CEO says there were “no requests for changes to the game”.
Although physical pre-orders for Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP have already gone live, we’re still actually waiting for the digital pre-purchases to be made available.
Dragami Games CEO Yoshimi Yasuda has taken to social media now to mention how pre-orders for digital version will be “opening soon” on multiple platforms including the Switch. He has also mentioned how there were “no requests for changes to the game content” during this process, which was “very important” to the team.
Bungie misrepresented its finances and had significantly overextended itself when Sony acquired the studio for $3.6 billion in 2022, former workers claimed in a new Game File report published in the wake of Wednesday’s layoffs.
It was apparently bad enough that at least one source described as a “well-connected former worker” went so far as to claim that Bungie faced dire consequences if the acquisition hadn’t happened, saying that the “alternate history is insolvency.”
Their comments paint the picture of a studio that was struggling despite the success of Destiny and Destiny 2 due to supporting too many projects and other problems. Following the Sony acquisition, Game File’s sources claim Bungie repeatedly missed its financial targets, leading to roughly 100 employees being laid off in November 2023.
A second round of layoffs followed on Wednesday, impacting another 220 people, or 17 percent of the studio’s workforce, with another 155 being integrated elsewhere in Sony Interactive Entertainment. Bungie is also spinning out one of its incubation projects to form a new studio under the PlayStation banner.
Within Bungie, the layoffs had been anticipated for some time. In December 2023, IGN reported that the feeling within the studio was that it faced more reductions if The Final Shape didn’t do well. But according to Game File’s source, even The Final Shape being a major blockbuster success couldn’t have stopped the layoffs. Indeed, with Destiny 2 on the wane some seven years after its original release, The Final Shape reportedly failed to outsell the previous expansion, Lightfall, despite being a critical success.
Former Bungie workers and other members of the games industry have been vocal in the wake of the layoffs, with many of them blaming the studio’s leadership led by CEO Pete Parsons. Their sentiments were echoed by those in Game File’s report, claiming that Bungie “sold things they were just not able to deliver.” Parsons, for his part, blamed the cuts on the rising costs of development and “enduring economic conditions,” confirming that the studio had been “running in the red” following delays to The Final Shape and Marathon.
Bungie is far from alone in being hit with layoffs, with other publishers including EA, Xbox, Riot, and others also introducing cutbacks in what has been a difficult year for the games industry. For now, it will continue to focus its efforts entirely on Destiny and the upcoming Marathon, which does not have a release date and is currently set for some time in 2025.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
Woot! (which is owned by Amazon) is offering the best deal on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Right now you can get a 3 month code for only $36.49. Microsoft recently raised the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to $19.99 per month, so now you’re saving 40% off a 3 month membership. Note that you can purchase multiple codes and apply them to your account, up to a maximum of 36 months. This deal expires on August 10 or sooner if the quota is met.
Note: There is a coupon code “VIDEOGAMES” that takes $3 off one order. If you purchase multiple gift cards, this code will only work on a single gift card.
3 Months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $36.49
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gives you access to a library of hundreds of Xbox games, including day one releases. You can play them for the entirety of your membership without any restrictions. You do lose access to them once your membership is over, but if you ever decide to renew, all your past achievements and progress will be saved. You’ll also have access to Xbox Game Pass for PC. Although there aren’t nearly as many games as there are on Xbox, there are still plenty of AAA titles to keep you sated. Other perks include exclusive membership discounts, the ability to play your games across multiple devices with cloud gaming, free access to EA Play membership, as well as bonus in-game content and rewards. It is an exceptionally good – almost essential – membership for Xbox gamers. New release games are not cheap, and being able to play them without buying them will save you a lot of money and easily recoup the cost of the membership.
A tribute to 80s and 90s pop culture and the metroidvania genre.
Passion project from a small team of literally senior developers.
Uncover the dangers and mysteries of the Red Planet.
For me, and I believe also for all gamers who find video games an opportunity to experience great adventures, discoveries and challenges, Mars has always been an ongoing source of fascination and mystery. Throughout history, many works of science fiction have placed the planet as the setting for epic adventures in books, films and, of course, video games.
And it’s precisely all of these references, spanning 40 years, since the core of our development team is comprised of 80s kids (I’m almost 50 myself!), that have set the tone, theme and genre for the game Mars 2120, out today.
