Category: IGN

Concord’s initial development deal was around $200 million according to a report by Kotaku, offering a glimpse of how much it cost Sony to develop its disastrous live service game, which lasted just two weeks before being unceremoniously shuttered.

Kotaku’s report, which cites two sources familiar with the agreement, says that the $200 million was not enough to fund Concord’s entire development, nor did it include the purchase of the Concord IP rights or Firewalk Studios itself. Kotaku’s number aligns with an earlier report saying that ProbablyMonsters — Firewalk’s original parent company — raised $200 million in 2021.

Firewalk is signing off one last time.

Firewalk began with the idea of bringing the joy of multiplayer to a larger audience. Along the way we assembled an incredible team who were able to:
– Navigate growing a new startup into a team during a global pandemic: Firewalk was…

— Firewalk (@FirewalkStudios) October 29, 2024

Firewalk’s goodbye post sheds additional light on its development costs. Looking back on the studio’s history, the note reflects on being a new startup during the global pandemic, and how Concord only entered full production in 2022. It also talks about building a “new, customized next-generation FPS engine in Unreal 4 -> 5, delivering top-tier gameplay feel, beautiful worlds, and a performant 60fps technical experience on a stable and scalable backend on PS5 and PC to hundreds of thousands of players in our beta.”

It all points to Concord being seen as an ambitious project that was expected to attract a large audience. Instead it launched to tepid reviews and low interest, prompting PlayStation to pull the plug within days of release. One estimate suggested it only sold around 25,000 copies.

Midia Research Analyst Rhys Elliott told IGN shortly before Concord was shut down, “Pivoting to live services is high-risk, high-reward venture, and the risk is heightening to levels that might not be worth it for many AAA console/PC publishers that aren’t already active in the space.”

Concord is hardly the only expensive live service game to fail to meet expectations, with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League facing similar struggles. Live service games are increasingly facing a calcified market dominated by the likes of Fortnite and Call of Duty while costing hundreds of millions dollars to make. Despite that, PlayStation continues to bet big on service games, with Fairgame$ and Marathon among the projects next on the docket.

PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst says Sony will learn from its experience with Firewalk Studios. “The PvP first person shooter genre is a competitive space that’s continuously evolving, and unfortunately, we did not hit our targets with this title. We will take the lessons learned from Concord and continue to advance our live service capabilities to deliver future growth in this area.”

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.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson says BioWare has returned to its strengths with the impending release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, praising its reviews while predicting that it has “breakout potential” thanks to what he characterizes as limited competition.

Speaking with investors in EA’s quarterly earnings call, Wilson reflected on some of BioWare’s troubled recent history, which has been defined in part by the failure of Anthem — a multiplayer game Wilson described as “very, very different than something that would be known as a BioWare game.” In the wake of Anthem, Wilson said a “big shift happened” that saw “BioWare really returning to BioWare-type games; really returning to BioWare’s strengths.”

“BioWare has rallied around what made BioWare a fan-favorite studio and a fan-favorite brand and the types of games they make – incredibly rich worlds, incredibly nuanced characters, really powerful and compelling stories with comaraderie and friendships and relationships, and decisions that matter in the context of gameplay,” Wilson said. “And I think it’s been that return to what made BioWare great and giving the studio time to deliver against what makes BioWare great in the context of the Dragon Age world is what amounts to Dragon Age: The Veilguard.”

Wilson’s comments come in the context of what has been reported to be a sometimes fraught relationship with EA. Rumors over the years have suggested that BioWare has been pressured to match the success of highly profitable modes like Ultimate Team, though the studio is adamant in saying that EA has been supportive of the studio. Our report on how BioWare managed to get Dragon Age: The Veilguard to the finish line after a tumultuous decade details some of the challenges that the studio has faced over the years.

Looking ahead to The Veilguard’s release, Wilson praised its solid reviews and suggested that it has “breakout potential” thanks to BioWare’s existing fanbase and the relatively clear release calendar. “We’re going into a market with limited competition for this category of game given some of the moves that has happened across the broader industry,” Wilson said, likely referring to Ubisoft’s decision to delay Assassin’s Creed Shadows into 2025.

