After recent reports of Ubisoft continuing talks of a potential buyout, the company has now announced that advisors will be appointed to look into strategic options, according to CNBC. In a strategic update, the company said that these advisors will explore transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders.Ubisoft goes into further details about these advisors, stating that the oversight over them will be handled by independent members of its board of directors.This process will be overseen by the independent members of the Board of Directors, said Ubisoft in a statement. Ubisoft will inform the market in accordance with applicable regulations if and once a transaction materializes.Co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot also reiterated the companys plans to create value from the various franchises and assets owned by Ubisoft. We are convinced that there are several potential paths to generate value from Ubisofts assets and franchises, he said in a statement.As a result, the company has also decided to push release date back for Assassins Creed Shadows from its originally-planned February 14 date to now March 20. The game is slated for release on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.A report from December indicated that Ubisoft founders and controlling shareholders, the Guillemot family, was in talks with Tencent about a potential buyout of the company. Part of these discussions was the family maintaining its controlling interests over the company after the buyout. Tencent, on the other hand, is reportedly looking for greater control over Ubisoft, including future decisions made by its board of directors.Talks of the buyout currently seem to be in a stalemate, with Tencent being happy with its 10 percent stake in Ubisoft and waiting for the company to agree to its deal. Guillemot himself is seemingly looking to take the company private by teaming up with minority stakeholder AJ Investments.In more recent times, Ubisoft has been in hot water with the gaming audience due to a perceived inconsistency in the quality of the games it has released. The studio is hoping that its next major release, Assassins Creed Shadows, will help quell these complaints.For greater context, Assassins Creed Shadows was originally set for release back in November. The underwhelming commercial performance of Star Wars Outlaws, however, convinced the company to push the release date further in order to ensure a high quality title.The company also recently announced that it would be shutting down its free-to-play multiplayer shooter XDefiant, with its servers slated to go offline until June 3. In the mean time, planned content for the game was released, with the games final season of content having come out back in December. This update brought, among other things, 3 new playable factions and 13 new maps.For more details on Ubisofts recent releases, check out our review of XDefiant from back when it launched, as well as our review on Star Wars Outlaws.

Marvel Rivals first season, Eternal Night Falls, is now available on all platforms. It adds a new Convoy map, Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown, and two new heroes from the Fantastic Four Mister Fantastic and The Invisible Woman. They also have The Maker and Malice as alternate outfits.Other new content includes Doom Match on Sanctum Sanctorum in Arcade Mode, a deathmatch mode where the winners are crowned from the top 50 percent scoring players. Convoy and Convergence also get a new feature that allows for moving to the next spawn room if attackers reach a checkpoint, thus preventing staggering.But wait, theres more as Ranks have been reset, and a new Celestial Rank, above Grandmaster and below Eternity, is available. There are also several new settings to customize, like turning off anti-aliasing, global illumination and reflection quality, and a Performance option for Model Detail. Check out some of the patch notes below and full details here.Two more heroes, The Human Torch and The Thing, will be added in the second half of Season 1, so stay tuned for updates.Marvel Rivals Version 20250110 Patch Notes1. New Content1.1 All PlatformsHeroes and CostumesMister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman join Marvel Rivals!New Costumes: Mister Fantastic The Maker; Invisible Woman Malice!Maps and ModesExplore the new Convoy map Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown.Prepare for the thrilling arcade mode (Doom Match) and its map (Sanctum Sanctorum): 8-12 players will engage in battle, with the top 50% emerging victorious.New feature: In Convoy and Convergence, both sides can transition to the next spawn room sometime after the attacking side completes the current target.Enhanced feature: During the loading phase of a Quick Match, you can now view the Nameplates of both sides.Season & StoreUnlock a dazzling shiny new Battle Pass featuring 10 brand new sets of heroic costumes!Embark on the first thrilling half of the Midnight Features Season Event!Dive into the latest Twitch Drops event, featuring rewards such as the Hela Will of Galacta costume. (Stay tuned for official announcements for specific times)We have revised the refresh times for various in-game content. Beginning