Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Suggests New Call of Duty Games Will Hit Game Pass Day One

Will this year’s Call of Duty launch day one on Game Pass? Xbox boss Phil Spencer has suggested it will.

Speaking to Game File, Spencer said Microsoft plans for all Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax (Bethesda, MachineGames, iD Software, etc), and Xbox Game Studios games to launch on Game Pass “day one”. That means the games launch straight into the Xbox subscription service the same day they go on general sale.

“Our intent is the full portfolio of games from ZeniMax, Activision Blizzard and XGS — Xbox Game Studios — will be on Game Pass, day one,” Spencer said.

Microsoft has already announced the upcoming launch of Blizzard’s Diablo 4 into Game Pass, and there is a clear intent to get the Call of Duty back catalog into the library. But the suggestion new Call of Duty games launch straight into Game Pass as well is a somewhat surprising one, given Activision’s resistance to the idea in the past.

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick had stated he didn’t agree with “the idea of a multi-game subscription service as a business proposition.” Then, speaking to IGN last year, Spencer responded to the opposing ideologies to say: “Well, there’s a different person making the decisions.”

It’s easy to see why Spencer would want new Call of Duty games to launch day-one on Game Pass — given their popularity they would no-doubt boost subscriber numbers. However, triple-A publishers have expressed concern about the impact on game sales. Sony, for example, currently does not release its first-party games day-one into its PlayStation Plus subscriptions, preferring to add them later on. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick also remains unconvinced by Game Pass. Speaking during a financial call, Zelnick said of releasing big games day-and-date on a Microsoft’s subscription service: “I still don’t think it makes sense. And I believe that it’s now becoming obvious that it doesn’t make sense. It’s just a lost opportunity for the publisher. So, I wouldn’t want to speak for my friend, Phil [Spencer], but our views remain unchanged.”

This year’s Call of Duty game is expected to be another entry in the Black Ops series and set in the Gulf War. Developed primarily by Treyarch, Call of Duty Black Ops Gulf War reportedly touches on the global political fallout after the Cold War. Expect a launch in October or November and, based on Spencer’s comments, straight into Game Pass.

For now, Spencer said work is being done to get existing Activision Blizzard games on Game Pass. “We’re doing the back end work to make them come to PC and console simultaneously,” Spencer said.

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.

Elden Ring DLC Gameplay Reveal Trailer Confirmed for Wednesday

Our first look at Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will arrive in the form of a trailer tomorrow morning, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have announced.

The game’s official X/Twitter account revealed the news in a social media post, promising to deliver a first look at the long-awaited DLC at 7 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. EST. The developers have not said what exactly it’ll show, but the video’s description at least promises a three-minute trailer.

Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC was announced around one year ago, promising to add on to FromSoftware’s already gigantic action RPG world. The only official information we’ve received since then, however, is a look at some appropriately foreboding concept art. The Dark Souls developer revealed in November 2023 that development on the new content was “proceeding smoothly” while players continued to wait patiently. However, tomorrow’s trailer will provide our most substantial look at the new adventure yet.

Tomorrow is proving to be a busy day for gaming fans. Just before we take a peek at Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Nintendo will debut a new Direct focused on some of its partners and the games they hope to release in 2024. The FromSoftware DLC, meanwhile, is still without a release date, but let’s hope we hear a concrete schedule tomorrow.

Elden Ring was released on February 25, 2022, meaning its two-year anniversary is just on the horizon. In our 10/10 review, we said, “Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path.”

For more on Elden Ring, be sure to read up on the project’s recently announced mobile spinoff. While FromSoftware finalizes its work on the DLC, there’s always the chance we have even more from this world to look forward to.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Phil Spencer Says Xbox Is ‘Supportive’ of Physical Media Amid Rumors of Shift to Digital Business

Phil Spencer appears to be dispelling recent rumors that Xbox is fully ditching physical disc, while remaining clear-eyed about the increasing consumer demand for digital games.

In a recent interview with Game File, journalist Stephen Totilo asked Spencer about a slate of rumors last month that Xbox was shutting down its physical game production divisions, exacerbated by leaked court documents showing an enhanced, all-digital Xbox in the works. Though Spencer made a point to address a number of the recent Xbox rumors in a podcast and Xbox Wire post last week, he skipped over the physical games question until pressed on it in the Game File interview.

