A former head of communications at Dead Island 2 publisher Deep Silver has opened up about the "eight-year product delay" Dead Island 2 endured after early playtests reported "horrific feedback."
At the end of a Develop:Brighton talk as reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Martin Wein — now at GameFlex Consultants — talked candidly about the sequel's troubled development, and how it was decided at a major milestone meeting with then-developer, Yager, that the game as it was then "sucked."
"I was working on that with the creative team, and we were mightily proud of that [trailer]," Wein said. "But then, about three to four weeks later, we had a major milestone with the development studio that was in charge at that time. And boy, that game sucked.
"It had nothing to do with what [made] the original Dead Island [...] really fun. So we commissioned a play test and got horrific feedback. And we sat down with the development team and said, 'Okay, what's the course of action?' And they said, 'Yeah, leave it with us.'"
But at the next touch-point, Wein said little had changed, with playtest feedback indicating the sequel was "not fun, not engaging, [and] does not feel like the Dead Island that I played."
"So at the end of the day, we had to take the game away from that external developer, find a new studio, and that put the game on a journey of… well, it was supposed to launch in 2015. When did it come out? 2023?
"Sometimes you have to make hard decisions," Wein added. "Because we could have, at that point, put out a sh*t game. It might have made some money, but it would have killed the franchise.
"I cannot really speak to the conversation between the production team and the development partner as I was not part of those, but as the developer wanted to pursue their vision rather than follow player feedback, the ultimate decision was made to part ways."
When it did finally release in 2023, IGN's Dead Island 2's review returned a 7/10. We said: "Dead Island 2 is a hilarious gore-fest and a competent zombie-slaying adventure, but lacks creativity outside of its great sense of humor."
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
But, amongst this, there have also been reports of innocent fans getting caught in Nintendo's crossfire — and the latest example of this is a user who says they received a similar console ban for playing legitimate physical games they had bought second-hand, from a prior owner who had apparently cloned them.
In a lengthy thread on reddit, Switch 2 owner dmanthey said their console was banned by Nintendo after loading up a selection of Switch 1 cartridges they had bought on Facebook Marketplace. But while the games were legitimate, they still triggered a console ban.
Discussing the matter with Nintendo's customer support, dmanthey realised they had unwittingly played games whose cartridges had previously been cloned onto a piracy-enabling device — such as a MIG Switch — whose licenses were now marked as pirated.
"Basically, a thief buys/rents a game. They make a copy for themselves using the MIG dumper," dmanthey summarised. "They resell the original game and keep a copy for themselves on their MIG. Then both of you get banned when the Switch 2 goes online. Only one of you has the carts, so that's the person that will be unbanned."
Thankfully, dmanthey says that the process of talking to Nintendo was straightforward, and their console was unbanned shortly after providing Nintendo a conversation of the seller behind the Facebook Marketplace listing, and a verification photo that showed were in possession of the legitimate cartridges now.
Seeing Nintendo act to unban the user is an interesting development, after other users previously reported being told that such bans were permanent.
"The amount of info they had is crazy," dmanthey said of his experience chatting with Nintendo. "They could see my ddwrt endpoints, the brand of my memory card, they even knew that I had an EVGA mouse and keyboard plugged into my Switch 2."
While a rare situation (for now), dmanthey raised the point that this matter will only become more common as more people purchase Switch 2 consoles, and more cloned second-hand games enter the used game market. Indeed, there has already been the suggestion among fans that word spreading of Nintendo banning Switch 2 consoles will only increase the rate of game pirates ditching copies of games they have cloned.
DCU film Superman is censored in India, where a "sensual visual" of the superhero kissing Lois Lane was cut in order to secure a release.
Superman’s mid-air kiss with Lois Lane, shown during pre-release trailers, was one of two kissing scenes cut for the Indian theatrical release, according to a report by Bollywood Hungama.
According to the report, this 33-second long “sensual visual,” spread across two scenes, was cut in order to secure a U/A 13+ certificate by the country’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Warning! Spoilers for Superman follow:
Superman’s mid-air kiss with Lois Lane occurs at the end of the movie as part of the celebratory roundup of events. Both characters are in a months-long relationship at this point.
Meanwhile, Bollywood Hungama reported that the CBFC asked the studio to delete an eight-second shot involving a “foul gesture.” It was replaced by a two-second shot. The shot was not detailed, but we can speculate that it was the scene in which Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) swats away the armed forces of Boravia with a wave of his Green Lantern hand, which at times gives the invading army the finger.
