PC Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Star Wars Outlaws drew the ire of fans recently when it was revealed its ultimate edition would cost £115. Now, people have noticed that there’s an “exclusive” Jabba the Hut mission locked behind purchase of the season pass.As noted by NME on April 11, an exclusive mission titled Jabba’s Gambit will be available at launch, but only for players who purchase either the gold or ultimate edition of the game; they both include the season pass which grants access to Jabba’s Gambit.Ubisoft has now responded to the further backlash caused by people noticing that a mission may be unavailable for people who just buy the £60 base version of Star Wars Outlaws.“The ‘Jabba’s Gambit’ mission is an optional, additional mission with the Hutt Cartel along Kay and Nix’s journey across the Outer Rim,” a Ubisoft spokesperson told Eurogamer.

Hollow Knight: Silksong hopefuls have been waiting years for the game to launch, and after seeing it get rated in Australia, they may not have to wait much longer.A sequel to the beloved indie game Hollow Knight, Silksong was announced February 14, 2019. Since then it’s faced some delays and we still don’t have a fixed launch date. That’s why news of its rating in Australia, shared on Reddit, is important to fans of the series.It was classified April 2 and rated PG for mild violence.

Pocketpair has launched a fix for an ongoing issue with Palworld’s multiplayer mode and teased a “major” update.Palworld’s V0.2.0.6 update was released on Xbox earlier this week after launching on Steam but quickly started causing issues with player’s save data. Users were advised to avoid using the game’s multiplayer mode until it was sorted, and now Pocketpair have confirmed a fix.The latest patch “fixes a bug that prevented save data from loading correctly in multiplayer” but “chat has been temporarily disabled” due to the bug. Pocketpair has also fixed the egg incubator and sorted a glitch that prevented raid boss achievements from being unlocked.[Xbox Patch Notice] Xbox version v0.2.1.0 has been released.

Bethesda has confirmed a number of free updates are coming to Fallout 4 following the successful launch of Amazon Prime Video’s adaptation of the franchise.Bethesda originally announced a next-gen update for Fallout 4 back in 2022, with a proposed launch date of 2023. It missed that window, but the studio has now confirmed an April 2024 release.The free update will bring new quest Echoes Of The Past to Fallout 4, with players tasked with stopping The Enclave from “spreading their dangerous ideology and gaining a foothold in the Commonwealth”.

Mouse, has just dropped its latest gameplay trailer, this time riffing on Popeye and showing off some new mechanics.Mouse‘s first trailer was released 11 months ago, May 2023. The footage we’ve seen so far has “a retro rubber hose animation style”, but the Disney inspiration is clear to see. From the name, Mouse, to the white gloves on the hands of the protagonist, and now the new bicep-inflating can of spinach.Mouse is an FPS “inspired by classic FPS and noir films”.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 crossover microtransaction isn’t so micro. The B.E.A.S.T. Glove melee weapon costs £67.88 in COD Points, more than the game itself.The B.E.A.S.T.

Call of Duty publisher Activision says over 27,000 Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone accounts were banned this weekend. Team Ricochet, those using the Ricochet anti-cheat system to catch bad actors, says it anticipates “more ban waves to come.”In a statement given to CharlieIntel, Team Ricochet said it “identified and banned over 27,000 accounts over the weekend through a series of upgraded detection systems.

Crypt Of The NecroDancer has launched a surprise collaboration with virtual idol Hatsune Miku.Crypt Of The NecroDancer was first released in 2015 and has received regular updates from Brace Yourself Games ever since. Last month, the team’s ambitious Synchrony DLC left Early Access and was released in full, bringing weekly challenge modes, cross-platform multiplayer, new characters and extensive mod support to the roguelike rhythm game.However, Brace Yourself has now surprise-launched a crossover with Hatsune Miku.Available to purchase on steam for £1.69, the Hatsune Miku DLC allows players to “Descend through the Crypt Of The NecroDancer as the one and only Hatsune Miku! With your trusty leek, iconic outfits, and dazzling dance moves, face down any enemy that comes your way with style,” explained the listing.Hatsune Miku can move in all eight directions and can dig by dashing enemies into walls.

Roblox studio boss Stefano Corazza has hit back at claims the gaming platform “exploits” children.In 2021 a video from People Make Games claimed that online game creation system Roblox was taking advantage of its young playerbase by selling them the dream that they could become entrepreneurs with their creations and earn “serious cash” in the process.Anyone can create a Roblox experience via the platform’s ‘Create’ tool, which also offers tutorials and support. However, game developers are paid with in-game currency Roblux, with Roblox taking a 75.5 per cent cut of all profits.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has explained the reasoning behind some of the stranger occurrences in the game.Taking to social media Obbe Vermeij, a former Rockstar North developer, explained why certain planes in San Andreas crashed near the player after confirming that the luck mechanic had nothing to do with it. “That’s just an urban legend”.Vermeij went on to say that the crashes were caused by bugs in the GTA code.

