Xbox Series S Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Remnant 2 is going to get cross play in the future as developer Gunfire Games irons out the technical wrinkles that come with working with numerous platforms.The news arrived in a reply to a recent AMA (Ask Me Anything) Q&A session on Reddit with David Adams, the game’s director and Gunfire Games’ president. Hello.

Gunfire Games‘ Remnant 2 has revealed a new character class that was designed specifically for dataminers to discover for the community.Per Forbes, Remnant 2 principal designer Ben Cureton said that there was no way that the developer could discourage datamining of its Soulslike shooter. Moreover, this genre of game does see a lot of players sift through code and try ridiculous things in the game’s world to determine if there are any hidden secrets.To unlock the Archon in #Remnant2, one must penetrate the code itself.We knew we couldn't stop datamining, so we leaned into it and created an entire Archetype that could be shared with the community once revealed by those with the ability to see between worlds.

Tekken 8 players were found to be illegally playing the game’s closed network test and as a result have been threatened with pre-release bans by Bandai Namco.Available for all platforms, the second closed network test for the forthcoming fighting game was held over the weekend (July 29-30). But because Tekken 8 was playable on PC, this allowed the players who had an awareness of how to circumvent the software to continue playing the game outside of its authorised hours.An important reminder from the TEKKEN Project and Bandai Namco Esports Team.

Team Reptile announced that its indie action-adventure platformer Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is coming to PlayStation and Xbox consoles in September.Following the PC and Switch launch – scheduled for August 18 – Bomb Rush Cyberfunk will be available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on September 1. It is not known at the moment whether or not the current generation console versions of the game will include any special features like 3D audio, adaptive triggers or haptic feedback.The game shares a lot of similarities with Sega‘s Jet Set Radio, such as the cel-shaded art style, a futuristic setting, and highly customisable characters who perform death-defying tricks as they skate, skateboard and cycle through the city.“Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is a big street culture symphony of these feelings,” said game director Dion Koster of the memories of after-school adventures that plenty of players will have in common with each other.Five boroughs of New Amsterdam are available for the taking by the Bomb Rush crew, of which the player is a part of.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage will take about 20 to 30 hours to complete, according to Ubisoft Bordeaux, meaning it is a sliver of the size of the previous entry, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.Mirage lead producer Fabian Salomon spoke to YouTuber Julien Chièze on the conclusions of the internal playtesting that is currently happening at the developer. “It’s part of our process, we really want to get as close as possible to the players,” explained the producer (via PCGamesN).“The latest playtimes we’ve received average at around 20–23 hours,” said Salomon.

Starbreeze disclosed the details for the forthcoming Payday 3 playtests on PC and Xbox Series X, offering some players the opportunity to get to grips with the game.Applications to enter the closed beta — that begins on August 2 and ends on August 7 — will be randomly approved, according to the studio. It will feature the new heist “No Rest for the Wicked” with the characters Chains, Dallas, Hoxton and Wolf.

Turtle Rock Studios, the team made up of former Left 4 Dead developers who delivered Back 4 Blood in 2021, might be working on a sequel.Spotted by Games Radar, the California studio is seeking a senior combat designer for its upcoming game, focusing on a candidate who has experience “developing first person shooting and melee gameplay.”The applicant should also have a passion for “specifically FPS, Co-op, and Multiplayer games”. Obviously, this isn’t a lot to go on to determine whether or not this is a Back 4 Blood sequel.That being said, Turtle Rock Studio confirmed to fans that there will be no more Back 4 Blood content as it shifts its attention to the “next big thing”.

Fable game, has announced that she is leaving the Leamington Spa-based developer Playground Games.“In August, I’m stepping away from my role as Narrative Lead on Fable. I’ve had several wonderful years scribbling away in my fairytale cottage, but the time feels right for new challenges,” said Megill in a tweet posted on July 14.“Working on Fable was a dream come true for me, and it’s wrenching to leave it behind.

