Sony has revealed that Oddworld: Soulstorm, Days Gone, and Zombie Army 4: Dead War are the PlayStation Plus games for April 2021. Announced on the PlayStation Blog, all three games will be available for download beginning Tuesday, April 6, and PS Plus subscribers will have until Monday, May 3, to add the games to their libraries. All three games will be available to download on PlayStation 5, but Oddworld: Soulstorm will not be available for PlayStation 4 subscribers. The game also won't be available to subscribers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea.

Days Gone and Zombie Army 4: Dead War are your PS4 PlayStation Plus games for April, with Oddworld: Soulstorm also available for PS5: https://t.co/WlVLGGMOQg pic.twitter.com/nRH2euYAn1

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) March 31, 2021

Oddworld: Soulstorm is actually launching the same day it's available for PS5 PS Plus subscribers. It was shown in Sony's February 2021 State of Play, which is when it was given its April 6 release date. If you're excited for this game to drop next week, be sure to check out this 12-minute gameplay video featuring developer commentary from Oddworld creator, Lorne Lanning. Days Gone was originally released in 2019 as a PlayStation 4 game, but has since been given a PS5 update that allows the game to run at 60 FPS with a dynamic 4K resolution. You can check out our thoughts on the game in IGN's Days Gone review. If you're a PS5 PS Plus subscriber, you already have access to Days Gone as part of the PS Plus Collection. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/25/days-gone-review"] Zombie Army 4: Dead War was released last year and you can read our thoughts on the game in IGN's Zombie Army 4: Dead War review. If you're excited to jump into this game next week, check out this Dead Zeppelin trailer and then check out this video featuring co-op campaign gameplay running at a 4K resolution and 60 FPS. You have until April 5 to claim March's PS Plus offerings, which includes Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Farpoint VR, Remnant: From the Ashes, and Maquette. Oddworld: Soulstorm, Days Gone, and Zombie Army 4: Dead War will be available to download the following day on April 6. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Microsoft has announced that 16 backwards compatibility games from the Xbox Game Pass library have been added to the Xbox Cloud Gaming service, including Oblivion, Morrowind, and Fallout: New Vegas. The 16 games are from across the original Xbox and Xbox 360 libraries, and includes some classic Microsoft first-party games as well as Bethesda games recently added to Game Pass as part of the publishers acquisition by Microsoft. All of them can now be played on Android devices, streamed via the cloud. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/12/xbox-game-pass-play-20-iconic-bethesda-games-trailer"] The backwards compatibility games playable on Xbox Cloud Gaming are:

• Banjo-Kazooie
• Banjo-Tooie
• Double Dragon Neon
• Fable II
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Gears of War 2
• Gears of War 3
• Gears of War: Judgment
• Jetpac Refuelled (touch controls enabled)
• Kameo
• Perfect Dark
• Perfect Dark Zero
• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• Viva Piñata (touch controls enabled)
• Viva Piñata: TIP (touch controls enabled)

Xbox Cloud Gaming is available as part of Xbox Game Pass, so if you’ve been playing these games on your Xbox using Game Pass, you can simply carry on playing through the cloud on your phone. Earlier this month Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media was completed, and brought with it a whole host of Bethesda games to Xbox Game Pass. It means you can now play fan favourite Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion, on the go, or literally walk down the Vegas strip while walking down its future destroyed variant in Fallout: New Vegas. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

