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Slitterhead Gameplay Trailer Leaks, Reveals Release Date for Silent Hill Creator’s Next Game

A gameplay video for Slitterhead was briefly made available to watch on YouTube before it was pulled offline ahead of a reveal during Summer Game Fest.

This week, Summer Game Fest chief Geoff Keighley tweeted to tease the world premiere of Slitterhead, the next game from Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama and his studio, Bokeh.

Ahead of the livestream set for 2pm Pacific / 5pm Eastern / 10pm UK today, June 7, the gameplay trailer was viewable before being set to private. The internet noticed and took notes, of course. The gameplay trailer confirmed a release date of November 8, 2024 on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. Xbox One was not listed.

Toyama, the director of Silent Hill who then formed Project Siren, also known as Team Gravity, under Sony’s umbrella, left the company in late 2020 with other Japan Studio developers and formed his own studio, Bokeh Game Studios.

He continued: “However, the game will include many new mechanics that have not been seen so far in other games, so I think it will result in a unique experience.”

If you missed the trailer, it won’t be long before it’s shown off officially at Summer Game Fest.

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.

LA Billboard Shouts Out ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’ Game Studios Ahead of Major Showcases

Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and more “gone but not forgotten” video game studios were honored by a Los Angeles billboard ahead of this week’s major summer showcases.

Spotted by Stephen Totilo on X/Twitter, the electronic billboard was created by publisher New Blood Interactive in the wake of brutal industry lay-offs and studio closures.

“Gone but not forgotten,” the billboard reads, before listing affected studios and their 2024 closing dates: Arkane Austin, Roll7, Tango Gameworks, Volition, and Sony’s London Studio. It also shouts out “everyone laid off, downsized, and made redundant.”

“Thank you for your great games from your friends at New Blood,” it added. “We love you. We mss you. We hate money.”

Microsoft shut down Redfall developer Arkane Austin alongside Hi-Fi Rush and Ghostwire Tokyo developer Tango Gamework in May 2024 in a move met with shock and anger by industry peers and fans. Xbox owner Microsoft posted a 17% increase in revenue and $21.9 billion in profit in its latest financial earnings report. Xbox executives have blamed the move on the video game industry’s lack of growth and a need to prioritise other games and studios.

OlliOlli World developer Roll7, meanwhile, was seemingly shut down by Take-Two Interactive in the same month despite its CEO Strauss Zelnick refusing to confirm this in an interview with IGN and dodging follow-up questions. Last month IGN reported on how the closure of Kerbal Space Program 2 developer Intercept Games and Roll7 are a part of a larger move by Take-Two to either sell off or shut down the entirety of its indie label, Private Division.

“Thank you for your great games from your friends at New Blood. We love you. We mss you. We hate money.

The embattled Embracer Group shut down Saints Row developer Volition in 2023, while Sony shut down its London Studio in March 2024 amid layoffs affecting 900 staff across the PlayStation business.

The billboard will be seen by many still in the video game industry as it looms over downtown LA in the lead up to a number of summer events, including Summer Games Fest, a showcase featuring several high profile announcements in the place of defunct video game event E3. Microsoft is set to host an Xbox showcase followed by a Call of Duty Direct, where it will unveil Black Ops 6.

Xbox and PlayStation are both confirmed as SGF partners, though Nintendo, as usual, is a no show. As for what to expect, a LEGO game based on Horizon: Zero Dawn, Sonic X Shadow Generation, what’s seemingly a console version of Amazon’s New World, and Civilization 7 have all leaked.

Image Credit: Stephen Totilo on X/Twitter

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

Civilization 7 Leaks via 2K Games Website

An announcement for Civilization 7 appears imminent after an image for the game was spotted on 2K Games’ official website.

As spotted by users on ResetEra and Reddit, the banner for the unannounced strategy sequel was briefly available on the 2K website homepage and even pointed to a currently non-existent trailer and Steam page for wishlisting before it was removed. The leak suggests an announcement at Summer Game Fest today, June 7. 2K is yet to comment.

In May, Summer Game Fest said 2K Games would reveal the “next iteration in one of its biggest and most beloved franchises” during the show. The tease instantly got fans speculating on the possibilities, with many wondering whether BioShock 4 would finally be revealed after a five year wait. Others suggested it might be Mafia 4 or Borderlands 4. It seems likely now that the tease is related to Civilization 7.

Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 was developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K on PC in 2016, before ports for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and mobile were released. IGN’s Civ 6 review returned a 9.4. We said: “Civilization 6 is fully loaded with features and makes some very smart changes to its winning 4X strategy formula.”

