IGN Video Games |
- Hitman 3: 17 Essential Tips to Become a Master Assassin
- Microsoft Not Changing Xbox Live Gold Pricing, Free-to-Play Games Unlocked
- Vicarious Visions Reportedly Brought Into Blizzard to Work on Diablo 2 Remake
- Cyberpunk 2077: Patch 1.1 Is Now Available on PC, Consoles, and Stadia
- Opinion: Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold Price Hike Isn't a Good Look
- Activision Merges Vicarious Visions into Blizzard
- The State of PlayStation Studios in 2021
- Genshin Impact's 1.3 Update Brings Liyue's Lantern Rite
| Hitman 3: 17 Essential Tips to Become a Master Assassin Posted: 22 Jan 2021 10:04 PM PST  |
| Microsoft Not Changing Xbox Live Gold Pricing, Free-to-Play Games Unlocked Posted: 22 Jan 2021 08:59 PM PST Microsoft has announced that it is reversing its decision and will not change Xbox Live Gold pricing. Furthermore, free-to-play games will no longer require an Xbox Live Gold membership to play on Xbox consoles. As detailed in an Xbox Wire post, this decision comes after an earlier announcement that it would be raising the prices of Xbox Live Gold, which would mean that $60 would have gotten you only six months instead of 12. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/23/why-xbox-live-gold-price-hike-is-a-bad-look-for-microsoft"] Microsoft's full statement is as follows; "We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing. "We're turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience. Free-to-play games will truly be free and you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months. "If you are an Xbox Live Gold member already, you stay at your current price for renewal. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live Gold for the same prices they pay today. In the US, $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months and $59.99 for retail 12-months." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-games-to-play-on-xbox-series-xs&captions=true"] Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, took to Twitter to apologize for the "angst and emotion" the initial announcement caused and said that the company will learn from it for the future. "Apologies for all the angst and emotion this caused today for our customers," Spencer wrote. "As always, we appreciate the feedback. This is a good learning opportunity for us and we will learn from it." Prior to the reversal, we wrote an opinion piece about how this increase wasn't a great look for Microsoft, especially during the middle of a pandemic. Fortunately, for many around the world, this is now all good news. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/17/the-biggest-games-coming-in-2021"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.  |
| Vicarious Visions Reportedly Brought Into Blizzard to Work on Diablo 2 Remake Posted: 22 Jan 2021 06:03 PM PST Following the news that Vicarious Visions has been merged into Blizzard Entertainment, a new report says that the studio was brought into Blizzard to work on on the Diablo franchise, including a planned remake of Diablo 2. As reported by Bloomberg, Vicarious Visions, the studio behind such games as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, has been working with Blizzard since last year, even though the announcement of its merger was only made today, January 22. Up until 2020, the Diablo 2 remake was set to be developed by Blizzard's Team 1, which is located at its Irvine, California campus and was the go-to group for reworking classic games. Its latest title, Warcraft III: Reforged, was not received positively and currently has a 59 on review aggregate site Metacritic, which also happens to be Blizzard's lowest score to date. IGN gave Warcraft III: Reforged a 7/10, saying it "is an uninspiring remaster, but Warcraft 3 itself is still a great game nearly two decades later." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/original-diablo-2-creators-share-thoughts-on-rumored-diablo-2-remaster-ign-unfiltered"] Internal documents reviewed by Bloomberg pin the game's failures on "poor planning, miscommunication and a rushed release due to financial pressure from management, among other factors." One example given was that, following the game's reveal in November 2018, it began taking pre-orders for 2019 before letting most of the development team know of the release window. Blizzard and Team 1 obviously didn't want to make the same mistakes with the much-anticipated Diablo 2 remaster, and following a "postmortem," Blizzard ended up pulling the remaster from the team and putting the division behind Diablo IV in charge. Vicarious Visions is also said to be working on this project, which is or was known as Diablo II: Resurrected. In October 2020, Blizzard reorganized the entire division known as Team 1 and members of the team were given opportunities to interview for other positions within the company. Those who did not find a position were eventually let go, while others chose to leave for independent studios like Frost Giant Inc., and DreamHaven Inc., the latter of which was started by Blizzard co-founder and former CEO Mike Morhaime. