A new, remote-first games studio aims to build a company built on the health of its employees and the world. This philosophy has attracted talent from across the industry including veterans who’ve worked on games like Marvel’s Spider-Man, What Remains of Edith Finch, Journey, Fallout 4, and more.

The studio is called Gardens and is co-founded by Chris Bell (Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch), Lexie Dostal (Dustforce), and Stephen Bell (Blaseball, What Remains of Edith Finch.). Gardens already has plans for its first game, which is set to be an online game where players will interact with each other within a mysterious and magical world. It will build upon the online games the team has built in the past including Journey, Ashen, and Blaseball.

Check out the concept art below.

This remote studio, with employees primarily based out of Portland, OR and Los Angeles, CA, was named after the kind of games the team is looking to create which are “artfully-crafted, living environments” primarily focused on online multiplayer experiences.

“With Gardens, we wanted to create a studio that cares as much about the health, happiness, and wellbeing of its team members as we do the craftsmanship of the games we create together,” says Bell in a statement on the studio’s founding.

Gardens has already attracted veterans with experience working on a wide range of games. Alongside the founders, the studio has a team that includes Leighton Milne (Asen, The Hobbit), Ryan Benno (Spider-Man, Ratchet & Clank), ma-ko, Sarah Sands (Fullbright), Rose Dale (Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout 4), Roldan Melcon (Where Cards Fall), and Tonia Beglari (Monster Hunter Iceborne XR Walk).

“I decided to join Gardens after my first meeting with the founders,” says Sands who had previously left the games industry entirely before speaking with Gardens' founders. “I’m thankful every day that I get to help build a studio that is focused as much on creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected as it is on creating amazing innovative games.”

After receiving a round of funding, Gardens is also looking to hire and build up the team as it gets to work on its first online game.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

PlayStation plans to release "more than 10" live service games by March 2026, a feat that will be helped by its acquisition of Bungie.

Speaking during Sony's latest earnings call, CFO Hiroki Totoki said, "Through close collaboration with Bungie and the PlayStation Studios, we aim to launch more than 10 live service games by the fiscal year ending March 31 2026."

Live service games are games that are updated with new content over time, often making the majority of their money through in-game purchases, rather than initial sales. Totoki pointed to a huge jump in revenue from these kinds of games as part of the reason for Sony pursuing the model:

"From calendar year 2014 to calendar year 2021, the size of the global game content market doubled, driven by add-on content revenue from live game services, which grew at an average annual rate of 15% during this period. We expect this trend to continue going forward."

Bungie's early investment into live service games with the launch of Destiny in 2014 allowed it to accumulate "a wealth of experience and superb technology in the space," Totoki said, something Sony sees as a major asset in acquiring the studio.

"The strategic significance of this acquisition lies not only in obtaining the highly successful Destiny franchise as well as major new IP that Bungie is currently developing," explained Totoki, "but also in incorporating into the Sony group the expertise and technologies that Bungie has developed in the live game services space.

"We intend to utilize these strengths when developing game IP at the PlayStation Studios, as we expand into the live game services area."

It will be something of a major shift for first-party Sony games, which have tended to focus on single-player narrative experiences in recent years, often to huge acclaim. It's unlikely that Sony will abandon that strategy, but it feels likely that live service games will become a major part of the company's output.

Bungie is already working on a "comedic" new IP that is quite possibly a part of the selection of live service games that Sony plans on releasing.

Interestingly, while these may be first-party games, they may not be the exclusives that Sony is notable for sticking to. Totoki also said the company plans to extend its presence across non-PlayStation platforms, referencing the recent success of God of War on PC. "We intend to acquire new users and increased engagement on platforms other than PlayStation," he said.

This push could be tied to the Xbox Game Pass competitor that Sony is reportedly working on, but could also mean its continued release of first-party PlayStation games on PC, and the work of Bungie in a multiplaform space.

