Author: Game Infliction

Former ZeniMax Online Founder Confirms He Resigned Because Xbox Killed Project Blackbird

Matt Firor, the former studio head and founder of ZeniMax Online Studios, has confirmed his resignation from the company as a direct result of the cancelation of the studio’s unannounced game, Project Blackbird.

In a LinkedIn post today, Firor reflected on the last year and confirmed his departure back in July, which had already been rumored after he stepped down from his leadership role last year. “Project Blackbird was the game I had waited my entire career to create, and having it canceled led to my resignation. My heart and thoughts are always with the impacted team members, many of whom I had worked 20+ years with, and all of whom were the most dedicated, amazingly talented group of developers in the industry.”

Firor also made clear he is not involved in any of the projects that have been started by former ZeniMax Online members who were laid off from the company around this time. He added that he is advising some of them “informally” and confirmed they were “in good hands.”

He concluded by stating that while he doesn’t know what he’ll do next, he’s currently both advising some projects and startups unofficially, as well as investing in some small teams. “But I have not yet seriously contemplated spinning up a new development studio.”

Project Blackbird was an unannounced MMORPG that was in development at ZeniMax Online Studios, but was canceled by Xbox in the summer of 2025 as a part of the layoff of hundreds of individuals at Xbox Game Studios, and thousands Microsoft-wide. Blackbird would have been a brand new, sci-fi IP that had been in development since 2018. In July, sources speaking to IGN told us that the project was going well and was about to move into full production with Xbox’s approval to scale up the team. Blackbird’s cancelation led to the layoffs of every member of the team.

Firor founded ZeniMax Online Studios under ZeniMax Media in 2007 after 10 years at Mythic Entertainment, where he was a founding employee. There, he oversaw the creation of The Elder Scrolls Online, which launched in 2014 and continues to be supported, with the most recent major expansion Gold Road releasing in January 2024. Firor was also in charge when parent company ZeniMax Media was acquired by Microsoft in 2021.

Following the cancelation of Blackbird, ZeniMax Online Studios remains in operation, continuing work on The Elder Scrolls Online under the leadership of Joseph Burba, a 13-year veteran of the studio.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Baba is You gets one last big update leaving custom level makers with some foxy new toys

The best puzzle games are often the ones where the thing you actually do is dead simple, with the challenge coming from an intricately woven path of twists and turns on doing said thing. Like, for example, Baba is You. You (Baba) are a rabbity thing that pushes wordy blocks around, changing the very fabric of reality as you (Baba) do so. And here we are, with one last big update for the game.

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Belkin’s New Charging Case Pro For Switch 2 Looks Like A Huge Improvement

Shipping starts this month.

Accessory manufacturer Belkin has added a new Switch 2 case to its catalogue, and this one looks like a doozy. The Charging Case Pro retails for $99.99, which certainly sounds like a lot for a case, but you’re also getting a lot with this one.

The new Pro model comes with an LED indicator so you can quickly see how much charge the 10,000 mAH power bank has, allowing you to charge the Switch 2 up to 1.5 times while on the go. The console itself can be docked into the case and used in table-top mode whilst it’s charging, and you can store up to 12 Game-Key Cards game cartridges in the included sleeves.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Xbox to Bring Cloud Gaming to Select Hisense and V homeOS-powered Smart TVs

Xbox to Bring Cloud Gaming to Select Hisense and V homeOS-powered Smart TVs

  • Lori Wright, Corporate Vice President, Gaming Partnerships and Business Development

Play Xbox Hisense TV Hero Image

As we step into the new year, many of us are looking for fresh ways to play, connect, and explore. That’s why we’re excited to announce a new partnership with V (formerly VIDAA) that expands where your gaming adventures can happen: the Xbox app is coming to select Hisense and V homeOS-powered Smart TVs in 2026.  

