Category: Video Games

Call of Duty cheat provider, Phantom Overlay, is reportedly shutting down.

In a statement posted to Telegram, the cheat provider declined to comment on why it was closing down “immediately,” adding: “This is not an exit scam and no external entity could ever compel me to exit scam my customers. I’ll keep everything updated, safe, and online for 32 days longer.”

The reason Phantom Overlay is committed to staying online for 32 days is to ensure people with a 30-day key “get their full money’s worth.” The cheat creator also said they would partially refund lifetime keys, too.

Crucially, many other cheat providers piggyback off Phantom Overlay’s systems, so this shock closure could have a broader impact on the cheating ecosystem.

“I can’t believe it!!” commented one gamer on X, formerly known as Twitter (thanks, Dexerto). “Does this mean the Season 3 cheat update is really gonna work?!”

Other commenters were less convinced, with one stating: “They’re just rebranding. They have the same provider under multiple names/brands. The cheaters won’t stop.”

Activision recently admitted its Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 anti-cheat efforts “did not hit the mark” at the Launch of Season 1, particularly for Ranked Play after initially pledging to kick cheaters out of the game within one hour of them being in their first match.

It did, however, assure players it now routinely bans cheaters due to increased “velocity” from several Ricochet Anti-Cheat systems, in addition to the over 19,000 accounts it recently removed.

The apparent prevalence of cheaters is considered by some to be ruining competitive multiplayer, and Activision had come under fire for failing to address the problem. Things got so bad that last month, with the release of Season 2, Activision let console Ranked players disable crossplay with PC players.

Cheating is not unique to Call of Duty, of course, but it has become more problematic for Activision ever since it released free-to-download battle royale Warzone in 2020. But despite investing millions of dollars developing its anti-cheat technology — as well as pursuing cheat makers in the courts, with a number of recent high-profile successes — fans remain sceptical of the Ricochet system.

In related news, earlier today, we reported it looks like we’ll finally find out more about the return of Call of Duty Warzone‘s much-loved Verdansk map on March 10.

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Rockstar has acquired Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition developer Video Games Deluxe and renamed it Rockstar Australia.

Video Games Deluxe has a history of working with Rockstar on a number of games, including the 2017 re-releases of L.A. Noire, L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files, and most recently on upgrades to Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition for iOS and Android, Netflix, and modern consoles.

It’s not to be confused with Grove Street Games, which came under fire for the poor quality of the original Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition in 2021, and whose boss said it was a “d**k move” to have been removed from the game’s credits after the recent, long-awaited update went live.

“After working together closely over many years, we are excited to have Video Games Deluxe join the team as Rockstar Australia,” said Rockstar Games Head of Publishing, Jennifer Kolbe.

Video Games Deluxe was founded by Brendan McNamara, the founder of L.A. Noire developer Team Bondi. Back in 2011, allegations of horrendous working conditions at Team Bondi during the development of L.A. Noire hit the internet. The studio later closed down, and McNamara kept a relatively low profile ever since.

“It’s been an honor to work closely with Rockstar Games this past decade,” McNamara said in a comment issued as part of the acquisition announcement.

“We are thrilled to be a part of Rockstar Games and to continue our efforts to make the best games possible.”

The establishment of Rockstar Australia comes ahead of the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, which is still set for release fall 2025.

In December 2023, a former developer at Rockstar attempted to explain why GTA 6 is coming to PC after it hits PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, and called on PC gamers to give the studio the “benefit of the doubt” over its controversial launch plans.

We’ve got plenty more on GTA 6, including Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick’s response to concern about the fate of GTA Online once GTA 6 comes out.

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.

It looks like we’ll finally find out more about the return of Call of Duty Warzone‘s much-loved Verdansk map on March 10.

Activision first confirmed Verdansk would be making a return to Warzone last August, but at the time the publisher would only commit to a vague “spring 2025” window and not a specific date.

Now, however, players visiting the Call of Duty shop get a pop-up that reads: “The Verdansk Collection,” and a countdown that looks set to explore a week today, on March 10, 2025 (thanks, InsiderGaming).

You know your video game has made it when it gets a Thomas the Tank engine mod. Skyrim, Resident Evil 2, Fallout 4, Elden Ring… the list of blockbuster games blessed with the terrifying sight and sound of Thomas is legend. Now, add Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 to the list.

