2023-12

PlayStation has released its 2023 Wrap-Up tool, which allows players to view their achievements, top games played, trophies earned, monthly gaming stats, and gaming style for the past year....

Update, 12/12/2023: Following Sony's lead, Microsoft has published its yearly retrospective as well, allowing Xbox and PlayStation fans alike to take a look back at the games they played this year. You can check out the Xbox Year In Review right here. For an idea of what to expect, here are some of my stats: The original story continues below... When the year comes to a close, many spend time reflecting on the past 12 months of their lives, the decisions they made, and the places they went. In recent years, companies like Spotify have capitalized on this tradition, turning it into their Wrapped celebration, which has users all over the world sharing their stats, blurring the lines between an internet trend and a viral marketing campaign. It's no surprise that other companies would want to jump on that...

Update, 12/12/23:  After reports in November indicated that Free Radical Design, the team behind the TimeSplitters franchise that had been reformed in 2021 to create a new entry in the series, was facing a complete shutdown, the studio closure happened yesterday. Game Informer reached out to Free Radical Design parent company Embracer Group for a comment on the closure – it pointed us to the following LinkedIn post by Plaion, which owns Free Radical Design.  "It's with a heavy heart that we must announce yet another difficult decision," the post reads. "Today, we have to confirm the official closure of Free Radical Design, and say goodbye to many remarkable, talented, and hard-working people. We are beyond grateful for their incredible contributions to Plaion and wish them the best of luck and success on their professional journey from here on out."  The original...

From astonishing remakes to visionary spine-chillers, here's IGN's pick of 2023's best horror games....

We celebrate the growing genre of challenging RPGs with our award for 2023's best Soulslike game....

The Entertainment Software Association announced today that E3 is officially dead. After more than two decades, the long-running video game conference where developers, publishers, businesses, and press met to check out new games, watch reveals, and more, has been permanently canceled.  The first E3 took place in 1995 and the last in-person conference happened in 2019. The 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but E3 returned for one last bout in 2021 with an all-digital event. The 2022 show was canceled, and this year's event, which was set to happen with ReedPop, was canceled as well.  pic.twitter.com/y6dtVkBvNI — E3 (@E3) December 12, 2023 Personally, while this news comes as no surprise, I'm legitimately sad about it. E3 is one of the things that first pulled me into the idea of writing about games for a living – I...

The Entertainment Software Association has announced that its long-running Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is officially dead, as reported by The Washington Post. The last in-person E3 conference happened in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic and other complications prevented it from coming back in full form since. Despite struggles, the ESA attempted to bring E3 back in various ways.  It was canceled in 2020 as a result of the pandemic; the 2021 E3 was an all-digital event; the 2022 show was canceled, and this year's attempt with PAX organizer ReedPop was canned, too.  pic.twitter.com/y6dtVkBvNI — E3 (@E3) December 12, 2023 "After more than two decades of hosting an event that has served as a central showcase for the U.S. and global video game industry, the Entertainment Software Association has decided to bring E3 to a close," ESA president and CEO Stanely Pierre-Louis...

Hasbro, the parent company behind Wizards of the Coast, which itself is responsible for both Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, is laying off 1100 employees, as reported by Dicebreaker and The Wall Street Journal. The company, which is also behind the Transformers franchise (toys and other media),  announced this decision yesterday, on December 11.  Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks called the need for layoffs in an email sent to staff a "lever we must pull to keep Hasbro healthy" and "a last resort." As noted by Dicebreaker, Cocks became CEO of Hasbro in February of last year and earns roughly $1.5 million in salary in the position – his total earnings for 2022 amounted to $9.4 million, however.  "While we're confident in the future of Hasbro, the current environment demands that we do more, even if these choices are some of...

Terra Nil, the "reverse city builder" from developer Free Lives and publisher Devolver Digital, is coming to Switch next week. More specifically, it will hit the Nintendo console on December 18, as revealed in a new trailer you can watch below.  While many simulation games task you with creating a new metropolis or saving a colony of humans from post-apocalyptic conditions, Terra Nil instead tasks you with saving nature from climate change and the effects of humans. Instead of building roadways and buildings, you build windmills, calcifiers, and more.  As you can see, Terra Nil is not only a unique spin on the simulation genre, but a pretty one. It's sure to pop on Nintendo Switch OLED models, too, if you have one.  If you're unsure whether or not the game is for you, read Game Informer's Terra Nil review to...

Update, 12/12/23: Fntastic, the studio behind The Day Before, announced yesterday that it was shutting down. It said at the time that servers for the game, which launched last week on December 7, would remain operational but that the future of The Day Before is unknown. Now, less than 24 hours later, The Day Before is no longer available for purchase on Steam (although you can still visit the page).  Plus, anyone who purchased the game is eligible for a refund, according to Fntastic.  "Answer to those who ask for a refund," a Fntastic tweet reads. "[We and publisher Mytona are] currently working with Steam to allow refunds for any player who chooses to request one, regardless of the game time. Fntastic received $0 and will receive nothing from The Day Before sales."  Notably, Steam allows users to refund...