Todd Howard Believes Larian Studios Deserves The Success It Found In Baldur’s Gate 3

Arkane Austin’s co-op vampire shooter, Redfall, will receive its fourth and final major update soon.

The official Redfall Twitter account posted that Redfall’s Game Update 4 is bringing several quality-of-life features to the game. This include revamped Neighborhood and Nest systems, an offline mode, the ability to pause during single-player sessions, and more. The development team didn’t say when the update will go live, but will provide more details at a later date.

Earlier this month, Microsoft shut down several of its studios, including Arkane Austin. Xbox executive Matt Booty stated that Redfall’s most-recent update was going to be its last one as development comes to a close. However, that doesn’t seem to the case anymore. Booty also confirmed that Redfall’s servers will remain online.

It seems like Game Update 4 only contains quality-of-life changes, as there’s no mention of any additional story content. Those who purchased the premium editions of the game were entitled to two extra playable heroes. After Arkane Austin’s closure, however, they were instead promised credits for the undelivered content.

Redfall is available on PC and Xbox Series X|S, as well as Xbox Game Pass. The game is included in a Fanatical bundle (both GameSpot and Fanatical are owned by Fandom) as part of the Supreme Collection.

EA has revealed a first look at the gameplay for EA Sports College Football 25, showcasing several new features ahead of the game’s release in July. This year’s take on college football puts a fast-paced emphasis on the sport, includes all 134 FBS schools, and the return of popular modes Dynasty and Road To Glory.

Some of the new features that fans can expect include a “Wear and Tear System” for your players, and you’ll need to actively manage the health of your team by monitoring athletes and using strategic substitutions to keep them in fighting shape. Game-altering homefield advantages will also play a crucial part in buffing your team and EA says its new Pre-Snap Recognition feature makes the decision behind every snap matter more, motivating you to make the right decision and read the field during crucial moments.

The game is also aiming to be more authentic than ever before as it seeks to replicate the atmosphere of colleges during big football events. There’s an expanded focus on sights, sounds, fight songs, mascots, commentators of games, and several other unique touches will help to bring each college to life. On the commentary side, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call the games, while Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, and David Pollack will lead the play-by-play analysis of other games.

EA Sports College Football 25 launches on July 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with three days of early access available for Deluxe Edition buyers, and EA Play subscribers can get a 10-hour trial starting July 16. This year’s cover stars include Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, and Colorado wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter.

Dune: Part Two released on Blu-ray earlier this week, and fans who haven’t picked up a copy yet can take advantage of a nice deal on a 4K two-film collection containing Parts One and Two of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune adaptation for a nice discount. The Dune 2-Film Collection on 4K Blu-ray is available to purchase for $45 while supplies last.

Dune 2-Film Collection Special Features

Aside from its great price and the two films, this bundle comes with over an hour of bonus features. You’ll get a variety of featurettes, including:

• Creating the Fremen World
• Chakobsa Training
• Worm-Riding
• Deeper into the Desert: The Sounds of Dune

That’s a pretty great lineup of extras–if you’re a big Dune fan, they’re likely worth the price of admission.

While this bundle is the most enticing Dune deal available right now, it’s not your only option. You’ll find standalone copies of Dune and Dune: Part Two on 4K Blu-ray discounted, clocking in at $21 and $30, respectively. Dune: Part One is part of Amazon’s gigantic Blu-ray sale that lets you get three 4K Blu-rays for $33. So if you’re looking to add more to your collection than Dune, be sure to check it out.

Summer Game Fest is promising the unveiling of the “next iteration” in a big 2K Games franchise next month, coming shortly after Take-Two Interactive mentioned as such in an earnings briefing. No clues were dished out, but that’s not stopping speculation.

The official Summer Game Fest account on X (formerly known as Twitter) specifically stated the title will come from “one of 2K’s biggest and most beloved franchises.” Go ahead and count out Grand Theft Auto VI, for a few reasons. First, it’s under Take-Two’s Rockstar Games label instead of 2K. Additionally, the game has already been revealed and Take-Two has set a Fall 2025 release window for the anticipated game.