In Mars 2120 you’ll face an adventure that tries to bring back the nostalgia of the action and science fiction films of the 80s and 90s, as well as a loving homage to the genre known as metroidvania, a mix of RPG elements, platforming and non-linear exploration. And nothing could be more appropriate than encouraging exploration in a game whose main theme is space exploration and the scientific curiosity that drives us as innate explorers towards incredible discoveries about our universe.
Every time you play a game, there is a rich story from the very first sketches to its final form. Mars 2120 was no different. With a very small team and dividing our time between our other projects and games, it took us almost five years to finish the game that we’d love you to experience, explore and feel like, again or for the first time, depending on your age, watching the movies that fascinated us when we were young, or playing the games of the genre that left you in front of the screen for hours trying to find that special item or power up to overcome a challenge that seemed insurmountable at first.
All that time may seem like a lot to you, but for us it also represented a giant step forward. For the first time, we faced a project four times bigger than any other before, as you do in a game that puts you in front of great challenges, while learning and experiencing a new development technology with which we were not completely unfamiliar.
Step into the shoes of Sergeant Anna “Thirteen” Charlotte and traverse scenarios reminiscent of the planet seen in “Total Recall”, feel the fear of facing gigantic enemies like Ellen Ripley did with the queen of the xenomorphs in “Alien”, throw punches like Arnold Schwarzenegger did in his classic action films (Yes! Mars 2120 has hand-to-hand combat!) and feel the abandonment and uncertainty of being lost in space like the character of Willis Davidge (Dennis Quaid) felt in the 1985 movie “Enemy Mine”.
I think you get the message here. We have taken everything that amused us when we were young and brought it back especially for you, in the form of a game. Because we want you to have fun with everything that sparked our desire to make entertainment our job – games! So I’m not exaggerating when I say Mars 2120 is a dream we have been building since we were kids.
The games industry is for everyone, you just have to jump in and make the game you want to play. And that’s exactly what we did and what you can do too! Now it’s time to put on your spacesuit, get your fists ready and go on a great adventure knowing that Mars 2120 is not just a game, it’s also a dream, a piece of our lives that we really want to share with you.
Are you ready to defeat terrifying enemies and discover all the secrets of the first human colony on Mars?
I dare you! And then come back and tell us how it went. Good luck and have a good adventure!
MARS 2120 is an action-adventure game that draws inspiration from iconic Metroidvania titles, with gameplay elements from fighting games. With the use of special abilities tied to elements like ice, fire, and electricity help Sgt. Anna “Thirteen” Charlotte navigate the colony and battle her way through the secrets of Mars.
If you’re an IGN Plus member, a new game is available to claim now with IGN Rewards. You can claim a free Mecha Break Steam key with your membership while supplies last. If you’re a fan of Mecha anime or titles like Armored Core, Mecha BREAK is perfect for you. From developer Amazing Seasun Games, this multiplayer title looks to offer explosive action like never seen before.
Claim a Free Mecha BREAK Beta Steam Key!
This Mecha BREAK Steam key can be used to access the game’s latest beta build, which is available during the Limited and Open Access phases, set to run from August 3 to August 13. Full access to the game will be available for IGN Plus users starting on August 2 at 7 PM, so you can play the game for the entirety of the beta period.
The beta test will be used by Amazing Seasun Games to stress test the server to prepare for launch. Regional servers will be available across most major continents, including North America, Africa, Europe, and more. One of the modes available will be the 6v6 multiplayer mode, where you face off against other players in explosive action combat.
Mecha BREAK is set to release across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. If you’re interested in the title, don’t miss your chance to check it out early with IGN Plus!
About IGN Plus
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Star Wars Outlaws creative director Julian Gerighty isn’t interested in entertaining “bad faith” conversations about the upcoming Ubisoft game’s protagonist, Kay Vess.
As previews for the upcoming open-world title rolled out this week, Gerighty, in an interview with The Washington Post, touched on the discourse that some are pushing on social media that Kay isn’t “attractive enough.” His response? Don’t give that conversation attention.
“Kay is meant to be approachable, a petty thief who ends up barreling through this story, making bad decisions and centered with a lot of humor, humility, and toughness,” Gerighty said. “That’s what’s important to me. And she’s beautiful, come on.”
“It makes no sense to me and it’s not worth engaging with,” he continued. “If you engage with bad-faith people, there’s no nuance and no possibility of real dialogue. So all we can do is make the best game possible.”
