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Loosely based on the narrative board game Vampire: The Masquerade - Chapters, Eternal Whispers explicitly claims inspiration from Disco Elysium. View the full article

A popular tool on Windows - Cheat Engine recently gained a Linux version, so you can mess with your games under Linux now too. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

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Nintendo may only receive a $30,000 payout if it wins its high-profile legal battle with Palworld developer Pocketpair, an IP expert has said. But it's looking increasingly likely that Nintendo will lose. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are currently embroiled in ongoing litigation with Pocketpair in Japan, with patents that revolve around how Pokémon games work at the heart of the lawsuit. Palworld arrived on Steam priced $30 and launched straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC in early 2024, breaking sales and concurrent player number records in the process. Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe has said Palworld's launch was so big that the developer couldn’t handle the massive profits the game generated. Still, Pocketpair acted swiftly to capitalize on Palworld’s breakout success, signing a deal with Sony to form a new business called Palworld Entertainment that’s tasked with expanding the IP. It later launched the game on PS5. After Palworld’s huge launch, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of "ripping off" Pokémon designs. But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company went down the patent route. In the initial lawsuit, the two companies called for 5 million yen (approx $30,000) each plus late payment damages, as well as an injunction against Palworld that would block its release. In November 2024, Pocketpair confirmed the three Japan-based patents, which revolve around catching Pokémon in a virtual field, it was being sued over. Palworld did include a mechanic that involved throwing a ball-like object (called a Pal Sphere) at monsters out in a field to capture them, similar to the mechanic seen in the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Pocketpair subsequently made changes to Palworld it admitted were the direct result of the legal threats. Patch v0.3.11, released in November 2024, removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres and instead changed it to a static summon next to the player. Several other game mechanics were also changed with this patch. At the time, Pocketpair said that if it hadn’t made these changes to Palworld, “the alternative would have led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience for players.” Then, in May last year, Pocketpair changed the game again so that gliding would be performed using a glider rather than with Pals. Pocketpair called these changes “compromises” the studio was being forced to make out of fear of an injunction being granted that could block the development and ***** of Palworld. “We understand that this will be disappointing for many, just as it is for us, but we hope our fans understand that these changes are necessary in order to prevent further disruptions to the development of Palworld,” Pocketpair said at the time. Now, writing on games fray, IP expert Florian Mueller said that late last year, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company amended the scope of their claims so the case was limited to older versions of Palworld, as opposed to all Palworld versions. The belief here is that they did so because of the changes Pocketpair made to the way Palworld worked in response to the lawsuit, as outlined above. The upshot of this, Mueller said, is that “we cannot see any pathway to victory over any current or very recent Palworld version (nor Palworld 1.0, which should launch soon) for Nintendo. There will be no injunction with real-world impact.” And even if Nintendo wins its case against the older versions of Palworld, the most it could get in terms of a payout is 5 million yen (approx. $30,000). “That is chump change for either party, and just a rounding error compared to Nintendo’s litigation expenses,” Mueller. That’s because there was only a short window, with limited sales volume in Japan only, for which Nintendo can seek damages. Nintendo brought divisional patent applications only after Palworld’s launch in January 2024, and Pocketpair made changes to the way the game works that November. “Even if we assume, for the sake of the argument, that there was some infringement in 2024, it was a short *******, the sales volume was limited, and Nintendo cannot recover damages on worldwide sales in Japan: a Japanese patent is valid only in Japan, like a U.S. patent is valid only in the United States,” Mueller explained. “This litigation is no longer about anything serious in commercial terms. It’s about a hypothetical injunction that doesn’t apply to current product versions and (if anything) a small damages award for a ******* during which Pocketpair generated limited new sales in Japan.” Could Nintendo pivot away from its patent claim and take on Pocketpair with a fresh lawsuit in another country? That’s one option, but Mueller said that Nintendo may be put off doing because of how hard it's been to obtain game-rule patents in key jurisdictions. For example, in April, the USPTO rejected Nintendo’s controversial 'summon character and let it fight' Pokémon patent, after it was heavily criticized by IP lawyers. We should get some resolution to all this later this year. The court has scheduled a presentation of evidence for October 1, and will express an opinion on November 9, 2026. Meanwhile, Palworld 1.0 fast approaches: it’s due out July 10. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