with Season 1, the unlock time for daily missions, the availability of new items in the store, and the start time for most events have been adjusted from 7:00 (UTC+0) to 9:00 (UTC+0).Additionally, we have optimized the mission types and removed some of the more challenging ones.RankedIntroducing the Celestial Rank, a tier above Grandmaster and below Eternity, consisting of 3 divisions.Rank Reset: based on your final Season 0 rank, ranks will be demoted by 7 divisions. For example, if you ended Season 0 at Platinum I, your Season 1 journey begins at Silver II.TournamentsNewly added automatic follow function for tournament sign-ups: Faction members can opt to follow the captain on the sign-up page. When the captain/coach initiates or cancels the sign-up process, following members will automatically confirm. Please note, this feature, once activated, is effective for the current season only.New faction reporting function: Report factions for perceived misconduct in the same tournament within the past 90 days.New spectating channel: Chat in real-time with fellow rivals while spectating the same match.When spectating, the target players hotkeys and crosshair settings will be prominently displayed.New setting option: Block all active invitations and faction join requests.GeneralStreaming Mode: In Settings Social, new settings have been added under the social setting allowing streamers to conceal their name as needed (only effective locally; other players in the same match can still see it).1.2 PCGraphics and SettingsEnhanced and optimized graphics settings for improved performance:New: Added a new Off option under Anti-Aliasing.New: Included a Performance option for Model Detail.New: Integrated a new Off option under Global Illumination.New: Added a new Off option for Reflection Quality.Optimization: Adjusted and optimized various parameters within the graphics settings.Mouse Settings: Under Settings, the Keyboard Combat category now includes new settings for mouse smoothing and mouse acceleration, enabling customization as required.Support Intel XeSS 2: With Intel Xe Super Sampling 2 (XeSS 2), experience faster, smoother gameplay with higher image quality and a more connected playing experience with Intel Xe Frame Generation (XeFG), Intel Xe Low Latency (XeLL).

Accessory maker Genki has revealed in an interview with Japanese publication Game*Spark that the Nintendo Switch 2 accessories it showcased during CES 2025 were based on leaks and not actual hardware. A representative from Genki said that even the mock-up of the Switch 2, which was used to showcase Genkis case for the console, was based on information that had been previously leaked.The representative also said that the company itself had not seen the console, and that it did not have information on the Switch 2 that could be considered accurate.Only Nintendo can tell whether accessories for the Switch will be compatible with the Switch 2, said the company. Genki also stated that it doesnt know whether the line-up of accessories it revealed will be compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2 when it launches.Nintendo has also released its own statement, saying that any version of the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware present at CES 2025 was not official. The company also clarified that it had not sent Genki the console to design its accessories.Among the things gleaned from Genkis products was a mock-up of the Nintendo Switch 2, which indicated that the console would be bigger than the original Nintendo Switch. These details, however, have since proven to not be reliable, since Nintendo itself is yet to confirm the dimensions of its next console. Genkis accessories also indicated that the Switch 2s JoyCons would use a new magnetic system to attach to the console for handheld mode, with a new, larger button to detatch JoyCons resting under the triggers.Aside from Genkis presence at CES 2025, there have been several other leaks about the Nintendo Switch 2 recently, with the most recent one giving us a look at what might be the new logo for the console. Similar to the original Switch logo, the new Switch 2 logo will also feature a prominent 2.Other recent leaks indicate that the Switch 2 will not be compatible with the originals charger. A photo of its dock also indicates that the system will be more power hungry when docked, which indicates that it might have more horsepower under the hood. The new charger for the Switch 2 will seemingly output higher voltages.The Switch 2 is also expected to have its own take on image upscaling technology in the vein of Nvidias DLSS, according to a recently-discovered patent filing. The patent indicates that the console will outfitted with its own neural net processor, allowing it to make use of AI to upscale low-resolution images at resolutions of up to 4K for use with modern TVs.Whenever it launches, the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to be successful. According to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, 4.3 million units of the Switch 2 are expected to be sold in the US alone by the end of the year. A rumour from December indicates that Nintendo will officially unveil the console at an event in May, with a launch happening in June.

