Category: IGN

Auto Added by WPeMatico

Stellar Blade Update 1.003 Adds New Boss Challenge, New Outfits, and More

Stellar Blade developer Shift Up Corp. has released patch 1.003, adding a new Boss Challenge, new outfits for main character Eve, and more.

Stellar Blade is an action game released exclusively on PlayStation 5 in April. IGN’s Stellar Blade review returned a 7/10. We said: “Stellar Blade is great in all of the most important ways for an action game, but dull characters, a lackluster story, and several frustrating elements of its RPG mechanics prevent it from soaring along with the best of the genre.”

Now, a month after release, the new update adds the Boss Challenge mode, which pits players against the 19 bosses from the base game. Progression in the Boss Challenge requires battle data from bosses you’ve previously defeated, director Kim Hyung Tae explained in a post on the PlayStation Blog. You can also fight bosses on the hard difficulty setting after you’ve seen the ending of the game.

To start the challenge, you can either load up and use your own gear you’ve been using or choose one of several presets. “Choose the minimum preset for a true challenge, which is extremely understated, or the maximum preset, which has all of your skills and stats buffed up, if you want to taunt the boss with some spectacular combat,” Kim Hyung Tae suggested.

After the challenge is over, your battle data is automatically analyzed. You’ll see metrics like battle time, number of perfect parries and dodges, consumable usage, and more. You can compare your results with those of your friends. If you defeat all bosses in the Boss Challenge on Normal difficulty setting or higher, you’ll get to earn the Neurolink Suit for Eve, below.

Speaking of new outfits, the update adds two new Nano Suits: White Kunoichi and Black Kunoichi (check them out in the images below). Kim Hyung Tae encouraged players check in-game for more Nano Suits.

And finally, quality-of-life improvements mean if you switch to ranged attack mode and switch back while locked on to an enemy, you will automatically lock on to the enemy again. The update also adds an option to always show the compass in the HUD.

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.

Naughty Dog Boss Neil Druckmann Says AI Will ‘Revolutionize How Content Is Being Created’

Naughty Dog boss Neil Druckmann has said AI will “revolutionize” video game development process, but cautioned that the controversial technology has “ethical issues.”

Druckmann, Studio Head and Head of Creative at The Last of Us and Uncharted developer Naughty Dog, issued the comment as part of a Sony-published interview on the company’s ‘Creative Entertainment Vision.’ Druckmann was asked how he envisions the “fusion of storytelling and technology evolving over the next 10 years” as part of a Sony series that also revealed an idea for a futuristic PlayStation controller.

Here’s Druckmann’s response in full:

We’re seeing this exciting marriage of cutting-edge technology with traditional storytelling that’s pushing us into a future where enhanced fidelity isn’t just about achieving realism, but about broadening the spectrum from highly stylized visuals to ultra-realistic ones. This broadening of possibilities is fueled by increasingly accessible tools that allow even non-technical people to use their imagination and create worlds and narratives to their heart’s content.

Moreover, AI is really going to revolutionize how content is being created, although it does bring up some ethical issues we need to address. With technologies like AI and the ability to do motion capture right from home, we’re reducing both costs and technical hurdles, opening the door for us to take on more adventurous projects and push the boundaries of storytelling in games. This evolution is truly empowering creators to bring their visions to life without the traditional obstacles.

Druckmann’s comments have caused a stir online, particularly within the video game community where the impact of AI is perhaps the hottest topic. Developers and gamers have expressed concern about the use of AI to replace everything from voice acting to narrative design, but executives have continued to push it hard, telling the investment community it will fundamentally change how video games are made and, as Druckmann alludes to, cut costs.

“AI is really going to revolutionize how content is being created, although it does bring up some ethical issues we need to address.

As part of the same Sony series, head of PlayStation Productions and head of Product at PlayStation Studios Asad Qizilbash weighed in on AI to say its use in video games is important to Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers who seek “personalization across everything.”

