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The Battle Royale Manga Returns With A New Deluxe Edition
The controversial manga adaptation of Battle Royale is getting a new Deluxe Edition release later this month. Battle Royale: Deluxe Edition Volume 1 $44 (was $55) | Releases January 27 Battle Royale has been a controversial IP since its first release, starting life as a book and then becoming a cult-classic movie. The franchise's success in print and on the big screen led to an inevitable manga adaptation, which returns later this month in a snazzy Deluxe Edition format. The first volume of the Battle Royale: Deluxe Edition will be available starting January 27, and preorders are available at Amazon--and best of all, it's currently discounted to $44 ahead of launch, saving you 20% off its standard $55 MSRP. Battle Royale: Deluxe Edition Volume 1 is a 604-page, leather-bound hardcover omnibus featuring the first three volumes of the original manga series that ran from 2000 to 2005. It's unclear if the Deluxe Edition's publisher Yen Press is including a new--hopefully more faithful--translation or the controversial script from the English editions published by TokyoPop. While the Japanese version of the manga closely follows the original novel's plot, the English adaptation--handled by veteran comic book writer Keith Griffen--made substantial changes, resulting in several major plot holes in the later volumes. Either way, considering TokyoPop's releases have been out of print for several years, this new Deluxe Edition will be the easiest way to read the manga adaptation of the wildly popular franchise. Volume 1 launches on January 27, and we expect the next volumes in the series to go up for preorder in the near future. Battle Royale would receive several sequel manga series over the years, but most of these are also hard to find due to their limited print runs. The most recent series in the IP is Battle Royale: Enforcers, which began serialization in 2022. Set decades after the original series, Enforcers takes place in the same universe. After a government artificial intelligence reactivates the infamous Program 68, the unruly kids of Daitoa Academy's Class F find themselves divided into squads, given weapons, and set loose to fight each other to the death. So far, four paperback volumes of the series have been released and translated into English. If you're looking to watch the movie that the book was based on, it is available on Blu-ray. A standard Blu-ray of the gory Director's Cut is priced at $25, and a pricy 4K version was released last year. This release includes a mix of Director's Cut legacy special features, the theatrical cut's bonus materials, and a striking steelbook cover. For even more special edition manga releases, you can check out our gallery rounding up the best deluxe editions you can buy and preorder currently. Cult-classic series like Berserk and Vagabond have received upgrades in this format, and upcoming releases include deluxe editions of Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, and Oldboy.
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"I'm sorry Winton": All it took was Overwatch cosmetics for new tank baddie Domina to send fans to the dark side in the shooter's ongoing faction wars event
Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Blizzard Entertainment has been trying something new with Overwatch's in-game challenges. Every week, players are asked to choose a side: pledge your allegiance to Overwatch, the good eggs, or Talon, the sometimes questionably bad eggs. But all Talon had to do to secure an easy victory was dangle Domina cosmetics in front of the sickos who are unwaveringly down bad for the new tank hero. Overwatch's faction wars, called Conquest, essentially let players complete challenges to unlock weekly rewards that change depending on which side is chosen. At the end of the week, the faction with the most challenges completed wins, and everyone receives a unique cosmetic themed around whoever's victorious. Week three kicked off just a few days ago with Overwatch offering up player icons based on Tracer, Winston, and Pharah, as well as a Wuyang voice line. On the other hand, Talon is promising folks four cosmetics all entirely dedicated to Domina, the shady business exec with a sassy mouth and, as the name suggests, a moveset capable of dominating tight spaces, which probably explains all the reverent fan art made in her honor. Overwatch's evil faction suffers a huge blow in Helldivers 2-style event, and it's all thanks to Jetpack Cat cosmetics "Marvel Rivals is the best thing to happen to Overwatch": Fans react to Blizzard's big changes and 10 new heroes Overwatch fans think a RuPaul's Drag Race winner and icon is teasing another new hero: "I'm immediately maining them" She truly unites all from r/DominaMains Almost as soon as this week's Conquest began, Talon was way in the lead with a whopping 78% of players cowering behind Domina's strong mechanical arms. Even Jetpack Cat couldn't convince that many people to join Overwatch's cause. That dramatic gap has evened out since as players complete Talon's pass and hop back over to Overwatch for their unique cosmetics, the traitors, but Talon is still ahead with 62.9% at the time of writing. "It has literally never been more over," one Reddit post proclaimed, and its highest upvoted comment guesses that "if they put 5 weeks of Domina Talon is easily going 5-0." "They knew what they were doing when they put Domina vs Lucio," another fan writes. "If they wanted a fair fight they would have made it Domina vs Jetpack Cat." Most of the rest of the thread is full of people asking for forgiveness: "I'm sorry Winton." Overwatch devs commit to stop making new heroes too OP, after learning their lesson from "perma-banned" Jetpack Cat: "We're trying to find that right landing zone."
