Upcoming Assassin's Creed games are never too far off. Heck, even before Assassin's Creed Shadows came out nine months ago, Ubisoft were publicly talking about a number of other in-development titles on the horizon. But what wisdom would one of Shadows' lead developers give to the numerous other teams currently heads down on the stealthy-stabby series? Lemay-Comtois noted that Assassin's Creed's signature parkour seemed to have fallen to the background in the series' RPG games, Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. Part of that is because those massive open-worlds aren't as dense with climbable architecture as older Assassin's Creed games; instead there's miles of Ancient Greek oceans or Egyptian dunes between urban jungle gyms. "We are hard to beat": 9 months since Assassin's Creed Shadows, its associate director looks back on what makes this RPG the best in series history "Hope is not lost" for Assassin's Creed Shadows to follow Mirage's lead and add the fan-favorite manual jump in a post-launch update Upcoming Assassin's Creed games: Every new Assassin's Creed game in development "We're trying to rectify that in post launch with Shadows and push that narrative internally to say, parkour matters," Lemay-Comtois continued. "Let's really push parkour forward." Up next are Assassin's Creed Jade, said to be the series' first open-world romp on mobile, and Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe, which looks like a slightly spookier take on the formula from Valhalla stewards Ubisoft Montreal. There's also been unofficial rumblings about an Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remake for months. We'll see if there's more of a spotlight on parkour in any of those when (and maybe if) they come out. "Hope is not lost" for Assassin's Creed Shadows to follow Mirage's lead and add the fan-favorite manual jump in a post-launch update

Slay the Spire's been a gigantic success since it first dropped, inspiring countless other deckbuilding roguelikes and giving developer Mega Crit the freedom to work on pretty much anything after. But with endless options laid out in front of Mega Crit, the devs instead put their fate in the hands of a simple coin toss, which is how we ended up with Slay the Spire 2. Mega Crit co-founder Anthony Giovannetti recently told PC Gamer the team had been experimenting with lots of "tiny projects [and] little prototypes" after finishing up on their breakout success. The indie studio clearly had their fair share of options, but it came down to Slay the Spire 2 or "a completely different project" in the end. So, as you do with any potentially life-impacting decision, they let Lady Luck decide. "I thought there were some interesting design challenges to work on a sequel with," Giovannetti added. "We ended up flipping a coin, actually, and Slay the Spire 2 won out. So we started working on it, and the rest is history." Dead Cells 2 isn't happening right now because the studio behind the legendary OG roguelike is driven by "what we want to make" and not pressure from fans Slay the Spire 2's early access launch is delayed to March 2026, and the devs insist it has nothing to do with that other indie juggernaut that just came out: "On the bright side, everyone can keep busy playing Silksong during the wait" "The game is the design document": Hades 2 devs don't have "long, elaborate" plans that "lay out the future of the things we're making" because Supergiant is "a heavily iterative studio" Since this all happened during Covid's lockdown era, Giovannetti explained that the coin flip never actually occurred in person: "I want to say we were in a Discord call, and I think he [fellow co-founder Casey Yano] just told me the result of the coin, which, in retrospect, is maybe questionable. But I believe he told me the true result. I think Casey would've massively preferred the coin went the other way, because I was always the card game person, and he was the action game person." Regardless, the duo weren't dismayed either way. Working on a follow-up to Slay the Spire meant they could realize some of the ideas they never got around to the first time around. And we'll see the fruits of their efforts in March, 2026. Slay the Spire 2 is happening because fans went "the extra mile" for the original roguelike deck builder: "We love our job"

