We don't have to wait much longer.
After its proper reveal earlier this year, MachineGames has finally provided a release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which is coming to PC and Xbox Series X/S on December 9, 2023. Additionally, we learned that it's coming to PS5 in Spring of 2025.
As part of Xbox's …
After its proper reveal earlier this year, MachineGames has finally provided a release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which is coming to PC and Xbox Series X/S on December 9, 2023. Additionally, we learned that it's coming to PS5 in Spring of 2025.
As part of Xbox's Gamescom 2024 announcements, the company confirmed the game's release dates, as well as confirmed various reports that it was coming to PlayStation. Reports of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's release date first surfaced in May when The Verge reported the project was targeting a December release window.
Alongside the release dates, Xbox and MachineGames have provided a new trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The trailer, narrated by Troy Baker, discusses his feelings on stepping into the boots of Indiana Jones.
This reveal of a PS5 release is especially interesting, given Xbox head Phil Spencer previously insisting that MachineGames' next project would remain an Xbox console exclusive. The move is part of Xbox's broader initiative for some of its first-party games to make their way onto other platforms, including Doom: The Dark Ages, Grounded, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Hi-Fi Rush.
Set between the events of Indiana Jones's films Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Last Crusade; players control the titular character on another globetrotting adventure to uncover the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set in a first-person perspective. Troy Baker has been cast to play Indiana Jones in the game, while in the films, Indiana Jones is portrayed by actor Harrison Ford.
The project was first announced in January 2021, when it was revealed that MachineGames, in collaboration with LucasFilm, was working on a video game based on Indiana Jones. Todd Howard, a key employee at MachineGames' sister studio, Bethesda Game Studios, serves as the game's executive producer.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Story Pack #1 is slated to launch sometime this Fall.
Star Wars Outlaws is out later this month, and Ubisoft has revealed the road map for those who buy the season pass.
Sabacc, pirates, and exclusive day 1 mission await in the Star Wars Outlaws Season Pass. Learn more about the upcoming content here: https://t.co/inRuMpk0qi …
Though David Lynch has not directed a film in a long time, if he were ever to take the director's chair again, it certainly wouldn't be in person as the prolific director has recently revealed that health issues have caused him not to leave his house.
In an interview with Sight & Sound, Lynch revealed that he was diagnosed with emphysema due to Lynch smoking throughout his life. Due to his health issues, Lynch told Sight & Sounds that he can't "go out" of his home as he fears of catching something such as a cold or COVID, due to being immunocompromised.
"I've gotten emphysema from smoking for so long, and so I'm homebound whether I like it or not. It would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold," Lynch explained.
As a result, Lynch said that he is unlikely to direct another film, but "if it comes to it," he would have to direct the film remotely. Though Lynch revealed that he "wouldn't like that so much."
In a follow-up tweet, Lynch talked more about his condition.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Yes, I have emphysema from my many years of smoking. I have to say that I enjoyed smoking very much, and I do love tobacco — the smell of it, lighting cigarettes on fire, smoking them — but there is a price to pay for this enjoyment, and the price for me is emphysema. I have now quit smoking for over two years. Recently I had many tests and the good news is that I am in excellent shape except for emphysema. I am filled with happiness, and I will never retire.
I want you all to know that I really appreciate your concern.
Love,
David
Throughout Lynch's career, he has worked on a slew of projects. This included directing The Elephant Man, for which he won an Oscar for Best Directing Movies, like Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and, most infamously, the 1984 adaptation of Dune. Lynch also co-created Twin Peaks, in addition to its film prequel and limited series Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and Twin Peaks: The Return.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) August 5, 2024
Yes, I have emphysema from my many years of smoking. I have to say that I enjoyed smoking very much, and I do love tobacco - the smell of it, lighting cigarettes on fire, smoking them - but there is a price to pay for this enjoyment, and the price for me is…
Lynch's last full-length feature film was 2006's Inland. Since then he has directed short films, such as What Did Jack Do? released in 2017 and 2020’s The Mystery of the Seeing Hand. Additionally, Lynch has dabbled in music, announcing in June that he was working on a new album with his frequent collaborator Chrystabell.
Blogroll Credit: Michael Tran / Getty Images
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Star Wars Outlaws is out later this month, and Ubisoft has revealed the road map for those who buy the season pass.
