As part of today's RuneScape Ahead, developer Jagex revealed the upcoming roadmap for the popular MMORPG RuneScape, through the rest of 2024 and into 2025. Players can expect to see 110 skilling updates, new combat bosses, new storylines, a highly requested new area expansion, and the addition of the highly-anticipated Group Ironman mod?e.

The new Group Ironman mode will allow up to five friends to start a brand new RuneScape adventure without any sort of XP bonuses and without the ability to benefit in any way from players outside of the group they start with. In an effort to make the mode more functional, those participating in Group Ironman mode will have access to Group Storage as well as unique rewards including cosmetics and milestone capes. The new mode is expected to be released later this year alongside the new Harvest Hollow se?asonal event and the addition of a new Necromancy Conjure Ability titled Phantom Guardian.

Before the new mode, players can expect to see the release of an all-new boss dungeon called the Sanctum of Rebirth alongside a skilling update to 110 Mining and Smithing, and a new skilling ??boss titled Gate of Elidnis with its own launch event and story quest.

Heading into 2025, 110 Runecrafting and Crafting will also get a skilling update, as well as a skilling rebalance and the addition of two new story quests and a new combat bass, the Amascut Showdown. Finally, in late 2025, a new area expansion is planned for release in RuneScape.

Those interested in seeing the future of RuneScape as the developers delve into more detail about the new roadmap can do so by checking out a special live stream taking place tomorrow, August 16 on the official RuneScape Twitch channel.

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Publisher Hooded Horse and developer Long Jaunt have released a road map for their noble house simulation game, Norland. The plans stretch from now until October, out???lining what will be added to the Early Access title.

This month will have focus on optim??ization, graves, and archers. September is more optimization, ranged towers, and “unique guests.�Finally, October is when we’ll see city walls and gates, barons, and usurpers.

I’m not sure how barons will come into play, but another tier of noble would definitely be appreciated. Usurpers sound interesting since Norland’s big gameplay hook is a Rimworld-l??ike system of generation where stories develop from a chaotic interplay of the game’s mechanics.

I previewed Norland before its Early Access launch. I found that it suffered heavily from a lack of balance and progression. I wasn’t alone, a?s the Steam reviews show that it has a 77% positive “Mixed�rating. However, the developers have taken community feedback and made significant changes over a vast number of patches and updates (they’re on patch 17). I haven’t jumped back in to see how it affects my opinion of the game, since I want to let it marinate for a bit, but I have seen some of the ?issues I had with it get adjusted.

It’s hard to say if Norland will eventually become recommended playing â€?and city walls aren’t going to be the fix it needs â€?but the developers are clearly listening and putting in the work to get it in shape. And to be clear, it isn’t that bad, it just isn’t where it needs to be. The core concept of Crusader Kings meets Rimworld is a tantalizing one, and there are some great ideas found in the execution, so hopefully, it wonâ€?™t be long before it reaches its potential.

Norland is available now for PC via Steam Early Access.

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We're just a few weeks away from the launch of developer Massive Entertainment and publisher Ubisoft's open-world action-adventure game Star Wars Outlaws. In a post on the official Ubisoft blog, the publisher outlined the post-release content roadmap for Outlaws, detailing what is to come in the Season Pass which includes two Story Packs, two Cosmetic B?undles, and a launch day?? exclusive mission and character pack.

Not so Far Far Away

Players who purchase the Gold Edition or Ultimate Edition of Star Wars Outlaws will automatically get the Season Pass, which includes the Kessel Runner character pack featuring outfits for Kay Vess and her companion Nix, as well as an exclusive mission called Jabba's Gambit. The mission gives access to an additional quest from the notorious Jabba Hutt and his Hutt Cartel. Both of these are available when Star Wars Outlaws is released.

The first Story Pack, Wild Card, is set to release in Fall 2024. Players will infiltrate a high-stakes Sabacc tournament as Kay before encountering notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, before evolving into a bigger game at play. The Hunter??'s Legacy and Cartel Ronin cosmetic bundles will launch alongside this story pack, including additional outfits for Kay and Nix as well as cosmetics for Kay's speeder and ship.

