Volition Games has announced that its parent company, Embracer Group, is shutting the studio down. The studio was the developer behind the latest Saints Row reboot.
In an update on LinkedIn, Volition said, “This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry. As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately.”
The statement continued, “To help our team, we are working to provide job assistance and help smooth the transition for our Volition family members. We Thank our customers and fans around the world for all the love and support over the years. You will always be in our hearts.”
While it’s mostly known for Saints Row these days, Volition is a historic studio dating back to the mid-90s, with classics including Descent, Freespace, and Red Faction. It was able to survive THQ’s bankruptcy in 2012 before being acquired by Koch Media. Its most recent release was the reboot of Saints Row, which drew mixed reviews.
Embracer Group has been on an acquisition spree over the past few years, including being the owners of Crystal Dynamics and Gearbox, providing valuable video game properties such as Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and Borderlands.
Volition isn’t the only studio that announced it would be closing. Earlier this week, Mimimi Games revealed that it would slowly shut down over the next few months as Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew would be its final game.
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey
I don’t remember this at the time, but there were complaints about Skyrim‘s map when it came out, because it was just an extreme zoom out on the world. It wasn’t dense with information; the map markers were often kind of an “it’s in this area” guideline that were even less helpful if what you needed was in a barrow or otherwise underground. Starfield raises the bar by taking the bold step of having a map that is almost not a map.
I’m referring here to the planet surface map. The starmap is, like a couple of things I’ve experienced since being hustled through quite an accelerated inciting incident (Starfield’s equivalent of Patrick Stewart dying in a sewer after he’s charged you with saving the world), reminiscent of Mass Effect. You can select different galaxies, which have one or two solar systems in them, and then can zoom down and select specific planets or moons or whatever to warp to. Once you’re wombling about on the surface being a naughty little space captain – or whatever, I don’t judge what you’re up to – well baby, I hope you like blue voids with a bit of topography.
A brand new 2D Mario is just months away, and today, we got an in-depth look at Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the first new 2D Mario in almost 11 years.
Today’s Nintendo Direct didn’t give us any shocks, per se, but we have a better idea of what to expect from the Flower Kingdom, how to play online, and some new enemies and power-ups.
Return to the world of Monkey Island in the second Tall Tale from this classic crossover on August 31.
Explore new locations and meet new characters as more of the iconic Mêlée Island is revealed.
Sea of Thieves is available free for all players with Xbox Game Pass and can be played across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10/11 and Steam.
Mêlée Island has need of you once again! It’s time to return to Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island, an incredible crossover that kicked off in July, beginning a journey to reunite players with the legendary Guybrush Threepwood and defeat the villainous Captain LeChuck – all within the world of Sea of Thieves. Today sees the arrival of the second Tall Tale in the trilogy, promising a wave of new excitement and experiences…
The Tale So Far
Players were granted their first foray into this new playground last month in the opening Tall Tale, ‘The Journey to Mêlée Island’. In this initial adventure, taking place deep within the Sea of the Damned, players were introduced to a distorted reflection of the classic Mêlée Island.
With an ominous fog covering much of the island and Guybrush Threepwood installed in the unlikely position of Governor, it was up to players to get to the bottom of things. By working their way through puzzles, befriending locals with small acts of service and finding enough coins to pay their way when they couldn’t, the story gradually took shape.
Eventually, an audience was obtained with the esteemed Governor Guybrush, followed by a fierce battle with the ghost pirate minions of Captain LeChuck and – for pirates who emerged victorious – a final stop with Corina at the International House of Mojo.
Explore New Mechanics
Now the time has come to continue the adventure! Having received word that Corina has found a way to break the spell and free Guybrush from his delusion, Captain Kate is recruiting pirates to carry out the plan. To craft the cure, you’ll need to journey back to Mêlée Island in search of three symbols of true pirate courage. They can only be obtained by the fiercest and most cunning of pirates, so keep your wits about you as you uncover more of the island and its cast of inhabitants.
Packed with new places and faces, ‘The Quest for Guybrush’ offers a major expansion on everything you’ve seen before. This Tall Tale will ask you to master Insult Sword Fighting, confront The Beast, return to your treasure-seeking pirate roots and much more. Expect a host of fresh surprises for long-time and new fans of Monkey Island alike throughout this uproarious new chapter of the story.
