Category: IGN

Bandai Namco has confirmed the Dragon Ball MOBA, codenamed Dragon Ball Project: Multi, fully launches in 2025.

A beta for the game wrapped yesterday, September 3, 2024, and Bandai Namco thanked fans for playing on its X/Twitter account while quietly announcing the full release window.

“We sincerely thank everyone for taking part in the regional beta test,” the post said. “All the valuable input we have received from our players will help our development team strive to make the game even more entertaining.

“New information about the game will continue to be available on this account, so please follow us until release. The game is planned for official release in 2025.”

Dragon Ball Project: Multi was announced as a top-down action real-time strategy game where players engage in four versus four battles playing as Dragon Ball characters such as Goku, Vegeta, Future Trunks, Piccolo, Krillin, Android 18, and Majin Buu.

Set to release on PC via Steam alongside mobile platforms the App Store and Google Play, Dragon Ball Project: Multi also promises vast customization options including different skins, entrances, finisher animations, and more.

“Experience the world of Dragon Ball through wrecking the battlefield with your own strength, or by conquesting the enemy objective with your friends and allies,” the synopsis reads. “The hero characters you take in control will grow in strength as the round progresses to give you a chance to obliterate enemy players and bosses alike.”

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

Assassin’s Creed players who’ve lamented the removal of double assassinations in recent entries will be pleased to hear the Japan-set Assassin’s Creed Shadows is bringing the nasty technique back.

A Ubisoft blog post confirmed stealthy assassin Naoe, who is one of two playable protagonists in Assassin’s Creed Shadows joined by the savage samurai Yasuke, can use the much-loved double assassination to take down two enemies at once.

“Depending on her weapons, she can assassinate enemies in unique ways, and perform double assassinations with her Hidden Blade and tanto,” the post said.

Double assassinations were once a mainstay of Assassin’s Creed but haven’t appeared in the franchise since 2015’s Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, meaning it’s skipped four mainline entries. This lines up with the series’ switch to larger role-playing games in Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, but not even smaller, more traditional entry Assassin’s Creed Mirage had it.

Some fans have long tried to justify why this is the case, and as spotted by GamesRadar, one said it’s because the technique was created by original assassin Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad and therefore only exists in the games set after his.

This lines up, as the last four games have all been set before the original Assassin’s Creed, but other fans have pointed out the assassins are master killers able to land on a target from 100 foot above or do a front flip while stabbing someone in the neck, so the concept of killing two people at once shouldn’t be beyond them.

IGN had a wealth of exclusive content on Assassin’s Creed Shadows upon its reveal in May 2024, and you can read about all the gameplay changes, story beats, and open-world assassinating coming with Shadows in our extensive interview with the development team.

If that’s not enough, check our analysis and explanation of where and when Shadows is set and 40 key details we’ve learned about the game. You can also watch our full breakdown of the cinematic trailer to discover all its hidden details, Easter eggs, and more.

Shadows launches November 12, 2024 for those buying the more expensive Gold, Ultimate, Deluxe Editions, or Collector’s Editions, while the $69.99 Standard Edition is available on November 15, 2024. There’s a lot riding on Assassin’s Creed Shadows for developer and publisher Ubisoft, after the recently released Star Wars Outlaws reportedly failed to meet sales expectations.

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

Update 9-4-24: Until Dawn remake developer Ballistic Moon has acknowledged “significant” layoffs at the studio after several staff members announced their departure earlier in September.

A LinkedIn post from the studio said it was “profoundly sorry” for the layoffs that appeared to affect at least 11 members of staff at the studio, though an exact number is unclear and Ballistic Moon did not respond to IGN’s request for comment.

“It is with deep regret and a heavy heart that we must make the tough decision to significantly sale down our team to secure the future of our studio,” Ballistic Moon said. “This comes after our development of Until Dawn for PS5 and PC.”

It continued: “Saying goodbye to such a talented and passionate group of people is incredibly difficult, and we are profoundly sorry for the impact this restructuring will have on our employees and our families.”

Original Story 9-2-2024: Ballistic Moon, the developer behind the PlayStation 5 and PC remake of Until Dawn, has laid off several staff members.

Eurogamer first reported that at least two staff members had announced their departure on LinkedIn but 11 Ballistic Moon developers have now either posted about being made redundant or marked themselves as “open to work” and looking to start somewhere new immediately.

It’s unclear exactly how many of these staff were laid off, or if the number is greater than 11, but IGN has asked Ballistic Moon for comment.

