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A Way Out's Josef Fares on Why He's Making Games in a Genre He Had to Invent

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 12:13:27 GMT

Amid the games industry’s constant push-pull between contained single-player stories and sprawling multiplayer experiences, Josef Fares and his studio Hazelight keep making things that sit somewhere in the middle. 2018’s A Way Out, and 2021’s It Takes Two are both well-presented, start-to-finish stories built around set protagonists, just like the titans of the single-player world. But they can also only be played in co-op (whether in-person or online), enforcing some of the competitive camaraderie of multiplayer onto that familiar structure, and adding new challenges and ideas that single player games simply can't.

Fares has, in effect, created a new genre of game to work within - narrative co-op adventures might be a suitable name. A Way Out was his first true tilt at the idea, but you can see the first sketches of that approach in Fares' first game, too – the wonderful Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was effectively a co-op game designed to be played by a single person, or by two people on a single controller. Fares is clearly deeply interested in telling stories using multiple bodies, whether virtual or physical.

“There are so many unique and cool story experiences with a tailored co-op experience you can create,” Fares tells me when I ask him why he’s so drawn to this unusual style. “You can create this tension between the players, or this relation between the players through the game. There's definitely something that should be explored. That's something that we as a studio really want to push and become the best in the world at.”

He pauses momentarily, before adding. “We are the best in the world, because nobody else is doing it.”

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He’s not wrong. Even years after its release, no one’s made quite the same kind of game as A Way Out – possibly because Fares is the only person with the level of all-consuming self-belief to convince publishers to finance such a thing:

“When I believe in something, nothing can stop me. Obviously no one believed in [A Way Out] – not even EA thought it would sell, but they still believed in me. I didn't care. I was like, ‘This is going to happen.’ Now, we've sold almost 3.5 million units of that game. These numbers for a small team of 30, 35 people are madness, you know? And at 3.5 million units sold, that means that, I don't know, almost seven million people played this game, which is crazy.

“Now it's proven but, for me, the important thing was to follow your passion and what you believe in. I do believe that there might be someone in the industry who wanted to try this kind of game, but they didn't really dare to because they were afraid of what could happen. I just think that sometimes you need to f**k s**t up and really go with what you truly believe in. That's the only thing that matters, you know? I do think – and hope – that more people do this, especially when publishers see that, ‘Oh, we have an audience here.’ People want this, obviously.”

He’s out to prove that point again with It Takes Two, albeit with a very different kind of story. Where A Way Out was a mostly self-serious jailbreak tale, It Takes Two takes a wildly different tone, spinning a yarn about a couple on the edge of divorce being turned into dolls and brought back together by a magical talking book (mo-capped, naturally, by Fares himself) by way of a series of fantasy adventures.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=I%20just%20think%20that%20sometimes%20you%20need%20to%20f**k%20s**t%20up%20and%20really%20go%20with%20what%20you%20truly%20believe%20in."]

But despite the disparate narratives, It Takes Two looks to be building on almost everything that set A Way Out apart as a game. It’s still a co-op only experience with shifting split screens, using a multitude of different activities to serve its story (Fares tells me he thinks it’ll win a world record for the number of different mechanics included), using the relationships between its players to inform the relationships between the characters. Essentially, not only did Fares basically invent a genre, he’s choosing to fill it with new games himself while no one else will.

I ask him why – and if it felt like he has unfinished business with the ideas created for A Way Out. He tells me it has more to do with building on the experience created by making that first game: “In A Way Out, a lot of the team were interns who were new, [but] now we have become really badass developers. The animation, the coding, the sound, the design, everything – it's a way better polished product, with mechanics that really feel much fresher, and nice, and tighter than A Way Out.

“Of course I wish we could have pushed all that more with A Way Out, but it was hard with the team we had. But I still think we did a great job considering what we had. In A Way Out we got compared to AAA titles – you know, you compare Uncharted’s shooting with our shooting, I mean come on. We had one coder on our shooting. But with this game, we have gotten way better and we can deliver a way better game.”

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As we speak, it becomes clear that Fares doesn’t just like making this kind of game, he believes in its value, particularly in the space of games that look to tell a story above all else:

“I do believe in the narrative game. We really need to look closer at how mechanics are connected to story, and I really, truly believe that in [other] narrative games, sometimes designers and writers are [making] two different games. We need to drop the idea of the old thing where you learn your mechanic and blah, blah, blah, you get better. That's old design rules. I don't care about them. They could function and work in another game but, in story experiences, you have to have the [game] and the narrative meld together. This is what we're trying to do. Everything the characters are seeing, or interacting with, or encountering is part of the gameplay."

The more we talk, the less it feels like Fares is making his projects because he specifically likes story-based games that two players control, and more that he feels that, for now, this is the best way to prove that story and gameplay can work hand-in-hand, rather than simply in parallel with one another. He goes some way towards proving that point when I ask whether narrative co-op adventures are what Hazelight will make from now on:

“No, no, no, no, no. The next game I have in my head is very different to this. I mean, very different. [...] This is not the new tone for the kind of game we're doing. The next game is totally different. It's something totally else, which is so cool. We're going to start with it in the next month.” Rather than sit within his own genre, it feels as though Fares is feeling out his next steps, building on his original ideas, while thinking of ways to push them further in future.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=I%20do%20believe%20in%20the%20narrative%20game.%20We%20really%20need%20to%20look%20closer%20at%20how%20mechanics%20are%20connected%20to%20story%2C%20and%20I%20really%2C%20truly%20believe%20that%20in%20%5Bother%5D%20narrative%20games%2C%20sometimes%20designers%20and%20writers%20are%20%5Bmaking%5D%20two%20different%20games."]

I wonder if the key to moving beyond his current ideas is new technology, in that case – does the next generation of consoles offer Fares what he needs to push further? And would It Takes Two have been even bolder if it hadn’t started development before new hardware became available? His answer is typically forthright – and includes some choice thoughts on Microsoft’s new console naming conventions for good measure:

“I don't really care about consoles. I care about games. Of course I wish we could have looked more into the new consoles [for It Takes Two]. I'm just happy they are more powerful, because it takes a lot of time when a console is not really powerful enough, but what I like about the new generation is that they are powerful, that we can focus on them. But to be honest with you, they came in so late in our production – of course it's going to look better on PS5 and Xbox Series X, but we didn't really have the time to adjust them and make the PS5 version special, or the Xbox blah blah… Whatever they call the Xbox Series.

“That's a f**king confusing name. What the f**k's going on with Microsoft? They're losing it, man. What the f**k is going on? Like Series S, X, Mex, Next. I mean, who knows this? Come on. Madness. Call it the Microsoft Box and that's it. I don't know. It's a total f**king mess. Trust me, even them, they're confused in their offices. What is this X, S... I don't know, what the f**k.”

He collects himself for a second. “Anyway…”

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It’s the kind of outburst we’ve come to expect from Josef Fares in recent years, but one that I include with a point – I think it speaks to exactly what makes this director stand apart. This is a digression born in the moment - it’s not a prepared statement, just a thought carried through to completion. Fares’ outspoken approach doesn’t feel like a show, or an affectation, and you get the sense that it contributes to his creative approach as much as his public persona.

I suspect Fares creates what he does not through compromise, but in steamrolling disbelievers with a combination of unwavering self-confidence and charm. It’s how he turned a career in filmmaking into video game direction, how he convinced EA to let him spend their money on a game they didn’t think would recoup its costs and how, if he gets his way, he’ll help push his own invented genre forward even further.

“There is so much stuff to be explored in narrative experiences,” he tells me. “I keep saying this: this is just the beginning. We are just getting started, so there will be a lot more.” And when he says it, he says it with total conviction. I believe him.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Amazon's Lord of the Rings Prequel: The Second Age Explained

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 19:44:54 GMT

Update: With the recent reveal of the official plot synopsis for Amazon's Lord of the Rings series, we thought it was the perfect time to dig in on what the Second Age of LOTR is all about. Read on to learn more about the marvelous world author J.R.R. Tolkien created. [poilib element="accentDivider"] As the streaming wars heat up, Amazon is betting big on The Lord of the Rings. The company is spending hundreds of millions of dollars developing a prequel series set long before the events of the movies. This series will be set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, an important time that literally reshaped the face of the planet. And now casting news is pouring in on the show, with Game of Thrones’ Benjen Stark, Joseph Mawle, hired to play -- it seems -- the series’ villain. Will Poulter, will play protagonist Beldor and Markella Kavenagh has been cast as Tyra. If you're not familiar with the extensive backstory behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, don't worry. Here's everything you need to know about Middle-earth's Second Age and what it could mean for the plot of the prequel series. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=8-shows-that-could-be-the-next-game-of-thrones&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

The Second Age: The Basics

The fantasy universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien is much bigger than just the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. The land of Middle-earth is part of a larger world called Arda. Over the course of several decades of work (much of which was only published posthumously), Tolkien created a detailed history of Arda, ranging from the creation of the universe all the way up to humanity's modern era. The recorded history of Arda is divided into four Ages, each of which span many hundreds or thousands of years.

