After a several-week delay, Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are set to kick off tonight in the United States. While hundreds of thousands of hopeful gamers will likely be refreshing the websites of Best Buy, Target, and Walmart, hoping to be lucky enough to successfully push an order through and secure their piece of the first Switch 2 wave, Nintendo also asked interested players to register their My Nintendo accounts as interested in pre-ordering the upcoming system to enter into a lottery. However, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa took to Nintendo's Japanese social media accounts to share some bad news regarding the lottery system.

According to a post shared on Nintendo's Japanese X account, Nintendo received 2.2 million interested players in Japan alone. If that number is truly representative of the number of players who want to purchase a Switch 2 in Japan, it would far exceed the initial Japanese sales numbers of the Switch 1, which, according to VentureBeat, reached just over 313,000 units in its first weekend. In the console's first month, Nintendo sold 2.74 million units worldwide, meaning that the 2.2 million Japanese registrations nearly reaches that number on its own.

According to Furukawa, Nintendo cannot fulfill all of those requests at launch. However, if you register through the My Nintendo Store and are not selected to purchase during the first wave, you will have another chance once the company can replenish its supply. 

You can see the full translation of Furukawa's post from X below.

Hello, this is Furukawa. We have been procuring many materials and proceeding with production in advance so that we can deliver the Nintendo Switch 2 to you. On April 2nd, we announced details about the Nintendo Switch 2 and started accepting applications for the lottery sale on the My Nintendo Store. As a result, we received an extremely large number of applications, approximately 2.2 million people in Japan alone. However, this number far exceeds our expectations, and far exceeds the number of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles that can be delivered from the My Nintendo Store on June 5th. Therefore, unfortunately, we expect that a significant number of customers will not be selected when the winners are announced tomorrow, April 24th.

In order to avoid the trouble of those who were not selected in the first lottery sale having to reapply, My Nintendo Store will automatically carry over those who were not selected in the first lottery sale to the second lottery sale. However, even including the quantity for the second lottery sale, we cannot fulfill all of the applications we received. We deeply apologize for not being able to meet your expectations despite our prior preparations.

In response to this demand, we are currently working on further strengthening our production system. In addition, starting tomorrow, April 24th, game retailers and online stores nationwide will begin accepting pre-orders or lottery sales for the Nintendo Switch 2 console (please check the information of each retailer for details). The console will also continue to be sold at the My Nintendo Store after the release date (more details will be announced at a later date). With the cooperation of retailers, we will continue to ship the console and make efforts to get as many Nintendo Switch 2 consoles as possible into your hands.

We plan to continue producing and shipping a considerable number of Nintendo Switch 2 units in the future. We apologize for the delay in our ability to meet your expectations, and we appreciate your understanding.

Though Furukawa alludes to it, he doesn't directly say that Nintendo will be unable to fulfill demand through its retail partners. Still, with the company seeing such increased demand in its home country, players worldwide will likely encounter fierce competition and, more than likely, frustration while trying to get their hands on a launch model Switch 2. Nintendo Switch 2 arrives on June 5. For more on the console, you can read our hands-on impressions here.

The follow-up to 2020's acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yōtei has garnered a lot of excitement following its announcement during a PlayStation State of Play livestream last September. The open-world adventure places players in the boots of a new samurai named Atsu 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima. However, developer Sucker Punch Productions largely went quiet following the surprise reveal last year. That changed today, as the studio revealed additional details about Ghost of Yōtei, including the release date.

Players who have been waiting a half-decade to continue exploring Sucker Punch's stunning recreation of feudal Japan can now circle October 2 on their calendars. The game is available in the standard edition for $70, but if you're excited enough to want some bonuses, Sony is also offering a Digital Deluxe Edition as well as a physical Collector's Edition. The Digital Deluxe Edition costs $80 and includes in-game Snake Armor, exclusive armor dye and horse with saddle, a charm, an early unlock of the Traveller's Map, and a sword kit. Meanwhile, the Collector's Edition costs $250 and offers all the Digital Deluxe content (including a digital copy of the game), plus physical items like a sash, a tsuba, art cards, a papercraft ginkgo tree, and a zeni hajiki coin game with pouch. 