“Like many others in this wonderful but turbulent industry, I am sadly being made redundant from my role,” said junior game designer Cassy Cornish in a LinkedIn post. “Unfortunately my current role at Ballistic Moon is being made redundant so I’m looking for new opportunities,” said game programmer Stuart Campbell in another

The past two years have seen countless video game industry layoffs as big companies including Microsoft, Sony, and the embattled Embracer Group have not just cut jobs but shut down entire studios.

Microsoft shut down Redfall developer Arkane Austin alongside Hi-Fi Rush and Ghostwire Tokyo developer Tango Gameworks in May 2024 in a move met with shock and anger by industry peers and fans.

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. Chinese video game company NetEase also reportedly laid off most staff at Visions of Mana developer Ouka Studios with plans to shut it down altogether.

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

Sony’s shock announcement of Concord’s shutdown just two weeks after it went on sale has sent its remaining players into overdrive as they desperately try to secure its Platinum trophy before it’s too late.

PlayStation Studios’ ill-fated first-person hero shooter, which suffered a drastically low player count upon launch, goes dark on September 6, with all players set to receive a refund. Ryan Ellis, director at Sony-owned developer Firewalk, said: “while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended.”

Soon after that announcement, reports indicated that Concord players were throwing Rivalry matches in a bid to earn experience points as fast as possible. Rivalry mode sees two teams of five players battle for dominance across best-of-seven single-life rounds. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. Now, players are starting a match and immediately running off a platform to their doom, resulting in a win for the opposing team and the end of the round.

Rivalry matches are the perfect choice for this tactic. Win or lose, it rewards players with more experience points than other game modes. And because it’s the best-of-seven single-life rounds, as long as the whole team gets in on the act and each round takes about 30 seconds, you can finish a match in just a few minutes — again, as long as all players follow suit and you lose or win four matches in a row.

Thus, this is the quickest way to earn experience points in Concord, and thus the quickest way to earn that Platinum trophy (you need to get to reputation level 100, which takes hundreds of thousands of XP), with just two days left before the game shuts down. But be warned: your win percentage will take a hit if you keep deliberately losing. Still, that might not be much of a concern given Concord’s impending doom.

This is literally every match of Rivalry in Concord rn because this is the fastest way to earn XP for the Platinum 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/BZ12OV7lc1

— Radec (@realradec) September 3, 2024

IGN has verified that Rivalry matches are currently being played out in this fashion. The race, it seems, is very much on.

Some Concord players are saying there’s not enough time to grind to the Platinum trophy, so it might escape them. Others are holding out hope that Concord returns in free-to-play form, although there’s no guarantee it will return at all. As a result, the Concord Platinum trophy may go down as one of the rarest in PlayStation history.

What’s clear is that Concord itself is one of the biggest flops in PlayStation history, a game one of its developers said was in the works for an incredible eight years. There is now concern for the fate of its developer, Firewalk, and Sony faces tough questions about its upcoming live service games, including Bungie’s Marathon and Haven’s Fairgame$, neither of which have a release date.

Concord’s launch was nothing short of disastrous, with analysts telling IGN it has likely sold as few as 25,000 units. It debuted to a tragic 697 peak concurrent players on Steam, a number that made the 12,786 players of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which was dubbed a disappointment by Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav and caused a $200 million hit to revenue, look like a titan.

Last year, Sony president Hiroki Totoki committed to launching just six of 12 live service games in development, and one based on The Last of Us has already been canceled.

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.

Developer Supermassive Games once dared us to survive until dawn, now the interactive slasher movie specialist wants us to be dead by daylight in The Casting of Frank Stone. This story-based spin-off of the popular asymmetric multiplayer sneak-and-slash ‘em up attempts to flesh out a backstory for the malevolent source of all evil in the Dead by Daylight universe, known as The Entity. However, aging, quicktime event-heavy gameplay, dismally superficial combat, an underdeveloped cast of characters, and a complete absence of scares make for a six-hour slog that’s barely worth staying up past your bedtime for.

While Dead by Daylight’s character roster has swelled to include a who’s who of nightmare-haunting horror icons like Leatherface from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and even walking internet memes like Nicholas Cage, The Casting of Frank Stone features an entirely original cast of villains and potential victims. This is very much to its detriment, since barely any of them leave much in the way of a lasting impression. Main monster Frank Stone (Miles Ley) certainly strikes an imposing figure in the story’s prologue, but he’s nowhere to be found for significant stretches after that. Instead, we’re saddled with a truly unremarkable cast in a tepid tale that pinballs back and forth between the filming of a low budget horror movie in an abandoned Cedar Rapids steel mill in 1980, and a clandestine meeting of strangers in an isolated English manor in the present day.

