Final Fantasy 14 6.1 patch will be released on April 12th, and Square Enix has released a new trailer and patch notes detailing the upcoming adventure.

Titled “Newfound Adventure,” Patch 6.1 picks up after the finale in Endwalker. While the new patch will include new dungeons, a new 24-player Alliance Raid, and Trial, it will also allow players to complete A Realm Reborn content solo with the help of NPCs.

Below is a breakdown of the new content coming to Final Fantasy 14 in 6.1.

• New Main Scenario Quests
• New 24-Player Alliance Raid
• New Ultimate Duty - Dragonson’s Reprise in Patch 6.11
• New Tribal Quest starting with Patch 6.15
• New Residential Areas with plots in Empyreum, the new Ishgardian residential district.
• New Trial: The Minster’s Ballad: Endsinger’s Aria, a new Extreme Trial.
• Adventure Plates (Beta Version) - Player portraits can be customized to include lighting, animation, and camera angles using a character’s current appearance.
• PvP Updates for small-scale PvP content, Cystaliline Conflict, plus a new rewards system and PvP schedule.
• PvP gear inspired by the Japanese TV hit GARO returns.

Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker is the most recent expansion for the hit MMORPG and concludes the major storyline that began with A Realm Reborn. With one ultimate evil defeated, adventurers begin a new journey starting with Patch 6.1.

Check out IGN’s review of Final Fantasy 14 Endalker here.

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

Image Credit: Square Enix.

Fair or not, Dragon Age: Inquisition is often compared with The Witcher 3. Released just a few months beforehand, Dragon Age: Inquisition garnered Game of the Year awards and was generally praised by critics, but wound up drawing unfavorable comparisons to CD Projekt Red's seminal RPG.

But The Witcher 3 had at least one major advantage over its competition. Speaking with GLHF for an article on USA Today, former BioWare GM Aaryn Flynn pointed out that CDPR's decision to focus on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC benefited the project immensely compared to Dragon Age: Inquisition, which also had to work on Xbox 360 and PS3.

"I'd say the biggest compromise came from the fact that we had to ship [Dragon Age: Inquisition] on the Xbox 360 and PS3 at the same time as we did on the PS4 and Xbox One," Flynn remembers.

"That crushed so much ambition because we didn’t have the team size or the time to differentiate those things, truly. So you had to kind of develop the lowest common denominator. And as that came in, that certainly beat out some expectations and ambitions we had for certain fun features in gameplay. In contrast, CD Projekt didn't do that with The Witcher 3, a few months later, and I think their game was better for it."

Released at the tail end of 2014, Dragon Age: Inquisition was a sprawling RPG based on exploration, relationship-building, and recruiting new characters to your growing headquarters. It was noted for the scope of its world, but criticized for its somewhat basic combat system and surplus of fetch quests.

Behind the scenes, Flynn says that BioWare struggled not just with fitting their massive RPG on previous-gen consoles, but with EA's proprietary Frostbite Engine. Flynn describes working within the constraints of an engine originally created to support DICE's Battlefield series as a "herculean effort."

"To bend it to make RPG elements was certainly a challenge," Flynn says. “It resulted in compromises and things that we certainly didn't want to do if it weren’t for the technology limitations. But the team found incredibly clever and reasonable ways around that whenever they could. I haven't touched it in five years, so I can’t tell you where it’s at now, but I still see the bugs being recorded by players and other games and go, 'Ah, that’s too bad.'"

Frostbite has been something of a sore point for EA over the years. FIFA and Madden both struggled to adapt to the engine, and NHL refused to use the technology until the release of NHL 22. Whenever development struggles have arisen at EA, the Frostbite Engine has tended to be at the center of it.

But BioWare has struggled more than most. Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Anthem all had issues as BioWare dealt with poor internal support and built new tools from scratch. Its most successful project since Dragon Age: Inquisition — Mass Effect Legendary Edition — stuck with the older Unreal Engine 3.