Microsoft has prevailed in the court case against its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, where it had to defend the impact it would have on competition in the video game industry.Video Games Chronicle spotted that today (July 11), the United States District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction was not necessary. The FTC had asked for the injunction in order to let its in-house court discern the full effects that the acquisition would have on the consumer.“Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision has been described as the largest in tech history.

Researchers found that this has occurred as a secondary impact of digital game distribution becoming the preferred route for releasing games. As a result, the “classic” games in this study are games released prior to 2010 which was denoted to be the year when digital game distribution “started to take off”.

Sega has now stepped back from its previously planned blockchain initiatives for fear of “devaluing” its strongest gaming properties, saying the technology is yet to show its maximum potential.In a new interview, the company’s co-chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi said that the move to blockchain might have been viewed as an interesting investment, but Sega’s motivation is to be ahead of the masses.“For the majority of people in the video game industry, what blockchain advocates say may sound a bit extreme, but that’s how the first penguin has always been,” he told Bloomberg, making a metaphor about risk-takers. “We should never underestimate them.”Nevertheless, Sega will be “[withholding] its biggest franchises from third-party blockchain gaming projects to avoid devaluing its content.” As a result, that doesn’t affect the present plans for Three Kingdoms and Virtua Fighter characters to be turned into non-fungible tokens or the newest Sangokushi Taisen blockchain game from developer Double Jump Tokyo.Sega is also “shelving plans to develop its own games in that [blockchain] genre, at least for now.” Utsumi continued to criticise play-to-earn games too, calling them “boring” and pointless for pulling the “fun” out of gaming.The company is not the only business to be dabbling in blockchain, NFTs and web3.

Capcom has neither confirmed nor denied the possibility of a Resident Evil: Code Veronica remake, saying that the publisher is in the midst of “discussions regarding the future expansion of the series”.GamesRadar first reported the find from a Q&A session after a general shareholder meeting that was held today (July 6).In it, a shareholder queried if Capcom is considering “providing high-end visual remakes of only the main numbered entries in the Resident Evil series”.Capcom replied that it’s “carrying out discussions regarding the future expansion of the series so it can be enjoyed by a wide audience”.The wording seems to suggest that Capcom might be mulling it over. Remakes of Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4 have proved successful for the company, commercially and critically, with Resident Evil 4 becoming one of the fastest-selling entries in the entire history of the series when it released in March.If Capcom isn’t properly considering a remake of the 2000 title, it would likely upset fans who took on the task of a Resident Evil: Code Veronica remake for themselves.Late last year, the company contacted the team and asked that the project be cancelled owing to the use of Capcom-owned characters and the Resident Evil trademark.At the time, Capcom emphasised that this wasn’t in relation to an official remake.

Ubisoft Singapore is remaking Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, which might spell more delays for Skull and Bones.On June 30, Kotaku published its claim that there is a remake of the 2013 pirate-themed adventure game in the works, with Ubisoft Singapore spearheading the development of the next-gen game. The two sources asked to remain anonymous as they are not sanctioned to announce anything about this project, but added that the new Black Flag is in the “earliest stages” of development at the moment.

Planet Of Lana, developer Wishfully and publisher Thunderful have told NME that it was the right call to make the platformer a day-one Xbox Game Pass title.Planet Of Lana launched for Xbox and PC on May 23, and was available from day one on Xbox’s Game Pass subscription service — joining the likes of Redfall, High On Life, and Hi-Fi Rush in doing so.While there have been questions on whether Game Pass cannibalises the sales of games on its catalogue, Adam Stjärnljus — Planet Of Lana’s creative director and Wishfully’s co-founder — says it was the right choice for his team.“For us at Wishfully, being an indie studio releasing our first game, it has been invaluable,” Stjärnljus tells NME. “It lowers the entry bar for players to discover and try our game with a huge potential to bring over players that normally might not gravitate towards the puzzle platformer genre as well.

