It's getting to be that time of year again. Summer Game Fest officially kicks off on June 5 and will go until June 8. The Live Kickoff show will once again be hosted by Geoff Keighley and takes place on June 5 at 5PM ET. This is where we'll see all of those juicy reveals and trailers. The opening event will be streamed globally on just about every digital platform, including YouTube, Twitch, X and even Steam. Those in the Los Angeles area will be able to pick up tickets for the live show sometime in the Spring. The kickoff event is just the beginning. There's something called Play Days, which is an expo in downtown LA produced by iam8bit. This invite-only event promises "immersive exhibits and hands-on experiences from the industry's leading publishers and developers." Coverage of this will be shared across digital and social platforms. There is, of course, another Day of the Devs livestream scheduled for immediately after the kickoff. Day of the Devs: SGF Edition should provide us with even more trailers and reveals, this time for indie games. Finally, there's a "thought leadership event" on June 8 that's primarily for developers and publishers. Game Business Live "brings together top industry voices on one stage for insightful discussions on key changes, challenges and opportunities shaping the global video game industry." We'll be covering the event live and will have all of those trailers ready to go. After all, that's pretty much the main reason people watch these things.

Bungie isn't taking any prisoners when it comes to cheating on its upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon. In a detailed blog post explaining its anti-cheat measures, Bungie took a very declarative position against those caught trying to gain an unfair advantage. "We are taking a strong stance against cheating and anyone found to be cheating or developing cheats will be permanently banned from playing Marathon forever, no second chances," the blog post read, adding that there will be an appeals system in place. However, Bungie's anti-cheat standards go beyond punishment. In the blog post, Bungie detailed that Marathon's dedicated servers have full authority on movement, shooting, actions, and inventory. Since these key actions rely on the server, it will translate to smoother gunplay for players as well as the prevention of cheats related to teleportation, unlimited ammo or damage manipulation. Bungie is also incorporating a "Fog of War" system that limits an individual player's client to see only certain regions of a map, which should prevent wall hacks, ESP cheats or loot revealers. On top of these robust regulations, Bungie is utilizing BattlEye, a kernel-level anticheat that's seen with other popular multiplayer shooters like Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege and Destiny 2. Bungie added that in the event of disconnecting, you'll be able to reconnect to your run without any hitches. If players can't reconnect due to an issue with the servers, Bungie said it will "attempt to return the starting gear to all impacted players." Marathon isn't out until March 5, but Bungie is doing a preview weekend with the Server Slam event starting February 26. Still, it's obvious that Bungie already wants to get ahead of the competition, since Arc Raiders, another recently released extraction shooter, has been dealing with its own cheating problem. To address the rise in cheating, the game's developer, Embark Studios, implemented a three-strike system, which some players have criticized as too lenient.

Ball x Pit, a delightful roguelite that was one of our favorite games of last year, is on the way to mobile devices. The chaotic brick-breaking action is coming to iOS and Android on March 12. There will be a free trial with no ads, and you can unlock the full game with an in-app purchase. This is Ball x Pit “for your pants pocket,” according to the latest trailer. For the uninitiated, Ball x Pit is sort of a mix of Breakout and Vampire Survivors with some base building (and elements of many other genres) blended in. It’s all about finding powerful synergies between the character(s) you select, passive abilities and the balls you use to take out enemies before they get too close to damage you. These balls are regular ones that deal damage on impact (aka baby balls) or special balls that are infused with a range of effects and powers, such as Lightning, Ghost and Poison. These special balls can be fused to combine their effects or evolved into more powerful versions. On each run, you’ll collect blueprints and resources that you’ll use to reconstruct a fallen town. Buildings unlock new characters and abilities that can aid you on your next run. Everything synergizes beautifully in Ball x Pit. Ball x Pit should work well with touch controls on mobile. You can set the balls to fire automatically, so all you really need to worry about is moving your character and aiming, as well as choosing your next upgrade when you earn enough experience gems. The first of three planned updates for this year arrived in January. I’m still waiting for developer Kenny Sun to add cross-progression since I’ve already plowed dozens of hours into this game on PS5, PC and Xbox — it’s available on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 as well. Ball x Pit is also currently on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

