Apex Legends just surprise-launched last week, but Respawn already has imminent plans for its first live event. Respawn recently teased that it will be celebrating Valentine's Day with some special loot to collect.A blog post from Respawn's Vince Zampella says it will be "introducing some limited-time Valentine's Day themed loot" later this week. It doesn't mention just what those new cosmetics will be, exactly when the update will drop, or how long it will last.These new items might be randomly distributed in Apex Packs, the game's version of loot boxes. Those tend to grant random cosmetics and crafting materials. You can also unlock Legendary skins for the various characters.This news came alongside word that the game had reached 25 million players in just its first week, including well over 2 million concurrent players. The studio is also kicking off the Apex Legends Twitch Challenge, which pits 48 streamers against each other in the battle royale game for your amusement. Apex has already become a massive success on Twitch, toppling the other most popular categories easily.For more on getting the most out of your time in Apex Legends, read up on everything the game doesn't tell you and tips to improve your play. You might also be hunting for the best weapons to use as you scour before the combat starts.Info from Gamespot.com

Apex Legends has been available for just over a week, and already the community has discovered an Easter egg that Respawn thought would take much longer. By finding all ten Nessy plushies scattered throughout the map, you can get a very special visit from the Loch Ness Monster herself.The Apex Legends subreddit noticed that a message reading "A Nessy appears" would sometimes appear on the kill feed. That was a clue regarding the hidden Nessy dolls, and subsequently at least one Twitch streamer has captured footage of exactly what happens if you find all ten. Standing near the edge of the map you can make out the hazy shape of the legendary sea creature as she comes to say hello."I had a bet with our producer, Drew [McCoy], on how long it would take," said Chad Grenier, lead design scripter, in a comment on Reddit. "I thought he was crazy when he said a week, turns out he was just about spot on at 8 days! I figured a month at least. You are all unreal. I'd still like to see a good video clip of it when it's not in the circle though. Guess I need to make the next one much harder."Apex Legends has been a massive success for Respawn, hitting 25 million players in just its first week, including more than 2 million concurrent players at its peak. With that many eyes on the new free-to-play game the community was bound to find it sooner or later. Currently Respawn and Twitch are hosting a special streamer tournament, and later this week the studio will introduce some new Valentine's cosmetic items."Apex Legends is a mix of smart shooter ideas that makes for a competitive, team-based game that gets at all the best parts of battle royale while addressing a lot of the weaknesses," critic Phil Hornshaw said in GameSpot's review. "Respawn's intense focus on team play makes Apex more than just a worthy addition to the genre; it's an indicator of where battle royale should go in the future."Info from Gamespot.com

A new game sale is now underway in the Microsoft Store. This week, publisher Take-Two is offering discounts on a variety of titles across Xbox One and Xbox 360, while Xbox Live Gold subscribers will find exclusive deals on Diablo III: Eternal Collection and other acclaimed games for both platforms.On the Xbox One side, players can pick up BioShock: The Collection and Borderlands: The Handsome Collection for $15 apiece as part of this week's publisher sale. The critically acclaimed strategy game XCOM 2 is also on sale for $15, while the mob game Mafia III is $10. Sports fans, meanwhile, can get Take-Two's latest annual basketball and wrestling games, NBA 2K19 and WWE 2K19, for $19.80 each.In this week's Deals with Gold, Xbox Live Gold members can pick up some of 2018's biggest releases at a discount, including Just Cause 4 for $40.19, Monster Hunter World for $25, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider for $30. Additionally, Overwatch Legendary Edition is $30 for Gold members this week, while The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition is $15 and Diablo III: Eternal Collection is $19.80.Take-Two's publisher sale extends to Xbox 360 as well. Players can pick up BioShock and BioShock 2 for $8 each, while BioShock Infinite is available for $9. Borderlands and its sequel are also on sale for $8 apiece, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is $12. Xbox Live Gold members can also get The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition for the low price of $3.Beyond those deals, a few other titles are discounted as part of Microsoft's anime sale, although those prices won't be available for very long. Until February 14, Xbox One owners can pick up Capcom Beat 'em Up Bundle for $16, Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition for $7.50, and the Devil May Cry HD Collection for $18.This week's sales are scheduled to end on February 18, so you have until then to take advantage of most of these discounts. You can find some other notable deals below; the full list of discounted titles is available on Major Nelson's blog.This Week's Xbox Game DealsXbox OneBioShock: The Collection -- $15Borderlands: The Handsome Collection -- $15Diablo III: Eternal Collection -- $19.80*EA Sports NHL 19 -- $19.80*Just Cause 4 -- $40.19*Mafia III -- $10Monster Hunter World -- $25*NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 -- $15NBA 2K19 -- $19.80NBA Live 19: All-Star Edition -- $6Outlast -- $4Outlast 2 -- $7.49Overwatch Legendary Edition -- $30*Shadow of the Tomb Raider -- $30*The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition -- $15*Vampyr -- $19.80*WWE 2K19 -- $19.80XCOM 2 -- $15Xbox 360BioShock -- $8BioShock 2 -- $8BioShock Infinite -- $9Borderlands -- $8Borderlands 2 -- $8Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel -- $12The Darkness -- $4The Darkness II -- $6Duke Nukem Forever -- $4Mafia II -- $7.49Prey -- $4Spec Ops: The Line -- $6The Witcher II: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition -- $3*XCOM: Enemy Within -- $8* denotes a Deal with GoldInfo from Gamespot.com

Far Cry: New Dawn is set to launch this week for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. With so much excitement stirring around the impending launch of this latest entry in Ubisoft's long running, first-person shooter series, we've compiled a series of news stories, features, and gameplay videos highlighting all the details you need to know about the game.What do you think about Far Cry: New Dawn? Are you going to pick it up? Let us know in the comments below. Otherwise, check back often as we update this feature with our full review, as well as guides to help you overcome its most difficult challenges.What You Need to KnowFar Cry: New Dawn is a standalone spin-off that also serves as a narrative sequel to Far Cry 5 set 17 years after the events of the game. After a nuclear exchange has devastated the land, a colony of survivors attempts to rebuild civilization in Hope County. However, their efforts are threatened by a group of bandits known as the Highwaymen. With few options left, the survivors form an alliance with New Eden, the remnants of the antagonistic cult from Far Cry 5. Rather than assume control of the protagonist of Far Cry 5, you actually play as a completely new character.Release Date And PriceFar Cry: New Dawn is set to launch on February 15 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. As a series spin-off, it's actually priced at the budget price tag of $40. If you're looking to purchase the game, be sure to refer to our pre-order guide, which offers details on the various editions. Our ImpressionsWe've had several opportunities to play Far Cry: New Dawn since its announcement. Below you can find links to features covering the game in further detail, as well as our impressions of how it plays.General Impressions: Far Cry New Dawn Marks The 'Beginning Of A New World'--Here's Everything We Know -- We chatted with Ubisoft Montreal about the post-apocalyptic follow-up to Far Cry 5, discussing its story, co-op play, and its latest dog friend.Gameplay Impressions: Far Cry: New Dawn Is Now A Fallout-Esque Apocalyptic RPG -- Check out our preview detailing how the game is shaping up.Developer Q&A: Far Cry: New Dawn - Ubisoft Talks Nuking The USA And Female Villains -- We chatted with New Dawn's Narrative Director about perceptions of Far Cry, the new villains, and just how long they've had this pink post-apocalypse planned.GameplayAbove you can find gameplay footage of Far Cry: New Dawn's latest addition to the formula, Expedition Missions. These are special missions that let you fight the Highwaymen in entirely new areas outside of the familiar territories of Hope County. Info from Gamespot.com

Battlefield 5 is kicking off its new free co-op mode Combined Arms this week. Launching as part of the Lightning Strikes update, this mode lets players team up with up to three friends for eight PvE missions. The four key objectives span across four maps.DICE says Combined Arms is meant to be a good way for players to practice together before throwing down in the much more competitive multiplayer, and it has variable difficulty settings and loadouts so you can get your time in with the gear of your choice. Plus it gives you Company Coins in any event, so you're always grinding toward unlocks.The studio promises more Combined Arms missions will be coming in later updates. In addition, the multiplayer mode Rush is coming back for a limited time on March 7. This update also includes a host of other quality-of-life tweaks, like increasing the speed when dragging allies to safety. The full patch notes are extensive.Publisher EA recently shared a round of financial results, calling it a "difficult quarter." One reason for that was that Battlefield 5 missed expectations. It sold 7.3 million units, but EA had projected more. CEO Andrew Wilson chalked up the disappointing sales to the marketing campaign failing to grab players, a tough competitive environment against other fall games and the free-to-play Fortnite, and the decision to focus on Battlefield 5's single-player mode instead of pushing harder to complete its Firestorm battle royale mode.By comparison, Activision's Black Ops 4 didn't have any single-player component and had its own battle royale mode, Blackout, ready on launch day. Firestorm won't be ready until March. In the meantime, EA has just launched Apex Legends from Respawn, a free-to-play battle royale game that has quickly become a massive success.Info from Gamespot.com

