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The next Grand Theft Auto has just been given a release window. [Hidden Content] During Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive’s latest earning report announced a more specific release window for the upcoming title. “As we enter Fiscal 2025 with positive momentum, we expect to deliver Net Bookings of $5.55 to $5.65 billion. Our outlook reflects a narrowing of Rockstar Games’ previously established window of Calendar 2025 to Fall of Calendar 2025 for Grand Theft Auto VI. We are highly confident that Rockstar Games will deliver an unparalleled entertainment experience, and our expectations for the commercial impact of the title continue to increase,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two in a press release. This release window news is great to hear as back in December, when the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI dropped, it had a vague 2025 release window but no actual timeframe. [Hidden Content] GTA 6 Trailer Screenshot However, there is still the chance that GTA 6 gets delayed into 2026 as Rockstar Games tends to put a lot of polish into their games. Details are still slim about GTA 6 other than it will take place in Vice City and there will be two protagonists. Grand Theft Auto VI will be released for Xbox Series X & S and PS5 in the Fall of 2025. Source: Take-Two Interactive View the full article

The LEGO Minecraft builds are both attractive and simple, and although most of the builds depict pre-conceived designs, there are also sets that enable the sort of free play that both LEGO and Minecraft are famous for. Minecraft's retro, pixelated appearance lends itself to brick form, especially with how alternating ****** patterns create the impression of shadow, texture, and three-dimensionality. Below we've gather the 10 best LEGO Minecraft LEGO sets that you can purchase in 2024. You can also check out our picks of the best LEGO sets overall. The Nether Portal Ambush Set: #21255 Age Range: 8+ Piece Count: 352 Dimensions: 4 in. (11 cm) high, 8.5 in. (22 cm) wide, 5.5 in. (14 cm) deep A battle scene on the border between the Crimson Forest (check out the mushroom trees) and the Basalt Deltas, this set also includes an Orc Warrior and a Ghast that shoots discs from its mouth. The Frog House Set: #21256 Age Range: 8+ Piece Count: 400 Dimensions: 4 in. (11 cm) high, 8.5 in. (22 cm) wide, 6.5 in. (17 cm) deep Shaped as its name implies, the Frog House has a fully realized interior and a roof that detaches, allowing for easy access and roleplay.The set comes with a zombie, a drowned, three Minecraft frogs, and a ****** to feed them. The Armory Set: #21252 Age Range: 7+ Piece Count: 203 Dimensions: 2.5 in. (6 cm) high, 3 in. (9 cm) wide, 2.5 in. (6 cm) deep This workshop for the Armorsmith contains an anvil, furnace, and cauldron along with a number of weapons, including two swords, two shields, a golden axe, and an enchanted trident. The Devourer Showdown Set: #21257 Age Range: 8+ Piece Count: 420 Dimensions: 5 in. (12 cm) tall Your Hero rides atop a Big Beak as he fights a massive monster. The model of the Devourer does not disappoint; it is appropriately imposing and has launchable ****** from its mouth and mucus from its backpack. The Swamp Adventure Set: #21240 Age Range: 7+ Piece Count: 65 Dimensions: 3 in. (8 cm) high, 3.5 in. (9 cm) wide, 3 in. (8 cm) deep At only 65 pieces, this is the smallest and most inexpensive LEGO set on this list, but don't let that fool you. A compact, economical representation of a mangrove swamp biome, you rig the environment with **** and ***** up any enemies that come calling. The Panda Haven Set: #21245 Age Range: 8+ Piece Count: 445 Dimensions: 8.5 in. (22 cm) high, 4.5 in. (11 cm) wide, 4 in. (10 cm) deep This massive, pixelated panda is secretly a three-story, furnished house, which you can open from the back if the panda is 'sitting' on its haunches. Outside, you get two actual Minecraft pandas plus a bamboo forest. The Crafting Box 4.0 Set: #21249 Age Range: 8+ Piece Count: 605 Dimensions: Fortress: 8 in. (21 cm) high, 14 in. (36 cm) wide, 8.5 in. (21 cm) deep. Cat House: 5 in. (13 cm) high, 14.5 in. (37 cm) wide, 7.5 in. (20 cm) deep Emphasizing the value of free play over strict adherence to guidelines, the Crafting Box 4.0 contains instructions for two possible builds: The River Towers and the Cat Cottage. It also includes suggestions for three other possible builds, which should help get your creative juices flowing if you need Minecraft build ideas. The “Abandoned” Mine Set: #21166 Age Range: 7+ Piece Count: 248 Dimensions: 5” (14cm) high, 7” (19cm) wide, 4” (12cm) deep You play as Steve, on the hunt for mining materials. There's also a gimmick that allows you to create a rock slide, so you can crush the zombie, spider, or whatever else tries to stand in your way. The Fox Lodge Set: #21178 Age Range: 8+ Piece Count: 193 Dimensions: 3.5 in. (10 cm) high, 6.5 in. (17 cm) wide, 5 in. (12 cm) deep An animal-as-house build, the fox lodge is open in the back and comes with a detachable roof, allowing for access to the furnished interior. The outer shell is a facsimile of a Minecraft fox, curled up in slumber. The Iron Golem Fortress Set: #21250 Age Range:9+ Piece Count: 968 Dimensions: 9 in. (23 cm) high, 12.5 in. (31 cm) wide, 4.5 in. (12 cm) deep Another 2-in-1 build, the Iron Golem Fortress can transform into massive Iron Golem with articulable, moss-overgrown arms. At close to 1000 pieces, this set enables larger scale battles than the other, more compact builds. LEGO Minecraft FAQHow Many LEGO Minecraft Sets Are There? There are currently a total of 33 LEGO Minecraft sets available at the LEGO store. This includes 30 full sets, 2 video game sets, and 1 keychain. Are LEGO and Minecraft a Good Match? There's something charmingly redundant about crossing LEGO with Minecraft. One is based around physical building blocks. The other is based around digital building blocks. And now, we have physical blocks of those digital blocks. So If you're a digital builder who's looking to branch out into the physical world, Minecraft LEGO provides an easy gateway for that transition. View the full article