This isn’t the first time a movie was changed to appease the Indian authorities. In F1, Brad Pitt’s character does a fist bump in the Indian version instead of sending a middle finger to another character. Marvel muted five words in Thunderbolts* / The New Avengers, and two words were cut from Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
As you’d expect, the changes to Superman have sparked a backlash across social media. Here's a snippet of the reaction:
CBFC deletes 33-second-long ‘sensual visual’ in Superman.
CBFC would allow horrific scenes of violence and sexual assault in a U certified film that kids are freely allowed to watch, but won't allow consensual kissing in a U/A comic book movie that kids should watch under adult supervision.
— Pranav Gangadharan (@pranavgngadhrn) July 11, 2025
You can have lewd double meaning jokes in Housefull 5. Beheadings & gory violence in Jaat
But….
Superman kissing Lois Lane is where we draw the line
If this is true, this is RIDICULOUS!!! Some ridiculous crap happens every day. Every. Damn. Day.
Sure this is the least of our worries but is something done about anything else? There is some crap every day. Every. Damn. Day. https://t.co/Kwg7fKSe0M
In the U.S., Superman got the DCU off to a flyer with a global weekend take of $217 million at the box office. Its $122 million domestic haul was enough to make it the biggest North American launch ever for a solo Superman film, not adjusted for inflation.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 updates continue with patch 01.003.200, which makes a big balance change and a number of fixes.
According to patch notes released by the developer, 01.003.200 reduces the time it takes for the Helldiver to regain control after ragdolling from 0.8 to 0.5 seconds.
This seemingly innocuous change will have big implications for how Helldivers 2 feels to play. It’s a game that leans heavily on its physics systems and the emergent gameplay that comes from them, and that includes being blasted around the map.
As any Helldivers 2 player will know, you spend a lot of time prone on the floor recovering after being smashed into a ragdolling status. There’s a panic that sets in as you slowly pick yourself up and dust yourself off while the forces of the Illuminate, the Automatons, and the Terminids continue their assault. Those precious few milliseconds may make all the difference, especially on harder difficulties.
Meanwhile, the flag can now be “proudly” planted directly into enemies — dead or alive — “ensuring the eternal colors of Super Earth are never tainted, only quenched by the blood of its foes.” So, if you want that Charger to be running around with your flag on its back, now you can make it happen.
There are a number of balance changes worth checking out in the patch notes below.
Reduced the time it takes for the Helldiver to regain control after ragdolling from 0.8 to 0.5 sec
Increased chest injury bleed damage from 1 to 10. Chest injuries now cause more noticeable damage, as the previous value of 1 was so low it appeared to have no effect
CQC-1 One True Flag
Thanks to some groundbreaking military research into pointier flag tips, the flag can now be proudly planted directly into enemies—dead or alive—ensuring the eternal colors of Super Earth are never tainted, only quenched by the blood of its foes. Absolute Democracy
Primary weapons
AR-32 Pacifier
Stun duration increased from 1.5 to 3 sec
Starting magazines increased from 5 to 6
Max amount of magazines increased from 7 to 8
Slight increase in stun value applied to enemies
SMG-72 Pummeler
Stun duration increased from 1.5 to 3 sec
Slight increase in stun value applied to enemies
ARC-12 Blitzer
Slight increase in stun value applied to enemies
R-2124 Constitution
Bayonet stagger strength increased from 20 to 25
R-2 Amendment
Bayonet stagger strength increased from 20 to 25
Sidearms
P-92 Warrant
Now also locks-on to Large sized enemies
Throwables
G-109 Urchin
Stagger strength increased from 0 to 50
It now staggers and affects Large sized enemies
G-10 Incendiary
The amount of fuel has been increased in the grenade, resulting in longer-lasting fire duration
G-13 Incendiary impact
The amount of fuel has been increased in the grenade, resulting in a longer-lasting fire duration
Stratagems
A/FLAM-40 Flame sentry
Fire damage resistance increased from 0 to 95%
Cooldown reduced from 150 to 100 sec
GL-52 De-Escalator
Slight increase in stun value applied to enemies
Boosters
Firebomb Hellpod
Now affects the Hellpods default explosion as well
Stagger strength decreased from 80 to 15 to prevent ragdolling players
Demolition strength decreased from 40 to 20 because we now correctly also additively apply the normal Hellpod explosion
Stun Pods
Now affects the Hellpods default explosion as well
Stagger strength decreased from 80 to 15 to prevent ragdolling players
Demolition strength decreased from 40 to 20 because we now correctly also additively apply the normal Hellpod explosion
Enemies
General
It’s now easier to put Large to Massive sized enemies on fire
Terminids
Warrior
Damage needed to gib Warriors increased from 500 to 750 damage
This is how much damage is needed to explode the body without leaving a corpse behind
Automatons
Scout strider
Legs armor decreased from 3 to 2
Legs durable resistance has been increased
Illuminates
Overseer variants
Unarmored Torso healthzone armor decreased from 2 to 1
