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PlayStation

Future of PlayStation live service project, Fairgames, thrown into further doubt as director leaves studio

by admin September 1, 2025

Daniel Drapeau, recently the game director on Fairgames at Haven Studios, has announced his new role as a creative director over at Warner Bros Montreal.

The move adds further doubt to the status of Fairgames, the live-service shooter published by Sony, following the departure of studio founder Jade Raymond.

Drapeau announced the change in a LinkedIn post: “As of this week, I joined WB Games Montreal Inc. as Creative Director. I can’t wait to start this wonderful adventure with all the great people here at the studio. I also want to particularly thank Yves Lachance, Logan A. Lesage and Bryan Theberge for their trust and support throughout the process. Now, let’s do this!”

Here’s that original Fairgames reveal trailer, back when it had the $ in its name.Watch on YouTube

There’s no word on what game Drapeau is working on as of writing, as nothing is listed on his Linkedin. We do know that Warner Bros is working on a new live service title, thanks to an executive producer job listing over at Warner Bros Montreal no less. Whether or not Drapeau is working on this project or something else entirely remains unconfirmed.

While this is a nice bit of news for Warner Bros Games, especially given the recent overhaul of its leadership team, it marks another wound for Fairgames. The game, first announced in May 2023, has been a ghost ever since, beyond Ramond’s departure earlier this year.

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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September 1, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Next PlayStation State Of Play Announced, Coming Very Soon

by admin September 1, 2025

Sony has announced the next PlayStation State of Play event, and it’s coming up soon and focused exclusively on the upcoming James Bond game, 007 First Light, from Hitman developer IO Interactive.

The State of Play takes place Wednesday, September 3, starting at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET / 7 PM BST / 8 PM CEST. The broadcast will feature “over 30 minutes” of gameplay for the upcoming title, including a playthrough of Bond’s first mission when he becomes an MI6 recruit.

“The action includes everything from high-speed car chases to on-foot stealth sequences and shootouts. Stay tuned after the playthrough for insights from IO Interactive on the intense espionage gameplay,” the developer said.

You will be able to watch the State of Play in all the usual places, including YouTube and Twitch.

The State of Play event in June featured 007 First Light’s reveal trailer, so once again, Sony has the scoop on the latest information for the James Bond game. The connection between Sony and James Bond goes back a long time. Sony Pictures has been the longtime distributor of James Bond movies, but Amazon MGM Studios is taking over for the next movie.

When was the last State of Play?

The last State of Play took place it July and was focused on Ghost of Yotei. This will be the fifth State of Play so far in 2025. Here’s a quick look back at the recent events.

The newest State of Play for 007 First Light is no surprise, as the existence of a PlayStation broadcast in September leaked some time ago. A Nintendo Direct event could follow on September 11 or 12.

What is 007 First Light?

007 First Light is a new James Bond game from Hitman developer IO Interactive. There have been numerous James Bond video games over the years, of course–including the iconic GoldenEye 007–but 007 First Light is the first to tell an origin story for the world-famous character.

007 First Light has players stepping into the shoes of James Bond when he’s 26 years old and in the Royal Navy, prior to becoming the British superspy everyone knows today. He gets recruited for MI6 and eventually its elite 00 section.

“Bond’s adventures will take players all around the globe, coming face to face with allies and foes (or in some cases, both), while choosing how they overcome obstacles and challenges, whether it be with brute force, cunning guile, or charming wit,” the game’s press release said.

“We’re pouring our energy and passion for the franchise into creating a cinematic adventure that pushes the boundaries of what a James Bond game can be, while telling a fresh, new story,” the developer said.

The third-person action-adventure game will feature other characters like M, Q, and Moneypenny, as well as a brand-new character created for the game, John Greenway, and a mysterious character named Isola. And of course, IO is promising “a whole new cast of villains.”

IO intends for the game to kick off a new trilogy. CEO Hakan Abrak told IGN that First Light won’t be based on any of the existing Bond movies. Instead, the developer is being allowed to create its own version of James Bond for the game.

“What’s exciting about that project is that we actually got to do an original story,” Abrak said. “So it’s not a gamification of a movie. It’s completely beginning and becoming a story, hopefully for a big trilogy out there in the future. And equally important and exciting, it’s a new Bond. It’s a Bond we built from the ground up for gamers. It’s extremely exciting with all the tradition and all the history there is there together to work on this together with the family of creating a young Bond for gamers; a Bond that the gamers can call their own and grow with.”

