Author: Ryan Leston

NME

A new game mode is coming to League of Legends, as part of an upcoming Soul Fighter event.

• READ MORE: The 8 best PC games to play right now

Riot Games has confirmed that Arena mode will be heading to League of Legends with the six-week Soul Fighter event, which launches on July 20.

“Arena is a new game mode in League of Legends in which four teams of two players each fight one another in rotating combat rounds,” the studio revealed in an official statement.

It’s essentially a last team standing mode, with the ability to power up your characters after each round using unique Augments.

Battles will take place in one of four themed battlefields that offer a variety of sizes and terrains. Meanwhile, champions from the new Soul Fighter alternate universe will make cameo appearances in matches — though whether they help or hinder you remains to be seen.

Soul Fighter takes place in a new alternate universe where competitors fight to prove themselves through combat on the world’s biggest stage, the Tournament of Souls.

What’s more, the event will persist throughout League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra, TeamfightTactics, and League of Legends: Wild Rift.

“We’re really excited for the range of different experiences across the League of Legends ecosystem that make up the Soul Fighter event,” said the head of League Studio, Andrei van Roon. “Arena, Soul Brawl, and Tag Duel will let players experience League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics and Wild Rift, respectively, in new ways that we think bring something really fresh to the table. We can’t wait to see what players think once they get their hands on them.”

As for Riot’s other games, Teamfight Tactics is getting the new Soul Brawl mode — a temporary game mode that comes in two stages. Training stage sees players competing for Soul Power to provide new loot options, while the tournament phase is a best-of-three bracket tournament.

Meanwhile, Wild Rift gets Tag Duel — a new mode that pits players against each other in one-on-one combat. Additionally, all games in the League of Legends universe will be getting new skins and cosmetics in-keeping with the Soul Fighter aesthetic.

In other news, Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 have recovered from an extended DDoS attack over the weekend.

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A host of Blizzard games — including Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 — were hit with a series of DDoS attacks over the weekend, the studio has confirmed.

• READ MORE: Here’s why Necromancer is the best class for Diablo 4 solo players

During peak times on Sunday (June 25), Blizzard servers were hit by a DDoS attack which meant players kept being disconnected from the studio’s games and often couldn’t log in at all.

“We are investigating the login issues affecting Diablo 4 and working to resolve these as soon as possible,” read a message from Battle.net customer service. “Players may experience queues while we work on the issue.”

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[#D4] We are investigating the login issues affecting Diablo IV and working to resolve these as soon as possible. Players may experience queues while we work on the issue.

— Blizzard CS – The Americas (@BlizzardCS) June 25, 2023

The issues began early on Sunday, however later that day, Activision Blizzard confirmed that it was still working on the problem.

“We are currently experiencing a DDoS attack, which may result in high latency and disconnections for some players,” it confirmed on Twitter. “We are actively working to mitigate this issue.

A DDoS attack is a form of cyber-attack, and is short for Distributed Denial of Service. Essentially, the servers are flooded with a massive number of connections, making it difficult for them to cope with regular users and denying real players the ability to log in.

Besides Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2, users reported issues logging into other Blizzard games such as Diablo 2: Resurrected and World of Warcraft.

“I’m seeing an issue in Diablo 2: Resurrected, as well… Can’t connect to Online mode,” said another tweet. “Also can’t log in to WoW, so I think Blizz is having some kind of system-wide problem.”

While the DDoS attacks persisted through the day, Blizzard has since declared that the attacks have “ended” and suggested that users still experiencing problems should look to its connection troubleshooting page instead.

In other news, Battlefield-style shooter BattleBit: Remastered has taken Steam by storm.

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Low-poly first-person shooter (FPS) BattleBit Remastered has surged in popularity since its launch last week.

• READ MORE: Here’s why Subnautica is the best survival game ever made

The impressive low-poly shooter, which takes inspiration from the Battlefield series yet runs with the graphical fidelity of Minecraft, has already gained a huge following, becoming one of the best selling games on Steam in its first week.

The game is currently in early access and has been created by a core team of just 3 developers.

“BattleBit Remastered is a low-poly, massive multiplayer FPS, supporting 254 players per server,” reads the game’s description. “Battle on a near-fully destructible map with various vehicles!”

Battles feature a wide range of vehicles including tanks, helicopters, and boats. Players can also choose from over 45 weapons, which can each be augmented to suit your playstyle.

Most impressively, BattleBit Remastered surged to the top of Steam’s global top-sellers list earlier this week, ahead of much bigger games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

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Thanks for making us the #1 Selling Game Globally on Steam, this is unbelievable. #BattleBitRises pic.twitter.com/aZYchWShPh

— BATTLEBIT AVAILABLE NOW! (@BattleBitGame) June 15, 2023

The game features destructible environments and has reportedly been “exhaustively optimised,” and can support up to 254 players per server. Unlike many shooters, Battlebit Remastered also features a proximity-based voice comms system that enables players to chat with their enemies and allies alike.