The long-awaited Metro Exodus is releasing this week for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Announced at E3 2017, it's hard to believe the game is finally coming out. After all, the last Metro game we got was 2013's Metro: Last Light. To help you prepare for Metro Exodus, we've compiled all of our essential news stories, features, and gameplay videos highlighting all the details you need to know about the game.Are you excited for Metro Exodus? Let us know in the comments below. Otherwise, be on the lookout for our full review in the days ahead, as well as guides detailing how to better survive the grueling challenge of its post-apocalyptic world.What You Need to KnowWhile Metro Exodus is the third installment of the Metro series, its premise makes for a solid jumping-on point for newcomers. Set two years after the events of previous game, it continues the adventures of series protagonist Artyom who flees the Metro in Moscow to embark on a continent-spanning journey with the Spartan Rangers--a battle-hardened unit of elite soldiers that roam the wasteland.Unlike previous games in the series, Metro Exodus features a far more open design with larger maps to explore. While you'll be spending a lot of time in these sprawling sandboxes, you'lll also be thrown into the more linear yet tense, claustrophobic environments the series is known for.Release DateMetro Exodus releases on February 15 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. If you're looking to purchase the game, be sure to refer to our pre-order guide, which offers details on the various editions.Our ImpressionsWe got the chance to play Metro Exodus several times at events since its announcement at E3 2017. Below you can find links to features detailing our thoughts and feelings about how the game plays.General Impressions: Metro Exodus Makes Strides Into A More Challenging Open World -- Here we discuss our first experiences playing Metro Exodus and how much the series has grown since Last Light.Developer Q&A: How Metro Exodus Expands Horizons Without Going Fully Open World -- We had the opportunity to speak Metro Exodus' global brand manager about the game's mechanics, story, and general influences.Pre-Launch Impressions: Metro Exodus Feels Best When It Sticks To Its Roots -- Check out our preview detailing our experiences playing a near-finished build of the game.GameplayAbove you can find gameplay footage of Metro Exodus' biggest level, the Caspian Desert. We spend a half hour exploring this open area, taking down mutants and discovering more about what happened to the world outside the Metro. If you're curious to see footage we captured alongside a Metro Exodus developer Jon Bloch, be sure to check out the gameplay demo we recorded during E3 2018.PC RequirementsIf you're looking to play Metro Exodus on PC, you'll likely want to know how demanding it is. Lucky for you, we've gathered the full list of what you'll for each level of performance in our in-depth PC specs article. Info from Gamespot.com

For any voice actor, joining the Walt Disney Animation Studios roster of talent seems like it should be a dream come true. After all, you've become part of a fabric of movies that includes iconic titles like Cinderella, Pinocchio, and Robin Hood. For Alan Tudyk, who has now appeared in six Disney animated films--along with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story--it was another movie that drew him to the studio growing up.Speaking to GameSpot to promote the Blu-ray and digital release of his latest Disney feature, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Tudyk spoke about his love for The Little Mermaid, where he found inspiration for his character KnowsMore in the latest Wreck-It Ralph film, and what's it's like being in the Disney pantheon of films. Additionally, Tudyk opened up about his latest project, DC Universe's Doom Patrol and creating his own take on the iconic villain The Joker in the upcoming Harley Quinn animated series.Ralph Breaks the Internet is available on digital now, with the Blu-ray and DVD following on February 26. The released includes a range of special features that explore the Easter eggs hidden throughout the film, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie, and deleted scenes.GameSpot: What