Given the game’s enormous popularity (Civ 6 remains in the top 20 most-played games on Steam and the franchise has sold an impressive 71 million copies to date), a seventh entry in the long-running series was inevitable. Indeed, in February last year Firaxis announced it was working on the next mainline Civ, although it didn’t call it Civ 7 at the time.

That’s all we have to go on for now, with more sure to be revealed during Summer Game Fest.

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.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Support Reportedly Scaled Back at Rocksteady Following Disastrous Launch

What now for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League? The live service shooter flopped to the tune of $200 million upon its launch earlier this year, and ever since players have wondered just how long support would last.

Following a Bloomberg report into the development of the game, the author of that report, Jason Schreier, has tweeted to say Rocksteady is now providing “some barebones support, definitely not as much as they’d originally planned.”

That’s a worry for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s small but loyal fanbase, which is made up of fans who continue to play the game despite its failings. And it calls into question how long publisher Warner Bros. will have Rocksteady devote resources to the game.

According to Bloomberg, staff at the studio are currently working on a director’s cut of the phenomenally successful Hogwarts Legacy, while leadership pitches a return to single-player following this live service misstep.

Warner Bros. has so far failed to respond to IGN’s request for comment.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League did look set to receive new content (the game recently teased the introduction of Mrs. Freeze as a playable character for Season 2) in the short-term, at least. But Rocksteady has yet to announce Season 2 or what it will add to the game. Season 1 added Joker as a playable character. Datamining has suggested playable characters on their way include Mrs. Freeze, Lawless, and Deathstroke.

But will Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice actually get these playable characters, or even subsequent seasons? The game’s community, such as it is, has declared the game dead following Bloomberg’s report. “I honestly don’t think the planned Seaons 2 to 4 are happening,” redditor Gizmo16868 said. Those in the game’s official Discord have already turned their attention to Rocksteady’s next game and the hope it will rekindle the excitement around the studio’s much-loved Batman: Arkham series.

For now, though, it seems a question of when, not if, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League goes the way of so many live service failures and its developer officially moves on.

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.

Looks Like Amazon MMO New World Is Coming to Console

Amazon’s MMO New World looks set to hit consoles after the game was spotted on the PlayStation Store.

Redditor OMG_R3A11Y saw New World appear on their console’s PlayStation Store and published a screenshot before the listing was apparently removed.

New World launched in 2021 on Steam and became a rare video game hit for Amazon. The free-to-play MMO set in an alternate 1600s America saw huge concurrent player numbers on Steam, and is currently the eighth most-played game on Valve’s platform all-time with a whopping 913,634 peak concurrents. Player numbers have declined since that peak, however, with Steam concurrents hovering around the 10,000 mark in recent weeks.

A console release would certainly provide a boost, and a confirmation seems imminent after the official New World X/Twitter account teased “an exciting announcement” for Summer Game Fest, which kicks off today, June 7, at 2pm Pacific / 5pm Eastern / 10pm UK.

Questions remain, however. The PlayStation Store insert is for a game called New World Aeternum, whereas the Steam version is simply called New World. Perhaps the console version is a different game entirely, or Aeternum is the name of a new expansion that will replace the original name across all versions.

Or, New World Aeternum may mark a new beginning for the MMO, similar to Final Fantasy 14 A Realm Reborn. Fans are also wondering whether New World is also set for Xbox Series X and S, given the insert was spotted on the PlayStation Store.

Image credit: OMG_R3A11Y / Reddit.

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.

There’s No Bloodborne Remake, but There Is a Bloodborne Outfit for Astro Bot

Bloodborne fans have called on Sony to remake the game or release a sequel for years now. What they have instead is, well… it’s not quite what they expected.

During Sony’s State of Play showcase in May the company revealed a brand new Astro Bot for PS5, and the announcement sparked excitement from PlayStation gamers across the internet. Now, Sony has announced pre-order details for Team Asobi’s game as well as the various outfits set to hit the eye-catching platformer — and, you guessed it, one of the outfits is Bloodborne.

As detailed in a PlayStation Blog post, the Astro Bot Digital Deluxe Edition includes an early unlock for Astro’s Yharnam Tourist outfit, which is the one that’s caused a bit of a fuss across social media and forums today.

