Xbox One Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

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.

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”.

Pocketpair has confirmed that a recent Palworld update is causing issues with multiplayer save data for Xbox users.Palworld’s V0.2.0.6 update was released for Steam last week and came to Xbox yesterday (April 9). However, it was quickly reported that the new patch was causing issues “where multiplayer player save data is not being loaded correctly when multiplayer save data from an older version is loaded.”Many Xbox players reported that they were asked to create a new character after updating Palworld and logging onto a multiplayer server, which would permanently delete their previous progress.“This issue is currently being investigated by the development team.

Microsoft has announced it has set up a special team dedicated to Xbox game preservation as work continues on the successor to the Series X/S.According to an internal memo shared by Windows Central, the team was created by Xbox president Sarah Bond and is out to “ensure the future-proofing of the current Xbox game library against future hardware paradigm shifts”.“It’s been nearly six months since we came together as an organisation,” she explained. “Our collective achievements in that timeframe are tremendous.

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.

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.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has explained that the company’s focus is on attracting “younger audiences”.Over the past few months, Spencer has spoken at length about making Xbox-exclusive games available on “rival” platforms. Last weekend, while at the Game Developers Conference he spoke to Polygon about the possibility of an Xbox handheld console as well as having digital storefronts like Itch.io and the Epic Games Store available on Xbox, alongside their own store.“This notion that Xbox can only be this one device that plugs into a television isn’t something we see in the Gen Z research because nothing else is like that for them,” he explained.“Some of them will have an iPhone, some will have an Android, but all the games and everything is the same [for both of them].

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fortnite may be introducing a new series of Jujutsu Kaisen skins as part of an upcoming event.Jujutsu Kaisen is a Japanese manga set in a world where negative emotions can manifest as Curses – a race of demonic entities bent on harming humanity. As well as a manga, Jujutsu Kaisen has gone on to inspire movies, TV shows, video games and a stage play.In celebration of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime’s second season, Fortnite launched a crossover event, with the 2023 limited-time collab featuring a number of skins and a dedicated quest.The skins made another brief return as part of Winterfest 2023 and last month, they were added to the Fortnite store.However, it looks like a new series of skins is set to come to Fortnite.Looking at Fortnite’s API, players have discovered code for a Jujutsu Kaisen cup as part of the ongoing Chapter 25, alongside dedicated leaderboards.Take this with a grain of salt, this could be changed in the upcoming future We may see a wave 2 of JJK skins due to an upcoming Skin Cup being developed for Season 2 pic.twitter.com/PGTtLfP9ae— Leaky (@LeakySussed) March 4, 2024“Take this with a grain of salt, this could be changed in the upcoming future,” added Twitter user Leaky, who shared proof of the rumoured update.The first event saw Gojo, Megumi, Yuji, and Nobara added to Fortnite, with players speculating that this second event could see Maki, Inumaki, Jogo, Panda, Sukuna, Geto, and Kenjaku coming to Epic’s Battle Royale.Last month, Lady Gaga made her Fortnite debut as part of dedicated music game Fortnite Festival.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has accidentally given players access to developer tools and revealed potential future content.Insomniac Games shared the 1.002.000 update yesterday (March 7), which introduced a New Game+ mode to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 alongside new suits, upgraded gadgets and the ability to replay missions.However, it also inadvertently gave players the ability to access the game’s debug menu – a developer tool used to jump about the game to check for bugs and launch various modifications.“We’re aware the latest game update may have inadvertently allowed access to a development game menu. There’s a hotfix on the way,” promised Insomniac before warning that “using this menu could corrupt your saves and trophy progress.“There is no risk associated with playing the game as intended,” they added.⚠️ We're aware the latest game update may have inadvertently allowed access to a development game menu.

Funcom, the studio behind Dune: Awakening, has confirmed the upcoming survival game will veer away from the source material.Dune: Awakening takes place years after the events of the 2021 film and will feature an “alternative” history, according to creative director, Joel Bylos. Funcom worked with both Legendary Pictures, the team behind the big-screen adaptations, as well as the family of Dune author Frank Herbet, but Awakening sees several supposedly-dead characters still alive.That’s not the only change either, with Dune: Awakening “side-stepping” the religious-driven narrative of the original Dune story.“We agree that religion is an integral part of the Dune universe.