IO has not confirmed who is playing James Bond in First Light, but fans believe they’ve worked it out, saying they believe Irish actor Patrick Gibson is playing the role. He’s known for his roles in The Tudors, Shadow and Bone, and Tolkien. Most recently, he played a young Dexter Morgan on the Dexter prequel series Original Sin. Indeed, Gibson certainly looks the part. But anything is possible.

First Light is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC.

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September 1, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

The Next PlayStation State Of Play Is A James Bond Deep-Dive

by admin September 1, 2025

The next PlayStation State of Play is right around the corner, though it won’t have any big reveals on upcoming first-party PS5 exclusives like Wolverine. Sony revealed a September showcase later this week that will focus solely on the upcoming James Bond game 007 First Light.

“In this upcoming State of Play, tune in for over 30 minutes of gameplay featuring a playthrough of Bond’s first mission as an MI6 recruit,” IO Interactive rep Yann Roskell writes over on the PlayStation Blog. “The action includes everything from high-speed car chases to on-foot stealth sequences and shootouts. Stay tuned after the playthrough for insights from IO Interactive on the intense espionage gameplay.”

The State of Play will air September 3 at 11am PT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST on YouTube and Twitch.

007 First Light is the Hitman studio’s take on the famous espionage franchise, albeit with a younger James Bond in the driver’s seat. The story sees the MI6 agent, at age 26, take on his first major mission that ultimately earns him 007 status. While it’ll be an original story, iconic characters like M, Q, and Miss Moneypenny will all be part of the mix. But what I really want to know is if Bond can kill someone with a fish.

The State of Play won’t be giving fans a peak at what else is coming down the pipeline for PlayStation 5, however (007 First Light is also confirmed for Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC). Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Housemarque’s Saros, and Insomniac Games’ Wolverine are all in the works but details on each of those blockbusters remain vague. We also still have no idea what Santa Monica Studio is working on and whether it’ll be in the God of War universe or not. We’ll see if this 007 deep-dive ends up being the only Sony showcase this month.

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September 1, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

The next PlayStation State of Play is taking place this Wednesday, focused on James Bond 007: First Light

by admin September 1, 2025

A PlayStation State of Play is coming later this week. This livestreamed event will be focused on 007: First Light.

The livestream is set to take place this Wednesday, 3rd September. In terms of exact times, it’s scheduled to start at 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST on the official PlayStation YouTube channel.

During this livestream, we’ll get the world first reveal of gameplay for 007: First Light. According to developer IO, this will including car chases, stealth sequences, and some shootouts, so it should be a fairly comprehensive spread.

Watch the reveal trailer for 007: First Light here!Watch on YouTube

007: First Light was first revealed during the June State of Play, and has since been a hotly anticipated game from the creators of the Hitman series. How it’ll actually play is something that should hopefully be answered in a matter of days.

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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September 1, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

PlayStation Plus Free PS4/PS5 Games Revealed For September

by admin August 28, 2025

The next batch of PlayStation Plus freebies is arriving next week and it’s a darn good haul of games, including the beloved indie blockbuster Stardew Valley.

On August 27, as is usual around the end of the month, Sony announced what next month’s free PS Plus games will be. These games are available to all tiers of PS Plus subscribers and will be available to grab and download starting September 2. All of these games can be played on PS5 or PS4. Here’s the full list:

Psychonauts 2 – PS4
Stardew Valley – PS4
Viewfinder – PS4, PS5

The star of the show is likely to be Stardew Valley, which appears to have never been given away as a PlayStation Plus game before. That seems wild to me! But hey, if you have not yet played this wildly popular cozy pixel-art life sim that features RPG combat, farming, and more, now is the perfect time to give it a shot. Personally, I’m more excited that more people will get a chance to play Psychonauts 2, a fantastic 3D platformer from Double Fine that I enjoyed a lot back in 2021. I highly recommend you set some time aside to play it. Finally, there’s Viewfinder, a neat first-person puzzle game with an interesting mechanic involving taking pictures and stepping into them. If you like Portal or other similar puzzle games, check this one out, too!

Oh, and don’t wait around too much longer to grab last month’s collection of PlayStation Plus free games. Lies of P, Day Z, and My Hero One’s Justice 2 won’t be free after September 1, so add them to your game library before then if you want to play any of them in the future. Also, keep in mind that you can only play these PS Plus games if you have an active PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, or Premium membership.