It feels extremely strange that Baldur's Gate 3 only came out a few months ago. It's been a ***** of a not-quite-year for the RPG, winning more awards than I can shake a stick of +3 shaking at, selling tons, and becoming renowned as one of the greatest RPGs of all time. With all that going on it hasn't been discounted too often, but it's just hit a new historical low on Steam in a brand new *****. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Baldur's Gate 3 price hits a new historical low in Steam Summer ***** Grab these amazing Steam Deck games for cheap in the Summer ***** Best RPG games on PC 2024 View the full article

World of Warcraft Remix: Mists of Pandaria is officially live, and according to the new user interface, it is set to run through August 19. This gives players just over three months to enjoy this new World of Warcraft PvE experience. View the full article

A Grand Theft Auto Online player has shared a weird moment they experienced in the game of their character getting mowed down by a car before they had even spawned in. GTA Online certainly has its odd moments, many of which are created by fellow players, and this is no exception. View the full article

Dragon Age Inquisition: Game of the Year Edition is free on the Epic Games Store until March 23. The critically acclaimed RPG is the first among several mystery freebies the company will reveal between now and the end of its "Mega *****" on June 13. The hit title includes all... Read Entire Article View the full article

In the aftermath of Ubisofts Assassins Creed: Shadows reveal, disgruntled gamers are flocking to Wikipedia to alter the page of one of the game's protagonists. The ability to play as the historical ****** samurai Yasuke offers the potential to explore a unique story in Assassins Creed: Shadows, yet these actions imply discontent towards Ubisofts choice to feature a ****** protagonist within the games ********* setting. View the full article