In Spring 2025 the second Story Pack, A Pirate's Fortune, will follow Kay as he runs into veteran pirate Hondo Ohnaka, who is attempting to settle old scores with a ruthless gang of pirate??s.

Both of the Story Packs sound promising in terms of story, so hopefully the core gameplay of Star Wars Outlaws is enough to make the DLC feel worth exploring. We'll know for sure soon as Star Wars Outlaws is?? set to release on all platforms later this month on August 30.

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SFB Games has released a look at what’s coming up for Crow Country, now that it’s out in the wild. It doesn’t provide any specific dates beyond “Soon-ish,�“soon,�and “very soo?n,�but it does give us something to look forward to.

The one thing that stands out in particular for me is hard mode. Spoiler alert, but there are a number of rewards you get for completing the game that are only useful for repeat playthro?ughs. However, if you want to play again, you have to do so at the exact same difficulty. There is no higher difficulty??????????????????????????, so you can only re-experience things again, but with some additional overpowered gear.

But aside from that are the usual bug fixes. The soundtrack by Ockeroid will be released digitally, which is always rad. They’re also adding the CrowQuest reward to be a permanent setting ??in the menu, which I’d elaborate on, but that might ruin the surprise. Additional languages are planned to be added. F?inally, Trading Cards will be added, which I stopped caring about a few months after the feature was added to Steam, but it’s not unwelcome.

I loved Crow Country when I played it for review, and it is high up on the list of the best games I’ve played this year. It already feel?s like an extremely complete package, and I’m not sure what could be added or taken away from it without getting diminishing returns. However, this roadmap signifies only small tweaks and supplements, which I feel is the best way to support it. That hard mode will be especially important to anyone who plays games repeatedly without the restriction of publication deadlines.

Crow Country is currently availa??ble on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X??|S.

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With 6 million players and already proven popularity, Palworld players are expecting big things from Pocketpair. Our first glimpse of the Early Access roadmap for Palworld shows that the team is already working on even more content for the ?survival game.

Prior to the ridiculously successful launch of Palworld, Pocketpair promised a “one year roadmap�shortly after launch. Although this is more of a vague guideline of what’s to come, it gives a lot of hope for the future of Palworld.

At the top, Pocketpair confirms it's focusing on addressing "critical issues" with Palworld, prioritiz??ing fixing those problems. This includes world date?? rollbacks and the loading screen persisting when trying to load into new worlds.

New Pals and areas to explore

Most importantly, at least in my opinion, the team at Pocketpair have promised the addition of new Pals to capture, though they’ve not given any hi?nts as to how many will be added or how s?oon. 

They’ve also said that they’re looking to add more islands,? which means that we’re not going to be short of new places to explore any time soon.

PvP and battle content

One of the most exciting updates is the chance to pit our Pals against other players. With t??heir arsenal of weapons and special abilities, it could be entertaining to watch them duke it out.

Pocketpair have been very vocal about their desire to add PvP into the game and on Steam, they state that they’re already “testing PvP internally� so this addition seems like may be coming sooner rather than?? later. 

They’re also looking to put Raid Bosses into the game, which will likely require ??mul?tiple people in order to complete. There’s no word on how this will work yet.

Steam - Xbox Crossplay

Right now, players on Xbox cannot play with those who purchased the game on Steam, but that looks to be changing some time soon. That sho?uld make it easier for people across different platforms, including those on PC via Game Pass, to all party up.

In the same realm of updates??, they’re also planning on implementing Server Transfers and Migration.

Pal trading

Pocketpair didn’t go into this too specifically, so we’re unsure whether you’ll need to be on the same server in order to exchange Pals t?o further your Pal Deck completion endeavors. But this should hopefully let you share around the captures, rather? than keep them all to yourself. 

Building systems updates

Again, we weren’t given any specifics about what these updates would actually be, but here’s hoping that the roof building gets just a little bit less convoluted. On top of this, Pocke??tpair are also hoping to add more buildings and elements which play into the survival aspect of the game. 

Steam Workshop support

With the controversy surrounding the recently cancelled Pokémon mod, there definitely seems to be interest in adding onto the foundation of Palworld. So it’s no surprise to see that Pocketpair will be allowing S??team Workshop support for the modders within the now rather large community of players. 