were your Disney movies when you were growing up?Alan Tudyk: Although I was too old to love it as much as I did, I think [The] Little Mermaid, man. Little Mermaid.GameSpot: Really?Tudyk: I loved the French cook because through the whole movie you've got all these fish who are your friends, and then you meet this guy who's like, "Les poissons, les poissons," and he's chopping them into pieces right in front of you. It was so shocking and hysterical because he's very funny, singing about killing them. It's just, it's a great musical.GameSpot: I have to believe for a voice actor [that] Disney is the gold standard. They are the history of animation from beginning to end. What is it like to know that you're a part of that fabric; that you exist in this world where you are multiple Disney characters?Tudyk: Yeah. It's hard to comprehend. I have to step out of it and think of myself watching Little Mermaid. Like, had I met the guy who played Sebastian, how much that would have floored me. Although, there's also a little bit of, when you meet the people... Because I did end up seeing him in an interview. I was like, "That's Sebastian?" I wanted more from that. I wanted him to be funnier than he is.You get that with kids. There's a certain age that they believe in the characters; they truly believe they exist. So if you do a KnowsMore character, "Oh, hello. How are you?" They look at you like... they get confused, then there's this betrayal that goes across their face, like they've been lied to, which they have been, and they don't understand what it is yet.GameSpot: KnowsMore, it's a strange character, because, in a way, you're playing Google.Tudyk: Yes.GameSpot: Obviously, the design of the character, I'm assuming helps in building your vision of the character, but how do you find that character and that voice and how you're going to play it?Tudyk: Well this one was interesting. [Co-director] Rich [Moore] asked me before I came in. He said, "Put him in the neighborhood of Truman Capote." So he put me there, and Truman Capote sounds like this. Close'ish. I don't do good [impressions]. But it's sort of him. It becomes somewhere between him and Droopy Dog, but he's very nice. "Oh, isn't that interesting." So we just played around with it from there and that's how it ended up. That's how we ended up with who KnowsMore is, but looking at his picture, he's little and he's got those glasses and "Isn't that interesting." He just became... That's how he was born. He lives in the same neighborhood as Droopy Dog and Truman Capote. He's at the house between those two.GameSpot: When it comes to something like an animated film, obviously, KnowsMore has a lot of dialogue, because he is searching a lot of things. How closely do you have to stick to the script versus playing around with it?Tudyk: Right. You get to play a lot. And having the relationship with Rich, having done Wreck-It Ralph the first, we got to just kick around some ideas. I think in the first recording, the "Isn't that interesting. Hm, isn't that interesting," we started playing around with that; it became a thing that he always said. I think in terms of, or the way that I improv is, I need to know where I am and what's happening. I always try to improv about the actions taking place, the world that's involved. And they [say], "Go with that, go with that, go with that." They'll let you go off on a tangent. That's part of the fun of doing animation.GameSpot: I've also seen the first two episodes of Doom Patrol.Tudyk: You have? You've seen more than me!GameSpot: Mr. Nobody is not the nicest guy to be around. How do you approach being the antagonist versus the good guy or the hero of the story?Tudyk: He's interesting. I mean, a lot of his actions are awful, so that's good because that acts for you... You read these scripts and you're like, "Really? Wow." The one that we just... I just came from there. I just got in town this morning from Atlanta where we're shooting. Playing evil, you're kind of just playing who he is, who's this fractured individual. [Grant Morrison's run is what] they based it on. He's got such a wild brain. And Mr. Nobody, one thing he told me when we talked on the phone before I started... Just the idea of Dada, which is what the character gets in. Everything means nothing. It's all perspective. Nothing is anything. Anything is nothing. If you found a dollar on the ground, what is that worth? If you found it and then you realized the dollar is signed by Andy Warhol and it's a piece of found art, now what is it worth? Then you found out that it's a forgery, what's it worth now? Then you found out the person who forged it was Picasso, now what's it worth?What changed? Nothing changed, physically, but it all changed several times. Like, "What is that? That's nobody. Nobody's in that." So try to drive yourself crazy in that world. That's what Mr. Nobody is.GameSpot: The last thing I wanted to touch on is, you're about to bring voice to another super iconic character: the Joker. How do you find that? When you say, "the