Surprises can be found even in a rivalry years in the making, and if T1 is pitted against G2 Esports in League of Legends, those surprises are almost a certainty. For the past two weeks, the 2024 Mid-Season Invitational has been giving fans thrilling matches, and the rematch between these two powerhouses is certain to be just as exciting. After their impressive victory against Top Esports earlier in the week, G2 has set their sights on their rematch against T1. With both teams showcasing their prowess in the first round of the Bracket Stage, anticipation is high for another thrilling showdown between these LoL Esports titans. View the full article

In 2022 Embracer acquired the rights to most media relating to The Lord of the Rings, a complex deal that nevertheless gives it control over pretty much everything to do with the series outside of the original books (which among other things remain controlled by the Tolkien estate). This operation is managed by a subsidiary set up for the purpose, Middle-earth Enterprises, and so far their main output has been a bit of a hangover from before it acquired the rights: a Gollum game so dodgy that it more-or-less ******* Daedelic as a developer... Read more.View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Steam users can currently claim 100% Orange Juice for free in a promotion that will continue until May 22. 100% Orange Juice is a digital multiplayer board game made by Orange_Juice and Fruitbat Factory back in 2013, and gamers have a limited time to claim this Steam game with 92% positive reviews. View the full article

Developer Player First Games has published a video that walks players through the new MultiVersus PvE Rift Mode ahead of its relaunch in a few weeks. The developer detailed the mode in a highlight video hosted by Scooby Doo’s Velma and Adventure Time’s Finn and Jake. While MultiVersus is known for its PvP modes that pit Warner Bros. icons against one another, Rifts offers players the chance to sharpen their skills with single-player and online co-op activities. Rifts launch players into gameplay scenarios with twists to keep you on your toes. Each Rift has Nodes that range from a standard battle to a mini-game challenge. One example of the many shown in the trailer sees Bugs Bunny attacking targets while collecting stars. Nodes also have unique mutators, which can add additional challenge or even story elements into the mix. As mini-games and bosses are taken down, players will earn Gems that can raise stats and grant special effects. Player First says Rifts give players an assortment of activities to enjoy outside of PvP, with more content said to be added in future updates. Player First has been busy prepping players for MultiVersus’ return later this month. Last week, it was announced that legendary DC Comics villain, Joker, would join its roster of playable Warner Bros. characters. He’ll be voiced by longtime actor Mark Hamill, reuniting him with the late Kevin Conroy, who provided his chops as Batman for the game before he passed. More information about the re-release was announced in March. MultiVersus launches for free on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X | S come May 28. For more, you can check out our 8/10 review of the project’s 2022 release. At the time, we said, “MultiVersus may not be a must-play at social gatherings, but its refreshing team-based battles make it a great platform fighter online.” Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx. Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe. View the full article

With the newest update to Disney Dreamlight Valley, players will need to help Merlin recover the Spark of Imagination, which includes helping Rapunzel with her "All The Right Notes" quest. This quest is one of three friendship quests that must be completed as part of the *******, A Bit Of Help From Your Friends quest. View the full article

The new rumored mount system mentioned in multiple Genshin Impact leaks about the region of Natlan is gaining even more traction with more alleged information as the game prepares for the arrival of the next Nation. Currently, the popular RPG by HoYoverse is in the middle of Version 4.6, a patch that brought forth a new area to the south of Fontaine and delved into the story of Remuria, the ancient kingdom that once took place where Fontaine now stands. Of course, this is also the patch that saw the addition of the playable version of Arlecchino in Genshin Impact. View the full article

One of the core gameplay aspects in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is wall running, but how to wall run and when Cal Kestis gains access to the ability might be something new players are curious about and returning players don't remember. Wall running is a crucial point of traversal in the game, and Cal will have to use it throughout the game through a fair number of platforming sections. It is also critical to finding new areas and collectibles, so knowing when the wall running is unlocked is vital. View the full article

