As BioWare continues its restructuring campaign following the catastrophic underperformance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which has led to a number of developers being terminated or reassigned to other studios within Electronic Arts, the gaming communitys attention is riveted firmly on the teams next planned game, commonly referred to as Mass Effect 5, and unfortunately for many, the next installment in the once universally acclaimed franchise still seems a long way from launch.BioWareFirst announced back in 2020 at The Game Awards, the next chapter of the Mass Effect universe has been kept under wraps for over four years at this point, with only occasional rumors reminding us of its existence. Planned as a continuation of the mainline series hence the Mass Effect 5 moniker the game is being developed by veterans who worked on the acclaimed original trilogy, including Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley, with Executive Producer Michael Gamble leading the team.Recently, Gamble took to Twitter to reveal in an off-hand comment that the game is still in its pre-production stage the development phase farthest from the ship it tomorrow stage. While the studio now intends to focus primarily on ME5, it seems all but certain that the game wont see the light of day for at least a few more years, with some commenters joking that it might not arrive until the PlayStation 6 and Xbox Series 2 era.Unfortunately, besides the aforementioned quartet, its difficult to determine how many people are actually working on the next Mass Effect title. Several reports have indicated that, following the recent firings, BioWares workforce has been reduced to fewer than 100 employees, down from over 200 just two years ago.At the same time, BioWare General Manager Gary McKay claims that they dont require support from the full studio and the team is not actively hiring new workers, suggesting one of four possibilities: either Mass Effect 5 will be significantly smaller in scale compared to The Veilguard, hiring will commence once the turmoil within EA has settled, the remaining developers will have to endure crunch and take on twice the workload, or the recently laid-off staff werent contributing much to the previous project.In the immediate future, it appears that Mass Effect 5 will remain a mystery wrapped in an enigma. So far, the only thing we know for sure is that, unlike its predecessors, it will be powered by Unreal Engine 5 instead of Frostbite, a detail all but confirmed by BioWares Producer Brenon Holmes in 2021 and recently verified with 100% certainty to 80 Level by a former BioWare developer.Another intriguing detail we know about ME5 is that it may feature Commander Shepard, potentially making one of the five Mass Effect 3 endings canon. Spotted by YouTuber MrHulthen in 2022, the official BioWare Gear store once featured a lithograph related to the upcoming game, suggesting that the original Mass Effect trilogys protagonist will return:The show goes on. Shepards final quest may have ended the threat of the Reapers but at great cost including Earth itself, the products description read at the time. While Shepard and the survivors are left to pick up the pieces, fans are left wondering whats next.Shortly after, however, the mention of Shepard was removed, and Gamble explained that it was a mistake made by the people who run the store and arent familiar with the game, which couldve been the truth, and just as likely couldve been an attempt at damage control to prevent a major story detail from getting spoiled way ahead of time only BioWare knows for sure, and BioWare isnt telling.So, what do you think about Mass Effect 5? Will it bring back the glory days of the original trilogy, or will it be Andromeda all over again? Share your thoughts down in the comments!Dont forget to join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Mass Effect 5 Still Hasnt Entered Production, 4 Years After an Official Announcement appeared first on CG SHARES.

The ending of Fallout Season 1 hinted that the story for Season 2 would revisit New Vegas, the bombed-out remains of Las Vegas from Fallout: New Vegas. Now, a new leaked set photo from Season 2 has revealed a recreation of one of the tourist traps from New Vegas.Via Eurogamer, a user on Reddit shared a picture of Dinky the T-Rex, a fabricated dinosaur that survived the post-apocalypse on top of a rinky-dink desert hotel on the outskirts of New Vegas. But in keeping with the dangerous times, the hotel itself has been upgraded with fortifications to protect its residents, and there was even a sniper's nest in Dinky's mouth for defense against any attacks. Story details about Season 2 have yet to be disclosed, but it seems likely that Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) and her new ally, the Ghoul (Walton Goggins), will pursue Lucy's estranged father, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), to New Vegas. Kumail Nanjiani is potentially joining the cast, but that has yet to be confirmed. Continue Reading at GameSpot

