Category: Video Games

Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios has called on the game’s community to cease what it called “threats and toxicity” over mod support, insisting conversations around new features “take time”.

Ever since Baldur’s Gate 3 came out in August 2023, players who use mods have been frustrated with having to uninstall, reinstall, update, and re-juggle their mods every time a new patch is released. So last week’s announcement that official mod support is on its way was seen as a positive. However, it seems a vocal minority within the community has taken things too far.

In a series of tweets, Larian director of publishing Michael Douse said, in order for the developer to continue its healthy relationship with its community, the threats need to stop.

“We’ll be talking in depth about what our mod support will look like soon,” Douse said. “Been working on it since launch. As always, we’ll discuss it in our way with our community. Threats and toxicity against our devs and community teams will only harm the conversation. Please stop that.

“This is a game that went from around two million players to way over 10 in a very short space of time, so it’s natural the conversation becomes muddier and complex. But in order to maintain the same level of dialogue, we need people to understand that these conversations take time.

“We can’t do it at all without the dedicated community teams that work to untangle a giant web of noise into something we can work with for the benefit of everyone. If you truly want to know things about the game, please don’t chip away at the people who connect us all.

“99.9% of our community are the absolute best and it’s because of them, thankfully, that my community team persevere. But I suppose it was inevitable that when you have a city, a few bad eggs will start a fire.

“Until then, BG3 does not yet have mod support. Don’t get angry at mod authors, support teams, community, or developers. Our focus is to patch the game while working on future mod support. I understand why it’s frustrating, so what we all need to do is focus on that future.

“Next week I’ll have a discussion about community moderation with our comms teams and restate our desire for continued closeness with our communities and updates based on when and what we can say. But we are working too hard for this to proliferate.

“To finish, again, we can only be close if we can work close. If we cannot do that, and we have to draw distance, it’ll really suck for everyone, especially us and definitely you. Please help us to work for the greater good of the millions of people who are involved and chill.”

Toxicity is unfortunately of serious concern to the development community. In January, the developer of Palworld said it had received death threats amid the game’s Pokémon rip-off claims. Last year, a new survey from the Game Developers Conference revealed a majority of game developers see harassment from players as a major problem for the industry. Of the 2,300 developers surveyed, 91% said player harassment and toxicity towards developers was an issue. 42% said it was a “very serious” issue.

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.

The Nier community is currently aflutter after what some are taking to be a tease for Nier 3.

The apparent tease comes from the recent Nier: Orchestra Concert in London, where the word R3PENT was apparently displayed at the end of the show.

“Anecdote from the Nier London concert but Yoko Taro took the stage at the end, told the audience that the Square Enix president was in the crowd and that if we wanted an Automata sequel to give the loudest applause of the night,” said ResetEra user SanTheSly.

“The room immediately erupted into claps, cheers and yells. How much of what Taro said is true is up for debate but the case was made abundantly clear in person to Taro himself, at the very least. Mild concert content spoilers follow.

“Also at one point during the story of the show; the word REPENT was shown repeatedly as part of some dialogue. The final instance was spelled as R3PENT. Both me and the person I’d gone with picked up on it and wondered if this was a tease.”

That ResetEra post was picked up on elsewhere, and now Nier fans are wondering if it’s all leading towards the reveal of the much-wanted third game in the series. But as many fans have pointed out, R3PENT may be nothing more than a part of the concert. After all, Yoko Taro is known for having fun with Nier fans.

Earlier this month it emerged that publisher Tencent had cancelled an unannounced Nier mobile game that was in development for nearly two years. This followed the announcement that mobile game Nier Reincarnation would shut down in April. Nier franchise owner Square Enix has yet to comment.

Nier: Automata is seven years old with no new mainline game announced so far. Square Enix producer Yosuke Saito said in November 2023 that while Nier chief Yoko Taro is alive, another entry in the Nier series will be released at some point.

Action role-playing game Nier: Automata launched in 2017 and wowed critics and fans with its vast locations and zany combat. It was a surprise breakout hit for Square Enix and went on to sell an impressive eight million copies. There have been many crossover events since, plus Nier-related promotions, a remaster of the first game, and even a Nier anime.

Nier 3, then, would make a lot of sense. It seems a matter of when, not if.

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.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been getting some tremendous reviews, even getting a 9/10 from us at IGN, and plenty of critical acclaim elsewhere as well. The game is finally out on February 29, so there’s only a limited window remaining in which to secure the best deal on your preorder for the game, and so you can play at launch with everyone else. Thankfully, we’ve managed to find a brand new deal on the highly anticipated PS5 game.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preorders are currently down to just £51.96 in the UK right now (see here), all you need to do is use code LEAP20 at checkout to secure the offer. This is a tremendous deal, and guaranteed to arrive on launch day February 29. But, as it’s also over £18 off the RRP, we imagine this will sell fast so we’d recommend securing your order ASAP to avoid disappointment.

There’s plenty more on offer in the LEAP20 sale at eBay as well, with hundreds of trusted sellers discounting tech, video games, homeware, and more; until February 29 at 11:59 PM when the code will expire.

