Microsoft is about to increase the price of the Xbox Series X and Game Pass, The Verge reports.
In a statement sent to the outlet, Kari Perez, the head of communications at Xbox, confirmed the price hikes. Microsoft will increase the price of its high-end ninth-generation console, the Xbox Series X, beginning August 1. The Verge notes that the pricing will impact most countries (not including the US), explaining that the cost of an Xbox Series X will be £479.99 in the UK, €549.99 across most European markets, CAD $649.99 in Canada, and AUD $799.99 in Australia. Important to note that the Xbox Series S will remain at the same price of $299.99 for the 512GB model or $349.99 for the 1TB model.
However, the price of Xbox Game Pass will go up in all countries with the service. Beginning July 6, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will now cost $16.99 (a $2 increase), and regular Xbox Game Pass will now cost $10.99 monthly (a $1 increase). However, the price of PC Game Pass will remain at $9.99 a month. This is the first time that Microsoft has announced an increase for Xbox Game Pass since the service launched in 2017.
“We’ve held on our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted the prices to reflect the competitive conditions in each market,” Perez told The Verge.
Developing…
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Lies of P’s awkward dodging button will be fixed before the game launches, developer Neowiz Games has confirmed.
A Q&A with director Jiwon Choi was uploaded to Lies of P’s YouTube, who explained the development team have heard fan feedback regarding the dodging in the game.
“We have taken note of the substantial feedback received regarding the dodging system in Lies of P,” he said. “Dodging and guarding are one of the most crucial elements, alongside the P-Organ.
“Given the inherent intricacies of the game’s structure it is imperative to handle these elements meticulously with great care. We are currently undergoing a comprehensive evaluation on the various aspects of the dodging system including the invincibility frames, distance mechanics, and more.”
This will come as a welcome adjustment to those who played the demo and general fans of the Souls-like genre, where a correctly timed dodge is the difference between victory and defeat.
In our preview of the game, IGN said: “Even if Pinocchio’s story in Lies of P isn’t being manipulated by cosmic old gods that turn people into slugs, the attention to detail in recapturing Bloodborne’s magic has got [our] full attention.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Xbox owners are always looking for a great deal, especially as our love for Game Pass is twinned with how great of an offer it is! So, if you are looking for a discount on anything Xbox-related, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got deals on Xbox SSDs, Game Pass, OLED TVs, and so much more!
TL;DR – Best Xbox Deals
There are also preorders listed below for the highly-anticipated Starfield, including its limited-edition headset and controller. Check out all the relevant deal links we’ve left below.
Order Starfield Limited-Edition Xbox Controller and Headset
Alongside the game, you can also order the limited-edition Starfield-themed Xbox headset and controller. Better yet, these items are available to purchase right now, so you don’t have to wait for Starfield to officially release before you can get them.
For those looking to get their hands on Bethesda’s exciting new space adventure, you can preorder the game now at various retailers listed below. It will also be available day one on Game Pass for those subscribed. If you’d like to see what comes in each edition of the game, make sure to visit our Starfield preorder guide.
Preorder the New Xbox Series S With 1TB SSD in Carbon Black
This year’s Xbox Showcase had plenty of exciting reveals, and one of its best was the brand new Xbox Series S with a 1TB SSD. What’s even better is that it comes in a sleek Carbon Black color! It’s set to release on August 31 and is available to preorder right now from Microsoft or Best Buy.
Xbox: Budget to Best
Good Xbox deals only come around every once in a while, but thankfully, there are plenty of Xbox-related items worth picking up that won’t break the bank. Here, we’ll detail more affordable Xbox purchases that are worth your money.
Looking to pick up a new Xbox controller? Amazon is here to help with a sale on select options. The Pulse Red controller is currently available for $42.22, and you can also pick up the Electric Volt for $44.89 and the Robot White controller for $43.95.
Get the Xbox Series X Diablo IV Bundle
Diablo 4 is one of the hottest new games out right now, and you may find yourself wanting to pick up an Xbox Series X just to get in on the fun. Fortunately, Microsoft has bundled Diablo 4 with an Xbox Series X, so you can kill two birds with one stone. Not only will you get Diablo 4, but you’ll be set to play all of the exciting new games that were announced at Xbox’s showcase in the coming years.
