Reports that modders unlocked a secret multiplayer mode in Stellar Blade aren’t quite as they seem, claims the player who first posted a split-screen gameplay video that’s going viral across social media.

While overnight reports popped up that Stellar Blade developer Shift Up had built a defunct multiplayer mode directly into the game, the modder who discovered it and shared a two-player gameplay clip of Stellar Blade in Discord has insisted this is not the case.

“I woke up to everyone posting clips that I shared in a Discord completely out of context, I avoided tweeting these for a reason,” PhantomSomnus wrote on X/Twitter. PhantomSomnus then explained that “split-screen mode is built into Unreal Engine, [Stellar Blade developer] Shift Up did not create it.”

That’s how PhantomSomnus managed to load a second Eve into their game. The split-screen multiplayer in the video was not developed by Shift Up, it was made by PhantomSomnus using Unreal Engine’s native local multiplayer support. “The reason why I set up split-screen was to see if I could get any of it to work, but as you can see I failed,” PhantomSomnus explained in a post on Reddit.

O modder @phantomSomnus encontrou nos arquivos de Stellar Blade referências a multiplayer.
E neste vídeo, com uma 2ª Eve spawnada, a tela surpresamente se divide em duas, como se o jogo estivesse preparado para um modo co-op local (dois controles)#StellarBlade #StellarBladePC https://t.co/QIeiu5lKSI pic.twitter.com/rp7oudcnV2

— Stellar Blade Brasil (@StellarBladeBR) June 1, 2025

“There ARE signs of multiplayer in the game,” PhantomSomnus said, “but they’re online only.” A previous post of theirs includes a screenshot depicting what they found when digging around the demo’s backend. The “old scrapped/unused multiplayer PVP mode,” as Somnus calls it, no longer works, but they did discover “some menus left over.”

Does this mean be any kind of multiplayer update or mod in the future for Stellar Blade? “Very unlikely,” PhantomSomnus said.

The PC version of Stellar Blade launches via Steam on June 11 along with a raft of PC-specific features, including AI upscaling via Nvidia DLSS 4 and AMD FSR 3, an unlocked framerate, Japanese and Chinese voiceover, ultrawide display support, higher resolution environment textures, and DualSense support for haptic feedback and trigger effects. It was originally region locked in 100+ countries, but is now available to pre-order on PC in “over 250 regions.”

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.”

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

FromSoftware has released Elden Ring Nightreign patch 1.01.1, the game’s first since launch, and with it made single-player mode a lot easier.

Update 1.01.1, available now across PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S, adds the effect “Automatic Revival Upon Defeat,” which allows revival once per night boss battle to solo expeditions, and increases the amount of runes gained for solo expeditions.

That will come as some relief to players who had found solo mode a brutal experience. As explained in IGN’s Elden Ring Nightreign review: “Let’s get the most important caveat out of the way first: if you are hoping to tackle Nightreign entirely solo, and are anything less than a hardcore Elden Ring player that actively seeks out ways to make that already difficult game even more challenging, Nightreign isn’t for you. Yes, there is technically a single-player option, but it is so poorly balanced that I would be shocked if it isn’t patched and adjusted within the first month of release. And this is coming from someone who lives and breathes these types of games.”

Elsewhere, the update increases the number of high-rarity Relics that can be obtained as a reward when reaching Day 3 during Expeditions, and increases the probability of obtaining high-rarity Relics from Scenic Flat stones purchased at the Small Jar Bazaar. The patch notes, published by Bandai Namco, are in full below.

Over the weekend, FromSoftware acknowledged matchmaking issues on Elden Ring Nightreign, and offered suggestions to players affected. There had already been some negative reaction, mostly due to Nightreign’s lack of duos co-op, lack of voice chat, and other archaic mechanics. That age-old multiplayer struggle to find enough friends to make up a coordinated three-player group is very much a part of the Elden Ring Nightreign experience, too.

