PS5 Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

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.

Warhorse Studios has revealed Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, with a new trailer revealing everything fans can expect from the medieval role-playing game (RPG).A direct sequel to 2018’s Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is set to launch in 2024 and will continue the story of peasant-turned-knight Henry in 15th century Bohemia.Speaking to press, Warhorse Studios confirmed that the “majority” of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will take place in the Bohemian city of Kuttenberg, and its full world will be two times bigger than the first game.Additionally, Henry’s story will be much grander in scope. He’ll now be dealing with the “problems of kings” on a quest to avenge his destroyed village, and the first trailer teases that with scenes of large-scale sieges and urban warfare.

Stardew Valley community is a passionate one, and they’ve recently started using the music of Chappell Roan to highlight a queer romance in the game.Roan has a song titled ‘Good Luck, Babe!‘. It’s about the lost potential of a forgotten romance between the singer and a woman who chose to be with a man rather than confront the difficulty of facing her queer identity.

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.

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”.

Square Enix has confirmed the release of the Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth soundtrack.The 175-track collection features “a massive volume of specially selected songs” alongside Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth’s main theme ‘No Promises to Keep’.A version of ‘No Promises to Keep’ was previously released, but the official soundtrack collection will feature the new ‘Loveless’ version composed by Nobuo Uematsu.Rebirth’s soundtrack is available as a seven-disc CD set which comes with a mini memo pad, and is also available to download via Amazon Music and iTunes. As it stands, there is no word on a streaming release for the nine hours of music though.Ready for 175 tracks of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth music?Get the original soundtrack as a physical CD set or download on major music platforms now.

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.

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.

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.

PlayStation Plus subscribers get a few games to add to their collection for no extra cost every month, and April’s ones are an interesting batch.Up for grabs are Immortals of Aveum, Minecraft Legends, and Skul: The Hero Slayer. Also on the docket is a mega bundle for Overwatch 2 that adds several skins to the hero shooter.First, Immortals of Aveum, a magical first-person shooter that got mixed reviews on launch. This is a game that reportedly cost $125 million to make.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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..

Sony is reportedly pausing production of its PSVR2 headsets, an accessory for the PS5, due to a backlog of unsold units.As reported by Bloomberg, people familiar with Sony’s plans have claimed that the company has paused production of the PSVR2 until it manages to sell the backlog that has accrued. Sony has apparently produced “well over 2 million units” of the PSVR2, but has sold just 1.3 million since launch.According to Macquarie analyst Yijia Zhai, interviewed by Bloomberg, “The high price of VR hardware acts as the main hurdle for its expansion.” This is compounded by the relatively small amount of VR titles available for players, which is in turn caused by “the development cost for VR games [being] substantially higher than normal titles.”The PSVR2 accessory retails at £529.99, while a new PS5 slim costs £409.99, more than £100 cheaper than the headset.

Capcom has shared an introductory video of Dragon’s Dogma 2, narrated by legendary actor Ian MacShane.Dragon’s Dogma 2 was first announced in June 2022, a decade after the original game was released, and is set to launch next week (March 22) for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC via Steam.Players have already been getting to grips with the free Character Creator tool that’s currently available to download, and now Capcom has shared a more substantial introduction to the action role-playing game via a seven-minute video that has been designed to “review everything you need to know before you start your adventure”.“Lend me a moment and I’ll tell you a story of a fantastical realm,” starts McShane, welcoming viewers to a world “touched by magick” and an “everlasting saga of hearts set ablaze.”From there, the actor talks potential players about the Arisen, a hero set out to vanquish the dragon, “a dreadful creature of chaos and awe”, that’s plagued the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 for “untold aeons”.Arisen also have the power to summon mystical beings from parallel worlds via a rift, with these pawns able to use a range of attacks to help players in their quest across two very different nations.

Aspyr has admitted a series of “critical errors” impacted the launch of the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection.Originally announced last month, the Classic Collection brought together the first two Star Wars Battlefront games for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series.Alongside the base games, the package included a number of bonus levels and characters as well as an online multiplayer mode that was advertised as allowing up to 64 players to take part in challenges like conquest, capture the flag, hunt, hero assault, and space assault.However, when Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection launched yesterday (March 14), players found themselves facing a number of bugs and glitches, alongside a seemingly tiny number of servers available for multiplayer. Currently the game has an “overwhelmingly negative” rating on Steam, with just 19 per cent of players leaving a positive review due to the issues.In a statement, Aspyr wrote: “We’d like to thank the Battlefront community for their overwhelming support and feedback for the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection release.

Ubisoft Montpellier has confirmed a post-release roadmap for Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown featuring new bosses, stories and game modes.The Lost Crown, the first new Prince Of Persia game for 14 years, was released earlier this year and now Ubisoft has confirmed a series of updates set to come to the title over the next few months.Warrior’s Path, the first of three free updates, is set to launch later this month, bringing a new speedrun mode and a permadeath mode to the game alongside new Sargon outfits.The second, Boss Attack, is set to launch in Spring 2024 and will introduce more outfits and a boss rush mode to Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 patch notes detail how the powerful Longbow sniper rifle has been nerfed.In the new update, the Longbow has had its hipfire spread benefit removed and its aim down sight time increased from 390ms to 470ms, a whopping 21 percent increase. These changes appear to have been made to reduce the sniper rifle’s effectiveness at close ranges.