Hong Kong 2097, the official sequel to one of the most infamously offensive games of all time, has been delayed after failing its Steam certification and seemingly being ghosted by Valve. Kanipro's sequel to Hong Kong 97, itself explicitly designed to be "the worst game possible," was announced back in October with a trailer paying tribute to the original unlicensed '95 floppy disk atrocity, which I'll remind you stars a heroin-addicted relative of Bruce Lee named Chin and charges him with massacring "fuckin' ugly" (the game's words) Chinese communists in Hong Kong. The sequel, with involvement from the original's developer, Yoshihisa Kurosawa, brings back Chin for another round of absurd, proudly crude twin-stick penis gun shooting chaos. "One minute you'll be shooting down dancing hot dogs on a ranch in Texass, and the next you'll be fighting off flasher Uncle Sams in Idahoe," reads the Steam description. Proudly offensive Japanese video game receives sequel after 30 years in which players destroy hot dogs and Taylor Swift tacos in fictional "Amurikkka," and it's going straight to my wishlist After 2 years and $100,000 invested, acclaimed indie studio is "likely closing" due to Steam ban, says it was "tricked and betrayed" by Valve: "A system that allows that is broken" Banned by Steam, $100,000 in the hole, and facing shutdown, graphic horror game dev now dropped by Epic Games Store "roughly 24 hours before launch" Anyway, apparently Valve didn't like something it saw, as it declined to approve Hong Kong 2097 for distribution. Shocking, I know, but Kanipro has had a hunch for a while that there might be a few hiccups getting Steam to sell its game. A tweet from a couple of weeks back said the game "failed its first Steam review" and foretold that if it failed again, it would be delayed. And, well, it failed again, and is now delayed to Q1 2026. "Two weeks since resubmitting and still no response from Steam, so we'll have to delay the release of Hong Kong 2097. New release 'date' is Q1 2026," reads a recent tweet from Kanipro. "The game is totally finished but we can't do anything without approval. I'm in gamedev limbo." Two weeks since resubmitting and still no response from Steam, so we'll have to delay the release of Hong Kong 2097. New release "date" is Q1 2026. The game is totally finished but we can't do anything without approval. I'm in gamedev limbo pic.twitter.com/MRCWPXdaDsDecember 4, 2025 Two weeks since resubmitting and still no response from Steam, so we'll have to delay the release of Hong Kong 2097. New release "date" is Q1 2026. The game is totally finished but we can't do anything without approval. I'm in gamedev limbo pic.twitter.com/MRCWPXdaDsDecember 4, 2025 Two weeks since resubmitting and still no response from Steam, so we'll have to delay the release of Hong Kong 2097. New release "date" is Q1 2026. The game is totally finished but we can't do anything without approval. I'm in gamedev limbo pic.twitter.com/MRCWPXdaDsDecember 4, 2025 Another admittedly amusing tweet from Kanipro, or whatever comic genius is running that account, rails against Steam's decision: "Oh for god's sake! Come on Steam, you guys are busting my balls here for no reason. There's no nudity (at least not with anything visible), the game's perfectly playable from start to finish, LET ME RELEASE HONG KONG 2097!!!" The nature of Hong Kong 2097's apparent ban from Steam is inherently silly, if only because someone at Valve was almost certainly forced to look at a deeply stupid game flagrantly testing the limits of the platform's content guidelines, despite that very same platform being known for publishing games whose titles I can't mention here for fear of being flagged by HR. Anyway, my point is, until we know exactly why Valve is refusing to distribute Hong Kong 2097, this looks a lot like the same sort of censorship the internet is up in arms about with the whole Horses situation. Steam removing adult games shows "you can even censor another country's free speech," claims Nier creator Yoko Taro.

