Author: Game Infliction

Stalker 2 is a hit. Officially, it’s sold one million copies across PC and Xbox Series X and S, with many more playing on Game Pass. Reports coming out of Ukraine, where developer GSC Game World was originally based before Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in 2022, indicate Stalker 2 is already profitable. There’s even talk of a Netflix series.

But what does this success mean for GSC Game World itself and the future of Stalker 2? IGN interviewed GSC CEO Ievgen Grygorovych and creative director Maria Grygorovych at BAFTA in Piccadilly, London following a screening of War Game: The Making of Stalker 2, to ask if Stalker 2’s big sales were a game-changer for the developer.

Discussing the impact of Stalker 2’s release in English, which is obviously not their first language, Ievgen and Maria talked about how the studio now faces “a new reality” and with it a bigger audience than it’s ever had to contend with. The first steps as part of this new reality will revolve around working to improve Stalker 2 itself, something GSC has already done with multiple patches, but also to expand its plans for continued support.

A dedicated Baldur’s Gate 3 fan has searched through thousands of lines of dialogue to discover which characters agree, and disagree, the most with each other.

As reported by The Gamer, Reddit user Tarrasque-Named-John datamined the beloved Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game to calculate which characters — like Astarion, Karlach, Shadowheart, and the entire Baldur’s Gate 3 party — have the most aligning morals.

The fan used the Approving and Disapproving mechanic of Baldur’s Gate 3 to do so. When the player character makes certain decisions, messages such as “Gale Approves” or “Halsin Disapproves” pop up, and Tarrasque-Named-John looked to see which characters approved and disapproved the same decisions the most.

Minsc and Karlach agreed the most, aligning on 97% of all decisions. They’re followed by a few pairs at 96%: Wyll and Halsin, Minsc and Halsin, Jaheira and Halsin, and Karlach and Halsin.

The opposite was revealed too, with Astarion and Wyll emerging as the most disagreeable pair with just 50% alignment. They’re followed by Minthara and Halsin at 51%, and both Wyll and Minthara and Karlach and Astarion at 52%

Tarrasque-Named-John also calculated who would become “best friends” by the end of Baldur’s Gate 3, ignoring percentage and looking directly at the total number of times characters agreed with each other.

Astarion’s bestie would be Lae’zel, and Lae’zel’s would be Astarion. Gale’s would be Karlach, but Karlach’s would be Wyll. Awkward. Wyll’s bestie is therefore Karlach, as is Shadowheart’s. Jaheria’s is Wyll, Minsc’s is Karlach, Minthara’s is Astarion, and finally, Halsin’s is Wyll.

This data is true as of Patch 7, but developer Larian Studios may shake things up a touch with Patch 8, which is due sometime in 2025. Though it may not shake up the morals of each character too much, it is set to add 12 new subclasses to the game alongside loads more.

Baldur’s Gate 3 arrived in 2023 but, incredibly, is even more popular this year than last. This is due in large part to official mod support, which are even available on console and not just PC as standard.

Players downloaded more than 50 million mods via the official mod support tool in less than two months, and this number doesn’t include the thousands made unofficially. Mods released so far include one that adds real-time combat to the otherwise turn-based RPG and another that brought entire new maps to Faerûn, including the highly requested Avernus.

In our 10/10 review of Baldur’s Gate 3, IGN said: “With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Black Myth: Wukong arrived in 2024 to incredible success and has seemingly spawned some copycats as a result, with Nintendo Switch fans laughing as Wukong Sun: Black Legend hits the platform this week.

Gamers online have called out the $7.99 Wukong Sun: Black Legend as a fairly blatant rip-off of Black Myth: Wukong, which isn’t on Nintendo Switch itself. Not only is the name incredibly similar, but the promotional image could easily be mistaken for that of the actual game.

The similarities practically end there, however, as Wukong Sun: Black Legend is a side-scrolling platformer as opposed to Black Myth: Wukong’s third-person action. It also requires a meagre 338 megabytes of storage space according to the Nintendo eShop page.

The original creators of much-loved sci-fi horror video game Dead Space say they pitched EA on Dead Space 4 this year, only for the publisher to say it wasn’t interested.

In an interview with Dan Allen Gaming, Glen Schofield, Christopher Stone, and Bret Robbins, three of the leading creatives at the now shuttered original Dead Space developer EA Redwood Shores / Visceral Games, revealed they all joined together to pitch EA on Dead Space 4.

“We tried, actually, the three of us,” Schofield revealed. “Dead Space 4. We’re talking this year.”

Unfortunately for Dead Space fans, EA said it wasn’t interested, with Schofield suggesting projections for how many copies Dead Space 4 would have to sell to make the venture worthwhile were perhaps a key factor in the decision.