Chris Kerr, News EditorJanuary 10, 20252 Min ReadImage via Square EnixSquare Enix is prepared to take legal action against those who harass or intimidate its employees.The Final Fantasy maker has updated its Group Customer Harassment Policy and confirmed it could withhold its products and services from anybody who harasses its workers or even begin criminal proceedings."Should Square Enix determine that an individual has engaged in an action against one of our employees or partners that exceeds socially acceptable behavior or is harmful, we reserve our right to cease providing support services or to refrain from providing our group's products and services," reads the policy."Where such action is egregious or with malicious intent, Square Enix reserves its right to protect its employees and partners and to take legal action or criminal proceedings upon consulting the police and/or lawyers."The Japanese publisher said harassment includes acts of violence, abusive language and intimidation, defamation and personal attacks (including emails), discriminatory speech and conduct, and sexual harassment.It also warned that undue demand in the form of unreasonable requests for compensation and excessive demands for the punishment of employees could also result in it taking action.Square Enix throws down the gauntlet in a bid to curb toxicitySquare said it remains open to feedback, comments, and other requests but noted there have been instances where some customers have directed harassment towards its executives, employees, and partners."Such actions do not only prevent our employees and partners from engaging in their work with a sense of security but also causes disruptions to other customers," it added. "Square Enix will not tolerate harassment and will take action as necessary."Last year, the 2023 GDC State of the Industry survey found the vast majority of developers are concerned about targeted harassment from players. Of those surveyed, 91 percent of respondents said they felt toxicity directed towards studio employees was an issue.Those findings came after major companies such as Sony Santa Monica and Respawn openly called out toxic player behaviour, with Respawn specifically stating it had seen "increased harassment towards members of our development team."Read more about:Square EnixAbout the AuthorChris KerrNews Editor, GameDeveloper.comGame Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, andPocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.See more from Chris KerrDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge CES is a TV show. And a car show. And a wearables show. And this year, oddly, kind of a pool-vacuum show? It is the biggest, most elaborate, most bizarre tech show of the year, during which practically the whole industry flies to Las Vegas to show off new stuff and make big deals. On this episode of The Vergecast, a special live edition of the show from the Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas, we talk through as much of it as we can. (Thanks to everyone who came out, by the way! So much to get to see and hang out with all of you.) We actually begin the show with a story that didnt start at CES but took over the week anyway: Metas about-face on fact checking and content moderation. After that, we get into Samsungs new Frame Pro TV, the end of Dells XPS brand, Sonys bizarrely expensive Afeela car, and more.After that, The Verges Allison Johnson, Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, and Victoria Song join us on stage to talk about what they saw at the show. We talk about phone toasters, robot vacuums, smart locks, smart glasses, Max Ink Mode, and lots more. Will anything we saw this week ever ship, and will any of it be any good? Who knows! But thats the fun of CES. Its a fever dream, a... Read the full story at The Verge.

An aircraft helping to fight wildfires that are raging across Los Angeles was struck by a civilian drone on Thursday. The collision damaged the wing of the aircraft a CL-415 Super Scooper capable of scooping up 1,600 gallons of ocean water to drop onto nearby blazes according to a statement by the LA County Fire Department posted on X, putting it out of service until it can be repaired.Cal Fire spokesman Chris Thomas told The New York Times that grounding the aircraft will likely set back local firefighting efforts. Super Scoopers can typically refill in about five minutes. But even if it takes ten, thats six water drops that are lost each hour according to Thomas. So whose house is not going to get that water to protect it? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says the Super Scooper landed safely after the drone impact, and that the incident is now under investigation. Temporary flight restrictions have been implemented in the Los Angeles area that prohibit drones and other aircraft from flying without FAA authorization in an effort to protect firefighting efforts.According to LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, the drone was not assigned to help tackle the Palisades fires, and was destroyed in the collision. Marrone told the LA Times that the FBI is now planning to implement so-called aerial armor in the area to prevent further interference from drones.Several people online have violated the FAA-enforced flight restrictions, posting viral drone photos and video footage across social media showing the devastation from what appears to be prohibited airspace. Fire response agencies are often forced to ground their own aircraft to avoid collisions when dummies fly drones near wildfires for online clout.Its a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands, the FAA said in a statement. Additionally, the FAA can impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 against any drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement or emergency response operations. The FAA treats these violations seriously and immediately considers swift enforcement action for these offenses.

