The Last of Us Part 2 Designer Reveals Why One Of Its Key Chases Was So Challenging to Design

Spoilers for The Last of Us Part II…

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Anyone that’s played The Last of Us Part II knows that there is a sequence while playing as Abby that sees her chase after Tommy. They also know that you don’t actually make it to Tommy and defeat them.

However, news popped last week that if you go too fast during this specific sequence, you can actually catch up to Tommy and kill him, as reported by Kotaku. This article spurred TLOU2 technical designer Asher Einhorn to create a lengthy thread on Twitter yesterday to explain how difficult it was to design this chase.

As noted by Eurogamer, Einhorn says that the Tommy chase in TLOU2 started as a sniper prototype he started working on in 2016 before the studio opted to turn this sequence into a boss fight. TLOU2 director Neil Druckmann decided that Tommy should be the boss.

“Tommy wasn’t going to die in this sequence, so we had the extremely difficult challenge of creating a boss fight where you weren’t going to win, AND one where you couldn’t even shoot him,” Einhorn said.

Einhorn said the team knew that if players shot at Tommy and he didn’t die, people would say he has “plot armor,” thus ruining the tension, so the team had a challenge before them: creating a boss fight where you aren’t supposed to win, despite feeling like you can.

Einhorn continued and said that it was important to the team to make the fight feel fair, which is why “Tommy gets into position before you can get to a good vantage point…so that you can’t ever really discover that Tommy is essentially invincible [as] he will shoot you pretty much as soon as you try to aim at him.”

Einhorn’s thread talks about how the team ultimately decided to create a sequence that linearly leads you forward, using destructible objects to make Tommy feel legitimately dangerous until Abby reaches the terminal lobby.

Einhorn says that ultimately, he feels the sequence “suffers a little because it’s just not long enough to let the beat breathe.”

“I think it needed to be a much larger space, with more forced route crossing and zigzagging and way way more destructible things for Tommy to hit as he shoots you,” one of Einhorn’s final tweets in the thread reads. “It’s not quite the matrix lobby fight I wanted it to be, but I hope it’s still cool.”

“I was thinking about this sequence a lot post-launch because it was just SO much work but that work isn’t especially noticeable,” they continued. “We’re trying to prevent the player from doing something they’ve done all game so far and have it not be frustrating and that was SO hard. But ultimately, when you play it, you don’t FEEL the effort that’s been put in like you would with a bigger dramatic set-piece.”

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For more about the TLOU2, check out our thoughts on the game in IGN’s The Last of Us Part 2 review, and then check out this video about how its 1.08 Update on the PlayStation 5 pushes the game to 60FPS. Read what Xbox thought of The Last of Us Part 2 after that.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Stadia Is Introducing 70% Revenue Share For Pro Subscription

Google is adding a new way for developers partnered with its streaming service Stadia to make income through Stadia’s Pro subscribers. According to an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, 70% of all monthly revenue generated by Pro subscriptions will be split between developers based on how many “session days” players have spent on a developer’s games.

Stadia Pro gives subscribers access to a library of streamable games for a monthly fee, similar to other services like Xbox Game Pass. One user playing a game once a day counts as a “session day.” However, if they play a game twice in one day, that’s still only one “session day.”

Now Playing: The Rise And Fall Of Stadia Games And Entertainment

In the same interview, Google also said that it will introduce a limited 85/15 revenue split for titles sold individually on the Stadia Store starting October 1 until the end of 2023. The company will also introduce an affiliate marketing program for Stadia Pro partners in the first half of 2022. In an interview earlier this year with GamesIndustry.biz, Stadia’s developer marketing lead Nate Ahearn said that the service is “alive and well.”

Google Stadia has had a rough 2021, especially after the company laid off all of its internal game developers back in February. However, Google has repeatedly announced that the service has more than 100 games coming later this year. However, with the introduction of Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming service through Xbox Game Pass, there’s a lot more competition in the cloud gaming space than there used to be. Though Xbox Cloud Gaming is still in beta, it’s been widely available on iOS and PC since late June.

