Category: Video Games

With Sea of Thieves set to launch on PlayStation 5 on April 30, developer Rare has answered a number of questions about how the soon-to-be former Xbox exclusive works on PlayStation.

The highlights here are that progress and items transfer from the Xbox version to the PS5 version, there are PlayStation-only servers with the ability to disable crossplay, and performance options match the Xbox Series X version. Elsewhere, the PS5 version has 60 base Trophies and a Platinum Trophy called Pirate Perfectionist.

In a blog post, Rare said there are some PlayStation-exclusive cosmetics, including the Ruby Viper cosmetics or Dauntless Adventurer Closed Beta rewards, which are exclusive to the PlayStation pre-order campaign. These won’t be equippable on Xbox or Steam. Rare said it’s making plans for a unique sail that will be available to all players during the PS5 launch period. This sail will “commemorate the coming together of pirates across all platforms”.

It’s worth noting that PS5 players need to use a Microsoft account to play Sea of Thieves. “Newcomers will find that their Microsoft account keeps track of their pirate’s journey, antics and adventures, making sure everything stays in place between gaming sessions,” Rare said. This also enables progress tracking on the Sea of Thieves website, and lets players buy cosmetics from the Pirate Emporium.

As expected, PlayStation players need a PS Plus subscription to play Sea of Thieves multiplayer. Solo play in Safer Seas mode does not require a sub, however.

The aforementioned PlayStation-only servers let players deactivate cross-play functionality, thereby restricting their gaming sessions to exclusively include other PlayStation users. Players will also have the option to confine gameplay to fellow controller users, enabling play between both PlayStation and Xbox players who favor controller-based gameplay.

Sea of Thieves makes use of the PS5’s DualSense controller in a number of ways. Here’s the breakdown, from Rare:

• Haptics – Sea of Thieves uses the haptic feedback technology within the DualSense controller to enhance the experience of movement and interacting with the world.
• Adaptive Triggers – Sea of Thieves uses the adaptive triggers within the DualSense controller to heighten gunplay, allowing players to feel each pull of the trigger.
• Built-In Microphone and Speaker – Sea of Thieves uses the built-in microphone so players can chat to their friends without the need for a connected headset.

Meanwhile, Rare confirmed Sea of Thieves is playable via the PlayStation Portal. Sea of Thieves on PS5 is “optimized” to run at 60fps in 4K resolution, with an additional performance mode available for supported TVs allowing for 120Hz refresh rates at 1080p resolution. This has parity with the Xbox Series X experience, Rare clarified.

All active Sea of Thieves achievements on Xbox and Steam will convert into Trophies on PS5, Rare continued. “While existing achievement progress may result in some Trophies unlocking immediately upon login, players will need to replay to fully unlock Trophies on PS5.”

And finally, detail on the upcoming closed beta, which lets players earn Renown, currency and cosmetic rewards as part of the Season 11 Seasonal progression track. Their pirate will keep these rewards, and these items will be accessible when the game launches globally at the end of April, Rare clarified. “They will also be awarded 10 levels of Renown towards their Season 12 Seasonal progression track, as a thank you for participating,” Rare said.

“Closed beta participants will not be able to engage with the Pirate Emporium, and will only be playing with other PlayStation players during this period. While Trophies will be disabled during the Closed Beta, progress towards them will be tracked, carried over and unlocked appropriately upon launch of the retail version.”

The closed beta is planned for April 12-15 (you need a pre-order to play), with the premium edition offering five days of early access from April 25.

Sea of Thieves is the latest Xbox game to make the jump to rival platforms, joining Grounded, Pentiment, and Hi-Fi Rush. Microsoft is testing the multiplatform waters with this quartet, and may release more of its first-party games on non-Xbox consoles in the future. In an interview with IGN, former Xbox chief Peter Moore offered his thoughts on why Microsoft was making this move now.

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.

Gameplay and images for the canceled ‘Nolanverse’ Batman game that was once in development at Monolith Productions have emerged online.

Before it released the much-loved Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor in 2014, Warner Bros.-owned studio Monolith worked on a game codenamed Project Apollo that was intended as a Nolanverse Batman game based on the version of the Caped Crusader played by Christian Bale. Liam Robertson of DidYouKnowGaming? has reported that director Christopher Nolan himself may have killed the game because he wanted to focus on The Dark Knight Rises, the third and final movie in his Batman movie trilogy. Project Apollo was said to feature the genesis of the Nemesis System Monolith later used with great effect in Shadow of Mordor.

Now, years later, X/Twitter user SpideyRanger has unearthed images and gameplay footage that gives us an idea of what might have been. They show Monolith’s intent to create an open-world Batman game set in Gotham, with stealth and combat mechanics that will look familiar to anyone who’s played Rocksteady’s Arkham games.