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! During Winter Olympic's figure skating Exhibition Gala, the silver medal winning figure skating pair from Georgia, Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, took to the rink dressed as Mortal Kombat's Kitana and Sub-Zero ending the routine with a competition illegal 'Headbanger' lift. The Exhibition Gala is an event that closes the figure skating at the Winter Olympics and the stakes could not be lower. It's usually used as a fun way to close out the competition, where skaters often dress up and pay homage to different parts of pop culture, and/or demonstrate their mettle by pulling off the dangerous moves that are banned in regular competition. In this 'almost-anything-goes' format, you can see figure skating rarely done anywhere else including a pair dressed at Kitana and Sub-Zero re-enacting scenes from the game while on the ice. Near the end of the routine the couple pull off a type of rotational lift, informally known as the Headbanger, where the man spins the woman around by only holding onto one ankle, while bringing her head down scarily close to the ice. Gold medal winner Alysa Liu proves her anime street cred by listing her five favorite shows including Jujutsu Kaisen Mortal Kombat 2 release date, trailer, cast, plot, and more news I won my first 2XKO match using the power of rancid vibes, and it sold me on a game I didn't expect to care about It's banned in regular competition in order to not encourage skaters to learn and practice dangerous moves in order to win points, but with nothing on the line, the Exhibition Gala allows athletes to show off their best moves free from the constraints of these rules. Following the Headbanger, Metelkina acts dazed like before you are offered to pull off a Fatality, but don't worry – Berulava doesn't 'Finish her.' The pair performed the routine to Techno Syndrome, a well-known version of the Mortal Kombat theme. This isn't the first time that Metelkina and Berulava have performed as the fighting duo, as they took to the ice with the routine at the 2025 World Championships. However, as this showcase took place at the Winter Olympics, it undoubtedly has more eyes on it than ever before. These are the best fighting games you can play today.

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! I like to think we've all taken time off work or rearranged our schedules to make room for video games at one point or another, and Elon Musk is reportedly no exception. The multi-multi-multi-billionaire apparently became so engrossed in Baldur's Gate 3, he parlayed a rollout for Grok because its Dungeons and Dragons knowledge left something to be desired. In a report from Business Insider, it's stated Musk literally moved staff around to make sure Grok's responses on Larian's RPG were of better quality. "In one instance last year, a model release was delayed for several days because Musk was dissatisfied with how the chatbot answered detailed questions about the video game Baldur’s Gate, according to people familiar with the matter," the piece states. "High-level engineers were pulled from other projects to improve the responses before launch, they said," the outlet adds. The SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI founder is a noted fan of role-playing games, having gotten very into Elden Ring as well as the third Baldur's Gate; however, as far as I'm aware, FromSoftware can't boast of contributing to him altering his company's structure in any way. Baldur's Gate 3 had so "many people involved," with one dev being "a big JRPG fan" but the CEO being "an Ultima guy" Larian's publishing boss threatens to "crash out" over Baldur's Gate show: "I don't think anyone can trump our writers" After Baldur's Gate 3 player painstakingly calculates how much spoken dialogue Larian included in its D&D RPG, director admits they didn't actually know themselves: "Which I think was for the better" Can I have just one normal week pic.twitter.com/bip2afWQLeFebruary 21, 2026 Can I have just one normal week pic.twitter.com/bip2afWQLeFebruary 21, 2026 Can I have just one normal week pic.twitter.com/bip2afWQLeFebruary 21, 2026 There's no feedback on whether Grok suddenly became a worthy authority on Larian's blockbuster release, probably because many players don't care to use chatbots for things they can figure out themselves or ask each other about. Given some of the enormous ethical issues surrounding the Twitter-integrated software - and AI chatbots as a whole - I don't think it's a popular tool for navigating the Forgotten Realms. Baldur's Gate 3 isn't the only game that became part of xAI's day-to-day either. Business Insider states Musk also tried to make Grok get good at a certain MOBA from Riot Games. "At the end of 2025, at least five war rooms were running simultaneously, according to three people. One, they said, was dedicated to teaching Grok how to play one of Musk’s favorite video games, League of Legends," says the piece. Larian's director of publishing, Michael Douse, responded to these claims appropriately. "Can I have just one normal week," he says on Twitter. It's looking doubtful on that one, I'm afraid. I wonder if employees under Musk are already dreading when the new Divinity arrives. Baldur's Gate 3 marketing lead hands Sony some advice after its live-service fails, saying "pretty much every game" is effectively multiplayer now: "Every experience is a shared experience"

