Sea for yourself.
The bright and colourful pirate adventure Trident’s Tale launches on the Switch eShop on 22nd May 2025 for £22.49 / $24.99.
Developed by 3DClouds, a studio best known for creating kid-friendly games based on big IPs such as Hot Wheels and Transformers, this looks to be an inviting way of introducing younger gamers to more open-world adventures.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Hello everyone! Today I want to introduce you to the new Two-Lane Battle system we’ve included in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, the first Fatal Fury game in 26 years launching April 24 for Xbox Series X|S.
The highly anticipated Two-Land Battle system will feature two lanes on certain stages: a foreground lane and a background lane. By inputting a specific attack, you’ll be able to freely switch between the lanes and move around the battlefield. Since the available actions also depend on what lane you and your opponent are in, this battle system adds a whole new set of mind games and tricks you can use both offensively and defensively to secure victory!
First, select the Dream Amusement Park “Morning” stage to get access to this nostalgic battle system; at launch this will be the only stage to have Two-Lane Battles enabled, but we plan on adding more of these stages in the near future.
You and your opponent will start the battle in the same lane, but you can lane switch by pressing X and RB at the same time. If you want to attack while switching lanes, press A and RB at the same time to perform a special jumping lane switch attack.
Once you and your opponent are in different lanes, you’ll gain access to a variety of special attacks. If you want to stay on the ground, pressing X will perform a grounded lane switch attack that will place you in the same lane as your opponent. If you’re looking to attack from the air, pressing A or B will perform a jumping lane switch attack. Pressing Y will perform a special lane pullback attack that will bring your opponent to the same lane you are currently in.
You’ll also be able to use jumping lane switch attacks in the middle of combos to perform cross-lane combos!
Here’s a sample combo with Rock:
X → Y → A + RB → B → Heavy Rising Tackle (Brake) → Heavy Hard Edge
Try using lane switch attacks in your combos to take your game to a whole new level!
Two-Lane Battles have been a part of Fatal Fury’s identity since the very first game in 1991 and we’re so excited to be able to bring them back for City of the Wolves. We’ve integrated Two-Lane Battles into training mode as well, so we hope players get creative and find new ways to utilize the system. Classic fans can relive what makes Fatal Fury different from other fighting game series, and we’re looking forward to seeing brand new fans enjoy the chaos of Two-Lane Battles as well!
We are so excited to be able to deliver the next game in this legendary series! Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is available now for Xbox Series X|S. To keep up to date on all things Fatal Fury, follow us at our official X account or join our official community Discord server.
Let’s rev it up!
SNK CORPORATION
Contents:
– Base game
– Season Pass 1
– DLC Character 1 “ANDY BOGARD”(Scheduled for: Summer 2025)
– DLC Character 2 “KEN” (Scheduled for: Summer 2025)
– DLC Character 3 “JOE HIGASHI”(Scheduled for: Fall 2025)
– DLC Character 4 “CHUN-LI” (Scheduled for: Winter 2025)
– DLC Character 5 “Mr. BIG”(Scheduled for: Early 2026)
SNK’s beloved Fatal Fury series first hit the market in 1991, spearheading the fighting game boom of the 1990s that swept the industry thereafter. GAROU: MARK OF THE WOLVES (released in 1999) has, for some time, served as the franchise’s most recent installment. But that is all about to change: 26 years on, a brand-new entry—FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves—is set to arrive on the scene!
■All-new REV System supercharges the excitement!
Introducing the REV System, a brand-new toolset that offers unique offensive options from the moment the battle begins! Use REV Arts, REV Accel, REV Blows (while S.P.G. is active), and more until you hit your limit and the REV Meter overheats. The all-new REV System—fight at full throttle and supercharge the excitement!
■Two control schemes—fun for newcomers and veterans alike!
Choose from two control schemes: Arcade Style is based on precise, technical inputs, while Smart Style lets you perform flashy special moves and combos using directional inputs and single button presses. From fighting game newcomers to seasoned veterans, there’s plenty of fun and excitement to be had—tailored specifically to your level!
■Memorable fighters from far and wide descend on the streets of South Town!
