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Assassin's Creed Shadows co-op mode coming in 2026 after DLC claims report

Assassin's Creed Shadows co-op mode coming in 2026 after DLC claims report

Metro22-05-2025

A new leak has shed light on the release date for Assassin's Creed Shadows first DLC, along with a rumoured co-op mode.
Assassin's Creed Shadows may have fallen short of sales for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but it's still been a major hit for Ubisoft.
Set in feudal Japan, the new instalment scored the second highest day one sales in the franchise's history. In the US, meanwhile, Assassin's Creed Shadows is the second best-selling game of the year so far, behind Monster Hunter Wilds.
Ubisoft has already announced the game's first DLC, Claws Of Awaji, will release later this year, but a new report has narrowed down the release date.
According to Insider Gaming, Ubisoft is 'targeting September 2025' for the Claws Of Awaji DLC, citing sources familiar with the game's development. However, it's claimed the DLC could be pushed back to October this year, depending on Ubisoft's release strategy for other titles.
Elsewhere in the report, the previously rumoured co-op mode for Assassin's Creed Shadows, codenamed League, is said to still be in development and will launch 'sometime next year'.
While this co-op mode was originally assumed to revolve around the game's two protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke, a source suggests it might include other characters too.
'While they're obviously central characters, there's a deeper narrative tied into the co-op that will expand the experience beyond just the two of them,' a source states.
Assassin's Creed has some history with multiplayer, with the Paris-based Assassin's Creed Unity featuring dedicated co-op missions. Other games in the series have had multiplayer modes as well, like Assassin's Creed 3's wolfpack mode, but this was only really a minor distraction. More Trending
As for Assassin's Creed Shadows first DLC, Claws Of Awaji takes place on the island of Awaji, where you will 'reclaim a lost treasure while avoiding the traps and ambushes of deadly new foes', according to a synopsis.
It will feature a new bō weapon type for Naoe, along with new skills, gear, and abilities over the course of 10 hours.
Beyond Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft is reportedly developing a multiplayer spin-off codenamed Invictus and a remake of Assassin's Creed Black Flag. Ports of both Assassin's Creed Mirage and Shadows are also apparently on the way for the Switch 2.
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MORE: Former Bungie developers blame corporate 'greed' as cancelled subscription plans revealed
MORE: No PlayStation showcase this summer suggest insiders as Sony waits till autumn
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These wireless headphones have finally outranked my all-time favourites
These wireless headphones have finally outranked my all-time favourites