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! The new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma has some unexpected shoutouts for her favorite games of all time. Phil Spencer's successor as the head of the Xbox division is none other than the former head of Microsoft's CoreAI product who doesn't have much professional experience in the games industry, but she's trying to let everyone know that she too likes to game, fellow Gamers. Over on social media, she writes that her three favorite games ever are Halo, Valheim, and Goldeneye 007. Seems like a pretty safe PR trio - the Xbox crown jewel, a beloved indie, and an older classic. She also says it's "been a long time" since she's played arguably the most beloved JRPG of all time, Chrono Trigger. New Xbox CEO, a former Meta and Instacart exec, says "we will not chase short-term efficiency" or "soulless AI slop" Xbox president Sarah Bond speaks out after news of her Xbox departure: "I’ve decided this is the right time for me" Xbox boss Phil Spencer is leaving, and a Microsoft AI exec is taking over with president Sarah Bond also resigning And, now, speaking to Variety, Asha Sharma called out 2016's Firewatch, the walking sim about wandering a quiet forest trail made by former TellTale Games veterans (and future Half-Life Alyx devs). Asked about what makes a great game, Sharma says "deep emotional resonance" and "a distinct point of view" are what make players "feel something," just as she did while playing Firewatch. Firewatch is an interesting shoutout to me because it's not exactly a game that has a particularly loud fanbase or storied legacy. And so using it as an example doesn't seem as if she's fishing for easy gamer brownie points like many of her posts on Twitter suggest. But, still, being a dedicated gamer doesn't translate into being an uncontroversial leader of Xbox. For now, Sharma is saying all the right things, like how she won't flood the "ecosystem with soulless AI slop" and wants to recommit to Xbox hardware. Whether they'll bear fruit is another question. Here's hoping Sharma's tenure at the top of the console maker is smoother than Spencer's was. Xbox's new chief content officer Matt Booty says "there are no organizational changes underway" following abrupt leadership shakeup, which seems like a businessy way of saying no one's been canned

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! As other indies run from the release of Slay the Spire 2, the developer behind deckbuilder Grimslair is standing firm to face the behemoth head-on. Just like Silksong last year, Slay the Spire 2 is one of the most anticipated indie sequels of all time, so naturally, some people are trying to avoid the fight. Omelet You Cook was released over a month early to avoid its then-vague "March" release date. Handmancers developer 58BLADES, meanwhile, delayed the deckbuilder following the announcement of Slay the Spire 2's March 5 release date. A solo developer who goes by ThunderRam Studios posted an image with the logo to their game Grimslair, another deckbuilder releasing a day after Slay the Spire 2. The post looks like any other delay post, admitting "let's be honest – you'll be playing it, I'll be playing it, everyone will be playing it." They also admit "I'm a huge fan and insanely excited," and that "launching a deckbuilder the same week as Slay the Spire 2? Yeah… I'd get absolutely crushed." Slay the Spire 2's impending release scares another roguelike deckbuilder into a delay: "Everyone will be playing it" Slay the Spire 2 scares devs into early release after fearing losing fans to "an absolute juggernaut in our own genre" Slay the Spire 2 Steam early access release date set for March 5 as the king of roguelike deckbuilders returns It was inevitable... sorry folks... #grimslair #slaythespire2 #delayed pic.twitter.com/0M5bsiEmaOFebruary 22, 2026 It was inevitable... sorry folks... #grimslair #slaythespire2 #delayed pic.twitter.com/0M5bsiEmaOFebruary 22, 2026 It was inevitable... sorry folks... #grimslair #slaythespire2 #delayed pic.twitter.com/0M5bsiEmaOFebruary 22, 2026 "So here's the deal: I'm not moving the release date. I ain't no bitch and I'm still launching March 6." The developer explains, "I'd rather launch Grimslair with my whole chest than spend 6 months asking the calendar for permission". However, there's no sour grapes towards Slay the Spire either, as they say, "go enjoy that other game. I definitely will." It's definitely going to be a tough road ahead for Grimslair, but then again, the likes of Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, Baby Steps, and Blippo+ released between Silksong and Hades 2 and still popped off, so you never know. In the meantime, check out our picks of the best roguelikes you can play right now.

