While Obsidian Entertainment continues to work on Avowed ahead of its launch next year, studio design director Josh Sawyer has revealed that some members of the team have expressed interest in creating a Pillars of Eternity tactics game.
The director behind projects like Pentiment, Fallout: New Vegas, and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire spoke about the studio’s desires behind the scenes during an interview with Limit Break Network. When asked about Obsidian’s interest in creating more stories set in Eora, he mentioned that a more tactical experience is one idea that at least a few members of the team have brought to the table.
“There have been a number of people, actually, at the studio who have floated the idea of a Pillars tactics game,” Sawyer teased. “Tactics games are very interesting to me, and they occupy a really interesting space in the marketplace because the audience for them is not huge, typically, but very passionate.”
It’s an admission that may have some Pillars of Eternity fans frothing at the mouth, but this doesn’t mean a tactical experience set in that universe is in the works. Sawyer touches on why it might be difficult to pull a game like this together, explaining that, while big-name series like Fire Emblem have managed to draw attention for decades, it’s tough for many tactics games to reach that same level of success. Still, he says there are “a lot of people at the studio” who would like to see a Pillars of Eternity tactics game come to be.
“So, who knows? Maybe someday.
“It’s something that a number of people have talked about and thought about,” Sawyer continues. “It’s a hard one to make a case for. Like, how big should it be? What should the size of the team be? Every once in a while, we’ll bring it up and be like, ‘Oh, we could, maybe. I don’t know. We could, maybe…’ I will say, not just for myself, but there are a lot of people at the studio who have pitched their own versions of a Pillars tactics game. So, who knows? Maybe someday.”
Whether a Pillars of Eternity tactics game will come to be remains to be seen. In the meantime, Obsidian is still hard at work on its Xbox and PC fantasy RPG, Avowed. Set in the Pillars universe, the studio has told fans to expect an experience that falls more in line with something like its past game, The Outer Worlds, than The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Following a delay, Avowed is now set to launch February 18, 2025.
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.
The company confirmed that it has made the “difficult decision” to sunset its free-to-play mobile game in a Facebook post today after more than a decade online. The Simpsons: Tapped Out will be removed from app stores on October 31, 2024, and while it’ll continue to be playable for the rest of the year, servers will be shut down on January 24, 2025. In-app purchases have already been disabled.
“The decision to end our twelve-year journey is an emotional one,” EA wrote in its Facebook post today. “Together with our partners at The Simpsons™ and The Walt Disney company, we have delighted in bringing this game to you, the fans, and seeing how you’ve each built your own beloved versions of Springfield. It has been a remarkable journey, and we are grateful that we’ve been able to deliver 308 updates, 831 characters and including today’s final farewell 1,463 questlines.”
The Simpsons: Tapped Out launched for iOS in 2012, followed by Android in 2013, and allowed players to build their own version of Springfield. It proved wildly popular at certain points, and EA said in 2014 that it had generated more than $130 million life-to-date in digital net revenue. Its seasonal and holiday-themed updates proved especially beloved by fans.
Tapped Out also, however, received blowback as part of larger criticism surrounding the freemium game model. It was seemingly lampooned in a 2014 episode of South Park titled “Freemium Isn’t Free,” which found several characters hooked on an app that looked a lot like The Simpsons: Tapped Out.
The news also highlights something of a dearth of Simpsons video games over the past decade. Tapped Out was the most recent, preceeded by The Simpsons Game in 2007 and Hit & Run in 2003. The developers of the latter commented last year on why that beloved game never got a sequel, despite fan demand.
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.
There are times when bringing along your Switch dock could be useful. Unfortunately, the original Switch dock isn’t exactly tiny, and it can be a hassle to remove it from its spot at home. If so, here’s a very inexpensive solution. Amazon currently has the Poweradd 65W Nintendo Switch Dock Charger for only $10.79 after you clip the 20% off coupon on the product page and apply 50% off code “ESBRBEUE” at checkout. This “dock” is as small as a standard wall charger, has both USB Type-C and HDMI ports just like the original Switch dock, and supports up to 65W of Power Delivery, more than enough to charge the Nintendo Switch at its maximum rate.