Updates to Pal AI

I cannot reasonably write this part without mentioning my biggest complaint about the game - Pals have absolutely no idea how to o??rganize anything and it drives me mad. 

Within the Roadmap, Pocketpair have sai?d they’re going to be working on improvements to Pal AI. Whether this improvement will be to organization, preventing them from getting stuck inside of rocks (how do they always manage to do this?) or preventing the situation where my Lifmunk is trying to juggle 20 pieces of rock and failing miserably. Either way, I for one am looking forward to this particular update.

No dates were given for when these updates on the Palworld roadmap will start to arrive.

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Kinetic Games is greeting the New Year with an updated roadmap for Phasmophobia. 

This Roadmap is a little unusual in the sense that it only features milestones but lacks any release windows. The announcement shows the planned feature updates through to the 1.0 release from early access, but doesn’t really give any idea as to what the timeline is. This isn’t even a 2024 roadmap. It’s for 2024 and beyond.

None?theless, it gives you an idea of what needs to be done before the developer considers it complete enough to call it done. This includes lighting updates in 0.9 (which arrives next week after the holiday event ends), new tasks in 0.10, new play models in 0.11, and further overhauls in the 1.0 release. Beyond this is also the console release, the Point Hope map, and other maps beyond that, which are planned for release as they’re done rather than being packed with major updates.

Beyond the roadmap, Kinetic Games�announcement includes information about the Point Hope Lighthouse map, showing off the bathroom and the basement workshop. Also discussed is the changes happening to the two farmhouse maps. Previously, they were too similar (I couldn’t even tell you which is which), but they plan on giving both of them their own individual flourishes. Mainly, a number of rooms are being converted to having specific purposes. Grafton will also be made?? to look more rundown, while Bleasdale will be the opposite, being made more posh and ostentatious.

While a timeline for these updates isn’t given, we do know that 0.9 will be arriving next week. I can certainly understand why they wouldn’t want to make promises after development on the game was upended by an office fire last year. 

Phasmophobia is currently available on PC via Early Access. The Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PSVR2 versions have been dela??yed to an unspecified date.

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The first three seasons will include Street Fighter 6 and Monster Hunter crossover collaborations

Capcom hosted a showcase all about their highly anticipated upcoming sci-fi team-based shooter. During the event, Capcom revealed its roadmap for the first three seasons of Exoprimal that includes upcoming content over the next few months. Perhaps the most exciting reveal is two separate crossover events with popular Capcom titles: Street Fighter 6 and Monster Hunter.

[caption id="attachment_391178" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Capcom/YouTube[/caption]

Months of content is already in the pipeline for Exoprimal

Season 1 will kick off two weeks after release, and Exoprimal will receive its first update with an all new PvE mode: Savage Gauntlet. This mode will rotate tough weekly missions giving players a chance to test out their best loadouts in end-game missions. Rounding out Season 1 is ten new Alph?a variant exosuits wielding unique weapons. This update will release on August 16.

In mid-October, Season 2 will add new missions, the Ocean Platform map, and even more exosuits. Street Fighter fans should look forward to Season 2 as it will feature a SF6 crossover collaboration. As part of the crossover, ??we will ge??t new exosuits based on Ryu and Guile.

Finally, Season 3 will drop early next year featuring even more exosuits, a new Neo Triceratops boss fight, and a Monster Hunter crossover event.  No precise details were provided for this crossover, but we can assume there will be some new giant monsters from the Monster Hunter universe for us to beat up on.

Those looking to save the world from dinosaurs can do so soon. Exoprimal releases on July 14 on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. PC and Xbox players can check out the game for free as part of Xbox Game Pass. The? dinosaur-themed game will launch with cro??ss-platform functionality.

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Totally Warhammer

If Total War: Warhammer III was somehow not big enough already, Creative Assembly has pulled back the curtain on their plans for the rest of the year and beyond. It’s a lot, but I’ll ??do my best to give you the rundown.