Content Warning has taken Steam by storm.It is a first-person game where players explore urban ruins and use in-game cameras to produce videos to upload to SpöökTube. It appears to be parodying YouTubers who explore derelict buildings and “backrooms”, an internet term for barren, repetitive rooms, like disused offices and maintence tunnels.The game was shadowdropped, meaning without any notice, on April 1, available for free.

Saber Interactive boss has confirmed the remake of Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic is still in development following the shake-up at Embracer.A remake of Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic has been in the works since 2021 but it’s faced a turbulent development. Originally, the remake of the 2003 game was due to be created by Aspyr Media before development was put on hold in 2022, following the sudden firing of two senior developers.Saber Interactive, which had joined the project earlier that year, then took over the remake.Updates have been few and far between, with Knights Of The Old Republic predicted to have a 2025 release date.

Palworld has hinted that their April Fools’ day dating sim expansion joke could become a reality.Yesterday (March 31) Pocketpair shared a video announcing Palworld: More Than Just Pals, a dating sim based in the Palworld universe, as an early April Fool’s day prank.The 90-second trailer introduces a number of Pals alongside one-line dating bios and a number of flirty interactions that quickly veer into more questionable actions. “Will you remain friends or fall in love,” started the accompanying description.

Bandai Namco’s new Pomeranian game Doronko Wanko has captured the hearts of the internet.Released earlier this week on Steam, Doronko Wanko (which roughly translates as “Little barker covered in mud”) is a free-to-play game that sees players take control of an adorable Pomeranian puppy. Your only goal? Make as much mess as possible.Fans are comparing it to a cross between Splatoon and Nintendogs, while others are saying it’s basically a reverse Power Wash Simulator.In Doronko Wanko, players encourage the “innocent” puppy to roll around in mud, before spreading it around their master’s house.

Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail is already causing issues for Square Enix, despite the expansion not actually being released until July.Release details for the long-awaited Final Fantasy 14 expansion were confirmed over the weekend, with Dawntrail coming July 2 after an early access window available to all those who pre-order the game.And pre-orders for a number of Dawntrail physical and digital versions went live yesterday [March 26] but quickly caused havoc with Square Enix’s servers.The Digital Collector's Edition includes in-game bonus items:

NetEase and Marvel Games have announced Marvel Rivals, a team-based shooter featuring a “deep roster” of heroes and villains.Due for release on PC, the Overwatch-inspired Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play cooperative PVP shooter that lets players assemble an all-star squad from across Marvel’s catalogue of characters and take to a number of destructible maps from across the multiverse.Each character will have their own unique skill set, and can work together with other heroes to activate a number of “team-up” powers for the 6v6 battles.Marvel Rivals will also feature a storyline created by the NetEase writing team that sees Doctor Doom clash with a future version of himself, causing a number of universes to collide in the timestream entanglement. “Now, heroes and villains from across the multiverse must fight together and against one another as disparate groups seek to defeat both Dooms before one achieves domination of these realities.”While a release date has yet to be confirmed for Marvel Rivals, a closed alpha test will take place in May.

NME, actor Lucy Liu and director Eloise Singer have discussed bringing notorious Chinese pirate Chen Shih to life in VR game The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend.Set in 19th-century China, The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend follows Chen Shih – a real-world pirate who commanded hundreds of ships – on the night she rose to power.Chatting to NME from New York, Singer shared that she felt “compelled” to share Shih’s story upon realising that it wasn’t very well-known.“When I first discovered more about Chen Shih’s story, I was fascinated,” said Singer, pointing to Shih leading 70,000 men in the lead-up to the Opium Wars. “She [also] created a code of laws that meant men and women had to be treated equally on her ship, which was phenomenal.”Originally a courtesan, Chen Shih took control over a large confederation of pirates when her husband fell overboard.

XDefiant’s executive producer has hit back at reports that the first-person shooter has been delayed due to devs trying to copy modern Call Of Duty games.First announced in 2021, XDefiant is a 6v6 multiplayer shooter that brings together characters from various Ubisoft franchises like The Division, Rainbow Six Siege and Splinter Cell.XDefiant launched an open beta at the start of 2023 but the game was delayed indefinitely in September, after failing a number of console quality control tests.“I know it’s a bummer that we are moving the date especially since we seemed so close and that for many the game is great and they can’t wait to play but I’d rather ship a game that is better for everyone,” said executive producer Mark Rubin at the time.Earlier this month, it was reported that the continued delays to XDefiant were down to the team “chasing” Call Of Duty and copying features found in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone.However, Rubin has hit back at those claims, calling them a “major eyeroll”.Just FYI, nothing about our delay is due to any new features. In fact not much has changed from a gameplay standpoint.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 players are witnessing entire cities being wiped out due to the dragonsplague.Dragonsplague effects pawns at random, with the disease eventually causing them to murder NPCs if a cure isn’t found in time.Dragon’s Dogma 2 players are now finding out just how devastating the dragonsplague can be, with whole towns wiped out – including valuable NPCs needed for mainline quests. The brutal endgame happens when you’re resting, which is also when Dragon’s Dogma 2 autosaves, so players can’t simply roll back their progress either.Dragonsplague in Dragon’s Dogma 2 might be the most insane mechanic in video gaming history.