Most of the reaction is light-hearted, with plenty of jokes about Astro Bot now being the Bloodborne remake fans have been waiting for, a few perhaps wishful thinkers suggesting the skin is a sign of better things to come, and more than a few accusations that Sony is trolling Bloodborne fans hard. You have to imagine Sony knew what sort of reaction this outfit would spark, and it’s sure to drive plenty of Deluxe Edition sales as a result. Either way, we have a confirmed Sony acknowledgement that still Bloodborne exists, so there is that.

It’s worth noting that the Bloodborne outfit and all the others will become available during the adventure as you unlock their respective buildings on the crash site in-game, so what you’re paying for here is early access. But it is early access to something new for Bloodborne, so…

Meanwhile, the wait for an actual new Bloodborne game continues. In February, Bloodborne director Hidetaka Miyazaki, while promoting upcoming Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree, told IGN it wasn’t his place to talk about the possibility of a Bloodborne remake.

“We simply don’t own the IP at FromSoftware,” Miyazaki explained. “For me personally, it was a great project, and I have a lot of great memories for that game, but we’re not at liberty to speak to it.” No promises, no hints of anything in the works, and to hear Miyazaki tell it, the decision isn’t even really up to FromSoftware — it’s entirely on Sony, which owns Bloodborne.

Bloodborne fans have been desperate for a remake for years now. We gave the game a 9.1/10 when it first launched, but despite critical acclaim and incredible sales success, Bloodborne has remained relegated to PlayStation 4 exclusivity. There’s no dedicated PS5 version, nor is it available on PS5 or other consoles. With other FromSoftware games such as Demon’s Souls and the original Dark Souls getting a remake and numerous ports, respectively, hope has been kept alive. For now, FromSoftware fans will have to be content with… an Astro Bot skin.

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.

Original 5 Game Boy Mega Man Games Hit Nintendo Switch Online

Nintendo has added five classic Mega Man Game Boy games to the Switch Online subscription.

The games are Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge, Mega Man 2, Mega Man 3, Mega Man 4, and Mega Man 5, all now part of the Game Boy – Nintendo Switch Online library.

Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge launched on Game Boy in 1991, two years after the handheld came out. It kicked off an impressive run for Capcom’s action platformer series on Game Boy that ended with 1994’s Mega Man 5. Of note is that Thinking Rabbit’s Mega Man 2 was the only one of the five to be developed by a studio other than Capcom.

Nintendo said today’s release is part of this year’s Game Boy 35th anniversary celebrations. The Game Boy launched in 1989 with the likes of Super Mario Land, Tetris, Baseball, and Alleyway, all of which are now on Nintendo Switch Online. Other Game Boy games on the service include Metroid 2 – Return of Samus, Kirby’s Dream Land, Super Mario Land 2 – 6 Golden Coins, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, and Wario in Wario Land 3.

As for Mega Man, the last mainline entry in the series is 2018’s Mega Man 11. While Capcom has released a number of collections in the years since, there’s no word on a potential Mega Man 12.

Here’s the official blurb on the five Mega Man Game Boy games out today on Nintendo Switch Online:

  • MEGA MAN: DR. WILY’S REVENGE – Dr. Wily is out for revenge, and this time he’s created his own “Mega Man Killer”! With this creation and his revived Robot Masters at his side, the bad doctor plans to embark on a quest for global domination. Play as Mega Man in his first portable adventure and save the world from destruction by sending Dr. Wily’s creations back to the trash heap.
  • MEGA MAN II – Dr. Wily has stolen the experimental Time Skimmer, which allows him to travel to the future for nefarious ends. Luckily, Mega Man and his trusty robot dog Rush are on the case! Collect items and power ups to defeat the Robot Masters standing between you and Dr. Wily – including a mysterious foe from the future: Quint!
  • MEGA MAN III – Mega Man’s battle against Dr. Wily takes him to the hottest place on Earth! Dr. Wily and his renegade robots are drilling to the planet’s molten core to collect energy that will power his latest evil invention. Join Mega Man and Rush in action packed levels through the sinister scientist’s fortress, battling various Robot Masters and collecting their weapons before facing Dr. Wily and his ultimate creation.
  • MEGA MAN IV – The World Robot Expo has been crashed by the deranged Dr. Wily! With the push of a button on his mind-controlling device, Dr. Wily turns all robots in the city into his personal rampaging reinforcements. The only robot not under his control is Mega Man, and together with Rush he plans to put a stop to Dr. Wily’s sneaky schemes once more! Collect power ups, blast Robot Masters and assemble circuits to build a powerful ally named Beat. Can this trio save the day, or will Dr. Wily’s mind-control machine be Mega Man’s downfall?
  • MEGA MAN V – During a peaceful outing with his sister Roll, Mega Man is attacked by a powerful robot named Terra who heralds an invasion of robots from space to conquer Earth. After regrouping in Dr. Light’s laboratory, Mega Man sets off to save the day with a powerful weapon – the Mega Arm! Battle through waves of cosmic foes, employ weapon upgrades, and call in companions to assist as you and solve the mystery behind this alien attack.

