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DLC

Free DLC For Assassin’s Creed Mirage Makes A Big Change To Parkour

by admin October 7, 2025

Will the jump button come back in the next Assassin’s Creed? Will Battlefield 6 really work right out of the box? Can PowerWash Simulator 2 prevent the further atomization of modern society? It’s the latest edition of Morning Checkpoint, Kotaku‘s daily roundup of gaming news and culture. I am still thinking about Xbox and how much Microsoft keeps fumbling the bag. And I’m apparently not the only one. But for real: what’s going on with those Walmart displays?

The Saudi Arabia Assassin’s Creed Mirage DLC will let you manually jump

Reportedly funded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Valley of Memory DLC is a free major update for the 2023 game that takes Basim to the AlUla region in search of his long-lost father. It includes a new skill, tool customization, difficulty levels, and replaybale missions and challenges. The most important change to me, however, is the addition of a manual jump to add more depth to the parkour. The stealth action series hasn’t had a dedicated jump button since Unity as movement became more streamlined and automated. Hopefully, the experiment pays dividends in Valley of Memory and paves the way for more complex parkour in the next big Assassin’s Creed sequel.

Silent Hill 2 remake is reportedly coming to PS Plus this month

That’s according to billbil-kun at Dealabs, who says last year’s PS5 exclusive will be arriving as part of the Extra and Premium tiers later this month. It arrives alongside Alan Wake 2 on PS Plus Essential and The Last of Us Part 2 on Extra and Premium. Not a bad haul for this year’s Halloween.

Physical copies of Battlefield 6 are out early and include at least part of the game on the actual disc

Bucking recent trends, Battlefield 6 apparently comes with the actual game on the disc, at least on PS5. A fan on Reddit claims the servers are live and the campaign and multiplayer both work. You can preview the game’s full day-one update and all of the over 200 changes it makes here.

Funcom layoffs hit Metal Hellsinger studio

The Outsiders, a Funcom studio based in Stockholm, Sweden, is shutting down, founder and creative director David Goldfarb announced yesterday. The team had previously produced the rhythm-based demonic FPS Hellsinger which sold one million copies. ” It will always be a high point for me personally and I will be forever grateful we got to make it and for the wonderful team and partnerships that made it happen,” he wrote. The veteran developer said the plan is to “continue on in some new form.”

PowerWash Simulator 2 is out October 23

The sequel to the hit OCD management game arrives with some upgraded visuals, split-screen co-op, and an increased focus on story beats which the original game kept mostly in the background. Who’s ready to spray and pray and search frantically for that remaining one percent of dirt you just can’t find?

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October 7, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Microsoft confirms Call of Duty DLC discounts with Xbox Game Pass now dropped in favour of reward points

by admin October 6, 2025

Microsoft has confirmed it’s dropped Call of Duty DLC discounts through Game Pass, with subscribers instead earning reward points.

As spotted by CharlieIntel last week, Game Pass Ultimate members could previously receive a 10 percent discount on Call of Duty add-on content. However, this discount has since been removed alongside Microsoft’s decision to increase the price of its top tier subscription.

In a statement shared with Eurogamer, Microsoft has now confirmed the removal of this discount, adding the change isn’t specific to Call of Duty.

The “Best Deal in Gaming” Just Keeps Getting Worse Watch on YouTube

“This is not specific to any one game and reflects all games and DLC purchases,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

“Instead of a discount on the purchases, Ultimate and Premium subscribers will earn 10 percent and 5 percent – respectively – in points when purchasing select games and add-ons from the Game Pass library. Ultimate members continue to have 20 percent discount on select games from the Game Pass library. On top of that, all Rewards members will earn points when shopping games and add-ons on the Store, while Premium and Ultimate subscribers will earn even more, 2x and 4x respectively.”

Full details on the rewards programme can be found on the Microsoft website.

A further change has been made to the programme, though. Users are now no longer able to directly redeem earned points towards Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. Instead, you’ll need to earn enough points for a gift card in a denomination sufficient to cover the cost of the subscription, and use this to purchase.

Last week, Microsoft announced an increase in price of its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription along with a shake of its tiers.