“For instance, non-player characters in games could interact with players based on their actions, making it feel more personal,” Qizilbash said. “This is important for the younger Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences, who are the first generations that grew up digitally and are looking for personalization across everything, as well as looking for experiences to have more meaning.”

Earlier this month, EA boss Andrew Wilson told the investment community that “more than 50% of our development processes will be positively impacted by the advances in generative AI.” Wilson, who oversees EA Sports FC, The Sims, and BioWare games, added that AI will make game development “more efficient”, revealing that the EA Sports FC developers can now make stadiums in six weeks rather than six months.

The Witcher voice actor Doug Cockle also expressed caution and frustration at the growing presence of AI within the video game industry, calling it “inevitable” but “dangerous.” Ironically, however, the biggest developer to use AI for voice acting so far is The Witcher studio CD Projekt Red, though this was only done to replace a deceased voice actor after gaining permission from the family.

In March, video game support developer Keywords Studios tried to create a game solely using artificial intelligence but failed because the technology was “unable to replace talent.”

“One of the key learnings was that whilst Gen AI may simplify or accelerate certain processes, the best results and quality needed can only be achieved by experts in their field utilising Gen AI as a new, powerful tool in their creative process,” Keywords said.

Elsewhere in the Druckmann interview, the Last of Us director teased Naughty Dog’s new game, saying it “could redefine mainstream perceptions of 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.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3: Wrecked Adds Fallout’s T-60 Power Armor, Nuka-Cola, and Wastelander Magneto

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3: Wrecked has been revealed and its Battle Pass will let players unlock Fallout’s T-60 Power Armor and, later in the season, the Wastelander Magneto Outfit.

This latest season of Fortnite is available today, May 24, and brings a literal wasteland into the Battle Royale. Following a sandstorm, a new biome was created in the south called wasteland and “Wasteland Warriors” have claimed the area for their own.

You obviously can’t have a wasteland without Fallout, and the Wrecked Battle Pass will let you don some T-60 Power Armor after doing a bit of grinding.

When you purchase the Battle Pass, you will unlock an Outfit called The Machinist. By leveling it up, you will be able to unlock Rust, Peabody, Ringmaster Scarr, and then, finally, the T-60 Power Armor. That’s not all, as the Brite Raider and Megalo Don Outfits will become available two levels after that.

The Fallout fun doesn’t end there either, as ice-cold Nuka-Cola bottles will be littered around the map that will restore Health and, over time, a bit of Shield.

Beyond Fallout, Marvel fans will be delighted to know that they will be able to unlock the Wastelander Magneto Outfit from Battle Pass Quests in July.

A Wasteland Waiting to be Conquered

Whether you have the T-60 Power Armor or not, the wasteland will have a ton of things to do in it and challenges to conquer. There will also be a few new POIs, including the Redline Rig, Nitrodome, and Brutal Beachhead. All of these are run by different Wasteland Warriors that you’ll be able to take down if you dare to try.

Redline Rig’s The Machinist will drop a medallion that will recharge your shield over time and her Mythic weapon, Nitrodome’s Ringmaster Scarr will drop a medallion that gives you infinite ammo and a small damage buff alongside a Mythic Ringmaster’s Boom Bolt, and Brutal Beachhead’s Megalo Don will drop a medallion that will infuse you with infinite Nitro and Megalo Don’s Nitro Fists. Oh, and you can steal their vehicles as well.

Speaking of Nitro, the island will now be home to Nitro Splash and Nitro Barrels that are being shipped right from Redline Rig. Nitro Splash is a portable container that you can throw to infuse your car or yourself with Nitro while Nitro Barrels will fly off when you hit them and explode on whatever it lands on.

As for what Nitro is, it will increase the speed of cars, give “explosive ramming power that deals damage and knockback,” decrease fuel consumption, and buff attached attack mods. For the player, it will increase their movement speed, give them the ability to “bust through builds,” sprint for longer periods, reload guns faster, and take no fall damage.