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-blizzard-game-review&captions=true"] Prior to Warcraft III: Reforged, Team 1 was responsible for both Heroes of the Storm and StarCraft 2. In 2018, Blizzard began scaling down development of Heroes of the Storm, and StarCraft 2 also recently ended content development. For those still playing Warcraft III: Reforged or waiting for any updates, a spokesperson for the company said it is "still committed to updates in support of the community." A report in 2020 stated that the long rumored Diablo 2 remaster was scheduled to arrive in that same year, and it's possible these development shifts and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to its internal delay. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.  |
| Cyberpunk 2077: Patch 1.1 Is Now Available on PC, Consoles, and Stadia Posted: 22 Jan 2021 02:44 PM PST CD Projekt Red has released Patch 1.1 for Cyberpunk 2077 on PC, consoles, and Stadia. As detailed on Cyberpunk.net, this update's big focus is on stability improvements. As noted on Twitter, this update "lays the groundwork for the upcoming patches." Memory usage improvements in various systems within the game are part of this patch, and should improve "characters, interactions, navigation, in-game videos (news, tv, etc.), foliage, laser effects, minimap, devices, AI, street traffic, environmental damage system, GPU-related, and more." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/21/cyberpunk-2077s-current-state-before-patch-11-patch-106-performance-review"] There have also been various crash fixes related to, among others, "loading saves, game opening/closing, and Point of No Return." Many fixes for Quests and the Open World are detailed (which you can see below), as well as others for UI, Visual, Achievements, and more. Those on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are experiencing the most issues in Cyberpunk 2077, and Patch 1.1 looks to fix crash issues on PS4 and "Improved memory usage for character creation, mirrors, scanning, camera remote control, menus (inventory, map) on Xbox One, Xbox One X and Xbox One S." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/20/cyberpunk-2077-reviews-one-month-later-the-review-crew"] The full Patch 1.1 notes are as follows; Stability Various stability improvements including:
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| Opinion: Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold Price Hike Isn't a Good Look Posted: 22 Jan 2021 02:08 PM PST UPDATE: Microsoft has heard the community's outcry over this and reversed its decision. Even better, free-to-play multiplayer games will soon no longer require an Xbox Live Gold account. [poilib element="accentDivider"] ORIGINAL EDITORIAL BELOW: Microsoft knew that announcing a significant price hike to Xbox Live Gold wasn't going to go over well. That's why it dumped the news on a Friday. So what's the deal – or lack thereof, in this case? In short, $60 will now get you just six months of Gold instead of 12. Three months is $30, and one month is $11. The new pricing isn't quite as bad as it looks on the surface, but to be clear, it isn't good either, for a number of reasons. First, it's a straight-up surprise considering how Microsoft has spent the past few years not just saying but doing the right thing by gamers. Backwards compatibility, Xbox Game Pass, Smart Delivery, etc. – Microsoft has been focused on doing the right thing by its consumers, earning goodwill from the gaming community for a while now. This sharp price increase on the service, which is required to play even free-to-play multiplayer games, is both unexpected and unfortunate. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=28-best-xbox-game-pass-games&captions=true"] Xbox Live Gold: Microsoft vs. Sony vs. PCSimilarly, while Microsoft would probably say it worries about its own business and not its competition, the reality is that for a company trying to woo back gamers who fled to PS4 after the Xbox 360 and lure in new gamers making a critical choice of which video game platform to buy for the very first time, Xbox Live Gold now costs twice as much as PlayStation Plus does. But OK, let's look at PC. Microsoft has repeatedly insisted that they don't care if you buy an Xbox console or not, as long as you're in the Xbox ecosystem, and this move seems to rather darkly back up its own statement. Xbox Live Gold services are still, for the time being, free on PC! For instance: if you've got the rig to run it, Halo Infinite multiplayer will be completely free to play for you this Fall. On Xbox, that privilege will cost $120 per year. