Square Enix just announced the final season of Foamstars, the colorful, unique 4v4 PvP party shooter for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. After the new season, which will run from December 13, 2024, to January 17, 2025, Square Enix will stop providing seasonal updates to Foamstars, effectively marking the end of the game's live service. It won't be the end of Foamstars entirely, though, since the game and its servers will remain live after the final season ends—with all previous seasons' content available, to boot. Still, without additional content coming, the future of Foamstars is uncertain, and many are already asking how long the game will remain interesting to players, especially in a genre that has so many alternatives.

In order to stem the inevitable player exodus and attract new players, despite the effective discontinuation of development, Square Enix is planning a series of in-game events it calls the Foamstars Cup. Along with the new season, Square Enix will also introduce customizable character shots and a handful of other enhancements. Foamstars went free-to-play earlier this year, shortly after its launch, likely as a move to attract new players, but the effective abandonment of the game by Square Enix is something of an indication that even this wasn't enough to justify further development of the game beyond what Square Enix is promising after this final season.

Assassin's Creed Shadows has had a bit of a rough time of late, with Ubisoft initially pulling out of the Tokyo Game Show entirely and delaying the launch of Shadows to February 2025, attributing its absence at the show to the buggy, incomplete nature of the 2025 entry into the Assassin's franchise. In the announcement confirming the launch delay and the Tokyo Game Show Absence, Ubisoft also communicated that it would be shaking up the Assassin's Creed launch and monetization strategy significantly. Apparently as part of that monetization switch-up, Ubisoft has also changed the price of the Assassin's Creed Shadows Collector's Edition, cutting it by a whopping $50.

Ubisoft confirmed the price change on Discord in an official Q&A, announcing that, due to dropping the three-day early access that Collector's Edition buyers would originally have received, the Collector's Edition would now cost $229.99 instead of the previous price of $279.99. Meanwhile, the Collector's Edition will still include all the other paraphernalia and real-world loot that it originally bundled. The aforementioned delay and changes to the monetization strategy not only saw the cancellation of the Season Pass model previously used by Ubisoft, but it also meant that all Assassin's Creed Shadows players would also get the game's first expansion for free along with the base game.

There have been a slew of changes for the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows launch, and the latest announcement out of Ubisoft promises some serious changes to the game's launch strategy. Not only will the game be delayed by almost four months, but it will now launch on PC via Steam at the same time as PS5 and Xbox consoles, and Ubisoft is apparently ditching the season pass model that it previously resorted to for major game launches.

In a previous article, we detailed the delays to Assassin's Creed Shadows, but further information was revealed in a Ubisoft trading update (PDF):

We are departing from the traditional Season Pass model. All players will be able to enjoy the game at the same time on February 14 and those who preorder the game will be granted the first expansion for free.

Coinciding with the upcoming start of the European Football Championship, astragon Entertainment and weltenbauer. Software Entwicklung are pleased to announce the latest DLC for the popular Construction Simulator. The Construction Simulator - Stadium Expansion will be released on June 06, 2024 on the digital stores for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One and will bring a brand-new major contract to the game's European map - the construction of a football stadium and its associated infrastructure!

With the Construction Simulator - Stadium Expansion, construction enthusiasts will have the opportunity to contribute to the construction of a football stadium and its facilities on the game's European map. The campaign, which adds more than 30 hours of gameplay, involves building the stadium itself as well as a pedestrian bridge, a parking area, a multi-storey car park and a clubhouse. Once the stadium, including its newly erected spectator stands, VIP lounges and the impressive entrance area of the building, has been completed, the final touches can be added to the epic scenery - the construction of the pitch and the installation of the floodlights. And then it's time for the kick-off in the Friedenberg Arena!The company's teaser video follows.

