Category: IGN

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is currently down to just £47.16 right now in the UK (see here), which is the best price we’ve seen on the game since it launched at the end of February. This is a tremendous deal, and well worth considering for all PS5 owners, especially those who have held off on the game to wait for a significant price drop. It’s worth noting that this deal is only accessible on eBay’s dedicated app, so you’ll need to be using that for the promo code to work.

All you need to do is use code APP20 at checkout when purchasing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth from trusted retailer, and eBay seller, The Game Collection via eBay’s app. This will bring the game down to just below £48, and with free delivery, you’re laughing. We recently gave Rebirth a 9/10 in our review, so this will certainly be worth your time and money.

In our review of the game. we said: “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth impressively builds off of what Remake set in motion, both as a best-in-class action-RPG full of exciting challenges and an awe-inspiring recreation of a world that has meant so much to so many for so long.”

“After 82 hours to finish the main story and complete a decent chunk of sidequests and optional activities, there’s still much to be done, making this pivotal section of the original feel absolutely massive. Minigames, sidequests, and other enticing diversions fill the spaces of its vast and sprawling regions, painting a new and more vivid picture of these familiar locations. But more than just being filled with things to do, Rebirth is often a powerful representation of Final Fantasy VII’s most memorable qualities.”

Other impressive discounts in the APP20 sale right now include a Steam Deck 512GB for £374.95 and Stellar Blade preorders for £55.96. For even more great discounts, be sure to follow @IGNUKDeals on Twitter/X.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

One of the best Switch games out there right now has just been given a big discount. Unicorn Overlord, the much-loved and innovative high-fantasy RPG has dropped down to just £44 on eBay, making it one of the very best Switch deals right now.

If you’ve not played the game before, it’s a character-driven adventure and one of the most exciting RPGs to have come out on the Switch platform. If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to pick this one up, then now is your time, this is the best Unicorn Overlord deal we’ve seen in a while.

To get the deal, all you’ll need to do is make sure you’re purchasing the game on the eBay app, and use the code APP20 at checkout.

The game has proven immensely popular with Switch players since it came out, and it’s easy to see why. In our review, we gave it a 9/10, saying: “Reflecting on the incredibly diverse and remarkably creative world I explored across my 45-hour journey, any issues I had with Unicorn Overlord ended up feeling like nothing more than nitpicks. The tactical combat system is unique and complex while also being easy to understand, expertly blending mechanics from many of its peers with smart new additions of its own. The interesting terrain across the continent of Fevrith makes every fight feel unique, with some of the best map gimmicks I’ve seen in any strategy RPG.”

The new eBay code is the latest offering from the website, but this one is operating slightly differently compared to recent codes from eBay. All the previous codes were on selected sellers only, and while that’s the case again for this one, there’s an added caveat that you can only use this code when purchasing items on the eBay app. So bear that in mind when you’re doing your shopping.

The code has a minimum spend of £9.99, and you can redeem it a maximum of three times. You’ve got the whole weekend to take advantage of the deal, as it doesn’t come to an end until 11:59 PM on April 15.

Joe O’Neill-Parker is a freelance writer and audio producer. He is the owner of O’Neill Multimedia. He writes commerce, sports, and audio-related tech articles for IGN.

Matt has been reviewing the Fallout TV show, and he’s so happy about how it’s turned out that he could explode. Rather than going nuclear, he’s on this week’s IGN UK podcast to tell you all about how good it is. He’s joined by Emma, who’s played a little of Ubisoft’s surprise roguelike The Rogue Prince of Persia, and Mat J, who’s back from his pilgrimage to Wrestlemania. There’s also another round of the Endless Search, and your feedback.

Tell us what your favourite sauce is. Get in touch at ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast 744: We Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire

• IGN UK Podcast 743: Hellblade 2, Stellar Blade, and Salad Gravy
• IGN UK Podcast 742: Solid Snake Smoking Meats
• IGN UK Podcast 741: Dragon’s Dogma 2 Has the Sauce
• IGN UK Podcast 740: Rise of Ricky Stanicky
• IGN UK Podcast 739: We Draft Our Favourite 2014 Games, Films, TV Shows, and Memes

Warhorse Studios, the developer behind the popular role-playing game Kingdom Come: Deliverance, is getting ready to reveal its next game.

