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dlvr.itGTA 6 File Size Revealed, And It’s MassiveAhead of the game's release in November, GTA 6's file size has been revealed, and it is massive. PlayStation Game Size reports that the $80 standard edition will take up 210GB of storage capacity. Size details for the $100 Ultimate Edition--which includes a ton of content not in the regular version--were not made available. We also don't know the Xbox Series X|S file size, but it's likely around the same. As announced previously, preloading for GTA 6 begins on November 12, which is good news considering the game is massive in terms of its file size. People will no doubt have to delete other content to fit the game on the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S. This is double the file size of Rockstar's last game, Red Dead Redemption II. https://twitter.com/PlaystationSize/status/2115129198851522905 Everyone expected GTA 6's file size to be gigantic, but now there is a number behind it, and it's one that makes it among the largest games ever in terms of file size. GTA 6's map is three times bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2's, and the game is filled with lots of detail in the vein of that game's horse testicles. GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and it's expected to be the biggest game of all time. One report said the game could hit 25 million preorders by launch, generating $2 billion in revenue. GTA 6 is a strictly single-player game, but it's safe to assume that Rockstar will eventually release a new version of GTA Online. A PC edition, meanwhile, is expected in early 2027.

dlvr.itElden Ring Movie Might Be Extremely Long, And It Could Have Twitch Integration EventuallyNew details have come to light about A24's Elden Ring movie, including how Amazon could be involved and its beefy runtime. According to Deadline, Amazon MGM is buying up the Elden Ring movie's Pay-1 streaming rights for numerous international markets in a deal potentially worth "tens of millions of dollars." The site reported that there could be "interesting activations" on Amazon's Twitch platform as part of the deal. A Pay-1 rights deal means the company gets exclusive rights to broadcast a movie after it ends its theatrical run and comes to home video. Netflix, for example, paid Sony billions of dollars for a Pay-1 deal that includes the live-action Zelda movie. That was a global deal for many movies, though, and the report said Amazon MGM is booking an international deal specifically for the Elden Ring movie. It remains to be seen where the Elden Ring movie could stream after it wraps up in theaters. The Elden Ring movie finished filming earlier this year and Industrial Light & Magic is now working on post-production efforts ahead of the movie's March 2028 release in theaters. The film is based on From Software's game and was written and directed by Alex Garland, but the story details are being kept secret. Kit Connor is playing the lead, and the movie will apparently feature "battles between his character and impressive monsters and dragons." The script is so secretive that A24 is reportedly booking flights for its staffers to potential international rights-buyers instead of sending the script digitally to ensure an A24 staffer is in the room as the script is being read. Additionally, the report said the script is at least 180 pages, meaning the film could stretch to a mighty three hours. It was also reported that Elden Ring could become a movie franchise if the film does well, but no sequel plans are officially set yet. In addition to Connor, the Elden Ring movie will star Cailee Spaeny, Ben Whishaw, Tom Burke, Jonathan Pryce, and Nick Offerman. Finally, the Deadline report backed up the earlier rumor that the Elden Ring movie cost as much as $200 million to produce, making it A24's most expensive film ever.

dlvr.itCheck Out 46 Seconds Of New Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Gameplay (And A Pink Chocobo)Final Fantasy 7 Revelation aims to be the biggest chapter in the remake trilogy, not only in the number of regions players can explore, but also in verticality. Square Enix had previously shown off how the game's cast will be able to skydive into new locations on the world map, but for a taste of just how much verticality the game will have in certain areas, you can check out this new slice of gameplay set in the Midgar region, which features Cloud exploring a massive chasm underneath the city--and atop a pink chocobo, too. https://twitter.com/finalfantasyvii/status/2114720653161198074 While that's a lot of empty space to fly through, it's still impressive just how much of it there is. Of course, this is only one part of the game, and there's no guarantee every region will have caverns this massive. But considering how Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth greatly expanded on the environments of Final Fantasy 7 Remake with its open-world design, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is expected to raise the bar by increasing the size of the world around Cloud and the rest of the gang. Revelation will also introduce Cid's iconic airship, the Highwind, which will serve as the gang's base of operations, and unfortunately, Chadley is there too. All that "planetary-scale" content will take up a lot of space on your PC or console, with game director Naoki Hamaguchi estimating the game will be "around" 200GB. One of the big games to look forward to next year, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will launch on April 8, 2027. It's estimated that a complete playthrough could take as long as 100 hours--something Hamaguchi had done 46 times already when last we spoke to him--and two post-launch expansions starring Vincent Valentine and Sephiroth will follow in the game's wake. "My time with the final chapter of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy clearly shows that the team at Square Enix has plenty of story left to tell. We’ll just have to wait until April for the rest of the Revelation(s)," Jason Fanelli wrote after going hands-on with Final Fantasy 7 Revelation earlier this month.

dlvr.itSteam Next Fest Was Flooded With Slop. These 50 Demos Cut Through The NoiseThe October Edition of Steam Next Fest was, unsurprisingly, a complete mess. What was once a fun week-long festival of early game demos has become a dumping ground for vibe-coded AI slop, making it increasingly hard to find and wishlist good games. And if you weren't bothered by playing a game demo that was hastily cobbled together, the sheer volume--around 7,100 game demos were available this time--of what was on offer made Next Fest a nightmare to navigate. So what's a person to do when Valve's own storefront lacked the tools to separate the wheat from the chaff? Be patient, and look at the general consensus; that's what. While Next Fest is over, many of those games' demos are still readily available to download and play. The Top 50 Next Fest demos for October 2026 span a wide variety of genres and themes, and the list shows a few trends. Social, co-op, and friendslop games rose to the top, as people couldn't get enough of multiplayer chaos in party games like Worst Class Ever, while Fart Together offered physics-driven goofiness and intestinal turbulence. Niche management and shopkeeper sims also attracted players, with Questing Goose Studio's Probably Stolen and Victorian-gothic gem-cutting sim Abyssal Lapidary proving popular. Anyone looking for low-effort experiences will likely enjoy desktop companion games like Character House, and anticipated sequels like ArcheAge Chronicles drew big player numbers. One thing to note is that some of these games--like Teach My Little Sister How To Drive--do have AI disclosures attached, which you can filter for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdLVxNx5AHk The list below should be a solid starting point for checking out game demos that drew massive buzz, but waiting a week to see what's worth playing based on popularity alone isn't exactly ideal. Valve hasn't said anything about how the third and final Next Fest of the year was a mess, despite the public outcry, even though the number of games for this instance of the event almost doubled compared with the June 2026 edition. If that trend continues, next year's Next Fest in February could be even more difficult to explore. Beyond Next Fest, Steam has also confirmed the dates for several upcoming sales and themed promotions for the rest of 2026 and the first half of 2027. The Steam Winter Sale 2026 will run from December 17 – January 4, 2027, and right now, you can stock up on horror games through Steam Scream V Fest. Steam Next Fest October 2026: The Most-Played Demos Ordered by number of unique players during the week-long event. See all demos on Steam * Worst Class Ever * Probably Stolen: Cyberpunk Shopkeeper Sim * Find the Needle * Fart Together * ArcheAge Chronicles * Frostrail * Just Volleyball * Character House - Desktop Companion * Abyssal Lapidary * Loftia * Mortuus * Dumpster Gang * Hands Over * No Body No Problem * Haunted Paws * Emberville * Grr Grr Gnomes * Meltdown Crew * Wyldheart * Never Be Alone * Deadzone Rogue 2 * Banana Airways * ReBlade: The Death Spiral * Hela: Of Mice & Magic * Melvor Idle 2 * Unharvest * Dreadmoor * Nekomi; Nazi Hunter * Tropico 7 * Ignite the Depths * Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered * Rip It! Card Collector * Carry On Together * Reshine * Oar'Some Adventures * Stronghold 4 * Teach My Little Sister How To Drive * Deadline: Afterlife Processing * Debauchery and Magic * Warhammer Survivors * Dude, Trust Me * S.O.N.A.R. - Submarine Operators Not Actually Ready * Slam Tank * Ballistic.EXE * 10 Million Pixels * Arctic Drive * Breathbound * Guns 'n Goblins

dlvr.itXbox Workers Are Eligible For Buyouts As Part Of Huge Shakeup At MicrosoftMicrosoft has announced a new program called the Voluntary Exit Offer that it's extending to thousands of workers at the company, including people on the Xbox team. Microsoft is doing this to shed employees, but the messaging is that a program like this could be appealing to someone who was already thinking about leaving and can now do so with a pay package. Microsoft shared the high-level details of the Voluntary Exit Offer on its blog, and Bloomberg had more insight. The report said 60,000 workers are eligible for the Voluntary Exit Offer, and this works out to more than 25% of Microsoft's entire workforce. Xbox is undergoing big changes. Bloomberg reported that Xbox is one of the divisions of Microsoft whose employees can leave the company via the Voluntary Exit Offer, along with Windows, Copilot, and finance teams. The report said people working on Microsoft's efforts in data centers, sales, marketing, cyber security, and quantum computing are not eligible. Microsoft made this announcement just two days before it releases its next earnings report on October 28. The technology giant is spending hundreds of billions of dollars in its massive AI push, and many in the investment community have questioned if that level of capital expenditure makes sense. In April this year, Microsoft offered a Voluntary Retirement Program, and it offered severance pay, ongoing stock vesting, and extended health benefits. About 33% of eligible workers took that deal. Mass layoffs came in July, affecting nearly 5,000 people, including major cuts at Xbox. Terms of the new Voluntary Exit Offer are not available, but a spokesperson told Bloomberg that those who take the offer will receive benefits similar to a severance package. For Xbox specifically, it was reported that further layoffs could be announced in October, with another round set for November, and then another in January 2027. However, The Verge's Tom Warren said the October layoffs at Xbox are not happening this month, but will occur later. Xbox has been undergoing a "reset" under the leadership of CEO Asha Sharma, and this has included mass layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations, among other dramatic moves. These changes are happening at Microsoft amid huge surges in revenue and profitability for the company. For the latest period, Microsoft reported $90 billion in revenue (up 18%) and a profit of $35.8 billion (up 22%). As mentioned, the newest data will be revealed on October 28, so keep checking back for more. CEO Satya Nadella addressed the seemingly discordant nature of cutting staff so massively at a time when the company is making so much money. In a memo, he said, "This is the enigma of success."

