Bethesda's first big expansion to Starfield, Shattered Space, will launch for PC and Xbox Series X/S on 30th September.

We got a quick look at the upcoming addition tonight during Gamescom Opening Night Live, in a trailer that mostly focused on the REV-8 land vehicle included in August's free game update.

Ahead of launch, marketing for Starfield felt fairly sober and dramatic - it's fair to say tonight's video takes a more upbeat tone. Previously, Bethesda's Todd Howard said that the lack of land vehicles was a deliberate choice - but it's now something that's being walked (or driven) back.

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Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, the long-awaited next game from the team behind the original Life is Strange, will arrive in two parts.

The first installment launches for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 18th February 2025, with its concluding slice then a month later on 18th March.

Tonight also brings an initial look at gameplay from Don't Nod's latest teen adventure, which has a dual timeline split between 1995 and 2022, when its young protagonists are now adults - and dealing with the consequences of their/your actions.

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By the time you read these words, Peter Molyneux will have taken to the Opening Night Live stage at Gamescom and formally announced his new project to the world. Masters of Albion marks Molyneux's return to the genre he is widely credited with creating. It ditches his studio 22cans' previous focus on mobile development to instead target consoles as well as PC. And it's being made with help from several of Molyneux's old colleagues at his previous studios - Lionhead, Bullfrog - whose design CVs, like Molyneux's own, include a litany of 90s and 2000s classics.

On paper, all of this should inspire a positive reception. But, sitting opposite Molyneux a week before today's announcement, in the quiet boardroom of his small Guildford development studio, the veteran video game designer is clearly nervous. Those 90s and 2000s hits are now a long time ago, and much, of course, has changed. It's been 12 years since 22cans was founded and Molyneux's Curiosity cube caught the headlines, for good and bad, and the subsequent decade has not gone smoothly - crowdfunding concerns with Godus, continued accusations of broken promises, a fractured relationship with the media, and, most recently, an odd foray chasing the NFT fad with a blockchain game unfortunately titled Legacy.

Molyneux, now 65, is visibly older, softly-spoken. Last year, on social media, he described his mental health as "fragile". As we sit down, he asks if I mind whether he vapes as we talk - a habit he tells me he's picked up due to stress. He's not been sleeping well, he says, due to the anxiety of talking to the press once again. At times, when we discuss what this new project means to him - what it potentially could still mean for the latter stages of his career - his voice slows, emotion rising. But, at others, when he's discussing game mechanics, or keen to tell me more than he's strictly allowed, his old enthusiasm shines through, at one point swinging back and forth like a child on his chair.

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Tonight brings a first look at the next game in the legendary Batman: Arkham series - the upcoming entry coming to Meta Quest 3.

Batman: Arkham Shadow is a prequel story set before Rocksteady's Arkham Asylum, though after existing prequel entry Arkham Oranges.

In first-person, you'll be able to do many of the things you could in those entries - including boshing your enemies in the face with your fists, grappling across gaps and using various other bat-gadgets, plus switching on Detective Vision.

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Dying Light developer Techland has shown off a new game in its zombie series that began life as a DLC for Dying Light 2 Stay Human.

Announced during Gamescom Opening Night Live, Dying Light: The Beast is a solo or four-player co-op experience pitched as a "tight" 18-hour ride through a fresh area of the franchise's world.

Dying Light protagonist Kyle Crane, once again voiced by Roger Craig Smith, returns here, a decade on. In-game, Crane has been in captivity, and experimented on. The upside? You have zombie DNA powers to unleash that beast on enemies.

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Bully, Rockstar's enjoyable schoolboy adventure game, is now available as part of the GTA+ subscription on PlayStation, Xbox and "soon" on compatible iPhone and Android devices.

Rockstar announced that Bully would be coming to GTA+ earlier this year, back in April. We've been waiting for word on exactly when ever since.