Poweradd 65W Portable Nintendo Switch Dock Charger
The Poweradd dock charger plugs directly into an outlet and has four ports: a USB Type-C port, a USB Type-A port, an HDMI port, and an ethernet port. The USB Type-C port supports Power Delivery up to 65W, which is enough juice to charge the Switch at its maximum rate of 18W. At its fastest rate, the Switch will continue charging even while you’re playing games. The HDMI port connects your Switch to your TV. The Poweradd supports up to 4K resolutions at 60Hz, which is more than good enough for the Nintendo Switch, since the most it can output is 1080p at 60Hz.
The biggest advantage of the Poweradd is that it is considerably smaller than the Switch dock. That makes it much easier to stow this away in your bag without having to buy yet another larger Switch case. A USB Type-C cable is already included as well, so all you need to supply is your Nintendo Switch and an HDMI cable.
This 65W model is also great for Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally
The Nintendo Switch isn’t the only console that works well with this dock. The Steam Deck accepts up to 40W of charging and the ASUS ROG Ally up to 65W. The Poweradd dock can charge either at the maximum charging rate. The HDMI output is also compatible with both for streaming to an external TV or monitor. Both the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally can output up to 4K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI, so they can take better advantage of this charger than the Switch can.
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.
The Legend of Zelda is one of the most iconic video game series of all time. Started on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, The Legend of Zelda follows various incarnations of Princess Zelda and Link as they fight to save Hyrule from the evil that is Ganon. While the series has always been popular, the Nintendo Switch has catapulted Zelda into one of Nintendo’s best-selling properties with landmark titles in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
With the release of Echoes of Wisdom toward the end of the Nintendo Switch’s life cycle, it’s a great time to look back on all Zelda games available on the system. Below, we’ve compiled every Legend of Zelda game released on the Nintendo Switch.
How Many Zelda Games Are There on Nintendo Switch?
In total, there have been eight Zelda games released specifically for the Nintendo Switch. This includes both mainline entries and spinoff games that were released from 2017 to 2024. We’ve compiled every new Zelda title you can play on Switch below, so you won’t find titles available on the system through a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
All Zelda Switch Games in Order of Release Date
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 2017
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda title released for Nintendo Switch. Launching alongside the system, this title marked a turning point in the Zelda series, bringing a style of open world gameplay that we’d never seen before. You can traverse to anywhere you can see in the world. Link awakes after a 100 year slumber, where he is tasked by the spirit of Hyrule’s former King to save Princess Zelda from Calamity Ganon – a primal evil trapped inside Hyrule Castle.
Hyrule Warriors is an action hack and slash title developed by Omega Force and originally released for the Wii U. Characters from all kinds of Zelda games make an appearance, whether as playable characters or villains. The game was brought over to Nintendo Switch in 2018 in the form of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, and includes all characters, stages, and modes from the original game in addition to Breath of the Wild inspired costumes for Link and Zelda.
Cadence of Hyrule is an extremely unqiue collaboration between Brace Yourself Games and Nintendo. The game combines the roguelike rhythm gameplay of Crypt of the NecroDancer with the world of The Legend of Zelda and its characters. This spinoff offers an incredible soundtrack and beautiful pixelated graphics. Up against Octavo, a musical villain, Zelda and Link team up with Cadence to thwart his plans and save the Hyrule.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is a remake of 1993 Game Boy title developed by Grezzo. This charming platformer sees Link castaway at Koholint Island, where he must solve the mystery of the Wind Fish, a legendary being said to be on the island. Unlike some of the more modern Zelda titles, Link’s Awakening takes you across many different dungeons and areas to collect the Instruments of the Sirens. If you never got the chance to play the original Link’s Awakening, this is the definitive way to experience one of the Zelda series’ most unique titles.
