For mobile gaming news this week, Apple Arcade has revealed a wealth of updates to their mobile titles with three new title announcements, and mobile darling Genshin Impact is finally heading to Xbox.

Mobile gaming has had yet another busy week in August, with Gamescom ONL 2024 launching a wealth of news on the gaming landscape for fans to dive into. Probably the most surprising is Genshin Impact has received a release date of November 2024 for Xbox. However, no release has been announced yet for the mobile Nintendo Switch despite HoYoverse announcing it for Switch way back in January 2020.

Aside from that, Apple Arcade has upped its offerings with three new titles launching in September 2024, which were announced this week, and a boatload of updates for its existing titles.

This Week in Mobile Gaming For August 24

Apple Arcade has Announced Three New Titles For Mobile!

• Monster Train+ by Good Shepherd Entertainment – Good Shepherd Entertainment is bringing their lightning-in-a-bottle title to Apple Arcade from Steam, making it a true mobile gaming experience. Players must defend the burning pyre from the celestial forces of heaven as monsters would. This title functions as a roguelite deck-building game and introduces a new strategic layer with three vertical playing fields to defend. The ‘plus’ version for Apple Arcade also includes The Last Divinity DLC, adding a new clan and challenges to the fray.
• NFL Retro Bowl ’25 by New Star Games – Retro Bowl is coming back to mobile gaming, and it’s exclusive to Apple Arcade in NFL Retro Bowl ’25. The newly revamped title brings full NFL licensing to the title, allowing NFL fans to utilize their favourite athletes in the game, just like Madden 25‘s Franchise Mode, Retro Bowl allows NFL fans to create their own dynasty by choosing their favourite official NFL teams and taking them the distance.
• The last new game announced for Apple Arcade is Puzzle Sculpt by Schell Games, an Apple Vision Pro and Apple Arcade exclusive that brings coziness to an already cozy space of a living room. Players can look around and solve puzzles while completely relaxed in this new title. There are many puzzles to solve and challenges to overcome with an ever-increasing difficulty that ramps with the player’s skill.

Other Mobile Gaming Updates Coming to Apple Arcade

• Vampire Survivors+ Introduces a new stage called Room 1665, doubling as a Challenge stage made of 16 rooms that will challenge players to fight the floors as a crucible. This update also adds two new character skins — ‘Unbinded Imelda’ and ‘Retired Poe’ — with new Darkanas modifiers. 
• TMNT Splintered Fate now lets players pair four controllers to enjoy four-player couch co-op on the same device. With new cross-platform support, four-player online co-op can now happen on any platform.
• Temple Run: Legends introduces customization with new unlockable Outfits and a new Outfit System. Outfits also grant wearers buffs during specific runs, proving that the sneakers matter when foot racing.
• SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit adds the conclusion of the latest Tales of the Deep called Inner Machinations of the Thoughtless Mind.
• Simon’s Cat – Story Time lets players try out the new Summer Search Party event to earn daily rewards for finding beach balls in the gardens. 
• Fruit Ninja Classic+ blasts off a Jetpack Joyride 2-themed in-game event, where players can earn the Jetpack Blade and Moon Tombs Dojo from joyride, but in Fruit Ninja Classic+.
• A Slight Chance of Sawblades+ celebrates International Dog Day (August 26) with an all-new canine character and dog-themed background. 
• Disney Coloring World+ lets players join the Muppets in a new colouring pack.

Mobile Gaming news hasn’t wrapped just yet. Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition also brings the new free and paid expansion to mobile devices this week, capping off A Rift in Time (and Jaffar’s time as the big bad). With that, though, mobile gaming news ends this week. Fans looking for all of the additions and where to check them out can visit the official Apple Arcade website.

Studio Imugi has given fans a brief glimpse at their new upcoming title, Bonaparte, which answers the question ‘What if the French Revolution had Steampunk Gundam?’

Studio Imugi has finally unveiled their debut strategy simulator, Bonaparte, an homage to the former Revolutionary’s skill in identifying weaknesses in opposing battle plans, placing the player firmly in control. My knowledge of the French Revolution comes from two sources: college history courses and the 2006 film Marie Antoinette. This means I know practically nothing.

However, one thing is certain—France did not have ‘steampunk Gundams’ as their main force. This is where Bonaparte introduces a paradigm shift to the French Revolution formula. Studio Imugi has also released a trailer to coincide with their announcement, which you can view below.

Bonaparte places the player firmly in the commander’s seat, allowing them to not only make battlefield decisions but also wield a politician’s greatest weapon: diplomacy. The trailer showcases an in-battle scene where Céline Bonaparte discusses her allegiance—whether to the subjects of France or the mighty monarchs—adding a notable Fire Emblem feel to the turn-based combat. These decisions will likely lead to battles playing out differently, considering “Rewrite History” is central to Bonaparte‘s identity.

What sets this strategy simulator apart is the reliance on advanced machines to decimate the enemies of France, we are talking Steampunk-humanoid-shaped vehicles that use weaponry (similar to Code Geass‘s nightmare frame, or Neon Genesis Evangelion units) to rule the battlefield. This title allows the player to enter the capable boots of either Céline or César Bonaparte and change the course of history by siding with notable historical figures (like Marie Antoinette) or taking up arms against them.

Bonaparte launches at a TBD date in 2025, and fans can check out their Steam page for more info.

Rotten Tomatoes is a trusted source that aggregates all review scores for film and TV and this week, they announced a change in the site’s viewable ratings.

First off, for the uninitiated, Rotten Tomatoes serves the internet as a source to head to when looking for not one but multiple reviews on a hit TV show or film that has been released. The site even goes as far back to show how older films have done in the past, with review aggregations of films like 1994’s The Crow letting fans compare it to the recently released film also called The Crow (with a new ensemble). The site focuses on giving critics a communal voice, certifying whether films are ‘fresh’ or ‘rotten,’ hence Rotten Tomatoes.

This week, the review site underwent a drastic change that has watered down its audience score system. The new system is referred to as ‘The Popcornmeter’. The new designations show films branded with “Verified Hot,” “Hot,” or “Stale,” depending on the feedback of the Verified Audience. The new Verified Hot rating will be reserved for films and TV that score 90% or higher initially, and it will stay hot until the score falls below 80%.

How does one become a verified audience member? Rotten Tomatoes says they will verify the audience in attendance by using Fandango ticket purchases. It’s worth mentioning that RT is owned by the US Fandango platform. With this move, it appears the site favours the Fandango ticketing service due to their connection, but RT is working on collaborating with other platforms to verify purchases as well.

Recently, ‘review bombing’ has gone mainstream. Angry fans have taken to Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, and other sites to unleash their fury when things don’t go their way. The steep difference in scores between RT’s Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s critical review and audience review could be one instance. Other instances show fans openly and brazenly targetting titles like Helldivers 2 on Steam and blasting the ‘1-star’ button due to behind-the-scenes operations (in this case, Sony requiring PC players to need a PS Network account to play the title). In this sole case, they walked back the decision and Helldivers 2 can be played on Steam without the need for a PSN account.

