Skyblivion (the fan-made Oblivion remake that's being rebuilt inside of Skyrim) has been a long time coming, but we might need to wait a while longer for the conversion mod to see the light of day due to a new legal issue.

One of the ambitious project's lead modders, Rebelzize, today uploaded a video about the ongoing situation. "Recently, a former volunteer who contributed to Skyblivion's development departed the project. We want to be completely transparent with the community about what has happened since their departure," he explains in the description.

"After they left the project, we had several discussions regarding the continued use and maintenance of his work. The main disagreement centered on their objection to our decompilation of parts of their work — a necessary step our team took to maintain functionality and fix issues in systems already built into the project after access to the original source code repository was revoked," Rebelzize adds.

Rebelzize doesn't name the former modder in an effort to avoid creating an online "witch hunt," but they eventually sent the Skyblivion folks a series of legal threats demanding the real names and home addresses of several other volunteer team members - "something that we are simply not willing to share with somebody that we don't even know," Rebelzize says, calling the demands "disproportionate." The former modder is apparently looking to sue for damages worth upwards of €30,000.

"A 'take your ball and go home' approach like this fundamentally contradicts the collaborative, open spirit of the modding community that makes massive passion projects like this possible," Rebelzize continues. "To protect our volunteers from undue stress and ensure a clean break, in good faith we removed their code, rebuilding and improving the system from the ground up."

Despite removing their work from Skyblivion, the anonymous former volunteer has apparently "continued to intensify their threats." The Skyblivion team is now looking for help from anyone experienced in IP and GDPR law, pointing interested folks toward their official website.

Last year, it looked like a Skyblivion release date could be right around the corner. There's still no word on when we can expect the gorgeous fan-led revival, though.

The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel reveal reportedly coming soon, confirming a new Hammerfell setting as Bethesda shows off gameplay internally

Mark Darrah, the famously outspoken RPG veteran who steered the Dragon Age ship until his retirement a few years back, predicts Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic will feature a simpler, stripped-down story in response to what he sees as overstuffed writing in BioWare's more recent games.

Talking to Eldorado.gg, Darrah mused on the potential direction of Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic under former Mass Effect lead Casey Hudson's stewardship. Darrah wonders if Hudson could opt for a "KOTOR 3"-type spiritual successor or potentially, "something that looks a little bit more like Mass Effect with the Star Wars IP," adding that, ultimately, he doesn't know what the game will end up looking like. BioWare is obviously not involved, with development duties being handled by Hudson's Arcanaut Studios. That said, Hudson's involvement tells Darrah one thing about Fate of the Old Republic.

"One thing I can be confident of is that it's gonna be really good at cinematic storytelling, because that's something that Casey cares very deeply about," says Darrah "It's something that I am very confident that they will be spending a lot of effort on. So it will be a storytelling game, and it will do its storytelling effectively. In terms of what the structure of the game is around the storytelling, that's actually where I have almost no confidence. I have no idea. But it's like, will it tell a good story? Yeah, I'm really confident that it'll do that."

Asked if Hudson is taking any lessons he learned from his time at BioWare into Fate of the Old Republic, Darrah confirms, "Casey and I have talked," adding, "I think that he definitely is going to be looking at simplifying some of the way that storytelling is done. I think to some degree, you could argue that maybe BioWare has gotten a little self-indulgent in its storytelling. And I think that Casey maybe sees that a little bit as well. So there might be a stripping it back a little bit more towards a more simple hero's journey. I don't know. Maybe I'm putting words in his mouth."

Darrah's hesitation to presume too much aside, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has definitely taken a lot of criticism for its writing in particular, from bad faith takes on diversity in games to genuine disappointment from longtime fans. I'm not sure simplification is necessarily the most important lesson to be learned, but Fate of the Old Republic is in capable enough hands, I'd say.

One thing I'm happy about: Star Wars Fate of the Old Republic boss Casey Hudson is done with 100-hour games: "A lot of players just want to play something and finish it"

Patrick Stewart was best known for his numerous roles across film and television, including franchise-defining parts of X-Men and Star Trek, but he also appeared in several video games over the years. His most notable video game role is certainly in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, where he played Emperor Uriel Septim VII, and he was apparently blown away by the detailed lore Bethesda had for his character.

In the wake of Stewart's death at the age of 86, fans have shared numerous memorable stories and anecdotes about the actor's life and career. One such story, which was spotlighted by Bluesky user shadowtodd, dates back to a documentary about the making of Oblivion, which was originally included on a bonus DVD in the game's original 2006 Collector's Edition.

In that documentary, a distressingly young-looking Todd Howard stands in front of a group of Bethesda developers and shows a photo of himself and his wife meeting Stewart. "Ken [Rolston, lead designer] had written a bunch of notes for Patrick Stewart on the character," Howard explained. "Very, very long. I thought it was embarrassingly long, actually."

It's important to remember here that, despite Stewart's stature, Uriel Septim's role in Oblivion is actually pretty small. (Spoilers, but he dies before the end of the tutorial area.) Nonetheless, extensive lore had already been built up around the character over the course of the previous three games, and despite Howard's misgivings it seems the team was keen for Stewart to see every detail.

"I had forwarded it all to Patrick," Howard said. "Patrick came in and said, 'I got the notes on the character.' I was sort of like [gestures nervously]. He's like, 'Never in my life doing any role have I gotten such detailed notes, and I loved it. I am really intrigued. This sounds really cool. You guys have given this a lot of thought. I can't wait to do it.'"

In another part of the documentary, which has been available in full on YouTube for years, we see the moment many of Bethesda's developers heard Stewart's lines for the first time. "He was selling the product like a reverend standing in front of his flock," Rolston noted, "which is exactly the tone I wanted."

Remember, ahead of Oblivion, Bethesda was only just beginning to emerge from years of making niche, fiddly PC games to develop something more mainstream. And even then, 'mainstream' was relative in those days – the documentary opens with Howard doing a bit of old-school handwringing about the perception that video games were still little more than kids' toys.

So you can understand why a room full of game developers raised on a steady diet of science fiction were so astounded hearing an actor as beloved as Patrick Stewart performing lines that they'd written. My favorite bit is when designer Mark Nelson reacts to the reading of "generals and kings have knelt at my command" from Stewart. "That's such a cheesy line that sounds good when he says it," Nelson remarked.

"There isn't another actor we could have picked who I'd be happier to write dialog for," Nelson explained. "Like, seriously, I geeked out over Star Trek for years. It was on while I was in college. Literally, all my friends [and] I would sit around and we'd watch Star Trek and drink beer and act like idiots. I don't have a picture of my wife in my wallet right now but I've got Patrick Stewart in my wallet."

To prove the point, Nelson pulled out his wallet and showed the weathered photo of Stewart he kept inside. "My wife will not be happy," he admitted.

Star Trek Online players gather to remember Patrick Stewart, with some hoping for a "permanent" tribute to Captain Picard from the MMO's devs: "You will be missed"

The Crimson Desert DLC allows you to get a pirate ship for yourself, a giant ship that you can use to explore and set up trade around the world. There are multiple types of ship that you can unlock along the way, and while most of these cost you money, Crimson Desert will set you up with a small ship as an (almost) free default – but that isn't your only option, and even then it's not easy to find that option. If you want to get the ship in the Charting the Unknown DLC, here's what you need to do.

For more about where to begin in this grand expansion, check out our guide on how to start the Crimson Desert DLC!

How do you get a ship in the Crimson Desert Charting the Unknown DLC?

To get a small ship in the Crimson Desert "Charting the Unknown" DLC expansion, as well as unlocking seafaring as a larger system, you need to take the following steps:

1. Make sure you've completed the Scattered Embers and Grounds of Sunrise quests (Hope From Ashes) associated with the Greymanes. These are part of the core game, but they appear to be mandatory to unlock the ship.
2. This should unlock a quest chain new for the DLC in Pailune city called Uncharting the Unknown (A Wider World) shown in the journal above, with the first mission being called "A Call from Beyond the Horizon".
3. Starting this quest will trigger conversation with your allies, followed by a task to go to Vellua port, marked on the Southern Coast.
4. Once you've arrived, inspect the port in the map to find a Dispatch Mission called "Small Shipbuilding."
5. This will cost your camp the following resources: 600 Stone, 600 Wood, 1,200 Food and 10,000 Silver. You'll also need to assign 5 Greymanes to it for 5 hours, and one must have the Engineering Skill.
6. Once complete, you will be given a ship, as well as a follow-up mission that teaches you how to use it called "Where the Wind Blows".

This is by no means the beginning and end of shipbuilding in Crimson Desert. From this point players will either be able to buy or construct larger ships, which will cost you increasingly large amounts of money and resources. You can either buy them from Fleet Offices, or through Dispatch Missions like the one where you bought your first ship.

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A Towerful of Mice is set during Keira Metz's storyline in Velen, and with a recommended level of six, is one of The Witcher 3's earliest ghost stories. Cobble together a haunted tower, frightened locals, and love persevering, and you're left with a traditional Gothic horror set in brackish Velen.

Our destination, Fyke Isle, is wreathed in fog. Sailing towards it, dark woods on either bank of a thin river, there are just two bright spots in the night – Geralt's bobbing white bun, and flashes of a pale drowner as it flits between the trees. I've completed A Towerful of Mice once before, but rather unhelpfully, the only part I remember is getting there via boat. Everything else is a mystery, but the basic premise is this: superstitious locals have asked sorceress-in-hiding Keira Metz to lift a curse from Fyke Isle. In turn, Keira asks Geralt for help – if only to keep the locals on-side while mage hunters scour the land.

Quest Log

Trick or treat

In the basement, ghostly peasants wonder why the room is packed with caged rats. Two flights of creaky stairs above, the nobleman's daughter pleads with her father to assist the locals. An unseen voice alerts them to the angry mob downstairs and their wispy shades disappear, but in the modern-day, a skeleton lies beneath a chair the nobleman was sitting in. By now, Fyke Isle's dread sits heavily: I'm jumping at every creaky floorboard and darting rat, and climbing up the tower feels as if I'm being drawn towards an unseen horror.

In that regard, A Towerful of Mice has more in common with classic ghost stories The Turn of the Screw and The Haunting of Hill House than The Witcher. It's a testament to how rapidly CD Projekt Red can knit and swaddle us into a story. The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077's quests thrust agonizing decisions upon players, but their consequences are only so monumental because we've been made to care so quickly.

Spoilers ahead

Like many of The Witcher 3's quests, A Towerful of Mice's violence hides heartbreak. In a hidden laboratory at the top of the tower, the ghost of the nobleman's daughter, Anabelle, reveals herself. Speaking to Geralt, she recalls taking a paralyzing potion ��� made to look like poison – to avoid dying at the mob's hands. The mob leaves, but when Anabelle awakens much later, she's still paralyzed – and being eaten alive by rats. She died thinking her lover, Graham, abandoned her (he was part of the mob, albeit trying to stop it), and suggests the curse will be lifted if Geralt brings her remains for Graham to bury.

The story adds up, but something smells rotten. And while I don't remember how A Towerful of Mice goes, 160 hours spent in The Witcher 3 is enough for me to trust my gut. I turn down Anabelle, who then asks if Geralt will instead bring Graham to seek her forgiveness. That seems fair – assuming Graham is willing – so I row back across the river and find him in a small fishing village. Still traumatized by that night, Graham is eager to help put Anabelle to rest and returns to Fyke Isle with Geralt.

Back in the tower's laboratory, Anabelle is revealed in her true form: a jawless Plague Maiden with sunken skin and a tendrilled tongue. To lift the curse, Graham has to prove he still loves Anabelle by kissing her. And while Geralt's professionalism has been a comfort throughout the quest, it doesn't help me when the cutscene's camera moves to follow Graham – moonlight shining on his neck makes it seem exposed in the darkness, and watching him draw closer to Anabelle feels like watching fingers inch towards a bear trap.

In a final Gothic flourish, true love wins out. Sort of. For a moment, Anabelle is a young woman again – then she's gone, and Graham is dead on the floor. The curse is lifted, quest complete, yet there's no celebration. Fyke Isle is still unbearably sad. But for an hour, it was real.

Former Dragon Age lead Mark Darrah says the beloved fantasy RPG series could have ended up with a game like Baldur's Gate 3, but BioWare instead chose to be simpler in the hopes of reaching a wider audience.

So it goes, following EA's decision to shut down BioWare before it could ship Mass Effect 5, Dragon Age: The Veilguard stands as the studio's last game. While some reviewers found plenty to like about it, the RPG didn't deliver the commercial performance needed to keep BioWare going after EA was acquired by a group that includes the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.

As such, we're left with a kind of what-if situation with the series. The likes of Baldur's Gate 3 have made enough money and won enough awards to show that a fantasy RPG can certainly achieve the level of success that Dragon Age craved. As such, why couldn't the developer behind the first two Baldur's Gate games hit the same heights with something like Dragon Age, another fantasy-themed series with a solid fanbase?

For longtime Dragon Age lead Mark Darrah, BioWare fell flat because it tried to create an RPG that meant something to everyone and, as a result, ended up creating something for no one.

Speaking to Eldorado, Darrah is asked why BioWare couldn't follow Larian's path in creating a deep fantasy RPG that achieved the sort of success that Baldur's Gate 3 managed.

"You can absolutely see that with Dragon Age," he says. "You can imagine a world where BioWare follows a line that leads from Dragon Age: Origins to something that looks a lot like Baldur’s Gate 3.

"But instead, it is pushed onto this road that is about trying to be simpler, to be more accessible, to be more appealing to a wider audience, and you end up, instead of going from Dragon Age: Origins towards Baldur's Gate 3, you end up on a track to Dragon Age 2 and to Inquisition. You see that path, with Dragon Age specifically, not BioWare, of trying to live in a world that a publisher doesn't really get."

The rest, as they say, is history. BioWare's closure means IPs like Dragon Age and Mass Effect have been tossed into EA's great vault for the time being. We might see them again with a different studio, though, as Darrah himself says, they could just as easily be left to rot. As we say, what could have been?

Why did EA close BioWare? Report says it put Mass Effect 5 and Star Wars Battlefront 3 on a scale, and guess which one looks safer when you're $18 billion in debt.

