Category: IGN

Yuji Naka, co-creator of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and former boss of Sonic Team at Sega, was given a suspended prison sentence for insider trading following a trial in Japan.

According to IGN Japan, 57-year-old Naka was found guilty of violating Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act for insider trading in connection with the development of a game for publisher Square Enix.

Following a trial held at the Tokyo District Court on July 7, 2023, Judge Madoka Hiruta issued a two-and-a-half year prison sentence, suspended for four years, as well as two fines of ¥2 million ($14,000 approx) and ¥170 million ($1.1 million approx).

Naka was arrested in November for suspected insider trading relating to an investment made while working at Square Enix. He allegedly bought 10,000 shares in developer Aiming, at a value of around $20,000, ahead of the announcement of the Dragon Quest Tact mobile game in partnership with Square Enix.

Insider trading is the buying and selling of stocks with confidential or non-public information, usually with the intention to make money, and is illegal in Japan.

Issuing the ruling, Judge Hiruta said: “He was known as one of the world’s most famous game developers, and had the authority to access joint development information. It has damaged the fairness and soundness of the stock market and the trust of investors.”

Naka is arguably most known for co-creating Sonic the Hedgehog and leading Sega’s Sonic Team, but was also lead programmer on other games including Nights into Dreams, Phantasy Star Online, and more. He eventually joined Square Enix but left in June 2021, not long after the release of his latest game Balan Wonderland.

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.

Sega isn’t as all in on blockchain gaming as it was before, now withholding its biggest IP such as Sonic the Hedgehog from being used in third-party blockchain games. This move is to ensure that Sega doesn’t devalue its own content.

Speaking with Bloomberg, Sega co-chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi panned blockchain games as “boring.”

“The action in play-to-earn games is boring. What’s the point if games are no fun?” Utsumi said.

However, Sega will still let external partners use characters from lesser known franchises such as Three Kingdoms and Virtua Fighter as NFTs. Utsumi noted that the technology remains useful in instances where it’s possible to move characters and items between different games.

Sega is also pausing its own blockchain gaming projects for now and being indecisive about implemetning Web3 technology in its upcoming suite of “super games.”

However, Sega is still open to using blockchain techology if it ever does become successful, as Utsumi said that the audience shouldn’t doubt risk-takers.

“For the majority of people in the video game industry, what blockchain advocates say may sound a bit extreme, but that’s how the first penguin has always been,” Utsumi explained. “We should never underestimate them.”

Blockchain gaming has been a controversial topic over the past few years. Many companies jumped onto the trend, including Square Enix and Ubisoft. However, many gamers weren’t fond of this. More companies have also dismissed blockchain gaming after it hadn’t taken off as high as expected. Electronic Arts initially spoke positively about blockchain gaming but then later stated it wasn’t “driving hard” in that direction anymore.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.

When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey

NetherRealm Studios has released a new trailer for its upcoming fighting game Mortal Kombat 1, with the latest trailer confirming more characters that will be on the roster at launch.

The latest trailer spotlighted Smoke and Rain, two characters with a long history in the Mortal Kombat series. It also revealed four new Kameo Fighters: Sektor, Cyrax, Frost, and Scorpion. As a quick refresher, Kameo Fighters is a separate roster of characters in Mortal Kombat 1 that can assist players during a match.

Smoke was first introduced back in Mortal Kombat 2 as an unplayable secret character before eventually making a proper debut in Mortal Kombat 3 as a cyborg. His first appearance as a human was in 2011’s Mortal Kombat. He primarily specializes in ability utilizing speed and smoke, which is reflected in the trailer as he strikes his foe with a dagger then reappears in a puff of smoke for the finishing strike.

Rain, meanwhile, first appeared in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 as a gag character intended to mislead players into thinking he was unlockable before eventually appearing for real in the console versions. He was subsequently playable in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and Mortal Kombat (2011). As a half-god, Rain controls water and lightning, and he’s shown in the trailer abusing Scorpion with his particular brand of water bending.

The rest of the trailer features Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Smoke working together to infiltrate a compound, as a well as a typically gruesome fatality from Smoke. Outside of the new story trailer, NetherRealm Studios released several new gameplay videos, including a high level battle between Scorpion and Johnny Cage.

NetherRealm also offered new deep dives into Scorpion, Johnny Cage, and Kameo Kung Lao.

Mortal Kombat 1 was revealed in May during an earning call held by NetheRealm’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. The game is a sequel to 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11 but will also serve as a reboot, with Netherealm Studios previously noting that the game “will introduce a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe.” Shortly after its reveal, news surfaced that Amazon may have leaked the game’s first DLC Kombat Pack, which included characters such as Quan Chi, Omni Man, and Peacemaker, among others.