Fortnite's latest collaboration may have already been revealed, with Jason from the legendary Friday the 13th franchise rumored to make an appearance. This new rumor stems from a new Friday the 13th-themed Twitter account, which is linked to Epic Games' official Fortnite account on the same platform. View the full article

A new cosmetic pack is now available for free in Fortnite, but you have to jump through some hoops to claim it.The Overclocked Combo Pack, which contains the Grindspeed Wrap and Codeshear Cloak Back Bling, can be added to your Fortnite account for free as long as you claim it from the correct place. PC players will have the easiest time doing this, but console players can still get it too.How to Get the Grindspeed Wrap and Codeshear Cloak Back Bling in FortniteTo get the Overclocked Combo Pack, you need to use the Epic Games Store on PC. Even though this is a PC storefront, the Grindspeed Wrap and Codeshear Cloak Back Bling will still show up in your Fortnite Locker after you claim them on PC as long as you sign in with the correct Epic Games account and everything is linked correctly.Once you’ve opened the Epic Games Store, find Fortnite and then click the three dots next to the title. Then, click “Explore Addons.” This will take you to a page with al...View the full article

Homeworld 3 is something of a time capsule. Arriving two full decades after the previous game in the main series, it feels like it's been dropped out of hyperspace from an alternate dimension, one where the initial '90s RTS ***** never faded into obscurity. For Homeworld 3, remarkably little has changed - this is the same balletic, fully 3D RTS combat the original two Homeworld games pioneered. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Is Homeworld 3 Steam Deck compatible? Best Homeworld 3 settings for max fps One of the most hyped RTS games of 2024 is already struggling on Steam View the full article

Take-Two Interactive has confirmed a more specific release window for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 from Rockstar: fall 2025. In the Q4 2024 Take-Two earnings call today, the publisher said it has narrowed the release for GTA 6 from the general 2025 time frame to specifically fall 2025, which should result in a release date between September and December. View the full article

A new Steam client has been released and will be automatically downloaded. General Fixed a bug that could result in non-primary steam library folders to be forgotten. Big Picture Fixed non-steam games not showing in search results in Big Picture mode. Fixed a 'long_value' error when playing a game that uses certain gyro configuration. Steam Input Reverted Joystick Deadzone "Raw/None" behavior to "Controller Default" Fixed Radial Menu selection on Release when bound to Joystick. Fixed Controller Settings Joystick Deadzone Preference using minimum value instead of default value. Fixed invisible glyphs in Gyro Button Picker Interface for Sony DualShock. Switch Pro controller: Restored "Capture" button as an available Gyro Activation Button View the full article

A new Steam client has been released and will be automatically downloaded. General Fixed a bug that could result in non-primary steam library folders to be forgotten. Big Picture Fixed non-steam games not showing in search results in Big Picture mode. Fixed a 'long_value' error when playing a game that uses certain gyro configuration. Steam Input Reverted Joystick Deadzone "Raw/None" behavior to "Controller Default" Fixed Radial Menu selection on Release when bound to Joystick. Fixed Controller Settings Joystick Deadzone Preference using minimum value instead of default value. Fixed invisible glyphs in Gyro Button Picker Interface for Sony DualShock. Switch Pro controller: Restored "Capture" button as an available Gyro Activation Button View the full article

If you’re itching to play XDefiant on PC, the real question is whether you can play it on Steam or Epic Games. Depending on the publisher or developer, games on PC can be available through different marketplaces. XDefiant: Can you play it on Steam or Epic Games?Unfortunately, XDefiant is not on Steam or Epic Games, but on Ubisoft Connect. Ubisoft games nowadays will be available to play on PC not through the usual Steam or Epic Games platforms, but through its own marketplace Ubisoft Connect. Launching on May 21 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, you’ll have to download the Ubisoft Connect launcher if you’re planning on playing this free-to-play multiplayer FPS. There is an abundance of weapons to switch between, classes to learn, and fun to have with this new Ubisoft game. Image: UbisoftYou can download the Ubisoft Connect launcher from the website, and this platform allows you to play practically all of Ubisoft’s newest and classic...View the full article

