Splatoon 3 Fan Who Derailed Nintendo Shareholder Meeting Appears in Official Transcript

The Splatoon 3 player who derailed a Nintendo shareholder meeting to complain about the perceived lack of boy character support has appeared in its official transcript.

Appearing under question eight of Nintendo's investors Q&A transcript, a seemingly simplified version of the complaint was given alongside a brief answer from Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa.

The fan spoke out during the portion of the June 23 meeting where Nintendo shareholders are given the opportunity to ask a question about business performance, but instead used the opportunity to say he believes female characters got preferential treatment in Splatoon 3.

"The company has blatantly given the boys in Splatoon the cold shoulder and I would like to see some improvement," he said. "In Splatoon 3, there is a lot more customisation [than the first two games] and there is clear favouritism towards girl characters over boys."

Furukawa allegedly attempted to stop the Splatoon 3 player's complaint, saying the question was too long, but was unsuccessful as the individual continued. Once finished, Furukawa thanked them for playing Splatoon 3 and for sharing his opinion.

An individual on Twitter claiming to be the Splatoon 3 player said they sent several emails to Nintendo expressing their concerns and, upon not being listened to, bought shares in the company in order to gain an audience with company executives.

Nintendo did not respond to IGN's request for comment on the shareholder meeting disruption.

Splatoon wasn't the only topic of conversation at the meeting, of course, as Furukawa also said Nintendo plans to give Switch players a "smooth transition" to its next console using Nintendo Accounts.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Sold More Copies Physically Than Resident Evil 4 or Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Did Period

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has sold more copies physically than Resident Evil 4 Remake or Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sold period.

Revealed through the latest data from Circana (formerly NPD), the long-awaited Breath of the Wild sequel got off to an incredibly hot start, instantly moving to second place on the list of best-selling games of the year so far.

What makes this a particularly astounding feat is that Nintendo only shares its physical sales data, not digital, meaning none of Tears of the Kingdom's eShop sales contributed to this number.

This means the physical version only fell to Hogwarts Legacy and otherwise outperformed Resident Evil 4 (which topped March's sales charts), Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (which topped April's), Dead Island 2, MLB: The Show 23, and every other game released in 2023.

The best selling games of 2023 so far are therefore: Hogwarts Legacy, Tears of the Kingdom, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Resident Evil 4, MLB: The Show, Dead Island 2, FIFA 23, Dead Space, Madden NFL 23, and Elden Ring.

Physical sales are also generally considered to be poorer performing compared to digital, with a report from January 2023 indicating digital sales accounted for an estimated 90% of games sold in the UK in 2022.

Tears of the Kingdom's hot start wasn't necessarily a secret, of course, as Nintendo announced the sequel sold 10 million copies within three days. That being said, overcoming 2023's other hit games through physical sales alone is a significant accomplishment in an industry where major developers are giving up on boxed copies altogether.

In our 10/10 review of the game, IGN said: "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an unfathomable follow-up, expanding a world that already felt full beyond expectation and raising the bar ever higher into the clouds."

And for help with everything Tears of the Kingdom, take a look at our Tears of the Kingdom Walkthrough and Guide about making your way through Hyrule. In fact, you can start here:

• 16 Things to Do First in Tears of the Kingdom
• 14 Things Tears of the Kingdom Doesn't Tell You
• How to Uncover the Full TOTK Map
• How to Expand Your Inventory in TOTK
• PSA: Your Old BOTW Save Unlocks Something Cool in TOTK

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Starfield on Xbox Getting a Physical Disc After All Bethesda Says

Starfield on Xbox is getting a physical disc edition after all according to Bethesda, who caused confusion earlier in June by posting a tweet to the contrary.

As reported by Eurogamer, a breakdown of editions on Bethesda's website confirms the "game disc [is] included with physical purchases of Xbox's standard edition".

Bethesda was met with backlash on June 25 after its support account on Twitter said this wouldn't be the case and, just like the PC version, the physical copy of Starfield on Xbox would only include a download code.