Venu, the live sports streaming service from ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, isnt happening. In a joint statement on Friday, the three companies announced the decision not to move forward with the contemplated joint venture:After careful consideration, we have collectively agreed to discontinue the Venu Sports joint venture and not launch the streaming service. In an ever-changing marketplace, we determined that it was best to meet the evolving demands of sports fans by focusing on existing products and distribution channels. We are proud of the work that has been done on Venu to date and grateful to the Venu staff, whom we will support through this transition period.ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery first announced Venu last year, and it was supposed to launch in the fall of 2024. The service wouldve given viewers access to a swath of live games from the NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, and more from several linear channels, including ESPN, ABC, Fox, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, TNT,and others.But then Venu hit a legal roadblock: an antitrust lawsuit from the live TV streaming service Fubo, accusing the trio of engaging in a years-long campaign to block Fubos innovative sports-first streaming business due to restrictive sports licensing agreements. Lawmakers also asked regulators to investigate Venu and its potential to become a monopoly in televised sports.RelatedLast August, a federal judge sided with Fubo and temporarily blocked Venus launch. Things seemed to settle when Disney agreed to merge Hulu + Live TV with Fubo, leading Fubo to drop its lawsuit. However, DirecTV and EchoStar, both of which raised concerns about the launch of Venu, werent happy about Fubos decision to settle. Its not clear what will become of the Fubo and Hulu + Live TV deal, and Fubo declined to comment.

Dungeons & Dragons show Critical Role has cancelled this week's livestream due to the wildfires currently raging across Los Angeles.As reported by Polygon, the LA-based Critical Role cancelled its January 9, 2025 livestream though said it intends to be back next week."As the evolving fires in Los Angeles are directly impacting our cast and crew, we're taking a break from streaming this week with the intention of returning to Exandria next Thursday, January 16," it announced on X/Twitter.Critical Role senior vice president of marketing Rachel Romero told Polygon "some of our family, friends, colleagues, co-workers have lost their houses, businesses, and other places that feel like home to them."We are absolutely heartbroken to see so much destruction and loss in our own backyard and encourage everyone to take a moment and think through how they can best support, whether that is through a monetary donation, food or supplies donations here locally, or just sharing resources within your own network, whether it be online or offline."Critical Role's own non-profit, the Critical Role Foundation, has donated $30,000 to the California Community Foundations Wildlife Recovery Fund. The crisis began January 7 and five wildfires are currently raging in the great Los Angeles area.Production on some of Hollywood's biggest shows, including Fallout Season 2, has come to a screeching halt. Filming permits across fire-stricken areas have been withdrawn, which means the re-start of production for Fallout Season 2 has been postponed. NBCUnviersal said productions Hacks, Loot, Ted, Suits: LA, and Happy's Place were suspendended as well.Elsewhere, CBS halted production on NCIS, NCIS: Origins, and After Midnight, while Disney paused Doctor Odyssey, Grey's Anatomy, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Warner Bros. studio in Burbank was closed, affecting Abbot Elementary among other shows.Image credit: Anna Webber/Getty Images for Prime Video.Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Ubisoft has seemingly leaked the first expansion for Japan-set Assassin's Creed Shadows following its announcement of another delay.As reported by Insider Gaming, the game's Steam page was momentarily updated to include information on a 10-hour piece of downloadable content called Claws of Awaji, which will add a whole new map to the open-world game."Pre-purchase now to get a bonus mission and the upcoming Claws of Awaji expansion," the Steam page read. "Travel to a new region, get over 10 hours of additional content, and unlock a new weapon type, new skills, gear, and abilities."Travel to a new region, get over 10 hours of additional content, and unlock a new weapon type, new skills, gear, and abilities.The phrasing is a little confusing, as it makes it sound as though Claws of Awaji will only be available to those who pre-purchase the game, similar to the previously announced "bonus mission" Thrown to the Dogs. This would be unusual, however, as major expansions such as this are usually reserved for Season Passes.That being said, Ubisoft is ditching the Season Pass model for