Either way, implementing the new rule stifles the audience score for better or worse. Fans can check out the rules rollout on the official Rotten Tomatoes website.

For the first time in World of Warcraft history, Blizzard has given both tickets to Beta and early access periods to War Within Epic Edition buyers, and the early access has just begun!

The early access period for the World of Warcraft: The War Within has begun, and players who have purchased either the physical collector’s edition or the Epic Edition digital bundle can dive right into the action four full days early. World of Warcraft launched a specialized cinematic trailer to prep Azeroth inhabitants for the upcoming expansion, which can be seen below.

World of Warcraft: The War Within Key Features

• Explorers will be able to head to the new continent of Khaz Algar, which lies off the western shores of Pandaria. Within the continent lies the surface-level city of Dornogal, which will serve as the new main city hub of the expansion. Expeditious adventurers can explore what dwells beneath the surface of the city in the lava-fuelled forge of The Ringing Deeps, the Hallowfall, and the Nerubian society monument, Azj-Kahet.

• Hero Talents will be introduced in The War Within. They are a new class feature that allows more levels of class specialization customization. Hero Talents are modelled after well-known archetypes from the Warcraft universe, including Dark Ranger, Farseer, and more.
• A new world content feature is being added to World of Warcraft, and it is called Delves. These are small adventures seamlessly integrated into the world (similar to delves in The Elder Scrolls Online), which scale to support 1-5 players and offer a new rewards track in the Great Vault.
• Introduced as dragon riding in Dragonflight, the function will be expanded into sky riding, allowing a larger number of mounts to be used. This system will allow more mount types to be used in mid-air, and the previous flight system will now be referred to as steady flight.

World of Warcraft: The War Within launches globally on August 26, but for those who have early access, It starts today. More info can be found on the official website.

Avowed & Obsidian Entertainment’s Art Director, Matt Hansen took to the Iron Lords podcast to reveal some “juicy” information about the upcoming title.

Obsidian Entertainment’s next title, Avowed, is coming out this February 2025. Ahead of the big release, Obsidian Entertainment’s Art Director Matt Hansen and Production Director Ryan Warden have jumped onto the IGN Iron Lords podcast to reveal some upcoming information about the title.

Hansen explains that Avowed development is focusing on getting the title to run at a crisp 30fps and getting to 60fps would be a hard task even for the more robust Xbox Series X console. He even goes so far as to say that as a first-person single-player title, “you don’t necessarily need that 60 frames.” Below is the latest story game trailer revealed by Obsidian back at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024.

Hansen continues with an explanation of how smooth gameplay is paramount to the overall experience, which is why they’re targeting 30fps. He says “[The 30fps] allows us to get a lot juicier with VFX and lighting and all this other stuff. It’s a trade-off we opted to make relatively early, and we’re really happy with that. The game’s running pretty smooth for how visually dense it is, and that was always our goal.” The notion is that Obsidian would rather have Avowed run excellent at 30fps than choppy at 60fps. The recent single-player release of Black Myth Wukong has also been said to run smoothly at 30fps.

Other Xbox-published titles like Starfield and Hellblade 2 have launched at 30fps as well, to help avoid input or performance issues they could trip on. While Starfield has since seen an update that brings the performance near 60fps, Hellblade 2 still has yet to receive an update, but this means Avowed can also launch at 30fps and get an update later on to boost visual fidelity.

Avowed launches on February 18, 2025 for Xbox Series S/X and PC.

Behaviour Interactive and Supermassive Games’ team-up title, The Casting of Frank Stone continues an exciting reveal spree, and a new trailer has come out of The Fog revealing new exciting features not seen in a Supermassive game before.

Gamescom 2024 continues to steamroll ahead and at the Xbox Gamescom Broadcast 2024, The Casting of Frank Stone has walked straight out of The Fog and into a new trailer. The new trailer presents new features not seen before in a Supermassive Games title, and even implements some of the tried and true mechanics (albeit loosely) from Dead by Daylight. The trailer can be seen below as shown at the showcase.

The Casting of Frank Stone New Features

• Supermassive games open the Cutting Room Floor. Fans can sit in the director’s chair and revisit key story decisions. This also allows fans to seek missing collectibles or relive thrilling moments without starting a new game. The Cutting Room Floor opens by purchasing the Deluxe Edition or completing the narrative of The Casting of Frank Stone.  

• Twitch Integration will let streamers and audiences experience The Casting of Frank Stone together. With Twitch Integration, viewers can vote on each choice throughout the game (similar to the poorly received Silent Hill: Ascension project from 2023). Votes will be placed into the streamer’s hands and they will have a limited number of vetoes to override a decision, if they dislike the audience’s direction.
• Plunderer’s Instinct makes its way to The Casting of Frank Stone from being a Dead by Daylight perk and allows the player to see the aura of any Trinket Chest that may have been missed.
• Up to four-player couch co-op allows fans to share the experience in the same room. Fans can pass the controller back and forth as the character perspective changes throughout the game, and it cohesively immerses the audience into the storyline with a group of friends.

The Casting of Frank Stone will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on December 3. Fans can check out the official Supermassive Games website in the meantime for more information.

Lionsgate decided to pull down the trailer for their new film, Megalopolis after fans figured out the trailer quoted falsified reviews for the Director’s previous films.

To say Megalopolis had a rocky production is putting it mildly. Director Francis Coppola (known for award-winning films like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now) has been trying to get the film made for many years, even fronting $120 million to foot the production costs. But today, Lionsgate has decided to pull the new trailer off the internet due to reports suggesting the trailer used fake quotes coming from Coppola’s earlier films.

The trailer was released Wednesday morning, and it didn’t take long for people to figure out that the ‘bad reviews’ quoted in the trailer from films like The Godfather were fictional, it’s also worth mentioning a critic themselves noticed they didn’t write what was quoted in the trailer.

This is after the film has gotten questionable attention, specifically from The Guardian where Coppola himself suggested he was going to make “a really s*****, embarrassing, pompous film on an important subject, and I am doing it,” and the report further alleges the Director mismanaged time and wasted a lot of production hours. The report continues with allegations the Director acted inappropriately with female extras on set, claiming he was “trying to get them in the mood.”

The trailer could have been meant to show former bad reviews for Coppola masterpieces, to insert Megalopolis into the same camp as the films that were shown to have said bad reviews. Variety critic, Owen Gleiberman, was cited in the trailer as saying Bram Stoker’s Dracula is “a beautiful mess” where he himself suggested that wasn’t the case.

Gleiberman said “Even if you’re one of those people who don’t like critics, we hardly deserve to have words put in our mouths. Then again, the trivial scandal of all this is that the whole Megalopolis trailer is built on a false narrative,” continuing with the notion he wishes he said Dracula was ‘a beautiful mess,’ as it “sounds kind”.

