Former PlayStation executive Connie Booth, one of the chief architects of PlayStation’s first-party strategy before her unexpected departure in 2023, is joining EA to help lead its studios amid its ongoing restructure.

Booth’s title will be Group General Manager, Action RPG, with a portfolio that will include EA Motive (Iron Man), Cliffhanger (Black Panther), and BioWare (Dragon Age, Mass Effect). She will report directly to EA Entertainment head Laura Miele.

The Xbox Series X and S version of Final Fantasy 14 has a unique virtual currency that must be bought from the Microsoft Store before being spent in-game.

In a blog post, Square Enix revealed the currency, called ‘FFXIV Coins’, and issued a warning to Xbox players who plan to jump into the long-running MMO when it finally launches on their consoles on Thursday, March 21.

Here’s the info from Square Enix:

Payment for service fees and optional item purchases will require FFXIV Coins, which can be purchased from the Microsoft Store. Please purchase FFXIV Coins before using the Mog Station or FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Store.

After purchasing FFXIV Coins from the Microsoft Store, log into the Xbox Series X|S version of FINAL FANTASY XIV to have the purchased FFXIV Coins credited to your Square Enix Account. You will not be able to use the purchased FFXIV Coins until you log in, so please be sure to log in after purchasing FFXIV Coins.

FFXIV Coins are not used with the PC and PlayStation versions of Final Fantasy 14, which has sparked something of a backlash from the Xbox community. Clearly, the addition of FFXIV Coins complicates matters for Xbox players, but there’s additional confusion around how Xbox players will buy a Final Fantasy 14 subscription. Square Enix’s note mentions FFXIV Coins must be used for “service fees”, which suggests the new virtual currency will be used to buy a sub.

Newcomers playing on Xbox will have three versions to choose from:

• FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Starter Edition
• FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Complete Edition
• FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Complete Collector’s Edition

It’s also worth noting Xbox Game Pass (Core or Ultimate) is required to play, and you need to link your Xbox account and Square Enix account. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can download the Final Fantasy 14 Online Starter Edition, which includes expansions A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood, for free until Friday, April 19.

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.

Microsoft has confirmed the second wave of games coming to Xbox Game Pass during March 2024.

Out today, March 19, is open-world farming adventure Lightyear Frontier (Game Preview) (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) as a day-one release. IGN’s Lightyear Frontier Early Access Review returned a 7/10. We said: “Cute and chill, homesteading in your giant mech on Lightyear Frontier’s alien world is already some good and simple fun, even if it currently stops a bit short.”

Also out today is MLB The Show 24 (Cloud and Console) as another day-one Game Pass launch. Coming soon, on March 20, is Supermassive’s The Quarry (Cloud and Console). IGN’s The Quarry Review returned a 7/10. We said: “The Quarry is a fun, bloody thrill ride on your first playthrough, but its lack of interactivity and a lot of little issues drag down the whole.”

A day later, on March 21, Old West adventure Evil West (Cloud, Console, and PC) hits Game Pass. “Evil West is far from the most complex or innovative action game around, but it nails the most important parts of its old-school, monster-killing campaign,” we said in IGN’s Evil West Review.

Sci-fi grand strategy game Terra Invicta hits PC Game Pass on March 26 as part of Game Preview. This one’s from Pavonis Interactive, maker of the popular Long War mod for 2012 game XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

Here’s the big one: Blizzard’s action role-playing game Diablo 4 (Console and PC) launches on Game Pass on March 28. Diablo 4 is the first Blizzard game to hit the subscription service since Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. More are surely to come.

Also hitting Game Pass on March 28 is Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged (Cloud, Console, and PC), and Open Roads (Cloud, Console, and PC). Open Roads is a day-one Game Pass title.

We also have a few Game Pass games coming in early April. Ark: Survival Ascended (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S) launches on Game Pass on April 1, F1 23 (Cloud) via EA Play on April 2, and Superhot: Mind Control Delete (Cloud, Console, and PC) returns to Game Pass on April 2.