Assassin's Creed Shadows following major practice shake-ups in the wake of Star Wars Outlaws underperforming. Alongside scrapping the Season Pass, which would typically let players access two larger expansions for an additional $30 or so, Ubisoft is cancelling plans to charge players more to play on launch day. It is therefore assumed DLC expansions such as Claws of Awaji will be made free for all players.Though details are restricted to the brief paragraph published to Steam, the name Claws of Awaji does shed some light on what players will find in the DLC. Ubisoft quietly revealed Assassin's Creed Shadows' world map in the Collector's Edition trailer, which showed nine detailed regions plus one small island left blank.Assassin's Creed Shadows' world map, per the Collector's Edition trailer. Image credit: Ubisoft.This island is the Awaji the Claws of Awaji title presumably references, meaning this currently blank area of the map should one day be filled in through DLC. Awaji Island is perhaps most famous for its prominence in the Japanese religion of Shinto, where it is said to be the first island created in the world through the legend of Izanagi and Izanami.As Assassin's Creed has delved further and further into mythology and not just history with recent releases, especially in the role-playing game series which Shadows belongs to, fans will perhaps get to delve into Japanese legends with the addition of the Claws of Awaji.It will be longer than expected before this is possible, of course, as Ubisoft has delayed Assassin's Creed Shadows once again, this time to March 20. It was first pushed to February 14 from its November 12 release date.A lot rests on the shoulders of Assassin's Creed Shadows as not only the long-awaited Japan-set entry and the first full Assassin's Creed since 2020, but a struggling Ubisoft needs it to perform well following recent flops and investor frustration.It's not enjoyed a particularly positive promotional period so far, however, with the development team having to apologize on separate occasions for inaccuracies in Assassin's Creed Shadows' depictions of Japan and using a historical recreation group's flag without permission.Yet another controversy came as collectible figure maker PureArts removed an Assassin's Creed Shadows statue from sale over its "insensitive" design, and combined with the two delays, fans are growing increasingly impatient as a result.Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Five-time WWE world champion Seth Rollins has confirmed he is not in upcoming MCU movie Captain America: Brave New World, saying his role was cut following extensive rewrites of the script and subsequent reshoots.Fans thought they had spotted Rollins' Captain America cameo in a trailer for the movie released last year, although Rollins denied it at the time. Now, it has emerged that the wrestler was set to appear in the film before his role was cut.Speaking in a video interview with YouTuber Chris Van Vliet, Rollins confirmed the news. I wish it the best, but I am not a part of that film, he said.Does my NDA still apply if Im not on the film anymore? he continued. Truth be told, any answer I gave you would only be my opinion on it. The script went through a lot of rewrites and reshoots and so what I was there to do... Essentially my role got either repurposed or completely erased.I did do a bit of an audition to possibly pop into another role I believe, or the repurposing of my role. Im not exactly sure on what it was.But they ended up going in a different direction with it. My understanding is there was just a lot of rewrites and a lot of reshoots. They know theyve got a finished product that hopefully theyre happy with, and hopefully its successful. But it will be sans Seth Rollins.Seth Rollins is not in Captain America 4. Photo by Michael Tran / AFP.Chris Van Vliet then asked about the trailer and those unmistakable eyes. Rollins brushed the question off with a coy response, insisting: "You could just see his eyeballs."I am not in the movie, he added. I will say unequivocally I am not in the film. I do not want anybody to go to the film thinking, oh Im here to see Seth Rollins. There might be two people who would do that, but I dont want those two people to waste their time. I dont want to misinform anybody. I dont want to lead anybody astray. I am not in the film. It should be a good one. Marvel does a great job.Then, when Chris Van Vliet suggested Rollins will end up in something else at some point, the WWE star responded: If Im not, I dont care. I dont love acting. I love wrestling.In May, reports indicated Captain America: Brave New World was undergoing reshoots to help introduce Breaking Bad, Star Wars, and The Boys actor Giancarlo Espositos new villainous character into the fold. Esposito plays Sidewinder, leader of the Serpent Society, in the film.Captain America: Brave New World comes out February 14, 2025.Image credit: Marvel Studios. Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.