The latest major patch for Final Fantasy XIV Online, Patch 6.2 added new quests, dungeons, and raids. The patch also added additional long-awaited chapters to some of the storylines in the MMORPG, as well as the all-new Island Sanctuary–an almost Animal Crossing-like island–for players to enjoy and explore.

Following the release of Patch 6.2, GameSpot emailed Final Fantasy XIV Online director Naoki Yoshida to ask several questions about the update. The answers we received are transcribed below.

GameSpot: How have you found the experience of starting up a whole new story after getting out of one that lasted so long?

I must say, concluding a story that continued from the original Final Fantasy XIV made me feel relieved. That said, a new adventure doesn’t mean that the story up to this point is all going away; it’ll be a continuation of the story thus far. As for our team, we’re constantly thinking “How can we get everyone excited?” So even if we’re working on a new story, our everyday experiences remain largely unchanged.

With Patch 6.2, you have made some notable changes to cutscenes following specific dungeons to go along with adding them to the Trust system–these seem like great opportunities to go back and enhance them. Are there any old scenes you wish you could redo a certain way or are excited to revisit?

We’re still in the middle of integrating the Duty Support feature into existing content and working our way up. I didn’t have too many elements I specifically wanted to change, but one of the themes of Heavensward, which we updated in this round, was traveling alongside allies, so it was one of the things I wanted to revisit for sure.

What is your favorite part of the new Island Sanctuary mode?

There are a lot, but I like being able to play without needing to hurry and having the freedom to play by myself. Incidentally, I have yet to step foot in the island sanctuary on my personal account.

I’ve been thinking about leisurely enjoying my island sanctuary life once the other content has settled down.

Speaking of new modes, if you could add any game type, like survival or battle royale to FFXIV, without any restrictions, what would you like to put in?

“Without any restrictions” is quite unrealistic for me, so I’m unable to picture that in my head. FFXIV has its fundamental systems that make it FFXIV, along with its server systems, so any content that would be implemented into FFXIV would have to abide by those restrictions. With that in mind, while ensuring we don’t lose that Final Fantasy feel, I do think that the idea of content using blue mages could be interesting. I imagine there’d be a vast field where you can learn blue magic spells from enemies and other players, and everyone would fight to be the last one standing using the spells they learned. It’d be nice if I could make it a reality one day, but for now, the currently planned content takes priority.

Not exactly a 6.2-related question, but as a big fan of Hildibrand I was excited to hear the new relic quests are tied to his story; what made you decide to do this? More Hildibrand is always a good thing.

There’s always a lot of ideas when we brainstorm what to do for the next weapon enhancement content. At the same time, we also receive lots of feedback from our players. This time, rather than designating it to its own content, we settled on the idea of enhancing the weapons alongside a story, and Hildibrand turned out to be a good match for that. Not to mention Hildy’s back with us again, too.

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A new leak revealed a possible approximate playtime for God of War: Ragnarok that indicates the game could include more side quests than its predecessor.

According to a report from Insider Gaming, God of War: Ragnarok will take approximately 40 hours to complete. To be clear, this includes side quests. A straight shot through the main story will take around 20 hours. The report also claims that around three and a half hours of the main story’s total runtime is made up of cutscenes. As for the 20 hours devoted to side quests, only one hour will be cutscenes.

The report does not state where the outlet obtained this information or upon what, if any, playtesting data it is based. It does state that these numbers are just an estimate and that multiple factors will influence the final hour count. Comparing the leaked numbers to the previous game’s player-aggregated data on How Long To Beat indicates that Ragnarok’s main story is around the same length as its 2018 predecessor. However, the proposed playtime of 40 hours is around seven and half hours longer than the overall average playtime listed by How Long To Beat, meaning Ragnarok could include more side quest content than the last game.

In other God of War: Ragnarok news, the highly anticipated sequel received a new story trailer and a limited edition controller at the last State of Play.

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Google Stadia will soon die an ignominous death, but several large game studios are making plans to move user accounts, data, and even games themselves from the doomed game streaming service. These developers include Ubisoft, Bungie, and IO Interactive.