Learn about the Lord of the Rings show's settign here:

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/03/07/amazons-lord-of-the-rings-series-setting-confirmed"] The Second Age is a period only briefly glimpsed in the Lord of the Rings movies. This setting spans a long period of time in between the banishment of Morgoth (the original Dark Lord) and the first defeat of his servant Sauron. The Second Age is defined by key events like the rise and fall of the kingdom of Númenor, the creation of the Rings of Power and the formation of the Last Alliance that temporarily saved the world from Sauron's wrath. This is the setting of Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel series.

The Second Age: Major Events

The Second Age begins in the aftermath of a catastrophic war over mystical jewels known as Silmarils and Morgoth's banishment from Arda. In this new era, both men and Elves begin leaving Middle-earth and venturing west. Many Elves retreat to a place called the Undying Lands (the place Frodo and Bilbo are taken to at the end of Return of the King), while a group of men called the Edain settle on an island called Númenor. While initially benevolent, the Númenóreans become more warlike due to their jealousy of the elves' immortality.

Watch the trailer for the Middle-earth: Shadow of War game here:

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/06/08/middle-earth-shadow-of-war-story-trailer"] The Second Age is where Sauron begins consolidating his power and filling the void left by his master, Morgoth. Skilled at flattery and deceit, Sauron manipulates the Elves into creating the Rings of Power and giving him the weapons he needs to dominate Middle-earth. The rings are forged by an Elf Lord and master jewel-smith named Celebrimbor. Only too late does he discover Sauron's true nature and the real purpose of these powerful artifacts. The reign of the Númenóreans culminates with the rise of a king named Ar-Pharazôn. Sauron convinces Ar-Pharazôn to turn against the Valar (basically Tolkien's version of angels) and attempt an invasion of the Undying Lands, where the Númenóreans might find the immortality they so crave. This is one of the few instances where Ilúvatar (or the God of Tolkien's fantasy universe) directly intervenes in mortal affairs. Ilúvatar annihilates Númenor in an act so destructive it transforms Arda from a flat plane into a globe. This act also cuts off the Undying Lands from the rest of the world, forever denying men the chance at immortality. [caption id="attachment_2192908" align="aligncenter" width="720"] The opening of The Fellowship of the Ring depicts the end of the Second Age.[/caption] Sauron himself is nearly destroyed in this attack, but his spirit survives and he soon begins building a new army in Mordor. Fortunately, not all men were destroyed along with Númenor. A group called the Faithful, led by King Elendil (the distant ancestor of Aragorn), return to Middle-earth and create the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor. Along with his sons, Isildur and Anárion, and the Elven kings Gil-Galad and Elrond, Elendil forms the Last Alliance and wages a long, costly war against Sauron. Lord of the Rings fans probably know what happens from there. Sauron is defeated but not destroyed, Isildur claims the One Ring and the Second Age makes way for the Third.

The Second Age: Amazon's Prequel Series

Even knowing that Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel series is set in the Second Age doesn't tell us a great deal about the plot. For one thing, the Second Age lasts for almost 3500 years. More importantly, this is an era of Middle-earth history that isn't very well-defined. Tolkien never actually published any books after completing the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 1955. Most of what we know about the Second Age is taken from posthumous works like The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales and the History of Middle-earth series, all of which were compiled by Tolkien's son Christopher using unpublished manuscripts and earlier drafts.

Learn how Amazon could produce at least five seasons of the LOTR show:

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/04/05/amazon-may-produce-at-least-5-seasons-of-lord-of-the-rings"] Basically, there isn't one set story or a specific cast of characters Amazon can rely on when creating the prequel series. We may see certain key events like the fall of Númenor or the formation of the Last Alliance play out over the course of several seasons, but the series will also need to introduce new plot points and characters to fill in the blanks and turn the broad strokes of Tolkien's writing into a complete, cohesive story. We also don't know if the prequel series will attempt to chronicle the entire scope of the Second Age or focus on one, specific conflict. The series could focus on the Last Alliance and the war against Sauron, building on the opening flashback sequence from The Fellowship of the Ring. This would allow the series to include a handful of familiar characters and allow actors like Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett to potentially reprise their roles. Another option is to explore the creation of the Rings of Power and frame the series around Celebrimbor. The series could even draw inspiration from the 2014 video game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, which features the wraith of Celebrimbor as a major supporting character. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=13-actors-who-could-play-young-aragorn&captions=true"] Another possibility is that the series will explore multiple time periods. Amazon has reportedly committed to five seasons and a potential spinoff, so it's possible each season will focus on a different pivotal event from the Second Age. Early rumors suggested the prequel series would focus on a young Aragorn. While Aragorn wasn't born until several thousand years after the end of the Second Age, these rumors could still pan out. The series could use Aragorn's story as a framing device, with the king-to-be learning about the history of his people and the mistakes made by previous kings like Ar-Pharazôn and Elendil. This might be an ideal way of introducing viewers to the complex history of Middle-earth while giving them a familiar character to latch onto. For more on what we do know about the prequel series, read our breakdown of the creative team, find out how many episodes will be in the first season and learn why Orlando Bloom probably won't be back as Legolas. [widget path="ign/modules/recirc" parameters="title=Explained!&type=articles%2Cvideos&tags=explained-recirc&count=6&columnCount=6&theme=article"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Arkane Austin's Unannounced Next Project Is Seemingly a Fantasy Game

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 13:59:16 GMT

Lost Tomb Raider Remake Seemingly Discovered, Made Partially Playable

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 13:26:35 GMT

A seeming lost remake of the original Tomb Raider game has been discovered and made partially playable – and it may also have been planned as a possible Indiana Jones or National Treasure game. As reported by PC Gamer, Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition is now being preserved on the Internet Archive and is playable with some tinkering. The files include several levels, including Croft Manor, but there are no enemies present. The build was originally posted by Tomb of Ash, who says in a playthrough video that they were sent the files by an ex-Core Design developer. Per Tomb of Ash, Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary was being developed for PSP by Core Design, the original creator of Tomb Raider, before it was cancelled in 2006. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/11/02/tomb-raider-anniversary-official-tv-commercial"] Interestingly, these files apparently represent a build of the game created after that cancellation, when Core Design may have attempted to reskin its work and create either a game based on Indiana Jones or National Treasure. Modder XProger has seemingly discovered a m ain menu screen that includes a National Treaure logo, but an Indiana Jones model. A tweet from Emircan mentions that, in the game's files, the Indiana Jones model on that screen is named 'Cage' (potentially referencing Nicholas Cage, star of the National Treasure series). You can check out multiple videos of the build in action on Roli's Tomb Raider Channel on YouTube. As for what actually came next for Tomb Raider, publisher Eidos asked Crystal Dynamics to create its own remake of the first Tomb Raider, resulting in Tomb Raider: Anniversary, which launched on PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PSP, Nintendo Wii and mobile devices in June of 2007. Here's our review of Tomb Raider: Anniversary, from 2007. In other Tomb Raider news, Crystal Dynamics' Shadow of the Tomb Raider is currently one of the PlayStation Plus games for January 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Dishonored Co-Creator Is Working on a New Arkane Game With Dishonored and Prey Developers

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 12:37:15 GMT

Dishonored co-creator Harvey Smith is working on an unannounced new game at Arkane Austin, alongside devs from the Dishonored and Prey teams. Speaking to Vandal (and translated by IGN), Smith explained that he had moved back to Austin after completing Dishonored 2 at Arkane's Lyon studio, and confirmed that he's not a part of the company's next game, but a separate unannounced project: "I'm not on Deathloop , I'm on something else, working with the guys who made Dishonored and Prey." Smith makes no further mention of what that project could be, nor how far away it might be. It's possible that it could be a new Dishonored game, but we already know that any sequel to the much loved immersive sim series would feature new characters, after the Death of the Outsider 'expandalone' marked the end of the series as we know it. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/07/wolfenstein-and-dishonored-developers-play-each-others-games"] Whatever the game ends up being, it will be part of the new era of Microsoft-owned Bethesda games, meaning it would almost certainly launch into Game Pass and, perhaps, even be an Xbox exclusive. Vandal asked Smith if the upcoming acqusition had changed anything at Arkane as yet, who replied that there's been no difference so far. He added that, of all possible partners for Bethesda, he'd find it difficult to think of a better one than Microsoft, concluding, "They fit perfectly."