The final inclusion of today's Ghost of Yōtei announcements is a trailer called "The Onryō's List." The story goes that 16 years prior to the events of the game, a gang called The Yōtei Six killed her family and pinned her to a burning ginkgo tree, leaving her for dead. She somehow survived the ordeal and what appeared to be a death sentence from the gang of outlaws and she harnessed that strength and motivation to learn how to fight, kill, and hunt. In Ghost of Yōtei, Atsu returns home with a list of the six names of those in The Yōtei Six, with eyes toward vengeance.

Using the same katana that pinned her to the tree, Atsu embarks on a mission to avenge her family. The story plays out in Ezo, which is known as Hokkaido today. New gameplay mechanics will allow the player to understand Atsu's past to fully come to know how much was truly stolen from her by The Yōtei Six. Sucker Punch claims it has built upon and evolved the way players can explore the massive open world, with more freedom and variety on offer than in Ghost of Tsushima. Atsu can choose which member of The Yōtei Six she wants to pursue first, while also claiming bounties, learning new skills, and exploring the natural beauty of northern Japan.

You can see the new trailer released by Sucker Punch Productions below.

Ghost of Yōtei arrives exclusively on PlayStation 5 on October 2. If you're hungry for more information surrounding the highly anticipated follow-up, Sucker Punch promises to show more in the approach to that date.

The Onimusha franchise is in the midst of a comeback. The original Onimusha: Warlords game released on PlayStation 2 in 2001 and received sequels and spin-offs until about 2006. The first game was remastered in 2018, and now a new game, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, is coming next year, and on May 23, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny will get the remaster treatment. Ahead of the release of the remaster, we had a chance to speak with the game's original director, Motohide Eshiro. Eshiro worked on titles like Street Fighter II (he was in charge of Guile), and a number of other Capcom titles and franchises like Devil May Cry, Ace Attorney, and Ōkamiden. Back in 2002, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny was the first game he directed.

We spoke with Eshiro about the challenges of remastering a PlayStation 2 game in 2025, working with late actor Yūsaku Matsuda's wife to get his appearance right in the game, and if there is a future for games with pre-rendered backgrounds and locked-off cameras (there is for the right project).

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny remastered is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on May 23.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Game Informer: There’s a teaser for Onimusha 2 at the end of the first game with a different version of Jubei. What happened with that teaser and why did Jubei change so much?

Motohide Eshiro: So, we actually started Onimusha 2 while we were still developing the first title, Onimusha: Warlords. Onimusha: Warlords wasn't released yet when we started the project of Onimusha 2. We were still in the early stages for Onimusha 2 when Warlords came out, but we just wanted to announce that we are right now working on the new title, there’s going to be a new protagonist. The Jubei you see in the end of Onimusha 1 was really an initial design of Jubei. It wasn’t fixed yet, but we just wanted to announce the next title so the player would be excited for the new one. That is why we included him but no, eventually we just came up with a better design for him. That’s why we changed the design. But the previous design is still in Onimusha: Warlords.

Was a skin of that teaser version considered for the remaster?

No, we didn't consider having that initial Jubei skin for the Onimusha 2 remaster. It was really just an initial design for him. There were things that they still had to do, like give more quality and get more details. Also, we decided to use Yūsaku Matsuda’s face, an actor in Japan, so his face changed, not just his costume. It was just kind of an initial draft. We just wanted to show the Jubei that we have now in the remastered version. There were no plans to add that kind of skin for the remastered version.

Was it difficult to secure Yūsaku Matsuda’s likeness either for the first game or the remaster? Was it controversial to have the face of a deceased actor in the game in 2002?

