EA’s just-announced Dead Space remake leads us to discuss whether or not EA has turned the corner and started to re-earn gamers’ trust. Plus: our impressions of Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X and S, a bit on Death’s Door, The Coalition’s Unreal Engine 5 tech demo, Halo Infinite’s imminent multiplayer tech test, and more! (P.S. This was recorded prior to Microsoft’s earnings call.)

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our new YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 download of this week’s episode. For more awesome content, check out the latest episode of IGN Unfiltered, featuring an interview with The Elder Scrolls Online boss Matt Firor about his RPG roots, the future of the popular MMORPG, and what else the studio is working on as part of the Xbox Studios family:

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Oh, and you can be featured on Unlocked by tweeting us a video Loot Box question! Tweet your question and tag Ryan at @DMC_Ryan!

For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review.

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are officially the fastest-selling Xbox consoles ever, according to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

This news came as a part of the company’s earnings call today, during which Microsoft announced that it had now sold more X and S consoles life-to-date than any other previous Xbox console generation, with demand for the consoles continuing to exceed available supply. Supply limitations on Xbox and other gaming hardware are expected to continue for some time due to an ongoing chip shortage, with Intel’s CEO saying the shortage could drag on even into 2023.

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Alongside this news, Nadella reiterated the company’s recent commitment to being “all-in on gaming,” something he said in June alongside the announcement that the company would work with global TV manufacturers to embed Xbox gaming directly into internet-connected TVs.

Microsoft’s earnings today included a smattering of other Xbox tidbits. The company’s gaming revenue in its most recent financial quarter was up $357 million or 11% year-over-year, driven largely by sales of Xbox consoles. Specifically, hardware sales were up 172% year-over-year, which makes sense given that Microsoft wasn’t selling a new console this year, and now they are.

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This lift was offset somewhat by Xbox content and services revenue being down $128 million or 4% thanks to fewer third-party games coming out in the most recent quarter, whereas game revenues were strong by comparison to last year due to stay-at-home mandates.

Unfortunately, Microsoft did not provide an update on Game Pass subscriber numbers during the call. It does project “low double-digit” growth for Xbox gaming revenue in the coming quarter, and that Xbox consoles will continue to experience supply constraints.

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Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Monster Hunter Rise announced its next Capcom crossover, and it’s bringing back Amaterasu from Okami.

On July 30, Capcom will release its second collaboration between Monster Hunter Rise and other Capcom games. The first Capcom Collab stayed in the family with a collab between Rise and Monster Hunter Stories 2. The second collab will branch out and let players ride Amaterasu as a Layered Armor for their Palamute.

Check out the trailer below.

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The Amaterasu Layered Armor set for your Palamute will be cosmetic-only but there’s some loving attention to detail. Like in the original Okami, your Palamute will leave a flower trail behind them as they run and jump across the land.

The trailer also does a wonderful job of splicing footage between Monster Hunter Rise’s take on “Ammy” and scenes from the original Okami. Amaterasu has really changed in the years since Okami was first released.

While Amaterasu is back for Monter Hunter Rise, there’s no word on whether there will ever be a new Okami game, though developer Ikumi Nakamura has tried to pitch one.

In the meantime, read IGN’s Monster Hunter Rise review and guide for everything about Capcom’s massively successful hunting game.

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Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor.

Are you a content creator? How about just someone who is into the PC space? Today is a good day for you then! Neewer has a ton of great products on sale right now, including various lights and stands that would be a huge help for content creators. There’s also some great gaming PCs up for offer, as well as some nice upgrades for storage and a really nice Samsung monitor. That’s not all of course, as we’ve also got listed some Apple AirPods, a Ninja Air Fryer, an Arcade Cabinet and more!

Daily Deals for July 27th 2021

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As teams across Activision Blizzard reckon with the fallout of last week’s bombshell lawsuit, the World of Warcraft development team published a statement on Twitter announcing it will remove inappropriate references from both WoW and WoW Classic.

This is also the first Tweet made on the account since the lawsuit was announced.

In a public statement signed by the World of Warcraft Team, the developers announced that while the studio moves forward with plans to improve its workplace, there is immediate action the team can do now.

As such, the developers are working to “remove references that are not appropriate for our world. This work has been underway, and you will be seeing several such changes to both Shadowlands and WoW Classic in the coming days.”

A message from the #Warcraft team. pic.twitter.com/3gWCz1gu8T

— World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) July 27, 2021

While the WoW Team didn’t name any specific changes that will be coming to the game, WoW has several references to developers and team members, some of whom were named in the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing lawsuit.

One example is a reference to Alex Afrasiabi, a creative director on World of Warcraft who was specifically named in the lawsuit. The documents say his behavior among female staff was so inappropriate his office was nicknamed the “Crosby Suite,” a misspelled reference to alleged rapist Bill Cosby.