dlvr.itNintendo Announces Indie World Showcase For October 28Nintendo has announced a new Indie World Showcase for October 28 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET. The broadcast will run about 15 minutes and, like previous streams, will focus on a wide range of games from third-party Nintendo partners. As usual, you can catch the showcase through Nintendo's official YouTube channel. "Tune in for roughly 15 minutes of new announcements and updates on indie games coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch," Nintendo's announcement read. Nintendo's last Indie World Showcase was held back in March 2026, and it showed off several upcoming games at the time. Many of these have already been released, including the high-energy Denshattack, a port of the underrated twin-stick shooter Minishoot' Adventures, and the shadow drop of one of 2025's best games, Blue Prince. Short and sweet, the Indie World Showcase offers a broader look at the smaller games coming to Switch consoles. The end of the year is fast approaching, and Nintendo's 2026 holiday-season blockbuster will be a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It was heavily featured in September's The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary Nintendo Direct, alongside other Zelda-centric announcements.

dlvr.itThe Wolf Among Us Remastered Doesn’t Change Much, And That’s A Good ThingThe Wolf Among Us 2 is finally landing in 2027, and if you want to catch up on what many consider one of Telltale Games' best exports, you can grab The Wolf Among Us Remastered on October 29. It's the original game spruced up for new hardware and enhanced with several extras, but is it a necessary purchase? Yes and no, depending on what you expect from this package. GameSpot senior video producer Jean-Luc Seipke went hands-on with the remaster, and in the video below, you can hear their thoughts on this Telltale classic. So how much of a difference does 13 years make? With The Wolf Among Us Remastered, Telltale has focused on subtle improvements across the board. The goal was to retain the original game's look and feel while improving lighting, adding new animations where needed, making the protagonist Bigby's werewolf transformation more intimidating, and making other nuanced tweaks under the hood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID8iK3dvUo8 Compared to the original, the difference isn't night and day, but the extra work adds a new visual layer to a game that already had a timeless look thanks to its strong art direction. If you're unfamiliar with the source material, The Wolf Among Us adapts Fables, an award-winning comic book series that ran for 13 years and chronicled the exploits of a secret society of exiled fairy tale characters in New York. A big hit for DC's Vertigo imprint, the series ran from 2002-2015 and made a short-lived comeback in 2022. Beyond the graphical update, The Wolf Among Us Remastered also packs plenty of extra content. Noir Mode dresses the game in a monochrome filter, adds several deleted and extended scenes, and lets you go behind the scenes with developer commentary, concept art, interviews, and other archival materials. If that content doesn't matter to you, then the remaster might not be a necessary upgrade. That said, Telltale is launching the game at an attractive $25 price, with a launch-week discount and even deeper savings if you already own the game. So for a few bucks more, the remastered edition is the more tempting offer, and Telltale says that it won't remove the original game from storefronts either. Progress in The Wolf Among Us Remastered will also affect how the story plays out in The Wolf Among Us 2, but as of now, we haven't heard back from Telltale on whether choices made in the original game will carry over. Whichever version you choose, you're going to have a good time. The Wolf Among Us is an all-time classic from the Telltale library, and the remaster looks like a fun way to relive that story--or experience it for the first time--before the big bad wolf huffs and puffs down the door for his return next year.

dlvr.itBioShock Movie Is Still Happening, But Director Says It’s A “Tough Nut To Crack”A BioShock movie at Netflix remains in development, its director has confirmed, but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll ever be made. Francis Lawrence confirmed to The Direct that he hopes to make the BioShock movie, but "it's tricky on a couple fronts." Lawrence said he is "definitely active" in working on the BioShock movie, but "it is a tough nut to crack that world and that story." "You are the character when you play the game, and so creating that character from scratch into that world that, you know, quite honestly, is pretty batsh** in a most amazing way," he said. "It's tricky. So we're getting there, and we're getting close, which is great." The BioShock movie was originally set to be a large-scale production, but when Netflix film chief Dan Lin came in, the project was scaled back. Lin recently left Netflix amid a major shakeup at the streaming giant, as did longtime chief content officer Bela Bajaria. Former Disney and Fox executive Peter Rice is now the new chief content officer, and Lawrence hopes the management shakeups do not affect the BioShock movie in a big way, but nothing is ever certain in Hollywood. "I would love nothing more than to be able to make that movie," Lawrence said of BioShock. "So still working on it. And then, you have also just the Netflix of it all because Netflix right now has had regime changes and just all of that kind of nonsense that I don't like to have to deal with or have to. So we'll see. Hopefully we'll figure it out." Lawrence's latest project is the Hunger Games movie Sunrise on the Reaping, which releases in November. Asked if BioShock would be his next project, Lawrence said, "You never know." He said working on multiple films simultaneously creates a "horse race" kind of scenario where factors like the script, talent availability, and production realities need to align for projects to go ahead. Curiously, BioShock producer Roy Lee said the BioShock movie is planned to coincide with the release of a new BioShock game. Lee did not name any specific games outright, but Take-Two recently reiterated that the long-in-development BioShock 4 will see the light of day … some day.

dlvr.itStar Trek Enters Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lair Next Month, Here Are The CardsThe final Magic: The Gathering expansion of 2026, Star Trek, is sending Wizards Of The Coast's card game to the final frontier. Along with the main set and pre-constructed Commander decks will be a full set of Star Trek themed Secret Lair drops, as GameSpot can now exclusively reveal the Secret Lair X Star Trek Set Phasers To Superdrop, which launches November 9 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. Six drops will be part of the Set Phaser To Superdrop offering, each one themed around the people, places, and technology of the Star Trek universe. Each drop will cost $40 in foil and $30 in non-foil, while supplies last. Below, we have an exclusive look at five of those six drops, as well as a bonus card available to those who pick up multiple drops. First, here's Secret Lair X Star Trek Set Phasers To Superdrop: Beam Me Up! * Eerie Interlude as "Beam Us Up" (Reversible) * Momentary Blink (Reversible) * Essence Flux as "Materialize" (Reversible) * Conjurer's Closet as "The Transporter" (Reversible) The Beam Us Up drop features four cards themed around "blinking" permanents--or removing them from the board, then immediately bringing them back to re-use any "enters the battlefield" effects. All four cards are reversible, with one side depicting Star Trek characters in the wilds of space, and the other showing them back in the safety of their starship, in the same pose as the first side. The next drop is Secret Lair x Star Trek Set Phasers to Superdrop: KHAAAAAAAAN! * Wrath of the Skies as "Best Served Cold" * Commandeer * Illusionist's Gambit as "Reliant's Betrayal" * Buried Alive * Genesis Wave * Fracture The KHAAAAAAAAN Superdrop features six cards all themed around the 1982 hit film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Each card highlights scenes and moments from the movie, including Ricardo Montalbán's iconic portrayal of the titular villain Khan Noonien Singh. The third drop is Secret Lair x Star Trek Set Phasers to Superdrop: Lower Decks! * Inti, Seneschal of the Sun as "Mariner, Breaching Protocol" * Kambal, Profiteering Mayor as "Boimler, Citing Protocol" * Silas Renn, Seeker Adept as "Rutherford, Rebuilding the Past" * Thrasios, Triton Hero as "Tendi, Exploring the Future" * Weatherlight as "U.S.S. Cerritos, California-Class" As the name suggests, this drop features characters from Star Trek: Lower Decks, along with the show's cartoon style. This drop marks the Secret Lair debut for both Silas Renn, Seeker Adept and Thrasios, Triton Hero, which made their MTG debuts in 2016. The fourth drop is Secret Lair x Star Trek Set Phasers to Superdrop: tlhIngan maH! * Demand Answers (Reversible) * Relentless Assault (Reversible) * Seething Song (Reversible) * War's Toll (Reversible) * Warstorm Surge (Reversible) This drop is all about the Klingons, with five cards showing the proud warrior race in action. Like the Beam Us Up drop, each card in the tlhIngan maH drop is reversible, with one side written in English and the other written in the iconic Klingon language. The final drop included in today's reveal is Secret Lair x Star Trek Set Phasers to Superdrop: New Worlds! * 2x Plains * 2x Island * 2x Swamp * 2x Mountain * 2x Forest The New Worlds drop focuses on the many different planets Star Trek's officers have visited over the years, presented here as the five basic lands. The drop will include two of each land, which feature the artwork of longtime Magic artist Alayna Danner. Finally, anyone who spends $200 or more on Secret Lair x Star Trek Set Phasers to Superdrop will receive a bonus card: Return of the Wildspeaker as "Transporter Boondoggle!" Return of the Wildspeaker as 'Transporter Boondoggle" Secret Lair x Star Trek Set Phasers to Superdrop releases November 9 on the official MTG Secret Lair website. The sixth and final drop of the Superdrop will be "revealed later," according to the official blog post. The full Star Trek expansion launches November 13 in local game stores and big-box retailers. Prerelease events will take place in local game stores beginning one week earlier, on November 6.

dlvr.itCall Of Duty Lifetime Revenue Surges Past $40 Billion, Microsoft ConfirmsThe Call of Duty franchise has now exceeded $40 billion in lifetime franchise revenue, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has confirmed. She shared this milestone following the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on October 23. "Congrats to the team. And to the players, thank you for being with us," Sharma wrote. Sharma did not, however, share any insights into how Modern Warfare 4 is performing, or if it was MW4 that pushed Call of Duty over $40 billion. All her statement says is that "now" Call of Duty has reached $40 billion, and that $40 billion is an "incredible milestone." https://twitter.com/asha_shar/status/2114787993114591335 Whatever the case, $40 billion is a big number. The series debuted 23 years ago in 2003, and has seen new installments annually since. Beyond mainline entries for PC and console, the Call of Duty franchise has expanded into the mobile market and the battle royale genre with Call of Duty: Warzone. No doubt the $40 billion figure includes sales of the main games, along with in-game content for them, as well as spinoffs and ports. Activision also surely got a fee from Paramount to make the Call of Duty movie, and it's possible this revenue is counted toward the $40 billion total as well. Activision does not disclose development or marketing budgets for any of its games, including Call of Duty releases, so there is no way to know anything about their profitability levels. Some developers more readily share sales specifics like break-even points, but not Activision. Activision has relied on the brand power of the Modern Warfare and Black Ops games for a long time, but a brand-new sub-series for Call of Duty is now in the works. In addition to this, Activision will develop new Halo games going forward. Modern Warfare 4 boasts a very impressive 86 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic currently. For more, check out GameSpot’s MW4 review, which covers the campaign, DMZ, and multiplayer. If you’re just getting started, you may also wanted to check out our rundown of the best MW4 multiplayer loadouts.

