Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have added the option to pay for XP and resource collection boosts using real money in Marvel's Avengers. The move has been slated by many fans who believe it offers a stark contrast to previous statements made surrounding the game's monetization tactics.

Marvel's Avengers' recent addition to Xbox Game Pass is likely to have brought a range of new players to the game. For pre-existing fans, however, news of the game's move to the new platform was shortly followed by the more troubling reality that its in-game marketplace now offers players the option to purchase boost-based 'consumables' using credits that can only be acquired through spending real money.

As reported by VGC, the game's new consumables can be purchased to temporarily increase the amount of XP and resources that a player can acquire while playing the game. This essentially allows for fans to make faster progress - so long as they're happy to spend real money doing so.

News of the change in monetization tactics has left fans over on the Marvel's Avengers subreddit in uproar, with many feeling that the move directly contrasts a number of previous comments promising that a "pay-to-win" style system would never be introduced into the game.

Prior to the game's release studio lead Scot Amos spoke about the game's approach to monetization with GamesIndustry.biz, saying, "In terms of how we monetise, we'll have cosmetics. No gameplay paywalls." As spotted on the subreddit, a blog post written on the game's website in September 2020 echoed similar statements, saying: “We’ve committed that content purchasable with real money in Marvel’s Avengers will be aesthetic-only additions, which will ensure we can keep the game fresh for years to come.”

While members of the game's community have been vocal with their anger surrounding the decision, many aren't particularly surprised - with a number of community members claiming that they'd anticipated the move ever since the game made XP progression changes earlier this year. "We saw it 7 months ago, when they announced the XP nerf," says user echild07.

Regardless of whether fans anticipated the decision or not, it sounds like the developer's decision to renegotiate on its previous comments is a step too far for some. "Uninstalled today. Don’t think I’ll worry about coming back for spider man either," says one user. "Can’t be bothered to support a company with 0 integrity. Will not purchase another Crystal Dynamics game again."

In other Marvel's Avengers news, Crystal Dynamics recently announced that its upcoming Spider-Man DLC will include additional story and cutscenes when the character launches for PlayStation users later this year. For more on Marvel's Avengers, make sure to check out our review.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have added the option to pay for XP and resource collection boosts using real money in Marvel's Avengers. The move has been slated by many fans who believe it offers a stark contrast to previous statements made surrounding the game's monetization tactics.

Marvel's Avengers' recent addition to Xbox Game Pass is likely to have brought a range of new players to the game. For pre-existing fans, however, news of the game's move to the new platform was shortly followed by the more troubling reality that its in-game marketplace now offers players the option to purchase boost-based 'consumables' using credits that can only be acquired through spending real money.

As reported by VGC, the game's new consumables can be purchased to temporarily increase the amount of XP and resources that a player can acquire while playing the game. This essentially allows for fans to make faster progress - so long as they're happy to spend real money doing so.

News of the change in monetization tactics has left fans over on the Marvel's Avengers subreddit in uproar, with many feeling that the move directly contrasts a number of previous comments promising that a "pay-to-win" style system would never be introduced into the game.

Prior to the game's release studio lead Scot Amos spoke about the game's approach to monetization with GamesIndustry.biz, saying, "In terms of how we monetise, we'll have cosmetics. No gameplay paywalls." As spotted on the subreddit, a blog post written on the game's website in September 2020 echoed similar statements, saying: “We’ve committed that content purchasable with real money in Marvel’s Avengers will be aesthetic-only additions, which will ensure we can keep the game fresh for years to come.”

While members of the game's community have been vocal with their anger surrounding the decision, many aren't particularly surprised - with a number of community members claiming that they'd anticipated the move ever since the game made XP progression changes earlier this year. "We saw it 7 months ago, when they announced the XP nerf," says user echild07.

