No good hitman retires forever. Pistol Whip Contracts is here to make you an offer you can’t refuse, just sign on the dotted line and let the hunt for your targets begin.

Your assignment: elimination. Explore a whole new way to take down your enemies and reap the rewards with Contracts, a rotating daily, weekly, and monthly challenge system built to keep even the most experienced assassins on their toes.

Want to rack up some quick kills and get out of dodge? Step up for the Daily Bounty; a single scene that refreshes every day. For those looking to boast about completing a more dangerous mission, the Weekly Raid is available; a multi-scene operation that refreshes once a week. And for the veterans, experts, and those who have no fear, there is nothing more deadly than attempting the Monthly Ultimatum; a gauntlet of up to five scenes that refreshes at the beginning of every month.

Endless gameplay customization options are available through Pistol Whip’s Styles System, providing players with an extensive list of weapons and modifiers. But we hire you to kill, not to think, and sometimes a mercenary just wants to grab a gun to finish their assignment without a fuss. Enter Contracts. It’s never been so easy to jump directly into the action.

The nature of Contracts is to provide pre-arranged combinations of styles, weapons, enemies, and scenes so that a shooter of any skill level can experience a wide, ever-changing variety of challenges.

“Contracts use our wide variety of gameplay ingredients, plus a few new surprises, to serve up delicious layer-cakes of revenge, every day.” Says Joel Green, Game Director. “The optional multi-scene endurance contracts are something we’ve long wanted to add, and the designers are thirstily anticipating the inevitable suffering of our more audacious players.”

When a contract deadline is up, players will receive an emblem marked with their ranking, prominently displayed for others to see. There may even be a rare coin payable to those assassins who achieve the number one position – but will they try to dominate one board or rule them all?

Also included in this update are several Styles menu adjustments to provide smoother user accessibility, as well as new modifiers for faster bullets, slower bullets, and reinforced player armor.

Pistol Whip Contracts is slated for release on PS VR on June 16, bringing rotating daily, weekly, and monthly assignments into the pulse-pounding action of the Pistolverse. Mercenaries all over the globe will be getting back into the game, and we expect you’ll be among them. No compromise. No mercy. Just get the job done.

Calling all PlayStation players! The sequel to 2019’s blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is almost here. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will kick off a new era for the franchise when it releases worldwide on October 28 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. 

PlayStation players will witness and experience what made Task Force 141 become the legendary squad that it is as the action picks up following the harrowing and breathtaking action from the 2019 game.

Play Video

Developer Infinity Ward has left no stone unturned to create a new heart-pounding experience for players.

Task Force 141’s next global Campaign. Immersive, world-class Multiplayer. An evolved Special Ops experience. All carefully crafted with gameplay and technical innovations that will introduce PlayStation fans to the new era of Call of Duty.

Campaign and Special Ops 

Task Force 141 faces its greatest threat yet — a newly aligned menace with deep, yet unknown, connections.

In a direct sequel to Modern Warfare (2019), familiar heroes return and new allies are formed as the globe-trotting operation spans Europe, Asia, and the Americas..

This Campaign is set to be an incredible experience on numerous levels: offshore sieges with underwater combat, all-out explosive assaults from 30,000 feet above enemy strongholds, and high-stakes, low-profile stealth missions.

Deploying alongside you are iconic squadmates: Team leader Captain John Price; seasoned sergeant Kyle “Gaz” Garrick; the lone wolf himself, fan-favorite Simon “Ghost” Riley; fearless Sergeant John “Soap” MacTavish; as well as the newest team member, Colonel Alejandro Vargas, an incorruptible Tier 1 Operator and member of the Mexican Special Forces.

After the Campaign, PlayStation players can join up with their duo for an evolved Special Ops experience, the tactical co-op mode that advances your team-building skills and sets the table for the near endless hours of gameplay you can experience in Multiplayer.

Multiplayer: Next Generation Innovations

Those who drop into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Multiplayer at launch will be the first to try out and level up multiple base weapons, explore a wide range of maps and modes, meet an international cast of Operators, and mor

With 29 years of experience in game development, Bend Studio has had a rich legacy in video games. From the iconic Syphon Filter series to Resistance: Retribution, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and Days Gone, we strive to provide our players with high-quality experiences that create a lasting impact. As we reflect on our past and look toward the future, we are thrilled to unveil the new Bend Studio logo to you all.

