With as young a medium as games is (and it is young, as old as we all might feel), it’s no surprise that it would burgeon new genres, and that said genres would be called into question. Metroidvanias! That’s a potentially silly one, with a common argument being that it tells you nothing about the genre itself. I prefer Japan’s search action as a name myself, though I am but one humble games journalist. A genre I hadn’t called into question until today, however, is extraction shooter, a name that a former Bungie lead apparently disliked so much he tried to get the studio’s marketing team to make something else up for Marathon.
Battlefield Studios is telling Battlefield 6 players to “keep your ear to the ground” when it comes to a battle royale solo queue option for REDSEC.
We spoke with the Battlefield team to learn more about REDSEC and its battle royale, Gauntlet, and Portal modes earlier this week. During our chat, we asked if solo battle royale fans will ever be able to drop into Fort Lyndon without grouping up with others. Design director Justin Wiebe stopped short of confirming whether additional queue options are on the way, but he does want fans to know the BF Studios team is listening.
“I would say keep your ear to the ground on the future of solos,” Wiebe told us.
Battlefield REDSEC was met with a review-bombing campaign upon its launch late last month as disgruntled Battlefield 6 players gathered to ask for various changes, including a solo battle royale queue. It’s true the Battlefield battle royale offshoot launched without an option for single-player-minded fans, but Wiebe says adding solos into a squad-based shooter isn’t as easy as it seems.
“In my mind, that’s not something you just turn on and just say, ‘OK, solos,’” he said. “There needs to be enough thought put into it because we built a squad-based experience. At its foundation, the game was designed for squads to play together, with each of them having tactical abilities and options, and training paths that unlock new perks. A lot of those perks are very oriented towards helping the squad, not helping the individual.”
I would say keep your ear to the ground on the future of solos.
Wiebe continued: “If we were just to throw that out and say, ‘Well, now you can just play solos, and you’re unlocking these abilities that don’t even matter to you,’ that feels like a fail.”
Battlefield 6 and REDSEC are designed around four primary classes: Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon. Aside from a few tweaks between some modes, each can bring everything from quick revives to vehicle repairs to a gunfight. Even vehicles themselves are typically in better care with more than one player behind the wheel.
These are the kinds of mechanics BF Studios is considering when holding off on solos for battle royale in REDSEC. Still, it sounds like the option is far from off the table. Should players be allowed to queue up without teammates in battle royale, Wiebe tells fans they would need to launch “with the right abilities and training paths.”
“If we were going to launch something like solos,” he added, “we want to do it in a way that makes sense for players, that actually takes the mechanics and makes them work for making solos play better.”
Battlefield 6 launched October 10 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S. REDSEC followed closely behind with its launch for the same platforms arriving October 28, just weeks later. Despite initial review-bombing efforts bringing the free-to-play branch down to “Mostly Negative” Steam ratings, it has since bounced back slightly, now sitting at “Mixed” across the board.
We gave REDSEC a 7/10. In our review, we said, “Battlefield REDSEC offers an uninspired battle royale mode that dilutes what makes Battlefield 6’s regular multiplayer so much fun, but its Gauntlet option instead concentrates that formula into one of the coolest game modes I’ve seen from a military shooter.”
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
Back in my university days, a few friends and I played Yulgang Online, also known as Scions of Fate. An early 2000s Korean MMORPG with a Chinese martial arts theme, Yulgang was one of dozens of free MMOs we dabbled in. While we never got beyond the “kill X number of things to level up” grind, it was novel to run around in a wuxia-themed world, which was a rarity in localised-into-English PC gaming back then.
If playing through Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater this year had you itching to revisit the original, now’s your chance to do so (if you don’t already own it) at a discounted price.
This discount saves you $20 on its usual price of $39.99, so if you’ve had this collection in your sights, now is the time to make your move on it.
Unfortunately, the Xbox Series X version appears to be sold out at Best Buy right now, but we’re keeping an eye on it to see if it comes back in stock as we get closer to Black Friday’s official kick-off. For PS5 and Switch owners, though, you’re in for a real treat with this collection.
Not only will you get Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, but you’ll get its predecessors – Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty – as well.
That’s not all, though. It also comes with Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear (NES/FC version), and Snake’s Revenge, alongside some bonuses like a screenplay book and master book of the stories and characters to dig into.
Black Friday is only a couple of weeks away now, so we’re keeping an eye out for even more video game deals like this one that pop up in the lead-up to it.
If you’re curious when the sale event officially starts, and which retailers will be joining in on the fun this year, check out our full breakdown of Black Friday 2025 to learn more about this year’s sale.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
Doings are afoot in the retrofuture scrapmetal world of Arc Raiders. Developers Embark have announced that a major new update called North Line will roll out tomorrow, 13th November at 1.30am PT, 4.30am ET, 9.30am GMT and 10.30am CET. It’ll add Stella Montis, a region beyond the Rust Belt that is described as “cold, pristine, and filled with the remnants of humanity’s lost ambitions.” I am picturing a landscape awash with Betamax cassettes, Bored Apes and Soviet space shuttles, where Raiders pick through old branches of Toys R Us.
Nintendo and Illumination have revealed the first proper trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and it’s a galactic banger.
We get our first look at Bowser Jr. and Rosaline, plus a whole bunch of new locations based on Super Mario Galaxy and… Odyssey? Yep, there’s representation from both games here.