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Halo%20Infinite%20multiplayer%20will%20be%20completely%20free%20to%20play%20on%20PC%20this%20Fall.%20On%20Xbox%2C%20that%20privilege%20will%20cost%20%24120%20per%20year."] In theory, the Xbox community might be more accepting of this price change had it been executed gradually. After all, Microsoft isn't running a charity. Costs go up. Revenue and profits must be had. Netflix raised its prices not too long ago. And to its credit, Microsoft hadn't upped the price of Xbox Live Gold in a decade. The company obviously made a deliberate choice to rip the Band-Aid off all at once. OK, that's the team's choice, but making that choice in the middle of a pandemic, when times are tough for many people and video games are one of the few forms of entertainment still completely accessible from home...well, again, it's not a good look, and for consumers on a budget, it downright sucks. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-games-to-play-on-xbox-series-xs&captions=true"]Xbox Live Gold → Xbox Game Pass Ultimate? Microsoft Hopes SoWhat's clear to most people reacting to this news is that it seems like an obvious push to drive more Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions. The top-tier Game Pass service runs $15 per month or $180 per year compared to $10 per month or $120 per year for the standard Game Pass. Either remains a heck of a great deal for the Netflix-like bounty of games on offer each month. The difference, though, is that Ultimate not only adds Game Pass on PC, but it also includes Xbox Live Gold, whereas regular Game Pass does not. And so, should you opt to choose Game Pass Ultimate, one way you could look at this is that you're paying the same $120 per year for Game Pass and the same annual $60 for Xbox Live gold, but getting the PC benefit for free. The choice feels like a no-brainer, but for the wrong reasons. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Existing%20Gold%20subscribers%20on%20a%206-%20or%2012-month%20membership%20will%20continue%20to%20have%20their%20memberships%20renewed%20at%20the%20old%20rates."] The bottom line is that Xbox Live Gold is a worse deal today than it was yesterday – particularly for players who are heavily invested primarily in one multiplayer game, be it Destiny, Apex Legends, PUBG, etc. The silver lining – if you can call it that – is that it's only a worse deal for new players. Existing Gold subscribers on a 6- or 12-month membership will continue to have their memberships renewed at the old rates. I suspect that's most of the people reading this, but again, punishing new players at the start of a generation in which Microsoft is looking to regain some of the marketshare it lost to Sony last generation is (say it with me) not a good look. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's Executive Editor of Previews and host of IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible. |
| Activision Merges Vicarious Visions into Blizzard Posted: 22 Jan 2021 12:02 PM PST Activision Blizzard has confirmed that Vicarious Visions, the developer behind such titles as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, is officially being merged into Blizzard Entertainment. As reported by GamesIndustry.Biz, the Vicarious Visions team of about 200 people will now be employees of Blizzard and are "fully dedicated to existing Blizzard games and initiatives." This means Vicarious Visions will no longer be creating games as a lead developer. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/03/tony-hawks-pro-skater-12-review"] "After collaborating with Vicarious Visions for some time and developing a great relationship, Blizzard realized there was an opportunity for [Vicarious Visions] to provide long-term support," a representative said to GamesIndustry.Biz. However, Activision Blizzard did not reveal what the team has/will be working on going forward. Vicarious Visions studio head Jen Oneal has been promoted to Blizzard executive vice president of development and will be part of Blizzard's leadership team and will report directly to Blizzard president J. Allen Brack. Simon Ebejer, who was the chief operating officer for Vicarious Visions, will take over the studio head role from Oneal. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/06/29/crash-bandicoot-n-sane-trilogy-review"] Vicarious Visions was founded in 1990 and was acquired by Activision in 2005. The studio has worked on everything from Guitar Hero, Spider-Man, Tony Hawk, Crash Bandicoot, Destiny, Skylanders, and much more. Founding members Karthik Bala and Guha Bala departed the company in 2016 in order to establish Velan Studios, the development studio behind Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.  |
