• Guardians of the Galaxy and Deus Ex Writer Joins BioWare

    Guardians of the Galaxy and Deus Ex prequel writer Mary DeMarle has joined Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare.

    As reported by VGC, DeMarle had previously spent more than 14 years at Eidos-Montréal, where she was the narrative director and lead writer on Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deus Ex: Mankind Dividided. Most recently she created the story of 2021's Guardians of the Galaxy, which won Best Narrative at the Game Awards last year.

    DeMarle announced the switch to BioWare on her LinkedIn page, revealing her new position as senior narrative director. It's unclear what games DeMarle will be working on, but we know that BioWare is currently developing Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and a new Mass Effect game (the latter of which would match DeMarle's sci-fi writing roots).

    Dragon Age: Dreadwolf was officially unveiled last month but we've known about its development since 2018. The new Mass Effect, on the other hand, was only being "actively prototyped" as of February this year, meaning it's in a much earlier stage of development.

    It was first announced in December 2020 but Bioware has been fairly tight-lipped otherwise, outside of revealing a new teaser image that includes a handful of secrets for fans to decipher. The developer was also forced to address (and deny) an apparent leak that suggested original protagonist Commander Shepard was returning in the new game.

    Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

    Posted in Games, video game | Tagged , | Comments Off on Guardians of the Galaxy and Deus Ex Writer Joins BioWare

    Prime Day Is Tomorrow: Here’s The Best Early Deals in the UK

    Amazon Prime Day 2022 is right around the corner, so there's never been a better chance to sign up for a Prime account (for free with a 30-day trial) and be ready for the new deals during the huge shopping event.

    To celebrate one of the biggest deal events of the year returning, I've got the absolute best early deals to check out right now in the UK. This includes all the free stuff for Prime members, such as 4-months free of Amazon Music Unlimited, 3-months free of Kindle Unlimited, and 3-months free of Audible.

    But there's more, you can also get discounts on the PS5 Midnight Black Wireless Headset, now down to £79.95 at Amazon, alongside new deals on gaming monitors, keyboards, robot vacuums, and a whole lot more.

    Amazon Device Deals for Prime Day 2022 UK

    Black PS5 Pulse 3D Headset for £79.95 (was £89.99)

    Prime Members: 3-Months of Audible for Free and More

    Dying Light 2 Stay Human Down to £29.99 on PS5

    Random New Deals Before Amazon Prime Day 2022

    Currys Epic Deal Event is Live (With Free Delivery on Everything)

    Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Dual Pack Steelbook Edition for £89.99 (Save £10)

    Incredible Preorder Deal for The Callisto Protocol on PS5

    Elden Ring's Official Strategy Guide Preorders Now £35.19 (was £39.99)

    When Will God of War: Ragnarok Preorders Go Live?

    God of War: Ragnarok has a confirmed preorder time for next week, July 15. On Friday morning at 10 AM BST, multiple UK retailers will begin to take preorders for the highly anticipated PlayStation exclusive. If you want instant updates when preorders are available, follow @IGNUKDeals on Twitter and stick notifications on ASAP.

    I'm also anticipating that the Collector's Edition and Jotnar Edition will be GAME or PS Direct exclusives, but this hasn't been confirmed just yet. Stay tuned for more updates.

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

    Posted in Games, video game | Tagged , | Comments Off on Prime Day Is Tomorrow: Here’s The Best Early Deals in the UK

    Ubisoft to Shut Down Multiplayer and Online Services for 15 Games in September 2022

    Ubisoft is set to shut down multiplayer and online services for 15 games on September 1, 2022, including five Assassin's Creed games, Far Cry 3, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, and more.

    For games like Assassin's Creed 3 (2012 Release) and Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, the installation of access to DLC will also be unavailable on that date.

    "Closing the online services for some older games allows us to focus our resources on delivering great experiences for players who are playing newer or more popular titles," Ubisoft wrote on its support page.