🔧 Fixes
Weapons Stratagems & Boosters
Fixed an issue with the R-2124 Constitution playing audio during the wrong instances
Fixed an issue with the draw and holster speed with the Gunslinger Armor Passive
Fixed an issue with ranged weapon grips after dropping the Entrenchment Tool
Enemies
Fixed an issue where status effect damage were attempting to apply more times than intended
Missions
Fixed an issue that prevented stratagems from working correctly on Terminate Illegal Broadcast objectives
Fixed an issue with bad enemy pathing on military uplink objectives
Fixed an issue for the terminal and drop off point, where they became inaccessible during the Retrieve Recon Craft Intel objective
Miscellaneous Fixes
Fixed an issue in first person view where some armors resulted in visible obstructions around the shoulder while using a high Field Of View
Fixed an issue during map generation that could result in missing terrain features
Fixed fall animations occasionally playing before victory poses
Extended some fonts to handle Bengali characters in player names
Fixed an error that caused some enemy models to appear in lower quality
Fixed an issue to prevent accidentally triggering jump packs or climbing on supply pods while using the interact button on controller
Fixed an issue where exiting the chat was leaving players unarmed
Fixed an issue with aiming during the draw emote
Fixed issues when exiting First Person View using emotes
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Nintendo has issued a fresh system software update for the Switch and Switch 2, bringing both consoles' firmware up to Version 20.2.0.
The latest firmware includes a number of bug fixes for both platforms, and according to trusted Nintendo dataminer OatmealDome also includes a fix for the backwards compatible Nintendo Switch version of Portal 2 — which now no longer crashes after updating.
Otherwise, patch notes provided by Nintendo mention issues with Parental Control settings and a crash when trying to find a fresh network connection.
Nintendo now updates Switch and Switch 2 firmware simulataneously, with the same version number now applicable to both. But the contents of each patch do vary slightly — details on both lie below in full.
Switch Ver. 20.2.0 (Released July 14, 2025)
Fixed an issue where Parental Control settings were not transferred from Nintendo Switch to Nintendo Switch 2 in certain circumstances during a system transfer.
General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience.
Switch 2 Ver. 20.2.0 (Released July 14, 2025)
Fixed an issue where Parental Control settings were not transferred to Nintendo Switch 2 from Nintendo Switch in certain circumstances during a system transfer.
Fixed an issue where you could not proceed past “Searching for networks” in Internet Settings within System Settings.
General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience.
Last week, Nintendo confirmed it was ditching its Switch Game Vouchers scheme, which currently allows Nintendo Switch Online subscribers to buy Switch 1 games at a discount.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
The only officially licensed John Wick video game is being removed from sale just six years after launch.
Bithell Games’ well-received John Wick Hex launched in October 2019. It’s a fast-paced, action-oriented strategy game “that makes you think and strike like John Wick.” John Wick, of course, is the hugely popular action hero made famous by Keanu Reeves.
Fast forward six years and John Wick Hex is set for the digital scrapheap. In an update directed at the game’s community, publisher Big Fan Games (which is part of Devolver Digital) said John Wick Hex will be removed from sale on all platforms beginning July 17, 2025.
After July 17, existing owners of John Wick Hex will still be able to access the game via their digital libraries across PC and console, and of course physical copies will continue to work on console. However, new purchases of John Wick Hex will not be possible, regardless of platform or storefront.
Big Fan Games failed to say why John Wick Hex was being removed from sale, but it seems likely it's the result of the expiration of its licence with John Wick rights holder Lionsgate Entertainment. IGN has asked Big Fan for comment.
As for Bithell Games, it released Tron: Catalyst last month. The game was developed in collaboration with Disney and Pixar Games, and is set within the world of Tron.
Lionsgate has confirmed it has a John Wick AAA video game in the works, although it has said nothing about it.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Former Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has opened up about his decision to quit the BBC's flagship sci-fi show after just 18 episodes.
Appearing on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, Gatwa initially gave his stock answer — heard previously as part of the official behind-the-scenes Doctor Who Unleashed documentary series, that the 32-year-old actor felt he was "getting old."
But the rising Hollywood and stage star — the third-youngest actor to ever play the Doctor — then went on to give a fuller answer, discussing the "strenuous" nature of the role, and the toll it had taken on him.
Asked by Kuenssberg why he'd walked away from Doctor Who, Gatwa said: "Because I'm getting old and my body was tired," before being scoffed at by the presenter.
