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Get ready to Run! Today, our team at Play by Play Studios is excited to drop our first gameplay trailer and to let PlayStation fans know NBA The Run will be releasing this June. Play Video Today, we wanted to break down some different parts of the game fans have been asking about, so let’s get to it: Knockout tournaments Every game in NBA The Run throws you into a four-round knockout tournament, played on iconic streetball courts around the world. Games are short, quick burst rounds that keep you on your toes with randomized rulesets that will force you to change up strategy on the fly, game to game. How many Trophies can you stack? ​​ In the zone This is a momentum-based system that unlocks powerful, signature abilities that vary depending on the player – think of it like activating an “ultimate” in a hero game or just like when your favorite NBA player heats up, takes over, and can’t be stopped. From blowing through defenders at the rim with Posterizer to clamping up on defense with The Shadow, these boosts can flip a game in a heartbeat. Make big plays to unlock it quickly, then time it right to swing the momentum of the game and take over. The Shop We know your time is valuable, and we wanted to create an unlock system that lets you prioritize which rewards you get for getting dubs. Win matches to earn Cred, our in-game currency used to unlock cosmetics like jerseys, advanced dunks, taunts, badges, and banners. From throwback NBA fits to 720 dunks, too small taunts, and more, there are plenty of ways to show off your own style. The ultimate prize for many, including us on the dev team, is Rookie Variants. From young Steph Curry in ‘09 to KD on the Super Sonics, we have 5 rookies of NBA All-Stars who not only look different, but play different too. Street legends The Shop isn’t the only way you unlock things in NBA The Run. Ranking up also gets you one of the most anticipated aspects of the game – our own streetball legends. These characters were with us since the start of development. They’re some of the best players in certain areas, but they also have huge, glaring weaknesses. We can’t wait to see how the community uses them. We’re excited to announce today that our own announcer, Bobbito Garcia, will be a playable legend – his sick handles are sure to break some ankles. We’ve said it from the very beginning that we’re building NBA The Run brick by brick with our player community. We built our last court going into the game at launch after a fan vote, we’ve taken their suggestions for advanced dunk animations, taunts and even some different ways to play, including adding a Shootaround mode for practice, and Knockout Friends, a private tournament mode that lets you play alone against AI, with friends against AI, or head to head against anyone you want to invite in (up to 48 players at launch). This is truly a dream project for all of us at Play by Play Studios. We’re a small team of industry veterans and lifelong hoop fans who grew up in a golden era of basketball games. We hope you and your friends can also join us on this epic run. Wishlist at PlayStation Store now. View the full article

May’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup features three games available to all PlayStation Plus members*. Show your skills on the pitch in EA Sports FC 26, battle monsters in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and fight your way across a 2D world in Nine Sols. All three titles will be available to all PlayStation Plus members from Tuesday May 5, and PlayStation Plus members can also enjoy additional exclusive content for EA Sports FC 26, Read on to find out more! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image EA Sports FC 26 | PS5, PS4 The club is yours in EA Sports FC 26. Play your way with an overhauled gameplay experience powered by feedback from the FC Community, and choose between Authentic Gameplay and Competitive Gameplay presets. Put your dream squad to the test in Football Ultimate Team, with Tournaments and Live Events, as well as a refreshed Rivals and Champs experience. Enjoy unrivalled authenticity in EA Sports FC 26, featuring 20,000+ players across 750+ clubs and national teams, in over 120+ stadiums and 35+ leagues. PlayStation Plus members also receive a EA Sports FC 26 PlayStation Plus Icons Pack** as a special add-on entitlement, redeemable during the game’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games residency. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Wuchang: Fallen Feathers | PS5 In this Soulslike action RPG, female pirate warrior Wuchang awakens in the tumultuous final years of China’s Ming Dynasty with no memories of her past. The land of Shu is plagued by warring factions and a mysterious phenomenon known as Feathering that is causing people to mutate into hideous monsters. Now herself afflicted with Feathering, Wuchang must explore this vast, interconnected world while battling cruel and twisted enemies. Master various fighting styles, discover hidden weapons and ancient firearms, harvest new skills from defeated foes and even embrace the power of Feathering to discover the truth at the heart of the chaos. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Nine Sols| PS5, PS4 Nine Sols is a lore-rich, hand-drawn 2D action-platformer with Sekiro-inspired, deflection-based combat. Face off against ancient deities, explore a land once ruled by an ancient alien race, and follow a vengeful hero on a quest to slay the 9 Sols—the powerful rulers of this forsaken realm. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Last chance to add April’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games to your library PlayStation Plus members have until Monday May 4 to add Lords of the Fallen, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream to their game library. *PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup may differ by region. Please check PlayStation Store on release day for more information. **EA FC 26 PlayStation Plus Icons Pack can be redeemed via its product page on PlayStation Store, with the content then available in-game. View the full article

Auroch Digital’s upcoming title Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is the sequel to their explosive retro shooter promising more – more enemies, weapons, and new ways to purge. Today Matt Bone, lead designer, and Mark Chambers, lead artist, share their favourite new enemies and provide some insight into their creation and role. There are a few exclusive reveals to discover too as you read on. Matt Bone: One feature of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 we’re really excited about is including all four Chaos god factions for the first time. That means players will be fighting against Nurgle, Tzeentch, Khorne, and Slaanesh enemies, as well as the returning Black Legion forces. Slaanesh: Daemonette Bone: For me Daemonettes are the quintessential Slaanesh unit, so it was not only vital we include them as a new enemy, but that we really spent time doing them justice. With the Slaanesh faction we’re leaning into themes of elusiveness, showing off, and disorienting the player. So, the Daemonettes have a bunch of ambitious abilities we’ve never done before in Boltgun. They perform huge arcing leaps around the battlefield, as if playing with their prey below, before rapidly closing the distance with a zigzagging phase attack. Up close, their beguiling presence causes a special screen effect at the same time they’re trying to claw you to death. They’re quite a handful. Mark Chambers: We wanted to make Daemonettes a visual spectacle, particularly when they’re performing these phase attacks, in which we’ve developed a freeze frame technique to capture a sprite trail across the screen. I’m also a fan of how we channeled the unsettling nature of Slaanesh into a horrific facial change when seen up close, and an underwater motion effect that’s been applied to details like hair animations. Khorne: Bloodcrusher Bone: The Bloodcrusher was another technical challenge for us. This is the first mounted unit we’ve done in Boltgun and was worth the effort in terms of gameplay. During combat, the Bloodletter rider can leap off the Juggernaut mount, meaning you now have two bloodthirsty Khorne enemies to deal with. I have a particular soft spot for the Juggernaut’s consume ability, where it gorges itself on any nearby corpses on the battlefield to regain health – sometimes including its former rider. Chambers: We really pushed the complexity of our animation rigs by combining two separate enemies into one. Not only is this an impressive visual feat, but the effects used on the charge ability in particular really emphasizes the unrelenting force bearing down on targets like a daemonic runaway train. The sheer height scale involved here also adds to the in-game presence, as these enemies tower above players on the battlefield. Nurgle: Blightlord Terminator Bone: It was important to us that if we were going to commit to including all four Chaos factions, we include Chaos Marine units for each. This meant adding Plague Marines and Blightlord Terminators to the Nurgle faction. I love the tabletop models for the Terminators especially, so it was a thrill to get them in the game. With Nurgle we’re leaning into area denial gameplay as well as emphasising the gloriously disgusting pox-ridden and pestilent nature of these enemies. Blightlord Terminators in Boltgun 2 are walking plague factories, launching blight grenades and slamming massive corrupt flails into the ground. Both of those attacks create a noxious hazard zone, really keeping the player moving. Chambers: Anything Nurgle is a joy to create art for as there’s so much detail to choose from. The