Gerighty’s comments come shortly after Ubisoft raised eyebrows with a statement on another one of its upcoming games, Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In the statement, the company apologized to its Japanese community for promotional elements that “have caused concern.” Moderators of the main Assassin’s Creed subreddit complained that the statement “exacerbated” the “tedious discussion” about protagonist Yasuke and his status as a samurai, and warned users against engaging with the debate.
“If you engage with bad-faith people, there’s no nuance and no possibility of real dialogue.
We’ve been learning more and more about Star Wars Outlaws as final previews published this week. In IGN’s preview, Ryan McCaffrey wrote that he had a “fantastic time” with the game, adding, “Open-world games tend to be jacks-of-all-trades, masters-of-none, and while I’m not sure Outlaws will master any of its gameplay components, it nonetheless not only does them all very well, but it does so with a convincing Star Wars sheen.”
Star Wars Outlaws will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on August 30.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
The latest Famitsu charts are in and, as expected, it’s another strong week for the Switch, with only Powerful Pro Baseball 2024-2025 representing a competing console in the software top ten.
There are two newcomers this week, too, with One Piece Odyssey entering the charts at in second place – not to be sniffed at – while The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II just about makes it onto the podium at number nine.
After a successful landing on PC back in October, AirportSim, the advanced airport ground handling simulator, arrives on Xbox Today. For the past few months, Polish studio MS Games have been hard at work bringing their highly-detailed airport experience to console. With the release of AirportSim on Xbox now on the horizon, Iceberg Interactive’s Ben Kobs sat down with producer Krzysztof Stabryła to talk about their journey so far!
Can you tell us a little bit about the history of AirportSim? How long have you been working on it and how did the development go?
We’ve been working on AirportSim since late 2021. We’re all aviation fans at MS Games, but Mateusz, our CEO, has been a devoted aviation enthusiast since childhood. Not only does he have a pilot’s license, but he has also been creating software for flight simulators since 2008. The idea of developing a ground handling simulator has been floating around in his head for a long time and we felt like that area was generally unexplored in the sim space, so we were eager to get to work on a sim focussing on ground operations.
The development had its ups and downs, but it was a lot of fun. We had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people and collaborate with them to create our game. From actual ground handling companies to vehicle manufacturers, we were lucky to get access to meticulous technical documentation and first-hand insights into the intricacies of airport life, which made the development process a lot easier.
Hustling and bustling
How exciting is it for you to be able to bring your game to a console like Xbox?
We are very excited to introduce AirportSim and the world of ground handling to Xbox. This will help us reach aviation enthusiasts who may not have access to the game otherwise. Bringing our game to a console like Xbox is a thrilling milestone for us, as it allows us to share our passion for aviation with a wider community!
What role does an active community play in the development of the game? How does fan feedback affect you?
During production, we received enormous amounts of support and feedback from our community. We launched a couple of demos for people to try out, and their feedback was invaluable in fine-tuning some features and fixing key issues before launch. The aviation community has always been a huge help in creating projects like this one, and their insights were crucial to our development process.
How important was it for you to give players a realistic experience in AirportSim? Can you elaborate on how realistic the game is compared to real-life ground handling?
It was important for us to deliver a realistic ground handling experience in AirportSim. We are proud to say that our mechanics are nearly identical to real life! We visited many airports and ground handling firms, and, during production, partnered with Welcome Airport Services, LS Airport Services, Warsaw Chopin Airport, and countless others. These partnerships provided us with enormous support.
Of course, some procedures can vary from country to country, airline to airline, and even city to city. This means there may be some discrepancies as certain tasks might be performed differently than what some players are used to. That’s why we decided to standardize these procedures. We wanted to keep things realistic, but also needed to ensure the game was cohesive and enjoyable for players.
Use the exact sequence of buttons right to get the GPU to work
What challenges have you faced in the design and execution?
Before we partnered with industry experts, one of the biggest challenges we faced was the lack of documentation and clear and detailed photos. Creating and recreating these models took a lot of time and effort and it was tough to start working on accurate models and representations. We dug through thousands of pages of documentation. It was a tedious and time-consuming task, but essential for the level of realism we were aiming for.
Sound recording was another big hurdle. Airports are incredibly loud places! It’s difficult to get clear audio recordings. But our sound designer, Łukasz, did an amazing job navigating this and made sure everything sounds just right in the game.
So, what’s next?
For now it’s focussing on Xbox! The game is out today and we’re stoked to see how it goes. We’re proud of how it turned out, so make sure to check out AirportSim on Xbox and enjoy the fulfilling experience of the duties of a ground crew member at various airports!