"My body, my knees," he continued, before referencing the fact he was also wearing a shirt referencing a new ballet. "I've now just started doing some ballet, so I'm making some good decisions here..." he continued, grinning.
"It's the most amazing job in the world," Gatwa continued. "It's a job that any actor would dream of. And because it's so good, it's strenuous. It takes a lot out of you physically, emotionally, mentally. So, I — it was time."
Shortly before the finale aired, Gatwa had been set to make an appearance during this year's Eurovision Song Contest, in a move that would have tied into a Doctor Who episode featuring a sci-fi Eurovision-style show. Shortly before the event, however, it was confirmed that Gatwa had pulled out, raising eyebrows.
"It all panned out very interestingly," Gatwa said, when asked of his decision to no longer be involved. "I pulled out of it a long time before it was announced. And it was announced when it was announced, I don't know why... but I was just very busy. [I] just had a lot of work schedules, a lot of press around The Roses, around Doctor [Who]. Just a lot of press."
When asked directly if he'd pulled out of Eurovision due to the controversy over Israel's involvement, as some fans had believed, Gatwa flatly denied this was the case.
"No, I was just very busy," he responded.
“You’ve not just compared me to a politician!”@BBCNickRobinson gives Ncuti Gatwa a proper Today grilling over whether he’s finished playing Doctor Who now he’s playing Christopher Marlowe.#R4Todaypic.twitter.com/Nmzzoz1qwd
In a separate interview, this time with BBC Radio 4's Today show, Gatwa was asked if he had finished with Doctor Who for good. Gatwa replied that he had, before saying he didn't know who the next incarnation of the Doctor would be — pouring fresh doubt that his regeneration into Billie Piper was the real deal, rather than some kind of fake-out.
"I've finished being Doctor Who, we all saw the gold sparkle," Gatwa said, in reference to his character's regeneration sequence. "Or did we? I don't know. I just don't know who the next Doctor Who is. But it's certainly not me."
It’s one of the longest-running superhero debates: would Superman kill? Henry Cavill’s Superman did of course kill General Zod as a last resort in order to save lives in the DCEU. But would David Corenswet’s Superman do the same in the rebooted DCU?
This new Superman is an altogether brighter affair compared to the more grounded, naturalistic SnyderVerse version that came before it. We see Superman care deeply for all forms of life in the movie: human, animal, and alien. For newcomers, this perhaps begs the question: why doesn’t Superman kill?
In a Wired video, Corenswet offered his answer, which tallies with everything we’ve come to understand about Superman over the years: “I think the main reason is that he sees the good in just about everybody, maybe to a fault,” he said. “He even sees the good in those trying to do him harm.”
In the same Wired video, DCU steward James Gunn chimed in to add: “I believe he believes in a basic right to life. That’s [killing someone] just not in him.”
But Gunn goes on to say that this Superman would kill if he had to. “But I’m not a purist in that respect. I think that if, for instance, he had to kill to protect somebody’s life, he would probably do that, even though that would be hard for him.”
Warning! Spoilers for Superman follow:
We see the suggestion that Superman kills in the new Superman movie, specifically during the battle between Superman and Ultraman, who is revealed to be a clone of Superman created by Lex Luthor. But we do not see Ultraman die, rather thrown into a black hole. Indeed, there is a strong fan theory that Ultraman may return in future DCU movies as Bizarro.
Gunn’s comments, however, suggest the movie-maker would have Superman deliberately kill under the right circumstances in a future DCU film, following Snyder’s lead with Cavill’s Superman. The death of Zod in 2013’s Man of Steel was a hot topic throughout the entire DCEU’s run, and no doubt it would be the same if Corenswet’s Superman ever followed suit, although that would perhaps be a surprisingly darker moment that we’ve seen from the tonally upbeat Superman Gunn has now established.
Snyder himself has explained why he had Superman kill Zod in Man of Steel. In an interview with GQ, Snyder said Zod “wasn’t gonna negotiate an outcome, so it was either Zod or us. And that was pretty much the game. There was no middle ground. Zod said he would fight until either you kill me, or I kill you. That’s the game.
“And they’re like, ‘But why would you put Superman in that position?’ I’m like, 'Well, if Superman can’t handle that position then he’s fake.' He’s got to address the scenarios that come to him. He can’t pick and choose, as you can’t pick and choose.
“If the character can respond in a way that solidifies his humanity, then he’s stronger.”
Superman itself got the DCU off to a flyer with a global weekend take of $217 million at the box office. Its $122 million domestic take was enough to make it the biggest North American launch ever for a solo Superman film, not adjusted for inflation.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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