In both time periods, the plot takes a surprisingly long time to travel short distances, with only small amounts of horror and very little stress to be found amidst meandering conversations between the playable cast of eight characters. With the exception of the likeable Linda (Lucy Griffiths), whose dry sarcasm provides some welcome laughs on occasion and who is thankfully present in both eras, the rest of the leads are saddled with dialogue that’s often clunkier than a piano solo from Freddie Krueger, and forced into relationship contrivances that aren’t given enough time to evolve. In particular, the love triangle between teenagers Jaime (Andrew Wheildon-Dennis), Chris (Rebecca LaChance), and Robert (Idris Debrand) feels rushed and leaves little space for any believable tension to develop between them, which meant that I never really agonised over steering any particular character into the arms of another with my choices.

In fact, so little did I invest in the fates of these partially-formed players that I barely batted an eyelid while each leading man was turned into a bleeding man as the bodycount built up in the story’s second half. It’s here that the Entity’s cosmic power is properly unleashed in both the present and the past, and although there were admittedly some interesting revelations to be uncovered about this malevolent creature and how its evil is pulling Frank Stone’s strings, it all gets pockmarked by a muddled mix of confusing multiversal wormholes and glaring plot holes. All told, this sloppy and scare-less horror story feels less like a mandatory bit of backstory for fans and more like one long, unnecessary and unskippable cutscene to lead into any given Dead by Daylight multiplayer match.

Bad Manors

While it may be messy and not the slightest bit memorable, The Casting of Frank Stone’s story certainly has a lot of branching paths, and so too does its environments. Unfortunately, while the dingy, subterranean tunnels beneath the Cedar Rapids steel mill and the gloomy, gilded hallways of Gerant Manor certainly ooze plenty of atmosphere, they just aren’t all that interesting or intimidating to explore. What’s worse, they’re reused far too much – over and over again I found myself plodding past the same bits of scenery like I was a member of Spinal Tap desperately searching for the stage entrance. I spent the vast majority of my time tapping through basic button prompts in cutscenes, so it felt especially limiting that when I was occasionally given full control of a character I was so rarely given anything interesting to see or do.

There are some simple survival horror puzzles to complete like pushing crates or finding keys and, in one of a number of nods to the core Dead by Daylight experience, you do get faced with the occasional generator in need of repair in order to power up a lift or door. However, whereas the process of fixing these straightforward mechanisms in Dead by Daylight is transformed into fits of heart-pounding panic since you’ve got a murderous Michael Myers from Halloween homing in on your position, here the absence of any stalking threat means they’re robbed of any real urgency and are instead just more basic quicktime events to be obediently ticked off. It’s neat that they’ve incorporated the Dead by Daylight skill check prompt here, but it does little to enhance the actual interactions in any meaningful way.

While I never struggled to repair its generators, I wish someone had taken the time to fix The Casting of Frank Stone’s inability to generate scares. Outside of life or death cutscene-based decisions, the rare enemy encounters are otherwise trivialised by a powerful weaponised camera that transforms from Super 8 to supernatural. There’s only ever one Entity-powered Frank Stone specter to face off against at a time, and all you need to do is train the camera’s viewfinder on them and hit record to sap them of all their life force. Their presence is always clearly signposted, and as a result they never got the drop on me nor did they ever get remotely close enough to pose any form of threat – I’m not sure if they’re even able to perform any attacks since they effectively stayed at a comfortable wide shot in my viewfinder; never a killer close-up. Dead by Daylight might be capable of some truly terrifying stalker escapes, but The Casting of Frank Stone is about as stressful as a spa bath in comparison.

Dead by Design

Of course, since this is a Supermassive Games adventure, some of the characters can and likely will die. But in my experience of The Casting of Frank Stone, this was either because I was perfectly happy to let them go, or because I was having a sip of coffee and was too slow to reach for my controller during an unexpected and evidently majorly consequential cutscene junction. Roughly half of the cast of playable characters perished before I rolled credits, and although I was pleased to see that some of those executions were ripped straight out of Dead by Daylight – such as the piercing of a certain victim onto the sharp end of a dangling hook – I can’t say that any of these unmemorable meatsacks met their sudden deaths in any particularly inspired or shocking ways.