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Ian Carlos Campbell
2026-03-10
Epic is increasing the price of Fortnite's V-Bucks currency
The real world price of impulse-buying Fortnite skins is going up, Epic has announced. Not because skins themselves are getting more expensive on paper, but because V-Bucks, Fortnite's digital currency, is. The same prices you paid for bundles of V-Bucks in February will now effectively earn you fewer bucks starting on March 19, along with several other Fortnite-related pricing changes. Epic will still offer bundles of V-Bucks starting at $8.99 and running all the way to $89.99, but with a new "conversion rate.” The new bundle prices breakdown as follows: $8.99 will get you 800 V-Bucks, down from 1,000 V-Bucks $22.99 will get you 2,400 V-Bucks, down from 2,800 V-Bucks $36.99 will get you 4,500 V-Bucks, down from 5,000 V-Bucks $89.99 will get you 12,500 V-Bucks, down from 13,500 V-Bucks On top of those changes, the cost of Epic's "Exact Amount Pack," which lets you buy the exact amount of V-Bucks necessary to complete a specific purchase, is changing from around $0.50 for 50 V-Bucks to $0.99 for 50 V-Bucks. These new prices for V-Bucks are US-specific and will vary in other regions. They're also not entirely representative of the value Epic is offering with each purchase. As part of the company's Epic Rewards program, you get 20 percent back on purchases made in Fortnite, Fall Guys and Rocket League when you use the Epic Games Store or Epic's payment system on Android, iOS, PC or the web. That means you can receive anywhere from $1.79 (for 800 V-Bucks) to $17.99 (for 12,500 V-Bucks) to spend in Fortnite or the Epic Games Store when you use the company's payment system. Changes to the value of V-Bucks are also impacting Fortnite's various passes. The standard Battle Pass will now cost 800 V-Bucks and award 800 V-Bucks, down from its previous price of 1,000 V-Bucks. Meanwhile, the price of the OG Pass (for Fortnite's throwback game mode) is lowering from 1,000 V-Bucks to 800 V-Bucks, and both the Music and Lego Passes are going from costing 1,400 V-Bucks to 1,200 V-Bucks. For any subscribers to Fortnite Crew, Fortnite's monthly subscription service, your monthly stipend of the digital currency is also shrinking from 1,000 V-Bucks to 800 V-Bucks. Epic claims that it's making all of these changes because "the cost of running Fortnite has gone up a lot" and raising prices helps pay the bills, but the company is also in a much better position to make money on every transaction that happens in the game. In securing largely favorable outcomes in its lawsuits against Apple and Google, Epic now has a way to point users to its payment system on iOS and Android (all the better to avoid app store fees), and its won major concessions that seem poised to reshape how app store economies work.
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Kris Holt
2026-03-10
Wordle’s creator is back with a new game, and it’s a real chin scratcher
Josh Wardle had a hell of a tough act to follow. His last game, Wordle, became incredibly popular thanks to its blend of simplicity, clarity and shareability. Over four years (and a seven-figure sale of Wordle to The New York Times) later, Wardle has released his follow-up game. Like Wordle and its myriad clones, Parseword offers up one puzzle per day. It taps into the mechanics of cryptic crossword clues. So it might ask you to replace one of the words with a synonym, reverse it or find a homophone. You may need to remove letters from a word or combine it with another one to find the answer. There’s a tutorial to help you get to grips with things and hints are available. Wardle told The New Yorker he was inspired by The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin, who he heard discuss the logic behind cryptics on a podcast. Wardle brought in two friends, Chris Dary and Matt Lee, whom he worked with at Reddit to collaborate on the new game. They received permission to use clues from long-time cryptic constructors Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon. After playing the tutorial and today's puzzle, it seems you may need to be wired in a certain way to play Parseword. It’s certainly less approachable than Wordle. At first glance, it’s hard to see this reaching the same kind of mass appeal as Wardle’s previous game. (Fittingly enough, Parseword feels like a game geared toward New Yorker readers.) Of course, countless other casual daily games that aim to replicate the success of Wordle have popped up over the last few years, from Quordle, Bracket City and Framed to the Times’ own Connections, Strands and Pips. Catfishing, which asks you to guess Wikipedia article subjects based on their categories, is a new favorite of mine. I still miss the original Heardle, though.