It's great to have an easier way to play Bully again - though Rockstar describes the GTA+ catalogue as "rotating", so it's unclear how long it'll stick around. Also on GTA+? LA Noire, Red Dead Redemption, and Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition.

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A flurry of Pokémon news has confirmed a launch date for the long-awaited Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, and a look ahead at what's next for Pokémon Go.

Pokémon TCG Pocket, a digital version of the phenomenally-popular trading card game, will go live via the iPhone App Store and Google Play for Android worldwide on 30th October.

As previously announced, you can open two packs of Pokémon cards for free per day - just enough to get you hooked - and it's interesting to see the pack-opening mechanic front and centre in the game's trailer below.

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Ubisoft has cut 45 staff across two of its North American studios, as part of its third round of redundancies so far this year.

The company has laid off workers at both Ubisoft San Francisco, the developer of XDefiant, and Red Storm Entertainment, which had been working on the now-cancelled The Division: Heartland live service game.

"Last week Ubisoft San Francisco and Red Storm Entertainment informed their teams of a restructuring that will result in 45 employees leaving Ubisoft," a spokesperson confirmed in a statement to Eurogamer.

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Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has said he has "no regrets" over his company's decision to break Apple and Google's terms of service back in August 2020 - something that saw the hugely-popular Fortnite booted off both iPhone and Android storefronts.

The carefully choreographed stunt sparked four years of legal wrangling over Apple and Google's app store policies - and has ultimately led to Epic Games launching its own mobile store today on Android worldwide and on iPhone in mainland Europe, thanks to policy changes demanded of Apple by the EU.

"We've probably lost a billion dollars not having Fortnite on iOS the past four years," Sweeney said, in a briefing to press ahead of the Epic Games Store on mobile going live. "But what's the price of freedom?"

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Japanese airline ANA has revealed a new plane safety video starring a variety of Pokémon.

The Pokémon brand has a long-standing relationship with ANA, and has adorned several of its jets with Pokémon characters over the past few decades. But this safety video is the first of its kind - and it's worth a watch to see numerous Pokémon getting to grips with good airline etiquette.

While Pikachu and Pichu are the stars, of course, you'll also see a mildly disturbing Jigglypuff scold a man for vaping, Mr Mime appear to mime safety instructions, and Floatzle turn up to demonstrate its own in-built life vest.

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The Plucky Squire, one of Eurogamer's most anticipated games of the year, will launch for PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X/S on 17th September, publisher Devolver Digital has announced.

It'll also be a day one launch via PlayStation Plus, for anyone signed up to Sony's subscription service.

An innovative 2D and 3D platformer based in and around the pages of a picture book, The Plucky Squire is the first project from All Possible Futures, the indie development studio set up by former Pokémon artist James Turner.

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Warhorse Studios has revealed a delay to Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, which will now arrive on 11th February 2025.

"We aimed for the end of the year and almost made it - almost is not good enough though, so we slipped to 2025," Warhorse's Tobias Stolz-Zwilling said in a video posted to X.

The next week will still be a busy one for the game, though, as it pops up during Gamescom's Opening Night Live show next Tuesday, 20th August, and is then showcased in a 20-minute gameplay reveal video set to go live online the following day.

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UPDATE 6.45pm UK: This evening's big new Dragon Age: The Veilguard trailer has landed, confirming what we knew already - that BioWare's upcoming RPG will arrive at Halloween. Also in the trailer? Well, Dragon Age fans will get to see a very familiar face - we'll let you watch for yourselves and read more below.

Yes, that is absolutely Morrigan, the fan-favourite returning character voiced once again, it sounds like, by Farscape and Stargate SG-1's Claudia Black. It certainly looks as if Morrigan's clothing here is inspired by her mum Flemeth - which probably isn't good news.

Excited yet?

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Nintendo Switch 2 won't launch before April 2025, per a report online that Eurogamer understands to be correct.