On Friday, Ubisoft support stated that the company is working to bring games owned through Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect. Bungie said that it’s trying to figure out its “next steps” for Destiny 2 players who relied on Stadia, saying that they will send out information once they have a “plan of action.”

While Stadia will shut down on January 18, 2023, we’re happy to share that we’re working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect. We’ll have more to share regarding specific details as well as the impact for Ubisoft+ subscribers at a later date.

— Ubisoft Support (@UbisoftSupport) September 30, 2022

IO posted on Twitter, stating that the studio is “looking into ways” for Stadia players to “continue your Hitman experience on other platforms.” While the sentiment is nice, the bottom line is that all of these announcements are statements of intent, rather than fully-formed plans of action. It would be nice for Stadia players to continue to own their games on other platforms if possible, but for now, we’re waiting on details on how this might happen.

To all our HITMAN fans on Google Stadia.
We hear you – we are looking into ways for you to continue your HITMAN experience on other platforms. pic.twitter.com/7VZsDQAMkC

— IO Interactive (@IOInteractive) September 30, 2022

It’s worth noting that Google promised to fully refund all purchases made on Stadia, which we’re sure many users appreciate. Though many other services have collapsed without such a gesture, the collapse of Stadia still came as a surprise to many players, especially given that Google had promised updates on the service in the near future. However, the shutdown of Google’s own game studios in February 2021 seemed to herald a slow demise for the service, one that will ultimately come to fruition on January 18, 2023.

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The original Fallout was released in October 1997, making the franchise 25 years old this month. Bethesda is celebrating the milestone with a series of events across the franchise all month long.

To kick things off, Fallout 76 will be free for everyone from October 4-11. This will let players check out the entire game, including the newly launched The Pitt update, at no cost.

Happy birthday, Fallout

In addition to the freebie, Prime Gaming subscribers on PC can get Fallout 76 for free this month to keep as long as their membership is active.

What’s more, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers are getting a free month worth of Fallout 1st, the premium membership program that normally costs $13/month. This is available via the Xbox Game Pass Perks tab until October 24.

Bethesda also announced that a new update is coming to Fallout Shelter as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations. This will mark the first new content for Fallout Shelter in more than four years. The new content adds a quest line with new enemies and weapons, as well as special cosmetics like a celebration-themed room theme. The update will be released “soon,” and more details are expected in due course.

The original Fallout was developed by Interplay, with Black Isle developing Fallout 2 (1998). Bethesda acquired the rights to Fallout after that and began developing new entries internally starting with Fallout 3.

In terms of upcoming Fallout projects, Bethesda and Amazon Studios are making a Fallout TV series with the creators of Westworld. Bethesda Game Studios will also make Fallout 5, but it’ll be a while, as the game is coming after The Elder Scrolls 6 (which is coming after 2023’s Starfield).

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Apex Legends Mobile‘s upcoming Aftershow update is almost here, with a launch date set for October 4 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET. The announcement that the game’s sophomore season is getting a third battle pass came as quite a surprise (previous seasons have had two battle passes each), leaving fans wondering what exactly the Aftershow update consists of. Today, players’ questions were answered when the game’s developers posted a link to the Aftershow patch notes on Twitter.

Check out the full Aftershow patch notes here: https://t.co/akBQBnzIJw
🎟️ Aftershow Battle Pass
🎉 New Seasonal Events
🗺️ Map & Ranked Updates
Aftershow arrives tomorrow, Oct 4, at 5pm PT/Oct 5 0:00 UTC. See you then!

— Apex Legends Mobile (@PlayApexMobile) October 3, 2022

A blog post on EA’s official website goes into further detail, describing maps, gameplay changes, and other updates. One thing is conspicuously missing, however: a new legend. It seems this will be the first Apex Legends Mobile battle pass to launch without a legend to accompany it. This may be the result of devs choosing to focus on game balance, perhaps in the hopes of avoiding legend oversaturation. With the mobile game previously adding mobile-exclusive legends at a breakneck, every-other-month pace, it makes sense that it would take some time off to regroup. But the new battle pass is also shorter than previous passes, and cheaper–the Aftershow battle pass only costs 299 Syndicate Gold (~$3 USD).