[caption id="attachment_378060" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega[/caption]

Update 3.1 will precede? Update 4.0, which will arrive this Summer. The interim update includes bug fixes, but also adds a legendary lord and some units of renown. Beyond that, it will also add the Chaos Dwarfs as an Immortal Empires endgame scenario. The full patch will come alongside the next round of paid DLC?, Shadows of Change, which will focus on the Tzeentch, Cathay, and Kislev factions. They also plan on updating campaign AI and tweaking the settlement battles as part of their ongoing effort to find a happy medium.

Afterward, 4.1 will roll out the red carpet for update 5.0 in Winter 2023. Once again, the Total War: Warhammer III interim patch will focus on bug fixes. 5.0 will bring with it another paid DLC, Thrones of Decay, which focuses on Nurgle, the Empire, and the Dwarfs. Another big part of the patch is another legenda??ry artifact, the Nemesis Crown.

After the 5.1 patch, another big update is planned for the Spring of 2024. It will be similar to the other big updates and will include a focus on t??hree more races. Since none of the ones I favor (Dark Elves, Vampires, Beastmen) have been mentioned, I hope to see them in the last one. Unfortunately, that means I’ll be waiting a while.

If you haven’t played Total War: Warhammer III yet, just know that even the base game is absolutely massive. The fact that they rolled in Immortal Empires for any owner of the title (rather than requiring you to own the previous titles, as well) just highlights how huge it is. The organizational skills required to keep this all together at? Creative Assembly must be incredible.

Total War: Warhammer III is currently available for PC.

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More slack in the line

Team17 has revealed the roadmap to Black Salt Games�indie darling, Dredge, that continues through to the end of the year. While many addi??tions c?ould be considered “small,�it will conclude with paid DLC at the end of the year.

First up, we’ve got map markers. I didn’t even realize they weren’t already in the game. I guess I just didn’t need them so hard that I never looked to see if they were there.

Next up is a feature I always appreciate: a photo mode. It's always nice being able to set up the perfect visual. You’ll get this ability from a character in the game and can then use it to find new wildlife to snap photos of. As part of this update, you’ll be able to turn off the aggressive behavior of certain sea monsters. While I feel like vulnerability is sort of central to the horror of Dredge, it will be helpful for anyone who just wants to explore?? without being harrowed??.

In Q3, the Dredge team will be adding boat customization. Once again, I didn't necessarily look for this while playing, but I always love new ways to get creative. This will come in the form of paint schem?es and flags.

Life at sea

Finally, at the end of the year, Black Salt Games will release paid DLC for Dredge. The DLC will center around a mysterious corporation known as Ironhaven. While they claim to be simply invest?ing in drilling operations to revitalize the area’s towns and settlements, their actual goals seem much more sinister. Nonetheless, you’ll be aiding them with building up their facilities while?? uncovering their secrets.

While I wasn’t in love with Dredge, I appreciate it thematically. The paid DLC seems k?ind of cool, and I might be willing to check it out when it finally drops at t?he end of the year.

If you haven’t dropped anchor on Dredge, it’s avai??lable on PC, PS4?, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch.

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Prepare to get wet

Futurlab has revealed its plans for the transcendental dad-game Powerwash Simulator for the rest of 2023. While a lot of t??hese plans are currently just winks and eyebrow wiggles, it will at least give you an idea o??f what to look forward to.

The most concrete of plans is patch 1.2, which brings additional jobs and updates old ones to expand Powerwash Simulator’s mystifyingly deep lore. This is coming April 18, 2023, which is just around the corner, so you won’t have to wait long. This patch will be followed by another free content pack every ??quarter, including a “seasonal�one. While that ?will probably be Christmas Themed, I’d love to power-wash the feathers off a turkey.

//twitt??er.com/PowerWashSim/status/16461512012373?93412?s=20

Along with this is three paid DLC packs for Powerwash Simulator. They haven’t really said much on what those will involve, but they do say that they will take you? outside the fictional county of Muckington to “all sorts of new and exciting places.�Space? The bottom of the ocean? How does a power washer work in a pressurized environment? Like normal, I?’m guessing.

The biggest wink, however, is just “e??xciting news.�Ooo. I bet it’s VR, which reall?y isn’t exciting to someone like me. Someone who doesn’t own a VR headset.