The combination of live service titles and mutliplatform releases is something Sony is banking on as a huge revenue driver in the coming years: "Catalyzed by the acquisition of Bungie," continued Totoki, "we intend to accelerate the growth of our first-party game software revenue, aiming to more than double the amount by FY 2025."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

PlayStation plans to release "more than 10" live service games by March 2026, a feat that will be helped by its acquisition of Bungie.

Speaking during Sony's latest earnings call, CFO Hiroki Totoki said, "Through close collaboration with Bungie and the PlayStation Studios, we aim to launch more than 10 live service games by the fiscal year ending March 31 2026."

Live service games are games that are updated with new content over time, often making the majority of their money through in-game purchases, rather than initial sales. Totoki pointed to a huge jump in revenue from these kinds of games as part of the reason for Sony pursuing the model:

"From calendar year 2014 to calendar year 2021, the size of the global game content market doubled, driven by add-on content revenue from live game services, which grew at an average annual rate of 15% during this period. We expect this trend to continue going forward."

Bungie's early investment into live service games with the launch of Destiny in 2014 allowed it to accumulate "a wealth of experience and superb technology in the space," Totoki said, something Sony sees as a major asset in acquiring the studio.

"The strategic significance of this acquisition lies not only in obtaining the highly successful Destiny franchise as well as major new IP that Bungie is currently developing," explained Totoki, "but also in incorporating into the Sony group the expertise and technologies that Bungie has developed in the live game services space.

"We intend to utilize these strengths when developing game IP at the PlayStation Studios, as we expand into the live game services area."

It will be something of a major shift for first-party Sony games, which have tended to focus on single-player narrative experiences in recent years, often to huge acclaim. It's unlikely that Sony will abandon that strategy, but it feels likely that live service games will become a major part of the company's output.

Bungie is already working on a "comedic" new IP that is quite possibly a part of the selection of live service games that Sony plans on releasing.

Interestingly, while these may be first-party games, they may not be the exclusives that Sony is notable for sticking to. Totoki also said the company plans to extend its presence across non-PlayStation platforms, referencing the recent success of God of War on PC. "We intend to acquire new users and increased engagement on platforms other than PlayStation," he said.

This push could be tied to the Xbox Game Pass competitor that Sony is reportedly working on, but could also mean its continued release of first-party PlayStation games on PC, and the work of Bungie in a multiplaform space.

The combination of live service titles and mutliplatform releases is something Sony is banking on as a huge revenue driver in the coming years: "Catalyzed by the acquisition of Bungie," continued Totoki, "we intend to accelerate the growth of our first-party game software revenue, aiming to more than double the amount by FY 2025."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

The latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett is causing quite a stir… and there are a ton of spoilers spreading across social media.

Episode 6 of the hit Star Wars TV series dropped on Disney+ earlier today, and it’s already sending Star Wars fans into a frenzy. Titled “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger”, the latest episode features call-backs from across the Star Wars universe.

These are already all over social media – to the point where even lists of Twitter's trending terms contain multiple spoiler-y references to the new episode. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, it's probably best to stay away from social media altogether until you're done.

Warning: The remainder of this article contains spoilers for the latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett!

Episode 6 of the Star Wars spin-off has the show’s title character taking a bit of a back seat for the second week in a row (something that's definitely a point of interest to this writer).

That makes two episodes in a row where the main character has been sidelined, allowing The Mandalorian’s Din Djarin to drive the story forward. Yes, of course, the Mando is back once again. But this time, he’s brought more than a few friends… and they’re trending all over Twitter.

Ahsoka Tano

The badass Jedi is back this week after her first appearance in The Mandalorian.

This week, Din Djarin is off to track down Grogu to give him a special piece of armor that was crafted from his Beskar spear. Djarin has clearly taken his commitment to the foundling seriously, with a gift of Beskar chain mail that will keep the child safe.

But as he finds Grogu and Luke during the child’s training, he’s confronted by a familiar face.