Chivalry 2 Party Patch Delayed, Will Still Release This Month

Since launching, Chivalry 2 has been plagued with a number of bugs, most of which relate to its party system on PC. Developer Torn Banner Studios has been working on a massive patch to address these issues, as well as some others, including the game’s performance on Xbox Series S consoles. However, the patch has been delayed due to issues found in its final stage of quality assurance verification.

According to a post on Chivalry 2’s site, the problems in question are directly related to the game’s matchmaking systems. While the patch would have fixed a number of issues with Chivalry 2’s multiplayer for most players, issues are present that “would have broken the matchmaking process for a portion of the population.” To spare that group of players from a below-standard experience, Chivalry 2’s 2.0.1 patch was delayed.

Now Playing: Chivalry II | Summer Game Fest 2021

Torn Banner Studios also addressed why it wouldn’t simply release a hotfix for Chivalry 2 that would fix the game’s party system issues on PC. According to the developer, “a hotfix cannot be prepared due to the complex nature of how these patches are worked on internally (also known as branches that separate builds live on).”

Despite its issues, Torn Banner Studios is still set on releasing the 2.0.1 patch for Chivalry 2 this month.

Along with the upcoming patch, more content is also coming to Chivalry 2 soon. A new map, titled Galencourt, was revealed last month and will have players fight through the immaculate halls of an Agathian castle. A release date for the new map has not been revealed yet.

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Halo: MCC Brings Back Gun Game-Like Escalation Slayer As Grifball Rotates Out

Halo: The Master Chief Collection received a playlist update on July 14 that brought back the Gun Game-style Escalation Slayer mode and removed a fan-favorite, Grifball.

In Escalation Slayer, you get a new weapon each time you get a kill. The fast-paced, frenetic mode is playable in Halo: Reach, Halo 2: Anniversary, and Halo 4 inside MCC. There is a dedicated playlist for it accessible through the match composer so you can play it 24/7 if you want.

As for Grifball, the popular mode involving huge hammers is now out of rotation. This is nothing out of the ordinary, as developer 343 regularly updates MCC’s playlists.

In other Halo news, 343 has been very vocal in reminding players to sign up for Halo Insider for a chance to be selected for the upcoming Halo Infinite beta test. Even the official Xbox Twitter account posted about this today, which may suggest the beta’s start is coming up soon.

Additionally, a new 500-page Halo Encyclopedia is set to be released in early 2022. It’s not coming until then to help avoid spoilers about Halo Infinite.

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Australian Legislator Wants To Ban Loot Boxes For Minors

The fight to regulate loot boxes in games is still ongoing throughout the world, and one of the latest people to jump in is an Australian member of Parliament. Andrew Wilkie, an MP from Tasmania in the lower house of the Australian legislature, is planning on introducing a bill to ban loot boxes for minors.

First reported by the Daily Telegraph and then by Kotaku, Wilkie has said that loot boxes should be considered gambling and thus the country needs to prohibit companies from targeting kids with them. While the bill’s text hasn’t been shared yet, Wilkie suggests that the legislation will use the Australian games rating system to regulate loot boxes.

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In essence, the bill would force any game featuring loot boxes to be automatically rated R18+ (the equivalent of Mature in the United States). However, unlike the ESRB ratings in the U.S., the Australian ratings board is a government agency backed by law. An R18+ game cannot legally be sold to or bought by minors, which is how Wilkie’s bill would be enforced. In comments to the Daily Telegraph, Wilkie explained that he viewed the possibility of “grooming” children for gambling as sufficiently important to require legislation.

“It’s not clear if that’s what game companies design but it’s self-evident that they have that effect,” he argued. “To allow very young children to pay cash for a randomized event that may or may not reward them, that would meet any definition of gambling.”

As it’s in its very earliest days, there is no sign yet if Wilkie’s bill will garner widespread support in Australia’s Parliament. What is clear, though, is that there is increasing attention in many governing bodies toward loot boxes throughout the world. In addition to Australia, Brazil has just recently begun an inquiry into whether or not a prohibition on loot boxes is warranted, while some countries like Belgium have already banned them.

PS5 DualSense Support In Dirt 5 Will Be Improved In New Update

Dirt 5 came out back in late 2020, but a big update will bring new life to the game, especially the PS5 version. According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, the upcoming July 20 update will improve the game’s DualSense integration, with adaptive trigger support and full haptics that can simulate the clunk of a gear change, as well as the feel of different traction on discrete surfaces.