While it includes benefits such as Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics, the subscription now costs 50 percent more than before. This change to DLC discounts is another alteration that will impact subscribers for the foreseeable across DLC packs for all games.

The changes to Game Pass come despite Microsoft making record revenue from subscriptions last year.

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October 6, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Saudi-backed Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memories free DLC to be revealed later today

by admin October 6, 2025

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory – a free major update coming to the Ubisoft Blockbuster – has been officially teased via a new cinematic trailer ahead of a full reveal later today.

According to the teaser video description, that full reveal will arrive at 9AM PT / 12PM ET / 5PM BST / 6PM CEST.

The Valley of Memory DLC, first announced by Ubisoft in August, will be set in the ancient Arabian city of AlUla within Saudi Arabia. The DLC will include a new story chapter, new missions, and a variety of gameplay improvements.

Check out the teaser trailer for Valley of Memories here.Watch on YouTube

The DLC was reportedly developed thanks to a deal between Ubisoft and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, the national wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. Ubisoft declined to comment when asked by Eurogamer back in January.

The Public Investment Fund is part of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing attempt to diversify income for the oil-rich nation, as well as a dedicated push to improve its global image. Saudi Arabia has been criticised heavily for its history of human rights abuses, and blamed for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Only last week, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund was part of a three-way bid to turn Electronic Arts private for $55bn. If approved, the American games industry giant will be saddled with $20bn in debt in 2027.

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October 6, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Fallout: London’s first DLC, Rabbit and Pork, is finally out and adds 30 new quests

by admin September 30, 2025

Insert joke about London calling here, as Fallout: London developers Team FOLON have just released the first of the mod’s planned three DLC packs. This one’s called Rabbit and Pork and brings with it 30 new quests, plus a laundry list of that includes a bunch of NPCs, extra gear, and stability fixes.

As we covered the other day, to dive into the DLC and have the least chance of running into any bugs that could be lurking, you’ll want to start a fresh run through post-apoclayptic Blighty.

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“This major update doesn’t just add new content, it reshapes parts of the game based on your feedback and fixes thousands of issues identified since launch,” Team FOLON wrote in the DLC’s Discord announcement. “We’ve poured a huge amount of effort into making this the most polished and complete experience possible.”

Rabbit and Pork brings 30 new quests and minigames to the mod, along with 80 new characters for which 8000+ lines of chat have been recorded, I assume at least a third of those being in Cockney accents. Taking a quick gander at the release trailer, among the things which’ve stuck out to me are a mission involving a plane named after Fallout: London’s protagonist, the wayfarer, and a visit to the Jack the Ripper museum.

As you explore, 30 new weapons and armours can be found, along with a new animal follower and a home to move into. 70 fresh random encounters and “new content for early faction introductions” round out the additions, while Team FOLON say the number of bug fixes and stability improvements number in the thousands.

“We’re also unveiling a brand-new custom launcher designed alongside the Overwolf team to simplify the installation process for those who wish to use it,” they add. “This one-click solution will alleviate the hassle of traditional mod installations and get players into the game faster and more reliably than ever akin to the GOG one-click installer.”

In addition, the modders have rolled a number of key Fallout 4 mods that help make the game a bit less likely to crash into this release, so the High FPS Fix, X-Cell and Buffout 4 no longer have to be grabbed seperately. Team FOLON recommend you uninstall them if you’ve already downloaded and installed them individually, to avoid duplication.

To round out the news, the modders have also launched a Kickstarter for a Collector’s Edition of Fallout: London. Something to consider backing if you fancy it in between mouthfuls of rabbit and pork. If you bounced off of Fallout: London the first time around due to its launch bugs, here’s the review I wrote of it for my old home.

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September 30, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Soulmask Shifting Sands DLC gets new trailer and release window

by admin September 29, 2025

Today at the PC Gaming Show, CampFire Studio and Qooland Games announced that Soulmask, currently in Early Access, will fully launch in Q4 of 2025 alongside the Shifting Sand DLC.