The action kicks off with a total of 22 characters: a diverse 17-member roster of familiar faces and new blood, plus five DLC fighters in Season Pass 1. Every character is vibrantly presented in CotW’s unique art style, which is guaranteed to stimulate the senses.
■Strive for supremacy in EPISODES OF SOUTH TOWN, a single-player RPG mode!
Introducing “Episodes of South Town” (EOST)—a solo RPG adventure where you’ll square up against contenders under various fight conditions, earning XP and other rewards for your efforts. Level up your fighter, build out a diverse kit of skills, and dominate the opposition on your way to the top. Dreams and ambitions run rampant in South Town; now is the time to chase the city’s crown and carve a legend all of your own!
* To play EOST you’ll first need to connect to the Internet and update the game.
The post How Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves’ Two-Lane Battle System Lets You Relive the Glory Days of the Arcade appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Remedy has announced a June 17, 2025 release date for FBC: Firebreak.
FBC: Firebreak is a session-based, multiplayer PvE experience set within the Control universe. It features replayable missions known as Jobs, each with different challenges, objectives, and environments that require teamwork and adaptability.
It’s set for launch across PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X andS, and PlayStation 5 for $39.99 / €39.99 / £32.99. FBC: Firebreak will also be available day one via PC Game Pass, Game Pass Ultimate, and PlayStation Plus Game Catalog (Extra and Premium). It’s Remedy’s first self-published game.
Remedy also revealed the FBC: Firebreak Deluxe Edition, priced $49.99 / €49.99 / £39.99. It includes a collection of exclusive cosmetics and premium voice packs. Base game owners can upgrade to Deluxe Edition for $10 / €10 / £7
Here’s the official blurb:
FBC: Firebreak introduces Requisitions, a system that rewards players with new gear and cosmetics simply by playing the game. Requisitions can include weapons, equipment, armor, sprays, and more – all unlockable using in-game currency earned through gameplay. There are no limited-time windows or rotating stores; if an item is added in the game, it’s always available.
For those who want additional customization options, Classified Requisitions offer premium cosmetic items – such as armor sets, custom voice packs, sprays, and weapon skins. Classified Requisitions are purchased with real money. The items are purely cosmetic, have no gameplay impact, and will remain available permanently. Read more about how Requisitions work here.
Remedy also confirmed its plans for ongoing support post-launch, including two new Jobs (missions) coming in 2025. More updates will arrive in 2026, the developer said. All playable content released post launch, such as Jobs, will be free to all players. Players have the option to buy cosmetics, but none of these items will affect gameplay, and there will be no limited-time rotations or daily log-ins, Remedy insisted.
It’s a busy time for Alan Wake developer Remedy, which has a number of projects on the go. As well as FBC: Firebreak, it’s working on Control 2 and the Max Payne and Max Payne 2 remake compilation.
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.
June 17th is the release date for FBC: Firebreak, Remedy’s triple mate co-op shooter set in the Control universe, which is also the Alan Wake universe, which also might be the Max Payne universe if you blur your eyes and plug your ears and shout “Alex Casey” a lot when Rockstar’s lawyers come knocking. It’ll be available on Steam and Epic for $39.99 / €39.99 / £32.99 (or more for a bunch of extra cosmetics), and also day one on that game subscription service by the company that you might not want to support for various reasons right now.
RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business was announced just last month, and despite its slightly wordy and DLC-sounding title, it was a welcome surprise. The first game was prime 7/10 material, and it’s pretty rare we get an AA game of this calibre these days. Earlier today publisher Nacon shared a new story trailer for the upcoming FPS, giving an insight into the game you probably won’t care about given the whole thing here is being a robot cop that does robot cop things. Oh, and it has a release date!
The Legend of Zelda is one of the most iconic video game series of all time. Starting on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, The Legend of Zelda follows various incarnations of Princess Zelda and Link as they fight to save Hyrule from the evil that is Ganon. While the series has always been popular, the Nintendo Switch has catapulted Zelda into one of Nintendo’s best-selling properties with landmark titles in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Echoes of Wisdom released toward the end of the original Nintendo Switch’s life cycle, but Nintendo has already revealed quite a bit about the next generation of adventures in Hyrule. Here’s every Legend of Zelda game on the Nintendo Switch as well as new features and Zelda games we can confirm are coming to the Switch 2.
