900 PlayStation Employees Laid Off, London Studio Closed | Push Square

Larian Studios appears ready to leave the Baldur's Gate franchise behind having released the landmark third instalment, with founder Swen Vicke saying the developer has no plans for any Baldur's Gate 3 DLC and won't be producing a fourth game. His comments were made during a GDC panel earlier today, where it was said the team plans to move away from Dungeons & Dragons entirely for something new, which has been in development at least as of January 2024.

Almost four long years after its original announcement, Red Thread Games has confirmed Dustborn will launch for PS5, PS4 on 20th August 2024. A new trailer debuted during today's Future Games Show announcing the release date, which you can catch above. The game will cost $29.99 on the PS Store, with a physical edition available at a higher price.

The Explore page on the PS5 home screen appears to be running a beta that adds new features like backgrounds, friend activities, your controller's battery life, and easy links to console storage. Mystic, a popular PlayStation YouTuber, posted a new video today detailing the additions, which appear to have only rolled out to select PS5 users. You can see what's new in the video above.

Prior to its release, few predicted PS Portal would be successful. Many were baffled by Sony’s decision to release the Remote Play handheld, which streams gameplay directly from a PS5. But as the months wear on, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that Sony’s added a permanent fixture to its hardware portfolio, with the device exceeding expectations.

Helldivers 2 is the best-selling video game of 2024 so far in the USA. Full stop. Done. Accounting for both physical and digital purchases, Circana data places it at the top of the sales charts for both February 2024 and the year so far. The unexpected hit is said to have sold more than eight million copies, but that stat will have increased since. The PS5, PC title beat out competition from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to land top spot for the month, though the Square Enix sequel did release on the final day of February.

Helldivers 2 has taken the world by storm ever since its launch in early February, so it’s no surprise that the game is continuing to top sales charts all over the world. Circana (formerly known as the NPD Group) recently released the data for software and hardware sales in the US for the month of February (via analyst Mat Piscatella on Twitter), and Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony’s co-op shooter has topped those charts.

Veteran Sony executive Connie Booth exited PlayStation after a 30-year career at the firm, a surprising move that caused some confusion late last year after outspoken God of War creator David Jaffe let the cat out of the bag on social media. We still don't have the full details on her departure or whether the split was amicable, but we do know where Booth will end up next. The illustrious exec has accepted the very impressive-sounding title of Group General Manager, Action RPG, at EA.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra has been revealed as the official title of the superhero game Uncharted creator Amy Hennig is making at Skydance New Media. It's slated to release next year, and stars Captain America and Black Panther during World War II. A trailer was revealed during a GDC livestream, which you can catch above.

Long time PlayStation veteran Connie Booth has been hired by EA to lead its studios.

Today's the day for a big PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium update, with the March 2024 refresh bringing 13 PS5, PS4, and Classic titles to active subscribers. UK and European members can get downloading and playing all the new games now, and those in the USA will gain access later in the day. If you need a reminder of what's on offer this month, here's a complete list:

New release WWE 2K24 was the best-selling physical game in the UK last week, knocking Final Fantasy VII Rebirth into second. The PS5 JRPG registered an 89 per cent drop in sales compared to its launch week while 2K's newest wrestling entry has debuted better than last year's instalment, with purchases up 26 per cent.

Update: Sony has officially released the PS5 Slim, which is slowly starting to replace the original model at retail. All the details and links you need have been added below.