“Gaming consoles themselves have kind of become the last consumer electronic device that has a drive,” he said. “And this is a real issue, just in terms of the number of manufacturers that are actually building drives and the cost associated with those. And when you think about cogs that we’re going to go put in a console — and as you have fewer suppliers and fewer buyers — the cost of the drive does have an impact.

“But I will say our strategy does not hinge on people moving all-digital,” he added. “And getting rid of physical, that’s not a strategic thing for us.”

He also told Totilo that the reports Microsoft had laid off people on the teams responsible for physical games, while true, were more about “alignment of our teams across ZeniMax, Activision and Xbox. So we have teams that are in charge of physical retail, inclusive of selling games in physical outlets. So that’s what the team action was. It wasn’t about us getting rid of the capability.”

Digital gaming has been on the rise ever since it was introduced, and in recent years a number of publishers have seen it make up an overwhelming share of their total sales. For instance, Take-Two just reported earlier this month that 95% of the company’s total net bookings were digital. Though Take-Two is an extreme example, other publishers aren’t far behind, making it unsurprising that companies like Xbox might at least back off of releasing every game as a physical edition. And indeed, games such as Alan Wake 2, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name are foregoing discs entirely even as companies like Best Buy start to phase out physical media sales.

For now, it seems Xbox is committed to continuing to offer at least some physical games. But don’t be surprised if more and more games across all publishers go digital in the coming years.

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

Helldivers 2 Patch 1.000.10 Takes Aim at Matchmaking, PC Black Screen, and Preps for Increased Server Capacity

Helldivers 2 Patch 1.000.10 is starting to roll out on Steam and PS5, which developer Arrowhead hopes will address some of the numerous issues that fans have encountered over the past week.

Chief among them are issues with matchmaking and server issues, as well as the PC black screen problem. Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt wrote on X/Twitter, “Patch going out now. Highlights include resolved matchmaking and prep for increased server load. Let’s gooo!”

In addition to the problems listed above, the Helldivers 2 patch also addresses ragdoll momentum, tunes the difficulty for the extract civilian missions that have been wrecking players, and implements an automatic retry mechanism for quickplay.

Helldivers 2 has been a hit since its release, even sparking renewed interest in Starship Troopers, the film from which it draws quite a bit of inspiration. We praised it in our review as the “rare modern multiplayer game that does almost everything right.” Over the weekend it passed the all-time Steam concurrent record set by Grand Theft Auto 5 despite a server cap intended to address stability issues.

But while well-received among fans, Helldivers 2 has been wracked by the “servers at capacity” issue among other problems since launch, with some fans refusing to log out to ensure they keep their spot. It’s been bad enough that even Pilestedt has cautioned against buying the game until its issues can be full resolved.

In the meantime, you can read the full patch notes below. For more, check out our Helldivers 2 best weapons tier list and the Terminids and Automatons Enemy List.

Helldivers 2 Patch 1.000.10 Patch Notes

Fixes

  • Fixed crash when replicating ragdoll momentum.
  • Fixed crash when replicating destructions.
  • Fixed crash when displaying the mission end rewards.
  • Resolved a 100% block issue for quickplay matchmaking on PC.
  • Tuned extract civilian mission difficulty.
  • Improved the way that we handle platform authentication to avoid things like the black screen issue at startup.
  • Improvements to our client > backend communication for better backend performance.
  • Implemented an automatic retry mechanism to quickplay.
  • Added proper login error message for error “10002038.”

Known Issues

These are issues that were either introduced by this patch and are being worked on, or are from a previous version and have not yet been fixed.

  • Login rate limiting when many are logging in at the same time.
  • Players can become disconnected during play.
  • Rewards and other progress may be delayed or not attributed.
  • Various UI issues may appear when the game interacts with servers.
  • Pick-up of certain objects in-game may cause characters to freeze in place for an extended period of time.
  • Other unknown behaviors may occur.
  • Japanese VO is missing from intro cutscene and Ship TV.
  • Armor values for light/medium/heavy armor do not currently function as intended.

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.

Lady Gaga Announces Fortnite Festival Collaboration (and Corrects Her Spelling of Fortnite)

It appears Lady Gaga is going to make an appearance in Fortnite Festival, as the singer is teasing an upcoming collaboration with Epic Games.

In a post on X/Twitter, Gaga posted an image of what appears to be her Fortnite character but is masked by a bright light and smoke. The bottom right corner of the screen reveals a Fortnite Festival-related announcement is coming on February 22.

