Everything We Know About Ghost of Yotei

Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima was released in 2020 and introduced players to the world of samurai and stealth in the 13th Century and after four long years, PlayStation has finally announced a sequel, Ghost of Yotei. Featuring a female protagonist, a new mountainous landscape to traverse, and all set in a new time period 300 years after the events of the first game.

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Ghost of Yotei will be released in 2025 on PlayStation 5

The exact release date is still unknown, but Sony has confirmed that Ghost of Yotei will arrive on PlayStation in 2025. Sony tends to favor fall release windows – see God of War, The Last of Us 2, Spider-Man: Miles Morales – and it wouldn’t be a shock for Ghost of Yotei to follow the same pattern. Expect the game to be a PlayStation 5 exclusive at first, but as with big Sony titles like God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Zero Dawn, it will almost certainly get a PC release at some point in the future too.

Ghost of Yotei has a new protagonist

The Ghost of Tsushima sequel will start a new origin story with Atsu, a young woman seeking revenge. Details on her story are few and far between, but the trailer did reveal some interesting clues about the newest warrior to take on the mask of The Ghost.

For a start, Atsu can dual-wield katana, a talent that was never available to Jin Sakai in the first game. It could suggest that Atsu might prefer the direct approach to the stealthy methods that Jin could use to avoid and assassinate enemies. For all you accuracy fans out there, this detail actually lines up with historical records that suggest dual wielding wasn’t a common practice in Japan during the time period in which Jin lived, but in Atsu’s 17th-century world, the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi created the “two heavens as one” niten’ichi technique with two blades.

While some fans reacted with surprise at the gender of Ghost of Yotei’s new samurai, female warriors called Onna-musha appeared in Japanese history as early as 1180. You can read more about on how Ghost of Yotei gets history right here.

There’s a new setting for Ghost of Yotei

The name gives away the new setting for the game, but for those of us that skipped a few geography classes Yotei refers to Mount Yotei – translated somewhat unglamorously as “sheep-hoof mountain” – a volcano located in northern Japan. Specifically on Hokkaido, the second-biggest Japanese island, which would have been called Ezo in Atsu’s time.

“When we started working on a sequel, the first question we asked ourselves is ‘What is the DNA of a Ghost game?’” Creative Director Nate Fox told The New York Times. “It is about transporting the player to the romance and beauty of feudal Japan.” The Sucker Punch team visited a number of locations in Japan for research, including Shiretoko National Park where Fax made recordings of the ambient sounds to take back to the studio.

“Inside the park, you have to watch a video telling you about the dangers of bears,” Fox said. “Being in this incredibly beautiful park with jagged cliffs and water, yet all the time being aware there were dangerous bears, was electrifying. We strive to bring that into the video game — that feeling of danger.”

Ghost of Yotei is set in 1603, according to the PlayStation Blog. That’s 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima and a period when Ezo was home to the indigenous Ainu people and still outside the control of Japan. Perhaps not coincidentally, 1603 is marked the Tokugawa shogunate becoming the government of Japan after the Battle of Sekigahara.

Ghost of Yotei is Sucker Punch’s first game built completely for PS5

Ghost of Tsushima was notable for the way its incredible landscapes looked and felt as you explored the island, and it sounds as if we can expect the same from Ghost of Yotei.

“This is also Sucker Punch’s first game built from the ground up for PlayStation 5, and we’re excited to build on the visual foundation we established in Ghost of Tsushima by making the world feel even more real,” said Andrew Goldfarb, Senior Communications Manager at Sucker Punch Productions in a blog post.

“We have massive sightlines that let you look far across the environment, whole new skies featuring twinkling stars and auroras, even more believable movement from wind on grass and vegetation, and more improvements we’ll share in the future. Our new setting also gives us the opportunity to introduce new mechanics, gameplay improvements, and even new weapons.”

Rachel Weber is IGN’s Managing Editor.

The Slim TSA-Approved Baseus Blade 20,000mAh 100W Power Bank Is Down to $49.79

Right now, Amazon is offering Amazon Prime members this Baseus Blade 20,000mAh 100W USB power bank for only $49.79 after you clip a 10% off coupon and also apply promo code “SGH4BTPY” during checkout. This TSA-approved portable battery features a generous 20,000mAH capacity and a powerful 100W charging rate with Power Delivery 3.0 and PPS. It’s the perfect backup for a Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally. Baseus hasn’t been long around enough to develop the same reputation as Anker, but its power banks have been steadily racking up favorable reviews and recommendations. They’re also a lot less expensive than a comparable Anker power bank.