Xbox Game Pass March 2024 Wave 2 Lineup

• Lightyear Frontier (Game Preview) (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – March 19
• MLB The Show 24 (Cloud and Console) – March 19
• The Quarry (Cloud and Console) – March 20
• Evil West (Cloud, Console, and PC) – March 21
• Terra Invicta (Game Preview) (PC) – March 26
• Diablo 4 (Console and PC) – March 28
• Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged (Cloud, Console, and PC) – March 28
• Open Roads (Cloud, Console, and PC) – March 28
• Ark: Survival Ascended (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S) – April 1
• F1 23 (Cloud) EA Play – April 2
• Superhot: Mind Control Delete (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 2

Three games leave Game Pass on March 31:

• Hot Wheels Unleashed (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Infinite Guitars (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• MLB The Show 23 (Cloud and Console)

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.

There’s no shortage of two-player board games — you can even find plenty of solo board games. And while you might think a group of three players would pose a challenge for board game night, you’d be wrong. Three is actually the perfect number for many games. It allows for more interesting dynamics than strictly two-player, and it affords a quick tempo with little downtime between turns. In many ways, it’s the best qualities of the two and four player format merged together.

The challenge is in finding the right games. That’s why we’re here with this list offering a series of titles that provide an exceptional experience at the three-player count. No need to fret when your fourth cancels as game night can still be salvaged.

TL;DR The Best 3-Player Board Games

• Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion
• Dune: Imperium – Uprising
• Wingspan
• Anachrony
• Azul
• Cascadia
• Cthulhu: Death May Die
• Lords of Waterdeep
• Lost Ruins of Arnak
• Raiders of the North Sea
• Splendor
• Vienna Connection
• Viticulture

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

Gloomhaven has really created a stir the last several years. This RPG-in-a-box spawned multiple offspring, including the more streamlined and accessible Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. This fantasy adventure game has players cooperating to work through dungeons and defeat an array of enemies. Each character possesses a unique deck with a distinct playstyle. Players must leverage each character’s strengths and manage their hand of cards to optimize each action and defeat each challenge put before them. This is a campaign game that requires a lengthy commitment, but the achievement and rewards are much sweeter when experienced with a couple of friends. For additional information, be sure to check out our review of this game.

Dune Imperium: Uprising

Many leaving the theater after seeing Dune 2 will want more. We are fortunate that one of the most beloved board games of the past few years is set in this universe. This game has players balancing military strength with political power by building a personal deck of cards from a public market. You must also acquire resources and build alliances by placing your workers on a myriad of spaces on the board. Both of these systems combine to create a powerful game loop of improving your engine to yield greater rewards. The payout is tremendous in this nuanced game that rewards strategic play and deeper exploration. Three players works wonderfully as it creates just the right amount of competition over spaces on the board and forces you to adapt to an ever-changing landscape.

Wingspan

The ever-popular Wingspan is a nature-themed game that has players competing to collect an array of various birds by drawing cards and playing them in their sanctuary. The birds come to life with over 170 beautiful illustrations alongside delightful components such as small eggs and attractive resource tokens. Each bird offers a unique ability which interfaces with the rest of your sanctuary to create an emerging combination of effects. This is a very inviting and warm game visually, but it also has some heft to it as a game, offering a satisfying strategic foundation for players to repeatedly return to. Three-players is the ideal count, as it creates some healthy competition by pushing each other to thoughtfully expand your group of birds without hurting the tempo of play. You can read our review of this game here.

Anachrony

An asteroid is going to hit the Earth and you have a limited amount of time to prepare to save humanity — but you want to be the one who’s in charge when the dust settles. The complex game lets you gather resources by deploying workers with their own abilities, including some that will be piloting mechs. You can also speed up your progress by using Time Rifts to grab resources from the future so long as you pay them back before time anomalies form. With many paths to victory and different factions to try, there’s plenty of replayability. If you want to add more complexity, you can pick up the Future Imperfect and Fractures of Time expansions.

Azul

Quick and easy to learn, Azul is a great board game to play with your kid or someone you’re introducing to board gaming. Each player is working to form the most beautiful mosaic by drafting tiles from the central market to place on their board, scoring points based on how many you can connect. Full rows, columns and sets of the same type of tile earn big bonus rewards. The beautifully detailed pieces are satisfying to play with as you slide them into place, carefully considering the best move of the moment but also what other players are likely to pick so you don’t lose points from getting stuck with tiles you can’t use.