The open world of Gotham could be traversed by either gliding and utilizing the grappling hook (as established in the Arkham games) or by operating the Tumbler/Batmobile. pic.twitter.com/VZKXJBFsgP

— SpideyRanger 🇬🇭 (@Dageekydude) April 3, 2024

Early stealth sequence and combat mechanics (Latter would’ve been based on the Arkham system) pic.twitter.com/18uTxPzKm6

— SpideyRanger 🇬🇭 (@Dageekydude) April 3, 2024

Warner Brothers didn’t think that having two Batman gaming franchises was a great idea so the Batman game was retooled to a Lord of the Rings project and that’s how we got “Shadow of Mordor” pic.twitter.com/dkfJv2Jvua

— SpideyRanger 🇬🇭 (@Dageekydude) April 3, 2024

Warner Bros. studios are no strangers to canceled Batman video games. Gotham Knights maker WB Games Montréal had its Damian Wayne Batman game canceled before it was even announced. Work on that game followed the cancellation of a Suicide Squad game in 2016. Batman Arkham developer Rocksteady released a Suicide Squad game of its own, called Kill the Justice League, earlier this year.

As for Monolith, after scrapping the Nolanverse Batman game it went on to release the aforementioned Shadow of Mordor, then its follow up, 2017’s Middle-earth: Shadow of War. It’s now working on an untitled Wonder Woman game.

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.

Spider-Man 2, Starfield, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom all launched in 2023 but these blockbusters didn’t stop Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch players from spending most of their time with older games like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Fortnite.

As reported by Kotaku, video game market analyst Newzoo released a report which revealed 66 titles accounted for 80% of overall playtime in 2023. Of that number, a huge 60% of playtime was spent with games released six years ago or more.

Newzoo ranked games on each platform based on their monthly active users across 37 markets, with the exception of Switch which only used data from the U.S. and UK. Not one new release breached the PC list, while only EA Sports FC 24 made it onto PlayStation’s. Starfield was the only 2023 game on Xbox’s list, while Switch saw three new additions including Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Hogwarts Legacy.

EA is bringing Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes to PC eight years after it launched on mobile.

Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes is a free-to-download collectible role-playing game that launched on iOS and Android in November 2015.

EA announced Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes launches soon on PC, with registrations now live for a closed beta for mobile players via the EA App. There is no mention of a console port.

Palworld developer Pocketpair has released the biggest update to the game yet, adding its first raid boss, called Bellanoir, alongside a long list of new content.

Palworld update v.0.2.0.6, out now on Steam and coming soon to Xbox, lets players summon Raid Boss Pals by using slabs at the new Summoning Altar. Pocketpair warned that Raid Boss Pals summoned by slabs are “very powerful” and cannot be captured. The developer recommended players work alongside their base Pals to take on these powerful foes.

There’s even an “extreme” version of the Raid Boss that Pocketpair described as “incredibly powerful and difficult to defeat.” Pals Eggs can drop after defeating Raid Boss Pals.

Elsewhere, a number of new items are added to the game, including new Training Manual items that let you give experience points to Pals. New Recovery Meds items slowly recover your HP over time. And the new Homeward Thundercloud item instantly moves you to your nearest base.

There’s a lot more to the update (check out the patch notes below), such as changes to the Pals, improvements to the user interface, balance adjustments, bug fixes, and more cheat prevention measures. Changes to bases are also included. For example, you can now force a Pal to work and cancel their break by picking them up and throwing them towards a facility.

Palworld update v.0.2.0.6 Steam and Xbox patch notes:

▼New Content

・Implemented the first Raid Boss

⤷ You can summon Raid Boss Pals by using slabs at the new Summoning Altar

⤷ Raid Boss Pals summoned by slabs are very powerful and can not be captured. Work alongside your base Pals to take on these powerful foes.

⤷ Pals Eggs can drop after defeating Raid Boss Pals.

⤷ The “extreme” version of the Raid Boss is incredibly powerful and difficult to defeat

・New “Training Manual” items have been added. These manuals allow you to give experience points to Pals.

・New item “Ancient Technical Manual” has been added. This manual gives you ancient technology points and can be randomly found inside dungeon chests.

・New “Recovery Meds” items have been added. Using these meds will slowly recover your HP over time.

・New item “Homeward Thundercloud” has been added. When used, this item will instantly move you to your nearest base.

・New item “Ability Glasses” has been added. When equipped, you can see Pal’s stats.

・New stat boosting items have been added: “Power Fruit, Life Fruit, Stout Fruit”. These items will boost Pal’s stats when used.

・Added a new passive “Mercy Hit”. Pals with this passive cannot reduce enemy HP below 1 when attacking.

・New item “Ring of Mercy” has been added. When wearing this ring, you cannot reduce enemy HP below 1 when attacking.

・New armour “Multiclimate Undershirt” has been added. Protect yourself against both the heat and the cold with just one slot!

・New building “Electric Egg Incubator” has been added. This incubator consumes electricity to automatically adjust the temperature to the optimum temperature for each egg.

・New building “Ore Mining Site” has been added. This mining site allows you to produce ores from the comfort of your base!