Joker," everyone has a voice in their head, whether it's Mark Hamill, Jack Nicholson, or Heath Ledger. How are you putting your spin on that and who are you looking to for inspiration on it?Tudyk: I don't know. Pieces of all of them, really, I guess. This is the first time I'm talking about it. It got released by [Diedrich Bader]. I don't know. I think the main thing that's different is it's my voice; I can hear me in it.But I grew up watching... My first exposure to the Joker was Caesar Romero, and I know there's a little Caesar Romero in it. There's a couple, "Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo whoo's," that I've heard that it was like, "Uh, I know what that is," where he taunts the badge. I can't wait for people to hear it. I do a couple of voices in it. It's great.GameSpot: Who else?Tudyk: I also play Clayface, who is a former actor who, some accident and he turns into this clay guy and he can be anybody, but he's a moron, and he's not good at it. It's a very funny cartoon. There's like, "Okay, Clayface, go over there and deliver these packages and distract them." "Yes. A mailman. What's my inspiration?" "Just deliver the package." "Ah, daddy was a mailman! You didn't love me." He's coo-coo, so there's a lot of fun stuff going on.GameSpot: That's awesome.Tudyk: Yeah. Yeah. I can't wait to see Doom Patrol. I'm so jealous of you seeing it!GameSpot: It's very, very good.Tudyk: Timothy Dalton is so badass. It's so great to work with him. I'm working with him a lot, so when I'm working, I'm working with Tim, and I so enjoy it. I so enjoy it. He's a true Shakespearean actor and it's just like, "Wow." That's one of the things that sci-fi allows, at times when you just get to have these heady one-on-ones like, "What's the world about? What is f***ing existence about?" Actually playing with those ideas.Ralph Breaks the Internet is available on digital now, with the Blu-ray and DVD following on February 26.Info from Gamespot.com

Xbox One's backwards compatible library continues to expand. Microsoft's Major Nelson announced that another pair of Xbox 360 games are playable on the current-gen console beginning today, February 12: The King of Fighters XIII and Orcs Must Die.Both of this week's BC titles originally debuted in 2011. The King of Fighters XIII is one of the latest installments in SNK's long-running fighting game series; at the time of its release, it was considered a return to form for the franchise, addressing many of the elements that made its predecessor, The King of Fighters XII, disappointing. GameSpot awarded it an 8.5/10 in our original King of Fighters XIII review.Orcs Must Die, meanwhile, is a humorous tower defense/action game, in which players assume the role of a battle mage who must fortify their castle with spikes and all other manner of traps to defend it against an incoming army of orcs. While the game lacks any multiplayer options, we thought it was enjoyable and gave it a 7.5/10 in our original Orcs Must Die review.If you still have a physical copy of either game laying around, you can simply insert the disc into your Xbox One to initiate a download and begin playing. If you've previously purchased either game digitally, they'll automatically appear in the Ready to Download section of the My Games and Apps menu.Microsoft has been steadily rolling out new BC games on a near weekly basis since the feature was first introduced. The previous batch included Lego Batman 2 and Port Royale 3. You can see all of the backwards compatible games to date in our full list of Xbox One BC games.Info from Gamespot.com

Activision Blizzard, publisher of Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Candy Crush, has announced significant layoffs. Employees were notified of the cuts today, with people at Activision, Blizzard, and mobile game company King affected.Activision has also detailed its financial performance for the forth quarter of 2018 and, as part of this, noted that it "will increase development investment in its biggest franchises, enabling teams to accelerate the pace and quality of content for their communities and supporting a number of new product initiatives." It also cited that the number of developers that will be working on "Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Overwatch, Warcraft, Hearthstone and Diablo in aggregate will increase approximately 20% over the course of 2019."However, this greater investment, it says, will be funded by "de-prioritizing initiatives that are not meeting expectations and reducing certain non-development and administrative-related costs across the business"--referring to the layoffs. In its financial call, COO Coddy Johnson said there would be an eight percent reduction in headcount at Activision Blizzard. With nearly 10,000 employees by the company's last count, this amounts to nearly 800 people losing their jobs.Company CEO Bobby Kotick, said that, while Activision Blizzard's "financial results for 2018 were the best in our history," the it "didn’t realize our full potential." As