News and discussion ignited by Steam and the Epic Games Store banning arthouse horror game Horses has boosted sales of the game on stores like GOG, but developer Santa Ragione says this is at best partially offsetting the loss of the platform-defining Steam audience. At the time of writing, Horses is ranked second under "Bestselling (recently)" games on GOG. Speaking with The Verge, Santa Ragione cofounder and Horses producer Pietro Righi Riva says "all this attention" has brought some relief. "I'm probably going to be able to give back most of the money [roughly half of $100,000] that I had to borrow," he says of the game's budget. "But we’re not out of the [woods] yet, no." Banned horror game Horses now topping GOG's best-seller charts amid censorship controversy, and it's back on Humble even as Steam and Epic refuse to carry it GOG shades Steam in support for horror game banned by Valve: "We've always believed that players should be able to choose the experiences that speak to them" One week after an acclaimed indie studio said it faces closure following a Steam ban for its surreal horror game, Humble joins Epic in banning Horses at the last minute "Even with all the publicity, all the reporting, all the reviews, everything else" Riva says, "this still does not compare to the kind of audience we would have on Steam." This was, of course, exactly the problem with Steam banning Horses and then, Santa Ragione said, refusing to budge despite multiple appeals with corrections to offending content. (Well, it was the problem on a financial level for Santa Ragione; the problem on a moral level isn't something I have space for here.) If your PC game isn't on Steam, it's missing by far the biggest chunk of buyers (and promotional tools) on the platform. Getting on Steam isn't a golden ticket to success, obviously, but not getting on Steam is a heavy blow. Horses has thus far been able to recoup some of its $100,000 development budget without Steam, but there's little doubt that if it had been accepted back on Valve's store – or never banned to begin with – Santa Ragione would be in a much stronger position. The game would be in the center of different conversations, surely, but it would also be in front of a lot more eyes. Looking ahead, Riva worries that Horses' banning, which has come on the heels of a much wider wave of PC game censorship stoked by payment providers caving to arbitrary demands and reports, will lead to less provocative and interesting games. "I think there is going to be, in my case, and in other people's case, a certain degree of self-censorship," he said. "It’s terrifying, and it's going to make people make safer and safer games, me included." In its support for Horses, GOG argued, "We've always believed that players should be able to choose the experiences that speak to them." Banned horror game Horses now topping GOG's best-seller charts amid censorship controversy, and it's back on Humble even as Steam and Epic refuse to carry it.

Amazon will soon premiere its Fallout season 2 on December 17, and pre-existing fans of the apocalyptic RPG series are likely curious to see how it showcases New Vegas. Well, here comes Bethesda director Todd Howard to the rescue. "I mean, look, the scale of New Vegas as a proper set is incredible," he assures fans in a new interview with Future Games Show. The toasted wasteland will be the main setting for the Fallout TV show's second season, which a teaser trailer suggests picks up after Lucy (Ella Purnell) and the Ghoul (Ghoul) go hunting after the broken Vault Dweller's traitorous father (Kyle MacLachlan) "It's a location that gamers know," observes Howard. 2010's Fallout: New Vegas is, after all, still one of the most iconic games in the 28-year-old series – so, yeah, "gamers know" it. That's in contrast to season one, Howard continues, though he concedes "you know the Vault" where much of it takes place. Otherwise, "a lot of the places are places that you don't have an expectation for." Fallout season 2 is "taking some swings", but isn't committing to any canonical ending from New Vegas: "It's what we would want to see as fans" New Fallout season 2 trailer sees Lucy and the Ghoul gear up for a civil war in New Vegas – and gives us a first look at Macaulay Culkin's "crazy genius" Fallout season 2 posters give us our best look yet at two key New Vegas factions, with a notable change from the games "Whereas, going into New Vegas, as a player, you have an expectation for [it]. Because you walked around that," Howard says. But the Fallout show's "ability to pull it off on the scale, so much of it practical – it was incredible." It should be just as awfully beautiful as you remember. Fallout's TV adaptation is "way more" popular than Todd Howard expected, so the RPG series' devs have had to ensure "the games are ready for all the players who are coming into them." Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

The Switch 2's lack of a built-in camera means you need an external one for GameChat video calls. But now, if your phone is a Google Pixel, you don't even need one of those. Android Authority reported on Friday that the two now work nicely together (without needing third-party apps), and our tests confirm that. Google has technically supported the use of Android devices as external webcams for two years: The company added it in a quarterly update for Android 14. (Specifically, it added the ability for devices to use USB Video Class mode, or UVC.) But that functionality didn't work with the Switch 2 before the November Pixel Drop. How do we know it was that version? Well, before our Editor-in-Chief, Aaron Souppouris, installed November’s update on a Pixel, the Switch 2 webcam feature didn't work. After updating to that one today (but before installing the December update), it worked. If that wasn't enough, the November firmware's release notes listed a "fix for an issue where webcam mode does not work properly with connected devices under certain conditions." That pretty much cinches it. Regardless, we reached out to Google for official confirmation, and we'll update this story if we hear back.