Get Three Free Months of Xbox Game Pass with the Backbone Controller
The Backbone controller is already a great option for cloud gaming on your smartphone, but today that deal is even better. For $99.99, you can get both the Backbone gaming controller for Android devices and three free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which is a $44.99 value. Game Pass seems to be going on sale less and less these days, so you have to scoop up these deals when you can. And fortunately, these two products go great together, as Game Pass gets you access to Xbox’s cloud gaming beta, where you can play tons of Xbox Game Pass games directly from your phone.
How to Get 105 Days of Walmart+ for Free
Sign Up for a Walmart+ 30-Day Free Trial – See Here
Activate your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Walmart+ perk BEFORE your existing trial expires
Enjoy the benefits of Walmart+ for over three months (105 days to be exact)
Paramount+ is also included with Walmart+
So, it’s time to watch Dungeons & Dragons again!
Best Xbox Accessory Deals for June 2023
If you’ve been after any new accessories for your console, such as a new controller or headset, then you’re in the right place. Included in the deals below you can also find Xbox’s more recent controller release from February, the Stellar Shift controller, which has been marked down 15%.
Best Xbox Seagate Storage Expansion Card Deals
If you own an Xbox Series X|S, and especially if you frequently make good use of Xbox Game Pass and its many available titles, you’ll likely want a way to upgrade your storage to hold all of your favorite games and the ones you want to play later.
Best Xbox and Gaming Soundbar Deals
If you’ve got a killer living room set up, you may want to consider the next best thing to upgrading your space, a decent soundbar. Some of the most immersive elements of gaming can be from the incredible soundtracks, and often enough our TV speakers just aren’t good enough to pick up some of the most intricate sounds. This is where soundbars come in. Right now, you can even save on select Bose soundbar models!
Best OLED TV for Xbox Series X
This enables seamless 4K gaming at 120Hz on consoles like the PS5 or Xbox Series X. It also supports variable refresh rate (VRR), auto low latency mode (ALLM), and even HGiG, making it a comprehensive choice. These televisions are so exceptional that the smaller 48″ and 42″ sizes are also highly recommended as the best gaming PC monitors available. Check out our own IGN LG Evo C2 OLED TV review for our hands-on experience with this TV, or have a browse through our full OLED TV deals roundup for more options.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
Even with 16 mainline entries (20 if you include X-2, 13-2, Lightning Returns, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake) and a slew of spinoffs, there’s no Final Fantasy game quite like Final Fantasy 16. The latest in this legendary series is more an evolution of the character action genre than the RPG foundation the franchise was built on. It merges quick twitch reflexes with character-building RPG mechanics, but focuses far more on the former than ever before. It’s not a perfect mixture – while the combat is phenomenal for an action RPG, it is admittedly a bit lacking when compared directly to the greats of the character action genre – but even an imperfect mix is potent enough when paired with FF16’s epic, 50+ hour story. It’s packed with unforgettable characters, outstanding worldbuilding, an incredible soundtrack, and knock-your-socks-off moments of sheer spectacle the likes of which are rarely seen in any game.
Final Fantasy 16 picks up the ball that FF14 got rolling and continues to move the series back down the path of high fantasy, taking more than a little inspiration from Game of Thrones along the way. Its story spans decades’ worth of history in the realm of Valisthea, a land brimming with both beauty and death as an encroaching blight forces neighboring kingdoms to fight over untainted resources, including five enormous Mother Crystals that are the primary source of the realm’s magic.
At the heart of this tale is your character, Clive Rosfield, the eldest prince of the kingdom of Rosaria and protector of his brother Joshua, the Dominant of Phoenix (…let’s not get bogged down in jargon for now, we’ll talk about Dominants a bit later). Clive is a fantastic, well-rounded protagonist, brilliantly brought to life by actor Ben Starr. He undergoes a lot of change and development over the course of the decades-long story, but always remains supremely likable, relatable, and an absolute badass when the need arises, as it very often does.
Clive is a fantastic, well-rounded protagonist.
The rest of the cast is excellent as well. Jill (played by the excellent Susannah Fielding) is Clive’s childhood friend and acts as a wonderful companion who understands and empathizes with Clive on a deep and emotional level, and the tender scenes between them are always a highlight as their relationship grows. Cid is probably my new all-time favorite Final Fantasy character. He’s almost got a young Liam Neeson kind of vibe going on, despite being voiced impeccably by Ralph Ineson (who’s having quite a 2023 in the world of video games, having also starred in Diablo IV). Cid is a natural leader, full of charisma and charm, and without going into detail, his cause is one that was very easy to rally behind and made me excited to follow him and his band of outlaws.