In total, eight Zelda games have been released specifically for the Nintendo Switch. This includes both mainline entries and spinoff games that were released from 2017 to 2025. All of these Zelda games will be playable on the Switch 2, with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom specifically getting Switch 2 Editions.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda title released for Nintendo Switch. Launching alongside the system, this title marked a turning point in the Zelda series, bringing a style of open world gameplay that we’d never seen before. You can traverse to anywhere you can see in the world. Link awakes after a 100 year slumber, where he is tasked by the spirit of Hyrule’s former King to save Princess Zelda from Calamity Ganon – a primal evil trapped inside Hyrule Castle.
Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Hyrule Warriors is an action hack and slash title developed by Omega Force and originally released for the Wii U. Characters from all kinds of Zelda games make an appearance, whether as playable characters or villains. The game was brought over to Nintendo Switch in 2018 in the form of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, and includes all characters, stages, and modes from the original game in addition to Breath of the Wild inspired costumes for Link and Zelda.
Read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition.
Cadence of Hyrule is an extremely unqiue collaboration between Brace Yourself Games and Nintendo. The game combines the roguelike rhythm gameplay of Crypt of the NecroDancer with the world of The Legend of Zelda and its characters. This spinoff offers an incredible soundtrack and beautiful pixelated graphics. Up against Octavo, a musical villain, Zelda and Link team up with Cadence to thwart his plans and save the Hyrule.
Read our review of Cadence of Hyrule.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is a remake of 1993 Game Boy title developed by Grezzo. This charming platformer sees Link castaway at Koholint Island, where he must solve the mystery of the Wind Fish, a legendary being said to be on the island. Unlike some of the more modern Zelda titles, Link’s Awakening takes you across many different dungeons and areas to collect the Instruments of the Sirens. If you never got the chance to play the original Link’s Awakening, this is the definitive way to experience one of the Zelda series’ most unique titles.
Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
The second Switch entry in the Hyrule Warriors series, Age of Calamity is set 100 years before the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Here, you can experience firsthand the events that occured in the fight against Calamity Ganon. All of your favorite Breath of the Wild cahracters are here and playable, including Link, Zelda, the Champions, and so many more. Omega Force created a fun and expansive title, with two waves of DLC you can check out after completing the main story.
Read our review of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is the long-awaited remaster of the classic Wii game. Set at the beginning of the Zelda timeline, Skyward Sword takes Link to the skies as he traverses across the world to save his childhood friend Zelda. You’ll uncover the Master Sword was created as part of this journey, among other things. The remaster includes the iconic motion controls you can operate with the Joy-Con and a new button-only gameplay style for those looking to play without motion.
Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hit the market in 2023, selling over 10 million copies in just three days as well as quite a few special edition Switch consoles. Set a few years after the events of Breath of the Wild, Link is tasked once again with finding Princess Zelda after Ganondorf is resurrected. Tears of the Kingdom takes to both the skies of Hyrule and the depths below the land. This creates one of the largest maps you’ll find in any game, leaving for hundreds of hours of exploration to be had. All in all, it’s the best Zelda game of all time and a hard one to follow.
Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
But, of course, Tears of the Kingdom was not the end of this beloved Nintendo franchise. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was announced during June’s Nintendo Direct before launching on the Switch this week. While Echoes has the titular Princess take the story’s reigns, and features a more 2D art style à la Link’s Awakening, it should not be mistaken as a spin-off or side project. This is a full-blown, magical Zelda game, that lets you unlock your creativity to try and save Link and the rest of Hyrule in entirely new ways.
Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
If you’re interested in checking out some of the older Zelda titles, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service has loads of Zelda titles from Nintendo’s older consoles. Here is every Zelda game currently available on the service:
A new GameCube library will be added to the Expansion Pack exclusively on the Switch 2, releasing June 5. This library includes The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The NSO Expansion Pack will also include free Switch 2 upgrades for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom for anyone who owned the original versions on Switch.