A new report directly links the previously rumored Star Wars Battlefront 3 to EA's closure of BioWare, with the publisher evidently prioritizing the sci-fi game with the bigger license and projected audience when assessing its finances.

Bloomberg corroborates much of what we've already heard and inferred. After a Saudi Arabia-led buyout plunged EA $18 billion in debt, it had new owners and even more incentive to cut costs. BioWare, already on the ropes after consecutive lukewarm-at-best releases including open disappointment around 2024's Dragon Age: The Veilguard, would've been among the first studios to catch the eye of a layoff-hungry EA.

The hammer really dropped, the report says, when EA paused to size up the two main sci-fi action games it could choose to invest in for the coming years. Bloomberg reports that both were expected to cost several hundred million dollars to develop.

In one corner, you have Star Wars Battlefront 3, the follow-up to a game that ultimately sold extremely well despite some fierce criticism – and, crucially, a Star Wars game, the likes of which EA loves to sell.

In the other corner, there's Mass Effect 5, the next chapter in an RPG series that hasn't been great for at least a decade, and it would be in the works at a studio that has failed to match its historic heights for – again – at least a decade.

What do you think an especially fiscally conscientious EA would choose?

We know the answer, of course. After repeatedly failing to get the triangular BioWare to fit through the circular hole it imposes on its properties, EA scooped up the studio and fed it into the furnace of Star Wars, reportedly deeming Battlefront 3 the safer bet (and, surely, most likely to support long-tail monetization). And so, a catastrophically mismanaged RPG powerhouse shut down to the dismay of countless game developers and fans.

Pressed on this choice, an EA spokesperson says it "collectively reached this decision following months of planning, review, and analysis, including careful consideration of evolving business conditions, industry dynamics, and our long-term priorities." Which all certainly lines up with the claim here: EA thought this would make it more money.

Bloomberg also reports that EA's Laura Miele, previously chief studio officer and COO and now president of EA's entertainment and central development, has had few opportunities to once again stick up for the publisher's stable of studios under a new leadership push helmed by COO David Tinson and CSO Cam Weber.

A joint statement from Tinson and Weber, in which BioWare's shutdown received one short paragraph, argued EA "should be proud" to stand as "the number one publisher in Western HD gaming."

BioWare co-founder says EA's Saudi Arabia buyout was "the final nail in the coffin" for the RPG studio: "It's easier just to pump out sports games"

Wondering how to start the Crimson Desert DLC? Charting the Unknown is the first major expansion for the game, but rather than adding a single story or questline for players to pursue, it actually adds a variety of new quests and challenges for different characters and areas that all start in different places. With that in mind, I'll explain how to find the start of all of these DLC threads in Crimson Desert, so you know where to look for all the ways to start Charting the Unknown.

All Crimson Desert DLC questlines

There are multiple quests and side quests as part of the Crimson Desert DLC, all of which have their own individual starting points. Here's where to find all of them.

• Kliff's Quest: Complete the main story of Crimson Desert, then go to North Pailune City.
• Damiane's Quest: Complete the main story of Crimson Desert, then go to East Demeniss City.
• Oongka's Quest: Complete the main story of Crimson Desert, then go to Northwest Pailune City.
• Shipbuilding / Ocean questline: Complete the Scattered Embers and Grounds of Sunrise quests in the main game, then go to Pailune City for the "A Wider World" quest.
• Housing questline: Complete the "Howling Hill" quest and "Luke's Request" in the main game before heading to the Furniture shop at the camp.
• Garden of Trials: Complete the main story of the Crimson Desert main game, then go to the Axiom Archive Abyss (where you first meet Alustin) in Path of Providence. A cinematic will show you to the Garden, south of the main building (seen above).

There is other content included in the DLC, including new facilities that you can unlock around the map, as well as the new option to romance and even marry NPCs throughout the game (and divorce them once the honeymoon period is over).

However, what you have above is the full range of full questlines and major story content, as well as the requirements needed. As you can see, the major quests for each character require that you complete the main story, though some parts of Charting the Unknown can be played without doing that.

Where to start Kliff's DLC quest

Kliff's story quest "Beyond the Margins" and its first stage "A Moment's Respite" is found here, in North Central Pailune Capital, though you will have to have beaten the main story to unlock this.

Where to start Damiane's DLC quest

Damiane's story quest "From the Ashes" and first task "Reclaimed and Reamining" understandably starts in Demeniss, her home nation, specifically at the location shown above, in the West of the Demeniss Capital. Like with Kliff, you'll need to have beaten the main story of the core game.

Where to start Oongka's DLC quest

Oongka's story quest for Charting the Unknown also appears in Pailune, like Kliff, and like Kliff you'll also have to have put the time in and completed the main story. You can find his story quest "Forged Resolve" and the first task "A New Path" in North East Pailune City.

Where to start the Shipbuilding and Ocean DLC quests

If you want to live a pirate's life, you need to start a quest chain that starts with "A Wider World", the first mission of which is called "A Call From Beyond the Horizon." You can find this in Pailune City after completing the Scattered Embers and Grounds of Sunrise (Hope From Ashes) quests. For more info, check out our guide on how to get the ship in the Crimson Desert DLC.

Where to start the Housing DLC quests

To find the Housing content, complete Luke's Request in the "Grounds of the Sunrise" Greymane's faction quest, then head to the Howling Hill camp and specifically the furniture shop, where this will begin the content accordingly.

Garden of Trials location

The Garden of Trials is found in the Axiom Archive in the Abyss layer, in the West Path of Providence where you first meet Alustin. When you approach the main building, there'll be a cinematic of a White Raven that shows you to the new location, South of the Building.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

The Honkai Star Rail livestream 4.7 codes are the most recent promos to be announced for this gacha RPG, and as usual they offer lots of Stellar Jade to top up your balance, in addition to Credits, Traveler's Guide, and Refined Aether. They were announced during the "Now, Lay Laughter to All Stars" special program, where we got to see The Laughter on a livestream for the first time as they brought us up to speed on the latest developments for the game. These promos won't last long, so these are the Honkai Star Rail livestream 4.7 codes and how to redeem them.

Honkai Star Rail livestream 4.7 codes

• NEVERGONNAGIVE – 100x Stellar Jade, 50,000x Credits
• NEVERGONNAMAKE – 100x Stellar Jade, 5x Traveler's Guide
• AHABLESSYOU – 100x Stellar Jade, 4x Refined Aether

The above promos were revealed during the livestream of the "Now, Lay Laughter to All Stars" special program, and they are valid until Saturday, October 31 at 9am PDT / 12noon EDT / 4pm GMT – so you don't have long to redeem them and add their rewards to your account.

How to redeem Honkai Star Rail livestream codes

You have two choices when it comes to redeeming Honkai Star Rail codes, as this can be done through the game itself or via a web browser. To claim them in-game:

• Open the phone menu
• Hit the three dots in the top right corner
• Select Redemption Code from the list
• Type in your code
• Use the mailbox icon on the right of the screen to pick up your rewards

It's also possible to redeem Honkai Star Rail codes through the browser on your phone or computer:

• Head to the HoYoverse Redeem Code page and log in
• Choose your regional server
• Check that the correct character nickname has appeared
• Type in your code
• Open the in-game mailbox to receive your rewards

That's all you need to do – and remember that you only have to redeem the Honkai Star Rail livestream codes before they expire, then you have 30 days to actually open the mail in-game to collect the items you've claimed.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

The Elder Scrolls 6, Bethesda Game Studios' long, long-awaited next chapter in the mainline Elder Scrolls universe, will reportedly be revealed as early as next month with the official title, The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel.

Per The Verge, BGS has been showcasing gameplay from The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel internally in recent months, including a widely reported live playthrough that was viewed by new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma.

Reportedly, only the game's official title will be revealed next month, with nothing new beyond that, which is a little curious, considering it's now been 15 long years since the last game in the series, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, was released.

The reported title lines up with rumors and fan theories circulating for months, and The Verge also reports that rumors of a return to Hammerfell as The Elder Scrolls 6's main setting are true. Hammerfell hasn't been seen very much in recent Elder Scrolls titles, but it has appeared in The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard, and BGS's MMO spinoff, The Elder Scrolls Online.

If The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel is really revealed next month, it'll be going up against one of the most formidable industry opponents it could've chosen, as Rockstar's unprecedented juggernaut of a release, GTA 6, is coming out on November 19. Of course, a title reveal isn't a direct competitor to an actual video game launch, much less with the biggest release of all time, but the timing is noteworthy.

The Elder Scrolls Online is undergoing a "renaissance," as the MMO's devs say they saw what's "been going for 12 years and decided to make some changes"

The new Crimson Desert DLC, Charting the Unknown, will be out soon, but if you're a die hard fan of the enormous fantasy world, you'll want to know the exact release time and date, so you can start leaping into this ocean-themed adventure as soon as possible. Charting the Unknown will have simultaneous releases on all major platforms where Crimson Desert is available, so the release times and dates will apply for every console out there.

All release times for the Crimson Desert DLC Charting the Unknown

The Crimson Desert DLC Charting the Unknown will release at the following times, depending on your region and time zone:

• PDT / West Coast: 3PM, October 29 2026
• EDT / East Coast: 6PM, October 29 2026
• UK / GMT: 10PM, October 29 2026
• Europe / CET: 11PM, October 29 2026

It should go without saying that the Charting the Unknown DLC is exactly that: an expansion pack that requires the full game, not a standalone.

Pearl Abyss have also stated that players will have needed to complete the main story quest of Crimson Desert to access all the content available, so if you haven't beaten the final boss, you'll want to go back into the game and quickly work your way through to the end credits. Likewise, the game has been through multiple major updates at a pretty consistent rate since its launch, so if you haven't played it for a while, you might be well advised to go back in and see what's changed since the last time you were in.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

The closure of RPG royalty BioWare came as a shock to just about everyone when it was announced last week, but one of the founders of the studio says the writing was on the wall from the moment parent company Electronic Arts was bought out by the Saudi-led Public Investment Fund (PFP).

"I think it was the final nail in the coffin," he tells 80LV. "I think that was the crux of it in a sense. Once again it's a completely different company now."

The Saudi government is known for brutal human rights violations and has a particularly grim track record on LGBTQ+ rights. Mass Effect 5 developers were reportedly told to tone down inclusivity after the Saudi buyout, and in August, multiple members of EA staff anonymously told Game Developer they feared the Saudi government would start policing their games to better align with policy. Mass Effect, and BioWare more broadly, is known for LGBTQ+ representation, so you can see why concerns bubbled immediately following the PFP's acquisition of EA.

Zeschuk left BioWare and retired from the gaming industry in 2012 alongside fellow co-founder Ray Muzyka, which means he hasn't had inside knowledge for a long time now, but he expects EA to prioritize sports games and "maybe Battlefield."

"Everything else is kind of extraneous I suspect," he says. "BioWare makes these kind of unusual games that take a long time and they're complicated and so it's easier just to pump out sports games every year and that's a better business model in some ways."

Hearing that from the co-founder of BioWare will obviously sting for RPG fans, but there's still hope for beloved franchises like Mass Effect and Dragon Age as there's a chance EA sells the rights to another developer. On the other hand, a former Mass Effect developer recently cast doubt on that idea and said EA rarely ever sells the rights to IP it owns. At least Ultima Online will soon be back in the hands of its original creator.

EA morale hits a new low amid AI push and BioWare closure: "A cold dead place that's slowly decaying as leadership pilfers every last cent"

Update: New details have come to light since this article was published, so it has been updated accordingly.

Full story follows: Following the closure of BioWare and cancellation of Mass Effect 5 after the EA buyout, the RPG that never came to be has been heavy on fans' minds – and former developers' own, too.

Behind the scenes, though, things with the next Mass Effect were on shaky ground for some time, reportedly, as the massive $55 billion EA buyout by Saudi Arabia's private investment fund, Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, and private equity fund Silver Lake fell into place.

The acquisition allegedly spurred various changes in BioWare devs' plans, especially in how potentially sensitive topics were handled.

For example, BioWare's inclusivity – something the studio has been well known for since its early RPGs, from the original Dragon Age to Mass Effect – and its outspoken support for marginalized communities.

An unnamed dev who was working on Mass Effect: Universe, as the in-progress fifth entry was titled, explains as much in a statement to BFM (as translated from French by GamesRadar+ and machine using both DeepL and Google).

"I think the video proposals we presented to the new management weren't convincing," he alleges. "Especially since BioWare is known for its inclusive stories, which didn't help dispel the skepticism."

This "skepticism," as the dev goes on to describe, supposedly led the team to remove a flag "too similar to the LGBTQIA+ flag" from one of the presented videos, "so as not to cause offense" with its inclusion.

Speaking to Kotaku following the story's publication, the journalist clarifies that the move was reportedly "in anticipation of potential negative feedback" from EA. Additionally, "contrary to what is being said about this on social media, [the decision to remove the flag] was not [made] out of a desire to hide inclusive elements, but rather to anticipate negative feedback from conservative executives."

Regardless, it's a difficult thought to stomach, especially when, as the anonymous dev puts it, you consider BioWare's history as a strong supporter of folks whose voices aren't as well heard by the public, but it's sadly not all that surprising.

I'm instantly reminded of The Sims series myself, and how covers had to be changed for Saudi Arabian audiences so as to not include any LGBTQIA+ representation.

People were worrying about what the buyout might mean in that sense while it was underway, too, with EA staff sharing how they feared the new Saudi Arabian owners would police their games and how "projects just won't get signed because they don't align explicitly with what the Saudi government wants."

None of the process has been easy or simple, to say the least, and the future remains uncertain.

Here's hoping that everyone from BioWare is able to land on their feet following the studio's closure – and that somehow, some way, the Save Mass Effect movement results in change.

The leaked Mass Effect 5 trailer is being re-released by a veteran BioWare composer: "I want it to properly represent my musical vision"

Cyberpunk 2077 just saw the release of update 2.5, a patch that accompanied the Edgerunners 2 debut on Netflix – and one that CD Projekt Red hoped would be very special.