“We didn’t go too deep,” Schofield explained. “They just said, ‘We’re not interested right now. We appreciate it blah blah blah, and you know we know who to talk to.’ So we didn’t take it any further. And we respected their opinion. They know their numbers and what they have to ship and all that so yeah.”

Stone added that the video game industry’s high-profile struggles and its subsequent risk aversion has made projects such as Dead Space 4 a particularly hard sell.

“The industry is in a weird place right now,” Stone said. “People are really hesitant to take chances on things. So you got to take it with a grain of salt. Who knows, maybe one day. I think we’d all love to do it.”

“Yeah,” Schofield continued, “we got some ideas.”

“I’d make a Dead Space 4,” Stone declared.

Alas, it sounds like Dead Space 4 is an unlikely prospect, with EA focusing on its enormously successful sports games, The Sims, the revival of Battlefield, and Respawn’s ongoing projects, including the third Star Wars Jedi game. BioWare recently released Dragon Age Veilguard and is working on Mass Effect 5.

EA released the well-received Dead Space remake in 2023, but since then EA hasn’t said anything about a potential Dead Space 4. The last mainline game in the franchise, Dead Space 3, came out over a decade ago, in 2013.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Palworld has closed out what has been a remarkably eventful year with its huge Feybreak update.

The update, which brings Palworld up to v0.4.11, adds new areas, new pals, new buildings, a hardcore mode, expeditions, research and a lot more. Check out the patch notes, below, for more.

Feybreak arrives as developer Pocketpair works to defend itself in a high-profile patent lawsuit filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. After Palworld’s huge launch earlier this year on PC and Xbox, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of “ripping off” Pokémon designs. But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company went down the patent route. They want 5 million yen (approx $32,846) each plus late payment damages, as well as an injunction against Palworld that would block its release.

Last month, Pocketpair confirmed the three Japan-based patents, which revolve around catching Pokémon in a virtual field, it is being sued over. Palworld does include a mechanic that involves throwing a ball-like object (called a Pal Sphere) at monsters out in a field to capture them, similar to the mechanic seen in the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokémon Legends: Arceus. However, without explanation, Pocketpair recently tweaked how players summon Pals, with observers speculating the change had to do with the patent infringement lawsuit.

Palworld launched on Steam priced $30 and straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC earlier this year, breaking sales and concurrent player number records in the process. Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe has said Palworld’s launch was so big that the developer couldn’t handle the massive profits the game generated. Still, Pocketpair acted swiftly to capitalize on Palworld’s breakout success, signing a deal with Sony to form a new business called Palworld Entertainment that’s tasked with expanding the IP.

Patent experts have said Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit against Pocketpair is evidence of the threat posed by Palworld, which has since gone on to launch on PS5, albeit after a short delay in Japan.

All eyes are on the lawsuit to see who will emerge victorious, if it isn’t settled first. Pocketpair has vowed to take on Nintendo and The Pokémon Company in court, however, saying: “We will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings.”

Through it all, Pocketpair has continued to release major updates for Palworld and Feybreak is just the latest example of that. The developer is even moving forward with crossovers with other huge video games, including the start of a Terraria collaboration with today’s release of Feybreak.

Palworld Feybreak update 0.4.11 patch notes:

▼New Content
・Meowmere from Terraria!
⤷ Meowmere, the first “bullet-firing melee weapon” in Palworld, has been added. This is only a small taste of the Palworld x Terraria collab, and in 2025, even more collaboration content will be released! Enjoy taking a step towards a new adventure alongside the sound of cat meowing!

・New Island – Feybreak
⤷A new island, Feybreak, has appeared! A mysterious island with many challenges, glowing sand and many new Pals!
⤷Conquer the Feybreak Warriors, a new faction that dominates the island with the power of their missile battery camp!

・New Resources – Chromite and Hexolite Quartz!
⤷Chromite is buried underground and can only be found by using Pals or items that can detect metal.
⤷Hexolite Quartz is a rare ore that only exists on Feybreak.

・New Mechanic – Expeditions!
⤷Obtain supplies by sending Pals out on expeditions at the Pal Expedition Station!

・New Mechanic – Research!
⤷By conducting research at the Pal Labor Research Laboratory, you can unlock permanent passives and rewards that increase the productivity of your base!
*Some existing buildings that increase work speed will now be unlocked as research rewards.

・Predator Pals
⤷Vicious Predator Pals will now appear throughout the world. These Pals are extremely difficult to defeat but those strong enough to take them down will earn rare resources in return for their bravery!

