EU regulators have opened a new investigation following claims Apple is not complying with EU rules.

The European Commission – which started investigating Apple's alleged non-compliance back in March – has accused Apple of breaching its Digital Markets Act, meaning Apple could face a fine of up to 10 percent of the firm's global annual revenue. That may not sound like much, but when you consider that Apple generates £301bn ($383bn) a year, that's a sizeable punishment.

Any further offences could even see the fine increased to 20 percent.

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In this week's DF Direct, I spend a bit of time looking into the Starfield modding scene - more specifically checking out mods that aim to bring a performance mode to the Xbox Series S version of the game. As we've already covered, Bethesda did a creditable job in bringing performance options to the Xbox Series X rendition of the game, but the junior Xbox didn't get the same treatment. We pointed out that this was a shame at the time, and the mods appear to suggest that Series S could have benefited likewise.

Going back to the 'stock' game, it's essentially a match for the Series X version, albeit with very slight cuts to visual features. The big difference comes from the resolution. It runs at a reconstructed 1440p, using 900p as the base internal resolution. Bethesda maintains consistency by running at a capped 30 frames per second, the game rarely dipping beneath. The first mod for Series S I tried simply turns off v-sync, which also removes that frame-rate limit. So in essence, we're looking at something similar to Series X's 60fps mode running in the visuals preset (the difference being you'll need to put up with eye-rending screen-tearing on a non-VRR display).

It's quite interesting to see that - similar to Series X - this mode sees the game careen between GPU and CPU limits. Dense cityscapes with plenty of NPCs are where the CPU is the limit - and a run around Jemison or especially Akila will see the CPU limit brought to the fore. However, in most of the other game content, it's the GPU that is the primary factor in limiting performance and here, the limits can change dramatically - anything from the mid 30s to the high 50s in my testing. It may actually go higher than that in some content: if you set the console to 120Hz output, a 60fps cap is no issue - the console will happily move beyond that.

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FIFA may not have released a licensed football game recently, but it's ready to team up with Rocket League to introduce an all-new category to its FIFA Esports World Cup.

In a "groundbreaking partnership", FIFAe – that's FIFA's esports arm – says Rocket League will feature in the upcoming FIFAe World Cup, "signif[ying] a major step in FIFA's commitment to embrace the entire ecosystem and drive the global growth of football esports globally".

The competition invites the 16 participating nations to submit three players and one substitute, with the nations themselves selected "based on the number of representatives from each country in previous Rocket League Majors".

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The pre and post launch hype behind Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has been impossible to ignore, but has it managed to convince any of you 'never-Souls' players to finally give the game a try?

The oft-mention difficulty curve of the Souls series can be an instant turn off for some. I mean, what possible fun could there be in getting your Tarnished butt handed to you every 10 minutes or so? That sounds rubbish! But also, deep down, maybe you just can't shake that feeling that you might be missing out on something incredibly special?

That's how Maddie Cullen felt as she saw our internal chats about Shadow of the Erdtree, so she decided to test out whether or not following tips and guides could help her to embrace the pain and help her get into the game. Join Maddie as she documents her first few hours of the game to see if tips and guides are essential tools for a newcomer on the video player above or, if you'd prefer to watch it on YouTube, you'll find that embedded just below these words.

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Diablo 4's Season 5 will introduce a new wave-based rogue-lite mode.

By using an Infernal Compass – which scales in difficulty and world tier – players will be able to unlock the Infernal Hordes mode wherein they'll earn Burning Aether "to unlock powerful weapons and rewards".

Successfully slay the Hordes, and you'll be asked to take on the powerful Fell Council, which consists of three random minibosses. Successfully defeat them, and you'll be able to spend your Burning Aether on "Spoils of Hell" – Spoils of Equipment, Materials, Gold, or Greater Equipment – which guarantees an item with a Greater Affix.

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War Thunder developer Gaijin Entertainment has issued an apology after it accidentally included imagery from the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in a piece of key art.

The error was quickly noticed by members of the War Thunder community, who shared the image on the game's forum and reddit to show how the artwork lined up with images of the 1986 disaster. This real-world incident resulted in the death of all seven crew members on board the space shuttle.

"Maybe it was an accident on the part of the artist, but it seems in incredibly poor taste," one poster wrote on the War Thunder forum.

