Microsoft is raising the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, and the company has now attempted to defend the hikes.

Speaking to The Verge, Microsoft director of gaming and platform communications Dustin Blackwell said, "We understand price increases are never fun for anybody, but we're trying to reinforce by adding more value to these plans as well."

He added: "It's something we don't take lightly, and we're listening to the feedback of players and the community to try to provide them with more of what they’re asking for."

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Developer Sucker Punch Productions' samurai fantasy sequel, Ghost of Yotei, is finally out on PlayStation 5, and it's already received favorable reviews from critics. As such, it's safe to think that we could see yet another entry in the Ghost franchise in the future; however, the team isn't quite sure about that, as Sucker Punch Productions said in a new interview that timing is key.

Speaking to VGC on October 2, co-founder Brian Fleming explained that the next Ghost game or a return to Sly Cooper isn't out of the question, but because the team only gets to develop a new game "about every five years," that idea has to be "the best idea" possible.

"The truth is that whatever we do next, whether it's continuing Ghost or going back to Sly, the decision is really more limited by, again, our cherishing of focus and time to iterate, which means that we really can only do one thing at a time," Fleming said. "If we were good at juggling four projects, yeah, we’d have a remaster, and let’s go do one of those, and one of those, and do some fan request, that would be really popular. But we only get to do one thing. So it kind of has to be your best idea, right? And that's really clarifying. It's not like there aren't 15 good ideas. But you only get to do one. And by the way, you only get to do one about every five years. So that choice is really important. I mean, that is choosing your college and your major every five years … that's a really big decision, so you better think carefully about it."

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When it comes to building a winning team in EA Sports FC 26, the right formation is just as important as the players you pick. A good formation can unlock your team’s true potential, while the wrong one can leave you exposed at every turn. But whether you’re someone who favors the gegenpress over tiki-taka, there’s a formation for you.

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• 4-1-2-1-2 Narrow

This guide will explain the best FC 26 formations, breaking down their strengths and weaknesses, while explaining what type of players you’ll need to make it work. From tried and tested setups like 4-2-3-1 Wide to more experimental systems like 3-5-2, we’ll help you find the perfect shape to dominate in your next Division Rivals or Career Mode game.

4-1-2-1-2 Narrow

The 4-1-2-1-2 Narrow meta is back, and we couldn’t be more delighted. This diamond formation wasn’t really favoured in the FC 25 meta, but it’s having a bit of a resurgence.

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Starbreeze has canceled its upcoming Dungeons & Dragons game, which was in the works under the working title Project Baxter. The developer said its board of directors and management opted to cancel the project after a "strategic review" found that resources would be better deployed on its successful Payday franchise instead.

Starbreeze is taking an impairment charge of about SEK 255 million ($27.2 million) as a result of Project Baxter's cancellation.

"This was a difficult but necessary decision," Starbreeze CEO Adolf Kristjansson said. "Our strategy is clear: Payday is one of the most iconic IPs in gaming, with unmatched reach and potential. By focusing our investment and talent here, we can accelerate delivery, engage players with more content, and reinforce Starbreeze's position as the clear leader in the heisting genre. This is about sharpening our focus to create the strongest long-term value for our players, our people, and our shareholders."

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Like most games on the Roblox platform, the developers of Grow A Garden give away free stuff to celebrate big updates in the form of codes. Valid for only a limited time, these can give you access to items that aren’t available anywhere else, or a handful of rare items that are tough to get otherwise.

While there haven’t been all that many of them in the Roblox game’s lifespan so far, the ones that have been made available have mostly been cosmetic items, and in some rare cases, eggs for Grow A Garden pets. Sadly, none of these can help summon rare weather conditions, as it’s only those with admin permissions who can use Grow A Garden console commands, but there are plenty of freebies available. Here are all the currently known Grow A Garden codes, along with instructions on how to redeem them.

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• All active Grow A Garden codes

This Torii Gate is one of the many exclusive items that was made available via Grow A Garden codes.All active Grow A Garden codes

All of these Grow A Garden codes have been checked and verified since the last update. You can only redeem them once, and the vast majority of them will either appear in your backpack or in the separate cosmetic items section.

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Microsoft opened preorders for the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally on September 25, and they quickly sold out at some retailers. The high-end handheld is still two weeks away from launch, but at least one fan in Europe got it early thanks to a mistake by Amazon France.

The fan in question goes by TechnicalFun77 on Reddit (via Xbox Era), and the user largely had positive things to say about it before deleting their account for some unexplained reason.

"It's a good console," wrote TechnicalFun77. "Very good ergonomics, controlled weight, pretty nice handheld, armory crate in the full screen experience is very responsive, no latency problem when pressing buttons, quite fluid in the menus in general, and superb battery life at 17-25w. And my god, the console is quiet and well-cooled even at high TDP. One of the main strengths is the sound of the device. It [feels] like the sounds are going all around my head, I almost don't need headphones."

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Allow us to introduce you to the most-watched, sometimes controversial but always talked-about survival gameshow that is always looking for show-offs: KING OF MEAT! Get ready for a joyfully unhinged world filled with skeletons, trolls, and of course, corporate commercialism. Are you a Contender ready to destroy anything that steps into the Dungeon? Or are you a Creator, crafting the most devious challenges with your own dungeons?

Set 300 years after the critically acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yōtei is a standalone experience set in 1600s rural Japan. The story follows a haunted, lone mercenary named Atsu. Thirsty for revenge, she travels through the beautiful, rugged landscapes of northern Japan, hunting those who killed her family many years earlier. Sixteen years after her family’s death, Atsu's quest across Ezo brings her to unexplored lands in search of a gang of six outlaws, but she finds much more than vengeance. Throughout her journey, Atsu will discover unlikely allies, and greater bonds than she could have imagined.

Tokyo, Japan - An agent of a secret organization encounters an unknown creature shortly before a city-leveling explosion. They then reawaken eight years in the past... Take on a mission to uncover the mystery of the world’s collapse, where chance encounters with unique characters will shape your journey across time and parallel worlds - and change fate itself. Digimon Story Time Stranger is an RPG with monster-taming elements that explores the deep bond between humans and Digimon in an epic story that unravels the mystery of the world’s collapse. Embark on an adventure that spans across the human world and Digital World, collecting and raising a diverse array of Digimon to fight in turn-based battles.

A non-human, living alone in the night of London. One evening, he meets a girl seeking help in the fog. She has lost her memories and knows not why she is there. In saving her from the darkness, the two become fast friends. The non-human, wishing to help his very first friend recover her memories, makes for two beings he has heard about by way of rumors among the fae: the Thorn Mage Elias, and Chise.

LIFE IS STRANGE is a single-player narrative adventure series that focuses on heartfelt, grounded stories with a twist of the strange, and a franchise that has won over 100 awards since its inception - including from The Peabody Awards, BAFTA, and GLAAD. Over five cinematic, emotional adventures, you’ll Rewind Time as Max Caulfield and uncover the secrets of Arcadia Bay with Chloe Price, take a road trip with Sean Diaz and his telekinetic brother Daniel, find a new home with psychic empath Alex Chen, and return to Max to solve a murder across two timelines.