Monthly Archives: October 2021

Cyberpunk 2077 Delays All New Updates To 2022

In an updated roadmap, CD Projekt has revealed that any further updates, including the free DLC and next-gen console updates, will not be coming until 2022. Effectively, there will be no more Cyberpunk 2077 updates for the remainder of the year.

CD Projekt released an updated roadmap on October 28. Along with the previously announced next-gen update delay for Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3, the new roadmap ends 2021 with Patch 1.31 which was released in September.

The Cybperunk 2077 roadmap has undergone a couple of changes since it was first revealed, with plans for free DLC and the next-gen console update planned for the second half of 2022. But Cyberpunk 2077 faced numerous hurdles, particularly on consoles, and many agree console performance could not compare to the performance achieved on PC.

It's difficult not to speculate as to the reason for the revamped roadmap, but it's clear that Cyberpunk 2077 is not at the level, at least on consoles, that players and the developers were hoping to achieve. We will have to reserve judgment on CD Projekt's progress when the patches, free DLC, and next-gen update are released.

CD Projekt has promised to be more careful about hyping its projects ahead of launches, and as work continues on Cyberpunk 2077 it has mostly been heads down from the developers. We’ll hopefully see more concrete updates in 2022 as per the updated roadmap.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Cyberpunk 2077 Delays All New Updates To 2022

In an updated roadmap, CD Projekt has revealed that any further updates, including the free DLC and next-gen console updates, will not be coming until 2022. Effectively, there will be no more Cyberpunk 2077 updates for the remainder of the year.

CD Projekt released an updated roadmap on October 28. Along with the previously announced next-gen update delay for Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3, the new roadmap ends 2021 with Patch 1.31 which was released in September.

The Cybperunk 2077 roadmap has undergone a couple of changes since it was first revealed, with plans for free DLC and the next-gen console update planned for the second half of 2022. But Cyberpunk 2077 faced numerous hurdles, particularly on consoles, and many agree console performance could not compare to the performance achieved on PC.

It's difficult not to speculate as to the reason for the revamped roadmap, but it's clear that Cyberpunk 2077 is not at the level, at least on consoles, that players and the developers were hoping to achieve. We will have to reserve judgment on CD Projekt's progress when the patches, free DLC, and next-gen update are released.

CD Projekt has promised to be more careful about hyping its projects ahead of launches, and as work continues on Cyberpunk 2077 it has mostly been heads down from the developers. We’ll hopefully see more concrete updates in 2022 as per the updated roadmap.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

PUBG’s Parent Company Has Acquired the Studio Behind Subnautica

Krafton, the publisher of PUBG, is adding Subnautica creators Unknown Worlds to its portfolio. The studio will continue to work independently on ongoing updates for Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero while also developing a new "genre-defining game" that is expected to begin early access in 2022.

“It was immediately apparent how closely Unknown Worlds and Krafton are aligned in the way we think about games and game development,” Unknown Worlds CEO Charlie Cleveland said in a press release.

“Subnautica and PUBG both started humbly and evolved successfully through constant iteration and feedback. We want to bring new games to the world stage – and with Krafton, we’re a big step closer. We’re truly looking forward to our future together.”

Unknown Worlds is Krafton's sixth studio, joining PUBG Studios, Striking Distance Studios, Bluehole Studio, RisingWings, and Dreamotion. Unknown Worlds will retain its current structure and leadership team and continue to employ developers around the world.

“Unknown Worlds are incredibly skilled and passionate developers with an unparalleled gift for creativity and a proven track record of building successful player-driven worlds.” Krafton CEO CH Kim said in the release. “Krafton will spare no effort in helping them. Not only do they enhance our development capabilities, but we share a goal of creating unique experiences for global audiences.”

Check out IGN's Subnautica review for our take on the undersea survival sim.

Samantha Nelson is an IGN freelance writer. Find her on Twitter at samanthanelson1.

PUBG’s Parent Company Has Acquired the Studio Behind Subnautica

Krafton, the publisher of PUBG, is adding Subnautica creators Unknown Worlds to its portfolio. The studio will continue to work independently on ongoing updates for Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero while also developing a new "genre-defining game" that is expected to begin early access in 2022.

“It was immediately apparent how closely Unknown Worlds and Krafton are aligned in the way we think about games and game development,” Unknown Worlds CEO Charlie Cleveland said in a press release.

“Subnautica and PUBG both started humbly and evolved successfully through constant iteration and feedback. We want to bring new games to the world stage – and with Krafton, we’re a big step closer. We’re truly looking forward to our future together.”

Unknown Worlds is Krafton's sixth studio, joining PUBG Studios, Striking Distance Studios, Bluehole Studio, RisingWings, and Dreamotion. Unknown Worlds will retain its current structure and leadership team and continue to employ developers around the world.

“Unknown Worlds are incredibly skilled and passionate developers with an unparalleled gift for creativity and a proven track record of building successful player-driven worlds.” Krafton CEO CH Kim said in the release. “Krafton will spare no effort in helping them. Not only do they enhance our development capabilities, but we share a goal of creating unique experiences for global audiences.”

Check out IGN's Subnautica review for our take on the undersea survival sim.

