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Hideo Kojima Reveals What Happened With Sony in Exclusive First Interview Since PlayStation Ditched Physint

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In June, Sony asked Hideo Kojima to attend a Zoom call. At the time, he was busy working on Xbox game OD and PlayStation game Physint , the latter a spiritual successor to the video game series that made him one of the most celebrated developers on the planet: Metal Gear Solid. For the meeting, he brought along Kojima Productions president Shinji Hirano and head of talent development Aki Saito. Kojima tells IGN in his first interview since last week’s dramatic news that he was so stunned by what Sony told him that his mind went blank. PlayStation was pulling out of the Physint project, and funding for it would end. And that was that. Kojima initially kept the news from his staff at Kojima Productions as he worried over the future of his company. Would he have to let developers from the Physint team go? Would they leave anyway, given what had happened? What would the bank, whose loans helped Kojima Productions staff up after the release of Death Stranding, think? And what about all the...
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EA Sports FC 27 Review So Far

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I find myself in a weird place for my in-progress review of EA Sports FC 27. On one hand, worthwhile strategic elements have finally been added that reflect real-world tactics in a concise, intuitive way. On the other hand, the promised improvements to behavior and pathing of computer-controlled players on the field still ring hollow, carrying over many of the same issues the series has had for over a decade. Couple this with the dreaded introduction of open-world elements via The Grounds, and the result is yet another instance of positive steps forward but negative steps backward. Ever since NBA 2K14 introduced MyPark, which eventually evolved into The Neighborhood in NBA 2K18 and The City in NBA 2K21, I figured it was only a matter of time before EA brought a similar open world full of activities to its sports franchises. While The Grounds isn't without merit, it often feels like EA is trying to solve a problem that didn't really exist. My first impression is that The Grounds...
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Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Director Warns of 200GB Install Size for Remake Trilogy's Final Chapter

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Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will require around 200GB of storage when it launches next year, director Naoki Hamaguchi has warned. The Square Enix developer talked about the install requirements for the remake trilogy's long-awaited conclusion during an interview with VGC . When talking about how Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will compare to previous entries in the series, he confirmed that the final chapter of Cloud and Sephiroth's story will be especially demanding. "Things are still getting worked out, but it’s probably going to be around 200GB of game," Hamaguchi said when asked about additional downloads for physical versions of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation . "I understand there are a lot of opinions about this topic, but at the end of the day, the fact is we need to overcome the hardware to a certain extent. "One thing I want to say is, even though the game will not be on the full disc, in the position we’re in, because discs may be dying out, or maybe stayi...
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The Blood of Dawnwalker Cost Just $40 Million to Develop

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Developer Rebel Wolves' September success story, The Blood of Dawnwalker , cost just $40 million to make. Information related to the Warsaw, Poland-based studio's behind-the-scenes activities comes from a new Bloomberg report. It included the news that Rebel Wolves managed to bring The Blood of Dawnwalker to life and find a solid audience with little more than the $40 million budget supplied by NetEase Inc. Game designer Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, who previously served as one of the leading developers behind games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077, worked on early versions of Rebel Wolves' first game with a small team back in 2022. Tomaszkiewicz self-funded the project for that first year as the team hammered out its prototype in hopes of finding a partner, with NetEase later stepping in with the fund the game while acquiring 26% of the studio. The $40 million figure comfortably lands The Blood of Dawnwalker in the AA space instead of the AAA realm where games oft...
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Remedy Honors the Late David Lynch in Control Resonant With Powerful Twin Peaks Quote

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Remedy Entertainment's games have always been inspired by the late, great filmmaker David Lynch , who passed away in January 2025. Best known for the influential muder mystery series Twin Peaks and cult classic thriller Mulholland Drive, Lynch's penchant for merging surrealism with horror and absurism made him iconic as a director and screenwriter. Those inspirations are clearly seen in 2019's Control and especially in 2023's Alan Wake 2. Now, Remedy's latest game Control Resonant features an Easter egg that pays tribute to him with one of the most powerful quotes from Twin Peaks. Throughout the open zones in Control Resonant, you'll find tons of details in the environment that build up its fictional version of New York City. One is a movie theater with a marquee outside that reads: "NOW PLAYING: FIX YOUR HEART OR DIE." It's a reference to a line from 2017's Twin Peaks: The Return in which the character Gordon Cole (played by David Lynch himse...
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Professor Layton Developer Level-5 Scrambles to Reupload Trailers as AI Backlash Intensifies

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In the wake of fierce online backlash, Professor Layton developer Level-5 has released a new statement apologizing for the mistrust caused by generative AI use in its recent showcase for upcoming titles, insisting some examples spotted by fans were simply human error. Not only that, but the studio has insisted that some mistakes flagged as AI errors by eagle-eyed commenters on social media were actually human mistakes. The Japanese studio has now vowed to clean up these offending portions. For those who missed it, Level-5 released its “VISION 2026 II: Dreams” presentation on YouTube on September 10. Narrated by a cartoon version of CEO Akihiro Hino, the showcase walked viewers through the studio’s upcoming releases, including Yokai Watch 2: Haunted Domain, Decapolice, and a first look at Professor Layton and the New World of Steam . However, shortly after the video dropped, social media was flooded with comments and reaction videos . Commenters scrutinized backgrounds and art, noting ...
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Magic’s Most-Wanted Marvel Deck Is Discounted – Here’s Why You Should Consider This One Instead

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Magic: The Gathering’s Marvel Super Heroes set may have given way to the game’s return to Middle-earth with The Hobbit, but that means discounts are getting more regular on the prior, spandex-clad set. The good news is that these savings extend to the Commander Decks, including the Doom Prevails one focused on supervillains from the Marvel Universe. Not long ago, the deck was being sold for significantly more than the MSRP, reaching above $80. Now? It’s dropped from its $75 price to $64.95 . And yet, if you’re looking to pick up a deck from the set, it’s not the one I’d recommend. Skip Doom Prevails, Buy This Precon Instead It pains me to say it in the Year of Doomsday, but Doom Prevails just isn’t the most cohesive deck you can pick up from the set. It leans into the Connive mechanic to drain foes of life and trigger plenty of discard effects, but it’ll need some elbow grease (and investment) to get it onto the same level as some of its rivals. There’s a copying subtheme, token gener...
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