The update will also bring a ton of new content to the game, including weekly challenges and creator rewards in Dirt 5’s Playgrounds mode, five new Trophies, two new circuits, and 27 new events. Additionally, it will improve the game’s 3D audio integration on PS5, to really enhance your immersion as you race around each track.

Now Playing: DIRT 5 – Xbox Series X Trailer

It’s important to note that the 27 new events and four new cars does require the Amplified/Year One Edition, or a purchase through the PS Store. However, all of the other content is free to all players, so there’s something new for everyone regardless.

In GameSpot’s Dirt 5 review, critic Richard Wakeling praised the game’s arcade sensibilities and large amount of content, but faulted its handling model as lacking depth.

“Dirt 5 doesn’t quite stick the landing due to its simplistic handling model, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had when racing door to door in an excessive snowstorm or throwing a Porsche 911 R-GT down the side of a mountain in a frenetic race to the bottom,” he wrote. “It doesn’t reach the heights of Dirt 2, but that game’s influence is keenly felt in Dirt 5. If the series continues along this path, it won’t be long until it’s soaring high again.”

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Leaked Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Cover Art Shows Korra, Ren, and Stimpy

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl’s debut trailer showed beloved cartoon characters like SpongeBob, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Reptar, and Danny Phantom all duking it out in developer Ludosity’s Super Smash Bros.-like, but a piece of leaked cover art seems to imply even more characters are on the horizon, including Korra from Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel series The Legend of Korra.

Cover art for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl that appeared on Target’s website, and has since been removed, clearly shows a silhouette for Korra, as well as additional, yet-to-be announced characters like CatDog, Ren, Stimpy, and, possibly, Aang. Confirmed characters like SpongeBob’s Patrick Star, Oblina from Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, and others also appear on the leaked cover art.

The artwork was first spotted by Twitter user El Blitzy (via Kotaku). Target has since replaced the cover art with a now silhouette-less version that only includes the game’s logo.

Fans will have to wait for official confirmation to see if any of the characters mentioned above do make their way into the game, but it certainly would be strange for a Nickelodeon fighting game to not include any characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Korra has been featured in a number of games in the past, including a Legend of Korra action-brawler from PlatinumGames and as a skin in Hi-Rez Studios’ free-to-play MOBA Smite. She’s also appeared in other Nickelodeon games, like the recent Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix and the mobile game Super Brawl Universe, which may give fans a good indication of what characters are likely to make an appearance in Ludosity’s upcoming fighter.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl will feature rollback netcode, a much-requested fighting game feature that should make for more reliable online matches compared to games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The game is scheduled to release this fall for all major platforms.

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FIFA 22 Steam Listing With One Machine Limit Was a Mistake, EA Says

EA has confirmed that a Steam listing of FIFA 22 that stated the game will have a one machine limit on PC was a listing mistake.

This confirmation comes by way of Eurogamer, which reached out to EA after fans spotted a line on the FIFA 22 Steam page yesterday that said “one machine activation limit.” As of yesterday, that’s what the Steam listing said but today, that “one machine activation limit” line is gone.

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EA said in a statement to Eurogamer that there is, in fact, no such activation limit on PC.

“We can confirm there is not a one machine limit for FIFA 22 on PC via Steam,” the statement reads. “This was listed incorrectly and the limitation has now been removed. We apologise for the confusion and thank our community for noticing the error.”

It seems this was not the kind of situation where a limit was in place only to be removed following fan backlash but rather, a simple listing error. It’s been fixed and now FIFA 22 players no longer need to worry about such a limit when the game hits PC and consoles on October 1.

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FIFA 22 was announced over the weekend and it was revealed that Paris Saint-Germain’s striker Kylian Mbappé will be the cover star. The FIFA 22 announcement came with the reveal of what EA has dubbed HyperMotion Technology, which the company says marks a “revolution in football gameplay.”

Alongside HyperMotion Tech, FIFA 22 will feature the return of many fan-favorite modes like Career Mode, VOLTA FOOTBALL, Pro Clubs, and of course, FIFA Ultmate Teams. The game will feature over 17,000 players across 700 teams in more than 90 stadiums and 30 leagues.