Back then it wasn't that controversial. It was the producers’ decision to have someone like that and to use an active face for the game. We thought that would be a really fascinating thing to have him in the game. There was one big challenge to using Yūsaku Matsuda. He had already been deceased at that time when we decided to have him in the game.

All we could do was refer to images and films that he showed up in. We also didn't have the kind of face modeling tools for development at that time, so it was really kind of handmade, 3D models. It was a really big challenge for the creators, but I think we did a really good job recreating his face.

Eventually, as we were finalizing his face model, we had his wife, Miyuki Matsuda come to the casting studio and give instructions and directions for how they should adjust Yūsaku Matsuda’s face and adapt it to Jubei’s face. It was a really, big challenge, but I think that we did a great job to make his face meticulously.

His wife came to approve – was she excited to see her husband in the game?

I couldn't tell if she was really excited or not, but she gave really detailed instructions to us. Like, the eyebrows should be a little closer or like, you should change this part to make the appearance closer to real Yūsaku Matsuda. Her passion towards that face model told us that she really loved Yūsaku Matsuda and she just wanted to have his appearance in the game as close to his true appearance as possible. Personally, I think that she was excited to have Yūsaku Matsuda inside the game and the instructions she gave the team were really helpful.

This was my first time playing Onimusha 2. I was really surprised to see robots, TV screens, and there's a sequence where Jubei basically rides a jet ski. What went into the decision behind having technology in what is meant to be ancient world.

What we focused on was to kind of blend the western atmosphere and the Japanese atmosphere inside the game. Not just focus on feudal Japan and making it really Japanese, but we kind of had a blend and a mix of that kind of culture and having fictional and non-fictional aspects blended.

It is set in the feudal Japan era, but it has some fantastical elements like the demons and such. And the screenwriter – his name is Noboru Sugimura – he just came up with the idea that if you have this kind of modern technology inside the game, it will be really fun to see. It will be so compelling and people will enjoy seeing it. And those kind of fantastical contraptions and powers? They run them with the technology of Oni. So, that is something that stands out for the fantastical element. We think that it is really unique and makes Onimusha 2 stand out. I'm really happy that we were able to mix in those fantastical element inside this game.

What surprised you the most about revisiting Onimusha 2 after all these years?

I replayed the original title and to bring the assets – like carrying over the assets to the remastered version? That was surprising. I looked at the original assets and just noticed that the texture of the background and the 3D models were so, so detailed. The original version was held back by the hardware and playing on CRT TVs. But now we can use full, HD monitors for the modern consoles, enabling us to bring out those details. To see those assets that we originally had in the game, that was something really surprising for me.

There’s a scene on the beach, and the water looks incredible. I was curious how, whether in the remaster or the original game, did you get the water to look so good?

Back then, when we were developing the original title, we went outside and filmed the environment. Real flowing rivers and the surface of ponds, and as you mentioned, waves near the beach. We just filmed it and processed it so that we could use it as a background inside the game. That’s why they look really natural and high quality. It just conforms to real life, so that’s why it’s in high quality.

Onimusha 2 is getting a remaster. A new Onimusha is on the way with Way of the Sword. I am not complaining, but why now?

After we released Onimusha: Warlords the remastered version, Onimusha 2 Remastered was always the next candidate for the next project. It has always been in the lineup for which title to work on next. But it was just a matter of circumstances and timing to work on the Onimusha 2 Remastered project. But after we released Onimusha: Warlords Remastered, the development team broke up and they worked on different titles.

But now, everything came together and we were able to start developing it and we also announced Onimusha: Way of the Sword. At that time, we thought, “Maybe this is the best timing to start developing Onimusha 2: Remastered version.” And now more and more people will be getting interested in the Onimusha series through the new title, and then people will come back to the classic titles through this remastered version. I'm really happy that we were able to have these titles come back again and also lead them to the next new title.

Would you like to also revisit Onimusha 3 and Dawn of Dreams?