Bethesda Game Studios executive producer Todd Howard says there's a place for AI in video game development, but not of the generative variety, thank goodness. In an interview with Eurogamer, Howard tread carefully through the minefield that is AI in video games discourse, stressing the irreplaceability of human creativity, but clarifying that AI can be a useful "tool" in game development, specifically to help with iterative processes that would take a lot longer by human hand. "I view it as a tool," Howard said. "Creative intention comes from human artists, number one. Hideo Kojima thinks "of AI as more of a friend," but one he'd only let "handle the tedious tasks" of development "that would lower cost and cut down on time" Fallout co-creator and RPG mastermind Leonard Boyarsky could smack his former self "upside the head" for past comments on AI – and no, Obsidian isn't "using it at all" Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead sees Elon Musk's new AI-generated game, says "AI has its place as a tool" but won't "solve the big problem of the industry, which is leadership and vision" "But, I think we look at it as a tool for, is there a way we can use it to help us go through some iterations that we do ourselves faster. Not in generating things, but we are always working on our toolset for how we build our worlds or check things." Howard is far from the first high-profile game developer to suggest AI as a tool to cut down on grunt work in game development; Metal Gear and Death Stranding auteur Hideo Kojima just recently he thinks of AI as a "friend," but one he would only want around to "handle the tedious tasks" of development "that would lower cost and cut down on time." "I think if you go back 10 years ago, that version of Photoshop, you wouldn't want to go back to that version of Photoshop," Howard added. "That's our view on it. But we want to protect the artistry. The human intention of it is what makes our stuff special." Howard and Kojima are both on the moderate end of the spectrum of AI embrace, with other high-level executives like Valve founder Gabe Newell and Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot taking a much more explicitly bullish approach, not to mention giant companies like EA investing eye-watering amounts in full embrace. All things considered, Howard's thoughts on AI seem pretty tame. "Gen Z loves AI slop," says former Square Enix exec, which means that Arc Raiders' controversial AI usage is just "the tip of the spear"

Indie publisher Hooded Horses has built quite a catalog of excellent strategy games from small developers, including titles like Against the Storm and Manor Lords. A core part of the company's business plan is sustainable growth – which means they're very open to making sure games aren't pushing long-term players away by releasing in an unfinished state. "Part of the Hooded Horse ethos is making sure games are ready when they launch," Hooded Horses president and CFO Snow Rui tells career development newsletter Find the First Step. "We're very delay-friendly – we don't ever want to push a game out too early. So early on, I defined part of our strategy where operating costs can be covered by our back catalog. Since the strategy games we publish tend to have long tails, ongoing sales of released games tend to be sustained and we can build on top of that." A game publisher saying that it doesn't want to put out unfinished games might sound like a pretty cheap PR win, but Rui suggests that it's part of a larger plan to ensure the business is sustainable. Rui, along with her husband Tim Bender who serves as CEO of Hooded Horse, defined a business plan that doesn't involve a buyout or hitting the stock market. "We want to stay private, profitable, and sustainable," Rui says. As Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era soars, Hooded Horse boss Tim Bender says passion-publishing trumps chasing money: "Why would anyone want to work with you if not for total lack of choice?" Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is a "great pleasure" and a "great responsibility" for its superfan CEO, and he's governed by one guiding principle: "Heroes is for everyone" "I see a lot of publishers I don't like": Vampire Survivors creator made his own publisher to "share the luck" and says too many companies "try to exploit the platforms just to make money" "Tim and I are very independent, so the idea of running a public company was never appealing to us," she continues. "I think we're very aligned in what motivates us and we want to provide a kind of stability in the creative industry where stability is so rare. Many of our hires from the industry had experienced pushing games out too early and the consequences of that, so our vision of supporting developers and allowing them to focus on the game instead of worrying about cash flow resonates with them." You'll find the Hooded Horse label on many of the best strategy games and best city-building games out there.