Echoes of Wisdom was the last Zelda title to release exclusively on the Switch, with future titles releasing (either simultaneously or exclusively) on the Nintendo Switch 2. We do know that the new console will be “mostly” backward compatible, so you’ll be able to play all the fantastic Zelda games from the previous generation. In fact, Link’s Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom are getting free Switch 2 updates, while Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom get enhanced Switch 2 editions taking advantage of the new system’s improved specs.
One of the features that will be exclusive to Switch 2 editions of BotW and TotK is Zelda Notes, which will be accessible on the Nintendo Switch app. Zelda Notes adds additional voice-overs, interactive guides, and keeps track of your stats while letting you see how you stack up against other players. The app will also let players share and download creations for Tears of the Kingdom.
That’s not all. A new game, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, was also revealed during the Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct. It follows Princess Zelda during the events of Tears of the Kingdom, as she is transported to the past to battle Ganondorf. The third Hyrule Warriors game is expected to release on the Switch 2 this winter.
In addition to the games themselves, Nintendo has also announced they will be bringing Hyrule to the big screen with a live-action Legend of Zelda movie. In terms of details, the movie’s director, Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), has expressed his desire to make a more “grounded” Zelda adaptation that feels like live-action Miyazaki. The Zelda movie will be releasing in theaters on March 26, 2027.
See the full list of upcoming Switch games for everything coming to the system in 2025.
Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.
It’s been a few months since Hyper Light Breaker launched into early access, unfortunately arriving in a bit of a mess. The game just wasn’t there, which obviously is what early access is for, but it was rough. Everything was just a bit too difficult, too unbalanced, and the loop wasn’t strong enough to do over and over again, none of which you want in a roguelike. Developer Heart Machine have been tinkering away at it though, bringing in some much needed tweaks here and there, and now the game’s first big update is coming next week.
A pre-orderly fashion.
Well, Switch 2 pre-orders are finally live across North America and we’re interested in getting a sense of how it’s been for Nintendo fans on the ground in the US and Canada.
Following a 15-day delay from the planned date, Switch 2 pre-orders went live at retailers across North America at 9pm ET / 12am ET. Europeans have been busy pre-ordering the system for weeks, but “the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions” caused Nintendo to postpone retailer pre-orders and assess the situation.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Calling all heroes! As you may have seen, Stadium launched in Overwatch 2 on April 22! As a member of the Overwatch development team, I’m here to share a behind-the-scenes look into how we crafted this new way to play, and I’ll sprinkle in some of my favorite features and builds as well!
The whole team—including myself! —was so excited about building Stadium from day one. It’s not just another mode; it’s an entirely fresh way to experience Overwatch – and you can learn more about the mode here. Beginning as a passion project, our ultimate goal was to push the boundaries of Hero fantasies and match variety, plus we still wanted it to ultimately feel like Overwatch…no pressure, right?
The idea for Stadium actually started brewing before Overwatch 2 was even launched. During those early brainstorming sessions, one central theme kept bubbling up—we wanted you to have options. Tons of them. Whether it was your strategies, the way you enhance your Hero, or even how you view the game (hello, third-person perspective!), we want to empower you to adapt to your match, team, and individual style on the fly.
This sparked the idea for a long-form “best of” mode, where every skirmish would teach you valuable lessons and allow you to tweak and upgrade your play. That was the beginning of what resulted as Stadium: battles are fast, choices are deep, and the possibilities are endless.
Stadium wouldn’t be what it is without the inspirations it drew from. It owes a lot to our Blizzard neighbor, Hearthstone, and specifically its Battlegrounds mode. But while Hearthstone gave us ideas on fostering deep, strategic builds with downtime planning, we wanted to inject our own Overwatch flair.
Overwatch has always let you become the hero, and in Stadium, we leaned hard into that concept. Here, you can amplify your Hero’s abilities to ridiculous levels. Trust me, watching a Reaper who never has to reload is both terrifying and oddly satisfying (unless you’re on the receiving end!) That being said, balance is key, and we learned not every concept fits (sorry, overpowered lava pools).
The biggest difference between us and Hearthstone’s Battlegrounds? We wanted to remove randomness and hand all the options over to the player. This not only makes the system easier to learn but also enables mastery over time. Nothing beats the feeling of transforming a humble Ana into a nano-boosting, wall-busting legend.