Sabacc, pirates, and exclusive day 1 mission await in the Star Wars Outlaws Season Pass. Learn more about the upcoming content here: https://t.co/inRuMpk0qi pic.twitter.com/qupuyrfX9d
— Star Wars Outlaws (@StarWarsOutlaws) August 5, 2024
In a blog post, Ubisoft confirmed that the Star Wars Outlaws season pass will include content divided into three release windows. On launch day, season pass owners will gain access to a character pack and the previously confirmed Jabba's Gambit exclusive mission. Star Wars Outlaws' season pass previously received controversy earlier this year when Ubisoft revealed that it was locking the Jabba above's Gambit mission behind the Season Pass. However, Ubisoft insisted that Jabba the Hutt will be available to all players, not just season pass holders.
More interestingly, Ubisoft confirmed that two DLC story expansions will be released in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, respectively. The first story pack subtitled Wild Card, will see Outlaw's protagonist Kay "hired to infiltrate a high-stakes Sabacc tournament." This story DLC pack will also see Kay cross paths with Star Wars character Lando Calrissian.
The second story, DLC, subtitled A Pirate's Fortune, will have Kay running into an experienced pirate named Hondo Ohnaka, who Ubisoft described as someone "looking to settle old scores with a ruthless gang of pirates."
In our final hands-on preview with Star Wars Outlaws, my colleague Ryan McCaffrey wrote: "Open-world games tend to be jacks-of-all-trades, masters-of-none, and while I'm not sure Outlaws will master any of its gameplay components, it nonetheless not only does them all very well, but it does so with a convincing Star Wars sheen."
Star Wars Outlaws is out on August 27 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. For more, check out our IGN First coverage from last June, which includes 10 minutes of exclusive gameplay and our piece on how Ubisoft created a brand new canon world for Star Wars: Outlaws.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
The European Commission announced today that Apple has become the first technology company charged with violating the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA).
In a press release, the European Commission announced that Apple's App Store "steering" policies have violated rules outlined in the DMA, writing that the iPhone maker prevents "app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content." In addition to today's preliminary ruling, the Commission also announced it has opened a new investigation into Apple pertaining to its "core technology fee," claiming it is non-compliant under the DMA.
"We have reason to believe that the AppStore rules not allowing app developers to communicate freely with their users is in breach of the DMA," Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton commented. "Without prejudice to Apple's right of defence, we are determined to use the clear and effective DMA toolbox to finally open real opportunities for innovators and for consumers."
“Act different” should be their new slogan🍏
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) June 24, 2024
For too long @Apple has been squeezing out innovative companies — denying consumers new opportunities & choices.
Today we are taking further steps to ensure AppStore & iOS comply with #DMA pic.twitter.com/e741oV9r9l
Apple did not immediately respond to IGN's request for comment.
Formal charges against Apple for not complying with the EU were to be expected; last March, the EU announced it was probing Apple, in addition to Google's parent company Alphabet and Meta, for violating the new antitrust laws in the DMA. Last week, the Financial Times reported that EU regulators were gearing up to formally charge Apple for allegedly "stifling competition" on its App Store.
The DMA is a new regulation that went into effect last year and is designed to make the digital sector more competitive and fair. Specifically, the law is aimed at cracking down on over 20 tech companies, including Apple, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft, which the EU deemed as "gatekeepers" that were required to loosen up its policies to promote more fair competition. The EU requires these gatekeepers to have fully complied with the DMA rules by March this year.
Among one of the effects of the DMA includes giving developers the option to launch their own third-party app stores within the App Store or Google Play. Most notably, Fortnite developer Epic Games and Microsoft announced plans to launch their own third-party app stores within Apple and Google's digital storefornts.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
With Universal Purchase support.
Resident Evil fans embedded in the Apple hardware ecosystem can rejoice: Capcom has announced that two additional games in its long-running survival horror franchise are coming to Apple devices.
Welcome to the family, son!
Resident Evil 7 biohazard joins Apple’s family on July 2nd, coming to iPhone …
So much Silent Hill to look forward to.
Immediately after a jam-packed PlayStation State of Play, Konami aired a Silent Hill Transmission livestream, where the publisher shared a slew of details on the multiple Silent Hills projects currently in development.
Although we did not get any details on Silent Hill f and Silent Hill: Townfall, fans …
There are SO MANY details.
All 32 NFL teams revealed schedules for the 2024 season last night, and there were some great ones. There's the Chicago Bears' teen movie-themed reveal, the New England Patriots' Good Will Hunting inspiration, the Jacksonville Jaguars' homage to the intro for …
Cover athlete yet to be announced.
A few days after the release date for this year's Madden leaked, EA Sports has officially confirmed through product listings that Madden NFL 25 will come out on August 16 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, or August 12 if you preorder the Deluxe Edition.