dlvr.itPokemon Unite Is Shutting Down After Nearly Six YearsNintendo has announced that Pokemon Unite, its Pokemon-themed MOBA for mobile devices and Switch consoles, will be shutting down on March 23, 2027. The game will go offline just days after the Aeos Crown 2027 tournament, and Nintendo has stopped selling the game's premium in-game currency, Aeos Gems. "We offer our sincerest gratitude to the many Trainers who have played since service started for the Nintendo Switch version on July 21, 2021," The Pokemon Company and developer TiMi Studio Group announced in a press statement. "We hope you continue to enjoy Pokemon Unite until the final day of service." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFtMRJAc3z8 Pokemon Unite's online matches will be a thing of the past after March, but players can download a new Library update that lets them view their career progress and stats, as well as play practice rounds. While the game had a fairly sizable audience, Pokemon Unite always seemed like a forgotten part of the Pokemon empire, and it failed to make the cut for the 2027 Pokemon World Championships. A fairly serviceable MOBA, it never seemed to catch on like other Pokemon spin-offs, and fans questioned how long it would run before Nintendo pulled the plug. With the release of the battle-focused Pokemon Champions earlier this year, the writing may have been on the wall for Pokemon Unite, and it'll be joining several other titles in the Nintendo mobile games graveyard like Mario Kart Tour, while Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp transitioned from an online game to a microtransaction-free version that costs $10. As the year winds down, Pokemon fans can also look forward to a new game in the series: Pokemon Winds and Waves. It's the longest wait yet between mainline entries, but judging from the teasers shown off so far, fans look content to let longtime developer Game Freak cook on this new chapter in the franchise.

dlvr.itOne Day Out From Early Access, Emberville Has Been Delayed To 2027Originally set to enter early access on October 27, action-adventure RPG Emberville has been delayed by over two months to January 7, 2027. The last-minute delay gives the team time to make "essential improvements" before Emberville reaches its fans. The upcoming game mixes Stardew Valley-like farming and community building with action-adventure RPG combat. Trapped in a magical underground dungeon, the player must uncover the truth about their cursed prison while revitalizing the ruined town of Emberville. Emberville's demo was one of the most played during Steam Next Fest last week; however, player feedback from the demo has led to a last-minute delay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOJmwxZZsX0 "Some of the improvements we want to make are systems changes that can't be done quickly," the Emberville team said, acknowledging feedback from Next Fest players. "Reworking bow combat, for example, would take more time than we had prior to our Early Access release even though the team is working around the clock. After carefully considering our options, we have decided to move the release date and include some essential improvements in the Early Access launch build." While the game is intended to grow and improve throughout its early access period, with the developer planning to add new content incrementally, the studio wants to reach a certain baseline before it launches. "Our team has a clear vision for how Emberville will develop throughout early access," the Steam post continues. "On January 7, our goal is to deliver an experience that shows what makes the game distinctive, establishes its core gameplay, and offers a compelling glimpse of how the game will grow throughout early access." While some players are disappointed by the eleventh-hour delay, others have said they're happy for the Emberville team to take as much time as it needs to get the game up to scratch. Some players have also speculated that Emberville is just the latest game to move its release date in order to avoid losing players to the looming release of GTA 6.

dlvr.itGhost Of Yotei Was A Hit, But Its Developer Is Reportedly Cutting JobsSony-owned studio Sucker Punch Productions is losing 24 employees in another round of layoffs in the games industry. The studio is behind Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yotei, two first-party PlayStation titles that have been critical and commercial hits. An Aftermath report claims 24 Sucker Punch staff have lost their jobs. The studio is estimated to have between 190 and 230 staff, depending on the source, meaning Sucker Punch has lost at least 10% of its employees. "After carefully observing the challenges in the market and reviewing the team needs for our next project, we've decided to make some staffing reductions," an email from studio leadership quoted by Aftermath read. "Several positions across Sucker Punch will be eliminated as a result." "We know this is a lot to take in, and we want to assure you that we did not make this decision lightly. We have given this a lot of attention and worked to support our affected colleagues during this transition as well as we can," the email continued, adding: "Next week we will go into more details about the future." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d48IWwIRg98 For the past decade, Sucker Punch has worked on its two open-world samurai adventure games, both standout successes in Sony's first-party slate. As of 2022, Ghost of Tsushima had sold over 8 million lifetime copies, while Ghost of Yotei was reported to be Sony's best-selling title on the PS5 as of June 2026. The studio's latest release was the critically acclaimed Echoes of Sekigahara expansion for Ghost of Yotei, which brought back the first game's protagonist, Jin Sakai. Prior to Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch developed the Sly Cooper and Infamous series. This isn't the first time the studio has undergone layoffs after a commercially successful release; an unspecified number of layoffs occurred in 2014 following the launch of Infamous Second Son, the same month the expansion First Light was released.

dlvr.itHere’s Another Mass Effect 5 Leak To Break Your HeartIf last week's mysterious Mass Effect: Universe trailer leak wasn't painful enough for you in the wake of BioWare's sudden closure, we've gotten yet another taste of The Game That Could Have Been, this time courtesy of award-winning video game composer Austin Wintory. Known for his beautiful and haunting soundtracks for games like Flow, Journey, ABZÛ, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, Sword of The Sea, John Wick Hex, and Hades II, Wintory was also evidently working on the Mass Effect: Universe soundtrack. From the sounds of things, EA and the now-defunct BioWare were considering having Wintory produce the game's OST. And thanks to Wintory, we at least know what the game might have sounded like. "Mass Effect was my ultimate white whale, my all-time dream project," Wintory wrote in a post on Bluesky. "For the last couple years I'd been in discussion with BioWare & EA to take on the project, and as part of that, I wrote close to 20 minutes of music to explore where the franchise can go next. May as well share it!" Wintory shared the music alongside an image that reads, "Mass Effect: Universe, the music that might have been." "So here you go," Wintory added in a follow-up post linking to a YouTube upload of the test-run tracks. "Thank you again to my friends at both BioWare and EA. To even dream in your sandbox was a privilege." The video features 20 minutes of Wintory's experimental score, featuring seven unique tracks and one remix. Text displayed within the video itself also reveals more about the nature of Wintory's talks with EA and BioWare, along with his inspiration for the soundtrack. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBO8s_McKjU "In 2007, when the credits rolled on my first playthrough of Mass Effect, I remember calling a friend and saying, 'I can't believe I already know this will be among my favorite all-time games.' Usually, it takes the passage of time before we can be so sure something truly belongs to the ages, but in this case, the confidence was instantaneous," Wintory wrote. "This trilogy is my most-cherished gaming experience of my lifetime, and as a professional composer, represented my most sought-after 'White Whale.' For me, there is no greater dream project to be part of." According to Wintory, nothing had been finalized yet, but both EA and BioWare seemed eager to get him on board. So Wintory, in all his love for the franchise, cooked up a little surprise for the Mass Effect: Universe team. "For the past several years, I'd been in dialogue with people both at BioWare and EA to potentially jump into Mass Effect 5," Wintory explained. "As part of those conversations, I decided to surprise the team by writing/recording a giant love letter to the franchise, with my idea of where it can go next. When I wrote this (in 2025), I knew nothing of what they were planning, so this was a bit narratively speculative. The concept was a direct homage to Jack Wall and Sam Hulick's incredible work on the first game, while leaning even harder on true analog synths, and a more complex integration of the orchestra (almost akin to the hybrid nature of The Matrix)." While it seems that Mass Effect: Universe will never see the light of day, at least we have the beautiful soundtrack-that-could-have been, for what looked to be an equally beautiful game.