Lionsgate has also issued an apology via Variety, saying “We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process.  We screwed up.  We are sorry.” after the trailer’s removal today.

Megalopolis hits theatres on September 27.

At gamescom 2024, Xbox has come to the event with many game announcements but they’ve also pulled the curtain back to reveal hardware additions to their lineup.

Xbox was given a big platform at gamescom 2024. This is considering Sony and Nintendo did not attend nor make any announcements at the event, and they’ve brought hardware updates to the showcase aside from their announced software on gamescom 2024 ONL. Big Xbox software announcements so far include Masters of Albion from Fable co-creator Peter Molyneux, the previously Xbox exclusive Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to PS5, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 showcased new gameplay.

But that’s not all they have in store for fans in the coming months, as new hardware updates are coming for the Xbox Series console lineup. Xbox has also revealed notable accessibility innovations with a new adaptive controller lineup to make gaming more accessible for all gamers.

gamescom 2024 Xbox Series Hardware Lineup

• The Xbox Series S now comes with 1TB of onboard memory in the original Robot White colourway. It will be made available in October 2024 for $349.99.
• The Xbox Series X will be fashioned into a 1TB Digital Edition (as leaked earlier in the year) and will be the first time the Xbox Series X comes in Robot White. It will be available October 2024 for $449.99.
• The last hardware upgrade is an Xbox Series X in a lucrative 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition and includes a matching Xbox Wireless controller with a Galaxy Black D-pad and Velocity Green back case. The new console will be available in October 2024 for $599.99.

gamescom 2024 Xbox Adaptive Controller Additions For Accessibility

• The Xbox Adaptive Joystick is an affordable entry-level wired joystick designed to meet the needs of players with limited mobility, and to make things easier it can be used as a companion for the Xbox Adaptive Controller and other Xbox controllers. The Xbox Adaptive Joystick will be launching in early 2025 for $29.99.

• Xbox Design Labs is allowing the use of 3D printable files for adaptive thumbstick toppers. The service is offered free of charge with Xbox Design Labs and it allows players to configure six different 3D printable thumbstick topper designs for the Xbox Adaptive Joystick, the Xbox Wireless Controller, or the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2. Xbox Design Lab outputs the design files that players can 3D print or take to any 3D printing service. The 3D printable files for adaptive thumbstick toppers are available now with Xbox Design Lab.

• The Designed for Xbox Proteus Controller has been unleashed by Xbox partners at ByoWave and revealed at Gamescom 2024. The Proteus is a modular adaptive kit that gives those with disabilities a more accessible way to play (similar to the PS5 Access Controller). The unique modular video game controller kit features ‘snap and play’ parts that connect together easily and the device comes with everything gamers require to play their favorite Xbox games on console and PC right out of the box. The ByoWave Proteus Controller is now available in select markets worldwide.

• Lastly, Xbox showed the designed for Xbox Lite SE 2.4G Wireless Controller at Gamescom 2024. Another third-party controller by 8BitDo is a compact and lightweight controller designed for gamers with limited mobility, featuring low-resistance buttons and Hall Effect joysticks with greater sensitivity. The 8BitDo Lite SE 2.4G Wireless Controller is now available in select markets worldwide for $59.99.

That just about wraps the new hardware additions unveiled for Xbox at Gamescom 2024. Fans looking for more coverage on gamescom 2024 can see the rest of our coverage here. Fans looking for more info on everything Xbox can head to their official site.

In a Wednesday blog post, BioWare revealed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has a dedicated force behind its PC development with over 200,000 hours of playtesting done.

Today, BioWare let out a massive blog post that outlines their ongoing development for their upcoming fourth entry in their high fantasy RPG series, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and specifically how they’re placing special care on development for PC. The blog post starts with “The Dragon Age franchise started out on PC, and we wanted to make sure PC is a great place to play our game. Many of us at BioWare are PC players ourselves, and when testing, PCs made up 40% of our platform testing effort, with over 200,000 hours of performance and compatibility testing.”

The amount of testing that has gone into the new title is staggering. Bioware explains that the importance of getting everything ‘just right’ is paramount to the overall gameplay experience. The UI has been tweaked over thousands of hours of gameplay to ensure that players of all persuasions — whether they play on Xbox, PlayStation, PC or all three — including keyboard and mouse fans, can enjoy a comfortable experience. All three controller inputs: Xbox, Dualsense and KBM will also be available for PC. Going one step further, fans will be able to customize their character’s keybind to make the gameplay as smooth as possible for Warrior, Rogue and Mage players.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard PC Features

• Full Steam Nativity, including full Steam Deck verification—Cloud saving allows you to pick the game up on the Deck and seamlessly play it on PC, and vice versa.
• Linking an EA account will be completely optional (for PC).
• Display Features for PC – Full Support for 21:9 Ultra Wide Resolutions, Ability to Uncap Frame Rate, HDR Support, Optional Upscaling (DLSS 3, FSR 2.2, XeSS), NVIDIA Reflex, DLSS 3 Frame Generation and Optional Dynamic Resolution Scaling are included.
• A huge level of graphic scaling to ensure the game runs great no matter what rig you’re playing on, a small vignette of how the graphics will increase (or reduce) in clarity can be seen on the right.

It’s worth mentioning the sheer amount of turbulent launches the PC has seen since 2023. One of the most widely complained about being The Last of Us Part I, reported to feature staggering performance issues when it launched on PC. CGMagazine’s review of the port said “The Last of Us on PC feels like an infected facsimile of a dearly departed friend.”

At least fans can rest assured Dragon Age: The Veilguard will run smoothly on PC and console when it launches in October this year.

After recent confirmation that Indiana Jones and The Great Circle would be Xbox console exclusive, Xbox Head Phil Spencer explains why it’s now coming to PS5 after Xbox.

On Tuesday, Xbox confirmed that Indiana Jones and The Great Circle would no longer be an Xbox console exclusive, and it would be coming out on the PlayStation 5 platform. This is after the Xbox Head, Phil Spencer himself, said on an Xbox podcast episode back on February 15 that the title would be an Xbox exclusive. On that same podcast, Spencer revealed other Xbox-developed titles would come to the PlayStation platform, leaving Indy as an Xbox exclusive. Today, on a stream at Gamescom 2024, Phil Spencer backtracked Xbox exclusivity when asked to comment on the PS5 release announcement.

Phil Spencer said, “Going to the PlayStation announcement, obviously, last spring we launched four games – two of them on the Switch, four of them on PlayStation – and we said we were going to learn,” continuing with, “I think at the showcase I might have said that from our learning, we’re going to do more” regarding the PS5 Indiana Jones announcement. That announcement can be seen below, courtesy of Bethesda.

