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A new video from Youtuber Destin Legarie includes a number of allegations about Destiny 2 and Marathon developers Bungie from anonymous former employees. Amongst other things, we hear that Bungie staff once proposed a Destiny subscription model, but were "vehemently shut down" by leaders. There are also lots of claims about toxic, unaccountable management, and some throwaway insights about how the company's culture has changed in the course of being acquired by Sony. Read more View the full article

Lies of P's upcoming DLC, Overture, will introduce difficulty options for the very first time. As a "Soulslike" game, Lies of P can be punishingly difficult, especially for inexperienced players perhaps attracted by Lies of P's dark story and setting. Director Jiwon Choi said at the time, however, the team didn't think Soulslike games should have difficulty options and it shipped without any. Now it seems Neowitz has changed its mind, and confirmed the change was informed after the studio listened carefully to feedback from players. “We wanted to make sure a wider audience of players could play the game,” Choi told VGC. "We have a lot of feedback from customers, and from our developers. So by making development adjustments and introducing these difficulty options, we can offer the experience to different types of players. This broadens the base.” Players are now debating why the game's director "change[d] his mind," with one writing: "I would imagine it's a lot easier to say that you don't want to change the difficulty than to be inundated with negative reviews over it and have it constantly be brought up during discussions of your game and not have any urge to change it so a broader audience can enjoy what you made." "I got into gaming around the age of 24. I'm using the easier difficulty settings because, as much as I love Lies of P, I have a major skill issue, and that's okay," explained another. "I just thought it would be nice hearing why someone would reasonably want the difficulty settings. I never got to own any systems when I was a kid, so now I can as a working adult who doesn't have 10+ years of skills." "Souls elitists don't want difficulty because they like bragging about their video game achievements. I'm glad Lies of P is not servicing them," added this player. Not everyone's impressed, though, as the Steam discussion forums and social media attests. "Was interested in playing, but after all the nerfs and adding difficulty levels, I lost interest. Game devs, please stop catering to babies," wrote this player on the discussion forums, although almost of the replies to that thread support the developer's new position. Another wrote: "You had a masterpiece on your hands Neowitz, and you turned it into laughing stock. For shame." A different thread entitled "Difficulty settings = Not playing" is directly above another from someone who's actually tried the game and wrote: "difficulty is just ridiculous." Lies of P is a unique, darker twist on the classic story of Pinocchio, offering a challenging action game with a unique "lie" system where what you do and say dynamically affects gameplay. The upcoming new DLC — which features new locations, new enemies and bosses, new characters, and new weapons — also introduces Death March, a new mode that enables you to face off against the game's myriad of bosses all over again. In all, the DLC will take experienced players roughly 15-20 hours to complete, and will unlock once they’ve passed a “certain” chapter of the game. Neowiz has also already announced a full-blown sequel to Lies of P. We had a good time with Lies of P, awarding it 8/10, writing: "Lies of P might not branch out particularly far from its soulslike inspiration, but it plays the part extremely well." Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky. View the full article