dlvr.itWoW: Forever Just Got Another Major Racial Ability Shakeup Before LaunchWorld of Warcraft: Forever's release is just around the corner, but developer Blizzard is making one final pass at the game's racial abilities before launch in response to beta feedback. In a forum post, WoW community manager Kaivax posted a list of significant changes to many of each race's unique abilities that players expressed concerns about during Forever's beta. Those changes include tweaks to tauren, humans, orcs, dwarves, and Skyborne elves. "In taking a final pass on these, we've prioritized racial identity, which means that some races will naturally be slightly more effective than others at certain combat roles," Blizzard said. "In some places where we had replaced role or class-focused racials with generic ones, we're rolling those changes back." https://youtu.be/miSndSl23bI?si=kQoKkM4LGLofOsk- The exception to that mindset is weapon-specialization abilities, Blizzard said, which existed for humans and orcs both in WoW Classic and early on in Forever's beta and made each race more effective with specific types of weapons. "While those have a strong fantasy component to them, it is not healthy in the long run for future raid and dungeon loot tables to be evaluated through the lens of 'required' weapon types," Blizzard said. "At the same time, we're doing a tuning pass on some of the remaining passive bonuses to help ensure that they aren't skewing outcomes in a way that limits player preferences." Humans, widely viewed by the community as one of the most "optimal" races to pick thanks to their powerful passive abilities, have lost some of their power in combat. Ruthless now only grants 1% critical strike chance instead of 2%. In exchange, their Human Spirit passive has been buffed from 5% to 10%. Tauren have seen some significant changes, with massive buffs to their unique Plainsrunning ability but a loss to some of their combat effectiveness. Plainsrunning will now grant 2% movement speed per stack up to a max of 60% increased movement speed, at the price of no longer increasing mounted movement speed and the loss of hit chance and crit damage from their Endurance passive. Orcs have seen their 1% crit chance removed and replaced with an earlier passive, Command. Now, orcs will deal 5% increased Warlock and Hunter pet damage. Dwarves have had their critical damage passive removed, instead replaced with a 1% chance to hit with attacks and spells. Last but not least, Forever's newest race, Skyborne elves, have seen some major changes. Their haste bonus from Wind-Blessed has been reduced to 2% from 3%. They also now benefit more from using their Skysight and Read Leyline abilities at elemental convergence or leyline sites, with stronger effects that persist through death. It's just the latest (and sounds like the last, at least for a while) batch of changes to Forever's various races. Blizzard said these changes, a little over a week before Forever's launch, were to address feedback players had during the beta about some abilities feeling "too generic," while others were "objectively stronger than others." You can read the full racial ablity changes below. Blizzard looks to be making plenty of changes to Forever in the last stretch before release. It announced last week that it will be getting a new PvP-server option after all, and that the MMORPG's controversial layering system will see improvements in time for launch. WoW: Forever arrives November 4. WoW: Forever Racial Ability Changes 10/26 * Human * Ruthless now increases critical chance by 1% (was 2%). * Human Spirit now increases Spirit by 10% (was 5%). * Dwarf * Earth Fury (2% increased critical strike damage and healing) removed. * Added: Artisan’s Precision - Increases hit chance with spells and attacks by 1%. * Tauren * Plainsrunning now grants 2% movement speed per stack (was 1%), for a total max increase of 60% (was 30%). * Plainsrunning no longer increases mounted movement speed. * Endurance no longer provides any modifiers beyond 5% increased Health (no hit chance or critical damage modifiers). * Orc * Savage removed (1% increased critical strike chance). * Command re-added, increasing Warlock and Hunter pet damage by 5%. * Skyborne * Wind-Blessed Haste bonus reduced to 2% (was 3%). * Read Leyline now increases Mana and Health regeneration by 50% (was 100%), with a 15-second duration. This ability cannot be used while Innervate is active, and will be replaced by Innervate as a more powerful effect. * Using Read Leyline at a Ley Line now also grants “Attuned” for 1 hour. While Attuned, the benefit of Read Leyline is increased to 100% regeneration increase. Attuned persists through death. * Skysight is now a 15% increased movement speed (was 10%), with a 15-second duration. * Using Skysight at an elemental convergence now also grants “Charged” for 1 hour. While Charged, the benefit of Skysight is a 30% movement speed increase. Charged persists through death.

dlvr.itDiablo 4’s War Plans Are Getting A Huge Upgrade In Season 16Diablo 4's War Plans system is getting a major upgrade in Season 16, giving players even more control over their endgame activities and rewards. Developer Blizzard introduced War Plans earlier this year as part of the game's second (and last) expansion, Lord of Hatred. It's an endgame system where players can essentially create a playlist of endgame activities, along the way ranking up those activities via a skill tree to make them even more rewarding. It was a welcome addition, but unfortunately only gave players minimal control over what activities would appear as part of their plans. Players could also only reroll their War Plans a limited number of times, meaning if you didn't like a particular activity, oftentimes you were stuck having to do it. All of that looks to be changing in Season 16 with the addition of a new meta-progression system called War Plans Tactics. By completing War Plan activities, players will be able to invest points into the tactics tree to make it so certain activities are more likely to appear and specific types of rewards will drop. How players reroll their War Plans is also changing, with a new currency called Marks of Wisdom that will cap at 20 and should let players reroll their plans more often. As detailed by Blizzard in a blog post ahead of the season arriving on the Diablo 4 public test realm October 27, players will be able to assign up to three points into each endgame activity and up to three points into different types of rewards. "Earn points from completing War Plans activities, then invest these points into nodes to increase the chance of preferred activities or rewards appearing," Blizzard said. "This allows you to tailor your War Plans more closely with both your goals and playstyle." A look at Diablo 4 Season 16's War Plans Tactics skill tree. Putting at least one point into Helltides or Nightmare dungeons also grants the choice of increased chances for Greater Helltides and Escalation Nightmare dungeons, respectively. On the reward side, players will be able to make it so they are more likely to earn armor, weapons, jewelry, Obducite, salvage, gems, gold, activity keys, Horadric Cube materials, or Talisman items from activities. The new tactics system isn't the only change coming to War Plans. A new seasonal War Plans tree, Tyrael's Boons, will also be coming with Season 16. There will be four Tyrael's Boons' paths to invest points into, with Blizzard stating players will be able to choose up to four of the six nodes within each path. Those four paths are: * Curious Addition: Upgrades the Purveyor of Curiosities to increase the chances for more and higher quality items. * Merchant of Mystery: Adds a new merchant in Torment difficulties that sell item caches in exchange for Forgotten Souls. * Scent of Gold: Increases the amount of gold, experience, and materials you earn. * Trash for Treasure: Reduces transmuting costs, increases chances to earn Obducite and salvage, and can even grant a new Horadric Cube recipe that allows players to upgrade a Tempered Affix on an item into a Greater Affix. The changes to War Plans look to be the biggest features coming as part of Season 16, but there will additionally be a new type of gear to acquire, Horadric legendaries. These special legendaries will synergize with specific Talisman charms, with Horadric legendary jewelry items even counting for Talisman set bonuses. That should open the door to all kinds of new set and charm combinations that are sure to result in some wild new endgame builds. Diablo 4 Season 16 will be playable on the PTR until November 3, with the full season set to launch December 1. Though Diablo 4 won't be getting additional expansions, it will get a new class, the Amazon, in the first half of next year. As for what's next for the franchise, Diablo 5 is slated to arrive in 2029. Blizzard has already revealed three of the game's playable classes and promised it will have more classes at launch than any previous Diablo game.

dlvr.itWhy There Won’t Be A Helldivers 3 Anytime Soon, If EverHelldivers 2 has been a huge hit for developer Arrowhead and publisher Sony, but don't expect a third game in the series anytime soon. Arrowhead's chief creative officer, Johan Pilestedt, told Rock Paper Shotgun that a sequel would reset "everything" and force the player to "start over." He doesn't want to ask the community to do that, so Arrowhead will instead keep the momentum going with the existing game by offering new content. "Some studios can treat players like a short-term cash grab," Pilestedt said. "We see players as the actual engine of the game: they're the ones bringing in friends, making memes, and keeping the game alive. When you have an active community doing that, you don’t need a sequel." He went on to say that the video game industry today is "panicking" because "the old live-service tricks don't work anymore," and that would also apply to a hypothetical Helldivers 3. If Arrowhead were to make a sequel, it would need to be highly differentiated, he said. "The biggest competitor to a Helldivers 3 would be Helldivers 2. It only makes sense to make a distinct sequel if it’s so different that both games can exist side by side. For now, making Helldivers 2 better every day makes way more sense than throwing away its momentum," he said. Pilestedt added that 95% of the studio is working on Helldivers 2 right now, with only a small team assigned to work on whatever the team is making next. While there won't be a third Helldivers game anytime soon, if ever, a Helldivers movie is now in the works. The very large man Alan Ritchson is replacing the very large Aqua(man) Jason Momoa as the film's lead.

dlvr.itCyberpunk 2077 Hits Its Biggest Steam Player Peak Since Phantom Liberty, And You Can Guess WhyAlmost six years after launch, Cyberpunk 2077 still has a healthy player base, especially with a new anime spin-off driving people to the Night City source material. The second season of Edgerunners launched last week alongside a beefy update for Cyberpunk 2077, and unsurprisingly, PC player numbers have spiked. At the time of writing, Cyberpunk 2077 player numbers had surged to 187,215 players on PC via Steam alone. That's the biggest peak since October 2023, when the game received the substantial Update 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty expansion. This new tick in players is likely being experienced on other PC platforms where the game is available (like GOG and the Epic Games Store), as well as on multiple consoles like PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2. https://twitter.com/CDPROJEKTRED_IR/status/2114719345465287123 With a new update that adds dual-wielding, new cosmetics, customizable cyberware fashion, even more digital tourism, and a new story mission linked to Edgerunners, it's no wonder that player numbers are climbing again. You also can't discount Edgerunners' impact, as the Netflix anime series is likely driving an influx of new players. The first season of Edgerunners is credited with playing a major role in Cyberpunk 2077's revival after its infamous December 2020 launch, and Edgerunners Season 2 probably makes a good case for returning to the game. CD Projekt Red has also discounted Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition by 70% on Steam, so the entry price is pretty cheap right now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErNF1wYKxaI That increased foot traffic is even bigger this time: after Edgerunners Season 1 launched, Cyberpunk 2077 player numbers on Steam peaked at 136,724 in September 2022. If you want a peek behind the curtain, you can read up on Edgerunners Season 2 has a punk rock vibe, how it ties into the first season, and yes, that is a sneaky Hideo Kojima cameo in the show. Meanwhile, work on Cyberpunk 2 is continuing, and game director Gabe Amatangelo says the sequel is evolving beyond his vision for it.

dlvr.itArkane Lyon Gets Another Chance To Find A New Home And Finish Marvel’s BladeArkane Lyon has received a slight reprieve from its looming deadline to find a new buyer, as Microsoft says it is exploring allowing another company to support the developer's efforts to get Marvel's Blade over the finish line. Originally, it was reported that Arkane Lyon had until November 18 to find a new owner or risk the studio being shut down. Microsoft had initially announced that it was divesting itself of the developer--and several others--earlier this year, but under French Law, it was legally required to spend at least three months searching for a new buyer for the studio. Speaking to PC Gamer, a Microsoft representative said that the "consultation period" had been extended by one more month and that it was continuing to "explore options," such as "finding a partner" to support Arkane Lyon. Last week, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier added that he'd be surprised if Arkane Lyon were actually shut down, as doing so would be expensive for Microsoft. "Despite all the gloomy headlines today, my understanding is that there are multiple paths actively being explored that would save Arkane Lyon. Anything can happen during negotiations, but at this point I'd be surprised if the studio is shut down. Shutting down a game studio is expensive. Shutting down a French game studio--thanks to labor laws requiring an extended severance period--is VERY expensive. Xbox doesn't want to take on those costs," Schreier wrote. If plans do fall through, Arkane Lyon's union is lobbying Microsoft to re-employ affected workers within Xbox Game Studios, or face court action. "The redundancy plan must be adapted to the video game market where, currently, the prospects for returning to work are extremely limited," a union representative said to IGN. After releasing Deathloop, Arkane Lyon revealed at The Game Awards in December 2023 that it was working on Marvel's Blade. Since that announcement, the studio has kept quiet about progress, showing only a handful of concept art images of Blade taking on vampires in Paris. Reportedly, Marvel's Blade was set for a new reveal in early 2027, followed by a Q4 2027 launch.