A decade after the global craze for Pokémon Go peaked, an AI company has been using billions of real-world images captured by millions of players to develop navigation technologies for delivery robots and possibly military drones. That represents an intriguing but potentially discomfiting legacy for an augmented reality mobile game that has incentivized gamers to capture short smartphone videos of physical neighborhoods and landmarks. The AI company, Niantic Spatial, was spun out of Pokémon Go game developer Niantic in May 2025, after Niantic separately sold its licensed games such as Pokémon Go to the Saudi-backed video game publisher Scopely. But before that deal, Niantic publicly announced plans to use scans from millions of Pokémon Go players along with data captured by users of the company’s Scaniverse app to train and develop a “large geospatial model”—a 3D model of the physical world trained on the geolocated images provided by app users scanning real-world locations. “Ground scans were one component to help train Niantic Spatial's real-world foundation models —AI systems that learn to recognize and interpret physical spaces,” a Niantic Spatial spokesperson told Ars. “The models are the product of that training, not a copy of or a means of accessing the underlying scans, which were of public points of interest such as statues and fountains.” Read full article Comments View the full article

Eets was the first game made by Don't Starve developer Klei Entertainment, which just got updated for their 20th anniversary along with a Native Linux version. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Announced alongside a funding round led by Arbitrum Gaming Ventures and BITKRAFT Ventures. View the full article

Hercules is on a mission to help Phil get one of his favorite items out of storage in Disney Dreamlight Valley. Unfortunately, this mission goes awry, as things tend to in the valley, so your help is needed to navigate The Grecian Urn quest. This task is a crucial one to work through if you want to build your friendship with Hercules. Like all friendship missions, it comes with some tricky parts, so here’s a complete walkthrough for The Grecian Urn quest in Disney Dreamlight Valley. Table of contentsHow to complete The Grecian Urn in Disney Dreamlight ValleyVisit the Dream CastlePick up the Grecian Urn FragmentsTalk to Mirabel about art restorationGather the resources to craft some Conservator’s Gluehttps://embeds.beehiiv.com/a8d62108-86ed-4039-bf49-44877ba62c15 How to complete The Grecian Urn in Disney Dreamlight Valley Screenshot by Destructoid Visit the Dream Castle To get things moving, head to the Dream Castle in the middle of the Plaza biome. Once you’re inside, head right to meet up with Hercules near Phil’s Grecian Urn. Talk to Hercules to see what he needs from you. Pick up the Grecian Urn Fragments Phil wanted help moving his ancient Grecian Urn out of the castle, but Hercules gets a little too confident carrying it and breaks it almost immediately, so it’s up to you to find a fix. Start by picking up all eight Grecian Urn Fragments from the ground around the castle. Talk to Mirabel about art restoration Mirabel’s an expert at fixing what’s broken, so track her down around the valley and chat with her to see if she can offer any helpful guidance for your tricky situation. Luckily, she does, which means you can officially move on to fixing things. Gather the resources to craft some Conservator’s Glue This guide is a work in progress and is receiving live updates with additional details. Refresh to see the latest additions. /wp-content/themes/destructoid2025/assets/img/icons/likes-off.png0 The post The Grecian Urn quest walkthrough in Disney Dreamlight Valley appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The Genshin Impact 6.7 livestream is set to occur soon, bringing forth information about the highly anticipated new character, the banner layout for the *******, story details, events, and much more. The action RPG is already in the final leg of the 6.X patch cycle, working to leave Nod-Krai behind and soon move into Snezhnaya. The Genshin Impact Snezhnaya livestream in April showcased a bit of what players will be able to look forward to once the Nation of Cryo is officially released. View the full article