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August 28, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Sony finally makes the PlayStation refund process easier, killing the support chat bot

by admin August 26, 2025

Sony has pushed an update live to the PlayStation store that makes refunds considerably easier.

The new process, which can only be done on the PlayStation website or app, goes as follows: navigate to the PlayStation store and select the three dots in the top right corner to access your transaction history. From there, you should be able to select your past purchases and request refunds.

Previously, PlayStation users would have to use an online assistant, basically a chat bot, to negotiate a refund. The requirements for a refund remain the same: only a product bought within the last 14 days is valid, and you can’t have begun the process of downloading or playing it. That is, unless what you bought is faulty, in which case these requirements may be circumvented.

Here’s a Eurogamer video to cheer you up.Watch on YouTube

It’s a nice little update that should make those 2am reflex purchases of Detroit Become Human feel a little less rancid the next day. Also, anything that takes away those pesky chat bot supports is a good update in my book. This comes alongside a selection of other improvements made to the PS Plus store as of late, including additional accessibility options and Apple Pay support.

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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August 26, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

PlayStation CEO doesn’t want first party studios to “play it safe” but “fail early and cheaply”

by admin August 26, 2025

PlayStation CEO Hermen Hulst wants the company to mitigate expensive risks with its future games, following last year’s high profile failure of live-service shooter Concord.

Speaking to Financial Times (via IGN), Hulst reflected on Concord’s failure in comparison to the huge success of mascot platformer Astro Bot. “I don’t want teams to always play it safe, but I would like for us, when we fail, to fail early and cheaply,” he said.

Playstation has now put into place more supervision of Sony’s owned studios, to ensure Concord’s fate isn’t repeated. “We have since put in place much more rigorous and more frequent testing in very many different ways,” said Hulst. “The advantage of every failure…is that people now understand how necessary that [oversight] is.”

9 Adorable Astro Bot Gameplay Moments & Features That’ll Melt Your Heart – ASTRO BOT GAMEPLAY REVIEWWatch on YouTube

Analysts estimate Concord cost Sony around $250m, but was infamously shut down just two weeks after launch, resulting in the closure of its developer Firewalk Studio. Astro Bot, meanwhile, sold 1.5m copies in its first month and, by March this year, had sold 2.3m copies.

As a result of Concord’s failure, Hulst suggested to FT PlayStation isn’t so intent on releasing live-service games as it once was. That mirrors comments from Sony’s chief financial officer Lin Tao earlier this month, who admitted the company’s live-service strategy is “not entirely going smoothly”.

Indeed, Bungie’s Marathon reboot was indefinitely delayed after its initial unveiling earlier this year.

Instead, Hulst’s strategy is to grow Sony’s IP into long-lasting franchises, just as Astro Bot has gained positive notoriety with each game released.

“We take a very intentional approach to IP creation…understanding how a new concept can turn into an iconic franchise for PlayStation, that can then again become a franchise for people beyond gaming,” said Hulst.

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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August 26, 2025 0 comments

Hermen Hulst, managing director and co-founder of Guerrilla Games, speaks during a Sony Corp. event ahead of the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Monday, June 15, 2015.

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After cancelling 8 of the 12 live service games Sony promised to release by 2025, PlayStation studios boss says the number doesn’t really matter: ‘What is important to me is having a diverse set of player experiences’

by admin August 25, 2025

By the time Sony started printing money releasing its exclusives onto PC, the company had made a name for itself delivering the biggest and best singleplayer games on the market. Its run of solo PS4 exclusives from Bloodborne to The Last of Us Part 2 was so strong that it blew Microsoft’s console strategy out of the water, in a way that the Xbox has arguably never recovered from. Even we PC heads with our vast Steam libraries had to acknowledge those games were pretty great.

Yet for the PlayStation 5, Sony decided it would almost completely ignore that legacy, and instead be all about live service. In 2022, former CEO Jim Ryan promised Sony would make and release 12 live-service games by 2025. As of 2025, only one of these—Helldivers 2—has enjoyed a successful launch. Seven were cancelled before release. Three are supposedly still in development (including the deeply troubled Marathon) and one of them was Concord.