CD Projekt yesterday performed an extremely public self-reckoning (if not apology) for the messy messaging of Cyberpunk 2077. The company made clear that it will change its policies on marketing, to avoid misleading and disappointing players, many of whom were left confused by the intended final version of Cyberpunk 2077 after years of updates. Unfortunately, while doing so, it managed to confuse investors and consumers alike about a whole new issue. As part of a Strategy Update presentation, CD Projekt president Adam Kiciński explained that the company had 'reconsidered' its plans for a Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer component mode – but failed to fully explain what the upshot of that reconsideration will be. While we knew that the company had previously been working on a AAA Cyberpunk multiplayer experience alongside the single-player game, it was never clear whether that was a standalone game, an expansion of the existing game, or a hybrid of the two (in the vein of GTA Online, for example). In previous earnings calls (transcribed by Seeking Alpha), Kiciński has made clear that a spearate team was making multiplayer, and that, "we [at CD Projekt] think about it as a standalone product," – but crucially never went as far as saying it would be released as a standalone project. Kiciński's comments yesterday don't clear that up, neither do they actually specify what's now happening to that project. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/cyberpunk-2077s-multiplayer-is-being-reconsidered"] "Previously we hinted that our next AAA would be a multiplayer Cyberpunk game," he explained, "but we have decided to reconsider this plan given our new more systemic and agile approach. Instead of primarily focusing on one big online experience or game we are focusing on bringing online into all of our franchises one day." That tells us something has changed, but not exactly what. Cyberpunk multiplayer may have been delayed, it may have been cancelled, or it may be being retooled. Further, CD Projekt has now committed to adding online experiences to its future games, and says it's building technology to make sure that all of its single-player RPGs come with some kind of multiplayer connnectivity. What it hasn't said is whether that tech is close enough to use in Cyberpunk 2077 at some point – or if whatever the multiplayer mode was going to be could use that tech in some way. Equally, the messaging could mean we'll be waiting for a future Witcher or Cyberpunk sequel to see its online experiments. The result of all of this is that people are deeply confused about what exactly has happened (and what will happen) to Cyberpunk 2077's multiplayer – social media is filled with opposing takes on the meaning of those comments, questions about what's happened, and complaints from those who profess to have bought the game at least in part because of a promised multiplayer mode, and who are upset they may now not see it. Asked for clarification, CD Projekt Red told IGN that the statement above was "all we have to say." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/cd-projekt-red-will-work-on-cyberpunk-and-witcher-games-simultaneously"] That stance, and the confusion it's causing, became extremely clear during an Investor Q&A that followed the Strategy Update. In a short session, no fewer than five separate CD Projekt investors asked for clarification on what the plans for Cyberpunk multiplayer were. None got what they had come in looking for. The closest to an explanation came early on from Kiciński, who touched on the company's philosophy for multiplayer going forward, without directly explaining how that would be applied to Cyberpunk 2077: "Regarding online, we are changing our approach. We want to have online in our future games, definitely, but step-by-step. We are working on specific features, enhancing our single player, but we are not working on releasing the next game [as] a big online experience. So we'll be enhancing our single-player games with online experiences." "The only change is that we continue to work on [online] not as a main production line but as a supportive production line together with our single-player productions. But we believe that our ideas, once they will be revealed, will be very exciting for gamers as an extra experience in our world which fits our single-player games." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/cyberpunk-2077-update-12-the-biggest-changes-and-updates"] That haziness about the actual ideas behind all this led to a number of follow-up questions from investors. Matthew Walker of Credit Suisse put it perhaps most bluntly, when asking about the specific wording used in the original announcement: "I don't think I'm the only person on the call who is somewhat confused by this definition about 'online' vs. 'multiplayer'." He added: "I appreciate you don't want to reveal all your plans, but this is a pretty important thing that people have been waiting for, for quite a long time." No plans were revealed in response. This cuts to the heart of the issue. It's absolutely understandable - and admirable - that CD Projekt would want to alter its marketing approach, and provide more accurate updates over a shorter period of time before release. But this works for projects that haven't yet been announced, whereas Cyberpunk's multiplayer mode has been announced, and been discussed (at least obliquely) for years at this point. To go silent on a project fans are excited for – and investors have budget sheets pointed at – seems counter-productive. Asked for the fifth and final time about the mode in the Q&A, Kiciński (who sounded audibly tired at this point), replied more directly: "We are not ready to talk about any details," adding later, "I know it's hard for everyone, but we are trying to change our approach to talking about the future. We are more focused on how we work, less focused on our release plans." The problem CD Projekt faces is that its many interested parties are very focused on this particular release plan. The lack of concrete information, and the addition of more confusion, is yet another moment in a long, baffling campaign during which those who are most invested (in some cases literally) in Cyberpunk 2077 seem to be those left most without the answers they want. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

