Famed mass-layoff-manufacturing corporation Embracer Group are dividing into three companies, which will be listed separately on Sweden’s stock exchange. Those companies are: Asmodee Group, which comprises Embracer’s tabletop games biz; Coffee Stain & Friends, an evolution of the existing Coffee Stain publisher, who will pursue “a dual focus on indie and A/AA premium and free-to-play games for PC/console and mobile”; and Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends, “a creative powerhouse in AAA game development and publishing for PC and console, as well as the stewards of The Lord of the Rings and Tomb Raider intellectual properties, among many others”.
After writing roughly 100,000 posts about Embracer’s butchering of vast swathes of the games industry, this is surely my chance to raise a cheer and celebrate the conglomerate’s unglomming with a cool glass of turnip juice, but it is Monday, the man next door is shouting again, and I am tired – so tired that only ill-suited Simpsons references come to mind.
If you watched the Fallout TV show as a fan of the video games upon which it’s based, one revelation in particular will have caught your eye: who dropped the bombs first on that fateful day in 2077.
Fallout’s nuclear apocalypse was thought to have been triggered by China going first. Tim Cain, co-creator of Fallout, said in an interview last year that it was indeed China who dropped the first nuke. “The reason we got nuked is: bio-weapons were illegal and somehow China found out we were doing FEV [Forced Evolutionary Virus],” Cain explained in an interview with Fallout lore expert TKs-Mantis. “And they were like, ‘you have to stop it.’ And we went, ‘OK.’ And all we did is move it. All we did was move it over.”
But the Fallout TV show heavily suggests Vault-Tec, the evil corporate manufacturer of Fallout’s famous vaults, triggered the nuclear war by dropping bombs of its own — essentially for profit.
This megaton has sent shockwaves throughout the Fallout lore community, but there is a groundswell of opinion that Vault-Tec shooting first is a misdirection. For a start, if Vault-Tec started the war by dropping the first bomb, wouldn’t Barb, a high-up executive privy to the company’s plan, have ensured Cooper Howard and their daughter were safe within a vault and not outside at a kid’s party before pushing the big red button?
This contradiction raises the question: did Vault-Tec in-fact drop the first bomb? Or was the company caught off guard by, for example, China going first unexpectedly hours earlier? That’s the theory suggested by redditor Corpolentusmaximus2, who points to Obsidian’s 2010 game Fallout New Vegas to back up the claim. In New Vegas, antagonist Mr. House reveals he miscalculated the Great War by 20 hours. The Fallout TV show confirms Mr. House was in the room when Vault-Tec revealed its dastardly plan. Perhaps everyone was caught off guard by China going “early.”
Fans are now hoping to see more of the backstory to the nuclear war in the confirmed Fallout Season 2, which we know will include one of Fallout’s iconic monsters. It seems inevitable that we’ll get more pre-war Cooper Howard, since his separation from Barb and the events leading up to Season 1’s opening go unexplained in Season 1. But there are other unanswered questions following Fallout Season 1, including about the Snake Oil Salesman’s mysterious serum.
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.
Valheim, the popular norse-inspired survival game, is set to get even deadlier and at least several percent more volcanic with its upcoming Ashlands biome. The new biome is due to enter public testing as we speak.
Embracer Group has announced its intention to split the company into three separate entities going forward in what seems to be a drastic attempt to streamline its operations and rebuild its reputation after months of downsizing and layoffs.
Announced via the official website (thanks, VGC), the company confirmed that each entity will be listed on Nasdasq Stockholm and will be called ‘Asmodee’, ‘Coffee Stain & Friends’, and ‘Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends’.
Amid the success of the Fallout TV show, Fallout video games are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. The player boost is so significant that even NexusMods is struggling to cope.
The mod site issued a warning over the weekend that increased interest in Fallout mods had caused heavy network traffic, forcing it to deploy “extra resources” to cope. Explaining the situation, NexusMods namechecked the popularity of the Fallout TV show.