Surprise! We're still here, and not just here - we have a whole year's worth of content coming to you! NFS turns 30 this year, and with that huge legacy, we couldn't stand idle. However, this year will be a bit different from the previous one. Because here's the thing—the NFS legacy signifies different things to each and every one of you. Some of you were there at the start of it all on Road and Track. Some of you will remember taking on the Eastsiders in Olympic City or smashing your way through the Blacklist in Rockport. Or you might have started playing more recently. Hustling by day and risking it all by night in Palm City. No matter your memory, we all have a shared love of NFS, and we want to build new memories over the next 12 months.

But, we'll be honest and admit we can't build everything everyone wants right now, but we can decide together what NFS should be in the future. Our vision is that through our second year of live service, you can, for the first time, begin to play the ultimate NFS experience in one place. Your feedback and gameplay will help shape the future of this iconic franchise. As you play, we will be listening, observing and reacting to the things you want to see and those you don't. It's an approach that we're calling Kaizen.

Skull and Bones sets sail on February 16, welcoming players to the cutthroat world of the Indian Ocean during the Golden Age of Piracy. While you start off as a shipwrecked outcast, you'll fight, forge alliances, and make enemies as you build your empire and become a kingpin of the seas. And the adventure doesn't stop once you've reached the top. As a kingpin, you'll have the power to take on difficult endgame events and challenges to earn more riches and unlock new items, but that's just the start. Skull and Bones' first year will bring four seasons of new enemies to the Indian Ocean, starting with a pestilent pirate lord who rains poison from the sky.

In a recent co-op gameplay session, we had the opportunity to play around in Skull and Bones' endgame. Playing at the Kingpin level, the highest Infamy ranking, we had a fleet of ships and an arsenal of weapons at our disposal to plunder outposts and seize their means of production, hunt down a devastating sea monster, and sail into battle against the aforementioned pirate lord. Skull and Bones endgame is full of opportunities to take on legendary challenges, cement yourself as a powerhouse in different regions of the Indian Ocean, and even change up a few game mechanics.

Fight through fearsome Vaults and avoid lethal hazards while fighting alongside your Seneschal Companion in Diablo IV's Season of the Construct. Later today (January 23), dive into a new Seasonal Questline where you'll receive your very own Seneschal Construct. As an exclusive deep dive for Season of the Construct, we're going to give an overview of how to earn your Construct and the Stones needed to increase their lethality. Here's the insider scoop on key builds you can use to obliterate your enemies.

Crush, conquer, Constructs
The Seneschal Construct is obtained during the Seasonal Questline in Season of the Construct. To begin the Seasonal Questline, you'll need to create a new Seasonal Character and select the Skip Main Campaign option to dive right in. If you have not yet completed the Main Campaign, create a new character on the Seasonal realm, complete the prologue, and then use the Skip Main Campaign option to access the Seasonal Questline. Once your Seneschal Companion is obtained, your next step is to customize them with Governing and Tuning Stones. Governing Stones give your companion a variety of abilities, ranging from launching smaller Constructs to detonate on impact to shooting down enemy projectiles. Tuning Stones modify the skills of the associated Governing Stones, such as increasing the attack speed or instantly destroying enemy barriers. Each Construct can be customized with two Governing Stones and six Tuning Stones (three Tuning stones to modify one Governing Stone), leading to a variety of potent combinations to uncover.

The mission doesn't end after you save the world. In episode 3 of Suicide Squad Insider (viewable below), the team at Rocksteady gives a sneak peek at the post-launch content coming to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Gather your personally customized Squad to continue the fight, and test your mettle against others. From the creators of Batman: Arkham, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a genre-defying third-person action shooter where the ultimate band of misfits must do the impossible: Kill the Justice League. Join the newly "recruited" members of Amanda Waller's infamous Task Force X (aka the Suicide Squad), Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and King Shark, as they set out on an impossible mission to Kill the Justice League.