Regardless, there’s still plenty of unique content coming to Apex Mobile when Aftershow launches. Several in-game events have been announced, including one which, if completed, will unlock Fade as a playable character free of charge–a rare opportunity in the mobile game. Another new addition, Solos Mode, will give players the opportunity to experience Apex Legends as a lone wolf, with no squad to back them up (or blame for their mistakes).

Check out the full patch notes from the developers below, or see Respawn’s blog post for more info on what to expect when Aftershow goes live on October 4.

Aftershow Patch Notes

AFTERSHOW BATTLE PASS

A brand new Battle Pass with some amazing cosmetics is up for grabs for an incredible price! Unlock the Aftershow Battle Pass for 299 Syndicate Gold. This Battle Pass is shorter than usual but still packed with awesome rewards!

NEW GAME MODE: SOLO BATTLE ROYALE

Get ready for the ultimate solo challenge. No Teammates, just you and a map full of enemies fighting to be the Apex Champion!

AFTERSHOW SEASONAL EVENTS:

Additional reward filled events will be popping up in the game all through the season. So keep your eyes peeled for these limited time events that yield awesome rewards!

Take BackOct 8th – 18th (0:00 UTC)

Fade made his debut on Worlds Edge back in May. If you have yet to unlock this Phasing Punisher, now’s your chance! Complete missions to unlock him during this limited time event!

Battle Pass BoostOct 8th – 10th & Oct 15th – 17th (0:00 UTC)

During this time, additional missions will be available to further progress your Battle Pass XP to speed up your progress!

7 Day Log In Streak – Oct 14th – 21st (0:00 UTC)

Log in everyday during this time period for more rewards and an Epic Loba Skin that will be attainable at the beginning of the Champions Season after Afershow concludes.

Pro Mode Oct 11th – 12th (0:00 UTC)

During this time additional Seasonal Currency will be up for grabs via special missions for you to complete by playing HACK. Earn extra rewards and empty out the VIP store!

Sniper Showcase – Oct 5th – 11th (0:00 UTC)

Practice your long game with your enemies by completing special sniper missions during this time period for special rewards including the Saltwater Sentinel Skin.

MAP UPDATES:

Beginning on October 12th, the team will be making some slight changes to Kings Canyon. Encore Galore and Pythas Theater will be leaving the map for now. This will impact both Ranked and normal Battle Royale. Don’t worry, Seasonal Currency from supply bins will still be available across the map.

RANKED UPDATES:

Complete missions on select weekends to earn Rank Protection cards that will help protect you from losing points during a match should you or your teammates run into any unlucky circumstances!

Each day of the event:

Log in to claim a Ranked Level Protector – which will automatically prevent the loss of ranked points, if that loss would lower your Ranking.

Complete two Ranked matches to earn a Ranked Point Protector – which will automatically prevent the loss of ranked points if your hot drop goes awry!

All Ranked Level and Ranked Point protection will expire after 7 days or when the season ends, you will be notified automatically when they expire. This protection will only be available by engaging in the events, and will not be available for purchase, so mark your calendars!

Ranked Protection Card Event Schedule:

Oct 8th – 10th (0:00 UTC)Oct 15th – 17th (0:00 UTC)

Play With Your Friends:

Up until Platinum, we have removed any rank restrictions of who can party up together to play a ranked game. For example, if you are gold and your friend just getting established as an Apex Champion is climbing through Bronze, you will now be able to play Ranked together!

Apex Legends Mobile is available for download on Android and iOS devices.

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343 Industries’ self-made Slipspace engine used for Halo Infinite could be shelved in favor of Epic Games’ popular Unreal engine, according to a report from journalist Jeremy Penter.