The Constellation Edition, which costs $300 and comes with a real version of the in-game watch, a Constellation patch, and more, won't have a physical disc, however, even on Xbox, which perhaps sparked some of the confusion.

The misinformation was believable to many given the industry's slow but sure shift to digital, with Alan Wake 2 perhaps being the first major release to not have a physical edition at all. A report from January 2023 also indicated that digital sales accounted for an estimated 90% of games sold in the UK in 2022.

Starfield won't be joining the digital only trend though. It's perhaps the most anticipated video game release in recent memory and has therefore captured the attention of fans in some wild and wonderful ways. Virtual sandwiches got people talking about it being locked at 30 frames per second, for example, while an ESRB rating revealed drugs, in-game purchases, and jetpack sex.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Nintendo Plans 'Smooth Transition' from Switch to Next Console by Using Players' Nintendo Accounts

Nintendo plans to give Switch players a "smooth transition" to its next console using Nintendo Accounts.

Speaking during an investors Q&A session, translated by Genki on Twitter (below), Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa indicated that Nintendo Accounts would be a staple for users going forward.

"As for the transition from Nintendo Switch to the next generation machine, we want to do as much as possible in order to smoothly transition our customers while utilising the Nintendo Account," he said.

Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa says they plan to make a smooth transition for customers from Nintendo Switch to the next-generation console by using the Nintendo Account!

- There are currently 290 million Nintendo Accounts across console & mobile.https://t.co/Y9O8vmeySz pic.twitter.com/OrIYQ1K5XU

— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) June 27, 2023

Nintendo isn't historically known for a strong or consistent online infrastructure as Nintendo Accounts were only introduced with the Switch. The Wii U and 3DS both utilised a Nintendo Network ID, and while these can be connected to the modern service, the transition was considered far from smooth by many.

Furukawa said there are now more than 290 million Nintendo Accounts in use across console and mobile, however, seemingly giving the company a strong foundation to build its next generation infrastructure on.

This will therefore be a move similar to what Sony and Microsoft have been doing for years, with users' PlayStation Network and Xbox Live accounts now having transitioned between three generations of hardware.

Chatter around a next generation Nintendo console has been slowly increasing recently, with Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot saying earlier in June he regretted releasing Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope on the Switch, instead wishing he'd waited for the console's successor.

Nintendo maintains the Switch is good for another year at least, however, saying in May a Switch successor won't be released until April 2024 at the earliest. This comes despite a decline in Switch sales. The console sold close to 18 million units in the last financial year, down from 23 million sold the year before and 28 million the year before that.

Rumours surrounding a new console have been circulating for years, with even analysts unsure if Nintendo was planning to release the Switch 2 (for lack of a better name) as early as 2021. The new console was said to offer boosted graphics akin to the PlayStation 4 and its Pro model, but there is no official information regarding the next piece of Nintendo hardware yet.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Oblivion Remastered Mod Skyblivion on Track for 2025 Release

The modders behind Skyblivion say it’s on track to launch in 2025, but they still need volunteers to help the ambitious fan project get over the finish line.

Skyblivion, dubbed “Oblivion Remastered”, is a fan effort to remake Bethesda’s much-loved role-playing game The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim engine. Over 50 volunteers make up the development team at the TESRenewal modding group.

The team released new information in a fresh video. There’s a release goal of 2025, which is based upon the current completion percentage of the various parts of the project such as the recreation of the world map, terrain, interiors, 3D assets, quests, gameplay systems, and music. The team added it will not turn its attention to Oblivion’s DLC until Skyblivion launches proper in 2025.

Skyblivion has been in development in various forms since 2012, and while it won’t come out for another three years, it’s still set to launch before Bethesda’s own The Elder Scrolls 6. Testifying as part of the ongoing FTC vs Microsoft trial, Xbox boss Phil Spencer admitted the hotly-anticipated RPG is "five plus years away". That means The Elder Scrolls 6 may come out in 2028.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Blizzard Confirms Diablo 4 Has Six Super Rare Unique Items Sparks Debate About Lottery Level Rarity

Blizzard has stepped in to clear up confusion surrounding the rarest items in Diablo 4, confirming six currently exist in the game. However, players reckon it’s nigh-on impossible to get one.