Today at the PC Gaming Show, and following a milestone of over 700,000 players in Early Access, Soulmask revealed the highly anticipated launch trailer for Shifting Sands Egypt DLC, transporting players deep into a unique ancient Egyptian world that blends mysticism with sci-fi. Soulmask v1.0 and DLC will release together globally in Q4 2025.Presented in striking cinematic style, the trailer takes players on a breathtaking journey across desert sands, forgotten tombs, and temples steeped in the whispers of gods. From mind-bending aerial shots of golden dunes to daunting close-ups of new bosses and monsters, the reveal showcases a daring new blend of history, mythology, and sci-fi.

In Shifting Sands, ancient myths collide with alien technology. Players will equip the masks of Horus, Anubis, Amun-Ra, and Sobek, unleashing godlike abilities that may redefine combat and exploration. Anti-gravity solar ships hint at a new survival meta: Craft and assemble modular ships to traverse deserts, rivers, and the skies, expanding possibilities far beyond traditional sandbox play.

Together, these elements set the stage for the DLC’s key features:

Egyptian Gods’ Themed Masks – Each with unique, extraordinary abilities, such as Horus, the sky god, who can fly and control the sky; Anubis, the guardian of the underworld, who can resurrect; and masks incorporating alien technology that manipulate gravity for enhanced combat and exploration.

Anti-Gravity Solar Ships & Floating Bases – Modular construction with weight & module limits for strategic depth.

Harsh Survival in the Scorching Lands – Explore ancient Egyptian-inspired new biomes with dynamic day-night cycles and harsher survival challenges, fully immersing players in the style and atmosphere of Egypt’s legendary landscapes.

At its core, Soulmask: Shifting Sands draws inspiration from Ancient Egypt’s philosophy of the afterlife. The game’s central theme of “soul transfer” and “immortality through masks” echoes mummification rituals, Ra’s solar barque, and the eternal cycle of death and rebirth. This mythological depth intertwines with sci-fi mystery, inviting players to uncover how forgotten dynasties, alien relics, and divine power coalesce into one living mythos.

The DLC arrives as Soulmask reaches a milestone moment: its full 1.0 release. For a detailed look at the development journey and what’s new in version 1.0, check out the official developer log here.

The update introduces three game modes — Survival, Management, and Hero — giving players freedom to focus on exploration, tribe building, or high-stakes combat. Tribe AI is smarter and more specialized, with better job assignments and a new training system that lets tribesmen learn from each other. Players can issue text or even voice commands for a more immersive connection with their tribe. Mask progression has been reworked with a new tutorial and tribe-level system tied to “civilization rebuilding” quests, while the improved management interface offers real-time oversight of storage, production, and logistics. Together, these upgrades make Soulmask v1.0 the most advanced and feature-rich survival sandbox to date.

With over 80% positive reviews in Early Access, and the well-praised Sanxingdui DLC, with 95% positive reviews on Steam, Soulmask has cemented itself as a survival sandbox innovator. Now, with Shifting Sands, it takes aim at bridging historical authenticity and speculative science fiction in ways unmatched within the genre, setting it apart from peers in the genre.

Soulmask: Shifting Sands launches worldwide alongside Soulmask v1.0 in Q4 2025 for PC. Fans can experience the base game now in Early Access via Steam, now available at a 30% discount.

For more on Soulmask, stay tuned to GamingTrend.

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September 29, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Randy Pitchford has found his soulmate: an edgy cowboy robot named after money that’s in Borderlands 4’s first DLC

by admin September 29, 2025

Remember when you were young, and had your first crush? All of a sudden your hormones are going nuts, and here’s this person you can’t think about without your face contorting into a goofy smile, or talk about without bashfully giggling. Well, it seems that’s how part-time Gearbox exec and full-time social media poster Randall Steward Pitchford II feels about Borderlands 4’s freshly revealed first DLC Vault Hunter.

It’s understandable to be fair. Which of us hasn’t found ourselves gazing longingly at a former casino robot dressed like a goth version of John Wayne, before volunteering to help animate its card-throwing? Sometimes, C4SH rules not just everything around you, but your very heart.