The more interesting part of this is Lady Gaga made this teaser post by quoting a post she made on X/Twitter over four years ago when she asked her followers (and anyone who saw the post) what “fortnight” is, with the singer more familiar with the Fortnite franchise given her proper spelling of Fortnite in the most recent post.

Lady Gaga is the latest musical artist to collaborate with Epic Games and the Fortnite property. Previous examples include the Travis Scott Astronomical event held in Fortnite nearly four years ago, which had the rapper performing a concert live inside Epic’s widely popular free-to-play battle royale. More recently, The Weeknd debuted a new music video for his song “Popular” in the Fortnite Festival.

In our review of Fortnite Festival, which scored a 4 out of 10, my colleague Luke Reilly wrote: “Fortnite Festival’s limited, isolating gameplay and overpriced tracks may turn Fortnite players into rhythm game fans, but it won’t turn rhythm game fans into Fortnite players.”

Despite a rough start when it was released last December, including a lack of support for plastic instruments, Epic said that controller support is a “priority” for Fortnite Festival. Additionally, we exclusively revealed last month that PDP is teaming up with Epic to release a new wireless guitar that is compatible with Rock Band 4 (and eventually) Fortnite Festival.

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

No Rest for the Wicked’s Crunchy Combat is More Dark Souls Than Diablo – IGN First

No Rest For The Wicked sees Ori developer Moon Studios building an action RPG for the very first time. But despite its familiar isometric perspective, the project is very different from popular ARPGs like Diablo and Path of Exile. Combat in No Rest for the Wicked is deliberate, tactical, and every swing of the sword counts. In short: if you like the nail biting experience of Dark Souls boss battles, then it looks like Moon Studios may be making your next favourite game.

“The major goal for our combat was to make it feel super visceral,” reveals Thomas Mahler, Moon Studio’s co-founder and creative director on No Rest for the Wicked. “To make sure that we create a combat system where animations also really matter. That when you press a button, you get really satisfying swings, and that it doesn’t turn into spam.”

That last point is important. The term ARPG, at least in the isometric space, brings to mind high action-per-minute gameplay where you’re hammering left-click and deploying abilities the moment the cooldown counter hits zero. No Rest for the Wicked is nothing like that.

“It’s about making it feel a bit more personal, a bit closer, a bit more focused,” explains Gennadiy Korol, co-founder of Moon Studios and its director of technology. “It’s not this overflow of sensory information where you just cannot really tell what’s going on onscreen. You actually feel every single action of your character.

“It’s up close, it’s focused,” he adds. “It’s not 20 enemies on screen all against you, it’s encounter after encounter. Every single move matters.”

With these goals, it’s unsurprising that Mahler namechecks Dark Souls and Monster Hunter as inspirations. While the team was set on a top-down, isometric camera, they believed they “should probably take a different direction” to most other games using the perspective. That’s resulted in a design document that promises something refreshingly new.

“We definitely also took influence from fighting games,” says Mahler. “We always liked the whole thing where you could do combos, like light punch, fierce kick, Hadouken. We wanted to infuse that a little bit, that you could do combo A, combo B, and then do a kind of overhead slam.”

That fighting game spirit is blended with something much more classically RPG – runes. They provide special abilities, unique to each weapon in the game, which can be weaved into patterns of strikes, dodges, and parries. Korol notes that the runes unlock “really crazy moves” that have been made possible thanks to the top-down camera, where the all-encompassing viewpoint makes certain animations much more readable than they would be with a lower third-person camera.

It’s not 20 enemies on screen all against you. It’s encounter after encounter. Every single move matters.

Of course, all of these fight moves are rooted to your weapon. Moon aims to have a wide variety of armaments, from daggers to hammers to bows, and each will have its own unique moveset. And then, within each discreet weapon, there’s a collection of variations that mean no two versions are quite alike.

“The Blood-rusted Sword is one of the straight swords that we have, but yours could be a fire-enchanted one that gives you more Focus for every hit that you deal,” Mahler explains. “[Your friend] could have a cursed Blood-rusted Sword that deals more damage, but you also take more damage.”