The Independent

time3 hours ago

  • The Independent

These wireless headphones have finally outranked my all-time favourites

Sony WH-1000XM6 design and comfort While the all-new XM6 borrow some of the same minimalist styling as the XM5, Sony's made enough changes here that it feels like an upgrade. The earcups are rounder and more sculpted, ditching that slightly squared-off look that never quite grew on me. They look more polished, with no seam running down the side of the earcups. But beyond the cleaner design, one of the first things you'll notice is that they fold again. After abandoning the hinges on the XM5, Sony's brought them back, and it genuinely makes a world of difference. The headphones now collapse inwards into a much more travel-friendly shape, making them easier to chuck into a bag. The only annoying bit? Despite the smaller footprint, the case is still just as big as the zip-up one that came with the XM5. That said, I genuinely love the design of the new case. You fold the headphones up, pop them in and close the lid. It's instant – it clicks shut with a magnetic flap, so there's no faffing about trying to line up a zip. You still get an internal pocket for cables, and the whole thing feels sturdy and protective. There's also a wider headband. It's still wrapped in that soft vegan leather, but the underside is now flatter and thicker towards the back, so it's easier to tell which way round to wear them without feeling around for the tactile L marker. The tweak is supposed to improve comfort and weight distribution – and maybe it will for some people – but I actually found its predecessor more comfortable. The new fit has a firmer clamping force that improves sound isolation, but after long sessions, I started to feel a bit of pinch at the crown. It's not unbearable, but a little more noticeable than I'd like. The XM5s felt more relaxed on my head, especially when wearing them for a full day. They didn't fall off or rattle around my head when I was wearing them at the gym, however. Talking of tactile markers, the power button has a small but welcome glow-up. It's now circular and slightly recessed, making it much easier to locate by touch, so no more thumbing around the cup wondering if you've just hit the ANC toggle by mistake. That's still a longer, flatter strip, so the two are thankfully easy to tell apart without looking. You can also turn the ANC button into a microphone mute button in the Sony Sound Connect settings – this will mute and unmute your mic if you click the ANC button twice. There are minor changes to the touch controls, but they feel more responsive this time around. I didn't find myself repeating gestures as often as I did with the XM5. There's still no haptic feedback, but there are sound effects, so you know when swipes and taps are registered. The XM6 come in black, platinum silver and a new midnight blue colour. Overall, it's just a much more refined pair of cans compared to the XM5. Sony WH-1000XM6 features The WH-1000XM6 are just as feature-packed as ever. If you've used the XM5s, most of this will feel familiar. Speak-to-Chat (which pauses your music the moment you start talking) isn't turned on by default anymore, a welcome change if, like me, you've always found it more annoying than helpful. Quick Attention mode is still here and works well – just cover the right earcup and it'll pipe in the outside world without you having to fumble with buttons. You've also got support for LDAC, high-res wireless audio, multipoint for two devices, and DSEE Extreme upscaling. But there are new tricks worth flagging. The first is auto switch, a feature borrowed from Sony's newer LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open. It automatically switches the music to your LinkBuds speaker when you return home (or pause your music on your headphones). Leave the house, and it'll switch it straight back to your headphones again. It's a really neat little feature. 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No. But for stereo content, it's surprisingly convincing. There's also a new ten-band EQ (up from the 5-band EQ on the XM5), including a dedicated Gaming preset, plus support for Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast, though there's not much that takes advantage of those just yet. One neat upgrade is that you can now listen while charging – something the XM5 didn't allow. Sadly, there's still no USB-C audio, so wired playback is limited to the 3.5mm jack. Sony WH-1000XM6 noise cancellation and call quality Sony's noise cancellation has always been among the best, but the WH-1000XM6 improve that even further, making noise cancellation more consistent and natural. The XM5 had a slightly annoying lag with the ANC when the noise level changed. I found that if I walked from a quiet room into a noisy office, I'd hear that swoosh of sound sneak in before the ANC kicked in to silence it. It wasn't a deal-breaker, but it was distracting. I'm pleased to report that doesn't happen on the XM6 in my initial tests. With the new adaptive NC optimiser, it now feels much more stable and immediate. It handles shifts in environmental sound well without drawing attention to itself. It's better in every way. It's not quite as forceful as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, which still has a kind of vacuum-seal feel, but the XM6 is less fatiguing and more natural over long sessions. Wind noise was barely an issue in testing, even when walking outdoors or near traffic. Saying that, I still think ambient mode is better on the AirPods Max. While it's definitely improved, and you can hear practically every sound in your environment, the AirPods always make it sound like you're not wearing any headphones at all. There's still a little bit of blunting of environmental sounds with these headphones. In terms of call quality. 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Sony says this gives your music better separation, deeper bass and more clarity across the board. There's also a look-ahead noise shaper built into the processor, designed to smooth out sudden changes in volume and reduce distortion when streaming. Even without playing around with any EQ settings, the XM6 sound more spacious and balanced. When I listened to the vocals on Olivia Rodrigo's Sour, I could feel more depth and better separation in the mids. Bass is stronger too, but not in a showy way; it's less murky, more present. The rubbery synth bassline on MGMT's Little Dark Age used to feel a bit bloated on the XM5s, but here it's tight and punchy, gliding underneath the track without swallowing everything else. Dan Romer's Station Eleven score also sounds sparse and intimate. The XM6 do a better job of capturing string swells, with a sense of texture that wasn't quite as defined on the XM5. If you're coming from the XM5s, it's a clear step up, and I think the XM6s are more musical than the Bose QC Ultra or the AirPods Max. After a few days of listening, these are excellent. As for battery life, it's still rated at 30 hours – the same as the XM5 – but I haven't had long enough with them to say how accurate that claim is just yet. They've held up well so far, even with ANC on, but I'll need more time to test them properly across longer stretches. Still, in 2025, 30 hours doesn't feel quite as generous as it used to. Plenty of cheaper models can eke out more.