Baseus Blade 20,000mAh 100W Power Bank for $49.79

Amazon Prime member exclusive

The Baseus Blade features a slim and lightweight form factor that measures only 0.7 inches thin and weighs in at 17 ounces. It has four ports: two USB Type-C ports and two USB Type-A ports. The USB Type-C ports deliver a combined total of 100W of power output (charging your devices) and 65W of power input (charging your power bank). The USB Type-A ports deliver up to 18W. The power bank can be brought onto airplaines since it is well below TSA’s 27,000mAh threshold. Despite the thin profile, the Baseus Blade is able to pack in a digital readout that displays a lot of useful real-time information like remaining battery capacity, power input, and power output from each port.

The Baseus Blade can fast charge a Steam Deck or ROG Ally

This is a great charger for gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Switch. Both the ROG Ally and Steam Deck suffer from a short battery life when gaming on the go. During our Steam Deck review, we found games like God of War or Spider-Man would tap out in under two hours. At the end of the day, you’ll never get the full potential out of your Steam Deck or ROG Ally if you’re not equipped with a decent portable charger. The Baseus Blade can fast charge all three at their maximum rate. It supports up to 100W of charging over USB-C, which is more than enough for the Steam Deck’s charging rate of 38W, the Rog Ally’s charging rate of 65W, and the Nintendo Switch’s charging rate of 18W.

The Baseus Blade can fully charge a Steam Deck or ROG Ally

The ROG Ally and Steam Deck both consume about 40Whr going from full to empty. The Baseus Blade has a 20,000mAh capacity or 74Whr battery. If you factor in 80% power efficiency, then you should expect the Baseus Blade to charge either gaming handheld about 1.5 times. That’s why it’s better to get a larger capacity like this than a 10,000mAh power bank, which cannot charge these handhelds from empty to full even once.

Looking for more deals?

This is easily one of the best Steam Deck deals and Nintendo Switch deals available right now, and absolutely worth considering if you find yourself short on power all too often. If you want to compare other options before making the plunge, check out the best power banks of 2024.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Smash Bros. Creator Sakurai Offers Heartbreaking Tribute to Late Nintendo President Iwata as He Winds Down Popular YouTube Channel

In one of his final videos as part of the “Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games” YouTube series, Smash Bros. Masahiro creator offered a touching tribute to his friend and former boss Satoru Iwata, who served as Nintendo president from 2002 until his death in 2015.

“It wouldn’t be right to end this channel without touching on this topic,” Sakurai wrote on X/Twitter.

Sakurai, who opened the channel to talk about his experiences developing games, worked with Iwata at HAL Laboratory before the latter moved to Nintendo in 2000 as the head of corporate planning. Sakurai shares several touching memories over the course of the 10 minute video, including their first job interview, how Iwata helped come up with the title of Super Smash Bros., and the last time they saw one another.

While Iwata’s management role typically kept him far away from development, he nevertheless played a key role in Smash Bros. Melee’s development by contributing his expertise as a programmer and solving numerous bugs. Sakurai also remembers how Iwata came up with the “brothers” part of Super Smash Bros., which was meant to convey that the characters weren’t actually fighting, but friends solving a little disagreement.

Mr. Iwata was truly the person who understood me best

Sakurai goes on to recall his shock at Iwata succeeding Hiroshi Yamauchi as Nintendo president, calling it “frankly unimaginable” that a comparative outsider should take over what had been a family-owned business for generations after just two years with the company. Nevertheless, he said, Iwata proved to be a major force at Nintendo, contributing numerous ideas such as the Iwata Asks series, the concept of the Nintendo Direct, and more.

Sakurai finishes by remembering their final drive together, and how they had planned to meet again later that year before Iwata suddenly passed away in July.

“Mr. Iwata was truly the person who understood me best,” Sakurai said. “He was full of virtue, relentlessly hardworking, committed to service, and a man who changed the games industry. If I hadn’t met Mr. Iwata at the start of my career, I’d probably be off doing something completely different.”

Iwata’s influence continues to be felt in games even now, close to a decade after his death. Just this week, Nintendo released Alarmo, an idea that was near and dear to Iwata’s heart. An Echoes of Wisdom easter egg also seemingly paid tribute to his friendship with former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé,

Sakurai’s tribute to Iwata is one of his final videos as he winds down his YouTube channel, which started in 2022 and has 589,000 subscribers. He says that he continues to make games for the time being, but his next project is currently unknown.