In our review of the game, we said: “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth impressively builds off of what Remake set in motion, both as a best-in-class action-RPG full of exciting challenges and an awe-inspiring recreation of a world that has meant so much to so many for so long.”

It was also recently announced at the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth State of Play that a demo is now available to download via the PlayStation Store. It will let fans play as Cloud and Sephiroth in a sequence from the early part of the game among other content. This is a great opportunity to try the game out before you commit to purchasing via the deal we mentioned above.

There’s also a new relationship system, called Bonds of Friendship, that has been added to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. As explained in the system’s tutorial, “the strength of these bonds can alter portions of the story.” One of those story moments is the Gold Saucer date, and you’ll be able to see how your potential partner feels about you via a variety of emoji-like faces.

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

It’s officially Sunday, which means the weekend is once again coming to a close. We’ve rounded up the best deals available this weekend across games, technology, and more! New titles are seeing discounts, and plenty of hardware is on sale, too. The best deals for Sunday, February 25, include Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Persona 3 Reload, PlayStation 5 Slim, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, and more.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth for $39.99

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the latest title in the long-running RPG series. Kiryu Kazama returns following the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, uniting with Ichiban Kasuga in a wild adventure you won’t forget anytime soon. This $30 discount just a month after launch is a great deal you shouldn’t pass up on, though newcomers should aim to play the previous titles in the series before jumping in.

Xbox Series S Starter Bundle for $219.99

If you’ve yet to pick up a console this generation, look no further than this Xbox Series S Starter Bundle. This package includes an Xbox Series S console with 512GB of storage, one Xbox Wireless Controller, and 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. At $219.99, you can save $80 off this already great deal.

19% Off Persona 3 Reload

Persona 3 Reload is already one of the biggest 2024 releases so far. The remake brings in new gameplay features, new voice actors, and an impressive slew of technology, including ray tracing. It’s already on sale right now at Amazon for $56.99, which saves you $13 off the game. If you’ve never experienced the story of Persona 3, this is the definitive way to do so.

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection for $39.99

This Mega Man collection is a great pickup if you like RPGs, shooters, and platforming! All ten Battle Network games are included, making this a complete collection. Also included are a music player, hundreds of concept art pieces, and optional high resolution filters. The Switch version of this collection is regularly going in and out of stock, which can make this deal hard to pass up if you’re a collector.

PlayStation 5 Slim Bundle for $449.99

Sam’s Club is running a great deal on the Spider-Man 2 PlayStation 5 Slim bundle. For $449.99, you will get the PlayStation 5 Slim with the disc drive and a digital copy of Spider-Man 2. That’s over $120 of savings altogether. If you or someone you know has yet to purchase a PlayStation 5, this is a great deal to take advantage of.

Anker 2-in-1 Portable Battery with Wall Charger for $59.99

This 2-in-1 charger has everything you could ever need. Its first function is as a wall charger, where you can charge up to three devices at once with two USB-C ports and one USB-A port. Travel is where this device gets very convenient, as it also functions as a portable charger. With a 10,000 mAh capacity, you can charge your phone, laptop, or accessories multiple times with no issues.

Save 50% Off Star Ocean: The Second Story R

Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a gorgeous remake of the second Star Ocean title. Made in HD 2.5D, the pixelated sprites traverse across a gorgeous 3D environment. The physical edition of this game has been quite hard to find, with most retailers sold out of it. If you’re interested in the Star Ocean series, pick this one up at a discount while you still can.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 for $34.99

Great news for stealth action fans: Woot has Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 for $34.99, which is the lowest price we’ve seen yet. This is a great package with the first three Metal Gear Solid games, in addition to Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. If you’ve yet to play through the Metal Gear series, the Master Collection is how to do so on modern platforms.

Return to Monkey Island for $13.99

Return to Monkey Island marks the return of series creator Ron Gilbert in an all-new adventure that continues the beloved story. You can grab the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X right now at GameStop for $13.99. We gave the game a 9/10 in our review, stating, “Return to Monkey Island expectedly comes packed full of smartly crafted puzzles, funny dialogue, and memorable characters.”

Fire Emblem Engage for $39.99

Fire Emblem Engage is the latest entry in the long-running series. Acting as a celebration of previous titles, dozens of familiar faces returned and lent their strength in Engage. Each Fire Emblem title is standalone and can be played regardless of prior knowledge of the series, so jump in with Engage and experience the fantastic gameplay and memorable characters.

48% Off PowerWash Simulator

PowerWash Simulator took over the internet for a few months in 2023, with all sorts of fun to be had cleaning surfaces. Free crossovers have been released for Final Fantasy VII, SpongeBob, Back to the Future, and even more series. If you’re searching for a game that you can play to relax, PowerWash Simulator might be a good option for you.

Lego 2K Drive for $24.99

Amazon has a sweet discount on Lego 2K Drive this weekend! If you’re a racing game fan and haven’t checked out this game yet, now is a great time to see what it’s about. This release went a little under the radar at launch, but it’s a fun time overall. We gave the game a 8/10 in our review, stating, “LEGO 2K Drive is a wild and whimsical all-ages kart racer with an incredible custom vehicle creation tool that’s just about worth the price of admission alone.”