"Being a programmer, I underestimated the difficulty that Frostbite was presenting to our dev teams, and I wish I'd have done a better job of communicating that to the top brass at EA," Flynn says. "I wish I'd been understanding of the friction the engine created for us building a very different kind of game. I see it now in the news reports and in the press, so I kind of get it, but I think I could have done a better job. I could have used the fact that I had a history of engineering to better communicate things rather than believing and trusting the way engineers are smart, we'll figure it out as we sometimes have in the past."

These days Flynn is the CEO of Inflexion Games, a new studio that is working on Nightingale, a survival game that will allow players to explore a "seemingly endless" number of Fae-inhabited realms.

As for BioWare, it's still working on Dragon Age 4, which has reportedly been rebooted multiple times over the course of its development process. BioWare says that it is currently "right in the middle of production," and that the new game will focus on a single-player experience. There is no word on a release date for the project.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Fair or not, Dragon Age: Inquisition is often compared with The Witcher 3. Released just a few months beforehand, Dragon Age: Inquisition garnered Game of the Year awards and was generally praised by critics, but wound up drawing unfavorable comparisons to CD Projekt Red's seminal RPG.

But The Witcher 3 had at least one major advantage over its competition. Speaking with GLHF for an article on USA Today, former BioWare GM Aaryn Flynn pointed out that CDPR's decision to focus on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC benefited the project immensely compared to Dragon Age: Inquisition, which also had to work on Xbox 360 and PS3.

"I'd say the biggest compromise came from the fact that we had to ship [Dragon Age: Inquisition] on the Xbox 360 and PS3 at the same time as we did on the PS4 and Xbox One," Flynn remembers.

"That crushed so much ambition because we didn’t have the team size or the time to differentiate those things, truly. So you had to kind of develop the lowest common denominator. And as that came in, that certainly beat out some expectations and ambitions we had for certain fun features in gameplay. In contrast, CD Projekt didn't do that with The Witcher 3, a few months later, and I think their game was better for it."

Released at the tail end of 2014, Dragon Age: Inquisition was a sprawling RPG based on exploration, relationship-building, and recruiting new characters to your growing headquarters. It was noted for the scope of its world, but criticized for its somewhat basic combat system and surplus of fetch quests.

Behind the scenes, Flynn says that BioWare struggled not just with fitting their massive RPG on previous-gen consoles, but with EA's proprietary Frostbite Engine. Flynn describes working within the constraints of an engine originally created to support DICE's Battlefield series as a "herculean effort."

"To bend it to make RPG elements was certainly a challenge," Flynn says. “It resulted in compromises and things that we certainly didn't want to do if it weren’t for the technology limitations. But the team found incredibly clever and reasonable ways around that whenever they could. I haven't touched it in five years, so I can’t tell you where it’s at now, but I still see the bugs being recorded by players and other games and go, 'Ah, that’s too bad.'"

Frostbite has been something of a sore point for EA over the years. FIFA and Madden both struggled to adapt to the engine, and NHL refused to use the technology until the release of NHL 22. Whenever development struggles have arisen at EA, the Frostbite Engine has tended to be at the center of it.

But BioWare has struggled more than most. Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Anthem all had issues as BioWare dealt with poor internal support and built new tools from scratch. Its most successful project since Dragon Age: Inquisition — Mass Effect Legendary Edition — stuck with the older Unreal Engine 3.

"Being a programmer, I underestimated the difficulty that Frostbite was presenting to our dev teams, and I wish I'd have done a better job of communicating that to the top brass at EA," Flynn says. "I wish I'd been understanding of the friction the engine created for us building a very different kind of game. I see it now in the news reports and in the press, so I kind of get it, but I think I could have done a better job. I could have used the fact that I had a history of engineering to better communicate things rather than believing and trusting the way engineers are smart, we'll figure it out as we sometimes have in the past."