There’s also a physical version of the game on the w?ay for consoles.?? I say “physical,�but the Switch version is just a download key, which is just�I don’t see the point. I should totally buy my dad the PS4 version, though.

I love Powerwash Simulator, though. It’s like a less janky version of Viscera Cleanup Detail. I can barely keep my kitchen clean, but you can ?bet I’ll get every nook and cranny if you giv??e me points for it.

Powerwash Simulator is available for PC, Xbox On?e, Xbox Series X, PS?4, PS5, and Switch.

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This year brings multiplayer, new characters, and more

Disney's Dreamlight Valley has taken over my free time. I was looking for a cozy new simulator to play, and so far this title has ticked all the boxes for me. I found it to be a bummer that I was nearing the end of all of the content released as of now, so I was waiting with bated breath to hear any news about what's to come. My prayers have finally been answered, because Gameloft just laid out their plans for their free updates in 2023, as reported by GameSpot. This year has a ton in s??tore for the game, including a multiplayer mode, new characters, realms, clothing, motifs, decorations, and furniture.

First up in February, the game will be welcoming two new villagers: Mirabel from Encanto and Olaf from Frozen. We'll also be? able to "discover the secrets of the Frosted Heights biome," which likely means that we'll get some more quests surrounding the Valley itself that will reveal more details about the Forgetting. The Star Path event in February will also celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary.

[caption id="attachment_359723" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Gameloft[/caption]

The April announcement teases a new realm, some new characters, and "more surprises," and features a picture of the beloved Lion King protagonist, Simba. April's Star Path will be celebrating Disney Parks �not really sure what this means but I'm down for it. Early summer promises a big story event, and a new princess' arrival to the Valley. For the rest of the year, we can look forward to the addition of multiplayer, as well as the rest of the aforementioned content like clothes and furniture. Some bug fixes and quality-of-life changes hav??e also been announced, like further streamlining recipe and inventory systems, and sprinklers to help water your crops.

Finally, when the game's lead producer Manea Castet was asked if we'll be seeing any Star Wars or Marvel characters coming to the Valley anytime soon, apparently he dodged the question. I don't know, I'm getting the sense that my prediction is correct, and eventually we will see familiar faces from the extended Disney universe making their way into Dreamlight Valley. We won't know for sure until Gameloft makes an of??ficial announcement, but it's fun to speculate for now.

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There's more headed to the Frontiers

Sega has outlined the 2023 content road map ahead for Sonic Frontiers. New playable characters, a photo mode, challenges, and more are all in store for Sonic Frontiers in 2023.

The DLC roadmap was laid out today on the Sonic social accounts. Three big updates are planned for 2023, and they're set to be free for all Sonic Frontiers owners. The content and names of said content ar??e subject to change, Sega n??otes.

Update 1 will consist of a juke box for all those excellent tunes, as well as a photo mode. So yes, you'll be able to take some Sonic Selfies. Those two pieces are joined by new challenge mode??s to tackle, which may include the golden Super Sonic.

In Update 2, it's Son??ic's birthday! Plus, an Open Zone Challenge and new Koco. I am definitely curious to see what a Sonic birthday party looks like.

Then, the heavy hitters arrive in Update 3. Playable characters and new story are both due out in Update 3, and it looks like a doozy. We have a teaser of the Frontiers villain, as well as portraits for Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. The implication seems to be that the Sonic crew will be playable in ?some way, but we'll doubtless learn more in the new year.

Now it's a party

How those different characters, who often have pretty distinct playstyles from Sonic, will fit into the world of Sonic Frontiers will be interesting to see if that's ho??w it pans out. Knuckles and Amy can definitely handle some combat, and flying around as Tails in a big, open space could be fun.

We'll find out more of what's in store as we get closer to the launch of these new updates. In the meantime, Sonic Frontiers is still a fairly fresh game, so this might be the sign for holdouts to try it out if they wa??nt t??o check out all the extra content later.

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There's a lot of new Strive content on the way

Evo 2022 is officially underway, and Arc System Works took the stage today to discuss Guilty Gear. The company laid out its plans for the near future of Guilty Gear Strive in ??a roadmap, including new content and a test of some ??crossplay functionality.