The second Switch entry in the Hyrule Warriors series, Age of Calamity is set 100 years before the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Here, you can experience firsthand the events that occured in the fight against Calamity Ganon. All of your favorite Breath of the Wild cahracters are here and playable, including Link, Zelda, the Champions, and so many more. Omega Force created a fun and expansive title, with two waves of DLC you can check out after completing the main story.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is the long-awaited remaster of the classic Wii game. Set at the beginning of the Zelda timeline, Skyward Sword takes Link to the skies as he traverses across the world to save his childhood friend Zelda. You’ll uncover the Master Sword was created as part of this journey, among other things. The remaster includes the iconic motion controls you can operate with the Joy-Con and a new button-only gameplay style for those looking to play without motion.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hit the market in 2023, selling over 10 million copies in just three days as well as quite a few special edition Switch consoles. Set a few years after the events of Breath of the Wild, Link is tasked once again with finding Princess Zelda after Ganondorf is resurrected. Tears of the Kingdom takes to both the skies of Hyrule and the depths below the land. This creates one of the largest maps you’ll find in any game, leaving for hundreds of hours of exploration to be had. All in all, it’s the best Zelda game of all time and a hard one to follow.
But, of course, Tears of the Kingdom was not the end of this beloved Nintendo franchise. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was announced during June’s Nintendo Direct before launching on the Switch this week. While Echoes has the titular Princess take the story’s reigns, and features a more 2D art style à la Link’s Awakening, it should not be mistaken as a spin-off or side project. This is a full-blown, magical Zelda game, that lets you unlock your creativity to try and save Link and the rest of Hyrule in entirely new ways.
Available Zelda Games With Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack
If you’re interested in checking out some of the older Zelda titles, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service has loads of Zelda titles from Nintendo’s older consoles. Here is every Zelda game available on the service:
The Legend of Zelda
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – Four Swords
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
Upcoming Zelda Games on Nintendo Switch
Echoes of Wisdom is most likely the last Zelda title before the Nintendo Switch 2, so we’ll probably have to wait for the new console before hearing anything about the next Zelda release. In addition to the games themselves, Nintendo has also announced they will be bringing Hyrule to the big screen with a live-action Legend of Zelda movie. In terms of details, the movie’s director, Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), has expressed his desire to make a more “grounded” Zelda adaptation that feels like live-action Miyazaki.
See the full list of upcoming Switch games for the everything coming in 2024 and beyond.
Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.
Sony has doubled the price of PlayStation 4 game Horizon: Zero Dawn following the reveal of its PS5 remaster.
Eurogamer spotted the price rise in the UK (from £15.99 to £34.99) but the price also rose in the U.S., jumping from $19.99 to $39.99 on the PlayStation Store.
Horizon: Zero Dawn has been at the previous price point for years as part of the PlayStation Hits collection, and other entries such as God of War and The Last of Us Remastered have remained at the typical $19.99 price.
The price rise comes just days after Sony announced a remaster of the seven-year-old game at its 2024 State of Play broadcast alongside a friendly $9.99 upgrade price for those who own it already. The game otherwise costs $49.99, so the price rise is essentially to stop players buying it for $19.99 on PS4 and paying another $9.99 to upgrade.
As we near the start of October – yes, time flies! – we’re quickly approaching the next wave of big sale events for the year. Mainly, October Prime Day is on the horizon and not long after that will be Black Friday in November. Until those sales officially kick off, though, Woot has been offering up some incredible video game deals for players to enjoy in the meantime, including this fantastic price drop on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to $45.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Sale for $45 at Woot
This is a new all-time low price for Tears of the Kingdom. In previous sales this year, it hovered around the $50 mark, so it’s exciting to see a little extra $5 get knocked off its price tag. This is a deal that won’t stick around for very long, either, so if you’ve been itching to jump into this incredible adventure for Switch, now’s your chance!
We had nothing but high praise for this game upon release. In our 10/10 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review, writer Tom Marks stated that, “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an unfathomable follow-up to one of the greatest games ever made, somehow improving upon it in nearly every way – be that with simple quality-of-life improvements, a genuinely exciting story, or wildly creative new building mechanics that make you rethink what is possible.”
This isn’t the only game deal worth checking out right now, either. In our roundup of the best Nintendo Switch deals, you can see even more games discounted in Woot’s sale at the moment, including Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. If you’d like to see what’s happening on other platforms, check out our roundups of the best PlayStation deals and the best Xbox deals.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
A union has called for staff at Ubisoft’s French operation to strike over a return to office order and pay dispute.
Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV), the French Video Game Workers Union, said Ubisoft management had imposed a return to office order for three days a week for all employees “without any tangible justification or any consultation with the workers’ representatives.”
“After more than five years of working efficiently in the current remote-work context, many of our colleagues have built or rebuilt their lives (family life, housing, parenthood, etc.) and simply cannot return to the previous working conditions,” the STJV continued.
“Our employer knows this perfectly well. The consequence of its decision will be the loss of our colleagues’ jobs, the disorganization of many game projects, and the drastic increase in psychosocial risks for those who remain.”
The STJV said the return to work order was announced following the collapse of profit-sharing negotiations between Ubisoft France management and staff. “Exactly like previous salary negotiations, management’s proposals were unacceptable, the negotiations’ timetable was appalling, and management was deaf to the proposals of the various employee representatives,” the union said.
A first strike has been called for October 15 to 17. Ubisoft declined to comment when contacted by IGN.
The STJV has made a number of demands, including a formal agreement on remote work, the restoration of profit sharing at 60%, the end of an alleged gender pay gap, and a higher increase in low salaries.
“Until proven otherwise, games only exist thanks to the workers’ labor, and good games thanks to good working conditions,” the STJV added, before inviting all Ubisoft staff globally to “mobilize” as well.
This isn’t the first time the STJV has organised a strike at Ubisoft France. In February, almost 700 Ubisoft staff joined the picket line across the French cities of Paris, Montpellier, Annecy, Lyon, and Bordeaux to demand better wages.
Earlier this month, a minority investor in Ubisoft called on the company to go private amid a share price slump sparked by the disappointing sales of Star Wars Outlaws.
Photo by Pascal GUYOT / AFP via Getty Images.
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.
A Cyberpunk 2077 mod turns the game into indie favorite Superhot, where time only moves when the player moves.
Nexus Mods user jackexe shared the Cyberpunk Super Hot Mode mod, which adds a new element to the beloved sci-fi first person role-playing game.
“When you move, time moves. How fast you move determines how fast time moves,” the description reads. “You can use the Cyberpunk engine tweaks to bind the controls to toggle this mode on and off.”
Longtime fans looking for a new way to play Cyberpunk 2077 — on the one year anniversary of its one and only expansion Phantom Liberty launching — could perhaps find some entertainment here. Toggling in and out of the mode for certain battles seems like it would add some new intensity to the game and allow players to perform some particularly dramatic takedowns.
In fact, the gameplay change somewhat recreates a piece of cyberware available to players in Cyberpunk 2077: the Sandevistan. Though this does exist in the game, it’s not available in quite the same flashy way it was shown off in anime Cyberpunk Edgerunners, where protagonist David Martinez would manipulate time to dodge through bullets and take down baddies.
This mod is based on Superhot, a puzzle game which debuted the mechanic of time stopping if the player stops. “Every level in Superhot is an exciting, self-contained, time-bending puzzle that turns typical fast-paced first-person shooter mechanics on their head,” IGN said in our review.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
During Microsoft’s Tokyo Game Show 2024 broadcast, Square Enix announced nine of its classic RPGs are coming to Xbox today, September 26.
Final Fantasy I – VI Pixel Remaster is finally available on Xbox Series X and S and Windows PC (but not Game Pass). The Pixel Remaster series takes the classic originals and remakes them with new pixel art optimized for HD displays, with rearranged soundtracks and quality-of-life features, including multiple font options, the ability to switch to the old soundtracks if you’re a purist, the ability to boost experience for faster levelling, turn off random enemy encounters, and even auto-battle.
Meanwhile, Square Enix’s Trials of Mana and Legend of Mana are available on Xbox Series X and S, Windows PC, and Game Pass today. Visions of Mana launched on Xbox Series X and S earlier this year.
And as already announced, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake has a November 14, 2024 release date. The new Tokyo Game Show trailer is below:
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.
StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection hit Game Pass from November 5, Microsoft has announced.
Blizzard’s sci-fi real-time strategy games are the latest from the company following Microsoft’s $69 billion aquisition of Activision Blizzard last year.
While the entirety of the original StarCraft and StarCraft 2’s multiplayer components are free-to-play, StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection will be available to anyone with a PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription from November 5.
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.