Check out IGN’s story about the FIFA 22 announcement for more details about what to expect in the game and then read about how the FIFA 22 PC version won’t include the next-gen improvements being added to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions.

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Be sure to read about how players wishing to take advantage of FIFA 22’s next-gen upgrade will have to shell out a hefty $99.99 USD/£89.99 as the next-gen upgrade only comes with the Ultimate Edition of the game.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

The Wild LG Rollable TV Will Soon Be Available In The US—If You’ve Got $100K

Remember LG showing off a high-concept prototype of a rollable OLED at CES a few years ago? Well, it’s finally getting a wide consumer release in the United States–but it’ll cost you a pretty penny. For the privilege of owning one of the most unique TV sets on the market, you’ll have to shell out $100,000.

So what do you get for the price of a high-end Tesla? LG’s Signature OLED R display is a 65-inch 4K smart TV that has the bells and whistles you’d expect, like support for 120 Hz refresh rates, HDR, low-latency modes, a variable refresh rate mode, and four HDMI 2.1 ports. It’s also compatible with a bunch of third-party services like Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple Airplay 2, and Apple Homekit. And, of course, the real reason why the display is so expensive is that it can roll down into its base, disappearing from view.

The TV has technically been buyable in the U.S. previous to this release. However, LG never published a price for it and required potential customers to call into a sales representative in order to place an order.

That somewhat awkward process will soon be a thing of the past, as LG states that anyone will be able to place a preorder starting in August at the company’s store page. If $100k is (understandably) outside your price range, LG has a host of other, more price-friendly OLED TVs for sale. You can check out GameSpot’s picks for the best of these displays for PS5 and Xbox Series X gaming here; just don’t expect any of them to do cool tricks like rolling up.

WizKids Reveals DnD Collectibles Of Efreeti And Wand Of Orcus

WizKids has been taking recognizable items and characters from the world of Dungeons & Dragons and bringing them to life in collectible form. Earlier this year, WizKids debuted the Hand and Eye of Vecna–familiar magical items from D&D. Now, WizKids is making collectibles of Efreeti and the Wand of Orcus.

First is an infamous character familiar to Advanced D&D players, a statue of Efreeti. Modeled after its appearance on the Dungeon’s Master guide, the statue stands at 12 inches tall and features a pose ripped from the cover and brought into your home. Check out some image renderings below, and obviously, this may not be what the final product looks like when it arrives this November for $250.

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“It’s a really good ‘Goldilocks’ size for a statue like this–large enough to be well-detailed and have presence on a display shelf, but not so big that it’s hard to find a home for,” explained WizKids creative producer Mat Smith. “Matching the style of the artwork and how the anatomy was depicted did offer some interesting challenges.”

What makes this such an important statue for D&D collectors is the connection to the past. “[It’s] nostalgia for that first hardback DMG and the artwork really lending itself to this sort of statue–a powerful central figure that can stand on its own (literally and figuratively),” explained Smith. “Even though the cover depicts an encounter between the Efreeti and three heroes, it really focuses on that giant, fiery boss monster.”

That’s not the only collectible WizKids has releasing this fall. The Wand of Orcus is getting a life-sized replica, which you can hang on your wall, point at your friends, etc. Arriving in October, the wand will cost $150, and you can check out some rendered images below.

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The Wand of Orcus has had various designs, but picking which one to use was relatively easy. “We looked at all the incarnations of the Wand throughout the years, but ultimately settled on creating its most-current form–the one wielded by the 5e depiction of Orcus,” explained Smith. “In addition to being the ‘official’ version of the Wand, this design also lent itself to a wall-mounted display, which allowed us to create it at full size (scaled from Demon Lord to human-sized).”

Smith said the team wanted to bring a sense of realism to the artifact that looks and feels like something you found after a giant battle. And for many D&D enthusiasts, this highly recognizable wand will be a must-have collectible. “You’d be hard-pressed to find a more-impressive start or addition to a trophy collection than a unique artifact torn from the clawed hands of the Demon Lord of Undeath,” Smith said.

The Wand of Orcus arrives this October and the Efreeti arrives in November. Preorders for both items will eventually be available on Amazon and DnDMini. You can also go to your local game shop and preorder from your friendly neighborhood retailer.