Its most impressive game modes offer 127 v 127 battles, and the team is already talking about the future of the game.

Just yesterday, BattleBit Remastered reached a record amount of concurrent players with 62,435 online at the same time. It was also the ninth most-played game on Steam yesterday – an impressive feat for a new indie release.

BattleBit Remastered is available to download from Steam right now.

In other gaming news, Nintendo has announced Metal Gear Master Collection Vol. 1, which will bring a number of classic Metal Gear games to Nintendo Switch.

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Sony has confirmed that it won’t share any PS6 details with Activision Blizzard if Microsoft successfully purchases the company.

• READ MORE: The Best Xbox Series X|S games to play right now

Speaking to the US Federal Trade Commission (via Eurogamer) PlayStation boss Jim Ryan confirmed that it would not take the risk of sharing console details with its competitor.

“[Sony] simply could not run the risk of a company that was owned by a direct competitor having access to that information,” he explained.

His comments were received by the FTC in April after he was quizzed about statements submitted by Sony that explain the company’s position on Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

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In an FTC v MS/ABK deposition, PlayStation chief Jim Ryan said that, if deal closes, Sony couldn't tell Activision about its next console

Is then asked about Sony working with Mojang (Minecraft) after MS bought them. Discussion is redacted but Ryan says it supports this concern pic.twitter.com/M86CBm3CcY

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) June 21, 2023

Sony complained that its game development would be interrupted since it “could no longer share confidential details about its next console in development”.

The impact of this is obvious – if PlayStation no longer feels confident sharing PS6 details, this would severely hamper, if not completely obliterate, Activision Blizzard’s efforts to develop games for the console.

Follow-up statements from Ryan addressing the impact on Sony were heavily redacted from court documents.

However, he was also concerned that Activision Blizzard would not have an incentive to develop PlayStation-only features into its games, such as the use of the DualSense’s haptic feedback if it was owned by Microsoft.

“I believe that [Microsoft]’s incentives – their primary incentive will, at post-acquisition, would be to optimise its overall Xbox business, not the business of Activision,” he said.

He also said that details of upcoming PlayStation consoles are “immensely sensitive.”

Axios reporter Stephen Totilo explained on Twitter that this is often an issue already when Microsoft deals with PlayStation-owned studios such as Bungie.

“The shoe is sometimes on the other foot,” he explained. “Left unexplained in these exchanges is what Sony expects Microsoft to share with Bungie (Destiny) or Sony San Diego (MLB) when those studios make games for MS platforms, present or future.”

In other news, Nintendo announced the Metal Gear Master Collection Vol. 1 which brings classic Metal Gear games to Nintendo Switch.

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Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Xbox Game Pass are getting a bit of a price increase.

• READ MORE: The Best Xbox Series X|S games to play right now

Starting in August, the flagship Xbox Series X is getting more expensive, and will cost UK shoppers £479.99. According to The Verge, the console will stay at its current price in the US, Japan, Chile, Brazil and Colombia.

Here’s how the Series X will be priced:

• £479.99 in the UK
• €549.99 in most European markets
• CAD $649.99 in Canada
• AUD 799.99 in Australia

It’s said that the new prices will align more closely with PlayStation’s PS5 pricing which was increased in August 2022. However, the lower cost digital-only Xbox Series S will remain unaffected.

As well as the Xbox Series X price increase, Xbox Game Pass will be getting more expensive, too.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will rise from £10.99 to £12.99 per month. In the EU that’s an increase from €12.99 to €12.99 while in the US, that’s $14.99 to $16.99.

Game Pass for Console will increase from £7.99 to £8.99 in the UK. Across the EU, it increases from €9.99 to €10.99 per month, while in the US it goes from $8.99 to $10.99 a month.

Xbox Game Pass for PC will remain unaffected.

These price increases will affect new Game Pass customers from June 6, and will eventually reach existing customers on August 13 (or September 13 for those in Germany).

“We’ve held on our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted the prices to reflect the competitive conditions in each market,” said Xbox head of communications, Kari Perez.

It’s true that Microsoft has held firm on Game Pass prices since it launched in 2017, and this will be the first increase to affect the service.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer previously explained that Microsoft couldn’t avoid price increases forever.

“We’ve held price on our console, we’ve held price on games and our subscription. I don’t think we’ll be able to do that forever,” he said. “I do think at some point we’ll have to raise some prices on certain things, but going into this holiday we thought it was really important that we maintain the prices that we have.”