Additionally, there are now Nitro Fists that lets players perform a 3x punch combo, uppercut, or aerial punch. These fists have four charges and each one recharges every eight seconds.

There is so much more to look forward to in this new season, including a War Bus that you can hijack that comes complete with two cannons and an EMP pulse, new and returning vehicle mods, the ability to create roadblocks with a Boom Bolt, and much more.

If this isn’t enough Fallout for you, be sure to check out our review of Season 1 of the Fallout TV show, our explainer of its ending, and the Fallout game you need to play while you wait for Season 2.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.

The Sims 4 Promises More Bug Fixes, Performance Improvements in Response to Community Frustration

Over the past 10 years, The Sims 4 has certainly struggled under the technical weight of years of updates and DLC releases, much to the annoyance of fans. But today, the team’s pledged to put more resources into the “core game experience.”

The Sims released a statement on the matter earlier today, in which the team acknowledged that “technical issues with The Sims 4 have interrupted your gameplay over time and we recognize that this has caused you much frustration.”

“Today,” the statement continued, “we can share that we have assembled a team to invest in the core game experience, including tackling your reported concerns. This newly formed and focused team means we’ll be able to increase both the number of fixes and the frequency with which we ship these batched updates.”

The plan moving forward, according to the statement, is to release a patch roughly every two months, with the first coming later this month. EA published the details of this first patch in a “Laundry List” on its website. And, true to the “Laundry List” title, it mostly is a litany of fixes for small (albeit frustrating) bugs, ranging in everything from a “trash can is required” message appearing on lots that already have one to traversal issues with puppies and kitties.

But, behind the bug fixes, the team promises to “continue making core improvements to the performance of The Sims 4.” To that end, the statement says the next patch will include some optimizations across platforms so The Sims 4 uses less memory.

“As a result, you may experience fewer crashes, a better frame rate, and/or a more responsive simulation,” it adds.

As the devs acknowledge, bugs and performance have long been points of consternation among fans, so the community’s reaction to today’s news was largely positive on the game’s subreddit, if a little cautious in their optimism.

“They did an in game survey about [DLC] for rent that seemed to ask a lot about how unplayable it was, I wonder if that had anything to do with this,” wrote one user. “Glad EA is letting them have more people, hopefully they’re able to actually start fixing stuff (but probably not lol)”

Other were a little surprised about the seeming reinvestment into the decade-old title, especially as EA gears up for its next Sims game, codenamed “Project Rene.” It’s been months, however, since we got any updates on that, and EA said last September that it was still in the “early stages” of development.

In the meantime, the team has vowed to continue supporting The Sims 4, both in today’s statement and in prior ones.

“Our team is more dedicated than ever to developing great The Sims 4 gameplay experiences into the foreseeable future,” the statement concludes, “and we appreciate your support as these critical improvements roll out.”

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.

IGN Plus Games: Claim a Key for Project Winter on Steam!

If you’re an IGN Plus member, a new free game is available to claim now from IGN Rewards! For a limited time, any IGN Plus member can now claim a free Project Winter Steam key. Developed by Other Ocean, Project Winter is a multiplayer experience you do not want to miss out on. The game has a focus on survival, which requires you to team up with others to explore the wilderness and survive.

Claim a Free Project Winter Steam Key!

Project Winter is playable with up to eight people in online multiplayer, with cross-platform play available. There are two different roles available in the game: Survivors and Traitors. As a Survivor, you’ll need to carefully pay attention to your teammates and communicate with them to survive. This involves cooperating on objectives, completing tasks, and, in the end, escaping with your life. The path there won’t be easy, however. Two Traitors will attempt to deceive and steer Survivors to the wrong path. By sabotaging and killing off the survivors, the Traitors can prevent an escape.

You can customize your character’s outfit with loads of costume options in the game. After each match, you will unlock new items so you can continue to grow your wardrobe! Project Winter is still getting updates almost every month, with the team at Other Ocean hard at work to provide fun, new ways to experience the game. Claim your key with IGN Plus now before it’s too late!