Before we see Smith's game, however, there's the matter of the extremely exciting Deathloop, which arrives for PS5 and PC on May 21. We've named the time-looping FPS as one of the biggest games coming in 2021, not least because of its intriguing gameplay reveal last year.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Several Persona Soundtracks Are Coming to Spotify Soon

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 18:24:07 GMT

A bunch of Persona soundtracks is coming to Spotify, including music from the mainline games such as Persona 5 and Persona 4, as well as spinoffs like Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. The news that the Persona soundtracks are on their way to Spotify comes courtesy of the Twitter account @AniPlaylist, which notifies followers when anime songs come to the music streaming platform. The albums won’t go live until midnight on January 5, but Spotify has already created an official playlist with music from various Persona soundtracks. The tracks are unavailable currently, but will likely go live at the same time the soundtracks do on Spotify. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-modern-ign-1010-and-where-to-play-them&captions=true"] According to AniPlaylist, the Persona albums coming to Spotify include Persona 5, Persona 4 and Golden, Persona 3 and FES, Persona 2 Sound Collections; as well as P4 Dancing All Night, P4 Arena Ultimax, and several remixes and live albums as well. The Persona soundtracks are widely beloved and are often cited as highlights in any given Persona game. A popular meme even jokes that Persona single-handedly created new jazz fans.

Main games soundtracks: - Persona 5 OST - P4 & Golden OST - P3 & FES OST - P2 Sound Collections
But also: - P4 Dancing All Night OST - P4 Arena Ultimax OST - Never More -Reincarnation: Persona 4- - P3 & P4 Vocal Sound Collection - PQ & PQ2 OST - MUSIC FES 2013 - SUPER LIVE 2015 — AniPlaylist (@AniPlaylist) January 4, 2021

Read IGN’s perfect score review of Persona 5 Royal here and check out IGN’s Persona 5 guide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

100 Billion Hours Were Spent Watching Gaming Content on YouTube in 2020

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 18:00:42 GMT

Over 100 billion hours were spent watching gaming content on YouTube this year, with Minecraft leading as the most-watched game. YouTube Culture and Trends has released an annual gaming report, and the company revealed that viewers watched over 100 billion hours of gaming content on the site, which is the equivalent of traveling to Neptune and back 475,000 times. This makes 2020 YouTube Gaming's biggest year yet. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/15/2020-game-of-the-year-igns-nominees"] "YouTube Gaming has its biggest year, ever, in 2020 with 100B watch time hours and 40M+ active gaming channels," YouTube Head of Global Gaming, Ryan Watt, said. Of those 100 billion hours, Minecraft was the single most-watched game, with over 201 billion views. That's more than the double the amount of views the second most-watched game of 2020 received, which was Roblox at 75 billion views. Garena Free Fire, Grand Theft Auto V, and Fortnite came in third, fourth, and fifth place at 72, 70, and 67 billion respectively. YouTube also revealed the top ten creators in terms of gaming views for the year: FGTeeV, Jelly, Flamingo, Robin Hood Gamer, ItsFunnneh, LazarBeam, Slogo, Mikecrack, Arab Games Network, and Vegetta777. Over 80,000 content creators hit 100,000 subscribers, more than 1000 creators reached 5 million subscribers, and over 350 creators crossed the 10 million subscriber mark, according to YouTube. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-video-game-story-of-2020&captions=true"] "We've also seen gaming creators give back in incredible ways this year," Watt said. "The gaming community has always been willing to lend a helping hand when needed. This year, many of YouTube's gaming creators and partnership tournaments raised awareness and money for several causes." That includes Jacksepticeye raising over $660,000 in 12 hours for COVID-19 relief efforts, CouRage raising over $500,000 during a 12-hour charity stream for the CDC Foundation, and many tournaments hosted by YouTube Gaming to raise money for organizations like the Call of Duty Endowment, the World Health Organization, and the United Children's Fund. "And just last week, The Game Theorists' MatPat and Stephanie Patrick hosted a 10-hour charity live stream event to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital," Watt said. "They tripled their goal and raised $3 million with the help from other large creators and gamers like Markiplier, The Game Grumps, Mr. Beast, and more." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/15/best-playstation-games-2020-igns-nominees"] You can read more about YouTube Gaming's 2020 in their blog post that breaks down things like most-liked and most-viewed videos. For more about this year in gaming, check out IGN's 2020 Game of the Year nominations for a look back at some of the year's best games and then check out some of the other categories like best PlayStation exclusive, best Xbox exclusive, and best Switch exclusive. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Steam Reveals the Top-Selling and Most-Played Games of 2020

Sun, 27 Dec 2020 05:52:25 GMT

Steam has revealed its Best of 2020 lists, and while it doesn't rank the top games, they do give a glimpse as to what games earned the most gross revenue and had the most players. Steam's Best of 2020 lists include Top Sellers, New Releases, Most Played, Early Access Grads, Best of VR, and Controller Games and games like Cyberpunk 2077, Grand Theft Auto V, Destiny 2, Counter-Strike, and DOTA 2 appear in multiple categories. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/21/hades-igns-2020-game-of-the-year"] The Top Sellers category features Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers, but Steam doesn't detail what amount of gross revenue is needed to qualify for a certain level. The Platinum Top Sellers, in alphabetical order, are as follows;

Among Us
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Cyberpunk 2077
Destiny 2
Doom Eternal
DOTA 2
Fall Guys
Grand Theft Auto V
Monster Hunter: World
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
Red Dead Redemption 2
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

The top New Releases are also measured by gross revenue, but aren't broken down into any special categories besides the top games and by month. The best-selling New Releases are as follows;

Baldur's Gate 3
Borderlands 3
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
Crusader Kings III
Cyberpunk 2077
Death Stranding
Doom Eternal
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
FIFA 21
Football Manager 2021
Grounded
Half-Life: Alyx
Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Marvel's Avengers
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Persona 4 Golden
Resident Evil 3
Sea of Thieves
Star Wars: Squadrons
Temtem
The Outer Worlds
Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-and-worst-reviewed-games-of-2020&captions=true"] The Most Played category is measured by highest peak concurrent players and the top tier includes games that reached over 200,000 peak players. The games that reached that milestone are as follows;

Among Us
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Cyberpunk 2077
Destiny 2
DOTA 2
Grand Theft Auto V
Life Is Strange 2
Monster Hunter: World
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
Terraria

The Early Access Grads category is filled with games that left Early Access and found a ton of success. Hades - IGN's 2020 Game of the Year - was one of the ten games that made the Platinum tier. The full list, as measured by gross revenue, is as follows;

Deep Rock Galactic
DJMAX RESPECT V
Factorio
Golf With Your Friends
Hades
Noita
Risk of Rain 2
Skater XL
Torchlight 3
Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/04/the-best-pc-gifts-holiday-gift-guide-2020"] The Best of VR category is also split between Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze and is also measured by gross revenue. The full list is as follows;

Arizona Sunshine
Beat Saber
Blade & Sorcery
Boneworks
Half-Life: Alyx
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
Pavlov VR
Pistol Whip
Superhot VR
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners
VR Kanojo

2020's top Controller Games are the top games that support... well... controllers. They are also split into Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze and are measured by daily active controller players. The full list is as follows;

Cyberpunk 2077
Dark Souls 3
Destiny 2
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Fall Guys
FIFA 21
Grand Theft Auto V
Hades
Monster Hunter: World
NBA 2K20
Persona 4 Golden
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-modern-pc-games-summer-2020-update&captions=true"] To see how Steam's top games compare to IGNs, check out all the winners from our Game of the Year Awards 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Silent Hill Creator's New Project Will Be a Horror Action-Adventure Game, Aiming for 2023

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 12:30:15 GMT

Silent Hill and Gravity Rush creator Keiichiro Toyama has shared some details of the upcoming debut game from his new studio, which will be a horror-themed action-adventure, aiming for a 2023 release, that will appeal to Toyama's fans.