According to Insider Gaming, Borderlands 4 from Gearbox seems like the safest bet to show up at Summer Game Fest. In fact, Borderlands 4 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderland 2 leaked late last year on a game developer’s LinkedIn profile. That wasn’t the first rumor about Borderlands 4, either, and there’s also a Borderlands movie premiering in theaters this August.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick also discussed the Borderlands and Tiny Tina franchises on the earnings call earlier this week. “… [Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford] is a hit maker,” Zelnick said. “And it’s very hard to make a new hit, and Tiny Tina was a new hit. And of course, Borderlands just goes from strength to strength. So we’re thrilled to have Gearbox in the family.” Earlier this year, Take-Two acquired Gearbox for $460 million.

Another possibility is a new entry in the BioShock series. In 2019, 2K Games announced the next BioShock was in development at Cloud Chamber, which has studio offices in California and Canada. The last installment in the franchise was BioShock Infinite in 2013, which was over a decade ago.

One other guess that seems more unlikely is Mafia 4. Summer Game Fest will kick off Friday, June 7.

Artist and writer Junji Ito is a horror icon, with decades of weird, mind-bending stories full of upsetting imagery. Ito’s recent popularity has resulted in a Netflix series adapting some of his stories into anime, and another series, based on his excellent collection Uzumaki, is supposed to be dropping on Adult Swim, uh… sometime.

While you wait, you can preorder Alley, the latest collection of Ito stories to make their way to the U.S. Snag it on Amazon and you’ll get it at a discount when it releases on July 23.

Amazon is currently offering Alley at $22.50, 10% off its list price of $25. It’s Prime-eligible, and you’ll automatically get the lowest price offered between when you preorder and the book’s release.

There are a bunch more Ito books available with all sorts of stories, and they’re all available on Amazon–many at a discount. For anyone just getting into Ito’s work, you’ll want to start with Uzumaki, in which a whole town slowly descends into madness as they obsess over spirals. Tomei should be on your radar next, about a woman who compels an intense love in people who meet her that always turns horrific. Finally, grab Gyo, a book centering on the very strange story of ocean creatures gaining robotic legs and invading the surface world.

Best Junji Ito Deals on Amazon

According to a new report, Microsoft will put this year’s new Call of Duty on Game Pass, though there continue to be numerous unanswered questions about all of this.

The Wall Street Journal reported this, though the story had no information about whether or not there may any additional fees, or if the price of Game Pass will go up. The Verge previously reported that Microsoft was thinking about raising the price of Game Pass Ultimate once again.

The site also reported that the new Call of Duty game, which could take place during the Gulf War, is expected to launch in late October. It’s expected to be available for separate purchase across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

Video game analyst Daniel Ahmad said on social media, “This is the right move for Microsoft because it’s a multiplatform title that is being sold for $70 outside of the subscription and because it’s a live service title with in-game purchases.” Ahmad added, “That model can also work for other first-party games.”

Microsoft paid more than $74.5 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard and the Call of Duty franchise. This was by far Microsoft’s biggest acquisition ever.

Ever since Microsoft’s deal to buy Activision Blizzard was announced in January 2022, many have wondered if new or catalog Call of Duty games would arrive on Game Pass. That still hasn’t happened, though. The Call of Duty franchise is a sales juggernaut, with its games regularly ranking as among the best-selling games of the year. Putting new Call of Duty games on Game Pass could interrupt this in some way, many have theorized, and Microsoft itself was said to be debating what to do.

The new Call of Duty game for 2024 has not yet been announced, but a reveal could happen anytime now, if historical trends follow. 2023’s Modern Warfare III, for example, was announced in August 2023, though many believe this year’s game will be announced sooner. In fact, the mystery event following the Xbox Games Showcase in June could be for the next Call of Duty.

For more, check out GameSpot’s rundown of everything we know about the next Call of Duty. Whatever the game turns out to be, it will join Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, and Call of Duty: Mobile on the market at the same time.