This might be my favorite part of Stadium. For the first time in Overwatch history, you can flip between first and third-person perspectives. Yes, you read that correctly.
During early playtests, we saw how chaotic Stadium can get, with flying heroes and way too much lava (yes, I kept walking into it, don’t judge). Zooming out your view makes the gameplay more readable and opens new ways to strategically assess battlefield chaos.
The Overwatch team had already done a lot of work making sure third-person silhouettes and animations were clear for opponents. Now, we leveraged that effort to integrate third-person cameras for every character. And if you’re more comfortable in first-person (after all, Overwatch’s roots are deeply FPS), you can toggle back if that’s your preference. Stadium is all about letting you play your way.
To get you started, I want to share my top three favorite Stadium builds. These combos were literal game-changers for me.
If you love chaos, this is your dream. Once Reaper becomes an endless shotgun machine, entire enemy lines will melt away. It’s both horrifying and beautiful.
Transform Ana into the ultimate clutch queen. Buff your teammates wherever they are, and with amplified healing, turn losing matches into spectacular comebacks.
[Stadium Ana Hero Shot]
B.O.B. has a new look; he’s small, but he’s mighty!
Developing Stadium has been all about making sure it feels dynamic, fun, and true to Overwatch’s spirit. And we’re just getting started. We plan to add new heroes, maps, and other experiences into Stadium every season.
With your feedback, we will continue to evolve Stadium so it keeps getting bigger and better. Whether it’s testing new Powers, tweaking balance, or adding surprises along the way, we’re building this Stadium for you!
On behalf of the entire Overwatch team, we can’t wait to meet you on the battlefield. Time to suit up, Heroes—we’ll see you in the Stadium. I’ll be the Reaper that doesn’t need to reload, bahaha!
Blizzard Entertainment
Overwatch 2 – Season 16: Stadium
Enter the ultimate battleground with Stadium mode, an all-new experience where customization takes the reigns in a fun, best of seven, round based fight. Then, celebrate the launch with the Stadium: Initiation seasonal event to unlock exclusive rewards. Plus, the relentless bounty hunter Freja arrives as the latest DPS hero, bringing precision and mobility to every match. Meanwhile, the battlefield transforms with stunning skins, from the Dokiwatch team—led by Mythic Heart of Hope Juno—to Legendary Ashe, Genji, Brigitte, Lifeweaver, and Mauga in the Premium Battle Pass. Whether you’re outwitting opponents in Stadium, hunting your prey with Freja, or wielding magic with Dokiwatch, this season is packed with action, strategy, and a whole lot more.
The Overwatch League
Token will no longer be purchasable after December 9, 2024. The OWL shop will remain open until at least December 2025, with limited inventory purchasable with players’ remaining OWL token balances.
The post From Concept to Combat: How Stadium Came to Life in Overwatch 2 appeared first on Xbox Wire.
The buzz of excitement is ramping up into a full roar as EA Sports F1 25 gets ready for lights out on May 30. And with it comes a whole paddock of improvements, tweaks, and new features to ensure unfamiliar racers and track veterans alike all feel at home. I recently had an opportunity to talk with the developers at EA Codemasters about the upcoming racing game’s newest gameplay features.
“We’re never short of feedback,” says EA Codemasters’ Creative Director Gavin Cooper. “We listen to the community and that informs a lot of our features this year.”
The wealth of voices offering reactions over the figurative team radio don’t just include the official forums and other close sources, but also Esports drivers and content creators who had the opportunity to get their hands on F1 25, early during its development.
The result is a game which has aimed to sharpen up everything from its car handling, to a glossier TV-style presentation, and enhanced real driver voice over. “Hearing the real drivers’ voices as you’re playing really brings a degree of authenticity to the experience,” says Gavin. “We’ve got almost double the number of voice lines in F1 25 that we had in F1 24, and you experience them in more context, too.” So not only can you hear directly from some of the principals, you’ll also have back and forth exchanges between the real drivers and the in-game race engineers, offering the sort of camaraderie – and tension – of the real thing.