The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann has answered a key fan question behind the first game's memorable finale, and revealed information that has affected some fans' views of Joel's big moral choice — and left other saying they'd have prefered not knowing. Warning! Spoilers for The Last of Us Part 1 follow. Joel's decision to save Ellie, or rather, to ******* a load of doctors who were planning to use Ellie's immunity to create a cure that could have saved mankind, has always been shrouded in a level of ambiguity. Within the original game, as well as The Last of Us' HBO TV adaptation, it was never explicitly confirmed whether a cure could actually have been possible, and if so, whether it actually would have worked. Because of this, Joel's actions can be seen through the lens of him saving someone he knows will die as part of the procedure — someone he now thinks of as his daughter, after his actual daughter died — for just the chance of a cure. However, Druckmann has now revealed that the cure would have actually worked — upending years of fan debate over what Joel should have done. "Could the Fireflies make a cure?" Druckmann said, speaking as part of the Sacred Symbols podcast. "Our intent was yes they could. "Now, is our science a little shaky that now people are now questioning it? Sure. Our science is a little shaky and people are now questioning it. I can't say anything. I can say our intent was that they would have made a cure. That makes the most interesting philosophical question for what Joel does." Reaction to Druckmann's revelation has been mixed, with some fans who already assumed this not seeming bothered by the reveal, while others who assumed the opposite suddenly having to reconcile their view of Joel's actions in a new light. "Maaan Neil really needs to stop," one fan wrote in response via forum ResetEra. "Feels like he's stripping away what's left of the nuance with those latest comments on the story." Some fans highlighted the fact that the game deliberately portrayed the cure process as shaky, with the lead doctor a veterinarian working in a run-down hospital with no real means to manufacture a cure shown on screen. "Death of the author applies here, I don't really care what he has to say if it's not in the original game/text," another fan wrote. "It's clearly supposed to be ambiguous and it's staying that way for me." In March, showrunner Craig Mazin and Druckmann answered the question of whether or not Joel was right to save Ellie, offering differing opinions to IGN. “I believe Joel was right,” Druckmann said. “If I were in Joel's position, I hope I would be able to do what he did to save my daughter.” “That's so interesting, because I think that if I were in Joel's position, I probably would have done what he did,” Mazin said. “But I'd like to think that I wouldn't. That's the interesting push and pull of the morality of it. And that's why the ending of the first game is so provocative and so wonderful. It just doesn't let you off the hook as a player.” In the Sacred Symbols interview, Druckmann reiterated that HBO's The Last of Us' TV adaptation currently has either one or two seasons left, depending on what is best to tell the franchise's remaining story. As it stands, however, the TV adaptation will not continue the franchise's story beyond the events of The Last of Us Part 2. Could there ever be a The Last of Us Part 3 game? On this, Druckmann largely repeated what he has said already on the topic — that it will rely on him having a good enough idea. "It's important for me that everything is of high quality. I don't just want to make a lot of it," Druckmann said. "I just want to be very thoughtful of everything we make. "If we were ever to come back to it, I want to make sure it's a story worthy of The Last of Us. I love that world, I love these characters. With the right oppurtunity, with the right idea, I would totally jump in." For now, Druckmann is busy working on Naughty Dog's new sci-fi game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The developer also has a second project in production, on which Druckmann is taking a more hands-off role. Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social View the full article

New Genshin Impact 5.7 leaks about the updated Spiral Abyss and its Floor 12 enemies have emerged, highlighting that players may need an airtight team comp strategy to beat it and, consequently, reap its rewards in full. The popular action RPG by HoYoverse is currently in Version 5.6, a big patch that brought forth a new Archon Quest set in the region of Mondstadt, building on top of important factions in the Nation of Freedom. The update is also responsible for the introduction of Escoffier in Genshin Impact, as well as Ifa’s playable version following his debut as an NPC. View the full article

Sony and Shift Up have released a new trailer for the upcoming Goddess of Victory: NIKKE DLC coming to Stellar Blade on June 11 View the full article

OpenAI is making a dramatic leap into the hardware business, announcing a nearly $6.5 billion all-stock acquisition of io, the artificial intelligence device startup co-founded by legendary Apple designer Jony Ive. The deal, the largest in OpenAI's history, signals a new era for the company as it aims to move... Read Entire Article View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II потеряет статус консольного эксклюзива Xbox Series X|S и уже летом этого года выйдет на PlayStation 5, объявила студия Ninja Theory. Владельцы консолей Sony смогут купить сразу улучшенную версию приключения с подзаголовком Enhanced — покупатели игры на платформах Microsoft получат все обновления бесплатно. View the full article

В сети продолжают появляться новости о нерадужном положении дел в Bungie, которую Sony купила в 2022 году за $3,6 миллиарда. View the full article

Вопрос портирования Halo на конкурирующие с Xbox Series X|S консоли — лишь вопрос времени, сообщил Том Уоррен из The Verge, комментируя сегодняшний анонс Senua's Saga: Hellblade II для PlayStation 5. View the full article

По данным сразу нескольких авторитетных инсайдеров, Sony не планирует проводить игровые презентации этим летом. Обычно компания выступала в мае или июне хотя бы с очередным выпуском программы State of Play, однако на этот год ничего подобного не готовится. View the full article

Microsoft поделилась перечнем игр, которые войдут в каталог онлайн-сервиса Game Pass в конце мая и начале июня. Новое пополнение библиотеки тарифа Ultimate включает в себя Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 и Metaphor: ReFantazio, подписчикам Standard достанутся Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II и S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. View the full article