Regardless of whether fans anticipated the decision or not, it sounds like the developer's decision to renegotiate on its previous comments is a step too far for some. "Uninstalled today. Don’t think I’ll worry about coming back for spider man either," says one user. "Can’t be bothered to support a company with 0 integrity. Will not purchase another Crystal Dynamics game again."

In other Marvel's Avengers news, Crystal Dynamics recently announced that its upcoming Spider-Man DLC will include additional story and cutscenes when the character launches for PlayStation users later this year. For more on Marvel's Avengers, make sure to check out our review.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Staff from Rocksteady Games are tweeting artwork from Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, which features detailed renders of each of the game's leading characters.

The art is set to be released individually throughout the day, but began started with an image of Deadshot, posted by Rocksteady's marketing manager, Gaz Deaves. "Here's the Man Who Never Misses," he said. "Check out that disappointed dad energy."

That was followed up by Rocksteady's new take on Harley Quinn, posted by associate producer Holly Gordon. "IT'S HARLEY QUINN, BABY!," Gordon wrote. "I'm so excited to share this fierce image of Harley and can't wait for you all to meet our badass and headstrong QUEEN in SSKTJL!"

Check out all the images in the gallery below, which we'll update as they arrive:

Sound designer Elly Johnson introduced Captain Boomerang, saying "Raise a tinnie for the one, the only, Captain Boomerang! Absolutely HONOURED to show you all my favourite speedy boy". Rounding out the four was advanced VFX artist Hanno Hinkelbein, who showed off King Shark, saying, "ALL HAIL THE KING! I’m happy to be ambassador for my favourite of the four, the fish with the most charming smile in the whole world - King Shark!"

The images so far appear to be slightly reworked versions of the existing key art for the game, but it's not clear if we'll see brand new images today too.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is the next game from Batman: Arkham developer Rocksteady, and more from the game is due to be revealed at DC Fandome this month. For more, here's everything we know about the Suicide Squad game, and the first trailer shown at DC Fandome last year.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Staff from Rocksteady Games are tweeting artwork from Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, which features detailed renders of each of the game's leading characters.

The art is set to be released individually throughout the day, but has started with this image of Deadshot, posted by Rocksteady's marketing manager, Gaz Deaves. "Here's the Man Who Never Misses," he said. "Check out that disappointed dad energy."

Rocksteady has promised further images, so expect art of playable characters Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark to appear in the coming hours.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is the next game from Batman: Arkham developer Rocksteady, and more from the game is due to be revealed at DC Fandome this month. For more, here's everything we know about the Suicide Squad game, and the first trailer shown at DC Fandome last year.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Lots of games are coming out so why don't we talk about them? Dale has played Far Cry 6 so tells us all about his adventures in Yara, Emma has finished Metroid Dread and lets you know why you should play it too, plus Cardy can't believe quite how good Hot Wheels Unleashed is and just how bad eFootball 2022 is.

Want to submit your own Endless Search, food opinion, or a bit of other nonsense? Feel free to get in touch with the podcast at: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast #613: Metroid Dread

• IGN UK Podcast #612: Finally, Time to Die
• IGN UK Podcast #611: New Spicy Arrakis Flavour
• IGN UK Podcast #610: Deathloops and Toffee Hoops
• IGN UK Podcast #609: Too Much Happened This Week
• IGN UK Podcast #608: A Far Cry from The Forgotten City

Lots of games are coming out so why don't we talk about them? Dale has played Far Cry 6 so tells us all about his adventures in Yara, Emma has finished Metroid Dread and lets you know why you should play it too, plus Cardy can't believe quite how good Hot Wheels Unleashed is and just how bad eFootball 2022 is.

Want to submit your own Endless Search, food opinion, or a bit of other nonsense? Feel free to get in touch with the podcast at: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast #613: Metroid Dread

• IGN UK Podcast #612: Finally, Time to Die
• IGN UK Podcast #611: New Spicy Arrakis Flavour
• IGN UK Podcast #610: Deathloops and Toffee Hoops
• IGN UK Podcast #609: Too Much Happened This Week
• IGN UK Podcast #608: A Far Cry from The Forgotten City

Square Enix and Eidos-Montréal have revealed the full licensed track list for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, which will go down well with any 80s and GTA: Vice City fan.