EA quietly …
Fighting back against a worrying trend.
Last December, Ubisoft announced it was delisting its MMO racing game The Crew from all digital storefronts but shutting down the servers on March 31, 2024. Weeks after the servers were slated to shut down, Ubisoft began notifying players who owned a copy of The Crew that it
"Unless we say otherwise, Hi-Fi Rush is a go!"
After Microsoft unexpectedly announced it closed Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, some wondered whether the previously announced physical version of the game would ever see the light of day. But don't worry — despite Tango Gameworks' closure, Limited Run Games is still planning to release a physical edition …
Hopefully we get more news during the anniversary stream next week.
Behaviour Interactive is teasing its next chapter for the Dead by Daylight universe, implying a Dungeons & Dragons crossover is coming to its widely popular asymmetrical horror game.
The Dead by Daylight X/Twitter account posted a brief teaser trailer that suggests its next licensed chapter is based on the popular tabletop …
The internal debates have reportedly been "ongoing" for quite a bit.
After Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard, many wondered whether the tech giant would follow its current precedent of putting its first-party games on Game Pass on the same day as their official release date. More specifically, this would include Call of Duty, one of the most profitable gaming franchises over …
Last December, Ubisoft announced it was delisting its MMO racing game The Crew from all digital storefronts but shutting down the servers on March 31, 2024. Weeks after the servers were slated to shut down, Ubisoft began notifying players who owned a copy of The Crew that it was removing it from their Ubisoft accounts.
Though Ubisoft is not the first company to shut down servers for an online-only game, the recent closure of The Crew’s online servers has inspired one individual to push for legal and government intervention to address the ever-growing industry trend. It's a trend that has sparked even debate in the industry after Microsoft announced the closure of Arkane Studios, the developer behind Redfall. This decision has led to the cancellation of future updates and planned DLC for this online-only game.
Although Redfall's servers are still operational, its long-term support remains uncertain, as it remains to be seen how long Microsoft will keep the servers up and whether or not it will provide an offline mode once it finally sunsets its support for Redfall.
Aside from the obvious fact that it means that players who spent money on this game feel cheated, there are plenty of stakes for the hundreds of people who poured their creative energy into bringing it to market in the first place. Shutting down and delisting a game becomes more than a surface-level decision; it’s stripping away the creative work of the thousands, possibly millions, of people who played or developed it.
Enter Stop Killing Games.
An initiative created by YouTuber Ross Scott, Stop Killing Games aims to hold publishers accountable by ending the common practice of making games designed to be “completely unplayable” after support ends, particularly MMOs and other online-only games. The initiative itself is a new branch in an even bigger fight to preserve video games for future generations.
Scott’s strategy is simple: file public complaints. Lots of them. After Ubisoft shut down the servers for The Crew, Scott encouraged those upset and angry to file a complaint with France's Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) since Ubisoft is headquartered in France.
"Due to the game's size and France's strong consumer protection laws, this represents one of the best opportunities to hold a publisher accountable for this action,” Scott wrote on the official website for Stop Killing Games. “If we are successful in bringing charges against Ubisoft, this can have a ripple effect on the videogames industry to prevent publishers from destroying more games.”
If you REALLY think about... if The Crew franchise continues to have vehicle transfer it's THE biggest cop out to shut the games down
— SidWaj (@WajSid) December 18, 2023
"oh well we're shutting this one down but your cars did and will import to the next games so who cares right?" pic.twitter.com/ckojJW8kGt
The Crew is shutting down next year and since it's online-only, it will be dead for good. Looks like I was off by 2 years. It's still one of the largest open world driving games made. What a great business model throwing all that effort into the trash.https://t.co/FzPrN9mM2t
— Accursed Farms (@accursedfarms) December 14, 2023
In a statement sent to IGN, a Ubisoft spokesperson told IGN it had “no further comment” regarding The Crew's shutdown. The spokesperson reiterated that although the news could disappoint players, “it was necessary” for Ubisoft, citing server infrastructure and “licensing constraints.”
Scott’s efforts are an attempt to address a trend that has been going on for years now, but in recent years has only become more acute
Newzoo Senior Market Analyst Michael Wagner says that in the past, it was common for games to lose online support after a certain period, usually when the “player bases move on to other titles.” Still, extra features would keep the game playable, like a single-player campaign, local multiplayer, and the option to set up private servers. However, in recent years, the idea of online games being completely unplayable has become “a fairly new phenomenon,” Wagner explains.