"And then they said, 'no no, it doesn't remind me of Fable, it reminds me of ****** & White.'"View the full article

Spend your Battlefront 2 Credits on cosmetics to make your characters look as stylish as possible in combatView the full article

Get your head in the game, folks!View the full article

Embracer have released their latest interim report, along with a statement on their plans to spin off Coffee Stain Group and go through a rebrand to Fellowship Entertainment. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Wilmon actor Muhannad Ben Amor was 12 years old when the last game released, if you want to feel oldView the full article

***-based studio Playtonic, known for the Yooka-Laylee series, is the latest studio to see layoffs in the industry following mass social media posts from now former employees. Some of those who have lost their jobs have been shared on LinkedIn by a Playtonic employee, listing multiple people from various parts of the company, including production, art, VFX, and junior positions. More layoffs might be revealed over time, but it stresses the turbulent times in our industry currently, with job losses sadly becoming the norm across big and indie studios alike. Playtonic Games was originally founded in 2014 by previous Rare devs who created Yooka-Laylee as a spiritual successor to the Banjo-Kazooie series. Since then, the studio has mainly gone into publishing under Playtonic Friends and has been looking to release a remake of their first game, called Yooka-Replayee, sometime in 2025. [Hidden Content] Playtonic Friends has also published lots of charming games these past years, including Lil Gator Game, and was lining up a release for Castle Pixel's Cattle Country sometime this year. It is unclear how these layoffs will affect Playtonic both in making games and publishing, at this time, or if there are more to come. It's a pretty dire time for the industry as a whole, with Playtonic Games one in a line of studios announcing layoffs, game cancellations, and more dire news. More recently, EA also announced a large layoff round that affected 'hundreds' of employees and saw multiple game cancellations, including a rumored Titanfall project. Microsoft also recently reportedly announced a layoff of three percent of its workforce, representing its biggest round of cuts since 2023. Though it's unclear if this layoff will affect its gaming division or other parts of the company as a whole. It's a pretty dire time, Destructoid. Motivation and willpower are at an all-time low across the industry, and no one appears to be safe. But let's try to keep some positivity and support each other as best we can—it's the least we can do. The post Yooka-Layoffs: Playtonic latest studio to see redunancies appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

A gaming chair can often be the final puzzle piece to complete a gaming battle station, whether it's providing the comfort and ergonomics to see you through long play sessions, or even serving as the aesthetic centerpiece that holds it all together. However, decent gaming chairs are rarely cheap (especially if you want one that won't wreck your spine), so it's a good idea to grab one while it's on offer, such as this AutoFull C3 gaming chair, which has a $60 reduction on Amazon right now. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: AMD Radeon GPUs are finally getting decent frame gen, thanks to new FSR 4 update The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Super specs just leaked, suggesting loads more VRAM The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT price looks amazing - it's a shame I don't believe it View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Silent Hill f is not a sequel to any of the existing Silent Hill games. Instead, much like Silent Hill 2, it will offer a standalone story, "independent from the series." That's coming from publisher Konami itself, which finally confirmed on X/Twitter that the latest instalment of the horror series — which is usually, if not always, based in a sleepy resort town on east-coast America — will be "a completely new title" that "people who have never played the Silent Hill series can enjoy." This approach isn't entirely new for Silent Hill, of course. While Silent Hill 1, Silent Hill 3, and Silent Hill Origins are all connected, other games — with Silent Hill 2 being a particularly notable exception — have less tangible links to the town, and parts of Silent Hill 4: The Room and Homecoming take place outside the titular town altogether. But Konami's statement does at least confirm once and for all that understanding Silent Hill f's 1960s Japanese setting will not be dependent upon how much players know about the 26-year-old series. Silent Hill f takes us to 1960s Japan, where we'll follow Shimizu Hinako, a teenager struggling under the pressure of expectations from her friends, family, and society. The story was written by Ryukishi07, creator of the When They Cry visual novel series. As displayed at the beginning of the Japanese-language reveal trailer back in March, it will be the first Silent Hill game to get an 18+ rating certification in Japan. As the game is still in active development, certification is subject to change, but Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, and Silent Hill: The Room all secured CERO:C — that's for people aged 15 and older — while the other games in the series developed outside of Japan were typically rated CERO:C or CERO:D (ages 17+). Silent Hill f is similarly rated Mature in the U.S., PEGI 18 in Europe, and CERO:Z in Japan. As yet, there's no release date for Silent Hill f, and there's still no further information at all about No Code's upcoming Silent Hill game, Townfall. Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky. View the full article