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.

IGN UK Podcast 769: They Pasteurise Mayonnaise, Don’t They?

Cardy, Jesse and Mat celebrate one of the best games of the year, one of the best shows of the year, and one of the most disapointing second episodes of an anime ever made in this latest podcast. We’re chatting Metaphor ReFantazio, It’s What’s Inside, Uzumaki, Industry and finding a little extra time with Nintendo’s Alarmo.

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.

IGN UK Podcast 769: They Pasteurise Mayonnaise, Don’t They?

Three Tomb Raider Games From an Awkward Time in Lara Croft’s History Are the Next to be Remastered

Three more Tomb Raider games are getting remastered courtesy of Crystal Dynamics and Aspyr, bringing fans back to the time when the hallowed series was starting to be considered a little long in the tooth.

The Tomb Raider IV-IV Remastered features updated version of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider: Chronicles, and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. The first two were originally released for the PlayStation 1 and Dreamcast, while the third one came out on PlayStation 2. All three are considered lesser entries by many fans, with Angel of Darkness in particular being known for being buggy and unfinished.

Here are the official descriptions of all three games.

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (1999)

Lara Croft uncovers the lost tomb of the Egyptian God Set, unwittingly unleashing him and fulfilling an ancient prophecy—one that plunges mankind into darkness. Pursued at every turn by her arch-rival, the unscrupulous archaeologist Werner Von Croy, Lara embarks on a journeyof discovery across Egypt, where she must overcome the most ingenious puzzles and infernal traps ever devised while facing terrifying evil from beyond the grave.

Tomb Raider: Chronicles (2000)

Following the events of The Last Revelation, Lara Croft is buried in an Egyptian tomb and presumed dead. At her memorial, those closest to her reminisce about secrets from her past. Travel back and experience Lara’s untold adventures, introducing new gameplay mechanics like stealth and tightrope balancing!

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (2003)

Accused of murder, Lara becomes a fugitive on the run, uncovering a sinister conspiracy involving alchemical experiments and the search for ancient artifacts. It’s up to Lara to stop this unholy alliance from unleashing its incredible powers on the world.

Aspyr’s collection will seek to spruce all of these games up a bit with improved visuals, modern control options, trophies, achievements, and of course, a Photo Mode. They follow in the footsteps of the Tomb Raider I – III Remastered Collection released earlier this year, which were developed in part by a fan who had previously been working on remakes of the original games.

We wrote in our tech review, “The very small and largely independent team that built Tomb Raider I-III Remastered have clear passion and skills for the legacy of Lara Croft. The enhancements offered are great and much better than, for example, the recent Konami Metal Gear Solid Collection. High frame rates, dual new and old modes, all of the expansion packs, improved graphics and controls alongside fast swapping across all 3 titles and DLC from the main menu are welcome.”

In the midst of announcing the remaster, Crystal Dynamics also revealed that Tomb Raider has hit a notable milestone, having officially sold 100 million units over its lifetime. An official statement celebrating the accomplishment said, “We’re so honored to share a huge milestone for Tomb Raider – we have officially reached over 100 million games sold across the franchise! This is a momentous accomplishment that few video game franchises ever achieve.”

We owe our thanks to you, the fans, as well as to all the passionate developers and artists whose talent and imagination have given us so many stories and experiences to share together for nearly three decades. We’re extremely grateful for the Tomb Raider community’s collective spirit of adventure, and we look forward to all the journeys still to come as Lara Croft and Tomb Raider continue to reach new heights.”

Tomb Raider I – III Remastered was released on February 14, 2024, and Tomb Raider IV – VI Remastered will follow exactly one year later on February 14, 2025 for PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch. It will be available for $29.99.

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.

Metaphor: ReFantazio Has Already Sold 1 Million Copies and It’s Only Been Out a Day

Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio has sold over one million copies as of its official release date, publisher Sega has announced.

That’s enough to make Metaphor: ReFantazio the fastest-selling Atlus game of all time, breaking Persona 3 Reload’s record of hitting one million in a week.

Metaphor: ReFantazio’s October 11 global release date has already seen the Persona-style game shoot up Steam’s most-played game list, with 42,992 concurrent players at the time of this article’s publication. That figure will no-doubt rise as we head into the weekend and fans in other regions get the chance to play.

The game also launched across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, but neither Sony nor Microsoft makes player numbers publicly available. It seems likely that one million sales figure will swell to two million sooner rather than later.