Praised for its accuracy by real-life ground handling Crew, AirportSim is an Advanced Airport Ground Handling Simulator with true-to-life visuals and operations, licensed planes vehicles and airports, and live weather conditions using the METAR-system. Enjoy the varied tasks of an airport ground handler alone or with friends, making this an unforgettable experience.
There is always so much to do!
Enjoy many of the accurate in-game tasks developed using documented knowledge and interviews with real-world airport ground handling staff:
– Follow me – Taxiing Aircraft Guidance
– Marshalling
– Securing an aircraft
– Connecting GPU
– Fuelling
– Handling Luggage
– Jetway manoeuvring
– Catering…
– and more
Real life Airports
Four true-to-life airports which we personally captured and carefully recreated, focusing on elements such as ground layouts, plane parking, lines, and gate numbers all matching real life. You can follow real aviation charts to move around!
Gameplay Modes
There are multiple gameplay modes within AirportSim,
– Scenario: Based on stacked flight plans, predefined weather conditions and tasks you’ll need to complete in sequence.
– Challenge: Feel like you can handle any situation at the airport? Test your skills by placing as high as possible on the scoreboard!
– Co-op: Together you can do more, and have more fun – invite your friends to join you on an adventure at one of the busy airports.
– Free Play: No rules here, explore airports at your own speed and do as you please. You can watch the planes come and go or get involved, you decide!
According to certain Terran lore, God created the universe in seven days. Well, I got up this morning and made a small suburban village with a hospital, school, police station and a cafe in the space of 20 minutes. This is the backwater burg of Edwitherington. Population: 8 – one for every non-residential building in town. Major imports: ornamental lampposts, because I like to cultivate an old-timey mood. Major exports: traffic jams, because I’ve laid out my village in the form of a small crescent leading back to the freeway, which means that there are two traffic light junctions about 100 metres apart.
August has stomped into being, which means new games are heading to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Instead of the usual summer slow season, we’re actually seeing quite a few major releases this month, including Star Wars: Outlaws, Madden NFL 25, Concord, and more. Below, you’ll find release dates for all the biggest games and expansions that have been announced for this year and beyond. Here’s what’s worth playing in August 2024.
The following list is divided by platform; you can jump to any one using the shortcuts below. And if you’re someone who likes to preorder, you can click the buy link to make sure it arrives on launch day.
PlayStation’s big game in August is the hero shooter Concord. Built in the grand tradition of Overwatch, Concord has you pick your unique hero, team up with other players, and duke it out against another team. Also out this month is Madden NFL 25, Black Myth: Wukong, and Ubisoft’s Star Wars: Outlaws.
August is a somewhat slow month for Switch releases, but that’s just an end-of-life-cycle-meets-summer-doldrums combination. The main Nintendo-published release this month is the spooky visual novel Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective club. Also out this month are Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, and Volgarr the Viking II, a sequel to a game whose first level I didn’t have the time/patience to beat. Maybe this one will be less punishingly difficult? One can hope.
August 2024 – Nintendo Switch Game Release Dates
Bare Butt Boxing – August 1
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter – August 1
Tomba! Special Edition – August 1
World of Goo 2 – August 2
Volgarr the Viking II – August 6
SteamWorld Heist II – August 8
Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered – August 14
Dredge: The Iron Rig (DLC) – August 15
Farewell North – August 15
Core Keeper – August 27
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club – August 29 – Buy It
August is in now way a slow month for Xbox owners, even if Microsoft’s hardware revenue is way down. We can look forward to Star Wars: Outlaws, an open-world take on a galaxy far, far away. Also out this month are Visions of Mana, a new Madden, a new Cat Quest, and more.
As usual, PC gamers can pick up most of the games console owners get access to this month. That includes Star Wars: Outlaws and Black Myth: Wukong, among many others. The big PC-only release this month is a big, spankin’ new expansion to the long-running MMORPG World of Warcraft. Neat.