Elsewhere, EA reported record earnings for its second quarter while adding around 15 million new players to The Sims 4 in 2024, and suggested that it isn’t interested in making Apex Legends 2. Dragon Age: The Veilguard, for its part, releases October 31.

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.

PS5 gamers rejoice, because a popular exclusive game is on sale ahead of Black Friday. Amazon Best Buy is currently offering Stellar Blade for only $49.99 shipped after a 30% price drop. This is the first time we’ve seen this game discounted at all (it was full price during Amazon Prime Day), and I doubt this price will drop any further on Black Friday.

Update: This deal is already sold out on Amazon, but it’s still available at Best Buy.

30% Off Stellar Blade

The Disney Dreamlight Valley showcase has revealed details on the incoming Storybook Vale expansion pass, Sew Delightful update, new editions, and more.

The showcase revealed The Storybook Vale arrives November 20 with several new editions of Disney Dreamlight Valley coming alongside. The Gold Edition of the game will be phased out and replaced by the Storybook Vale Bundle at $59.99 and Enhanced Edition at $79.99.

The base game will remain at $39.99, with expansions like A Rift In Time and The Storybook Vale costing $29.99. Fans can also pick up the Magical Edition of The Storybook Vale for $49.99, which comes with 10,000 instead of 5,000 Moonstones, the Autumn Manor House Style, Storybook Vale Dress & Ensemble, and Baby Pegasus Companion & House.

The Storybook Vale includes two main content drops, with the November 20 date adding Welcome to the Vale content. This introduces Flynn Rider from Tangled, Merida from Brave, Hades from Hercules, and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. The second content drop arrives in summer 2025 and is called The Unwritten Realms.

Sony is shuttering Firewalk Studios in the wake of its disastrous release of Concord, the PS5 shooter that lasted less than two weeks before being shuttered. The news was first reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.

Firewalk Studios’ closure follows the reported departure of director Ryan Ellis, who stepped down after Concord was taken offline. Sony Interactive Entertainment publicly posted the internal email from Studio Business Group CEO Hermen Hulst with a statement on the closure, which you can read below. Hulst wrote that SIE had “spent considerable time these past few months exploring all our options,” but ultimately decided to sunset the studio, which it had acquired in April 2023. The email also announces SIE’s decision to close Neon Koi, a German studio working on a mobile action game.

Dear Team,

Today, I want to share some important updates from Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Studio Business Group.

We consistently evaluate our games portfolio and status of our projects to ensure we are meeting near and long-term business priorities. As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen SIE’s Studio Business, we have had to make a difficult decision relating to two of our studios – Neon Koi and Firewalk Studios.

Expanding beyond PlayStation devices and crafting engaging online experiences alongside our single-player games are key focal areas for us as we evolve our revenue streams. We need to be strategic, though, in bringing our games to new platforms and recognize when our games fall short of meeting player expectations.

While mobile remains a priority growth area for the Studio Business, we are in the very early stage of our mobile efforts. To achieve success in this area we need to concentrate on titles that are in-line with PlayStation Studios’ pedigree and have the potential to reach more players globally.

With this re-focused approach, Neon Koi will close, and its mobile action game will not be moving forward. I want to express my gratitude to everyone at Neon Koi for their hard work and endless passion to innovate.

Regarding Firewalk, as announced in early September (An Important Update on Concord), certain aspects of Concord were exceptional, but others did not land with enough players, and as a result we took the game offline. We have spent considerable time these past few months exploring all our options.

After much thought, we have determined the best path forward is to permanently sunset the game and close the studio.   I want to thank all of Firewalk for their craftsmanship, creative spirit and dedication.

The PvP first person shooter genre is a competitive space that’s continuously evolving, and unfortunately, we did not hit our targets with this title. We will take the lessons learned from Concord and continue to advance our live service capabilities to deliver future growth in this area.

I know none of this is easy news to hear, particularly with colleagues and friends departing SIE. Both decisions were given serious thought, and ultimately, we feel they are the right ones to strengthen the organization. Neon Koi and Firewalk were home to many talented individuals, and we will work to find placement for some of those impacted within our global community of studios where possible.