Overwatch 2 kicks off its crossover with ’90s sci-fi anime Cowboy Bebop today (March 7), we caught up with Overwatch art director Dion Rogers to learn more about the combination.Though this is Blizzard’s first Cowboy Bebop crossover, Rogers told NME that the team behind Overwatch are “huge fans” of the anime, and it inspired some of the game’s visuals during development.“Cowboy Bebop has an amazing art style blending various artistic influences [including] film noir, westerns and science fiction,” shared Rogers. “The anime’s visuals mix futuristic technology with a world that feels lived-in and with stylized characters that have real human emotions.”“Our game has a nice mix of east meets west art style, which helps fit the Cowboy Bebop aesthetics while maintaining the readability of our heroes,” they added.

Hunt: Showdown turns six this month, we caught up with design director Dennis Schwarz and acting game director Scott Lussier to discuss the game’s anniversary and future.Though developer Crytek already had experience with making first-person shooter (FPS) games thanks to its Crysis series, Schwarz told NME that Hunt: Showdown forced developers at the studio to rethink the way they were used to making games.“Many of our devs at the time came from a boxed-product mindset, where they’d work on a game for some time, release it, and then move on to another project,” said Schwarz. “With Hunt: Showdown being intended as a live product, the plan was to improve and maintain it for years to come.

Call Of Duty kicked off a crossover with AMC’s The Walking Dead, as original leading character Rick Grimes joined the game as a playable operator. With an operator skin for fan-favourite swordswoman Michonne Grimes still on the way, NME caught up with the people responsible for the crossover.Speaking to NME, Clayton Neuman, head of franchise at AMC, said that from “very early conversations,” it was agreed that Rick and Michonne were the best picks to represent The Walking Dead.“Since Rick’s last episode in season 9, there’s been this sort of fan fervour about what happened to him,” shared Neuman.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege creative director Alexander Karpazis has shut down talk of a sequel to the online tactical shooter.Despite being released in 2015, Rainbow Six Siege still has a huge playerbase, with over 100,000 concurrent players logging in over the weekend (via SteamDB) and regular updates from Ubisoft. However, Karpazis has no interest in a sequel.​​”I can confidently say that we have probably one of the best engines in the world when it comes to live PvP shooters,” he said at the 2024 Sieve International in Brazil [via PC Gamer].

Arrowhead Studios has said the ongoing issues with players accessing Helldivers 2 can’t be fixed by simply buying more servers.Helldivers 2 was released earlier this month and quickly became Sony Interactive Entertainment’s biggest ever launch on PC. It went on to rack up over one million sales in a handful of days.

Xbox has confirmed that four exclusive games will be released on rival consoles, after weeks of speculation.Earlier this month, several reports emerged that Microsoft was planning on releasing several big exclusives like Starfield, Indiana Jones & The Great Circle, Halo and Gears Of Wars on the PlayStation 5. Microsoft then confirmed a press conference to discuss the “vision for the future” of Xbox, which finally took place last night (February 15).Those rumours were swiftly debunked, but Microsoft did announce their intention “to take four games to the other consoles [PS5 and Nintendo Switch]”.

Palworld player has spent two weeks creating an entire Attack On Titan-inspired city.Sharing his creation on Reddit, Commercial_Neck8986 revealed a massive replica of the iconic central city from the Attack On Titan anime.Work began two weeks ago with a recreation of Attack On Titan’s Paradis Island. “My mission, make The Forgotten Island the next Paradis Island,” wrote Commercial_Neck8986 and things expanded from there.The entire project took two weeks and was created without the use of mods.

PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch in November 2023.Games that had this content tag accounted for less than two per cent of Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo’s roster of titles available on their digital storefronts.