Atlus made the announcement alongside the release of an illustration from character designer Shigenori Soejima, below.

Metaphor: ReFantazio, from the creators of the hugely popular Persona 3, 4, and 5, is a role-playing game set in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, a medieval fantasy realm that mirrors the real world. You play an orphaned boy who journeys across the kingdom as part of a bid for the throne.

It has enjoyed pretty much universal acclaim, with IGN’s Metaphor: ReFantazio review returning a 9/10. We said: “Refining the Atlus RPG formula of weaving tough turn-based combat into compelling social sim mechanics, Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn’t just send a powerful message across its political drama, it becomes a beautiful expression of the real impact storytelling can have on all of us.”

As part of its promotion for the game’s launch, Sega gave UK fans the chance to become a member of the royal family of the world’s smallest (but unofficially recognized) country: Sealand.

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.

You’d Be Forgiven for Thinking This Disco Elysium Spiritual Successor From Some of the People Who Worked at ZA/UM Is Disco Elysium 2

On Disco Elysium’s five-year anniversary, two separate studios each made up of people who used to work at developer ZA/UM have announced they’re both making a spiritual successor of their own.

Disco Elysium is a 2019 narrative role-playing game developed and published by controversial studio ZA/UM. Gameplay revolves around navigating dialogue trees rather than combat, with each of the 24 skills representing a different aspect of the amnesiac detective protagonist’s abilities and thoughts. The player is free to support or suppress his ideologies as they work through the story. Disco Elysium is considered by some among the greatest video games ever made.

It went on to enjoy enormous success, winning numerous game of the year awards and selling millions of copies. A TV series adaptation deal followed, as did the release of an expanded version of the game featuring full voice acting and new content subtitled The Final Cut. A follow-up seemed all but guaranteed, but after high-profile staff exits and subsequent messy legal tussles brought ZA/UM to its knees, what might have turned out to be a Disco Elysium sequel was canceled.

Now, two new London-based studios have emerged from the chaos: Dark Math Games and Longdue Games. Each has drawn a line back to both Disco Elysium and ZA/UM in the announcement of not just their existence, but their upcoming games.

Let’s start with Dark Math Games. Founded in 2023, Dark Math describes itself as a “breakaway group” from the original development team of Disco Elysium. It is a group of 20 people, about half of whom “contributed” to “bringing the critically acclaimed hit Disco Elysium and Disco Elysium – The Final Cut to life.”

Dark Math’s game is called XXX NIGHTSHIFT and, like Disco Elysium, is described as a ‘true detective RPG.’ Here’s the official blurb:

Set 2086, you play a Patrol Op, Dinorah Katz, who is stranded at a luxury Ski resort in Antarctica. This original science-fiction setting lands you in a resort that shouldn’t exist with people that you shouldn’t know with the endless polar night covering a multitude of sins.

XXX NIGHTSHIFT will deliver a deep single-player role-playing experience with many tools and layers of gameplay. A unique companion dynamic adds more fun and offers different paths to solve cases. The innovative and powerful role-playing system respects your time and trusts your intelligence with seismic choices. It’s up to you to decide how your story unfolds — and how it ends.

Based on its announcement trailer and screenshots, XXX NIGHTSHIFT looks remarkably similar to Disco Elysium, even down to the isometric perspective and dialogue text that moves up the right-hand side of the screen as the player makes choices and hears voice actors bring a narrator and the protagonist’s internal monologue to life.

One of the four Dark Math founders is art director Timo Albert, who was a motion graphic designer at ZA/UM from 2018 to October 2022. Albert commented: “Additionally to innovating the traditional RPG mechanics, we’ll bring something fresh to the table. You will see. And of course, a few less words. And a few more bullets, perhaps. In total: lot more fun.”

According to filings on Companies House, Dark Math’s active directors include Heiti Kender, with his brother, Kaur Kender, listed as a resigned director. Kaur Kender was an early investor in ZA/UM and executive producer of Disco Elysium. In March 2023, a bitter legal dispute between Kender and ZA/UM over ownership of the coveted Disco Elysium IP was resolved, with a court ordering Kender to repay ZA/UM CEO Ilmar Kompus for legal fees.

Now, let’s move on to Longdue Games. It said it’s making a “new psychological RPG… set in a game world conceived by the leads of the now canceled Disco Elysium sequel.” Others working on this untitled Disco Elysium spiritual successor worked at the likes of Bungie, Rockstar, and Yes, Your Graces developer Brave At Night.

