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Amidst rumors that 343 Industries has been taken off of lead development of the Halo franchise, the studio has taken to Twitter to state that it will continue to "develop Halo now and in the future." 343 Industries' studio head Pierre Hintze shared the message on Twitter, saying, "Halo and Master Chief are here to stay. 343 Industries will continue to develop Halo now and in the future, including epic stories, multiplayer, and more of what makes Halo great." pic.twitter.com/03Xm3a9s59 — Halo (@Halo) January 21, 2023 The news follows the mass layoffs of 10,000 people at Microsoft, which saw a number of employees at Xbox Game Studios, The Coalition, 343 Industries, and Bethesda let go. Shortly after, Halo Infinite director Joseph Staten reportedly left 343 Industries to rejoin Xbox publishing. Rumors then started swirling that 343 Industries would be taken off lead development of the Halo franchise and would instead help third-party studios bring Halo

Alongside a number of fixes that, among other things, addresses the Maximum Security Achievement/Trophy bug, The Callisto Protocol's latest update has added New Game+. Striking Distance Studios shared the patch notes for the v. 3.01 update on Reddit, and it will finally allow players to jump back into the horrors of The Callisto Protocol after they roll credits with all of their weapons, upgrades, and Callisto Credits. Some of the other fixes include general performance optimizations, players no longer taking damage when vaulting over objects, voice leveling and subtitle mismatch adjustments, and much more. The full list of changes in update v. 3.01 can be seen below; NEW GAME+ Users who previously completed the game will have access to NewGame+ after the patch. Application restart may be required. Requires an active save file from game completion. GLOBAL Fixed an issue where some users were not correctly granted the "The Protocol is About Life" achievem

Directors and Hollywood studios have been remaking films for decades. Many of those remakes are considered among the best movies of all time: The Thing, Heat, Scarface, A Fistful of Dollars, The Departed… the list goes on. Each one of these examples reexamines and recontextualizes the original story, creating a recognisable but – vitally – distinct final product. A good remake retains the core essence, but provides a new perspective on the same events. This is a pathway that video game developers seem largely hesitant to follow, and that threatens to have the industry stuck in a creative rut. Nostalgia continues to exert its iron grip on pop culture, and it's asking us to pay full price for games we’ve already played. Among the least inspiring movie remakes are those that are overly beholden to the original work. Gus Van Sant’s 1998 shot-for-shot remake of Psycho comes to mind, as does Disney’s current campaign to pointlessly clone its animated back catalogue in live-action form

A little more than two years after its original release, Crystal Dynamics is preparing to end active development on Marvel's Avengers. According to a blog titled "Final Update on the Future of Marvel's Avengers," support will discontinue on September 30, after which digital purchases will no longer be available. All solo content will continue to be playable after support ends, and multiplayer will also remain available. An important announcement about the future of Marvel's Avengers: https://t.co/hTmenK6wmJ pic.twitter.com/JVZNNDNzZy — Marvel's Avengers (@PlayAvengers) January 20, 2023 Crystal Dynamics does not plan to release any new stories, features, or Heroes, making Update 2.7 — which added the Winter Soldier and the Cloning Lab Omega-Level Threat — the final content release for Avengers. Spider-Man will remain a PlayStation exclusive. The final balance update will be Update 2.8, which will be released March 31. Crystal Dynamics does not plan

Obsidian Entertainment CEO Feargus Urquhart said he’d like to create another Fallout game before he retires. In an interview with Gamepressure , Urquhart was asked whether a new Fallout game would be possible under Obsidian, who developed Fallout: New Vegas. “I would love to make another Fallout before I retire. I don’t know when that is, I don’t have a date of my retirement,” Urquhart explained. He continued, “It’s funny – you can say I’m already 52, or only 52. It’s one of those two, depending on the day. My hope is that’ll happen, but we’ll have to wait and see.” Back in October, Urquhart said he’d like to create another Fallout game . The main question wasn’t whether Obsidian Entertainment would make one, but when will the opportunity arise to do it? Currently, Obsidian is working on Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2, which so far don’t have a release window. However, Bethesda said that Fallout 5 would be the next project for the studio after The Elder Scrolls VI. So hopefully