A Story that Sticks
The greatest achievement of Final Fantasy 16’s story, though, is how it never leaves you to drown in its lore. This is a massive world complete with five kingdoms, each with their own forms of government, rulers, religions, and ideals; a whole encylopedia’s worth of realm-specific terms, like bearers, Eikons, and Dominants; and a grand history of the world that you’re expected to keep up with in order to get the most out of the big story moments. It would all be a little overwhelming if not for an ingenious quality-of-life feature that I truly hope becomes standard throughout all story-heavy video games: Active Time Lore.
At any point during any cutscene or conversation, you can hold down the DualSense touchpad to bring up a series of contextual compendium entries that are relevant to what’s going on in that scene. So anytime a character mentioned a term, character, or location that I either didn’t know or needed a reminder about, I could bring up the Active Time Lore and a succinct entry would be right there to get me up to speed. These entries change with the events of the story too, updating with new information about the state of the world and Clive’s knowledge about it as it happens.
Active Time Lore should become a standard throughout all story-heavy video games.
Having this kind of feature was a godsend. Later on, big missions are also preceded with stylish history lessons by your crew’s scholar that fill you in on what you need to know about the region you’re about to visit – who the rulers are, their ambitions, their allies, their enemies, and so on. I know that might sound like school, but it actually did a really effective job of bringing me into, and keeping me invested in, the realm of Valisthea.
One of the most interesting elements of the story – and one that also ends up being an excellent addition to the already very good combat – is the existence of Eikons and Dominants. Eikons are supremely powerful beings that Final Fantasy fans will recognize as the usual summons from previous games, and Dominants are the special humans who are able to tap into their power, even to the point of fully transforming into them. In the lore, Dominants are used almost like nuclear deterrents; saved as a last resort due to the potential mutually assured destruction that would be caused by their fights.
But fight they will, and everytime they do, it’s an unforgettable scrap of gargantuan proportion. I’d hate to spoil these encounters by talking too much about them, but I will say that they’re absolute spectacles. Some are like giant kaiju fights mixed with Dragon Ball Z, others take the gameplay in a completely different direction and play out like a Panzer Dragoon level. But nearly all of them brought back memories of playing Asura’s Wrath or God of War 3, and that feeling of just being absolutely floored by the breathtaking sense of scale and overwhelming power.
Fighting Fantasy
Final Fantasy has been shifting further and further away from its turn-based RPG roots for a long time now, and with Final Fantasy 16, it feels like a metamorphosis that’s been in the works for years is finally complete. Final Fantasy 16’s combat is a straight-up action game, full stop. It is fast, flexible, extremely reflex-driven, and is full of opportunities to absolutely style on your enemies with air combos, jump cancels, and a huge arsenal of extremely powerful spells and abilities.
Some sacrifices are made to facilitate this transformation: You only ever control one character, levels are far more linear than they’ve been in the past – though about as linear as they were in Final Fantasy 13 before that game opens up – and many of the actual RPG elements have been made to play second fiddle in ways that I’ll discuss shortly. Purists might not be a fan of these drastic changes, but I found this approach far more preferable to FFXV’s more hybridized take on combat, and equally enjoyable to FF7 Remake’s unique approach.
Despite how chaotic the action may look, it’s actually elegantly simple once you break it down.
Despite how chaotic the action may look, it’s actually elegantly simple once you break it down. Clive can execute a four hit melee combo by mashing Square, he can shoot magic with Triangle to hit enemies at a distance, he can use an ability unique to whatever Eikon power he currently has equipped, and he also has access to up to three abilities from that Eikon as well.
In familiar Final Fantasy fashion, for bigger enemies and bosses there’s a stagger meter that you can fill by landing attacks, and once it’s full, they will be put in a staggered state, giving you an opportunity to build up a multiplier and lay down huge amounts of damage for a limited amount of time. Much of the skill involved with combat comes from your ability to quickly stagger enemies, and then maximize the amount of damage you’re able to do while they’re staggered by optimally using your skills and switching between your Eikons.