dlvr.itXbox Game Pass Is Now Included With A Phone PlanMicrosoft has announced a new way to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, and it's part of your phone plan. T-Mobile has announced a new offering called "T-Mix," and it allows users to pick and choose the services they want included in their plan--one of the options is Xbox Game Pass. Game Pass is now included with T-Mobile. T-Mix rolls out in November, and at that point, people can choose Game Pass Ultimate or Premium to be included with their phone plan. Microsoft noted in its announcement that this is the first time ever that Xbox Game Pass has been available through a wireless plan in the US. The T-Mix plans start at $55/month for one line, and this includes one pick that could be Game Pass. T-Mix More is $75/month and includes two picks; T-Mix Loaded is $95/month and includes three picks. Subscribers can change their picks every three months, and some of the other options beyond Game Pass include Apple TV, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube Premium, Google Gemini, ESPN Unlimited, and others. You can visit T-Mobile's website to learn more. One thing that people may want to be aware of before signing up is that Game Pass itself could be set for a shakeup soon. According to reports, Xbox is plotting a "major overhaul" of the service to give players the ability to choose features à la carte. In April this year, it was reported that Microsoft was preparing to launch a “pick-your-own” version of Game Pass, so the latest reporting tracks with that. Game Pass was a big bet that did not pay off, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has said, so it makes sense to hear she may be planning to overhaul it. She’s already undertaken efforts to change things up, including removing new Call of Duty titles from the program and lowering the price. Her team is also going to start charging people for more cloud-gaming time, and many are saying this will make Game Pass worse and more expensive.

dlvr.itGTA 6 Coffee Is Here To Keep You Warm Until The Game ReleasesWhile Rockstar's GTA 6 won't release until November 19, you can now buy officially licensed GTA 6 coffee from a local company in Miami. Vice City Bean has partnered with Rockstar Games for a new blend called Leonida, but it's not cheap. A 10oz bag of beans is going for $23, and that's before shipping costs if you don't live close to one of Vice City Bean's three locations in Miami. You can also get the coffee ground course, medium, or fine, depending on your tastes and preferred brewing style. GTA 6 coffee, now available in Miami. The Leonida blend is meant to celebrate Miami, which serves as the inspiration for GTA 6's Vice City. Leonida, meanwhile, is GTA 6's version of Florida. "We've combined a blend of two amazing Colombia and Ethiopia coffees to develop a tasting profile that we feel captures the energy of Miami, vibrant and bold, with some tropical highlights," Vice City Bean said. "This is a medium roast that we are enjoying as a filter coffee, but don't shy away from pulling espresso shots." Vice City Bean said the Leonida blend is a "limited release," so if you're interested, you may want to order sooner rather than later. Vice City Bean's physical coffee shops have been updated with GTA 6 branding. In addition to GTA 6 coffee, it appears officially branded GTA 6 beer is on the way, too. This is all part of Rockstar's massive (and controversial) marketing push for GTA 6 in Miami and beyond. GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

dlvr.itCall Of Duty Movie Will Not Be About, “Hey, Let’s Shoot Them All Up,” Director SaysThe upcoming Call of Duty movie aims to show the "cost of war," according to director Peter Berg. He told ComicBook that the film, set in the Modern Warfare universe, will strive to capture the spirit of those games, which means lots of guns and violence, but also heart and soul. "So Modern Warfare, if you really look at the missions, and the storylines, and the characters--like Captain Price, and Soap, and Ghost, and Alex--these are complicated humans,” Berg said. “These are not--and no disrespect--cartoon characters or comic books. These are very nuanced storylines; like, there’s a real soul to the Modern Warfare universe," he said. "And, yes, there’s violence, and there’s hardware, and equipment, and there’s killing--but underneath it I think the game, and the craters of the game, are really looking at the cost of war, the cost of having to be a warrior who’s, for whatever reason, chosen to put himself between real danger and the rest of us, and the burden that these guys carry." Berg said this is "real stuff," and it demands a movie that respects that. "This is not just ‘Hey, let’s shoot them all up and shoot popcorn!’ Like, there’s a soul underneath it," he said. Berg went on to say that the Call of Duty movie's writer, Taylor Sheridan, understands this as well. "There will be a very strong soul, and consequence of war within the film, called 'duty,'" he said. Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Luttrell in Lone Survivor. Sheridan is also known for his work in the military/war space. One of his most highly acclaimed works is 2015's Sicario, a film that leaves the viewer thinking about moral grey areas, which sounds like what Berg is going for. Sheridan wrote that film, along with other acclaimed movies like Hell or High Water and Wind River. He also created the very Call of Duty-like TV show Lioness. One of Berg's best-known and most highly acclaimed movies was 2013's Lone Survivor. This film told the story of real-life Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who was the lone survivor of an ambush in Afghanistan. Berg also directed movies based on other real-world tragedies, including Deepwater Horizon and Patriots Day. The Call of Duty movie is set for release in June 2028. It's in the works at David Ellison's Skydance, which just acquired Warner Bros. Discovery, and it will be released theatrically. The newest Call of Duty game, meanwhile, was Modern Warfare 4, which just launched on October 23. In addition to a Call of Duty movie, a Battlefield movie is in the works as well, with major talent attached.

dlvr.itElden Ring Movie Is Reportedly A $200 Million Gamble For A24Bringing From Software's Elden Ring to life on the big screen is no small feat, and it won't be cheap. A new report claims the upcoming Alex Garland-directed film has a whopping budget of nearly $200 million, making it the most expensive movie distributor A24 has ever financed. While that's not an unrealistic sum for a movie of this nature with so much star power, it is a rare move for A24. The Wall Street Journal reported the figure, and if true, Elden Ring's budget will eclipse A24's most expensive movie to date, the $70 million Marty Supreme. Typically, A24 focuses on producing and distributing films with low production costs, allowing the company to make a tidy profit if the movie is a hit. While these films won't give the Avatar and Avengers franchises any sleepless nights, the formula is sound overall, but not foolproof. Movies are typically expected to make double their production budgets to be considered box office hits, and in the case of Mary Supreme, that flick has a lifetime global gross of $96 million, well below the $140 million it would have needed to be a success story. Of course, video on demand, Blu-ray sales, streaming deals, and even AI training also factor into overall profitability, but theaters are generally seen as where movies make the biggest commercial impact. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z73iKl-hlNA&t=13s In comparison, Backrooms was a massive hit for A24. Filmed on a shoestring budget of $10 million, it went on to gross over $197 million at the global box office this year. Could Elden Ring surpass that sum when it hits theaters in March 2028? Nothing is impossible, as several video game adaptations have done very well over the last couple of years. The catch is that movies like Illumination's Super Mario Bros. films, Sonic the Hedgehog, and A Minecraft Movie were geared toward kids, and with parents in tow, that proved a lucrative demographic to target. Elden Ring doesn't have an official age rating yet, but it is expected to take aim at older audiences with its dark fantasy setting and mature themes. Details on the movie haven't been revealed yet, but A24 confirmed that Warfare’s Kit Connor will star alongside Alien: Romulus and Civil War actress Cailee Spaeny. Meanwhile, 2026 has seen a few video game adaptations hit the silver screen, but with mixed fortunes. Zach Cregger's Resident Evil adaptation was both a critical and a commercial hit, while Street Fighter has been a box office flop--but at least it can say that it was better received than Return to Silent Hill.

dlvr.itXbox Veteran Who Just Got Promoted Under Asha Sharma Promptly Leaves Amid Mysterious CircumstancesXbox's first-ever chief operating officer, Helen Chiang, has left the company after being promoted to that role just a few months ago under CEO Asha Sharma. In this job, Chiang was assigned to oversee the profitability of Xbox, and it's been looking very bleak for Xbox lately. Given the timing of her exit, people wondered about the circumstances, and that remains unclear. Sharma confirmed Chiang's departure in a memo to staff, seen by The Verge, saying she is grateful for Chiang's "years of service" at Xbox. A spokesperson for Microsoft told Windows Central that the company does not "discuss individual personnel matters." According to a source speaking to Eurogamer, Chiang was "terminated for policy violations." The Verge's Tom Warren backed this up, saying Chiang was cut loose due to a "policy violation," but the exact nature of that is unknown. In July, Sharma announced that Chiang would become Xbox's first-ever COO, with "end-to-end" responsibility for the financial future of Xbox's content, hardware, platform, and services. Chiang had worked at Microsoft for 20 years, in that time playing a key role in the creation of Xbox Live and later shepherding Mojang and the lucrative Minecraft franchise. As COO, Chiang was expected to "bring our businesses together under one operating model, making sure we make clear investment decisions, learn from our successes and failures, and hold ourselves accountable for results," Sharma said. For her part, Sharma said she will have an update to share on the COO position at Xbox at some point, but she didn't divulge more. The Xbox business was "not healthy" when Sharma took over, she said, and Chiang no doubt had a challenging road ahead of her. As for now, however, people can only speculate as to the real reason she left Xbox. September was another terrible month for Xbox hardware sales, with sales of the Xbox Series X|S consoles in the US falling to an all-time September low. On the software side, Gears of War: E-Day is looking like a huge flop. In terms of services, Xbox Game Pass is set to get worse and more expensive in November.