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Lawrence Bonk
2026-03-10
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book will be released for Switch 2 on May 21
Nintendo's next platform adventure, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, will be released for Switch 2 on May 21. The company announced the release date as part of its annual Mar10 Day celebration. This is a made-up holiday that exists because the date spelled out like that sort of looks like the word Mario. In any event, there's a new trailer for the perpetually hungry dinosaur's latest adventure. It looks super cute. It sort of resembles a children's picture book come to life. Yoshi games typically boast unique graphical styles, with past entries featuring entire worlds made of yarn, cardboard and more. Even the very first Yoshi platformer, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, featured a kind of hand-drawn aesthetic. The gameplay looks to be somewhat unique, with a reduced emphasis on chucking eggs. Many of the game's creatures grant Yoshi special abilities when they hop on the dino for a ride. This reminds me of another Nintendo-branded glutton, Kirby. Today's trailer also shows Yoshi gobbling up an enemy and encountering a foul and bitter taste, giving the little cutie a momentary stomach ache. I guess Yoshi's palette has become more refined since the last game. This has already been a big week for the anthropomorphic dinosaur. Nintendo recently dropped another trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and it was revealed that Donald Glover will be voicing Yoshi. That film hits theaters on April 1, which is just a few weeks away.
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Lawrence Bonk
2026-03-09
Samsung promises 120 games will be playable via its glasses-free 3D monitor tech by the end of the year
Samsung just announced that 120 games will be playable via its Odyssey 3D Hub platform by the end of the year. This is the platform that provides content for glasses-free 3D monitors like recent Odyssey displays. The company made this claim at GDC 2026, while also noting that the platform currently offers around 60 playable titles. Samsung has only announced a couple of games headed to the platform this year, which include Cronos: The New Dawn and Hell is Us. These are both solid third-person action games that originally came out last year. The collection already includes several notable games, including Stellar Blade, Lies of P and Psychonauts 2, among others. It's good to know the library continues to grow, proving that there might still be some life left in 3D display technology after all. We came away impressed with the technology when we gave it a go last year. We even said that if "3D had been like this all along, people would be much more receptive." The games look great and the displays include head tracking so users don't have to constantly struggle to find the one sweet spot (I'm looking at you, Nintendo 3DS.) Samsung has quietly been adding to its lineup of glasses-free 3D displays. There are several models to choose from nowadays, with screen sizes up to 32-inches. The company also used GDC to announce a partnership with game developer CD Projekt Red, but details remain scant. It has something to do with display technology and Samsung's HDR10+ Gaming standard. We do know that CDPR and Samsung are integrating HDR10+ Gaming into Cyberpunk 2077.
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Jackson Chen
2026-03-09
EA laid off staffers across Battlefield studios to 'better align' its teams
EA axed an undisclosed number of employees across the game studios behind the Battlefield franchise. As first reported by IGN, EA told affected employees that the layoffs were part of a "realignment" across the Battlefield studios, which include Dice, Criterion, Ripple Effect and Motive Studios. When asked about the report, an EA spokesperson said in a statement that "we’ve made select changes within our Battlefield organization to better align our teams around what matters most to our community." IGN reported that all the involved studios will remain operational, but the layoffs will affect multiple offices. The shake-up may come as a surprise to staffers, especially after Battlefield 6 racked up more than seven million copies sold in the first three days following its release in October. EA even called the latest Battlefield title the "best-selling shooter title of 2025" in its third quarter report for FY26, which disclosed the company's net revenue of more than $1.9 billion for the quarter. "Battlefield remains one of our biggest priorities, and we’re continuing to invest in the franchise, guided by player feedback and insights from Battlefield Labs," an EA spokesperson also said in a statement. Despite being one of EA's most popular franchises, Battlefield isn't the only one to suffer staffing cuts. Full Circle, the developer behind the skate. that's also owned by EA, also announced layoffs and "restructuring" in February. However, EA isn't the only company in the industry to look at downsizing its personnel. Ubisoft said it was planning to get rid of up to 200 jobs in its Paris office earlier this year and Microsoft announced it would cut thousands of jobs, including within its Gaming division, in July.
