Category: Video Games

Throne and Liberty Rushes to #4 on Steam Charts After Release Despite Server Issues and Mixed Reviews

Throne and Liberty is off to a very strong start. The new MMORPG by NCSoft and Amazon Games has already rushed to number four on Steam, behind only Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, and that one banana game.

At the time of this article, Throne and Liberty sits at around 292,116 concurrents, putting in the top half of the list of Steam’s ten most popular games. Its early performance is all the more impressive in light of mixed reviews, most of which have focused on its server issues and microtransactions.

Disconnected from server?
byu/stefansoul inthroneandliberty

Indeed, server issues seem to be the biggest problem facing Throne and Liberty, with fans complaining about spending 45 minutes creating a character only to get disconnected. What’s more, it doesn’t appear possible to choose a different server, leaving fans little recourse except to hope that things improve.

Still, Throne and Liberty seems to be doing well, following in the footsteps of other Amazon Games releases including Lost Ark and New World. Originally billed as a Lineage sequel, Throne and Liberty is described as a free-to-play MMO with PvE and PvP set in a dynamic and seamless world. It suffered numerous delays over the course of a development cycle spanning several years.

We wrote about Throne and Liberty during its beta, “Overall, I certainly enjoyed most of my time with Throne and Liberty. There are big, late-game things that I want to come back and participate in, like large-scale PVP battles between guilds and raid dungeons. The story and quests won’t upend any long-standing MMO conventions. The inner voice that usually commands me to make sure every task that can be done must be done very quietly let me skip through slow dialogue and turn a blind eye to many menial side tasks. I never skipped an opportunity to fight, though.”

But while Amazon Games have a way of getting off to a fast start, they have struggled to maintain that momentum amid slow updates, balance problems, and other issues. New World launched to huge numbers, wound up getting heavily retooled, and is trying to get a fresh start on console as New World: Aerturnum. We’ll see if Throne and Liberty has better luck.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Save 30% Off Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for PlayStation 5

Starting today, Amazon is offering the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth game for PlayStation 5 for only $49.99. That’s a savings of nearly 30% off and the lowest price we’ve seen for it on Amazon. We saw this deal once before at Walmart, but that has long since expired. This is the “exclusive Amazon edition,” which also includes a themed controller skin featuring Cloud and Sephiroth. Rebirth is easily one of the best games of 2024, PS5 or otherwise.

30% Off Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second game in the revamped FFVII trilogy and starts off right where Remake ends. The exodus from Midgar allows for a much more open-world experience compared to Remake’s linear structure, which means more areas to explore, more characters to play around with, and more spells, abilities, and summons at your disposal. According to HowLongToBeat.com, Remake takes 32 hours to finish the main story while Rebirth takes 46 hours.

Check out our Final Fantasy VII Rebirth review and see why this game earned an “Amazing” 9/10 score. In it, writer Michael Higham states that “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth impressively builds off of what Remake set in motion as both a best-in-class action-RPG full of exciting challenge and depth, and as an awe-inspiring recreation of a world that has meant so much to so many for so long.” He continues on to say that “for as flawed as parts of how this classic has been reimagined might be, Rebirth still stands out as something both thrilling and unexpectedly impactful.”

Will this price drop during October Prime Day or Black Friday?

Of course there aren’t any guarantees, but I think it’s unlikely the price will drop any further for the fall Prime Day sale. Although October Prime Day offers plenty of excellent deals, historically video games have not been a big part of it. Black Friday is a different story. We’re still nearly two months away, but if you’re willing to hold out, the price may drop further. Because Rebirth was released this year and it has been commercially successful, there’s less of a chance that it will be further discounted.

Looking for more games? Check out the best PlayStation deals today.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s Big Evil Endings and Mod Patch Is Officially Out on Console

Console-playing Baldur’s Gate 3 fans no longer have to look at PC players in envy — Patch 7 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Mac today.

Highlights of the patch include 13 new endings for players doing evil runs, including unique new endings for each Origin character, as well as revamped split-screen. But the real highlight is the new Mod Manager, allowing console players to take advantage of the bevy of mods players have made for the hit RPG.

Patch 7 hit PC a little less than a month ago, bringing with it the official mod toolkit. Since then, Larian says on its Steam page, players have uploaded 1,000 mods and racked up more than 15 million downloads.

While console players can’t use the official toolkit to create mods, they can now use those that have been made with the toolkit, and that have passed internal testing. There are currently 69 mods that have passed internal testing, and Larian says more will become available on console and Mac as they continue to test them.