#IndianaJones and the Great Circle swings onto PS5 in Spring 2025! pic.twitter.com/6TcQdeFeo5

— Bethesda (@bethesda) August 20, 2024

Phil Spencer explains that the gaming industry’s pressure, including the obscene amount of layoffs that have happened since the beginning of 2024, has forced gaming companies to run more like “a business.” Spencer then says, “I think for us as fans and players of games, we just have to anticipate there’s going to be more change in how some of the more traditional ways that games were built and distributed – that’s going to change for all of us” concluding with “But the end result needs to be better games that more people can play. If we’re not focused on that, we’re focused on the wrong things.”

Phil Spencer said:

They learned from the first 4 games.
They run a business and player numbers on Xbox are higher than ever.
The industry is under pressure and it will be change for all of us. pic.twitter.com/qc2tGZQzSS

— Knoebel (@Knoebelbroet) August 21, 2024

Overall, Xbox appears to be rethinking its strategy when it comes to console-exclusive releases, even when it comes to titles they’ve previously announced as Xbox console-exclusive, in favour of an approach to make games more accessible by launching them on as many platforms as possible which echoes the “every screen is an Xbox” statement made by Sarah Bond also ironically on February 15, the same day Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was announced as Xbox exclusive.

Yesterday at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Peter Molyneux announced a new game, and today he confirmed that Masters of Albion will be set in the same world as Fable.

Gamescom ONL 2024 was filled with surprises and new announcements, probably none more surprising than the co-creator of the Fable franchise, Peter Molyneux, taking the stage to announce Masters of Albion. This new “open world god game” is being made by a small team of creators (including Mark Healy, Russell Shaw, and Iain Wright), with Molyneux himself scorning his past decision to move to mobile development, saying, “After messing around on mobile — what the hell was I doing? — I thought to myself, ‘I need to come home to PC and console,” after developing Godus with 22cans.

Molyneux’s return to PC and console development has been expanded on today in a new interview with IGN, suggesting the new title doesn’t just share a name with the world the Fable universe is set in. It is indeed the same world. Molyneux first explains the basic gameplay loop of Masters of Albion, saying, “We’ve got this very simple mechanic where by day everything’s peaceful, you can explore, you can plan, you can build, you can create,” with “And then by night, everything will attack everything you own” similar to Team17’s Gorn.

However, Molyneux then drops the bombshell that Masters of Albion and Fable are both set in Albion, clarifying with “But it’s not actually Fable 5 or anything like that,” with “But if you’ve played Fable, then definitely Masters of Albion will be familiar to you. One of the things that we have got, and we absolutely wanted a nail, was the humour. I think in the Fable games, it’s not so much about telling jokes, it’s more about giving you, the player, the ability to do ridiculous and funny things.” He refers to Albion as an old name for England and Wales, suggesting that no companies can copyright the name of a country.

It’s worth mentioning that Peter Molyneux has made promises regarding game development that have not come to fruition, like the social experimental game Curiosity, which was intended to let the winner be a god in his previous god title, as recorded by Eurogamer. The winner of Curiosity, Bryan Henderson, didn’t attain any winnings because Godus was not profitable, and being the god of the universe never happened as Molyneux suggested it would.

While Molyneux says Masters of Albion will be a hybrid between the Fable we knew and god games like Black&White, fans should temper their expectations until more is shown regarding this ambitious title.

If you’re like me, you have watched a challenge gameshow and thought, “I could do that!” Gameshows like Ninja Warrior, Takeda’s Castle, or Spike TV’s Most Extreme Elimination Challenge instantly come to mind as these types of entertainment, with obstacles ranging from the absurd to incredibly challenging stunts, and some even doubling as true feats of strength and daring. That’s exactly what Amazon Games and Glowmade have in store for fans in King of Meat.

King of Meat drags contestants to the world of Loregok, where the biggest obsession is the obstacle-laden game show, King of Meat, and it’s up to you, the contestant, to stay interesting enough to keep the crowd raging. This game show is brought to audiences everywhere by Amazon and Glowmade. It puts a spotlight on the entertainment aspect of the show, allowing fans to build their very own dungeon challenges, compete in countless arenas, and win glory in front of the masses of Loregok. Think SmashTV, but with a lot more smashing.

“In King of Meat it’s up to you to be as interesting as possible for the masses of Loregok or die trying.”

In King of Meat it’s up to you to be as interesting as possible for the masses of Loregok or die trying. Afterall, combatants are revered as celebrities here, and entertainment is paramount to everything everyone does. King of Meat doesn’t appear as a gameshow as much as a religion for Loregok. Everyone here is a carnivore and equally ravenous. After exploring a bit of the hub world (AKA The Iron Law Plaza), three combatants and I — dressed in equally as zany costumes, I sported a particularly angry Eagle head — dove straight into the Meat.

In King of Meat, starting a match or challenge run is simple, and a small loading screen reminiscent of a Gears of War multiplayer map voting appears. On this screen, members of your troupe get a choice to vote for the next challenge arena your party is going up against, and popularity numbers are shown. These can range from challenging platforming sequences to battling many creatures that swarm the battlefield and everything in between. Aside from the boundaries that keep contestants caged in the fray, there are (almost) no rules in King of Meat, but having a good time is paramount for the audience.

The dungeon selection screen is incredibly varied and is populated by Glowmade creations. But the game developers have something else entirely in store for players: you will be able to build your own challenge dungeon runs. Although I did not get a chance to explore the building component of King of Meat, Glowmade has some members on board from Lionshead Studios, and drawing a bridge between the challenge dungeon builder components and the now cancelled Fable Legends announced in 2013 was easy.

That title provided gameplay where a villain (also controlled by the player) plays the style of 1 vs. 4. You want to make a fun experience as a Dungeon Master of sorts (the builder IS the villain in King of Meat), and like a solid Super Mario Maker level, you want the celebrity contestants to fall to your challenging wit. This is reality TV at its finest.

As a celebrity contestant in King of Meat, the name of the game is to line your pockets with treasure while making it to the end without losing all your team’s lives. That’s right, teamwork does make the dream work in Loregok. Your four team members have to share four communal lives, and if all lives are lost, it results in failure and boos, and worst of all, no glory. Dungeons are loaded with hazards ranging from skillful sequences to fundamentally destructive. After we chose a dungeon that looked particularly heinous, our courageous party members dove in with reckless abandon for glory.

This Komstruct Koliseum (the fancy name for arenas) was filled with levers and exploding barrels. While traipsing the landscape, pulling the levers and exploding boxes jammed in the level’s gears were key to moving forward through the dungeon. The Koliseum, this time around, featured many spiky floors, spinning platforms, timed barrel explosives and enemies attempting to shorten your life. One thing is for certain, King of Meat goes heavy on the chaos. While each stage was incredibly varied, Glowmade’s dungeon designs in this pre-alpha stage are inspired and fun to tackle. King of Meat was created by people who wanted to play King of Meat, and it shows.

“One thing is certain: Amazon Games and Glowmade have created a unique title with King of Meat.”