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.

Sonic X Shadow Generations Release Date and Box Art Apparently Leak Ahead of Summer Game Fest

Last week, Sonic X Shadow Generations was rumored to be making an appearance at Summer Game Fest. Now, just one day before SGF kicks off, a few key details about the game itself have also been leaked.

Today, the release date and box art of Sonic X Shadow Generations were apparently confirmed by insider Billbil-kun via a Dealabs article. According to the leaks, the game is slated for release on all consoles on October 25, with physical copies costing $49.99.

Leaker MysteryLupin also posted apparent screenshots from the game, which show Sonic and Shadow in both remastered and entirely new levels, as well as more of the game’s promotional art on Twitter/X. More leaked promotional art shows off available in-game rewards, including a journal written by Gerald Robotnik that details Shadow’s creation as well as a legacy skin with Sonic’s model from Sonic Adventure.

Sonic X Shadow Generations was first revealed during this past January’s State of Play. While the game is an enhanced remaster of 2011’s Sonic Generations, it also promises new levels featuring Shadow the Hedgehog. Despite the leaks, according to leaker Midori, it’s rumored to appear at Summer Game Fest tomorrow, which is part of IGN’s own Summer of Gaming.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they’ve contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun, and they’re currently developing a game called Garage Sale. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

The Acolyte’s Leslye Headland Wants to Make a Live-Action KOTOR Featuring an Intriguing Character

Knights of the Old Republic has been an object of fascination for Star Wars fans ever since its debut two decades ago. Disney has hinted that the KOTOR era, which takes place thousands of years before the original movie, could be a major movie setting in the future, but it has otherwise remainly mostly untouched by the broader franchise.

Count The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland among those intrigued by the possibilities of KOTOR, which was centered around the conflicts between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Speaking with the Omelete in an interview translated by IGN, Headland said she was particularly interested in Kreia, one of the major characters from KOTOR 2.

“I’ve always wanted to explore a live-action version of the Knights of the Old Republic game and Kreia’s character,” Headland said. “I think it would be a really interesting story to bring to life.”

In KOTOR 2, Kreia is a blind Force-sensitive who forms a bond with the main character through the Force. In the story, Kreia is the protagonist’s mentor, but rejects the divide between the light side and dark side. While Headland doesn’t elaborate on how exactly she would realize Kreia’s story, she is one of the most popular characters in the KOTOR series.

In a 2018 KOTOR 2 retrospective we called Kreia one of the best Star Wars characters, period — a high bar for an adaptation.

In the meantime, Headland is focused on The Acolyte, a show set at the end of the High Republic and a little more than 130 years before A New Hope. We wrote in our review, “The Acolyte takes us to an earlier era of Star Wars than we’ve seen on screen, with mixed results. Awkward dialogue and a small scope rob it of some of the series’ signature space magic, but these old-school Jedi are a thrill to watch in action.”

While KOTOR has yet to feature in one of Disney’s works, the setting remains active thanks to an MMO and other works. Saber Interactive’s remake also continues to be “alive and well.”

As for The Acolyte, its next episode is set to release on Tuesday.

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.

MultiVersus 1.01 Patch Notes Revealed, Including Nerf for Iron Giant

Developer Player First Games has released a new patch for its free-to-play fighting game MultiVersus. The patch includes various fixes and improvements, along with details about how the Iron Giant will be nerfed when he returns.

As noted in a new blog post, the MultiVersus 1.01 patch notes first mention that Iron Gaint is still unplayable after the developer previously pulled the character from the roster. They also note that a status update will be shared sometime next week.

The Iron Giant was removed from the MultiVersus character roster after complaints that he was overpowered and was causing an unfair advantage. The patch notes mention that this next update should add changes that will “prevent Iron Giant from chaining certain sets of attack infinitely.” Two things getting nerfed in Iron Giant’s move set are the Ground Side Attack, which will get a “slightly smaller” hitbox, and his Rage Mode Up Special, which will decrease the final hit damage from 5 to 6.

Another noteworthy change coming to Patch 1.01 includes fixing an issue that was causing performance problems for the Xbox Series X/S version and addressing an issue where specific keyboard configurations caused phantom inputs during a match.

