Ascendant Studios, the developer behind the recently released Immortals of Avenum, has laid off nearly half its staff. The news was first reported by Polygon, and confirmed by CEO Bret Robbins shortly after.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Robbins stated that 45% of the team had been laid off in a “difficult, but necessary” decision following the release of Immortals of Aveum. He added that the studio is supporting those impacted in “every way we can” including severance packages, job placement assistance, and support services for those who are still at the studio. He also indicates that those impacted were largely Unreal Engine 5 artists and engineers.
Polygon’s report indicates that this layoff impacted around 40 people total and was due to poor sales of Immortals of Aveum, and were necessary to keep the studio open. The game has seen fairly weak player counts on Steam since its launch just last month, and received mixed reviews from critics. Immortals of Aveum was touted in the lead-up to launch as a single-player, magic shooter from developers with experience on games like Dead Space, Halo, and Bioshock.
Though developed by Ascendant, Immortals of Aveum was published through EA’s EA Originals program, which has historically been a program for supporting indie games but has more recently been partnering with better-known names such as Koei Tecmo. One source told Polygon that Immortals of Aveum may have been one of the worst-selling EA Originals thus far.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
In the wake of revealing a new trailer and release date during today’s State of Play, Square Enix has revealed much more information about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, confirming that the anticipated follow-up to Final Fantasy VII Remake will feature a hefty 100 hours of gameplay.
Producer Yoshinori Kitase wrote a letter to fans on the game’s social media pages to promise a “vast world map” among a host of other details. He also teased what is arguably the original’s most famous moment by hinting that “fans are dying to see one scene in particular.”
Spoiler Warning: This article contains light spoilers for the original Final Fantasy VII and Remake.
To celebrate today’s announcements we’re sharing messages from the development team behind Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, starting with producer Yoshinori Kitase. [1/3] #FF7Rpic.twitter.com/tDm5w1Grl7
Director Naoki Hamaguchi also weighed in to call the project a “labor of love” while saying that the follow-up embraces “free exploration.” He also said it will feature “compelling stories, fun mini-games, and so much more.” The trailer shown during the State of Play showed off the Golden Saucer with a boxing mini-game featuring the original game’s familiar style.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi has a special message for everyone looking forward to the game. [2/3] #FF7Rpic.twitter.com/gd2Vk8B93k
Finally, director Tetsuya Nomura said that “many elements were carefully selected for this title” and that it will incorporate feedback from 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake. He also teased some potential change sfrom the original game.
“There is also the looming question of what fate awaits,” Nomura wrote. “Whether you have experienced the original title or will embark on this adventure with fresh eyes, we hope you will face the ending of this work on your terms.”
Square Enix reveals where Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will end
Elsewhere, a lengthy new PlayStation Blog entry dove into the upcoming follow-up, confirming in the process that it will extend up to the Forgotten Capital, though some scenes will take place out of order. What happens in the Forgotten Capital? Final Fantasy VII fans will know the scene very well. How Rebirth will tackle this famous scene is one of its biggest questions, as Remake has shown every inclination toward going off the rails.
In the blog, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s development team came together to elaborate on what was shown in the new trailer while offering even more details. The interview includes discussions of Red XIII, who will be making his debut in Rebirth, as well as Cait Sith and Vincent. It also provided hints on whether the party will expand.
There is also the looming question of what fate awaits. Whether you have experienced the original title or will embark on this adventure with fresh eyes, we hope you will face the ending of this work on your terms.
“The original party members are all present in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth,” Nomura said. “In the previous title, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Red XIII became an accompanying member in the second half of the game, but he will become an official, playable party member starting from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Similarly, there are characters who are accompanying members in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, that will become official party members in the next title.”
It is currently unclear whether Cait Sith and Vincent, the latter of whom was a secret character in the original game, will be playable in the new release.