According to Wagner, publishers shut down games because of dwindling player bases and the need for more profitability of upkeep when newer entries are released in existing franchises, with examples including Battlefield and Call of Duty. Wagner explains how older games could threaten the newer games’ ability to turn a profit. “Players may continue with older iterations but may not spend within the game the new game. Removing functionality, in theory, means increased revenues for the new title.”
Liam Deane, principal analyst at Omdia, shares similar sentiments, noting “almost all online-only games have a finite lifespan.” While there are a few rare exceptions, most notably Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, Deane reiterates Wagner’s comments on player bases dwindling after a few years as a main reason for publishers shutting down servers.
“Until the mid-2000s or so online games typically allowed players to host private servers,” Deane explained. “But these days, the publisher usually shoulders the cost of maintaining the game servers. At some point, this is a cost which they are going to want to stop paying once a game’s player base drops below a certain level.”
With an increase in live service games and in-game purchases becoming a big source of revenue, the worrying trend of online-only games will continue for the foreseeable future. Deane explains that “across the entire industry,” 54% of revenue comes from microtransactions or in-game purchases, according to his research. The proportion is “obviously even higher” for live service games, where it’s common to have a surplus of microtransactions or in-game items purchasable for players.
When the player base dries up, so does the revenue, and with it, the chances of a game’s survival.
Nevertheless, the games industry is industry placing more and more emphasis on multiplayer games, particularly live service titles, such as Fortnite, Palworld, and Helldivers 2. These projects not only rely on a player base consistently coming back to play the game, but also on players being online to access this content. When they shut down, they take their communities with them. Friday the 13th, which will have its servers permanently turned off on December 31, 2024, is just one game suffering this fate.
Scott explains that while licensing agreements can prevent companies from selling additional companies of a game once the license expires, it does “not prevent existing buyers from continuing to use the game they have already paid for.”
Yet, the ownership of some games remains a gray area, especially in the United States, where legal precedent has significantly stripped consumers of their rights. The most significant legal case impacting this is ProCD, Inc. v. Zeidenbger, which reworked U.S. Contract Law, allowing the courts to defer to End User License Agreements. Essentially, the case meant that these agreements allow publishers to be absolved of any accountability and obligation owed to consumers who purchased a product and assert authority over when their online-only games become unplayable once support ends.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has led the fight for ownership rights in the since 1990, with the agency mainly focusing on advocating for creators, technologists, and technology users' digital rights. As Cory Doctorow, EFF Special Advisor, emphasizes, "If you bought a game, if you made a game, if you love a game, technology shouldn't get in the way of that game's ongoing existence. Instead, technology should preserve that game for players who love it today, for the people who are proud of making it, for players who come later, and for games makers of the future."
However, the challenge is wider than the United States. In countries like Canada and the UK, there is little precedent preventing companies from revoking a purchase post-sale. In contrast, the EU and Australia need help getting a governmental examination of the issue. One common global challenge is lobbying groups' influence, particularly in the gaming industry, which may work to maintain the status quo of an uneven balance of power between game companies and consumers.
Nevertheless, despite the varying degrees of laws influencing consumer rights worldwide, Scott explains that this proposed domino effect of filing complaints to the DGCCRF would still have a worldwide impact. For example, in 2014, when the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission sued Valve for not providing customers an option to refund games on Steam, the company had no choice but to modify its policy to allow refunds on Steam in Australia and other countries like the United States.
Ultimately, Scott and Doctorow encourage individuals to advocate for the change they want. They encourage fans to file complaints and force governments to examine the company's behavior and practices. In the meantime, Scott's initiative is gaining momentum in raising awareness and urging players to defend their rights and challenge this frustrating trend dictated by publishers.
“I think by taking the customer's money, that creates an obligation for publishers to give customers a reasonable expectation to run the game in some fashion,” Scott says, “even after support ends.”
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
The cast of the Max original series Peacemaker grows by one, as actor Frank Grillo is joining the show's second season.
Announced by Peacemaker creator and DC Studios co-chairman and co-CEO James Gunn on the social media network Threads, Gunn revealed that Grillo will reprise his role as Rick Flag Sr. in the show's second season.
"Pleased to announce the great @frankgrillo1 will be reprising the role of Rick Flag, Sr – the role he'll first play in animated form in 'Creature Commandos' – throughout Season 2 of 'Peacemaker," Gunn wrote. "Christopher Smith and Rick Sr have a little unfinished business to take care of…"
Gunn previously said that some DCU actors would play their characters in both animated and live-action, and today's news is an example of that. WB Discovery announced last year that Grillo, David Harbour, and Sean Gunn were cast in the upcoming animated series Creature Commandos.