Afrasiabi can be found as an NPC in WoW with the name “Field Marshal Afrasiabi.”

Last week, the CDFHE filed a lawsuit accusing Activision Blizzard of fostering a work environment where women and other marginalized groups were systematically disadvantaged and vulnerable to sexual harassment. Activision Blizzard issued several statements, some of which claimed the lawsuit was “distorted.”

In response, over 2,000 current and former employees signed an open letter criticizing the statements as “abhorrent and insulting,” and today workers at Blizzard announced plans to stage a walkout on July 28 in protest.

Former executives like Mike Morhaime and Chris Metzen have also issued public apologies for failing the employees at Blizzard during their tenure.

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Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor.

After spending more than five years in development on a sixth entry, the Die Hard franchise is now officially dormant. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed that McClane, a project conceived as both a prequel and sequel to the action series, was abandoned following the Disney-Fox merger in 2019.

“Yeah, no. It’s not happening,” di Bonaventura told Polygon. “What was really interesting was we actually came up with an idea to do it. It was a project that wasn’t Die Hard that then, eventually, shifted over to Die Hard.”

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McClane was set to feature Bruce Willis’s return to the role of John McClane, with a structure that would have shifted between a modern timeline and the 1970’s. A different actor would have played a younger version of McClane, with the story exploring the character’s early days as a New York City police officer.

“What was interesting about our idea was it allowed you the ability to meet the young John McClane and use Bruce,” di Bonaventura said. “It was really interesting in that way. So you sort of got to see both versions of him. A bit [like The Godfather: Part II].”

The project had tapped The Conjuring writers Chad and Carey Hayes to rewrite the script. Additionally, Live Free or Die Hard director Len Wiseman was reportedly set to return to the franchise to helm the sequel. However, the project fell by the wayside after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox.

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Willis’ John McClane was last seen in 2013’s A Good Day to Die Hard. The film was a modest box office success, grossing $304.7 million globally off of a reported production budget of $92 million. In our review, IGN gave the film a 6.2, calling it “something of a slog.”

For more on Die Hard, read our ranking of twenty rip-offs of the action classic.

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J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer.

(Photo by 20th Century Studios/IMDb)

It’s savings central right now, thanks to a series of winter discounts promotions. Microsoft Store has some particularly cost-effective triple packs on offer (think: Resi and AC). Likewise, the PS Store has some choice discounts on a few recently released RPGs. All of these deals and more await you below!

Purchase Cheaply for PC

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Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch

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Exciting Offers for XO/XS

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Product Savings for PS4/PS5

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After over 25 years on the air, Arthur the beloved PBS cartoon will soon come to an end, IGN has learned.

Following rumors and speculation that the show would no longer produce new episodes of the long-running children’s animated series, Carol Greenwald, Executive Producer for Arthur confirmed to IGN that after the 25 season of the show airs on TV no new episodes will be produced, but said that the show will continue to be available on PBS Kids in the near future.

“In the winter of 2022, the 25th and final season of Arthur will debut. Arthur will continue to be available on PBS KIDS for years to come,” Greenwald told IGN in an email. “Producer GBH and PBS KIDS are continuing to work together on additional Arthur content, sharing the lessons of Arthur and his friends in new ways.”

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Arthur first aired back in October 1996 and focuses on the titular character and the daily interactions he had with his friends and family.

While the show will be remembered fondly by those that grew up watching it on PBS, Arthur’s legacy will also live on in the form of the internet as various stills from the show have produced hilarious yet relatable memes.

While there are way too many Arthur memes to count, by far one of the most notable memes created is the one where Arthur is clenching his fist which is accompanied by a caption that describes someone’s frustration which became a hit in 2016.

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Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

343 Industries has announced that the studio will go live with the fist look at Halo Infinite‘s technical preview tomorrow at 2PM PT. The multiplayer technical preview will take place this weekend, July 29 – August 1. You’ll need to register for a Halo Insider account in order for a chance to participate able to participate. However, that doesn’t guarantee you a spot during the technical preview. The studio will also go over how players get in if they’re selected.

Invites have already started to go out to the first wave of Halo Insider members, which include hundreds of thousands of people. Throughout the technical preview, 343 will be testing game & services performance metrics, such as stability, communication systems, and flighting tools at scale. Player feedback will be gathered as well regarding areas such as core gameplay, maps, modes, and user interface.

The studio is looking to test out its Battle Pass system, Challenges, and in-game Store to see how well they hold up to scale. They’ve been included for technical reasons and don’t reflect the amount of unlockable content at launch. A set amount of in-game credits (cR) will be provided to help players unlock items, but please note that anything that’s unlock during a technical preview will not carry over to the main game.

343 Industries earlier teased that the game’s multiplayer beta would start soon, and now we have confirmation. Halo Infinite is set to launch in Fall 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The multiplayer portion of the game will be free-to-play when it releases this year.