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It had been a tough couple of rounds for my clan of doomed horse Vikings. The world-shattering war between the gods and chaos now blotted out the sun. The heroes questing for the royal regalia were missing, presumed eaten by druids. All of our goats had gone insane. At least I had sacrificed enough to send my God Talkers on a divine petition to maybe, just maybe, persuade them to prevent another famine. Then a random event informed me that the devil Wakboth World Ruin had just sucker punched our elder god of language out of the sky -- wiping out them along with my biggest ally (whom they landed on) and the literal concept of words.

I was, to quote my senior priest, "ivivm frrrrrl screwed." But something hit me even harder than Wakboth's gross serpent fist: at no point during this cursed streak of bad luck had I felt that familiar compulsion to start over.

Do you, like me, suffer from save scum-itis? Is your finger worn to a stump from smashing the F9 key every time you miss a 95 percent chance shot? Do you Groundhog Day your way through every dialog tree outcome until the loading screen tooltips are burned onto your retinas? Then Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out might be the cure. In this choose-your-own-Ragnarok strategy RPG, you lead a tribe of Bronze Age barbarians through an ancient world of myth, magic, and making sure you have more cattle than your neighbours. But unlike its predecessor, Six Ages: Ride Like The Wind, or its ancient ancestor, 1999's King of Dragon Pass, you won't be spending your time in Glorantha honour raiding the chariot-people or seducing river dragons. Instead, you're in a desperate struggle for survival, as the world is dying and your gods have abandoned you.

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Fortnite has launched a major new battle royale mode, Reload, which drew in more than a million players to the game over the weekend.

Available in both regular and Zero Build variants, Reload is a smaller-scale battle royale option with 40 players organised into 10 squads, with respawns enabled if at least one team member is still alive.

If that sounds familiar, it's because Reload is very much inspired by Call of Duty: Warzone's popular Resurgence mode, which offers very similar mechanics. Respawning isn't instant and requires a wait time which increases over the match - though aggressive play can reduce it, if your teammates take out other players or entire squads.

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UPDATE 3.15pm UK: In a further follow-up, a spokesperson for GAME parent company Frasers Group has assured Eurogamer there has been no change in store policy at all with regards to the sale of physical games and consoles.

GAME's earlier statement had not addressed the potential for some kind of change to pre-order requirements - or some other move that might have prompted the original, erroneous report this morning. GAME has now told Eurogamer there's no changes to pre-order requirements either.

UPDATE 12.15pm UK: Speaking to Eurogamer, GAME has categorically denied the report published earlier today which stated the chain would stop selling boxed games and consoles in its stores.

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Undead Labs added a touching tribute into State of Decay 2, immortalising a player's father who passed away three years ago.

In a reddit post over the weekend, community member EmbarrassedBudget859 said they contacted the developer after their father passed away a few years ago, asking if Undead Lads would include him in the game. "And they did what they could, which means just adding his name to random survivors," EmbarrassedBudget859 wrote.

The State of Decay 2 team did more than just include EmbarrassedBudget859's father's name, however. The developer actually created a fleshed out character called Bruce Allen Buncombe in his honour, comlete with traits and all. And, over the weekend, EmbarrassedBudget859 finally found him.

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With the release of DLC Shadow of the Erdtree, Elden Ring players are back to their old tricks by playing the game in weird and wonderful ways.

Take Twitch streamer Perrikaryal, who's already played the game with her mind and is now tackling Shadow of the Erdtree. Yes, you read that right.

Perrikaryal uses a bluetooth, portable EEG reader to analyse patterns of brain activity and, along with an eye-tracker, convert these to inputs. She then thinks about specific actions, which trigger rolls, attacks and the like in game - here's an explanation clip.

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Pirates of the Caribbean is coming to Fortnite next month.

Last week's update to Fortnite included characters and content set to be part of the crossover, and initially an event pass featuring Captain Jack Sparrow was made available to buy. Dataminers quickly discovered other characters set to arrive as well, solidifying rumours that emerged several months back when Fortnite's 2024 roadmap first leaked.

Now, acknowledging the event pass' early sale, developer Epic Games has confirmed the crossover's official release: 19th July.

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Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco has "called out" Elden Ring fans struggling with the dfficulty by suggesting they "level up your Scadutree Blessing".

In a brief message posted on social media platform X, Bandai Namco US said simply: "This is a suggestion".

"The best advice coming straight from the source," said one Tarnished.

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A noted Nintendo leaker has locked down their social media account after it emerged much of their information comes from information pre-seeded on Nintendo's web backend.

As reported by Bloomberg (via VGC), although prominent leaker Pyoro said they were "unsure how" their Nintendo of Japan insider "obtained their information", Pyoro said, "backend theory is a reasonable guess", suggesting either they or their source works on Nintendo's website.