To that end, there’s a lot of smart mechanics in place that reward skillful play. If you just mash the attack button, you won’t build up stagger very quickly, but if you use carefully timed magic attacks in between your melee attacks, you’ll execute magic bursts, which do more damage and build more stagger. On top of that, perfectly timed evasions give opportunities for counter attacks that deal big stagger damage, or if you’re feeling extra fancy, you could try to time an attack to clash with theirs to trigger a parry, which slows down time and allows for even more punishment.
It’s a great combat system that kept my brain firing at a rapid pace as I balanced timing my magic bursts with managing my skill cooldowns and keeping an eye out for enemy tells to be ready to dodge – on top of just trying to look cool for the sake of looking cool, which is always an important element of any action game in my book. One of my favorite touches is that you can issue commands to your hound, Torgal, one of which will launch weaker enemies, allowing me to zip right to them in the air, juggle them with some quick aerial hits, and then send them crashing down with an explosive helm splitter-style attack.
All that said, this is a long game, and while you do pretty regularly get new Eikons and abilities, they don’t change up the combat in ways that make the basic fights substantially different or more engaging, which means they do eventually lose some of their luster. That isn’t helped by lots of recycled enemy types in the open fields and linear dungeons that you explore, either.
At least the bosses were always fresh and exciting, with many playing with some fun Final Fantasy tropes like having the names of their big attacks show up on the screen, and some exceptionally dangerous techniques even having a countdown that ends with an extremely powerful blow if you’re unable to do enough damage to stop them from getting it off. Many of the bigger boss battles also have QTEs that do a wonderful job of adding extra cinematic flair and punctuate the different phases of a fight with some truly awesome moments.
Imperfect Fusion
The weird twist of FF16 is that while the action elements are all top notch, the RPG elements feel a little underdeveloped. Status ailments are basically completely absent, there’s no real system of elemental strengths or weaknesses, very little in the realm of buffs and debuffs, and most crucially, loot seems like an afterthought. I never once felt incentivized to explore either the corners of the linear main levels, or the more open fields of the interconnected overworlds; and in general there just aren’t a ton of character building choices that you can make to customize Clive in any sort of unique way.
The weird twist of FF16 is that RPG elements feel a little underdeveloped.
The deepest it gets is that you can equip Clive with up to three accessories that can have a variety of useful. effects, usually powering up specific special abilities, increasing your combo damage, or increasing healing potency. You also begin with a total of five special rings that are designed to take some of the edge off of combat in lieu of lower difficulty modes. One essentially lets you mash Square and let the AI take the wheel as it automatically casts spells, switches Eikons, and uses basic attacks, while another will automatically dodge as long as an attack is capable of being avoided. While I personally didn’t feel the need to use these rings, I do appreciate their inclusion as a completely optional way to adjust the difficulty in very specific ways. Of course, the downside is that if you do equip them, you won’t have space for other stat-altering accessories, thus removing the one element of RPG-like customization all together.
But where Final Fantasy 16 really impressed me was in the quality of its sidequests… eventually. They actually start out pretty generic and menial, with objectives like finding X number of Y items out in the field, or delivering three hot bowls of soup to people in the hideout. However, in the back half of the story, these sidequests act as smart ways to button up all of the loose threads outside of the main campaign. Side characters are given proper send-offs, pieces that were toppled over in the central story are satisfyingly built back up, and characters that you wouldn’t really expect to have very deep backstories open up to you in often very moving ways. It’s exactly the kind of side content that I want in a big RPG, even though it takes a little while to get there.
And the soundtrack, by Bahamut’s grace, the soundtrack!
In addition to sidequests, there’s also a bounty board that you can use to locate exceptionally challenging monsters for some greater rewards. Many of them are just stronger versions of enemies that you’ve already fought, but others are boss encounters unto themselves and make up some of the hardest fights available. All things considered, there’s a fair amount of extra content here to keep you busy, and you’ll want to do as much of it as you can to be ready for New Game+, which significantly ups both the challenge and the level cap, and introduces new gear upgrades. Even beyond that, there’s also an arcade mode that you can use to go through previous levels to try and set high scores to upload to an online leaderboard. Needless to say, there’s a lot to do even once credits finish rolling.