The next console from Nintendo is still officially unannounced, though developers have been prepping games to be ready for its launch for some time. Nintendo initially wanted to launch Switch 2 in late 2024, but has since shifted its internal plans - firstly without ruling out a Q1 2025 date.

Now, however, developers have been told not to expect Switch 2 this current financial year, which ends on 31st March 2025.

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The remake of cult classic Lollipop Chainsaw will now arrive a couple of weeks earlier, on 12th September here in Europe and in America.

Lollipop Chainsaw RePop, as this new version is titled, was previously announced as launching on 26th September, for Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

After some initial confusion, developer Dragami Games has now made clear that RePop is a remaster of the original game by Grasshopper Manufacture, first launched in 2012, and not a full-on remake.

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Chatty gun game High on Life is set to be turned into an animated TV series, with Curb Your Own Enthusiasm's JB Smoove signed on as producer.

Smoove starred in High on Life game as Gus, one of the game's talking fish/guns, and Deadline reports there's a "good chance" he'll reprise the role in the upcoming animated series as well as producing the project.

High on Life launched in December 2022 for PC and Xbox and was the year's biggest launch on Xbox Game Pass, but proved controversial even before release, after it emerged the game included AI art and voice acting.

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The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom continues to look brilliant in this latest trailer from Nintendo that gives you a whistlestop tour of its version of Hyrule.

From Hyrule Castle to Gerudo Desert and Kakariko Village, the upcoming Switch game will let Zelda see all the sights, plus hang out with Gorons, Deku Scrubs and both flavours of Zora.

As well as fast travel points, Zelda will also be able to explore on horseback to hop over small echoes. Just create a carrot "echo" - using your ability to conjur up objects you've seen previously - and your trusty steed will come running.

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Larian began a continuation of its work on the beloved Baldur's Gate 3 last year as it was "the obvious thing" to do - before ultimately deciding to change course.

Speaking to PC Gamer on the anniversary of Baldur's Gate 3's full release, Larian boss Swen Vincke said the initial decision to continue working on the Dungeons & Dragons-based franchise saw his team focus on an obvious follow-up - an idea that sounds like it was initially pitched as an expansion, before being considered as the basis for a potential Baldur's Gate 4.

"It's something that you all would have liked, I think," Vincke said. "I'm sure, actually. And we actually went pretty fast, because the production machine was still warm. You could already play stuff."

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Riot Games' free-to-play hero shooter Valorant launches today for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, following its recent console open beta.

The game will not offer crossplay between its existing PC version and consoles "to maintain Valorant's renowned standard for competitive integrity", Riot has said.

In a press release issued today, Riot did at least promise future game updates would release simultaneously, so all additional maps and characters will arrive at the same time.

Read more

Nintendo is adding Game Boy Advance title Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team to its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack catalogue.

The role-playing game spin-off from the main Pokémon series joins Nintendo's subscription library next week, on 9th August.

This is the first Pokémon game from the Game Boy Advance era to land on Nintendo Switch Online, which has so far offered other spin-offs such as Pokémon Snap, originally on N64, and Pokémon Trading Card Game, originally on Game Boy.

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Bungie is no longer working on Payback, a new project set in the Destiny universe once overseen by franchise bosses Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy.

That's according to reporting by Gamespot's Tamoor Hussain, Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb and Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who all state that Smith and Noseworthy are also now no longer at Bungie.

Details of Payback leaked online back in April, when it was described as "Destiny 3". There were questions at the time over whether the project was still in development. Now, Schreier has confirmed that Payback was more of a spin-off, and was cancelled "a while ago".

Read more

Fortnite players are now able to unlock the Tesla Cybertruck, though have found it has arrived with some issues - not unlike its real-world equivalent.

Players report that using the digital version of Elon Musk's motor breaks various in-game items, effectively penalising them for attempting to drive the Cybertruck themselves.

Videos uploaded by Fortnite fans on reddit show players unable to use the meta-dominating Nitro Fists, as well as the current Pirates of the Caribbean collaboration item Ship in a Bottle, after driving a Cybertruck.