dlvr.itCall Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s First DLC Is Out Now, Honors A Real Soldier Who Sustained Gruesome InjuriesCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 released today, October 23, and the game's first DLC pack is available now. In keeping with Call of Duty tradition, the day-one DLC is a Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) pack, with proceeds going to Activision's charity that supports military veterans find new jobs after they leave the service. The CODE Valor Pack adds the real-life Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter to the game as a playable character. Carpenter was in Marjah, Afghanistan, when, on November 21, 2010, he put himself in front of a grenade to help save the life of his fellow Marine, Nick Eufrazio. Carpenter sustained serious injuries from the grenade blast. He was unconscious for five weeks, had his teeth stripped from his mouth, and lost an eye. He sustained numerous other life-threatening injuries in the blast. Carpenter received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama in 2014. At the ceremony, Obama said, "They found Kyle lying face down, directly over the blast area. His helmet was riddled with holes. His gear was melted. Part of his Kevlar vest was blown away. One of the doctors who treated him later said Kyle was, 'Literally wounded from the top of his head to his feet.'" Carpenter underwent brain surgery to remove shrapnel from his head. He had about 40 other surgeries to addresses his injuries, which included a collapsed lung, fractured fingers, and one arm that broke in more than 30 places. He had multiple skin grafts and now has a prosthetic eye, a new jaw, and new teeth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtHK15qClkU The Valor Pack includes the Relentless and Valor skins, along with new weapon blueprints, a combat knife, and a weapon charm, among other things. All proceeds from the $20 DLC bundles will go to the CODE charity. Everything in the new MW4 CODE DLC. MW4 CODE Valor DLC pack: * “Valor” Operator * “Relentless” Operator Skin * “Forged Resolve” M4 Assault Rifle Blueprint * “Still Standing” Rezi 12 Shotgun Blueprint * “Worth Fighting For” Combat Knife Melee Blueprint * “Nice Try” Weapon Charm * “Steel Talon” Weapon Sticker * “Forged in Valor” Calling Card * “Earned, Not Given” Emblem * “Blood, Sweat, & Sand” Loading Screen * 1 Hour Double Level XP Token * 1 Hour Double Weapon XP Token Modern Warfare boasts a very impressive 84 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic currently. For more, check out GameSpot’s MW4 review, which covers the campaign, DMZ, and multiplayer. If you're just getting started, you may also wanted to check out our rundown of the best MW4 multiplayer loadouts

dlvr.itShepard Actor Reacts To Leaked Mass Effect Trailer, Is “Holding Hope” The Game Will Live OnProlific and veteran gaming actor Jennifer Hale, who is known for voicing Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series, has reacted to the closure of BioWare and the cancellation of the next game in the series. After footage of the new project, Mass Effect Universe, was released, Hale said, "It's extraordinary." She added: "I’m holding hope for magic to happen. This community and you incredible vevs deserve that and more." A "Save Mass Effect" Change.org petition was launched this week to urge EA to "take decisive action by committing to the continued development of Mass Effect." The petition has more than 65,000 signatures so far. All of BioWare's new releases in the past decade--Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard--were commercial disappointments. Against that backdrop, closing the studio makes a lot of financial sense, but it's upsetting to the millions of Mass Effect fans who adore the franchise and want to see it continue. Based on insider reporting, the new Mass Effect game would have mixed covert ops with John Wick-inspired action, and that got a lot of people excited about what could have been. Composer Bear McCreary, who has done work for the God of War and Call of Duty franchises, reacted to BioWare's closure, too. Asked if the laid-off BioWare developers could take what they had and complete the project as a "spiritual successor" via crowdfunding, McCreary said it's a good idea but is probably unrealistic. "Man, I want to believe. But, I just gotta ask... How many examples are there of this really working in the past? And of those examples, how many were a project as big as Mass Effect?" he said. Avi Lewis, a Canadian politician, has called on the government to help save BioWare by providing “federal support” to the workers to buy it back. “This is private equity, this is what it does,” he said. “Buy up businesses, run them into the ground, and rip them apart for short-term profit. The developers at BioWare know how to run the studio. They know how to make the games we all love. They should be given the first opportunity–and the federal support–to buy it and run it themselves.” The new Mass Effect game was revealed in 2020. Since then, the game remained in “early development” until its cancellation this week. While the new Mass Effect game is not going ahead, the Mass Effect TV show for Prime Video remains in development. The closure of BioWare and cancellation of the new Mass Effect game came as part of a wider shakeup at EA following its sale to an investor consortium including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. EA cut jobs, canceled games, and scaled back in other ways as part of the shakeup, as the publisher faces a huge debt repayment schedule.

dlvr.itThe Next Mass Effect Sounded Like John Wick In SpaceAfter news broke that EA would be shutting down BioWare, more details on the studio's in-development Mass Effect have begun to trickle out. A trailer for Mass Effect Universe hinted that the next game in the series would have a completely different tone, moving away from the galactic warfare that defined the first three games and toward covert ops, espionage, and the occasional barroom shootout. Gaming content creator and YouTuber Dantics has shed more light on the game, describing it as a Mass Effect game for the fans. Known for his lore videos, including several on Mass Effect, Dantics says he was part of a private "Mass Effect Council," a community feedback group of content creators who helped advise BioWare's small team. https://youtu.be/ZOWrTNazZxM Dantics says that Mass Effect Universe was set over 600 years after the Reaper War, and players would step into the boots of a customizable N7 agent. Players would also have a much smaller arsenal of weapons that would make them feel like a "cross between John Wick and James Bond," and they'd be working to take down a sinister force that was operating in the shadows of a galactic cold war. While Commander Shepard was a soldier, your N7 character was going to be an "agent" who would rely on cunning to get through encounters, but could apply pressure when needed--ballistic pressure, that is. Following the destruction of the relays at the end of the Reaper War, the fast-travel hubs had been rebuilt, and technology had advanced at a rapid pace. Shepard's legacy had been preserved centuries after their death; three new powerful alliances had arisen: Council races had formed their own faction, while humanity had aligned itself with Krogans, Batarians, and other superpowers. The Geth--a synthetic, network-based artificial intelligence species--had become a third power, and Dantics said there would be connections between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, thanks to the Geth building superstructure relays. So what would the gameplay have been like? Dantics says that your N7 agent would be implanted with experimental technology to give them an edge in battle, allowing you to hack and manipulate the environment to your advantage, similar to hacking in Cyberpunk 2077. Missions would have a handcrafted feel to them, but with "Hitman-style freedom" in how you complete them. Squadmates would also feature in the game, and this time, they could clash with each other. Dantics also mentioned that romance "wasn't being sanitized," something the leaked Mass Effect trailer alluded to with some saucy scenes. A familiar face from the past would also return, as Liara T'Soni was still alive and had grown into a powerful Asari Matriarch. Mass Effect universe has been shelved, but it has been reported that the TV show based on the sci-fi series is still in development. Experts have also spoken about EA's decision, saying that it sadly does make business sense, while Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah has suggested that EA could sell the Mass Effect IP in the future. It might have been bad timing, but this week also saw Archetype Entertainment release a new trailer for its Mass Effect spiritual successor, Exodus.

dlvr.itWoW: Forever’s Divisive Layering Will See Major Improvements For Launch, Blizzard SaysWorld of Warcraft: Forever's layering system will receive some significant improvements for launch, according to a statement provided to GameSpot from Blizzard. Layering, for the uninitiated, is a behind-the-scenes system in WoW: Forever that essentially creates and runs new versions (or layers) of the world as needed, all running simultaneously on top of one another. According to Blizzard, players in WoW: Forever are assigned a layer based on various criteria, like familiar players and friends, language, and PvP balance. Grouping up with a player or friend who is on another layer will transport you to the same layer so you can interact. There are some pros to this system. It makes completing quests easier (since there's less competition for quests items and enemies) and the world far less crowded. It also helps performance, as anytime there are thousands of players in a concentrated area, like a capital city, the game can struggle to handle the load. Layering spreads those players out. It works wonders in modern WoW and has also been used to different degrees in various versions of WoW Classic in the past. https://www.reddit.com/r/classicwow/comments/1wwv8ed/i_get_invited_for_escort_quest_in_layer_1_after/ Unfortunately, there are also some huge downsides that have repeatedly surfaced over the course of the WoW: Forever beta. It doesn't take much searching on YouTube or Reddit to find countless instances of players complaining about layering. Leaving a group, crossing into a different zone, or traveling on a zeppelin or boat causes players to abruptly switch layers. The layering changes feel far more frequent and noticeable than in the past, ruining some of the charm that comes from having a persistent world filled with the same people. Thankfully, changes are on the way. When asked if Blizzard would be making improvements to how it handles layering for launch and what players should expect, GameSpot received the following statement attributed to WoW: Forever associate production director Clay Stone: "Bringing all players together within each ruleset, while also recreating some of the original WoW's 'small-realm-feel' social experiences such as repeat encounters with other recently met players in the game, is an important part of protecting and nurturing social experiences in WoW: Forever. "However, as we've been playing the beta alongside players, we too have recognized areas where we need to make improvements, particularly when players may be unexpectedly separated from each other (both in terms of specific locations and in terms of frequency), and we absolutely are making improvements. Some examples of this are making sure players don't get decoupled from other players they see on transports (i.e. boats and zeppelins) after loading screens, as well as large groups of players getting layered when they enter or leave capital cities. "Although there will always be some amount of layering that occurs within our high-capacity infrastructure, we're working on these improvements now ahead of launch, and players should expect that we'll consistently be making more improvements, as necessary, through launch and beyond, with the goal always being to make the world feel as seamless as possible." That sounds like it will solve many of the instances players have complained about, including the scenario shown in a recent clip posted to the WoW Classic subreddit. It shows a group of players riding the boat from Kalimdor to Eastern Kingdoms, only to abruptly change layers. Suddenly, the entire boat is filled with hostile players from the opposing faction killing everyone on board. User Kippzo's post is simply titled "I can't believe the game is launching like this." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pai4SF7f83o Another Reddit user highlighted how they went to join a large group of players dueling outside of a capital city, only to change layers when stepping outside to find a ghost town. Stone's statement specifically says Blizzard will make it so large groups of players will no longer change layers when exiting capital cities. What Stone's statement doesn't address is layering when crossing zone boundaries, a case of particular concern to the game's player vs. player-community. Videos and clips shared online show large-scale world PvP battles evaporating into thin air as raids cross from one zone into another. Some even show players on a losing side of a battle intentionally running for the invisible border so they can phase into another layer and avoid death. Others are using layering to grief players guerilla-warfare style, killing unsuspecting foes and then fleeing to another layer before they can be retaliated against. "I understand that there are technical limits making layering a necessary evil, but in its current iteration it just leads to an empty world for most players and an incredibly anti-fun experience," Reddit user RC_Rabbit said. In a game where much of the appeal is the chance encounters, friendships, and rivalries made while out adventuring in the world, a system that divides players and can be exploited for nefarious purposes is a major problem. One Reddit user, Worried-Falcon-1973, said layering is a "glaring issue" that will "ruin" the game's open-world moments, and that the community needs to make more noise so that Blizzard understands how serious the matter is. "We want to level in the world, sure, but then let us actually be able to stay with people of our layer and not shuffle us around wildly the moment I leave the city, the zone, the zeppelin, the tram, or whatever," they said. Blizzard seems to be listening, though with Forever's beta now over and less than two weeks until launch, the community will have to wait for the full game to see how Blizzard's proposed improvements will shake out. WoW: Forever launches November 4. In other WoW: Forever news, Blizzard just announced a new server option for PvP-minded players.