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C4SH is the name of this cowbot, whom you’ll be able to play as if you splash out for him when he arrives alongside the game’s first story DLC early next year. The Vault Hunter’s “a drifter who chases the probability-breaking highs of cursed eldritch artifacts, with his bio continuing that the first story DLC, Ellie and the Vault of the Damned, “is full of cosmic horrors that harbor uncanny curios, some of which can surely bend the odds in C4SH’s favour.”

As you might have guessed, C4SH is aimed at folks who like playing in a way that comes with high risk for potentially high reward, with the buckarndroid’s skills being deliberately unpredictable. That’s all cool, but the more important thing emphasised in C4SH’s reveal at the Tokyo Game Show is this: Randy Pitchford fucking LOVES him.

“C4SH is important to me because I think he and I have a lot in common,” the exec said during this on-stage reveal, having previously descibed the cowboy robot as “very dear to me, very personal to me.” What’s engendered these strong feelings in such a famously chill and dispassionate fellow? Well, Pitchford has both won and lost while doing some real life gambling, the CEO said, and he’s also a professional magician. “I’ve mastered sleight of hand with playing cards, and we used my demonstration to help animate the character in the game,” said the smitten Gearbox skipper.

We’ll have more to share in the coming months about C4SH and Story Pack 1, but for now, check out what’s up next in our post-launch roadmap, including our first Seasonal Mini-Event, Bounty Pack, and Invincible Boss. pic.twitter.com/FUYq5qduqO

— Borderlands (@Borderlands) September 28, 2025

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So, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to basically be Randy Pitchford – or at least a cyborg Clint Eastwood that he sees a lot of himself in – now’s your chance to find out. I assume there’s a posting interface built into the HUD when you load in as C4SH. Either that, or you’ll have to run two monitors for the authentic experience of arguing with tweeters about the capabilities of their game-playing boxes as you play Borderlands. Remember: when it feels like you should probably stop posting, do not stop posting.

As they’ve revealed C4SH, Gearbox have also put out a DLC roadmap for Borderlands 4. Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned, the first story pack C4SH arrives as part of early next year, also includes extra main and side missions in a new zone of Kairos and new gear. Hopefully the majority of the performance issues which’ve plagued the shooter since release will be sorted by then, so you can enjoy C4SH rather than crash.

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September 29, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Borderlands 4 details first paid DLC plans as 2K continues to struggle with PC performance issues

by admin September 29, 2025

Gearbox revealed its first DLC vault hunter for Borderlands 4 during the Tokyo Game Show over the weekend. C4SH will be coming to the game in Q1 2026 alongside the game’s first story pack.

C4SH was revealed via a short cinematic teaser at the Borderlands 4 Tokyo Game Show panel, and is a former casino dealer robot who’ll use a degree of chance across all three of their skill trees. A full ability breakdown is set to take place in the near future, though there’s no date just yet.

The new character will arrive alongside a story pack called Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned. This pack will bring new main missions to complete, new gear, a new region on the map, a load of new cosmetics, and of course C4SH to tie it all together.

Here’s the C4SH teaser for Borderlands 4.Watch on YouTube

While the future of Borderlands 4 was shown off proudly in Japan, the game is still tackling technical hurdles in the present. While a recent patch has gone a ways in tackling performance issues, it has brought with it additional problems with Gearbox telling some on PC to clear their shader cache if things aren’t stable within 15-minutes of play time.

In addition, Borderlands 4’s Switch 2 version was delayed to an unspecified date for “additional development and polish time”. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford advised those on X unhappy with Borderlands 4 performance issues to refund the game in the days following its release.

Still, those able to get the game running well are having a good time with the sci-fi shooter. Eurogamer’s Borderlands 4 review states: “Borderlands 4 brings a more sensible script and a true open world to its pseudo-cel-shaded gun-show. But these moderate improvements are undermined by frustrating exploration and combat that takes too long to properly shine.”

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September 29, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

The first DLC vault hunter in Borderlands 4 will be a robot cowboy gambler named C4SH who throws playing cards

by admin September 28, 2025

Borderlands 4 | Official New Vault Hunter Teaser: C4SH – YouTube

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Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford took to the stage at this year’s Tokyo Game Show to reveal a new Vault Hunter for Borderlands 4, who will be coming out as paid DLC in early 2026. Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel both added additional Vault Hunters as DLC, but Borderlands 3 didn’t add any, so announcing a DLC character this early suggests Gearbox is confident in Borderlands 4 having some longevity. Or at least, more than the third one did.

