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Marathon still lives, as Bungie announces new closed technical test ahead of public update
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Marathon still lives, as Bungie announces new closed technical test ahead of public update

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Bungie has announced a closed technical test for its forthcoming shooter Marathon, which will take place later this month.

The limited, invite-only test will be in North America and Europe across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam, with players able to sign-up now. The test itself will take place from 22nd – 27th October.

Marathon was fully revealed back in April, but in June Bungie indefinitely delayed the extraction shooter due to “passionate” fan feedback that was heavily critical.

Marathon | Gameplay Overview TrailerWatch on YouTube

Since then, Bungie has run several closed tests to gather further feedback. Now, it’s opening the playtests further.

“This is an important checkpoint for us as we test our improvements since Alpha, including three maps, five runner shells, prox chat, re-tuned combat pacing, solo queue, deeper environmental storytelling, and more,” said Bungie. “That said, the Technical Test build is a work in progress and will only include a portion of what’s planned for Marathon’s full release, focused on the early player experience.”

A public update on Marathon’s development is due “in the coming months”, following this playtest.

The test is also under NDA, meaning feedback won’t be made public.

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Development of Marathon feels like a critical time for Bungie. Following its acquisition by Sony back in 2022, Bungie has failed to release a hit game, Destiny 2 player counts have dropped, and the company has been rocked by accusations of toxicity right up until this year.

Bungie admitted after Marathon’s reveal the game used an external artist’s work without permission and morale was reportedly in “free fall” as it dealt with the response to the game.

CEO Pete Parsons has since left the company after years of criticism and layoffs.

As for Sony, it’s keen not to repeat mistakes made in the release of the ill-fated live-service shooter Concord, which Marathon has already been compared to. Back in August, chief financial officer Lin Tao admitted the company’s live-service strategy is “not entirely going smoothly”.



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Yet another Final Fantasy 11 server has been closed to new players because it's too popular
Game Updates

Yet another Final Fantasy 11 server has been closed to new players because it’s too popular

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Square Enix is closing another Final Fantasy 11 server to new players because it’s proven too popular.

Back in July, the popular Asura server was closed, meaning new players would be unable to join. Producer and director Yoji Fujito said at the time the overpopulation “has led to a series of unexpected issues that have managed to affect the quality of that experience somewhat.”

As a result, players have instead moved to the next popular server, Bahamut, which has now met a similar fate.

FINAL FANTASY XIV x MONSTER HUNTER WILDS Collaboration TrailerWatch on YouTube

“Bahamut has consistently had the second most concurrent users out of all Worlds and has been close behind Asura in terms of total character population, leading many new adventurers to begin their journeys there,” said Fujito in a new statement.

“While we are pleased to see these Worlds bustling with activity, having too many concurrent users can overwhelm server processes on that World, which affects server responsiveness and increases the likelihood of other related issues.”

From 9th October, players will no longer be able to transfer characters to Bahamut, nor will they be able to create new characters. The Vana’diel Adventurer Recruitment Programme will also be suspended for the server.

Fujito added Asura remains closed as the server load remains unchanged despite a slight decrease in player population.

All of this is occurring 23 years after the MMORPG first launched.

So why are so many players returning or joining Final Fantasy 11? There were discount campaigns earlier in the year that have contributed, but it’s also due to a crossover with MMORPG follow-up Final Fantasy 14, which has seen a decline in players following its less popular Dawntrail expansion.

As for Final Fantasy 14, a Monster Hunter Wilds collaboration is on the way, which will add new mounts and a new battle scenario.



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Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage closed beta kicks off 11th September
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Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage closed beta kicks off 11th September

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SEGA has announced that Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage – a new and improved version of the 3D fighting game – will be getting a closed beta test on 11th September.

Players on PC eager to take part will have to request access to the closed beta on the Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage Steam page to hop in, while console players must create a SEGA account to receive a code from the campaign website.

The closed beta will feature online matchmaking including a ranked mode, an offline training mode, and an offline arcade mode. So both competitive ranked ladder climbers and combo lab monsters should have plenty to do.

Check out the recent Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O trailer here!Watch on YouTube

The closed beta will start at 4AM BST on the 11th (or 8PM PT / 11PM ET on the 10th for those in North America) and will run until the following Tuesday, the 16th September. That gives closed beta players the whole weekend and some change to get their games in.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O World Stage is an updated version of R.E.V.O, itself a massive overhaul of the original Virtua Fighter 5. This version adds a new world stage single player mode, as well as a training mode and the infamous Dural as a playable character.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage is set to release on 30th October, 2025 on the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S

This is a news-in-brief story. This is part of our vision to bring you all the big news as part of a daily live report.



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Honkai: Nexus Anima is MiHoYo Pokemon and you can register for the closed beta now
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Honkai: Nexus Anima is MiHoYo Pokemon and you can register for the closed beta now

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The latest game in the grand HoYoverse has been unveiled. This morning, Chinese developer MiHoYo announced a new entry in the Honkai series – Honkai: Nexus Anima. The game was initially teased during Honkai: Star Rail’s anniversary concert back in May, but it’s been officially revealed today.

Nexus Anima is essentially MiHoYo’s take on the legendary and long-running Pokemon series. It blends creature-collecting with adventure game elements, and you may even be able to get your hands on it soon.

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Honkai: Nexus Anima’s reveal trailer is more of a tone piece, and doesn’t show much of the gameplay. It does, however, introduce us to Anima – the creatures you’ll be befriending in the game.

The world of the game – Nexus – features “unseen bonds” between different, paired concepts, such as Love and Hate, Light and Dark, Life and Death and so on. As it often happens, however, the delicate balance that held them together has been shattered.

When the rupture occurred, the concepts were scattered across the land, with their powers taking the form of the creatures you’ll be collection, Anima. After you forge a bond with one, you’ll be able to unlock abilities based on the power that birthed it in the first place.

Watch on YouTube

You play as a character capable of traversing various realms. Over the course of the story, you’ll encounter Anima with their own personalities and unique abilities. The press release says these abilities will help with both exploration and combat.

Speaking of which, we don’t quite know how combat is going to play out in Nexus Anima, but it does appear like it’s going to be similar to Pokemon’s turn-based combat, albeit from a different, Teamfight Tactics-like perspective. We won’t have to wait too long to see it, though, because the game’s first closed beta is on the horizon.

Registration for the Nexus Bond Test is live now and until September 12. It’s available for anyone on PC and iOS. Until we can see gameplay, it’s worth perusing the official site, as it does offer an early look at few Anima, as well as Animasters – the characters you’ll be playing as.



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