dlvr.itBattlefield 6 Reportedly Cancels Mass Effect Collab In Wake Of BioWare ClosureBattlefield Studios is reportedly cancelling plans for a Mass Effect collaboration in Battlefield 6 in the wake of EA's decision to close BioWare and cancel the next game in the sci-fi series. Fans discovered various Mass Effect-themed cosmetics in Battlefield 6's files, with many speculating that they would be released in November, tied to the Mass Effect N7 Day holiday on November 7. Those cosmetics, which included Mass Effect-themed weapon charms and patches, have seemingly now been removed from Battlefield 6's in-game store prior to their general availability (via Kotaku). https://www.reddit.com/r/LowSodiumBattlefield/comments/1xcmb3o/the_seemingly_planned_bf6_x_mass_effect_pack_is/?utm_source=embedv2&utm_medium=post_embed&utm_content=post_title&embed_host_url=https%3A%2F%2Fkotaku.com%2Fbattlefield-6-mass-effect-cosmetics-n7-day-store-2000749091 If these Mass Effect-themed cosmetics were indeed real, getting yanked only makes sense, considering the blowback EA and Battlefield Studios would have faced for hawking new items based on a franchise that it just killed off. While this Mass Effect collab might not be going ahead, Battlefield 6 is currently hosting a crossover event with Dead Space. It might make financial sense to close BioWare and cancel the Mass Effect series, but fans are upset about the 30-year studio that blazed a trail for queer representation in games closing up shop. The closure of BioWare comes after EA was taken private by an investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Due to the structuring of the deal as a leveraged buyout, EA is on the hook for a lot of debt, and there will likely be more layoffs and pain for the people working at EA in the time ahead.

dlvr.itFinger Out How To Prep For GTA 6 With These ExercisesWe're just weeks away from Grand Theft Auto VI launching, and you might think you're set to spend hours upon hours in the open-world game right now. But PureGym asks if your body is actually ready like former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime's--as well as your thumbs. With that in mind, the fitness company has shared three thumb workouts from personal trainer David Hope to help prep you for GTA VI. These exercises are meant as a warm-up before picking up your controller, by the way. The first is just tapping your thumb with each finger on the same hand, which as a personal aside, can be a good mindfulness technique, too. The next finger drill sees you spreading your hand out and making a five, then turning that into a fist with your thumb on the outside. Our added suggestion is to do spirit fingers between fists to look as ridiculous as possible. Last but not least, Hope recommends finger pushups, where you "press the fingertips of both hands on the floor and push pressure into your fingers," according to the press release. PureGym advises people to do these exercises 10 times each, as well as after a long session with GTA VI. "We warm up before a run or a gym session, so why not before a long gaming session? Your thumbs and hands are doing the heavy lifting, and the rest of your body is barely moving," Hope said. We want to offer up an alternative that could be more fun, and that's playing with a minifinger skateboard. Maybe the popularity has waned a ton over the past 20 years, back when there was an actual Tech Deck Skateboarding title on Game Boy Color. Meanwhile, GTA VI is set to release November 19, which could end up a very expensive sick day in America. An economics professor projects that 1.5 million people could call in to work reporting they're ill. Before then, you can eat food from the game at Miami's Kaseya Center, where the Heat play NBA games. There is currently a Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell at the arena. GTA 6: 268 Screenshots To Ease The Wait View Images

dlvr.itArkane Lyon Could Be Shut Down Within Weeks As Deadline To Find A Buyer LoomsIt might be the end of the road for Marvel's Blade developer Arkane Lyon, as a new report says that the studio has until November 13 to find a buyer or face closure. Le Monde reported that while Microsoft had followed the procedure as laid out in Florange Law--French legislation that requires Microsoft to spend at least three months searching for a buyer for Arkane Lyon--negotiations were going "badly," and worker unions are currently attempting to buy more time to save jobs at the studio, which is currently still working on Marvel's Blade. The report says "several forms of takeover" are being considered, but the union's plans could include re-employing affected staff at other Xbox studios or taking Microsoft to court. According to IGN, development on Marvel's Blade was still on track for a new reveal in early 2027, followed by a Q4 2027 release. The game was originally revealed in December 2023, but aside from a handful of concept art images since then, nothing else has been shown. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB9ye56mSfk If Arkane Lyon is facing closure, it'll be the end of a studio that has been around for 27 years. Its first game was Arx Fatalis in 2002, and it followed that up with the release of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (2006) and KarmaStar (2009). Since the 2010s, the studio has pumped out several hits like the Dishonored games and Deathloop. The Texas-based studio that it operated, Arkane Austin, was established in 2006, but following the release of the critically panned Redfall in 2023, it was shut down in 2024. Arkane Lyon's departure from the Xbox Games Studio portfolio was announced earlier this year, alongside Double Fine Productions, Compulsion Games, Undead Labs, and Ninja Theory. Most of the studios have opted to become independent developers again, but Ninja Theory is now expected to shut down as plans for outside investors to acquire it fell through.

dlvr.itGTA 6 Burgers Will Be Available In Florida Throughout The YearRockstar Games and the burger company Skinny Louie have announced a partnership to promote GTA 6, during which its stores will convert to Burger Shots through the end of the year. Burger Shot is the Burger King parody in the world of GTA. People in South Florida can buy GTA 6 burgers at the Kaseya Center, and also every Skinny Louie location in Florida starting in early November. The campaign runs through December 31. The Burger Shot locations will serve a menu "straight out of Vice City"--and this includes smash burgers, fries, and drinks. People in South Florida can buy the GTA 6 burgers in store or have them delivered. In addition to Burger Shot, GTA's Cluckin' Bell fried chicken store is available IRL at the Kaseya Center. It's unknown if the Cluckin' Bell locations will be available outside the arena like the Burger Shots are. GTA 6's takeover of Miami also includes marketing efforts at local beaches and hotels. Some local lawmakers are pushing back, saying in that in agreeing to take Rockstar's money, the city is signing on to "depicting Miami like a murder capital." Other local lawmakers say it's just a video game.

dlvr.itXbox Wanted A Gargantuan Paycheck To Partner With Netflix On TV And MoviesVideo game adaptations are all the rage right now, with movie and TV projects in various stages of development, and Netflix is looking to strike while the proverbial IP iron is hot. The streaming giant already has a deal in place with Microsoft to develop a Gears of War movie, and it's looking to grab more Xbox IP to build new franchises. The only problem? Microsoft's price tag was reportedly quite a bit more than Netflix was willing to pay. That's according to entertainment journalist Matthew Belloni, who wrote in a Puck News report that Netflix had offered Microsoft $500 million for seven years to exclusively license Xbox titles for film and TV. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and the brand's business affairs team countered by demanding $800 million, prompting Netflix to rescind the offer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzqGbNaOROA While Netflix has declined to comment on the report, Xbox told Belloni it had received "record-breaking interest" in its IP and still values Netflix as a partner on upcoming projects. Belloni added that Xbox is now "pursuing smaller deals with more partners," like the Diablo animated series under development at Netflix, another season of Fallout at Prime Video, the Call of Duty movie at Paramount, and a sequel to A Minecraft Movie at Warner Bros. Pictures. Xbox is also expanding its multimedia ambitions; earlier this month, it announced Xbox XP. This new arm of the company, devoted to movies, TV, merchandise, theme parks, and live events, will be headed by Lucasfilm veteran Kayleen Walters. Xbox Pictures is one of its subdivisions, and it'll develop film and television projects, as well as other forms of "linear storytelling" using Xbox IP.

dlvr.itCancelling Mass Effect And Closing BioWare Was An Obvious Thing For EA To Do, Experts SayElectronic Arts just confirmed a major shakeup that included the closure of BioWare and cancellation of its upcoming Mass Effect game. Closing the studio and cancelling the project was a horrible thing for the people who worked there and fans who enjoy BioWare games and were looking forward to the next Mass Effect. But taking that action was no surprise whatsoever from a business sense. Video game analyst Joost Van Dreunen told IGN that EA needed to make drastic cuts to service the $18 billion in debt that it has taken on due to the leveraged structure of its sale to Saudi Arabia's PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity. Interest payments alone on that debt are about $1.8 billion annually, which exceeds how much money EA makes in annual EBITDA ($1.5 billion). Van Dreunen said BioWare getting shut down was "entirely predictable and precisely what a leveraged buyout looks like once the deal closes." "In that context, a 50-person team working on a game that is years from launch is the easiest line to cut, regardless of its legacy,” van Dreunen said. Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis, meanwhile, said the closure of BioWare is "emotive" for people who loved BioWare and its 30-year legacy of making popular and well-liked RPGs, but the math just didn't math. Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to meet sales expectations, and Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem were commercial disappointments, too. This contributed to an environment where EA management would look to kill the studio outright. He said EA was likely already considering big changes for BioWare prior to the acquisition even closing. “Unfortunately, the studio’s recent big-budget releases have not performed well enough commercially," he said. "The changing nature of high-end gaming and the need to cut costs means that it is likely that BioWare’s future was under discussion before EA was acquired by the PIF and its partners.” Avi Lewis, a Canadian politician, has called on the government to help save BioWare by providing "federal support" to the workers to buy it back. "This is private equity, this is what it does," he said. "Buy up businesses, run them into the ground, and rip them apart for short-term profit. The developers at BioWare know how to run the studio. They know how to make the games we all love. They should be given the first opportunity--and the federal support--to buy it and run it themselves." The new Mass Effect game was revealed in 2020. Since then, the game remained in "early development" until its cancellation this week. BioWare released two games after the new Mass Effect was announced, including Mass Effect Legendary Edition in 2021 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024. A trailer for the next Mass Effect game leaked after BioWare's closure was announced. While that game is not going ahead, the Mass Effect TV show for Prime Video remains in development.