Tano tells The Mandalorian that his presence will make it harder for Grogu, who is already struggling to let go of his attachment. Ultimately, the Mando gives Tano the armor to give to Grogu… and flies off into the sunset.

Luke Skywalker

Our favorite Jedi is back as we get a glimpse at Grogu’s Jedi training.

Attempting to rebuild the Jedi order, it looks as though Skywalker is building his own temple, and he wants Grogu to be its first student. But the return of Din Djarin throws a spanner in the works – reawakening the attachment that Skywalker is trying to get him to leave behind.

Given the Beskar armor from Djarin, Skywalker gives Grogu a choice – he can have the armour, or Master Yoda’s very own lightsaber. But whichever he chooses will seal his fate – the armour takes him back to The Mandalorian while the lightsaber allows him to stay and learn the ways of the Jedi.

And poor Grogu clearly doesn’t know what to do.

The Marshal

We first met Cobb Vanth in The Mandalorian episode, “Chapter 9: The Marshal”.

Having bought Boba Fett’s original armor from some Jawas, Vanth was using it during his duties as the Marshal of Mos Pelgo – a Tatooine mining town now known as Freetown. The Marshal soon ran into The Mandalorian however, and eventually gave up the armor, as an agreement between the two for saving the outpost from a Krayt Dragon.

The Marshal’s return this week was part of Din Djarin's plan to recruit help for Boba Fett. But while he made a convincing argument, it all went sideways with the return of a lone wanderer…

Cad Bane

That’s right – The Clone Wars favorite Cad Bane is back. And he looks cooler than ever.

Swaggering into Freetown for a confrontation with The Marshal, it looks as though Bane is working for The Pyke Syndicate. He warns the town that there will be trouble unless they let the spice flow through – the Syndicate previously trafficking it through the town.

The Marshal is having none of it, which results in a rather cool wild-west-style shoot-out. But disaster strikes when the Marshal is gunned down. Cad Bane strolls off into the sunset, leaving the fate of the Marshal unknown. But it looks as though one of the coolest bounty hunters in the galaxy is back.

As you can see, there’s a ton of spoilerific stuff in this week’s episode of The Book of Boba Fett… and Star Wars fans are clearly excited about it.

But where is it all leading? If you ask me, the show has to be building up to something big. The folks at Disney and Lucasfilm aren’t stupid, and with spin-off series mastermind Dave Filoni behind this latest episode, it feels as though it’s all leading somewhere. After all, they wouldn’t sideline the show’s main character for nothing, right?

Our review of the episode gives it a 7/10, saying that "the storytelling is, once again, less concerned with its protagonist than it is The Mandalorian and the repurposing of nostalgic Star Wars elements. Are the writers bored with Boba Fett?"

The Book of Boba Fett starts Temuera Morrison as the classic Star Wars bounty hunter alongside Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand. Rosario Dawson returned as Ahsoka Tano along with Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth, and Corey Burton as Cad Bane.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett is causing quite a stir… and there are a ton of spoilers spreading across social media.

Episode 6 of the hit Star Wars TV series dropped on Disney+ earlier today, and it’s already sending Star Wars fans into a frenzy. Titled “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger”, the latest episode features call-backs from across the Star Wars universe.

These are already all over social media – to the point where even lists of Twitter's trending terms contain multiple spoiler-y references to the new episode. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, it's probably best to stay away from social media altogether until you're done.

Warning: The remainder of this article contains spoilers for the latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett!

Episode 6 of the Star Wars spin-off has the show’s title character taking a bit of a back seat for the second week in a row (something that's definitely a point of interest to this writer).

That makes two episodes in a row where the main character has been sidelined, allowing The Mandalorian’s Din Djarin to drive the story forward. Yes, of course, the Mando is back once again. But this time, he’s brought more than a few friends… and they’re trending all over Twitter.

Ahsoka Tano

The badass Jedi is back this week after her first appearance in The Mandalorian.