Once the campaign is completed, you unlock a Cutting Room Floor feature that allows you to trace each branching story path backwards and hop back into specific scenes, allowing you to pick up a story thread and twist it in a new direction by making a different decision and seeing how things play out. It’s a nice feature if you want to experience all possible outcomes, however I wish it was a little more flexible – in order to prevent one character death I was forced to replay six scenes in the lead up to the moment that decided their fate, rather than just hopping directly to that critical decision and going from there, which seemed annoyingly cumbersome.

Still, this branching chapter select is certainly handy if you want to go back and find any Dead by Daylight-inspired collectibles, with signature killers like The Trapper and The Clown shrunken down into adorable, Chuckie-sized plushies and hidden throughout each setting. This is in addition to numerous other nods to the multiplayer murder sim, like The Huntress’ rabbit mask I found on a shelf in Cedar Rapids’ curiosity shop. Dead by Daylight diehards will likely get a kick out of discovering all of these, but whether they make it worth playing (let alone replaying) a pretty forgettable horror story depends on how fiercely loyal your fandom may be.

The Nintendo Switch is the most popular console out there. Over 140 million units have been sold to date worldwide, and the system is still pushing forward despite its age. With such a big presence in the market, there are naturally thousands of options to choose from when it comes to Switch accessories. That is especially true for chargers, as you cannot use your Nintendo Switch without one!

Whether you’ve just recently bought a Nintendo Switch or recently lost the charger it came with, we’ve got you covered on which chargers are actually worth picking up. Whether you’re constantly on the road or searching for something to use at home, check out our top picks for the best Nintendo Switch chargers below.

1. Anker 67W USB-C Wall Charger

Best Overall Charger for Nintendo Switch

The Anker 67W USB-C Wall Charger is our pick for the best overall Nintendo Switch charger. At 67W, this charger is capable of charging your Switch in both handheld and docked mode. You can use this with either mode, which isn’t the case for other chargers on this list outside of the official Nintendo Switch AC Adapter.

A big benefit of the 67W is this charger’s use beyond the Switch console. You can use this to charge an iPhone, MacBook, laptop, and more. This can be a life saver when traveling, as you’ll only need one charger block. It’s worth mentioning that you will need a USB-C cable with this charger, as Anker does not provide one.

2. Nintendo Switch AC Adapter

Best Official Charger for Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch AC Adapter is by far the best official charger for Nintendo Switch. This is the same exact charger that’s bundled in with every Switch system, so it’s easy to order a replacement if needed. Outputting at 39W, the Nintendo Switch AC Adapter connects to any 120V outlet with no issues.

Since the charger is made specifically for Nintendo Switch, you will never have to wonder or worry about a potential compatibility mismatch. Sometimes, using a third-party charger can hurt your charging port, or even brick your system if you aren’t careful. Staying official when it comes to chargers is always recommended, with the exception of reputable and reliable third party brands like the ones we’ve listed here.

3. Emperor of Gadgets Portable Power Bank

Best Portable Charger for Nintendo Switch

As outlined in our picks for the best portable chargers, the Emperor of Gadgets Portable Power Bank is the best portable charger for Nintendo Switch. This device has the ability to directly clip on to the back of your system, so there’s never any worry of a dangling cable tied to a power bank. While it adds some noticeable weight, the power bank is nowhere heavy enough to make long playing sessions uncomfortable.

The Emperor of Gadgets Portable Power Bank features a 10,000mAh capacity with an output of 15W, which is perfect for charging your Nintendo Switch while in use or in rest mode. Based on the Nintendo Switch power draw, you should be able to get around 10 extra hours of playtime depending on the game, which is a significant increase from the built-in Switch battery.

4. Newdery External Battery Station

Best Battery Case for Nintendo Switch

The Newdery External Battery Station is our pick for the best battery case for Nintendo Switch. This case provides a 10,000mAh battery in addition to the Switch’s built-in battery, allowing for up to eight hours of additional playtime in handheld mode. If you’re someone who exclusively plays in handheld mode or likes to travel, this can be an absolute game changer, especially when you’re in the middle of an RPG like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Beyond battery life, the Newdery External Battery Station is simply comfortable to hold. The grip behind the Joy-Cons is extended, allowing for all players to be comfortable during long play sessions. Additionally, the case features a built-in kickstand, which reveals a compartment to store extra game cartridges on the go.