Talking about the Onimusha series as a whole, I, personally, would be really excited to see Onimusha 3 remastered. But, Onimusha: Warlords, Onimusha 2, Onimusha, 3 – they all had different directors, so they all have a kind of different vibe. And so, in that sense, I wouldn’t work directly on an Onimusha 3 remastered version. But I would like to see Onimusha 3 be remastered so that more people will get into the series.

I found Onimusha very scary when I was young, but now, all these years later, I actually find it very funny and humorous. Was that always the intention? Or is it just that I'm playing a 20 year old game?

I worked on the original version of Onimusha: Warlords before working as the director for Onimusha 2. I was a game designer on the first game and back then, we didn't intentionally create the game to make it goofy or funny. We wanted to bring out more of a horror taste for it. But, with that said, we did kind of design the demons to be distinctive and unique so maybe some of them will be funny and goofy. But, at least when we were developing the first title, we didn't aim to make a funny atmosphere.

I was surprised and happy to see so many Onimusha 1 locations in Onimusha 2. Thinking back to that era of games, revisiting previous locations was not a common practice. Resident Evil: Code Veronica did it and Pokémon Gold & Silver, as well, but that was about it. Was this done as a cost-saving measure at the time? Or were you hopeful players would feel nostalgic for the old locations?

It was not about saving costs or making people feel nostalgia. It was more about how the story unfolds throughout Onimusha: Warlords and Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny. We have the same villain for both titles, Nobunaga Oda, and he's based in history and important events related to him happened at Gifu Castle and Inabayama Castle. It was just about focusing on that villain. We thought it would be good to have that area inside of Onimusha 2, because the villain is Nobunaga again, and we should have players revisit that castle to show his cruelty and the evil side of the character.

We also have the gate made by demons inside the castle in common between the two castles. We have that castle for both sides. So, it wasn’t about saving cost or nostalgia.

Speaking of Nobunaga, why didn't you fight Nobunaga in Onimusha: Warlords?

When we developed the first title, Onimusha: Warlords, I wasn't the director. I wasn't directly involved in the process of making the characters and how they would be involved in the storyline. As far as I know, the director of the first title wanted Nobunaga to be a kind of distinctive character to have in the first game and not necessarily the final boss. For Onimusha 2 I thought, “What happens if the protagonist in the second title could fight against Nobunaga?” So, the creation of the second game was kind of based on that imagining. So, at least for Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, we wanted to include Nobunaga as the ultimate villain and the final boss.

For Onimusha 1 and 2, fans often refer to it as feudal Japan, samurai, Resident Evil. Is that a fair comparison? Was that part of the original pitch for either of the games?

I do admit that the fundamentals of that kind of game system is in both titles, Resident Evil and Onimusha. Pre-rendered backgrounds and locked cameras is something common between those types. The players who played Resident Evil really loved those kinds of pre-rendered backgrounds, so they've got those kind of game systems fundamentally in common, but we wanted to make a completely different game with a different vibe. So, we didn't make the game based on Resident Evil. We just imagined it would be really fun to have a game based on feudal-era Japan with samurai, but different from Resident Evil. Onimusha is like Resident Evil in terms of game systems, but in terms of the gameplay, it's completely different. The lore is also completely different. I personally think that it's really a completely different title and series.

Pre-rendered backgrounds, locked-off cameras – is there a world where we get a new game like that in the future? Or is Capcom never going to do that again?

It depends on whether or not there is the game that fits that system, having pre-rendered backgrounds and locked cameras. I personally love games with the pre-rendered backgrounds and such and think they have their own unique strengths compared to full 3D titles. It would be really fun to have a new title with that kind of game system, but it just depends on whether or not there is a game to really match that kind of system.

You know what would be a good one that would match that system? Onimusha: Way of the Sword.

Well, I am not directly involved in the development of Onimusha: Way of the Sword. I can't say if it will be good or not. I'll leave that one to the players that will enjoy that game when it releases next year.