Paweł Sasko, who is now working as Cyberpunk 2 associate director, reveals as much in an entry on the studio's official blog, explaining that the developers wanted the connection between all of Cyberpunk's media to feel "consistent" – which, yes, means Edgerunners and Cyberpunk 2077, as it "has always worked best when you can feel it's one consistent universe, a nexus of stories told from different perspectives."

He continues, referencing characters from both the RPG and its animated Netflix series: "V, Johnny, David, Lucy, the characters from our comics and now the new crew from Edgerunners 2 all experience the same world, but they see something different in it. I wanted the game to acknowledge that connection directly."

Not only that, but CD Projekt Red – and especially Sasko – wanted that acknowledgement to be great.

So great, in fact, that it (in the form of update 2.5, of course) would outshine the patch that accompanied the first season of Edgerunners four years back.

In Sasko's own words, "I wanted to create an update for the game that will be much more meaningful than the one we created for Edgerunners in 2022." That "one," as he says, was 1.6 – a patch aptly dubbed the Edgerunners Update, adding transmogs, cross-progression, and more.

This time around, update 2.5 has brought a new quest to the RPG that acts as a prequel to Edgerunners 2.

"Players will unlock a new quest that takes place before the events of the show, following the last job of Team King. It introduces King, Meshuga, Miguel, and Emily, and takes players into a part of Night City they have never properly explored before," Sasko describes – and, again, consistency between the show and game was key.

"From the beginning, believability and immersion were the most important for me. If these characters exist both in the game and in the show, they should feel like the same people," as he concludes. "That is why it was incredibly important to get the same voice actors from Edgerunners 2 into Cyberpunk 2077."

And so they did just that – and I'd argue that it's worked out quite nicely for CD Projekt Red, too.

Following Edgerunners 2 and update 2.5, the RPG did hit its highest Steam player count in three years, after all. It serves as a testament to the ever-growing quality of Cyberpunk 2077, I'd say, and, yes, how good the collaborative patch has been this time around.

CD Projekt Red just can't stop updating Cyberpunk 2077: "This world keeps giving us reasons to return to it."

It's been almost six years since the disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077, and in that time developer CD Projekt Red has been tirelessly updating the game initially with a flurry of bug fixes and performance patches, and then later with substantial content additions culminating in the Phantom Liberty expansion from 2023. And yet, even as the game's legacy has firmly been cemented as a generational RPG far removed from its half-baked launch state, it has another huge update, 2.5, which just came out last week.

The 2.5 update adds a new quest that serves as a prequel story to Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 on Netflix, as well as mod support for consoles, dual-wielding for pistols and revolvers, a new City Tours feature that gives you a guided look at Night City, new clothing sets, a new radio station, and more. It's a genuinely massive update to an already sprawling open-world adventure that's long since redeemed itself, and all CDPR has to say for itself is that it simply can't turn down an opportunity for a new update even as it works on a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel and a bunch of other new games.

In an official CDPR blog post, associate game director Paweł Sasko says the combined new features in Cyberpunk 2077 2.5 serve one goal to "make Night City richer, more coherent, and more believable, for our players," and that's why it was made.

"That is ultimately why we are updating Cyberpunk 2077 again," says Sasko. "This world keeps giving us reasons to return to it. Edgerunners 2 adds another perspective, 2.5 brings that perspective into the game, and at the same time gives players more ways to make Night City their own. For me, that is what a shared universe should feel like. Different stories, different people, different media, but one city that remembers all of them. And I hope players enjoy returning to it."

With a list of upcoming CDPR games that includes the new Witcher 3 DLC, The Witcher 4, a remake of The Witcher 1, the aforementioned sequel codenamed Project Orion, a new original IP codenamed Hadar, and probably more I'm forgetting about, I'm just surprised there's still budget and resources for more Cyberpunk 2077. I'm also very much not complaining about that.

CD Projekt Red has "hired so many modders" that Cyberpunk 2 co-lead says "I think half of the quest team is all former modders"

Like rubbing salt into the wound, the abrupt closure of beloved RPG studio BioWare means we now know more about Mass Effect 5 than we probably would've otherwise, which stings even harder knowing the game's now canceled. Based on a leaked trailer, it's likely the game was to be titled Mass Effect: Universe, and it seems it would've paired up returning party member Liara T'Soni with a new human hero in place of longtime protagonist Shepard. Perhaps the biggest disappointment of all is that the trailer said the game was "coming soon."

I suppose if you're someone willing to call a glass with two drops of water in it 'half full', you could argue the existence of the trailer is a tiny, barely glimmering silver lining amid the tragedy of it all, and adding just the faintest shimmer to that miniscule upside is a new tweet from veteran BioWare composer Sam Hulick, who scored the original Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3. In the tweet, Hulick says he plans to "release the re-scored Mass Effect Universe trailer for N7 Day."

N7 Day is an annual celebration of all things Mass Effect, and had EA not shut the doors on BioWare, there's a good chance we would've seen or heard something new about Mass Effect 5, potentially even the leaked trailer. But anyway, it happens on November 7, which Hulick admits is "a little tight" as he's also working on a pitch for an unrelated new game, but "I'll see what I can do," he says. "I don't wanna rush it, and I want it to properly represent my musical vision for MEU."

While you might think Hulick's endorsement of the leaked trailer substantiates its legitimacy somewhat, he's a freelance composer and was never officially hired on as a BioWare employee, so he probably didn't have a whole lot of insight into the next game's development. In fact, the legendary composer behind Journey, Austin Wintory, who just released 20 minutes of music he wrote in an unofficial capacity for Mass Effect 5, recently said "no one" had yet been hired to score the sequel. Still, more moody sci-fi music from a pair of renowned composers is never a bad thing, especially as we lie face down in a puddle of tears in the wake of BioWare's untimely end.

"EA never actually sells anything," former Mass Effect 5 dev says – so don't expect the RPG to be saved as "they just shut things down and sit on their licenses"

The Welcome to Paradise quest in Cyberpunk 2077 has players follow a guided tour around the city in order to track down a revolutionary called Haze, all at the request of her concerned sister Aera. This takes you through a variety of locations with a recording of Night City founder Richard Night explaining a skewed history of the metropolis, and Haze providing her own contrary take against him. If you want to find out how to start the quest and what rewards there might be, here's what you need to know.

Want some more help with the 2.5 update? Find out how to dual wield in Cyberpunk 2077, or all the best Cyberpunk 2077 mods you can now get on console!

How to start the Welcome to Paradise quest in Cyberpunk 2077

To get the Welcome to Paradise quest, all you need to do is complete the Heist mission and reach 15 Street Cred. On having done this, after some time you'll get a message from a new character called Aera who will ask you to find her sister Haze, who's stolen some sort of chip from somebody and hasn't been seen since. If you accept this minor job, you'll be able to play it through whenever you're ready.

Full walkthrough for Welcome to Paradise in Cyberpunk 2077

Much of the Welcome to Paradise quest is very straightforward - going to marked locations and interacting with terminals - but there's a few points where it can get tricky. We'll take you through the whole thing below and mark out the areas that involve more challenge, so you're ready for everything.

1. After getting the call, head to the marked location in Kabuki. Scan for the metal sheet to the East that covers the sewer pipe (shown above) and pull it away to reveal a Shard called "NC Revitalization Project - Identity Cache". Slot it to start the guided tour program.
2. Head to the Night Corporation Tower and listen to the first step of the guided tour, including the drone tour, then do the same thing at the Memorial Park, Arasaka Memorial, and City Hall.

3. The next tour step is the Biotechnica Flats, though some people will be obstructing the way to the terminal (you can move them non-violently with a 17 Body Dialogue Check).
4. Head to the NCART station for another tour. Afterwards, go into your inventory and decrypt the shard for new information (see below).

5. The next stop at the Dam is blocked off by 6th Street Enemies who you'll need to clear out (they're easy to ambush from above if you fast travel to the nearest location).
6. Head to the Medical Center back in the city. This time Haze will tell you that she's being trailed by a car. Open the Shard you decrypted in stage 4 again to find out more about the car and figure out who's following her.

7. Head to Kabuki for the final leg of the tour and the last of Richard Night. Haze will drop a clue that mentions a bridge nearby.
8. Head to the marked location, and look at the beach below you and to the right to see several Militech soldiers (see below).
9. Defeat the soldiers and you'll discover Haze's body, along with a Shard containing evidence of her killer. At this point you need to meet with Aera again to conclude the quest and tell her what you've discovered.

Should you give Aera the Shard?

There's no difference in reward depending on whether you give Aera the Shard or not, as you'll get 1,050 EDs, and the same XP and Street Cred bonuses either way. All it changes is your final interaction with her:

• If you give Aera the Shard: She's grateful for your help, but obviously angered at Haze's death and clearly plotting some sort of revenge, or at least to carry on her sister's crusade in some way.
• If you don't give Aera the Shard: She's angry at you for not giving her the ammunition she needs to hurt Haze's murderers, but the implication is that it keeps her safer not to have such explosive information on her.

There doesn't appear to be any follow-up to this quest later on, such as a moment where we discover that Aera successfully struck a blow against Night Corp or was killed in her quest for vengeance.

To unlock Witcher themed gear and even a fantasy sword, check out how to complete the Cyberpunk 2077 Ariadne side quest, or get loot linked to the Edgerunners show in the Cyberpunk 2077 Clampdown quest!

© GamesRadar+. not to be reproduced without permission.

Former Halo and Assassin's Creed artist Nicolas 'Sparth' Bouvier has revealed that he served as the art director for the Mass Effect franchise until BioWare's closure.

BioWare announced last week that it is closing down, months after EA was acquired by private investors and effectively said out loud that cuts were on the way.

On top of the studio's closure, the Mass Effect 5 project in development at the studio was canceled. This was later revealed to be Mass Effect Universe as a leaked trailer made its way to the web shortly after the announcement, which in turn caused even more fan outcry, as the trailer looked to be cooking up something promising.

In a thread on Twitter, Bouvier – who was a senior artist on the original Assassin's Creed, as well as the 343-era Halo games – says "in light of last week’s news about BioWare’s closure," he was choosing now to reveal that "from April until last week, I was the art director of the Mass Effect franchise." He adds, "It was a privilege to work alongside such a talented team, with the shared ambition of exploring new creative territories while staying true to the legacy and spirit of the Mass Effect trilogy."

"Knowing that this work will never see the light of day is truly heartbreaking," Bouvier continues, saying, "We were good at this. We really were. I'm thinking about the team, the talent, what we could have achieved."

He adds, "In nearly 30 years in this industry, I've rarely seen a group so tightly knit, so experienced, and so good at working together," before concluding that he is "honored to have been part of it."

Mass Effect 5 lead says outpouring of support following BioWare closure "means so much to us," but is looking on the bright side: "At least I don't have to call in sick when GTA 6 comes out"

Update, 27 October: We've now included quotes from a new post from Austin Wintory further explaining his involvement with Mass Effect 5, which you can read at the bottom of this article.

The saddest part of Mass Effect 5's death is the end of BioWare and the developers whose livelihoods are being upended. Yet it's difficult for fans not to think of the RPG that might have been, too. After an apparent trailer for Mass Effect 5 leaked, we now also have an idea of what the game's music might've sounded like thanks to legendary Journey composer Austin Wintory.

As it turns out, Wintory had been in discussions with the developers to score Mass Effect 5, and he's now shared a 20 minute long "elaborate production" of "early musical drafts" he'd envisioned for the game. He notes in the description of the YouTube video that he had "not yet learned any narrative details of what they were planning," so his compositions are a pure "exploration" of what the game might sound like, but there's a world where Mass Effect 5 would've featured these tracks or something close to them.

"Working on Mass Effect 5 was my career's biggest dream project, my white whale," Wintory explains. "It is my favorite franchise of all time, and for the last couple years I'd been in serious conversations with BioWare and EA to jump in."

The music itself is pure Mass Effect – a combination of otherworldly synths and traditional orchestral sounds that paint a picture of a galaxy full of mystery and danger. "My suggestion was to treat the original game's masterful Jack Wall / Sam Hulick score as a starting point, and to build on it from there with deeper use of physical, analog synths and a more tightly interwoven use of the orchestra," Wintory says.

There are eight tracks here, and yes, they include Wintory's fantastic take on the track for scanning the galaxy map. Throughout the video, bits of text explain his approach for each song, and they've all managed to make me even sadder that we'll never see this vision of the game come to life.

"Thank you BioWare, Casey Hudson, Jack Wall, Sam Hulick, and countless others for several decades of my most cherished gaming memories," Wintory concludes. "And thank you to those at BioWare and EA who recently emboldened me to dream of what my place in that universe might sound like."

Update:

In a follow-up Twitter post, Wintory notes that he "was NOT hired," and in fact, "no one was." He'd "prepared this music as a discussion item" for the aforementioned conversations with EA and BioWare, but while things weren't final, he recalls the response being a positive one.

"The response was extremely enthusiastic from all who heard it but MUCH still needed to happen before it was official."

Almost 200,000 Mass Effect fans sign petition to save the series after BioWare's demise, and both Commander Shepard actors are on board with fan efforts

After years of waiting, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 arrived last week, and it's every bit the bright, vivacious exploration of Night City I hoped it'd be. One of the more memorable characters is Weak Kingsley, a well-built mercenary, and after someone managed to replicate his stats in Cyberpunk 2077, it's clear he's just a tad overpowered.

A former hotshot in the dystopian metropolis, Weak was eventually knocked off the food chain of violence and became a Solo who exists on the fringes. Regardless, he's managed to keep himself well-equipped, no easy feat considering most of his body is cyberware.

The YouTuber KhrazeGaming decided to explore what Weak is actually bringing to the table by piecing together his full loadout from when he was at the peak of his powers. Spoilers: things go a little too well.

Weak's main weapon is a special revolver that unleashes lightning with each bullet. This gun, called Coronation, is a highly upgraded version of the Burya, using multiple mods to create the desired firepower.

You sacrifice some overall damage, but the combination of bullets and electricity you can chain between enemies more than makes up for it. Khraze points out in his video that once you get the hang of the exact amount of charge you need, you'll see lightning bounce across groups of adversaries in a glorious display of destruction.

