The developers of upcoming survival game Subnautica 2 have warned fans that some dastardly do-badders are sending “fraudulent invites” to a playtest for the game via Steam messages. The playtest isn’t real, say Unknown Worlds, who point out that any such invite will only come in an email from their own domain.
Alan Wake 2 has exceeded 2 million sales worldwide.
That’s up from the 1.3 million copies sold between October 2023 and March 2024, when developer Remedy hailed the horror sequel as its fastest-selling game ever.
In its latest financial report to investors, Remedy said the milestone — coupled with the release of The Lake House expansion and Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Edition — now means the game has “started to accrue royalties” after recouping its development and marketing costs.
Looking ahead, the studio also teased that Control 2, which is being developed in partnership with Annapurna, “has been finalizing the production readiness stage” and will enter full production at the end of February 2025, along with Max Payne 1&2 Remake, which is also “making steady progress in full production.”
Similarly, FBC: Firebreak, Remedy’s multiplayer Control spin-off, continues in full production following a “successful” closed technical test in December, which saw external players test matchmaking and back-end services. While no firm release date was confirmed, FBC: Firebreak will be self-published by Remedy later in 2025.
“We are in a great place to begin our strategy period and have set targets we are confident in reaching,” CEO Tero Virtala said.
In IGN’s Alan Wake 2 review, we awarded the sequel an impressive 9/10, calling it a “superb survival horror sequel that makes the cult classic original seem like little more than a rough first draft by comparison.”
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’s Donkey Kong!
Nintendo’s first release of the year was Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, so it’s only fitting to make the first Tetris 99 Maximus Cup of 2025 the same theme.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
IGN’s Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 maps are here! Our interactive maps track essential locations across Trosky and Kuttenberg, including Main Quests and Side Quests for those wanting to complete every quest. They also show collectibles like treasure chests and recipes, so you know exactly where to go to find every piece of loot.
The available map filters for our Trosky and Kuttenberg Kingdom Come: Deliverance II interactive maps include:
While you’re adventuring across the land of KCD2, make sure to check out IGN’s Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 game help. We have a variety of guides to help you, including:
Meg Koepp is a Guides Editor on the IGN Guides team, with a focus on trends. When she’s not working, you can find her playing an RPG or making miniatures.
The post Official Xbox Podcast: Deep Dive and Hands On with South of Midnight appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Are you ready to step into history? To celebrate the upcoming launch of Civilization VII, we’re giving one lucky winner the ultimate adventure! While Civilization VII immerses players in the complexities of global domination and cultural greatness, IGN is taking it one step further by sending a fan to a featured Civilization from CIV VII with a rich history to explore!
One lucky winner and their guest can win an all inclusive trip to Rome, Italy for a chance to dive into its rich culture. The winner will also receive a private tour of the Colosseum, 7-day accommodations, and airfare / transportation covered! Ten runner ups will receive a game prize pack so they can jump into Civilization VII at launch.
Sign up for your chance to win below here: https://ign.com/special/civilization-vii-au-giveaway
Whether you’re a lifelong Civ fan or just love history, this is your chance to experience one of the world’s greatest civilizations firsthand!
Hurry – the contest ends March 4th @ 10:00 AM AEST, and a winner will be announced shortly after. Don’t miss your chance to turn your Civilization VII dreams into reality. Rome awaits!
_________
Entry is open to users who: (i) are legally residents of Australia, (ii) are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry and (iii) have a valid email address. Entrants who are eligible to enter the Competition pursuant to these Terms and Conditions are referred to as “Eligible Entrants.” To enter, participants must: (i) Visit ign.com/civilisation-7-ancient-wonders-giveaway); (ii) Complete the entry form, which will provide Promoter with an entrant’s full name, phone or mobile number, email and mailing address); (iii) Tell us in [25] words or less what is your favourite moment in the history of the Civilization franchise); and (iv) have an existing 2K account. Only one (1) entry per person will be accepted. Subsequent attempts made by the same individual to submit multiple entries by using multiple accounts or otherwise may result in disqualification of the entrant.
#CivilizationVII #IGNsGreatCivilizationGiveaway #AUS
How Sony is helping us LCDeal with it.
The reveal of Switch 2 back in January answered some burning questions but mainly it confirmed rumoured details and leaked info regarding the size, shape, and magnetic Joy-Con of Nintendo’s next console. Annoyingly, there are still a lot of unanswered questions and the platform holder is keeping shtum until 2nd April.
One big question is about the screen: Will Switch 2 have an LCD display like the original Switch or a gloriously vibrant OLED panel like the boring-but-appropriately-named Switch OLED Model?
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
People are using AI more and more at home, at work, in school, and everywhere in between. According to the most recent Microsoft Global Online Safety Survey, there has been a global increase in active generative AI users. Our findings showed that in 2024, 51% of people are users or experimenters of generative AI compared to 38% in 2023. Generation Z continues to drive this adoption with 64% of young adults reporting ever using the technology. That means it’s up to us – especially those of us who work in technology and gaming – to make sure that young people have the support they need to navigate the world of AI safely while also fostering their curiosity and creativity in exploring these new technologies.