It’s a strategy that has, so far, proven catastrophic, leaving the PS5 largely bereft of quality first-party exclusives. But if you thought gazing upon this virtual graveyard might cause Sony to reconsider its priorities, think again.

Concord – Gameplay Trailer | PS5 Games – YouTube

Watch On

Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Studio Business Group CEO Herman Hulst was recently asked about Sony’s live-service strategy by the Financial Times (via GamesRadar), as part of an in-depth article about the company’s broader business strategy. “The number [of live-service releases] is not so important,” Hulst told the FT. “What is important to me is having a diverse set of player experiences and a set of communities.”

Instead of changing strategy to avoid massive live-service failures like Concord, or cancellations like The Last of Us Online, Hulst says he basically wants Sony to fail better. “I don’t want teams to always play it safe, but I would like for us, when we fail, to fail early and cheaply.”

To change these massive failures into, er, smaller failures, Hulst says PlayStation has implemented several new safeguards, such as “more rigorous and more frequent testing in many different ways.” According to the FT, this includes a higher priority on group testing, more cross pollination of ideas within Sony, and “closer relationships” between top executives. “The advantage of every failure…is that people now understand how necessary that [oversight] is.”

I would be more convinced by what Hulst says if Sony had demonstrated its PS4-era strategy no longer worked before going all in on chasing the theoretical live-service money train. Those glossy singleplayer titles were often enormously expensive to make, and selling games in general has become significantly harder over the last five years. But while Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 seems to have been a commercial disappointment, God of War: Ragnarok was the fastest-selling PlayStation title ever on launch in 2022, and had sold 15 million copies a full year before it came to PC in September last year.

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August 25, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Save $40 On Silent Hill 2’s PlayStation 5 Remake For A Limited Time

by admin August 24, 2025

Silent Hill 2’s excellent remake is discounted to only $30 (was $70) for PS5 at Amazon and Walmart. This limited-time offer matches the lowest price ever for the PS5 and PC survival horror game. PC players can get a Steam key from Fanatical for $37.79.

$30 (was $70)

Originally released for PS2 in 2001, Silent Hill 2 is widely regarded as one of the best survival horror games of all time. A remastered version appeared in the Silent Hill HD Collection in 2012, but Bloober Team’s 2024 remake is a fully rebuilt, modernized take on the Konami classic. The stunning visual overhaul makes Silent Hill 2’s haunting atmosphere all the more terrifying. The reworked soundtrack aptly captures the game’s tone, and the voice actor performances elevate the narrative.

Bloober Team’s remake is a dark descent into a world with an oppressive atmosphere. Full of surreal nightmares, players not only have to survive the terrors stalking Silent Hill but find answers to the questions that have haunted the protagonist James Sunderland for several years.

Now’s a great time to play Silent Hill 2, as the next entry in the franchise releases September 25. Silent Hill f is a standalone spin-off set in the 1960s. Unlike Silent Hill 2’s remake, the spin-off isn’t exclusive to PlayStation on consoles. Silent Hill f is available to preorder for $70 on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. Console players should check out Amazon’s exclusive Day One Edition that includes a double-sided poster.

PC players can save 25% on Steam key preorders at Fanatical. The standard edition is only $52.49, and the Digital Deluxe is $60 (was $80). The Digital Deluxe Edition comes with multiple in-game items and outfits as well as early access starting September 23.

With the latter, you’re saving a full $20 and will get multiple in-game items as well as early access starting September 23.

Silent Hill Steam Game Deals

Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.

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August 24, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

The Rogue Prince of Persia is out now on Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, Switch 2 version coming later this year

by admin August 23, 2025

The Rogue Prince of Persia has finally launched after a period in Early Access. The game is available now on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. You can grab it on Game Pass and PlayStation Plus too.

The game will also be headed to the Switch and Switch 2 later this year, but no firm release date for that has been established as of writing.

To celebrate the 1.0 release, Ubisoft has released a swanky new trailer that combines some lovely 2D animation as well as plenty of gameplay, showing you exactly what the game’s like before you decide to grab it or not.

Watch the launch trailer for The Rogue Prince of Persia here!Watch on YouTube

In case you weren’t aware, this new Prince of Persia has a lot of Dead Cells DNA in it, with it being an excellent 2D platformer packing a bold new art style for the series. It’s been quite the journey for the game, leaving the prince very… Purple. He was purple for a while. Here’s to a fancy release for Prince of Persia!

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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August 23, 2025 0 comments