Slipknot are getting their Dead By Daylight debut, thanks to an upcoming cosmetic collection.In a livestream on the official Dead By Daylight YouTube channel (which you can watch below), associate art director Leisha Riddel described the crossover. The Slipknot cosmetics being added to the game include seven masks and one full outfit; these designs are all based on “core” Slipknot members, but have been altered slightly to better fit with the style of the horror game.Subliminal Menace for The Legion is the outfit coming to Dead By Daylight, and will feature a white mask and flowing robes inspired by DJ Sid Wilson.Next up is a Metallic Grill for The Wraith, based on guitarist Mick Thomson, along with the Dominant Eye for The Deathslinger, which is based on guitarist Jim Root.

Persona 3 Reload is getting its first piece of DLC, with two sets of songs from Persona 5 Royal and Persona 4 Golden being added.These two sets, featuring 16 songs in total, will be available via Persona 3 Reload‘s expansion pass, which is out now. The expansion pass is free for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers via Game Pass Ultimate Perks through January 31, 2025, and is otherwise available for £28.99 on digital storefronts.From Persona 5, fans will get ‘Life Will Change’, ‘Beneath the Mask’, ‘Kichijoji 199X’, ‘Gentle Madman’, ‘I Believe’, ‘Keeper of Lust’, ‘Blooming Villain’, and ‘Victory’.

Payday 3 developer Starbreeze has fired its CEO, Tobias Sjögren, following the underperformance of the heist-themed first-person shooter.In a notice to investors, Starbreeze stated it has appointed Juergen Goeldner as interim CEO. Goeldner is the former Focus Entertainment CEO and has over 40 years of experience in the video game industry.

Street Fighter 6 is getting another playable character this spring, with series antagonist Akuma on the way.Akuma, first introduced as a secret boss in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, is a long-time antagonist in the series, but players will soon be able to utilise him and his deadly fists.Last night (March 11), publisher and developer Capcom uploaded a new cinematic trailer showing Akuma training in a dark, damp cave. The aging antagonist has a different look now, with a large mane of white hair replacing his signature red.While there may be no more red in his hair, he’s not lost it entirely.

Poncle and iam8bit have announced that the soundtrack to indie hit Vampire Survivors is being released on vinyl this month.Set to launch on March 14, the set will feature 22 songs across two LPs. Priced at $42.99, the soundtrack has been pressed on “blood-splatter coloured red wax”, while its slipcase has an original illustration by artist Nimit Malavia.Discussing the score with NME, composer Daniele Zandara (who scored Vampire Survivors along with Filippo Vicarelli and Will Davies) reveals that he originally “didn’t envision” his music gelling with the game’s chaotic format.“That’s what [Vampire Survivors creator] Luca Galante did from the beginning of my path with Poncle, and still does,” Zandara shared.

Bethesda Softworks director Todd Howard had to stop Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout TV series from using plot points earmarked for Fallout 5.In a new interview with Den Of Geek, Howard, who is also an executive producer on the Amazon series, claimed he had to step in and help shape the storyline. “Well, there were some things where I said, ‘Don’t do this because we are going to do that in Fallout 5’,” he said, before going on to say Amazon were creating an original story within the current Fallout universe.“It wasn’t the translation of an existing story.

Sony Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation worldwide Shawn Layden has spoken about the importance of platform-exclusive games.The discussion around platform-exclusives has heated up in recent months after Microsoft confirmed a number of Xbox-exclusives would be made available on “rival” consoles. Both Grounded and Pentiment are due to come to Nintendo Switch while Hi-Fi Rush and Sea Of Thieves are coming to the PS5.Speaking on the What’s Up PlayStation podcast, Layden said (via VGC): “Exclusivity will always be important, it helps focus and highlight the features of your platform. What can you do here technically that you can’t do someplace else.“But, as your platform becomes established as the market recognises where you sit in that pantheon of gaming options, I think the necessity of exclusivity becomes a little bit less,” he added.Earlier this month, Layden described exclusivity as a studio’s “Achilles’ heel” due to increasing production costs.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth last month, an orchestral world tour has been announced.Set to kick off in August 2024, the tour will allow fans to “experience all new symphonic arrangements” of the music of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.The show will include “beloved scores” by Nobuo Uematsu and “exciting new contributions” from Mitsuto Suzuki, Masashi Hamauzu, and many other esteemed composers and arrangers. The whole thing will be performed by an orchestra and chorus of over 100 musicians led by renowned conductors Arnie Roth and Eric Roth.“Immerse yourself in the world of one of the most visionary games of all time with this sensational multimedia concert experience,” reads the official Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth tour website.Announcing the FFVII REBIRTH ORCHESTRA WORLD TOUR!Immerse yourself in the world of one of the most visionary games of all time with this sensational multimedia concert experience!Experience all new symphonic arrangements of the music of FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH including… pic.twitter.com/SaaIXh8nHk— Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY (@ffdistantworlds) March 8, 2024Select shows will see appearances from the original composers, with Masashi Hamauzu appearing at Los Angeles, Rotterdam, London, Bangkok, Taipei, New York and Paris while Mitsuto Suzuki is set to take part in shows in Chicago, Munich and Rome.Tickets for the tour are being released in waves, with the first leg on sale this Friday, March 15.