As before, you’ll be able to work your way through the Tall Tale alone or in a crew, in an isolated map so you’re free to take your time without engaging with other crews. And with the full expanse of Mêlée Island at your feet, there’s plenty to explore!
Iconic Outfits
Of course, an important part of any pirate’s adventure is being able to dress the part, which is where the Pirate Emporium’s accompanying wave of Monkey Island-inspired cosmetics come in.
With the Mad Monkey ship set, you’ll be able to model your vessel on an infamous Caribbean shipwreck. Fortunately, the design isn’t necessarily a sign that your ship will share the same fate – and to make sure of it, you can supplement your sidearms and guard your loot with the matching Mad Monkey weapons.
In the wardrobe department, the Guybrush Costume Set finally lets you dress up as your favorite mighty pirate, while the Elaine Costume Set offers a chance to emulate the celebrated former Governor. Alternatively, accomplished duellists might prefer the Carla Costume Set, paying tribute to the legendary Sword Master of Mêlée Island.
So, ready to take on the next Tall Tale? Guybrush has need of you, and Mêlée Island isn’t about to save itself. ‘The Quest for Guybrush’ Tall Tale is free for all Sea of Thieves players and available now, so make your preparations, pack your best insults and drop by Capsize Charters to get started…
Find Out More
For more information on the latest Sea of Thieves update, including full release notes, visit the Sea of Thieveswebsite. The update is available for free to all Sea of Thieves players who have bought the game on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10/11 PC or via Steam, or players who have access to it with Xbox Game Pass. Simply download and install the latest Sea of Thieves update to get access.
New to Sea of Thieves? Find out about the latest free content updates on our What’s New page, get familiar with Who’s Who or pick up some gameplay tips from our Pirate Academy, which provides invaluable information on topics ranging from sailing to swordplay as you prepare for your maiden voyage. Learn more about Sea of Thieveshere, or join the ongoing adventure at www.seaofthieves.com where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!
Greetings, PlayStation Stars members! With the arrival of September, a fresh wave of campaigns and collectibles is upon us. Get ready to conquer new challenges, earn rewards, and expand your digital collectibles to refresh your display case. Stay connected throughout the month on PlayStation App for more.
Let’s jump right into some of the offerings that await you.
PlayStation & You: Wireless Keyboard
Available September 1
Attention, past owners of the PS3 wireless keyboard! Your gaming journey deserves a nod of appreciation. Activate the PlayStation & You: Wireless Keyboard Campaign and unlock an exclusive digital collectible – the classic PS3 wireless keyboard.
Simply start the campaign and this nostalgic piece will join your digital collectibles collection.
PlayStation Plus Game Catalog: Must-play this Month
Available September 5
There are hundreds of games in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for Extra and Premium/Deluxe members. The catalog is regularly refreshed, so we’re highlighting monthly gems to play. When you play any one game in this campaign, you’ll earn 50 points.
For this month, experience some of the Best Hits from Japan. Play any one of these iconic Japanese titles below to earn 50 points.
Dynasty Warriors 9
Lost Judgement
Devil May Cry 5
Death Stranding
Ghostwire: Tokyo
PlayStation Plus Monthly Games Campaign
Available September 5
New month, new PlayStation Plus Monthly Games. For this campaign, PlayStation Plus members can play any one of the September Monthly Games and earn 50 points. See the games announced here.
Hard Game Club Campaign: Slay the Spire
Available September 7
It’s time to conquer Slay the Spire and earn the “Shapes” trophy. Achieve this feat, and the exclusive Hard Game Club Balloon digital collectible is yours.
For those already boasting the “Shapes” trophy, your reward is waiting for you. Simply start the campaign, play any PS4 or PS5 game, and the Hard Game Club Balloon is yours.
Hard Game Club: Cuphead
Last Chance: If you haven’t seen it yet on PS App, we have a Hard Game Club campaign for Cuphead available now until October 14th. Earn the “A Day at the Fair” trophy to unlock the Cuphead Hard Game Club digital collectible.
If you’ve already earned this trophy, simply start the campaign, play any PS4 or PS5 game, and this Hard Game Club Balloon is yours.