Backbone Pro - Xbox Edition: Take Your Gaming Anywhere
Earlier this year, Designed for Xbox and our friends at Backbone launched the Backbone One – Xbox Edition. Now they are back with their next generation controller, redesigned from the ground up to let you access your favorite games on mobile, PC, smart TV, and beyond.
Meet the Backbone Pro – Xbox Edition, a great gaming experience, now designed for almost any screen you own, whether you’re on your phone, tablet, PC, TV, or streaming device. Every detail, from the precise placement of the full-size thumbsticks to the laser-etched grips and Hall Effect triggers, is the result of relentless optimization.
Backbone Pro offers two ways to play: Handheld Mode, where your phone is physically connected via USB-C for low latency and no charging required; and Wireless Mode, connecting via Bluetooth Low Energy for gaming from a distance.
Backbone Pro – Xbox Edition Features
Play Anywhere: Built-in battery, USB-C, and Bluetooth Low Energy unlock gaming across devices.
Pro-Grade Control: Full-size ALPS thumbsticks, laser-etched textured grips, Hall Effect triggers, and rear buttons for precision and comfort.
Jump Into Xbox Cloud Gaming and Remote Play: Includes one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to explore a growing library of games.
Seamless Play with the Backbone App
Personalize your play with custom profiles, button remapping, and effortless device switching – all within the Backbone App. Switching between phone, PC, and TV is simple, with FlowState – just a tap moves your controller from screen to screen. The Backbone App also supports Apple Arcade, Steam Link, and other controller-friendly mobile titles, so you have gaming options in addition to Xbox.
Backbone Pro vs. Backbone One
Not sure which controller to snag? Here’s an overview of both controllers at a glance:
Backbone Pro – Xbox Edition: All-new ergonomic design for comfort and precision, Bluetooth and hardwired play, full-size ALPS sticks, Hall Effect triggers, two customizable back buttons, profiles and remapping, and built in battery.
Backbone One – Xbox Edition: Ultra-mobile, hardwired plug-in design optimized for portability, classic inputs, and quick jump into the Xbox app on your mobile device, to access features including Xbox Cloud Gaming and Remote Play with the Xbox button. Compatible with USB-C devices only.
Available Now
The Backbone Pro Xbox Edition launches today. It’s available for $179.99 USD ERP through Backbone.com, xbox.com, and Amazon, with Best Buy floor placement in the US beginning November 30. Worldwide shipping is supported.
Surprise! Arc Raiders is cutting the prices of its store cosmetics, and will refund anyone who snapped them up before the new price goes into effect tomorrow, November 13.
In an update on the official Arc Raiders website, developer Embark Studios said it has “heard [player] feedback,” writing: “We’ve reviewed our prices and made adjustments to lower prices where applicable.” Revised prices go live tomorrow, November 13, at 1.30am PT / 4.30am ET / 9.30am GMT).
“For any Raider who has already made a purchase on the old pricing, we’ll compensate you for the difference. These Raider Tokens will be refunded back into your account automatically in the coming week.”
The team stopped short of revealing the new prices, or how big the discounts will be. Nonetheless, it should be good news for players, some of whom have been unhappy at the costs, complaining that the premium skins cost “half [the] price of the game” itself.
That’s not the only big news we’ve had today, either. Embark also confirmed it has been “silently testing” duo matchmaking and has indeed enabled it earlier this week.
“We have silently tested and enabled duo prioritized matchmaking, beginning earlier this week,” the team explained. “Duo matchmaking will work like this: first, we prioritize Solos and Squads to play separately. After that, we prioritize Duos to play with other Duos, and for Trios to play with Trios. Please note that this is not a 100% guaranteed system, so you may at times run into differing constellations of players other than your own.”
Finally, while there’s currently one free Raider Deck available for all, in the future players will see both free and premium decks. As the team explained, gameplay Items are only in free Raider Decks, but to “help you along the way as a new Raider, we have included some gameplay Items in the free Raider Deck, which can be unlocked via progression.”
There are also “no pay-to-win items in the premium Raider Decks,” Embark insisted, saying the “focus” for premium Decks is based on “cosmetics and convenience.”
Don’t forget that Arc Raiders’ first major update, North Line, launches tomorrow, November 13. The new update introduces a whole new region north of the Rust Belt called Stella Montis, described as “cold, pristine, and filled with the remnants of humanity’s lost ambitions.” It’ll introduce a whole new region, new community unlock event, two new ARCs — Matriarch and Shredder – as well as new weapons, playstyles, and quests. The next update, Cold Snap, arrives this December.
“Arc Raiders raises the bar for extraction shooters pretty much across the board, with an incredibly gripping progression grind, tense fights against NPCs and other players that make for memorable matches, and loot that feels completely worth all the work and stress it takes to obtain it,” we wrote in IGN’s Arc Raiders review, which returned an ‘Amazing’ 9/10.
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.
Gah! I’ve lost them again. My precious brows and burns, they’ve gone walkabouts! Luckily, The Outer Worlds 2 latest patch aims to take care of instances of misbehaving hair. That’s far from the only fix in what’s a very beefy list, with companion buffs, crash corrections, and instances of weird NPC antics also having been tended to.
Sega has announced that it is raising the salary for its full-time staff along with increasing the starting salary for new-hires over in Japan (thanks, Automaton).
Starting from 1st April 2026, the base salary for full-time employees will raise by an average of around 10%. Sega is introducing a more flexible pay structure while also converting annual bonuses into base pay.