a result, the company has made leadership changes designed to "enable us to achieve the many opportunities our industry affords us, especially with our powerful owned franchises, our strong commercial capabilities, our direct digital connections to hundreds of millions of players, and our extraordinarily talented employees.”In a statement acquired by Kotaku, Blizzard president said "staffing levels on some teams are out of proportion with [the company's] current release slate," which has necessitated the need to scale down. Although the layoffs are currently isolated to the US business, Brack indicated that other regional offices will also be evaluated in the future and could also be impacted, "subject to local requirements."Brack's message to Activision Blizzard's reportedly states "a comprehensive severance package," in addition to job assistance and a profit-sharing bonus will be offered to those at Blizzard that are being affected by the layoffs.Amidst these layoffs, Activision Blizzard has increased the dividends it is paying to its shareholders by nine percent from 2018. At the same time, it has authorized a two-year stock repurchase program. These measures are intended to soften potential impact on Activision Blizzard's stock price, but paints a negative picture when placed alongside the layoffs.Info from Gamespot.com

As part of Activision Blizzard's earnings report, the company announced that a new Call of Duty game is coming out in 2019.Activision management offered some very high-level insight on the game, saying it will appeal to veterans and newcomers alike. The company added that the game is a "great step forward" for the franchise, going on to say that it's rooted in Call of Duty's history, which suggests it will be a sequel to an existing sub-brand.Also during the call, Activision management confirmed the new Call of Duty will feature some kind of campaign, which is notable because Black Ops 4 did away with a traditional campaign. Whether or not the new Call of Duty returns to the traditional campaign remains to be seen, however. Whatever the case, Activision also confirmed the new game will have a "huge expansive multiplayer world," as well as "fun co-op gameplay." More details are expected in the coming months.Johnson said Activision has "high expectations" for the game, though it's predicting that sales of the mysterious game will be lower than 2018's Black Ops 4. The Black Ops franchise is historically the best-performing Call of Duty sub-brand, so a year-over-year downturn in sales is expected.2019's Call of Duty is rumored to be Modern Warfare 4 from Infinity Ward. The series is on a three-year, three-studio development schedule, so 2019's title is expected to come from Infinity Ward, the studio that created the Modern Warfare series.As for Activision's earnings report, the biggest news was Activision laying off around 800 employees, or about eight percent of its workforce. The job losses will affect teams at Blizzard, Activision, and King, in a number of non-game-development roles.Info from Gamespot.com

Far Cry: New Dawn sees Ubisoft's open-world FPS series head into the post-apocalypse, where society has fallen after the events of Far Cry 5. One of the game's new features are Expeditions, a series of self-contained missions that take place outside of the main setting of Hope County, and around various US-based locations.Expeditions are snatch-and-grab affairs; your goal is to sneak into an enemy-occupied region, steal a package with valuable crafting materials, and get to an extraction point as the whole base comes chasing after you. One particular mission is dubbed "Government Plane Wreck", and involves sneaking into an enemy-occupied base established in the body of an enormous military aircraft. You can see a narrated walkthrough of the mission in the video above.Of course, it wouldn't be a perfectly shady government plane without a few secrets, and it doesn't take much for fans of stealth games to you to quickly realize that the government plane in question is the C-147B Paladin from the Splinter Cell series, which served as the mobile HQ for the special ops unit, Fourth Echelon.But it goes further, of course. Throughout the plane, you can find conveniently-placed notes signed by "SF", presumably Splinter Cell protagonist Sam Fisher, and they describe what happened to him after the events of Far Cry 5. Turns out, he was on his way to find his daughter, Sarah, after the apocalypse, and he ruminates over the fact that the world needs survivors in this day and age. The notes also make references to Fisher's fellow Fourth Echelon agents Isaac Briggs, Anna Grímsdóttir, Andriy Kobin, and Charlie Cole.The icing on the cake is that you can find and switch on a Shadownet terminal within the plane, which that opens up a secret wall compartment, letting you retrieve a full Sam Fisher getup, complete with the iconic trifocal goggles, for use with your New Dawn character. The flavor text for the outfit pokes fun at the relentless enemy barks that the Splinter