The Czech studio took to X/Twitter on Thursday to announce that it would be revealing a new game on April 18 at 11am PT / 2pm ET. Fans immediately began buzzing about the possibility of a sequel to Kingdom Come, which earned a loyal following thanks to the way that it grounded its Skyrim-like design in a more realistic medieval open world.

pic.twitter.com/CePZumVQoK

— Warhorse Studios (@WarhorseStudios) April 11, 2024

Referring to Kingdom Come’s protagonist, one fans asked, “Oh my god are we finally gonna see the rest of Henry’s story?”

First released in 2018, Kingdom Come Deliverance has consistently topped lists of the best RPGs. We wrote in our review at the time, “There’s a shining suit of mail underneath Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s authentically medieval grime. Strong characters and storytelling, one of my favorite first-person melee combat systems ever, and special attention given to building moment-to-moment immersion come together as a mighty alloy that ranks among the most unique, memorable RPGs I’ve played in years.”

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and also received a Switch release last March.

The 2024 BAFTA Games Awards have come and gone but didn’t leave without another round of wins for Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3. The Dungeons and Dragons RPG rolled away from the show with five wins (including Best Game) while other highlights saw solid wins for projects like Alan Wake 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Viewfinder.

Larian’s night at the BAFTAs saw studio head Swen Vincke and the rest of the team taking home awards for Best Game, Music, Performer in a Supporting Role, and Narrative. It also won the public vote for EE Players’ Choice award, giving the studio that grand total of fine wins.

The total of 18 categories saw awards spread out among the nominees. Alan Wake 2 developer Remedy Entertainment nabbed awards for Artistic Achievement and Audio Achievement, while Nintendo managed to grab the Family and Multiplayer Awards for Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Viewfinder was another surprise standout, taking home awards for New Intellectual Property and British Game. Other highlights saw Venba win for Debut Game, Tchia win for Game Beyond Entertainment, and Dave the Diver win for Game Design.

The BAFTA Games Awards also took the time to honor this year’s Special Award recipient: the UK-based gaming charity, SpecialEffect. Since getting off the ground in 2007, the organization has utilized technology to allow and enhance access to video games for disabled players. As SpecialEffect explains on its website, “Whatever we do, we’re committed to making life better for the people that need us, for as long as possible.”

SpecialEffect CEO and founder Dr. Mick Donegan MBE accepted the award on the organization’s behalf. He shared a few thoughts about the recognition in a pre-ceremony interview.

“We are utterly delighted,” he said. “We’re delighted because, well, it’s great that the charity is recognized, but what we’ve achieved has been in partnership with the people who’ve helped us, who have funded us, the people we’ve worked with who’ve helped, and the industry that has collaborated with us to make their games more accessible. It’s just a lovely endorsement for accessibility all together and the effort that everybody’s made.”

BAFTA Special Award winners span across games, film, and television. Past recipients include Amy Hennig, Epic Games, Nolan North, Brenda Romero, Idris Elba, Spike Lee, The Jim Henson Company, Ridley Scott, and many more.

You can take a look at every winner and nominee from the 2024 Bafta Games Awards below. As awards season winds down, don’t forget to check out IGN’s list of the best games of 2023.

ANIMATION

• ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team – Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games
• HI-FI RUSH Development Team – Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks – WINNER
• HOGWARTS LEGACY Development Team – Avalanche Software/Warner Bros. Games
• MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR Nathan Dunlap, David Nam, Thomas Cannell – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
• SUPER MARIO BROS. WONDER Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT

• ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team – Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games – WINNER
• BALDUR’S GATE 3 Development Team – Larian Studio/Larian Studio
• COCOON Development Team – Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive
• DIABLO IV Development Team – Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment
• FINAL FANTASY XVI Hiroshi Minagawa, Kazuya Takahashi, Naoki Kurihara – SQUARE ENIX – Creative Business Unit III/SQUARE ENIX
• HI-FI RUSH Development Team – Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks

AUDIO ACHIEVEMENT

• ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team – Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games – WINNER
• CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE III Matt Grimm, Eric Wedemeyer, Robbie Elias – Sledgehammer
• Games/Activision
• HI-FI RUSH Development Team – Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks
• THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
• MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR Development Team – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts

BEST GAME

• ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team – Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games
• BALDUR’S GATE 3 Development Team – Larian Studio/Larian Studio – WINNER
• DAVE THE DIVER Development Team – MINTROCKET/MINTROCKET
• THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
• MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• SUPER MARIO BROS. WONDER Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