Speaking of, the entire world of Loregok is fleshed out excellently. Propaganda akin to the Fallout series litters the landscape in hopes celebrities would buy their products. In between game sessions, characterized loading screens pushing products like “Mom’s Spit” (minus the Hawk Tuah) to shine armour are shown, giving an extra layer of immersion in King of Meat.

One of these products, a meat phoenix contraption, operates as the title’s respawn mechanism. When you think of the phoenix, you probably think of it as glamorous or beautiful. This phoenix type is gross and sheathed in what one would imagine being born from a sardine tin would feel like. Everything in King of Meat is filled with character, and the developers are not afraid to go off the deep end.  

Our fearless party continued to venture forth through the dungeon and happened upon a broken wall. In King of Meat secrets also litter the landscape like the wall chicken in Castlevania. Hitting walls does sometimes yield results and treasure beyond. The third person point of view in King of Meat is precisely what the doctor ordered and is the best option for this level of chaos.

Combatants have the typical fare of light and heavy attacks, with a sprint button and special attacks. When breaking items, defeating enemies in unique ways, or collecting treasure, a meter at the top of the screen acts as a multiplier. You can go from 1x which is like ‘Great’ all the way to 5x which says “YAAASSSS”. These multipliers allow you to earn more treasure per run, and dying or getting hit reduces the multiplier.

All these moving pieces combined amount to great chaotic fun. Going through each dungeon with a team of strangers assures you will leave with three new friends. Swarms of skeletons and challenging sequences will create a strong bond among celebrities, and during dungeon runs, we quickly found that deploying a gross burp called “Glory Attack” can send each other flying. While that was not its intention, constantly messing teammates up was a joy, adding another layer of unintentional fun to the mix. King of Meat doesn’t have a script, but it sure makes contestants think outside the box to have fun.

Another glory attack had a horse leg stomp out of seemingly nowhere, to which I thought out loud, “I’m glad that horse is on our side.” Glowmade appears to want fun and chaos to happen first and everything else second. Combatants are dolled out in customizable clothing options, ranging from the aforementioned giant eagle head to big robot arm gloves, meaning contestants will likely not look the same with the amount of character creation screen options.

The treasure you earn in the dungeon can provide you with a loaded coin purse to purchase more outfits for your avatar, assuring that your time spent entertaining the masses is well spent on zany outfits. Glowmade implores you to make an absolute abomination, and I answered the call.

One thing is certain: Amazon Games and Glowmade have created a unique title with King of Meat. The fun first—everything else second approach is readily apparent, as the developers appear to have made King of Meat with the notion of wanting to play exactly that. King of Meat is dripping with chaotic fun and antics that would make any TV producer glee with joy, and Glowmade may have a winner on their hands. Just make sure to bring sanitizer.

The Borderlands film adaptation helmed by Eli Roth still has one day before it lands in theatres but reviews have come out, and it’s not scoring well.

There was some hope — despite trailers raising even more questions on how the adaptation would play out — remaining among fans of the Gearbox gaming franchise that the Borderlands film adaptation would embrace the zany spirit that made the games so popular. But now that reviews are out, it appears critics have condemned the film. CGMagazine’s review from Shakyl Lambert scored the film an abysmal 2 out of 10 and claims even the A-list group of actors didn’t help the issue. He states “Cate Blanchett is one of the best actresses of our time, but you couldn’t tell here with the way she phones it in as Lilith, a character whose personality in the film can be reduced to “active disinterest.”

Other critics have also blasted the film, with Metacritic sporting a very low 32% out of 18 reviews, with only a single positive review. Rotten Tomatoes paints an even worse picture, with an astoundingly low 3% out of 30 critical reviews (also with only one positive review). Borderlands, even when compared with other video game film adaptations still doesn’t do much better. The poorly received Super Mario Bros. live-action film from 1993, received a higher score, sporting a 35% among critics on the Metacritic website. The universally (by fans and critics alike) condemned Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (which came out in 2009) still holds a worse critical score of 17%.

WOW it’s already TONIGHT?! HOORAY!!! #BorderlandsMovie pic.twitter.com/E7EZPaEsSv

— CLAPTRAP (@BorderlandsFilm) August 8, 2024

While critical reviews are still coming out for Borderlands, the film releases globally in theatres tomorrow August 9. Until then, fans can join the conversation over on the official Borderlands Reddit, where fans have taken to discuss the critical reception thus far.

The hit title developed and published by poncle, Vampire Survivors, is finally making its way to the PlayStation family of consoles this month.

The BAFTA ‘Best Game’ award winner, Vampire Survivors has seen a release on many platforms including smartphones, and today the developers at poncle have announced it is PlayStation’s turn. Vampire Survivors and all of its post-launch updated content is coming to the PlayStation family of consoles on August 29. On the Steam platform alone, poncle’s breakout title still sees thousands of daily players (according to SteamChartz) and has garnered over 200,000 positive Steam reviews.

The Roguelike title puts players behind the capable pixels of one of the many cast of characters tasked with pushing back the hordes of the night. It’s worth mentioning all of the previously released DLC (including the Among Us Emergency Meeting! mashup) will be launching at the exact same time, so fans can get a full fix of poncle’s offerings. CGMagazine’s review of poncle’s breakout title says “It never feels like you’re playing the same game twice. Whether you’re trying to hit the 30-minute mark, completing missions to unlock new characters or items, or upping the difficulty to really challenge yourself, there is always something exciting to do.”

Vampire Survivors PlayStation Pricing

we said summer… it's still summer

Vampire Survivors will be coming to PS4 & PS5 on August 29th (yes, 2024) pic.twitter.com/slxHNYvv3s

— Vampire Survivors PlayStation 29th August (@poncle_vampire) August 8, 2024

• Vampire Survivors ($4.99/€4.99/£3.99)
• Legacy of the Moonspell DLC ($1.99/€1.99/£1.59)
• Tides of the Foscari DLC ($1.99/€1.99/£1.59)
• Emergency Meeting – Among Us DLC ($2.49/€2.49/£1.99)
• Operation Guns – Contra DLC ($2.49/€2.49/£1.99)

To absorb all of the available content available, fans will have to shell out just under $14 to snag all of the content poncle has released since Vampire Survivors launched back in 2022, where it was only available on Steam. Now, the title is available on nearly every platform, with the PlayStation family of consoles letting the night into their ranks on August 29.

To increase profitability, Disney Plus has announced price hikes and password-sharing crackdowns this week, with the latter scheduled to start in September 2024.

Disney Plus is launching a new wave of price hikes this year and they’re set to go off on October 17th. The same goes for its affiliated streaming platforms, ESPN and Hulu. The pricing for each of the monthly, and annual plans are all getting markups according to The Verge. On a side note, during Disney’s annual earnings call, CEO Bob Iger laid down plans to start password sharting crackdowns on a global level after the beginning rollout in June was deemed successful.

The last Disney Plus price hikes were deployed in October 2023, a year before these will start to go into effect. Below are the streaming services under the Disney Plus banner, and their new pricing will be effective on October 17. It’s worth noting that Disney wants consumers to shift to the ad-based tiers considering there’s over a 50% increase between the ad-tier and the ad-free tiers.