Longdue, backed by tech investor Riaz Moola, said it has a “focus on creating psychologically deep, narrative-first experiences” and wants to become “a meaningful and consistent voice in the isometric cRPG space.”

“With the fifth anniversary of Disco Elysium on the horizon, Longdue is proud to announce its formation as a new independent studio that has raised seed investment to create an RPG that will continue Disco Elysium’s award-winning legacy and represent a bold new artistic endeavor that aims to trailblaze in the narrative-first cRPG space,” Longdue said in its note to press.

Longdue didn’t name its game (all we have for now is a solitary piece of concept art, below), but it did say it features what it calls a “psychogeographic” RPG mechanic “where every decision reshapes both the world and the characters that inhabit it.” “In this experience,” Longdue explained, “the lines between the mind and the environment blur, colliding and transforming with each choice, leading players through an ever-evolving narrative landscape.”

Here’s the official blurb on Longdue’s game:

Longdue’s debut RPG explores the delicate interplay between the conscious and subconscious, the seen and unseen. Set in a world where choices ripple between the character’s psyche and environment, players will navigate a constantly shifting landscape, shaped by both internal and external forces.

Longdue mentioned just one of its developers in its press release: narrative director Grant Roberts. Roberts said: “At Longdue, we’re inspired by decades of classic RPGs, from Ultima and Wizardry, through Fallout and Planescape, to the justifiably adored Disco Elysium.

“We’re excited to continue that legacy with another narrative-first, psychological RPG, where the interplay between inner worlds and external landscapes is the beating heart of the experience. We’re building a world-class team for a world-class game that will tell a world-class story, and we can’t wait to show you more.”

Londue isn’t announcing anyone else working at the company right now, “but is looking forward to talking more about the studio and the game in the future,” a representative told IGN.

It’s worth noting that neither Robert Kurvitz, the lead writer and designer of Disco Elysium and founding member of ZA/UM, nor Aleksander Rostov, who was art director on Disco Elysium, are involved with either studio. Both were fired from ZA/UM in 2022 amid allegations of mismanagement and misconduct. Kurvitz and Rostov are reportedly making a new game of their own at a studio called Red Info, which is backed by Chinese internet company NetEase.

As for ZA/UM, it reportedly canceled a standalone expansion for Disco Elysium back in February, leaving several staff members at risk of losing their jobs. While an official Disco Elysium 2 seems as unlikely now as it did when ZA/UM first fell apart, it is clear that there are many who are keen to keep the dream alive.

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.

Xbox Responds to Reports That It Will Stop Selling Consoles in Saudi Arabia

Microsoft has responded to claims that the company will soon stop selling Xbox consoles in Saudi Arabia, suggesting that no major changes are on the way.

Rumors that the gaming giant would soon pull out of the area began to swirl earlier today following information shared by TrueGaming co-founder Mohammed Albsimi. In a post on X/Twitter, he said that Microsoft had already made retailers aware that it would soon stop selling Xbox devices in Saudi Arabia. The move would have seen distributors without access to Xbox consoles, signaling a potentially huge shift for the company.

Xbox chief consumer sales officer Ami Silverman provided IGN with a statement on the matter, explaining that Xbox devices remain available in Saudi Arabia. You can see the statement in full below.

“Xbox devices are available in all current Xbox hardware supported countries, including Saudi Arabia,” Silverman’s said. “Console availability may vary by country but Xbox games can be played on consoles, PCs, and on phones, tablets or TVs where Xbox Cloud Gaming is available. Players can visit xbox.com/regions to learn more about how to play with Xbox.”

While the statement suggests no new plans are in place, Microsoft’s gaming endeavors have seen a number of major shakeups in the last year alone. This includes widespread layoffs, which affected 1,900 staff in January and another 650 staff just last month. In May, the company announced plans to shut down Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks (the latter was eventually saved by PUBG publisher Krafton). While the foundation of Xbox moves underneath its feet, Microsoft has pushed for other major changes to its gaming strategy, including bringing some exclusive titles to other platforms like PlayStation 5.

Still, Microsoft seems uninterested in pulling Xbox consoles out of Saudi Arabia for now. For more on Microsoft’s future, you can check out a recent change to the Halo franchise that will see all future titles created in Unreal Engine as series developer 343 Industries morphs into Halo Studios. You can also learn more about the upcoming updated Xbox Series X | S models, which go on sale October 15, 2024.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Red Dead Redemption PC Price Confirmed as Pre-Orders Go Live

Pre-orders went live today for the highly anticipated PC port of Red Dead Redemption, finally revealing the cost: $49.99.