BRITISH GAME

• CASSETTE BEASTS Development Team – Bytten Studio/Raw Fury
• DEAD ISLAND 2 Development Team – Dambuster Studios/PLAION
• DISNEY ILLUSION ISLAND Development Team – Dlala Studios/Disney
• FOOTBALL MANAGER 2024 Development Team – Sports Interactive/SEGA Europe
• VIEWFINDER Development Team – Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing – WINNER
• WARHAMMER AGE OF SIGMAR: REALMS OF RUIN Development Team – Frontier Developments/Frontier Developments

DEBUT GAME

• COCOON Development Team – Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive
• DAVE THE DIVER Development Team – MINTROCKET/MINTROCKET
• DREDGE Development Team – Black Salt Games/Team17 Digital
• STRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL Development Team – Summerfall Studios/Humble Games
• VENBA Abhijeeth Swaminathan, Sam Elkana, Shahrin Khan – Visai Games/Visai Games – WINNER
• VIEWFINDER Development Team – Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing

EVOLVING GAME

• CYBERPUNK 2077 Development Team – CD PROJEKT RED/CD PROJEKT RED – WINNER
• FINAL FANTASY XIV ONLINE Development Team – Creative Business Unit III/Square Enix
• FORTNITE Development Team – Epic Games/Epic Games
• FORZA HORIZON 5 Development Team – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
• GENSHIN IMPACT Development Team – HoYoverse/HoYoverse
• NO MAN’S SKY Development Team – Hello Games/Hello Games

FAMILY

• COCOON Development Team – Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive
• DAVE THE DIVER Development Team – MINTROCKET/MINTROCKET
• DISNEY ILLUSION ISLAND Development Team – Dlala Studios/Disney
• HI-FI RUSH Development Team – Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks
• HOGWARTS LEGACY Development Team – Avalanche Software/Warner Bros. Games
• SUPER MARIO BROS. WONDER Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo – WINNER

GAME BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT

• CHANTS OF SENNAAR Julien Moya, Thomas Panuel – Rundisc/Focus Entertainment
• GOODBYE VOLCANO HIGH Development Team – KO_OP/KO_OP
• TCHIA Phil Crifo, Marilou Lopez-Aguilera, Thoanë Thomadra – Awaceb/Kepler Interactive – WINNER
• TERRA NIL Development Team – Free Lives/Devolver Digital
• THIRSTY SUITORS Development Team – Outerloop Games/Annapurna Interactive
• VENBA Abhijeeth Swaminathan, Sam Elkana, Shahrin Khan – Visai Games/Visai Games

GAME DESIGN

• COCOON Development Team – Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive
• DAVE THE DIVER Development Team – MINTROCKET/MINTROCKET – WINNER
• DREDGE Joel Mason, Alex Ritchie, Nadia Thorn – Black Salt Games/Team17 Digital
• THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
• MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• VIEWFINDER Development Team – Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing

MULTIPLAYER

• BALDUR’S GATE 3 Development Team – Larian Studio/Larian Studio
• CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE III Development Team – Sledgehammer Games/Activision
• DIABLO IV Development Team – Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment
• FORZA MOTORSPORT Development Team – Turn 10 Studios/Xbox Game Studios
• PARTY ANIMALS Development Team – Recreate Games/Source Technology
• SUPER MARIO BROS. WONDER Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo – WINNER

MUSIC

• ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team – Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games
• ASSASSIN’S CREED MIRAGE Development Team – Ubisoft/Ubisoft
• BALDUR’S GATE 3 Borislav Slavov – Larian Studio/Larian Studio – WINNER
• THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
• MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 John Paesano, Scott Hanau, Keith Leary – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR Gordy Haab, Stephen Barton – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts

NARRATIVE

• ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team – Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games
• BALDUR’S GATE 3 Development Team – Larian Studio/Larian Studio – WINNER
• DREDGE Joel Mason, Alex Ritchie, Nadia Thorne – Black Salt Games/Team17 Digital
• FINAL FANTASY XVI Kazutoyo Maehiro, Michael-Christopher Koji Fox – SQUARE ENIX – Creative Business Unit III/SQUARE ENIX
• THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
• STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR Stig Asmussen, Aaron Contreras, Dori Arazi – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts

NEW INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

• CHANTS OF SENNAAR Julien Moya, Thomas Panuel – Rundisc/Focus Entertainment
• DAVE THE DIVER Development Team – MINTROCKET/MINTROCKET
• DREDGE Development Team – Black Salt Games/Team17 Digital
• HI-FI RUSH Development Team – Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks
• JUSANT Development Team – DON’T NOD/DON’T NOD
• VIEWFINDER Development Team – Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing – WINNER

PERFORMER IN A LEADING ROLE

• AMELIA TYLER as Narrator in Baldur’s Gate 3
• CAMERON MONAGHAN as Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• NADJI JETER as Miles Morales in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – WINNER
• NEIL NEWBON as Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3
• SAMANTHA BÉART as Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3
• YURI LOWENTHAL as Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• ANDREW WINCOTT as Raphael in Baldur’s Gate 3 – WINNER
• DEBRA WILSON as Cere Junda in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• RALPH INESON as Cidolfus “Cid” Telamon in Final Fantasy XVI
• SAM LAKE as Alex Casey in Alan Wake 2
• TONY TODD as Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• TRACY WILES as Jaheira in Baldur’s Gate 3

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

• ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team – Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games
• FINAL FANTASY XVI Ryota Suzuki, Yasuhiro Yanamoto, Kei Honda – SQUARE ENIX – Creative Business Unit III/SQUARE ENIX
• HORIZON CALL OF THE MOUNTAIN Development Team – Guerrilla and Firesprite/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo – WINNER
• MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• STARFIELD Development Team – Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks

EE PLAYERS’ CHOICE

• BALDUR’S GATE 3 Larian Studio/Larian Studio – WINNER
• CYBERPUNK 2077 CD PROJEKT RED/CD PROJEKT RED
• FORTNITE Epic Games/Epic Games
• THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
• LETHAL COMPANY Zeekerss/Zeekerss
• MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment

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.

Players of wacky co-op horror game Content Warning are being asked by publisher Landfall if their wildest recordings can be used for a lost footage project which would see it hidden in-game for other players to find.

Content Warning doesn’t revolve around looting or fighting your way through a shadowy and monster-infested world but instead your objective is to use the 90 seconds of film on your video camera to capture your crew’s spine-chilling and/or hilarious misadventures, then survive long enough to extract the footage, upload it to ‘SpookTube’, and rake in the views. The resulting reel, including your screams, exclamations, and deadpan narration of someone being eaten by a hole in the ceiling, is then available for you to download to your PC as a memento.

Being picked up and hurled into the air by a horrifying knobbly slug monster is therefore an ideal turn of events (as long as your cameraman catches it on film), and it’s this kind of footage Landfall is looking for.

Come join our lost footage project for the chance to get your crew’s footage found by other players in Content Warning! 📹

Link to the application below! pic.twitter.com/UIaQka16uc

— Landfall (@LandfallGames) April 11, 2024

It’s asking for players’ exported camera footage for the lost footage project, with the idea that, when other players are exploring the ridiculous and terrifying world of Content Warning, they’ll come across an equally ridiculous and terrifying recording and perhaps gain an idea of what lurks nearby — or at least have a good laugh.

Footage must be unedited to be eligible for inclusion, and you’ll need to sign a waiver and post the video on social media first. Applications are currently open, so give it a shot if you think your expert camerawork deserves a larger audience.

If you’re looking for your saved footage, here’s where to find your video recordings in Content Warning. Or if you’re heading back down for a reshoot, take a look at IGN’s Guides for all the info we’ve gathered so far on the monsters, useful items available to purchase, and our tips and tricks for maximum views.

Jen Rothery is a Deputy Editor on the IGN Guides team. She can be found on Twitter and Twitch at @sylfGG. If she invites you to play Dota 2, you may safely decline.

Getting around in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is perilous at the best of times. Hordes of goblins and lizard-like saurians dog the player’s steps at every turn, and then there’s the deadly cast of enormous mythological creatures that want nothing more than to grab the player character — known as the Arisen — and bring their noble quest to an unceremonious end.

On top of that, the undead come out at night, and swimming is an absolute no-go thanks to an omnipresent insta-killing enemy known only as the brine, which is particularly troubling in light of the fact that many bridges can easily be destroyed by accident in the heat of battle.