・New “Bounty” NPCs
⤷Dangerous criminals have appeared all over the Palpagos Islands. Bring these crooks to justice and cash in the country for rewards.

・New Strongholds and Stronghold Boss: The Attack Chopper
⤷A large and very difficult “Platform Oil Rig” has appeared! Great riches, important supplies and more are stored here. A powerful Attack Chopper guards this rig from any intruders!
⤷A smaller oil rig, the “Barge Oil Rig” has been added for beginners.

・Player level cap raised to 60! New technologies and more await!

・New Raid – Xenolord!
Defeat the dark mechanical dragon that controls the Xeno army!

・Sphere Modules
⤷You can now attach modules to spheres to significantly change their trajectory, such as curving it, which in turn increases the capture rate!

・New Items
⤷Metal Detector – Find chromite buried underground on Feybreak.
⤷Pouches – Increases your inventory size!
⤷Double Jump Boots – Stylish and practical, time to double jump!
⤷Air Dash Boots, – Allows the player to dash while in the air.
⤷Revival Potion – Bring your Pals back to life.
⤷New cooking recipes have been added.

・Hardcore Mode!
⤷The ultimate challenge. Player and Pal death is permanent.
Can be enabled in the world settings.

・Random Pal Mode!
⤷Turn on Random Pal Mode in world settings to randomize Pal spawns!
⤷Randomize by Region – Randomize Pal spawns while maintaining a certain regional range.
⤷Completely Random – All Pal spawns in all regions will be completely randomized! It could be a bit chaotic…

・New Area Discovery Bonus!
⤷Players will earn experience points when they discover a location for the first time.

・Many New Weapons!
⤷Makeshift SMG
⤷Makeshift Assault Rifle
⤷Makeshift Shotgun
⤷Old Revolver
⤷SMG
⤷Semi-Auto Rifle
⤷Semi-Auto Shotgun
⤷Laser Gatling Gun
⤷Plasma Cannon
⤷Compound Bow
⤷Advanced Bow
⤷Katana
⤷Beam Sword
⤷Dark Grenade
⤷Dragon Grenade
⤷Ground Grenade
⤷Grass Grenade
⤷Water Grenade

・New Buildings
⤷Large-Scale Electric Egg Incubator – Hatch up to 10 eggs at the same time.
⤷Guild Chest – Items placed in a guild chest are shared among all guild chests.
⤷Item Retrieval Machine – Search for and take any item from any chest within your base!
⤷Medicine Rack – Pals will take medicine stored to treat their illnesses and injuries.
⤷Flea Market – Sell Pals and items to other players!
⤷Large-Scale Stone Oven and Gigantic Furnace – Multiple Pals can work together to cook and refine at higher speeds!
⤷Skillfruit Orchard – Plant and grow skill fruits!
⤷Gold Coin Assembly Line – Illegally produced coins, now made at home!
⤷Ladders – Players can go up and down without needing to build stairs!
⤷Pure Quartz Mine – Mine an infinite amount in the comfort of your base.
⤷Accumulator – By storing extra electricity, you can keep your facilities running at night while your Pals sleep.

・Elemental Treasure Chests
⤷Rare treasure chests that can only be unlocked by Pals of specific elements have appeared!

▼Player
・Players can now sit on chairs!
・You can now obtain Successful Bounty Tokens by defeating field bosses. These tokens provide permanent passives to the player.
・Player climbing speed has been increased.
・Increased the maximum amount of power that can be enhanced by Lifmunk Effigies from 12 to 14.
・Implemented “Sphere Critical” hits! Throwing a sphere at a Pal’s weak spot (the same weak spot as when attacking a Pal) will temporarily increase the capture rate!
・Experience points gained from crafting and building have been increased. You now also gain experience points for Pals crafting and building even when you aren’t at your base!
・Improved player animations.
・Players will now be invincible for a few seconds after teleporting or entering/exiting dungeons.
・When mounted, Pals now cancel any active skills that are in effect, allowing it to move immediately.

▼Base Related
・A function to replace foundation structures and defensive walls without destroying them has been implemented. Walls already built can be upgraded.
・New foundation structures, “Japanese Style” have been implemented! You can recreate Sakurajima’s Japanese-style architecture at your base. Sliding doors have also been implemented.
・The maximum base level has been increased to 30.
・Pal transportation work has been improved while the player is not in the base.
・In Single-Player and COOP modes you can build much more freely around the world, except in some dungeons.
・The Pal working state set in the monitoring stand is now saved.