Talking about the numerous mini-games in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Hamaguchi confirmed that the team plans to expand on the parade game featured in Junon. He also said that Square Enix has “gone all out and created a huge number of mini-games on a scale that surpasses even the original.” He also said that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will feature “lots of unique games and challenges” that open up while exploring the world.
Hamaguchi claimed that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will feature “double” the amount of side content compare to the original game, and that players will be able to return to any of the regions in the world after the main quest moves on from that area. Each region will also feature its own type of chocobo, though Hamaguchi didn’t elaborate on whether the chocobo breeding minigame will return in this version.
The adventure continues
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth follows on from 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, which carried the story up through the team’s departure from Midgar.
“[Final Fantasy VII Remake’s] combat is top notch, its enemy variety kept me constantly entertained, and seeing this snippet of story fleshed out with real emotional arcs and the previously hidden humanity behind Midgar filled me with pure joy,” we wrote in our review.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is set to release on February 29 on PlayStation 5.
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.
Avatar, the upcoming adaptation of James Cameron’s popular franchise, received a new gameplay during Sony’s State of Play in September.
The narrated trailer shows first-person views of its Na’avi character leaping off cliffs, battling the RDA’s familiar mechs, and generally looking pretty cool. The new trailer offers a fresh glimpse at Ubisoft’s upcoming open world game, which has been described as Far Cry on Pandora.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is under development for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S. It will be out December 7.
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.
Amid an avalanche of quirky simulators that ask us to do everything from drive bus routes to powerwash dirty grills in the backyard, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to discover the upcoming AirportSim just straight up had me work a job at an airport. And yet, this seemingly benign 9-5 shift put me through a whole host of emotions, from wondering if I’d been tricked into doing someone else’s work to laughing hysterically when everything went horribly wrong. Although this early look at a game that’s still not finished sometimes made me wonder if it was tragically broken in the worst kind of way, it also provided more than a few moments where the clouds parted to reveal a potentially awesome new sim game. After more than a dozen hours sorting luggage and scraping jetways against the sides of commercial planes, I can honestly say I learned a lot about airports – namely that I should never be allowed to work at one.
If anything is true about AirportSim, it’s that unless you already work at an airport or are an aviation enthusiast, you’re going to learn a whole heck of a lot. As an aircraft neophyte with an inexplicable attraction to realistic simulators, I don’t think I was quite prepared for the three hours worth of tutorials that schooled me on everything from how to refuel different kinds of planes, to the merits of guiding pilots in a “follow me” car. At times, taking it all in and trying to remember all the complicated steps involved could be exhausting, but that uphill battle was actually my favorite part of my time in various virtual real-life airports. Even when wonky controls and tons of glitches disrupted an otherwise good time, at least I felt I was gaining something from the whole process.
It’s worth giving a big, fat caveat that AirportSim still isn’t slated for release until later this year, and the version I played was therefore not finished, but boy oh boy, did I run into some insane technical issues. I saw characters and objects fall through the world, textures in the distance coming to life with bizarre movement, and controls suddenly not working for me, leaving me unable to interact with certain objects or complete tasks necessary to the scenario. The worst of these bugs were situations that left me wholly unable to progress, like one time where all the passengers got stuck in the jetway for seemingly no reason and were left to seizure bizarrely in a giant pile. Stuff like this would often occur half an hour or longer into a scenario that would then have to be abandoned, and that just felt terrible.
But I’ve gotta imagine these rough edges will be smoothed over in the coming months, and when things worked properly, I could definitely see potential in the chaos of navigating a complex schedule of incoming and departing flights, all of which demanded to be serviced in a timely manner. Loading and unloading luggage in particular made for a good time, as I creeped inside cargo holds and operated conveyor belts, which occasionally went sideways, resulting in the personal effects of passengers flying every which way.
“Thankfully, multiplayer immediately made managing the tarmac easier and more fun.”