Regarding password sharing, CEO Bob Iger said “We’ve been talking a lot about adding the technology features that we need to basically make it a higher return, higher margin business, and a more successful business. And we’re doing that right now,” and referred to the previous June 2024 rollout of password crackdowns as a success. He mentioned the global launch of password sharing will begin “in earnest” in September.

Disney Plus and other streaming services offered by Disney will face price increases on October 17, and the service will institute a password-sharing crackdown sometime in Spetember beforehand, so subscribers should take note of when these things happen.

Fortnite and Epic Games have dropped some news today that may split its fanbase: they’re changing the rules surrounding item exclusivity in the Battle Pass.

Many fans of Fortnite have been vocal over the years regarding item exclusivity in previous battle passes. Fan favourites like God of War‘s Kratos have been rumoured to receive rereleases, and other incredibly rare skins like the Golden Agent Peely haven’t been available since its release back in Chapter 2, Season 2. But today, all of this may have changed. Epic Games has announced a fundamental change to its battle pass offerings. They will offer exclusive items from retired battle passes in the item shop.

Epic Games has posted a change of policy on their official site, saying battle pass exclusives, all of the battle pass exclusives, “can” appear in the item shop after 18 months have elapsed since the battle pass has concluded. It’s important to note, that just because the new policy includes “all items” from previous battle pass offerings, Fortnite could decide to keep some outfits locked away in the vault.

The same can be said for the alternate versions of items. Usually, battle pass offerings come with two variants of specific character outfits — the Golden Agent above also comes in a tuxedo variant — and Epic bluntly stated that if a certain item is included, it does not mean that the other variant will be included or ever offered. It’s worth mentioning that if a certain skin has a LEGO variant, that LEGO variant will be included also.

Incoming Battle Pass update:

Items in future Fortnite Battle Passes may be offered for purchase in the Shop after 18 or more months from a Battle Pass’ expiration.

Find out more: https://t.co/0JH00SLMuy

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 7, 2024

Lastly, Fortnite mentions that even though a battle pass has concluded, it doesn’t mean that exclusive items will land in the item shop. It just means that the items can be offered 18 months after the battle pass has expired. Fans on the X (formerly Twitter) post have largely applauded the decision, with most saying a resounding thank you to the change in policy, and even some fans have requested Fortnite to bring back some of the retired passes altogether. With this new shift in policy, anything could be possible.

While it remains to be seen who will be the first offering to the item shop, all of those ‘Kratos is coming back’ rumours can now continue all over again, but instead of if, the question is when.

After what the internet considered ‘nearly endless patch notes,’ Diablo IV‘s 5th Season of the Infernal Hordes has now been unleashed.

After weeks of teasing and patch notes providing pages of balance changes, the fifth season of Diablo IV, Season of the Infernal Hordes, has gone live. To prep wanderers for their escapades across the hellish landscape of Sanctuary, Blizzard has provided a launch trailer that showcases all of the big changes friends and foes alike will have to contend with when jumping back in. The brief trailer can be seen below.

The latest chapter in Diablo IV brings a new questline for wanderers to contend with while also bringing back the honour system from the Iron Wolve’s Encampment from the previous season. While the new season brings a new mode, the Infernal Horde. Players can earn or craft Infernal Compasses to access the Infernal Hordes, which drop from the various end-game content throughout Diablo IV. Infernal Compasses (like the nightmare dungeon sigils) scale by tier levels to increase Infernal Horde strength. Since the title’s launch, this is the first time the seasonal horde content has also been available to access in the Eternal realm.

Infernal Hordes drop incredible loot called the Spoils of Hell, and these can include notable Masterworking materials to strengthen your character even further. At the end of every Infernal Horde run, the Fell Council will contend to meet with you, and three of the five bosses will attempt to end your life. These Battle Fell Priests have plagued Sanctuary since Diablo II, and each comes with their own abilities and attack patterns to send you to Hell.

And that’s not all. Season of the Infernal Hordes also grants access to over 50 new unique weapons with abilities and strengths to send the hordes of hell back to where they came from. As previously mentioned, the new season comes with a wealth of patch notes, including a list of how unique items will be overhauled this season and general balance changes to Sanctuary. The notes can be found on the official Blizzard website.

Fans looking to dive back into Sanctuary can now do so in the new Season of the Infernal Hordes, it’s live now, waiting for wanderers to contend with Hell.

On Monday, co-founder of Arkane Studios and the current WolfEye Studios President revealed a smidge of what their second title will be like.

Since the release of their debut title, Weird West, in March 2022, WolfEye Studios has remained incredibly tight-lipped about their future plans. This is until Monday, when the Creative Director and President of the studio, Raphael Colantonio, let out a small tidbit about what their next game can look like. Below is an X (formerly Twitter) post from Colantonio that alludes to their next game.

We’ll reveal a bit more about our next game in a few days… Fans of the previous 1st person games I was involved with (Dishonored and Prey) will be happy.

— Raphael Colantonio (@rafcolantonio) August 6, 2024

Colantonio says, “Fans of the previous 1st person games I was involved with (Dishonored and Prey) will be happy.” Considering the Creative Director said specifically 1st person, it’s almost an announcement that WolfEye Studios’ next game will be from the first person POV. Although the same studio developed both titles, Dishonored and Prey featured vastly different gameplay mechanics, storyline elements, and characters and couldn’t be more different outside of the general FPS gameplay.

It’s worth mentioning that WolfEye Studios’ previous title, Weird West was from a Diablo IV-like viewpoint and featured werewolf transformations. Underneath the post, Colantonio does expand on what he meant with his comparisons to Dishonored and Prey. A fan, MonokumaGK replied to the post asking “Why you did not mention Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah as “previous 1st person games (you) were involved with”?” Colantonio replied, “I could have mentioned them too. But only so many characters in a tweet.”

Outside of confirmation that WolfEye Studios is indeed working on a new title, Colantonio has only revealed that their next game will likely be from a first-person perspective. Fans should note that WolfEye Studios still hasn’t made any formal announcements regarding the title, so fans should take this news with a grain of salt until further information is released.

Fortnite and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, two of the most popular multiplayer games in recent history, have just launched a collaboration.

Fortnite and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout have been some of the most popular multiplayer titles to launch since 2020, and today, Epic Games has unleashed the news that both titles have come together. Fortnite is no stranger to massive mashups, recently featuring Pirates of the Caribbean, but today, they’re introducing a different type of bean. Fall Guys are officially entering the fray of Battle Royale, and Epic Games has released a trailer showcasing the excitement just below.

In Battle Royale, ‘Where We Fallin’?’ is well underway. Combatants will have to locate Golden Bean idols hidden within the confines of the Classy Courts region on the map. These are essential to access the massive obstacle course that has appeared seemingly out of nowhere in the sky. After praising the bean, combatants will be transported to this obstacle course in the sky, but your appearance will notably change to a primal bean state as seen in Fall Guys. It’s currently unknown if fans who have collected the previously released John Cena skin can turn into John Beana as a side note.