This partnership is all about giving you more freedom and flexibility to play how you want. Xbox Game Pass subscribers – including Ultimate, Premium, and Essential subscribers – will be able to stream hundreds of games, from new releases to fan favorites, directly through the Xbox app on supported TVs via Xbox Cloud Gaming.  

With the Xbox app, you’ll be able to explore a variety of great games including Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and many more. As an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, you’ll also unlock unlimited cloud gaming, giving you the flexibility to play games across different devices, including select games you already own. It’s all about giving you more freedom to play your way. 

Expanding the Xbox Cloud Ecosystem 

Our vision is to make sure your games, your community, and your achievements are always within reach. Bringing the Xbox app to select Hisense and V homeOS-powered TVs is another step toward making gaming available across a broad range of devices, to meeting you wherever you want to play.  We’ll share more details on the Xbox Cloud Gaming experience with Hisense TVs in the coming months. Stay tuned to Xbox Wire and follow our social channels for the latest updates.

The post Xbox to Bring Cloud Gaming to Select Hisense and V homeOS-powered Smart TVs appeared first on Xbox Wire.

It’s Taken 15 Years, But Someone’s Finally Completed Super Meat Boy Without Dying Once

Super Meat Boy, the hard-as-nails platforming classic where dying dozens of times per level comes as standard, has now been played from start to finish in a perfect run.

It’s been 15 years since Super Meat Boy originally released for Xbox 360, and it has taken all of those 15 years for someone to pull off this frankly astonishing feat.

Step up shredberg, a Nintendo speedrunner with a particular soft spot for Super Meat Boy, who livestreamed his deathless completion of the game just before the end of 2025. The achievement quickly drew congratulations from Edmund McMillen, the game’s co-creator, who dubbed shredberg as “awesome” for being the one who finally managed it.

For anyone who’s played and struggled with Super Meat Boy over the years, particularly its later levels which simply look impossible when you first see them, it’s hard to not watch the full video of shredberg’s run and be impressed at the calm way he leaps, slops and slides around each level just pixels away from sawblades, meat grinders and explosions.

“Let’s go,” shredberg said calmly, upon completing Super Meat Boy’s final level after more than 2000 attempts and over 1000 hours of gameplay. “Let’s go dude! I cannot believe it, I’ve been doing this too long. I got to go to work tomorrow.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not going to say I wasn’t nervous, because I was very nervous at the end there… but I was way more nervous just in Dark Cotton,” he continued, referencing an earlier level. “Once I got past Dark Hell 2, I was relatively fine. I got super nervous whenever I had any minor slip-up.”

“I’m going to be emailing everyone,” shredberg added. “Kotaku, IGN, CNN, Chef’s Illustrated, they’re all going to hear about it. I will unironically email IGN.”

Over the years, Super Meat Boy has launched on every major console from Nintendo Switch to PlayStation Vita, though no one else has managed this feat — something many players thought was impossible. A sequel to the game, Super Meat Boy Forever, launched in 2020. Next up for the series is Super Meat Boy 3D, due for launch early this year.

And for shredberg? The second he completed his run, one viewer had a suggestion for what he should play next. “I have to play Silksong now?” shredberg said, reading the inevitable comment. “Yeah… I’m so glad it’s over. Not even in a ‘this wasn’t even fun’ kinda way, because it was. But, man.”

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Styx: Blades of Greed paints a nice stealthy picture in its latest trailer, even if its titular goblin can’t shut up

A nice, juicy nine-minute-long Styx: Blades of Greed gameplay trailer has been plucked from the tree of stealth games today. Juicy in the sense that nine minutes is plenty of time to help ascertain whether a game looks like it could be fun, yet if we’re sticking with this metaphor this is one of those apples that’s really good but has a nasty bruise on it you have to avoid.

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Battlefield 6 Has Dropped to Just $40 in the New Year Sales

Walmart has dropped Battlefield 6 to just $40 for both PS5 and Xbox in the 2026 New Year sales. That’s almost 50% off, and pretty close to its outstanding Black Friday deal I was raving about not so long ago ($35 for a limited time only).