| The State of PlayStation Studios in 2021 Posted: 22 Jan 2021 11:54 AM PST As we enter 2021 and the PS5 is officially in the wild (well, sort of), it's time to take a look at the state of Sony's first-party studios. The launch of the PS5 brought with it a host of new PlayStation exclusive games, but the stable of PlayStation Studios has plenty more in store. One quick note — we're specifically discussing internal, first-party owned studios. So no third-party exclusives or second-party games (think Lucid's Destruction AllStars for PS5) will be included. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"] But from recently released like The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima to impending exclusives like Horizon Forbidden West, let's take a look at what every PlayStation Studio has in the works. Bend Studio[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/22/days-gone-the-world-of-days-gone-video"]Last release: After years of teases, Bend Studio finally released its post-apocalyptic thriller and motorbike simulator Days Gone in 2019. Set in the Pacific Northwest, Bend's open-world adventures introduced us to Freaker hordes, Boozeman, and Deacon St. John, while also — SPOILERS — possibly tying in a beloved Bend franchise into its world. Currently working on/next project: Days Gone… still! Bend has actually done a great job of post-launch support for Days Gone, from performance patches to free weekly challenges, and even wackier DLC options like a Death Stranding-themed bike. And it's even got improved performance on PS5, with framerates up to 60 FPS. The studio has since been recruiting for a new project, but has revealed no details on it just yet. Guerrilla Games[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/17/horizon-forbidden-west-guerrilla-talks"]Last release: Horizon Zero Dawn, the 2017 hit that introduced PlayStation 4 owners to a world of fascinating robotic beasts to fight in an intriguing world. Guerrilla released a big expansion to Horizon, The Frozen Wilds, later that year. Since then, the studio also released Horizon on PC as one of the first major PS4 exclusives from a Sony first-party to make the jump to another platform. Currently working on/next project: Alongside the reveal of the PS5, Horizon Forbidden West was one of the initial big, first-party exclusives announced for the new system. Set tentatively for a release in the second half of 2021, Forbidden West continues Aloy's journey, introducing new enemies, locations, and mysteries to uncover. No gameplay has been shown, but if Forbidden West is still set for this year, we should hopefully see some soon before it hits PS4 and PS5 later this year. Insomniac Games[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/marvels-spider-man-miles-morales-review"]Last release: Since becoming a first-party studio early last year, Insomniac has already been one of the more prolific studios in the lineup. Following up on its massive success with 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man, Insomniac debuted its sequel Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales on both PS4 and on PS5 as a launch game. Alongside that, the developer also brought Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered to PS5, bringing a next-gen look and feel to the beloved original. Currently working on/next project: As if that wasn't enough, Insomniac has one more "launch window" PS5 game in the works - Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. Rift Apart promises reality-hopping gameplay made possible by the PS5's SSD, and is easily one of the most anticipated PS5 games in the first half of 2021. And though it's not officially announced, let's be real...there's plenty of post-credit scene teases to indicate a new Spider-Man game is on the way, eventually. Japan Studio[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=64-playstation-game-easter-eggs-in-astros-playroom&captions=true"]Last release: Sony's Japan Studio has been quite prolific, either developing or co-developing plenty of games in just the life of PS4 alone. From work on Knack to The Last Guardian to PSVR breakout Astro Bot Rescue Mission to most recently co-developing Everybody's Golf, Japan Studio has been involved in a lot of major Sony first-party titles, and the ASOBI Team within the studio delivered at the PS5's launch with Astro's Playroom. It may have seemed like just a free pack-in, but ASOBI's ingenuity transformed the bundled PS5 game into an incredible showcase for what the DualSense can do. Currently working on/next project: We don't know too much about what the studio has coming up next, but I'd expect it to be nothing short of a varied