Since then, Pyoro – who was unusually taciturn about the recent Nintendo Direct, incorrectly stating that they didn't expect much to be shown – has locked down their X account after Bloomberg reported on them, speculating how they obtained their insider information.

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Indie dev Black Tabby Games has deleted a series of tweets in which the studio had encouraged would-be fans to pirate the game after it went viral courtesy of a Markiplier playthrough.

Initially, Black Tabby encouraged players to hop on over to Steam and buy a copy themselves before watching a YouTube series, as the game is described as being "wildly reactive to your choices", and "every playthrough [is] personalised" to the person playing it.

As spotted by PCGN, even though Black Tabby threw up a Steam sale to entice players to pick it up, it then went even further, suggesting players pirate a copy if they don't have the money to purchase the game legitimately right now.

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Destiny 2 developer Bungie has disabled rewards generated in private Crucible matches because of "an issue".

Whilst the studio stopped short of revealing what, exactly, that issue is, Destiny 2 fans believe it has to do with a glitch that enables players to farm a whole host of items and consumables in private matches, even if they're away from their consoles/PCs.

As detailed in a video by Cheese Forever, the "game breaking" farm "will give you everything you ever wanted, and you don't even need to move".

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Pocketpair could be bringing Palworld to PS5 sooner rather than later.

Palworld's community manager Bucky recently posted to X, wrapping the word Palworld with black, green, and white hearts.

"I want to add more hearts, but not sure what colour would fit…" Bucky said. "Hmm… How about…"

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I always get lost in games like Elden Ring and Dark Souls. The impossible architecture, the improbable geography and the way that the levels twist and turn and fold back in on themselves really muddles my head and stops me from being able to visualise the locations properly. Put me in those same places in VR though and suddenly, because it feels like I'm actually there, their spaces make so much more sense. The depth, the distance, the perspective, every visual trick that VR provides makes From's abstract scenery much easier for my brain to understand.

Not only that though, VR also allows me to appreciate the finer details of the game's assets. Little bits of stitching on a robe, the thin whisps of incense rising from a burner, these are things I'd just blunder right past without noticing in flat. Which leads me nicely to today's VR Corner, in which I take a leisurely trot around Elden Rings' Shadow of the Erdtree DLC in VR!

Thanks to the most recent update for Luke Ross' REAL VR mod, I was able to toggle on a 'tourism' mode and become invisible to all the enemies in the Lands of Shadow. That way I could really drink in the visuals and enjoy the scenery of Shadow of the Erdtree without worrying about getting a foot to the face from a Furnace Golem (until I turned tourism mode off specifically for that purpose!).

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Doom: The Dark Ages is our first look at the latest version of the legendary id Tech engine, as the series seemingly moves from the relatively constrained battlescapes and glory kills of Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal to something on an altogether grander scale for current-gen consoles and PC only. While the trailer contains less than two minutes of actual gameplay footage, there's still plenty to glean about The Dark Ages and its tech from what id has revealed thus far.

The first thing I noticed in the trailer was something I didn't expect for a Doom game: volumetric clouds. They're featured prominently in many shots of the trailer, with the most obvious shots being the intro shot of the burning citadel floating in the sky. Here, the clouds wreathing the structure show clear evidence of local self-shadowing, lighting from the sun and light transmission, visible on the clouds' fringed edges.

Later on, as the Doom Slayer is shot down planet-side, the clouds part around him - though it's likely that this is a VDB animation playback of some sort, rather than a physicalised volumetric simulation given the performance implications. Nonetheless, you can actually spot volumetric clouds throughout the trailer, often above mountains in the distance, and they sometimes seem to show evidence of movement and evolution - interesting stuff.

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Loom might be one of the most underappreciated games in the LucasArts library. This is a library in which almost every game is considered a classic: Monkey Island is endlessly quotable, Grim Fandango is a noir delight, and even The Dig has plenty of fans. Loom has always struggled for recognition in comparison.

That said, I sense a growing appreciation for Loom among people who write about games. You don't have to look far for essays recognising Loom as a succinct, often beautiful experience that remains singular nearly 35 years after its release. For me, it also provides a bright example of how to create a family-friendly adventure that intrigues adults, doesn't condescend kids, and is driven by a sense of wonder.

