Category: Video Games

Star Wars Outlaws: 6 Details We Learned From the Trailer

Star Wars fans have a brand new AAA game to look forward to this year. Star Wars Outlaws is coming on August 30, and it promises to put players in the shoes of smuggler, criminal and all-around scoundrel Kay Vess. Kay must navigate the criminal underworld in a desperate bid to pull off an impossible heist and buy her freedom.

With Ubisoft releasing a new trailer for Star Wars Outlaws, we have a better idea of what Kay’s mission involves and the many criminals and villains she’ll encounter along the way. Let’s break down everything we learned from this new footage, from the new and returning criminal syndicates to that unexpected Han Solo cameo.

Star Wars’ Criminal Underworld

The Star Wars movies may be all about the conflict between factions like the Empire and Rebel Alliance or First Order and Resistance, but there are other powers at play. The Star Wars universe is home to a number of criminal organizations, all vying for control of territory, contraband and even illegal drugs. Star Wars Outlaws thrusts players into the heart of the criminal underworld. You’ll take missions for different organizations, increasing your standing with some while you also risk making enemies of others. Being a free agent in the Star Wars underworld isn’t going to be easy.

The new Outlaws trailer reveals some of the organizations who will play a role in the game. Unsurprisingly, Jabba the Hutt has a part to play in this story. He’s not just the most iconic Star Wars gangster of them all, but also arguably the biggest force in the criminal underworld in this time period. The trailer confirms Kay Vess will come face to face with Jabba during the course of the game, much to her chagrin.

We also see members of the Pyke Syndicate in the trailer. The Pykes have played a major role in various Star Wars TV series like The Book of Boba Fett and The Clone Wars. These unusual, fish-headed humanoids are notorious for controlling much of the galaxy’s spice supply. Not unlike with Dune, spice is a rare substance valued as a narcotic by the galaxy’s wealthy elite.

We also see a representative from Crimson Dawn, the organization first introduced in Solo: A Star Wars Story. At this point in the timeline, Crimson Dawn’s old ruler, Maul, is dead. It’s now led by Han Solo’s old girlfriend Qi’ra. As seen in Star Wars comics like War of the Bounty Hunters and Crimson Reign, Qi’ra’s ultimate goal is to use her power and resources to bring down the Sith Lords who secretly rule the galaxy.

The game appears to be set after War of the Bounty Hunters, as we see the carbonite-frozen Han Solo on display in Jabba’s Palace, but before Crimson Dawn’s final collapse and Qi’ra’s disappearance. Does that mean we could actually see her appear in Outlaws? We’ll find out soon.

Sliro and Zerek Besh

We may see familiar organizations like the Hutts and the Pykes in the trailer, but they aren’t the main enemy Kay Vess will be contending with in the game. That’s where Zerek Besh comes in.

Zerek Besh is another major power player in the criminal underworld, but not one included as part of the Five Crime Syndicates. This faction was first introduced in Marvel’s Star Wars comics, where we saw Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn manipulate Zerek Besh into waging war on the Hutts. Again, we’re guessing the game is set before that conflict, which is known as the Syndicate War.

As revealed in the trailer, Zerek Besh is ruled by a human named Sliro. Sliro is a wealthy, opportunistic crime lord who sees great opportunity in the current state of galactic affairs. With the Empire spending so much time and effort hunting the Rebel Alliance, that leaves the criminal cartels plenty of room to make their move and rake in more money. If they can work together, of course.

The scene where Sliro is making his pitch to the Hutts, Pykes and Crimson Dawn is taking place on Canto Bight, the casino planet introduced in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi. That’s no coincidence. Canto Bight is also where we met Benicio Del Toro’s character DJ, a scoundrel with an important lesson to impart. In a galaxy that’s trapped in a perpetual cycle of war, the real winners are those who know how to profit off of that war. Sliro clearly views himself as part of that crowd.

From what we know about the plot of Star Wars Outlaws so far, the conflict begins when Kay runs afoul of Sliro and the crime lord puts a major bounty on her head. From there, Kay is given a choice – run and hide, or attempt to steal Sliro’s vast fortune and buy her freedom. We don’t need to tell you which option she picks. Every mission in Outlaws is about bringing Kay one step closer to her overarching goal of landing the galaxy’s biggest payday.