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Andre Revilla
2026-03-09
Hyper Light Drifter studio workers form union after rounds of layoffs
Workers at Heart Machine, the independent studio behind Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, have formed a union with Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9003. The wall-to-wall unit covers all 13 frontline employees at the studio, which voluntarily recognized the union in February after a supermajority of eligible workers voted for the measure. The organizing effort follows a rough stretch at Heart Machine, after the studio laid off employees in November 2024, then announced in October 2025 that it would end development on its early access title Hyper Light Breaker and cut further staff. "I decided to get involved in organizing my studio because I've seen so many peers in the industry stand up to protect the craft we all care so deeply about. Watching that momentum grow made me realize that if we love this work, we have to protect it, especially now," said Steph Aligbe, a gameplay tools engineer at the studio. Heart Machine joining the CWA extends the union's gaming footprint even further. The union counts thousands of employees at Microsoft subsidiaries among its members, as well as staff at EA, Id Software and others. CWA also runs the United Videogame Workers, a direct-join union that launched in 2025, allowing individual game workers in the US and Canada to sign up on their own without elections or employer consent. Large gaming studios like Ubisoft have been undergoing a seemingly endless string of layoffs, and workers are increasingly demanding to have their voices heard.
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Scott McCrae
2026-03-09
Nintendo doesn't want Switch 2 eShop to "become a giant slop fest," New Blood CEO claims, so "they're still pretty choosy about who gets to launch their games"
Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Nintendo is apparently being a bit more strict about what launches on Switch 2, with the company reportedly trying to avoid the influx of low-effort slop that plagued the original Switch eShop. I don't need to tell you that the original Nintendo Switch eShop is a mess. Filling its pages are countless low-effort AI slop games, weird puzzle games featuring pictures of random (often AI-generated) models of anime girls, lookalikes of popular games not on Switch, and whatever Everybody 1-2-Switch is. But so far, as far as Switch 2 games go, those issues have managed to be somewhat avoided so far, and apparently that's down to Nintendo putting the foot down. Speaking to RPG Site (spotted by Nintendo Everything) New Blood Interactive CEO Dave Oshry explains: "We've got Switch 2 dev kits now. It's not much different than the Switch 1." He says that the publisher has its breakout title Dusk "running at 120fps with mouse controls on Switch 2. It works great." Nintendo president reportedly teases new games for popular series are in development What to expect from the Switch 2 in 2026: Pokemon and Zelda celebrations, tons of ports, and comfort Nintendo food Nintendo says those Animal Crossing and Splatoon updates are there so players can migrate to Switch 2 at their own pace And while the original Switch release of Dusk did get updated performance for Switch 2, when it comes to what is presumably a native version of the game, he notes, "We're just waiting for Nintendo to give us approval to actually launch it because they're still pretty cagey about letting games launch on Switch 2." Oshry alleges: "They don't want it to just become a giant slop fest like the Switch 1 eShop became after a few years with just tons of shovelware on there." He adds, "They're still pretty choosy about who gets to launch their games on Switch 2." However, despite initial reports that Switch 2 dev kits were hard to get hold of, Oshry says "Nintendo's been very nice to us and stuff, giving us dev kits and letting us do updates for our games." Nintendo sues US government over "illegally collected" tariffs that delayed Switch 2 pre-orders
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Anna Koselke
2026-03-09
Resident Evil Requiem Leon x Ada shippers in shambles as director says he's been "called out for screenshots of edited messages," days after fans took them as confirmation of their marriage
Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Koshi Nakanishi, director of Resident Evil Requiem at Capom, has apparently been busy on social media as fans shoot various lore (lore meaning Leon Kennedy, really) related questions his way – but that doesn't mean the circulating screenshots are canon. Resident Evil Requiem basically confirms that Leon Kennedy, ever-beloved "hot unc" and protagonist, has married someone prior to the game's events – and, unsurprisingly, players just have to know who was lucky enough to land him. Online forums like Reddit have been running wild with theories, ranging from Ada Wong to Claire Redfield. Nobody can say for certain who Leon's hitched to, though… except Nakanishi, of course. Fans have taken to social media with direct messages to Nakanishi, requesting to know who Leon is married to. One post in particular has been making rounds all over the place as it seemingly shows the lead confirming (or, more accurately, implying) Leon's marriage to Ada – something the community is split over, with many still hoping it's Claire, while others call it a "peak" ship. In the supposed messages, Nakanishi beats around the bush, though. Resident Evil Requiem seemingly confirms Leon Kennedy is married, and everyone wants to know