These days Flynn is the CEO of Inflexion Games, a new studio that is working on Nightingale, a survival game that will allow players to explore a "seemingly endless" number of Fae-inhabited realms.

As for BioWare, it's still working on Dragon Age 4, which has reportedly been rebooted multiple times over the course of its development process. BioWare says that it is currently "right in the middle of production," and that the new game will focus on a single-player experience. There is no word on a release date for the project.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

The freaky hooded creature, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week's reset. If you're looking to get your some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further.

Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he's got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians.

We've rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP.

Where Is Xûr Today?

Xûr can be found at Watcher's Grave on Nessus on April 1 through April 5. To reach him, travel to the landing point at Watcher's Grave. When you arrive, make for the red moss-covered tree straight ahead. Climb up the roots and you'll find Xûr waiting at the top.

What's Xûr Selling Today?

More terrible armor from our friend this week, but we did get a few good weapons to use in The Witch Queen's Throne World. Check it out!

Exotic Engram

Tractor Cannon - Exotic Shotgun

Oathkeepers - Exotic Hunter Gauntlets

• 7 Mobility
• 10 Resilience
• 7 Recovery
• 6 Discipline
• 6 Intellect
• 10 Strength
• Total: 46

Helm of Saint-14 - Exotic Titan Helmet

• 2 Mobility
• 11 Resilience
• 11 Recovery
• 6 Discipline
• 12 Intellect
• 6 Strength
• Total: 48

Contraverse Hold - Exotic Warlock Gauntlets

• 6 Mobility
• 6 Resilience
• 12 Recovery
• 12 Discipline
• 6 Intellect
• 6 Strength
• Total: 48

Tractor Cannon is a great weapon if you haven't grabbed it yet, so scoop it up if you haven't yet. The armor this week is low-stat again and can be skipped unless you need it for collections.

Exotic Weapons

Hawkmoon - Exotic Hand Cannon

• Paracausal Shot
• Smallbore
• Alloy Magazine
• Hip-Fire Grip
• Polymer Grip

Dead Man's Tale - Exotic Scout Rifle

• Cranial Spike
• Smallbore
• Armor-Piercing Rounds
• Subsistence
• Composite Stock

Hawkmoon and Dead Man's Tale are great weapons to add to your collection, but neither roll this week is especially stellar. Scoop 'em up if you need 'em, but otherwise you can wait for some better rolls.

Legendary Weapons

Wishbringer - Shotgun

• Rifled Barrel/Smallbore
• Steady Rounds/Accurized Rounds
• Slideshot
• Snapshot Sights
• Range Masterwork

Gnawing Hunger - Auto Rifle

• Corkscrew Rifling/Polygonal Rifling
• Tactical Mag/Alloy Magazine
• Zen Moment
• Rampage
• Handling Masterwork

Temptation's Hook- Sword

• Hungry Edge/Honed Edge/Tempered Edge
• Burst Guard/Enduring Guard
• Energy Transfer
• Vorpal Weapon
• Impact Masterwork

Death Adder - Submachine Gun

• Arrowhead Brake/Corkscrew Rifling
• Appended Mag/Flared Magwell
• Dynamic Sway Reduction
• Eye of the Storm
• Stability Masterwork

Ikelos_SG_V1.0.2 - Shotgun

• Extended Barrel/Full Bore
• Tactical Mag/Accurized Rounds
• Moving Target
• Distruption Break
• Handling Masterwork

The Swarm - Machine Gun

• Chambered Compensator/Hammer-Forged Rifling
• Accurized Rounds/Flared Magwell
• Dynamic Sway Reduction
• Dragonfly
• Reload Speed Masterwork

Extraordinary Rendition - Submachine Gun

• Full Bore/Smallbore
• Appended Mag/Flared Magwell
• Firmly Planted
• One For All
• Stability Masterwork

Not much to love in the Legendary Weapons category this week. The Swarm's roll is another God Roll in case you missed the last few but aside from that there's little to love in the way of weapons.