It’s the latest work of Tom, aka Warhammer Workshop, the modder behind Space Marine 2’s excellent Astartes Overhaul. He’s added Thomas the Tank engine to the Ballistic Engine PvE mission, which is a perfect fit given it features an Imperial train station in which the Space Marines must escort a fusion battery that comes under attack from waves of Tyranids.

Space Marine 2’s Thomas the Tank Engine mod is a work-in-progress, and still needs the audio effects fans have grown to love, but it’s available to download from the Space Marine 2 Modding Hub Discord now if you fancy giving it a shot.

Check out how it looks in-game in the clip below:

Tom created some very Warhammer 40,000 flavor text to go along with the release of this mod, which fans of the franchise will enjoy:

Many of you are aware of the tribulations that have beset our sacred modding efforts.

In the face of these trials, I — reckless and desperate — made certain unwise vows to the dark and unknowable Saber Gods.

For a time, I faltered, my obligations left unmet, my soul teetering on the brink of damnation.

But no longer.

Through toil and sacrifice, through the wailing of machine spirits and the lamentations of my own sanity,

I have done what must be done.

THOMAS. HAS. COME.

A daemon-engine of unspeakable horror, an abomination of iron and heresy, a thing that should not be, and yet — here it is.

The warp has opened, and it has delivered unto us something far worse than any Black Crusade.

🔥🚂 THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE IS READY FOR WAR. 🚂🔥

His whistle drowns out the cries of the fallen.

His smile is an unblinking omen of annihilation.

The Emperor weeps. The Omnissiah recoils.

And yet, it is we who must bear witness.

Steel yourselves, warriors. Once you see him, you can never unsee him.

This train has no brakes.

Speaking to IGN (as a human from this reality), Tom said he’s also got a few other fun mods in the works, hinting at “a certain green ogre and a particularly mischievous goose.”

“As far as Thomas goes, while Saber obviously loves Warhammer, I think they were also excited to see some of the more meme-worthy mods — the kind of thing that’s fun to share around the office,” Tom added.

“There may or may not have been an unofficial understanding that modding tools wouldn’t be released until Thomas made his grand arrival.”

Saber has had an up and down relationship with Space Marine 2 modders ever since the game’s massive launch last year, but official tools are set to be released to the community further down the line, and the developer has shown a willingness to work with modders and enable them in-game in certain situations.

Meanwhile, Saber has released early Update 7 patch notes, teased Horde mode, and stamped out live service game talk amid a backlash to ‘FOMO’ Community Events. Earlier this year, Saber addressed growing frustration over a lack of content and outlined what players can expect from Space Marine 2 in the coming months.

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.

Steam, the most popular digital game distributor for PC players, has once again broken its own concurrent user record, breaching 40 million players for the first time.

Over the weekend — which just so happened to coincide with Monster Hunter Wilds‘ launch on Friday, February 28 — Steam logged 40,270,997 simultaneous players, breaking its previous record of 39.9 million players set in February 2025.

In fact, according to SteamDB, Steam’s concurrent record, seen by some as a way of measuring the success of Valve’s digital platform, has been broken almost every single month since May 2024, with the concurrent peak rising from 35.5 million users to 40.2 million in a little more than six months.

And while that number includes idle players — that is, players with Steam open but not necessarily using it — the number of users actively in a game has hit a new record, too, jumping from 12.5 million to 12.8 million.

Steam saw a surge in player peaks across most of 2024, breaking its record twice in March and then again in July. This new peak is likely due to the release of Monster Hunter Wilds, which saw a 24-hour concurrent use peak of 1.38 million players, although 1.7 million also people logged onto Counter-Strike 2, too, with PUBG, Dota 2, and Marve Rivals also clocking up impressive 24-hour user peaks of 819,541, 657,780, and 268,283, respectively.

However, Monster Hunter Wilds has a ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam, which has led to Capcom publishing official guidance for PC performance issues. Meanwhile, Capcom has announced early details for Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1, which is set to add an endgame social hub for players.

To help get your Monster Hunter Wilds adventure started, take a look at what Monster Hunter Wilds doesn’t tell you, and a guide to all 14 weapon types in the game. We’ve also got a detailed Monster Hunter Wilds walkthrough in progress, a Monster Hunter Wilds multiplayer guide to explain how to play with friends, and if you’ve played one of the open betas, here’s how to transfer your Monster Hunter Wilds Beta character over.

IGN’s Monster Hunter Wilds review returned an 8/10. We said: “Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge.”

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, March 2, below:

Nintendo Switch OLED for $269.99