Spoiler Warning: The paragraph below features spoilers for The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Season 1.
Grillo's casting for Peacemaker Season 2 is an interesting one, as those who have seen the 2021 film The Suicide Squad know that towards the end of the film, Peacemaker killed Rick Flag Jr. Though Peacemaker was under orders from Amanda Waller to kill Flag, seemingly showing no remorse, it is quite clear the decision had affected Peacemaker, as one episode in his spinoff show revealed him struggling with the murder.
The first season of Peacemaker premiered in 2022 and quickly became a breakout hit on Max. A day before the first season finale premiered, it was revealed the show would return for a second season, with Gunn set to write and direct every episode. Though no release window has been provided for Peacemaker season 2, Gunn has previously said that work on the next season will commence after Superman Legacy is complete.
In our review of the first season of Peacemaker, IGN wrote: "HBO Max's Peacemaker is the stunning crystallization of James Gunn's examination of flawed heroes and the power of friendship."
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Limited Run Games, the company known for selling limited, special-edition quantities of physical video games, has issued an apology after fans complained that they were having issues playing the physical re-release of the game D on the original 3DO game console.
Several on X/Twitter and Reddit pointed out the problems, including X/Twitter user @ToddNerdCave, who noted that the company is putting the 3DO games on CD-Recordable (CD-R) instead of pressed discs. "They won't even work on real hardware," he added.
lol @LimitedRunGames is shipping out 3DO games on CDR (rather than pressed discs) and the best part: they won’t even work on real hardware. pic.twitter.com/WRJDd6JW94
— Todd Gill - Retro Frog (@ToddsNerdCave) May 1, 2024
For those unaware of the difference between CD-R and pressed discs, the former are blank discs that can record data using a CD burner. At the same time, the latter has data permanently encoded and is used for commercial releases of physical media, including movies and video games. Pricing and scarcity of these products aside, Limited Run Games' decision to use CD-R over pressed discs is an issue regarding compatibility, as older devices with optical drives might have issues reading CD-Rs.
Another user on X/Twitter pointed out the absurdity of Limited Run Games' choice, calling out that the company is charging more than $60 for a limited physical release, "yet they're burning CD-Rs for some of the disc-based titles."
In a statement sent to IGN, a Limited Run Games spokesperson acknowledged that "some of [its] customers have experienced issues" when trying to play D: The Collector's Edition on the original 3DO console. They apologize to those experiencing the issues, pledging to work with "new partners to find a solution" to get pressed discs to replace the CD-R discs customers received and noting that future 3DO games would not enter production "until this issue has been fully resolved."
You can read the full statement from Limited Run Games below.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Wally, the emotional support alligator that allegedly inspired Loki's alligator variant in the MCU series' first season - aka "Alligator Loki" - has gone missing.
Wally's owner, Joie Henney, revealed the news in an emotional TikTok video last weekend. Henney said someone stole the alligator early in the morning while they were visiting friends in Georgia.
@wallythealligator Wally is missing.
♬ original sound - Wally
A Facebook post a day later revealed that those who apparently stole Wally left him outside someone's home. When the homeowner discovered Wally, they called the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The agency then contacted a trapper who released Wally in a swamp "with about 20 other alligators."
"The swamp is very large and the trapper said the chances of them finding Wally is slim to none. But this is Wally…..Joie and friends are currently headed to the swamp to search and will continue daily," the Facebook post reads. "We just pray with other alligators present that Wally is ok."
Wally went viral around 2019 for being an unconventional emotional support animal. According to the York Daily Record, Henney received Wally from a friend in 2015. After realizing the alligator had a calming effect on individuals, Henney registered Wally as an emotional support animal.
Wally has become a social media phenomenon, with his own social media accounts on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, showing the animal visiting people to spread love and hug adoring fans.
Wally also apparently inspired the character Alligator Loki on the Disney+ series Loki. Though it has never been confirmed by Marvel, Loki writer and producer Eric Martin wrote on X/Twitter that Wally was a "real world visual reference" for series creator Michael Waldron when designing the Alligator Loki variant. However, Waldron has never gone on record to confirm this, and the tweet has since been deleted.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
"We would like to apologize unreservedly to all who have purchased the game."
Limited Run Games, the company known for selling limited, special-edition quantities of physical video games, has issued an apology after fans complained that they were having issues playing the physical re-release of the game D on the original 3DO game console.
Several on X/Twitter and Reddit pointed …
Take-Two previously said Private Division would continue to update the game.