That’s the price listed across Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Rockstar’s own website on Thursday. That $50 will get you the complete single-player experiences of Red Dead Redemption and the Undead Nightmare expansion, as well as bonus content from the Game of the Year Edition (it does not, however, include multiplayer).

Rockstar finally announced earlier this week that the PC version will arrive on October 29, a full 14 years after Red Dead Redemption first launched on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 back in 2010. In addition to the aforementioned content, it’ll also include the following features:

  • Native 4K resolution and beyond at up to 144hz on supported hardware
  • Monitor support for both Ultrawide (21:9) and Super Ultrawide (32:9)
  • Full keyboard and mouse support
  • Upscaling technologies support for Nvidia DLSS 3.7 and AMD FSR 3.0
  • Nvidia DLSS Frame Generation
  • Adjustable draw distances, shadow quality settings, and more

The long-requested PC version was developed by Double Eleven, which also worked on Red Dead Redemption’s PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch ports. Before this week’s official announcement, it was long-rumored and all but confirmed after the PlayStation Store bizarrely claimed in August that the game was “now on PC,” following evidence of a port being unearthed by datamines of Rockstar’s website.

We don’t need to tell you that Rockstar’s Wild West epic is a modern classic, but if you are looking for more while you wait for it to hit PC, check out IGN’s 2010 Red Dead Redemption review. We handed it a 9.7/10, calling it “one of the deepest, most fun, and most gorgeous games around.”

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Ahead of Black Ops 6’s Launch, Activision Says Call of Duty’s AI-Powered Voice Moderation Has Already Had a Massive Impact on Toxicity

Activision has delivered a report on the work it’s done to combat toxicity in Call of Duty, insisting it’s already made a huge impact ahead of the launch of Black Ops 6.

Call of Duty was for years associated with toxic player behavior, both in voice chat and over text message. But Activision has worked to reverse the franchise’s thorny reputation, launching 2023’s Modern Warfare 3 with in-game voice chat moderation powered by AI.

Activision is using ToxMod from Modulate, which uses AI to identify in real-time and enforce against toxic speech including hate speech, discriminatory language, and harassment.

Addressing privacy concerns from the Call of Duty community, Activision has insisted voice chat is only monitored and recorded “for the express purpose of moderation,” and “is focused on detecting harm within voice chat versus specific keywords.”

“The Disruptive Behavior team knows that hype and passion is part of Call of Duty’s DNA,” Activision said in a fresh progress update. “Voice and text-based moderation tools in Call of Duty don’t target our competitive spirit – it enforces against behavior identified in the Call of Duty franchise Code of Conduct, targeting harassment and derogatory language.

“Similar to Modern Warfare 3, the Call of Duty Code of Conduct will be visible during the initial in-game flow when players first launch core multiplayer modes in Black Ops 6, asking players to acknowledge the Code of Conduct pillars.”

Since rolling out an improved voice chat enforcement in June, Call of Duty has seen a combined 67% reduction in repeat offenders of voice-chat based offenses in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone, Activision added. In July 2024, 80% of players that were issued a voice chat enforcement since launch did not re-offend. Overall exposure to disruptive voice chat continues to fall, Activision said, dropping by 43% since January. At launch, Black Ops 6 will expand its voice moderation to French and German, in addition to English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Voice and text-based moderation tools in Call of Duty don’t target our competitive spirit.

This is well-timed, given one new feature for Black Ops 6 that’s sure to test Call of Duty’s AI voice chat moderation to its limit. Black Ops 6 has a new Body Shield feature in multiplayer that lets you grab an enemy and hold them in front of you to soak up bullets while firing off a few rounds of your own. But that’s not all: it also enables voice chat between the attacker and the victim, which players certainly had fun with during the game’s beta weekends.

Call of Duty’s text moderation tech, meanwhile, which analyzes text chat traffic in “near” real-time, has blocked over 45 million text-based messages in violation of the Call of Duty Code of Conduct since November 2023. Activision said Call of Duty has also implemented a new analysis system for username reports “to enhance efficiency and accuracy, surfacing critical reports to our moderation team for investigation and action.”

Activision has used research from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to improve its approach here, and worked with researchers from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business to work out ways to better identify and combat disruptive behavior. Activision said it’s “actively engaged” in research surrounding disruptive behavior and prosocial activities in gaming.

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.