I will say, though, that I was pretty surprised to find AirportSim doesn’t include any airport building or management aspects. I had assumed there’d be some element of constructing my own airports and/or charting out the financial future of my travel business, but none of that’s included in AirportSim. You just pick one of a handful of airports, hop in, and get to work setting up traffic cones. That feels like a bit of a missed opportunity to me!
Thankfully, multiplayer immediately made managing the tarmac easier and more fun, whether it was the obvious advantage to having an extra pair of hands to the hilarious hijinks that ensued when things went terribly wrong. Working at an airport is normally a pretty lonely existence, as the blurry, expressionless creatures you shuttle to and fro don’t make for the best company, so throwing one or two more players into the mix adds a desperately needed social element. It was nice feeling like the expert for a change, as I explained to a friend how to connect a jetway or operate a belt loader, especially since none of my friends were down to play through three hours of tutorials first for some reason. It’s honestly just great to have someone with you to experience the highs and lows of working at a virtual, sometimes broken airport.
The Xbox Series S Carbon Black Edition was released on September 1, 2023 and until now we have yet to see a deal on it. Today, Dell is offering a bonus $100 Dell eGift Card when you purchase the console at its $349.99 MSRP. The Dell eGift Card arrives within a few weeks after your Xbox ships out and carries a 90 day expiration. Use the gift card to buy pretty much anything at Dell, including PCs, monitors, Xbox controllers, gaming headsets, games, and more.
Xbox Series S Carbon Black + Bonus $100 Dell eGift Card for $349.99
The Carbon Black edition comes with a bigger 1TB SSD compared to the 512GB of the white version. Other than that and the color scheme, it’s the same console as the original Xbox Series S. The Xbox Series S console can still play all of the same games as the Series X and it costs considerably less. The caveat is that doesn’t have the same power under the hood of the Series X, so games are displayed at 1440p resolution instead of 4K in order to maintain the consistent 60fps-120fps graphics you’ll find in most games. If you don’t have a 4K TV or a smaller sized TV (65″ or under) where 1440p still looks great, then the Xbox Series S might be a smarter purchase.
Dark Horse continues to be one of the best outlets for Mass Effect fans hungry for new collectibles. IGN can exclusively reveal a set of three new figures inspired by the popular sc-fi gaming series.
Head down to the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at all three figures included in this new wave:
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass Wave 6, which will serve as the “final wave of DLC” for the beloved racing game, will be released this holiday and will add Diddy Kong, Funky Kong, Pauline, Peachette, and Daisy Circuit from Mario Kart Wii.
While we didn’t get an actual release date, Nintendo did share an extended look at all the content that will be part of this final wave. Oh, and it’s important to note that Diddy Kong is from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Funky Kong is from Mario Kart Wii, and Pauline and Peachette are from Mario Kart Tour.
Each wave of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass includes eight courses, so we know others will join Daisy Circuit from Mario Kart Wii. We will surely learn more as we get closer to the holiday season.
This new content is available to all players who have purchased the $24.99 Booster Course Pass in addition to those who are subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch. A remastered version of the acclaimed RPG by Intelligent Systems was announced during today’s Nintendo Direct, giving a new generation an opportunity to appreciate its unique charm.
Fans have been demanding a re-release of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for years now, citing its charming writing, strong RPG mechanics, and its lack of availability outside of the Gamecube.
We similarly positive in our original 2004 review. “The story is funny, the gameplay varied, and the world so charming, you’ll want to explore every last corner of it,” we wrote.
“Add to that plenty of playable characters and sidekicks, some great cameos, a memorable score loaded with classic melodies, and a quest that runs a good 30 hours long, and you’ve got another winning offshoot in the mighty Mario franchise.”
Phantom Liberty, the first and only major expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, is nearly here. The highly anticipated DLC, which adds new quests, stories, locations, characters, and abilities, will be accompanied by a major update to the base game that adds all-new, highly requested gameplay systems.