Read more

Pokémon Go's upcoming addition of Dynamax mechanics has been something of an open secret - and now we're able to see how some elements will look in-game for the first time.

Fans of Pokémon Go have peered inside the popular mobile game's files to find visual elements of the upcoming Dynamax system, which also offer clues as to how Dynamax Pokémon will be obtained.

For the first time since Pokémon Go's launch all the way back in 2016, new locations look set to appear on the game's overworld map - currently labelled as "stations". These gym-like structures look like they'll host raids for Dynamax Pokémon.

Read more

You can currently re-subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online and get an extra two months' worth of membership time for free.

Nintendo announced the offer today as a feature of its new Mega Multiplayer Festival, which runs from now until 8th September.

Purchase a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online membership option during this period from the eShop or My Nintendo Store and you'll be credited with 14 months of membership time.

Read more

Last week, Ubisoft raised eyebrows when it issued a vaguely-worded apology for "some elements" in Assassin's Creed Shadows' promotional materials that had "caused concern" among some fans.

Fans widely attributed the statement as referring to the ongoing backlash towards the game's inclusion of historical figure Yasuke as a Black samurai and its dual protagonist. Moderators of the main Assassin's Creed reddit this week described the topic as a "tedious discussion" that Ubisoft's statement had only "exacerbated".

In contrast, Ubisoft creative director Julian Gerighty has now acknowledged online criticism of Star Wars Outlaws - specifically, the aesthetic appearance of main character Kay Vess - by stating that "bad-faith" debates are "not worth engaging with".

Read more

Dragon Age: The Veilguard publisher EA has narrowed down the game's release window slightly, and indicated it will launch after 1st October.

Previously missing from EA's last financial results calendar, the publisher now lists BioWare's upcoming long-awaited RPG as being set to launch in its financial Q3.

EA's first financial quarter of the year ended on 30th June, while its second ends on 30th September. BioWare meanwhile has given The Veilguard a vague "fall" or autumn launch window.

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Microsoft's continued decline in Xbox console sales continued through the last financial quarter, the company has confirmed.

In what is now a familiar pattern - and one not limited to Microsoft - revenue from gaming hardware fell again, this time by 42 percent. That's down further on the 31 percent fall reported back in April this year, for the quarter before.

Microsoft's gaming revenue overall was up overall by 44 percent, thanks to a significant boost from the addition of Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft bought for $68.7bn before its latest round of layoffs. Without Activision, growth would have sat around three percent.

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There's now an easier way to buy and play Jackbox mini-games, via the brand's new Megapicker launcher, available on Steam.

To celebrate, Jackbox is currently offering discounts on its range of mini-games and - for the next 30 days - the fan-favourite Drawful 2 to keep for free.

The Megapicker, first announced last month, is designed to act as a central hub for Jackbox mini-games, eliminating the need to rifle through each of its party packs for the game you're after. (This is handy, as I frequently forget which pack some mini-games were released within!)

Read more

The International Olympics Committee walked away from its partnership with Nintendo and Sega for the long-running Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series in order to explore deals with new partners, NFTs and esports, Eurogamer understands.

As the real-life Olympics gets underway in Paris, there's been discussion online of there being no new Mario & Sonic tie-in for this summer's Games, for the first time in almost two decades.

Speaking with Eurogamer, a veteran behind the series has now said the decision to end the popular Mario & Sonic franchise rested with the IOC, which chose not to renew its licensing deal with Nintendo and Sega, and allowed it to lapse in 2020.

Read more

Dragon Age: The Veilguard looks set to be the chattiest game in BioWare's fantasy series to date, with 140,000 lines of dialogue included.

That's up from the 88,000 lines of dialogue included within Dragon Age: Inquisition - which is believed by fans to have been the wordiest BioWare game until now.

