That’s the first discussion point in this week’s DF Direct Weekly, where John Linneman and I have quite different perspectives to the online DRM debate. John’s looking at Xbox discs with no Series X/S data on them, pondering a time in the future where the vast majority of ‘smart delivery’ titles won’t be accessible. Me? I just can’t quite get my head around the concept of consumers spending hundreds of pounds on a console, and a lot more money on the games themselves without a 100 percent guarantee that you can always play them, certainly the single-player ones!...

The strongest evidence against what has been referred to as a 4K Switch? Well, again, it’s the Atmosphere development team who have unprecedented insight into Nintendo hardware with a spotless, proven track record, and a prominent team member says “there is literally zero evidence in firmware/code that Nintendo is working on any other/new hardware at the moment. Zero indication of unknown dev kits and no firmware support”. However, to counter that, the Switch launched in March 2017....

Looking at the table of contents below, you should get some idea of how those particular discussions play out, but we also spend a good deal of time looking at the massive Nvidia leak and its implications for Switch Pro (aka Switch 2, Switch Model S ad infinitum). We call it a leak, but actually Nvidia was subject to a massive cyber-attack and the full extent of the stolen data remains to be seen....

While Diablo 2: Resurrected offers an array of quality of life changes to the core experience, the ability to reset your skills (also known as respec, which is short for Respecialization) remains the same. This page explains how to reset your skills in Diablo 2: Resurrected as well as how to reset your stats so you can have a fresh start. On this page: This is helpful for a variety of reasons - perhaps you’ve put dozens of hours into the game but aren’t feeling the build you’ve been following so far, or just thought about trying something new without the need of leveling another character from scratch....

Whilst there’s still no date yet on when the beta will go live, players keen to get an early peek at Blizzard’s highly-anticipated sequel can sign up now to register their interest in playing on Blizzard’s own Battle.net PC launcher, Xbox Series X/S, or PS5. That’s right; it looks like you’ll need the latest iteration from both Xbox and Sony to get involved in the Diablo 4 beta. At the time of writing, Blizzard’s social media channels haven’t announced the news, so it’s possible the beta page has gone live a tad early....

Earlier this month, a number of key members of the development team confirmed they were no longer working at the studio. “The reason for dissolving the cultural organisation is that it no longer represents the ethos it was founded on,” wrote founding member of the ZA/UM cultural association Martin Luiga. “People and ideas are meant to be eternal; organisations may well be temporary.” Luiga later alleged that some team members were fired on false premises....

Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins builds on the events of iconic Doctor Who episode Blink, transporting players into a series of sinister events occurring at Wester Drumlins - the very same abandoned London townhouse where the Weeping Angels made their first TV appearance. It stars ex-UNIT scientist Petronella Osgood (played by Ingrid Oliver), who is investigating the events of the legendary Blink episode, and the subsequent disappearance of Larry (Finlay Robertson returns to play as Larry)....

Romero shared the news in a statement posted to Twitter, revealing the project is being handled by Romero Games - which most recently worked on mafia strategy title Empire of Sin for publisher Paradox Interactive - and that it would be built around an “original, new” IP. While Romero Games most recently worked on Empire of Sin, that title was primarily conceived by noted designer and developer Brenda Romero. John Romero’s previous design credit was on Sigil, the unofficial fifth episode of Doom, announced to coincide with the game’s 25th anniversary in 2018 and released the following year....

Confirmation about the beleaguered zombie game’s combat came in the latest instalment of the game’s Dying 2 Know More series in which PR specialist Paulina Dziedziak spoke to producer Szymon Strauss. However, things will be slightly different this time around. The team insists that because “the world has changed”, the weapons we used in the original game “wore out”. Although you’ll occasionally come across a “high-tier” ready-made weapon, they’re rare to find and pretty expensive, so we’ll mostly be “building stuff from scraps and materials you find on the fly”....

The leak comes from a person (or persons) known only as “x0r”, who has shared inside info as well as a video and screenshots. According to this source, every chapter from the game is still present in “some form” with a large portion of it being playable. “All of the E3 content is there,” stated x0r (via Duke4.net). Weapon wise, all are functional except for the freezer and chainsaw. Why those two, I do not know....