If you’re after the cloak toys in WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria, then you’ll need to collect a whole lot of threads of time. Here’s how to farm them, and count how many you have.Every way to get threads in WoW Remix: Mists of PandariaEvery player is given the Cloak of Infinite Potential when starting out in WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria. This item is a blank slate when you get it, but as you find different threads of time, you’ll benefit from a variety of stats buffs.Screenshot: PC InvasionDifferent threads of time will offer different stat increases:+1 Strength+2 Stamina+1 Critical Strike+1 Haste+1 Leech+1 Mastery+1 Speed+1 Versatility+1% Experience GainThese threads can be found in a variety of ways, from:Random drops by any enemyOpening Treasure ChestsFlying through Bronze Orbs scattered throughout PandariaCompleting dungeons, scenarios, and raidsOpening Cache of Infinite Treasure th...View the full article

We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Stable channel. General Fixed non-steam games not showing in search results. Fixed a bug that could result in non-primary steam library folders to be forgotten. Fixed a 'long_value' error when viewing the controller configurator under some conditions. Steam Input Reverted Joystick Deadzone "Raw/None" behavior to "Controller Default" Fixed Radial Menu selection on Release when bound to Joystick. Fixed Controller Settings Joystick Deadzone Preference using minimum value instead of default value. Fixed invisible glyphs in Gyro Button Picker Interface for Sony DualShock. Switch Pro controller: Restored "Capture" button as an available Gyro Activation Button View the full article