A couple of years have passed now since Larian Studios released Baldur's Gate 3 into the wild, but the behemoth RPG hasn't left the limelight – and unsurprisingly, nor has its talented cast, with actors still sharing their experience working on the D&D-inspired gem. Shadowheart actor Jennifer English is beloved for her skill and role as the unapologetically perfect half-elf – but her work on Baldur's Gate 3 was anything but easy. The actor reveals as much in a new interview at Rhode Island Comic Con 2025, explaining that she wouldn't have been able to ace the role as she did recently if she had tried to take it on toward the start of her career. According to English, it just would've been too much. "I think I couldn't have done Baldur's Gate 3 at the beginning of my career," she admits. "I would have absolutely fucking floundered because it's so overwhelming. I've done theater, I've done film, I've done everything. Theater is mainly what I did when I first graduated, and that is a million times easier than doing a video game because you're with another person. You have weeks to rehearse. You're working closely with the director." Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor says cast members are still underrated by video game developers, who see them "as outsources for a lot of the time": "There's a weird disconnect" Baldur's Gate 3 Shadowheart actor says "I really like doing morally questionable things in video games" as a performer, but Dark Urge is too challenging as a player: "I'm trying so hard to be evil" Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor begs people to "please play the indies" as they gear up to star in 7 games coming at the start of 2026 thanks to GTA 6: "You're going to be sick of me" It's not the same when working with games like Larian Studios' RPG – as English explains to the audience, it's all so sudden. "You've got this time [in theater and film], whereas when you do video games, you are thrust into it. You're basically sight-reading – and it's Baldur's Gate 3. Try and explain that to a person who might not have ever played video games before." Well, I mean… she's got a point there, I'd say, as a hardened fan myself. Baldur's Gate 3 is the game with, er, a NSFW bear scene and plenty of other shenanigans that may or may not be too out there to describe here. That hasn't stopped it from standing the test of time as one of the best RPGs around, however, and I'd argue actors like English are a massive part of why the title has proven so successful. Each of the iconic Baldur's Gate 3 companions brings a unique personality, story, and reason to keep playing. Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor begs people to "please play the indies" as they gear up to star in 7 games coming at the start of 2026 thanks to GTA 6: "You're going to be sick of me."

Astarion's actor from Baldur's Gate 3, Neil Newborn, believes the key to the RPGs omega success, including tens of millions of copies sold and numerous accolades, is developer Larian's insistence on putting "the player first over profit." Speaking at a panel on Baldur's Gate 3 at Rhode Island Comic Con featuring five of the game's actors, the fan-favorite character's actor gives his opinion on why the tabletop-style RPG was so successful, giving the example of Larian's late addition of more player pronouns. "If we needed to redo something, they spent the money, and we did it," Newborn says. "They added in they/them [pronouns] at a huge staggering cost of money. Because I tried to kind of do a mind palace [and] work out how much it was. It's insane, and mine is probably an underestimate of how much it cost. But they did it anyway because they wanted players to feel representation." "It saved my life": Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor says performance capture acting in games pulled him out of "£34,000 worth of debt" and "years of not doing very well" Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon says the RPG's beloved vampire has "meant more than I ever realized he would," and "I'm not ready to let go of him" Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor says cast members are still underrated by video game developers, who see them "as outsources for a lot of the time": "There's a weird disconnect" The cost Newborn is likely talking about is in hours spent in the booth. Actors need to record several versions of each line, not only to offer different versions to the director, but so there are versions for differences like pronouns. With how much dialogue there is, it's very likely the addition of just one extra set of pronouns added up to dozens of extra voice acting hours for the cast. "I think the point is that," Newborn adds. "As we've known before, and as we've seen Larian and other games coming up afterwards as well of different genres within the gaming space, if you put the player first over profit, you're gonna make a better game, it's going to be well received, and you're probably gonna sell a shit-ton of copies of it." And we didn't think we could stan our problematic fave vampire any harder. Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor begs people to "please play the indies" as they gear up to star in 7 games coming at the start of 2026 thanks to GTA 6: "You're going to be sick of me."