After news broke yesterday that Take-Two Interactive is shutting down Intercept Games, players began review-bombing the studio's final project, expressing frustration and disappointment at the closure.
Heading over to the official Steam listing for Kerbal Space Program 2, its most recent reviews on …
Did you catch it?
Starfield will have a big year as the space RPG approaches its first anniversary. Beyond the massive May update, Bethesda Game Studios previously confirmed it is working on a DLC titled Shattered Space. Though details on the paid expansion are slim, Bethesda seemingly confirmed it focuses on the House …
Simplifying an otherwise tricky process.
If you are an avid GeForce Now user having trouble running the cloud gaming service on your Steam Deck, it's about to get a lot easier, as Nvidia announced today that it is releasing a script that will streamline the process and make its product run on Valve's portable gaming …
It might be sooner than we think.
Though Xbox might hold a digital showcase focusing entirely on the next Call of Duty game next month; it appears Activision might reveal the next game sooner than that, as data miners have found information that indicates a reveal could happen this month.
As spotted by …
Both Intercept Games and Roll7 will be closed as part of mass layoffs at Take-Two Interactive.
Intercept Games is among the many casualties of Take-Two Interactive's layoffs, as its parent company is laying off 70 people from the developer behind the Kerbal Space Program 2.
As reported by GameDeveloper.com, a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice was filed in …
A TikTok ban in the United States is once again on the table for Congress. The United States House of Representatives passed a new bill banning the popular video-sharing app.
The 21st Century Peace through Strength Act bundles a few things, such as providing foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel, but it would also include a ban on the ByteDance-owned app TikTok. The vote regarding the divest-or-ban measure that would result in a TikTok ban passed in a vote of 360-58. Last month, the lower chamber of Congress passed a bill explicitly targeting a TikTok ban, but it saw no movement once it was sent to the Senate.
This bill also changes ByteDance's deadline to sell the app, giving the company nine months instead of the six mentioned in the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act to sell TikTok to another company or investment group. However, the bill notes that the President can extend the deadline by 90 days if progress indicates a sale to the app is nearing completion.
While the previous TikTok ban bill last month saw no movement, the likelihood of the latest bill heading to a vote in the Senate and onto the President's desk has increased because it bundles foreign aid to U.S.-allied countries. Though President Biden has signaled he supports a bill banning the app in the United States, it is ironic that the President's campaign team joined the app earlier this year as part of their efforts to re-elect the President ahead of the 2024 election.
For the last several years, Capital Hill has discussed banning TikTok, with many citing that its ownership by a Chinese-based company threatens national security. Those who oppose the ban, such as the free speech organization the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), argue that a TikTok ban violates free speech.
The app is currently banned from being installed on Federal government-owned smartphones. Governments in over 30 states, including Florida, Maryland, and Vermont, have also imposed similar rules. The TikTok ban on a state level has also reached several colleges across the United States, such as Clemon University, which makes the app inaccessible to anyone connected to the wired and wireless networks on campus.
Since the first TikTok ban bill passed last month, the app has been vocal on its platform, with CEO Shou Zi Chew telling users last month to "make their voices heard." Since then, the video app's official account has made a subtle push by encouraging users to assist in avoiding a ban from occurring in the United States with the hashtag #KeepTikTok. In one video published earlier this month, TikTok published data that showed how many active users are in the United States and the financial impact that could be imposed on small businesses and creators if the ban happens.
Though the bill has yet to become law that would make a TikTok ban a reality, unless ByteDance sells, some individuals have vocally expressed interest in buying the app. One notable individual is former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Though Fallout creator Tim Cain has not been involved in the series in over 20 years, he still keeps up with the franchise. Case in point, he recently shared his thoughts on the first season of Prime Video's Fallout TV series.
In a new video posted on his YouTube channel, Cain spent nearly 13 minutes discussing his thoughts and impressions on the show's first season. Right at the top, he says he likes the show before going on to "ramble" more about the specifics, including why he likes it so much.
"Everything feels like Fallout. It feels like Fallout," he says. "That is hard to do, trust me. I know how hard that is to do. It's easy to write post-apocalyptic stuff that doesn't fit in the Fallout mold, and it would have been very easy for them to go off to be too silly accidentally, to have things that are like, 'that's not part of Fallout.' But they didn't."
Cain also loved how much Fallout lore was present in the show, even admitting he missed a few things during his viewing. He appreciated that the show never added a narrator to explain everything to viewers, but noted that the lack of exposition and amount of lore drops might make it "a little harder to get into" for those who haven't played the post-apocalyptic action RPG series.