The Han Solo Cameo

Star Wars Outlaws is avoiding a lot of the trappings fans might expect from the franchise. There are no Jedi Knights or lightsabers in sight. Even though this game is set during the year between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the Rebel Alliance is out of the picture – biding their time and waiting for the right moment to strike. This game is all about shining a light on the dirty underbelly of the Star Wars universe.

Han Solo may be the only main character from the original trilogy we actually see in this game. And as we’ve already discussed, this is taking place during that period where Han is stuck in suspended animation as a trophy on Jabba’s wall. Han is there as a pointed reminder of how delicate Kay’s position is. As she navigates her way through the underworld and curries favor with the different crime syndicates, Kay is one wrong move from ending up like Han Solo.

So will we see any existing Star Wars characters at all, or are Jabba and the frozen Han the sole links to the larger franchise? There’s certainly potential to bring in other familiar faces. We’ve already pointed out how Qi’ra is one character with the potential to return, whether or not she’s still voiced by Emilia Clarke.

We’d bet good credits on at least one familiar bounty hunter rearing their head during the course of the game. The trailer introduces a new female character whom Sliro hires to pursue Kay, but we highly doubt she’s the only one after that bounty. We could see characters like Dengar, 4-LOM or IG-88 take up the hunt. Heck, maybe Outlaws will follow in the footsteps of Dark Forces and Shadows of the Empire by including Boba Fett as a major boss character.

We’re even crossing our fingers that Outlaws might serve as the video game debut for fan-favorite character Dr. Chelli Aphra. Aphra is a rogue archaeologist and former right-hand-woman to Darth Vader himself. She’s perfect for a game set in the seedy underbelly of the Star Wars universe.

Kay Vess’ Crew

Kay won’t be working completely alone in Star Wars Outlaws. The trailer gives us a slightly better look at the crew of the Trailblazer. We don’t know all of these characters’ names yet, but Kay will be accompanied by a motley team of droids and aliens as she prepares for the biggest heist of her career.

That crew includes ND-5, the reprogrammed, trenchcoat-clad commando droid seen at several points in the trailer. ND-5 looks to be helpful as a bodyguard, as at one point we see him pushing away Sliro’s hired bounty hunter.

Kay’s crew also looks to include a Rodian. This character is apparently good with technology, as we can see him activating a black protocol droid. That protocol droid may also be part of Kay’s crew. Interestingly, the droid looks very similar to Triple Zero, a sadistic former partner of Doctor Aphra. Is this just a superficial similarity, or is this a clue that a popular Star Wars comic character is making the jump to the games?

Undoubtedly Kay’s most important ally, however, is her furry companion Nix. Nix is a merqaal and the closest thing Kay has to a family in this lonely galaxy. The trailer hints as to how Nix will play a role in the game. We see him sneaking through an Imperial facility and stealing a blaster rifle for Kay to use. Expect him to be an integral part of stealth missions and puzzles, as he can activate faraway buttons and distract enemies.

Fighting the Empire

While Outlaws is all about navigating the criminal underworld, it’s also clear Kay will be directly clashing with the Empire during her missions. As she stirs up trouble on the various worlds in the game, Kay will attract unwanted attention from the Empire and even directly do battle with them, both on the ground and aboard her ship.

Most of the footage in the trailer of Kay battling Imperial forces seems to emphasize stealth. We see her sneaking around a facility and relying on Nix to pilfer a blaster rifle. We also see her stealth-attacking an Imperial officer. But the shot of a charging Death Trooper suggests that Kay won’t be able to navigate every confrontation with stealth alone. The more attention she attracts, the more Kay will draw the wrath of Emperor Palpatine’s military down upon her.

That includes vehicular combat as well as gunplay. The trailer features a shot of an AT-ST walker, and we see footage of a dogfight between the Trailblazer and a group of TIE Fighters. The Rebel Alliance may be lying low right now, but the Empire is out in full force for this game.

The Monsters of Tatooine

Tatooine may just be the most iconic planet in the Star Wars galaxy, and it’s one of the open-world playgrounds on offer in Outlaws. It makes sense that Kay would be visiting Luke Skywalker’s former home planet, as both Jabba the Hutt and the Pyke Syndicate control territory there.