Samantha Nelson is an IGN freelance writer. Find her on Twitter at samanthanelson1.

Game Spook! 649: Real Mature, Video Games

Welcome back to IGN Game Spook!, the ONLY Halloween video game podcast! This week your Omega Cops -- Daemon Hatfield, Tina Amini, Sam Claiborn, and Justin Davis -- are discussing new M-rated games, Guardians of the Galaxy, PS5 sales, N64 games on Nintendo Switch, and more. And, of course, they play Video Game 20 Questions.

Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

YouTube

Spotify

Stitcher

Find previous episodes here!

Game Spook! 649: Real Mature, Video Games

Welcome back to IGN Game Spook!, the ONLY Halloween video game podcast! This week your Omega Cops -- Daemon Hatfield, Tina Amini, Sam Claiborn, and Justin Davis -- are discussing new M-rated games, Guardians of the Galaxy, PS5 sales, N64 games on Nintendo Switch, and more. And, of course, they play Video Game 20 Questions.

Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

YouTube

Spotify

Stitcher

Find previous episodes here!

Marvel Comics to Introduce a New Iron Fist in 2022

Marvel Comics is launching a new Iron Fist series in 2022, and it won't be starring Danny Rand. Instead, a brand hew hero is taking up the mantle and powers of Iron Fist.

The new volume of Iron Fist is a five-issue limited series written by Alyssa Wong (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra) and drawn by Marvel newcomer Michael YG. Artist Jim Cheung (Young Avengers) is handling covers and designed the new Iron Fist's costume.

Marvel isn't revealing much about the new Iron Fist himself, though based on the cover art he appears to be of Asian descent [note - IGN has reached out to Marvel for comment and we'll update as we learn more].

The new series may be intended to address long-standing criticisms surrounding the Iron Fist mythology and what many readers view as its reliance on white savior tropes. That controversy was renewed when actor Finn Jones was cast as the lead in Netflix's Iron Fist series, with many arguing Danny Rand should have been reimagined as an Asian or Asian American character.

We do know the new series is building on the fallout of the recent Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon comic series, which ended with Danny Rand giving up his power to save the world. Danny will be as surprised as anyone to see a new hero taking up the mantle. Marvel is billing the new series as "a revolutionary transformation of one of Marvel’s most fascinating mystical mythologies," while also teasing that the new Iron Fist's powers may not stem from the same source.

“It’s an incredible honor to introduce a new Iron Fist to the Marvel Universe," said Wong in Marvel's press release. "I’m excited to delve into the comic’s rich mythos and build on it. What does it mean for someone to take up the mantle of the Iron Fist right now, today? As a newcomer, how does one interact with legacy, and how does one honor it while forging a new path?

Wong continued, “I’m so stoked to work with artist Michael YG, colorist Jay Ramos, and the rest of the incredible team on this book. And writing this character, who views things through fresh eyes, feels very special to me.”

Look for Iron Fist #1 to hit stores on February 16, 2022.

It remains to be seen how this Iron Fist shake-up might influence the character's role in the MCU. Currently, it's unknown how or even if Iron Fist and his fellow Netflix heroes will be featured in future Marvel TV and movie projects. We do know the rights to all these characters have reverted back to Marvel, and Charlie Cox is rumored to be reprising his role as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Marvel Comics to Introduce a New Iron Fist in 2022

Marvel Comics is launching a new Iron Fist series in 2022, and it won't be starring Danny Rand. Instead, a brand hew hero is taking up the mantle and powers of Iron Fist.

The new volume of Iron Fist is a five-issue limited series written by Alyssa Wong (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra) and drawn by Marvel newcomer Michael YG. Artist Jim Cheung (Young Avengers) is handling covers and designed the new Iron Fist's costume.

Marvel isn't revealing much about the new Iron Fist himself, though based on the cover art he appears to be of Asian descent [note - IGN has reached out to Marvel for comment and we'll update as we learn more].

The new series may be intended to address long-standing criticisms surrounding the Iron Fist mythology and what many readers view as its reliance on white savior tropes. That controversy was renewed when actor Finn Jones was cast as the lead in Netflix's Iron Fist series, with many arguing Danny Rand should have been reimagined as an Asian or Asian American character.

We do know the new series is building on the fallout of the recent Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon comic series, which ended with Danny Rand giving up his power to save the world. Danny will be as surprised as anyone to see a new hero taking up the mantle. Marvel is billing the new series as "a revolutionary transformation of one of Marvel’s most fascinating mystical mythologies," while also teasing that the new Iron Fist's powers may not stem from the same source.

“It’s an incredible honor to introduce a new Iron Fist to the Marvel Universe," said Wong in Marvel's press release. "I’m excited to delve into the comic’s rich mythos and build on it. What does it mean for someone to take up the mantle of the Iron Fist right now, today? As a newcomer, how does one interact with legacy, and how does one honor it while forging a new path?

Wong continued, “I’m so stoked to work with artist Michael YG, colorist Jay Ramos, and the rest of the incredible team on this book. And writing this character, who views things through fresh eyes, feels very special to me.”

Look for Iron Fist #1 to hit stores on February 16, 2022.