Cyberpunk 2077‘s upcoming Phantom Liberty expansion, will also be directing a full sequel to Cyberpunk 2077.Amatangelo confirmed the news to Bloomberg (via PC Gamer), where he stated that when work wraps up on Phantom Liberty, he will continue on to direct a currently-untitled sequel to Cyberpunk 2077.Besides Phantom Liberty, Amatangelo is the current director of Cyberpunk 2077, and has led development since 2021. This included leading development on last year’s patch 1.5, which was seen as a major turning point for the game following its disastrous launch in 2020.CD Projekt Red‘s Cyberpunk sequel was announced in October 2022, and is currently working under the codename Orion.

Yakuza title, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, has been announced at the Xbox Games Showcase with a trailer that is very reminiscent of Austin Powers.The latest trailer caught up with Like A Dragon protagonist Ichiban Kasuga washing ashore — covered in sand and completely naked — with no memories.Luckily, there were perfectly positioned props like a newspaper, sun cream, a surfboard and an umbrella to stop us from seeing anything that would bump the showcase’s age rating up — as Polygon noted, the whole thing is reminiscent of a few of Austin Powers’ most iconic scenes.The reveal trailer was less than two minutes long so we didn’t get a good sense of why he is stuck on this beach, but it appeared to be Miami Beach due to the American accents and towering skyscrapers close to the coast. Once more, the developer seized the chance to shake things up in the established RPG series, as this will be the first entry to be set outside of Japan.We won’t be waiting long for an answer to at least a few of Ichiban Kasuga’s panicked pleas.

Starfield Direct let fans feast their eyes on a vast range of planets and their odd environments, humorous character traits, flexible skill systems and more — placing an emphasis on Bethesda‘s role-playing systems within the game.Previously, Bethesda’s presentations introduced us to Starfield‘s “NASA punk” aesthetic, where “everything is well used, worn and lived in.”Today (June 11), another look at the game explained that the game’s planets will fall into one of two categories: colonised or barren. The former is where players will meet friends and foes, spurring their quest through the stars onwards, and the latter are resource-heavy and possess risks and rewards.

Starfield Direct (June 11) treated sci-fi fans to its sparkly settings, customisable spaceships and character creation, it also saw the return of one of The Elder Scrolls’ most aggravating characters.Traits, which are an optional aspect, alter how the game reacts to the player’s character. For example, the Freestar Collective Settler trait allies the player with that faction and will allow for greater faction rewards, however, crime bounties towards other factions are significantly increased.However, Hero Worshiped means that a blond citizen will appear randomly and fawn over the character — seemingly never tiring, requiring food or water, or running out of things to say.You can see it in action through the timestamped video below.As spotted in the footage, there’s no doubting it: that NPC is another iteration of the Adoring Fan that appeared in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.

Avowed received its latest trailer in the Xbox Games Showcase that went live today (June 11), revealing the world of Eora is in turmoil.“Explore the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. As an envoy of Aedyr, you are sent to investigate rumours of a spreading plague with a secret that threatens to destroy everything,” reads a new summary from Xbox Game Studios.“Can you save the island and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them apart?”Eora is the same setting as Obsidian Entertainment’s Pillars of Eternity.

Bloober Team has shared a new trailer for its upcoming horror game Layers Of Fear, revealing key story details ahead of the game’s launch this month.Set to launch next week (June 15), Layers Of Fear will include the first two Layers Of Fear titles and all of their downloadable content, along with a new story that will “tie the entire series together,” according to the game’s Steam page.Today (June 10), a new trailer detailing that story was shared during the Future Games Show. Check it out below:“This is the story of the Writer,” reads the trailer’s description.

NetherRealm CCO Ed Boon has given an explanation as to why the next installment in the Mortal Kombat series is called Mortal Kombat 1.As reported by PCGamesN, Boon explained in a Kommunity Chat following the game’s reveal that “Mortal Kombat 1 is the beginning of a universe” and “is not a continuation of the Mortal Kombat 11 story so the characters have completely different roles in this new timeline and we really wanted to punctuate that with our title.”“So this is Mortal Kombat 1, it is a brand new beginning, you’re going to be seeing these characters reintroduced in their new roles, with new relationships with each other, and that’s the main catalyst for calling it Mortal Kombat 1,” Boon said.Mortal Kombat 1‘s cover art features the character Liu Kang — as opposed to Scorpion and Sub-Zero who have “always been the poster child of Mortal Kombat” — and Boon added that this represents a new storyline, saying that the game takes place in a “reborn” universe created by the Fire God.Mortal Kombat 1 is set to launch on September 19, 2023 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. The upcoming game was expected to be called Mortal Kombat 12 and continue on from Mortal Kombat 11.Earlier this year, it was reported that the CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, David Zaslev, may have revealed the release window for the game.