Considering the support characters in Onimusha 2, it made me wonder if co-op was ever considered.

We didn't consider having co-op. What we wanted to have was for Jubei to interact with the allies and build relationships with them and get along with them. It’s really a single-player game, but I wanted to also portray the human depth of the allies. So, when you give gifts to the allies, you see their reaction and expression, but you don't see like an affinity gauge above their character that directly tells you if they love their gift or not. I wanted similar reactions that you have in real life with people. Like, if you give a gift to someone, you see their reaction to see if they're happy or not. Affinity gauges would make the game too game-like, so what we focused on was making the players feel like they are Jubei, but then they can interact with the allies.

In that sense, we didn't kind of consider building co-op features inside the game. We just wanted players to feel like they are Jubei and they are fighting alongside the allies.

Were there any unexpected challenges to remastering Onimusha 2?

What was kind of unexpected is that the original title is from more than 20 years ago on PlayStation 2, so we didn't have the kind of game engine we have these days. We had to directly run the program on the PlayStation 2 system, but this time for the remastered version, we adopted RE Engine which we use for most of the modern Capcom titles. But they can't just directly port the original program to the RE Engine. We had to build the structure from scratch, so that was a really challenging and tough work for us. But the team did really a great job, and now we can play the game with 60 fps smoothly, so we are really happy that we were able to overcome that challenge.

Would you ever want to see a full remake of Onimusha 1 and 2 in the way that Capcom has done the Resident Evil games?

I would love to have some kind of a remake, especially for Onimusha 2. The original version was the first title I directed. It really has a special place in my heart, so I would love to see a version of Onimusha 2 with the Onimusha 3 camera – rotating cameras and 3D models like what we have for the Resident Evil remakes. Personally, I’d be happy if Capcom offered me the chance to work on such a title.

Do you think we'll ever see Jubei again in an Onimusha game in the future?

His storyline is kind of complete. He doesn’t really have anything to add to the story.  But maybe one day you will see Jubei in some kind of title. From this point, though, I don’t know if we will see Jubei somewhere. But I would be happy to see Jubei somewhere in the future.

The game doesn't really make this clear, but I was wondering if you could tell me who the greatest swordsman of all demons is?

Of course it will be Gogandantess. Are you asking for an impression? [laughs]

Will we see Gogandantess again? He's a guy who should show up again.

Nobody knows since Jubei defeated him. It would be fun to see him somewhere in the future. Jubei defeated him, but maybe we will get lucky.

Wildgate is an upcoming multiplayer shooter in which five space crews battle for a legendary artifact until they escape with their prize or die trying. It's reminiscent of player-versus-player combat in Sea of Thieves, if it was set in the cosmos. At match start, every ship begins with the bare essentials, but crews may quickly begin upgrading their vessel by scouting for new locations, fighting off space's many creatures, or by directly facing off with another player group.

Special guests Eric Van Allen (Axe of the Blood God, IGN, But Why Tho?) and Jesse Vitelli (IGN, Digital Trends, Game Informer) join me to spotlight this promising title in this New Gameplay Today episode.

Thanks for watching! 

When Nintendo held its Nintendo Direct to showcase the Nintendo Switch 2 earlier this month, many assumed a mainline Super Mario Bros. game was a given. After all, the last time we received a full 3D Mario game was with 2017's Super Mario Odyssey. Even if you want to include Bowser's Fury, which launched as a side game to the Switch re-release of Super Mario 3D World, as the most recent 3D Mario game, that title came out nearly four years ago. Though Donkey Kong Bananza looks to fill the 3D platformer space in Nintendo's launch-window lineup for Switch 2, and Nintendo's primary mascot and his friends will be well-represented through Mario Kart World, the absence of the Super Mario Bros. franchise was surprising.