Cell series was infamous for: "Fisher's on the loose! I heard something, better not be Fisher. Fisher wouldn't try his luck here, would he? That'd be f***in' crazy! Fisher, Fisher, Fisher!"The last time we saw Sam Fisher in his own game was 2013's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, but this isn't the first time we've seen references to the series in a recent Ubisoft game. He made a cameo in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, which stirred up talks of a new game, which Ubisoft previously hinted at in 2017. Does this mean we should expect more from the series in the near future? Are the Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, and Far Cry universes all connected? Should we expect more Splinter Cell references in The Division 2?You'll be able to play through this Splinter Cell-themed Expedition when Far Cry: New Dawn launches on February 15, 2019 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.Info from Gamespot.com

The first trailer for the J.R.R. Tolkien biopic starring Nicholas Hoult as the Lord of the Rings author has arrived. The short video gives us a first look at the film that will explore Tolkien's formative years and the journey and experiences that inspired him to write The Lord of the Rings.Tolkien was an orphan, and a significant part of his life was finding friends at school. He fought in World War I, and many of his friends died in battle. Tolkien survived, and it is said that Tolkien's time serving in the trenches inspired some of his ideas for Middle-earth. Another significant element of Tolkien's life and the movie is his romantic relationship with Edith Bratt, who is played by Lily Collins.The relationship between Tolkien and Bratt was supposedly the inspiration for Tolkien's Beren and Luthien story, which itself inspired the Aragorn-Arwen relationship in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings series. Tolkien and Bratt share a gravestone, and on it they're referred to as Beren and Luthien.Tolkien hits theatres on May 10. It's directed by Dome Karukoski (Heart of Finland), based on script from David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford.In addition to this film, another one is in the works that focuses on the relationship between Tolkien and Narnia writer C.S. Lewis, and how Tolkien helped convert Lewis to Christianity.Outside of these, Amazon is producing a Lord of the Rings prequel TV show, while a massive Lord of the Rings art exhibit is opening in New York City. A new Lord of the Rings video game is also in the works, and it's said to have an online focus.Info from Gamespot.com

In 2017, following the tepid reception to Mass Effect: Andromeda, a report said that the Mass Effect franchise was put on ice. That may be the case, but now a pair of BioWare higher-ups have spoken about their eagerness to make more Mass Effect games ... someday.Mark Darrah, the executive producer Anthem and the Dragon Age series, told Polygon that BioWare is "definitely not done with Mass Effect."He said the Mass Effect universe is ripe with storytelling opportunities. "We could pull on the threads we put down with Andromeda; we could pull on threads from Mass Effect 3. There's a lot of interesting space to be explored."BioWare general manager Casey Hudson is also quoted in the piece. He said the Mass Effect franchise is "very much alive.""I'm thinking all the time about things that I think will be great. It's just a matter of getting back to it as soon as we can," he said.BioWare producer Michael Gamble weighed in on Twitter, saying BioWare is "of course" not finished making more Mass Effect games.Sources told Kotaku in 2017 that BioWare is giving the Mass Effect franchise a rest instead of getting to work right away on another game to follow Andromeda. That title was the first that BioWare Montreal served as lead developer on; the developer previously acted as a support studio for other BioWare projects.BioWare's next big game is the multiplayer shooter Anthem, which launches later this month for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The studio is also working on a new Dragon Age game, and the first teaser can be seen here.Would you like to see more Mass Effect games? Let us know in the comments below! Info from Gamespot.com