mix of PS4, PS5, and PSVR games to come. There's also some uncertainty about what projects may be in the works given that three major Sony Japan devs, Junya Okura, Kazunobu Sato, and Silent Hill/Gravity Rush creator Keiichiro Toyama recently left the studio. But given the acclaim, success, and promise of more to come from Astro, hopefully a larger scale game could be in the works. London Studio[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/22/blood-truth-launch-trailer"]Last release: London Studio has contributed both the PS4 release SingStar Celebration and the PSVR title PlayStation VR Worlds to Sony's current-gen output, and most recently released the pretty great PSVR action-adventure Blood & Truth. Currently working on/next project: London Studio has continued to support Blood & Truth with post-launch content updates. We don't know what London Studio is working on afterward, but given the strong reception and Sony's commitment to PSVR, I'd expect more VR outings from the studio. Manchester StudioUnfortunately, Sony shut down its Manchester VR studio before the team could release a game. Originally opened in 2015, the studio is now the third internal Sony studio to be shut down during the PS4's lifecycle. Media Molecule[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/13/dreams-review"]Last release: After introducing the world to LittleBigPlanet on the PS3 in 2008, the infinitely creative Media Molecule gave us Tearaway for the PlayStation Vita (which got a port to the PS4 in 2015) and most recently released Dreams for PS4. Currently working on/next project: More Dreams! Media Molecule's creation suite has allowed players' ingenuity to run wild, and turn out a continuous stream of impressive games, music videos, and short films. Media Moelcule has continued to support Dreams and its community, making it one of the most exciting and creative products in PlayStation's first-party lineup. Naughty Dog[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/11/the-last-of-us-part-ii-grounded-update-trailer"]Last release: During the life of the PS4, Naughty Dog put out a handful of incredible games, including The Last of Us Remastered, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, and most recently, The Last of Us Part 2. Currently working on/next project: After a few delays, The Last of Us Part 2 released to critical and commercial acclaim in mid-2020, and Naughty Dog has continued to support free post-launch updates. The company has no newly announced projects, but as far as we know, it is quietly plugging way at some form of Factions, The Last of Us' multiplayer mode that was expected to return for Part 2 but didn't make it in time for release due to the expanding scope of the single player. Pixelopus[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/08/concrete-genie-review"]Last release: Concrete Genie, the beautiful action-adventure game that gives players the power of a magical paintbrush. Originally scheduled for a spring 2019 launch, Concrete Genie has been pushed to this fall, but along with that delay came the announcement of a PSVR mode to accompany the main campaign. Currently working on/next project: We don't know! Pixelopus is definitely one of Sony's smallest internal studios, but Concrete Genie showcased big creative ambitions, a knack for some charming art and storytelling, and a unique gameplay idea that still felt like it could hold its own against Sony's bigger games. Poylphony[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/11/gran-turismo-7-announcement-and-gameplay-trailer-ps5-reveal-event"]Last release: The Sony studio Poylphony gave us Gran Turismo Sport last generation, and has been busy providing content updates and patches to the game since its launch in 2017. Currently working on/next project: Unsurprisingly, the studio continues to work on the acclaimed racing sim franchise, and Gran Turismo 7 was announced for the PS5 last year. Though it has no exact release date, release a Sony advertisement teasing upcoming PS5 games hinted at a 2021 release. Whether it remains on track is unclear at this time, but it's no surprise that Sony's newest console will also be home to one of its longest-running franchises. San Diego Studio[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/16/mlb-the-show-20-review"]Last release: San Diego just released MLB: The Show 20, its annual baseball hit. Currently working on/next project: MLB: The Show 21 is, unsurprisingly, probably on the way next from San Diego Studio. Though a recent announcement that future MLB: The Show installments could come to non-PlayStation home consoles as early as 2021, there's been no indication of whether this year's MLB will actually kick off that trend. Sony Santa