Mortal Kombat 1 arrives on September 19 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. For more information on Mortal Kombat 1, check out our interview with series creator Ed Boon on why NetherRealm chose to develop Mortal Kombat 1 over Injustice 3.

Additional reporting by Kat Bailey

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

Insomniac Games is hosting a panel dedicated to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 at San Diego Comic Con. The panel, titled, “Symbiotic Relationships,” is slated to take place in Hall H on July 20th.

For those who haven’t been to Comic-Con before, it’s worth noting that Hall H is blockbuster placement – it’s where, for example, Marvel Phases 5 and 6 were unveiled at last year’s convention.

Set to release this September, Insomniac’s third Spider-Man game continues to have a big presence this summer. Following a 12-minute blowout at the end of PlayStation’s 2023 Showcase in May and a brief spotlight during Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest Kickoff event last month, Insomniac teased the panel in a Tweet this morning.

Let’s get symbiotic! We’re thrilled to announce Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be at San Diego Comic Con 2023. Catch our panel, “Symbiotic Relationships”, featuring Insomniacs and actors from the game in Hall H on Thursday, July 20th. #SpiderMan2PS5 #BeGreaterTogether pic.twitter.com/nE4K1si6XY

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) July 6, 2023

The Burbank, Calif.-based studio announced the panel’s title and location but hasn’t confirmed any further information. But given that title and the image Insomniac used to tease it, we’re likely to learn more about Venom, who’s been billed alongside Kraven the Hunter as a major new antagonist in the sequel.

Fans can expect both developers and actors that worked on Spider-Man 2 to make an appearance at the panel. While we don’t know exactly who’s going to show up, actors for major characters like Peter Parker voice actor Yuri Lowenthal or Venom Voice actor Tony Todd could make an appearance.

Creative Director Brian Intihar also tends to take a lead role in promoting the game at these kinds of events. In fact, the last time we heard from him, he took the stage at Summer Game Fest’s live event to announce the release date and reveal some new concept art for Kraven the Hunter and Venom. He also teased more about The Lethal Protector’s role in Insomniac’s next title, leading to widespread speculation about who would host the symbiote instead of Eddie Brock.

With both Comic Con and the panel just around the corner, we’re sure to hear more about the yearly convention’s schedule in the coming days. We’ve got you covered on the latest news and updates on Comic Con here.

The late basketball legend Kobe Bryant will be the cover star of NBA 2K24’s special editions.

Revealed in a tweet from NBA 2K (below), the Kobe Bryant Edition and Black Mamba Edition will be the two more expensive versions of this year’s game but their exact contents have not yet been revealed.

2K has also yet to reveal the standard edition cover star but, as per tradition, this will most likely be a current NBA player.

8️⃣ ♾️2️⃣4️⃣

Sharing the Mamba Mentality with the next generation. Introducing our #NBA2K24 cover athlete, Kobe Bryant.

💛 Kobe Bryant Edition
🐍 Black Mamba Edition

Pre-order your copy tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/afcqMh5qr8

— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 6, 2023

Bryant’s appearance on the cover of NBA 2K24 most likely came as a result of his number 24 jersey, which he wore for most of his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. NBA 2K pulled a similar move last year, putting Michael Jordan on the cover of 2K23 in accordance with his number 23 jersey.

Nothing else has been revealed about NBA 2K24 so far, though the tweet notes that preorders open tomorrow and new information will likely come alongside that.

In our 6/10 review of last year’s game, IGN said: “NBA 2K23’s on-court improvements should’ve led it to an easy layup, but the ever-present nuisance of pay-to-win microtransactions make it much harder to enjoy.”

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

Nintendo has finally explained how its upcoming sleep tracking game Pokémon Sleep will actually work.

Outlined in a gameplay video above, the long-awaited smartphone app will let players add Pokémon to their Sleep Style Dex by, well, sleeping. Players must place their smartphones or Pokémon GO Plus+ next to their pillow overnight and the app will track the quality and style of their sleep.

Snorlax will be players’ main companion in the app, but sleeping in different styles — dozing, snoozing, or slumbering — will bring in additional Pokémon who sleep in the same way. Pokémon also have several different styles of sleep and therefore have multiple forms to add to the Sleep Style Dex.

Having a better quality sleep, like by sleeping for longer, will get players points that increase Snorlax’s Drowsy Power, letting it draw in more Pokémon. Sleeping for eight and a half hours will give Snorlax 100 points, for example, while sleeping for only four hours will get Snorlax around 50.