Capcom has confirmed it is working on a number of fixes for Dragon’s Dogma 2 after a shaky launch.Posting an update on Steam, Capcom confirmed it would be considering adding a dedicated button for PC players that would allow them to start a new game more easily.As it stands, the process of restarting your progress in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a complicated one, as the game only offers one save slot. Currently, PC players have to disable Steam cloud saves and then manually delete the save data from the backend.

Larian CEO Swen Vinke has revealed the studio were working on an expansion for Baldur’s Gate 3 and a sequel before cancelling both projects.Last night, Vinke confirmed Larian was finished with the Baldur’s Gate franchise after an impressive trilogy of games. He then took to social media to confirm that while the team would still be working on a few updates for Baldur’s Gate 3, no new content was planned.In a new interview with IGN, Vinke revealed that the team at Larian initially felt obliged to continue the franchise.

Larian Studios CEO says fans should be “very excited” about the future of the company, despite no sequel to Baldur’s Gate 3.Last night, Larian confirmed the studio would not be working on an expansion for Baldur’s Gate 3, nor would they be creating a Baldur’s Gate 4 despite the huge success of the trilogy.The news was announced by Larian CEO Swen Vinke at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. “We’ll forever be proud of it but we’re going to move on,” he said.Following up the announcement on social media, Vinke wrote: “Counter expectations but I’ve never been more sure about a strategy shift.

Deep Silver has confirmed a new story expansion for Dead Island 2, with SoLA set to overrun the ultimate Californian music festival.The SoLA expansion is the second DLC available for Dead Island 2 and will be available April 17, bringing a new storyline to the action role-playing game.SoLA will take place at a “visceral, gore-drenched music festival in the heart of LA” and see players contend with “the sound of The Beat, which threatens to turn the living into zombies, and has the potential to be heard across the world.”“A deadly virus sweeps through The Valley, turning its inhabitants into ravenous zombies as a chthonic rhythm calls from beyond: the beat of the Autophage. Lured to the festival by an enigmatic warning message, players must explore SoLA’s ruins and put a stop to this otherworldly menace,” reads the description.Are you ready to lose yourself to the beat? SoLA opens on April 17th#DeadIsland #SeeYouInHELLA #SeeYouAtSoLA pic.twitter.com/nlTxBXTzvG— Dead Island (@deadislandgame) March 21, 2024As well as battling undead ravers, the new expansion will bring a number of new enemies including apex variant the Whipper, which has been “driven mad with self-loathing by the Autophage.Their compulsion to self-mutilate has turned them into a horrific nightmare of disembowelled intestines, allowing them to lash out at range,” said Deep Silver.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 received critical acclaim ahead of launch, many buyers on PC are leaving negative reviews due to the game launching with 21 optional microtransactions.Dragon’s Dogma 2 launched today (March 22), and at time of writing, currently holds a ‘Mixed’ user review rating on Steam, with 60 per cent of all player-submitted reviews marked as negative.The criticism is largely driven by the inclusion of microtransactions in the single-player game. Dragon’s Dogma 2 has 21 available microtransactions, including items that revive characters, help to escape from prison, and make fast-travelling easier.While these purchases range from £0.89 to £4.45 in price, it’s worth noting that all but two of them (the Explorer’s Camping Kit and Heartfelt Pendant) can be found in-game anyway, making the microtransactions completely optional.However, that hasn’t stopped buyers from criticising the DLC.

Larian Studios, the developer behind Baldur’s Gate 3, has confirmed that it will not be making a highly requested expansion or Baldur’s Gate 4.Speaking at this month’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, Larian Studios founder and CEO Swen Vincke shared that the studio will not be following up the massive success of Baldur’s Gate 3 with another game in the Dungeons & Dragons series it’s set in.“Baldur’s Gate will always have a warm spot in our heart,” shared Vincke. “We’ll forever be proud of it but we’re not going to continue in it. We’re not going to make new expansions which everybody is expecting.

Children of the Sun developer René Rother, major publisher Devolver Digital liked his game, even if it didn’t like his “shit” pitch.“I didn’t plan any of this at all,” Rother told NME. “When I realised, ‘Oh, I maybe have a game,’ I just sent an email to Devolver.