Before we get started on armor, I think I should note that Bungie recently identified a bug going on where Xûr's armor is being pulled straight from the Collections listing and is rolling with static, very low stats. This is supposed to be fixed in the future, but we don't have a specific date for that yet. Until then we'll be looking at some pretty sad armor sets, unfortunately....

Warlock Legendary Armor

For Warlocks, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Gloves

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Leg Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Bond

This week the Warlock Legendary Armor is low-stat armor pulled straight from Collections. Bungie has identified this as a bug and says they'll fix it.

Titan Legendary Armor

For Titans, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Gauntlets

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Leg Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Mark

Titans' Legendary Armor this week is low-stat armor pulled straight from Collections. Bungie has identified this as a bug and says they'll fix it.

Hunter Legendary Armor

For Hunters, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Grips

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Leg Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Cloak

Hunters' Legendary Armor this week is low-stat armor pulled straight from Collections. Bungie has identified this as a bug and says they'll fix it.

That's a wrap on Xûr for this week, Guardians! Hope you're all enjoying your adventures in the Witch Queen's throne world. Are you on Team Mechs or Team Monsters? Let me know in the comments!

For more on Destiny, check out some of the new weapons and gear you can find in The Witch Queen and read about how Sony's purchase of Bungie fits into its larger plans.

Travis Northup is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @TieGuyTravis and read his games coverage here.

The freaky hooded creature, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week's reset. If you're looking to get your some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further.

Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he's got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians.

We've rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP.

Where Is Xûr Today?

Xûr can be found at Watcher's Grave on Nessus on April 1 through April 5. To reach him, travel to the landing point at Watcher's Grave. When you arrive, make for the red moss-covered tree straight ahead. Climb up the roots and you'll find Xûr waiting at the top.

What's Xûr Selling Today?

More terrible armor from our friend this week, but we did get a few good weapons to use in The Witch Queen's Throne World. Check it out!

Exotic Engram

Tractor Cannon - Exotic Shotgun

Oathkeepers - Exotic Hunter Gauntlets

• 7 Mobility
• 10 Resilience
• 7 Recovery
• 6 Discipline
• 6 Intellect
• 10 Strength
• Total: 46

Helm of Saint-14 - Exotic Titan Helmet

• 2 Mobility
• 11 Resilience
• 11 Recovery
• 6 Discipline
• 12 Intellect
• 6 Strength
• Total: 48

Contraverse Hold - Exotic Warlock Gauntlets

• 6 Mobility
• 6 Resilience
• 12 Recovery
• 12 Discipline
• 6 Intellect
• 6 Strength
• Total: 48

Tractor Cannon is a great weapon if you haven't grabbed it yet, so scoop it up if you haven't yet. The armor this week is low-stat again and can be skipped unless you need it for collections.

Exotic Weapons

Hawkmoon - Exotic Hand Cannon

• Paracausal Shot
• Smallbore
• Alloy Magazine
• Hip-Fire Grip
• Polymer Grip

Dead Man's Tale - Exotic Scout Rifle

• Cranial Spike
• Smallbore
• Armor-Piercing Rounds
• Subsistence
• Composite Stock

Hawkmoon and Dead Man's Tale are great weapons to add to your collection, but neither roll this week is especially stellar. Scoop 'em up if you need 'em, but otherwise you can wait for some better rolls.