Xbox and Bethesda are set to host their very first Developer_Direct on January 25, and the pair promise to reveal a bit more about the future of The Elder Scrolls Online, Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends, Redfall and more. IGN is carrying the stream and, as usual, this watch guide will provide you with everything you need to know to watch the show, including when it starts, a list of places you can watch it with us, and what you can expect to see at the show. Xbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct January 2023 Start Time The upcoming Xbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct takes place on Wednesday, January 25, and will start at 12pm PT/3pm ET/8pm GMT. If you live in Australia, that translates to January 26 at 7am AEDT. Where to Watch the Xbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct January 2023 If you’re interested in watching the upcoming Xbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct, we’ll be hosting the stream here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and

If you are a Nintendo Switch owner, you have probably heard of the infamous Joy-Con Drift . An ongoing issue with the Joy-Con's signature controllers for Nintendo's hybrid console. Thankfully, gaming peripheral maker GuliKit recently released a new joystick upgrade kit that not only allows you to replace the joysticks on your Joy-Cons, but it touts that you will never have to worry about Joy-Con drift ever again. As spotted by Gizmodo , the GuliKit Hall Joystick features a pair of replacement joysticks for your Joy-Con controllers. The company notes the joysticks are Hall Effect, meaning that the joysticks use a magnetic system, so it does not physically touch other parts inside the controller, which would cause the pieces to get worn out over time after extended use. GuliKit has previously tried to circumvent the issue, releasing its own third-party Pro controller, the King Kong Pro 2 . Other companies, such as NYXI, recently announced a new controller that resembles

Matt P and Dale have played a huge chunk of the new Dead Space and they're very excited to tell you all about it and whether it's a worthwhile remake. Speaking of remakes, we also go down the rabbit hole of what makes a good one, what their value is and games that we'd love to get the remake treatment. Mat J is also on the podcast and he tells us all about the latest horror film M3GAN. Got a game for us to play or some feedback you'd like read out on the show? Why not email us: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com. IGN UK Podcast #680: Dead Space and Other Games We Want Remade IGN UK Podcast 679: The Last of Us is Very Good IGN UK Podcast #678: Wot We Did Over Christmas IGN UK Podcast 677: The Big 2023 Preview IGN UK Podcast 676: Alternative Game Awards 2022 IGN UK Podcast 675: Alternative Movie & TV Awards 2022 source https://www.ign.com/articles/ign-uk-podcast-680-dead-space-and-other-games-we-want-remade

EA Sports PGA Tour will finally be released on March 24 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. As reported by Eurogamer , the date was announced alongside a new trailer (below) that showcases some features coming to PGA Tour including its Pure Strike shot system, which promises "fluid swing mechanics, innovative ball behaviour, and lifelike course dynamics". Around four minutes of gameplay was shown in total, giving fans the first proper look at the game outside of a brief teaser trailer that was released in October last year . EA Sports PGA Tour promises a recreation of the world's top golf courses, allowing players to build their own virtual careers and compete against famous golfers. This line-up won't include Tiger Woods, however, who instead signed a multi-year deal with rival franchise PGA Tour 2K . Woods was the headliner of EA's golf franchise for years before the it switched to Rory McIlroy for its 2015 title, meaning the new game will e

Nintendo is planning to ramp up Switch production in the next fiscal year ahead of the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Nintendo has told suppliers and assembly partners that it plans to increase production in financial year 2023/2024, meaning from the beginning of April. The increase in production is also a result of component shortages subsiding after two years , according to the sources, which finally lets Nintendo overcome supply constraints and produce as many consoles as the market demands. The company admitted in August last year that these shortages were hurting sale s , and while it is apparently open to revising its new production plans if they prove too ambitious, the previously reduced sales are largely attributed to the component shortages. The increased production plans are somewhat unusual given how long the Switch has been on the market, however, as it's now approaching its sixth year