As with all action RPGs, battle in No Rest for the Wicked isn’t just a case of mindlessly holding the attack button. There’s multiple character elements to take into consideration at all times, including health and stamina. The first is handled by what sounds like a robust cooking system that streamlines Breath of the Wild’s buff-providing food mechanic, while the latter seems an effort to combat the attack cadence seen in Diablo-strain ARPGs.

“The idea is that it shouldn’t feel like you’re just running around and spamming all the time,” says Korol. “It’s more strategic and tactical. That is where the stamina system comes in.”

There’s a third resource, too, but it’s not the magic points you may expect. “We don’t have a mana system,” says Mahler, explaining that he wanted something more dynamic than a blue meter that depletes and then is topped back up with a potion. The answer was ‘Focus’, which “increases as you play better in combat.” Focus is used by all character classes, and powers those aforementioned powerful rune attacks.

“It creates this push-and-pull dynamic where you can build up your Focus, then you do a cool special, then you have to build it up again,” says Korol.

For ARPG veterans, Focus is recognisably No Rest for the Wicked’s alternative to Diablo’s second resource globe – the Necromancer’s Essence, the Barbarian’s Fury, or the Druid’s Spirit. And by having a similar dynamic approach to how it replenishes, Moon Studios has been able to craft a mage class with which you don’t “just hang back somewhere and poof fireballs and be able to do that infinitely.”

“We wanted to do something where every class always has to be engaged,” says Mahler.

We want to get your heart rate as high as possible. We want you to feel like, ‘How am I going to do this? How am I going to beat this?’

Health, Focus, rune attacks, and weapon choices all coalesce in No Rest for the Wicked’s boss battles. The first major foe is Warrick the Torn, a man twisted into the form of a grotesque, spider-like monster by a plague ravaing the world. He’s a frantic attacker whose speed defies his enormous size, galloping across the arena and launching himself high into the air for dive-bomb like attacks.

“We want to get your heart rate as high as possible,” Korol says of the battle’s design. “We want you to feel like, ‘How am I going to do this? How am I going to beat this? This is relentless. This is impossible.’ Then, little by little, it’s like a puzzle that you figure out, and you feel empowered.”

Warrick’s relentless strategy is to create distance between himself and you, something that’s made all the more clear by that isometric camera – inches of screen separate him from your hero. In the video above, you can see moves like a forward lunge being deployed to quickly close that distance.

“My favourite part is when he gets angrier and he gets even more relentless, and he starts jumping,” Korol says. “You have this really powerful fantasy thing where it’s not just a creature that’s on the ground, but he also has this crazy mobility to get to you. I think that’s just terrifying.”

Warrick may be terrifying, but as with all bosses of his kind, he has a weakness. “He doesn’t like fire,” reveals Korol. “He really doesn’t like fire, this Warrick guy. Fire is bad for him.” That hatred is clear in the video; we can see the hero setting his sword alight and using it to spread flames through Warrick’s flesh.

“I have an amazing tip,” says Mahler. “You meet Filmore the blacksmith early on. When you talk to him, he will actually sell you some stuff. The scrap bombs that he sells … They’re very good.”

I’ve yet to go hands-on with No Rest for the Wicked, but what I’ve seen so far gives me a good feeling about its ruthless, bloody combat. As someone who grew up with the late ‘90s era of computer RPGs, the isometric camera of Baldur’s Gate and Diablo is something I really value, and seeing them return last year in new versions of those games was a treat. But No Rest for the Wicked’s Soulsian combat looks to set itself apart, and the way Moon Studios seems to be building something that captures the thrill of Elden Ring’s greatest scraps from a whole new perspective really excites me.

It remains to be seen how that promise will play out – as any fan of deliberate combat systems well knows, what can look great on video doesn’t always feel good in the hand. But we’ll soon learn much more about combat as part of Wicked Inside, Moon’s developer stream taking place on March 1. And then, hopefully not too long after, we’ll be able to actually take on Warrick ourselves when the game launches in early access.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is Currently 50% Off at Best Buy, Down to Just $34.99

Best Buy’s Presidents’ Day sale has been full of some excellent deals, including on a variety of video games. One of our absolute favorites to come out of the sale is the standard edition of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

It’s marked down 50% at the moment to just $34.99 for both Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, which is worth taking advantage of given it usually runs for $69.99. This is a game that’s well worth adding to your collection, especially at this price. Head to the link below to pick up the game for yourself today.