This week, Din Djarin is off to track down Grogu to give him a special piece of armor that was crafted from his Beskar spear. Djarin has clearly taken his commitment to the foundling seriously, with a gift of Beskar chain mail that will keep the child safe.

But as he finds Grogu and Luke during the child’s training, he’s confronted by a familiar face.

Tano tells The Mandalorian that his presence will make it harder for Grogu, who is already struggling to let go of his attachment. Ultimately, the Mando gives Tano the armor to give to Grogu… and flies off into the sunset.

Luke Skywalker

Our favorite Jedi is back as we get a glimpse at Grogu’s Jedi training.

Attempting to rebuild the Jedi order, it looks as though Skywalker is building his own temple, and he wants Grogu to be its first student. But the return of Din Djarin throws a spanner in the works – reawakening the attachment that Skywalker is trying to get him to leave behind.

Given the Beskar armor from Djarin, Skywalker gives Grogu a choice – he can have the armour, or Master Yoda’s very own lightsaber. But whichever he chooses will seal his fate – the armour takes him back to The Mandalorian while the lightsaber allows him to stay and learn the ways of the Jedi.

And poor Grogu clearly doesn’t know what to do.

The Marshal

We first met Cobb Vanth in The Mandalorian episode, “Chapter 9: The Marshal”.

Having bought Boba Fett’s original armor from some Jawas, Vanth was using it during his duties as the Marshal of Mos Pelgo – a Tatooine mining town now known as Freetown. The Marshal soon ran into The Mandalorian however, and eventually gave up the armor, as an agreement between the two for saving the outpost from a Krayt Dragon.

The Marshal’s return this week was part of Din Djarin's plan to recruit help for Boba Fett. But while he made a convincing argument, it all went sideways with the return of a lone wanderer…

Cad Bane

That’s right – The Clone Wars favorite Cad Bane is back. And he looks cooler than ever.

Swaggering into Freetown for a confrontation with The Marshal, it looks as though Bane is working for The Pyke Syndicate. He warns the town that there will be trouble unless they let the spice flow through – the Syndicate previously trafficking it through the town.

The Marshal is having none of it, which results in a rather cool wild-west-style shoot-out. But disaster strikes when the Marshal is gunned down. Cad Bane strolls off into the sunset, leaving the fate of the Marshal unknown. But it looks as though one of the coolest bounty hunters in the galaxy is back.

As you can see, there’s a ton of spoilerific stuff in this week’s episode of The Book of Boba Fett… and Star Wars fans are clearly excited about it.

But where is it all leading? If you ask me, the show has to be building up to something big. The folks at Disney and Lucasfilm aren’t stupid, and with spin-off series mastermind Dave Filoni behind this latest episode, it feels as though it’s all leading somewhere. After all, they wouldn’t sideline the show’s main character for nothing, right?

Our review of the episode gives it a 7/10, saying that "the storytelling is, once again, less concerned with its protagonist than it is The Mandalorian and the repurposing of nostalgic Star Wars elements. Are the writers bored with Boba Fett?"

The Book of Boba Fett starts Temuera Morrison as the classic Star Wars bounty hunter alongside Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand. Rosario Dawson returned as Ahsoka Tano along with Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth, and Corey Burton as Cad Bane.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

IGN is delighted to announce that reporter Rebekah Valentine has won the New York Game Awards' Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism.

Rebekah was honored "for her work investigating workplace misconduct at video game studios, and for elevating marginalized voices in her coverage of a game about the war in Iraq," spanning her time at both IGN and GamesIndustry.

At IGN, Rebekah has revealed long-standing culture issues within Bungie, reported on the complex reaction to the creation of Six Days in Fallujah, and consistently shone a light on lesser-seen games, among many other pieces of excellent work.

At GamesIndustry, she demonstrated an expertise with business reporting, and notably revealed a toxic working environment at Season developer Scavengers Studio. Rebekah previously won Top Gaming Journalist of the Year at the inaugural GameHERS awards.