Capcom has kicked off a surprise Street Fighter 6 beta for PlayStation users, though fans of the upcoming fighting game will need to wait until next week to play on Xbox or PC.The Street Fighter 6 showcase was broadcast last night (April 20), where Capcom revealed it was dropping a demo immediately after the stream ended.“Create your avatar, explore World Tour mode and start fighting,” teased Lil Wayne, who hosted the showcase.While the Street Fighter 6 beta is available now on PS4 and PS5, it won’t arrive on PC or Xbox Series X|S until next Wednesday (April 26).While Capcom has not announced a closing date for the beta, a recent blog post from the studio has confirmed what will be on offer. Both Luke and Ryu will be available as playable characters, while players will also be able to create and control their own avatar — which Capcom noted will carry through to the full version of the game when it launches in June.The beta will also let players try out the beginning of Street Fighter 6‘s single-player World Tour mode, along with One On One fights and a range of tutorials and character guides for newcomers.However, some parts of the game – such as its multiplayer modes and full roster of fighters – will not be available to try out during the beta.

Atlas Fallen has been delayed, moving its release date from May to August 2023.As announced earlier in the month, Atlas Fallen was originally meant to launch on May 16. However, Deck13 and publisher Focus Entertainment have confirmed the game will now be released on August 10.“Our goal has always been to create a memorable A-RPG experience in a unique setting, with exciting gameplay and the option for fully playable seamless co-op with a friend,” reads a statement posted by Deck13 on Twitter.“We’d love to give the game some extra time which will allow us to deliver the best possible version of Atlas Fallen.”Sorry we didn't use the customary yellow background, missed opportunity.

Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl developer GSC Game World has confirmed that it’s been the victim of a hack, following claims that “a huge amount of materials” from the game would be leaked if the Ukrainian studio does not apologise to Russian fans.Details of the hack first surfaced on Saturday (March 11) when a user from Russian social media site VK claimed to have “tens of gigabytes” of content taken from Stalker 2, including the game’s story, maps and cutscene information.The statement was accompanied by a number of unreleased screenshots and concept art from the game.In the post, the hacker demanded that GSC Game World “rethink [its] attitude towards players from Belarus and Russia,” remove the ban on the hacker’s account from Stalker 2‘s official Discord, and announce a Russian-localised version of Stalker 2.Currently, Stalker 2 is not available for purchase in Russia.The hacker has threatened to release the stolen Stalker 2 footage if GSC Game World does not comply by March 15 and claimed that “it is not necessary to spoil the game for people because of politics”.Yesterday (March 12) GSC Game World confirmed that although an employee had been hacked, it had no plans to comply with the hacker.A message from GSC Game World team pic.twitter.com/rqRM0tFZmO— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) March 12, 2023“This is not the first attempt to hack and leak our data, including personal information,” wrote the studio.

Capcom has released a free demo for its upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake, offering players a “thrilling slice” of the survival horror ahead of its March release.The Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Demo launched last night (March 9) and is available to play on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS4 and PS5.According to the demo’s Steam page, it will allow fans to play a “specially tuned” version of Resident Evil 4‘s opening sequence.Unlike past Resident Evil demos, this one will not have any time limit attached — meaning that although the playable area is limited, players can explore it for as long as they like.“Experience a taste of Resident Evil 4, a reimagining of the original game released in 2005,” reads the description. “With modernized gameplay, a reworked story, and vividly detailed graphics, you can relive the nightmare of survival horror.”The demo was announced at yesterday’s Capcom Spotlight, which also brought a new teaser trailer for the game.