He also praised the Prime Video series for its trio of main characters. Each, as he pointed out, "felt like different ways that a player character could be approaching the game." Lucy represents the "nice character," the player with high ethical standards. Maximus, meanwhile, represents a more neutral player, one focused on achieving their goals. The Ghoul, he said, serves the role of "the show's murder hobo," likely referring to the players who shoot first and ask questions later.
Cain went on to share his thoughts about the potential timeline issues presented in the series before the show's executive producers, Jonathan Nolan, and Todd Howard, cleared the air. This is the second video Cain has published sharing his impressions on the Fallout TV series, following a video he uploaded roughly a week ago after attending the first season's Hollywood premiere.
Cain created the series when he was employed at Interplay Entertainment, where he served in various roles, primarily as a designer for the first two Fallout games. However, Cain has not been directly involved in any of the games since Fallout 2. He has shared some Fallout-centric videos on his YouTube channel. Some videos include him explaining cut content from the original Fallout, the biggest influences on the series, and why he left Fallout 2 early into its development cycle. While he largely doesn't publicly share his thoughts on newer games, he did offer some about Fallout 3 during a 2010 interview.
The Fallout TV series' first season premiered a little over a week ago and has been a huge success for Prime Video. Alongside the Fallout games seeing a surge in player count, it was no surprise that Prime Video renewed the show for a second season.
If you've already finished the first season of Fallout, check out our ending explainer and our piece detailing 14 things we'd love to see in Fallout season 2.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
"It's easy to write post-apocalyptic stuff that doesn't fit in the Fallout mold."
Though Fallout creator Tim Cain has not been involved in the series in over 20 years, he still keeps up with the franchise. Case in point, he recently shared his thoughts on the first season of Prime Video's Fallout TV series.
European players are venturing off into the Commonwealth wasteland.
Fallout 4, the post-apocalyptic wasteland action RPG from 2015, is gaining popularity, with sales in Europe jumping by over 7,500% in the last week.
Spotted by GamesIndustry.biz, the outlet reported a massive spike in Fallout 4 series on the heels of the Prime Video release. Incredibly, the
I hope y'all are ready for your close-ups.
Yesterday, Bethesda released the latest beta update for the Steam version of Starfield. Update 1.10.30 lets players test a list of changes before they're publicly released on all platforms, including new facial expressions and postures in photo mode.
As it teased last week, Bethesda is emphasizing quality-of-life improvements. The beta …
Bethesda Game Studios has teased what players can expect in Starfield's next update, with the upcoming patch emphasizing quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes.
In a thread on X/Twitter, Bethesda Game Studios made a thread highlighting some of the changes coming to Starfield. The update will be available on March 6 via the Steam Beta before a full release at a later date.
The most notable fix will address a bug in the "Sabotage" quest for the Ryujin Industries. The bug in question caused an NPC required to complete the quest to not spawn in the location. Bethesda previously tried to address this bug in update 1.8.86, released last November, but some quickly pointed out that the NPC failed to spawn after installing the patch.
We also tracked down the elusive David Barron, who had mysteriously been unavailable at the SSNN for many players in "Sabotage."
— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) March 1, 2024
Other fixes include an issue causing the player's head to turn left while sprinting and some issues preventing Starborn Temples from appearing… pic.twitter.com/3vBsL3RCAv
Other patch highlights include:
The latest update comes over a week after the February patch was released, where it introduced a number of changes to Bethesda's sci-fi action RPG, most notably AMD's FSR 3 and Intel's XeSS supersampling tech support.
The support for Starfield is part of Bethesda's plan to have "a steady stream of updates about every six weeks" to address various issues in Starfield. Bethesda previously teased additional fixes and improvements, including adding city maps and "new ways" of traversing.
In our review of Starfield, which we awarded a 7 out of 10, we said: "Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually, the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist."
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
The second time's a charm.
Bethesda Game Studios has teased what players can expect in Starfield's next update, with the upcoming patch emphasizing quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes.
In a thread on X/Twitter, Bethesda Game Studios made a thread highlighting some of the changes coming to Starfield. The update will be available …
Long-time coming.
The day has finally come for Peacemaker fans to step into the shoes of the DC anti-villain in Mortal Kombat 1, becoming available to those who purchased Kombat Pack 1 as one of the previously announced DLC characters. And with that, we've also gotten a sizable …
Physical media still matters!
We learned earlier today that Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush, once console exclusives to Xbox, are two of four games releasing on other consoles in the coming months. Shortly after that, Obsidian and Bethesda announced that both games will receive a physical and digital release.