First The Witcher 4 footage looks stunning even on a base PS5
First The Witcher 4 footage looks stunning even on a base PS5

Metro

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  • Metro

First The Witcher 4 footage looks stunning even on a base PS5

Almost too good to be true (Epic Games/CD Projekt) PlayStation 5 owners can breathe easy knowing they won't need a new console to enjoy The Witcher 4 with amazing graphics. While we finally got our first look at The Witcher 4 during The Game Awards 2024. It was via an entirely pre-rendered trailer, without so much as a whiff of gameplay. Today, however, as part of a State of Unreal presentation showing off the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5 (which is being used for The Witcher 4 as part of a multi-year deal), CD Projekt took to the stage to show what The Witcher 4 will actually look like in action. Although it's technically not gameplay and more of a tech demo (so don't expect this exact section to appear in the final game) this is the first real in-engine glimpse at The Witcher 4 and it looks remarkably good in terms of visuals. Things begin with a cut scene of a wagon being attacked by monsters, with new protagonist Ciri investigating it sometime afterwards, before transitioning to gameplay of her running through a mountainside, riding her horse, and strolling through a busy town (the whole thing starts at the 30:10 mark in the video below). There's talk of realistic muscle movement for horses, faster rendering for foliage, and densely populated towns, but the most impressive detail is that this demo is running smoothly on a standard PlayStation 5 – not a PS5 Pro. According to The Witcher 4's game director Sebastian Kalemba, not only is the demo running at a consistent 60 frames per second, but it also has ray-tracing enabled. As a reminder, the standard PlayStation 5 has separate performance and quality modes. You can't usually have the best quality graphics and a smooth frame rate of 60fps at the same time. It wasn't until the PS5 Pro that having games run with both high frame rates and ray-tracing became more common. This means that anyone still holding onto their original PlayStation 5 won't be forced to upgrade to the more expensive Pro console, if they want The Witcher 4 looking as good as it possibly can. That said, it won't be surprising if The Witcher 4 offers higher fidelity rates and/or 120 frames per second on the Pro. By that point, though, the differences will be negligible to most people. The demo contains no examples of combat or any other mechanics, though CD Projekt has confirmed that The Witcher 4 will take place in the northern region of Kovir, a setting not seen before in the series. With any luck, you'll be able to play The Witcher 4 as early as 2027, at least according to CD Projekt's most recent financial results. That said, the studio hasn't ruled out needing more time than that, so don't be shocked if it takes until 2028 for the sequel to come out. Given the timing, it's also possible The Witcher 4 will wind up a cross-gen release and launch for the PlayStation 6 and next Xbox, as well as PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It's widely suspected that Sony and Microsoft will have new hardware out in a couple of years. Earlier this year, an allegedly cancelled Blade Runner game was claimed to have been in development for such hardware and was aiming for a 2027 launch. (YouTube) Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. Arrow MORE: The Witcher 4 will be 'bigger' and 'better' than The Witcher 3 says CD Projekt Arrow MORE: Cyberpunk 2 release date narrowed down as production ramps up Arrow MORE: PS6 will have home and portable models but handheld won't be as powerful as PS5

Sony try to disrupt Nintendo Switch 2 launch with surprise PS5 State of Play
Sony try to disrupt Nintendo Switch 2 launch with surprise PS5 State of Play

Metro

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Sony try to disrupt Nintendo Switch 2 launch with surprise PS5 State of Play

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