Legendary Weapons

Wishbringer - Shotgun

• Rifled Barrel/Smallbore
• Steady Rounds/Accurized Rounds
• Slideshot
• Snapshot Sights
• Range Masterwork

Gnawing Hunger - Auto Rifle

• Corkscrew Rifling/Polygonal Rifling
• Tactical Mag/Alloy Magazine
• Zen Moment
• Rampage
• Handling Masterwork

Temptation's Hook- Sword

• Hungry Edge/Honed Edge/Tempered Edge
• Burst Guard/Enduring Guard
• Energy Transfer
• Vorpal Weapon
• Impact Masterwork

Death Adder - Submachine Gun

• Arrowhead Brake/Corkscrew Rifling
• Appended Mag/Flared Magwell
• Dynamic Sway Reduction
• Eye of the Storm
• Stability Masterwork

Ikelos_SG_V1.0.2 - Shotgun

• Extended Barrel/Full Bore
• Tactical Mag/Accurized Rounds
• Moving Target
• Distruption Break
• Handling Masterwork

The Swarm - Machine Gun

• Chambered Compensator/Hammer-Forged Rifling
• Accurized Rounds/Flared Magwell
• Dynamic Sway Reduction
• Dragonfly
• Reload Speed Masterwork

Extraordinary Rendition - Submachine Gun

• Full Bore/Smallbore
• Appended Mag/Flared Magwell
• Firmly Planted
• One For All
• Stability Masterwork

Not much to love in the Legendary Weapons category this week. The Swarm's roll is another God Roll in case you missed the last few but aside from that there's little to love in the way of weapons.

Before we get started on armor, I think I should note that Bungie recently identified a bug going on where Xûr's armor is being pulled straight from the Collections listing and is rolling with static, very low stats. This is supposed to be fixed in the future, but we don't have a specific date for that yet. Until then we'll be looking at some pretty sad armor sets, unfortunately....

Warlock Legendary Armor

For Warlocks, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Gloves

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Leg Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Bond

This week the Warlock Legendary Armor is low-stat armor pulled straight from Collections. Bungie has identified this as a bug and says they'll fix it.

Titan Legendary Armor

For Titans, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Gauntlets

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Leg Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Mark

Titans' Legendary Armor this week is low-stat armor pulled straight from Collections. Bungie has identified this as a bug and says they'll fix it.

Hunter Legendary Armor

For Hunters, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Grips

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Leg Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Cloak

Hunters' Legendary Armor this week is low-stat armor pulled straight from Collections. Bungie has identified this as a bug and says they'll fix it.

That's a wrap on Xûr for this week, Guardians! Hope you're all enjoying your adventures in the Witch Queen's throne world. Are you on Team Mechs or Team Monsters? Let me know in the comments!

For more on Destiny, check out some of the new weapons and gear you can find in The Witch Queen and read about how Sony's purchase of Bungie fits into its larger plans.

Travis Northup is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @TieGuyTravis and read his games coverage here.

Sony PlayStation has reportedly laid off around 90 employees in North America in an apparent move to focus more on direct-to-consumer marketing over brick-and-mortar sales.

According to a report by Axios, Sony is shutting down its "merchandiser" team in the US, a group that included individuals whose job it was to connect with retail store staff and prepare them to sell PlayStation products. Other retail marketing jobs were also impacted by the layoffs.

Leadership reportedly explained the cuts as a part of a "global transformation" of Sony's sales and business operations. This suggests a move away from focusing on retail sales in favor of direct-to-consumer marketing, especially as digital sales of games continue to grow and thrive.

Sony has yet to comment on the layoffs.

In the same week, Sony unveiled its Xbox Game Pass competitor in a revamped PlayStation Plus, combining the existing PS Plus and PS Now into a three-tier subscription service including up to 700 games. The service is planned to start rolling out in June, and will include a number of first-party titles such as Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, and others at launch. However, first-party exclusives will not be launched into the service, unlike Xbox Game Pass.

Sony has also been in the process of expanding its PlayStation Direct program, effectively an online store for it to sell consoles, games, and merchandise direct to consumers without going through retailers. The service started in 2019 in the US, and late last year began to expand to Europe and the UK.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Sony PlayStation has reportedly laid off around 90 employees in North America in an apparent move to focus more on direct-to-consumer marketing over brick-and-mortar sales.