MultiVersus was fully released last May, after an early access and beta versions of the game were held from July 2022 until June 2023. Upon its full release, MultiVersus received a ton of compliments, with one player saying the full release felt “more like a beta than the beta.”

Below is the full list of patch notes for MultiVersus patch 1.01.

MultiVersus Patch 1.01 Notes

  • General
    • Lowered Hit Pause on all Hits by 10% in 1v1 modes
    • Players can now try all Fighters in Training Mode, including Fighters they do not own
    • Battlepass XP will now be granted after each PvP Match in addition to Events and Missions.
  • Bug Fixes
    • Fixed an issue where players could not complete daily rewards in Rifts Mode
    • Fixed an issue that was impacting performance on Xbox Series X|S
    • Fixed an issue where beam visual effects were occasionally invisible on PlayStation consoles
    • Fixed an issue where certain keyboard configurations would cause phantom inputs in matches
    • Fixed an issue with pause input conflicts in Training
  • Characters
    • Legend
      • + = Buff
      • – = Nerf
      • ~ = Change
      • * = Bugfix
      • Note: Attacks callouts reference default controls.
    • Arya
      • Dash Attack
        • (~) Reduced input buffer window for follow-up attacks
    • Banana Guard
      • The goal of this change is to reduce the extreme kill power on Banana Guard’s side specials and bring it more in line with the damage of the rest of the cast.
      • Aerial Side Special
        • (–) Reduced damage to 10 from 12
      • Ground Side Special
        • (–) Reduced damage to 12 from 14
    • Bug Bunny
      • Neutral Special
      • (*) Fixed an issue causing the Safe to hit repeatedly and rapidly in succession
    • Garnet
      • Down Special
        • (*) Fixed an issue where Garnet and an enemy could be frozen at the end of her Star Grab
    • Gizmo
      • Up Special
        • (–) Ally attach cooldown now begins when Gizmo detaches from his ally, instead of beginning when Gizmo attaches to his ally.
    • Iron Giant
      • The goal of these changes is to prevent Iron Giant from chaining certain sets of attacks infinitely. While these fixes address some of the issues on Iron Giant, it will require additional fixes to bring Iron Giant fully back online. Iron Giant will remain down for repairs until those fixes are implemented in a future patch.
      • Ground Down Attack
        • (~) Knockback angle is now more horizontal
      • Aerial Neutral Attack
        • (~) Final hit now always knocks away regardless of charge
      • Ground Side Attack
        • (–) Jab first hitbox is slightly smaller
      • Rage Mode Pilot Special
        • (~) Reduced strobing visual effects
      • Rage Mode Up Special
        • (–) Reduced final hit damage to 5 from 6
    • Jake
      • Aerial/Ground Up Special
        • (*) Fixed some issues with game performance
    • Jason
      • Ground Down Special
        • (*) Fixed an issue where one player would disappear when Jason grabbed two players with the sleeping bag
    • LeBron
      • Basketball
        • (–) Basketball can now only hit one time per target
    • Marvin
      • Aerial/Ground Neutral Attack
        • (*) Fixed an issue where Marvin could ringout opponents instantly due to a Side Special projectile interaction with Neutral Attack
    • Reindog
      • Aerial Side Attack
        • (~) Knockback Angle is now more horizontal
      • Aerial Up Attack
        • (~) Knockback Angle is now more horizontal
    • Shaggy
      • The goal of this change is to not allow Neutral Air Attack to combo back into the Jab combo at all damage levels. There are feel issues introduced with this change that we will address in the next patch.
      • Aerial Neutral Air
        • (~) Base Knockback increased to 1700 from 1300
        • (~) Knockback Scaling increased to 14 from 13
        • (~) Knockback Angle is more horizontal
        • (~) On-Hit cancel window delayed by 10 frames
    • Steven
      • Aerial Up Attack
        • (~) Sweet spot hitbox delayed 1 frame later to match when Steven has his hands clapped together
      • Aerial Down Attack
        • (–) On-Hit cancel window delayed by 3 frames
    • Stripe
      • Aerial Down Attack
        • (+) More downward momentum is maintained on attack start-up
    • Taz
      • Aerial/Ground Side Special
        • (+) Increased damage on non-cooldown tornado final hit to 8 from 7
    • Wonder Woman
      • Wonder Woman’s lasso was a bit too oppressive to play against without any limiter, so we decided to add a short cooldown to the ability.
      • Aerial/Ground Neutral Special
        • (–) Added an 8 second cooldown for lasso

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.