The soundtrack features 28 certified bangers from the 1980s, plus two original songs by “Star-Lord Band”, a fictional rock group from which the game's version of Star-Lord takes his name. The full track list can be seen below, as well as listened to on a variety of streaming services.

Additionally, Eidos-Montréal has also created two music videos for Star-Lord Band, with an 80s cartoons-inspired video for the single Zero to Hero, as well as a VHS-style video of Star-Lord Band performing the song on stage.

The soundtrack (which is apparently almost complete and so may feature more tracks) is as follows:

• Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley
• Kickstart My Heart - Motley Crue
• Turn Me Loose - Loverboy
• Holding Out for a Hero - Bonnie Tyler
• Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
• (Don’t Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
• Turn up the Radio - Autograph
• Don’t Worry Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin
• White Wedding - Pt.1 - Billy Idol
• Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
• Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung
• Rock Rock (Till You Drop) - Def Leppard
• Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears
• Hangin’ Tough - New Kids On The Block
• Tainted Love - Soft Cell
• I Ran (So Far Away) - A Flock Of Seagulls
• Every 1’s a Winner - Hot Chocolate
• I’ll Tumble 4 Ya - Culture Club
• We’re Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
• I love It Loud - KISS
• Take on Me - a-ha
• Love Song - Simple Minds
• Call Me - Blondie
• Since You Been Gone - Rainbow
• Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
• The Warrior - Scandal, Patty Smyth
• We Built This City - Starship
• The Final Countdown - Europe
• Zero to Hero - Star-Lord Band
• Space Riders with No Names - Star-Lord Band

All 30 of these tracks will be played in-game, although streamers can toggle the licensed music off to avoid copyright strikes. “Stream-safe” alternatives will be played instead should this option be chosen.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch on October 26. A full-length album of the soundtrack will also be available at the same time.

For more from the Guardians, read our full preview, which delves into the game’s ambitious team-based combat system. You can also check out a cinematic introducing the team's space dog, Cosmo, and how the developer has moved to a 4-day working week.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

An EA executive has said that can't see FIFA's approach to monetisation in its lucrative Ultimate Team mode changing, even amid law changes that could see loot boxes classed as gambling.

In an interview with Eurogamer, EA Chief Experience Officer Chris Bruzzo was asked how the company would react if the UK – one of FIFA's major markets – began to classify loot boxes (and thus FIFA Ultimate Team packs) as gambling.

"Most importantly, we will work with government," Bruzzo began. "We are ready. We're already at the table. We continue to bring actions all the time. We'll bring more. We're ready." However, Bruzzo continued by saying he can't see monetized loot boxes changing, due to their apparent importance in providing the funding to continue developing FIFA games year-round.

After explaining that the evolution of gaming now means that developers can no longer take breaks after the release of a game, Bruzzo said, "So if we're delivering great value, and apparently we are because 100 million people are playing the game, and when you get to that many people playing the game across every form in which you can play it, yes, that's a pretty big scale, and it can generate significant revenues. And we need those revenues in order to continue to pay our developers so they can continue to make more value and make the game more fun over time. I don't see that changing. I think players are clearly responding to the fun that they're having with ongoing content being distributed in the game. I think we're gonna continue to do that."

While Bruzzo can't see the seeming need for monetization changing, a change in law in the UK would likely force EA to change how it's implemented. Gambling regulations would force EA to obtain a gambling license in the UK and, as pointed out by analyst Piers Harding-Rolls to Eurogamer, would potentially also force the company to add an age verification system to FIFA to stop under-18s from accessing paid gambling content.