If you’re looking for a traditional boots-on-the-ground multiplayer shooter to play in 2026, this is it, and it’s the best price we’re likely to get on it right now. Snap it up ASAP, as I don’t see this deal lasting the rest of the week, especially since Walmart is already indicating that stock is running low.

While it’s not the best deal we’ve ever seen on the game, it’s fairly comparable, with just a $5 difference, and well worth checking out if you missed the previous best last year.

Released in October last year, Battlefield 6 has offered a true return to form for the long-running shooter franchise and has pretty much finally outdone Call of Duty at its own game, selling some almighty big numbers.

While we didn’t love the campaign, there’s no denying it’s a gorgeous-looking shooting gallery, but as with any Battlefield game, the real draw is multiplayer.

Reviewer Justin Koreis gave the multiplayer an 8 out of 10, saying, “Battlefield 6’s multiplayer action is expertly crafted, wrapped in a wonderful layer of destructibility that both looks great and materially affects the flow of combat. The gunplay is excellent, with weapons that are accurate enough to reward skilled shooting, but have just enough sway to promote a bit of careful thought while you take aim.”

Whether you’re looking for infantry combat, the opportunity to fly a jet or helicopter, or you just want to pile into a tank with your friends and bring down buildings, there’s pretty much something for everyone here.

Battlefield 6 is currently in the middle of its first season of post-launch content, including new maps and modes, while the RedSec Battle Royale mode is also available as a standalone free-to-play game. Given how successful the game has been for EA, you can likely expect new seasonal updates well into the future.

But, it’s also had its own share of recent controversies as well, that you may want to take note of before purchasing, including accusations of AI generated imagery appearing in the game. Following a similar generative AI controversy for rival shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield has come under fire for selling what some fans have called “low quality AI generated garbage.”

Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN’s resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.

Quake goes Brutalist again with a “megalithic” 77 map mod that’s available as a free standalone game

If you’re a fan of both the colour grey being draped all over designs that could be accurately described as both angular and slabby, you’re in luck. A third brutalist map jam has hit Quake, with this one being less of a fan-made map pack and more of a huge overhaul mod – the concrete cavernousness of which dwarfs the original game.

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Amazon Slashes 50% off Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 as a Little New Years Treat

A new year is upon us, and if you’re looking for some new games to stock up on to keep you busy in these early months, Amazon is the place to look.

Though the holidays and their seasonal sale events may be behind us, the retailer is kicking off 2026 with some worthy video game deals. This includes a 50% price drop on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 for PS5 and Xbox.

Normally, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 features a retail price of $59.99, but this offer has dropped it down to just $29.99. Not to mention, it’s the best price for both PS5 and Xbox, according to price tracker camelcamelcamel. That’s a stellar offer to jump on right now, especially after all of the holiday sales.

If you’ve been hoping to sink your teeth into a big RPG this year, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is sure to keep you busy. It’s a game that we’re big fans of. Our review from writer Leana Hafer said: “Armed with excellent melee combat and an exceptional story, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is one part sequel and one part coronation, bringing a lot of the original’s ideas to fruition.”

Alongside earning high praise in our review, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was also a runner-up nominee in our picks for the best RPG and the best PC game of 2025, which is certainly worth celebrating.

This is one of our favorite deals we’ve come across recently, but far from the only one to have caught our eye. For even more great video game deals available right now, have a look through our most recent breakdown of the best deals of the day, which includes discounts on Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on Switch 2, Gears of War: Reloaded, and quite a few more.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Arc Raiders has aggression-based matchmaking to push pugnacious PvPers together, but it’s “not a full science”

If you can’t resist taking cheeky potshots at your fellow players in Arc Raiders, the shooter’s matchmaking can now neatly shuffle you into a session where you’re more likely to get a taste of your own medicine. Developers Embark have confirmed that some “aggression-based matchmaking” has been sprinkled into the game’s systems as of late, making PvP-prone players a bit more likely to be funnelled towards each other.

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