About IGN Plus

If you’re unfamiliar with IGN Plus, it’s the ultimate subscription to get the most out of your IGN experience! Some of the perks include no ads across IGN, unlimited maps and checklists for games, free games each month, and even discounts at IGN Store! Learn more and try IGN Plus today.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader’s First DLC Expansion Announced, Steam Deck Support Added

Owlcat Games has revealed the first DLC expansion for its well-received role-playing game Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader at the Warhammer Skulls showcase.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader launched in December 2023 on PC via Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store, together with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S and X, and was met with positive reviews from players and critics. IGN’s Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader review returned an 8/10. We said: “Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an ultra crunchy, 130-hour space epic with excellent writing and combat, but unfortunately, also a lot of bugs.”

Now, half a year later, Owlcat has announced Void Shadows, Rogue Trader’s first DLC. According to the developer, the expansion adds 15 hours of new content, and launches across all platforms on August 8, 2024.

Void Shadows adds a new romanceable companion, fully integrated into the game’s main story. Here’s the official blurb:

The DLC allows the players to personally delve into the depths of their voidship in an enthralling story that will pit them against an entirely new enemy who is trying to bring ruin to the von Valancius dynasty from the inside.

There are two new archetypes with unique abilities, and new lore content added to the main campaign. The new companion is Kibellah, a Death Cult Assassin “ready to pledge her life in service of the von Valancius dynasty just as her predecessors did for generations before her.” This new companion will have romance options as part of the new story, Owlcat confirmed.

Meanwhile, there are new crew members to interact with. These high-level officers play a “significant” role in the new story. The new threat is the Genestealer Cult, the Tyranid-obsessed faction Warhammer 40,000 fans will know well. Here’s Owlcat’s line on the Genestealer Cult:

Arising from within the deepest and darkest bowels of the player’s very own voidship is the malignant Genestealer Cult – a horrific breed of xenos who work from the shadows and infect your crew with their genetic code to convert them and slowly twist their loyalties for their wretched goals.

New quests of course mean new nooks and crannies hidden around the voidship “where no Lord Captain has explored before, until now.” You can upgrade your voidship with a new hangar, able to launch groups of fighters and bombers “to succeed in desperate, massive space battles or even bigger threats.”

Ahead of the DLC launch, Owlcat confirmed Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader now has full Steam Deck support. Multiplayer co-op is live now on the Windows PC version and is coming in a future patch for Mac and console versions.

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.

Devolver Digital Will Hold Another Devolver Direct in June, This Time Themed as a Birthday Party

Though the nature of June’s showcase onslaught continues to change, one company remains consistently wacky as ever: Devolver Digital. The publisher has announced it will hold another June showcase this year on June 7 at 5:00p.m. Pacific Time, and this year it’s birthday party-themed.

The showcase will supposedly celebrate the 15th birthday of Devolver Digital’s mascot Volvy, a weird little guy that Devolver introduced last year in its 2023 showcase as a gag on the idea of a retro mascot making a return. Devolver Digital itself, as a company, turns 15 on June 25 of this year.

In celebration of, well, something’s birthday, Devolver promises to shower “partygoers with a big handful of gaming gifts, including updates and release dates for upcoming titles as well as some exciting new reveals.” Currently, Devolver has a number of announced games still in development including Baby Steps, Neva, Human: Fall Flat 2, and The Crush House.

This year’s Devolver Direct-er, Volvy’s Birthday Party will last approximately 20 minutes. If you’ve never watched one of these events before and intend to tune into this one, prepare for it to get a little strange. In addition to the aforementioned mascot “return” last year, Devolver’s events have included parodies of massive gaming conferences, subscription service japes, a malfunctioning mecha Suda51, and a “marketing countdown to marketing.” Who knows what this year will hold?

