this.”

“Looking back to before we had the Universe established, we do love to put Easter eggs and nods and winks and echoes of our previous works in,” Lake says. “So on that level we can kind of have fun with certain mentions [of our other games], but fundamentally Remedy Connected Universe as it is now [is] Control, Alan Wake. And certainly we have plans in the future to keep expanding this idea.”

As previously mentioned, Alan Wake 2 is the third game in this connected universe. But it’s also sort of the second. See, back when the original Alan Wake launched the idea of the RCU simply did not exist. Fast forward nine years, though, and Remedy released the first true Remedy Connected Universe game, which retrospectively reached back and claimed the events of Alan Wake.

“We officially announced and had [the Remedy Connected Universe] going with Control,” says Lake. “When you play Control, you come upon some Federal Bureau of Control investigations related to the events of Alan Wake, and that’s where we kind of established the idea that these exist in the same world.”

So while Control was the first RCU game, it was technically the second. Alan Wake and the weird events at Cauldron Lake became part of the story of Control. Remedy later doubled down on this with AWE; an expansion for Control that fully committed to making the two games part of the same world.

Control provided a new angle on the events of Alan Wake by filtering it through the perspective of the Federal Bureau of Control, an X-Files-like agency that deals with the paranormal. In Alan Wake 2, that perspective is flipped; we’ll see what it’s like to encounter this weird government department from the point of view of someone working outside of the Bureau. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Alan Wake 2 is about the FBC, but it will feature as much more than just a passing mention.

“I would say that [having FBC as part of Alan Wake 2 is] definitely more than an Easter egg,” Lake insists. “It is a crossover experience in [the] Remedy Connected Universe. FBC does play a key role. Their presence in the area… we have key characters related to that and tying into this. So it’s definitely more than an Easter egg.”

Remedy has always loved an elaborate Easter egg, though. Long before the RCU began, the studio played with the idea of connections between its games. In the first Alan Wake you can find a couple of manuscript pages from one of Alan’s famous Alex Casey novels. Casey is a hardboiled detective, a not-so-subtle nod to Remedy’s own Max Payne, the pill-popping hero of its previous games.

“There is almost like this metaphor of if you imagine Alan Wake as Remedy and his past works as the studio’s past works,” Lake explains. “There was this kind of meta amusement being had with, ‘Well of course it’s crime fiction and there is this kind of a hard-boiled detective figure.’”

To fully commit to the meta joke, Remedy had the manuscripts read by James McCaffrey, the voice actor who brought Max Payne to life.

“We were working with James [McCaffrey] in any case with Alan Wake, he was voicing Thomas Zane in the original one,” Lake recalls. “So it was not a big leap to go with, ‘Well let’s just have fun and have a couple of these pages and [have] Alex Casey voiced by James, because it’s fan service as well for our long standing fans.”

The rights to Max Payne are owned by Rockstar Games, and so Remedy was unable to include him in Alan Wake. But this fun nod to the studio’s breakout character established connective tissue between the games. Alex Casey isn’t Max Payne, but he sort of is.

For Alan Wake 2, Remedy could have left the joke behind. Who needs that meta layer when there are links to Control to have fun with? But, in a move that will delight long-term Remedy fans, Alex Casey isn’t just back, he’s one of the sequel’s central characters. But how is that possible when Alex Casey is a fictional character, created by the titular writer himself?

“[Alan Wake] can’t write and a lot of things follow from that,” explains Lake of his tortured protagonist. “So here, coming back to this and him being trapped in The Dark Place and being trapped in his own mind and not being able to break out, it felt like a natural idea to bring Casey back. This ghost refuses to be put to rest and it features in this story in various layered ways.”

Making Alex Casey a human presence has allowed Remedy to take its meta humour one leap further. The studio has not just invited James McCaffrey back to voice Casey, but it has also given him the face of Sam Lake.

Back in the late ‘90s when Remedy was making the original Max Payne, many of its characters were based on photographs of the development team. Lake, who was the project’s writer, provided his own face for his protagonist. And so by lending his likeness to Alex Casey, the joke has come full circle.

But Alan Wake 2 is more than just taking the Alex Casey joke to its furthest point. The story claims Casey and makes him more than just a nod back to Max Payne. He’s now a vital part of Alan’s journey.