The trailer makes it clear some of Tatooine’s more dangerous fauna will be appearing in the game. At one point we see Kay plunging down toward the Sarlacc. We can only assume this means her meeting with Jabba doesn’t go well, and the vicious gangster dooms Kay to be digested over the course of 1000 years. Somehow, though, we’re sure she’ll weasel her way out of that fate.

We can also see Kay dodging a massive krayt dragon in the open desert. These enormous beasts are pretty much the biggest and nastiest creatures on the planet. They’re incredibly hard to kill, but that doesn’t stop a handful of foolish treasure hunters eager to harvest the valuable pearls inside their bodies. Kay seems just desperate enough that she might take on a mission to kill a krayt dragon and steal its treasure.

At this point, we can only wonder what other giant beasts might be in the game. Will we come face-to-face with Jabba’s Rancor? What about the native species on other planets like Kijimi? Massive Entertainment has even created an entirely new world called Toshara. Who knows what monsters lurk on this brand-new planet?

For more on the future of the Star Wars franchise, find out what to expect from Star Wars in 2024 and brush up on every Star Wars movie and series in development.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Deathsprint 66 is Mario Kart by way of The Running Man by way of Squid Game

If you’re from the USA, Britain or France, and also possibly a Victorian time-traveller, you might be familiar with the dunce cap – a conical humiliation bestowed on struggling or misbehaving schoolchildren, who were then told to go sit in the corner and think about their sins. Well, get ready for the dunce cosmetic. In Sumo Newcastle’s Deathsprint 66, an 8-player on-foot racing game based on Stephen King’s dystopian novel The Running Man, players build a Hype multiplier by combo-ing stunts such as railgrinds, and also, murdering each other.

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Children of the Sun Review

Children of the Sun bills itself as a tactical third-person puzzle-shooter, but not all of those descriptors are equally relevant. Discard any attachment you have to the idea of it being a tactical third-person shooter in any traditional or meaningful way, and focus purely on the puzzle part. Children of the Sun, rather, is a supernatural sniper game where you control the path and speed of just one bullet per level – one part Hitman: Sniper Assassin, one part Seinfeld magic loogie. Essentially, you need to pause, pivot, and plot your single shot to kill every enemy on each level, all without losing said bullet beyond the boundaries of the map, or striking a part of the environment. It’s clever and compulsive, and I’ve found stitching together successful runs very satisfying. However, it definitely doesn’t elicit much sympathy for its mask-wearing main character, and I’m not sure it’s quite as replayable as it thinks it is.

The premise of Children of the Sun is simple, and it’s relayed in an equally simple fashion, with no voiceover – just quick sequences of sharp, hand-drawn artwork. That delivery is impressively effective, though. Whatever language you speak, I’d expect you’ll be able to easily follow the story.

There are occasional subtitles, but they don’t seem to contribute anything especially crucial. Our unnamed character – The Girl – is hell bent on killing her way through The Cult in order to snuff out its sadistic chief – The Leader – who murdered her parents. Also… she has paranormal powers that allow her to move things with her mind. That’s all you need to know, and that’s really all you’ll ever know. She’s upset, but her telekinetic killing spree is soothing her pain. Or making her horny. I think it’s one or the other.

Her telekinetic killing spree is soothing her pain. Or making her horny. I think it’s one or the other.

It’s not that deep but, admittedly, it doesn’t need to be. It’s a revenge story, and I love revenge stories. You don’t exactly need a diving bell to get to the bottom of Death Wish, for instance. That said, it would’ve been nice for Children of the Sun to have generated a little more empathy for The Girl. She doesn’t exactly have any personality to speak of; she’s kind of just a disaffected clump of adolescent angst in a weird mask. Arguably, the solution here is just to fill in the blanks yourself but, when I do that, the most I get is someone who spent her formative years getting picked last for team sports and listening to a lot of Thirty Seconds To Mars. It’s possible I’ve just outgrown Children of the Sun’s overt edginess.

Bullet with Butterfly Wings

Outside of the teenage Tumblr tone of the main character, Children of the Sun has gone for a deliberately grainy and stylised PS2-era aesthetic. It does the job nicely, but sometimes it’s just a little too dark for its own good. I have, for instance, occasionally been forced to restart levels after striking objects I couldn’t actually see until I hit them. Enemies do glow, though. This is smart because it makes Children of the Sun less about seeking out your prey in the first place, and more about the process of putting together the perfect sequence of kill shots. This is the fun part. I would expect that needing to desperately scan for unfairly camouflaged cultists while also trying to nail a run would’ve easily ruined what Children of the Sun does right.