After nearly a month in which players wondered about the status of Diablo 4's rarest unique items because just a handful were found, Diablo 4 lead class designer Adam Jackson took to Twitter to confirm six super rare uniques are currently in the game:

• Doombringer (unique sword slashing)
• The Grandfather (unique two-handed sword slashing)
• Ring of Starless Skies (unique ring)
• Andariel’s Visage (unique helm)
• Harlequin Crest (unique helm)
• Melted Heart of Selig (unique amulet)

Hello! I wanted to clear up some details on the rarest Unique items in Diablo 4.

1. They can drop from level 85+ enemies
2. You get them anywhere you can get a regular Unique, and they always drop at 820 ipower
3. We currently have 6 of them in the game
4. They're realllly rare! pic.twitter.com/pVVj5DTEaU

— Adam Jackson (@AZJackson85) June 24, 2023

According to Jackson, these super rare unique items only drop from level 85 plus enemies, always drop at 820 power, and can be obtained anywhere you can get a regular unique. Jackson also confirmed super rare uniques are “realllly rare”, and it’s this last point that has set the cat among the pigeons within the Diablo community.

Blizzard has yet to confirm the exact drop rate for these super rare uniques, so Diablo 4 players are currently trying to work it out for themselves, which isn’t surprising given how coveted they are. As redditor Sloppy_Donkey points out, not only do you have to grind all the way up to be able to take down at least level 85 enemies (Blizzard itself has said the vast majority of Diablo 4 players are yet to finish the campaign), but based on the handful confirmed super rare unique drops nearly a month into the game’s life, it seems we’re talking hundreds of hours, perhaps even thousands of hours of playtime before one will drop.

Players have called this super rare unique drop rate “lottery level rarity”, and the items themselves “functionally nonexistent” because of it. And while previous Diablo games included super rare items with miniscule drop rates, they had trading systems that let players obtain these items from others. Diablo 4 has no such trading system, leaving players at the mercy of the game’s brutal drop rates.

“I'm not even sure what the point of putting in the effort to design these even was,” redditor Aetiusx wondered. “We're talking many many many times more rare than a Mageblood [Path of Exile] or Mirror [Path of Exile] in a game with no trading. Some of the items aren't even particularly good, so that adds a bit of confusion as well.” “Drop rates like this don't belong in a game without trading,” agreed redditor Yasuchika.

Some players say matters are made worse by the fact these super rare uniques can “roll low”, meaning even if you are lucky enough to get one, it may not carry the best stats. Redditor Ok_Excuse1908 suggested Blizzard adds set stats and bonuses to these super rare uniques to avoid disappointment: “What's wrong with giving the people who are putting in 200+ hours before Season 1 see at least one of these?

"I'm not saying let them drop from trash at WT3 [World Tier 3]. But how about nightmare T40+ WT4? These should be far more common and a reward for completing the hardest content in the game and being the most invested players base.”

As the debate rages on, Jackson continued on Twitter to offer players advice for hunting rare uniques down. Whenever you get a unique there is a chance for that unique to instead be one of the rare uniques, Jackson said. Because of this, the best way to farm them is to play content that gives you “the most uniques per x period of time”. That will be a familiar tactic to endgame Diablo 4 players who will no doubt already be farming uniques in the most efficient way possible.

Some Diablo 4 players, however, are glad these super rare uniques exist in the game in the way they do, pointing to their rarity as fuelling community excitement when they’re found, and pointing to the fact Diablo 4 has been designed as a “forever game”, that is, one that’s played for years, perhaps even a decade, rather than months.

Whatever the case, it will be interesting to see if Blizzard increases the drop rate of these items as part of Diablo 4’s next significant patch, which is coming soon.

Diablo 4 launched big, becoming Blizzard’s fastest-selling game ever. It is also a hit with critics, and, generally, has gone down well with fans. However, the cost of Diablo 4’s microtransactions has raised eyebrows, and, surprisingly, Whoopi Goldberg called on Blizzard to release Diablo 4 on Mac.