Speaking with CNN earlier this month, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser didn't reveal much when asked about Mario's absence, but he did deliver what could be perceived as a tease. "Stay tuned," Bowser told CNN. "You know, we have a long, long catalog, and a long list of (intellectual property) that I'm sure will make its way to the platform."

Obviously, it would be absurd to imagine a world where Switch 2 never gets its own Mario game, so you could interpret Bowser's potential tease as simply stating the obvious. Looking at the calendars in past years, Nintendo has traditionally delivered a Nintendo Direct detailing the games of the second half of the year in late June, then another in the fall/holiday time frame. With Nintendo Switch 2 launching June 5, it's possible Nintendo wanted to use the Switch 2 reveal Direct focus on the near-term titles like Mario Kart World (launching June 5) and Donkey Kong Bananza (launching July 17), in addition to previously announced titles like Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, while saving new announcements for this holiday season for a later presentation.

Super Mario Odyssey arrived the same year as the original Nintendo Switch, while Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury came to Switch in 2021. In the meantime, we received an all-new 2D adventure in 2023 in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Still, many fans are curious about the future of the 3D side of the Super Mario series. Perhaps we'll learn more in the coming months if Bowser is in fact teasing this.

[via IGN]

Were you surprised we didn't get a 3D Mario game during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct? Do you anticipated we'll learn about one before the end of 2025? Do you think it'll be more like Super Mario Odyssey or Bowser's Fury?

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Added missing files for Taunt: The Travel AgentAdded No Hat styles for the Cozy Cover-UpAdded VScript support for HIDEHUD_MATCH_STATUS flag to hide the Match Status panelAdded a borderless window option to video settingsAdded bicubic lightmaps (from Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update)Added radial fog (from Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update)Added support for Steam NetworkingMade the default server name for listen servers include the player's nameMade the game launch in native resolution by default instead of 640x480Client-side prediction fixes (these fix 'jank'/rollback in certain situations)Fixed a prediction bug where if the player was moved on the client, their input-based movement for that tick was not taken into account in non-player actionsImproved prediction for walking on props and other entitiesMade certain client-side entities only trigger local prediction errorse.g. If the viewmodel experiences a prediction error, the player will not experience a prediction errorFixed prediction of viewmodel swayFixed a prediction error regarding weapon idle animationsFixed certain breakable props not gibbing correctlyFixed an issue where certain variables like position would not be updated correctly to match the server in certain situationsFixed the player's base velocity (eg. conveyors, moving items etc.) getting subtly out of sync from client/serverFixed players being able to spam duel cancellation messages for a duel that doesn't existFixed not being able to join community servers via Steam invites or game infoFixed lighting position discrepancies for cosmetic items, weapons, and viewmodels (community fix from ficool2)Fixed Equipped label overlapping attribute icons in the loadout menu (community fix from Lindon)Fixed an issue with props and team colors when taunting with Australium weaponsFixed the Voices from Below effect not working when taunting with the Highland Hound set equippedFixed player voice commands being abruptly ended when the player enters shallow waterFixed incorrect number on the Geneva Contravention achievement iconFixed the Military Style for The Surgeon General to stay properly semi-visible at all anglesFixed some classes missing the BLU team material for That '70s ChapeauFixed the Spanish-Latin America option being displayed as English in the Settings menuFixed the MOTD dialog not working for Spanish-Latin AmericaUpdated attribute descriptions for The Scottish Resistance and the Stickybomb Jumper to use 'stickybomb' instead of 'pipebomb'Updated equip_region settings for The Little Bear, The Heavy-Weight Champ, The Grand Duchess Tutu, and the Combat Slacks to fix unnecessary conflictsUpdated the Spooky Night and Ominous Night Unusual taunt effects to fix a visual bug (Thanks Kiffy!)Updated koth_overcast_final to improve optimizationUpdated ctf_applejackAdded block bullets to some storesUnblocked a window at mid, allowing Snipers to shot across the middle hutRemoved the missing texture in BLU spawnGave a chicken a friend, because friendship is magicUpdated cp_fortezzaNew radio model for spawn roomsChanged sentry shack ammo pack on last to a mediumAdjusted health pickups throughout the mapChanged kill volume on cap A double doors to be more consistent with visualsImproved bot support (Thanks Star Bright)Detail passUpdated pl_patagonia[Stage 1]Fixed some RED bots stuck forever trying to make an impossible jump on the stairs outside spawnFixed the cart not capping the first point on extremely rare occasions[Stage 2]Improved optimizationFixed a nodraw floor near the first BLU spawn train bridge waterfallFixed 3D skybox looking pitch black for players using mat_hdr_level 2[Stage 3]Improved optimizationFixed wrap assassin baubles colliding with a solid func_brush bounding box outside BLU spawnRemoved the platform above the open choke of the last pointAdded an additional path to the window overlooking the open choke of the last pointFixed RED bots getting stuck on a solid fence outside the RED spawnFixed 3D skybox looking pitch black for players using mat_hdr_level 2