Drop into an expansive and dynamic open-world Metropolis ravaged by Brainiac's invasion and terrorized by the heroes who once protected it. Each Squad member brings their own traversal mechanics to help them navigate a sprawling and battle-torn Metropolis, combining free-roaming exploration and combat verticality for an unforgettable experience. Players are free to experiment with a variety of different play styles to unleash maximum damage on their enemies. Whether in single player or online with up to three of your friends, players can take on this suicide mission their own way. Post-launch, players can expect a continuously evolving Metropolis with free new playable villains, environments, weapons, in-game events, and more, all included with purchase of the base game. There's more than just the end of the world coming for the Suicide Squad in 2024.

Well met, wanderer...corruption has befallen Sanctuary in Season of the Malignant, the first Season of Diablo IV. On July 20 at 10 a.m. PDT, a new Season Journey, Questline, Boss, Dungeons, Battle Pass, and more will go live—we'll give you a preview below. On July 18, we'll release another article shedding even more light on what's coming with the new Season, including 6 new Unique Items and 7 Legendary Aspects.

SEASON OF THE MALIGNANT THEME
A deviant form of Lilith's sinister machinations has given birth to a new threat, Malignant Monsters. These decaying abominations roam Sanctuary in a frenzy, mindlessly attacking anyone in range without hesitation. Wanderers will investigate this mysterious malady in a new Questline with the help of Cormond, a former priest of the Cathedral of Light, who also trains you to capture the Malignant Hearts fueling these foul beasts and convert them into build-altering powers. The malignancy that's taken hold of the Burning Hells' armies cannot remain unchecked—you must snuff it out at the source before all of Sanctuary becomes its thrall.

Today, Rebellion, one of the world's most successful independent video game developers and publishers, is thrilled to announce the launch of the highly anticipated Kraken Awakes, the final content pack for Season Pass Two of Sniper Elite 5. Prepare to unleash chaos against Operation Kraken and prove your sniping prowess on all platforms, including Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

Intel gathered in previous missions has revealed that Operation Kraken is still a looming threat that demands your immediate action. Karl Fairburne, the legendary sniper, must utilise the cover of darkness and harness the power of shadows to sabotage an under-construction aircraft carrier, that is the new home of Operation Kraken, and ensure it never sets sail. The fate of the Allies hangs in the balance as you face off against Friedrich Vogel, former deputy to Abelard Möller and the new mastermind behind this diabolical scheme.

The Diablo franchise's general manager Rod Fergusson appeared on the Kinda Funny Xcast last week, only a few days before the fourth game's full launch - episode 140's interview segment focused on Blizzard's final preparations and post-game content (seasonal and possible DLC) calendar. Fergusson indicated that his team was very busy and will have more work to do: "As I sit here we're about to launch the main game, we're finishing up season one, we're working on season two, we're working on expansion one, we're kicking off expansion two…we're working on that now and we haven't even launched the game."

Blizzard Entertainment received much criticism for its slow and sparse trickle out of seasonal material for Diablo III, and Fergusson is keen to not repeat similar post-launch patterns with the latest entry in a very long running series (the first game debuted back in January 1997!). Diablo IV has been built with a live-service format in mind - thus allowing for greater and more substantial content to be delivered over seasonal time periods. Blizzard is likely aiming to compete with the likes of Bungie (Destiny 2) in terms of keeping an online game alive for a while - Fergusson outlines a key goal for his team: "We're going to be supporting Diablo 4 for years to come - (with) very rich seasons, much richer than we had in Diablo 3."

Over the last few months, we have communicated details about customization, Endgame offerings, moment-to-moment gameplay, and given players a first-hand taste of Sanctuary through Act I during our Early Access and Open Beta Weekends. But what about the post-launch experience, and how do we plan to increase the heat? We'll answer this question by explaining our approach to Seasons, Season Journeys, Battle Pass, and the Shop, and how they work in unison to enhance and diversify the robust campaign and Endgame offerings available to players at launch. There was also a Diablo IV Developer Update Livestream today (see below) that further expands on the aforementioned areas—give it a watch after reading this blog.