I am a big believer in the benefits of embracing creative experimentation and developing new IP. However, growing through sustainable financials, especially in a challenged economic environment is critical.

While today is a difficult day, there is much to look forward to in the months ahead from the Studio Business Group and our teams. I remain confident that we are building a resilient and capable organization driven by creating unforgettable entertainment experiences for our players.  

Thank you for your continued support.

Developing…

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.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is coming to Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2025.

Nintendo announced the re-release of the 2015 Wii U role-playing game from Monolith Software with a trailer, below, saying it comes with “enhanced visuals” and “brand new story elements.”

“Earth has been destroyed by an intergalactic war between two alien races, and humanity is on the brink of annihilation,” reads the official synopsis.

“A small number of survivors, aboard the USS White Whale, crash land on the vast and untamed planet Mira — and now it falls to you, as a member of Blade, to help bring humanity back from the edge of extinction with the aid of powerful giant robots called Skells.”

Wii U titles have slowly but surely made the jump to Nintendo Switch over the years. The console infamously underperformed for Nintendo so its best games perhaps didn’t get the attention they deserved.

The likes of Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Super Mario 3D World, New Super Mario Bros. U, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and much more have all been ported to the more successful platform. Ports are also an easier way to fill up the release calendar as Nintendo gears up for its next console, colloquially known as the Switch 2.

In our 8/10 review of the original, IGN said: “Xenoblade Chronicles X is a massive RPG with enough surface area, sub quests, and customization to keep you busy.”

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

You do some pretty terrible things to dogs in MachineGames’ Wolfenstein games, so I was prepared for the worst in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. But when I pointed Indy’s revolver at an enemy pupper and pulled the trigger, tears streaming down my face, they merely ran away. Crisis averted.

“[Indiana Jones] is a dog person,” MachineGames Creative Director Jens Andersson explains in an interview with IGN, evoking the famous line from Last Crusade in which Henry Jones gruffly notes that his son took his nickname from the family dog. He also mentions that “this is obviously a little bit different than Wolfenstein as well, where the dog will explode.”

Why the shift? “It’s a family-friendly IP in many ways,” Andersson says. “How do we do that well? Well, these are the kind of things that we do. We have dogs as enemies, but you don’t really hurt the dogs. You scare them away.”

Indian Jones isn’t exactly immune to ultra-violence, of course — one of the most famous gifs in Internet history depicts a Nazi’s face literally melting in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Andersson and Lucasfilm Games executive producer Craig Derrick mostly skirt around the question of whether The Great Circle will have any similar scenes.

“We don’t really have jump scares necessarily, but we have the creepy crawlies sometimes. And there’s a couple of moments when you’ll see Indy in a precarious situation and you’ll feel like it’s claustrophobic,” Derrick says. “You’ll feel like it’s a little bit scary and still in the safest possible way, but I think we bring much of that, as you say, authenticity of the films into this game throughout it. It’s an extraordinary experience to go through.

One way or another, it seems like you are safe from having to Google whether the dog dies in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The pups are just fine. As for the rest of game, our final preview of The Great Circle is now live, where we delve into all of the ways that it’s an “adventure-action game” rather than an “action-adventure game.” And of course, check out our full interview as well.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is under development for Xbox Series X|S and PC and will release on December 9. A PS5 version will follow in spring 2025.

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.

Marathon, the upcoming PlayStation extraction shooter from Halo and Destiny developer Bungie, is “on track” at the studio but too early to show off yet.

Bungie released a lengthy development update video which shed light on some of Marathon’s mechanics but also just how early it is in development. Player character models are still “coming together,” for example, while enemy models are still in an “early state.”

It’s therefore “a little early to show you all of it as a one piece,” game director Joe Ziegler said, though insisted Marathon is progression as planned. “They’re not all together, but when they all do come together, we really, really are looking forward to showing you what that looks like, especially in play,” he said.

Marathon was revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, and Ziegler said it will retain its themes of “mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness.”

Questions have been raised surrounding its development, however, for myriad significant reasons. Bungie itself has encountered several controversies in the last year or so, perhaps headlined by the laying off of 220 staff members, meaning 17% of its workforce, in July: a move even industry peers criticized.