August 2024 – PC Game Release Dates
Bare Butt Boxing – August 1
Hello Cruel World – August 1
Kitsune Tales – August 1
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter – August 1
Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss – August 1
Thank Goodness You’re Here – August 1
Tomba! Special Edition – August 1
Pantless – August 2
Realm of Ink – August 2
Unrooted – August 2
World of Goo 2 – August 2
Level Zero: Extraction – August 6
Volgarr the Viking II – August 6
Creatures of Ava – August 7
Arcade Paradise VR – August 8
The Burst(VR) – August 8
Cat Quest III – August 8
Preserve – August 8
Steam World Heist II – August 8
The Crush House – August 9
Madden NFL 25 – August 13/16
Stormgate – August 13
Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered – August 14
Dawn of Defiance – August 15
Dredge: The Iron Rig (DLC) – August 15
Farewell North – August 15
Black Myth: Wukong – August 20
Dustborn – August 20
Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds (DLC) – August 20
Enotria: The Last Song – August 21
Concord – August 23
World of Warcraft: The War Within – August 26
Core Keeper – August 27
Star Wars: Outlaws – August 27/30
Supermoves – August 28
Akimbot – August 29
Bloodless – August 29
Gori: Cuddly Carnage – August 29
Gundam Breaker 4 – August 29
Shadow of the Ninja-Reborn – August 29
Squirrel with a Gun – August 29
Visions of Mana – August 29
Galaxy Highways – August 30
September 2024 – PC Game Release Dates
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions – September 3
Age of Mythology Retold – September 4
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection – September 6
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – September 9
Funko Fusion – September 13
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster – September 18
God of War Ragnarok – September 19
Frostpunk 2 – September 20
Ara: History Untold – September 24
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed – September 24 – Buy It
Lollipop Chainsaw RePop – September 25
October 2024 – PC Game Release Dates
Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus – October 1
Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred (DLC) – October 8
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero – October 11
Metaphor ReFantazio – October 11
Transformers: Galactic Trials – October 11
New World: Aeternum – October 15
TMNT: Mutants Unleashed – October 18
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition – October 25
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – October 25
Sonic X Shadow Generations – October 25
Life is Strange: Double Exposure – October 29
November 2024 – PC Game Release Dates
Slitterhead – November 8
Assassin’s Creed Shadows – November 12
Avowed – November 12
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake – November 14
Funko Fusion – November 15
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – November 19
STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl – November 20–Buy It
Upcoming PC Games – Release Date TBA
33 Immortals – 2024
Age of Mythology: Retold – TBA
American Arcadia – TBA
Among Us VR – TBA
Anno 117: Pax Romana – 2025
ARC Raiders – TBA
Ark 2 – 2024
Atomfall – 2025
Blacktail – “This Winter”
Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth – TBA
Blue Protocol – 2024
Civilization VII – 2025
Clockwork Revolution – TBA
Contraband – TBA
Creatures of Ava – 2024
Crimson Desert – TBA
Doom: The Dark Ages – 2025
Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Fall 2024
Dune: Awakening – TBA
Ereban: Shadow Legacy – TBA
Everwild – TBA
Exodus – TBA
ExoMecha – TBA
Expedition 33 – 2025
Expeditions: A MudRunner Game – 2024
Fable – 2025
Fantasian Neo Dimension – Winter 2024
Fort Solis – TBA
Fragpunk – 2025
Gears of War: E-Day – TBA
Hollow Knight: Silksong – TBA
Hyper Light Breaker – Early Access Summer 2024
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – 2024
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando – 2024
Judas – TBA
Jurassic Park: Survival – TBA
Killing Floor 3 – TBA
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – 2024
LEGO Horizon Adventures – Holiday 2024
Little Nightmares 3 – 2025
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage – early 2025
Marathon – TBA
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics – 2024
Mechabreak – 2025
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind – TBA
Mixtape – 2025
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin – Summer 2024
Monster Hunter Wilds – 2025
The Outer Worlds 2 – TBA
Perfect Dark – TBA
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis – TBA
Phantom Hellcat – TBA
Post Trauma – TBA
Pragmata – TBA
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake – 2026
Prison Architect 2 – 2024
Replaced – 2023
The Rise of the Golden Idol – TBA
Routine – TBA
Scars Above – TBA
Season – TBA
Second Extinction – TBA
Shovel Knight Showdown – TBA
Silent Hill 2 Remake – TBA
The Sinking City 2 – 2025
Slay the Spire 2 – early access in 2025
Sleight of Hand – 2025
South of Midnight – 2025
State of Decay 3 – TBA
Steelrising – TBA
Stormgate – TBA
Star Trek: Resurgence – TBA
Starfield: Shattered Space (DLC) – 2024
Still Wakes the Deep – Early 2024
Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars – TBA
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on (long inhale) Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and the social network formerly known as Twitter.