Save 50% On Star Wars Jedi: Survivor at Best Buy

At the time of its release last year, we gave Star Wars Jedi: Survivor a 9/10. In our Star Wars Jedi: Survivor review, we stated that it “takes what Fallen Order achieved and wall-runs with it, then double-jumps and air-dashes straight into an epic lightsaber battle.” We believe that: “it’s a sequel that does virtually everything better than the original – which was already an exceptional Star Wars game.”

This isn’t the only gaming deal going on at the moment. Right now, you can also pick up some select Nintendo Switch games (both physical and digital) for just $40 at Amazon, including Super Mario Odyssey, Metroid Dread, Link’s Awakening, and a few more.

To see even more deals on games, check out our roundup of the best video game deals today where we’ve gathered together our favorite deals for various platforms. If you want to zero in on your preferred console, though, we also have roundups for the best PS5 deals, the best Xbox deals, and the best Nintendo Switch deals that you can check out for more detailed discounts.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology Out a Day Before the Fallout TV Series

With less than two months to go until Fallout hits the small screens, Bethesda has announced a new compilation based on its popular post-apocalyptic franchise.

Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology is a compilation featuring seven Fallout games. Like the Fallout Anthology released a few years back, this compilation includes Steam codes for the PC versions of the games, as well as a Mini-Nuke replica. The compilation costs $60, with preorders now available at the Bethesda Gear shop, though the anthology is supposed to be sold at other retailers.

The Mini-Nuke replica is a lovely collector’s item for fans of this nuclear-fuelled franchise that stores the cards and features a sound effect that produces an explosion. Or, if you are really creative, you can use it as a case for a gaming PC.

What’s interesting about the packaging, as seen in the image above, is the compilation includes seven S.P.E.C.I.A.L. cards. Based on the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. cards found in 2018’s Fallout 76, each card is printed with a P.C. code for the seven Fallout games. You can see the complete list below:

Not a bad compilation for newcomers to the series or longtime fans who have yet to collect all the Fallout games in their digital library. Of course, if the only Fallouts you are missing are the classic games like Fallout Tactics, you could wait until later this year when the Epic Games Store gives them away for free.

Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology releases on April 11 — one day before the Fallout T.V. series premieres on Prime Video.

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

Best Video Game Deals Today (February 2024): Enjoy Discounts on Console Bundles, SD Cards, and More

Buying new video games, hardware, and accessories for your preferred console doesn’t need to make a massive dent in your wallet. In fact, deals happen all the time for items like these, so you can save money while investing in your favorite hobby.

TL;DR – Our Favorite Video Game Deals

These sales even occur outside of events like Prime Day, Black Friday, or publisher events like Nintendo’s eShop sale in the summer or PlayStation’s Days of Play. And while we’ll always keep you up to date on those sales and what’s included in them, here, we’ll provide you with year-round deals that are worth taking advantage of. Whether you play on PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC, you’ll find the very best deals listed below.

Get Armored Core 6 Fires of Rubicon on PS5 for $37.99 & More Game Deals

One of our favorite deals right now is on Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon for PS5, which has dropped down to $37.99 after clipping the 5% off coupon. You can also pick up Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s Launch Edition for Xbox Series X for $39.18, and in the world of Nintendo, Super Mario RPG is discounted at Walmart to $48.80 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder is down to $48.99 at Walmart as well! Check out the links below for even more great deals.

More Video Game Deals:

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Get $40 Off the Anker 737 Power Bank (Perfect for Steam Deck)

If you’ve been looking to pick up a power bank to use with your favorite devices, you can never go wrong with options from Anker. To see even more excellent power bank options, check out our picks below.

More Power Bank Deals

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Xbox Console & Bundle Deals

There are a few console bundles on sale at the moment alongside a great deal on the 1TB Series S and Series X. One of our favorite deals leftover from the Black Friday/Cyber Monday season is on the Diablo IV Xbox Series X bundle, which you can get for $464.50 at Walmart. You can also get the Series S Starter Bundle for just $269.99 at Target. Outside of bundles, the 1TB Series S has a deal at Dell right now, down 14% to $299.99, and the Xbox Series X is $50 off at Best Buy in their Presidents’ Day sale.

Perfect Switch SD Card for $25.99 (and More Deals)

The best Switch SD card should be fast, reliable, and as future-proof as possible. That last one is important, as it’s quite likely we’ll be getting a Switch successor / the next Nintendo console within the next year or so (if rumors are to be believed). Therefore, you’re going to want to opt for the latest in SD card tech, which is a micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 V30 memory card. That’s a lot of random letters, so to save you a bit of time we’ve left our top suggestions and deals just below for your convenience.