The first story DLC for Digimon Story: Time Stranger arrives in just a matter of days, and it's a doozy. Taking place in a bizarre dimension that exists outside time and space, the new chapter brings in a powerful digital monster fans have been hoping to see for years, and some other 'mon besides. The setting for Alternate Dimension, as the chapter is known, is called Akashic Backdoor, and it's described as an "extradimensional space." Essentially, it's an area between realities where you can safely take on the threat, the mysterious and incredibly strong Parallelmon. Not only has this creature created this little pocket universe, but it's kidnapped a number of your allies as well, spurring you to be sent to take it on. Unless you're a scholar of the Digimon franchise – and there'd be plenty more of us if there were any justice in this godforsaken world – you probably don't recognize this villain, but Parallelmon goes way back. Digimon Story Time Stranger launches to bigger player counts than any Persona or single-player Final Fantasy JRPG in Steam history Digimon Story: Time Stranger review: "Finally in competition with Pokemon and Persona, this monster raising RPG is showing rapid evolution" Digimon Story Time Stranger "is the monster-taming game frustrated Pokémon fans have been waiting for," fans say ahead of Pokemon Legends Z-A, but as always "you can like both" It debuted back in the Digimon Adventure V-Tamer manga, by Hiroshi Izawa, the source material for the anime and resulting franchise. Sadly, over the years it became relegated to those pages, never making the leap onto our screens in any capacity. There's been some buzz among fans, though, as a cut line in the Chosen Children costume pack hinted at the monster. Kyoko Kuremi, from Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, makes an appearance here, alongside her father, Kodai. Omnimon Alter-B, Omnimon Zwart Defeat, BlitzGreymon, CresGarurumon, and Omnimon Alter-C make up the five monstrous additions to your roster with the DLC. Digimon Story Time Stranger Episode Pack 1: Alternate Dimension comes out December 8. It's the first part of the season pass, with two more chapters to come. "Digimon and Pokemon are fundamentally different" according to Digimon Story: Time Stranger producer, who hopes the new RPG will "serve as an opportunity" for the franchise to distinguish itself.

Samantha Béart has, rightfully, gotten plenty of flowers over the last couple of years for voicing Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3. But their work stretches well beyond the Forgotten Realms too, and as they recount all the projects they have coming out at the moment, they implore players to dive further into the world of indie video games. During an interview at the Golden Joysticks with Radio Times, Béart was asked to reveal some of the projects she's worked on since Baldur's Gate 3. "Currently seven games under NDA, but we also have Loco Motive, Cabernet, Mike Bithell's Tron: Catalyst," they list. "Absolum – which people have played, thank you for playing! And Fading Echo, which has been out in alpha playtest for a while." In summary, Béart has been busy with "quite a few" games since Baldur's Gate 3, she says. And "please play the indie games, please," she reminds the camera. Sound advice in general, regardless of whether Béart's involvement helps entice you. Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor says cast members are still underrated by video game developers, who see them "as outsources for a lot of the time": "There's a weird disconnect" Baldur's Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 star Jennifer English on her real-life partner being an antagonist in her upcoming project: "Just reflecting real life, really" Baldur's Gate 3 actor reveals Shadowheart's pal Nocturne was more of a "sexy demon" until she "found Nocturne on the spot" in a "girl next door" vibe Independent games are a hotbed for some of the greatest creativity and most ambitious storytelling across the whole industry. If you're in any way tired of the triple-A archetypes, you'll find plenty of weirder, wilder ideas in the indie sphere, and often for a fraction of the price with much less of a commitment time-wise. "Two are triple-A, and the rest are indies," Béart responds when pressed to reveal more about their NDA'd games. "Play the indies, too." We should expect to see many of these in spring 2026, the actor says, since so many developers rearranged their releases to avoid clashing with the all-consuming GTA 6 later in the year. "You're going to be sick of me, and I'm sorry," Béart adds. "Some of these I've been sitting on for up to two years, some are a couple of months. Why am I apologizing? Screw you, play the games." Why indeed. Keep your eyes and ears open over the next six months or so. Baldur's Gate 3 actor reveals Shadowheart's pal Nocturne was more of a "sexy demon" until she "found Nocturne on the spot" in a "girl next door" vibe