“We are experiencing much more traffic than usual due to the popularity of the Fallout TV series,” NexusMods said in a statement. “We have deployed extra resources where possible and we are monitoring the uptime and performance across the network. We have staff on call at all times to deal with any problems.
“Please do be aware that this extra traffic could cause a degraded experience across the website and our applications.”
Even now, April 22, the problem continues, with a “degraded performance” warning on-site.
Perhaps it’s no surprise to see NexusMods struggling given the increase in player numbers for everything from the original Fallout to the most recent release, Fallout 76. On Steam, which tracks concurrent player numbers, Fallout 4 has seen a significant increase, resulting in a peak concurrent player count of 164,190 over the weekend. Fallout 76, meanwhile, has hit its all-time peak on Valve’s platform, with 73,368 concurrents. The actual player numbers for Fallout games will be even higher, given their availability on multiple platforms, including Game Pass.
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.
Rising Up is a free, sub-fifteen minute browser game that’s a bit like Streets of Rage, where you play a balding office worker and beat a giant scanner to death within the first 30 seconds. This, I believe, should be enough to tempt you into dunking it enthusiastically into your next break coffee, but if you need more convincing, let’s do it.
Created by E.H Jørgensen, whose credits include Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Rising Up is a relatively simple 3 button side scroller that has you make your way up an office building, destroying everything in your path. First, irate co-workers wield swivel chairs. Then, security join the fray. Then some sort of G-men get involved. You can punch, block, jump, and air-kick. The brawling is simple but satisfying enough, and the way office equipment violently degrades when hit is better, but this isn’t why I’m recommending the game.
Not only that, but there’s been some huge sales on the Fallout franchise since the show hit our screens, and Fallout 76 is even free to download on Xbox and PC right now as well. With all that in mind, if you’re looking to play Fallout 4 again this week ready for the ‘next-gen’ update on April 25, here are all the best deals running right now for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
While some of these aren’t as cheap as the game has been in recent weeks (Fallout 4 was $5 during the Steam FPS sale), it’s worth having an idea of the best prices at the moment in case a better deal does come along and you can act swiftly in order to secure it. Plus, Fallout 4 is also available on PS Plus Extra or Game Pass, so if you have either of those subscriptions the game is available to play at no extra cost.
If you’re after even more of the post-nuclear wasteland, consider checking out our Fallout partnership on the IGN Store; featuring Fallout hoodies, TV show merch, fully functional Pip-Boy replicas, and so much more.
The Fallout TV series arrived on Prime Video on April 10 when the streaming service dropped all eight episodes from the first season concurrently. Following its debut, the series has been met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from fans and critics — particularly those praising Goggins for his portrayal of the gunslinging Ghoul Cooper Howard. Since its release, Prime Video officially renewed Fallout for a second season.
With the show’s success, IGN recently caught up with Bethesda Game Studios executive Todd Howard and executive producer and director Jonathan Nolan for a wide-ranging, spoiler-filled interview. In it, Nolan alluded to his plans for the future of Fallout.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
Ugh, I do not have the energy to feed the Maw this week. Sometimes the creature manifests as a proper monstrosity, with B-movie prosthetics and sound effects, and sometimes, it’s more of an… unfathomable annoyance, like a nose that won’t stop running, or a single player game that requires an internet connection. In either case, the Maw must be sated, and fortunately, there are quite a few appetising video-or-computer games out in the next seven days, with at least one behemoth landing on Friday.
Solving puzzles may happen in your daily life from various word puzzle games like Wordle, or through strategy-based games and puzzle books, but piecing together a physical puzzle is a great way to focus your brain, relax and unwind. As a hobby for all ages, there are hundreds of jigsaw puzzles to choose from these days. However, this list focuses on what we’ve found as the most challenging yet rewarding puzzles with adults in mind, and even included some 3D gems in the mix.