Toyama's Bokeh Game Studio was founded on August 13 and announced publicly in December. Speaking with IGN Japan, the acclaimed developer explained that he is working on “an action-adventure game that will appeal to fans of my previous work”. He explained that the game will include “battles and story elements” in the kind of richly authored worlds you might recognize from his games at Sony’s Japan Studio and Konami.

When pressed on whether this new title will lean more toward the horror themes of Silent Hill and Siren or the cuter anime-styled paranormal setting of Gravity Rush, he explained, “If anything, this will be more of a horror-oriented game. But we will focus on making this a broader entertainment experience, rather than a hardcore horror game.”

While Toyama has been a first-party Sony developer for the past 20 years or so, he said that this new game will be a multi-platform release. “We are developing with PC as the lead platform, but we hope to release the game on as many console platforms as possible,” he said.

[caption id="attachment_2456458" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bokeh Game Studio founders Junya Okura, Keiichiro Toyama, and Kazunobu Sato.[/caption]

The new title is being developed by a “fairly large” team, and Bokeh cofounder and producer Kazunobu Sato explained that they are still in the early stages of development, with an estimated target release date of 2023. “We’re just entering prototype development, and development will probably take nearly three years. So we hope to get this game into your hands in about three years from now.”

Regarding the studio’s foundation, Toyama explained that a combination of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic and turning 50 prompted him to think about his future, and to answer the beckoning call of independence. He turned to longtime collaborators Sato (producer on the Siren series and The Last Guardian) and Junya Okura (lead level designer on the Siren and Gravity Rush series, whom Toyama credits with giving shape to his gameplay ideas), and the three Japan Studio colleagues set up Bokeh Game Studio together, with Toyama as Creator, Sato as Producer and Okura as Game Director. They initially considered creating smaller mobile games, before eventually building up a team of “mostly veterans” to increase the scale of their ambitions.

“I took a lot of inspiration from genDESIGN,” said Toyama, referring to the studio founded by Ico creator Fumito Ueda, who was yet another Japan Studio alumnus. “Ueda told me so much about his experiences that it inspired me to follow suit.”

While Bokeh’s first game may be a way off, Sato and business development manager Yohei Hart (also ex-Japan Studio) promised that the studio’s newly launched Twitter account and Facebook account will show peeks behind the curtain as the team progresses with development. “When you work at a major studio like Japan Studio, there is a limit to what you can share publicly, so now that we are free from those restraints, we’d like to take the opportunity to share as much as we can … so that the audience can see how the game comes together over time,” explained Sato. “We hope it might help people to not forget about us.”

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Daniel Robson is Chief Editor at IGN Japan – and (full disclosure) also worked for a spell at Sony’s Japan Studio. Follow him on Twitter here.

Why Solo-Player Support Is an Important Part of the Modern GTA Online Experience

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 02:54:28 GMT

Seven years and 135 million copies later, Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V simply refuses to slow down. The secret to its success? It’s no mystery at this point. Despite starting life back on the PS3 and Xbox 360, GTAV’s single-player experience is still largely unsurpassed in the open world space – and its juggernaut multiplayer component, GTA Online, has never stopped growing.

This week GTA Online expands yet again with the addition of a huge salvo of new content in what Rockstar has stated is GTA Online’s biggest update ever. The Cayo Perico Heist adds new vehicles, new missions, 240 new songs, and even a brand-new island to Rockstar’s monstrous multiplayer experience – an experience that, when it arrives on PS5 and Xbox Series X│S, will have spanned three separate console generations.

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But what about players who have been craving more solo GTA content, like the much-loved expansions to 2008’s GTAIV: The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony?

Well, the good news is that Rockstar has actually been spending the last few years weaving more and more opportunities for solo player fun into GTA Online, and that’s reached somewhat of a crescendo in The Cayo Perico Heist – the first GTA Online heist players can do entirely alone, if they choose.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Adding%20a%20heist%20to%20the%20growing%20list%20of%20things%20players%20can%20tackle%20solo%20in%20GTA%20Online%20is%20a%20promising%20sign%20that%20Rockstar%20is%20serious%20about%20continuing%20to%20create%20new%20ways%20for%20GTA%20fans%20to%E2%80%A6%20play%20with%20themselves."]It may not be a like-for-like replacement for a traditional single-player expansion, but adding a heist to the growing list of things players can tackle solo in GTA Online is a promising sign that Rockstar is serious about continuing to create new ways for GTA fans to… play with themselves.

And for the series that brought us Hotel Vank Hoff, BAWSAQ, and the Liberty City Cocks, that feels comfortably on-brand.

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“I feel like we’ve been moving towards this for years,” says design director Scott Butchard, noting that while the original heists were locked into a design that required a quartet of players to complete different tasks, subsequent heists have become a bit more flexible.

For instance, The Doomsday Heist saw prep work for the heists moved into Freemode where players could handle elements of it alone if they wished.

“Players like doing this by themselves, same way they can do the business stuff by themselves,” says Butchard. “So we thought, ‘Well, we should do the same there.’ And then that evolved into [The Diamond Casino Heist], where the majority of the prep work was now in Freemode. So we want to retain that.”

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Allowing players to tackle The Cayo Perico Heist by themselves “felt like the next step,” explains Butchard.

“I mean, I think we put a lot of work in the early days to the Organisations and the MCs to acknowledge players who want to play together in a group,” he says. “But definitely as we’ve moved on, community feedback’s been a lot more focused on, ‘I’d like to do this co-op, or I’d like to just be able to do this by myself.”

“We’ve also felt ourselves, as we’ve been making content, we’ve just been more aware that we want to make sure that Online can also just feel like this single-player experience.

“I think the feedback on the contact missions that we drop – Simeon stuff, Gerald, Martin – they were quite positive for us. Although there were like six or seven co-op missions, you could still play them solo. And I think that was quite a positive thing we got from that. Definitely carried that forward as well. I mean, we’re not ignoring MCs and gangs and stuff; we still want the content to be played two-player as well, or three-player, or four-player. So we’re just trying to balance it to all player types, really.”

“Every player type’s covered,” adds GTA Online director of design Tarek Hamad. “There’s a lot of community feedback over the years requesting content that can be played solo, can be played with two players, or three, or upwards right up to supporting a full MC.”

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=We%20want%20players%20to%20be%20able%20to%20play%20this%20alone%2C%20but%20also%20encourage%20players%20to%20play%20with%20their%20friends%20as%20well.%20So%20we%E2%80%99re%20not%20going%20to%20ignore%20any%20group."]“It’s the choice, right?” says Butchard. “We want players to be able to play this alone, but also encourage players to play with their friends as well. So we’re not going to ignore any group.”

The opportunity to tackle the heist solo raises some interesting questions, too. Opting to go it alone means you don’t have to worry about a potential useless crewmember burning through your team lives, for instance. And then there are the… financial considerations.

“If you bring [a] crew with you, you’ve got that decision, like, ‘Oh, do I want to bring someone with me and split my cut? Or do I want a hundred per cent for myself?” says Butchard.

“Which is risky as well, because it's going to be hard to get away with that hundred per cent,” adds Hamad. “And even harder if you’re solo and you want to start going after optional loot.”

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The Cayo Perico Heist marks the first time Rockstar has taken the GTA series outside the USA since 1999’s regularly-forgotten Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (for PC and the original PlayStation), and Butchard explains doing so “feels huge for us.”

“It’s just awesome,” he says. “Like, when we finally changed the casino – that casino that was on the map closed for so many years – it just felt like such, such an amazing feeling to finally say, ‘It’s open.’ And we could take down that opening soon sign. So changing the map like that felt amazing.”

“And when we were coming up with ideas for the packs beyond that, we were just thinking that the map is so dense with content, we're like, ‘We need to find somewhere else. What else can we do beyond Los Santos?’

“That’s when the idea came up: music. And then we came up with ideas of islands, and music on islands. And then that’s when it moved to the idea of this heist on this amazing tropical island.”

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It%20just%20felt%20really%20logical%20to%20take%20it%20off%20shore."]“It just felt really logical to take it off shore,” adds Hamad.