Unlock games with your PlayStation Stars points
As a reminder, your PlayStation Stars points are a ticket to an array of incredible games and more. Dive into the “PlayStation Store rewards” section of your PlayStation Stars Rewards Catalog and explore a selection of titles that you can redeem your points for right now. Here are just a few examples of the games waiting for you:
Exit the Gungeon
Download the image
Cuphead
Download the image
Moss
Download the image
Dredge
Download the image
Not a PlayStation Stars member yet? Learn more about PlayStation Stars and join here.
Larian Studios has released the second major patch for Baldur’s Gate 3, aptly titled Patch #2, which promises to bring “substantial performance improvements”.
Announced on Steam, Patch #2 brings bug fixes, performance improvements, UI tweaks, a new epilogue scene for Karlack, and more. Larian also promised it is working on additional endgame scenes featuring other characters.
Other highlights include the introduction of the Withers’ Wardrobe of Wayward Friends, which lets players dismiss co-op party members from your campaign, a fix for potentially getting stuck in combat because a player character cannot be selected to end their turn, and new icons for equipped items.
The patch note highlights are available to view below, with points featuring spoilers omitted. The full notes can be viewed on Baldur’s Gate 3’s Steam page.
In our 10/10 review, IGN said: “With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs.”
Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch #2 Highlights
Features
Introducing Withers’ Wardrobe of Wayward Friends! You can now dismiss co-op party members from your campaign.
Performance optimisations across the board.
Reduced the size of savegames.
Blockers
Fixed potentially getting stuck in combat because a player character cannot be selected to end their turn.
Fixed an issue causing you to get stuck in dialogue with Angry Mar’hyah and Oyster Boy Dringo by the Sword Coast Couriers.
UI Improvements
Added a ‘Delete all but latest’ option for each campaign, so you can regain a little storage space wiggle room.
Added new icons for equipped items! It’s easier to tell if they’re equipped by the selected character, one of your characters, or another player’s character. (Who’s hoarding all the interesting equipment?)
Added item rarity filters to the inventory.
Your Turn notification now lists which character’s turn it is.
The character summary on Level Up will now update to reflect changes in ability scores.
The Active Search list now persists after being opened and is more informative.
Action Radial now creates containers for spells created by other spells, making them easier to manage.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Brought to you by the teeming brains behind Snake Cave and Eat Shit With Divine, Starfield is an experience of almost bewildering scale that defies easy summary, but I will do my best. In this much-anticipated sci-fi action epic, you step into the spaceboots of Prince Starfield, a fully customisable, unvoiced protagonist who must battle a cosmic menace in the course of a familiar, but thrillingly woven narrative with unabashed political dimensions.
Nintendo has shared a ton of new details for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but ignoring the actually significant gameplay reveals, the internet is instead obsessing over a poor Yoshi being crushed by Elephant Mario.
Revealed during the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Direct, players taking on the role of Yoshi can be ridden by another player, including another Yoshi or any of the other seven playable characters. This even includes the likes of Mario or Luigi when they have the Elephant power-up.
As the Nintendo Direct showed, the chonky Elephant form character can ride a Yoshi, with the poor thing visibly strained from the heavier weight. The internet immediately had its fun with the image, with users on X (formerly Twitter) talking about how much pain Yoshi is (probably) in and whether certain body parts, such as his spine and legs, are struggling.
If Mario’s Final Smash in the next Smash Bros game isn’t turning into an elephant and shattering his opponent’s spine like Yoshi’s here than Sakurai has completely failed as a game director pic.twitter.com/jeQfjSkO68
Woah! Last week Gamescom 2023 happened, the biggest consumer event for video games in the woooooooorld! The Electronic Wireless Show podcast gives you our definitive take on what was hot and what was not from Geoffcom’s Opening Night Live, and points you towards some of the previews and interviews our crack team has from the show floor. This week there’s plenty to talk about re. What We’ve Been Playing as well, because James has been cramming in a bunch of small games. Fun!
Nintendo has announced that, like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom before it, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is getting a limited edition OLED Nintendo Switch.
Announced during August’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Direct, the limited edition console pays homage to the next big Switch game but doesn’t actually include Super Mario Bros. Wonder in the box.
This is because the hardware launches a little ahead of the game on October 6, while Super Mario Bros. Wonder itself launches on October 20.
The hardware includes special Joy-Cons and a unique docking station, both in (almost) plain “Mario Red”. A silhouette hides on the back of the console though, alongside some coins inside.