Riot Games has laid off 46 employees amidst an ongoing wave of industry mass layoffs. The League of Legends developer confirmed to journalist Jacob Wolf that it had eliminated the positions, which were largely concentrated in the company's talent acquisition, recruiting, and publishing departments as well as a few roles in esports and support. Riot employs roughly 4,500 people globally. In a statement to the Jacob Wolf Report, a Riot representative called the layoffs part of the "normal course of business." Riot Games implemented strategic shifts within a few teams to sharpen our focus in a number of areas. With these shifts, certain roles were eliminated, impacting a total of 46 Rioters. This is part of our normal course of our business: We periodically make changes to our structure and our teams based on what we believe will allow us to deliver the best content and experiences for players. We never make these decisions lightly and will always start from a place

As commonplace as it's become to see big, bold speculations about a futuristic metaverse in games industry discussions, game developers themselves don't seem too hot on the concept. The 2023 State of the Game Industry survey has just been published, canvassing over 2,300 game developers for their situations and opinions on topics such as platform development, working conditions, and interest in technology. One of its more interesting questions this year was specifically about the metaverse: "Which of these companies/platforms do you think is best placed to deliver on the promise of the metaverse concept?" The platform that ultimately got the most votes was Epic Games' Fornite with 14%, followed by Meta (Horizon Worlds) at 7% and Microsoft (Minecraft) also at 7%. Five percent of developers said Roblox, and even fewer brought up options like Google, Apple, Second Life, Sony, Tencent, Amazon, and VR Chat. But nothing got anywhere near as many votes as an answe

From its weapons to its bosses, stages to systems, January’s IGN First has been all about Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. So far, all of our footage has been from earlier stages of the game – but how does developer Team Ninja shake things up later in the game? What kind of weapons and Wizardry Spells can be learned and obtained? How can you evolve your character build? Do the stages become more difficult? To answer such questions, let’s take a look at a playthrough by one of Team Ninja’s developers of mid-game stage Hulaoguan Pass. Hulaoguan Pass is a site of many historical battles, in this case the clash between　dissidents led by Yuan Shao and Dong Zhuo, who had occupied China’s ancient capital Luoyang. Team Ninja has implemented this in Wo Long as a huge battle site with siege weapons that can be utilized by the player. Hulaoguan Pass is much wider than earlier stages and can be tackled in multiple ways. Break the front line and fight hordes of fierce enemies to reach General Hua Xion

All of that time away has taken its toll on the Croft Manor, and now the iconic Tomb Raider locale needs a scrub down. To restore Lara Croft's lavish dwellings, PowerWash Simulator will crossover with Tomb Raider later this month in a free DLC for all players. On January 31, the bizarre crossover from Square Enix Collective and FuturLab brings a free Tomb Raider Special Pack to PowerWash Simulator owners on consoles and PC. The trailer shows off a few familiar places around Lara's home, including an outdoors obstacle course reminiscent of her earliest PlayStation adventures. Grapple with grime at Lara Croft’s stately Manor home in the PowerWash Simulator Tomb Raider Special Pack DLC. Launches Jan 31, same day the game hits PS5 and PS4: https://t.co/MR8XEjrVFA pic.twitter.com/xOSzowE78a — PlayStation (@PlayStation) January 18, 2023 It looks like the inside has plenty to tidy, too. The PowerWash Simulator footage teases a few clean-up jobs around the Croft Manor, where

After today's announcement that Microsoft will lay off 10,000 people , details on how internal restructuring will hit its gaming divisions continue to emerge, with Halo Infinite's 343 Industries among the studios impacted. According to Bloomberg , Joseph Staten, a Halo veteran who began his career with Bungie in 1998, will transition from his Halo Infinite creative director role and rejoin Xbox's publishing division. Staten joined the team at 343 Industries in 2020 as the campaign project lead on Halo Infinite and later saw a title change to Head of Creative. Bloomberg's report includes an email from 343 Industries head Pierre Hintze, who explained the studio "made the difficult decision to restructure" and that support for Halo Infinite's live service features will continue. Details on Staten's new role and the exact degree of impact at 343 Industries remain unclear for now. Staten's credits include a long history with the Halo series, sta

Spawn on Me host/creator Kahlief Adams returns to Unlocked to tell us all about Spawn on Me's upcoming awards show, The Spawnies. He then sticks around as we all make our predictions for next week's big Xbox Developer_Direct event. We predict release dates and a whole lot more! Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel , or grab an MP3 of this week's episode . For more awesome content, check out our interview with Todd Howard, who answered all of our Starfield questions after the big reveal at the Xbox Showcase: For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review , our Xbox Series S review , and our PS5 review . Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked , as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered . He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter

While there are clearly many millions of players who have secured their own current-gen console, lots are still looking. Whether you are trying to figure out which outlets have them available, which console and accessories you should actually buy, and what the pros and cons for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S are, we've got you covered. Read on to find all that and more. Where to Buy a PS5 Walmart has PlayStations available right now, while Amazon is still requiring you to apply for an invitation. However, the turnaround for those invitations is getting faster and faster. Where to Buy Xbox Series X Should I Buy a PS5 or an Xbox? That's a complicated question that has a lot of answers. First, what types of games do you like? If you like single-player games with more serious tones, PlayStation arguably has the lead (at least right now), although some feel that there is a degree of "same-ness" to them, which is something to keep an eye on. Xbox currently has what some

Amidst news of a mass layoff of 10,000 people at Microsoft , a number of employees at Xbox Game Studios The Coalition, 343 Industries, and Bethesda are learning their jobs are being impacted. According to reports at Bloomberg and Kotaku , a number of developers at the three Xbox studios were informed today that their positions were being elimintated. In total, 878 positions are being impacted immediately in Washington across all of Microsoft, while further layoffs are expected through March. Specifically, layoffs hit The Coalition (which is responsible for the Gears franchise as well as an upcoming new IP), 343 Industries (which has been working on ongoing support for Halo Infinite), and Bethesda (working on the upcoming Starfield). It is not yet clear specifically how the layoffs impacted any of these projects, or how many people from each studios were affected. In a blog post alongside the layoffs, CEO Satya Nadella noted that the layoffs represented less than 5% of Microsof

IGN is pleased to exclusively reveal the five playable classes in Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game, the upcoming horror multiplayer title from the executive director of Friday The 13th: The Game. In the video above you can meet the five playable Klowns: the Trapster, Tracker, Scout, Fighter, and Tank. A team of three of these Klowns will be able to cause chaos in multiplayer matches versus seven other players taking the role of humans in the town of Crescent Cove. Each Klown is equipped with a raygun that can encase humans in a cotton candy cocoon, the Klown Jump ability that allows them to jump to any point on the map previously discovered by the team, and the all-important healing laughter ability. In addition, each Klown has their own signature set of skills that makes them unique. Trapster Based on Rudy from the Killer Klowns film, the Trapster is a trap-laying class designed to lock down humans and help other Klowns find them. His main weapon is the Jawbreaker Mace,

The New York Game Awards 2023 have arrived and, alongside honoring CEO of Microsoft Gaming and head of Xbox Phil Spencer with the Andrew Yoon Legend Award, the show saw Elden Ring walk away victorious with the Game of the Year and the Best World awards. The New York Video Game Critics Circle hosted the 12th annual New York Game Awards tonight, January 17, and it honored the best games, actors, esports athletes, and journalists of 2022. Elden Ring was the only game to win multiple categories, meaning a ton of games were given the spotlight they deserve, including Vampire Survivors, God of War Ragnarok, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Immortality, and more. As we previously mentioned, Phil Spencer won the Andrew Yoon Legend Award at the show, and it is "presented by the New York Videogame Critics Circle to recognize people and organizations that have exhibited a significant, sustained body of work that shows exceptional artistic achievement and innovation." “Phil and I ha

Many of the best board games are geared towards smaller groups of players. So what's one to do when you have a party or other gathering of fun-loving people in higher numbers? Thankfully, board game and card game makers have not left these scenarios in the cold. If you know where to look, you can find some awesome tabletop experiences that cleanly and elegantly scale up to 10 or even more players, giving everyone something to do. If you’re seeking a good board game to break out at your next party, these are the best board games for parties and large groups. TL;DR The Best Party Board Games Wits and Wagers Codenames Time's Up - Title Recall Snake Oil The Resistance: Avalon Sushi Go Party! Bang! The Dice Game Telestrations Dixit Odyssey Wavelength One Night Ultimate Werewolf When I Dream Mysterium Monikers Decrypto Don't want to read a bunch of words? These are our favorite party board games. Wits and Wagers Players: 3-7 (standard), 4-18 (party),