who's the lucky gal or guy Resident Evil Requiem Leon actor doesn't care who the hero's married to, would rather see him "open an ice cream parlor" Resident Evil 2 lead Hideki Kamiya gets sucked into hot uncle Leon fawning I saw so many people messaging Nakanishi about Leon’s marriage. I know it might not be the right thing to do,but I can’t hide how happy this makes me.After all these years,all the waiting, all the debates we can finally say it. Congratulations,Mrs Ada Wong Kennedy pic.twitter.com/FYpGvh20BjMarch 4, 2026 I saw so many people messaging Nakanishi about Leon’s marriage. I know it might not be the right thing to do,but I can’t hide how happy this makes me.After all these years,all the waiting, all the debates we can finally say it. Congratulations,Mrs Ada Wong Kennedy pic.twitter.com/FYpGvh20BjMarch 4, 2026 I saw so many people messaging Nakanishi about Leon’s marriage. I know it might not be the right thing to do,but I can’t hide how happy this makes me.After all these years,all the waiting, all the debates we can finally say it. Congratulations,Mrs Ada Wong Kennedy pic.twitter.com/FYpGvh20BjMarch 4, 2026 "Requiem doesn't make it clear, but if you've played the previous games, you should get an idea!" reads one. Another sees him allegedly telling a fan, "You know what I mean," when they ask if Leon and Ada are now married. None are 100% solid – and the entire situation is further muddled by Nakanishi's recent public story on Instagram. "Thank you so much for all the messages," his own post begins (spotted by Kotaku). "Unfortunately, it's hard for me to reply to everyone, but they warm my heart." That's when he concludes with, "I've even gotten called out for screenshots of edited messages" – a statement that potentially means every so-called piece of evidence that Leon and Ada are married is fake. Nakanishi doesn't add anything else to his story about it either, aside from later saying he's going into "hermit mode" (although he has since posted unrelated stories), so it's difficult to tell. I'd wager that we're back to being in the dark about Leon's ring, personally. It's hard not to wonder – this is one of the best new games 2026 has had to offer so far, after all. Our own Resident Evil Requiem review dubs it "a soaring piece of survival horror theater that balances intense action with absolute terror across two heroes." Are you playing the new survival horror gem yourself? If so, be sure to browse through our roundup of Resident Evil Requiem safe codes for an easier time progressing.
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Dustin Bailey
2026-03-08
Shigeru Miyamoto believed games chasing realism "were pretty much failures" 40 years ago, which is why Tom and Jerry's cartoon reality was "vital fuel" for Nintendo's early games
Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! For about as long as video games have existed, developers have been chasing the dream of realism. And, for just as long, there have been those who believe that realism is overrated. You can count Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary Nintendo designer behind Mario and Zelda, among those who aren't excited by the idea of games matching reality – even in the '80s, he figured Tom and Jerry was a better model to aspire to. In a 1989 interview for Japanese publication Gamer Handbook, recently translated by shmuplations, Miyamoto discussed how players often get frustrated by "animation-heavy games which prioritize visual smoothness over responsiveness." He made a vague allusion to the popularity of "karate games" – likely referencing Jordan Mechner's Karateka, the predecessor to Prince of Persia – and suggested that these titles offered "beautiful" movement, "but as games, they were pretty much failures." "It's about how it feels to the player," Miyamoto explained. "If you think about it, Mario's jumping ability is actually ridiculous... he'd be the greatest Olympic athelete ever! (laughs) If Mario only jumped as high as a human, then following real physics would be fine. And back in the Donkey Kong days, he only jumped about his own height, which didn't feel wrong. But once you're leaping three or four times your own height, you’ve already left 'reality' far behind." Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto saw games in the '80s becoming like "pornography" Shigeru Miyamoto had to "force" in Super Mario Bros 3's iconic Frog Suit because it was fun even though it sucked Without Super Mario Bros, Hideo Kojima "probably" wouldn't have become a game dev That's a major change from Donkey Kong to Mario Bros. – as the distance Mario could jump got more unrealistic, so did the kinds of falls he could survive. Miyamoto said that the idea of "unrealistic everyday life" is what makes games fun, offering "worlds that seem like they could exist in reality, but don't." In Miyamoto's view, programmers are the gods of the worlds they create, but "if that world doesn't feel convincing, no one will want to enter it. That's why an unrealistic everyday setting is about doing strange things within a set of rules that everyone accepts." So how do you create unrealistic worlds that feel like reality? For Nintendo, old-school comedy films and animated films offered tremendous inspiration. "That's basically what they did in cartoons from that era, like Tom and Jerry. That's why things like Chaplin or Tom and Jerry have been such vital fuel for our work." Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto saw games in the '80s becoming like "pornography": "I think the world of 'hidden secrets' in games has almost reached that same grotesque level."