Stoking the Flames of Hell: Seasons
Seasons are quarterly releases that will add additional gameplay features, questlines (with new and old faces alike), Battle Passes, Legendary Items, class balance changes, quality-of-life improvements, and much more. Seasons will introduce fresh concepts and ideas into the world of Sanctuary, for all wanderers to enjoy while simultaneously iterating upon your baseline experience. Above all, we want Seasons to be celebratory moments; something to look forward to and enjoy with your friends and other members of the Diablo community. Season 1 will begin in mid to late July, and to embark on this next chapter, you must first complete the Campaign. Because of this, we recommend you begin your pursuit of Lilith in advance so you can jump into the first Season as soon as it becomes available.

A brand new Age of Wonders is almost here! The newest installment in the iconic fantasy strategy game series from Triumph Studios, Age of Wonders 4, will launch on May 2, 2023 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. Rule a Fantasy Realm of your Own Design! Powerful Wizard Kings have returned to the realms to reign as gods among mortals. Claim and master the Tomes of Magic to evolve your people, and prepare for an epic battle that will determine the ages to come. Explore new magical realms in Age of Wonders' signature blend of 4X strategy and turn-based tactical combat. Control a faction that grows and changes as you expand your empire with each turn. Experience an endlessly replayable experience, where each game adds a new chapter to your ever-growing saga.

Aric Rex Ruler & Athlan Imperial Armour Set
Rulers! We are happy to announce that Age of Wonders 4 is finally available for pre-order on all supported platforms. Don't miss the chance to rule a fantasy realm of your own design! Pre-order today to claim an additional ruler and armor set: Aric Rex, a Tigran High King, and his elegant Lion Plate armor, Imperial Cape and Athlan Crown. The game now is available in two editions: Standard and Premium, which includes an Expansion pass. Regardless of which edition you buy, a special pre-order bonus will be waiting for you in the game after the release.

Today, Ubisoft hosted Division Day, a special event where the creative team behind The Division franchise gave a sneak peek at everything that's coming soon. The Division 2 team revealed their Year 5 roadmap and Season One: Broken Wings; The Division Heartland made its cinematic debut; The Division Resurgence announced a new testing phase; and several other projects including an upcoming Webtoon and first look at unique action figures were revealed. Here's a roundup of everything covered during Ubisoft's Division Day showcase:

The Division Heartland, the upcoming free-to-play PvEvP, survival-action shooter, made its cinematic debut during the Division Day showcase, showing off the town of Silver Creek, teasing the enemy factions and mysterious virus players will face. The Division Heartland will go into Closed Beta later this year; if you want to be part of it, head over to thedivisionheartland.com to register for a chance to participate, as well as receive five friend invites.

Grab a friend and prepare to battle against another Duo when Gunfight returns in Season 03 of Call of Duty : Modern Warfare II, launching on April 12. In this round-based match, players must use randomly assigned Loadouts to overcome the opposition and secure the round win. And with just one life per round, every move counts. Whether you need to brush up on the returning mode or this is your first 2v2 duel, read on for the rules of engagement and tips for achieving victory. The world of Call of Duty : Modern Warfare II is in chaos with a global power struggle playing out in plain sight.

Gunfight 101
In Gunfight, two teams of two compete in a round-based match. There are no respawns and no health regeneration, and all players are assigned the same randomized Loadout at the start of each round. The assigned Loadout changes every two rounds, and you never know what you're going to get; you may be trading shots from afar with Sniper Rifles one round, then rushing in with Shotguns the next. Each Loadout includes a lethal and tactical equipment.

Jack is back… and he's punching his way onto Steam! The action RPG is now available on the platform: here's everything you need to know about it. Many of you will be familiar with STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN's Jack Garland: expert swordsman, skilled white mage, destructive black mage, deadly dragoon, powerful pugilist… and that's not even half of it. We can now add one more achievement to his impressive resume: available on Steam! Yes, get ready for some chaotic FINAL FANTASY carnage! Read on and we'll tell you everything you need to know about the game and its Steam release.