Renewed calls for a fresh Star Wars Battlefront game have been given a boost by an actor from critically-acclaimed TV series Andor. The past month has seen fans flock back to 2017's Star Wars Battlefront 2 — generating the game's best player count on Steam in years, despite support from developer DICE ending a long time ago. Now, Andor's Muhannad Ben Amor, who plays the heroic Wilmon Paak, has taken to social media to help campaign for a fully-operational sequel. "Star Wars gotta give us Battlefront 3 ASAP," Amor wrote on Instagram (thanks, Comicbook), revealing he had played Battlefront 2 for 469 hours. That's great kid, but don't get ******. "Grew up with Battlefront 2 — been a veteran since day one," Amor continued. "Let's HOPE Battlefront 3 happens." The past month has seen the popularity of Star Wars Battlefront 2 soar, thanks in part to the success of Andor's climactic second season, and other Star Wars activity surrounding the franchise's annual May 4 celebrations. After years averaging a Steam player count of around 2,000 players, the game's popularity has been steadily climbing over the past few weeks, and is now close to topping its 10,000-player all-time concurrent Steam peak. But does this mean a Star Wars Battlefront 3 is now more likely? For now, DICE is busy throwing all of its development weight into getting its big new Battlefield game out the door in the best shape possible. A proper reveal for the still-untitled next Battlefield, which is currently undergoing player testing, is expected this summer. DICE may also still hold some reluctance to revisit the series, after Battlefront 2 originally launched amid a huge controversy over its loot boxes. Over time, however, sentiment towards the game has shifted. And while publisher EA, DICE's owner, is no longer exclusively making Star Wars games, Respawn is still at work in the galaxy far, far away making a Star Wars Jedi threequel. "Star Wars Battlefront 2 is a redemption story worthy of the Skywalker saga," IGN wrote in its 2019 Star Wars Battlefront 2 re-review. "Overall, it’s a great package now that serves as one of the best and most thrilling ways to have an authentic Star Wars gaming experience." Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social View the full article

Koei Tecmo showcases the Wild Hearts S 4 player multiplayer in a new Japanese gameplay video. View the full article

Monster Hunter Wilds has partnered with Street Fighter 6 in a new collaboration coming on May 28. In a trailer shared to social media, new layered armor, attacks, and even Palico outfits are shown off, suggesting that there are plenty of Street Fighter goodies for you to unlock. Such as Blanka armor for your Palico, which is not cursed at all. Promise... Read more.View the full article

Blizzard is hoting the latest edition of its Campfire Chat developer livestream tonight. This one is going to be all about Diablo 4’s upcoming Season 9. Or, more specifically, it’s going to cover the patch 2.3.0 PTR (Public Test Realm), which will be opening its doors soon. Read more View the full article

A new, significant update for the latest AMD Radeon graphics cards has just been announced to help the company directly compete with the AI-powered performance of Nvidia DLSS 4. Due later this year, FSR Redstone (as it is currently codenamed) looks to be a serious effort by AMD to improve how games look and perform on its hardware, thanks to several new features. AMD FSR technology has only recently seen a major upgrade with FSR 4 which, as our AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT review shows, provides a huge improvement in image quality compared to older FSR upscaling and frame generation. With Redstone, AMD looks keen to take things up a notch, making sure that its best graphics card contenders are able to effectively compete with Nvidia's GPU technology across the board. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT price looks amazing - it's a shame I don't believe it AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT now official - here's the release date, price, and specs Next-gen AMD Ryzen CPUs will reportedly have a "3D core" and it looks amazing View the full article

I can’t be the only person here who’s ever had a fistfight with their washing-up. I have this big metal spatula that has a malicious habit of bouncing out of the drying rack. Again and again, it sneaks under my elbow to spring and sproing over the lino, gathering as much stray onion peel as it can on the way to the door. The fourth time this happened I bent it in two. Then I thought my sieve was giving me stinkeye, so I threw it down and stamped on it, gangland-style. Look, it was kind of a bad day. But one thing I will swear to you, probably-concerned reader: I would never behave this way towards my leftovers. Read more View the full article