Doctor Who, has said that the rumour that the sci-fi show is crossing over with Fortnite is a “myth”.Sharing a photo on Instagram of his appearance on BBC Radio 4, a commenter asked if there was anything he could share about the potential crossover.A post shared by Russell T Davies (@russelltdavies63)“There isn’t one!” replied Davies of the hypothetical Doctor Who and Fortnite collaboration. “It’s a complete myth, I’m afraid x”.Eurogamer noted that the denial of the crossover was a surprise because a slew of reliable Fortnite and Doctor Who leakers revealed very convincing specifics on it.

Atlus has announced that Persona 3 Reload is the fastest-selling game in the history of the company.Atlus West posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Persona 3 Reload has sold over a million copies in the first week of release, making it the fastest-selling game that the company has ever published.The game was launched on February 2 across all platforms. The game was originally revealed by Xbox in June of last year, along with the reveal that the game would be launching on Xbox Game Pass at no additional price to existing subscribers.As reported by Persona Central back in 2021, the Persona series had hit fifteen million sales by the end of Fiscal Year 2021, meaning that Persona 3 Reload has already sold roughly a fifteenth of what the entire series had sold in by the end of its 25th anniversary year.NME reviewed Persona 3 Reload, with our reviewer calling the game a “must-play marvel”.“As the sums of its parts, Reload is phenomenal as both a remake and a standalone game.

ZeniMax has revealed big plans happening in The Elder Scrolls: Online over the next twelve months, including a new expansion, a roadmap and a pack of downloadable dungeons.Revealed as part of Microsoft’s most recent Xbox Developer Direct, ZeniMax confirmed that the Gold Road expansion would be released in June for The Elder Scrolls: Online.Released June 3 for PC and coming to Xbox and PlytStation consoles on June 18, Gold Road will bring 30 hours of new main quest content to Elder Scrolls: Online, including a storyline with never-before-seen characters and new, but familiar zones for players to explore.The new chapter of The Elder Scrolls: Online will pick up where last year’s Necrom left off, and will return players to locations last seen in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.“In Gold Road players must investigate Ithelia, a Daedric Prince never seen before in the Elder Scrolls series and it’s up to players to uncover the schemes of her most devoted followers. Adventurers will encounter opportunistic woodeElves, and protect the people of West Weald from the chaos of the Forgotten Prince’s return,” said ZeniMax in a blog.

Ubisoft has launched a new update for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, bringing New Game Plus mode to the action adventure game.Update 1.0.6 went live today (December 12) and introduces New Game Plus mode to Assassin’s Creed Mirage. “Upon completing the main story on any difficulty, start a new game while keeping all collected skills and gear/costumes from your first playthrough,” reads the patch notes.Players will also be able to start New Game Plus playthrough via the title screen or pause menu, as well as being able to skip the prologue and start directly in Baghdad.Starting a New Game Plus playthrough will also unlock Bayek’s Medjay outfit from Assassin’s Creed Origins.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has hinted that a new Banjo-Kazooie title could be in the works.The original Banjo-Kazooie was released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 and was followed by three sequels and a spin-off racing game with the last game in the series (Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts) coming in 2008.Since then, the games have been re-released for Xbox while the original Banjo-Kazooie was added to the Nintendo Switch Online library at the start of last year, but there’s been no news about further additions to the series.However, in a new interview with Windows Central, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has hinted that new Banjo-Kazooie adventures could be on the cards. “You’ve seen from our history that we haven’t touched every franchise that people would love us to touch,” he said, before he added “Banjo fans, I hear you.”“But it is true that, when we find the right team, and the right opportunity, I love going back to revisit stories and characters that we’ve seen previously,” he continued.

Fortnite has confirmed a massive collaboration with Lego, with a series of skins and a new survival crafting mode coming to the game.Set to launch December 7, the update will bring a new Lego-themed survival crafting mode⁠ to Fortnite alongside a number of updates skins.The Lego skins will be a free alternative to a number of existing skins, with the mini-fig look available via player’s wardrobes. Several emojis will also have a Lego reworking.According to Epic Games, 1200 Lego skins will be available at launch, with a number of those “highly detailed”. Taking to social media, developers explained: “To get ready for the adventure that is the upcoming Lego Fortnite we wanted as many Lego Styles available ASAP.