Stardew Valley‘s 1.6 update launched on Tuesday, March 19, and while many of the additions were well documented, one was kept secret.Players have already found a secret Terraria sword added in the 1.6 update, and it takes a few odd steps to acquire. Shared on Reddit, the first step needs you to throw an Ancient Doll into the lava pool on floor 100 in the mines, so get digging.Doing that will grant you the Far Away Stone, which you now need to place in the new pylon in the wizard’s basement.

Dragon’s Dogma 2, but framerate issues are hampering the experience for some.A Capcom representative told IGN, “a large amount of CPU usage is allocated to each character and dynamically calculates the impact of their physical presence in various environments.” They added that this could be the cause for the framerate issues when “numerous characters appear simultaneously”.Dragon’s Dogma 2 on consoles doesn’t have the option to switch between a performance and quality mode, so players are largely having to make do with what’s currently on offer. Fortunately for PC players, the representative told IGN, “we are looking into ways to improve performance in the future.” So, a patch could already be in the works and delivered soon, but it’s unclear what the solution will be for console players.The director of the original Dragon’s Dogma, Hideaki Itsuno, felt “let down” by PS3 hardware, and it seems the PS5 is also struggling to keep up.

Riot Games‘ League of Legends MMO, the team has decided to “reset the direction” of the project and will be “‘going dark’ for a long time – likely several years”.Riot Games has been working on a League of Legends MMO set within the Runeterra universe for some time now. It was officially announced back in 2020, with a recruiting webpage shared in February 2021.

Old School Runescape has introduced a huge new area to the existing map of Gielinor as part of a new update.Varlamore offers players a variety of new features, including quests, contests, boss battles and different ways to train existing skills.Known as The Shining Kingdom, players will have needed to complete the Children Of The Sun quest to access Varlamore which can be reached via a giant quetzal bird located outside Varrock’s eastern gate.Once there, Old School Runescape players will be able to continue the Varlamore questline with Twilight’s Promise and unlock the Quetzal Transport Network.

Frontier Developments has released a behind-the-scenes look at what animal expert Steve Backshall brought to the creation of Planet Zoo: Console Edition. Check the video out below, exclusively on NME.Introducing the mockumentary, Frontier asked: “Ever wondered about the hard work that goes into bringing a game with as much depth and authenticity as Planet Zoo to consoles?”“With over 70 amazing animals, four engaging game modes, and limitless creativity, there’s plenty for the Frontier Developments team to get stuck in with.

Stardew Valley players are eagerly awaiting the 1.6 update, due to launch later today, and creator ConcernedApe has revealed many mods should be compatible with the update immediately.ConcernedApe, real name Eric Barone, tweeted last night, “A ton of mods are already updated for 1.6”. He recommends “trying out 1.6 without mods”, but also stated, “I’ve added a public steam branch that will let you stay on version 1.5.6 if you choose”.

Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams said at this year’s Game Developers Conference that executives responsible for mass industry layoffs “can all eat shit, I think they’re horrible, and I think they’re bad people.”Speaking to PC Gamer, Adams was wondering what the future of Dwarf Fortress could look like. When considering the kind of decisions that need to be made to keep a studio afloat, he asked himself if he’d have “more empathy for the people that lay people off.” The answer was, decidedly, “No, I don’t fucking think so”.He continued, “These decisions, they don’t sound practical.

Total War: Warhammer 3 has just launched a new hotfix that, among other things, removes a randomly generated High Elf name that shared ties with a German general from World War Two.One of the randomly generated High Elf names, Guderian, is the surname of Heinz Guderian, a Nazi general. He led armoured divisions into Poland, France, and Russia, and was an early pioneer of the infamous blitzkrieg tactic employed by Germany to rapidly overwhelm countries in World War 2.Guderian rose to the role of Hitler’s personal advisor, but he ultimately surrendered to the U.S.

Gotham Knights developer WB Games Montréal‘s website, the studio is assisting with Monolith Productions‘ upcoming Wonder Woman game.As spotted by Tech4gamers, WB Games Montréal is looking for an external development artist who will “support the Monolith Productions team on their announced Wonder Woman game!”The upcoming Wonder Woman game was announced back in December 2021 at The Game Awards. It is being developed by Middle-Earth: Shadow of War developer Monolith, and is not going to be a live-service game like the recent Suicide Squad, according to a statement from Warner Bros..

Universal Music Group and Republic Records have announced the launch of Boombox, a new product being integrated into Roblox to allow players to stream in-game music that artists can monetise and have count toward Billboard charts.This collaboration will start in the Twice Square experience, a level in Roblox where players can leave messages for the K-pop girl group, play minigames, and collect virtual items. With Boombox, players will be able to “share and collectively enjoy” Twice‘s music, with each playback being monetisable, as well as counting toward Billboard charts.Boombox is apparently the first “scaled music product across the Roblox platform”.