It’s safe to say that Gray Zone Warfare isn’t trying to be an accessible extraction shooter like Call of Duty Warzone’s DMZ mode, but rather one for the ********* realism set who want to feel the thrill of high-stakes victory and the agony of bleeding out after getting shot in the leg as you try to limp toward the chopper. Not everyone wants to fuss with deciding between 7.32 parabellum vs full metal jacket rounds, or dealing with the fact that 5.56x59mm rounds don’t fit in a magazine for 5.56x72mm. But for those who do, it serves that audience fairly well in its early access state – at least, when it isn’t crashing, failing to register clear hits, or making you and your friends wait in line for your ride home. You and your four-person squad undertake very basic missions into hostile territory, completing tasks, clearing AI enemies, and gathering gear or quest items to take back with you. Dying on the battlefield means any equipment on you is lost, as you respawn empty handed back at camp, which does a great job making every ****** feel consequential. It is often possible to find your corpse and retrieve your lost gear, but you run the risk of others scavenging your goods, or dying on the retrieval attempt, and having your body despawn, which is effective at reinforcing an exciting sense of tension. That loop of deploy, ******, and extract is engaging thanks to challenging combat, and the irresistible pull of new and better equipment. The battlefield and equipment strongly resemble the Vietnam war era, and in keeping with that setting, surviving out there is appropriately tough. Enemies, be they AI combatants or humans from opposing factions, are observant and accurate enough to pump rounds into you with lethal efficiency if you give them the chance. The sense of danger is palpable and exciting. The sense of danger is palpable and exciting. They are also durable, capable of shrugging off a surprising amount of **** shots and stab wounds. Some of that can be attributed to Gray Zone Warfare’s ambitious realistic damage system. There are no “hit points” per se; instead, bodies attempt to simulate the actual effects of wounds. You won’t be able to instantly take down a bad guy by ********* them in their limbs or much of their torso, but shots to the right part of the chest or head can do the job. It elevates the importance of very accurate ********* in a way that I really like: it’s more challenging and more rewarding when you lock into a John-Wick like Zen state and decimate your adversaries with deadly precision. If it catches on, this could forever end the “LOL I ******* you by ********* your foot” phenomenon of video game shooters. However, when you’re on the receiving end it’s a great example of where simulation and fun are often at odds. Sure, you can often shrug off incoming non-lethal damage and ****** a bit longer. But those wounds still exist, and eventually bleeding out after a firefight you “won” is pretty common. There are field medical options like bandages, splints, and medicines, but even if you successfully keep the looming specter of ****** at bay, your wounded warrior is extremely compromised and a lot ******* to enjoy. It’s frustrating and anticlimactic to gear up with a squad for a deep incursion into ****** territory, only to have to limp back to extraction after the first time bullets fly because you took a few unfortunate hits. If I wanted to suffer the consequences of my sloppy mistakes in battle, I’d enlist. If I wanted to suffer the consequences of my sloppy mistakes in battle, I’d enlist. But of course, the most frustrating times are the too frequent occasions when the damage system just doesn’t work because hit registration is unreliable. Shots that appear to be on the mark do no damage whatsoever. Tickets to the **** Show Not every bullet is realistic, but the weapons sure are – to a fault, sometimes. Take one of your starting guns, for example: the M4 rifle. While it’s hard to find a military shooter that doesn’t use the M4A1 carbine, often with a few choices of optional accessories, GZW drills down to its individual parts to an impressive degree. Want to trade in the better handling of your short barrel for the great accuracy of a longer one? Sure. Interested in that scope? Better grab the mount first, because it won’t just clip onto the *******’s frame by itself. It’s impressive that you can buy and swap in over a dozen parts to essentially build your own M4 from scratch, transforming it from a compact and lightweight **** for close-up fighting into something longer with powerful optics to use as a versatile ******* rifle. It’s fascinating how in-depth it is… and what an absolute pain in the **** it can be to figure out if you aren’t already a walking encyclopedia of **** parts. You can either just guess and check which parts fit together through trial and error, or jump online and learn about how it all assembles in real life. Being dense isn’t necessarily a bad thing – it’s actually one of the things I really like about GZW – but the lack of any sort of tooltips or tutorialization stands out as a big miss because it turns away people who would be interested to learn about how these guns work if it would bother to teach us. Even if you know the broad strokes, such as how hollow point rounds are a better choice for unarmored enemies because of the size of wounds they create, figuring out how to use them is way too cumbersome. It’s fascinating how in-depth it is… and what an absolute pain in the **** it can be to figure out. But assuming you can get over that hump, once you are geared up it’s time to head out into the field. The options here are pretty limited in the current early access version, however. You can either run around the open-world map getting into fights and gathering loot off of fallen enemies, or work through a list of tasks handed out by vendors in your camp who generally send you out into the world to find or ***** something. They do a good job pushing you to interesting