Who needs secondary weapons when you have 'Dan' and 'Ger' built-in; gorilla arms are the backup, and you can use those to chain takedowns and wallop whomever you're facing. These are built by focusing on blunt damage in the skill tree, complemented by the Quake ability, which is bolstered by AfterShock and Ripple Effect.

The video outlines the specifics of the Cyberware and such that help tie everything together. The result is ludicrous. Quite literally barreling through enemies like they're nothing. Weak was once called King, and that version clearly still exists in him. Going to be tough for Edgerunners season 3 to top this.

Cyberpunk 2077 lead says it's been a "hell of a weekend" as the RPG hit its highest Steam player count in 3 years thanks to Edgerunners 2 and 2.5 update

BioWare may be gone, but the legendary studio's legacy lives on through the countless developers who loved its RPGs. But in the case of CD Projekt Red, it's more than an abstract influence. As the first Witcher game celebrates its 19th birthday, CDPR is keen to remind fans that it wouldn't have been possible without BioWare's direct support.

"19 years ago, an ambitious dream to bring an iconic book series into the world of video games came to life with the release of The Witcher. It was the start of an unforgettable path, which wouldn't have been possible without our friends at BioWare," CD Projekt Red says in a Bluesky post.

"From lending us their Aurora Engine and sharing their knowledge, to giving us a spot at their booth at E3, their support helped turn our vision into Geralt’s first interactive adventure."

The makers of The Witcher have extensively credited BioWare's support in the past. CD Projekt started life as a distributor of PC games in Poland, which was once completely dominated by piracy. "Software is free, hardware is what you pay for," as CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwiński recalled in a 2017 interview with NoClip.

But CD Projekt began to find success by creating Polish localizations of games from around the world at a level of quality the pirates couldn't compete with. One of the company's early coups was a publishing deal for the original Baldur's Gate, the 1998 classic that had put BioWare on the map. It was a frightening deal for CD Projekt, since the company had to assume all the risk on an initial order of 3,000 units.

"Before we signed the deal, we were shitting our pants with [co-founder] Michal [Kiciński] that these 3,000 units can bankrupt us," Iwiński explained. "Because if we fail, you know, we're done. We're never seeing a lot of money in it, and maybe we'll not sell 3,000, or 1,000."

But thanks to CD Projekt's lavish treatment of Baldur's Gate, which included professional Polish voice acting, a deluxe collector's box, and a deal with a local publisher's version of Dungeons & Dragons, the company created a hit. 18,000 units had been ordered before the game even hit the market, and the game had sold 50,000 units "within the first year."

After building a successful publishing business, CD Projekt decided to expand into developing its own, original games. You probably know where this is going: the company secured the license for a series of fantasy stories legendary among Polish readers, and got to work on The Witcher.

Amid a scramble to secure a publisher for The Witcher, the company founded a development-focused subsidiary in CD Projekt Red. (Now, of course, the entire company is known as CD Projekt Red.) The studio would end up approaching BioWare to license the Aurora Engine which had been used to create Neverwinter Nights.

A year later, CD Projekt Red flew to Edmonton to show the Aurora-powered Witcher to the heads of BioWare. The studio's half-broken demo "magically" worked during this demonstration, and managed to impress. "You talk to the RPG gods, and they will rule on your demo if it's good or not. Imagine the amount of stress," Iwiński said.

In fact, BioWare liked that original version of The Witcher so much that the studio invited CD Projekt Red to show the game at a shared E3 booth. A tiny studio which few outside of Poland had even heard of would share space with a glitzy demonstration of BioWare's presumed next big hit: Jade Empire.

Ultimately, The Witcher would cast a much longer shadow than Jade Empire, but both BioWare and CD Projekt Red would find mainstream, mass market success with the likes of Mass Effect and The Witcher 3, respectively. The history of both companies are directly intertwined, and there's an alternate timeline where CD Projekt Red might've assisted BioWare in taking on Steam. Oh, what might have been.

Almost 200,000 Mass Effect fans sign petition to save the series after BioWare's demise, and both Commander Shepard actors are on board with fan efforts.

Ariadne in Cyberpunk 2077 will call you out of nowhere with the offer to become a brand ambassador for some clothing she's sent you, but it's not clear exactly what she wants and what she's hoping to get from out, nor how to progress with this secret quest. In fact, what you need to do is incredibly easy, and if you can do it, you'll get some money and some Witcher themed gear to wear around Cyberpunk 2077 as a reward!

Want some more help with the 2.5 update? Find out how to dual wield in Cyberpunk 2077, or all the best Cyberpunk 2077 mods you can now get on console!

What to do for Ariadne in Cyberpunk 2077

After Ariadne messages you in Cyberpunk 2077 to become a brand ambassador, all you need to do to complete her request is the following:

1. Head back to V's original apartment in Megabuilding H10.
2. By the front door, as you go in, you should see a new crate on the left (see above).
3. Inside are three pieces of clothing and two weapons. Equip all three pieces of clothing, including the sunglasses!
4. Once all the clothing is equipped, open your message chain with Ariadne again, and there should now be an option to "Take Picture".
5. This will open photo mode, though you don't actually have to take a picture, it will act like you did.
6. Ariadne will thank you for the picture.
7. Later on, Ariadne will contact you again telling you that your sponsorship deal is over. However, she will also send you 4300 EDs, and tell you that you can keep the clothes.

This marks the end of this unlabelled quest, but what's more important is that the clothing and weapons inside the chest are all easter eggs and references to The Witcher series, the other major gaming franchise by CD Projekt Red.

The full list of items Ariadne gives you is as follows:

• Ursine Jacket (Outer Torso): This coat shares some aesthetic similarities to the Ursine armor from the Witcher series, which was associated with the School of the Bear.
• Ursine Pants (Legs): Same as above.
• The Professor's Spectacles (Face): In The Witcher 3 DLC "Hearts of Stone", Geralt could acquire an identical set of sunglasses with the same name, which themselves were an easter egg referencing the movie "Leon The Professional".
• Sihil (Sword): A blade that does extra damage to drones, mechs and robots, as well as enemies affected by quickhacks. This is a fantasy-style sword that references a blade with an identical name in the Witcher novels.
• Boar Carver (Knife): A fantasy-style dagger. In The Witcher games, Geralt uses a similar blade to carve trophies from his kills.

© GamesRadar+. not to be reproduced without permission.

We'll never know exactly what BioWare was going for in Mass Effect 5, since the studio's now been shut down by EA. A former lead on the sci-fi RPG has spoken about the ideas at play, especially concerning the title, Mass Effect: Universe, and I'm not sure I want to hear any more because it just makes the disappointment worse.

After it was announced that BioWare was closed, a trailer leaked online for Mass Effect: Universe, which has since been confirmed as the actual fifth installment. The collective fandom is now a-flurry with questions about the aspirations and ideas behind this brave new frontier, and Romain Toutain, ex-technical director on the franchise, has shed some light on them in a livestream on Twitch.

His comments were made in French, but a Bluesky user was able to translate portions and put subtitles on a clip. There were a number of insights, but the biggest and most fascinating was the reason behind the title – you had the power to create and manipulate timelines in the game to some extent.

So earlier, my brother was watching Octobinz (Romain Toutain)'s livestream on Twitch. He was the Technical Director on Mass Effect Universe, so I wanted to share some bits he discussed.As he speaks french, I added subtitles to make it more accessible for everyone!#MassEffect #MassEffectUniverse

— @loustica-lucia.bsky.social (@loustica-lucia.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-10-26T14:59:37.491Z

"One of the reasons why it was called Mass Effect: Universe is that you had so many choices that you could plug your saves together to create parallel universes," he says. "To keep it simple. It's not exactly how it worked. You had different timelines, basically."

He adds players would've had the ability to "almost generate timelines," similar to Zero Time Dilemma. That's a relatively obscure puzzler from Spike Chunsoft where you play through missions in a non-linear fashion and the characters lose their memories every 90 minutes.

I get the impression BioWare was dancing with a multiverse of some kind, but not to the extent of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart where you could jump between realities. Knowing BioWare, it would've been more existential and grandiose, and possibly going the Starfield route where every endgame is technically an alternate timeline.

Toutain confirms previously reported details, such as hand-to-hand combat and a customizable main character. "All the choices made in the first Mass Effect games were taken into account," he mentions, suggesting Universe would've explored every possible way you could screw up the original trilogy.

I would very much like to play this game, if only to see how things could've been if Mordin didn't – well, you know. Somewhere out there is a dimension where we get Mass Effect: Universe. I hope the me that lives there knows how good he has it.

"EA never actually sells anything," former Mass Effect 5 dev says – so don't expect the RPG to be saved as "they just shut things down and sit on their licenses."

With these Dragon Generations codes, you can help to reshape or improve your current character, so you can perfect it exactly the way you want to. As an RPG adventure based on Dragon Ball, you'll be tasked with hunting down Dragon Balls as you complete other quests for NPCs.

In order to reach further locations and complete more challenges quests, you'll need to level up your character in the Roblox RPG, spending Mastery Points on different skills, whichever race you choose to play. That's where these codes come in handy.

If you're looking for rewards with a wider use across all of your experiences, then we've got all of the details on the current Roblox promo codes.

All Dragon Generations codes

These are the Dragon Generations codes you can redeem right now:

• MAJINRESET - Path Progress reset (Majins)
• BOJACK - Path Progress reset (Bojacks)
• BadBalancingSorry - 50x Mastery Points
• onemoredelayLDevs - Stat Reset

As you can see from the current Dragon Generations codes, these promos grant a range of rewards, all of which revolve around character creation. Whether it's a stat reset you're after or a few more Mastery Points, these promos are what you need.

How to redeem Dragon Generations codes

To redeem Dragon Generations codes, first open the Menu on the left-hand side of the screen. Next, click on the menu button two up from the bottom, indicated by four dots. Scroll to the bottom of this menu to find the Codes button, click this to open the codes redemption box, enter a code as it appears above, then click anywhere outside of the box to redeem your code.

Keep in mind that Dragon Generations codes are case-sensitive, so you must enter codes as you see them in our list, or simply copy and paste them to be sure.

Expired Dragon Generations codes

• PATHSPART2CCPLS - Character Redesign

Dragon Generations codes expire after some time, so be sure to redeem promos as soon as you see them to avoid missing out. When codes do expire, I'll move them down here so you're not disappointed.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Owlcat Games, the developer of Mass Effect-inspired RPG The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, has joined the calls to save Mass Effect.

Last week it was announced that BioWare is closing down and development on the next Mass Effect game is cancelled. This was followed by the leak of a trailer for a game titled Mass Effect Universe. Naturally, binning off one of the most beloved RPG series of all time has caused outcry from fans, with a petition campaign to save the franchise currently sitting at over 210,000 signatures.

In a post on Twitter, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn account shared a fan petition to save Mass Effect, noting that, "The Expanse show was saved by fans in the past. So the #SaveMassEffect movement has our full support."

The Expanse debuted on Syfy in 2015, but after its cancellation and massive fan outcry, the series was subsequently picked up by Amazon Prime Video for its final three seasons.

Unfortunately, Romain Toutain – who served as technical director for Mass Effect 5 – isn't too confident about the campaign. Toutain recently said he believes it's unlikely that a revival will come to pass, saying, "EA never actually sells anything" and "they just shut things down and sit on their licenses."

This has been seen before with the likes of American McGee's Alice series, with the former Doom developer saying EA has "no desire to see the Alice franchise continued." Which is to say nothing of the landfill of dead EA franchises – which, at the very best, get a remaster or mobile spinoff nobody wants – like Command and Conquer, Dungeon Keeper, Burnout, Dead Space… the list goes on.

Mass Effect 5 lead says outpouring of support following BioWare closure "means so much to us," but is looking on the bright side: "At least I don't have to call in sick when GTA 6 comes out"

Mass Effect fans got horrible news last week with the announcement of BioWare's closure as well as the cancellation of Mass Effect 5 – or, as it apparently would have been called, Mass Effect Universe. And just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, one former dev now suggests that EA isn't likely to sell the project to another studio to finish it off, either.

The next Mass Effect game was revealed in 2020, and in the years since, we have learned very little about it. That was until shortly after BioWare's closure, when an apparent trailer for a game titled Mass Effect Universe was posted online and looked, upsettingly, good.

Romain Toutain served as franchise technical director for Mass Effect at BioWare since early 2022, and in a recent Twitch stream reacting to this trailer – which he describes as an internal trailer rather than one we were ever meant to see – he responds to a fan asking if EA could have sold the studio and its project in order to save them (translated by Bluesky user loustica-lucia and verified using machine translation).

"But EA never actually sells anything," he replies. "They just shut things down and sit on their licenses."

So earlier, my brother was watching Octobinz (Romain Toutain)'s livestream on Twitch. He was the Technical Director on Mass Effect Universe, so I wanted to share some bits he discussed.As he speaks french, I added subtitles to make it more accessible for everyone!#MassEffect #MassEffectUniverse

— @loustica-lucia.bsky.social (@loustica-lucia.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-10-26T12:46:10.178Z

The publisher's apparent reluctance to sell any of its IP is something that former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah previously acknowledged after plans for its $55 billion acquisition were first announced last year. At the time, he suggested that this was "in large part because the individuals who would be responsible for making those decisions, for looking for those opportunities, are actually incentivized to not take risks. They are incentivized to not be the person who sold an IP that then turned into a billion-dollar franchise."

Even so, he suggested at the time that EA might look to its "huge repository of dormant IPs" and consider selling them to help with the enormous debt it's taken on as part of the acquisition.

"You might even see them toying with the idea of shutting some of their existing studios. Maybe they shut them down, but maybe they look for opportunities to sell off entire studios or entire groups," he said.

Now, following BioWare's closure, he suggests that Mass Effect and Dragon Age's fate could go either way. With no one working on the series within EA, that "might make them more likely to sell off those IPs," but equally, "it might also make them more likely to try to forget that they ever existed and bury them in the vault," he says.

None of this is stopping the Mass Effect fanbase's determination to save the series, though. A petition has now surpassed 200,000 signatures, and the actors who played Commander Shepard, Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, have both publicly expressed their support.