In a panel today, Arc System Works talked a bit about the past of Guilty Gear, leading up to Strive and on to modern day. After answering some questions and sharing some c??oncept art, the team showed off a graphic, detailing what's to com?e for the rest of 2022 and into 2023.

In Summer 2022?, a new character and additional character color are planned. Arc System Works is also looking to address some specific platform concerns. For PlayStation 5 players, that means reducing the input delay. And for Steam fighters, it's reducing the connection time for initial server connec?tions.

Then in Fall 2022, Arc System Works plans to run a beta test for crossplay on PlayStation 4, PS5, and Steam. The global test is currently planned for mid-September, and mor?e info on how to join will be announce??d soon.

Another new character is also set for the fall, and then in the Winter, a Battle Balance patch will arrive. Looking out towards 2023, two new? stages and two new characters are also in the works.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfAEQnbjt2c

Strive forward

It looks like Arc System Works has no plans for slowing down on Guilty Gear Strive. The fighting game recently passed its first launch anniversary, and still seems to be going strong. It's the top title in terms of registration numbers at Evo this weekend, beating out other pillars like Street Fighter and Tekken.

With even more content on the way, it looks like Guilty Gear Strive has even more bright days ahead. Hopefully we hear more about who this mysterious summer character will be sometime before the weekend is over. You can follow all the Evo 2022 action on the Evo Twitch stream here.

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Agent 47 deals with a mild pirate problem

IO Interactive is bringing more content to Hitman in the coming month, including a new map to explore. Ambrose Island arrives on July 26 for Hitman 3 owners, as part of the July content rollout.

Ambrose Island is an unc??harted island in the Andaman Sea. It's home to a pirate syndicate, and Agent 47 will be arriving to help an old friend rectify their mi?stake. It's a full-on new sandbox map: new targets, gameplay, and rewards all await. Plus, there has got to be some hidden treasure there, right?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VtTqQ-XJNA

Between the quiet town, the rope bridges, and the dangerous lookouts, it seems like a ripe area to explore for adventurous would-be assassins. Ambrose Island is free DLC for all Hitman 3 owners as well.

The road ahead

There's other content coming to Hitman 3 and the World of Assassination pack this month, too. July's free location rotation is Bangkok, a location from the first Hitman in 2016. The Revolutionary and the Food Critic are this month's Elusive Targets, with the former from July 8 through 18 and the latter from July 15 through 25. The Revolutionary requires a Hitman 2 Access Pass, while the critic requires a Hitman 1 GOTY Access Pass.

The Elusive Target Arcade also gets an update on July 14, with a shiny new? katana to unlock. Beat any of the batches to get it. And then paint the walls neon with the katana. It's not the stealthiest option, unless you're attending a neon rave with a samurai theme, but it looks cool. Plus, on July 21, some pirate-themed Feature Contracts will roll out too.

While the Freelancer mode for Hitman 3 has been pushed a bit further down the line, Ambrose Island seems like a good enough excuse to return to Hitman 3. The post-launch levels for the Hitman reboot tr?ilogy have been solid so far, and I really just want to see what bizarre eliminations IO has cooked up for a ??pirate island.

Ambrose Island goes live for Hitman 3 owners on July 26.

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Shipping off to Ambrose Island

There's more to do in the World of Assassination. IO Interactive updated its future Hitman 3 roadmap today, confirming that a new map is coming soon, but the new Freelance?r mode will need a little m?ore time.

In today's updated roadmap, IO Interactive gives some news on its previously announced plans. A big piece of that is Freelancer mode, the new evolving way of playing through different Hitman levels.

IO Interactive says it's been playtesting the new mode and getting feedback, which has been positive. The studio is taking some extra time to ensure it's solid, however, and is now aiming to deliver Hitman 3: Freelancer in the second half of 2022.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Y3Bqjz_AY

On the flip-side, the new Hitman 3 map code-named Rocky is getting moved up. Officially revealed as Ambrose Island, the new area will be arriving in July 2022. It's a new map that takes place chronologically before the events of Hitman 3, and IO says ?it will fill in a few gaps from the storyline.