Last week, producer Yasuhiro Kitao took to social media to comment on Elden Ring Nightreign’s early sales success (2 million units in its first day). “Nightreign has some peculiar aspects to its game design and is different from our recent titles in various ways,” Kitao said. “Nonetheless, many of you have bravely jumped into this world, and for that we’re immensely grateful.

“As with Demon’s Souls or Sekiro, it may be confounding at first, but just like those games, Nightreign offers its own challenges and experiences. Once you overcome the initial hurdle, it’ll surely provide a sense of accomplishment that’s also its very own.

“We hope you enjoy it.”

We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.

Elden Ring Nightreign update 1.01.1 patch notes:

Single Player Mode-exclusive adjustments

• The effect “Automatic Revival Upon Defeat”, which allows revival once per night boss battle, has been added to solo expeditions.
• The amount of runes gained has been increased for solo expeditions.

General balance adjustments

• Increased the number of high-rarity Relics that can be obtained as a reward when reaching Day 3 during Expeditions.
• Increased the probability of obtaining high-rarity Relics from Scenic Flat stones purchased at the Small Jar Bazaar.

Bug Fixes

• Adjusted camera behavior when activating the Guardian’s Ultimate Art, “Wings of Salvation.”
• Fixed a bug in the Duchess’s Character Skill “Restage” where Status Ailments would not trigger when built up from other players’ attacks.
• Fixed a bug where some attacks of Raider with Greataxe and Great Hammer weapon types had higher damage than intended.
• Fixed a bug where some “Those Who Live in Death “ enemies would revive when defeated with the “Sacred Blade” skill.
• Fixed a bug where the “Bleeding” Status Ailment would not build up when the Skill “Bloody Slash” hit an enemy.
• Fixed a bug where the “Ghostflame Ignition” attack would not occur under certain circumstances.
• Fixed a bug where the status ailment “Frostbite” would not build up when the light wave released by a strong attack hit an enemy while the “Moonlight Greatsword” skill was active.
• Fixed a bug where the speed of arrows fired with the “Mighty Shot” and “Enchanted Shot” skills was slower than expected.
• Fixed a bug where the attack range of the magic spell “Rock Sling” was longer than expected when using it with a staff equipped in the left hand.
• Fixed a bug where the effect of reducing the maximum HP of enemies when the incantation “Black Blade” hit them was not activated.
• Fixed a bug where the Passive Effect “Successive Attacks Negate Damage” would stack when successive attacks were made while the Effect was active.
• Fixed a bug where some Passive Effects were not displaying their effects at the correct values.
• Fixed a bug where the Relic Special Effect “[Guardian] Become the target of enemy aggression when ability is activated” would not activate under certain situations.
• Fixed a bug where certain effects were not being applied to Relics obtained from Expedition Rewards or purchased from the Small Jar Bazaar.
• Fixed a bug where items that could be obtained upon completing a Remembrance in the Remembrance world when the scenario conditions were met could not be obtained when changing characters and concluding a Remembrance.
• Fixed bugs in the behavior and specifications of certain attacks and actions of specific enemies.
• Fixed a bug that caused the game to become unstable under certain conditions during battles with specific enemies.
• Fixed a bug in the graphics rendering during battles with specific enemies.
• Fixed some incorrect information in the staff credits.
• Fixed some text.
• Fixed a bug where some sound effects were not playing correctly.
• Fixed a bug where the “Exit Remembrance” effect was not displayed during a “Wylder” Remembrance on some platforms.
• Fixed a bug where the HUD was not displayed on some platforms.
• Fixed a bug where the game would crash under certain circumstances on some platforms.
• Fixed a bug where Expeditions and reconnecting to sessions would fail under certain circumstances on some platforms.
• Fixed a bug where background music would not play properly under certain circumstances on some platforms.

Steam-only adjustments

• Fixed a bug where some graphics were not rendered correctly when “Low” was selected in “Quality Settings” under “Graphics.”
• Fixed a bug where the Climb up action sometimes failed when using the keyboard.
• Fixed a bug where the Climb up action was difficult to perform when using a gamepad.

