Helldiver 2’s long-awaited third enemy faction, the Illuminate – previously seen in Helldivers 1, but still conspicuously absent from its sequel – has briefly appeared in-game. Which hasn’t stopped developer Arrowhead Game Studios from declaring the incident to be “fake news”.

Players began reporting strange sightings across Helldivers 2’s Galactic War map (thanks PC Gamer) earlier today, beginning with a mysterious cluster of purple sectors where players had previously only seen red for Automaton incursions and orange for Terminids.

If it’s near-incontrovertible proof of an Illuminate presence you’re after, though, then look no further than the small purple symbol players discovered when rolling over one of the mysterious new purple sectors – a symbol long-t…

Hopoo Games, the studio behind Risk of Rain and Deadbolt, has announced it will be joining Valve to work on game development.

The Seattle-based indie has cancelled its unannounced next project, a game named “Snail”, as a result.

In a statement posted to X, Hopoo Games described the news as “exciting”, and said its small team would continue to make games “for years to come”.

However, the statement also reads as something of an obituary for the studio. It ends: “for now – sleep tight, Hopoo Games”.

The news brings to mind Valve’s 2018 acquisition of Campo Santo, the talented team behind cult indie fave Firewatch. The studio’s in-development and much-anticipated Ancient Egyptian adventure In the Valley of the Gods was subsequently put on permanent hiatus, a…

PowerWash Simulator’s collaborations continue this autumn, when players can whip out their squirters and give Shrek’s fairytale world a good hose down in a brand-new paid DLC.

PowerWash Simulator’s Shrek Special Pack, as it’s officially known, marks the fifth bit of paid DLC for video gaming’s premiere wash-’em-up, following on from collaborations with Spongebob SquarePants, Back to the Future, Warhammer 40,000, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – and that’s alongside regular free seasonal content and more.

Developer FuturLab’s Shrek Special Pack promises five new “fairytale” maps for de-filthing, all inspired by Dreamworks’ currently four-strong animated movie series, with levels revealed so far including Shrek’s Swamp and the Dragon’s Lair.

PowerWash…

The Resident Evil ports on mobile now require an internet connection to play, prompting players to refuse the latest update – or even seek refunds.

As shared on the iOSGaming subreddit, the latest update from Capcom for Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 4, and Resident Evil Village states: “Due to changes to the startup process, an internet connection is now required when starting this app”.

It’s unclear exactly why an internet connection is needed, though players are speculating it could be for DRM checks, or simply data collection.

Resident Evil 4 Remake on iPhone 15 Pro: Can Mobile Truly Handle AAA Gaming?

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The design of Sony’s under-wraps but much-discussed PlayStation 5 Pro model has reportedly been posted online.

Prolific leaker bilbil-kun today posted an illustration showing the console model – which looks very similar to that of the base PS5 – and provided a few more details on its reveal.

White in colour, with two USB-C ports and a power button on the console’s front, the only major difference is the three ridged lines on the console’s shell. This is an upgrade to the one ridged line on the PS5 Slim.

Newscast: Will we buy PlayStation 5 Pro?

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Brace yourself, Star Wars fans – early copies of Star Wars Outlaws are already out there, and some players have elected to livestream the game.
This means spoilers will likely follow, so if you’d like to keep the surprises hidden, it may be prudent to update your mute list and/or stay off social media for a few days.

Star Wars Outlaws Preview Chat – NEW STAR WARS OUTLAWS GAMEPLAY & HANDS-ON FIRST IMPRESSIONS

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Remedy Entertainment has announced a new partnership that’ll see Annapurna Pictures financing half of Control 2 in exchange for the film and TV rights to Control and Alan Wake.

Control 2 – the sequel to Remedy’s acclaimed 2019 paranormal shooter – was officially announced back in 2022. Earlier this month, the studio revealed the project had now entered full production, and that the Control 2 team was currently “working towards developing the game to an early functional state from beginning to end.”

Remedy announced its new partnership in a statement shared on its website, confirming Annapurna will finance 50 percent of Control 2’s development budget and gain the rights to “expand the award-winning Control and Alan Wake franchises into film and television”.

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Today’s double-feature of a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase and Indie World brought a smattering of new announcements, as the Switch heads into its final Christmas.

The shows were light on any real bombshells, perhaps to be expected with Switch 2 on the horizon. But in their place there was still plenty to keep you busy over the coming six months, with eye-catching indie games, retro game collections and a wave of ports.

You can watch the full show below, or recap it announcement by announcement underneath.

Indie World & Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase – 27/08/2024

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