Rest assured, however, that Los Santos remains a fixture of the GTA Online team’s plans going forward: “I don't think we ever want to forget Los Santos,” says Butchard. “Because the game is Los Santos.”

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Seven years on and still steamrolling its rivals, the scale of GTAV and GTA Online’s success is almost without precedent – certainly this side of the likes of Minecraft, or Tetris.

“I’m still amazed myself,” admits Butchard, quizzed on the witchcraft behind the achievement. “I sometimes still play the game, and I'm just like, ‘I can’t believe we’re still here at this point.’ Especially [as] we kind of got off to… I’ll say a little bit of a rocky start when we first released GTA Online. If you went back in time and looked at that to what we’ve got now, it’s crazy how different Online is.”

“Yeah, and there’s lots to come,” adds Hamad.

“Maybe it is witchcraft,” laughs Butchard. “I’m not sure. It’s just been fun pack after pack, just to be doing things that we think will be fun for players, taking the community feedback and tailoring what we’re doing to satisfy that as well.”

“Yeah, and mixing all of that up in a pot and making sure that we’re pushing boundaries every single year,” says Hamad before being light-heartedly corrected.

“In a cauldron,” jokes Butchard. “Witchcraft cauldron.”

“You’re right,” grins Hamad. “Not a melting pot; a cauldron.”

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Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter sporadically @MrLukeReilly or in GTA Online obsessing over his collection of fake movie cars and achieving very little else.

Among Us Comes to Nintendo Switch Later Today

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 17:17:55 GMT

Nintendo is wrapping up the year with another indie world presentation, highlighting 19 games coming to the Nintendo Switch in the coming months, and some as soon as today. Players can look forward to games like Spelunky 2, Cyber Shadow, Fisti-Fluffs and many more in 2021, while a handful of titles, including mobile and PC multiplayer hit Among Us, are available later today. Read on for a breakdown of every game highlighted during the December 15 Indie World showcase. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Among Us: InnerSloth’s hit social deception game is coming to the Nintendo Switch later today, after its previous availability on PC and mobile devices. We recently got a look at Among Us’ newest map, the Airship, during The Game Awards 2020. Spelunky and Spelunky 2: Mossmouth’s acclaimed roguelikes are both coming to Nintendo Switch in 2021. Spelunky 1 will feature local multiplayer, while Spelunky 2 will include online and local multiplayer. For more on the franchise, check out IGN’s Spelunky 2 review from earlier this year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/14/spelunky-2-review"] Fisti-Fluffs: When the humans are away, the cats will… fight in this new action-brawler from Playfellow Studio. Fight for feline supremacy, and customize your cat’s appearance while playing in local and online multiplayer. Fisti-Fluffs hits Switch first in early 2021. Very Very Valet: A new party game launching as a timed exclusive in early 2021 on Switch. Players will compete across 20 locations as they pick up, park, and return cars, but with a twist that makes things a little more complicated. Tunche: A new sidescrolling brawler from LEAP Game Studios featuring hand-drawn animations modeled after the Amazon Rainforest. Play as one of five characters, including Hat Kid from A Hat in Time, on the hunt for the mythical creature, the titular Tunche, when it launches in March 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/03/cyber-shadow-story-trailer"] Cyber Shadow: Published by Shovel Knight’s Yacht Club Games and developed by Mechanical Head Studios, Cyber Shadow is a throwback 2D action-platformer with more than a dozen bosses and ninjutsu skills to master. Exclusive to the Switch edition is the ability to use Shovel Knight amiibo to bring in helper characters inspired by the SKU - the Shovel Knight Universe. Cyber Shadow hits Switch on Jan. 26. Calico: From Whitethorn Games, Calico is available for Switch later today and lets players live out their dreams of owning a cat cafe, in which they can design and deck out the store and player character as they see fit. And, naturally, hang out with some adorable kittens. Alba: A Wildlife Adventure: Previously available on PC and Apple Arcade, Alba is the latest from ustwogames and will hit Switch in Spring 2021. Alba travels to a Mediterranean island to visit her grandparents, and goes on an adventure to save wildlife, recruit citizens to the cause, and ultimately work to save the island. Gnosia: Available in 2021, Gnosia is a new visual novel that sees players working to solve who has been taken over by the Gnosia. Each round takes between 5 and 15 minutes to play, as players learn more about the cast of characters. Happy Game: The latest from Amanita Design, Happy Game is decidedly full of unhappy imagery, despite all the smiley faces in its new trailer. Available in Spring 2021, Happy Game will see players solving puzzles in nightmarish sequences, with music from the band DVA. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=among-us-airship-trailer&captions=true"] Nintendo also highlighted eight other games in a highlight reel, including some like Grindstone and When the Past Was Around being available later today. The list of highlighted games includes:

Super Meat Boy Forever: Available December 23 as a console launch exclusive
Grindstone: Available as a console launch exclusive later today
When the Past Was Around: Available later today
Kosmokrats: Hitting Switch in March 2021 as a timed console exclusive
Hoa: Available in April 2021
Hazel Sky: Hitting Switch in March 2021
Trash Sailors: Available in Spring 2021
Finding Paradise: Available in Spring 2021