Paradox Interactive has announced Cities: Skylines 2 – a sequel to developer Colossal Order‘s 2015 city-building simulator.Cities: Skylines 2 was announced during the Paradox Announcement Show yesterday (March 6), where details of the game were revealed.The city-building sim is set to launch this year and will be available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox Game Pass.As for what the sequel will deliver, Colossal Order has billed Cities: Skylines 2 as being “the most realistic city builder ever” on its Steam page.“Use your creativity and strategic planning skills to grow your city into a thriving metropolis that will attract businesses, residents, and tourists alike,” reads the description. “From residential neighborhoods to bustling downtowns, the possibilities are endless.

Paradox Interactive has announced new downloadable content (DLC) for medieval grand strategy game Crusader Kings 3, with Tours And Tournaments set to allow the hosting of extravagant events in players’ kingdoms.Tours And Tournaments was announced today (March 6) during the Paradox Announcement Show.Set to launch this spring, Tours And Tournaments will allow players to host celebrations and tournaments in their realm, along with the ability for rulers to tour their lands.Tournaments will offer a means of improving the host’s social standing or military prowess, while touring a realm will let players offer gifts to their vassals or extort them for higher taxes. Meanwhile, players will also be able to host weddings that serve as an opportunity to “honour your in-laws, cater to your vassals, and demonstrate your power”.Tours And Tournaments will also introduce a travel system, which means that players will need to plan their route to and from each event.

Paradox Interactive has revealed The Lamplighters League, a turn-based adventure game that it will be publishing for developer Harebrained Schemes.Due to launch for Xbox and PC platforms in 2023, The Lamplighters League is set in an alternate version of the 1930s and tasks players with putting a stop to the Banished Court, a cult that’s spent a millennia trying to take over the world.Announced during the Paradox Announcement Show, The Lamplighters League will task players with controlling a band of “misfit” characters.Each has unique abilities, leaving players to deploy them in turn-based missions that begin with real-time infiltration segments. Between missions, players will need to make “global level” choices and manage each character’s various injuries and stress levels.An announcement trailer and two-minute video detailing The Lamplighters League have been shared by Paradox, which you can watch below.As detailed in the trailer, The Lamplighters League won’t just see the organisation fighting cultists; towards the end of the cinematic, a much larger figure can be seen emerging from the water.Developer Harebrained Schemes is best known for creating the Shadowrun trilogy, along with 2018 strategy game Battletech.Discussing The Lamplighters League, game director Christopher Rogers said that the game “is all about weaving tactical gameplay that challenges your mind with narrative and characters that engage your heart”.“We love these characters and hope that players and fans enjoy getting to know them while exploring each one’s unique abilities the way we did.

Vampire Survivors creator Luca ‘Poncle‘ Galante has shared that a sequel to his breakout indie hit is “unlikely” unless he thinks of something “radically new” to offer.In 2022, top-down auto-shooter Vampire Survivors became one of Steam‘s most-played games while still in Early Access. The game went on to launch in October, with NME naming it as one of the best games of 2022.In an interview published yesterday (March 2), Galante told GameSpot that a sequel to Vampire Survivors is unlikely due to the game’s design.“With the way Vampire Survivors is designed, we can deliver both new content and new game mechanics on the existing game, so why make a sequel?” asked Galente.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 has today (March 1) released its newest season, Reign of Fire. This newest season focuses on the alliance between in-game baddies the Black Tusk and the True Sons.If you haven’t played The Division 2 in a while, there are plenty of new story beats going on. A section of the True Sons led by Captain Lewis is now siding with The Division and private military company the Black Tusk’s mysterious CEO Natalya Sokolova is stepping from the shadows into a more prominent role in the story as she arrives in Washington to contest The Division directly.There’s a trailer, below, which is light on details but big on explosions.The centerpoint of Reign of Fire is Zachary “Stovepipe” Beattie, an EOD specialist working within the Black Tusk.