The game will also seemingly reward players with different Pokémon depending on their type of sleep. Shifting around a lot was shown alongside a Togepi in a Rocking Sleep, for example, and speaking during sleep was shown alongside a Jigglypuff in Singing Sleep.

Players will be given a new site and Snorlax every Monday, with these changes also attracting different Pokémon.

The game was announced way back in May 2019 but still lacks a launch date, though finally awoke from its slumber in February this year with new details and a summer release window.

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

Square Enix has listened to player complaints and included an option to turn off motion blur in Final Fantasy 16’s first post-launch patch.

Outlined on the Square Enix website, update 1.03 adds a Motion Blur Strength slider in the main menu, allowing players to increase or decrease the intensity of motion blur or turn it off altogether.

This comes after several players found the visual effect — used for myriad reasons like giving a sense of speed, covering up a low framerate, or making in-game action seem smoother — to be nauseating.

“Motion Blur Strength allows the player to adjust the strength of the motion blur effect when the character or camera is in motion,” the patch notes read. “The default setting is the maximum of five. This can be lowered to reduce the strength of the motion blur effect, or set to zero to turn it off completely.”

A handful of other changes are coming in the patch, which is already available on PlayStation 5, including an increased range of camera sensitivity options, new controller layouts, and some bug fixes.

Final Fantasy 16 launched June 22 to generally positive fan reception, with players obsessing over Cid’s voice actor and a new feature called Active Time Lore. Final Fantasy 16 also shows a lot of love for the franchise’s past, with its intro being directly inspired by the original 1987 game and a reference to a beloved character.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “Featuring fast, reflex driven, action heavy combat, Final Fantasy 16 is certainly a departure from what fans may expect out of a Final Fantasy game, but its excellent story, characters, and world building are right up there with the best the series has to offer, and the innovative Active Time Lore feature should set a new standard for how lengthy, story-heavy games keep players invested in its world.”

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

Naraka: Bladepoint comes out on PlayStation 5 on July 13 alongside a switch across all platforms to free-to-play.

The mythical melee battle royale also gets a new mode, called Capture the Spirit Well, a new hero called Tessa, and a new Dual Halberd weapon. Cross-play across all platforms launches July 13, too.

Naraka: Bladepoint, developed by 24 Entertainment and published by NetEase Games Montreal, launched on PC in August 2021 before Xbox Series X and S in June 2022. The new PS5 version launches just over a year later.

NetEase said Naraka: Bladepoint has now crossed the 20 million unique player mark. It’s a regular in Steam’s top 100 played games by concurrents list. At the time of publication, Naraka: Bladepoint was the 17th most-played game on Steam with just shy of 60,000 concurrents.

IGN’s Naraka: Bladepoint review returned an 8/10: “Superb melee combat and gravity-defying movement make Naraka: Bladepoint a clever spin on the familiar battle royale formula.”

Here’s the list of new features coming with the F2P launch:

• Capture the Spirit Well: A 12v12 gang wars battle that allows players to capture locations to earn points
• New Dual Halberds Weapon: Combines a spear and a dagger into one. It can stab straight and also strike horizontally with the ability to lock other weapons
• Justice Chamber updates to Guild Mode: Position and more features will be added to the current guild system
• New Hero – Tessa: Tessa is a 1000-year-old fox demon, who can charm her enemies and capture their souls
• Veteran rewards: Players who previously purchased the game will receive in game gold equivalent to what edition they currently possess and more
• PlayStation 5 player exclusive items
• Anniversary in-game events and rewards
• Collaboration with Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (based on a famous Chinese painting)
• 3D Lobby: Players can grapple around and explore while queuing
• New season skin theme: Classic of Mountains and Seas and the god of four seasons
• XGP Benefits: Players with a NARAKA account via Xbox Game Pass will be automatically upgraded from the Standard Edition to the new Deluxe Edition containing in-game rewards

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.

As we await the verdict in the Microsoft vs. FTC trial regarding the fate of Xbox’s Activision-Blizzard acquisition, we dig into some of the other things happening in the world of Xbox, from the future of Banjo-Kazooie (if there even is one) to Ubisoft’s rumored Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake to this month’s hidden gem on Xbox Game Pass, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 of this week’s episode. For more awesome content, check out my recent interview with Todd Howard, who discussed the realization of his vision for Starfield after eight years, how Red Dead Redemption 2 was something of an inspiration, what his future holds, and more!

For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.