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

GTA's Cayo Perico Heist: Seven Years of Evolution

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 13:00:16 GMT

When GTA Online first launched shortly after Grand Theft Auto 5, it was an unstable, bug-riddled mess. Players lost progress, even entire characters, and that’s if you could actually log onto its oversubscribed servers. Seven years later and those launch woes are a distant memory. It still draws in hundreds of thousands of players and, despite its development stretching over two console generations - three if you count its imminent release on PS5 and Xbox Series X next year - it attempts to stay fresh with regular updates. The Cayo Perico Heist is the latest of these additions and according to Rockstar it’s GTA Online’s biggest, most ambitious heist to date. It’s also the first GTA content to be set outside of the US for over 20 years, and adds a first, much-requested new single-player experience since GTA 5 launched. Set on a paradise island owned by cartel drug lord El Rubio, Cayo Perico is built on the foundations of the heists that came before it and is the culmination of years of evolution. Heists were first added to GTA Online in 2015 and brought a taste of GTA 5’s much-loved multi-part missions to Los Santos’ ever expanding multiplayer mode. Since then, the addition of the Doomsday Heist in 2017 and the Diamond Casino Heist last year have iterated on the formula; Doomsday introduced free-mode prep missions, meaning the equipment runs made prior to the finale could be disrupted by other players in the world. The Diamond Casino Heist added more freedom still, by allowing teams to choose one of three ways to tackle the robbery - stealth, all guns blazing, and somewhere between the two. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/15/gta-online-cayo-perico-heist-gameplay"] However, Rockstar had bigger ambitions for heists, as Design Director Scott Butchard explains: “Casino was a great Heist, but we were still limited by the sort of choice, the approaches that we did. We wanted to go that step further and just make it a lot more open.” Like the Diamond Casino Heist there are different ways to tackle Cayo Perico, but now you’re not locked into doing it one way or another. You can prep to go one way and switch tactics part-way through if things start going south. “Rather than a focus on picking an approach to the finale, everything you do as part of the preps, optional and mandatory, is in service to the finale itself”, says Tarek Hamad, Director of Design for GTA Online. “Everything affects how the finale will play out, so you don't necessarily pick full-frontal high action assault as an approach, or a stealth approach. You just have so much choice and freedom to choose how you want to prepare for the finale.” I got glimpses of how these choices might present themselves during a brief showcase of the heist, and one of the ways to get onto the island is by being airdropped at night by a stealth jet. Of course, you need to actually get the plane first, which presents its own challenges - we saw a lone protagonist infiltrate an airbase under the cover of darkness, silently taking out guards with a silenced rifle, but there are many more ways to achieve the same goal. “You can select one vehicle and land on the island almost undercover,” explains Butchard. “But on another approach, you can grab a weaponised boat and just go on full-on assault. You can also come in from the air. There's not just the simple choice of, ‘how am I getting to this island?’, but also, ‘where do I want to arrive on this island?’ Or, ‘how do I get into the more secure compound within it?’ There's a lot of variation there, in how you do it.” They’re not always obvious decisions you have to make either, and sometimes smaller details that can easily be overlooked can make a big impact.“You might not scope a pair of bolt cutters in the scoping mission but they'll still be there for you on the finale, to pick up and break your way in a lot more quietly, or to grab secondary loot”, reveals Butchard. Importantly, these choices are present throughout the entire heist, not just in the prep phase, and if you make an interesting discovery you’re free to change tack at any point: “When you're actually in the finale, you can continue to pick things up that affect how it’s all going to play out,” says Hamad. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=gta-online-cayo-perico-heist-26-new-screens&captions=true"] One thing that is crucial is to prepare for all eventualities, because even the best-laid plans can fail, as Butchard reveals. “I tend to try and start the finale stealth, but I've always purchased the airstrike ability in case it all goes wrong. I've got a back up, to chuck in an airstrike to kick off some chaos. You can definitely plan for things going wrong or going right!” “I've got a really itchy trigger finger,” admits Tarek. “So the moment me and the team land there on the island, I just can't resist! But you can replay this, as with the previous Heists, and really sculpt out the optimal route, until you find yourself absolutely nailing the stealth.” There are other factors that can impact your approach to the heist. According to Butchard, “If you own the penthouse, it slightly changes one of the preps. Or if you've got access to Chester McCoy, the weapons expert from before, he gives you extra abilities.” These links with previous heists are threaded throughout Cayo Perico and long-standing players of GTA Online will be rewarded with countless nods to the past, as well as perks similar to those as outlined above. However, one thing that is a dramatic departure from what’s come before is the location of the heist. El Rubio’s Caribbean island is a long way from the familiar vistas of Los Santos, so much so the only way to access it is through the heist - you cannot hijack a helicopter and fly there in free mode. “You’re essentially leaving Los Santos. It's that nice feeling you have in single-player, when you finally returned to North Yankton with Michael and Trevor”, says Butchard. “It's that [feeling] of going to the airport, getting on the plane… You're leaving Los Santos behind and then arriving on this new sort of tropical island.” [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Links%20with%20previous%20heists%20are%20threaded%20throughout%20and%20long-standing%20players%20of%20GTA%20Online%20will%20be%20rewarded%20with%20countless%20nods%20to%20the%20past."]After years of Rockstar filling every last inch of Los Santos, the idea to move to somewhere entirely different was one that came from an unexpected inspiration. “The map is so dense with content we were like, ‘We need to kind of find somewhere else. What else can we do in Los Santos?,” explains Butchard. “And then that's when the idea came up - music. And then we came up with an idea of islands and music on islands, and then that's when it kind of moved to the idea of this heist on this amazing sort of tropical island.” Music is at the heart of the Cayo Perico Heist. Firstly, the addition of the Music Locker nightclub underneath the casino is how the heist is triggered, introducing you to Miguel Madrazo, the son of a powerful kingpin tasked with taking down El Rubio. From there you buy a second-hand Russian submarine and it’s off to the Caribbean we go. And what a place Cayo Perico promises to be. From golden beaches dotted with palm trees to swathes of jungle covering chunks of the island, it’s the kind of place you’d go to relax and unwind rather than take down a criminal overload. Luckily, you have all the time in the world to look around, providing you don’t get caught. “There's a lot to explore beyond the Heist,” says Butchard. “There's no time limit when you're there scoping, so you can spend as long as you want on that island. I hope it feels to players that we've left Los Santos behind. And it feels like… not alien, but this new something you've never seen before in GTA.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=7-new-vehicles-in-gta-onlines-cayo-perico-heist&captions=true"] It’s a huge island and, like Los Santos, is teeming with life. But rather than folks cruising the sidewalks and going about their everyday lives, Cayo Perico is an island that has a hidden side. On the surface it’s a paradise where renowned, world class DJs play all-day beach parties (acting as a roadie for techno outfit Kienemusik is one of the ways to sneak onto the island, incidentally), but the guard towers and patrols covering the island’s dirt tracks hint towards a darker side of Cayo Perico. Exploring the island is essential if you want the best chance of reaching El Rubio. There are weapon caches you can raid or destroy, and obscured areas of the island that, if you spend the time looking, could have an impact on how the heist unfolds, as Butchard explains: “You might scope an area that's hidden away, and that will trigger a prep to collect a helicopter you can stealth land in this area because it's sheltered.” [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It%E2%80%99s%20a%20huge%20island%20and%2C%20like%20Los%20Santos%2C%20is%20teeming%20with%20life."]At the island’s heart is El Rubio’s mansion, which is in the centre of a heavily guarded compound. I only got a brief look at what awaits anyone who gets this far but it’s fair to say El Rubio’s army is larger than that of a small country, and a team of four - or one player alone, as this is the first time GTA Online’s heists can be played in single-player - is certainly going to have its work cut out making it to the end. Thankfully, there are more than enough ludicrous ways to have a blast on the island, whether it’s raiding El Rubio’s secret caches for valuable works of art or simply putting the job on hold and chilling out at a beach party. After seven years, GTA Online continues to surprise and evolve. When heists were first released they were fresh and exciting, but their separation from the rest of the online experience was a little jarring. Cayo Perico is a step closer to making the whole experience more cohesive, and at the same time it takes bold steps to introduce a new setting and ways to play. The underlying tech might be beginning to show its age, but GTA Online continues to prove that good ideas and a commitment to excellence are forever timeless.

Just Cause: Mobile Announced at The Game Awards

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 04:00:34 GMT

Here’s a left-fielder. Just Cause is coming to mobile in the form of a free-to-play action shooter set to be released on Android and iOS in 2021. Just Cause: Mobile will have both single player and multiplayer experiences which will bring the grappling, gliding, and shooting we all know from the Just Cause series to a top-down mobile experience. You can check out the trailer that premiered during The Game Awards below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/just-cause-mobile-reveal-trailer"] Just Cause: Mobile will let players team up with friends online and compete in multiplayer and co-op challenges for upgrades and gear. Players will customize their own character and take them on a brand-new single player story campaign featuring cameos from favorite Just Cause characters. At launch there will be four modes. A story campaign where players will use their custom created characters to explore a large open-world in the Just Cause universe. There will also be a 30-player competitive multiplayer mode where three teams of 10 will fight to claim bases and earn points. Players can use both weapons and vehicles to take on enemy players. 4-player co-op is also available for select missions, or players can take part in Challenge Mode to test their destruction and racing abilities. For more from The Game Awards, check out IGN’s full live recap, updated regularly. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Dead Space Creator Reveals New Sci-Fi Horror, The Callisto Protocol

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 00:35:14 GMT

Dead Space creator Glen Schofield has announced The Callisto Protocol, a new sci-fi horror game due for release in 2022 on Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. The debut game for Schofield's new studio, Striking Distance, The Callisto Protocol was revealed at The Game Awards 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/the-callisto-protocol-announcement-trailer"] As with Schofield's famous space horror series, Callisto Protocol has gnarly monsters in what's revealed to be some kind of space prison. Dead Space fans, eat your heart out. During the show, Schofield announced it's a single-player, third-person survival horror adventure with the aim of being one of the scariest games ever. Striking Distance was created by PUBG Corporation, and appointed Schofield last year to create an "original narrative experience within the PUBG universe." However, it's unclear if Callisto Protocol ties into the PUBG universe from the reveal trailer. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-callisto-protocol-game-awards-trailer-screenshots&captions=true"] Schofield created cult classic horror Dead Space at Visceral Games, before establishing Sledgehammer studios and working on multiple Call of Duty games at Activision. For more, check out IGN's live blog for all the latest news from the Game Awards. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Telltale Confirms No Reveals at Game Awards, So Don't Expect The Wolf Among Us 2

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 20:58:24 GMT

Bad news for fans of The Wolf Among Us. Telltale Games has confirmed it will not be showing any new look at the sequel to its cult hit adaptation of the Fable series at 2020’s Game Awards.

Telltale posted a message on Twitter to let fans know the company plans on taking more time on the series, saying they are developing the entire season at once.

“We know you’re excited to hear more about TWUA2 [sic],” Telltale wrote. “And we look forward to telling you more when the time is right. What we can say is that we are developing the entire season at once and there is more to do before we’re ready to share what’s next for the Fabletown gang. It’s just not time yet.

Telltale also reiterated that the rights to some of the properties they previously developed games for have reverted back to their original owners, and “their fate is not currently in our hands.”

“For now, think of us as fans -- just like you!” Telltale’s statement continued. “We are a team dedicated to the Telltale legacy for narrative games, here to celebrate the classics with an eye on what’s to come. And trust us, when the time is right, we’re going to have a LOT to talk about.”