“Kind of the whole starting point is twisted mirrors and echoes and what is real and what is imagined and these kinds of distortions,” says Lake. “It gave us a lot of liberty, of course, because the Alex Casey you meet here definitely isn’t Max Payne. There are a lot of aspects to this character or the versions of this character that you keep meeting. They are their own thing.”

The first version of Casey players will meet is the FBI partner of Saga Anderson, Alan Wake 2’s second protagonist. This Casey exists in the real world and is altogether more believable and less pulpy than the fictional detective that lives between the pages of Alan’s novels.

“This is kind of an older, more experienced, cynical, grumpy detective figure that I feel James [McCaffrey] with his voiceover brings to life really, really well,” says Lake. “[It] felt like just the right kind of a character to have this kind of back and forth between Saga.

“Saga having a happy family life and Casey being kind of disillusioned and complaining about his ex-wife, and this kind of a dynamic there going on, just felt like a delicious opportunity.”

But inside The Dark Place, the nightmare prison Alan Wake is trapped within, is another version of Alex Casey. And this much more exaggerated, hard-boiled vision of the character will be more than a little familiar to those who have danced the bullet-time ballet.

“With all of this history it just felt like it would’ve been a missed opportunity not to just have fun and play the character,” says Lake, who once again donned a leather jacket for the role. “And I loved it. It was a lot of fun. It was a big learning process, because way back then I was not really acting in any way in the first Max Payne game. It was just posing for photos and that’s it. That was my part, just finding the expressions. This time around we have evolved a lot and now it’s motion capture and performance capture and live action and actually acting face-to-face with these brilliant, awesome actors that we have.”

Meta jokes like Alex Casey are the early foundations upon which the Remedy Connected Universe has been built. But with the forged connection between Alan Wake and Control, the links are now more than just cheeky winks. These days Remedy is operating in the same realms as Marvel and DC, who have long experimented with connected universes in both comics and movies. But, of course, one of Remedy’s key inspirations for the RCU is not a gargantuan film studio. It’s a beloved horror writer.

“Obviously there are many different examples like, say, Stephen King,” notes Lake. “His works were definitely a big part of the inspiration for the original Alan Wake and he has this kind of a thing going as well. There are knots and references to other books and other characters in them.”

“I find it very exciting and as a creator and writer,” Lake continues. “I think that it gives very, very tasty opportunities of referring to and doing callbacks and adding extra layers of meaning, building this kind of a web.”

Of course, at this early stage Remedy is far, far away from the vast interconnected multiverse that powers King’s Dark Tower books and beyond.

“Remedy Connected Universe gives us a foundation for this kind of world and universe where the stories take place,” Lake says. “I feel that we are in very early steps with our universe.”

“They are exciting ideas. We are early on and we will keep building and let’s see where it takes us,” he adds.

We’re yet to see exactly how Control factors into Alan Wake 2. But, based on the stories that Remedy has told thus far, it’s clear to see how all that weirdness can interconnect and grow into fascinating, fun new adventures. And with multiple games in development at Remedy, including Control 2, I’m excited to watch the RCU grow and mature. With a bit of luck (and all that Remedy talent), it could potentially even become the most ambitious crossover event since That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.

CD Projekt has apologised for anti-Russian elements in the Ukrainian version of Cyberpunk 2077, which was released alongside the game-changing Update 2.0 ahead of Phantom Liberty’s launch on September 26.

As reported by PC Gamer, the Ukrainian localisation includes a handful of references to the Russo-Ukrainian War including the derogatory term “Rusnia” replacing the word “assholes” in one instance. CD Projekt said these “offensive” elements were not written by its staff and do not reflect its views.

“The release version of Ukrainian localization of Cyberpunk 2077 features elements of dialogues that can be considered offensive by Russian gamers,” CD Projekt Red said in Russian social media messages before providing IGN with an official statement in English. “These lines have not been written by CD Projekt Red staff and do not represent our views. We are working to produce correct lines and substitute them in the next update.”

Localisation project manager Mariia Strilchuk posted a follow-up statement on X, which CD Projekt has also provided to IGN in English. “I’d like to clarify regarding the corrections to the Ukrainian localization. They refer to the lines where the translation lost its original meaning, including certain references to the Russian-Ukrainian war. Our support to Ukraine remains unchanged, but we prefer to show it through positive actions.”