Check out our interactive Diablo 4 map to start tracking your progress as you play.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Pikmin 4: The Final Preview

Playing Pikmin has always felt like a warm hug, and I’m delighted to report that nothing in that regard has changed in Pikmin 4. During the hour I spent roaming around in story mode, delegating tasks to my little leaf-headed guys — as well as my new sidekick, a very cute two-legged, bug-eyed canine fluffball named Oatchi — I constantly had to remind myself to stay on task; the lure of scrounging around every little nook and cranny of the map was extremely tempting. But focus, I must. Because as the newest recruit of the Rescue Corps, my crash-landed crewmates and civilian castaways were splayed out, waiting for me to save them.

Once again, I landed in a forest area called Sun-Speckled Terrace with my Red Pikmin waiting to be extracted from the Onion, ready to be tossed around and respond to my every command and whistle. This time, though, I was also greeted by my new buddy, Oatchi. This alien pup has tons of handy uses. It can bash through sturdy objects the Pikmin can’t, drag back heavy things all on its lonesome, and follow the scent trails of stranded crew members, treasures, and ore that can eventually be used as the material for item crafting and equipment upgrades once you locate your missing lab-rat comrade.

In Pikmin 4, players aren’t relegated to searching the surface level and exploring in the daytime. Nighttime Expeditions to find new Glow Pikmin are now available, as seen in the gameplay trailer unveiled during the recent Nintendo Direct, although I didn’t get to try that out during my hands-on demo. Additionally, you can dive into manhole-covered pipes that lead to subterranean levels where time moves more slowly than it does up above. Not that I needed to be clock watching. Like Pikmin 2 and 3, Pikmin 4 ditches the strict 30-day time limit to assemble pieces and do recon for your team in favor of an open-ended timeframe that encourages exploration of the map and mastering Dandori, the technique of planning ahead.

In the morning of Day 2, I landed back in Sun-Speckled Terrace to find that Oatchi had practically doubled in size overnight and was now big enough to ride on like a horse.

Pikmin 4’s caverns are where I unearthed more types of Pikmin, including the electric, eared Yellow Pikmin and the brand-new chunky Ice Pikmin that can freeze enemies, giving Oatchi a clean target to bash into for massive damage. Down in those depths, I also found a couple of my crewmates and had my Pikmin drag them back to safety, which would unlock their highly useful and specialized skill sets the next day. Like Tears of the Kingdom, these extra layers of playable levels — oh yes, some pipes have more pipes within — provide a whole different aesthetic experience on a large layout while remaining true to the game’s ultimate mission. With all of the glimmering treasures poking out of corners, I desperately wished I had more time to scratch my completist itch and de-mist every piece of the map and strip-mine the area for all it’s worth. Once you’re finished grinding underground, you’ll find an air vent to blast you up to the surface with all your Pikmin in tow.

Nightfall still looms, however, and you’d better make sure all your little guys are at attention by the time the 10-second clock counts down, lest they be lost to the dangers of the night. In the morning of Day 2, I landed back in Sun-Speckled Terrace to find that Oatchi had practically doubled in size overnight and was now big enough to ride on like a horse. One of my crewmates explained that I can train Oatchi to improve his utility, like making his bashes stronger and increasing his health gauge. Another of my rescued cohorts gave me the ability to craft items, including treats for Oatchi and things like a shock-resistant collar. My solo time ended shortly after these discoveries, but it certainly highlighted some of the potential that’s awaiting in Pikmin 4, especially with a new galumphing pal at your side.

I also spent some time with the competitive Dandori Battle mode. Here, players on opposite sides of a tiny map go head-to-head with Oatchi and an equal number of Pikmin in collecting treasures and sneaking bombs underneath your opponent’s ship to blow up their cache in a timed match. I personally found it too chaotic, but that can probably be chalked up to a rustiness in my Dandori skills. I much prefer the cozy adventure of pulling up Pikmin and cruising around on Oatchi until my brain feels smooth in the best possible way.