I, the wider IGN news team, and everyone at IGN send our congratulations to Rebekah for this richly deserved award.

The New York Game Awards 2022 were announced yesterday, February 1, and included Psychonauts 2 as Game of the Year and Best World, Sable as Best Indie Game and Best Music, and more.

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.

IGN is delighted to announce that reporter Rebekah Valentine has won the New York Game Awards' Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism.

Rebekah was honored "for her work investigating workplace misconduct at video game studios, and for elevating marginalized voices in her coverage of a game about the war in Iraq," spanning her time at both IGN and GamesIndustry.

At IGN, Rebekah has revealed long-standing culture issues within Bungie, reported on the complex reaction to the creation of Six Days in Fallujah, and consistently shone a light on lesser-seen games, among many other pieces of excellent work.

At GamesIndustry, she demonstrated an expertise with business reporting, and notably revealed a toxic working environment at Season developer Scavengers Studio. Rebekah previously won Top Gaming Journalist of the Year at the inaugural GameHERS awards.

I, the wider IGN news team, and everyone at IGN send our congratulations to Rebekah for this richly deserved award.

The New York Game Awards 2022 were announced yesterday, February 1, and included Psychonauts 2 as Game of the Year and Best World, Sable as Best Indie Game and Best Music, and more.

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.

The winners of the New York Game Awards 2022 have been announced, with Psychonauts 2 scoring the top honor after triumphing in the Best Game of the Year category.

The 11th annual New York Game Awards took place overnight, with a virtual event that celebrated the best games, actors, journalists, and esports athletes of the past year. Psychonauts 2 emerged as one of the big winners of the night after being named Best Game of the Year while also receiving the Statue of Liberty Award for Best World.

Shedworks' Sable took home two trophies on the night, one for Best Music and the other for Best Indie Game, having been nominated alongside Death's Door, Genesis Noir, and several others. Capcom's Resident Evil franchise was also celebrated at the event, with Maggie Robertson being recognized for her role as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village.

IGN is also thrilled to announce that investigative reporter Rebekah Valentine became the recipient of the Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism, where she had been nominated amongst a top list of creative people for her distinguished contributions in the field during the most recent awards year.

The full list of winners from the New York Game Awards 2022 follows:

Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year

• Psychonauts 2 - WINNER
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Deathloop
• Dorfromantik
• Halo Infinite
• Life Is Strange: True Colors
• Metroid Dread
• Resident Evil: Village

Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game

• Sable - WINNER
• Before I forget
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Death's Door
• ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights
• Genesis Noir
• Little Nightmares 2
• Wildermyth

Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game

• Life Is Strange: True Colors - WINNER
• Chicken Police – Paint It Red
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
• Persona 5 Strikers
• Psychonauts 2
• Resident Evil: Village
• Strangeland

Statue of Liberty Award for Best World

• Psychonauts 2 - WINNER
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Chicken Police – Paint it Red
• Exo One
• Far Cry 6
• Monster Hunter Rise
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil: Village

Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game

• Sable - WINNER
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Everhood
• Far Cry 6 – Pedro Bromfman
• Genesis Noir
• Life Is Strange: True Colors
• NBA 2K 22

Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game

• Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village - WINNER
• Erika Mori as Alex Chen in Life Is Strange: True Colors
• Giancarlo Esposito in Far Cry 6
• Michael Mando as Vass Montengro in Far Cry 6: Vaas - Insanity
• Ozioma Akagha as Julianna Blake in Deathloop
• Sera-Lys McArthur as Thunderbird in Rainbow Six Siege: North Star

Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR Game

• Resident Evil 4 VR - WINNER
• Floor Plan 2
• Mare – Quest
• Ragnarock
• Star Wars Pinball VR
• Traffic Jams

Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game

• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - WINNER
• Bowser's Fury from Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Death's Door
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Miitopia

A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game

• NieR Re[in]carnation - WINNER
• Fantasian
• Crash on the Run
• Marvel Future Revolution
• Pikmin Bloom
• Queen Rock Tour
• Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes

Freedom Tower Award for Best Remake

• Resident Evil 4 VR - WINNER
• The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
• Mass Effect Legendary Edition
• Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
• Shadow Man Remastered
• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Captain Award for Best Esports Team

• Natus Vincere a.k.a. Na'Vi (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) - WINNER
• Atlanta FaZe Clan (Call of Duty League)
• EDward Gaming (League of Legends)
• Team Spirit (Dota 2)

Joltin' Joe Award for Best Esports Player of the Year

• Genki "Gen" Kumisaka (Tekken 7 for Donuts USG) - WINNER
• Chris "Simp" Lehr (Call of Duty for Atlanta FaZe)
• Lee "Scout" Ye-chan (League of Legends for EDward Gaming)
• Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for Natus Vincere)
• Tyson "TenZ" Ngo (Valorant for Sentinels)
• Xin "Leave" Huang (Overwatch League for Chengdu Hunters)

Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism

• Rebekah Valentine – Investigative reporting - WINNER
• People Make Games – Video Series
• Megan Farokhmanesh – Investigative reporting
• Zoya Street – Essay
• Renata Price – Reviews
• Kirsten Grind, Ben Fritz, and Sarah E. Needleman – Activision/Kotick Investigations

In addition to this round-up of winners, Double Fine founder Tim Schafer was the recipient of the Andrew Yoon Legend Award at this year's New York Game Awards. Each year, this accolade is bestowed upon an individual who has exhibited "a significant, sustained body of work that shows exceptional achievement and innovation."

If you'd like to find out more about the New York Game Awards' Game of the Year, check out IGN's review of Psychonauts 2, which commends Double Fine for expanding the universe toward both "grander and more intimate without losing the joyous childhood adventure vibes of the original," with a "weird and wonderfully written story" full of "interesting, nuanced characters."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

The winners of the New York Game Awards 2022 have been announced, with Psychonauts 2 scoring the top honor after triumphing in the Best Game of the Year category.

The 11th annual New York Game Awards took place overnight, with a virtual event that celebrated the best games, actors, journalists, and esports athletes of the past year. Psychonauts 2 emerged as one of the big winners of the night after being named Best Game of the Year while also receiving the Statue of Liberty Award for Best World.

Shedworks' Sable took home two trophies on the night, one for Best Music and the other for Best Indie Game, having been nominated alongside Death's Door, Genesis Noir, and several others. Capcom's Resident Evil franchise was also celebrated at the event, with Maggie Robertson being recognized for her role as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village.

IGN is also thrilled to announce that investigative reporter Rebekah Valentine became the recipient of the Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism, where she had been nominated amongst a top list of creative people for her distinguished contributions in the field during the most recent awards year.

The full list of winners from the New York Game Awards 2022 follows:

Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year

• Psychonauts 2 - WINNER
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Deathloop
• Dorfromantik
• Halo Infinite
• Life Is Strange: True Colors
• Metroid Dread
• Resident Evil: Village

Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game

• Sable - WINNER
• Before I forget
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Death's Door
• ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights
• Genesis Noir
• Little Nightmares 2
• Wildermyth

Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game

• Life Is Strange: True Colors - WINNER
• Chicken Police – Paint It Red
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
• Persona 5 Strikers
• Psychonauts 2
• Resident Evil: Village
• Strangeland

Statue of Liberty Award for Best World

• Psychonauts 2 - WINNER
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Chicken Police – Paint it Red
• Exo One
• Far Cry 6
• Monster Hunter Rise
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil: Village

Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game

• Sable - WINNER
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Everhood
• Far Cry 6 – Pedro Bromfman
• Genesis Noir
• Life Is Strange: True Colors
• NBA 2K 22

Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game

• Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village - WINNER
• Erika Mori as Alex Chen in Life Is Strange: True Colors
• Giancarlo Esposito in Far Cry 6
• Michael Mando as Vass Montengro in Far Cry 6: Vaas - Insanity
• Ozioma Akagha as Julianna Blake in Deathloop
• Sera-Lys McArthur as Thunderbird in Rainbow Six Siege: North Star

Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR Game

• Resident Evil 4 VR - WINNER
• Floor Plan 2
• Mare – Quest
• Ragnarock
• Star Wars Pinball VR
• Traffic Jams

Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game

• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - WINNER
• Bowser's Fury from Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale
• Death's Door
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Miitopia

A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game

• NieR Re[in]carnation - WINNER
• Fantasian
• Crash on the Run
• Marvel Future Revolution
• Pikmin Bloom
• Queen Rock Tour
• Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes

Freedom Tower Award for Best Remake

• Resident Evil 4 VR - WINNER
• The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
• Mass Effect Legendary Edition
• Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
• Shadow Man Remastered
• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Captain Award for Best Esports Team

• Natus Vincere a.k.a. Na'Vi (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) - WINNER
• Atlanta FaZe Clan (Call of Duty League)
• EDward Gaming (League of Legends)
• Team Spirit (Dota 2)

Joltin' Joe Award for Best Esports Player of the Year

• Genki "Gen" Kumisaka (Tekken 7 for Donuts USG) - WINNER
• Chris "Simp" Lehr (Call of Duty for Atlanta FaZe)
• Lee "Scout" Ye-chan (League of Legends for EDward Gaming)
• Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for Natus Vincere)
• Tyson "TenZ" Ngo (Valorant for Sentinels)
• Xin "Leave" Huang (Overwatch League for Chengdu Hunters)

Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism

• Rebekah Valentine – Investigative reporting - WINNER
• People Make Games – Video Series
• Megan Farokhmanesh – Investigative reporting
• Zoya Street – Essay
• Renata Price – Reviews
• Kirsten Grind, Ben Fritz, and Sarah E. Needleman – Activision/Kotick Investigations

In addition to this round-up of winners, Double Fine founder Tim Schafer was the recipient of the Andrew Yoon Legend Award at this year's New York Game Awards. Each year, this accolade is bestowed upon an individual who has exhibited "a significant, sustained body of work that shows exceptional achievement and innovation."

If you'd like to find out more about the New York Game Awards' Game of the Year, check out IGN's review of Psychonauts 2, which commends Double Fine for expanding the universe toward both "grander and more intimate without losing the joyous childhood adventure vibes of the original," with a "weird and wonderfully written story" full of "interesting, nuanced characters."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Sony's PlayStation 5 has already outsold Nintendo's Wii U, despite only being available for just over a year.

Announced in the company's most recent earnings releases, Sony revealed that over 17.3 million PS5s were sold as of December 31. 2021. The Wii U reached just 13.56 million sales in its lifetime.

The PS5 had a stellar year financially, outselling the PS4 in its first fiscal year, breaking the Nintendo Switch's 33-month streak at the top of US hardware sales, and being the fastest-selling console in U.S. history in both unit and dollar sales.

Its sales have also been restricted by the ongoing chip shortage that will remain very tight until at least September. Both Sony and Microsoft have suffered from a lack of chips that are found in graphics cards, gaming consoles, and more.

The PS5 still has a ways to go before it enters the best-selling consoles of all time list, of course. The PS4 has sold 116.9 million units (which will continue to rise), the Game Boy and Game Boy Color sold 118.69 million, the Nintendo DS reached 154.02 million units and the PlayStation 2 remains in first place with 159 million units sold.

While the Wii U has been left behind, the current Nintendo Switch console will certainly put up more of a fight when it comes to sales records. The Switch has sold over 92 million units since it was launched in 2017, contributing to Nintendo's most profitable year on record in 2021 with operating profit up 81% year-on-year.

Of course, many people will be interested in how Xbox Series X and S stack up in sales figures against PS5. Sadly, Microsoft doesn't release official sales numbers for its consoles, making it a little difficult to judge where they're at. However, we think the console race might be closer than you'd think.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.