    The full list of games and what services will be stopped is as follows

    • Anno 2070
      • PC: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features.
    • Assassin's Creed II
      • PC, PlayStation 3: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features.
    • Assassin's Creed 3 (2012 Release)
      • PC: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features. Additionally, the installation and access to downloadable content (DLC) will be unavailable.
      • PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features.
    • Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
      • PC: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features. Additionally, the installation and access to DLC will be unavailable.
      • PlayStation 3, Xbox 360: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features.
    • Assassin's Creed Liberation HD
      • PC: You will be unable to link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features. Additionally, the installation and access to DLC will be unavailable.
    • Driver San Francisco
      • PC: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features. Additionally, the installation and access to DLC will be unavailable.
      • PlayStation 3, Xbox 360: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features.
    • Far Cry 3 (2012 Release)
      • PC: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features. Additionally, the installation and access to DLC will be unavailable.
      • PlayStation 3, Xbox 360: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features.
    • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
      • PlayStation 3, Xbox 360: The multiplayer for the game will be unavailable. To play the solo campaign, you will have to set your console into offline mode.
    • Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
      • PC: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features. Additionally, the installation and access to DLC will be unavailable.
    • Rayman Legends
      • PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360: You will be unable to link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features.
    • Silent Hunter 5
      • PC: You will be unable to link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features.Additionally, the installation and access to DLC will be unavailable.
    • Space Junkies
      • PC (HTC VIVE, Oculus): As a multiplayer only title, you will be unable to play the game going forward.
    • Splinter Cell: Blacklist
      • PC: You will be unable to play multiplayer, link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features.
      • PlayStation 3, Xbox 360: You will be unable to link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features.
    • ZombiU
      • Wii U: You will be unable to link Ubisoft accounts in-game or use online features.

    It's important to note that the remastered versions of Far Cry 3 and Assassin's Creed 3 will not be shut down.

    Ubisoft made a similar move in 2021, shutting down multiplayer functionality and online services for such games as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Rainbow Six Lockdown, Far Cry 2, and Splinter Cell Conviction.

    Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

    Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

    Posted in Games, video game | Tagged , | Comments Off on Ubisoft to Shut Down Multiplayer and Online Services for 15 Games in September 2022

    Summer Games Done Quick 2022 Raises $3.01 Million for Doctors Without Borders

    Summer Games Done Quick, the week-long 24-hour video game speedrunning marathon that raises money for charity, has just raised over $3.01 million for Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières.

    2022's Summer Games Done Quick was the first in-person Games Done Quick event since Awesome Games Done Quick 2020 in Orlando, FL, and this year's event was held from June 26 – July 3 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington – Minneapolis South.

    Games Done Quick has now raised over $40 million for charities around the world since they began their philanthropic mission in 2010, including Doctors Without Borders, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Malala Fund, Organization for Autism Research, and CARE.

    There were 134 runs during Summer Games Done Quick 2022 from such games as Elden Ring, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid Dread, Final Fantasy VI, Mass Effect, and so many more. You can watch all of them on Games Done Quick's YouTube page.

    The grand total raised was $3,021,720.49 from 23,947 donors. There were 42,114 donations, with the biggest donation amounting to $238,310 and the average donation being $71.75.

    With Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 raising over $3.4 million earlier this year, Games Done Quick events have already brought in over $6 million for Doctors Without Borders and Prevent Cancer Foundation this year.

    The next event fans have to look forward to is the all-women speedrunning showcase known as Flame Fatales from August 21-27.

    Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

    Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

    Posted in Games, video game | Tagged , | Comments Off on Summer Games Done Quick 2022 Raises $3.01 Million for Doctors Without Borders

    Aussie Deals: Score Pokémon Scarlet & Violet for $128, Extra Steam Summer Sale Goodies and More!

    Given local rainfall has been 3 month's worth in two days—and my youngest is thinking about using the PS5 as a skimboard to cross our living room—I'll be brief. On this, the rainiest of days during school holidays, you're going to want a bunch of games to keep yourself sane. I've collected a few worth owning below. Best secure/order them before the next trick happens: power outage. Or locusts. I forget the order.

    Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch

    Purchase Cheaply for PC

    Exciting Offers for XO/XS

    Product Savings for PS4/PS5

    Adam’s our Aussie deals wrangler. You can watch him game on YouTube.

    Posted in Games, video game | Tagged , | Comments Off on Aussie Deals: Score Pokémon Scarlet & Violet for $128, Extra Steam Summer Sale Goodies and More!