A leaked document reveals how Amazon recruited a number of ambassadors to defend the online reputation of the company and its CEO, Jeff Bezos. The Intercept published the internal document uncovering the secret project, which Amazon allegedly conceived in 2018 under the codename "Veritas." The 10-page dossier shares details of how the company handpicked employees, specifically those with a "clean HR record" and "great sense of humor," and then trained them to confront critics on social media and online forums in a "polite, blunt way." "To address speculation and false assertions in social media and online forums about the quality of the FC [Fulfillment Center] associate experience, we are creating a new social team staffed with active, tenured FC employees, who will be empowered to respond in a polite—but blunt—way to every untruth," reads the program summary. "FC Ambassadors ('FCA') will respond to all posts and comments from customers, influencers (including policymakers), and media questioning the FC associate experience." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/02/amazons-jeff-bezos-to-step-down-as-ceo"] As part of the training program, Amazon ambassadors were provided with examples of how to push back against criticism. Several of the draft responses, appearing on p.8, address negative remarks about worker conditions at Amazon fulfillment centers, as well as comments of condemnation from Senator Bernie Sanders, a longtime critic of the company, while others defend Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos. In one example, Sanders is described as having "tweeted about Jeff Bezos' wealth, promoting debate in the reply thread." An Amazon ambassador could then join the conversation, with a reply in support of Bezos, as per the example provided: "Everyone should be able to enjoy the money they've earned/saved. It's theirs. They should be able to do with it as they please. That includes Jeff Bezos." Another section of the document advises ambassadors on Twitter handle structures, with each employee required to create an account with a handle that takes the format of "@AmazonFC[Name]," though the document suggests that an emoji could also be added, "to give personality." Due to the near-identical formatting, some social media users believed that they were automated "bot" accounts. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/19/amazon-prime-video-review-2019"] Users with the "@AmazonFC[Name]" handle may need to widen their search to include Andy Jassy later this year, as the current chief executive of Amazon Web Services (AWS) is set to become Amazon's new CEO after Bezos announced that he would be resigning from the position during the third quarter of 2021. Bezos will transition to become the executive chair of Amazon's board. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Amnesia: Rebirth, the terrifying horror game from Frictional Game, has received a new, free Adventure Mode that removes the horror elements from the game. Yup, the update transforms the game into an "Indiana Jones type" of adventure, rather than a horrifying trip to the abyss. As detailed in a new developer diary, Frictional Games has removed all monster encounters and jump scares in the game for this mode, and has more brightly lit previously-dark areas of environments. The Adventure Mode is similar to the Safe Mode added to Frictional Games' last game, SOMA, except it goes even further to make the game less scary by removing any and all sights and sounds that impact player character Tasi's fear, which is one of the game's main mechanics. "We believe that anyone who loves a good story-driven adventure game will be stoked about this new mode," said Rebirth creative lead, Fredrik Olsson. "Not everyone is into horror and we don't want that to block people from experiencing Tasi's story." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/20/amnesia-rebirth-launch-trailer"] "The new mode feels a lot more like an Indiana Jones type of adventure in places where it would otherwise be more of a horror experience," said Olsson. This is achieved through the use of new, additional puzzles. According to Frictional Games, while the change does feel different, it causes the game to feel more like a "true Lovecraftian mystery adventure novel." That's only fitting, since the game is already quite Lovecraftian thanks to its 1930s Algerian desert setting. Amnesia: Rebirth still tackles its serious themes and contains its mysterious ambiance, though, according to the studio. With previously dark areas now lit in the game, Frictional Games says players "won't have the same feeling of claustrophobia and trepidation" meaning they can "explore freely without worrying about monsters or Tasi's mental state." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=25-scariest-games-of-this-generation&captions=true"] This new Adventure Mode is already available for free on PC and will hit the PlayStation 4 version of Amnesia: Rebirth in "the next few weeks." Check out our thoughts on the game in IGN's Amnesia: Rebirth review. If you're looking to jump into the game soon, be sure to check out IGN's Amnesia: Rebirth wiki guide and walkthrough. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

New maps have been added to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, including the classic Killhouse, despite Activision having seemingly ended support for the game after the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/01/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-review"] The new maps in Modern Warfare’s rotation are Killhouse, Al-Raab Airbase (a 6v6 map), and Drainage (a new map for the Gunfight mode). There is also a new Killhouse 24/7 playlist for anyone looking to play on Killhouse constantly. Killhouse is a classic COD map, and was originally featured in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and seen again in Modern Warfare Remastered as part of the Variety Map Pack. It’s based on the SAS killhouse, a mock battlefield used to train soldiers that is the setting for COD 4’s tutorial level.

A new Multiplayer map quietly went live in #ModernWarfare following tonight's update!

Killhouse and its accompanying 24/7 Mosh Pit playlist is now available. pic.twitter.com/nKlWMzvcwH — Call of Duty Tracker (@CODTracker) March 31, 2021

Oddly, these new maps have been added without any fanfare from Activision. Take a look at the Call of Duty Twitter account, and there’s tweets referencing the latest Black Ops Cold War and Warzone updates, but nothing about Modern Warfare. It’s been down to fans and accounts like Call of Duty Tracker to let people know about the update. For more from Call of Duty, check out the massive new Black Ops Cold War patch that reduces the game's huge file size, or our round up of the top roofs in Verdansk (they all make great Warzone sniper spots). [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Here's the reason Magik, Wolfsbane, and the rest of the team will arrive on HBO Max in April instead of Disney+.