In other gaming news, sales of the indie survival game Iron Lung have surged since the recent news of the missing Titanic submarine.

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Survival horror Iron Lung has seen a spike in sales due to the missing Titanic submarine.

• READ MORE: Here’s why Subnautica is the best survival game ever made

While rescue attempts continue for the missing Titanic submersible, gamers have been seeking out the indie horror game Iron Lung – a survival horror game set aboard a small submarine with limited capabilities, that’s currently stranded beneath an ocean of blood on an alien moon.

However, the game’s developer David Szymanski said on Twitter that “this feels so wrong”.

He added: “I feel kinda uncomfortable about it tbh.”

“I definitely see the dark humor in this whole Titanic sub thing,” he explained. “It’s just… like, I made Iron Lung the most nightmarish thing I could think of, and knowing real people are in that situation right now is pretty horrific, even if it was their own bad decisions.”

The real-life missing submarine is occupied by billionaire Hamish Harding, as well as four others including Strathclyde University student Suleman Dawood and his father, Shahzada Dawood.

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Barotrauma players already made two recreations of the sub in the workshop… pic.twitter.com/XG0ulRBerT

— Ocean (@Prebuiltocean) June 21, 2023

The similarities between the game and the real-life calamity are bleak – the submarine was bolted shut from the outside, just like in the game, and its low-tech controller is reminiscent of Iron Lung’s low-tech submersible interior.

The submersible had embarked upon a voyage to explore the wreckage of the Titanic when it went missing.

“Like all the jokes I’ve been seeing are hilarious but also good lord nobody should have to die like that,” said Szymanski.

Elsewhere, players of the submarine survival game Barotrauma have been trying to recreate the interior of the missing Titanic submersible.

In other gaming news, Nintendo has announced Detective Pikachu Returns – a sequel to the popular 3DS game, Detective Pikachu. There’s also a new 2D Mario game called Super Mario Bros. Wonder on its way.

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A new Metal Gear collection is coming to Nintendo Switch — Metal Gear Master Collection Vol. 1.

• READ MORE: How ‘Metal Gear Solid’ raised the bar for video game storytelling

Including series classics such as Metal Gear 1 and 2, as well as Metal Gear Solid and more, the new collection is heading to Nintendo Switch as well as PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Metal Gear Master Collection Vol. 1 will debut on October 24 and can be pre-ordered today at the Nintendo eShop.

The game’s Switch version was announced at today’s Nintendo Direct, with a teaser trailer giving us a glimpse of the classic Metal Gear titles all together on the Switch for the first time.

“The renowned series of stealth action games is infiltrating the Nintendo Switch,” said the official announcement. “Enjoy the games that started the series – Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake as well as the NES versions of Metal Gear and Snake Eater.”

The collection also includes Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 3. Here’s everything that’s included:

Games

• Metal Gear
• Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
• Metal Gear Solid (Including VR Missions/Special Missions)
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (HD Collection version)
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (HD Collection version)
• Metal Gear (NES/FC version)
• Snake’s Revenge
• Regional versions of the titles are available as additional downloads.

Videos

• Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel Video
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Digital Graphic Novel Video

Books

• Metal Gear Solid: Screenplay Book
• Metal Gear Solid: Master Book
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Screenplay Book
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Master Book
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Screenplay Book
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Master Book
• Metal Gear & Metal Gear 2: Screenplay Book
• Metal Gear & Metal Gear 2: Master Book
• The digital books can be accessed from the game’s main menu screen.

Soundtrack

• Metal Gear Solid: Digital Soundtrack

Meanwhile, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater will remain available from Konami as separate titles on the Nintendo eShop.

In other news, Nintendo also announced Detective Pikachu Returns – a sequel to the popular 3DS game, Detective Pikachu. There’s also a new 2D Mario game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, on its way.

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Super Mario Bros. Wonder has been revealed as the next 2D Super Mario game, and is set to launch later this year.

• READ MORE: The best Nintendo Switch games you can play right now

The new 2D side-scrolling Mario game was revealed by Nintendo at today’s Nintendo Direct, giving us a closer look at some of its all-new powerups and platforming action. The game’s first trailer also seemingly showcases the game’s four-player co-op.

The game’s new gimmick is the Wonder Flower – a familiar-looking flower powerup that doesn’t just give Mario the ability to shoot fireballs. Instead, the Wonder Flower unlocks a Wonder Ability which can change the stage in unpredictable ways. One use of the Wonder Flower made Mario extremely tall, for instance, while another stage sees the legendary plumber’s green pipes come to life.

“Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the next evolution of 2D side-scrolling Super Mario Bros. games is headed to Nintendo Switch,” reads the game’s official description. “When you touch a Wonder Flower in the game, the wonders of the world unlock – pipes could come alive, hordes of enemies may appear, characters might change their looks, for example – transforming the gameplay in unpredictable ways. Excitement and different surprises await in each course.”

There’s also a new fruit that transforms Mario into an elephant, though he retains his iconic moustache.

As well as new power-ups, Super Mario Bros. Wonder will also feature Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, and Yoshi as playable characters alongside Mario mainstays such as Mario, Luigi, and Toad.

Super Mario. Bros Wonder heads to Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2023.

In other news, Nintendo also announced Detective Pikachu Returns – a sequel to the popular 3DS game, Detective Pikachu. There’s also a remake of Super Mario Bros RPG on its way, as well as a new untitled Princess Peach game.

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A new Detective Pikachu game is on its way later this year, titled Detective Pikachu Returns.

• READ MORE: Best Nintendo Switch games: What are the best Switch games in 2023?
  

The long-awaited sequel will debut on Nintendo Switch on October 6, 2023, and sees Tim Goodman return as the human sidekick to the world’s greatest detective, Detective Pikachu.

This new adventure will follow in the footsteps of the original Detective Pikachu and sees the dynamic duo work together with pokémon to solve the city’s mysteries, whatever they might be.

“Something tells me this is just the beginning,” says the hard-boiled voice of Detective Pikachu in the game’s first footage – revealed during today’s Nintendo Direct.

“The name’s Pikachu,” he added. “And I’m what you might call a great detective.”

The new trailer offered our first glimpse at the game and shows a whole gaggle of fan-favourite Pokémon, including a Mimikyu, a Slowpoke in a trilby, and even the legendary psychic pokémon, MewTwo.

The original Detective Pikachu launched for 3DS worldwide on March 23, 2018 and saw the talking Pikachu team up with a human boy to tackle various mysteries. A spin-off from the main Pokémon series, Detective Pikachu focusses on narrative storytelling as the talking pikachu and his human pal find clues, uncover mysteries, and save the day.

Although a Detective Pikachu sequel was announced several years ago, and has presumably been in the works for some time, little had been heard about the project until today’s Nintendo Direct.

Detective Pikachu was also adapted into a popular movie starring Ryan Reynolds as the voice of the talking Pikachu. He was joined by Justice Smith as Tim Goodman.

In other news, Nintendo also announced a new 2D Mario game called Super Mario Bros. Wonder as well as a remake of Super Mario RPG and a new, untitled Princess Peach game.

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An internal shakeup at Electronic Arts will split EA Sports from EA Games.

• READ MORE: FIFA vs EA is a worrying journey into the unknown

The move is part of a restructuring at the company which will see EA Games rebranded as EA Entertainment – a hint that the company may also be branching out from its video game roots.

“We’re building the future of interactive entertainment on a foundation of legendary franchises and innovative new experiences, which represents massive opportunities for growth,” said CEO Andrew Wilson.

He added that the restructuring is intended to “empower our creative teams”.

EA’s former Chief Operating Officer Laura Miele will take over as EA President of Entertainment, Technology, and Central Development at EA Entertainment. The plan is for her to work closely with Respawn Entertainment boss Vince Zampella as well as other key executives.

Cam Weber will continue to head up EA Sports after being heavily involved with EA’s NFL series.

The split is said to give both Weber and Miele more oversight over their respective labels, with increased control over budgets and decision-making.

“Over the coming months, Stuart, Laura, Cam, and David will partner closely with studio leaders to implement these organizational changes, further embedding dedicated capabilities into franchise teams and driving operational rigor,” said Wilson. “EA’s business remains strong.”

Wilson will continue to oversee both EA Sports and EA Entertainment as EA’s CEO.

EA’s restructure is said to coincide with the departure of EA Chief Financial Officer Chris Su who is being replaced by Stuart Canfield. Chief Experiences Officer Chris Bruzzo is also retiring and will be replaced by David Tinson.

Clearly, EA is going through a major restructuring as it was announced that Bioware’s big Star Wars MMO The Old Republic will be going third party (via IGN), with many of its developers moving to different parts of the company.

However, it’s currently unclear whether EA’s restructuring will result in layoffs at the company.

EA Sports will look after the F1 series as well as PGA Tour, EA Sports FC, NHL, College Football reboot, and the new Super Mega Baseball.

Meanwhile, EA Entertainment will comprise of Respawn, DICE, Ripple Effect, Ridgeline Games, Full Circle, Motive Studios, EA’s Seattle studio, BioWare, and the EA Originals label. It will also continue to manage its mobile games.

In other news, Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser has unveiled his new studio, Absurd Ventures.

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