Would you be prepared to accept adverts in services such as Xbox Game Pass if it meant a lower price point? Newly arrived Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball has clarified comments made during a recent interview regarding the potential for "more affordable alternatives" supported by ads. After pointing out that he has just started his role at Xbox and is not stating the company's plans or beliefs, Ball emphasizes that he did not mention any in-game advertising. In fact, he personally thinks anything that interrupts your experience would be a mistake. Read the full story on PCGamesN: Xbox's Chief Strategy Officer says ads can offer "more affordable alternatives," but believes in-game interruptions "would be bad" View the full article

Games are so frequently given away for free on Steam that it is a surprise anyone needs to buy anything on the platform. From AAA titles to underrated masterpieces, if one is fast enough, they can build an entire Steam library out of just the games handed out for 100% off. Of course, in order to get these games, users have to know when they're fully discounted and grab them quickly, as the discount ******* rarely lasts long. View the full article

Pokopia is set to get a massive new expansion, ushering in loads of new content in all areas of the game. If you’re excited to see this world expand, you’ll likely want to know what new features to expect and when you can actually start playing with them. There’s plenty to do and see in Pokopia already, but this exciting expansion pass promises to introduce even more ways to play and delve deeper with your adorable Pokémon friends. If you’ve been liking what the base game has to offer, the DLC is sure to bring you even more to enjoy, so here’s when the expansion pass will be released and all the new features it’s bringing to Pokopia. Table of contentsWhen does the Pokopia expansion pass release?All Pokopia expansion pass featuresPokopia expansion pass pricehttps://embeds.beehiiv.com/a8d62108-86ed-4039-bf49-44877ba62c15 When does the Pokopia expansion pass release? Screenshot by Destructoid The expansion pass for Pokopia has three separate release dates, with three individual waves of new content slowly launching over time. The first phase of this expansion pass is called Bubbly Basin, and is set to drop sometime in August 2026. An exact release date within this month hasn’t been shared yet. The second phase of this expansion pass includes additional new features and is slated to launch sometime in late 2026. The third phase of the expansion pass features an additional new town to explore and will become available sometime in 2027. All Pokopia expansion pass features The expansion pass for Pokopia adds new content in just about every area of the game. Many details haven’t been revealed just yet, but there’s still quite a bit we do already know about it. Here’s a full breakdown of all features we know are included in the DLC so far. Dive move – With this DLC, Ditto can learn a new move called Dive. This ability allows you to venture underwater to explore, plant grass, build structures, and more. Bubbly Basin biome – A new underwater area called Bubbly Basin will become available to explore. New Pokémon – As this pass allows you to venture to new areas, you’ll also find plenty of new friends to unlock. There are many new Pokémon featured in this DLC. So far, the ones that have been revealed include: Mudkip Popplio Swampert Crawdaunt Marshtomp Brionne Corphish Manaphy Primarina New habitats – New Pokémon need a place to call home, so this DLC will add new habitats you can make for them. It’s also possible some of these creatures may be added to existing habitats. New items – The expansion pass has an array of new items you can unlock, including outfits, furniture, and more. Screenshot by Destructoid Pokopia expansion pass price The Pokopia expansion pass costs $34.99. This price includes all three phases of the DLC. Although it’s not out yet, you can already visit the Nintendo eShop to purchase it ahead of time. Purchasing the DLC unlocks the special Dynamic Ditto set, which includes blocks and wallpaper you can use to decorate. Additionally, if you buy it before Aug. 31, 2027, you can claim 30 rare Pokémetal ingots as an extra prize. There’s plenty to enjoy while you wait for the DLC to arrive. You might consider checking out some of the best Pokopia builds, all limited-time events, and learning how to get Shellos. /wp-content/themes/destructoid2025/assets/img/icons/likes-off.png0 The post Pokopia expansion pass release date and all new features appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

No hard date set yet for where Crimson Moon will land in a busy month. View the full article