The game is the creation of Brian Moriarty, a developer who doesn't have enough credits to his name. His skill is indicated by the fact that Loom was his first foray into graphical adventures following an early career spent working on text-based games such as Wishbringer. Wishbringer was purposefully commissioned by its publisher Infocom to be an accessible introduction to the genre, and the skills needed to strip a genre back and create something streamlined and inviting - not to mention less infuriating than its stablemates - clearly fed into Loom. You can complete Loom in two or three hours without too much in the way of challenge and with no obvious roadblocks. What Loom has instead is atmosphere. It's transporting. It's little wonder that Moriarty was subsequently brought on board to create the story for the Steven Spielberg-produced game The Dig, even if production challenges led to him eventually leaving the project.

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Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has fallen to a "mixed" user rating on Steam after players logged their disappointment with difficulty and the PC version's performance issues.

An aggregate score of almost 15,000 players has seen the critically acclaimed DLC stumble on PC, and whilst most players comment favourably on the game's stunning presentation and world building, others take issue with the capped FPS, stuttering, and "bosses with jerky roll-catch movements and a plethora of physically nonsensical moves".

"I love running for 20 minutes in an open area with absolutely nothing to pick up random consumables that I'll never use against bosses that are insanely tedious to fight. Very miserable experience," said one unhappy Tarnished.

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Elden Ring pros are helping players beat two key bosses to enable fellow Tarnished access to its recently-released DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree.

As Shadow of the Erdtree isn't accessible until you've taken out both Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood – something a surprisingly high number of Elden Ring players have yet to do – Elden Ring experts are offering their time and expertise to fell the great enemies and help players jump into the new content.

As spotted by TheGamer, the r/BeyondTheFog subreddit – a community dedicated to "online multiplayer in the Elden Ring game" where you can "request help with a boss or area or offer help with bosses and areas" – is full of friendly Tarnished offering to lend a helping hand across PC, PS5, and Xbox.

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Embracer reportedly killed a Red Faction: Guerrilla sequel.

That's according to Rock Paper Shotgun, which reported this week that several former Fishlabs developers have confirmed that when Embracer killed off dozens of studios and projects after an investment deal collapsed, it also killed off a Red Faction sequel, too.

Described as a "safe sequel" "with a familiar emphasis on wrecking buildings", the development team was keen to develop original creator Volition's blueprint with "open-ended play experience" more in keeping with immersive sims, such as Arkane Austin's Dishonored. It's thought the game would have been set a century after the events of Guerrilla, featuring new and reimagined locations. As the female protagonist, players would have led an underground revolution, forging alliances and factions along the way.

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Nintendo is keeping tight-lipped on what studio is developing Mario & Luigi: Brothership.

When asked by journalist Stephen Totilo who was leading the development of the resurrected action RPG series, Nintendo wouldn't confirm who was involved, even though the original studio behind the series, AlphaDream, closed down in 2019.

It did, however, concede that "some of the original developers" were involved.

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Former Arkane Austin studio head, Harvey Smith, says hearing fan feedback after playing the "cleaned up, final version" of Redfall has given him "a burst of energy".

After reflecting on Game Update 4 – which introduced offline mode, "ReVamped" neighbourhood and nest systems, and the ability to pause amongst other things – Smith also teased that he was "looking forward to talking about" his plans post-Arkane Austin's sad closure.

"Hearing from the people playing the cleaned up, final version of Redfall is such a burst of energy," Smith wrote. "I'm looking forward to talking about what I'll be doing next."

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Update Sunday 23rd June, 2024: FromSoftware has responded to CD Projekt Red's congratulatory tweet, saying it is "truly an honour" for the Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree to be "placed alongside" The Witcher 3's Blood & Wine, long considered one of the greatest DLCs ever made.

In a response to CDPR's original X post, FromSoft said: "It is truly an honour to be placed alongside Blood and Wine, one of the all time greats.

"We are humbed by your kind words. Thank you."

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Batman is one of the most iconic superheroes in comics, and one of the most complex, with almost a century of accrued lore behind him by this point. With that Marianas Trench of mythology to explore, adaptations have always made perfect sense. From early film serials to TV shows and onwards, we live in a world where Batman is always being remade and reimagined by someone.

One of the most successful reimaginings is Batman: The Animated Series, created by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski. In stark skyscraper canyons dropping away beneath menacing red skies, this cartoon introduced a new generation of viewers to Batman and his rogue's gallery. The art was stellar, as was the noir-infused storytelling, but the casting was just as important. Here was Mark Hamill as the Joker, and the late Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn. And holding it all together was Kevin Conroy, stern and perfectly unknowable, and bringing just the slightest trace of grim humour, as Batman.