What’s even better is they come in a variety of different styles and designs once put together. Whether you want the finished product to reflect your favorite franchise, game, artwork, or a piece of beautiful scenery, there are puzzles for everyone to enjoy. The below list includes a nice range of sizes as well, from 1,000 pieces to a whopping 3,000 pieces, so you’ll still have quite the challenge when putting them together.
TLDR: The Best Puzzles for Adults
The Legend of Zelda Hyrule Map Jigsaw Puzzle
If The Legend of Zelda games are right up your alley, this is an excellent jigsaw puzzle to have in your collection. Coming in at 1,000 pieces, you can piece together a full map of Hyrule to have in your home. It has a fantastic antique style that’ll be great for showing off once it’s all put together. Frame it and keep it, or pass it on to the next puzzler in your life to do next!
The Mystic Maze Jigsaw Puzzle
Puzzles from the Magic Puzzle Company truly are magical. Not only does this puzzle, called The Mystic Maze, feature over 50 easter eggs for you to find, but it even has a surprise ending for after you’ve finished putting it together. It’s an exciting twist on the usual puzzle, and well worth picking up for your puzzle and games collection.
Marvel Mjolnir 3D Puzzle
If you’re looking for another unique puzzle, this 3D puzzle of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, is a great twist on a usual puzzle. This model kit comes with 8 sheets of 87 pieces for you to use in order to put this iconic hammer together. It even comes with a stand so you can set it up and show it off once it’s all done, making it a great addition to any superhero collection.
Marvel Infinity Gauntlet 3D Puzzle
This is another 3D puzzle from the same company listed above and features another memorable Marvel item: The Infinity Gauntlet. This puzzle comes with a few more pieces than Mjolnir – 14 sheets with 142 pieces – but comes with a stand as well so you can set it up for display afterward. If you’re a Marvel fan, this is a great investment to have, especially if you enjoy collectibles.
Star Wars: Galactic Child Jigsaw Puzzle
This jigsaw puzzle is absolutely worth picking up if you’re a Star Wars fan. Coming in at 1,000 pieces, it features Grogu front and center in his little pod with a gorgeous cosmic background behind him. It also comes with a full-color bonus poster to help you with piecing together this Grogu puzzle perfectly. Other Star Wars fans in your life will want to borrow this puzzle when you’re done; unless of course, you want to keep it and frame it!
Marvel Spider-Verse Jigsaw Puzzle
Venture into the Spider-Verse with this excellent jigsaw puzzle from Buffalo Games. This 1,000 piece puzzle is a sight to behold, featuring Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Ham, and many more Spideys. It even features some of his greatest enemies lurking around if you take a closer look. This Silver Select puzzle also comes in a giftable box with silver foil accents.
Phoenix Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle
Not only does this wooden puzzle look great once it’s all put together, but the pieces themselves also have unique shapes. You’ll find shapes of animals and nature items which are fun to spot as you admire the final pieced-together product. Our pick for this Phoenix jigsaw puzzle above comes with 200 pieces, but you can also grab a large version (290 pieces) or x-large version (680 pieces).
Stained Glass Flower Puzzle
This is another puzzle that’s well worth displaying after you’ve put it together. With 1,000 pieces in the box, this puzzle features a vibrant stained glass design with flowers blooming at the center. It’s a great one to work at slowly and appreciate the beautiful result once you’re all finished.
’80s Game Room Pop Culture Jigsaw Puzzle
Feeling nostalgic? This puzzle is ready to transport you back to the ’80s and ’90s, thanks to its retro style and assortment of pop culture references that you’ll be just as busy pointing out even after you’ve pieced it all together. It also comes with 1,000 pieces, so you’ll be able to spend plenty of time immersed in it.
Stranger Things Trilogy Jigsaw Puzzle
Season 5 of Stranger Things may not be premiering for a while yet, but there’s no better time to start rewatching the previous seasons, right? And while you’re doing that, you can work on this gigantic 2,000-piece Stranger Things puzzle that focuses on its first three seasons and features Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Max. It’s a fantastic investment if you’re a Stranger Things fan, and one that’s sure to keep you busy for a while, too.