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Fixed the Battle Balaclava's "No Gloves" style hiding the Heavy's handsFixed broken materials for The Westcoat's "Ugly" styleAdded smoke effect to The Checkered PastUpdate the Buck's Brim's "Bad" styleFixed broken materialsAdded smoke effectUpdated cp_fortezzaDetail improvementsImproved clippingUpdated koth_cachoeiraFixed players being able to get stuck in certain displacementsVarious clipping improvements throughout the mapVarious miscellaneous fixes (Thanks Midnite!) Improved bot navigation (Thanks Katsu!)

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Updated the Dapper Noel to fix an issue with the meshUpdated vsh_maulFixed broken areaportalsChanged some props in the upper area that could be mistaken for a large ammo pack

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Happy Smissmas 2024!All players who play TF2 during the event will receive a Stuffed Stocking as a gift! Stockings contain goodies for good little Mercenaries.Featuring 6 new community maps: Overcast, Fortezza, Penguin Peak, Patagonia, Cutter, and MaulAdded the Winter 2024 Cosmetic CaseContains 23 new community-contributed itemsThe Festivizer can be found as a bonus drop when opening the caseAdded 3 new community-contributed taunts to the Mann Co. StoreTaunt: Fore-Head SliceTaunt: Peace!Taunt: Curtain CallAdded 18 new community-created Unusual effects9 new effects for Unusual hats9 new effects for Unusual tauntsAll cosmetic and taunt cases will grant Smissmas 2024 Unusual effects instead of their normal Unusual effects during the event. This does not include crates.Mann Co. Store winter sale!Smissmas runs through January 7th, 2025GeneralFixed a client crash when previewing imported items in the Workshop dialogFixed showing an error model when equipping the Scottish ResistanceFixed The Executioner not hiding the Scout's dog tagsUpdated the Mountebank's Masque to fix a problem with the materialsUpdated/Added some tournament medalsUpdated vsh_distillery, vsh_nucleus, vsh_outburst, vsh_skirmish, and vsh_tinyrockGeneralAdded the gamemode intro movie (made by Lacry, thanks)Improved the delivery of VSH-related voice lines for Soldier, Engineer and SniperUpdated some VSH-related voice lines for Saxton, Soldier, Engineer and Sniper (thanks The Rat Man)Added Hale's kill iconsVisual improvements to Hale's Ability HUD (thanks Funicular)Added a visual cue signaling an upcoming Saxton Punch!Minor visual improvements to Saxton Hale and his particle effectsFixed the boss bar sometimes starting invisibleFixed a rare crash caused by seeing blood decals on Hale while playing on low graphics quality settingsFixed a rare bug when Hale's Ability HUD textures become missingBalance Changes - Saxton HaleAdded Brave Jump Fatigue. Each consecutive jump will be less powerful, requiring a short break to restore to full strengthWeightdown ability is disabled during Jump FatigueIncreased Hale's health by ~100HP per opponentAdjusted Hale's health formula against 24+ opponents - Hale now gains 2000HP for every opponent past 23 (thanks Megascatterbomb)Hale's resistance to knockback reduced from 75% to 35%Head Stomp damage now scales with Hale's downward speed, dealing between 64 and 193 damage (previously dealt flat 195 damage)Balance Changes - MercenariesExplosives and fire now deal 50% more damage against HaleThe 40% minigun damage penalty now applies to full crits onlyBroken Demoman shields now retain the charge abilityDemoman shields now absorb only 50% of the incoming damage upon