CD Projekt Red has previously been vocal about the war, halting game sales in Russia and donating one million Polish złoty to a humanitarian charity working in Ukraine. The Ukrainian version of Cyberpunk 2077 was localised by SBT Localisation, a Ukrainian company that’s previously worked on Baldur’s Gate 3 and Darkest Dungeon.

Cyberpunk 2077’s Ukrainian version also includes a reference to the famous line given in response to Russia demanding Ukraine’s Snake Island be surrendered: “Go f**k yourself in the same direction as the ship did.” A piece of graffiti also shows Ukraine’s coat of arms and the Crimean Tatars’ symbol over a rough map of Crimea.

It’s unclear exactly what elements CD Projekt Red will remove from Cyberpunk 2077’s Ukrainian version, and likely won’t be until the next update is released.

Update 2.0 otherwise completely revamped Cyberpunk 2077 with features such as a new perk system and improved AI. It also brought closure to an Elon Musk fan theory, a reference to the late racing legend Ken Block, and bizarre additions to the game’s biggest mystery.

All of this caused a spike in Cyberpunk 2077’s popularity on Steam, a number that’s all but guaranteed to grow further as players get their hands on Phantom Liberty.

In our 9/10 review of the expansion, IGN said: “Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty completes an immense turnaround for CD Projekt Red’s future RPG kickstarted with the anime spin-off, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and its latest 2.0 Update.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

As Payday 3’s matchmaking issues continue, its developer is looking into adding an offline mode.

Developer Starbreeze has seen Payday 3 suffer a disastrous launch, with severe online problems sparking a backlash from players. On Steam, the co-op heist shooter currently has a “mostly negative” user review rating. As of writing on September 26, more people are playing the decade old Payday 2 than Payday 3 on Valve’s platform.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has crossed the 10 million sales barrier, developer FromSoftware has announced.

Confirmation comes over four years after the ninja action game came out in March 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, courtesy of publisher Activision. A Google Stadia version came out a year later, in October 2020.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has officially hit 10 Million Units Sold-Through Globally! pic.twitter.com/LfzGPBV4nv

— Sekiro™: Shadows Die Twice (@sekirothegame) September 26, 2023

IGN’s Sekiro review returned a 9.5. “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a stylish, focused stealth-action take on the FromSoftware formula that evolves in a different and refreshing direction,” we said. “It may be a bit easier than a Souls game, but it’s something amazing all its own.”

Sekiro sold over two million copies within 10 days of launch, with five million sold by July 2020. That figure has now doubled in the three years since.

News of a new sales milestone for Sekiro over three years after the game came out has sparked thoughts of a potential sequel. FromSoftware never released DLC for Sekiro. Could it now be working on Sekiro 2?

Since Sekiro launched, FromSoftware released monster hit Elden Ring in 2022, and Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon in 2023. It has yet to announce any new games, although Elden Ring DLC is on the horizon.

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.

Sony has said it has launched an investigation after a ransomware group claimed to have breached the company’s systems.

Cyber Security Connect reported that a ransomware group calling itself Ransomed.vc claimed it had breached Sony Group and threatened to sell stolen data.

“We have successfully compromissed [sic] all of sony systems,” Ransomed.vc claimed on both on the clear and dark nets, as reported by Cyber Security Connect. “We won’t ransom them! We will sell the data. Due to Sony not wanting to pay. DATA IS FOR SALE.”

While the claims are unverified at this stage, Cyber Security Connect said Ransomed.vc posted proof-of-hack data that includes screenshots of an internal log-in page, an internal PowerPoint presentation outlining test bench details, and a number of Java files. There’s also a file tree of the entire leak, which appears to have less than 6,000 files. Cyber Security Connect described this cache of data as “small” relative to the “all of Sony systems” claim.

Ransomed.vc threatened to post the data on September 28 if no buyer is found beforehand.

In a statement issued to IGN, Sony said: “We are currently investigating the situation, and we have no further comment at this time.”

The news rekindles memories of the costly PlayStation Network hack of 2011, which saw the personal details of 77 million accounts accessed. PSN ended up offline for nearly a month, disrupting game launches and customer services.

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.