I've been thinking about Conroy a lot these past few days. A fan favourite, his death in 2022 devastated the community, and it underlined something that had been felt for a long time: here was truly a Batman for the ages. This summer has brought news of a new Batman game, Batman Arkham Shadow, with Roger Craig Smith returning to the character after his turn in Batman: Arkham Origins. New Arkham games are always welcome, and I'm sure Smith will do a great job. But it's been a perfect opportunity for me to think of Conroy again and be thankful for what he brought to the role, regardless of the medium.

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A little over a month after the arrival of its Nebraska DLC, American Truck Simulator has set its sights on a new destination, with SCS Software announcing Iowa - AKA the Corn State AKA the Hawkeye State - as the latest expansion in the works for its vehicular trundling sim.

Since launching back in 2016, American Truck Simulator has - through its gradual succession of DLC releases - made its way across California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Arkansas and Missouri are up next, with the newly announced Iowa to follow. That leaves a couple of holes in the map as SCS continues its west-to-east sweep across the US, but presumably the studio will get around to Louisiana and the Dakotas eventually.

Anyway, Iowa! "The Hawkeye State is a blend of natural beauty, rich agricultural heritage, and vibrant cities steeped in culture and history," explains SCS on Iowa's newly launched Steam page. "If you take the time to explore, you'll find Iowa is home to many unique landmarks, which we encourage you to discover and even take a photo or two."

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After a flurry of licensed expansion's PowerWash Simulator doing something a bit different for its next DLC, plopping down the rabbit hole for an adventure inspired by Lewis Caroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. That much we knew already, but developer FuturLab has now knocked back a 'drink me' and splurted out a release date: it's coming to Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC, on 2nd July. Meta Quest will follow on 11th July.

Alice's Adventures is PowerWash Simulator's fourth paid expansion, following on from Warhammer 40K, Back to the Future, and SpongeBob SquarePants crossovers. It features five new stages - taking seasoned squirters to a "a topsy-turvy, swizzy, whirly world of psychedelic colours, maximalist décor and larger than life locales" - plus a couple of other bits too.

On the new stage front, there's Wonderland Entrance Hall, White Rabbit's House, Caterpillar's Mushroom, Mad Tea Party, and Queen of Hearts' Court- all of which can be admired in FuturLab's release date post - and those arrive alongside an all-new outfit, gloves, and power washer skin. Oh, and there are two new achievements.

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If you've yet to play any of the Dragon Age games, but Dragon Age: Veilguard's recent gameplay video piqued your interest, I have good news. You can currently scoop up the first three games for less than £10 thanks to a new Steam deal.

For a total of £8.47, you can purchase Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, and Dragon Age Inquisition - with all the major DLC and expansions for each included.

EA's Dragon Age promotion is running until 27th of June, and you'll find the sales page here if you fancy something to do this weekend that isn't Elden Ring.

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Limited Run Games has announced that 20 new-old games will be released in physical form, including Fear Effect, Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP, Starship Troopers: Extermination, and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus.

As part of its LRG3 2024 showcase, the distributor confirmed not only the 20th anniversary edition of Beyond Good & Evil, but also physical releases of classic PS1 games Gex Trilogy, Tomba Special Edition and Tomba 2, Fear Effect, and more – much, much more.

In true LRG style, the Limited Run Games editions of the following games will be released in physical form only, including:

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Somehow, a combination of League of Legends and Vampire Survivors has produced something strangely relaxing. The infamously intense MOBA is getting a new mode this summer - just temporarily, at least for now - called Swarm, taking characters from League and design elements of the recently formed "bullet heaven" wave survival genre. But the big twist is that for all the on-screen carnage - and there is a lot of on-screen carnage - the result is something strangely chilled out.

Like all things League of Legends these days, Swarm has been fleshed out with reams of worldbuilding backstory. The mode is set within the alternate universe world of Anima Squad - for those understandably not in the know, Riot Games themes its many of its paid-for character skins in League of Legends around alternate realities or short fictional stories, like the cyberpunk-themed PROJEKT skin line, or the K/DA skins that tied champions to Riot's virtual pop group of the same name.

The vibe with Anima Squad is a kind of peppy, futuristic anime-sci-fi, where a group of heroes - with animal-enhanced abilities - defend the remnants of earth from an alien invasion. For the new mode, Riot has built out that universe further, with a range of enemy types introduced from the invading Primordians - purple, shark-like grunts and their bosses of various sizes, who believe themselves to be the "white blood cells" wiping out the virus of humanity - and the mode's various maps set in different parts of a post-apocalyptic Runeterra.