areas, like new towns or ****** hideouts, and the loot that you’re rewarded with at the end is often excellent. This issue with tasks comes primarily from the shared-world nature of GZW. With multiple squads all spread around the map ********* at anything that moves, it is all too common for targets to be ***** before you arrive, so you have to twiddle your thumbs until the enemies respawn. That can take around 15 minutes, and hiding in a corner somewhere waiting, hoping no other squads come through in that time to take the *****, isn’t much fun. There are also frequently objectives that’re literally locked behind doors, and the keys to open them are painfully infrequent random drops from enemies. Each key only works in one specific lock, and it’s a common enough problem that players have built coordinated key exchanges. It’s testament to what I’ve found to be a very helpful and supporting player base, but it’s ultimately a community driven Band-Aid for an unnecessary self-inflicted wound. The map is really effective at using geography as an almost natural level-select tool. At least you’ll have some sights to take in while you’re waiting around, because GZW is already a very good looking game. It’s genuinely impressive how lush and full the more than 40 square kilometers of jungles, towns, and rice are on this vaguely Southeast ****** island. Dense foliage reaches far and wide and character models look great, as does the equipment, whether it’s the lovingly recreated weapons or the ‘90s-style fannypack you “liberated” from its former owner. It would be easy for that much landmass to feel empty, particularly with the lack of drivable vehicles, but here it’s really well ***** out: There’s enough space between fights to take a breather, but it’s dense enough that action is never far away. Towns near starting areas are crawling with lightly armored AI enemies, but the troops you encounter become more dangerous the farther you push. Finally, there’s a ******* focus on PvP in the zones where the player factions intersect. The map is really effective at using geography as an almost natural level-select tool, and I appreciate the sense that I was in control of what sort of challenge I was in the mood to take on. Pay-To-Win Edition? Gray Zone doesn’t currently have any microtransactions, but the monetization strategy is troublesome. There are four editions to choose from. The Standard version retails for $35, upgrading to the Tactical, Elite, and Supporter Edition add $23, $45, and $65, respectively. Each offers increases in storage and starting weapons as you go. You can earn all of those weapons in-game, so it’s not more egregious than the typical “time-saving” option, but there’s a catch: We’re expecting total account resets with future updates, so you will be returned to whatever starting equipment comes in your specific edition multiple times. In other words, GZW lets you pay more to have better gear, and even if a standard-edition player grinds hard to catch up they’ll have to do that multiple times to overcome your paid advantage. That amplifies the unfortunate pay-to-win feeling of this system. [/url] But, unsurprisingly for an early access game, it doesn’t run well right now. I had squadmates with solid PCs that would struggle with low framerates much of the time. Even my beefy RTX 3090 dips down into the 20 frames per second range when moving quickly through the jungle, which is not great when accuracy matters so much. Similarly, you need to be prepared for crashes to desktop, items disappearing from your inventory, and character models missing their heads (without having been shot there yet), to name a few issues my squad and I encountered. At this point you have to be willing to chalk up some frustrating losses that don’t have anything to do with errors you make on the battlefield. To their credit, the development team has continued to release fixes at a pretty regular cadence, but it’s impossible to know how long it’ll take to get Gray Zone out of this danger zone. One of the areas in need of a fix is the faction system, particularly because you can only have one character on your account. When you start it up you select one of three private military contractors to represent, which is a permanent but fairly meaningless decision because they all have the same missions, gear, and vendors to pick from. There are two issues with this, and the first is that it’s a missed opportunity to create more distinct identities between groups (hopefully one that’ll be corrected). Instead, the only functional difference is which edge of the map your base of operations will occupy. But the larger issue with the faction system is you can only form squads with people in the same company as you, so if you want to play with friends you either need to all decide in advance which team to represent, or someone is going to have to delete their character entirely and start from scratch in the correct faction. Losing all your money, weapons, and task progress just to play with friends is tragically bitter pill to ********. As you explore farther and farther around the region you unlock various landing zones, which are critically important given how big the area is and how long walking back to base can take. The good news is that calling in a chopper to ferry you to or from a mission is easily done from the map, and the few minutes it usually takes to wait for extraction can be tense and exciting. The bad news is that our military contractors cheaped out when it came to buying birds, because each faction only has four at their disposal. “Request denied” is an aggravatingly frequent thing to hear when you are trying to hitch a ride, and it’s completely out of your control whether other teams are ahead of you in line. Worse, the helicopters aren’t immediately free once they finish a dropoff – you need to wait for them to fly off the map before they can come back and get you. It’s another unnecessary obstacle to fun, and an all too common frustrating waste of time. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Earlier this month, Take-Two announced a cost reduction plan that included project cancellations, the layoffs of 5% of its workforce, and other spending cuts. Amid this announcement came reports based on internal documentation that seemed to confirm Take-Two was closing OlliOlli World developer Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 developer Intercept Games. But when I asked Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick in a call today why these closures happened, he told me, "We didn't shutter those studios": We didn't shutter those studios, to be clear. And we are always looking at our release schedule across all of our studios to make sure that it makes sense. So we are being very judicious because we are in the middle of a cost reduction program that we've already concluded and are now fully rolling out. We've announced that we're saving $165 million in existing and future costs, but we haven't shuttered anything. The reports, which came both from a WARN Act notice pointed out by Game Developer and internal documentation by Bloomberg, seemed pretty definitive, so this was a surprising response. I followed up by asking Zelnick if he was denying the reports, at which point a PR representative for the company stepped in with the following: What we've said is, in the 8-K filing that we put out we talked about the cost reduction plan is approximately 5% reduction in headcount worldwide, but we did not give a label-by-label breakdown of what that looks like. I tried one more time, asking if the studios existed or not. PR reiterated that "We have not provided any additional ****** beyond what I just said." "We just tend to leave those announcements to the label, so we're not trying to be cute or difficult today. If you're wondering what to make of all this, you're in good company. The WARN Act notice for Intercept Games in Seattle specified a "closure" as the reason for the layoffs of 70 people, which is roughly the entire total of all the employees there. It does seem possible Take-Two has somehow folded both of these studios into Private Division, given that the label will be taking up maintenance of Kerbal Space Program 2 going forward. I asked Zelnick if we should take these reports as a sign that Private Division itself is in some kind of trouble: I don't think so. I think, as I said, we're reviewing all of the projects company-wide, and sometimes we do have to make hard choices. We just tend to leave those announcements to the label, we don't tend to talk about them, so we're not trying to be cute or difficult today. It's just that we don't tend to bring those discussions into these meetings. In a follow-up email, Take-Two PR clarified that the "entire organization" contributed to cost-saving efforts, and that Private Division was still planning on supporting games such as Moon Studio's No Rest for the Wicked, and upcoming games Tales of the Shire and an unrevealed Gamefreak project the publisher announced last year. On our last few calls, Zelnick had told me that the company was in "growth-mode" and, as recently as February, that it had "no current plans" for layoffs. He's spoken before about the state of the industry post-pandemic, noting that other companies undergoing layoffs had gotten "a little **** and happy during the pandemic" and had overspent as a result. But now, he's admitting that Take-Two is, at least to some degree, in that some boat: We were very fortunate during the pandemic, we did really well as did many of our competitors. But I said, when asked during the pandemic, that we expected post-pandemic demand to be below that of the pandemic demand, but above pre-pandemic demand, and that's exactly what did happen. That said, I think we did get out over our skis a little bit, and I think we were overly ambitious in terms of building a fixed overhead. We have this three-part strategy to be the most creative, the most innovative, the most efficient company in the business, and I'm not sure we were delivering fully on the promise of efficiency. The hardest thing I do as a chief executive is part ways with friends and colleagues, and that's always the last choice we make. We always try to find efficiencies elsewhere, through vendors, the way we structure, through operations. At times, though, it's unavoidable, and this is one of those moments. So we are reducing our headcount by about 5%. It doesn't feel good to do it, but it is our obligation to be a really efficient business, and the good news is we do feel like we're structured really well going forward and we have the right amount of operating leverage, so as we bring this new pipeline to bear, we will generate the results that reflect that. As for Intercept Games and Roll7, the prognosis still doesn't seem great. What's even stranger is that this isn't the first time Take-Two has done something like this to a Kerbal Space Program developer in particular. Back in 2020, a studio called Star Theory was making Kerbal Space Program 2 before Private Division took the game away from them. While some employees were moved to Intercept Games, the rest were left adrift to desperately pitch new projects to save the studio...only to have the COVID-19 pandemic cut off their pitching opportunities and lead to the studio's closure. 2K Marin was similarly closed quietly, without Take-Two formally acknowledging the change. Today, Take-Two Interactive reported full year net revenue of $5.35 billion, and a net loss of $3.7 billion. A significant portion of the reported loss is connected to impairment charges and business reorganization charges related to the company's cost-reduction programs, leading to operating expenses that were up 69% year-over-year. Take-Two also announced it expects to release Grand Theft Auto 6 in the fall of 2025, while Grand Theft Auto 5 surpassed 200 million units sold life to date. Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected]. View the full article