Speaking recently with Japanese outlet Young Jump, creative director and series mastermind Tetsuya Nomura explained that Kingdom Hearts 4 (as well as mobile title Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link) is being designed as a “reset” that will be easier for new players to get into.

“I do think of Missing Link and 4 as a reset,” Nomura said (via GamesRadar). “I wanted to end it with 3, or rather reset it, so I appointed new writers and even made a new logo to make it easier for new people to get into it.”

Nomura went on to say that the action RPG will still serve as a follow-up to Kingdom Hearts 3, but though existing fans will find the connective tissue, he says the hope is that more new players will be able to hop in this time.

“For those who know how Kingdom Hearts 3 ends, the reason why Sora ends up like that in the ending is because we wanted to reset the story in a way,” Nomura said (via @aitaikimochi on Twitter). “This should make it even easier for newcomers to join the story starting from Kingdom Hearts 4. Fans of the Kingdom Hearts series will also be able to feel like, ‘oh so it’s THIS’, but we’re making this game with the hopes that new players can enjoy it as well.”

Kingdom Hearts 4 was announced in 2022, though details on it have been scarce since then. Leaks have previously claimed that it is targeting a 2025 release.

Speaking in a recent interview with Wccftech, when asked about the same, game director Corinne Busche acknowledged that a pre-launch character creator demo was a “much-requested feature”, and added that though it “would be pretty cool”, EA and BioWare are still “TBD on that.”

The action RPG is, of course, still over a month away from release, so there’s time yet for EA to announce something along those lines. If it were to happen, however, you’d expect to not have to wait too long for something like that, so hopefully we’ll be hearing more soon.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard launches on October 31 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Since then, however, it seems the CESA has updated said list. Spotted by a user on ResetEra, the unannounced supposed PS5 version of Palworld is no longer included in the aforementioned list. The title was seemingly removed from the list shortly after it was first discovered last week.

Whether that means the game was listed in error, or if Palworld is still coming to PS5 and the listing was removed because it was premature- that much remains to be seen. Pocketpair itself, however, has previously suggested that it intends to bring its game to PlayStation, so it wouldn’t be surprising if that does end up happening sooner rather than later.

In other Palworld-related news, earlier this week, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair for patent infringement, though Pocketpair says it will do everything to “ensure indie developers aren’t hindered from pursuing creative ideas.” Read more on that through here.

While the verdict is out on whether the patch fixes all the issues, Square Enix recommends downloading and installing the update. In the meantime, it will continue “investigating this issue” alongside Sony Interactive Entertainment. Stay tuned for further updates in the coming days.

Final Fantasy 16 first launched last year for PS5 and despite the hype, Square Enix revealed that profits from it and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth didn’t meet expectations. It recently released for PC, peaking at over 22,000 concurrent Steam players.

The Standard Edition is available for $49.99, but there’s also the Complete Edition for $69.99, which includes the base game and both expansions, Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide. Head here for more details on its features.

[Notice] PlayStation®5 version of FF16

In response to the crashes and graphical bugs that were occurring on the PlayStation®5 version of FINAL FANTASY XVI, SIE have released a new system update. Please try downloading and installing this update.

— FINAL FANTASY XVI (@finalfantasyxvi) September 20, 2024

We will continue to work on investigating this issue in collaboration with SIE. #FF16

— FINAL FANTASY XVI (@finalfantasyxvi) September 20, 2024

As per Last Stand Media founder Colin Moriarty, Concord had a budget of about $400 million, with “most” of it being spent by Sony, making it the biggest ever first-party PlayStation release in terms of budget. In comparison, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 had a budget of $315 million, while The Last of Us Part 2 and Horizon Forbidden West both had $200 million budgets each. Moriarty claimed on a recent episode of the Sacred Symbols podcast that he was told about the same by a developer who worked on the game. 

Allegedly, by the time Concord entered the alpha stage of development, which was in early 2023, about $200 million had already been spent on the game. The game was, however, in “a laughable shape” at this point (around the time it was announced in May last year), with work not having been done on major elements of the game like onboarding and monetization.

Significant work also had to be outsourced to external studios. To get the game to an acceptable level of quality, Sony decided to spend another $200 million on it at this point. Moriarty goes on to claim that the total figure of $400 million also does not include the money that it cost for Sony to acquire Concord developer Firewalk Studios, which happened in April last year.

As per Moriarty, Concord’s development was plagued with issues of “toxic positivity”, which meant negative feedback on the game was ignored, with PlayStation higher-ups – specifically, current co-CEO of PlayStation, Hermen Hulst – believing the game had the potential to be a massive success for the company, maybe even on the level of something like Star Wars. Allegedly, the game was internally referred to as “the future of PlayStation”.