"It takes a long time to record 700 characters, you know - 80,000 lines or 140,000 lines with all the Rooks," Dragon Age: The Veilguard creative director John Epler told GamesRadar, when asked why the game had taken so long to make. "It just takes time to make good."

Read more

Doctor Who and Star Trek are officially crossing over, with David Tennant's iconic Tenth Doctor and his future wife River Song meeting characters from the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks series.

The crossover will take place as a limited-time event beginning 1st August in two mobile games: Star Trek: Lower Decks - The Badgey Directive and Doctor Who: Lost in Time.

Events in both games will show different perspectives of the same wibbly-wobbly space-time macguffin, with Ten onboard Lower Deck's USS Cerritos and River Song joined by crewmembers Lieutenant Brad Boimler and Ensign Beckett Mariner.

Read more

The main Assassin's Creed reddit, subscribed to by more than 717,000 users, has taken a firm stance on the continuing backlash to Black samurai Yasuke protagonist in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

A post from the popular reddit's moderation team has drawn a line under the ongoing "'debate'" over whether the real-life figure of Yasuke was a samurai or not, and to what extent his depiction in Assassin's Creed Shadows will be historically accurate.

It's a matter Ubisoft appeared to wade into last week via a vaguely-worded statement that raised eyebrows after it apologised for "some elements" in the game's promotional materials it said had "caused concern" among some Japanese fans. Now, in a lengthy statement, the moderation team says Ubisoft's statement had "exacerbated" the matter further.

Read more

Just up the road from Newport, in the countryside off the M40, a troupe of actors and backstage boffins are gearing up for a fresh season of strangeness.

Key of Dreams is billed as a unique blend of interactive theatre, puzzle solving and branching narrative spread over 24 hours in Treowen, a historic 17th century Welsh manor house you've likely seen on Doctor Who. Within its walls, Key of Dreams mixes the location's real-world history with weird fiction tales inspired by the likes of MR James and HP Lovecraft, in an experience that allows guests to decide the fates of its various characters and guide how its intertwining storylines evolve.

Unlike other interactive theatre performances, such as those from the acclaimed Punchdrunk, Key of Dreams is designed to be a more influenceable experience, with less of an emphasis on following tightly scripted narrative in favour of something more open world. Launched last year to positive reviews and an endorsement from Neil Patrick Harris, a handful of guests have already made repeat trips, taking advantage of the fact Key of Dreams' storylines are swapped in and out to keep its mysteries fresh, with an array of endings so no two visits are quite the same.

Read more

Riot Games' free-to-play hero shooter Valorant launches today for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, following its recent console open beta.

The game will not offer crossplay between its existing PC version and consoles "to maintain Valorant's renowned standard for competitive integrity", Riot has said.

In a press release issued today, Riot did at least promise future game updates would release simultaneously, so all additional maps and characters will arrive at the same time.

Read more

Nintendo is adding Game Boy Advance title Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team to its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack catalogue.

The role-playing game spin-off from the main Pokémon series joins Nintendo's subscription library next week, on 9th August.

This is the first Pokémon game from the Game Boy Advance era to land on Nintendo Switch Online, which has so far offered other spin-offs such as Pokémon Snap, originally on N64, and Pokémon Trading Card Game, originally on Game Boy.

Read more

Bungie is no longer working on Payback, a new project set in the Destiny universe once overseen by franchise bosses Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy.

That's according to reporting by Gamespot's Tamoor Hussain, Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb and Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who all state that Smith and Noseworthy are also now no longer at Bungie.

Details of Payback leaked online back in April, when it was described as "Destiny 3". There were questions at the time over whether the project was still in development. Now, Schreier has confirmed that Payback was more of a spin-off, and was cancelled "a while ago".

Read more

Fortnite players are now able to unlock the Tesla Cybertruck, though have found it has arrived with some issues - not unlike its real-world equivalent.

Players report that using the digital version of Elon Musk's motor breaks various in-game items, effectively penalising them for attempting to drive the Cybertruck themselves.