As for extra updates to Hitman 3, the next big patch is set for May 24. A few pieces of content are on the docket for then, ranging from some featured contracts and reactivated Elusive Ta??rgets to the, uh, Ducky Gun. I am admitted??ly curious about what's up with the Ducky Gun.

Wide, wide World of Assassination

Hitman 3 is in its Year 2 of updates, with several big ones like ray tracing on the way and PC VR already out. Considering the Hitman trilogy is also one giant, int??erconnected game, it's just adding on top.

The studio did see a recent shake-up with director Mattias Engström leaving to work on Crysis 4. However, it looks like IO Interactive is moving full steam ahead. There's more work for Agent 47 to tackle, and even further on the horizon, a new IP for IO to explore.

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More cards, modes, and ways to deal with the Ridden

It seemed pretty clear that Back 4 Blood was going to get post-launch updates. Its supply lines and general structure definitely seemed ready for Turtle Rock to latch more content onto. But in a new roadmap update, it looks like Back 4 Blood is getting some welcome updates alongside more ways ?to take out the R??idden.

Back 4 Blood will have its post-launch content split out into two tracks: Free Updates, which are available to every owner of the game, and the Annual Pass. The latter is included if you bought the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition of Back 4 Blood, and otherwise purchasable for $39.99.

For the Annual Pass, Turtle Rock announced Tunnels of Terror, the first of three additional expansions coming to Back 4 Blood in the Pass. Expected to arrive in 2022, Tunnels o?f Terror will have new story content, new Cleaners and Ridden, and more weapons, cards, activity types, and skins.

In the Free Updates, though, Back 4 Blood is getting one frequently mentioned update. At launch, some players weren't keen on how solo mode was handled: essentially, you could build any deck of cards to augment and enhance your character, but it was separate from any progression. Turtle Rock characterized it in an FAQ as a way to "create?? and test various deck builds" and familiarize yourself w??ith the missions.

In Back 4 Blood Free Update roadmap, Turtle Rock confirms a solo offline mode with campaign progression is on the way. How that works out isn't laid out here, but we w??on't have to wait long. That update is set to arrive in December, alongside a bevy ??of other options.

Also on the docket for Free Updates are a ??new card type and all-new cards. New supply lines and a Ridden practice area will arrive in December too. Then, in 2022. more cards, a new co-op mode and new difficulty, and melee updates will arrive.

Considering I already dug what Back 4 Blood had to offer, I'm happy to see it getting more updates and addressing concerns. It's also nice to see it happen along both the paid and free tracks, so even those who only picked up the game—or Game Passed it—will still see th??e ?improvements. Here's to more Ridden slaying in 2022.

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Your friendly neighborhood web-slinger makes his way into the game

Crystal Dynamics has laid out the road ahead for the rest of the year in Marvel's Avengers content, and some big additions are on it. Both Marvel's Avengers first raid and the introduction of a certain web-sl??inging Spider-Man to PlayStation players.

In a new State of the Game update, the studio discusses its roadmap for 2021, including content and cosmetics that are still on the way. Spider-Man is expected to arrive sometime this fall or winter, alongside the first raid, where players will confront Klaw. This is also a friendly reminder that Marvel's Avengers take on Spider-Man is still a PlayStation platform-exclusive hero.

//twitter.c?om/PlayAvengers/s??tatus/1435651461287874562

There will also be a power level cap increase and some new cosmetics, but it isn't all just new content. Crystal Dynamics is also looking to rework its gear upgrading and resources. According to today's blog, the new system will let players upgrade Epic, Legendary, and Exotic gear from power level 100 up to?? the new power level cap.

Cosmetics are also becoming earnable through gameplay, inclu?ding items that were previously only avai?lable in the Marketplace. Crystal Dynamics is planning on discussing details of that in the coming months. And of course, there are some Marvel Cinematic Universe cosmetics in the works, too.

Anecdotally, I've seen some people hopping back into Marvel's Avengers with the recent War for Wakanda expansion pack. With a big raid and another new hero on the way too, I'm interested to see where Avengers stands in the public eye by t??he start of the new year.

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