According to a report by Axios, Sony is shutting down its "merchandiser" team in the US, a group that included individuals whose job it was to connect with retail store staff and prepare them to sell PlayStation products. Other retail marketing jobs were also impacted by the layoffs.

Leadership reportedly explained the cuts as a part of a "global transformation" of Sony's sales and business operations. This suggests a move away from focusing on retail sales in favor of direct-to-consumer marketing, especially as digital sales of games continue to grow and thrive.

Sony has yet to comment on the layoffs.

In the same week, Sony unveiled its Xbox Game Pass competitor in a revamped PlayStation Plus, combining the existing PS Plus and PS Now into a three-tier subscription service including up to 700 games. The service is planned to start rolling out in June, and will include a number of first-party titles such as Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, and others at launch. However, first-party exclusives will not be launched into the service, unlike Xbox Game Pass.

Sony has also been in the process of expanding its PlayStation Direct program, effectively an online store for it to sell consoles, games, and merchandise direct to consumers without going through retailers. The service started in 2019 in the US, and late last year began to expand to Europe and the UK.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

AMC's The Walking Dead has filmed its final scene ever, marking the end of a 12-year run that has spanned 11 seasons and 177 episodes.

The zombie drama's official Twitter account shared a collection of cast photos alongside a statement regarding the series wrap today:

"Today is the big day! Filming for #TheWalkingDead is coming to an end. It's been an incredible 12 years and we hope all the amazing cast and crew have a fantastic wrap day. #TWDFamily forever!"

Today is the big day! Filming for #TheWalkingDead is coming to an end. It's been an incredible 12 years and we hope all the amazing cast and crew have a fantastic wrap day. #TWDFamily forever! pic.twitter.com/ybGR8jqa9O

— The Walking Dead (@TheWalkingDead) March 31, 2022

The final day of filming was originally delayed when earlier this month actor Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon on the show, suffered a concussion during filming. Explicit details regarding how Reedus was injured haven't been shared, but the actor shared on Instagram that he was in an unspecified accident. He has since made a recovery.

Based on a comic book series co-created by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead is one of the most popular zombie series in recent history.

Though The Walking Dead is coming to an end, the universe it spawned on AMC will live on through a variety of spinoffs. Fear the Walking Dead is now in its seventh season and has been renewed for an eighth, while The Walking Dead: World Beyond wrapped up its two-season run late last year.

Three other spinoffs are in the pipeline for 2022 and 2023, too. Among them is a six-episode anthology series called Tales of the Walking Dead which will tell stories about new and returning characters from the original show. Meanwhile, an untitled entry in the franchise will focus on fan-favorite characters Daryl and Carol, though plot details surrounding the team-up are thin at this time.

More recently, AMC announced Isle of the Dead, a six-episode spinoff that will see the unlikely duo Maggie and Negan explore "a post-apocalyptic Manhattan long ago cut off from the mainland." The episode's premise is particularly notable since Negan notoriously murdered Maggie's husband and beloved character Glenn — a point of significant tension in recent seasons of The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead's final season is currently airing in three parts, with the Part 2 finale airing on April 10. The show's final 8 episodes will launch later this year on AMC.

AMC's The Walking Dead has filmed its final scene ever, marking the end of a 12-year run that has spanned 11 seasons and 177 episodes.

The zombie drama's official Twitter account shared a collection of cast photos alongside a statement regarding the series wrap today:

"Today is the big day! Filming for #TheWalkingDead is coming to an end. It's been an incredible 12 years and we hope all the amazing cast and crew have a fantastic wrap day. #TWDFamily forever!"

Today is the big day! Filming for #TheWalkingDead is coming to an end. It's been an incredible 12 years and we hope all the amazing cast and crew have a fantastic wrap day. #TWDFamily forever! pic.twitter.com/ybGR8jqa9O

— The Walking Dead (@TheWalkingDead) March 31, 2022

The final day of filming was originally delayed when earlier this month actor Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon on the show, suffered a concussion during filming. Explicit details regarding how Reedus was injured haven't been shared, but the actor shared on Instagram that he was in an unspecified accident. He has since made a recovery.