“The wordmark and symbol were designed to be graphic and bold, so that we utilize numerous variations in colorways and stylised treatments of the symbol (exampled below), while still maintaining an identifiable brand identity.  Because the Bend Studio logo is split into a symbol and a workmark, we have more flexibility with the symbol.” – Shay Casey

Our new Bend Studio logo represents an abstract and modern interpretation of the studio’s history, location, and lifestyle. Located at the base of the beautiful Cascade Mountains in Central Oregon, Bend provides us with a unique lifestyle where we can work in tech, but live life analog. After a day in the office, we like to plug into adventure and use our extra life to shred the slopes at Mt. Bachelor, drag a line in the Deschutes River, or take a long hike in the wild.

“We set out to create a new identity that would be cutting-edge, abstract, and minimalist. It should feature simple, high-tech geometry but also represent the constant motion of creativity. Ideally it would be the kind of logo that is recognizable to gamers on the street without the need for a wordmark. Over time it should be easily identified as a symbol of gaming just like a certain swoosh is of sportswear.

With those objectives in mind, we are illustrating Bend Studio’s technical innovation with a forward directional look. The letterforms are cut to run parallel to the leading edge of the outer symbol triangle but still maintain the stability of our mid-weight non-italicized font. The Cascade icon in the center of the symbol is an abstract representation of the many mountain peaks that are the center of our lives in Central Oregon and define our skyline. Additionally, there is a small break in the “I” that represents one of the lumber mill smokestacks that speaks to Bend’s history as a logging town before its current existence as an outdoor enthusiast destination.” 

– Shay Casey
Associate Art Director (Branding & UI)

“The new logo allows us to be creative with stylised treatments. We had a lot of fun concepting the above.” – Shay Casey

1993: Origins of Bend Studio

Bend Studio traces its origins to 1993, under the name of Blank, Berlyn and Co. The company released several puzzle games for the Apple Newton, including Columbo’s Mystery Capers, Dell Crossword Puzzles, Motil, and Notion (List Maker). Shortly after, we hired Christopher Reese, the current Studio Head at Bend Studio, who helped release the first of a series of sports games, starting with Live Action Football in 1993 on PC. Following these releases, the company had the ambition to evolve and push into the w

With Yurukill: The Calumniation Games less than a month away from release, we’re happy to announce that the demo is available for free download starting today at PlayStation Store. Given the unique blend of genres, we wanted to shed some light on how everything flows together to create a cohesive and exciting experience.

Also, if you pick up Yurukill: The Calumniation Games on PS4, you can upgrade your copy to the PS5 version digitally for free.

Play Video

What are the Calumniation Games?

Calumniate (verb): to utter maliciously false statements, charges, or imputations about.

ca·​lum·​ni·​ate | kə-ˈləm-nē-ˌāt

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games centers around Sengoku Shunju, a man who wakes up in a prison cell with no recollection of how he got there. A masked woman named Binko suddenly appears before him and explains the situation at hand: “Prisoner, Sengoku Shunju: convicted of murder! He’s serving a 999 year sentence! That’s far and away the longest sentence out of all our Prisoners!” 

You must survive the various “attractions” in a certain “amusement park.” If you succeed, your crimes will be pardoned.

“No, you’ve got it all wrong, I’ve been falsely accused! I’m innocent!”

Sengoku asserts that he is innocent of the crimes he’s accused of, but what complicates matters is the appearance of the victim of one of his alleged crimes: a woman named Rina Azami.

“Sengoku Shunju. A name I will never forget. You killed my entire family. For that, I will never forgive you.”

Sengoku is charged with arson and murder—for the death of 21 people by immolation, including Rina’s family. And now he finds himself in Yurukill Land, the aforementioned ‘amusement park’ where accused criminals (Prisoners) and the victims of their crimes (Executioners) must pair up to face its twisted attractions and trials.

Besides Sengoku, there are four other groups of Prisoners and their respective Executioners who find themselves in Yurukill Land: the Death Dealing Duo, the Crafty Killers, the Sly

Ready to be the boss in the world’s most thrilling motorsport? F1 Manager 2022 comes to PS5 and PS4 from August 25.  

