2023-01

Since the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, players have asked for a Hardcore Mode, which was notably absent from the game at launch and still today. Developer Infinity Ward has revealed that Hardcore will hit the game during its upcoming Season 2, which begins next month.  This news comes just a few days after Infinity Ward revealed some details about this forthcoming season, including the return of Resurgence in Warzone 2.0, Ranked Play, new multiplayer modes, maps, and weapons, and more. Other changes include making the gulag in Warzone 2.0 a 1v1 fight now, instead of 2v2 like it's been since launch, and loot from fallen enemies in Warzone 2.0 will now float on the floor, rather than remain inside a backpack. Many of these changes are welcome, but it's clear the return of Hardcore is the...

The team at Crystal Dynamics has announced the end of development for its live-service Marvel's Avengers game. The news comes two and a half years after the game's fall 2020 launch. In that time, the Marvel's Avengers development team released 12 playable heroes (including the PlayStation-exclusive Spider-Man), a full expansion set in Wakanda, multiple character-focused Operations, and several smaller pieces of content.  The 2.7 update, which arrived November 30, 2022, adding Winter Soldier and the Cloning Lab Omega-Level Threat, was the final new content for Marvel's Avengers. Crystal Dynamics has planned one final title update, version 2.8, to arrive on March 31, 2023. This update will not add any new content (including no additional cosmetics). Instead, it will deliver final balance updates and turn off the cosmetics marketplace. Once this update arrives, credits will not be purchasable, and all...

After thousands and thousands of battles, the IGN readers have decided which 2023 game they are most excited for. Was it The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Starfield? Marvel's Spider-Man 2 or Final Fantasy 16? Read on to find out......

As announced in a recent blog post, 13 new games are coming to PlayStation VR2, and they’re all expected to release “within one month of the February 22 launch.” They are as follows: Before Your Eyes Kayak VR: Mirage Pavlov VR Puzzling Places Song in the Smoke: Rekindled Synth Riders: Remastered Edition Thumper NFL Pro Era What the Bat? Rez Infinite Tetris Effect Creed Rise to Glory: Championship Edition The Last Clockwinder The blog post also mentions that Gran Turismo 7 will receive a free VR2 update on launch day. A statement from the president of Polyphony Games details that “While 2-player splitscreen races are not supported in VR, all other races, including online races, will be available.” In case you missed it, Resident Evil Village will also get a VR update on launch day. This list of 13...

Sony has officially confirmed the launch window lineup for PlayStation VR2 through March 2023, and it includes 13 new titles that haven't been announced for the platform before, including Tetris Effect: Connected and Rez Infinite....

A Ubisoft game known as Project Q leaked early last year before the Assassin's Creed maker revealed its existence, calling it a team-based battle arena combat game.  Insider Gaming reported yesterday that Ubisoft had canceled Project Q and now, Ubisoft has confirmed that this is, in fact, true to Video Games Chronicle.  "We can confirm we will no longer support the development of Project Q in order to focus on priority projects, to which our teams are being reallocated," Ubisoft told VGC.  This cancelation comes after Ubisoft delayed Skull and Bones last week alongside news that it had canceled three unannounced games. It's currently unclear if Project Q was one of those three games canceled (while Project Q was technically announced, it was revealed as an in-the-works project rather than a game with a final title so perhaps Ubisoft considered it unannounced).  For...

Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees across various departments yesterday, including its HoloLens and engineering sectors as well as at gaming companies in its portfolio like Bethesda Game Studios and 343 Industries.  The company hasn't revealed exact numbers and specific departments regarding the layoffs yet, but some employees at Bethesda Game Studios, which is hard at work getting Starfield ready for its release this year, were laid off. According to a Bloomberg report, though, Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries was hit hardest by the layoffs. Again, neither Microsoft nor 343 Industries has revealed an exact number but based on industry discussion online, it seems like the studio lost quite a lot of people.  Amidst the layoffs, Halo Infinite creative director Joseph Staten, who was brought onto the team in 2020 to help bring the game across the finish line, announced he was leaving the...

Microsoft has laid off 10,000 employees.  This news comes from a Bloomberg report detailing that Microsoft's layoff come as the company attempts to reduce costs amid a larger economic slowdown. These layoffs come amidst Microsoft's ongoing fight against the FTC to acquire Call of Duty makers Activision Blizzard for a staggering $69 billion. Bloomberg reports that some people at Bethesda Game Studios, which is hard at work on getting Starfield ready for its release sometime in the first half of this year, were laid off, but that Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries was hit hardest in the company's portfolio of game studios.  According to Bloomberg, Microsoft has plans to hire in "strategic, competitive areas" like AI but that other tech-focused departments like HoloLens and some engineering divisions were hit by these layoffs.  Microsoft has not yet revealed exact numbers and specific departments surrounding this massive wave of...

Netflix's Sonic Prime series hit the streaming service back in December, and it seems more episodes are on the way.  While it sits at a 60 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, Sonic Prime received an 88 percent audience score, which is pretty great as far as video game TV shows go. Of course, Rotten Tomatoes doesn't account for every person that watched the series, but it's a quick look at what audiences thought. It seems Netflix is ready to answer the desire for more because the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account announced today that more Sonic Prime episodes are coming later this year.  Get ready to sink into more Sonic Prime, coming your way later this year! pic.twitter.com/VNz1aDYfph — Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) January 18, 2023 As you can see, there's not much to go on here, so it's currently unclear if these...

Developer Avalanche and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive have released a new cinematic trailer for Hogwarts Legacy, giving viewers a bird's eye view, literally, of the titular school and the surrounding castle grounds.  With Hogwarts Legacy due out on current-get consoles and PC in just a few weeks, on February 10, it's no surprise we're getting a trailer like this today. It's a great look at what to expect in the game, including beasts and creatures, characters like Professor Weasley and Nearly Headless Nick, and more. There's even some Avada Kadavra-casting foes to be seen, as well as dragons and spiders to fights. And all of it is shown through the view of an owl delivering a Hogwarts acceptance letter to a soon-to-be wizard.  Check out the 4K version of this Hogwarts Legacy cinematic trailer below:  For more about Hogwarts Legacy, check...