5. PowerA Nintendo Switch Car Charger

Best Car Charger for Nintendo Switch

The PowerA Nintendo Switch Car Charger is the ultimate charger if you’re ready to break out your system on the road. First, the cable itself is braided, which is essential for use in a car. Plastic cables are often easily broken through regular wear and tear, but braided cables will last twice as long usually. Additionally, this product is officially licensed by Nintendo, meaning that you can trust the charger without worry of overvolting or damaging your system.

This cable is 6 feet long, which should be plenty to reach in either the passenger seat or backseat even. The 5V connector will plug into any 5V adapter, which is present on almost every single car manufactured. Whether you need to charge the Nintendo Switch itself or a Pro Controller, the PowerA Nintendo Switch Car Charger is perfect for a speedy charge in the car.

Nintendo Switch Charger FAQs

What type of charger works best for Switch?

The regular and OLED Nintendo Switch model draw a max of 18W of power at a time, while the Nintendo Switch Lite draws 13.5W. While this is the limit of the system in handheld mode, the official Nintendo Switch charger included with the system allows for up to 39W of power draw. This is largely used when the system is docked or charging controllers through the USB ports.

As a result, the Nintendo Switch is unable to draw more than the wattage outlined above. This means that even if you use a 65W charger or above, your Switch will not draw more than the 18W it needs to charge.

Do Joy-Cons need a separate charger?

Fortunately, the Switch Joy-Cons do not need any charger to charge. They will receive power from the Nintendo Switch itself, which is charged through the USB-C port. So, you only need to purchase one charger for both the Joy-Con controllers and Nintendo Switch.

It is important to note, though, that the Joy-Con can only be charged when attached to the side of the Nintendo Switch. These controllers do not have a USB-C port, therefore you cannot use a Switch charger to charge them. If you’d like to charge the Joy-Con when not attached to the Switch, you will need to purchase a Joy-Con charging dock.

Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium. His favorite series include Xeno, Fate, and Final Fantasy.

The best Switch Lite deal is back. Walmart is offering the Nintendo Switch Lite (Timmy’s and Tommy’s Aloha Edition) console for only $159. This is an outstanding deal because this particular bundle also includes a digital copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. A standard Nintendo Switch Lite console with no game still costs $199.

Nintendo Switch Lite with Animal Crossing for $159

The Switch Lite retails for $100 less than the original Switch and $150 less than the Switch OLED. It is compatible with most Nintendo Switch games and it runs off the same hardware, so performance is identical. The three main tradeoffs of the Switch Lite is that (1) the controllers are not detachable, (2) the console can’t be docked and played on a TV and (3) the display is smaller (5.5″ vs 6.2″ on Switch and 7″ on Switch OLED).

If you were intending to use the Switch solely as a handheld console, you might be better off just getting the Switch Lite. Even though the controls aren’t detachable, the Switch Lite does support wireless Bluetooth, so you can always purchase another pair of Joy-Cons, a Switch Pro controller, or a compatible third party wireless Switch controller, and you can still play untethered.

If you enjoy cozy games like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, or Minecraft, you’ll probably love Animal Crossing. It’s obvious that Nintendo put in a lot of love into this first party title and it’s certainly one of the best – and most relaxing – games for the Nintendo Switch. This is an excellent pick for gamers of all ages, even children. Check out our glowing IGN review for more details.

Other Nintendo Switch related sales and news that might interest you:

• Best Nintendo Switch Prime Day Deals
• All Pokemon Games on Nintendo Switch
• All Mario Games on Nintendo Switch
• Best Time to Buy a Nintendo Switch
• Best Free Nintendo Switch Games

PlayStation hero shooter Concord will be taken offline on September 6, 2024 and all players will receive a full refund, Sony announced today.

Announced on the PlayStation Blog, director Ryan Ellis said “while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended.”

Concord will therefore be taken offline so Sony and developer Firewalk Studios can “explore options, including those that will better reach our players.”

The game will be removed from sale immediately and anyone who purchased on the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct will be refunded to their original payment methods. Those who purchased on Steam and the Epic Games Store will be refunded in the coming days.

Physical refunds are a tad trickier but players can check with individual retailers to obtain a refund. Sony will presumably organise a system with them itself that allows all refunds to be processed fully. “Once refunded, players will no longer have access to the game,” Sony made clear.

Concord arrived August 23, 2024, meaning it has been removed from sale just 11 days after launch and taken offline for all players a mere two weeks after. Even those who bought Concord will no longer be able to play after September 6.