In anticipation of the expansion and base game update, we’ve compiled this overview of everything we know about Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, including its release date, platforms, price, gameplay updates, story details, and more.You can also check out our preview of Phantom Liberty for an extended demo.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Release Date
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty will be released on September 26. You can see the full list of available platforms below.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Platforms and Price
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty will be released on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (including Steam Deck). The expansion will not be released for the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game.
Phantom Liberty costs $30 USD. Alternatively, those who don’t own the base game can buy the base game and expansion bundle for $80 USD.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Trailer
The official Keanu Reeves-narrated Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty trailer debuted during the Xbox Games Showcase in June. Check it out below:
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Story Details
CD Projekt Red describes Phantom Liberty as “a new spy-thriller adventure for Cyberpunk 2077.” The developer cited Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Bridge of Spies, James Bond, Ocean’s Eleven, and Bourne Identity as inspirations. Players will once again step into the shoes of V, who’s been hired as a government secret agent to save Rosalind Myers, president of the New United States of America.
Phantom Liberty is set in a new area called Dogtown, described by CD Projekt Red as “a ruined city-within-a-city ruled by a trigger-happy militia.” Within Dogtown, players can expect to encounter “a web of shattered loyalties and sinister political machinations,” leading to “high-octane gigs and quests with stakes like never before.”
Joining Keanu Reeves, who reprises his role as Johnny Silverhand, is actor Idris Elba. The Night City newcomer plays Solomon Reed, a member of the Federal Intelligence Agency “who knows better than anyone how to tap into the countless webs of spies and netrunners, how to extract information, and how to break into even the most tightly guarded places.”
In addition to Myers and Reed, new characters include Alena “Alex” Xenakis, a shapeshifter hired by Reed; Colonel Kurt Hansen, the antagonistic leader of Dogtown; and Songbird, President Myers’s personal netrunner.
Phantom Liberty will have multiple endings — one of which will unlock a sixth ending for the base game. This new ending for Cyberpunk 2077, according to game director Gabe Amatangelo, “has to do with your new relationships and characters and situations.”
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Gameplay Updates
Phantom Liberty and the base game’s 2.0 update are bringing several additions and changes to the Cyberpunk 2077 experience. Below, we’ve listed the most notable updates for each, with additional information on the biggest additions below:
Phantom Liberty Updates
A new district (Dogtown)
Increased level cap (60)
New storyline and characters
New story quests, gigs, boss fights
Endless dynamic events (vehicle missions and airdrops)
New Relic skill tree and abilities
Vehicle missile launchers
100+ new items: weapons*, cyberware, vehicles, and fashion
*Among the new weapons shown off: a shotgun called Order, a handgun called Grit, an SMG called Warden, a sniper rifle called Osprey, and a special prototype weapon called Hercules.
Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 Updates
Redesigned skill trees and perks
Revamped cyberware and new capacity system
Vehicle combat and car chases
Combat AI improvements
New police system
UI and UX improvements
Loot, items, and crafting changes
New radio stations
New Police System
Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 rebuilds the police system with an emphasis on clarity: “Criminal activity is punished, runners are chased, and cyberpsychos are flatlined, no questions asked,” said CD Projekt Red.
The size and speed of the police response will now correlate to the severity and location of the crime, with murder in a wealthy district resulting in a fast and heavy police presence, for example.
Getting away from the police will seemingly be more of a challenge too: “For those who decide to run, we prepared engaging car chases and roadblocks to make the escape more difficult,” said CD Projekt Red. “As a player, you will know when the police are not after you anymore. NPCs will leave the scene in a way that is natural and intuitive. You can lose them by running away from the crime scene on foot or driving away. Make sure to stay out of their sight.”
If you’re caught, the police will “have no mercy” — bribes and surrender are off the table. Reaching five stars will spawn a “surprise Max Tac mini-boss experience,” of which there are various archetypes.
Vehicular Combat
Players will now be able to fire guns while driving a car or bike. Additionally, some vehicles will come equipped with mounted weaponry.