It certainly isn’t overwhelmed with controls or buttons; indeed, everything is performed via the left and right mouse buttons, plus the scroll wheel. It’s quite easy to pick up. The grungy, grim tone is unlikely to be to everyone’s tastes, but it’s very straightforward and approachable to otherwise play.

The Girl can strafe left or right at the beginning of each level – sometimes in a small space, sometimes circling the entire perimeter – but that’s the only navigation. 99% of Children of the Sun is spent controlling a bullet, not The Girl herself. I’ll concede her extremely limited movement does feel pretty pointless early on, but later into the roughly five-hour run time it becomes crucial to manoeuvre to the right firing angle to ensure you’ll be able to take everyone down before running out of bullet tricks.

Those tricks are thoughtfully rationed out as the levels progress, and include things like using the fuel caps of cars to cause an explosion to kill nearby enemies and give you a bonus chance to redirect your bullet, or the ability to gently steer it by several degrees to strike moving targets. Later still, you’ll learn the ability to rapidly accelerate bullets to smash through armour, and to use successful hits of enemy weak spots to bank an on-demand trajectory change in any direction. Adding these new techniques to the overall system keeps things from becoming stagnant, and the way in which Children of the Sun encourages us to experiment and combine all these tricks is where it excels most. Need some height? Shoot a bird to gain a better view of the level and a bonus trajectory change while you’re at it. Too close to an armoured goon? Rack up some weak spot strikes on some standard cultists, send your shot out into the distance, and then re-fire it in from afar with a little extra sauce on it.

Master of a Speeding Bullet

There’s a scoring system at work within Children of the Sun, and even leaderboards attached to each level to compare your best attempts with both your friends and the rest of the world. I expect this is nice if you’re a ruthlessly competitive type, but killing everyone in a level in a slightly different order (to see if there’s a marginally faster way to do it) isn’t really enough to have me leaping back in to replay all the levels. The layouts of some of the later maps proved complex enough to tempt me back for another few tries but, with the enemies always more or less in the same spots, it’s a bit like solving the same crossword puzzle over and over. It’s just not significantly satisfying after the first time around.

Children of the Sun commits the cardinal slow motion sin of showing a bullet in flight as the entire cartridge.

For clarity’s sake, one last thing I really ought to add is that when I say bullet, I really mean cartridge. Unfortunately, Children of the Sun commits the cardinal slow motion sin of showing a bullet in flight as the entire cartridge – with the case and primer still attached. Clearly, The Girl went to the Portal turret school of ballistics (where firing the whole bullet means 65% more bullet per bullet!) It’s a small goof in the scheme of things but it’s a pretty dorky error, and it’s a shame it’s made it all the way to the final product. I guess you could potentially mount an argument that The Girl’s telekinetic powers allow her to move an unfired cartridge through the air like a deadly dart, but it wouldn’t really stand up. If that were really the case, why does it come out of the rifle like that? Why would she need a rifle at all? She could just chuck killer cartridges through the air like Charlie Sheen in Hot Shots! Part Deux.

Children Of The Sun review: an intense and stylish puzzle of ultraviolence

In many ways Children Of The Sun is a highly relatable game. I do not have telekinetic powers that allow me to control the path of a bullet from a sniper rifle, and I was not part of a murderous cult that killed my father-figure. But if I did and I were, you can bet that I’d go on a rip-roaring rampage of revenge! Stepping into the be-grimed trainers and unwashed jacket of the protagonist – a misused girl whose vibe is that of a member of Gorillaz – you shoot a single bullet from your gun and control it in first-person as you zip it through the heads, hearts and hands of cultists placed around a level. It’s a satisfying Sniper Elite meets Superhot puzzle of ultraviolence, and it’s neat.

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Battlefield 2042 Season 7 Will be Its Last as Connected Battlefield Universe Enters Full Production

With the Connected Battlefield Universe’s development now in full swing, EA announced today that Battlefield 2042 Season 7 will officially be its last.

Writing in a blog, Battlefield general manager Byron Beede explained that it’s time for the franchise to “turn from the present to the future.” To that end, he says, EA will continue to support Battlefield 2042 with “in-game challenges, events, modes, and of course, ongoing maintenance,” but will be moving away from a seasonal structure when Season 7 wraps up in June.