Pump the brakes on expectations for a new Need for Speed anytime soon. That's because Criterion, the developer behind the racing series, is all in on supporting the next Battlefield experience currently. But EA is promising that Need for Speed will return eventually.Eurogamer spoke with Battlefield boss Vince Zampella about Criterion, which now sits under the Battlefield Studios banner. Of course, that sort of change--with Criterion supporting the single-player experience for the next Battlefield--brings up questions about whether the developer might only be focused on the shooter series going forward."The Need for Speed team at Criterion are joining their colleagues working on Battlefield," said Zampella. "As a company, it was important to us to take the last year to listen to our Need for Speed community and use their feedback to create content for Unbound. With an increased understanding of what our players want in a Need for Speed experience, we plan to bring the franchise back in new and interesting ways."Continue Reading at GameSpot

Thief's Torment is one of the more unconventional Unique Rings in Path of Exile 2. Not only is it an incredibly useful early-game leveling item, but it can also help players in a pinch against pinnacle boss fights, especially characters who are always low on mana.

Hundreds of people die in each season of Squid Game, yet some of these deaths are a lot more tragic than others. Whether due to the circumstances that lead to the characters competing in the games or the moments leading up to their untimely demise, the deaths of certain characters can really tug on the viewer's heartstrings.

Plan the ultimate heist, team up with talkative weaponry then jump and chomp your way through an island adventure with the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup for February! Payday 3, High on Life and Pac-Man World Re-Pac will be available to PlayStation Plus members from February 4*.Lets take a closer look at the games.View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imagePayday 3 | PS5Revel in the thrill of a perfectly planned and executed heist in this high-octane, co-op FPS experience for up to four players online. Step out of retirement back into the life of crime in the shoes of the Payday Gang, the envy of their peers and the nightmare of law-enforcement wherever they go. Several years after the crews reign of terror over Washington DC has ended, they assemble once again to deal with the threat that roused them out of early retirement.View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageSOL CRESTA | PS4PlatinumGames NEO-CLASSIC ARCADE series carries on the spirit and fun of classic gaming using modern technology, and the first project in this endeavor is SOL CRESTA. SOL CRESTA takes the docking and formation strategies of classic shooting games Moon Cresta and Terra Cresta and elevates them with the free-form docking system. The flagship Yamato, composed of the fighters Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susano can utilize various attacks depending on how the three ships are aligned. Docking, splitting, and reforming the ships as needed is the key to defeating the invading armies of Mega Zofer.View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imagePac-Man World Re-Pac | PS4, PS5In this 2022 remake of the original PlayStation platformer, with improved UI, fine-tuned mechanics and updated visuals, Pac-Man arrives home on his birthday to find the Ghosts have kidnapped Pac-Mans family & friends and ruined his party. Off to the rescue, Pac-Man sets out to Ghost Island. Dodge Ghosts, solve environmental puzzles, rescue the Pac-Fam, and more in this platforming adventure. Play a collection of 3D mazes in Maze mode, clear Quest mode to unlock the original Pac-Man game in Original mode.All three games will be available to PlayStation Plus members on February 4 until March 3.Update on PS4 Games for PlayStation PlusAs many of our players are currently playing on PS5 and have shifted toward redeeming and accessing PS5 titles from the Monthly Games and Game Catalog benefit, PlayStation Plus is also evolving with this trend and will focus on offering PS5 titles through the Monthly Games and Game Catalog benefit starting January 2026. As we shift to PS5, PS4 games will no longer be a key benefit and will only be occasionally offered for PlayStation Plus Monthly Games and Game Catalog starting January 2026. We may still provide titles that can be playable on both PS4 and PS5 consoles after this date.Please note, this wont affect the PS4 Monthly Games that you have already redeemed from PlayStation Plus. Youll continue to have access to games youve already redeemed as long as you remain a member. For Game Catalog, PS4 games will still be available to play until it leaves the catalog as part of our monthly refresh.Well continue to evolve the experience of PlayStation Plus and optimize the benefits you receive, including exclusive discounts, online multiplayer access, online game save storage and more. As we shift our focus to PS5, we look forward to adding new PS5 titles monthly for you to enjoy.*PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup may differ in certain regions. Please check the PlayStation Store on launch day for your regions lineup.

Proton VPN recorded a 7000% increase in sign-ups above baseline as citizens are looking for ways to evade restrictions. Here's all we know so far.