“Together with Phantom Liberty we’re introducing vehicle combat,” said CD Projekt’s Paweł Burza. “You’ll be able to fire guns from your car or bike or use weapons, which are mounted on your car.”
New Perks
Within the redesigned skill tree system are several new perks. Among the most enticing shown off thus far are an air dash and the ability to deflect incoming bullets with melee weapons, as well as a couple of new finishing moves, including Savage Sling, in which V weaponizes enemy corpses.
Cyberware Capacity
A new capacity system will limit the amount of cyberware players can install on V, though a new Edgerunners perk will allow that limit to be surpassed at a cost (e.g., a health debuff). “It’s all about this balance between risk and reward,” said quest director Paweł Sasko. “We are not going as far as the introduction of cyberpsychosis though, have that in mind.”
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty New PC Specs
With the overhaul, CD Projekt Red has updated its PC requirements for Cyberpunk 2077. Notably, Cyberpunk will stop supporting HDDs for the minimum requirements: “SSDs offer faster loading times, improved streaming, and better overall performance when compared to HDDs,” the developer explained.
Current Cyberpunk 2077 owners with systems below the minimum specs will still be able to play the game, though CD Projekt Red “will discontinue active support for them and stop testing the game on those setups” once the update is released.
Will There Be Another Cyberpunk 2077 Expansion?
No, CD Projekt Red has confirmed Phantom Liberty will be the only paid/major DLC for Cyberpunk 2077.
“As we have announced a long time ago, we’re not going to make a second or third expansion”, said CD Projekt’s Michał Nowakowski. “This is the only expansion of the game, and it has nothing to do with the numbers and how satisfied or not we are with sales or anything of the kind.
“It’s a technological decision to be honest. This is the last time we’re working on the REDengine, for the time being at least, and in the foreseeable future as you know we are working on the Unreal Engine from Epic. This was one of the key reasons why we decided [Phantom Liberty] was the only one.”
Rather than work on a future expansion, CD Projekt Red has its sights set on a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, codenamed Orion. Development will be led by Phantom Liberty director Gabe Amatangelo. The sequel, according to the developer, “will fully unleash the potential that this universe offers.”
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Preorder Bonuses
Those who pre-order Phantom Liberty will receive a new in-game vehicle, the Quadra Sport R-7 ‘Vigilante.’ Those who have a GOG account can redeem further pre-order content, while GOG account holders who also own The Witcher 3 and/or Gwent will receive even more pre-order goodies. The breakdown of pre-order content is explained in the infographic below:
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
Starfield has a quite remarkable glitch that lets you take everything a major vendor has and sell it back to him for infinite money.
The glitch, spotted by redditor Heretic0 and verified by IGN, revolves around the small puddle outside Shepherd’s General Store in Akila City. Here’s how it works:
Shift into third-person
Crouch
Move to the small puddle directly outside Shepherd’s General Store
Profit
Incredibly, this puddle grants guilt-free access to what appears to be the Shepherd’s General Store vendor chest hidden underneath the map. You can grab all the items within (watch out for encumbrance!), then sell them for credits. Adding insult to injury, you can sell the items to Emerson Shepherd himself. Perhaps that’s why he looks so tired.
This glitch is surely not long for this world (Bethesda recently said it will release Starfield updates regularly, and you’d think a fix for this is on the list), but that hasn’t stopped players from buying a home nearby so they can quickly and easily store the puddle-provided loot. Indeed, players are reporting gift-giving puddles all across Akila City, which suggests there’s something very wrong with the water there.
These sorts of glitches will be familiar to fans of Bethesda games. Getting under the map to steal from vendors is a common Skyrim trick, and the Elder Scrolls RPG has loads of hidden vendor chests that players use to get rich quick.
IGN’s review explains the pull to seek out Starfield’s “immense amount of quality roleplaying quests and interesting NPCs” is strong, despite a rough start and some core aggravations.
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.