It remains to be seen how this Iron Fist shake-up might influence the character's role in the MCU. Currently, it's unknown how or even if Iron Fist and his fellow Netflix heroes will be featured in future Marvel TV and movie projects. We do know the rights to all these characters have reverted back to Marvel, and Charlie Cox is rumored to be reprising his role as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Capcom Dubs Resident Evil 3 Remake a ‘Hit’ After Selling 3.9 Million Copies

Capcom's pleased with how its 2020 remake of Resident Evil 3 turned out. The publisher called the game (along with Monster Hunter Rise) a "hit" in its annual report published today, and it has the numbers to back it up: the game has sold 3.9 million units.

That's more than its original incarnation, 1999's Resident Evil 3, sold, as it only achieved 3.5 copies. Capcom attributes the remake's success to its digital sales strategy, and incidentally, the remake probably sold a few more than that, as that 3.9 million number comes from March 31 of this year. Understandable, given that we felt it was "another stellar remake of a classic survival horror from Capcom" in our review last year.

In an industry that likes to hide sales numbers whenever possible, Capcom's annual report is always a nice change of pace. As usual, it included an update on sales numbers for several new games, such as Resident Evil Village reaching 4.5 million units sold, as well as publisher-described hit of the year, Monster Hunter Rise, which reached 4.8 million. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne sold 2.4 million in the last fiscal year alone, on top of 5.2 million last fiscal year, not including sales of Monster Hunter World prior to Iceborne.

Monster Hunter: World, incidentally, is doing great — enough that Capcom feels comfortable discounting it significantly. Capcom reported that in total, World has sold over 17 million copies, over half of those sold in its second year and beyond. While Capcom notes the game has been discounted to as low as $10 in the past, the game is already profitable — so even sales as low as $5, Capcom suggests, would still be profitable, and the publisher hopes to take advantage of lower pricing to expand its userbase. Its goal, as stated later in the report, is to sell 20 million copies of World.

Notably, Capcom's quarterly report for July through September of this year also dropped at the same time, offering an update on Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, which sold one million in its first few months, and noted that Monster Hunter Rise sales have continued to grow during this period.

In total, Capcom sold 30.1 million total game units in the fiscal year from April 2020 through March of 2021. Of that, 23.1 million total sales were digital, and Monster Hunter Rise and Resident Evil 3 were the two best-selling individual titles. In a letter from CEO Kenkichi Nomura, he states that Capcom eventually wants to get to a goal of 100 million total game unit sales per year.

We also got annual updates on franchise total sales. The Mega Man games, for instance, have all together sold a total of 36 million copies as of March 31, 2021. The Resident Evil series is at 110 million, Monster Hunter is at 72 million, and Street Fighter has sold 46 million.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Capcom Dubs Resident Evil 3 Remake a ‘Hit’ After Selling 3.9 Million Copies

Capcom's pleased with how its 2020 remake of Resident Evil 3 turned out. The publisher called the game (along with Monster Hunter Rise) a "hit" in its annual report published today, and it has the numbers to back it up: the game has sold 3.9 million units.

That's more than its original incarnation, 1999's Resident Evil 3, sold, as it only achieved 3.5 copies. Capcom attributes the remake's success to its digital sales strategy, and incidentally, the remake probably sold a few more than that, as that 3.9 million number comes from March 31 of this year. Understandable, given that we felt it was "another stellar remake of a classic survival horror from Capcom" in our review last year.

In an industry that likes to hide sales numbers whenever possible, Capcom's annual report is always a nice change of pace. As usual, it included an update on sales numbers for several new games, such as Resident Evil Village reaching 4.5 million units sold, as well as publisher-described hit of the year, Monster Hunter Rise, which reached 4.8 million. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne sold 2.4 million in the last fiscal year alone, on top of 5.2 million last fiscal year, not including sales of Monster Hunter World prior to Iceborne.

Monster Hunter: World, incidentally, is doing great — enough that Capcom feels comfortable discounting it significantly. Capcom reported that in total, World has sold over 17 million copies, over half of those sold in its second year and beyond. While Capcom notes the game has been discounted to as low as $10 in the past, the game is already profitable — so even sales as low as $5, Capcom suggests, would still be profitable, and the publisher hopes to take advantage of lower pricing to expand its userbase. Its goal, as stated later in the report, is to sell 20 million copies of World.

Notably, Capcom's quarterly report for July through September of this year also dropped at the same time, offering an update on Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, which sold one million in its first few months, and noted that Monster Hunter Rise sales have continued to grow during this period.

In total, Capcom sold 30.1 million total game units in the fiscal year from April 2020 through March of 2021. Of that, 23.1 million total sales were digital, and Monster Hunter Rise and Resident Evil 3 were the two best-selling individual titles. In a letter from CEO Kenkichi Nomura, he states that Capcom eventually wants to get to a goal of 100 million total game unit sales per year.

We also got annual updates on franchise total sales. The Mega Man games, for instance, have all together sold a total of 36 million copies as of March 31, 2021. The Resident Evil series is at 110 million, Monster Hunter is at 72 million, and Street Fighter has sold 46 million.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.