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Whisper it quietly, but Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater looks like the most exciting Konami project in years. The trailer shown at this year's Xbox Games Showcase contains just over two minutes of tightly edited in-engine footage, but it answers a lot of questions about the direction of the project - with more details provided in an interview between Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter and producer Noriaki Okamura. At its heart, Delta looks to offer extensive reworks to visuals, controls and camera, using Unreal Engine 5, alongside slavishly faithful recreation of the level design and cutscene direction of the PS2 original.

Of course, we've seen Metal Gear Solid 3 polished up in Bluepoint's excellent HD Collection back on PS3 and Xbox 360 - a build that's also been re-used in the recent Master Collection to mixed reviews. But this remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta, is a more ambitious beast. It's shaping up to be a genuine effort to give series fans the best way to play the game. The big question is this: how does the footage we have so far compare to the original via the HD Collection? What's changed, and what stays intact?

While Metal Gear Solid Delta's release date is still unannounced, we do know it's set for release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Steam - and with that being the case, there's no telling what platform we're precisely seeing in the trailer. It could be a mixture of formats, though the smart money is on an early PC build. Practically every shot I've pixel counted shows a crisp native 4K image, a true 3840x2160 with dynamic resolution scaling deployed only rarely. Next there's the frame-rate situation. Oddly enough, the trailer is only presented on YouTube as a 30fps encode, but hopefully that is a limitation of the capture - we'd expect to see a full 60fps in the final product, as we got with the HD Collection before it.

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Embracer Group – which has reduced its headcount by 4532 employees in the past financial year – wants to harness AI to "empower" its staff, saying artificial intelligence "has the capability to massively enhance game development by increasing resource efficiency".

In its latest annual report, as spotted by PC Gamer, Embracer privacy and AI governance head Tomas Hedman stressed it would be a risk if the company didn't use AI, as it would put the firm at a "competitive disadvantage [with] other industry players".

"Certainly, one of the major risks for a company is not to use AI, as this would mean a competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis other industry players," Hedman said. "Most companies will move forward on AI integration in different ways. For us, it is the way that we do this that is the most critical element.

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An unannounced Helldivers 2 stratagem has leaked online, seemingly by a Sony email.

The unforced error – which came via an official marketing email sent out to Helldivers – proudly introduces the Airburst Rocket Launcher players unlocked after they successfully liberated Penta during Operation Legitimate Undertaking.

There's just one problem; the weapon in the image that accompanies the email isn't the Airburst… or, indeed, any weapon currently in the game. It's a gun no Helldiver has seen before.

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A Polish developer has come under fire for expecting employees to agree to mandatory sauna sessions.

In a now viral LinkedIn exchange, Spectrum Studio creative director Jacek Piórkowski approached narrative designer and writer Aleksandra Wolna about working for his studio. Wolna replied to state Piórkowski had previously approached her about a job, and she had declined as it required her to agree to mandatory and reportedly naked sauna sessions.

"Jacek started a conversation with me under a post about me looking for a job. I did my research on him and his studio and politely declined because of the sauna thing," Wolna told Eurogamer. "I later posted about the situation about All In Games employees that weren't getting paid and are now looking for a job, since I am also owed a lot of money by this company. Suddenly, Jacek appeared offering me a job again."

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Crash Bandicoot's N. Sane Trilogy - which comprises the remasters of the first Crash Bandicoot, as well as Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped - has certainly not crashed and burned.

Last night, the Crash Bandicoot team revealed that the trilogy has now sold through 20m copies worldwide. "Whoa! Thank you to our community of Crash players for this memorable milestone," the team wrote on social media platform X.

To celebrate, a number of Crash Bandicoot games are now on sale on PlayStation, with deals running until 3rd July. For example, you can currently scoop up the Crash Bandicoot - Crashiversary Bundle for £43.99. It usually retails at £110.

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A native version of Minecraft is finally coming to PS5.

Acknowledging that until now, "the only way to play Minecraft on a PlayStation 5 is by purchasing the PlayStation 4 version of the game", Mojang says that "by developing a native version of Minecraft for PS5, we'll be able to make the game run more effectively on the PS5's hardware, so you can lose your inventory in lava in the smoothest possible way!"

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Dark and Darker is a game about escaping dungeons. And there's a problem with that - or there should be. Dungeons are so common in fantasy games that it's hard to pay too much attention to them. We've seen them all before, we know what they do. But when was the last time we really re-examined what being in one would actually be like? Dark and Darker does this, and it does it brilliantly well.