These challenges are compounded by the fact that, unlike many other open-world games, Dragon’s Dogma 2 has a restricted fast travel system. Players have the option of buying passage aboard an oxcart travelling along a predetermined route, or using a rare consumable item called a ferrystone to teleport directly to a location marked by a larger crystaline rock known as a portcrystal.

However, many of the settlements and locations studded throughout Dragon’s Dogma 2’s content-packed map don’t feature a portcrystal of their own, and so aren’t easily accessible until later in the game, when the player gains the ability to place their own custom teleportation points.

Well, players struggling to traverse the high fantasy world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 can breathe a sigh of relief, thanks to a new mod from NexusMods creator rthomasv3. It lets players fast travel anywhere they desire without the need to rely on either a ferrystone or portcrystal.

Once installed, the aptly named ‘teleportation’ mod allows players to open up an overlay to browse a range of preset fast travel locations and settlements, including the Excavation Site, Melve, and the elven village of Sacred Arbor. Players can also travel to any location on the map, and add it to the list of quick access points.

The mod can also transport the player directly to some of the more soughtafter monsters in the game, including the legendary sphinx, and even contains the locations for the elusive seeker token collectibles that are hidden throughout the world. Of course, the teleportation mod isn’t the only unofficial download giving players the tools needed to tailor Dragon’s Dogma 2 to their liking. For example earlier this week NexusMods user ’emoose’ created a mod that grants Arisen the ability to silence their ever talkative pawns by preventing them from pointing out every chest and ladder that they come accross.

Be sure to check out IGN’s Dragon’s Dogma 2 wiki for tips, tricks, walkthroughs, and boss guides to help you take out some of the trickier monsters lurking in Capcom’s epic open world RPG.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

Square Enix has released a patch for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth which finally fixes its bugged Platinum Trophy alongside a handful of other issues.

As reported by GamesRadar, the patch notes for version 1.030 have so far only been released in Japanese but make clear Square Enix has addressed the trophy issue, which arrived via a bugged side quest called Can’t Stop Won’t Stop.

The publisher had already announced a fix for the bug was coming in the next patch after fans reported the issue upon the release of update 1.02. The quest requires players beat a high score in the G-Bike minigame, but wouldn’t trigger the quest progressing cutscene upon doing so, leaving the “complete all quests and side quests” trophy, and thus the coveted Platinum, unobtainable.

Players will need to beat the high score again to progress the quest following the installation of patch 1.030, but once they do so the quest will progress as intended. The full patch notes are available below.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Update 1.030 Patch Notes

• Fixed a bug in the side quest Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” that occurs in Chapter 12 that may prevent the quest from progressing even if the G-bike clearing conditions are met.
  • In order to progress through the quest, you will need to meet the conditions for clearing the G bike again after the update. Thank you for your understanding.
  • If you have already completed the quest, your progress will not be reset.
• Fixed a bug that occurred when proceeding with certain procedures in some research reports.
• Fixed a bug in “Battle Simulator” that in rare cases, new courses were not released.
• Fixed a bug that if certain conditions were met, the favorability would not increase even if you selected an option that would increase your favorability.
• If there was a bug that prevented you from obtaining the trophy “Cactuar Crusher” even if the conditions were met, it was fixed so that you could get it.
• Fixed some problems when loading save data that occurred under certain conditions, as well as the phenomenon of forced termination and inability to progress during play.
• When the previous save data is read repeatedly, the status of the last saved data of the previous game that was read is reflected.
• Fixed some display bugs.

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

Disney Speedstorm players have grown upset at developer Gameloft after it announced the premium track of its battle pass can only be purchased with real money going forward.

Players could previously spend tokens earned through gameplay on the battle pass, called the Golden Pass in the Mario Kart-esque racer, but as Gameloft announced in a community update, this would no longer be the case as of Season 7, which is expected to begin sometime in April 2024.

Disney Speedstorm is a free-to-play game, but players looking to earn the premium battle pass rewards must now spend $9.99 of real money to do so. Akin to most battle passes available today, a free track which requires no additional spending is also available.

Much frustration comes from players who’ve been around since the beginning of Disney Speedstorm and bought Founder’s Packs to gain early access to the game alongside various other benefits like a hoard of tokens. IGN has asked Gameloft for comment.