This came less than a year after 100 other lay offs at Bungie, at which point staff told IGN the atmosphere was “soul crushing” at the studio.

Further controversy came when a report released weeks after the 220 job losses alleged former Marathon director Chris Barrett was fired after an internal misconduct investigation at Bungie. At least eight women came forward saying Barrett behaved inappropriately toward them.

This all comes as Sony rethinks its focus on live service games such as Marathon. Sony president Hiroki Totoki said in November 2023 the company was committed to launching just six of the 12 live service games it was working on by March 2026, in a shift in strategy that saw even The Last of Us multiplayer game cancelled.

Marathon will also be launching into a post-Concord world. This was another PlayStation live service shooter that was released to tragic player numbers and pulled offline by Sony just two weeks after launch.

There is therefore a lot of pressure on Marathon to perform, with not just the game itself on the line but perhaps Bungie itself.

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

Shadow Man and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil have joined the Nintendo Switch Online library in the Nintendo 64 collection.

Both games will be available in the Mature 17+ app alongside the likes of the original Turok and Perfect Dark. Nintendo keeps these mature titles separate from its general N64 collection which includes more family friendly classics such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, F-Zero X, and more.

Shadow Man arrived in 1999 as a 3D Metroidvania where players take on the role of Michael LeRoi as he joins a lineage of spiritual warriors who protect the land of the living from supernatural threats. IGN’s 1999 review awarded Shadow Man an 8/10, saying “fans of dark storytelling and action hounds alike will find a lot to praise here.”

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil was released a year earlier and earned a 9/10 in IGN’s review. “Turok 2 transcends framerate questions and delivers a great gameplay experience that will hook gamers if they put enough time into the game,” we said.

These games are available at no extra cost to users who have a Nintendo Switch Online membership and have purchased the Expansion Pass. Nintendo periodically adds a handful of classic titles to its myriad Switch Online libraries, which also includes games from the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and more.

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

Return to the plane of Innistrad, where dark alleys, looming forests, and fearsome creatures beckon. With the new Magic: The Gathering Innistrad Remastered sets, fans of the spooky and supernatural can rediscover classic cards with fresh new twists. As luck would have it, booster boxes are on sale at Amazon before release day. Let’s take a look.

Magic: The Gathering Innistrad Remastered Play Booster Box – 36 Packs

This 36-pack Play Booster Box, discounted to $219.99 from its original $251.64, is a great deal for collectors and players. Inside each pack, you’ll find 14 cards, with every booster holding surprises, like Retro-frame cards, Rare or higher rarity cards, and potential art cards that showcase updated visuals for this eerie set. Each pack offers:

• 1–4 Rare or higher cards with alternate art or unique border treatments for that classic Innistrad chill.
• 1 Traditional Foil card every time, and a 20% chance of a Foil Land to add a wicked gleam to your decks.
• Art cards unique to Play Boosters, some with foil signatures straight from the artist’s pen!

With 504 cards in total, this box brings back the spooky thrills of the original set while adding modern touches and rare finds for fans, old and new.

Magic: The Gathering Innistrad Remastered Collector Boosters – 12 Packs

For those who crave something a little more hauntingly special, the Collector Booster Box is discounted to $329.99 from $359.88. This premium box includes 12 packs, each with 15 cards, and is loaded with exclusive extras:

• 500 serialized Edgar Markov cards (available only in Collector Boosters) for a one-of-a-kind find.
• 6 alternate-frame cards per pack, including Movie Poster art that reimagines Magic’s iconic characters as classic movie monsters.
• Exclusive Retro-frame cards, high-rarity pulls, and Movie Poster treatment cards ramp up the gothic horror.

Collector Boosters are packed with premium foils and special frames—an absolute treat for fans who want their collection to have a little extra bite.

Magic: The Gathering Innistrad Remastered Collector Booster – 1 Pack (15 MTG Cards)

Single packs are also available from the above, although they’re not on sale right now. If you want to get some big savings for MTG Innistrad Remastered, a booster box preorder is the way to go!