Prior to Concord being shut down, reports claimed that the game had managed to sell just 25,000 units upon release. Since the game was pulled offline, Sony has made no announcement regarding its future, or the future of Firewalk.

As per a recent report, Concord’s director, Ryan Ellis, has stepped down from his role following the game’s shuttering. Read more on that through here.

Henderson claims the next Battlefield is set in the late 2020s, with its campaign set to tell the story of a private military group’s conflict against NATO. The campaign will be set across multiple different locations, with Gibraltar being what was shown in the recently released concept art (which you can view above), and the US being where Ripple Effect Studios’ rumoured free-to-play battle royale experience will be set. The battle royale experience will allegedly be tied to the mainline game, similar to Call of Duty: Warzone.

Where the mainline title’s multiplayer is concerned, the report claims the next Battlefield will launch with 45 different weapon types, while DICE is also targeting “around 10” multiplayer maps. Additionally, though it’s unknown if Battlefield 4’s Levelotion will be returning, the report does claim that the game will feature a “significant overhaul” for the destruction mechanics.

As part of that overhaul, the game is allegedly also set to feature caliber-based destruction similar to Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege, which means different caliber weapons will cause different levels of environmental destruction. Meanwhile, new movement options are also reportedly being introduced, such as being able to pick up and move downed players.

Where the game’s name is concerned, the report claims the development team has been conduction “mass surveys” with the community for a year or so as it tries to decide whether to call the game Battlefield 6 or simply Battlefield.

As per prior reports, the next Battlefield is targeting an October 2025 release. Recently, EA’s Vince Zampella said the company “would love to see” the upcoming shooter on Nintendo’s currently unannounced next-gen console. Read more on that through here.

That’s as per GSD data shared on Twitter by GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring, who says Space Marine 2 has already become the second biggest new game release of the year in Europe. The only new 2024 title to have sold more in the region is Helldivers 2, which means Space Marine 2 is tracking ahead of the likes of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Tekken 8, F1 24, WWE 2K24, Star Wars Outlaws, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. 

Shortly after its release, publisher Focus Entertainment revealed Space Marine 2 had crossed 2 million players across all platforms. 

In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 9/10, saying, “Brutal action, mind-boggling scale, spectacular set-pieces, and a bevy of content come together in what is one of the best action games in recent memory. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is unmissable.” Read the full review through here.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. 

However, there is a Digital Deluxe Edition, which costs $74.99. It includes the base game and the Legendary Pirate Crew Pack, with Kazuma Kiryu, Daigo Dojima and other iconic characters able to join Majima’s crew. You also get the Legendary Outfit Pack with the iconic outfits worn by Kiryu and Taiga Saejima.

There’s also a Ship Customization Pack for customizing Goromaru, Majima’s ship, with designs based on Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga. If that weren’t enough, you get an Extra Karaoke and CD Pack, which adds the Majima Construction Song to Karaoke and allows playing Karaoke songs while traversing locations.

Those who pre-purchase any edition will receive the Ichiban Pirate Crew Set, containing Ichiban as a crewmate and Nancy as backup crew, and the Ichiban Special Outfit Set, providing outfits based on Kasuga’s appearance in Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Infinite Wealth.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches on February 28th, 2025, for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC. Check out all the different locations and playspots available here.

Majima, the protagonist, utilizes the Mad Dog Style from previous games and allows for quick attacks with a tanto. He can even summon shadow clones to fight alongside him and mirror attacks. However, there’s also the Sea Dog Style, with Majima equipping dual cutlasses for exceptional area attacks. There’s even a flintlock pistol for ranged attacks and a chain hook to pull towards enemies.

While you explore locations like Hawaii from Infinite Wealth, the new Rich Island and Madlantis, there’s also sailing on open waters. The developer also confirmed a Colosseum in Madlantis, presumably where you’ll tackle numerous pirate foes. Notable playspots include Crazy Delivery, the return of Dragon Kart and Karaoke, and a live-action scenario with the Minato Girls.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches on February 28th, 2025, for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Washing up on Rich Island, not far from Hawaii, Majima suffers from amnesia. After help from a boy, Rich Noah, he battles with pirates before becoming the captain of a sea-faring vessel. Things only escalate as Majima encounters an organization known as Madlantis and its leader, Queen Michelle.

There’s also something about the Lost Treasures of Esperanza, another island where nuclear waste is stored, and, most shockingly, Samoa Joe. Hawaii looks to still be a location (though Ichiban Kasuga is not in the game), with Majima battling enemies and even taking on biking jobs.

Unlike Infinite Wealth, this is an action-adventure game with the goal of players enjoying being a pirate. The combat looks especially tight, with Majima wielding dual sabers.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC. Stay tuned for more details shortly.