After months of blood, sweat and tuning, the Tomb Raider Guitar Project has finally come to an end!

We think the hard work from long-time Tomb Raider fans, Artur Walczak and Marcin Pospiech, deserves to be shown-off, and you can check out video below for more on this outstanding piece of fan-made art.

For those unaware of the project, the idea was very simple: to link two passions, music and computer games. Artur and Marcin aimed to create a unique musical instrument that was a tribute to the timeless Gibson SG design, and also a timeless video game - Tomb Raider.

It's never nice to have to deliver this news, but here's a statement we released today regarding some changes we're making at IO Interactive, the studio behind Hitman: Absolution.

"We are making significant changes at IO Interactive as we align our business against a changing and challenging market. Hannes Seifert, formerly Production Director for 3 years at the studio, will take over the position of Studio Head at IO. The studio will focus resolutely on the future vision for the Hitman franchise and is in pre-production on a new AAA Hitman project. However we have taken the difficult decision to cancel other studio projects and initiatives at IO and reduce the workforce in this studio, which will impact almost half of the employees currently at IO, as we make internal adjustments to face the challenges of today’s market.

"For those affected, we are extremely grateful for the hard work which they have contributed, and where it’s possible and appropriate to relocate staff to open positions at other studios within the group, we will try to do so. We are also reaching out to other companies for outplacement opportunities. We sincerely wish them well in their future careers.

"Meanwhile, if you are part of a company that is looking for additional development talent, please contact us directly at info@ioi.dk"

Some of you may have already wondered, who is this Lee Williams? And why has he not introduced himself yet? Well, now the dust has settled a bit from last week’s announcements, I thought I’d give you a proper introduction.

As you may have heard, our beloved Ben Bateman has moved on to pastures new - and Ben if you’re reading this, we miss you already. My role here at Square Enix is to work closely with Phil and the growing Community Team to bring you regular updates, exclusive content, competitions, and hopefully provide answers your some of your questions. With any luck I can continue to keep things fresh and exciting.

I’m a huge fan of Square Enix games. I’ve been playing Final Fantasy games since I can remember owning a console, and they are without a doubt my favourite games. So it’s safe to say that working here is a dream come true for me. I’m also an avid gamer in general, and when I’m not playing Final Fantasy, you’ll find me invading worlds on Dark Souls or getting a beating at FIFA.

I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and getting to know you folks a little more. In the meantime, please feel free to ask me anything and I’ll try my best to answer what I can.

Lee

That’s right Final Fantasy fans, the biggest and most comprehensive stage of the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has begun – but not just for PC. For the first time Phase 3 of the beta introduces PlayStation 3 players into the mix and teams them up with PC comrades for a seamless cross-platform adventure. I can't stress just how cool this is.

Phase 3 boasts the largest amount of new content and improvements to-date, including the stunning city states of Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa. Adventurers will also be able to take part in nearly 100 FATE encounters (watch the live E3 FATE presentation to learn more), four additional dungeons, main scenario quests up to level 20, grand companies, provisioning missions, free companies and more!

Legacy account holders will automatically secure themselves instant access to the beta, and so will those that registered the code that was originally included in the boxed release of Final Fantasy XIII.

If you haven’t applied to become a beta tester yet then it’s not too late – sign up here to apply using this handy registration form. If you’re really eager to get hold of a famed beta key to unlock the door to a world of wonders, rumour has it you should keep a watchful eye on your favourite games website for beta key giveaways...

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is coming out on August 27, 2013 for PlayStation 3 and PC, and 2014 for PlayStation 4. Pre-order now and you’ll be treated to early access, in-game bonuses and more.

How can we celebrate Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn’s arrival on next-gen consoles? With more gameplay footage, of course! We’ve got another fantastic Director’s commentary video for you; this one is focused around the impressive FATE system.

FATEs (Full Active Time Events) are extravagant large scale battles that take place in real time, within certain areas of the map. Keep an eye out though; FATEs can start anywhere, at any time. Also, they can be activated by interacting with NPCs, who, in certain situations, can provide support to you and your party during the event.

The clip also introduces another exciting aspect of the game: Level Sync. A handy new feature aimed at both high level players who want to participate in lower level FATEs with friends, or new players just starting out!

This developer commentary runs for an impressive 12 minutes, but don’t let that put you off - it’s overflowing with juicy new gameplay footage!

With an estimated 300 different types of FATEs on release, we can’t wait to get stuck in and take on giant turtle monsters! But if you can’t wait until then, you can try up to 100 FATE events in Phase 3 of the beta. Phase 3 starts this Friday, June 14, and will be available on PC and, for the first time, PlayStation 3 – so sign up to the beta now if you haven’t already!

Sign up to the Beta!

As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments box below.