And the soundtrack, by Bahamut’s grace, the soundtrack! It manages to perfectly accompany every big scene, whether it’s the tender moments between Clive and Jill, the quiet moments of respite inside the hideaway, or the absolutely epic battles between Eikons. I don’t know if I’m ready to claim it’s in the top Final Fantasy soundtracks of all time just yet, but it’s certainly one of the best soundtracks of 2023 so far. Final Fantasy 16 looks stunning, too. The performance may not hold onto a consistent 60 FPS all the time, even on the prioritized frame rate graphical setting, but those minor hiccups don’t stop it from still being one of the most gorgeous games I’ve ever played.
A Blizzard developer has explained the flavour text of a Diablo 4 item players are praising for helping brighten up their day.
Redditor Wholesome_Meow posted an image of the Mark of the Conclave amulet, highlighting its recently carved description: “Healing is a journey. A series of steps. Some days you may stumble, but so long as you continue to put one foot in front of the other, you will reach your destination.”
The post, currently on over 1,000 upvotes in the Diablo 4 subreddit, sparked a number of positive responses from those within the community, and it didn’t take long for the writer of the flavour text to notice.
Responding to Wholesome_Meow’s post, senior quest designer Harrison Pink took to Twitter to explain the thinking behind the text: “I wrote this flavor text for this person. I wrote it for me and I wrote it for you. I wrote it hoping against hope that it might help someone remember that things will get better.”
Mark of the Conclave is a reward for completing a side quest called A Series of Steps. It revolves around a witch doctor called Taissa who helps an NPC deal with grief after losing his son. In a follow-up tweet, Pink explained the thinking behind the quest.
“I created this quest to be about overcoming grief and trauma, and how you cannot force healing, or always slay your demons, but by accepting who you are NOW, you can continue to heal and move forward,” Pink revealed.
(I created this quest to be about overcoming grief and trauma, and how you cannot force healing, or always slay your demons, but by accepting who you are NOW, you can continue to heal and move forward)
Across social media Diablo fans have thanked Pink for the quest and the item description, with many praising the positivity it has generated. “I always hesitate about being emotionally vulnerable online but, in this instance I think it’s important,” Pink responded to one user.
A remake of Final Fantasy 6 is a hot topic within the walls of Square Enix as many members of its development teams are eager to make it.
Final Fantasy 6 director Yoshinori Kitase, who’s now a vice president, member of the board, and executive officer at Square Enix, discussed the possibility of a remake during a video on the publisher’s YouTube channel.
“I think Final Fantasy 6 Remake would be difficult,” Kitase said, as translated by Genki on Twitter (below) and verified by IGN.
“There are many Final Fantasy 6 fans inside the company and they often ask me: ‘when are we making six?'”
“Final Fantasy 7 Remake is not yet finished so I am not able to think about it, but for Final Fantasy 6, there are many Final Fantasy 6 fans inside the company and they often ask me: ‘when are we making six?’ “
The difficulty behind remaking Final Fantasy 6 was elaborated on by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, who said the original game’s pixel art and 2D format would make it much more complicated to redo, demanding a complete overhaul of the story and graphics.
Despite his grievances, it appears even Sakaguchi is eager for the remake, asking Kitase: “Won’t you release it a little sooner?”
Kitase on when they will make Final Fantasy VI Remake:
“I think FF6 Remake would be difficult. FF7 Remake is not yet finished so I am not able to think about it… But for FF6 there are many FF6 fans inside the company and they often ask me ‘when are we making 6?'” pic.twitter.com/kC0EFLqiTn
Microsoft’s actions following its acquisition of ZeniMax and Bethesda is “powerful evidence” in favor of preventing the company’s purchase of Activision Blizzard, the Federal Trade Commission [FTC] said in a new filing ahead of the upcoming showdown over the agency’s request for a preliminary injunction.
Last week, the FTC requested a restraining order temporarily blocking the $68.7 billion deal ahead of a hearing beginning on June 22. Leading up to this week’s hearing, Microsoft, Activision, and the FTC were able to submit opinions on the matter.
In the FTC’s document, the agency pointed to Microsoft’s willingness to make games Xbox exclusive in its argument against the acquisition.
Defendants put great stock in Microsoft’s concerns about ‘infuriating gamers’ if it were to foreclose rivals’ access to Activision content… But those same concerns did not stop the ZeniMax decision
“Defendants put great stock in Microsoft’s concerns about ‘infuriating gamers’ if it were to foreclose rivals’ access to Activision content… But those same concerns did not stop the ZeniMax decision,” the opinion reads in part.