Larian also released a couple of videos to celebrate the news: a fresh animated short in collaboration with Mashed and Spud Gun Studios (nice bowl cut, Astarion) and one highlighting five mods that console and Mac users can now get their hands on.

The absolutely massive Patch 7 includes even more than mods and new evil endings, also adding Honour Mode improvements, new Legendary Actions, and various gameplay improvements and bug fixes. Larian also notes that Hotfixes #26 and #27 are available on all platforms today as well.

Patch 7 was long rumored to be Larian’s last update to Baldur’s Gate 3, although the studio clarified last month that it’s not the final patch after all — but declined to offer specifics on what’s to come. For more in the meantime, check out our recent interview with the developer looking back on the year since release.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

CI Games reveal new Lords Of The Fallen, Sniper Ghost Warrior and a “major new action-RPG”

Hexworks and CI Games are working on a sequel to 2023 action-RPG Lords Of The Fallen, itself a sequel to 2014 action-RPG Lords Of The Fallen. It’s slated to launch in 2026. Will the new Lords Of The Fallen also be called Lords Of The Fallen? Will it build on the exciting innovations of Lords Of The Fallen, or will it seek to recapture the nostalgic charms of Lords Of The Fallen? Perhaps in ten years time we’ll do a list feature, “Lords Of The Fallen Games Ranked”, with just one entry. I’m pretty sure that in 10 years time, generative AI plagiarism will have rendered everything interchangeable anyway.

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Castlevania Dev Steps Down From Bloodstained 2 After Cancer Diagnosis

“It is a great blow to have him step away from the project”.

Shuntaro Ida, a veteran designer on the Castlevania franchise and director of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, has sadly stepped down from the development of Bloodstained 2 following a cancer diagnosis.

Ida announced his decision on social media (thanks, VGC), stating that although he had already come up with ideas for the upcoming game, he will pass these on to others while he receives treatment. Koji Igarashi, long-time producer of the Castevania series, reposted this message to express his sadness while wishing Ida a quick recovery.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 7 storms onto PS5 today

Hi all – Luke Karmali here from the team over at Larian Studios, bringing you the exciting news that Baldur’s Gate 3’s Patch 7 is now officially available on PlayStation 5 today. There’s quite a meaty buffet that stands before us, and a lot of ground to cover, so let’s dive in.

First up, the dastardly-minded among you will be pleased to know Patch 7 brings a whopping 13 new cinematic Evil Endings, including unique ones for each Origin Character. Unsatisfied with how much The Sword Coast has suffered to this point? Well now’s your chance to set the world to rights…or wrongs, as it turns out.

Alongside this, we’ve revamped our split screen gameplay offering for couch co-op play. Dynamic split screen means each side of the screen will merge when you near each other and split back up as you head off on your own adventures. No more arguments over which direction to head in!

But the addition that we’re especially keen to talk about today is our brand new Mod Manager, allowing console players to experience a fresh brand of mutable mayhem authored by community members like yourselves.

With mods running the gamut from the mad to the macabre, we can appreciate it may be a bit overwhelming for some to know where to start. With that in mind, we’re here to offer a rundown of five of our favourites, showing just what’s possible with this latest toolkit.

Five game-changing Mods to get you started

1) Adjustable Party Limit by PixellBytes

If you’ve been suffering from choice paralysis when it comes to building your party, then rejoice! Our first mod adds spells that allow you to adjust the number of companions in your party, up to 16, and can even work in multiplayer. Not content with your fellows swearing just their swords, bows and axes to you? Well now you can add their daggers, flails, glaives, staves, salamis and even their lutes at the same time! Speaking of which…

2) Underwear of Rituals by Xelphos

Undercrackers. Budgie-smugglers. Banana hammocks. Words that no doubt conjure an array of images to your mind. But what if they could conjure more than just that? What if they unlocked your latent ability to read minds, shapeshift, or even speak with the dead?! Well, wonder no more, as this mod realizes this potential via the Gilded Chest of Ritualistic Underwear. We promise, it’s anything but pants.

3) Underdark Dice by elliegreenart

Spores spores spores! How do you like them, why don’t you like them!? Amid a SPOREgasbord of options for dice reskins, it’s these Underdark-themed beauties that really caught our (fung-)eyes. While other dice are available, we don’t think there’s mushroom for improvement. Okay, I’ll stop now. 

4) Kuo-Toa Playable Race by Gonzalo_Marcos

Of all the myriad races inhabiting Faerun, there’s one in particular that never fails to leave an impression – one could even say, BOOOAL us over. We’re talking, of course, about the enigmatic Kuo-Toa. Just look at his face – what is he thinking? What does he know!? Well, wonder no more as these questions and more can finally be answered. And remember – where there’s a gill, there’s a way.