Players can pre-order right now, and doing just that with the digital version will mean you can play five days early, ahead of the official launch on August 30. Not only that, but if you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you’ll also get a 10% discount. Not too shabby, right?  

Play Video

It’s incredibly exciting for the whole team at Frontier Developments to be working on a title for a sport that continues to surge in popularity. With a new generation of drivers, gripping storylines, and sensational on-track action taking F1 to new heights, we’re delighted to be giving everyone the chance to enter this thrilling world of motorsport. 

More people than ever are interested in not just the cars and drivers of an F1 team, but the entire team and process that go into the ground-breaking performance we see on the circuit. Using Frontier’s experience of designing deep, nuanced, rewarding management experiences, we’re allowing players to see the sheer detail of what goes into running a successful constructor, and then giving them the keys to control it all as the Team Principal. 

Whether it’s putting together a race strategy for your drivers, using your budget to expand your facilities and develop your car, or scouting the database of real-world drivers and staff for new recruits, the fate of your team will rest solely in your hands.  

As you can tell, there is a lot to get stuck into with F1 Manager 2022 – far too much to cover in one post! For now, let’s shed some more light on the role you will play during the race weekend. Whilst you’ll spend plenty of time as a Team Principal handling matters away from the circuit, you’ll also control many factors of the on-track aspect of F1 – all within an authentic, broadcast-quality experience, allowing you to watch the drama unfold from every angle.  

Taken your seat on the pit wall? Then let’s begin…  

Getting to grips 

Every F1 race weekend begins with practice sessions, beginning on a Friday. This is valuable track time for your team, particularly your drivers, to prepare for the weekend ahead. Just like in the real sport, every time your cars are on track in F1 Manager 2022 is a chance for you to gather data and turn the odds in your favour. 

It’s time to celebrate with Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3: Vibin’! Bounce around in the new Reality Falls, ride creatures and the new Screwballer coaster, and enjoy a new arsenal. Celebrate the good vibes in Season 3.

Play Video

Have fun(gi)

A new biome called Reality Falls has formed, featuring the freshly bloomed Reality Tree.This lush forest boasts bouncy mushrooms, beauteous trees, and a cavern beneath its waterfalls containing loot.

Don’t forget to harvest

Sprouting from the Reality Tree are the Reality Seed Pods. Plant these seeds to grow a Reality Sapling — which grows in the same place match to match. Be sure to return to these planted Saplings as they bear better loot each time you weed them, even up to Mythic quality. Open the Map page to see your sapling’s status, including when it’s time to weed it again.

Have a sapling already planted? Throw a Reality Seed to teleport the sapling to where it lands! When your sapling eventually wilts away, it’ll leave behind a Reality Seed for you to plant.

Be a High Roller

Ballers have returned to the Island. To keep the good times rolling, ride a Baller on the newly-constructed (and totally safe) Screwballer coaster.

The Baller’s received some updates since it was last on the Island. It’s got improved Health, it floats on water, and it now runs on Battery charge. Board a new Baller if your current one runs out of juice.

Take a wildlife ride

The high-speed fun doesn’t end with Ballers. Track down a wild boar or wolf, jump on its back, then prepare for a wild ride. Taking enemy fire? No worries! Don your weapons while riding for mounted combat.

Gear up

When building Horizon Forbidden West, a massive focus for the team at Guerrilla was making the world feel alive and authentic. To create the feeling of a living world, we offered more ways than ever for the player to interact with it. This meant going beyond just offering breathtaking action and adventure, also including smaller moments that flesh out the culture of the tribes dwelling within the Forbidden West, adding an extra layer of realism.  

Please note this article contains some spoilers for Horizon Forbidden West.  

As Aloy explores this new frontier, she discovers many exciting things to do: Melee Pits in settlements, Salvage Contracts in the wilds, Outposts and Camps teeming with rebels, Cauldrons, Ancient Ruins, and of course: Machine Strike.  

A tactical approach

Machine Strike is a piece-based board game that Aloy can play against characters across the Forbidden West. In this tactical game, players move miniature pieces representing iconic Horizon machines around the board, ‘battling’ them against one another. Invented by the battle-minded Tenakth, the aim of Machine Strike is to clear the board of your enemy’s machines. To claim victory, the player must not only hold the strongest pieces but also execute a strong strategy. And the further west you go, the more challenging your opponents become. 