Videos uploaded by Fortnite fans on reddit show players unable to use the meta-dominating Nitro Fists, as well as the current Pirates of the Caribbean collaboration item Ship in a Bottle, after driving a Cybertruck.

Read more

Pokémon Go's upcoming addition of Dynamax mechanics has been something of an open secret - and now we're able to see how some elements will look in-game for the first time.

Fans of Pokémon Go have peered inside the popular mobile game's files to find visual elements of the upcoming Dynamax system, which also offer clues as to how Dynamax Pokémon will be obtained.

For the first time since Pokémon Go's launch all the way back in 2016, new locations look set to appear on the game's overworld map - currently labelled as "stations". These gym-like structures look like they'll host raids for Dynamax Pokémon.

Read more

You can currently re-subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online and get an extra two months' worth of membership time for free.

Nintendo announced the offer today as a feature of its new Mega Multiplayer Festival, which runs from now until 8th September.

Purchase a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online membership option during this period from the eShop or My Nintendo Store and you'll be credited with 14 months of membership time.

Read more

Last week, Ubisoft raised eyebrows when it issued a vaguely-worded apology for "some elements" in Assassin's Creed Shadows' promotional materials that had "caused concern" among some fans.

Fans widely attributed the statement as referring to the ongoing backlash towards the game's inclusion of historical figure Yasuke as a Black samurai and its dual protagonist. Moderators of the main Assassin's Creed reddit this week described the topic as a "tedious discussion" that Ubisoft's statement had only "exacerbated".

In contrast, Ubisoft creative director Julian Gerighty has now acknowledged online criticism of Star Wars Outlaws - specifically, the aesthetic appearance of main character Kay Vess - by stating that "bad-faith" debates are "not worth engaging with".

Read more

Dragon Age: The Veilguard publisher EA has narrowed down the game's release window slightly, and indicated it will launch after 1st October.

Previously missing from EA's last financial results calendar, the publisher now lists BioWare's upcoming long-awaited RPG as being set to launch in its financial Q3.

EA's first financial quarter of the year ended on 30th June, while its second ends on 30th September. BioWare meanwhile has given The Veilguard a vague "fall" or autumn launch window.

Read more

Microsoft's continued decline in Xbox console sales continued through the last financial quarter, the company has confirmed.

In what is now a familiar pattern - and one not limited to Microsoft - revenue from gaming hardware fell again, this time by 42 percent. That's down further on the 31 percent fall reported back in April this year, for the quarter before.

Microsoft's gaming revenue overall was up overall by 44 percent, thanks to a significant boost from the addition of Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft bought for $68.7bn before its latest round of layoffs. Without Activision, growth would have sat around three percent.

Read more

There's now an easier way to buy and play Jackbox mini-games, via the brand's new Megapicker launcher, available on Steam.

To celebrate, Jackbox is currently offering discounts on its range of mini-games and - for the next 30 days - the fan-favourite Drawful 2 to keep for free.

The Megapicker, first announced last month, is designed to act as a central hub for Jackbox mini-games, eliminating the need to rifle through each of its party packs for the game you're after. (This is handy, as I frequently forget which pack some mini-games were released within!)

Read more

The International Olympics Committee walked away from its partnership with Nintendo and Sega for the long-running Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series in order to explore deals with new partners, NFTs and esports, Eurogamer understands.

As the real-life Olympics gets underway in Paris, there's been discussion online of there being no new Mario & Sonic tie-in for this summer's Games, for the first time in almost two decades.

Speaking with Eurogamer, a veteran behind the series has now said the decision to end the popular Mario & Sonic franchise rested with the IOC, which chose not to renew its licensing deal with Nintendo and Sega, and allowed it to lapse in 2020.

Read more

Dragon Age: The Veilguard looks set to be the chattiest game in BioWare's fantasy series to date, with 140,000 lines of dialogue included.