“We know this news may be disappointing. However, as we looked at what the future of the series required, it became clear it was time for us to shift our resources and focus to be fully dedicated to what comes next,” Beede said.

In the meantime, EA plans to serve up more content as part of Season 7, which launched back in March. Planned updates include a revamped map based on the Stadium from Hourglass, another LMG, two more in-game events, and another vehicle.

Season 7 marks the end of Battlefield 2042’s comeback trail after its disappointing release back in 2021, which saw fans and critics pan its 128 player matches and its Specialist system among other criticisms. In the years since it has managed to rehabilitate its reputation somewhat, though it still sits at Mixed on Steam.

Vince Zampella, who is the Group GM of both Respawn and Battlefield, previously called the Battlefield Connected Universe an “and” strategy back in 2021, saying that EA would continue to “evolve and grow Battlefield 2042.” But a little more than two-and-a-half years after its original release, it looks like EA is ready to move on.

Motive joins the Connected Battlefield Universe

Looking ahead, EA says that the Connected Battlefield Universe is officially leaving pre-production and adding another studio. Following Ridgeline Games’ closure in the wake of the departure of founder Marcus Lehto, EA revealed that a team at EA Motive led by Roman Campos-Oriola and Phillipe Ducharme will be joining in the game’s development alongside Ripple Effect, DICE, and Criterion.

“[Ducharme and Campos-Oriola] will build a team at Motive to work alongside the Battlefield studios around the world creating what’s next for Battlefield – a universe across both multiplayer and single-player experiences,” Motive GM Patrick Klaus wrote in a separate blog post. “Their proven expertise in storytelling, immersive battles and developing on the Frostbite engine uniquely positions them to help advance the vision for Battlefield, led by Vince Zampella (EVP, Group GM of Respawn and Battlefield) and Byron Beede (SVP, GM Battlefield).”

Ducharme and Campos-Oriola previously led development on the Dead Space remake, which was acclaimed for its excellent visuals and its “carefully balanced innovation and renovation with preservation.” Their new mission will be to “support single-player and multiplayer objectives for Battlefield Universe,” EA says.

Motive’s move to Battlefield isn’t expected to impact development on its untitled Iron Man game, which continues apace. Klaus said that Iron Man made “excellent progress this year, hitting a major internal milestone and laying a robust foundation for the journey ahead.” He added that Iron Man remains an “important priority” for the studio.

Their proven expertise in storytelling, immersive battles and developing on the Frostbite engine uniquely positions them to help advance the vision for Battlefield

EA announced that it working on the Connected Battlefield Universe in 2021 and that it would be “interconnected with shared characters and narrative.” The project remains shrouded in mystery and is still some way off from release, but EA has repeatedly described the project as “ambitious,” which is reflected in the number of teams involved in its development.

EA recently underwent a series of layoffs impacting around 670 workers that included the cancellation of Respawn’s Star Wars FPS and the aforementioned closure of Ridgeline Games. It’s all part of a broader strategy of doubling down on owned franchises, CEO Andrew Wilson says, of which Battlefield is a significant part. Elsewhere, the games industry continues to be heavily impacted by layoffs, including Sony, Xbox, Riot, and other major publishers.

Neither Motive’s Untitled Iron Man game nor the Connected Battlefield Universe have a release date. You can find our list of the biggest games coming in 2024 right here.

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.

Genre-bending horror dating sim sequel Sucker For Love: Date To Die For unleashes a sexy goat mommy this month

Rebecca (RPS in peace) was our resident monsterfucenjoyer for a while, and she was well up for Sucker For Love: First Date, but was slightly disappointed that as a horror-themed dating sim it leaned away from the dating and well into the horror. Now the sequel, Sucker For Love: Date To Die For has revealed a release date of April 23rd, and seems to be leaning into horror even more, while also still being a dating sim featuring an eldritch goat god with massive cans. Yet the presser also says “no scares this time”. I am confused, which is why it’s probably good there’s a demo on Steam to sort of give you a taster.

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This Monster-Collecting Deckbuilder Decides Battles On The Roll Of A Dice

Roll out!

Publisher Good Shepherd Entertainment and developers LEAP Game Studios and Tiny Ghoul have today announced that the monster-collecting, deck-building roguelike Dicefolk will be rolling onto Switch later this year.