While EA has repeatedly said that its FUT packs and loot boxes do not constitute gambling, its own financial documents (pages 17 and 18) point out that changes to laws could impact its business model in future. That's no surprise, given that leaked internal documents show that EA Sports want to

When Belgium banned loot boxes, EA simply stopped selling its premium FIFA Points currency in the region, meaning FUT packs could only be earned by grinding in-game. Given Bruzzo's comments, that feels unlikely in future cases, although the executive gave no hint as to what the approach might be.

The executive did make clear that EA was thinking more about cases in which players over-spend on the game, and how to combat that behaviour. "I do think we need to talk about the extremes," he explained. "I do think we need to work on real solutions for those players who find themselves in the extreme situation where they've lost control of their time where they're spending."

While EA itself disputes that the systems used by FIFA constitute gambling, a report from the GambleAware charity found that links between loot boxes and gambling had been "robustly verified", with at-risk individuals offering "outsized loot box profits" to developers.

Eurogamer's interview is well worth reading in its entirety, with many facets of EA's monetization strategy explored.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk has spoken about the intensity of the show's production, revealing that he lost multiple teeth while filming the series.

The creator of the Netflix phenomenon has explained how the stress of shooting the series manifested itself in a very physical way, resulting in him losing six teeth while working on set. "On my left side, I still don't have two molars," he said in an interview with CNN Film School this week. "I need to get implants but haven't had the time."

Despite the magnitude of production and the extremity of the experience, Hwang indicated that he hasn't been totally put off the idea of making a second season. He assured fans that he has been considering Squid Game's future, especially after he left the first season so open-ended for another series to pick up some of the loose threads.

"There are some loose ends I'd like to explore if I were to make a second season," Hwang admitted. "The Frontman's unexplained past, detective Jun-ho's story. Those are things I didn't explain in Season 1. If I were to do Season 2, I'd like to explain those elements. And the man with the Ttakji in his bags, the man who was played by Gong Yoo.

"Writing, producing and directing a series alone was really such a big task," he added, reflecting on the first season. "When I think about doing the same for season two, I'm personally kind of worried. There's nothing confirmed at the moment, but so many people are enthusiastic that I'm really contemplating it."

He also acknowledged the huge popularity and success of Squid Game, which has now hit number one on Netflix in more than 90 countries, per The Independent. "I feel like I've become BTS," the director told CNN, likening the global attention to that of the South Korean k-pop group. "It's as though I've created a Harry Potter or Star Wars franchise."

Hwang previously spoke about how the story could possibly evolve beyond the nine episodes of the first season, which first arrived on Netflix on September 17, suggesting that the show's sophomore season might not be about the contestants. He said he may shift focus in the next chapter, should it be greenlit, to further explore the role of the Korean police.

If you haven't yet streamed the first season, now might be the time to add it to your watchlist. If, however, you're relying on translations to follow the story, make sure to watch the episodes with the proper "English" subtitles turned on rather than Netflix's closed captions, so you don't lose the nuances of the script and all of the show's twisted, colorful competitions.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero has got a new trailer, but we still don't know when it will arrive outside of Japan.

Revealed during a panel at New York Comic-Con, the new teaser gives us a vague idea of the plot of the upcoming film and quick glimpses of familiar characters from the Dragon Ball franchise, including Goku and Piccolo. While not much about the plot was shared, the panel did confirm that the movie is set ten years after Goku defeated Buu.

The new trailer incudes a large 2022 release window but notes that the release schedule may vary depending on your country and region. When asked for a more concrete US release date, the panel noted that the Japanese premiere "is set for 2022" but are still in negotiations for when to release it in the US, with no updates shared regarding the English dub.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was originally announced back in July at San Diego Comic-Con, where a teaser with a new animation style was revealed alongside an official title and release window. Super Hero is the second film under the Dragon Ball Super brand following the release of Broly in 2018. Both films serve as a continuation of Dragon Ball Super, which has both a manga and anime series – though the latter stopped producing new episodes in 2018.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.