“I bought two Founder’s Packs, one on Steam and the other on the Microsoft Store,” said BellMellor on Reddit. “My idea was to have enough tokens to buy season passes for at least one year and a half. Now they’ve breach what they promised, saying we would be able to buy season pass with those tokens, and since they are breaking their agreement, shouldn’t we be able to ask for a refund? I mean, what I bought is not what they sold me anymore.”

Gameloft did make clear across several instances of its own content, like its support page and its early access FAQ, that tokens could be used to purchase the battle pass premium track and even the more expensive tier, which lets players skip several levels. This information is still live on both Gameloft’s website and the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store where tokens can be purchased.

“Tokens are an in-game currency that can be earned for free by achieving goals in the game or by being purchased using real-world money,” the description across multiple sites reads. “They are not season-based and can be accumulated. They can also be used to obtain items in the shop, buy the Golden Pass, skip Golden Pass tiers, and much more.”

It’s worth noting this information is still correct until Season 7 arrives later in April, though none of the mentioned sources indicate any change is coming.

“I’ve been a player since the free to play launch,” wrote ArfenZard on Reddit. “I’ve hung on for dear life through all the bad decisions since then because at its core this game is great. The latest news though… Unless something gives at some point before or during the next season I think it will be my last.”

They continued: “I’m never gonna fork out actual cash for something that has been directly taken away from me and anyone who does is actively paying to help the demise of the game.”

Myriad similar complaints have appeared all over the internet, and Disney Speedstorm’s Steam reviews have taken a hit too. “The gameplay isn’t too bad, not perfect but a solid 7/10,” wrote one user. “Everything else is god awful. I have never known of a game to be so predatory with it’s micro-transactions.”

Another added: “Incredibly greedy company. Monetization gets worse and worse. They have no respect for their players and don’t care about making a great game or experience. As someone who has always been a big Disney fan, this game makes me less likely to purchase Disney products going forward.”

Monetization has been long considered an issue in Disney Speedstorm, even appearing as a major factor in IGN’s 5/10 early access review of the game in April 2023. “Disney Speedstorm is a fundamentally good kart racer currently buried beneath so much gacha garbage and so many currencies that it almost seems like a parody of the entire free-to-play genre,” we said.

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

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has stealth dropped new ship upgrades alongside the new Premium Warbond, Democratic Detonation.

Six new ship upgrades are now in the Playstation 5 and PC third-person shooter, one for each section of the ship module.

Helldivers 2 new ship modules:

• Superior Packing Methodology: Resupply boxes refill support weapons with the maximum number of carriable magazines.
• Atmospheric Monitoring: Orbital HE barrage spread reduced by 15%.
• XXL Weapons Bay: Eagle stratagems that drop multiple bombs will drop one additional bomb(s).
• Enhanced Combustion: Fire damage from stratagems increased by 25%.
• Circuit Expansion: Lightning arcs, fired from weapons and turrets, jump to one additional enemy.
• Blast Absorption: Sentries take 50% less damage from explosions.

Let’s dig into the details here and offer some initial thoughts. 15% less spread on barrages may convince some players to give them another shot (they’re considered weak in the current meta because they’re not focused). Superior Packing Methodology may end up essential for players who use the Recoilless and Spear support weapons. And Enhanced Combustion is going to cause all sorts of chaos with the already buffed flamethrower. Circuit Expansion looks like it could be fun, too.

These new ship upgrades require the previous upgrade in each module to already be unlocked before you can buy them with samples, so only pliers who have mixed out their ship upgrades and have plenty of samples on hand will be able to test these out straight away. For everyone else, the grind continues.

Arrowhead has a habit of releasing new content for Helldivers 2 without telling players. It secretly dropped a number of new enemies into the game, letting players discover them for themselves. Now it’s done the same for ship upgrades. This one doesn’t come as much of a surprise, though, given Arrowhead teased new ship upgrades were on the way in the most lore friendly way possible after a bug spilled the beans.

If you’re looking for more on Helldivers 2, check out IGN’s feature on the Let Me Solo Her of Helldivers 2, a player who has answered over 100 SOS Beacons as part of a mission to help others.

Helldivers 2 has become one of the surprise hits of 2024 since launching in February, topping the charts on Steam and reportedly selling around three million copies. According to at least one analyst, it’s still growing. Check out IGN’s Helldivers 2 review to find out why it’s going down so well.

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.