▼Pals

・Kelpsea can now produce Pal Fluids at the ranch

・Dumud can now produce High-Quality Pal Oil at the ranch

・You can now reduce the weight of metal ore while riding Surfent Terra

・Increased the amount of ore dropped while riding Astegon

・You can now raise Pal’s rank to the maximum with a single synthesis using the Pal Essence Condenser.

(Condensation progress is now accumulated in the individual Pal)

・Negative Pal status will now be resolved after spending some time in the Pal Box

▼UI

・While aiming a sphere, it will now display how many of the target Pal has already been captured

・You can now check the cooldowns on partner skills for all your Pals on the main screen

・Equipment and item stats are now visible on the technology screen, even if you have not unlocked them first

・The tutorial has been improved and renamed to “Journey”

・You can now show/hide the “Journey” in the game options

・Damage number display size can be changed in the game options.

(In Raid Boss battles, the damage numbers tend to overlap a lot and it may be difficult to see, so we recommend adjusting the size)

▼Player

・Items dropped by players after death on a dedicated server can now be picked up by anyone after 24 hours of real-time have passed

・Added a new “sleeping” player emote (edited)

▼Base Related

・You can now allow/disallow certain work for base Pals at the Monitoring Stand

・Chest filters have been added. Select item types to allow or disallow inside chests

・Crafted items are now transported from crafting facilities. Selecting “allow transport” when crafting will result in Pals transporting those items to chests when finished

・You can now edit your character’s appearance at any time by using the “Antique Dresser”

・Building and building piece placement rules have been relaxed

⤷ You can now connect stairs facing upwards

⤷ Roof pieces can now directly connect to foundations

⤷ Triangular walls can now be connected to stairs

・You can now force a Pal to work and cancel their break by picking them up and throwing them towards a facility

(Pals recover their SAN while taking a break, so be careful!)

・Fixed assignments remain fixed, even after bad events occur. Previously, some assignments would change due to certain conditions, but now they will remain fixed unless the Pal is placed inside the Pal Box

▼Balance Adjustment

・Minimum heat and cold resistance have been added to various armour. You will no longer need to take off your heat-resistance armour when it is cold at night in the starting areas!

・Reduce the button press time in the egg incubator

・Change the pattern for Jormuntide Ignis to something more unique

・Added legendary blueprints for some firearms (Dropped from specific enemies)

・Corrected the selling price of diamonds

・In single-player, it is no longer possible to select the initial spawn point for multiplayer

・Blocked the back of the starting area with rocks to prevent players from getting lost or stuck

・The increased attack power multiplier of partner skills that increase the player’s attack power while riding has been uniformly reduced from 2.0 to 1.2

・Eggs now have a small chance to produce Alpha Pals

・Flying and floating Pals are now immune to falling damage

・Shop price adjustments

▼Bug Fixes

・Fixed a bug where treasure chests would become empty when dying in a dungeon, etc

・Fixed an issue where the effect that increases the player’s attack power while riding was duplicating and accumulating under certain conditions

・Fixed an issue where players were not receiving loot when capturing Pals while mounted

・Adjusted the HP of the Legendary Pal and fixed an issue where the difference in HP between the captured Legendary Pal and the bred Legendary Pal was too large

・Fixed an issue where Pal would eat while riding.

・Fixed an issue where spheres thrown close to wild pals would not hit and be lost

▼Others

・Improved various Pal models and textures

・Added and adjusted some sound effects

・Many other minor bug fixes

▼Dedicated Server

・Fixed an issue where sorting did not work in the server list

・Improved the server list to allow page transitions

・Dedicated servers now support various log outputs

・Implemented REST API

※ Please check the tech guide for details

https://tech.palworldgame.com/

▼Cheat Prevention

・Fixed a vulnerability that allowed Steam account spoofing

・Fixed 7 other critical vulnerabilities

===

▼Soundtrack

・One new song has been added to the soundtrack. If you have already purchased the soundtrack, please update and enjoy the new song!

※ Please note that the soundtrack may take a few days to update

While today’s update is the biggest yet for Palworld, Pocketpair said it’s planning “a larger, more content-packed update” for summer 2024. This includes never-before-seen scenery and “thrilling adventures on a new island, home to many new pals.” Pocketpair also plans to add new buildings, weapons, and tower bosses.

Palworld launched in January and overnight became one of the biggest games in the world, setting records not only on Steam but on Xbox Game Pass, where it is the biggest third-party game launch ever. So far, the $30 ‘Pokémon with guns’ game has seen an incredible 25 million players, with 15 million copies sold on Steam and 10 million players on Xbox. Last month, Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe said the company couldn’t handle the massive profits Palworld has generated.

While Palworld is one of the biggest game launches ever, it’s also one of the most controversial. Pocketpair has said its staff has received death threats amid Pokémon “rip-off” claims, which it has denied. Soon after launch, Nintendo moved quickly to remove an eye-catching Pokémon mod, then The Pokemon Company issued a statement, saying: “We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to Pokémon.” IGN asked lawyers whether Nintendo could successfully sue.

If you’re playing, be sure to check out IGN’s interactive Palworld map.

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.