Monica[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/12/26/looking-back-at-god-of-war-almost-a-year-later-with-cory-barlog-beyond-572"]Last release: God of War, IGN's Best Game of 2018 and a huge evolution of the long-running Sony franchise. Currently working on/next project: Unsurprisingly, more God of War. Very little is known about the upcoming sequel, other than a brief teaser trailer and the tagline "Ragnarok is coming." And while we're still largely in the dark about Kratos' continuing adventures through Norse mythology, we do know that it's planned for a 2021 release. Additionally, the studio is working on an unannounced game according to recent hiring notices from Santa Monica. Sucker PunchLast release: Sucker Punch's long-awaited new franchise, Ghost of Tsushima, debuted as the fastest-selling new IP of the PS4 generation for Sony, and while Sucker Punch has supported its release with patches and PS5 performance updates, the studio also surprised fans with an unexpected post-launch multiplayer mode. Ghost of Tsushima: Legends surprised and delighted fans with a new take on Ghost's combat, with up two four players taking on missions, including a Raid, together. Currently working on/next project: Sucker Punch hasn't revealed what's to come after Tsushima and Legends, but given the impressive success and reception of both the single-player and multiplayer components, we wouldn't be surprised if Jin Sakai returned in the future. One More Thing[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-playstation-exclusives-of-2020&captions=true"]We don't have the full details just yet, but another team within Sony's first-party stable is assembling. While the San Diego-based studio has been the subject of rumors and speculation for years, we've gotten one of our best bits of information on them yet just recently. Michael Mumbauer worked as the Head for the unnamed studio until November 2020, and in his Linkedin profile description, we've learned that the studio is "a brand new, all-star, AAA Action/Adventure development team for Playstation. Based in San Diego and utilizing proprietary engine technology, this team was assembled to expand upon existing franchises and craft all new stories for the next generation of gamers." Older rumors suggested that the new team is working to continue the Uncharted franchise, but as of right now that's just speculation Sony has yet to confirm. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Of course, when we hear more about this studio or any of Sony's other first-party teams, you can be sure to read and watch about it on IGN. And of course, for everything big happening in the world of PlayStation, be sure to check out our weekly PlayStation show, Beyond!, for more insight. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush. |
| Genshin Impact's 1.3 Update Brings Liyue's Lantern Rite Posted: 22 Jan 2021 11:26 AM PST Genshin Impact's 1.3 Update has been officially detailed ahead of its February 3, 2021 release date and will allow players to celebrate the Lantern Rite in Liyue Harbor, win a free four-star Liyue character, and earn over 1,600 Primogems. As revealed on PlayStation.Blog, the Lantern Rite is the biggest festival in Liyue's calendar and is packed with festivities that all culminate in a "spectacular ceremony on the first full moon of the year that sees every household release specially made Xiao Lanterns into the night sky." These lanterns, according to Liyue locals, deliver their wishes to the heavens and guide the lost souls of fallen heroes back home. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/22/genshin-impact-version-13-all-that-glitters-trailer"] The Traveler (you) and Paimon have been called upon to help prepare for event, which is divided into three stages. Each stage comes with a series of requests that will help the locals prepare for the Lantern Rite. By completing these requests, players can raise the Festive Fever level and unlock even more quests and stories. During the Lantern Rite, the brightly lit streets of Liyue will be filled with festival-exclusive games, snacks, activities, and more. One such game is the Theater Mechanicus - a tower defense strategy game that can be played solo or with friends. Travelers with an Adventure Rank of at least 20 will also be able to participate in "Vishaps and Where to Find Them" to hunt down dangerous Geovishaps in exchange for rewards. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=genshin-impact-13-update-liyues-lantern-rite&captions=true"] A daily login event will also take place that will let players earn 10 free Intertwined Fate, and players can participate in an event challenge for the chance to win the previously mentioned four-star Liyue character of their choice. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.  |
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