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! The 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda is this month, but you wouldn't know it from Nintendo's reaction (or lack thereof) – a sad reality for the decades-old franchise, but not one that applies to every game series from the company. "Nintendo's approach to anniversaries is always, 'If it so happens that a game is launching the same year as an anniversary, sure, we'll do a thing. We'll tie it to it, whatever' – but Pokemon's truly the other way around, where they do a lot of cultural things to celebrate anniversaries. We saw it with the 25th anniversary. We're seeing it play out in real time with the 30th anniversary." Forget another Ocarina of Time remake – Nintendo needs to get weird with Zelda's 40th anniversary Pokopia lead wants to "scale" games "aside from battling," as "there are also lots of different ways to enjoy Pokemon" 25 years on, Pokemon Crystal is still the blueprint for modern Pokemon She continues, explaining that "they really understand that Pokemon goes beyond just the game, just the trading cards, just the anime, just the movies… It's like this way of life." The franchise "is in every aspect of people's lives." As Yang puts it, "It's like this big cultural lifestyle phenomenon." According to the PR veteran, The Pokemon Company acknowledges this and applies it to its approach to anniversaries. "It's like, 'Yeah, we're going to be everywhere because Pokemon is everywhere.'" On the other hand, Nintendo deals with big birthdays on a far more casual basis. "They're like, 'Oh, yeah… If a game happens to launch, we'll slot it into this anniversary." That checks out, considering the fact that it's pretty much precisely how the Breath of the Wild release went. Sadly, though, there aren't even new games to look forward to this year, it seems. Even though Zelda is arguably one of the most influential video game series of all time, fans are spending this month sadposting on forums like Reddit about how it didn't "have even a small celebration" made in honor of it. Meanwhile, Pokemon is… well, Pokemoning. Longtime Zelda producer says "the hardware evolution" lifts "restrictions" but, more importantly, "greatly influences the game design."

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! Alexis Garavaryan, CEO of the publisher behind award-winning J'RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kepler Interactive, comments on the pricing on 2025's Game of the Year, and why, at $50, it costs less than most AAA games of similar size and quality. In an interview with the BBC, Garavaryan explains Kepler Interactive's philosophy on game pricing, and on the qualities that players look for when making their purchases, saying that he thinks "player taste is also adapting," when it comes to the games they choose to buy. "I think historically there was always some sort of space in terms of the visual fidelity," he says. "I think there is less importance given by players on how high the visual fidelity is when you play a video game today. I also think the size of the experience, the depth, the number of hours you get out of the content is maybe less important than how exceptional, how interesting, how novel the experience is." For one Spider-Man 2, you could make 30 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33s, as dev reveals it cost less than $10 million Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says "it's good to have limitations," so the RPG studio won't "scale up" for any future projects Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director doesn't think sales and awards success should change the studio: "What we want to do is exactly what we wanted to do when we started" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 offers something novel, by mixing classic old-school JRPG staples, like epic storylines and synergistic turn-based combat, with French flair and a modern twist. However, despite offering gamers exactly what he believes they value most, as well as the visual fidelity and large amount of content we've historically valued, the publisher still decided to price it at a "lower" cost. "I think ultimately we've seen a number of larger companies increase prices quite regularly," Garavaryan says. "We try to think, 'what do we think the price should be?' And then we price it lower, so that when players buy a game from us, they feel like they're getting a bargain. We want them to feel like we are respectful of their money, respectful of their time, and that fundamentally, every time they buy a game from us, they're getting a great deal." He goes on to discuss how this pricing encourages "trust" with players, and that the publisher is "excited for players to be able to play five, six different experiences with the same amount of money that a traditional AAA game would bring them." Ultimately, Garavaryan's view on pricing comes down to the current market saturation. "I think we are living in an industry where players have access to exceptional video games on a weekly basis," he says. "If you want to deserve their attention, their money, I think you need to bring something to the table that's truly great and truly special." New Clair Obscur Expedition 33 photo mode had some "unexpected" issues during development, like deforming Gustave's head and other "things we don’t want to show."

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! Tencent has reportedly shut down TiMi Montreal, the new studio led by long-time Assassin's Creed director Ashraf Ismail, without having released a single game. Ismail made a name for himself by serving as the creative director on a host of beloved Ubisoft releases, including Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Assassin's Creed Origins, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. After allegations of workplace impropriety and an internal investigation into misconduct, he was fired from Ubisoft in 2020 and later joined TiMi Montreal as creative director in 2022. Game File now reports on the studio's alleged closure, citing a now-unavailable LinkedIn post from a former employee who says staff had known about the impending shutdown "for some time" and "the public will never get to experience what this team was capable of producing." It's worth noting that Ismail's account still lists him as a TiMi Montreal creative director. Ubisoft hits "major reset" button, cancels 6 games, delays 7 more, and confirms 4 new IP Former Assassin's Creed director says AAA studios "mistakenly" throw people at development problems As Ubisoft shuts down a freshly-unionized studio, worker's union says it will "pursue every legal recourse" Timi Montreal itself opened almost five years ago and was working on a "AAA open-world, service-focused" game, said to be an original IP in development for multiple platforms. The developer was part of Timi Studio Group, a Tencent subsidiary responsible for multiple major smartphone hits, such as Call of Duty: Mobile and Pokemon Unite, though the wider Timi Studio Group seems unaffected by the news. 2026 isn't looking much brighter in terms of studio closures and layoffs than the last few years, either. Sony recently shut down Bluepoint Games, the acclaimed developer behind Demon's Souls PS5 and Shadow of the Colossus PS4 remake. The maker of free-to-play shooter Highguard, also a company that allegedly received Tencent backing, suffered from layoffs weeks after launch as well. "Several" Assassin's Creed single-player and multiplayer games to come, Ubisoft promises, plus more Far Cry amid further "restructuring across the company"