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Anyone keeping up with the many updates Pearl Abyss has been pumping out for Crimson Desert will know that the developer has leaned heavily into the **** aspect of the game. Various patches have expanded how Crimson Desert pets work, fleshing out the systems that make use of them, increasing the number of animals that can become pets, and even adding new animations for when you interact with them. Now, Crimson Desert’s latest patch cements the game’s status as a genuine **** simulator by adding new challenges that let you register up to 100 pets. That’s a big jump and will surely see players build sizeable animal armies, if that’s the kind of thing they’re into of course. There are some limiting factors here. You can only summon up to 50 pets at camp, even if you have more than 50 pets registered. But still, 50 pets running around… good luck keeping track! But that’s not all that’s interesting about update 1.11.00 (patch notes, courtesy of the Crimson Desert website, are below). It also lets Damiane and Oongka, the two secondary playable characters who are now pretty much on par with Kliff following changes made to the game since launch, equip the Mining Drill and Chainsaw. And here’s an interesting new system: shopkeepers will begin collecting and reselling lost rare equipment. Lost equipment, obtained from treasure chests, quests, and other methods, will be sold at a higher price than their original value, but it’s great for convenience. Pearl Abyss just this week announced Crimson Desert had sold 6 million copies, a huge milestone that comes less than three months after the game went on *****. Pearl Abyss has released game-changing updates for Crimson Desert on an almost weekly basis since launch, improving sentiment around the game. It’s done so well that Pearl Abyss paid out a performance bonus to staff valued at approximately $3,400. The news came hot on the heels of Pearl Abyss’ announcement of a summer roadmap of content, as well as confirmation that DLC is in development. Crimson Desert update 1.11.00 patch notes:New AdditionsAdded new challenges that allow you to register more pets.You can now register up to 100 pets.However, you can only summon up to 50 pets at camp even if you have more than 50 pets registered.Added reward items for the existing **** challenge that increases the number of pets you can register.If you have already completed the relevant challenge, you will receive the items retroactively.Added a dedicated map icon for baby wyverns.[Damiane/Oongka] Can now equip the Mining Drill and Chainsaw. Major Improvements Content Shopkeepers will begin collecting and reselling lost rare equipment.Rare equipment obtained from treasure chests, quests, and other methods can now be purchased from shops if lost.These items will be sold at a higher price than their original value.Lost equipment will become available in shops within 7 days of being lost.Improved the pinball minigame and lowered its difficulty.Adjusted the ball to move with a slightly heavier feel.Reduced the occurrence of an issue where the ball would pass through walls.Adjusted the positions of pins and removed some fixed pins.Reduced the occurrence of an issue where the ball would often get stuck in the upper-left area.Adjusted the force and launch angle when the ball is launched from the portal.Fixed an issue where the ball would fall when bounced off the launcher.Fixed an issue where the Sigil of Solidarity could not be used in certain situations.Improved pets so that their names are kept when they grow.Fixed an issue where the wyvern would be summoned in an unmountable state.Kuku bird eggs and Wyvern eggs are no longer stackable.Improved mounts so that they are no longer summoned in dangerous zones.Improved foul detection in the duel minigame. Controls [Controller] Buttons for opening Inventory, Map, Skills, Journal, and Photo Mode can now be assigned.Fixed an issue where dismounting from a wyvern midair would cause the player to automatically remount it.Fixed an issue where certain housing items could not be moved after being taken out in Housing Mode. Combat / Action [Damiane/Oongka] Fixed an issue where the amount of Spirit recovered did not increase even after leveling up "Focus."Improved Wyvern mounts so that players can use "Axiom Force" to mount them without learning "Back Hang."Adjusted the attack patterns of Golem monsters.Improved "Explosive Evasive Shot" and "Multishot" so that additional effects trigger when using them with special arrows equipped. UI Improved images for certain animals, Knowledge entries, and Guides.Fixed an issue where names of animals would appear as ??? at the Rancher's Shop.Fixed an issue where the experience UI would not appear after feeding a ****. Localization Fixed various localization errors and improved localization quality across all languages. Others [Oongka] Fixed an issue where using "Scatter Shot" while clinging to a wall would not consume any cannonballs.Fixed an issue where the bonus yield effect did not function properly when using the drill while clinging to a wall.Fixed an issue where the "Depth of Field" could not be disabled in Photo Mode.Fixed an issue where Blackstar and wyverns would walk into water in certain situations.Fixed an issue where attacking with a wyvern on land would consume an excessive amount of stamina."Flower Basket" has been added to the Hernand Provisioner's Shop, and "Ranged Weapons of the World - Bows, Vol. I" has been added to the Hernand Equipment Shop.Fixed an issue where feeding would consume two food items on Hard difficulty.The Knowledge entry for "Irkyn" can now be obtained after completing the quest to repair the kiln at the Kilnden Workshop. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