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The Wolf Among Us 2 has had something of a tumultuous development history, to put it lightly. The sequel series has actually been announced at the Game Awards twice now -- once in 2017, which was then followed by Telltale Games being shut down in 2018 due to longrunning management issues, crunch, and creative meddling. That was then followed by Telltale Games being purchased by Malibu-based LCG Entertainment and revived as a new brand, although no creative leads or game designers from the original team have returned.

The Wolf Among Us 2 was then finally announced again at the 2019 Game Awards for consoles and an Epic Games Store PC exclusive.

Sad news for fans of gritty detective noir starring talking pigs, but the 2020 Game Awards are sure to feature some high-profile game reveals. Here’s how to watch the Game Awards today. Famous stars like Keanu Reeves, Brie Larson, Tom Holland, and others are scheduled to appear. We also know that a new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter reveal is coming, plus a first look at Call of Duty: Black Ops Warzone season one, and a look at the next Dragon Age, and more. Click the link above for more info. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/mundy for IGN.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game 2021 Release Date Announced

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 23:48:07 GMT

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game has escaped video game purgatory and Ubisoft has announced the long-awaited return will be available on platforms starting on January 14, 2021. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game was a licensed, 2D beat-em-up developed and released by Ubisoft in 2010 to coincide with the release of Edgar Wright’s live-action movie adaptation of the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley. The game developed a cult following for its throwback gameplay, 2D pixel work from artist Paul Robertson, and the soundtrack by indie chiptune rock band Anamanaguchi. It was very much a supernova of interesting and unique talents working together. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/10/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world-the-game-complete-edition-reveal-trailer"] However, tragedy hit in December 2014 when Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game and its two DLC packs were delisted on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. The reason for the delisting was never made clear, though many have cited a potential issue with the Scott Pilgrim license expiring. 10 years later in 2020, shortly after the anniversary of the Scott Pilgrim movie, Ubisoft revealed Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition will be rereleased on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Stadia. The Complete Edition will include the base game as well as the Knives Chou and Wallace Wells DLC packs. You can read IGN’s original Scott Pilgrim The Game review and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World movie review ahead of the rerelease. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M Kim is a reporter for IGN and he writes about games that make you think about death and feel sad and stuff.

Metal Gear Solid Movie Reportedly Casts Oscar Isaac As Solid Snake

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:26:28 GMT

Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ long in the works Metal Gear Solid movie is pushing forward and Oscar Isaac is reportedly attached to star as Solid Snake. According to Deadline Isaac, a popular fan choice for the role is slated to play Solid Snake in Vogt-Roberts' (Kong: Skull Island) live-action adaptation of the 1998 Konami video game. A script has been written by Derek Connoly, with Avi Arad producing. Vogt-Roberts has been working on a Metal Gear Solid adaptation since at least 2017, and a script has been in production since then as well. But with Isaac attached, it appears that Sony Pictures is finally making moves to get production on the long-awaited live-action film started. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/03/03/oscar-isaac-wants-to-play-snake-in-a-metal-gear-solid-movie/loops?q=eyJsb29wVGl0bGUiOiIiLCJzdGFydFBvc2l0aW9uIjowLCJlbmRQb3NpdGlvbiI6MC4xMjY4ODA2NTIxNzM5MTMwMywic3RpY2tlckdyaWRJZHMiOlt7InBvcyI6MCwiaW1hZ2VJZCI6IiJ9LHsicG9zIjoxLCJpbWFnZUlkIjoiIn0seyJwb3MiOjIsImltYWdlSWQiOiIifSx7InBvcyI6MywiaW1hZ2VJZCI6IiJ9LHsicG9zIjo0LCJpbWFnZUlkIjoiIn0seyJwb3MiOjUsImltYWdlSWQiOiIifV0sInZpZGVvSWQiOiIzMzBiNWU1OTUzZjE2NTIzZjA4YzUxMjEzMmIyOWYxMCIsImNyZWF0b3IiOiJJR05NYXR0ayIsImlzQnJhbmRpbmdFeGNsdWRlZCI6dHJ1ZX0="] Isaac is best known for his role as Poe Dameron in the Star Wars series, but also in critical hits like Ex Machina and Inside Llewyn Davis. He will play Duke Leto Atreides in the upcoming Dune film. In fact, it was during an IGN interview for Netflix's Triple Frontier that Isaac stated his desire to take on the role of Solid Snake. "Metal Gear Solid, that's the one," Isaac said at the time. "I'm throwing my hat in for that one." Following the interview, Vogt-Roberts commissioned artist Boss Logic to mock up what a potential Isaac as Snake would look like, and you can see the results for yourself below.

THIS-MUSING-IS-NOT-NEWS-PSA:
To everyone asking how I feel about Oscar Isaac saying he wants to be Solid Snake. The full process required to cast an icon hasn’t even started, but.. Ask @Bosslogic where the idea for his brilliant mock up came from. The ball’s in Oscar’s court. pic.twitter.com/DKM1gw0Oc2 — Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) March 4, 2019

Metal Gear Solid is a 1998 PlayStation game, and the first 3D entry for the stealth-action series created by Hideo Kojima. Metal Gear Solid is set on a remote nuclear weapons facility that Snake must infiltrate to disarm a powerful weapon known as the Metal Gear. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/07/23/jordan-vogt-roberts-fights-for-a-perfect-metal-gear-movie-ign-access"] No release date or production start date has been revealed for the Metal Gear Solid movie. In other Sony video game movie news, filming has wrapped on the other long-in-the-works Uncharted movie starring Tom Holland as Nathan Drake. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Silent Hill, Gravity Rush Creator Forms New Studio With Sony Japan Studio Alum

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 21:33:21 GMT

Three Sony Japan developers, Junya Okura, Kazunobu Sato, and Keiichiro Toyama, have left the company to create Bokeh Game Studio. Toyama, who is best known as the director of Silent Hill and the Gravity Rush series, will serve as the studio's creative director alongside lead Gravity Rush designer, Okura, and Sato, who was the lead designer of The Last Guardian. The three will lead Bokeh as an independent game studio with the goal of rediscovering the joy in making games. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps1-games-ever&captions=true"] "First I want to fulfill our fans' expectations, but at the same time, I want to go back and enjoy how fun it is to make games," Toyama said in the studio's announcement video released on December 2. "I want to share that feeling to the players. This is what I'll aim for from now on." The announcement video features the three developers sitting at a bar talking about their shared excitement for Bokeh. Okura, who will work as the studio's game director, mentioned that until the formation of this studio, there was always a company providing them with a work environment. Now that they're independent, they'll have to prepare everything themselves, he said. "It is hard," Okura said. "There are responsibilities, but we have our freedom. That is the most important. I want to enjoy creating from now on." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/11/first-person-silent-hill-fan-remake-gameplay"] Sato, who will serve as the studio's producer, said founding a company came with many challenges but that advice from those around them helped bring this idea to life. He said the team can now just focus on making games. "I look forward to it," Sato said. "Many people we've worked with in the past are joining us too. I'm convinced that we'll be able to deliver something everyone will enjoy." There's no word on who else is joining the studio, although Sato hinted that people they've worked with in the past will be joining them, nor is there a word of what they're working on or when we can expect to hear anything about it. If you watch the video though, you can catch some glimpses of artwork that may or may not be concept art. Read IGN's thoughts on these developers' latest games in our Gravity Rush review, Gravity Rush 2 review, and our review of The Last Guardian. Check out our top 10 most terrifying scares in video games, which features a scare from Toyama's Silent Hill, after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide make for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

GTA 6 Hint or Big Coincidence? Investigating GTA Online's Latest Theory

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 19:19:09 GMT

It's a dirt road that kind of looks like a Roman numeral. In the doldrums of the Grand Theft Auto hype cycle, that alone is enough to get excited about. Here are the basics: Rockstar released a typically cryptic teaser for its next batch of GTA Online content. In it, the ever-elusive company revealed that the upcoming expansion will add a new landmass to the existing Los Santos map, possibly in the form of some offshore island. During that teaser, the coordinates "38.527,-79.6129" briefly appear on screen. Dump those numbers into Google Docs, and you'll see Middle Mountain Trail, right on the shaggy border between Virginia and West Virginia. Zoom out, and take it all in. There's a hairpin turn that, when viewed at a precise angle, seems to form a "V" and then an "I." V. I. VI.

Six.