More Switch Micro SD Card Deals

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Get Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 For Free With This PS5 Bundle

You can still save on a Spider-Man 2 PS5 Slim bundle, which includes the brand-new game alongside the new Slim console and a DualSense wireless controller. It’ll set you back $499, which is 11% off its usual price of $559.99. This was the most popular deal for IGN readers over Black Friday, and retailers are finally starting to sell out of the impressive bundle in 2024. Stay tuned for even more amazing PS5 deals and bundles in the near future (and maybe even a PS5 Pro Model?)

Enjoy Discounts On Select Xbox Controllers

In need of another Xbox controller? Well, you’re in luck, as there are quite a few discounted right now. In my opinion, you can never have too many controllers. You never know when someone will pop on by and want to play Overcooked or It Takes Two, or any local multiplayer game.

More Xbox Controller Deals:

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How to Avoid Xbox’s Game Pass Price Hike ($44.99 for 3-Months of Ultimate)

By securing 3-months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $44.99, you can actually avoid the hiked up Game Pass price. We recommend securing your current subscription for as long as possible. You can stack up to a maximum of 36 months of Game Pass, meaning you have the option to accumulate 3-month subscriptions up to 12 times.

Admittedly, this approach might put a strain on your wallet, totaling $539.88 if you purchase the 3-month package from the link above. However, when you compare it to the new cost of Game Pass Ultimate for 36 months at $16.99 per month, amounting to $611.64, you’ll realize you’re saving $71.76 on your subscription for the next three years. Otherwise, secure your membership for at least a year to lock in at least some savings overall.

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Amazing 4TB PS5 SSD Deal for $173.66

Could your PS5 use more storage? Prices have been dropping since Sony started letting people upgrade their SSDs. Right now you can get an absolutely massive Verbatim 4TB PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 SSD for $173.66. This is absolutely worth investing in for your PS5, and you can find even more great SSD deals below.

More PS5 SSD Deals:

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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Official Guide for $27 (Save $18)

With these, you’ll have a detailed overview of Hyrule, a helpful walkthrough to get you through the game, and much more. Not only that, but they have gorgeous covers as well, especially the Collector’s Edition. The Standard Edition has an MSRP of $29.99 but is on sale for $18.74, and the Collector’s Edition normally runs for $44.99, but you can get it for $26.85. Plus, if you want to complete the set, the Breath of the Wild guidebook is also down to just $22.49 right now as well.

With how expensive gaming is getting in 2024, we’re trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We’ve got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as Switch and Xbox, and keep these updated daily with brand new offers. If you’re trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.

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Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Need for Speed Unbound Gets Surprise Second Year of Live Service

Need for Speed Unbound is back with a second year of live service.

Developer Criterion issued a year two roadmap blog post, saying: “Surprise! We’re still here, and not just here — we have a whole year’s worth of content coming to you!”

Another 12 months of content is planned from a small team, Criterion confirmed, although it warned players: “We’ll be honest and admit we can’t build everything everyone wants right now, but we can decide together what NFS should be in the future.”

“Our vision is that through our second year of live service, you can, for the first time, begin to play the ultimate NFS experience in one place,” Criterion said. “Your feedback and gameplay will help shape the future of this iconic franchise.”

Fans can expect four new volumes of content in the next year, each launching every few months. At least one new major mode, two new cars, and a new Speed Pass (with optional premium track) arrive as part of each volume. “And when we say cars, we mean cars in the NFS sense, like no one else creates,” Criterion teased. “We aren’t just talking base models here and stock paint there; we are talking cars that come with fully customizable body kits with a myriad of interchangeable parts so you can tweak your ride just the way you want it.”

More events, challenges, ranks to earn, and new progression are also part of the plan, as are bug fixes and improvements. “We see this as a year to test and learn and understand what works best for you,” Criterion added.

Need for Speed Unbound launched late 2022, receiving a 7/10 from IGN’s review. “Need for Speed Unbound hasn’t strayed very far from the fundamentals of 2019’s Heat, but its bold new animated style impresses,” we said.

EA has remained quiet on the future of the series since, and is yet to announce a brand new Need for Speed game for the future.

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.