Technically it's a PvPvE extraction game, which means you go into a dungeon with - and against - other people, as well as monsters, and you have to find a way out. If you die, you leave with nothing but the experience points you earned. If you take too long, you'll be hurried and eventually killed by an earthquake, or by a deadly blizzard blowing in. The point is pressure. You know, even before you begin, you're never going to be safe. You will need to move, but where?

It's dark. So dark you won't even see the chests next to you unless you light a torch. You won't see platforms or the missing parts of platforms either. You won't see traps on the floor or the piles of bones that form into skeletons when you're nearby. In terms of setting, Dark and Darker lives up to its name. Light in the game, therefore, is valuable. But torches also mark you out to anyone nearby, and they occupy the sword arm you hold them with. They're a risk.

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Xbox's Matt Booty has spoken more on the closure of Tango Gameworks earlier this year, and, while he did not name names, it appears that a change in leadership at the Hi-Fi Rush studio was a factor in Microsoft's decision.

In conversation with Variety's Strictly Business podcast, the Xbox executive was asked about the closure of Tango Gameworks, and whether Microsoft had tried to seek another buyer for the studio.

"I won't get into the real sort of nitty gritty details on you know, what went into the decision, mostly out of respect for the people there, just because you know, there was a lot of work that went into delivering Hi-Fi Rush, which was a great game and you know did well for us," Booty began.

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FromSoftware's Soulsborne games are notoriously difficult to beat, but creator Hidetaka Miyazaki has said it would "break the game itself" to turn down the challenge.

In an interview with The Guardian, Miyazaki discussed how high difficulty is not only creatively part of the game, but also has led to its success.

"If we really wanted the whole world to play the game, we could just crank the difficulty down more and more. But that wasn't the right approach," he said.

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Zenless Zone Zero producer Zhenyu Li revealed in a recent interview with Eurogamer (via an interpreter) that AI generated content is used in the game "program-wise" to "better smoothen the game progress."

No specific programming examples were provided, as Li is "not a tech person," but he did stress that AI "only consists of a small part of the programming [in Zenless Zone Zero], mostly to help the programming team to smoothen the production process, to actually make our work more efficient."

Something we do know is that the game's signature vibrant, urban art style that sets it apart from miHoYo's other titles, Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, is not something made with AI generation. Li says the team wants to "create something from our own mind" when it comes to art related content, and in a later statement provided to Eurogamer to clarify some comments, it was added that this is "something the whole team believes in."

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Hello! Welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've been playing over the past few days. This week, we drift off reading the world's largest set of patch notes, we drift off flipping through a book of late-night urban pictures, and we drift off as we drop down a well.

What have you been playing?

If you fancy catching up on some of the older editions of What We've Been Playing, here's our archive.

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I play Elden Ring like a Hoover. I explore the The Lands Between while hammering the button to acquire new materials. In all honesty, I've barely bothered with crafting unless I really need to, but all those leaves, stones, shards of bone, and strips of meat? They get sucked straight up into my inventory regardless.

But then I get a really great looking item. Maybe it's a new talisman, or an Ash of War. Maybe it's a really important story item with a description that's integral to the plot. But too late! It's already gone, lost in the black hole of my inventory, never to be found again. It's all very well finding an item while exploring, but finding it in your inventory is a whole game in itself.

Now, though, that's a problem of the past. FromSoftware has released an update for its iconic Souls adventure that's available for all alongside its Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree. It includes two new inventory features: a recent items tab, and exclamation marks above new items. They're game changers.

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With one hand FromSoftware giveth (a goat-horse in a more opportune location, for instance) and with the other it taketh away; Elden Ring's newly released 1.12 update has introduced a bug that can break things on Steam Deck - but FromSoftware says it's investigating.

As detailed on the developer's social media feed, leaving Elden Ring inactive for too long on Steam Deck renders the game unplayable in some instances - something you'll probably want to be mindful of if you need to wander off and punch something, or have a little cry.

"A Steam Deck related issue has been identified and a hotfix is being worked on," the studio wrote on X. "Leaving your Steam Deck inactive for more than five minutes may stop the game from accepting inputs. We apologise for inconvenience." For what it's worth, I left Elden Ring running for multiple five-minute windows in the interests of science and had no problem resuming each time - so it's possible this isn't an especially widespread issue.