That’s why, for Safer Internet Day 2025, Minecraft Education is releasing a new installment in the CyberSafe series where players can explore the risks and opportunities of AI use through fun, game-based challenges. In each instance, players are tasked with articulating guidelines for how to use AI safely and responsibly. Welcome to CyberSafe AI: Dig Deeper, available free on the Minecraft Marketplace and in Minecraft Education!
This DLC engages players by putting them in the role of a student tasked with helping to throw a fundraiser for their school. When the student sets out to investigate how AI technology could be used to help them mass produce the 3D-printed animals they’ve been learning to make in STEM lab, they encounter some common challenges and risks posed by using AI as a creative tool. They realize that its output might not be what they were looking for, and that they always need to check AI results against other trusted sources of information. While the player doesn’t engage with generative AI technology directly through the DLC, they will work through challenges and scenarios that simulate use of AI and learn about how to use it responsibly. Players will come to understand that, in the world outside their classroom, people might use AI both positively and negatively, building critical awareness of the roles that AI plays in their lives.
“Human inventiveness is at the center of AI. This is a great opportunity to empower educators, kids, and families with the knowledge and skills to use AI safely, maximizing human creativity and its positive impact in the world,” says Carlos Figueiredo, Director of Player Safety at Mojang Studios. “I’m excited to continue the momentum of our CyberSafe content, which has already reached tens of millions of players worldwide.”
CyberSafe AI: Dig Deeper builds on the success of the CyberSafe DLC series, available free on the Minecraft Marketplace and in Minecraft Education, which has helped a generation of players learn key digital citizenship skills like password protection, data privacy, and ways to deal with online bullying. Last year’s launch of Good Game inspired millions of young Minecrafters to create in-game codes of conduct. Through a partnership between Xbox and Minecraft, the CyberSafe series has reached more than 80 million downloads since 2022.
With Dig Deeper, players will learn the critical questions to ask when working with AI or encountering AI-generated content and build an understanding of how to navigate these systems thoughtfully and safely. Ultimately, the experience aims to illustrate that for all their capabilities, AI systems require human intelligence, intervention, and oversight to work safely and constructively. Use the included Minecraft Family Cyber Toolkit for further guidance on navigating the CyberSafe DLC series.
If you’re looking for more resources and tips for family gaming, visit xbox.com/family. You can learn more about what Xbox offers for families, including information about privacy and access to privacy tools, the Xbox Family Settings app and Community Standards.
You can read more about Microsoft’s Global Online Survey Results and the efforts being taken to tackle abusive AI-generated content risks at Microsoft’s Safer Internet Day 2025 blog.
The post Celebrating Safer Internet Day by Digging Deeper into AI with Minecraft Education appeared first on Xbox Wire.
State of Play is back tomorrow, February 12! Tune in live for news and updates on great games coming to PS5. The show celebrates a creative and unique selection of exciting games from studios around the world.
The 40+ minute show begins February 12 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET | 11pm CET / February 13 at 7am JST on YouTube and Twitch, and will be broadcast in English and Japanese. See you tomorrow!
Please note that this broadcast may include copyrighted content (e.g. licensed music) that PlayStation does not control. We welcome and celebrate our amazing co-streamers and creators, but licensing agreements outside our control could interfere with co-streams or VOD archives of this broadcast. If you’re planning to save this broadcast as a VOD to create recap videos, or to repost clips or segments from the show, we advise omitting any copyrighted music.
Amazon is running a terrific “Buy 1, Get 1 Half Off” sale on popular items like books, movies, and games. (Please ignore Amazon’s confusing language that makes it sound like you have to buy two items at regular price – that’s not the case). The sale includes all three of the Fourth Wing books, but it also has a bunch of excellent board games in it, many of which are already on sale. You can shop the whole sale here, or read on for some of the standout board games in the sale.
Tons of the best board games are eligible for the sale, including recent(ish) classics like Azul, Catan, Carcassonne, Pandemic and the like. Plus there are tons of bigger, longer, deeper selections on sale, like Twilight Imperium, Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, and the Lord of the Rings, as well as many more strategy board game.
If your shelf could use some more timeless classic board games or family board games to entertain your guests, you’ll find plenty of those in the sale as well. We’re talking board games for kids like Mouse Trap and Guess Who, as well as Monopoly Junior, which makes that interminable old standby mercifully short in play time. And if you want to commune with the spirits of the dead, there’s that old family classic Ouija, which is only kind of a board game, but I’m including it anyway.
There are a lot more games on sale as well, plus expansions for many of the games listed above. There’s a lot to sift through, and that’s before you even start thinking about the movies and books you can mix and match to get the discount. So feel free to peruse the sale at your leisure and pick out whichever items you want.
Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Bluesky @chrislreed.com.