Blightlord Terminators are no exception, and the sprite quality we’ve managed to capture is impressive to say the least. Boils, pustules, tentacles, slime, filth, it’s all there, and effects used adds to this glorious in-game corruption. The debris trails left in the wake of some of our ground attacks are particularly eye-catching, and the enemy death sequences also remind me of gigantic biological grenades going off. In a good way. Tzeentch: Scarab Occult Terminator Bone: I couldn’t resist showing off another terminator here. We’re also adding Rubric Marines to the Tzeentch faction, but I love playing against the Scarab Occult Terminators in particular. One has a Hellfyre Missile Rack attached to his back, which fires a rapid deluge of missiles at the player. A big part of Boltgun 2 is making sure each faction feels different to fight against. With Tzeentch we’re focusing on bullet hell gameplay, which is never more apparent than when a dozen Hellfyre Missiles are screaming towards your face. Chambers: I’ve always liked the strong visual characteristics of Tzeentch, and we took this opportunity to really push things like colour schemes and effects to make these Terminator based units worthy of the faction. Astra Militarum: Death Korps of Krieg Bone: A special bonus reveal for anyone who made it this far: in Boltgun 2 we’re including allied units for the first time in the form of the Death Korps of Krieg. As unwaveringly loyal devotees of the Emperor, these troopers will fight alongside you in several levels as you take on the Archenemy. This being the grim dark far future however, their life expectancy might not be that great… Chambers: I’m a huge fan of the Deathkorps of Krieg, and it was a thrill to bring these allies to life in sprite form. We studied the miniatures closely, and I hope when the player sees them fighting side by side, they feel we’ve done them justice. The lasgun weaponry in particular is something I think we’ve accurately captured, as well as the iconic gasmask and trenchcoat look. Really, what’s not to like about this character’s design? There’s an abundance of new enemies joining the fight in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, along with a new character, new weapons and new worlds to explore. Make sure to wishlist Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 on PlayStation 5 to be notified when it releases later this year! View the full article

There’s an excited energy at Rebel Wolves’ Warsaw studio. For the first time since Gamescom 2025, the development team is showing off an extended live demo of its vampire-laden, open-world RPG, The Blood of Dawnwalker, as it nears release on PS5 September 3. Play Video Within minutes of the extensive presentation it’s easy to see why they’re so passionate. The demo’s prologue doesn’t delay its promise of a brutal 14th century Europe. Our first introduction to the game’s protagonist, Coen, is him trying to protect his Black Death infected sister Lunka from an unjust execution, only to find themselves saved by powerful vampire lord Brencis and his deadly undead lieutenants. After being forced to drink Brencis’ blood, Lunka makes a startling recovery… but it signals a new rule of terror as Coen’s Carpathian Mountains village is forced to pay a regular ‘blood tax’. Vampiric protection in exchange for their human blood. And the weak or insubordinate are quickly made an example of. Through the disastrous events of the village trying to free itself from Brencis’ rule – I won’t spoil it here – Coen is stricken with the vampire curse and left for dead, his family taken. The stakes of time pressure Coen only has 30 days and nights to save his kin. For you, that means every major action you take ticks the clock forward – some side quests, certain dialogue choices, and even learning particular abilities to populate his skill tree have a visible time cost. For a game which features a massive world full of caves, mines, settlements, swamps and hidden paths to explore, as well as interesting people seeking help, the time limit might feel anxiety inducing, but the dev team heavily tested the system to ensure it doesn’t restrict you. “We don’t want to punish you for doing stuff,” says Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, CEO and game director. “So we aimed to get it to the perfect point where you’re not stressed about the time, but still feel that this big event is coming closer and closer.” “You’ll be able to complete a majority of the game before the time runs out,” agrees Creative Director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz. “And it’s not necessarily a game over when it happens. There are consequences [for running out of time], but the game moves on.” On the flip side, once you get to a certain point in the story, you can decide to go straight to Brencis if you want, rather than engage with any of the many other parts of the