▼Pals
・Christmas Skins!
6 Christmas skins have been added for all players!
(※You must own the Pal to equip the skin)
⤷Pudding à la Gumoss
⤷Party Night Depresso
⤷Winter Style Chillet
⤷Winter Style Chillet Ignis
⤷Royal Frostallion
⤷White Shadowbeak

・Redistributing Limited-Time skins to all players!
(※You must own the Pal to equip the skin)
⤷Gold Relaxaurus
⤷Sailor Quivern
⤷Summer Chillet

・New Unique Skills
⤷Vanwyrm – Flame Breath
⤷Vanwyrm Cryst – Tempest Blizzard
⤷Astegon – Firefist Breathstorm
⤷Maraith – Spirit Dash
⤷Verdash – Spinning Roundhouse
⤷Univolt – Lightning Gale
⤷Blazehowl – Volcanic Fang
⤷Ragnahawk – Rush Beak
⤷Beegarde – Needle Spear
⤷Beakon – Lightning Dive
⤷Rayhound – Beckon Lightning
⤷Jormuntide – Slither Slam
⤷Jormuntide Ignis – Magma Serpent
⤷Cryolinx – Blizzard Claw
⤷Wumpo – Snow Bowling
⤷Wumpo Botan – Lawn Bowling

・New Ground Skill
⤷Stone Beat

・New Dark Skill
⤷Poison Shower

・New Dragon Skill
⤷Charge Cannon

・New Tier of Passive Skills
⤷An even higher tier of passives, “rainbow passive skill” has been added! Breed the ultimate Pal!
※ “Swift” has been promoted to a rainbow passive skill, and the chance of obtaining it has decreased.

・Work Suitability Enhancement Books!
⤷By using various technique books, you can permanently increase Pal’s work suitability.

・The limit on strengthening Pals with souls has been lifted! It’s now possible to further develop your Pals.
・If a summoned Pal has three moves that are all on cooldown, it will use the most basic move of its element.
・Enemy Pals will now use every move they know at that level.
・Alpha Pal eggs are no longer all huge but are now each the appropriate size.

▼UI
・Added a filter function to the Technology screen.
・You can now add Pals to your favourites with a single button in the Pal Box UI.
・Improved Pal Box sorting function, making it easier to find the Pal you’re looking for.
・You can now change the font size in the options settings.
・The player’s main HUD no longer becomes hidden over time. (You can revert this setting in the options.)

・Mouse and Keyboard
⤷You can now close any window with the Tab key.
⤷The right Shift key and right Ctrl key can now be registered in the key configuration.

・Controller Pad
⤷Fixed an issue where the player would continue walking if the UI was opened while moving.
⤷Changed the cutscene skip button on controller to Y.

▼Crime
・The charges have been expanded. Serious crimes, such as “Obstructing Public Officials” will increase the player’s criminal level even more.

▼Dedicated Servers
・You can now set “Maximum number of buildings per base” in the world settings.
This allows server administrators to make adjustments to stabilize server performance and maintain a comfortable playing environment.

▼Balance Adjustment
・The weight multiplier for all items can now be changed in world settings.
・Technology unlock levels have been adjusted.
・The selling prices of some Pals have been adjusted.
・Merchant stock and prices have been adjusted.
・The crafting recipes for some ammunition have been adjusted.
・Boss enemies are now immune to stuns and will now become staggered when their stun accumulation value reaches 100.
・Some technologies can now be unlocked by defeating tower bosses.

・Adjusted the work suitability of some Pals:
⤷Blazamut Ryu – Kindling 3 → 4
⤷Selyne – Handiwork 3 → 4
⤷Knocklem – Mining 3 → 4
⤷Cryolinx – Added Transporting

・Legendary Pals are now level 60, and they can learn more powerful skills.
・The recovery amount of Felbat and Lovander’s partner skills has been increased from 6% to 10%

▼Bug Fixes
・Improved base pals so they don’t get stuck as often.
・Reduced the issue of players falling under the ground after fast travel.
・Improved enemy pathing so they don’t get stuck in walls as often.
・Improved the raid algorithm and pathing to ensure that raids reach bases much more often.
・Many many many other minor bug fixes.

▼Other
・New NPCs have been added to various locations.
・Added the “Free Pal Alliance Judicator” to the Free Pal Alliance. He will now appear at their camps.
・Slowed down the work speed animation of base Pals with work speed buffs. (This is a measure to prevent the processing load from increasing too much when the effect is played at high speed. This change does not affect actual work speed.)
・Changed Paldeck to Palpedia to be more in line with other languages.

▼Soundtrack
・3 new songs have been added to the soundtrack. If you have already purchased the game, please update the soundtrack.
*Please note that the soundtrack update may be delayed by about a day.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, December 22, below:

Gran Turismo 7 for $19.97