The new character is a robot who used to work as a dealer at a casino. Disillusioned by the horror of working in a customer-facing service position, C4SH becomes a Vault Hunter with powers based on random chance. Which sounds a bit like Claptrap in the Pre-Sequel, whose action skill could load in a different ability each time you used it.

C4SH also has an ability that involves throwing playing cards, maybe like Gambit from the X-Men? On the Tokyo Game Show stage Pitchford explained that his own close-up magic skills were used as reference for this, with videos of him palming and throwing cards used by the animators. I could maybe have done with more info about how C4SH plays and less demonstration of Pitchford’s magic skills, but I guess it wouldn’t be a Gearbox presentation without them.

The DLC containing C4SH will also contain some “new story content”, maybe to explain how those mind-control bolts in Borderlands 4 work on a robot. He’s part of the Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter Pack, which is included in the Super Deluxe Edition.

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September 28, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Starbreeze admits it “dropped the ball” over stealth price increase to DLC bundle

by admin September 26, 2025

Starbreeze has admitted it “dropped the ball” after introducing a premium DLC subscription service for Payday 2 at the same time as increasing the price of its DLC bundle Infamous Collection without warning.

The company launched a subscription service for Payday 2 on Steam as part of the franchise’s 12th anniversary celebrations yesterday (September 24). The service offers players access to all the game’s available download content for $4.99 a month (with monthly renewal) or $19.99 for six months, with the option to cancel anytime.

What wasn’t part of the announcement, however, was a 50% hike to the DLC bundle, taking it from $100 to $150, resulting in a vocal backlash from the heist shooter’s long-time community.

In a statement to GameDeveloper, head of commercial Gustav Misser said: “We dropped the ball on coordinating internally and communicating with our community properly.

“The negative reaction makes complete sense, and the community has made it clear how the price change and its timing looks from the outside. We agree with the community, we messed up on this one, and we have reverted the price on the bundle effective immediately.

“In hindsight we should have realized how it would seem,” he added. “Since the bundle only charges for the items you don’t own, and the bundle discount is cumulative with any other discounts (i.e. discounts on the included items), the actual full price of the bundle can vary significantly.”

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September 26, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Stellar Blade teases something is coming “in one week” and it looks like a horror-themed DLC or crossover event

by admin September 20, 2025

Stellar Blade developer Shift Up has dropped a mysterious image onto social media, leading some fans to speculate it could be teasing a horror event or even crossover promotion with the upcoming release of Konami’s horror, Silent Hill f.

While there’s no cheeky copyright notices or any obvious indication that Stellar Blade is taking us to Silent Hill, Shift Up did share an image of a very Silent Hill Otherworld-esque world onto Stellar Blade’s X/Twitter page, complete with crumbling walls, a dilapidated ceiling, and a very familiar rust-red hue. Hmm.

Here’s the launch trailer for Stellar Blade.Watch on YouTube

The text – which reads “in one week…” alongside a stars emoji and the hashtag Stellar Blade – similarly doesn’t give much away, but coincidentally enough, Silent Hill f – the first mainline Silent Hill game since 2012 – is due to launch next week on 25th September.

Image credit: Shift Up / X

As both franchises have partnered with other games for promotional purposes, it’s certainly possible, but it could, of course, just be a spooky-themed time-limited event or another horror game or movie with Halloween just a few short weeks away. Whatever it is, hopefully we’ll find out soon.

Earlier this month, Shift Up announced it intends to expand the Stellar Blade franchise with “various derivative works”. A new financial report explored the success of its different products, including Stellar Blade, highlighting the game’s impressive performance both at launch and with its port to PC.

The report added (via machine translation): “Through this, [Stellar Blade] was able to effectively secure a new user base and further strengthen its position as a global AAA franchise IP. We plan to develop various derivative works to expand the [Stellar Blade] IP so that [Stellar Blade] can establish itself as a well-made IP.”

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September 20, 2025 0 comments