Cascadia

This soothing family board game challenges players to build a thriving ecosystem based on the Pacific Northwest. Each session is different thanks to the variety of scoring goals, which reward points based on the relative placement of animal tokens. In one game you may try to ensure red tailed hawks are flying solo and in another that they have an unobstructed view to their potential mate. The tiles you draft not only represent where each type of animal can live but different terrain types, and building unbroken expanses of mountains, wetlands and forests can be worth just as much points at the end of the game as having the right animal patterns. Add in pinecones that can be used to mix up the token and tile pairs during drafting and you’ll have plenty to think about each turn.

Cthulhu: Death May Die

Most games based on Lovecraftian horror are about preventing Elder Gods from setting foot on Earth, but it’s already too late for that in Cthulhu: Death May Die. Instead your goal is to arm yourself well enough to be able to shoot the monster in the face. There’s a high level of replayability to the cooperative game thanks to the variety of investigators players can control and the threats of the different Elder Gods and their minions, who are represented through impressively detailed miniatures. Three players gives you a nice variety of character archetypes without making the game take too long, which can happen when there are five people choosing the best way to take their actions. You still need to be careful though, since the game ends if a single investigator is eliminated before the Elder is summoned.

Lords of Waterdeep

Lords of Waterdeep provides an excellent introduction to the worker placement genre and is especially fun for D&D players who will recognize the references to the Forgotten Realms. Players take on the roles of secret Lords of Waterdeep, each with their own strengths, and will try to establish influence over the City of Splendors by recruiting various types of adventurers to send on quests. Some quests provide powerful boosts that will make it easier for you to gain more resources throughout the game while others are worth a huge amount of points, so you’ll have to think carefully about your priorities as the rounds progress. Players can also build new locations on the map that they can use themselves and they’ll rake in rewards when a rival takes advantage of them. If you prefer a more competitive experience or want to play with a bigger group, pick up the Scoundrels of Skullport expansion.

Lost Ruins of Arnak

Fusing worker placement and deckbuilding, Lost Ruins of Arnak tasks each player with learning the secrets of a mysterious island. There are so many ways to earn points that it’s a real challenge to figure out which is best to pursue, especially since you’re directly competing with your opponents to be the first to nab bigger rewards. You can focus on exploring new areas and fighting fearsome guardians, conduct research, try to improve your deck, or recruit assistants that will make your work easier. The game board is tailored based on the number of players so it’s as well balanced for three as it is for two or four. There’s a solo variant if you want to play alone or are looking for a good way to practice strategies.

Raiders of the North Sea

Be a Viking with this worker placement game, where you’ll need to put together a crew and gather enough resources to successfully raid increasingly well-protected settlements. You’ll collect silver to hire crew members, who will help determine your strategy since they can give you bonuses when attacking specific targets. They can also die and become Valkyrie that will earn points you need to win. You also have to take the time to convert your plunder into offerings for the chieftain, though the amount of favor you’ve earned is kept a secret until the end of the game. Choose your actions wisely as the game can end quickly as players rush to make offerings and launch their boats deeper into the territories at the bottom of the board.

Splendor

This fast game is easy enough for kids to learn but satisfying for players of all ages, making it a good board game for families. Compete to build a thriving jewelry business by gathering gem tokens which can be used to purchase developments and win the favor of nobles. You’ll want to try to take actions as efficiently as possible, keeping track of what resources your opponents are gathering and when they are likely to purchase a development so you don’t miss the opportunity or get stuck waiting for them to stop hoarding a key resource. You also should plan long term, looking at the bonus gems needed to attract each noble since you can only pick up one per turn and their high point values can be the difference between winning or losing.

Vienna Connection

Feel like a spy with Vienna Connection, where players work together to uncover a mystery in Cold War Europe. While the game can be played solo or with two players, the difficulty is meant for three or more people putting their heads together to solve puzzles, which can involve cracking codes, remembering details from cards, and even conducting research on the internet into real world history. The game is played over the course of four interconnected missions so you’ll want to have a group that’s committed to seeing the case through to the end. You’ll store your progress with a companion website that also plays audio and video to make the gameplay more immersive.

