Latest Articles (Page 311)

Former 343 Industries employees have taken to social media to criticise Microsoft following a round of layoffs.

This week, developer Respawn published a blog post pulling the curtain back on Apex Legends skill-based matchmaking, or SBMM. In the blog post, technical director Samy Duc dives deep into the inner workings of the battle royale's matchmaking system, explaining in granular detail why players end up facing the players they do. It's a fascinating exploration of one of the key features of any competitive multiplayer game, and Apex Legends players have certainly enjoyed the transparency.

Each year, there's often one game that dominates my time for a hundred or so hours. Last year it was Elden Ring. Previously it was Breath of the Wild and The Witcher 3. Back in 2017 it was Persona 5.

Activision has delayed Season 2 of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0, promising "several changes" to address feedback from the community.

The ever-expanding Sims 4 continues its ever-expansion with official word of two new Kit packs arriving tomorrow, 19th January, this time focusing on messy bathrooms and sexy underpants.

UPDATE 11.00pm UK: Following Microsoft's confirmation of plans to cut 10,000 jobs by Q3 this year, details have started to emerge of the game teams impacted by the layoffs, with Kotaku and Bloomberg reporting Bethesda Games Studios, Gears of War developer The Coalition, and Halo maker 343 Industries are all affected.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has reportedly apologised for telling employees 'the ball was in their court' following disappointing financial results in the company's most recent quarter. However, senior management is also said to have rejected calls - highlighted in a recent union statement - for inflation-matching pay rises and a transition to a four-day week.

Following a couple of morse code teases earlier this week, SteamWorld developer Thunderful Games has announced it'll be revealing "what's next for the series" in a special video showcase scheduled to air on Monday, 23rd January.

FuturLab's marvellous hose-'em-up PowerWash Simulator has set its sights on a new target in need of a clean, this time whisking players away to the world of Tomb Raider as part of a free update coming to PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch on 31st January.

Sea of Thieves is gearing up for a 2023 that'll see it celebrating five years of pirate adventure out on the waves, but before all that, it's hoisting anchor and setting sail with a mid-season update bringing pet rocks, a new limited-time adventure, and more.

Returnal now has an official PC release date: 15th February.

Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto once vetoed a developer's idea to introduce an evil Wario version of Princess Peach.

Elden Ring players can now test their knowledge of the game's world in a fan made GeoGuessr game.

Fans of Marvel's Avengers are complaining over the latest addition to the game's paid-for premium skin collection: a Marvel Cinematic Universe-inspired Thor without his helmet on.

Gunsport, a game set to be lost with the closure of Stadia, has now been made available on Steam within another game.

John Wick director Chad Stahelski will helm the upcoming movie adaptation of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six.

Monster Hunter Rise expansion Sunbreak has now sold over 5m copies worldwide across Switch and PC.

Unity has laid off almost 300 of its staff due to current economic conditions.

Five of the Best is a weekly series we recently resurrected for supporters because we wanted to do something nice for them. It's a series about highlighting incidental features in games. It's also a series about having your say, so don't be shy, use those comments below!

Ultimate Sackboy, a new LittleBigPlanet spin-off starring PlayStation's adorable hessian humanoid, will launch for iPhone and Android devices next month on 21st February.

Comparative chart fans rejoice! Sony has published its annual list of top PlayStation Store downloads, revealing exactly what punters in the US, Canada, and Europe were plopping onto their PS4 and PlayStation 5 hard drives in 2022.

Paradox Interactive's sci-fi strategy game Stellaris is expanding once more, this time with a new Story Pack DLC focused on civilisations' early encounters with alien visitors.

Anno 1800, Ubisoft's superb Industrial-Revolution-era city builder, is making the jump from PC to Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 on 16th March.

Google has launched its previously promised Bluetooth controller update tool, enabling players to wirelessly connect their controllers to other devices once the embattled game streaming service shuts down tomorrow, 18th January.

Union workers at Ubisoft Paris have been called to strike in response to CEO Yves Guillemot's comments to employees that 'the ball was in their court' following disappointing financial results in the company's most recent quarter.

No, Leatherface won't be leaving Dead by Daylight, despite rumours to the contrary.

Behind The Frame developer Silver Lining Studios has announced its next game to explore art and human connection, The Star Named EOS.

HBO's The Last of Us earned the network its second-biggest premiere since 2010, behind only last year's debut for House of the Dragon.

A fresh Forspoken developer livestream has announced changes to the game's PlayStation 5 demo which will arrive via an update today, as well as the title's PC requirements.

Intelligent Systems has made some bold decisions with Fire Emblem Engage, and I'd argue they've mostly paid off. Diverging from one of this generation's most acclaimed RPGs was always going to be risky, but Engage takes inspiration from older entries while retaining Three House's social mechanics so what's here feels more like a sidestep than the next giant leap. This is an exciting bridge between modern and classic Fire Emblem - one that needs a more enticing story, perhaps, but most importantly there's a robust tactical RPG underneath.