Devolver’s event will take place over a busy weekend both online and in Los Angeles. Folks tuning in digitally can catch showcases from Ubisoft, Xbox, and the all-encompassing Summer Game Fest all covered here on IGN, while folks in LA can check out our own IGN Live fan event featuring developers, publishers, creators, and more across both gaming and entertainment.

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

Atari Acquires Intellivision Brand But Leaves Disastrous Amico Console Behind

Two classic game companies have united under one roof as Atari has acquired the Intellivision Entertainment brand, though left its disastrous Amico console behind.

That’s because Atari hasn’t acquired Intellivision Entertainment LLC itself, but instead just its branding and the rights to more than 200 games from its portfolio. The remaining Intellivision Entertainment LLC will therefore rebrand to a different name entirely and continue to develop the Amico console.

Though it will presumably no longer be called the Intellivision Amico, this retro inspired console is allegedly still being developed though hasn’t received any positive updates in years.

“This was a very rare opportunity to unite former competitors and bring together fans of Atari, Intellivision, and the golden age of gaming.

The Intellivision Amico was announced in 2018 with a 2020 release date, though several mishaps saw it delayed indefinitely and Intellivision eventually admitted in November 2023 it didn’t have the money to continue development. It released a mobile application version in the meantime to secure funds, though this deal with Atari is likely another way of doing so.

Atari will use the Intellivision brand and game rights to expand its digital and physical distrubution of classic games and potentially create new ones. It will also explore brand and licensing opportunities as part of a long-term plan to create value from the Intellivision properties.

“This was a very rare opportunity to unite former competitors and bring together fans of Atari, Intellivision, and the golden age of gaming,” said Atari chairman and CEO Wade Rosen.

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

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Confirmed by Activision

Activision has confirmed 2024’s Call of Duty is Black Ops 6 following a string of teases and leaks.

A post on X/Twitter from the official Call of Duty account teased a “dark new chapter” in the Black Ops franchise, before confirming the rumors and leaks that 2024’s entry would indeed be Black Ops 6. A teaser video, below, was also shared, showing a group of people vandalizing Mount Rushmore.

“A dark new chapter of the Black Ops franchise begins,” reads the X/Twitter post. “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.” A previously shared emblem featuring three wolf heads matches files found in 2023’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with connections to the next game.

Reliable Call of Duty fan page CharlieIntel posted another teaser image, that when zoomed in shows the word “Gulf” in orange letters. This suggests Black Ops 6 will indeed be set during the Gulf War as was rumored.

While this still doesn’t give fans too much to go on, a deep dive of the game is coming on June 9, 2024 following Microsoft’s main Xbox Games Showcase. The same teaser image was shared alongside the promise of “a special deep dive into the next installment of a beloved franchise”, which was expected to be but now confirmed as 2024’s Call of Duty.

As for the teaser trailer, titled The Truth Lies, Activision first offered a tease of this by sharing a single image of the vandalized Mount Rushmore part.

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

GTA 5 and More Leaving PlayStation Plus Games Catalog in June

Grand Theft Auto 5 and several other titles are leaving the PlayStation Plus Games Catalog available to Extra Tier members in June 2024.

As reported by Push Square, the PlayStation Store’s Last Chance to Play page has beem updated to include a dozen titles headlined by the beloved GTA 5 but also including Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and Indivisible. Players can no longer access these as of June 18.

Also being removed is DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace, Dodgeball Academia, Monster Jam Steel Titans, MotoGP 23, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, The Talos Principle, Deluxe Edition, The Wild at Heart, and Unturned. PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers will also lose access to Baja: Edge of Control HD on the Classic Games Catalog.

GTA 5’s removal will come just one month after developer Rockstar Games’ latest, Red Dead Redemption 2, was added to the service. This was a launch title of the PlayStation Plus Games Catalog but removed in September 2022, before being finally added back in May 2024. The decade old GTA 5 has been available on the service since December 2023.

May 2024’s additions otherwise include Cat Quest, Watch Dogs, and G-Police in what was perhaps a thinner line-up than usual, though Red Dead Redemption 2 will likely carry it a long way.

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