Previously known as Designated Demigod, this RPG has you learn and master combos View the full article

The game is planned to be in Early Access for about one year. View the full article

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Xbox says it’s aware of an issue in Forza Horizon 6 which has seen some players losing their save files. In a post on the official Forza support page, the game’s development team says it’s “investigating an issue impacting some Forza Horizon 6 players where game save progress may be lost or reset”. As it continues to investigate the situation, it has advised that anyone who loses their save should immediately open a ticket on the Forza Support website, which will let the team investigate the issue and improve the chances of the save being restored. Read More... View the full article

The director of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy says modern RPGs need to feature more player agency, to discourage players from choosing to watch streams instead. In an interview with 4Gamer, Naoki Hamaguchi explained that these days if an RPG simply has the player following a predetermined path without much scope to change it, the experience will be the same for everyone. As such, he argued, some players will be happy enough just watching an influencer playing the game on a stream, instead of buying it. Read More... View the full article

Now that we've had a chance to go hands-on, Control Resonant is looking to be quite the sequel View the full article

Meet Biance and Nera as they travel to the Kingdom of Witherwood to search for the fabled Leaves of Life. View the full article

A vastly improved battle system buoys what is otherwise a polarizing conclusion to the Utawarerumono franchise. View the full article

Dark Souls 4 remains one of the most hotly debated sequels in modern gaming, but the chances of it actually happening seem extremely low. FromSoftware’s Dark Souls trilogy is widely viewed by fans and its developers as a complete story, with Dark Souls 3 serving as a satisfying endpoint for most longtime FromSoft fans. View the full article

The Forza support team has issued a new statement explaining it is investigating an issue within Forza Horizon 6 that is causing save game progress to be lost or reset. The statement does not outline what may be at the root of the problem, but a theory has quickly formulated within the Forza Horizon 6 community that it may be related to certain cars – most of which have been recently made available to win in-game. While there remain players who maintain they are using these cars without incident, the loose consensus so far is that players should otherwise steer clear of the 1993 Schuppan 962CR, the 2003 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning, the 1988 Lamborghini Countach LP5000QV, the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, and the 2020 Wuling Sunshine S Forza Edition – and they should specifically avoid painting them, applying liveries or decals, or sharing designs. If you’ve been impacted by save game loss, the Forza support team is asking affected players to immediately open a ticket on the Forza Support website. “This will allow our team to investigate your case and attempt to recover your save profile by reverting your progress back to an earlier save,” writes the team. “We highly advise that you submit your ticket the same day the issue occurs to increase the chances of recovery.” It stressed that you should not start new sessions or create any new saves until your support request has been reviewed. On top of this it’s being recommended that players on Xbox Series X|S consoles disable Quick Resume for Forza Horizon 6. The support team also recommends making sure you’re online when quitting the game, giving the game a moment to sync to the cloud before powering off, not force quitting during saving, and not powering off during gameplay. Players who switch between devices (whether between separate consoles, or from PC to cloud gaming) are warned to take additional care. “Before turning off your console, shutting down your PC, or force closing the Steam app, give your devices or clients at least a few minutes to ensure your latest progress has been synchronized with the cloud,” says the team. “This will reduce the risk of progress reversions as you switch between different platforms. Xbox Series X|S consoles, Steam, and the Xbox app on PC all include game save indicators that confirm your progress has been synced.” It would unfortunately appear that there may be something else to fear in the otherwise fantastic Forza Horizon 6 other than the menace of bowie knife99. Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff. View the full article