Developer miHoYo has announced that a PlayStation 5 version of Genshin Impact will be launched “soon”, and will come with some enhancements. The upgraded version of Genshin Impact won’t be doing anything above and beyond, but will offer the expected 4K resolution with enhanced textures across “every part” of the game, as well as improved loading times thanks to the PS5’s SSD. So while Genshin Impact’s PS4 version is playable on the new console thanks to backward compatibility, this version will offer some noticeable improvements. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/31/genshin-impact-playstation-5-announcement-trailer"] "The PlayStation 5 is an ideal platform to enhance the vast open world featuring in Genshin Impact, allowing the team to incorporate more thoughts and ideas into the game, both now and in the future," said Forrest Liu, President of miHoYo. "That's why we've been working to bring the native PlayStation 5 version of the game to our players as soon as we could." No mention is made in the announcement of frame rate, but the game looks pretty smooth in the new trailer, which you can watch above. For more, check out the new Genshin Impact 1.4 update, which adds a dating sim and new festival to the game. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Hello Games has announced No Man's Sky Expeditions, a new update that adds multiple upgrades based around going on missions with friends. The update launches today. Expeditions' flagship feature is a new mode that features Rendezvous Planets; worlds where players all start in the same place and can embark on Expeditions together across the galaxy. These Expeditions can be planned using a new Expedition Planner menu, which will help keep everyone in the team focused. Expeditions are made up of phases, which are split into milestone challenges. While this does add focus, Hello Games promises that milestones are open ended and can be completed in any order, which preserves the freeform nature of the game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/31/no-mans-sky-expeditions-trailer"] Working as a group, you'll be able to unlock mission patches as you complete milestones, as well as unlock new rewards with the community. While the co-operation aspects make up the main features of Expeditions, the update includes a large number of other, quality of life improvements. A new jetpack will be available, as well as the ability to call in walkers Titanfall-style. The UI has been updated and is now in 4K, and new colour-blind support is available. Twitch drop support has been added, as well as cross platform naming mergers, improved ping system, and better text chat. You can also unlock golden helmet and ship rewards. A new on-going season system will also be present. For more from No Man's Sky, check out the update that lets you adopt a pet alien, and the enhancements made to the next-generation version for PS5/Xbox Series X. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

David Ayer has expressed his desire to release his original cut of Suicide Squad, following the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max. In an interview with EW, Ayer reinforced the need for the #ReleaseTheAyerCut campaign by vocalizing how "amazing" his director's cut of the 2016 film was prior to the alleged involvement from the studio — after previously claiming that his "soulful drama was beaten into a comedy" by studio executives after the mixed reception of Batman v Superman and the blockbuster status of Deadpool. "I get it, it's a business," Ayer told EW, speaking on the subject again. "It's frustrating because I made a really heartfelt drama and it got ripped to pieces and they tried to turn it into Deadpool, which it just wasn't supposed to be. And then you take the hit, you're the captain of the ship, my name was on it. [Laughs] Even though it didn't represent what I actually made, I would take all the bullets and be a good soldier. I made an amazing movie. It's an amazing movie, it just scared the s*** out of the executives." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/27/the-10-best-dceu-movie-heroes"] While Ayer indicated that he understood the reason for the studio taking a business-minded approach to his Suicide Squad cut, he noted that community-driven initiatives may be exactly what the industry needs in order to spark a change in the way that studios look at projects, perhaps opening up the potential for "different things, different versions, different assets" being shared with an audience. "I think the studios see now that there can be canon, there can be non-canon, the fans just want to touch it," Ayer explained. "They love the characters, they just want to spend more time with it. And people are way more sophisticated about how movies are made and want to be participants in the journey. There's room for different things, different versions, different assets being shared with the audience. I think it just helps strengthen the community." Ayer credited Warner Bros. for supporting Zack Snyder and "having the courage to explore" his version of Justice League after a legion of fans coalesced into an online collective that, ultimately, executives could not ignore, resulting, in part, with the studio giving them exactly what they demanded by announcing plans last year to move ahead with the Snyder cut of Justice League. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dc-extended-universe-every-upcoming-movie&captions=true"] Some have speculated that the four-hour director's cut of Justice League could pave the way for the Ayer cut, given the equally tumultuous postproduction history of that DC film. Ayer himself has spoken about the significant differences between his version of the film and the one released in theaters, including an alternate main villain, stronger ties to Justice League, and much more of Jared Leto's Joker. However, WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff recently shot down any possibility of an "Ayer Cut" of 2016's Suicide Squad being greenlit, as the studio has now seemingly shifted its focus to the release of James Gunn's upcoming sequel, The Suicide Squad, which is just one of several major Warner Bros. films hitting theaters and HBO Max simultaneously this year, along with The Matrix 4 and Mortal Kombat. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.