game, although obviously the challenge will be far sharper. “In a way it made many of the game’s stories optional,” says Rafał Jankowski, lead quest designer. “So we were able to include many different endings and solutions to those stories, all which can still allow you to finish the game at a certain point.” Every choice comes with a cost Naturally, consequences are a huge part of The Blood of Dawnwalker. This isn’t a surprise given several members of the now 160+ strong team are former staffers of CD Projekt RED who worked on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but the time mechanic adds an extra level of spice. In the demo, Coen is given a number of quests to perform, one is to grab healing herbs for his mother’s sickness, and another is to help the villager Gremla. You can take on many objectives simultaneously, or ignore them in favour of other quests or actions. The results of your choices in this particular aspect become clear in Brencis’ latest black mass, where Gremla is savagely strung up, and mother Esme killed. Whether it’s a minor or major NPC who dies, the game continues, leaving you with its ramifications. Something to take in mind given Coen has a blood hunger meter. If you let it get too low, he’s consumed by insatiable hunger, its black tendrils noticeable even when talking to an NPC, turning every dialogue option into a juddering red ‘Give in to the hunger’, which cannot be refused. “This wasn’t in the game from the start,” reveals Mateusz. “It emerged organically, and it just fit the formula so well it feels like it was always there. That being part of the narrative sandbox was a big challenge because it’s so open ended, but it’s worth it because you get a much more interesting game.”’ Seeking morality with… pigs? Satisfying Coen’s bloodlust isn’t restricted to humans. From deer, to bears, to packs of wolves, Konrad says you can feed on all the animals you encounter, which might cause fewer problems than you killing off an important NPC or one of the many allies you can befriend to help you in your quest. That said, some allies will betray you, and don’t expect many of your choices to come without shades of grey. “The player has a lot of agency but we like to explore complex people with complex personalities,” says Mateusz. As a light hearted thematic example, an early side quest offers you the chance to find a villager’s beloved pig, using a handy focus mode to see her tracks and footprints in the dirt. Returning the pig reveals the villager’s intent to slaughter her, giving you the choice of joining in, declining, or even buying the pig to save her bacon, as long as you have the coin. Sharpening your skills via the tree The team is also keen to stress that Coen’s experiences as a vampire at night are very different to his journey as a human during the day, with specific NPCs and quests only available at certain times, and obvious differences in abilities. His skill tree consists of three main branches, each with passive and active upgrades: witchcraft for the daytime, vampiric powers for the night, and sword fighting overlapping both. “Some abilities are even locked behind a specific vampiric blood,” explains Mateusz. “In our lore, when you become a vampire you get your own unique mutation or power. And you can have more than one. So if you drain another vampire, then you steal theirs.” But if you want to rely on the virtues of sharpened steel, just as much testing and thought has been given to the game’s directional combat, resulting in customisable options for both hardcore action fans and more story-focused players. From the demo, it appeared fluid and intuitive, with clear markers for incoming assaults to help block and parry timing, and red skulls marking unblockable attacks – as demonstrated by The Forgotten Guardian, a lumbering armoured skeleton mini-boss roaming a dank underground ruin. The future looks bright Even after its lengthy demo, it was clear Rebel Wolves was keeping a lot under wraps. For example, when asked about the weather system in the game and how it interacts with the characters and environment, Konrad smiled, saying he’d prefer the players to discover that for themselves. Likewise with the number of multiple endings and the extent of characters and monsters you can meet, which tap into Slavic myth and legend, as well as medieval history. Even so, Konrad reveals that for some team members the game is currently taking anything from 55 to 70 hours to complete, so expect an epic adventure that explores how much we’re willing to sacrifice to save the ones we love. And the hunger to craft a tale which leaves a lasting mark on players doesn’t stop with this one. “The Blood of Dawnwalker isn’t the endpoint, it’s an origin story,” smiles Konrad. “We have already planned its tale through the ages. This is only the beginning.” Anticipate even more info to come to light from Rebel Wolves as The Blood of Dawnwalker stalks ever closer to its undead launch on PlayStation 5 September 3. 