The version number of this update shown at the lower right corner of the Title Screen will be as follows:

• App Ver. 1.01.1
• Regulation Ver 1.01.2

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Ubisoft’s unannounced but widely-expected Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remake has been referenced again, this time by a collectible statue maker.

PureArts, which makes figurines and busts of countless video game characters, recently held a livestream showing off a range of new Assassin’s Creed merchandise.

Here, PureArts representatives strongly hinted that the remake would surface in the not-too-distant future, and noted that “there is something going on.”

During the livestream, Assassin’s Creed fans noted the absence of Black Flag hero Edward Kenway from PureArts’ latest range, prompting a presenter to acknowledge the situation and state that the company was holding off launching a new version of Edward Kenway right now for a specific reason (thanks, Insider Gaming).

“Assassin’s Creed fans out there, you should be aware there is something going on with Edward,” the presenter stated.

“Has that been announced?” their co-presenter asked.

“I think so,” the presenter confirmed. (It has not.) “I’m pretty sure I saw rumours about it,” they continued. “No I definitely saw an article about this. So I mean, if you’re not a true Assassin’s Creed fan it’s not my fault… There’s going to be something going on with Edward and our PVC 1/8th scale Edward statue will reflect that accordingly. Am I saying that well?”

Something big is definitely happening regarding the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Remake. 🏴‍☠️🔥

The people at Pure Arts unveiled a new collection of figures, but the EDWARD one was missing. 🧐

When asked, they said this: 🗣💬

Via @TheRAFITI69#AssassinsCreed #Ubisoft pic.twitter.com/RloVJfWAd5

— Zephryss⛩️ (@TheRealZephryss) March 29, 2025

While Ubisoft is yet to confirm its Black Flag remake officially, multiple reports charting the game’s development have surfaced over the past couple of years. The project is allegedly being worked on by Skull and Bones studio Ubisoft Singapore (remember that Skull and Bones itself started life as a Black Flag spin-off), and will ultimately offer more than just a simple remaster.

Indeed, fans expect the game to boast all of the visual fidelity found in the recent Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as well as expanded wildlife and combat systems.

The suggestion by PureArts that its new Edward statue would “reflect” Black Flag’s launch also suggests the fan-favorite character might get something of a new look. IGN has contacted Ubisoft for more.

With no all-new Assassin’s Creed game set for the end of this year, fans believe the Black Flag remake would be well positioned to arrive in time for the holidays.

In the meantime, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to continue its first year of post-launch content with the arrival of its first major expansion, Claws of Awaji, likely due this September.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Beloved YouTuber Shirley Curry, colloquially known as the Skyrim Grandma, has started playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered — and chat is giving her all the help she needs.

In a video titled ‘Oblivion Remastered #1 Learning’ posted to her 1.3 million subscriber YouTube channel, the 89-year-old began her journey in Bethesda’s recently released remaster having just left the tutorial area.

“Good morning grandkids. This is Oblivion Remastered,” Curry began. “I am out of all that creepy jail and dungeon and sewers and all that mess you have to come through for so long before you ever get to come out of that into the world. This is the first thing that I see.”

Curry is struggling somewhat with Oblivion Remastered, asking for chat’s help on things like how to show her character from a third-person perspective. She spends a lot of her time looking around, exploring, and getting to grips with Oblivion Remastered’s movement, control scheme, and mechanics. And yes, lockpicking is a real problem. But isn’t it for everyone?

Shirley, if you’re reading this, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to everything you’ll find in Oblivion Remastered, including an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, every PC Cheat Code, and much more!

A second video, titled ‘Oblivion Remastered #2 Still Learning,’ was also mostly about getting to grips with the game. “I guess you’re gonna have to hear an awful lot of complaining from me,” Curry said while in a cave infested with goblins and giant rats.