According to Penter, Halo will “for sure” switch to Unreal. Penter states that the information has been confirmed by “many sources” and that the decision to make the switch has already been made. Note that Penter does not specifically refer to Halo Infinite making the jump to Unreal, but rather Halo as a franchise. That means Halo Infinite could be sticking with Slipspace (and very likely is), but future installments could operate on Unreal.

I can only confirm that many sources are saying this and very clear that it’s already been decided and Halo is for sure switching to Unreal.
I feel like it’s time for other switches behind the scenes including people leaving and their past problems.
Unreal is a great choice. https://t.co/8KxMqREWIk

— ACG (@JeremyPenter) October 2, 2022

Penter’s tweet comes in response to speculation surrounding Halo Infinite co-developer Certain Affinity, which is working on a major new mode (that could possibly be a battle royale) for Halo Infinite that is rumored to operate on Unreal and not Slipspace. However, no concrete details about the mode, its engine, or how it will relate to Halo Infinite have been made official just yet.

343 converting Halo Infinite itself to run on Unreal seems unlikely, as it would likely result in 343 having to redo a lot of the work it has done over the past few years. For what it’s worth, the Halo Leaks Twitter account (which frequently shares looks at cut Halo Infinite features or teases upcoming ones) believes from what it has seen that Certain Affinity could use Unreal engine for its new mode, but that it doesn’t believe 343 Industries itself will make the switch. Windows Central reports it has heard Certain Affinity’s Halo project might not run on Slipspace and that Halo in the future could move to Unreal, seeming to add some credibility to Penter’s statements.

Slipspace infamously took years to develop, and is one of the core reasons for the long, six-year wait between Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite. In theory, shifting over to a more widely used game engine like Unreal could potentially solve some of 343’s production woes. 343 publicly committed to a 10-year-plan for Halo Infinite, but nearly a year into that plan, it seems up for debate on whether or not 343 can pull it off. Frequent content delays and infrequent updates have led to frustration within the game’s community.

Halo Infinite suffered a year long delay just months before its planned November 2020 launch, and when it did finally arrive a year later, it did so without core features like Forge and co-op. Halo Infinite’s multiplayer content updates have also been delayed on multiple occasions, and when they do arrive, fans have found them to be sparse on new content. The game’s third multiplayer season, which is set to introduce new maps, weapons, and more, was recently delayed to March 2023. 343 recently made the decision to cut the game’s previously promised splitscreen co-op feature, saying it needed to reallocate its priorities.

The rumors about the switch to Unreal come as 343 Industries experiences a leadership shakeup, with studio head Bonnie Ross recently stepping down from the developer after 15 years. The lead engineer behind the Slipspace engine, David Berger, also recently departed the studio.

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The latest episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon was very dark, and not just in terms of its subject matter. Many fans complained on social media that some scenes were literally had to see. Some wondered if this was an issue with their TVs, but in fact it was an intentional design choice, HBO has said.

There were sequences in Sunday’s episode that took place during the evening, and the darkness of the scenes prompted confusion, frustration, and memes. Brendan Hodges on Twitter called attention to the darkness. Of course, fans can help illuminate scenes on House of the Dragon or any show by turning up the brightness, closing all the shades, and turning off all the lights, but this isn’t exactly ideal.

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON continuing the classic Thrones tradition of making an episode so dark it’s almost unwatchable pic.twitter.com/g1IXPlG6Nl

— Brendan Hodges (@metaplexmovies) October 3, 2022

The HBO Max Help Twitter account (via Variety) said to a fan asking about the darkness, “The dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision.”

This is not the first time that HBO has faced criticisms about the literal darkness of its fantasy series. The Game of Thrones episode, “The Long Night,” showcased an epic battle where major characters fought and died, but fans had to close all their shades and crank up the brightness on their TVs to see the action.

Hi Stephen! We appreciate you reaching out about a night scene in House of the Dragon: Episode 7 appearing dark on your screen. The dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision. Thanks! ^LL

— HBOMaxHelp (@HBOMaxHelp) October 3, 2022

Miguel Sapochnik directed The Long Night and Sunday’s House of the Dragon episode, “Driftmark.” He is leaving House of the Dragon for its upcoming second season.

