Fntastic, the developer behind Steam's most wishlisted game The Day Before, has defended its use of unpaid workers.

Speaking to Eurogamer, the company claimed every employee, paid or not, is a volunteer, because "we always try to bring in proactive people with open hearts".

Fntastic categorises its workers in two camps: full-time volunteers and part-time volunteers. The former are regular, paid employees, while the latter are unpaid workers who contribute to game development, "ranging from translating to community moderating" according to the online application form. These unpaid workers can "get cool rewards, participation certificates, and free codes".

"The company's values are built upon the idea of volunteering which means that every person who works or volunteers here is doing that willingly, acts with dedication, and enthusiasm, and supports the team by any means possible," Fntastic said.

"We have many people around the world who are helping us out in many ways, they are part-time volunteers. They help with any projects that we have. While full-time volunteers are the employees of the company. We share these values within the company because we always try to bring in proactive people with open hearts."

The company faced criticism online following an update to its website that included the dedicated volunteers page. You can see an example below:

Unpaid work at a AAA studio to create a MMO on UE5 in 2022? How about Fntastic pays its workers that are helping deliver a massive project? It's gotta be a joke oof

— Jordan Dragon (@jordanDragon_) June 27, 2022

Fntastic revealed last month that The Day Before – an open world survival MMO – had been delayed until next year as the studio switched over to Unreal Engine 5. "The transition to a more advanced and adapted open worlds engine, will make the gameplay of The Day Before even more fantastic," it told IGN. "The new release date of the game will be March 1st, 2023."

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

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is set to release exclusively for Nintendo Switch on October 20. A sequel to the 2017 game Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, this installment brings the gang back together to battle an evil entity known as Cursa. The game is available for preorder now (see it at Best Buy, where it comes with a free $10 gift card, or at Amazon).

Preorder Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope

• Get it at Best Buy – $59.99 (includes $10 gift card)
• Get it at Amazon – $59.99
• Get it at GameStop – $59.99
• Get it at Walmart – $59.99
• Get it at Ubisoft Store – $59.99

There aren't any special editions of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, so this is the one to grab.

What is Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope?

Mario, Luigi, Peach, and their friends are out to stop Cursa, an entity that's trying to consume the energy of the Sparks. (Sparks are a mixture between Lumas and Rabbids, of course).

The game will take place across a variety of planets, each one populated with different inhabitants. And just like Kingdom Battle, the gameplay uses a mix of turn-based and real-time combat.

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

Square Enix announced a new game today that combines the fantasy worlds the company is known for with life-sim gameplay.

Harvestella is a brand new life-sim RPG in which players can farm, craft items, and collect materials, all while building their character's life and settlement. While players can live through various seasons like Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, there is a fifth season, Quietus, or the season of Death.

During Quietus, players must do what they can to prevent the Death season from destroying the idyllic lifestyle of their hometown.

Harvestella looks very much like a Square Enis JRPG, with a fantastical world full of creatures, but while combat gameplay might look familiar, the game is also focused on Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon-like mechanics around farming, collecting materials, and building new tools and equipment.

Square Enix's foray into the popular life-sim genre is definitely head-turning, though the company is also experimenting with the genre by adding a Stardew Valley-like mode in Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker.

For more new announcements from today's Nintendo Direct Mini check out IGN's round-up here.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Return to Monkey Island, the new sequel in the famous point 'n click adventure series, will be released on the Nintendo Switch first when the game comes to consoles later this year.

As announced in today's Nintendo Direct Mini, Ron Gilbert's sequel to Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, will be coming to consoles starting with the Nintendo Switch. While no other platforms have been announced, we know at least that players who want to Return to Monkey Island on consoles can expect it on the Nintendo Switch first.

A direct sequel in the Monkey Island franchise, Return will take place after the events of LeChuck's Revenge. Hero Guybrush Threepwood, as well as Elaine and Murray, are all set to return.

Writer-director Ron Gilbert, along with co-writer Dave Grossman and composers Michael Land, Michael McConnell, and Clint Bajakian are all set to return for the sequel.

Along with the returning cast, there will be some modern updates including an Easy Mode and Hint System. The classic point 'n click format raised a generation of adventure game enthusiasts, but early game design was sometimes byzantine. The optional modes should help new players jump into the format with ease.

Be sure to check out our interview with Gilbert on how he returned to Monkey Island. And for more announcements from the Nintendo Direct Mini, check out IGN's round-up here.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

The Portal: Companion Collection announced earlier this year officially has a release date, and that release date is… today. Valve's classic puzzle games are officially out on Nintendo Switch, giving fans a chance to reunite with GLaDOS on the go.

Developed in collaboration with NVIDIA Lightspeed Studios, the collection will feature both games' full single-player campaigns along with Portal 2's co-op mode, which is available in both split-screen and online multiplayer.

Portal was originally released in 2007 to widespread acclaim. It won praise for its originality and its writing, which popularized quips like, "The cake is a lie." It also gave the world the wonderful 'Still Alive' by Jonathan Coulton, which played to the original game's closing credits.

The sequel was still more elaborate, adding in multiplayer and a host of other features. Both are rated among the greatest games ever made.

Portal: Companion Collection's release was one of several announcements during a Nintendo Direct Mini that also included the reveal of a Mega Man Battle Network collection and more. You can read the full recap right here.