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! Embark Studios has been up against it when it comes to cheating and exploits in Arc Raiders, with duplication glitches, modified weapons and such. The latest bit of tomfoolery might be the most obscene, though, as players have found a way to create their own hatches for leaving a match. The trick, a clear hack of some sort, allows people to avoid being killed and losing all their precious loot. A TikTok account called syntax.media0 shows it in action, and it's just wacky to see. The player is downed during a round, fairly standard practice, and as they're crawling around, a hatch suddenly appears on the ground beside them. It flips open, showing plain rock below, but that doesn't matter, because they're off to Speranza regardless. Arc Raiders cheating and "out of map" exploits acknowledged by Embark: "We are implementing significant changes" Arc Raiders players say there's "cheating like crazy," former FPS pro says it "might be worse than peak Call of Duty" Arc Raiders suffers an infinite ammo exploit after Embark fixes a dupe, heightening criticism of soft cheating response @syntax.media0 this is how i never lose my loot when i die 😂 join discord.gg/syntax to get it aswell #arcraidersfr #arcraidersgame #arcraidersglitch♬ Originalton - syntax.media0 @syntax.media0 this is how i never lose my loot when i die 😂 join discord.gg/syntax to get it aswell #arcraidersfr #arcraidersgame #arcraidersglitch♬ Originalton - syntax.media0 this is how i never lose my loot when i die 😂 join discord.gg/syntax to get it aswell #arcraidersfr #arcraidersgame #arcraidersglitch "This is how I never lose my loot when I die," the video states. Another clip gives a further example, and both videos have a link to their Discord server for others to partake. This server provides updates for an adjoining site, where aimbots, 'No Fixed Address' accounts and more can be purchased, across Arc Raiders, Apex Legends and other live-service games. Needless to say, members of the community are flabbergasted. "I’ve seen mod menus and all sorts of hacks in games before but for some reason this is the most ridiculous shit to me," says one commenter on Reddit. "The fact people can do this is insane," adds another. "One thing is aimbot and wallhacks, but being able to spawn a fucking hatch is insane," another states. As you'd expect, the desire is for Embark to be a little more proactive in stomping this behaviour out. "They need automated flags when a raider hatch is used that’s not in the white list of coordinates," says a commenter. It does seem particularly egregious, and indicates Embark needs to triple-down on what cheaters can get away with at the moment. We'll see how the company responds. Arc Raiders lead says "revisions are probably required" on uneven events like Locked Gate and Hidden Bunker, which have just become a camper's dream

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! Dragon Ball Age 1000's debut trailer was posted in a playlist called Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 by Bandai Namco Southeast Asia, pre-emptively spoiling the not-so-surprising surprise. Last month at Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri – the series' 40th anniversary event – it was revealed that series creator Akira Toriyama, who passed away in 2024, had created a new character for an upcoming game, which was revealed as "Dragon Ball New Game Project Age 1000." However, its true identity has seemingly been revealed a bit earlier than expected. But someone didn't get the memo that it was meant to be a surprise, as last weekend, the Bandai Namco Southeast Asia account placed the trailer into a new playlist titled Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3. The playlist has since been removed, but not before it was spotted by fans online (via Wario64). New Dragon Ball game coming in 2027 features character designs from late series creator Akira Toriyama New Dragon Ball Super anime announced Dragon Ball Super: Beerus set to "enhance" Battle of Gods in new anime Given that Age 1000 in the series' lore is when the Dragon Ball Online MMO takes place, and the Xenoverse series takes a lot from the MMO, many assumed this could be Xenoverse 3, with the promise of more news released at Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2026 this April. Given that Xenoverse 2 was still doing well enough to be getting DLC as late as last October – nine years after it launched – it's not shocking the game would eventually receive a follow-up, although it's a bit weird to not just outright announce it. And, of course, there's always the chance that this is a bit of a miscommunication and Age 1000 turns out to be something completely different, so maybe hold off until April to get on the Xenoverse hype train. If you want to catch up before Age 1000 releases, here's how to watch Dragon Ball in order.