5) Mystic Class by Xhevo

Unable to choose between the initial offering of 12 classes and 46 subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3? Well, the choice just got even harder, with a bevy of new classes being added as I type thanks to our illustrious modders. Though there’s some very interesting variations on offer on the Paladin and Warlock fronts, this take on the Mystic class from the Unearthed Arcana is a great place to start. 

This is just a taster of all that’s on offer with new mods being added all the time. We hope you’re inspired to give some of them a go…and perhaps even look into authoring some yourself!

Who knows what mayhem you may be capable of wroughting with your very own hands?

Best Xbox Game Pass Deals and Bundles Right Now (October 2024)

Now that the price hike has kicked in for existing Game Pass users, there’s no better time to stock up on cheap codes to save some cash. If you’re wondering where to find deals like this, don’t worry, we’re here to help you track down the best offers available on Game Pass right now – offers like this deal on 3 months of Game Pass Ultimate at Woot that’s down to just $36.49. You can learn more about that deal and other discounts available on Game Pass below.

Navigate to:

Best Xbox Game Pass Deals

One of our favorite Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deal has returned at Woot, providing another opportunity for users to stack their membership at a discounted rate. You can get three months of the service for just $36.49. This price won’t stick around for long, so act fast to secure your membership.

Considering the new price of Game Pass Ultimate is $19.99/month, you’re saving $23.48 with this 3-month deal. This is the best way to avoid the Xbox Game Pass price hike. By stacking these codes you can set yourself up for success to play all of Xbox’s upcoming releases at a lower price.

What’s Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass?

Game Pass has a nice rotation of new titles to play every month. If you’re curious about what’s in store for the start of October, we’ve got you covered there as well. The Xbox Game Pass October wave 1 lineup is:

  • MLB The Show 24 (Console) – October 2 Game Pass Standard
  • Open Roads (Console) – October 2 Game Pass Standard
  • Sifu (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 2 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
  • Mad Streets (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 7 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
  • Inscryption (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 10 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard

Another massive piece of Game Pass news is that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is officially available to play on Game Pass right now for console, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate users. This features the full package for CoD fans: the campaign, multiplayer, and zombies modes. Subscribers can also expect to see Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 day-one on Game Pass when it releases on October 25. However, for those subscribing to the new Standard tier (available for $14.99/month), this does not give Game Pass users access to day one releases, meaning Black Ops 6 will likely not be available on that tier.

What Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass?

Unfortunately with new games joining the catalog it means a few must take their leave. Below, we’ve listed the games that’ll be leaving Xbox Game Pass on October 15.

Biggest Games Releasing on Xbox Game Pass

Xbox’s Summer Showcase back in June was a massive success, showcasing an incredible amount of new titles coming to the platform. Alongside the aforementioned Black Ops 6, the showcase also included Doom: The Dark Ages, Perfect Dark, Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and so many more. But which of these titles will appear as day-one releases on Game Pass? Thankfully, quite a few! Including all of the previously mentioned titles.

While most of the games listed above have release dates in 2025, or no release dates at all at the moment, the one to keep an eye on for now alongside Black Ops 6 is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Gamescom’s Opening Night Live revealed that Indy’s latest adventure will be available to play on December 9 for Xbox users, so there’s truly no better time to hop on the Game Pass bandwagon.

If you’re looking for even more savings on all things Xbox, have a look at our roundup of the best Xbox deals. There, we’ve highlighted all of the latest and greatest discounts on the platform, from incredible game deals to fantastic offers on high-quality headphones. Or, if you’d rather see what’s going on with other platforms, check out our roundups of the best PlayStation deals, the best Nintendo Switch deals, and our overall roundup of the best video game deals.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Can someone please make a game for Google’s bizarre Möbius strip keyboard

For reasons that seemingly amount to japery, Google have unveiled a double-sided, endlessly looping keyboard design – but only in Japan, and they’re not actually making it. However, the blueprints for 3D-printing it are freely available on GitHub, which is enough to convince me that someone needs to develop some kind of chaotic party game that uses the Möbius strip-shaped Gboard (good spot, Tom’s Hardware) as a controller.

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Hi-Rez Studios Suffers Layoffs as Smite 2 Struggles in Early Access

Smite 2 developer Hi-Rez Studios has laid off an undisclosed number of employees as the MOBA sequel struggles throughout its early access period.

Hi-Rez Studios CEO Stewart Chisam announced the layoffs on X/Twitter alongside a shift in strategy for Smite 2, which launched in early access on August 27 and is planned for a full, free-to-play launch in 2025.