What is STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN?
Some of you unfamiliar with the game may be wondering what this game is all about. Long story short, it's about action - brilliantly brutal, fast-paced action that tests your reactions and battle strategy in equal measure. Developed by KOEI TECMO GAMES (Nioh series), STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN is a dark and visceral action RPG that presents a bold take on the FINAL FANTASY series, while celebrating its amazing 35 year legacy! You play as Jack Garland, who along with his allies Ash, Jed, Neon and Sophia, sets off from the Kingdom of Cornelia to defeat Chaos. If you're a fan of the original FINAL FANTASY game, some of those names may be ringing a bell, but we'll let you discover what it all means.

Overwatch 2 Season 4 launches April 11! Blossom onto the battlefield with our newest Support Hero Lifeweaver, progress through the Battle Pass to earn rewards including Mythic Galactic Emperor Sigma, and fight for your faction when The Watchers and The Infinite Empire clash in the Starwatch event! Explore Talantis, the first-ever map made in collaboration with the community. Enjoy major quality-of-life updates with a revamped Competitive experience.

Watch the trailer to see what to expect with this upcoming season, which brings the new Support Hero Lifeweaver, a new Battle Pass, the community-made map called Talantis, and more. Progress through the Battle Pass to earn rewards including Mythic Galactic Emperor Sigma, and fight for your faction when The Watchers and The Infinite Empire clash in the Starwatch event.

The first big DLC of 2020's bright spots, "DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part One" will release on 20th October, 2020, and will be available to holders of the Year One Season Pass. id Software posted the first full-length trailer of the DLC, which serves as an extension of the original's campaign. The fall of the Khan Makyr has imbalanced creation. Doomguy along with his Makyr ally, the Seraphim, has to fight his way back to Urdak to restore the balance of power. On his way, he will face new horrors as the trailer reveals.

We spy several new levels across the four worlds - the Earth, Hell, the Sentinel homeworld, and Urdak. There are several new enemies, including the summoner, which makes a comeback from DOOM (2016), but completely changed from the Archvile. It now possesses, heals, and possibly buffs demons in an arena. There's a new Makyr heavy which we put in the same category as the DOOM Hunter. A scene also shows us resurrect a Titan of Hell. Do we finally get to use the mech inside the Fortress of DOOM? Find out this October.The trailer follows.

Well, add this one decision by Activision to either a sensible, forward-thinking, profit-maximizing business decision or as another in a death by a thousand cuts scenario for the Call of Duty series. As big a behemoth as the series is, we doubt this will see the end of it; but whatever the side of that particular fence you're on, the decision to lock all eventually-launched DLC content behind a pay-once, get-it-all paywall seems to have struck the wrong cord with gamers and fans of the series.

Activision has announced that all future DLC releases will only be available and launched for Season Pass holders, and won't be able to be purchased in separate packages. There may be various reasons for this decision; one of them is that gamers are paying the development cost for DLC upfront, and thus, Activision knows exactly how much it can stretch the budget in each of the content releases. They can't change the actual release contents - those are set with the Season pass Announcement - but it's almost guaranteed they will scale back in map and asset complexity according to how many Season Pass bundles they sell - and thus, money they make.

Ubisoft has seemingly taken the "no holds barred" approach to the Season Pass and DLC packages for its upcoming Far Cry 5 game. Building upon one of its most well recognized franchises, Ubisoft has apparently (if allegedly, for now; we'll see when the actual content drops) for a CD Projekt Red-esque approach to DLC. Whereas before DLC options were relatively mundane and wouldn't set anyone's world on fire (except for Far Cry 3's expansion Blood Dragon), the company today announced that the Season Pass for Far Cry 5 will include three distinct environments for players to do battle in, alongside access to a digital copy of Far Cry 3 Classic Edition (the one with Vaas and the definition of insanity, yes).