With the new event are new Fortnite quests and challenges to complete. Players will have three chances to complete the obstacle course each Battle Royale fray, and upon completion, their time will be locked in for the match. A time limit of 120 seconds will be imposed, and the rewards are as follows: completing it in less than 50 seconds nets Gold Tier loot; between 50 and 80 seconds nets Silver Tier loot, and between 80 and 120 seconds nets Bronze Tier loot. Aside from loot, rewards can be obtained, like the Pink Plushie Back Bling, which allows Fall Guys to have your back (literally) in Fortnite.

It’s worth mentioning that fans who only want to engage in Fall Guys content can do so. Epic Games has unleashed numerous Fortnite island codes for fans to dive in and embrace their inner bean. They are listed below.

• Falling Up (Island code: 4185-8103-4745)
• Tumble Towers (Island code: 1985-3300-5865)
• Blunderdome Blast (Island code: 7671-9041-8194) 
• Hex-A-Gone Unlimited (Island code: 2214-7960-2047)
• Bean Circuit (Island code: 0057-3389-4313)
• Pegwin Pickup (Island code: 7485-7322-4774) 

Fans can play the Fortnite x Fall Guys collaboration now until August 15. More information can be found on the official Epic Games website.

Arrowhead Studios has just unleashed the most significant update yet for Helldivers 2, titled Escalation of Freedom, packed with new challenges and fearsome enemies.

With possibly its largest and most ambitious update, Arrowhead Studios has launched the latest Escalation of Freedom update for Helldivers 2 today. There is a wealth of information for combatants to dig through before jumping into the fray. The biggest additions to gameplay (aside from the standard balancing fare) are the introductions of new enemy types, a harder difficulty, and new mission objectives. The announcement trailer can be seen just below.

Helldivers 2 Escalation of Freedom Patch Notes

• Difficulty Level 10, Super Helldive – The hardest difficulty in the game. Bugs and bots are at their worst on this level, featuring new units and new challenges that will guarantee sweat.
• New Mission Objectives – With two factions to continuously contend with, Arrowhead has launched two new objectives. One has your fireteam stealing a Terminid sample and escaping with it (they will try to get it back), and for the Automatons, Divers will contend with destroying their human processing plants.
• Bigger Enemy Outposts – Only available in the Super Helldive difficulty. Faction-exclusive enemy bases, a Terminid Stronghold and Automaton Fortress, will be added to the battlefield. These are the hardest strongholds to confront in the game, but they also drop the best rewards.
• New Enemy Types – The Terminid Impaler strikes back from the original Helldivers, which burrows underground, has tentacles, and is not happy. A Spore Charger can be fought if you’re unlucky. These Terminids are cloaked in fog and have a myriad of supporting units. As is the flavour for Escalation of Freedom, the Automatons got love here too, and there’s a new Rocket Tank and a Reinforced Scout Strider to contend with.
• New Swamp Planet – A new swamp planet will be playable.
• New Acid Storm – Acid Storms can litter the surface of more hostile planets, which will lower comrade armour, but also, enemy armour as well.

Helldivers 2 still has more in store for players. Balancing has also been deployed on problematic weapon consistency, such as the popular SG-8S Slugger receiving some nice buffs with increased stagger force, spread and drag. On the contrary, another popular weapon (ironically both shotgun-type weapons), the SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary, has gotten nerfed, with fewer magazines (from six held to four max) and higher recoil.

Helldivers 2 continues to steamroll ahead, providing updates to their title for fans to remain vigilant against the hordes that threaten democracy. Fans looking for more in-depth details can check them out here.

John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place franchise expands its terrifying universe this October with the release of a new video game, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead.

In a surprising turn of events, another film franchise is being adapted into a video game and hitting players this fall. It involves aliens and a lot of silence, introducing A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, a new horror title that seeks to raise your blood pressure, just like the Netflix series of films headed by John Krasinski. Publishers Saber Interactive and Stormind Games have released a trailer for fans, which can be seen below (the gameplay shown is a mix of gameplay and cinematics) and, most importantly, a release date.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead features survival horror gameplay from a first-person perspective, akin to Outlast Trials or even the more niche Maid of Sker. But, instead of having a dedicated button to hold your breath (like in Maid of Sker), it appears accidentally stumbling across the obstacles in the environment can spell your doom at the hands of the alien menace present throughout the horror series.

While the title has only just been announced, Saber Interactive is not wasting any time getting it into fans’ hands. It is already up for pre-order, and a release date has already been confirmed. What’s interesting is that although the release date trailer had only just dropped today, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead has had an X (formerly Twitter) account since July 2021, a jarring notion considering the subject material.

Although the new Saber Interactive title is linked to the same universe as the film franchise, it remains to be seen how closely connected they are and where The Road Ahead sits on the official timeline. Saber Interactive promises more information soon.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead launches on October 17, and it is currently up for pre-order on digital marketplaces.

After a 10-week trial, federal US Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google violated antitrust laws in multiple markets.

After 10 long, gruelling weeks, Google now finds itself on the wrong side of a federal US antitrust case, as they have been found to have broken US antitrust law. Judge Amit Mehta’s decision to find the ruling in favour of the Department of Justice did not come lightly, as explained in the official court ruling (shared by The Verge).

In the overview section of the findings, documents show that the case was in discovery for a much longer three-year period from late 2020 until March 2023. So, while the actual court proceedings have gone on for 10 weeks, the U.S. government unearthed 286 pages of information surrounding its findings. What’s striking about the findings is the blunt language in which Judge Mehta describes them.

Mehta explains, “After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” after the admission of a whopping 3,500 exhibits to the courts. Mehta found Google liable for violating “Section 2 of the Sherman Act.”

Section 2 reads as follows: “Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty” according to the US National Archives.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland says, “This victory against Google is a historic win for the American people,” with “No company — no matter how large or influential — is above the law. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce our antitrust laws.”

While the ruling does indeed hold the tech giant accountable for the antitrust violation on US grounds, the Sherman Act was written in 1890. The penalty for violating the act is USD 5,000 or imprisonment for less than one year, which is far less of a fine than the UK hit the company for back in 2018. It’s worth mentioning that Google’s market cap is worth over $2 trillion.

While Google has been found liable, what happens next in this landmark case remains to be seen. CGMagazine will update readers on what’s next, as Google itself, nor CEO Sundar Pichai have issued official responses yet.

With Electronic Arts continuing to put out nearly every sports game annually, fans have noticed an EA Sports FC 24 microtransaction that has sparked anger.

Every year EA Sports launches an annual edition to their ongoing FIFA franchise. Since last year, that name has changed to EA Sports FC 24 (due to branding issues), but the gameplay has remained markedly similar to what fans have expected out of the franchise except with notable visual fidelity upgrades.