Its launch was nothing short of disastrous, with analysts telling IGN it has likely sold as few as 25,000 units. It debuted to a tragic 697 peak concurrent players on Steam, a number that made the 12,786 players of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leage, which was dubbed a disappointment by Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav and caused a $200 million hit to revenue, look like a titan.

This comes after eight years of development and presumably tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, of dollars spent by Sony, a company already shifting gears away from a live service heavy future. Sony president Hiroki Totoki committed to launching just six of 12 live service games in development, and one based on The Last of Us has already been cancelled.

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

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is coming to Xbox after all despite controversially being announced for PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC with no Microsoft console in sight.

The Marvel vs. Capcom X/Twitter account confirmed the game would be coming to Xbox One and will therefore be backwards compatible via the Xbox Series consoles. It was similarly announced for PlayStation 4 and not PlayStation 5.

Xbox fans will have to wait longer, however, as while other platforms are getting the collection — which brings seven fan favorite fighting games together on modern consoles — on September 12, 2024, the Xbox version has the vague release window of 2025.

“We’re excited to announce that after technical discussions with our partners at Microsoft, we can confirm that Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics will release on Xbox One,” the post said. “The Xbox One version will be out in 2025, so please stay tuned for more information.”

Xbox fans originally said it not releasing on the platform was a “gut punch” and the phrase “No Xbox” was even trending online. It’s unclear exactly what technical issues were stopping the fighting game collection from coming to Xbox, though it wouldn’t be the only game to skip Microsoft’s platform.

Another neat fighting game package, the Capcom Fighting Collection 2, was also announced in August 2024 for all platforms besides Xbox, but there’s no word on a change here just yet.

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

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has admitted he’s perhaps not the best judge of what games will be successful, saying he passed over the chance to publish both Destiny and Guitar Hero in the past.

Eurogamer spotted an interview with Spencer at video game convention PAX West in which he said he initially got the wrong impression of Destiny despite Microsoft having such close connections to its developer Bungle, creator of the flagship Xbox franchise Halo.

“I have to be honest, when Destiny 1 came out, and I might have played some of the preview builds that we were doing on Xbox, it didn’t really click with me,” Spencer said. “I’m not a big PvP player. You can see my player history; it’s not a lot of what I do. And I was a little worried I was going to get thrown into a PvP world, and it turns out that’s not what it was at all.”

Destiny arrived in 2014 from publisher Activision (which ironically is now owned by Microsoft but no longer the publisher of Destiny) and became a huge hit, selling more than six million copies in a month and spawning multiple expansions.

Destiny 2 arrived in 2017 and is still being supported today (though not without complications), now under the PlayStation umbrella after Sony bought Bungie in 2022.

“The thing about Destiny that I start with is just my history with Bungie, and their evolution of working on games,” Spencer continued. “I do love that it’s a local team. I have a lot of friends over there still and yes they’re owned by the other guy now but it’s a game that I’ll always love and a team that I’ll always have a ton of affinity for.”

When asked if it wasn’t at all frustrating that he passed on Bungie, Spencer said it wasn’t even the only time something of this scale had happened.

“I’ve got so many of those,” he said. “I’ve passed on some of the… I’ve made some of the worst game choice decisions.

“An interesting one: When this team came down to Redmond, [former Harmonix CEO] Alex Rigopulos who’s great, love Alex, and he pitches a game where they’re actually going to make plastic guitars and they’re going to plug into consoles and then they’re going to sell tracks,” Spencer continued, explaining how he passed on Guitar Hero.

“I’m like: ‘Really? Do we really think that’s going to work?’ A few people played Guitar Hero. I hear that turned into a pretty good game.

“I’m not a regrets type person, maybe that’s a fault of mine, but I passed on so many games that I could look back and…” he shook his fist. “But no I try to look forward and be positive about the things that we are doing. And so with Destiny I just like to celebrate what the team has done.”

Both Destiny games and the collection of Guitar Hero titles all came to multiple platforms, so Xbox was at least able to revel in their success somewhat, but in a complete turnaround, Spencer is now allowing what could be Xbox exclusives to come to rival platforms.

This began earlier in 2024 when Xbox announced Pentiment and Grounded were coming to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, and the latter later gained former exclusives Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves. Making clear this practice could also apply to major new releases, Xbox recently announced Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would come to PS5 after its launch on Xbox.

Image Credit: Franziska Krug/Getty Images for game Verband der deutschen Games-Branche

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