The Rolling Stones have confirmed a collaboration with EA Sports FC 24, with the iconic rock & roll band designing an in-game vanity kit.The kit is one of three new artist-designed outfits coming to EA Sports FC 24, with DJ Michaël Brun and afropop star Obongjayar also working on special vanity kits.“I’ve been an EA Sports fan my whole life, so to be able to create my own kit in EA Sports FC 24 is honestly a dream come true,” said Brun in a statement. “Being able to merge my culture, my love of football and fashion in one collaboration is a true honour.

The Walking Dead game allowing players to change the timeline of the hit AMC show has gone viral over the weekend but for all the wrong reasons.Released over the weekend, The Walking Dead: Destinies has been developed by Flux Games and published by GameMill Entertainment. “Change the course of AMC’s The Walking Dead history,” reads the game’s description.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has confirmed details of three new maps as part of the free Season 1 update, due later this year.Modern Warfare 3 was released earlier this month but Activision Blizzard are already planning on expanding the game with a free update. According to a Call Of Duty developers blog, three new 6×6 multiplayer will be added to the title, with both Meat and Greece available as soon as Season 1 launches.Meat is described as a “compact map centred around the East Bay Meats slaughterhouse” while Greece is a “medium-sized Mediterranean-inspired Map based on a coastal town.”A third map, Rio, will allow players to “take in the bright colours, tight quarters, and elegant streets in a fight through an upscale shopping centre,” and will be available at a later date during Season 1.Further details about the 6×6 maps and information about returning 2×2 maps will be shared as part of the official Season 1 blog, but Activision Blizzard have shared information about the all-new Urzikstan map.

Payday 3 is adding two levels from Payday 2 to the game as part of a free update later this month.Developer Starbreeze Entertainment announced the news in a post on its website, which revealed the update will “reimagine” two classic heists: Cook Off, which tasks players with batch-cooking methamphetamine, and stealthy robbery Turbid Station.The developer added that the update, currently scheduled for release in November 2023, is planned to have a “new skill line, brand new first-person interaction animations, Infamy Points to heist payout, two new banging tracks from Gustavo Coutinho and more than 200 additional bug fixes and improvements”.There’s no official word on when to expect this update other than November of this year, but Starbreeze Entertainment has been patching Payday 3 following its launch troubles.Upon release, the game was criticised for bugs, server issues, and slow progression. A major complaint was from PlayStation owners, who reported that they couldn’t access special pre-order bonuses at all.We gave Payday 3 three stars in our review, and criticised its lack of heists and shallow stealth.“Payday 3 is brilliant fun, but it wears thin very fast,” the review reads.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3‘s campaign is reportedly three to four hours long, and the length of that campaign versus previous campaigns is being debated by the fans.Early access for the game’s single-player is active now for those who have pre-ordered Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. As such, spoilers are running rampant on social media, as well as conversation on the campaign’s apparent length.“It took me 4 hours and I was attempting to stealth all the open combat missions and looking for extra equipment,” said one player on Reddit.

Destiny 2 has admitted that it has “lost a lot of [players] trust” after announcements about layoffs and a possible delay to the new expansion.“This has been one of the most difficult weeks in our studio’s history,” said Bungie in a post to its official website.On October 30, CEO Pete Parsons confirmed that there were losses at the developer, however neither the number nor the departments were specified. Independent analysts attributed this to a wider “restructuring” at PlayStation, of which Bungie is a subsidiary.“We’ve spent this week supporting one another, including those who are at the studio, as well as friends and colleagues who no longer are,” continued Bungie.Additionally, Bloomberg published a report this week that alleged the expansion The Final Shape is going to be released in June 2024 rather than February 2024.In this post, Bungie did not acknowledge this assertion, and shared its ambition to “make The Final Shape an unforgettable Destiny experience”.“We want to build something that will be regarded alongside the best games we’ve ever made – a fitting culmination that honors the journey we’ve been on together for the past ten years.