“We’re making some difficult but necessary changes to ensure Hi-Rez’s long-term success, with a specific focus on positioning Smite 2 for a long and sustainable future,” Chisam said.

We’re making some difficult but necessary changes to ensure Hi-Rez’s long-term success.

“As part of this internal reorganization and reprioritization, we are laying off some team members across Hi-Rez. This will disproportionately impact those in marketing and publishing roles, as well as some from our Evil Mojo, G&A, and Titan Forge divisions. The game team roles impacted disproportionally affect our team working on cosmetic skin content and system features.”

Hi-Rez is now focusing entirely on Smite 2 beyond “small teams supporting light updates” for its other games. It is “exclusively prioritizing gameplay development in the near term” instead of the cosmetic and monetization features previously planned.

Chisam assured the development team hasn’t been decimated by the layoffs, saying it’s still a “significant size” and larger than the development team behind the original Smite for the majority of its lifecycle.

“Our goal for Smite 2 in the near term is to create the best possible game experience for our community and a game that provides joy to players and can sustain itself long into the 2030s,” Chisam added.

“As we’ve gained experience through the Alpha, the process of migrating gods from Smite 1 to Smite 2 is now clearer, and we also better understand what players want from the game. We’re doubling down on ensuring this transition meets player expectations and moves faster, taking into account the lessons we have learned in the early alpha.”

Smite 2 was announced in January as essentially a complete remake of the original game but with revamps across the board. Bringing over the skins players have collected for the last decade isn’t so easy, however, as Hi-Rez Studios previously said porting all 1,600 of them would take 246 years worth of work.

The sequel has not necessarily gone down well with fans, however. Only 55% of its Steam reviews are positive and concurrent player numbers have fallen off, having premiered at 12,549 but dropped off to a 24 hour peak of jut 1,869, according to player tracking website SteamDB.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Hi-Fi Rush 2 Dev Wants It to Have ‘A More Open World Type of Experience,’ New Owner Says

Hi-Fi Rush 2 looks like a certainty following PUBG company Krafton’s acquisition of Tango Gameworks.

Microsoft shocked the video game world when it closed Japanese studio Tango Gameworks earlier this year as part of devastating cuts that saw 1,900 staff let go from its gaming business.

Three months later Krafton announced its intention to buy Tango Gameworks. Only the Hi-Fi Rush intellectual property was brought over as part of the studio transfer from Microsoft-owned Zenimax Media to Krafton, leaving the likes of The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo behind.

In a new interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Krafton’s head of corporate development Maria Park was asked about the company’s plan for the Hi-Fi Rush franchise following the acquisition. Park said Tango Gameworks wants to bring the first game to other platforms, such as Nintendo Switch, and wants to work on Hi-Fi Rush DLC. Rather than rush out a sequel, Tango Gameworks wants to “take the necessary time to refine the game and come up with a different experience,” Park added.

But what of the sequel? Park revealed that not only was Tango Gameworks working on Hi-Fi Rush 2 when Krafton first met with the team, but it had a six month old build ready, with the goal of offering a more open world type of game after the linear level design of the first.

“Yes, the team was working on Hi-Fi Rush 2 when we first met them,” Park said. “They want to make sure [it] surpasses the expectations of the existing fans. For instance, some of the feedback about Hi-Fi Rush was that some people felt it was [just] going through factories, so now they want to give a more open world type of experience. I don’t think it’s going to be completely open world, but a more dynamic environment [that] you play in. Also, having more advanced technology applied to the rhythm action so that it feels more synchronized.”

I don’t think it’s going to be completely open world, but a more dynamic environment [that] you play in.

Park continued: “I think the build that we looked at was about six months old when we went to meet with them. At the moment, because the IP acquisition is in progress, it’s been on hold because all the related assets and tools will be transferred to Krafton from Microsoft. But yes, we’ll continue working on it for sure. Like I said, we won’t really rush to the market just to deliver a sequel. We want to make sure that the sequel is actually at a quality level that surpasses the community’s expectations.”

Meanwhile, Park confirmed Tango Gameworks was working on anniversary content for The Evil Within, which is now unlikely to see the light of day. Park also said that by the end of the acquisition process, around 70 to 80 of Tango’s 90 staff will have joined Krafton. “We’re also going to backfill some of the positions that are immediately in need,” Park added. “So the studio total will probably add up to around 90 to 100 towards the end of the year or the beginning of the next.”

Park also teased that Tango Gameworks has a new co-op online game under development, and that Krafton will bring its live-service expertise to bear and “help bring it to the next level.”

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.