A franchise staple, Ultimate Team, was introduced in FIFA 09 and has appeared in nearly every EA Sports game (even non-FIFA-related ones) since. Ultimate Team allows fans to build their picture-perfect team to bring to the pitch, and they’ve brought it back for EA Sports FC 24.

Some fans’ biggest problem is EA’s insistence on throwing the mode at the top of every menu (the latest EA College Football 25 also has this problem) and advertising the singular microtransaction mode in-game at all times. Fans over on the College Football 25 Reddit have pointed this out and expressed their frustrations since launch.

It’s worth mentioning how the pricing for the ultimate team’s microtransactions has changed from modest to worth more than the entire game. Fans have noticed this in EA Sports FC 24‘s case. Below is a photo of EA Sports FC 24‘s most expensive bundle, which is double the price of the game itself.

Fans aren’t happy with the constant in-game promotion of the mode, and the latest 18,500 point bundle offering and have taken to the internet to offload their fury. One X (formerly Twitter) user and notable EA Sports content creator, NepentheZ, has called the offering “madness”.

What's the biggest FC/FIFA Point bundle you've ever purchased?

The new bundle offers over 50% more FC Points compared to the 12k bundle, at under 50% the price of the 12k bundle… BUT….. £130(£117) as a single offer bundle of points is madness. #FC24 #FC25 pic.twitter.com/ZK4Dd8dQgw

— NepentheZ (@NepentheZ) August 1, 2024

Fans have taken the opportunity to also chime in with their dissatisfaction with the ultimate team ‘grift’. User EverythingXeno says, “It’s ridiculous sports video games are probably some of biggest games on the market for yearly sales, yet EA creates a method to gamble without return,” and another fan took the time to lampoon another issue the game has. TomWells97 says, “Will this £130 go towards rectifying the fact that I had to totally uninstall the game to make textures load properly.”

While there are arguments to be made on both sides of the fence regarding microtransactions (and both sides have taken to the argument under the post from NepentheZ), fans seemingly agree a microtransaction listed as worth more than the base game is a lot. Fans can jump into the conversation here.

After 33 years of bringing video game publishing news to the mainstream, Game Informer has sadly announced their closure today.

The video game industry has been facing serious issues over the past few years, with companies making mass mergers and conducting mass layoffs. Even positive announcements come from studios looking to make a splash with their next hit title. Whether bad or good, Game Informer has always been a pillar of information, ready to expose details surrounding all of the gaming universe’s latest offerings.

After 33 years of gaming publishing, Game Informer has announced its closure. The announcement was made on the publication’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, which can be seen below.

https://twitter.com/gameinformer/status/1819399257071214854

The sign-off reads, “Thank you for being part of our epic quest, and may your own gaming adventures never end.” Online Content Director Brian Shea was taken off guard by the announcement, posting his own message: “I love you all so much. Thank you for reading our work over the last 33 years. I didn’t know this would be my Friday when I woke up this morning. My heart is broken.”

Other gaming industry veterans have also gathered on the X platform to express condolences for the publication, including former Editor-in-Chief Andy McNamara. He wrote “As someone who was there at issue one and spent most of their life fighting and scratching and clawing for GI, it breaks my heart to see it end. GI will always hold a special place in my heart. As always, the people are who matter. What an amazing journey for us all. GI4ever” on his own X account, lamenting the publication’s closure.

UPDATE Aug 5: Game Informer’s Website & X Accounts Have Been Scrubbed

Previously this article was written after the surprising news that Game Informer was shuttered, and the website remained intact as well as the X account for the publication. But it appears that is no longer the case, heading to the former GI domain leads straight to the announcement, and no former publications from the site can be seen. Below is the official X page of Game Informer as it stands.

Former Game Informer Online Content Director Brian Shea has taken to the internet, not to bash the decision to shutter the magazine, but instead uplift former colleagues to support the overwhelming job loss. On his official LinkedIn page, Shea writes “If you need experienced editors, graphic designers, programmers, or marketing specialists, please reach out. We had an incredible, experienced staff that deserve to be treated like the outstanding assets that they are. I will wholeheartedly recommend any of them.”

What’s worse, is many of the publication’s writers have lost months/years of work published on the site. Business Consultant Michael Futter took to his personal LinkedIn to share what happened to the publication in a long-winded post. He says “Game Informer was unceremoniously and, frankly, brutally shuttered at the end of last week. The website was fully redirected, and both current and past staff have no way to access their work,” continuing with an explanation of what happened to the official X account.

Futter explained that after a former GI employee issued a “REAL goodbye from the team” the X account abruptly ceased to exist. After 33 long years of bringing gaming news and information to the masses, it appears any evidence of their publishing has been washed from the internet. Parent company GameStop has not issued an official statement at the time of this posting.

The hottest month of the year is here, and GeForce NOW is adding to gaming backlogs everywhere by bringing 18 titles to the service this August.

Every new month, NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW re-ups its offerings to keep gamers gaming on its platform. They add hit titles each month, such as HoYoverse’s Honkai: Star Rail in May 2024. For August 2024, they’ve pulled out all the stops, including adding the newest title published by Square Enix, Visions of Mana.

In addition, NVIDIA has brought Ubisoft’s upcoming Star Wars Outlaws to the platform, along with 16 other titles, to give audiences around the world an excuse to stay indoors during this heat wave. As with any new release on the NVIDIA platform, the major monthly releases will be supplemented by weekly offerings, which can be seen below.

Games Coming to GeForce NOW this Week

• Stormgate Early Access (Steam, July 30)
• Space for Sale (Steam, July 30)
• Cyber Knights: Flashpoint (Steam)
• Dark and Darker (Steam)
• Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess (Xbox, also on PC Xbox Game Pass)
• Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Demo (Steam, Xbox)

Aside from these five titles coming to the service this week, there is still a whole lot more coming for the entire month of August.

Coming to GeForce NOW August 2024

• Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks (New release on Steam, Aug. 6)
• Ratten Reich (New release on Steam, Aug. 9)
• Level Zero Extraction (New release on Steam, Aug. 13)
• shapez 2 (New release on Steam, Aug. 15)
• Akimbot (New release on Steam, Aug. 29)
• Gori: Cuddly Carnage (New release on Steam, Aug. 29)
• MEMORIAPOLIS (New release on Steam, Aug. 29)
• Visions of Mana (New release on Steam, Aug. 29)
• Breachway (New release on Steam, Aug. 30)
• Star Wars Outlaws (New release on Ubisoft, Aug. 30)
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (Steam)
• Heading Out (Steam)
• Nine Sols (Steam)
• Saturnalia (Steam)
• We Were Here Too (Steam)

Aside from all of the August 2024 offerings, GeForce NOW is also still offering a notable 50% discount on their premium and ultimate memberships to incentivize staying indoors during the hot months. Fans interested can head to the NVIDIA website for more information.