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Hi, I’m Mike Booth, Chief Creative Officer at Bad Robot Games, and Game Director of 4:Loop. In my last post, I shared how our core gameplay systems come together to create an unpredictable and endlessly replayable experience. Today, I’d like to share more details on one of our co-op shooter’s high-stakes boss fights. Specifically, I’d like to talk about how our team approaches designing these battles, and how these considerations led to one of our most unique enemies so far: The Scanner. No two bosses are alike ​​ One of our main goals when designing bosses in 4:Loop is making each of them unique – not only in their visual design, but in how they behave. We know we’re on the right track when a boss requires players to adopt new forms of cooperation, improvisation, and combinations of equipment and abilities. All of this results in the kind of creative problem solving at the heart of 4:Loop. When we first started exploring the Scanner, or “The Cube,” as it’s called internally, I wanted to do something a bit different: create a boss battle that wasn’t about direct combat, but navigation, spatial awareness, and cross-map coordination. Keep moving to stay alive For some of our boss battles, players can succeed by finding cover, hunkering down, and dishing out heaps of damage. But with the Scanner, that’s a sure-fire way to get yourself killed. Rather than attacking players directly, the Scanner emits a Laser Matrix over the entire map. This “Grid of Doom” (to use another internal name) is an interlocking grid of bright red and extremely dangerous lasers. One hit is enough to knock a player down. A second hit and you are out of the fight. The grid is slow moving and easy to see, making it manageable enough at the start of the encounter – and seemingly safe enough to lull you into a sense of complacency. But as the fight progresses, the laser grid becomes tighter and tighter, making navigation and survival increasingly difficult to manage. Of course, it’s not enough to just survive the Scanner. Players must destroy it to win. Your doom is six sided Being a cube, the Scanner has six faces. On each of these faces, we’ve put nine destructible tiles, making 54 targets in total. To actually damage the Scanner, players must knock out all 54 panels at once, forcing the machine to reveal its vulnerable Reactor Core. Sounds straightforward enough… until the Scanner starts moving. We built the Scanner to constantly rotate and swap sections like a giant Cube Puzzle from Hell. On top of that, damaged panels reset over time. This creates a boss fight that requires players to spread out and attack from multiple angles, while navigating the Scanner’s ever-tightening Laser Matrix. All of this results in a unique gameplay challenge. Stay mobile enough to avoid the Grid of Doom, while remaining focused enough to knock out panels and coordinate a team-wide attack on the Reactor Core once it’s exposed. Hit the Scanner with everything you’ve got Once all 54 tiles have been knocked out, the Scanner reveals its vulnerable Reactor Core for a brief window. This is the moment where the team – who could be on opposite ends of the map by this point – strike together as a cohesive unit to inflict as much damage as possible. The coordination that occurs in these brief windows are intuitive and natural. They emerge from the boss’s core design, rather than telling players what to do. Your choices matter In 4:Loop, we’re constantly trying to design gameplay moments that ask players to make interesting decisions – and then live with their consequences. The Scanner is no different. The game’s Probability Map makes it clear what boss you’ll be facing at the end of the Act. This forces players to think about what kind of gear and abilities to select leading up to the fight. Sure, shotguns are powerful… but they won’t be effective against the Scanner’s Reactor Core at range. Or maybe rather than taking that totally sweet Cloaking Backpack, you might want to choose equipment to help you navigate the Laser Matrix instead. Different by design The Scanner is just one of several bosses in 4:Loop, each built to push on players’ coordination, cooperation, and creative problem-solving skills. We hope all our bosses will generate crazy moments you’ll be talking about with your friends for a long time after you win or lose. The Scanner started from a simple image: A giant, floating cube puzzle with breakable panels. Over time, it grew into one of our most iconic enemies, and one that touches on almost every layer of how players can improvise to overcome overwhelming obstacles together. And it does all of this without firing a single shot at the players. You can also join our growing community at discord.gg/4LOOP. View the full article