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UPDATE 10.07pm: After a bit of a premature unveiling earlier today, Ubisoft has now officially released the trailer for its Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition remaster. There's still no word on a price, but the digital version launches for PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC (via Steam, Epic, and the Ubisoft Store) next Tuesday, 25th June. A physical release from Limited Run Games is due later, with pre-orders opening on 12th July.

ORIGINAL STORY 6.33pm: After a bit of teasing and some original edition delisting, Ubisoft has - slightly prematurely, it would seem - announced a release date for its Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition remaster. According to a now-deleted social media post, it's coming to PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Switch on 25th June - with new in-game content and more.

Ubisoft confirmed it was working on a remaster of its much-loved 2003 action-adventure Beyond Good and Evil last November, after a "technical error" inadvertently granted some Ubisoft+ subscribers access to an early development build. And now, somewhat sooner than expected (Ubisoft had originally told fans to keep an eye out for news during tonight's Limited Run Games showcase), fresh details have emerged.

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Despite an early warning that no Switch 2 news would be forthcoming in their June briefing, Nintendo Direct was still a satisfying summer showcase with plenty of exciting titles. We ran our own Digital Foundry Direct special looking at the announcements, with John Linneman and Oliver Mackenzie highlighting some of the most anticipated games - including new Metroid, Zelda and Lego titles.

While the video version of that Direct is available to watch below, I thought it might be interesting to talk about my personal highlight from the show, and perhaps more critically, how the announcements we've seen today might factor into an eventual Switch 2 launch line-up.

Starting off then, I was blown away by the Lego game: Lego Horizon Adventures. The original Horizon games - Zero Dawn and Forbidden West - have an unimpeachable setting, and it's fascinating to see this translated into a world of coloured bricks. Most importantly, there's been surprisingly little lost compared to the full-fat Unreal Engine 5 version of the game for PS5 and PC. High-quality Lumen RT reflections become SSR and pristine virtual shadow maps become traditional shadow maps, but the visual character of the game remains - despite the cutbacks necessary to get to even 30fps on Switch versus 60fps elsewhere.

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With Sony having surprised precisely no-one by announcing that, once again, PlayStation won't be at this year's Gamescom, Microsoft has seized the opportunity to let everyone know that, by Jove, Xbox will be at this year's show.

Microsoft shared the news over on social media, inviting attendees to visit its "biggest booth yet" when Gamescom returns to Cologne, Germany, in August this year.

Microsoft will, of course, be the only major console maker to have at presence at Gamescom 2024; Nintendo confirmed it wouldn't be coming along back in April, saying there would be opportunities for players to try Switch games at other events throughout the year, and PlayStation confirmed a no-show earlier this week. Sony's absence hardly warrants a raised eyebrow, however, given it hasn't showed up since 2019.

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With Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC mere hours away from release, you might think there's not much FromSoftware could possibly do to refocus your excitement on the base game. But Elden Ring's previously promised new 1.12 update is now here, and it's already caused a bit of a flutter among fans - not least because it finally lets you take your trusty steed Torrent into the base game's concluding Elden Beast boss fight.

Now, I'll readily admit I haven't fought the Elden Beast myself - the short explanation being my wildly misguided decision to do a melee-only first run-through and, uh, Malenia - but even I'm aware of the boss' notoriety. Not due to its difficult, mind, but because it teleports itself around an arena so massive, players have frequently found the ensuing on-foot chase-the-monster action utterly exhausting. This Reddit thread from two years ago called it the "single worst designed boss" in Elden Ring, and, well, it's a fairly common opinion.

Plenty of people have speculated the Elden Beast was originally designed to be tackled on the back of Torrent given its cavernous arena - and wondered why everybody's favourite goat-horse wasn't accessible in the final release version - but, some two years on, he's finally here. "Added new feature to summon spectral steed during the Elden Beast boss battle", explains today's 1.12 patch notes - and the Elden Ring fanbase rises for thunderous applause.

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Still Wakes the Deep is the Dark Souls of Walking Simulators. Or is it?

Jim Trinca, who recently reviewed Still Wakes the Deep for VG247, has opinions about the new game from The Chinese Room (Matt also has opinions in Eurogamer's review). Specifically about how he thinks it could be a much better game without the monsters. He doesn't want to get rid of the naked bum that appears in it though. Just in case you were wondering...

In today's video, Jim explores the wonders of Still Wakes the Deep's dangerous North Sea oil rig, the conversations between the characters who work within its walls and the game's uncomfortable parallels with the real world that are honestly scarier than any imaginary monster ever could be.

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