In addition to the darkness of Episode 7, the first season of House of the Dragon rubbed some fans the wrong way with a CG mistake that left a green screen glove in the final cut. HBO quickly edited this out.

For more on House of the Dragon Episode 7, check out this behind-the-scenes video breakdown featuring insight from the cast and crew. The next episode airs this Sunday, October 9–check out a trailer.

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We’re just a few weeks away from the launch of the next Call of Duty. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 releases on October 28 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4, and Xbox One. If you enjoyed the recent beta and want to secure a copy, preorders are available now at major retailers and digital storefronts. You can get a few cool bonuses for preordering, with the biggest incentive being early access to the full single-player campaign–if you preorder from the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, or Steam.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 preorder bonuses

Customers who preordered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 received early access to the beta, which ran in September. But if you haven’t preordered a copy yet, you’ll still be able to take advantage of some bonuses, though you’ll have to opt for a digital edition.

The biggest draw is early access to Modern Warfare 2’s single-player campaign. Anyone who preorders a digital copy of Modern Warfare can play the campaign starting October 20, a full week before the game officially launches.

Digital preorders also come with a few instant unlocks for Warzone and Call of Duty: Vanguard. You’ll get the Final Judgement Bundle and Khaled Al-Asad Operator Bundle immediately after pre-purchasing a digital copy of Modern Warfare 2.

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Ahead of its launch next year, a new trailer for EA Motive’s Dead Space remake will debut tomorrow. If you’re interested in getting a glimpse at space-horror, Necromorphs, and protagonist Isaac Clarke wielding his iconic plasma cutter, you can tune in on October 4 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET to see the new trailer.

The Dead Space remake looks set to be more than just a significant visual upgrade of a game that helped kickstart a new horror-genre renaissance when it first launched all the way back in 2008. In a recent blog post, EA Motive described how the studio was aiming to stay both faithful to the original game and upgrade with a number of quality-of-life tweaks.

If you can stay alive throughout the entire experience, there’ll be no loading screens or camera cuts and the Ishimura spaceship is now fully interconnected, allowing players to explore Dead Space as one big unbroken experience. The story has also been fine-tuned and will touch on ideas that were introduced in the two Dead Space sequels and expanded media, with more narrative side quests and expanded roles for other characters being added.

On the technical side, you can also expect improvements to lighting, volumetric effects, and more Necromorph amputations while using Dead Space’s novel dismemberment system. Slicing off limbs with a plasma cutter won’t just look more authentic, it’ll sound pretty gruesome as well.

The Dead Space remake launches on January 27, 2023, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

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It’s Monday and that can only mean one thing: We’re back for another week of Wordle guides. After a long weekend, it’s time to get back into the groove of things. There’s arguably no better way to start the week than by getting the Wordle correct, and we’re here to help make sure every player out there does just that. Today’s Wordle involves a common word–no tricky letters or spelling, and should be known by every player. Of course, things can still occur that could make this Wordle difficult to answer. If you haven’t started the October 3 Wordle just yet, then you can check out our list of recommended starting words. However, if you’re already past the starting point and visiting this article, then you’re likely in need of some help.

That’s where we can come in. Below, players will find two tips for today’s Wordle on October 3. We’ve also spelled out the full answer for players that might not find the hints too helpful.

Today’s Wordle Answer – October 3, 2022

We’ll begin with a couple of hints that directly relate to the answer, but won’t give it away.

Hint 1: This word is the name of a popular English rock musician that was the lead singer in the band The Police during the 1970s and 1980s.Hint 2: This word has only one vowel, which comes in the middle of the word, and no repeating letters.

If those hints weren’t enough to get the ball rolling for you, then you can keep reading for the full answer to the October 3 Wordle. The full answer is “sting.” If you’re a fan of 80s rock music, then you might be kicking yourself if you were unable to get this Wordle right. Hopefully, though, every player was able to guess the answer correctly and continue their streak. Check back tomorrow for another edition of our Wordle guides.

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