Bart van Oosten, World Design Lead at Guerrilla, is one of the masterminds behind this mini-game that is new to the sequel. “We started prototyping right after the Frozen Wilds! Many open world RPGs use these types of activities to create immersion into the world, which always speaks to a group of players, so we decided to flesh out the concept from there.’ 

‘Initially, it was just random cubes with random rules, but we wanted to incorporate individual machine statistics, meaning the board had to be scalable to accommodate those ideas. That’s how we arrived at the tile system. Each tile has an assigned value that influences the stats of any machine piece that lands on them, for example, increased attack from the Grassland tile. Next, we created a paper prototype of the game, which we played a lot! This helped us figure out the ruleset and reasoning. It took us almost a year to finalize the entire mini-game.”  

“We stripped back the design to be as minimal as possible. This kept the board overview clear and allowed players to create their own strategy,” says Bart. “Readability was important, so with the art direction, we tried everything from simple discs to ornate designs and landed somewhere in the middle: the game feels like it was

Last week we asked you to turn your Focus onto the colorful characters and NPCs of Horizon Forbidden West. From trusted companions to unknown threats, here are this week’s highlights:

BBSnakeCorn shares Erend wielding his hammer.

XxPAGZxX shares Varl using his Focus.

coalabr14 shares a portrait of newcomer Tilda.

SindyJ_B shares a profile portrait of Kotallo.

thegaymerTW shares Gaia re-emerging. 

horizon_addicts shares a portrait of sun prince Itamen.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? 

THEME: Deathloop – Photo Mode
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on June 8, 2022

Next week, we’re headed back to the stylish world of Blackreef to explore Deathloop’s newly released photo mode. Share moments as Colt or Julianna using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

What a show. Where to begin? Today’s State of Play gave us our first look at Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 and Street Fighter 6, plus a spectacular new Final Fantasy XVI trailer. And between, nonstop new reveals and surprises, including the debut of titles in development for PlayStation VR2. 

If you missed (or want to rewatch) the show, you can find it below: 

Play Video

Many studios who have partnered with us on today’s State of Play offer more information and additional insight about their games in the below PS.Blog articles. Click through to get the full story on each, direct from the creators. 

• Resident Evil 4 is coming to PS5 next year: get the first gameplay and story details.

• Street Fighter 6 has been fully revealed: first details on new fighters coming to its roster, the Drive System, World Tour, and more.  

• Final Fantasy XVI launches summer 2023. See the new trailer and get new story and gameplay details. 

• Resident Evil Village is in development for PS VR2, which promises to be even more immersive. 

• Enjoy a longer glimpse – and some new gameplay details – of PS VR2 exclusive Horizon Call of the Mountain. 

• New weapons and bigger threats are promised for Read more

High in the mountains, there is a village safe from the turmoil of changing seasons. No one has left in a generation, no one until Estelle. In her world, a season is a period of history, an era. This season is about to end. Riding off into the unknown, she leaves her home to try to capture this moment for the future. Estelle navigates through a strange yet familiar world, witnessing life on the brink of an impending but mysterious change. 

Play Video

The gameplay of Season: A Letter to the Future focuses on exploring, recording, meeting people, and unravelling the strange world around you. At any point, you can hop off your bike and equip a tool from your bag. Each captures a different layer; sounds and music, art and architecture, voices of old people, vanishing religious practices, the traces of seasons long past. Your tools help you peel back these layers until you’re able to grasp the culture, history, and ecology underneath everything. 

Your camera can capture anything you see. Your microphone can capture and playback anything you hear, through directional sound recording. This action also prompts moments of reflection and inquiry as you understand your surroundings, sparking thoughts and investigation from Estelle. Use these recordings of the present to unlock answers for the future.

Your time spent with other people is crucial. You help them through moments of quiet crisis. In their lives, the change coming to the world is not abstract, it is immediate. They are trying to navigate, to survive, to find a way to live. You help them. You remember them. The choices you make reverberate and the importance of what you’re doing becomes increasingly tangible. Showing your recordings to these characters you meet can also yield useful pieces of information or a moment of connection.