Viticulture

You’ve inherited an unimpressive Tuscan vineyard and you have to build it up into something to be proud of in this charming strategic game that takes place over a series of seasons. In summer you’ll deploy workers to plant vines, build structures and sell grapes, while in winter you’ll harvest crops and start aging your wines. You can develop more complex and valuable varieties based on the types of grapes you grow and how much work you’ve done in your cellar, which you can then use to fulfill orders and earn more money to make additional improvements to the vineyard. Pop open a bottle of wine and settle in to learn a bit about how it’s produced as you play.

For a wide variety of additional roundups, check out our picks for the best board games for 5 year olds, plus the best Warhammer alternatives and the best war board games.

Stardew Valley creator Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone has given words of advice to players planning on using mods with the game after the highly anticipated 1.6 update releases on PC later today.

“PSA for people who use mods: A ton of mods are already updated for 1.6 (check out https://smapi.io/mods),” said Barone in a recent X/Twitter post. “Also, I’ve added a public steam branch that will let you stay on version 1.5.6 if you choose. I recommend trying out 1.6 without mods, but it’s up to you.”

As highlighted by Barone, links for a wealth of supposedly compatible (and broken) 1.6 mods are available to browse on the Stardew Valley mod site SMAPI, which allow players to do everything from tweaking core gameplay mechanics and aesthetics to implementing cheats.

Meanwhile, the 1.5.6 branch of Stardew Valley that will be available through Steam after the update drops will be a saving grace for any player who, for one reason or another, isn’t yet ready to embrace the changes brought in with the new update. The option to stick with the earlier version of the game is particularly useful for those who have grown accustomed to using specific mods that aren’t immediately compatible with 1.6, and for others hoping to complete their current games before experiencing the new content offering.

Barone explained back in January that starting a fresh save may provide a better experience over continuing an old playthrough once 1.6 drops, as it would allow the new content to be accessed in the correct order. “It’ll be fine to play on an old save,” said Barone in a post on X/Twitter at the time. “But I’d probably recommend a new save just to experience everything in context, otherwise you’ll unlock a bunch of stuff right away when you load up your old save.”

The developer has also assured fans ahead of the update that the 1.6 content will be coming to both Mac and Linux versions of the game. Barone had previously stated that console versions of the update will follow, and that he is striving to avoid large gaps between platform releases, which had in his own words proven to be “a nightmare” in the past.

Be sure to check out IGN’s Stardew Valley 1.6 patch notes guide for all the details on the update. In the meantime, browse our list of the best mods available for the 1.5 version of the game.

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

There’s an incredible sale on Switch games right now for those in the UK, with games like Super Mario Bros Wonder, Super Mario RPG, Princess Peach Showtime, and more on sale for a limited time only. Yes, Switch players, your time has finally come. We’re delighted to highlight some excellent deals on Switch games in the excellent eBay FRESH20 sale. If you want to snap up any of these games, then you just need to head over to eBay vendor The Game Collection (TCG) and use the code ‘FRESH20’ at checkout to apply the magical wonderful 20% off. Quids in — check out our favourites in the sale just below.

We highly suggest using this method to buy any games you want right now, as TCG is a trusted UK online retailer. In fact, they’ve been one of our top recommended retailers so far in 2024. It’s not often we see so many Switch games discounted at once, so you’ve gotta move fast if you want to snap up as many as you can. The LEAP20 promo code is also only running until the end of the day on February 29, so there’s a very limited window to secure these discounts.

Wondering if the FRESH20 sale has anything else in store for you? Well, yes it does, it has absolutely loads to choose from. For starters, preorders for Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth are discounted again, currently down to £50.36. If you’re feeling a full-on binge of the famous series, then grab yourself Final Fantasy 16 for £26.56 while you’re at it as well.

You’ll also be able to pick up an Amazon Fire Stick 4K Ultra HD for just £35.95, down from £44.94. We love these eBay sales events, and this one is running for the next two days, so make sure to keep an eye out for our coverage, and follow us on Twitter @IGNUKDeals to stay up to date with all the latest in deal-dom.

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.