This statement from the FTC argues that the precedent set by the Bethesda acquisition means Microsoft could make Activision Blizzard games exclusive to Xbox platforms, despite Microsoft’s persistent attempts to sign 10-year commitments for Call of Duty on other platforms.
The filing goes on to argue that the deal may “substantially lessen competition in high-performance consoles and all consoles.” It also addressed the Switch, arguing that Nintendo’s console should not be compared to the Xbox Series X|S and PS5 while citing an expert who claimed that “even if the Switch were included in the market, the likely anticompetitive effects of the Proposed Acquisition are the same as in the high-performance console market.”
Speaking of Call of Duty, Activison’s juggernaut came up elsewhere in the FTC’s document. The FTC said that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s side “badly assert that ‘most PlayStation gamers do not play [Call of Duty] at all”, but the FTC claims it has evidence to contradict that statement. The FTC’s reasoning for disputing the popularity of Call of Duty on PlayStation is redacted from the released version of the document.
Microsoft’s battle to get the Activision Blizzard deal has dragged on for more than a year amid opposition from both the FTC and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority [CMA]. Microsoft is currently in the process of appealing the CMA’s decision to block the deal.
The Microsoft and Activision Blizzard deal needs to close by July 18, 2023, or the parties will need to renegotiate.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over seven years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
Dota 2 is hitting its 10th anniversary this year, and Valve is doing something no other game dev has done for their live-service games: getting rid of the Battle Pass.
Valve detailed its future plans for Dota 2 in the game’s official blog post on Monday, which included ditching the battle pass system. According to the company, most Dota players never buy the battle pass, and if they did they never get any rewards from it other than discovering new maps, playing with new items, enjoying UI improvements, and even accidentally dying to a Tormentor.
“Most Dota players never buy a Battle Pass and never get any rewards from it,” Dota 2’s development team wrote. “Every Dota player has gotten to explore the new map, play with the new items, and accidentally die to a Tormentor; every Dota player benefits from UI improvements and new client features. Community response to New Frontiers has helped us build confidence that working less on cosmetic content for the Battle Pass and more on a variety of exciting updates is the right long-term path for Dota as both a game and a community.”
Most Dota players never buy a Battle Pass and never get any rewards from it
As a result, Valve is removing the battle pass system, which originated from the annual Dota 2 tournament called The International. The Dota 2 development team claims that it became a yearly content update that usurped the dev team’s time, ideas, features, and resources that would’ve otherwise been used for updates that were more frequent during the game’s infancy. In other words, the Battle Pass grew to the point where it would be the biggest event of the year while the rest of the year had no new content updates whatsoever.
“When we recognized this, we made a deliberate choice earlier this year to run an experiment: to take some of the resources that would normally produce Battle Pass content and instead put them towards more speculative updates, including features and content that couldn’t fit into a Battle Pass,” Valve said. “While work is still in progress on future updates, the first of these has shipped: New Frontiers and patch 7.33 couldn’t have shipped as they did if we were focusing all our efforts on producing Battle Pass content.”
Valve mentioned that Dota 2 will still have content that is tied to The International and its prize pool, but players won’t have any new skins or other accessories to grind for. That update is set to release in September.
Dota 2 is one of the first free-to-play games of the last decade to introduce the concept of the battle pass system, with Fortnite and Rocket League taking the lead. It is also the first to retire it, which is a major shift considering how common battle passes are, even in games that aren’t free-to-play, like For Honor.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
CCP Games has finally launched the Microsoft Excel add-in on EVE Online, leaning hard into the famed spaceship MMO’s reputation for being a spreadsheet simulation.
The Iceland-based game studio announced the launch of the Excel add-in Tuesday, enabling even the most organized players access and analyze their in-game data regardless of their level of programming experience. Whether they’re general players or players assigned to different roles, from manufacturer to enforcer to PvP fighter, everyone will have easy access to the information and knowledge they need to complete any task, including managing frontline warfare, tracking their earnings, maximizing their profits, monitoring kills, and tracking character progress over time.
CCP Games collaborated with the Excel team at Microsoft to integrate the spreadsheet add-in into EVE Online, making it the first PC game to receive the feature.