On top of Ubisoft's ongoing PSN sale, a new selection of game deals are now available in the US PlayStation Store. Just as it has on Xbox this week, publisher Take-Two is offering deals on a range of games for PS4, PS3, and Vita--but they'll only be discounted for a limited time.On Sony's current-gen console, players can get both BioShock: The Collection and Borderlands: The Handsome Collection for $15 each. If you have a PSVR headset, you can purchase Borderlands 2 VR for $37.50. The acclaimed strategy game XCOM 2 is down to $15 as well, while its War of the Chosen expansion can be yours for $16.If sports games are more up your alley, the latest entry in Take-Two's annual wrestling series, WWE 2K19, is on sale for $19.80. Basketball fans can pick up NBA 2K19 for the same price ($19.80), while NBA 2K Playgrounds 2, a more arcadey take on the sport in the vein of NBA Jam, is down to $15.On the PS3 side, players can get the individual BioShock and Borderlands games for very cheap; BioShock and BioShock 2 are $4 each (as are Borderlands and its sequel), while BioShock Infinite and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel are $6 apiece. The critically acclaimed military shooter Spec Ops: The Line is down to $6 as well, as is XCOM: Enemy Within.You can see some other notable deals below; the full list can be found on the PlayStation Store. Much like the aforementioned Ubisoft sale, these deals will only be available until Friday, February 19, so you have until then to take advantage of the offers.This Week's PSN DealsPS4BioShock: The Collection -- $15Borderlands: The Handsome Collection -- $15Borderlands 2 VR -- $37.50Mafia III -- $10NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 -- $15NBA 2K19 -- $19.80WWE 2K19 -- $19.80XCOM 2 -- $15XCOM 2: War of the Chosen -- $16PS3BioShock -- $4BioShock 2 -- $4BioShock Infinite -- $6Borderlands -- $4Borderlands 2 -- $4Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel -- $6The Darkness 2 -- $8Duke Nukem Forever -- $4Mafia II -- $7.50Spec Ops: The Line -- $6XCOM: Enemy Within -- $6Info from Gamespot.com

As part of Activision Blizzard's earnings report today, the company discussed its decision to split off from Bungie on the development of the Destiny franchise. President and Chief Operating Officer Coddy Johnson started off by saying Activision Blizzard is "confident" that it was the right decision for both Activision Blizzard and Bungie to go separate ways. Describing the breakup as a "mutual, amicable" agreement, Johnson said the deal is the "right path forward" for each entity. "Bungie gets to focus on the [Destiny IP] that they have created and we get to focus on our biggest opportunities on our biggest franchises with our best resources," Johnson said. "Our decision was reached with mutual agreement with Bungie to sell back the commercial rights. And for us at least, it was rooted in really our strategy overall."When Activision Blizzard and Bungie originally signed their 10-year publishing deal for Destiny back in 2010, one key component of the agreement was that Bungie would get to retain ownership of the Destiny IP. By comparison, Activision Blizzard owns the IP for its other major franchises such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. There are a number of benefits to owning an IP, Johnson said."We did not own the underlying Destiny IP, and we do for all of our other major franchises, which we think is not just a differentiator for us in the industry," he said. "But also controlling the underlying IP gives us the chance to move in with new experiences and new engagement models which also come with new revenue streams and, structurally, higher economics when you own the IP."Also during the call, Johnson said Activision Blizzard wanted to break up with Bungie because the Destiny franchise was failing to meet its commercial projections. "Destiny is highly critically acclaimed, high quality content, but it was not meeting our financial expectations," he said.Specifically, Activision Blizzard said previously that Destiny 2: Forsaken failed to sell up to the company's expectations, though Bungie asserted that it wasn't disappointed with the game.When Activision Blizzard management conducted a financial review for 2019, the company saw signs that indicated Destiny would not be a "material contributor" to the company's profit. Not only that, but Activision Blizzard assigned some of its own studios, including High Moon Studios and Vicarious Visions, to assist Bungie in developing Destiny content faster. "[Bungie was] tying up one of our scarcest resources--developer talent," Johnson said.While High Moon and Vicarious Visions will continue to work with Bungie on Destiny content for a "transition period," they will be freed up after this to work on other Activision projects. Earlier today, Activision Blizzard said it plans to increase the number of developers working on games like Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Overwatch, Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Diablo by about 20 percent in aggregate over the course of 2019. It could be that High Moon and Vicarious Visions shift some of their efforts to these projects, but that hasn't been confirmed at this stage.Finally, Johnson offered a brief timeline of events that led up to Activision Blizzard parting ways with Bungie and the Destiny series. He said that Activision Blizzard learned in November, after its earnings report, that Bungie wanted to get out of the publishing deal. This deal was done in late-December, Johnson said, before it was ultimately announced in early January.The bigger Activision Blizzard news today is that the company is cutting around eight percent of its workforce in a layoff round that could affect 800 people or more. Info from Gamespot.com