Issue 359

After its latest round of franchise fatigue, the Assassin's Creed series is returning to its roots. We traveled to France to play the game, talk to the team, and we're ready to tell you everything we know.

Also in this issue

• How To Balance A Game – Behind the scenes of all your favorite multiplayer games is a delicate tightrope act. We interviewed the people responsible for balancing Valorant and League of Legends about the trials of the job.
• Inside Phantom Liberty – Cyberpunk 2077's curse is being forever marked by its disastrous release. But the game's immense success also means the developers get to try and turn this into a redemption arc. Read about the game's new expansion, Phantom Liberty, and hear from the team behind it.
• Alan Wake II – A few years ago, a sequel to Alan Wake II seemed impossible. Now, it's inevitable. We've seen the game in action and talked to its creative leads. Here's what to expect.
• The History Of Splinter Cell – Ubisoft's once flagship series, Splinter Cell, has been long dormant. But there is a remake of the first game on the way. What better way to celebrate than reading how that original game was made.
• Assassin’s Creed Retrospective – The Assassin’s Creed franchise has shifted over the years, and ahead of Mirage, a game heavily inspired by the early Assassin’s Creed entries, we decided to look back on it history.
• PREVIEWS – Star Wars Outlaws, Lords of the Fallen, Mortal Kombat 1, Persona 3 Reload, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and more!
• REVIEWS – Sea of Stars, Armored Cored VI Fires of Rubicon, Baldur’s Gate III, Blasphemous 2, Disney Illusion Island, Madden NFL 24, and more!