Unleash the full power of your data with our new Microsoft Excel add-in. From tracking ISK to managing your builds, the universe just got a little bit more accessible.
“Collaborating with Microsoft to provide EVE players with direct access to Excel’s spreadsheet software tools has been both a very enjoyable experience and a very natural fit, which should come as no surprise to the data enthusiasts at our two companies and within our respective communities,” EVE Online creative director Bergur Finnbogason said. “Our players continue to encourage us to explore more ways to make EVE approachable. Advanced EVE players are known to use spreadsheets as a data management tool, so the Excel add-in is a crucial step in achieving that goal. No matter your role, skill level or identity in New Eden, the power of this add-in is at your fingertips.”
Catherine Pidgeon, Microsoft’s head of product for Excel, added, “CCP Games has extensive experience in the MMO space, so it’s only natural that we collaborate with them to launch the first-ever native Microsoft Excel add-in for a video game. With the add-in, the EVE Online player base can seamlessly export and manage data without third-party tools. Through this collaboration, we’re excited to see how players of EVE Online of all skill levels can use Excel to streamline data management and take their in-game experience to new heights.”
CCP released an extensive FAQ explaining how to install the add-on, which is being released free of charge. If you’re using Excel as you’re reading this, click the Insert tab, then the Get Add-ins button, and the EVE Online add-in should appear.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
The last few weeks have been filled to the brim with exciting summer gaming showcases, and now Nintendo has thrown its Mario-shaped hat into the ring as it has announced a brand-new Nintendo Direct will be arriving June 21, with roughly 40 minutes of information “focused mainly on Nintendo Switch titles launching this year, including new details on Pikmin 4.”
This guide will share everything you need to know about the upcoming Nintendo Direct, including when it starts, how you can watch it, and what you can expect to see from the show.
Nintendo Direct June 2023 Start Time
June 2023’s Nintendo Direct will take place on Wednesday, June 21, and will start at 7am PT/10am ET/3pm BST. If you live in Australia, that translates to June 22 at 12am AEST.
Where to Watch the Nintendo Direct June 2023
If you are interested in watching the latest Nintendo Direct, Nintendo will be hosting its stream on its homepage,YouTube, and Twitch.
While we won’t be hosting the stream on IGN, our Nintendo Voice Chat crew will be doing a pre-show before the direct that begins at 6:40am PT/9:40am ET/2:40pm BST, a live watch party during the Direct, and a breakdown of the Nintendo Direct immediately following the stream.
What to Expect at the Nintendo Direct June 2023
We don’t know a ton about what surprises Nintendo has in store for us tomorrow, but it did confirm the Nintendo Direct would feature “roughly 40 minutes of information focused mainly on Nintendo Switch titles launching this year, including new details on Pikmin 4.”
Pikmin 4 is set to be released on July 21, 2023, so expect a new look at gameplay from the first mainline Pikmin game since 2013’s Pikmin 4.
As for what else may show up at the Nintendo Direct, it could be time to announce the long-awaited re-releases of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and/or Twilight Princess, especially now that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been out in the wild for over a month now. It also could be time for a DLC announcement for Tears of the Kingdom, but that may be a bit too soon as many people are still working their way through the massive game we called a masterpiece.
Link and Zelda have also had a lot of time in the spotlight on Nintendo’s video game stage, and it may be time for them to take a bow and make way for the return of Mario. With the runaway success that is The Super Mario Bros. Movie and a lack of a mainline Mario game since 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey, this Nintendo Direct would be a great welcome back party for the best plumber in the biz.
Is there a chance we’ll be playing a new 2D or 3D Mario game this holiday for a repeat of the 1-2 punch in 2017 that was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey? We’ll find out soon enough!
Metroid Prime 4 has also been missing in action for some time and would be a very exciting announcement on the heels of the release of Metroid Prime Remastered earlier this year! It may be hard to believe, but Metroid Prime 4 was first announced back in 2017.
Something Pokemon-related may also be in the cards, as we only know a little bit about the expansions for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and there are those (like me!) who are hoping for the arrival of older Pokemon games like Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow on Nintendo Switch Online.
Also, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Hollow Knight: Silksong and Mother 3, because these two titles are always some of the most requested to show up in Nintendo Directs!
While you wait for what the future holds, be sure to check out our Nintendo Direct recap from February that featured The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Metroid Prime Remastered, Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games, and more.