Mass Effect 5 lead says outpouring of support following BioWare closure "means so much to us," but is looking on the bright side: "At least I don't have to call in sick when GTA 6 comes out."

Cyberpunk 2077 is soaring the charts on Steam once again after a good three years thanks to a healthy mix of update 2.5, the second season of Edgerunners, and a whopping 70% off sale to boot – and CD Projekt Red has noticed.

With Cyberpunk 2 still underway, it's nice to see the original RPG continue to get love from fans and developers alike.

The recent 2.5 update introduced everything from a new quest as a prequel for Edgerunners 2 to support for, erm, adult mods on consoles, for example, proving that the game is very much active in both players' minds and CD Projekt Red's own.

The big patch (and second season of the Netflix series) has brought folks back to Night City, too.

A quick look over at SteamDB shows that, over the weekend, Cyberpunk 2077 hit a peak player count of 187,215 – its highest since October 2023, when it reached 274,526 after the release of its massive Phantom Liberty DLC and 2.0 update.

It's not all that surprising, then, to witness a similar spike following 2.5 now and all of its additions, and, of course, the Netflix series' new season, which dropped last week.

This isn't the first time the animated television show has helped boost the RPG's players, either – heck, way back in 2022, the same happened with the first season of Edgerunners. It probably also helps that the game's got a nice 70% discount on Steam currently.

What is especially notable, however, is CD Projekt Red's response. Over on X, Cyberpunk 2 associate director Paweł Sasko highlights the new rise in players.

"It's been hell of a weekend," he writes. "Peak of 187k concurrent players on Steam alone, a lot of hilarious threads and meme clips, it all fills my heart with joy."

He then looks to what more CD Projekt Red could do to make Cyberpunk 2077 even better after all these years: "Chooms, give us feedback, what we can improve, where we have missed the mark with 2.5? Your perception is everything." Talk about dedication.

Comments see fans commending the devs for their hard work (and, unsurprisingly, asking for more expansions and other additions) – but I'm honestly personally just looking forward to hearing more about Cyberpunk 2… whenever that may come.

CD Projekt Red has "hired so many modders" that Cyberpunk 2 co-lead says "I think half of the quest team is all former modders"

In the week since BioWare's sudden shutdown and Mass Effect 5's cancellation, fans of the RPG series have rallied around a petition to "Save Mass Effect" that's gained nearly 200,000 signatures. Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale (who voice the male and female versions of protagonist Commander Shepard, respectively) are both on board with the community's efforts, too.

"Mass Effect holds a special place in the hearts of millions of players worldwide," the petition's description reads. "Its rich and immersive sci-fi universe, with Commander Shepard leading the iconic crew aboard the Normandy, has captivated gamers for years. However, recent revelations have cast a shadow over its future. The decline in dedicated resources and ambiguous development plans from Electronic Arts (EA) threaten to leave this beloved series at a standstill, jeopardizing its incredible legacy."

The petition doesn't call for publisher EA to reverse course on BioWare's fate, specifically, but asks the company to take "decisive action by committing to continued development of Mass Effect" with "proper funding, adequate staffing, and time allocation to maintain and advance the high standards the franchise is known for."

Should EA be unwilling to spend millions producing another new Mass Effect - separate from the leaked Mass Effect Universe - the petition suggests the publisher could instead license the franchise "to another studio that shares the passion and vision to keep it alive and allow it to flourish anew."

"Both solutions offer a way forward. By ensuring the ongoing expansion and enhancement of the Mass Effect universe, EA would not only preserve a cherished piece of gaming history but also continue to contribute to the cultural and emotional impact it has on gamers worldwide," the petition continues.

Famed FemShep actor Jennifer Hale jumped online to say she wants to think about a world in which a fan Kickstarter campaign, a game studio, and a group of investors could work together to restore the series. Matt Meer posted a similar video, asking people to "hold the line" and "save Mass Effect" – before encouraging fans to also sign the petition.

Mass Effect Universe supposedly featured "Hitman-style freedom" and a "galactic Cold War," according to BioWare insider

Doug Cockle (of The Witcher fame) apparently recorded all of Geralt of Rivia's voice lines in only 8 days while working on the very first game in the series, and he landed a home run without ever being able to read the original source material.

Geralt's husky voice will forever be defined by Doug Cockle's performance, but the iconic role wasn't easy to get right. Speaking to Gameology, the actor remembered he simply "went to an audition" back in the day and met a developer from CD Projekt Red who described the character of Geralt.

Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher novels hadn't yet been translated into English, meaning Cockle "couldn't refer to them" when preparing to jump into the recording booth. Still, he was immediately on board.

"What I really liked about the concept of The Witcher when I was introduced to it was just this whole new fantasy world. I've always been a fan of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Dragonriders of Pern, all those great fantasy novels - Conan the Barbarian. So, I've always always loved fantasy worlds, and this was a whole new one to explore," he explains.

When it came to actually recording the huge role-playing game, Cockle recalls he spent about eight days in total for The Witcher 1: "I think it was five days in a row and the voice was very low - very, very low in my register. And at the end of a long recording day - we were recording six, seven hours a day - my voice was wrecked. So I would go back to my hotel room and I would just sip peppermint tea all night, or lemon and ginger. Those are my two favorites. And then I'd go back the next day and do it all again. And then the game came out and people loved it." The rest is history.

Doug Cockle is confirmed to reprise his role when The Witcher 4 finally comes out, which is targeting a tentative 2028 release window. Developer CD Projekt Red recently said Geralt will "always have an important" role in the series, even when he's not actively in the spotlight.

The Witcher 3 Remastered's new patch has fans convinced they're playing a different RPG altogether with how "massively improved" its visuals are

New gameplay details from the canceled Mass Effect game have emerged, following developer BioWare's abrupt demise. Mass Effect Universe was reportedly set to feature a galactic Cold War between the galaxy's remaining factions, espionage mechanics likened to the Hitman series, and, of course, romance.

The new tidbits come from YouTuber Dantics, who was supposedly on the Mass Effect player council composed of community members and content creators who gave BioWare feedback during production. IGN has backed up some of his comments and even reports that "every major [alien] race" was working in an in-production build, citing an anonymous development source.

A leaked trailer for Mass Effect Universe already gave us a small taste of what could've been, but Dantics now has more concrete details. The game, set more than 600 years after the events of the original trilogy, would've had three major factions caught up in a Cold War conflict with a mysterious threat lurking in the background. The story would've been a departure from the Reapers and their galactic invasion.

As for how this Mass Effect Universe would play, BioWare apparently wanted players to step into the boots of an N7 agent who was a "cross between John Wick and James Bond" - think up-close melee takedowns, gadgets, hacking, experimental tech implants, and more potentially stealthy options. Instead of large open-world environments, the scrapped Mass Effect would've also featured handcrafted linear missions "with Hitman-style freedom in how you complete them."

Deep romance options and "squadmates who can clash with each other" are also said to have been in development. We had previously seen series mainstay Liara in the game's debut trailer, and with the passage of a few hundred years, she had reportedly become an "incredibly powerful Asari Matriarch."

"Not to rub salt in the wound, but they were a lot further in development than their statement suggested. and we were going to get something truly magical," Dantics claimed.

Mass Effect 5 was "something special", dev says – it was BioWare's response to what Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 devs "were bringing to the table"

Sadly, we learned this week that BioWare is being shut down by EA. The legendary studio was responsible for many beloved RPGs, including the Mass Effect series, for which a new installment was deep in development. In the aftermath, fans have been scurrying for ways to salvage the project, including courting Palworld developer Pocketpair.

No, seriously - and apparently this isn't the first time that's happened, either. "Soon after a game is canceled or a studio shuts down, we get a lot of comments and emails from fans saying 'You should buy this IP!'" John 'Bucky' Buckley, head of communications and publishing at Pocketpair, posted on Twitter.

"Then, as months go by, those comments turn into 'Why didn't you buy it? You have the money!'" he adds, before explaining the reality that buying and selling IP is complicated, and often the asking price is obscene compared to the potential value. He then points out that, yes, people have been bugging him about Mass Effect 5.

"I got close to 30 DMs/emails from fans about buying Mass Effect in the last day," he says in response to someone asking. He then jokes that Jade Empire would make him more keen.

Pocketpair saving the new Mass Effect would be a plot twist and a half on this whole debacle, but I suspect it's wishful thinking at best. Despite the fact the studio seems to be doing well, who knows if EA would even be open to conversations around selling the sci-fi property, and if it was, whether the amount wanted would make any kind of sense.

I'm not sure it's a great fit to fly BioWare's flag, either. Palworld and the spin-offs that have been revealed are very different to the expansive role-playing games that make up the home of Dragon Age's repertoire. You don't want just anyone making the next Mass Effect - you want a studio that'll honor the existing work and legacy.

Ultimately, those who could've given us a sequel worthy of the first trilogy have just been let go. Mourn what could've been, and let the bargaining stage pass. And then boot up the first Mass Effect yet again.

Mass Effect 5 lead says outpouring of support following BioWare closure "means so much to us," but is looking on the bright side: "At least I don't have to call in sick when GTA 6 comes out"

My fiancee is in mourning for the canceled Mass Effect 5. She's been besotted with BioWare's sci-fi darling for only 6 years, but during that time, it's become a part of her. I even agreed to play the trilogy for the first time in 2022 so that she could live vicariously through me, experiencing the RPG with fresh eyes, intervening only to ensure I didn't kill Wrex at the end of the first game ("I will literally never forgive you for it!").

But as much as I loved every moment of my time as Commander Shepard, there's naturally a little more emotional distance between myself and Mass Effect. Professional curiosity also meant that my genuine sadness at the follow-up's cancelation – and the disbanding of one of the most prolific, talented developer teams in the history of video games – was chased by a desire to theorize. What would Mass Effect 5 have looked like, and how would it have gotten around the player's choice element that cemented Mass Effect 3 as one of the most satisfying conclusions to an RPG series I've ever seen?

A prequel seemed logical to me. Mass Effect: D-Day, perhaps, going right back to the First Contact War or the discovery of the Charon Relay. We could witness the moment humanity decided to leave Earth and colonize the planet, introducing alien races to the global population for the very first time and seeing the running theme of interspecies politics take root. But the leaked Mass Effect Universe trailer suggests BioWare was heading in the exact opposite direction on the spacetime continuum, and I find the prospect equally as tantalizing.

Name's Bond: Space Bond

Mass Effect Universe would have been one hell of a sexy space RPG. Gone are the militaristic uniforms of the Normandy's crew, the clunky cover shooter dynamics so emblematic of the original Mass Effect's contemporary. One look at the flashy action hero melee breaking out in the sleek alien night club, and Universe makes it clear: we're not in 2007 any more, Toto.

The trailer is only two minutes long, comprising pre-production assets as per a notice at the very start, but it's enough to have my full attention. In it, we get a brief rundown of who would have been our player character: an ex-soldier mercenary who turned his back on the spoils of war to do things on his own terms.

There's a James Bond quality about him as he flirts with an asari in the dimly-lit bar; he talks himself up, but just enough to titillate, stopping short of arrogance or braggery. Everything is looking rather steamy until the asari in question pulls an Uno reverse. His job is to put out fires, he says, but hers is to start them. A turian squares up behind the hero, indicating the brawl about to break out, when a familiar voice comes from behind the asari. It's Liara – Commander Shepard's asari companion-turned-criminal mastermind, who becomes the Shadow Broker in the Mass Effect trilogy – and she's on our side.

This, to me, is the biggest wow moment of the whole trailer. Not just because it's good to see Liara return after a brief cameo in Mass Effect Andromeda, but because of how much information her presence gives us about the game that never was.

Welcome back, Broker

As an asari, Liara's typical life span would be about 1,000 years. She's just over a hundred years old when Shepherd meets her in Mass Effect, incredibly young in the grand scheme of things.

But the leaked Mass Effect Universe trailer depicts her with visible signs of aging. She has actual wrinkles, for a start, and her voice is a touch deeper. Asari don't show their age physically until they reach 700 years old or so, indicating that Universe would have taken place many hundreds of years after Mass Effect 3 – closer to Andromeda on the timeline, itself set over 600 years later, though potentially sometime before, after, or even during.

By pitching us even further into the future with an ageing, 800 year-old-plus asari Shadow Broker as our companion (or at the very least, as an ally) BioWare seemed to have solved two problems at once. If it was intended to be set between Mass Effect 3 and Andromeda, Universe could have given us more exposition as to the immediate aftermath of the trilogy while making a stronger connection between it and the standalone title (especially since Liara is given that cursory nod in the latter). Set it one to two hundreds years after the fact, it could have brought up the question of Liara's successor; as the Matriarch draws closer to the end of her life, who will become the next Shadow Broker?

My guess is that Mass Effect Universe would have seen us, the player, as part of Liara's crew, possibly being groomed to take over her role as information warlord of the galaxy. An existing professional relationship is clearly established at the bar – "We know. That's why we're here," she says when the other asari's minions surround the protagonist – before the fight breaks out. And what better way to bring players back into the world of Mass Effect than seeing one of Shepard's beloved friends being a badass in her honor?

I would have loved to see Universe take us full circle, the companion becoming the big boss as we take on merc contracts across the galaxy in the name of the Shadow Broker. But with the game canceled, all of this is pure speculation. Unless the stars align, pigs fly up to dance among them, and EA sees fit to sell the IP on to a studio who actually wants to give it a shot, it's potentially useless speculation at that. Mass Effect Universe is no longer in development at the time of writing, but I am still thankful for this intriguing glimpse of what could have been.

As a more mature, high-octane, modern vision of the best sci-fi RPG of all time, Mass Effect Universe had the power to make the series make sense again in the 2020s. The fact that this trailer exists at all is a testament to the fact that BioWare did have a clear vision. It did have something to show for all these years of hard work. And I'm glad, at the very least, we had an opportunity to witness it for ourselves.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is just one of the best RPGs of all time, and there's plenty more to choose from.

• With a reworked skill tree and stunning new visuals, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered is the definitive way to play the RPG in 2026.