Grand Theft Auto is a series filled to the brim with innumerable easter eggs, conspiracies, and urban legends. But this, a potential GTA 6 announcement confirmed through literal geography, seems like the most brazen by far.

Before we dive into all that, we need to cover some caveats. Would Rockstar really announce something as massive as a new Grand Theft Auto game through an arcane scavenger hunt deployed in a trailer for a seven-year-old game? It's extremely unlikely that the cosmopolitan franchise is headed to agrarian Appalachia, anyway. So why would the company choose a random Virginia township to drop a hint? Is this just a gigantic coincidence? Were those coordinates added at complete random by some video editor as some extra flavor, only for the desperate wishful thinking of the GTA fandom l to fill in the gaps? [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Maybe%20it%20is%20intentional%2C%20as%20Rockstar%20rarely%20does%20things%20by%20accident%2C%20and%20it%20means%20precisely%20nothing."]

Or maybe it is intentional, as Rockstar rarely does things by accident, and it means precisely nothing. At this point in time, the development of GTA 6 is a badly kept secret. Maybe Rockstar just wanted to mess with its fans.

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None of that matters. Without concrete facts to rely on, Grand Theft Auto diehards have learned to work with scraps, and on the subreddit r/GTA6, the denizens have been piecing together the puzzle for days. "The VI is too obvious, as the 'V' is distinctly different from the very straight 'I,'" writes one user. "Upon a glance, that definitely says six in Roman numerals, it’s too cheeky to be a coincidence."

"They're not going to spoon-feed us. I would say this was the first sign of 6. It's not a coincidence at all," adds another.

The discussion goes on and on. One thread on the subreddit is already extolling the virtues of a potential rural Virginian setting for a hallowed franchise that has thus far focused on some of the most iconic, densely populated cities in America. "The Southern portions [of a hypothetical GTA 6 map] can have a Louisiana vibe," explains the author, who says he'd prefer his hypothetical Ozarkian Grand Theft Auto to be a prequel to GTA: San Andreas, and follow the adventures of CJ's father. "There can be a mission to take a train from Motor City to Vice City and you defend it from Dukes Of Hazzard KKK types."

"Oh yeah, and there will be Nixon. You gotta meet Nixon and do 'special jobs' for him," they add.

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Elsewhere, you can find GTA lifers spamming the lyrics from John Denver's West Virginian classic, "Take Me Home, Country Roads." One enterprising grifter even claimed to have cracked the code. He wrote effusively about how, under analysis, the coordinates actually point to Medellin, Columbia, where Pablo Escobar thrived through the '70s and '80s. The administrators of the subreddit quickly swept in to correct the record. That poster was using a doctored screenshot equipped with coordinates that pointed to their ideal setting for a future Grand Theft Auto, like weaponized wishful thinking. "After pointing out the flaw, the OP said they were dylxlexic," says one member of the mod team, in an interview with IGN." Just another day of chronic disinformation in the rumor mill.

That moderator, well versed in the theories of the subreddits regulars, says they aren't sure what to believe about the apparent easter egg. At first, they believed that the dusty backwoods of the rural mid-Atlantic was far too inauspicious to serve as the home for an official GTA 6 tease. It was too random, too small, too weird. But after thinking about it some more, the mod remembered that they were dealing with Rockstar, historically one of the most unpredictable studios in the industry. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%22The%20studio%20could%20be%20trolling%20us.%20The%20fanbase%20over-analyzes%20everything%2C%20It's%20not%20hard%20for%20them%20to%20sneak%20those%20coordinates%20into%20a%20trailer%20and%20be%20assured%20that%20they'll%20be%20found.%22"]

"They've done things like this in the past," they say, considering how many aliens and UFOs are already hidden around Los Santos. "The studio could be trolling us. The fanbase over-analyzes everything, It's not hard for them to sneak those coordinates into a trailer and be assured that they'll be found."

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Another frequent poster is a skeptic. He's stared at that alleged "VI" long and hard, and hasn't been able to see what everyone else is seeing. "It looks more like a reversed N or Z," he says, in an interview with IGN. "The coordinates most likely have something to do with the upcoming GTA Online DLC, which is disappointing, but expected."

That said, even the most ardent GTA doubters can't help but theorize on the side. The poster does have their own pet theory. In the future, he explains, maybe Rockstar will make a trip out to those coordinates to emboss a definitive, unambiguous Grand Theft Auto insignia for all to see. "Perhaps they are in cahoots with Google Maps and will request a satellite image update after they have changed the roads in this area," he explains. "Which would be a really neat tease for GTA VI."

All of this avoids the most likely scenario — that Rockstar just wanted to have a little fun, and the eventual announcement of the next Grand Theft Auto will materialize in a much more conventional way. My guess is that in the coming years, you will wake up, grab your phone, and find a 90-second announcement trailer already bouncing through your timeline. All of the memories of the Middle Mountain Trail will fade into memory, as the world gets the first glimpse of the game they've been waiting for. But Grand Theft Auto zealots are used to these wild goose chases. There is still a vibrant community dedicated to unraveling the mysteries that grip Mount Chilliad in Grand Theft Auto V. (For that matter, we never did find BigFoot in San Andreas.) Those legends, the clues and gestures that teeter between myth and reality, are what makes the GTA franchise so inscrutable. For as frustrating as the misdirection might be, the people on r/GTA6 live for this stuff.

"The fans love Rockstar's games and want everything out of them, but the company makes this hard to do as they put so much detail and small mysteries that evolve over time," says the frequent poster. "I think they realized that people really liked them as early as GTA Vice City, where there were conspiracies of Scarface appearing somewhere in that game. Rockstar went full blast [with their crypticness] for the last few games. With how popular they are, it leads to more outspoken theorizing communities, when others are more reserved."

The mod agrees. They tell me that this Virginia diversion will go down as just another part of the lore. With just a handful of Google Map coordinates, Rockstar is capable of setting their loyalists on fire. "It'll be a fun thing to look back on in 10 years or so," they say. By then, the subreddit will have likely moved on to the next urban legend.

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Luke Winkie is a writer and former pizza maker in Brooklyn. Follow him on Twitter.

Final Fantasy 14's Patch 5.4 Release Date, Raid, Trailer, and More Revealed

Sat, 28 Nov 2020 15:47:56 GMT

Final Fantasy XIV's Patch 5.4 - Futures Rewritten - will be released on December 8, 2020, and brings with it new story content, a new raid, and so much more. Futures Rewritten's Raid is called Eden's Promise and sees players being invited by Ryne and her mysterious counterpart Gaia to the Empty to see "whether life continues to flourish in the once-barren desert."

Ah we just can't get enough of the trailer, so here it is again!#FFXIV Patch 5.4—Futures Rewritten arrives on Tuesday, December 8! https://t.co/qcrLxpTyuk pic.twitter.com/9TyM64tVLC
— FINAL FANTASY XIV (@FF_XIV_EN) November 27, 2020

As revealed in Final Fantasy XIV's latest Letter from the Producer stream, the raid will be four parts and takes players back to the Cloud of Darkness from A Realm Reborn's alliance raid. A new dungeon - Matoya's Relict - is also being added and takes place in The Makers' Quarter, which was once home to the "finest crafters Eorzea had ever seen, but it has lain in forgotten ruin since the Sharlayan exodus." Patch 5.4, and the subsequent Patch 5.45, will also see updates to the Blue Mage, Chronicles of a New Era - The Sorrow of Werlyt, a New Trial and Large-scale battle, Ishgardian Restoration Updates, Triple Triad and Demon Mahjon updates, and so much more. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=final-fantasy-xiv-patch-54-futures-rewritten-screenshots&captions=true"] The team also announced the Final Fantasy XIV Announcement Showcase for February 5, 2021, at 5:30pm PT/8:30pm ET/1:30am GMT (2/6), and while it was only teased that the team will announce "cool things," many believe it could be the announcement of the next expansion. Final Fantasy XIV's third expansion - Shadowbringers - was announced in 2018 and was released on July 2, 2019. That was two years after Stormblood, which was two years after Heavensward. Assuming no further delays related to COVID-19 or otherwise occur, it would make sense that FFXIV's newest expansion's reveal should be imminent. Oh, and perhaps most importantly, Final Fantasy XIV is teaming up with Pusheen to offer animated iMessage stickers that will soon be available on Apple's App Store. I mean, these are just the best. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.