Gavin is also keen to point out that for fans who were frustrated with the samey engine noises in the comprehensive My Team mode, that bugbear has been addressed. “You’re now able to attach the correct audio to the different engine suppliers – so depending on which supplier you pick, it’ll actually make your car sound different. That’s something I know people have wanted for a long time.”
On the subject of My Team, the popular mode has received a significant boost, designed to get fans’ hearts racing. This time, rather than being the owner-driver, you’re now the team owner having to manage a pair of drivers. “We know being an owner-driver is not authentic to the sport,” says Gavin. “But now having to manage two drivers opens up a lot of interesting decisions for the player. Previously whenever we’ve asked you to prioritise one driver over the other it wasn’t an interesting choice – you’d naturally choose yourself. Now you have to think about who’s the most important in things like contract negotiation and upgrades.”
While you’ll choose who to control on the track itself during race weekends, managing two different personalities and egos offers more complexity to juggle, on top of running the detailed Engineering, Personnel and Corporate facilities, which can also spill out into how your team, competitors and prospects perceive you. Even when added to the expanded R&D and sponsor systems which interact with perks, upgrades, and relationships, and increased control over Driver Icons to allow AI teams to recruit iconic drivers, it’s still only a selection of the additions you’ll have at your racing gloved fingertips.
Fans of Braking Point, F1’s massive story mode series, aren’t left on the starting grid, either. “We’re always looking for ways to increase the players’ impact on the narrative,” says Gavin. So now when key events happen, you have the option to choose from the two Konnersport drivers available in that scenario, resulting in various ripple effects which can not only impact some of the race objectives, but also the end of the story itself. Implementing this expansion and various branching narratives was no small task for the development team.
“We’re keeping track of the core narrative, which is supported by various other threads, subplots, and other little storylines that we deliver through the secondary narrative, like phone calls, social media and news posts,” explains Gavin. “And those different threads might be more relevant to one driver but can come back and intersect with the main story. So it’s making sure you’re still getting something that feels specific to that driver and the storylines that you’re engaging with, and still have a coherent overall narrative that everyone can enjoy. It’s difficult, but it’s been a really fun process as well.”
And when you finish Braking Point? Well, there’s a special bonus that will allow you to bring your Konnersport team directly into the Career Mode, for the first time in the series. It’s just one of the many ways F1 25 has stepped up a gear to give you a variety of flexibility in how you want to race.
“There’s a whole matrix of possibilities you can pursue in the game,” says Gavin. “You can play as an official driver, or a custom driver, but there’s also kinda an 11th team, via Konnersport or Apex. Do you still play as a custom driver on an official team, or go for an official driver? And that’s all before you even get into bringing Icons into My Team, too.”
As in-depth as many of the existing modes go, the development team haven’t forgotten about the fun little extras, either. In-depth customisation means a better decal editor, there’s the ability to change driver number fonts and colours, and LIDAR scanning has provided millions of referenced data points for a more authentic look and feel for five tracks (Bahrain, Miami, Melbourne, Suzuka, and Imola), including safety barriers, fan areas, and even accurate vegetation.
And now you can also race around Silverstone, Zandvoort, and Austria in reverse track layouts in Grand Prix, Time Trial, Multiplayer, and from the second season of the Career modes. “It’s the feature that seems to catch people out the most,” smiles Gavin. “You think you know those courses, but when you actually get to play them they really do feel like brand new tracks. There’s a lot of nuance, you’re not just driving them backwards. It really spins people’s heads out a little, having a very different experience in a familiar location.”
With F1 25 taking pole year in, year out, it’s no secret that creating these games is arguably as complicated as mapping out a real-life racing campaign, with the development team split into those who work specifically on the ‘even’ year iterations of the series, and those who work on the ‘odd’ years. “We started a central team that works on the stuff that we do every year, so things like handling, AI and so on,” Gavin explains. “They still work on yearly cadence. But having that split team model is really valuable, it lets us set up all of these big features every year. It’s tricky because we overlap, and are essentially working in the game’s build at the same time, but fundamentally a lot of it comes down to good process, good communication, and the right people in the right place.”
It’s a method which, like the best F1 teams, relies on the keenest of teamwork – but comes together every year when it matters. You’ll be able to experience it all for yourself when EA Sports F1 25 launches on PS5 on May 30.