To answer the question I've seen all over the Internet: yes, The Witcher 3 Remastered really is that good. When I first learned of the remaster's existence at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026, I admit I was a little dubious. We'd gotten a snazzy update back in 2022 when the complete edition launched on current gen hardware, and after more My Chemical Romance album re-releases than I can count, I had to ask myself if The Witcher 3 really needed another facelift.

Well, here's your confirmation that the remaster is absolutely worth it. Not only is it absolutely free for all owners of the base game, this gorgeous update improves visual fidelity (lighting, colors, the works) as well as combat, Signs, and the notoriously complicated skill tree that has confounded many of us for years. There's a reason the GamesRadar+ RPG Club chose it for this month's topic; The Witcher 3 is still the best RPG of all time, and a total must-play in 2026.

Why play it today?

• The Witcher 3 Remastered's combat reworks make Sign and bomb-based builds noticeably more powerful and dynamic.

The combat enhancements are what I'm loving most about the new Witcher 3 remaster. I've always been an Igni diehard, but this is the first time I have built my entire character around both it and Yrden.

The remaster doesn't add all-new skills or alternate Sign forms, necessarily, but has reworked how strong each Sign is in tandem with both your current level and any other active abilities. The Firestream form of Igni, which releases a torrent of fire instead of a single short blast, feels even stronger now with the Melt Armor ability activated alongside it, while it has never been more satisfying to watch Supercharged Glyphs whittle enemy health down when they stand on a Yrden Sign.

The reworked skill tree makes it easier to understand how damage scaling works by removing the tedium and guesswork of the original version's "spend X to get Y" machinations. I never used to pay attention to how the different armor sets adapted to my playstyle, but I can feel the difference now depending on my gear; Sign damage output is noticeably bolstered when wearing the School of the Griffin armor, while activating some of the Manticore School genes alongside it means each of my bombs packs a devastating wallop. I love pairing Igni and Yrden with my beloved Grapeshot, a bomb that literally explodes some enemies in a single hit!

The combined effect makes for a meatier, more thoughtful combat system that has me being more inventive with my Signs and bombs rather than desperately hunting down swords all the time... Though I'm still partial to a pretty blade, especially now that we can transmog weapons in The Witcher 3.

Time commitment:

As is custom for the best open world RPGs, a typical playthrough of The Witcher 3 Remastered will take anywhere from 80 to 140+ hours to complete depending upon your playstyle and whether you have both DLCs. My first playthrough took around 135 hours, encompassing the base game, Hearts of Stone, and Blood and Wine, and I definitely left some stones unturned.

A true completionist run might take you a good 10-20 hours or more on top of that, especially if you love a bit of Gwent and the racing challenges. But since I am all about the missions, monster contracts, and treasure hunts, I don't tend to bother with the competing elements too much.

Play The Witcher 3 Remastered if you love...

Skip The Witcher 3 Remastered if you want:

One thing to know:

The Witcher 3 Remastered is a little bit buggy for some, with performance issues on PC causing some bizarre asset dropout (check out them bug eyes). Developer CDPR is on the case, however, with one hotfix already rolled out and another exclusively patching settings toggles for Series S players. I've not experienced anything game-breaking myself in over 50 hours of play so far (aside from the decade-old one where Geralt stubbornly refuses to dive underwater sometimes and I need to save and reload) so it's still worth checking the update out for yourself if you already have it on a current get console.

A moment you'll remember:

Finding Henry Cavill's Geralt armor set from The Witcher Netflix TV show in a Level 15 mission called In The Eternal Fire's Shadow. Added to the game in 2022, the (relatively) new secondary quest sees Geralt exploring an abandoned mine where plague victims were locked up and left to die some three hundred years prior. It's now haunted by the miserable spirits of those left to rot, making for some truly spine-chilling moments that feel even more frightening in the remaster edition's reworked fidelity, and features one of the toughest bosses in the whole game: The ghost of a fellow School of the Wolf witcher.

The final verdict:

11 years since The Witcher 3 took the world by storm, the Remastered Edition makes it feel brand new. In our The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered review, we even call it "an exceptional update that refines the rough edges to make a great RPG even better." It's easy to see why so many of us are still enamored with it to its day, with a heady blend of weighty narrative choices and malleable, exciting combat dynamics that make each player's Geralt feel entirely their own. I don't think I'll be able to pull myself away from The Path anytime soon, and at this rate, I'd be happy to call The Witcher 3 my game of the year all over again in 2026.

So, where can you play it?

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered is out now on Switch 2, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. You can buy it new here, though current owners of the Complete Edition can simply download the update for free on current gen consoles.

Check out how I ranked the 7 best Witcher games, and yes, I included Gwent in there.

If there's one thing the GamesRadar+ RPG Club has taught me, it's that you've never seen it all. Just when you think you know an RPG inside out, it goes ahead and surprises you 10 years later. See, I thought I'd experienced every original side quest and monster contract in The Witcher 3 – given my many, many playthroughs – but the remastered re-release turned out to prove me wrong. On the shores of Skellige, after completing a particular contract at a particular time, a series of rather unfortunate events landed me in a pokey prison. Having no recollection of getting caught up in this mess before, I had no idea how I was going to get the White Wolf out of this one.

But the very fact that I couldn't wait to find out, and felt fresh excitement in an adventure I've spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours with, speaks to the magic of CD Projekt Red's sweeping fantasy adventure. It's not only teeming with things to see, do, and discover, but it directly reacts to the order in which you do things, and a decision to complete a contract at a certain time made me stumble my way into a missable quest that now refuses to leave my mind.

Quest Log

Wraiths and fog

It all begins with the haunting of a lighthouse out on one of the far islets of Skellige. The contract, The Phantom of Eldberg, is pretty standard for an experienced Witcher like me: investigate the area and find out why wraiths are attached to the location. It's all going well, having found the person responsible for tying the ghostly apparitions to the lighthouse. With a trophy in hand, I return back to a quaint little tavern to get my payment from a local called Jorund.

Only, the tavern is housing some hostile patrons who are none too happy at my being there, and with civil tensions at their peak with the passing of the king, things take a drastic turn. Before I know it, I'm in a bout of fistcuffs that quickly evolves into a clashing of blades. Poor Jorund pays the ultimate price, and as a stranger in a strange land, I'm quickly hoisted into a prison in the compound of Madman Lugos. What a day for poor Geralt.

I'd done this contract before, but it'd never ended like this. On previous runs, I handed in my wraith trophy and Jorund sat happily in the tavern, living to see another day. But, as I discovered, it's all about when you do this contract. Completing it before you do the King's Gambit kicks off a missable quest chain that I had apparently always managed to skip… probably due to my affinity for the Possession quest, or because I'd simply never picked up the contract early enough.

Regardless of the reason, I love the fact that The Witcher 3 constantly takes stock of what I choose you to do, and when I choose to do it. It puts real tangible weight behind my decisions in this world – something I live for in RPGs. And on this occasion, the game rewards me with a wild quest called The Cave of Dreams. If you've experienced this before, you know what I'm in for, but by all of the howling winds does it feel extra magical to witness it through the lens of the remastered edition's enhanced graphics.

Naturally there will be spoilers ahead for the Cave of Dreams.

Face your fears

Indebted to Lugos for letting me out of my pokey prison, I'm tasked with helping out his son, Blueboy Lugos, who's ventured to a cave with some companions to overcome a challenge of legend. Tales tell that anyone who enters the cave will face their fears, which are brought on by taking a mixture of hallucinogenic herbs before you delve into its depths. I'm already drawn to the concept, eager to see what the often implacable monster slayer Geralt's innermost fears will conjure.

At once, things start to get surreal. The cave comes alive with a giant, glittering razorback whale swimming through the air above the heads of the White Wolf, Blueboy, and his crew. It's a sight to behold, as are the school of fish that decorate the cave roof further in. Damn. It sure does look incredibly pretty. Pure camera mode fodder.

The events that actually unfold during the quest are what make it so memorable, though. Through every section of the cave, a character's fear comes to life. For warrior Uve Jabberjaw, it's the deceased king. Having previously insulted the monarch, Uve drastically cut out his own tongue as penance, and the past event clearly still haunts him. Then, in a more chilling turn, Blueboy faces his own father, whose anger and disappointment sets him literally aflame.

When I finally reach the scene of Geralt's fear, I stop to take it in: I'm looking at Kaer Morhen covered in a blanket of white snow. The nightmares that have plagued the witcher throughout the story make manifest here, with the imposing figure of Eredin, King of the Wild Hunt, materializing. It hits hard, not because Geralt is afraid of Eredin, but because he fears for the person the king continues to threaten: Ciri. The short confrontation gets to the heart of what makes The Witcher 3's story so memorable. It's about found family, protecting those you love, and never giving up the fight to keep them safe, and it once again reiterates how deeply Geralt cares for his ward.

If I ever needed further proof as to why The Witcher 3 continues to endure as one of the best RPGs going, well, this quest and the way I finally stumbled upon it is further proof. Now, excuse me while I go and see what else awaits me in the Remaster.

Players of Elden Ring are built different, at least according to some analyst stats. FromSoftware's landmark action-RPG has sold pretty well since its 2022 release, and a significant portion of those buyers have accrued significant playtime in the fantasy juggernaut.

Rhys Elliott, head of market analytics at Alinea Analytics, posted some numbers on Twitter about what Elden Ring's managed to achieve to date. The topline figures are nothing surprising: FromSoftware's last epic has shifted approximately 36.4 million copies on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and it's brought in around $2 billion dollars in total revenue.

Those are the kind of numbers you get when you have people like Post Malone and multi-time WWE Champion Randy Orton openly talking about picking it up and becoming immersed in the struggle. It takes a certain kind of popularity to even grab their attention, and then they become part of the advertising by discussing it so publicly.

But the real revelation of Alinea's findings comes afterward. Around 9.8 million of those players have put over 100 hours into roaming the Lands Between. That's a pretty significant chunk of the community.

It's hard to compare these things through hard data, but I would be surprised if this wasn't quite rare across role-playing games. I suspect the portion of the audience for Final Fantasy 7 Remake, any of the Yakuza series, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, or whatever who manage something similar is a smaller minority.

What's more, Elliott says almost 3.5 million have gotten every achievement. These people have more patience and gumption than I do, that's for sure. I've never been a trophy hunter in games, and I definitely am not tempted by any of FromSoftware's fare.

If you're included in these portions of Elden Ring, I applaud you and hope you have healthy coping mechanisms for the frustration and intensity they entail. "By many accounts, including my own, Elden Ring is one of the best games of all time," Elliott writes. "It's an evergreen seller that will continue to be a cash cow for Bandai and FromSoftware for years to come."

Considering there's a movie coming in 2028, there's a good chance the fanbase will only get bigger, too. Long live Hidetaka Miyazaki.

New launcher for viral AI mash-ups of Elden Ring, Minecraft, and more emerges – with some very questionable terms of service, should you value your PC

Following the unpopular closure of BioWare and cancellation of Mass Effect 5, project director Mike Gamble has taken time to thank fans for their outpouring of support.

Taking to Twitter, Gamble says the support has been appreciated and has encouraged anyone hiring to look out for his team, which he says is full of "OGs" – perhaps in the off chance people doubt that some of the talent behind BioWare's greatest hits are still at the studio.

"I could probably scroll for hours and continue reading the words of support for the studio, the legacy, and the impact that BioWare has had on you," he says. "It means so much to us. There is so much talent on this team of OGs, so if you are aware of any roles, please send them. I will personally vouch for everyone in my crew."

Not content with ending on a somber note, Gamble offers some humor before signing off.

"At least I don't have to call in sick when GTA 6 comes out."

Earlier this week, the news broke that EA would cut 400 jobs following an acquisition by a private investment group led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

Sadly, BioWare was caught in that crossfire, with the studio shut down and work on Mass Effect 5 scrapped. Many developers across the industry have expressed sadness, and those who worked on Mass Effect 5 said it was "something special."

And special it looked. Not long after the news broke, rumors of a trailer surfaced, only for that very Mass Effect 5 trailer to leak online. What could have been, man.

BioWare veteran goes to bat for Dragon Age The Veilguard's dev team, says most of them "had little or no say in the things you disliked" about the RPG.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has sold 8.7 million copies and generated $336 million in revenue since its launch last year, with the majority of sales on Steam despite being on PC Game Pass.

A post by Alinea Analytics breaks down how the last few Game of the Year award winners – Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, Astro Bot, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – have sold across their various platforms.

As one of the biggest games ever made, Elden Ring naturally leads with $2 billion from 36.4 million copies sold, and Baldur's Gate 3 isn't too far behind with $1.2 billion from 23.2 million copies sold. Meanwhile Astro Bot made $291 million across 4.7 million copies sold, which is natural being an exclusive and being a sadly niche genre (bring back platformers being the top genre I beg you).

Then comes the most recent and most-awarded Game of the Year winner, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which matched the record set by Baldur's Gate 3 by winning all five major GOTY awards. While not quite near the Elden Ring or Baldur's Gate 3 numbers, the indie title has made $366 million through 8.7 million copies sold.

However, unlike the other three games, Clair Obscur was also available for 'free' to Xbox Game Pass subscribers until last week, and during that time it brought in 4.3 million players across Xbox consoles and PC Game Pass users. This naturally had an impact on Xbox sales through what Alinea calls "Game Pass cannibalization", with only 5.5% of sales coming from Xbox users, but this didn't really seem to affect PC sales too much, as 58.8% of sales came from Steam users.

Despite this "cannibalization," Clair Obscur creative director Guillaume Broche has been positive about Xbox Game Pass, and its impact on the game. He notes that the subscription "lowered that barrier of entry," especially when turn-based RPG's could "put people who prefer more real-time action games off."

Meanwhile, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella says the game is "a great example of a game where its sales potential was likely increased because of its inclusion in a subscription service."

As more people got to try the game with the subscription fee as the only barrier to entry, word of mouth will surely grow. So sure, 4.3 million people experienced the game without buying it, but that doesn't mean that 4.3 million people would buy the game outright otherwise.

Pokemon with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's combat sounds like a bonkers idea, but one fan's now given us a taste test.