There’s a dash of Pokémon in Dicefolk’s creature catching, sure, but the combat system is far from anything that you would see Pikachu and co. pull off. As the name suggests, dice play a big part in this one, with your moves all being decided by what you roll. The added tactical layer comes from your ability to control both teams, so you’ll have to think ahead to get the best match-up possible.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Star Wars Outlaws Release Date Leaks Online Early — Courtesy of Ubisoft Itself

The Star Wars Outlaws release date has leaked online early — and the source of the leak is Ubisoft itself.

As reported by Gematsu, the description of the Ubisoft Japan YouTube video for the new Star Wars Outlaws trailer set to go live at 9am PT today, April 9, confirms the release date of August 30, 2024 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S.

The YouTube description, now offline along with the video itself, also confirmed a Gold and Ultimate Edition of the game, which comes with a Season Pass and three days of early access. Pre-order bonuses include the Kessel Runner Bonus Pack, which includes cosmetics for the Trailblazer spaceship and speeder.

Star Wars Outlaws is one of Ubisoft’s biggest releases of 2024, and is in development at The Division and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora developer Massive Entertainment. It’s billed as the first ever open world Star Wars game, and is set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. For more, check out everything we know about Star Wars Outlaws.

Today’s trailer is set to reveal more about Star Wars Outlaw’s story, which stars scoundrels Kay Vess and Nix. We learned more about Star Wars Outlaws when speaking with narrative director Navid Khavari, creative director Julian Gerighty, and Lucasfilm senior creative executive Matt Martin last year. During our chat, we found out more about Kay Vess as well as how the project fits into the wider Star Wars universe.

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.

Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds: Battlegrounds has added destructible terrain

The multiplayer FPS which fools would tell you is named PUBG: Battlegrounds has added destructible terrain in an update today, letting you dig your own hole or punch through to enemies. Some might tell you this is inspired by Fortnite or Minecraft, especially considering you can dig with a pickaxe, but in my heart it’s further confirmation that Plunkbat is a stag & hen weekend simulator. After all, you can have your stag do at Diggerland. Awright lads, where we digging?

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Two Days After Helldivers 2 Players ‘Eradicated’ the Automatons, the Bots Are Back With a Massive Invasion Fleet

Helldivers 2’s period of relative stability lasted just two days, with developer Arrowhead unleashing the full might of the Automatons upon Super Earth forces.

After some players had hoped for the addition of a third enemy faction to the explosive third-person PS5 and PC co-op shooter, Arrowhead has now released a new Major Order calling on the Helldivers 2 community to hold back the latest Automaton invasion fleet.

On April 7, Helldivers 2 players were told they had completed their mission to completely eradicate the Automaton threat. “You did it, Helldivers,” read an in-game statement. “Operation Swift Disassembly was a success! With the bots eradicated and bugs contained, the galaxy is free once more.”

But this proved to be short-lived, as today, April 9, following the release of patch 01.000.202, “Somehow, the Automatons returned.” “As suspected all along, the previous Bot force was merely a vanguard,” reads a fresh statement. “A massive fleet has now begun an assault of Cyberstan and the surrounding planets. Helldivers, hold back this unprovoked invasion. The fight continues!”

The in-game galaxy map now signals the arrival of this invasion fleet and makes a number of new planets available to play. The Helldivers 2 community now has just three days to succeed in the defence of at least five planets. What happens if the community fails is unknown.

This is the latest twist in Helldivers 2’s ongoing meta narrative, a fascinating push and pull to liberate planets from alien control, all driven by Arrowhead’s Game Master, Joel. But this move was perhaps expected by most players. No-one truly believed Arrowhead would simply pull the Automatons as one of Helldivers 2’s two enemy factions, never to return. The question was how soon the bots would make their comeback, and the answer was: very soon!

If you’re looking for more on Helldivers 2, check out IGN’s feature on the Let Me Solo Her of Helldivers 2, a player who has answered over 100 SOS Beacons as part of a mission to help others.

Helldivers 2 has become one of the surprise hits of 2024 since launching in February, topping the charts on Steam and reportedly selling around three million copies. According to at least one analyst, it’s still growing. Check out IGN’s Helldivers 2 review to find out why it’s going down so well.

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.