Based on a comic book series co-created by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead is one of the most popular zombie series in recent history.

Though The Walking Dead is coming to an end, the universe it spawned on AMC will live on through a variety of spinoffs. Fear the Walking Dead is now in its seventh season and has been renewed for an eighth, while The Walking Dead: World Beyond wrapped up its two-season run late last year.

Three other spinoffs are in the pipeline for 2022 and 2023, too. Among them is a six-episode anthology series called Tales of the Walking Dead which will tell stories about new and returning characters from the original show. Meanwhile, an untitled entry in the franchise will focus on fan-favorite characters Daryl and Carol, though plot details surrounding the team-up are thin at this time.

More recently, AMC announced Isle of the Dead, a six-episode spinoff that will see the unlikely duo Maggie and Negan explore "a post-apocalyptic Manhattan long ago cut off from the mainland." The episode's premise is particularly notable since Negan notoriously murdered Maggie's husband and beloved character Glenn — a point of significant tension in recent seasons of The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead's final season is currently airing in three parts, with the Part 2 finale airing on April 10. The show's final 8 episodes will launch later this year on AMC.

David Gaider and the team at Summerfall Games are combining their love of narrative and music with Stray Gods, a roleplaying musical. But fans who are familiar with Gaider’s past work as lead writer on Dragon Age will find that Summerfall Games is pursuing a similar route for how their story unfolds, albeit much more musically.

Stray Gods is the first game from Summerfall Studios, an Australian-based team of veterans and rising stars across the industry. Stray Gods centers on Grace, a singer who inherits the powers of the Last Muse. The problem is that Grace now has to convince the other gods that she wasn’t responsible for the Muse’s death.

As a narrative RPG, players will not only make dialogue choices but lyrical ones as well. And considering Gaider was the lead writer on Dragon Age, fans of his work at BioWare will find similarities in Stray Gods.

“If someone has played the Dragon Age games, the dialogue part of the game is going to feel very familiar to them,” Gaider tells IGN in an interview. “It is playing the dialogue portion with the story and making choices during the dialogue, having traits that determine sometimes which options are available to you, and it changes the story. Lots of branching along the way, so yeah, it will feel quite familiar.”

Where Stray Gods charts its own path is the music which, along with Journey composer Austin Wintory and a team of lyricists, looks to bring narrative choices directly into a musical.

“The choice is in the music. That’s really the key to the entire project because we have about four hours total content of music that we’ve planned, but a player’s only going to hear a smaller portion of that,” Gaider says.

He explains that it’s similar to a Broadway musical where it’s not just about the beat or chorus line in the lyrics, but about the emotion and story conveyed during the song. “So you’re making choices as you go, and they’re timed so that you can maintain sort of the consistency and the flow of the song. And the choices you make determine how the song evolved. So it’s not just what the next lyrics are, the music itself actually changes.”

Along with Wintory, the music team includes Montaigne, Australia’s Eurovision representative for the last two years, as well as Scott Edgar, Steven Gates, and Simon Hall, a team of local lyricists based out of Melbourne.

Of course, a team working on a musical adventure will naturally have favorite musicals they can look towards. “One of my favorites is Into the Woods, and I know that is a reference we keep using,” says Gaider. “I also keep going to the Buffy musical [episode] as well, just because that is an example… of the musical numbers being diegetic, as in it’s a conceit as part of the story as well. Plus, it is actually a really good musical.”

Gaider and Summerfall Games co-founder Liam Esler also cite Hadestown, which coincidentally is a Broadway musical about Greek gods also. But Summerfall's team of veteran writers and musicians have a unique vision of their own with Stray Gods.

Check here for everything announced at this year's Humble Games Showcase.

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