Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Best Pokemon for Sun Teams
Written by Julian Giovanni SosaLies Of P Sequel Confirmed, DLC Teased With Two New Images
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
Lies of P launched back in September to both critical and fan acclaim – we gave it one of our highest scores of the year and you can read about why in Game Informer's Lies of P review. After a September patch that included various changes to make the Soulslike action RPG easier, game director Jiwon Choi has released a Director's Letter to confirm plans for a Lies of P sequel, tease DLC for the game with two new images, and more.
Lies Of P Sequel Confirmed
Choi began the video thanking players for helping the game sell 1 million copies in less than two months after release. He then sneakily drops a line confirming the Pinocchio-inspired Soulslike is getting a sequel.
"Our highest priority is developing the DLC and working on the sequel," Choi says in the Director's Letter. "The dev team is putting in significant effort, brainstorming and exploring different aspects of the projects."
That's all Choi shares about the sequel but it's nice to hear the team is working on one, and if you've beaten Lies of P and watched its post-credits scene, you can likely guess where it's headed. That is, unless that's planned for DLC...
Lies of P DLC Teased
And speaking of DLC, Choi also shared two new images from Lies of P's in-development DLC. The first image appears to be some kind of laboratory, perhaps a place where people in Krat experimented on humans to create the monsters seen in the latter half of Lies of P. The second image is vastly different, showing Pinocchio on a ship on the water. It's very Pirate-y, and some in-image clues suggest that perhaps this DLC will be taking us to Neverland to help (or fight) Captain Hook, Peter Pan, and others. But that's pure speculation; check them out for yourself below and let us know what you think!
"Even after the launch, our commitment remains unwavering in providing players with a compelling and unforgettable story," Choi says. "To do so, we are fully dedicating ourselves to the development of the DLC. [I] love seeing players speculating and discussing various aspects as they wait for the DLC. Every time we encounter remarkably inventive and creative hypotheses. My heart is pounding and I feel warmth. The anticipation is truly exhilarating."
Upcoming Lies Of P Patch Details
Elsewhere in the Director's Letter, Choi shared some details about an upcoming patch coming to Lies of P that should make the game more approachable. Here's a look at the Lies of P patch details and other future plans:
- The team will tweak the performance of the blade and handle combinations available in the game
- The studio will make the Shovel Puppet at Venigni Works easier to defeat
- Rising Dodge will be a default skill, and Polendia will set two more additional quartz in his first stage of the shop to help you upgrade the P-Organ quicker
- An Alidoro mask and costume will be added to the game and free for all players
- An extra cosmetic facial slot will be added so that players can wear hats and glasses
- New wearables including the Alchemist's Hat and additional glasses will be added to the game
- The team is preparing the release of the game's soundtrack, which will encompass almost every song and include more than 60 tracks
Choi says the team is still discussing patch release plans, but that it's aiming for this month.
And that's everything we learned in this Lies of P Director's Letter.
For more about the game, read Game Informer's Lies of P review and then check out Game Informer's Lies of P Soulslike tips, tricks, secrets, and more to help Pinocchio survive Krat in Lies of P. After that, read about how a September Lies of P update included various changes to make the game easier.
Have you played Lies of P? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!
Sonic Dream Team Is A New 3D Action-Platformer Hitting Apple Arcade Next Month
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
Sega has unveiled Sonic Dream Team, a new 3D action-platformer launching exclusively on December 5 on Apple Arcade. With it launching on Apple Arcade, you'll need to subscribe to the iOS-based gaming subscription service, which costs $6.99 a month. Dr. Eggman has discovered The Reverie, a special ancient device that can manifest dreams in the real world, and it's up to Sonic the Hedgehog and friends to stop him from doing so. Players must navigate "twisted dreamscapes, rescue your friends, and put a stop to Dr. Eggman's nightmarish dreams of world domination."
Sonic Dream Team features six playable characters in Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Cream, and Rouge, and Sega says each character brings their own flair and personality alongside three movement types "that provide unique exploration opportunities while navigating the dream world." It also features four boss battles, never-before-seen worlds spread across "four unique dream worlds with mind-bending environments that include wall-running, gravity changes, and more." Plus, Sonic Dream Team can be played on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
Check out the Sonic Dream Team reveal trailer for yourself below:
And here are some Sonic Dream Team screenshots too:
For more Sonic, read Game Informer's Sonic Superstars review and then watch this behind-the-scenes video about how Sega murdered Sonic the Hedgehog.
Are you going to check out Sonic Dream Team? Let us know in the comments below!
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Final Booster Course Pass Wave Includes New Tracks, Racers, Music Player, And More
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
Nintendo has revealed that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass Wave 6, the final wave of DLC for the uber-popular kart racer, goes live next week on November 9. It includes eight new courses, including fan favorites like Mario Kart Wii's Rainbow Road, four new racers, a new music player feature, and more. With it being the final wave of DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it brings the game's course count up to 96, which is double the 48 available in the base game.