We still have several months left until the sequel to Todd Philips' 2019 film Joker is out in theaters, but we do know one thing about it: it's reportedly pretty darn expensive.
Variety reports that the budget for the upcoming film Joker: Folie à Deux is $200 million. For context, that more than doubles the budget of the first film, which apparently cost around $60 million. Variety also reports, citing sources, that Joaquin Phoenix is getting $20 million to reprise his role as the titular DC character, while Lady Gaga, who will portray Harley Quinn, is getting paid $12 million for her role.
While that $200 million number is a big one, Joker was a massive success for Warner Bros. in 2019, so it's little surprise the studio would want to invest heavily in the sequel. Aside from receiving numerous accolades and becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of that year, it was also the first R-rated movie to surpass $1 billion at the box office.
It also follows a trend that sees blockbuster films, especially superhero movies, balloon in budget. Another DC movie, The Flash, flopped last year on a reported budget of around $300 million. Disney's The Marvels, meanwhile, also turned in disappointing box office results on a budget of about $274.8 million.
Although Joker was intended to be a standalone film, a sequel was announced in 2022, along with the new title and confirmation that Philips would once again return to direct the film. The first look at Gaga's Harley Quinn came in February 2023, even if she wasn't officially confirmed to play Harley until roughly a month after Phillips posted that image.
The most recent update came in the form of a few pictures Philips shared on his Instagram account on Valentine's Day last week featuring Phoenix and Gaga. Most notably, the photos included one image of the pair dancing on what appears to be a stage production of the rooftop, in line with reports that the sequel will be a musical.
Joker: Folie à Deux is set to release in theaters on October 4.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Bethesda continues to add support for supersampling technologies in its latest release, as the developer announced that the latest update for Starfield now includes support for FSR 3 and XeSS.
In a new blog post, Bethesda reveals the patch notes for Starfield update 1.9.67. As mentioned, the biggest additions coming into the sci-fi RPG are the inclusion of the third-generation FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) and Intel's Xe Super Sampling (XeSS) tech.
The announcement is no surprise, considering Bethesda released a beta version on Steam that allowed players to access FSR 3 ahead of its official release earlier this month.
Like Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), FSR and XeSS are designed to provide more mileage in your PC rigs without working harder. Including these two super sampling techs marks the first official time Starfield has supported the technology. When Starfield launched last year, it only supported FSR 2 — with those who wanted other supersampling tech options having to use PC mods to access them. Following its September release in November, Bethesda finally added support for DLSS 3.
Beyond growing support for additional super sampling technologies, the blog post also revealed that the latest update addressed some minor issues with DLSS.
In our review of Starfield, we said: "Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually, the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist."
You can check out the full patch notes below.
Fixes and Improvements
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
And some fixes to DLSS, too.
Bethesda continues to add support for supersampling technologies in its latest release, as the developer announced that the latest update for Starfield now includes support for FSR 3 and XeSS.
In a new blog post, Bethesda reveals the patch notes for Starfield update 1.9.67. As mentioned, the …
She knows what Fortnite is now, guys.
It appears Lady Gaga is going to make an appearance in Fortnite Festival, as the singer is teasing an upcoming collaboration with Epic Games.
In a post on X/Twitter, Gaga posted an image of what appears to be her Fortnite character but is masked by a bright …
The Klowns return this summer.
Asymmetrical multiplayer fans looking to add another game from the genre into their rotation will be happy to know that the video game adaption of Killer Klowns from Outer Space will arrive this June.
As part of our suite of IGN Fan Fest announcements, publisher IllFonic has provided a new …
Seven S.P.E.C.I.A.L. games for $60.
With less than two months to go until Fallout hits the small screens, Bethesda has announced a new compilation based on its popular post-apocalyptic franchise.
Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology is a compilation featuring seven Fallout games. Like the Fallout Anthology released a few years back, this compilation includes Steam codes for the …
Ownership of the trademark switched from Namco to FromSoftware almost a year ago.
FromSoftware, the developer known for games such as Bloodborne and Dark Souls, now has full ownership of Elden Ring, the critically acclaimed action RPG it released nearly two years ago.
According to a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office trademark assignment document, Bandai Namco, which published Elden Ring, …
Post-launch DLC character players can buy.
Prolific musician Post Malone will not only be a part of the soundtrack for WWE 2k24, but will also become a playable character in the game, 2K Sports has confirmed.
In a blog post, 2K Sports revealed that the rapper would not only include a few of his …
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