To call Baldur's Gate 3 a success would be a gigantic understatement. Larian's fantasy-RPG took the industry by storm upon release in 2023, and new figures from an analyst give us some insight into how many copies have been sold and just how much money the adventure's generated. Spoilers: both are big numbers.

On Twitter, Rhys Elliott, the head of market analytics at Alinea Analytics, provided figures the firm has on the iconic game.

According to Alinea's stats, Baldur's Gate 3's lifetime sales now amount to 23.2 million copies across all platforms, and it's generated around $1.2 billion in revenue.

Those are chunky numbers. Managing to cross the 23 million threshold is astounding, really. That's almost triple the most recent figures on the business Final Fantasy 7 Remake's done, and it's more than Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and the Resident Evil 4 remake.

Baldur's Gate 3 is doing whatever the opposite of rookie numbers is. It places Larian's threequel in the realm of FromSoftware's behemoth Elden Ring, though with seven million still to go before it threatens to outdo that particular piece of swords and spells.

Just over 80% of these sales were through Steam on PC, while PS5 accounts for 12.7% and Xbox Series X is 6.8%. Elliott mentions that the PS5 and Xbox Series X releases came after the game went 1.0 on PC, contributing to this discrepancy.

According to what Alinea can see, Baldur's Gate 3's monthly active player-count hasn't dropped below two million since launch. That's real staying power. But the true diehards? The 1% who have over 500 hours clocked in this iteration of Faerûn.

I expect that percentage to increase dramatically over the remainder of the decade. Or at least until the new Divinity arrives.

Former Dragon Age lead says Baldur's Gate 3 studio Larian is taking a "risk" by making Divinity right after its 2023 RPG hit, but he applauds the devs for it

As you might've seen, the legendary RPG studio BioWare has been shut down by its parent company, Electronic Arts. No matter what you think of the studio and its games, layoffs suck, and so does the closure of a company behind some of the most beloved fantasy franchises of all time, which in BioWare's case includes Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect. But naturally, not everyone can behave appropriately in response to such an unequivocally horrible situation, nor can everyone simply keep their mouths shut as hundreds of people lose their livelihoods all at once. If a tweet from BioWare veteran and Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 creative director James Ohlen were a room, it wasn't being read.

In his initial response to the devastating news, Ohlen wrote a blank check of referral for the people who lost their jobs at BioWare this week, calling them "some of the best RPG developers in the world.

"If you're hiring writers, designers, artists or engineers, start with them. Former BioWare folks: if an intro from me would help, reach out," he wrote.

Good stuff. No complaints. But wait... the comments section! Surely it's filled with BioWare fans expressing their sympathy, appreciation, and support for the developers who lost their jobs so abruptly, right? ...Right? [Deep sigh], no, of course not, this is the internet in 2026, after all. I am not linking to Ohlen's original tweet, and I don't recommend reading the comments on it because it's a terribly unpleasant place to spend your time, but it's filled with hateful comments blaming The Veilguard developers for BioWare's downfall.

Ohlen clearly read those comments because he followed up with a new tweet today in which he goes to bat specifically for The Veilguard developers.

"A lot of you replied to my last post, so here are a few thoughts," he says. "The majority of people on a team the size of Veilguard’s had little or no say in the things you disliked about it. Right up to the end, BioWare still had many people who worked on the games you loved."

Ohlen adds that he has his "own issues with modern entertainment, especially when political messaging gets in the way of good storytelling," but ultimately was "responsible" for controversial stuff like Dragon Age Origins' Broodmothers and, uh, same-sex romance options for Zevran.

"What I'm trying to say is that it’s possible to hold views that don’t fit neatly into anyone’s political camp, and to love and respect people you disagree with. People are complicated. That includes the people who make the games you love or hate," Ohlen concludes.

While Dragon Age: The Veilguard received strong reviews from critics, a whole bunch of longtime Dragon Age fans have been seriously critical of some of BioWare's design decisions. Some of these complaints are perfectly sensible, but there's a vocal minority focused on the introduction of a nonbinary recruitable companion as proof that BioWare went "woke" and ruined the franchise forever. It seems to be those criticisms that Ohlen is responding to, even if he himself thinks political messaging can sometimes interfere with storytelling.

Regardless of Ohlen's views, I appreciate that he's showing support for the former BioWare devs in need of work and urging compassion even when those devs commit the cardinal sin of putting non-binary characters into video games.

EA killing BioWare could lead to Mass Effect and Dragon Age rights being sold, former lead says, but they could just as easily "bury them in the vault"

A trailer for Mass Effect 5, purportedly titled Mass Effect: Universe, has seemingly leaked online in the aftermath of developer BioWare's shutdown under EA.

The trailer, posted to the Mass Effect subreddit by a fresh Reddit user who describes their account as a "new burner," is just over two minutes long and completely gameplay-free.

Fans have already begun scouring it for generative AI markers, though it seems unlikely that something of this quality could've been slapped together within 24 hours of BioWare's shutdown.

While unverified, this trailer is turning heads in part because a self-described EA employee claimed, on October 21, that "there was a trailer ready for Mass Effect 5 that I saw a few months ago, so I’m puzzled as to how 'early' they were," referring to the early production stage described by EA leadership in a statement.

"Also for clarification, the Mass Effect group is about 50 devs from what I’ve seen," this source added. "The Austin studio has been a mix of people supporting different games for some years now. So the Austin office will remain open, just no more BioWare unfortunately"

The trailer was originally posted several hours ago in a reply to a post sharing that reported EA employee's message. "Ask and you shall receive," the mystery user wrote.

The video is convincing, and if legitimate, will likely be hit with a takedown notice of some kind soon enough. Of course, that would only add fuel to the fire online, and nothing every truly leaves the internet.

The least believable part of the trailer comes right at the end: "Coming soon." Soon is one of those words that's eternally misused by the games industry, but based on comments from EA and former BioWare employees, the next Mass Effect still needed plenty of time in the oven. Granted, this argument makes a lot of assumptions about the validity of the trailer and its intended release window.

Based on this supposed trailer, Mass Effect 5 would've paired recurring and visibly older character Liara T'Soni (that's the second blue alien girl to appear here, to be clear) with a new ex-military, human hero in place of longtime protagonist Shepard. A character of the same Turian race as fan-favorite character Garrus Vakarian appears around 1:31 in the trailer. The scenario feels like an ambush operation, which some fans have interpreted as a dip into corporate espionage from BioWare.

It's also worth noting that Mass Effect's annual day of celebration, N7 Day, was just a few weeks away. It's plausible BioWare could've trotted this trailer out on November 7, had EA not pulled the plug, but there's already enough wishful thinking going around.

"Man, I'm just so sad and angry," one Mass Effect fan writes in a reply to the trailer post.

"I know one of you BioWare developers are probably lurking in this sub, just want to say this looks fucking awesome. I’m so sorry this happened. Keep fighting," says another.

Mass Effect 5 was "something special", dev says – it was BioWare's response to what Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 devs "were bringing to the table."

The main mission added in Cyberpunk 2077 2.5 update is called Clampdown, designed to tie into the second season of Edgerunners. It's available to play for free for anybody who's downloaded the 2.5 patch for Cyberpunk 2077, but you'll need to walk through a few hoops to unlock it. If you want to play Clampdown, here's how to do just that and what you need to get given this quest.

How to play the new Clampdown mission in Cyberpunk 2077

To unlock the Edgerunners Clampdown mission and get to play it in Cyberpunk's 2.5 patch, you need to complete the following milestones within the game:

1. Complete "The Heist" story mission, as well as the following quests: "Love Like Fire" and "Playing for Time". This will give you full access to the open world of Cyberpunk 2077.
2. Complete any two gigs for the fixer Wakako Okada (found in Westbrook's Japantown).

At this point you should (eventually) get a message from Wakako called "A Request from King". Have a quick text conversation with her, and you'll be given the Clampdown quest and be free to pursue it when ready. Pursuing the mission to its end will grant you various rewards related to Edgerunners Season 2, including both new outfits and weaponry themed around the characters in that show.

Enjoying a return to Night City? For more info on the 2.5 update, make sure you check out how to dual wield in Cyberpunk 2077, how to complete the new Cyberpunk 2077 Welcome to Paradise quest that sends you around town, or how to get Witcher themed gear from Ariadne in Cyberpunk 2077!

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Grand Theft Auto is not a roleplaying game. Even with its sprawling open world and all the painstaking technical details that have gone into protagonists Lucia and Jason's story, GTA 6 will never be among those we call the best RPGs. Some systems in the latest entry might hew close, but the way Jason and Lucia evolve are closer to being a sim than an RPG proper. More than that, there's a fundamental difference between how Rockstar and developers like CD Projekt Red view their respective games.

After adding full mod support to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered, the Polish developer surprised Cyberpunk 2077 fans by announcing a similar built-in client to the Night City adventure. Patch 2.5 comes with all the bells and whistles that speak to a truly flexible, personalized RPG experience – and it's the furthest thing away from what Rockstar has said about GTA 6 so far.

Yours, mine, ours

Patch 2.5, in its broadest strokes, is an RPG replayer's ultimate fantasy. Delivered in co-development with Virtuos Studios, the update brings new clothing items as well as long-awaited cyberware customization (courtesy of new NPC vendors called Glamdocs), and the opportunity to finally dual-wield any pistol or revolver combination.

There's also some "cozy" new missions to engage with as V learns more about the founding of Night City, and of course, plenty of connective tissue between the video game and Netflix's new season of spin-off anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Top it off with full mod support, and I can fully understand why CDPR skipped straight past a patch 2.4 update; This really is a two-in-one deal.

Speaking on the latest Redstreams, associate game director Pawel Sasko sounded incredibly enthusiastic about what this patch means for replayability. The team is fully supportive of fans getting creative to make their next playthrough more unique than ever. CDPR even welcomes story mods among the plethora of ways you can reshape the experience to suit your needs, something Rockstar has reiterated its vocal opposition to in its recent fair use reminder.

It's an outlier in that regard. A healthy modding community and a robust customization system are the hallmarks of almost every successful game or franchise of the last two decades. Cyberpunk 2077 (and The Witcher 3, by extension) is following the example set out by Skyrim, Baldur's Gate 3, Mass Effect, The Sims 4 (until recently), and countless others. It's a surefire way to keep players engaged and interested in a title long past its release year, offering countless ways to experience the same story through brand new eyes. But it seems that Rockstar thinks the Grand Theft Auto name is more than enough to justify bucking this particular trend.

Forgive the ice-cold take, but fostering a strong sense of community should be paramount to every game developer. When I see RPG developers like CDPR and Larian Studios going out of their way to not only engage with their communities but deliver long-awaited quality-of-life additions, it makes me look more critically at those who refuse to. Respect should go both ways. If Rockstar wants to keep its legions of loyal followers, why not adapt to their needs instead of give them a hiding before the game is even out?

Lone wolves

Then again, Rockstar is no stranger to doing things differently. Where some devs embrace the changing tides that dictate our ever-shortening attention spans, Rockstar can just buy the ocean from under Poseidon. After all, it ended up acquiring GTA Online mod developer FiveM, a team it once threatened with legal action, in order to at least profit off of its roleplaying servers.

This is a team that plays by very different rules, so if you're hoping that Rockstar might slacken its leash on modding once GTA 6 has been out for some time, I wouldn't hold my breath.

GTA 6 isn't an RPG, as any genre purist will rush to tell you. Neither in its format nor in the attitude with which it was created. Rockstar is selling a product, not a community – and that's fine by me. But, I wonder how many will agree when it's time for the next iteration of GTA Online to get the GTA 6 treatment.

While GTA 5's mode has always been an outlier, online communities in 2026 than they were in 2013. In the meantime, I'll take hot pink mantis blades, dual-wielding Jackie's golden pistols, and having cats in all of V's Night City apartments before Rockstar's precious new baby. Call me when Jason gets a gorilla arms mod (and don't tell Mommy on me).

Check out these games like GTA if you just can't wait for GTA 6!

Dual-wielding in Cyberpunk 2077 is now possible with the 2.5 update with a skill that allows V to shoot two guns at the same time, akimbo/gunslinger style. It's a hell of an update that allows pistol users not to sacrifice damage output, but it's not something you'll be able to do off-the-bat without a bit of perk investment. If you want to dual-wield guns, I'll explain how to do that in Cyberpunk 2077 below.

How to dual wield in Cyberpunk 2077

To dual-wield guns in Cyberpunk 2077, players need to get the "Double Trouble" perk from the "Cool" Skill Tree, which unlocks when your Cool reaches level 9.

Once you've invested a Perk Point into Double Trouble, you'll be able to equip two pistols, but they both have to be Power Pistols or Power Revolvers. You can't dual-wield smart pistols, tech pistols, SMGs, shotguns, or anything else.

Once equipped, players can fire both guns simultaneously, though the weapons each have a 37.5% reduction in damage. If you invest two points into Double Trouble, you can unlock a special move called Heywood Hurricane, in which you rapidly fire both guns for one second and quickly refill ammo spent on successful shots.

There are also four perks tied to Double Trouble that further enhance it, which each improving Dual Wielding in some way - either reducing stamina costs, increasing accuracy, or buffing the Heywood Hurricane move.

If you're interested in guns, make sure you check out all the Cyberpunk 2077 best weapons! Or if you're getting back into the game with the 2.5 update, make sure you refresh your knowledge of all the most important Cyberpunk 2077 tips.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Pack your bags and get ready to hop in the Normandy; the Mass Effect TV show is on the way. That's right, despite the recent (and devastating news) that EA has shut down BioWare and canceled Mass Effect 5, the upcoming Amazon adaptation of the famed video game franchise is reportedly still going ahead, and already there are plenty of details to start digging our sci-fi teeth into.

The original Mass Effect trilogy follows Commander Shepard on a brutal mission to save the galaxy and is counted among the best RPGs of all time. The story and fully realized worldbuilding are downright iconic, so when Amazon announced in 2021 that it had snagged the rights to bring it to our small screens, I've been paying close attention to every bit of news surrounding the upcoming TV show. So, if you are a massive Mass Effect fan like me who is dying to learn more, or a Fallout TV series enjoyer who is curious about Amazon's next game adaptation, then you've come to the right place.