Alongside today's release date news and details, Nintendo has released a course overview trailer for the DLC that you can watch below:
Wave 6 adds new cups to the game in the Acorn Cup and the Spiny Cup, which together add eight more courses to the rotation. These courses come from Mario Kart games from the SNES, GameCube, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and the mobile-exclusive game, Mario Kart Tour. Here's what to expect in each:
Acorn Cup
- Rome Avanti (from Mario Kart Tour)
- DK Mountain (from Mario Kart: Double Dash)
- Daisy Circuit (from Mario Kart Wii)
- Pirahna Plant Cove (new)
Spiny Cup
- Madrid Drive (from Mario Kart Tour)
- Rosalina's Ice World (from Mario Kart 7)
- Bowser Castle 3 (from Super Mario Kart)
- Rainbow Road (from Mario Kart Wii)
Alongside these new courses, Wave 6 includes four new racers in Funky Kong, who debuted in Mario Kart Wii, Diddy Kong from Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Pauline and Peachette from Mario Kart Tour. Elsewhere in Wave 6, players will receive 16 additional Mii Racing Suits, with a bonus Daisy Racing Suit unlockable by scanning any Daisy Amiibo. Plus, this final DLC adds a new Music Player feature to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which allows you to listen to music from each course starting November 9.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass Wave 6 is the final wave of DLC for the game. It goes live on November 9. The entire Booster Course Pass can be purchased for $24.99, or by becoming a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber.
Catch up on all the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass offerings by clicking the links below:
For more, read Game Informer's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe review.
[Editor's Note: This article has been corrected to state that the wave includes four new racers; not three]
Are you hopping back into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to check out this final wave of courses? Let us know in the comments below!
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Written by Hajrudin KrdzicUpdate: Bungie Reportedly Laid Off 100 Employees, Citing Low Player Sentiment And Sales
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
Update, 11/01/23:
IGN and Bloomberg have learned new information about the layoffs that occurred at Destiny 2 maker Bungie this week, including that roughly 100 employees were laid off from the company. As for why, IGN's sources report that during an employee meeting after the layoffs, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons told staff that the layoffs were due to the underperformance of Destiny 2 over the last year as well as "lower-than-expected preorders" for the upcoming expansion, The Final Shape.
Employees were reportedly told that Destiny 2 player sentiment had reached an all-time-low and IGN's sources say employees at the studio have attempted to discuss this with Bungie leadership, asking to make the necessary changes, presumably to get player sentiment back up.
Bloomberg reports that roughly 8% of "Bungie's game unit" staff were laid off due to Destiny play time hitting a low, and IGN's sources say roughly 100 people were laid off. Bloomberg also reports that sales at Bungie are running 45% below projections.
And finally, IGN's own sources confirm information released by Bloomberg earlier this week stating The Final Shape expansion for Destiny 2 has been internally delayed from its original February 2024 release date to June. Plus, the publication reports that Marathon, which Bungie revealed earlier this year as a multiplayer extraction shooter, has been delayed to 2025.
The original story and other updates continue below...
Update, 10/31/23:
Bungie has yet to reveal how many employees it laid off yesterday and it hasn't given an official reason why either. However, as more and more former employees have shared details about the layoffs, we continue to learn who else was affected. It's how we know famed Destiny 2 composer, Michael Salvatori, who also worked as a co-composer alongside Martin O'Donnell on games like Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and more, was either laid off or voluntarily left amidst the studio layoffs.
It's currently unclear because, as noted by VideoGamesChronicle, Destiny 2 community animator Carson Reed claims he was laid off, according to their own internal sources, but Windows Central's Jez Cordon says he's heard Salvatori may have retired voluntarily.
Nonetheless, Destiny Bulletin on Twitter noticed that on Salvatori's website, it no longer features the two paragraphs where he describes his past and current work. Instead, it says "GONE FISHIN' :)"
Elsewhere in the news of Bungie's layoffs, studio CEO Pete Parsons tweeted about the events, which is the first official address from the Destiny 2 maker. "Today is a sad day at Bungie as we say goodbye to colleagues who have all made a significant impact on our studio," he writes in a tweet. "What these exceptional individuals have contributed to our games and Bungie culture has been enormous and will continue to be a part of Bungie long into the future."
These are truly talented people. If you have openings, I would highly recommend each and every one of them.
— pete parsons (@pparsons) October 30, 2023
The original story continues below...
Original story, 10/30/23:
Destiny 2 developer Bungie, which was acquired by PlayStation last year for $3.6 billion, is the latest game maker to be hit with layoffs in 2023. Various former Bungie employees announced on Twitter today they had been laid off, and Bloomberg has confirmed with its sources that an undisclosed number of staff were laid off today.
Bloomberg reports that Bungie CEO Pete Parsons told staffers they'd be "hearing some news today" and that following it, there would be a team meeting later today to "discuss today's events."
As for why employees were laid off, that remains unclear, especially as the company is set to release a massive Destiny 2 expansion – The Final Shape – that's set to end the decade-long saga that began in the first Destiny game. Bloomberg states that its sources say The Final Shape has been delayed internally to June 2024, months after its previously announced February 27, 2024 release date.
Game Informer has reached out to PlayStation and will update this story if it learns more.
In January of 2022, Sony announced it was acquiring Bungie for $3.6 billion; it completed the purchase in July of 2022. These layoffs come less than two years after the purchase.
These Bungie layoffs join an unfortunately ever-growing list of layoffs affecting the studios behind games released in 2023, which by all accounts, is one of the best years in gaming in terms of releases. In January, Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees amidst its ongoing $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which it completed earlier this month.
In August, Striking Distance Studios, the team behind last year's The Callisto Protocol, laid off more than 30 employees, and that same month, Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare laid off 50 employees, including long-time studio veterans. The following month, in September, Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios laid off roughly 45% of its staff.
Just this month, The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog has laid off at least 25 employees, and Telltale Games has gone through layoffs as well, although an actual number of laid-off employees has not yet been revealed. And last week, Dreams developer Media Molecule laid off 20 employees.
The hearts of the Game Informer staff are with everyone affected by these layoffs and those still at the studio.
[Source: Bloomberg]
Editor's Note: This story and headline has been updated to clarify that Michael Salvatori was either laid off or voluntarily left the company.