That's up from the 88,000 lines of dialogue included within Dragon Age: Inquisition - which is believed by fans to have been the wordiest BioWare game until now.

"It takes a long time to record 700 characters, you know - 80,000 lines or 140,000 lines with all the Rooks," Dragon Age: The Veilguard creative director John Epler told GamesRadar, when asked why the game had taken so long to make. "It just takes time to make good."

Read more

Doctor Who and Star Trek are officially crossing over, with David Tennant's iconic Tenth Doctor and his future wife River Song meeting characters from the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks series.

The crossover will take place as a limited-time event beginning 1st August in two mobile games: Star Trek: Lower Decks - The Badgey Directive and Doctor Who: Lost in Time.

Events in both games will show different perspectives of the same wibbly-wobbly space-time macguffin, with Ten onboard Lower Deck's USS Cerritos and River Song joined by crewmembers Lieutenant Brad Boimler and Ensign Beckett Mariner.

Read more

The main Assassin's Creed reddit, subscribed to by more than 717,000 users, has taken a firm stance on the continuing backlash to Black samurai Yasuke protagonist in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

A post from the popular reddit's moderation team has drawn a line under the ongoing "'debate'" over whether the real-life figure of Yasuke was a samurai or not, and to what extent his depiction in Assassin's Creed Shadows will be historically accurate.

It's a matter Ubisoft appeared to wade into last week via a vaguely-worded statement that raised eyebrows after it apologised for "some elements" in the game's promotional materials it said had "caused concern" among some Japanese fans. Now, in a lengthy statement, the moderation team says Ubisoft's statement had "exacerbated" the matter further.

Read more

Just up the road from Newport, in the countryside off the M40, a troupe of actors and backstage boffins are gearing up for a fresh season of strangeness.

Key of Dreams is billed as a unique blend of interactive theatre, puzzle solving and branching narrative spread over 24 hours in Treowen, a historic 17th century Welsh manor house you've likely seen on Doctor Who. Within its walls, Key of Dreams mixes the location's real-world history with weird fiction tales inspired by the likes of MR James and HP Lovecraft, in an experience that allows guests to decide the fates of its various characters and guide how its intertwining storylines evolve.

Unlike other interactive theatre performances, such as those from the acclaimed Punchdrunk, Key of Dreams is designed to be a more influenceable experience, with less of an emphasis on following tightly scripted narrative in favour of something more open world. Launched last year to positive reviews and an endorsement from Neil Patrick Harris, a handful of guests have already made repeat trips, taking advantage of the fact Key of Dreams' storylines are swapped in and out to keep its mysteries fresh, with an array of endings so no two visits are quite the same.

Read more

This week on the Eurogamer Newscast, we discuss the downsides and upsides of the video game battle pass.

In a week where PlayStation live-service hopeful Concord trumpeted the fact it won't sell you a battle pass as a marketing beat, and Apex Legends dialled back (some of) its battle pass changes following fan fury, we consider the options available to video game makers hoping to ensure their latest releases keep being played - and paid for - well after release.

Would more people play Concord if it was a free-to-play title with a battle pass? Or is it better served by being a £40 launch? Not everyone can promise they'll never sell post-launch content, as Stardew Valley's creator did this week. But there's clearly a balance to be struck to ensure players don't feel fleeced, particularly when full-priced launches like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League are getting in on the act too. Joining me this week are Eurogamer's Ed Nightingale and Victoria Kennedy to discuss.

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Yesterday's dramatic announcement of strike action by video game actors over AI concerns may have less of an immediate impact on upcoming titles than first thought.

While the SAG-AFTRA union has indeed voted for voice artists and performance capture personnel to strike from today, a large swathe of projects now appear unaffected.

This includes any video game in development as of a year ago, including (for now) live service games, according to statements from both SAG-AFTRA and the companies the strike will hit, first shared by Kotaku reporter Ethan Gach.

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