The throwback was introduced as part of the game’s 40th Anniversary Edition update which went live over the weekend. The Easter egg was found by Redditor HughesMDflyer4, who shared how to activate it on the Flight Simulator subreddit. To join in the sim-ception, you’ll need to load up in a Diamond DA62 and go to the cockpit. From there, flip the ELT (near the bottom right of the dashboard) to the on position, and then Flight Simulator (within Flight Simulator) will be ready to play on the screen in front of you....

In an interview with Xbox Wire, published earlier this week, Miyazaki explained that Elden Ring, which started development shortly after the completion of Dark Souls 3’s DLC, was envisaged as a dark fantasy RPG “full of things that we weren’t able to do in the Dark Souls series.” Its themes include “eccentricity” and “the will, or ambition of mankind”, and Miyazaki’s role has been to direct “the various game design, art and musical aspects of the title”....

This game sees you traverse the Lands Between, which lie in ruins after the destruction of the titular Elden Ring. As a descendant of the Tarnished - exiles from the Lands Between - you must now defeat those who hold the remnants of the Ring. Below you’ll find the Elden Ring release times for XBox, PS4, PS5 and PS5, along with the download size so you can be prepared for the game’s launch....

The latest figures from publisher Bandai Namco reveal that the fantasy epic has now topped 16.6m sales worldwide (thanks, Gematsu). This figure includes both digital and physical copies of the game. In May, Elden Ring had sold 13.4m copies since its launch towards the start of the year. This means that, in just three months, another 3.2m units have been shifted. To borrow from Ed, Elden Ring is clearly doing GRReat!...

Not dissimilar to something like the Pharros Lockstone in Dark Souls 2, each consumable key can be used once - so learning where to find Stonesword Key locations, and the best places to use them, is worth knowing, especially as they often lead to valuable treasures. Remember - Stonesword Keys are precious resources, so use them wisely! On this page: Looking for some direction? Our what to do first in Elden Ring, Elden Ring walkthrough, Site of Grace locations and main bosses in order pages can help....

It consists of three pedal buttons that can be programmed - like the standard Stream Deck - to control software, hardware and more. On a basic level it means keeping your hands on the controller or mouse while you play games. But it has other applications too. For some disabled streamers, for instance, the Stream Deck Pedal could provide useful alternative inputs, although the price point may be off-putting for some....

Now, in its financial report, Embracer has highlighted its hopes for the future following this acquisition (including potential remakes of some classic titles) saying, “after the end of the quarter, we further strengthened our development capabilities and IP-portfolio by entering into an agreement to acquire Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain and other IPs. “We see a great potential, not only in sequels, but also in remakes, remasters, spinoffs, as well as transmedia projects across the Group....

The game in question is called Grit and, well, it looks a lot like something that rhymes with grit but that I am too polite to write here. At its Galaverse convention yesterday, developer Gala Games revealed it had “signed a partnership with Epic”, presumably to release the title via its storefront. Gala then went on to chat more about Grit, its wild-west themed battle royale which you can see in the trailer above....

In the short term, that means fascinating updates like the newly-released patch which adds NPC quest markers. Is that a good thing? When was this decision decided? We discuss. And in the longer term, Elden Ring’s success sounds like sequels and spin-offs are now on the cards. How long until the inevitable Netflix anime? Chatting with me about the future of Elden Ring are Eurogamer news reporters Ed Nightingale, Victoria Kennedy and Ishraq Subhan....

Once again, many, many thanks to our stellar contributors (in order of appearance): Sharang Biswas, Ed Nightingale, Lottie Lynn, Eli Cugini, Alex Meehan, Dr Lloyd (Meadhbh) Houston, Caelyn Ellis, Robert Purchese, and David Gaider. Additional thanks to Christian Donlan for his ever-invaluable assistance behind-the-scenes, and to Lucy Grimwood for her wonderful Pride Week artwork and logo. Eurogamer will, of course, continue celebrating the achievements of, and highlighting issues that affect, the LGBTQIA+ community in gaming throughout the year, but rest assured we’ll be back with more Pride Month celebrations again in 2023....