breaking (a would-be-lethal blow will leave the Demo at 1HP)Greatly decreased sticky trap damage reductionRemoved Scottish Resistance's 20% damage penaltyBaby Face's Blaster now loses 20% of its boost upon Wall ClimbingUpdated vsh_tinyrock (additional changes)Improved performanceFixed odd clipping at one of the spawnsUpdated vsh_distillery (additional changes)Improved performanceUpdated vsh_nucleus (additional changes)Fixed setup time ending five seconds too earlyImproved detailing in some areasImproved clipping on staircasesIncreased control point capture time to 15 secondsRemoved collision on some lightsChanged damage model and damage amount of the toxic waste pit and puddlesUpdated vsh_skirmish (additional changes)Fixed setup time ending five seconds too earlyFixed an issue where Engineers could build in the crocodile pitFixed not being able to wall climb certain trees in the main arenaFixed some lighting issues on stalactites and other propsParts of Hale's intro sequence no longer play while waiting for playersImproved optimization and detailing in some areasImproved clipping on spiral stairs (Thanks Aar!)Updated security systemUpdated cp_brewThe shortcut from RED spawn to the "A" point now has a nobuild trigger Added floor indicator for the health kit in the "A" point wooden shackAdjusted "A" point wooden shack to allow more breathing roomFixed getting stuck on the "A" gate's frameFixed teletrap near "A" point ditch routeFixed being able to place buildings inside an out-of-bounds room outside "A" pointFixed some stuck spots near "B" pointFixed being able to shoot through a crack in the BLU forward spawnFixed floating props in the dinerFixed one way door not forcing itself closedCleaned up some collisions and clipping across the mapImproved lighting on all of the archwaysUpdated koth_krampusFixed missing trees in skyboxImproved look of waterfall texture near full health-kitFixed minor visual errorsMinor NPC clipping changesFed krampus some oatsUpdated pl_emergeSwitched on the cart lightFixed RED players being able to sit on the edge of an exit of BLU's starting spawnFixed some doors showing incorrect texturesFixed the final capture point displaying an incorrect stringFixed the map occasionally playing incorrect ambient soundsMinor visual and performance tweaksUpdated cp_carrierThe Carrier now has full crits rather than mini-critsThe Carrier now uses the robot voice linesImproved hearability of the Carrier's voice lines and footstepsFixed visual bugs with the boss barFixed the Carrier sometimes becoming invisible while tauntingFixed animation glitches when a Demoman Carrier holds a Stickybomb LauncherFixed occasional phasing through the elevator platform at BLU spawnDecreased size of the frog

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:Fixed the Guano and Batbelt cosmetic items hiding the Scout's dog tagsFixed The Beacon from Beyond incorrectly hiding a bunch of bodygroupsFixed the Quoth cosmetic item hiding the Scout's headphonesFixed some broken materials for some props_farm gib modelsAdding "Hat" style for the Fuel InjectorUpdated the Clue Hairdo to fix broken smoke effectUpdated koth_synthetic_eventEdited nav mesh to minimize the Toastmaster running diving into the grinder/death pitUpdated pd_farmageddonRevoked scarecrow gym membership which lowered their health from 500 to 350Updated zi_atoll, zi_blazehattan, zi_devastation_final1, zi_murky, zi_sanitarium, and zi_woodsFixed an exploit allowing some players to respawn as a human or play as a human on the Zombie team