Below is everything you need to know about Mass Effect's streaming debut. From release date predictions, updates on its production status, plot details, and more, I've made sure to scan every bit of information out there into a handy guide right here.

Mass Effect TV show release date speculation

Mass Effect is still very much underway; however, since filming hasn't kicked off yet, we are going to have to wait a while for a release date.

The show is still in the pre-production phase, and despite a previous Production Weekly list hinting at a Q4 2026 production start, there has been no new update on the Amazon adaptation actually moving out of the writers' room at this point in time.

Considering how much time will also be needed in post-production with special effects needed to bring the sci-fi story to life, I personally don't see Mass Effect releasing before 2028 at the earliest. This time frame also makes sense when we remember that the team working on Fallout will also be on Mass Effect.

Fallout season 3 is looking at a 2027 release window, so I doubt we will get Mass Effect before then. However, these are just my own speculative thoughts for now; I'll keep you posted as soon as I hear more.

Mass Effect TV show plot details: Will it adapt the games?

The Mass Effect TV show won't be a straight adaptation of the iconic video games; instead, we are getting a fresh story that takes place after the original trilogy. And personally, I have mixed feelings about that fact.

If you haven't played Mass Effect before, the game trilogy follows the human Spectre Commander Shepard, who has to stop a deadly synthetic race called the Reapers, who are hell-bent on erasing all organic life from the galaxy in a mass extinction event. In typical RPG fashion, your choices dictate how certain chains of events unfold, as well as what ending you ultimately see as well.

In a 2025 blog post by Mass Effect boss Mike Gamble, this plot direction was discussed: "The writers' room is going strong, and we’ve got a lot figured out about how it fits within the Mass Effect canon, and where it sits in respect to the new game," he writes. "The show will explore a brand-new story within the universe’s timeline, and will be set after the original trilogy. It won’t be a retread of Commander Shepard’s story – because after all … that’s YOUR story, isn’t it?"

We all know that since this post, the new game (aka Mass Effect 5) has now sadly been canceled due to EA's closure of BioWare; however, it does seem like the fact that the show is not telling Commander Shepard's story is still very much the plan. On one hand, this is a safe bet for RPG adaptations, considering players' choices created different canon endings and story paths. Amazon's Fallout series, for example, is brilliant and didn't follow a set story from the games; instead, it built a new plot set in the universe, and it worked masterfully.

However, the original Mass Effect trilogy has one of the best overarching storylines in gaming history: the high stakes of "the end of the galaxy and all organic life" if Shepard fails is the gut-punching action you want to see rather than the aftermath. Hopefully the new series manages to create a plot as action-packed and serious as the original trilogy, and I'm very much keeping an eye out for every new story-related update to see what direction it looks like the show is heading in. Watch this space!

Who is working on the Mass Effect TV show?

There are a lot of big names working on Amazon's Mass Effect TV series behind the scenes. Firstly, in terms of writers, we have Fast & Furious 9 scribe Daniel Casey on board. Star Trek: Beyond and Mindhunter writer Doug Jung is also set to join the production as a showrunner.

Looking at producers, Mass Effect boss Mike Gamble is executive producing the adaptation, along with the likes of former Marvel Studios producer Ari Arad and Karim Zreik. Basically, we have some big heavyweights who are seasoned professionals in creating popular franchises.

There is some more good news on the crew front, as Casey revealed via social media that the team who worked on Amazon's Fallout TV series will be on board to help bring the Mass Effect series to life.

Considering Fallout season 3 is looking to premiere in 2027, this also backs up my thoughts that Mass Effect won't be with us until 2028 at the earliest. However, I'm willing to wait if it means that the team who brought New Vegas to life will be in charge of giving us the likes of a Reaper-attacked Eden Prime as well.

Mass Effect TV show cast speculation

So far, no cast list has been shared, which makes sense considering we aren't in the production phase yet. However, a few stars have already expressed interest in the series in the past, so maybe they are in Amazon's sights.

Back in 2021, we did ask Henry Cavill if he would be interested in the Mass Effect series back when it was first announced. Cavill expressed his love for the games as well as his willingness to be part of the project. He is now on board working on Amazon's Warhammer series, but who knows, maybe he will swing by the Citadel in the future as well.

I'll keep an eye out for any more casting rumors and announcements. If production does pick up after the release of Fallout season 3 in 2027, as I suspect, we should be getting news on actors joining the Mass Effect fold very soon.

If you want more RPG goodness while you wait for Mass Effect, check out our list of the best BioWare games of all time. Or look ahead with our roundup of all the upcoming video game movies on the way next.

Mass Effect 5 is no more following the closure of BioWare after the EA buyout – but former developers believe it would've been an incredible RPG, had it come to fruition.

Tony de Waal, who acted as cinematic supervisor at BioWare and boasted some 29 years of experience at the studio, implies as much in a new LinkedIn post, explaining that he worked on everything from Mass Effect 2 to Dragon Age: The Veilguard – a game he says "was a herculean effort that tested the limits of even my workaholic mindset" – before Mass Effect 5.

"I believe we were making something special," he describes. "A level of autonomy and choice that no other game has been able to match."

The dev then references Baldur's Gate 3 team Larian Studios and CD Projekt Red, masterminds behind The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, recalling how BioWare looked to them: "We saw what Larian and CD Projekt were bringing to the table with their latest offerings, and started down a path to bring Mass Effect to the next level while remaining true to the Trilogy."

The cinematic mastermind closes by admitting "I'm sad you won't ever get to see what we were cooking" and paying tribute to his fellow devs, "some of the most talented people I've had the pleasure of working with throughout my career."

Interestingly, though, de Waal isn't the only BioWare veteran to reference Mass Effect 5 and how good it might've played had it been given the chance it deserved from EA to actually come to life.

Over on X, Derek Künsken, who introduces himself as both "a contract writer, and as a senior writer on staff" from BioWare, echoes this sentiment.

He isn't able to share too much aside from the fact that he was working on the new Mass Effect title and "what we were cooking was really cool," but that's got me wondering what could've been just as much as de Waal's own words do. I'm sure "really cool" is no understatement, after all.

It's disappointing to know that we won't get to experience what the devs had in store with Mass Effect 5 – and doubly so after hearing how amazing it may have been.

EA killing BioWare could lead to Mass Effect and Dragon Age rights being sold, former lead says, but they could just as easily "bury them in the vault"

Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke has reacted to the shutdown of original Baldur's Gate developer BioWare by EA.

News dropped earlier this week that EA is laying off 400 employees following its August acquisition. As part of these layoffs, the legendary RPG studio behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, BioWare, will be shut down, and development of the next Mass Effect game will be canceled.

In a Twitter post, Vincke reacted to the news, saying, "This is not something I ever expected to see." He adds, "Larian and Bioware started their trajectories in the games industry at the same time and Bioware led the way in making RPGs big."

Notably, BioWare developed the original Baldur's Gate and its sequel, Shadows of Amn, with Larian taking over the series for Baldur's Gate 3, which was released in 2023.

Vincke notes, "It's almost unimaginable" that from here on out "the name BioWare won't show up anymore when discussing upcoming RPGs," adding, "What a loss for all of us." He then thanks the studio for "all the games," "the many hours of gameplay," and "all the stories," before saying, "You can be damned proud of what you achieved," and expressing his hope that all the affected developers "land well."

While the studio's last couple of games didn't go down as well – with Dragon Age: The Veilguard famously going through a troubled development, culminating in a rushed effort following a pivot from a multiplayer project that EA had requested the studio create – BioWare is undoubtedly one of the most impactful RPG developers of all time, and paved the way for games like Baldur's Gate 3. And shuttering the studio now will once again result in years of knowledge being lost as the development job market grows increasingly small.

It's an especially sad week for the industry because BioWare revealed yesterday that it's closing down, affecting development on Mass Effect 5 and any other projects the team had underway. In response, one of the central figures at the outfit for several years has put together a reaction video explaining the likelihood that its franchises will move to another studio or publisher.

On YouTube, Mark Darrah, co-director of Dragon Age: Origins and a producer at BioWare for over 20 years, looked at whether EA might sell off the studio's IP since they're now effectively defunct. "There's nobody working on a [Mass Effect or Dragon Age] game or games within the EA organization, and chances are there never will be," he says.

"Which might make them more likely to sell off those IPs," he states. "But it might also make them more likely to try to forget that they ever existed and bury them in the vault."

You might be thinking that Mass Effect and Dragon Age are iconic and beloved, and that Electronic Arts surely knows this and wants to engage those communities. Sadly, corporations rarely think that way, and Darrah's right that neither outcome is inherently more likely than the other right now.

EA is shouldering a $20 billion debt after being acquired by a conglomerate that includes the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. Shopping around these franchises, and others like Jade Empire, could definitely generate a quick buck. But whether the energy is there for those negotiations is another question, and EA might just prefer not to spend any more money or thought power on BioWare generally.

The last ten years haven't been good for the team, either. Mass Effect: Andromeda got a mixed response, Anthem failed to really find its audience, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard truly ate dirt upon arrival two years ago.

It's all just sad, and reflects the industry's woes as a whole at the minute. I'd like to play a new Mass Effect one day, but I won't be holding my breath.

Former Mass Effect and Star Wars: KOTOR boss calls BioWare closure "sad," says the studio's "legacy will live on through those who were part of it"

Adventure Time RPG codes reward players with coins to spend in-game at Choose Goose's rotating market. Of course there are plenty of items in this RPG that require Robux to obtain, but the ever-changing market stall in the lobby has a wealth of valuable items up for sale, from skins and weapons to healing items and character essence, all available in exchange for coins.

While coins are predominantly earned by playing the Adventure Time-inspired Roblox RPG, it can never hurt to get a free bump in your earnings, so make sure you redeem the latest Adventure Time RPG codes so you don't miss out when something you really want pops up in the shop.

If you're after some more general avatar rewards to use in all of your experiences, then we've got the current Roblox promo codes covered too.

All Adventure Time RPG codes

These are the Adventure Time RPG codes you can redeem right now:

• COINS50 - 50x Coins

There has only been one Adventure Time RPG code so far since the game is pretty new, but it gives a nice boost of 50 coins to your balance, which is a decent chunk of many of the items available in Choose Goose's shop.

How to redeem Adventure Time RPG codes

To redeem Adventure Time RPG codes, you need to head to the Redeem Reward Code area in the lobby, which can be found in front of the training dummies. Walk into the zone to trigger the codes redemption box, enter a code from above into the box, and click Submit.

Adventure Time RPG codes are case-sensitive, so be sure to enter them exactly as they appear above. There is no 'invalid', 'expired', or 'already redeemed' message when redeeming codes in this game, you'll only know a code is successful when the reward appears on the screen, otherwise nothing will happen.

Expired Adventure Time RPG codes

• There are no expired Adventure Time RPG codes.

Adventure Time RPG hasn't been around long yet, so there are currently no expired promos. As soon as the codes at the top of the page run out, we'll move them down here to avoid any disappointment.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Mass Effect creator Casey Hudson has reacted to BioWare's closure and the cancellation of the upcoming fifth game in the series.

Last night, BioWare confirmed that the studio is closing down and that development on the next Mass Effect title is ending. EA was acquired by Saudi Arabia's Private Investment Fund, Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake, with mass layoffs being predicted as the deal has EA take on $18 billion in debt. And now, just over two months after the acquisition, BioWare is gone as part of 400 job losses across a number of EA studios, including at Skate developer Full Circle.

Hudson, who directed all three games in the original Mass Effect trilogy, reacted to the news on Twitter, with a post reading. "This is sad news on multiple fronts – for those of us who worked there, for our friends and colleagues at BioWare who are impacted, and for fans who were looking forward to the next Mass Effect adventure."

"I started my career at BioWare and will forever be grateful to the founders, Greg and Ray, for inviting me to join in BioWare's legendary journey," Hudson says, adding, "Its legacy will live on through those who were part of it and continue to create games through a passion for unforgettable stories, worlds and characters."

Hudson's first credit was for BioWare shooter MDK 2, before going on to direct Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect trilogy. He then rejoined the studio in 2017, serving as the studio's general manager and releasing Anthem and Mass Effect Legendary Edition. He is currently working on Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, which is in development at Arcanaut Studios.

Layoffs are increasingly becoming commonplace in the industry, with Microsoft currently in the midst of laying off 3,200 Xbox employees by the end of the fiscal year. On top of the $18 billion in debt the company has taken on, EA CEO Andrew Wilson made 305x more than the average EA employee last year, and, should the new owners decide to let him go, he could qualify for an additional $125 million in severance.

Unfortunately, as 2026 has shown, not even the most established or influential studios in the industry are safe anymore: earlier this year, Doom developer and FPS pioneer Id Software was gutted by Microsoft, and now BioWare is gone.

The Mass Effect franchise will live on – as part of Amazon's TV show.

Despite the sudden and shocking BioWare closure, IGN reports that the Prime Video Mass Effect series is still in active development.

The outlet confirmed that the creatives attached to the project are still on board. Star Trek Beyond writer Doug Jung was attached as showrunner, with Fast 9's Daniel Casey penning the script for the project, which was confirmed to be set after Commander Shepard's story in the first three Mass Effect games.

As of earlier this year, there were industry whispers that the Mass Effect show was being tweaked to appeal to "non-gamers" as well as fans of BioWare's sci-fi franchise, which ran from 2007's Mass Effect to 2017's poorly-received Mass Effect: Andromeda.

During last year's N7 Day festivities, BioWare outlined its plot intentions for the Amazon MGM series.

"The writers' room is going strong, and we've got a lot figured out about how it fits within the Mass Effect canon, and where it sits in respect to the new game," the blog read. "The show will explore a brand-new story within the universe's timeline, and will be set after the original trilogy. It won't be a retread of Commander Shepard's story – because after all … that's YOUR story, isn't it?"

This all comes off the back of BioWare being shuttered by EA and a new Mass Effect title being canceled, just months after the company was acquired by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

In its closing goodbye, BioWare said, "There is nothing easy about writing those words. Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition."

For more on what else is making the leap from consoles to screen, we have a complete guide to upcoming video game movies.