dlvr.itControl Resonant’s Unsettling Board Dialogue Is Carefully Crafted GibberishJust what is The Board in Control Resonant? While we still have plenty of questions about the otherworldly entity that accompanies players on their trip across Manhattan, one thing we do know is that it's loud, incomprehensible, and you can't understand what it's saying without subtitles. Some players are convinced The Board is saying something specific if you listen closely, but according to developer Remedy Entertainment, it's a little audio trick that makes you hear what you want to hear. In an upcoming interview with GameSpot, audio lead Lucas Pierrot explained that The Board speaks "gibberish," making the character open to interpretation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1LEHPr8e_o "An important part of the design is that The Board is basically gibberish, not affiliated to any language," Pierrot said. "So, when you hear a word, you tend to hear what you want to hear … and that’s pretty neat in terms of audio design, as players can fulfill their fantasies. You want to hear The Board praising you for performing an Execution? You can! Maybe you hear them saying 'Absolute cinema, Combo!' et cetera, but if you prefer to think they’re arrogant and only feel disdain for slaying a weak enemy … you can hear that too!" Pierrot explained that The Board has a partial language in place, so players can perceive a sense of intelligence from it. That structure allows The Board to feel "scary, unsettling, or even funny sometimes," and the one rule governing its audio design is "the pulse," a "low, soft kick" to emphasize certain words. "I used this to give weight when necessary to have a nice flow. You can see it as some sort of trick to articulate sentences. It gives rhythm and punctuation," Pierrot added. Following its launch in September, Remedy has continued to fine-tune Control Resonant with updates. For more on the game, you can read up on how its scary buses are one of its best features, all the cool little details hidden in the background, and why it's better than its predecessor.

dlvr.itCall Of Duty Ads On Xbox Are Even More Annoying This Year With Modern Warfare 4When a big new first-party game comes to Xbox, Microsoft is known to put up big, annoying takeover ads, and that trend continues this year with the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Things are a little different, and more annoying, this year. People who booted up their Xbox today, the day of MW4's release, noticed that not only is there a big MW4 takeover ad, but the ad even hijacks your custom background. It is possible to toggle this off, thankfully, as people online quickly discovered. Players can head to Settings > General > Personalization > My Background, then uncheck "Show event-themed backgrounds." People were not happy about this, and particularly how the takeover this time totally removes the custom background you might have had to force you to see a giant ad for a game you might not even be interested in. https://twitter.com/CockneyCharmer/status/2113500029222527214 https://twitter.com/JamesHalliday94/status/2113491521018409219 Ads on Xbox are only going to become more widespread from here. Right now, people on Xbox can test a free, ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming, and a lot of people think that's very gross. Xbox's new chief strategy officer, Matthew Ball, is a big believer in cramming more ads into gaming to help with the "two-sided problem" of modern gaming. Development costs for many games are now “way too high,” and consumers do not want to pay more, Ball said. Something has got to give, and one possible solution, as Ball sees it, is through advertising. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzqGbNaOROA It's not just Xbox that wants to put more ads in front of you while gaming, as Electronic Arts has debuted a new platform called EA Advertising, through which the company plans to insert ads "directly into gameplay." As for MW4, it's getting good review scores, boasting an 84 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic currently. For more, check out GameSpot's MW4 review above, covering the game's campaign, DMZ, and multiplayer modes. You can also read our written MW4 review.

dlvr.itFinal Fantasy Resonance Lets You Take A Five-Minute Single Turn, And It’s GloriousAs if there weren't enough games in October to tempt you, Final Fantasy Resonance is a pretty tempting offer for anyone looking to play an old-school JRPG that features an A-team of Final Fantasy guest characters. It also puts its own twist on Square Enix's HD-2D gameplay formula, as you can break past the barriers of traditional turn-based combat and take down even the spongiest of enemies--if you know how to properly set up all the moves you'll do. Play your cards right, and you can leave your team to dish out some tremendous damage for several minutes while you go brew yourself a fresh cup of coffee. So what's happening here? To be fair, this is some real high-level gameplay, as GameSpot's video producer Max Blumenthal pushes gameplay mechanics like Visions, multi-action stacking, and ability carry-over skills to their absolute limits. Instead of relying on basic, single-command inputs, you've got hyper-optimized builds that allow a player to chain together a seemingly endless loop of actions, follow-ups, and staggered states on an enemy. https://youtu.be/Zp8zyWrVUTY This is all thanks to the ability for the main characters to inherit and carry over abilities learned from different Visions, stacking multiple low-cost learned skills on a single character, triggering automatic follow-up attacks and status procs, delaying enemy turns, and utilizing heavy-hitting signature Resonance attacks to make the most of staggered states on enemies. In a nutshell, a lot is at play here, but finding that magical combination and executing it well is what makes games like this so much fun. All the tools are at your disposal, and used correctly, you can turn a brief exchange of attacks into a cinematic showdown. If you're looking for tips on assembling the ultimate party in Final Fantasy Resonance, here's how to find the land of Mysidia, get the Cloud Strife Vision early in the game, and what to do if the first major boss is wrecking you. "I can only hope that this is the first step in Square-Enix reviving some of its shuttered mobile games in ways that keep them playable for the future–especially since there’s still a lot of story from Brave Exvius that goes beyond the events of this game," Heidi Kemps wrote in GameSpot's Final Fantasy Resonance review. "As both a remake and a standalone experience, Final Fantasy Resonance shines more than it stumbles."

dlvr.itAfter The BioWare Shutdown, Mass Effect Spiritual Successor Exodus Gets A New LookIn the wake of the news that EA has closed down BioWare and ended development on Mass Effect 5, Archetype Entertainment—co-founded by former BioWare devs Chad Robertson, James Ohlen, and Drew Karpyshyn—has given players a brand-new look at its upcoming title, a very Mass-Effecty sci-fi RPG called Exodus. Specifically, Archetype has revealed a visual rework of its male player-character model. When GameSpot previewed Exodus in late August, the male version of protagonist Jun Aslan could be seen sporting a five-o'-clock shadow and very different bone structure. Now, he has a whole new face. In a new video uploaded to Archetype's YouTube channel today, Archetype general manager Chad Robertson showed off male-Jun's new look, which he explained is a result of player feedback. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InxJpKrYQAE "We've seen your conversations and feedback over the last few months around our male Jun character model," Robertson said. "We've been listening, and we take that feedback seriously. We've continued to refine Jun as we've worked on him and the rest of the game." Archetype hasn't yet revealed Jun's female character model, but the devs say her reveal is on the way. "Is FemJun on your mind?" a new post on the official Exodus website asks. "Ours too! And we’re happy to say yes, she’s coming... soon™. We’ve got something special cooking for her reveal, and we think it’ll be worth the wait." Exodus launches on April 7, 2027 and is available to wishlist now on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.

dlvr.itGTA 6’s New TV Trailer Is A Bit Different, See It For YourselfGTA 6's marketing push is ramping up substantially, and that includes with TV commercials. Eagled-eyes fans have discovered that the new GTA 6 TV spots actually contain some extended sequences, but just barely. For starters, a 30-second TV spot cuts out the steamy shower scenes with Jason and Lucia from the launch trailer. While the shower scenes are gone in this edit, the new TV spot has a slightly longer shots of an airplane sequence and another with Jason and Lucia standing next to their car. Jason playfully nudges Lucia, and in the TV spot, she nearly topples to the ground. The Xbox logo was also removed, presumably due to Rockstar's reported promotional deal with Sony. You can check out the comparison below (via IGN). https://twitter.com/GTAVI_Countdown/status/2112897438885245268 A 90-second version, meanwhile, includes the shower scenes, along with the slightly longer sequences seen in the 30-second version. If you saw these TV spots recently, you might not have even noticed any of these changes, but GTA 6 fan accounts are extremely dedicated and never miss anything. https://twitter.com/mnm345x/status/2113001090245664971 GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and, yes, Xbox Series X|S, even though the TV ads for the game don't tell you that. Rockstar's marketing push for the game also includes real-life Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell restaurants where you can buy GTA-branded food. In other GTA 6 news, it was recently reported that preorders are pacing significantly ahead of any other big AAA game of the past five years. Obviously that's no surprise, given GTA 6 is expected to be the biggest game release ever, and it could generate $2 billion before it even launches.

dlvr.itI’m Getting Very Worried About Skate Following EA LayoffsPublisher Electronic Arts recently slashed 400 roles across its company, which resulted in the shuttering of legendary RPG studio BioWare. But also impacted by the layoffs was Skate developer Full Circle, and now I'm growing increasingly worried about the future of a franchise I waited so long to make a comeback. Part of EA's latest round of layoffs on October 21 included cutting an unspecified number of staffers to create a "very clear roadmap" that leads to a "healthier and more sustainable business." Then, as VGC noted on the same day, "many" of the developers at Full Circle are gone. This includes artists Brendan Vermeltfoort and Will Granda, seasonal creative director John Epler, and senior designers Adam Martinazzi and David Milne--all of whom posted the unfortunate news on LinkedIn. It's always a bummer when talented developers lose their jobs at the hands of corporate greed, but this one stings for me personally. As a big Skate girlie, I was so stoked for the franchise to make a comeback, and even more stoked to get my hands on the game in September 2025. It's had its stumbles, to be sure. Season 2 was light on new content. Season 3 introduced a new map ... that was locked behind a paywall. Season 4 gave us an empty stadium ... that was also locked behind a paywall. But despite bailing on every trick, you could see Full Circle getting closer to landing at each attempt. Season 5, which kicked off on September 8, hasn't been the best, but it has been a solid step in the right direction, and even came with a massive park reminiscent of Skate 3's Super Ultra Mega Park. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UAi4AW5KOE Along the way, there have been new tricks, new attempts at progression (that oftentimes drew the ire of the player base), a smattering of new gear, and a plethora of bug fixes to make each season a bit smoother than the last (though there were inevitably bugs with each new content drop). It was evident that Full Circle, which is composed of developers who worked on the entire Skate franchise, wanted to make the best Skate game possible after the series went dormant for 15 years. The team just needs time to cook. After all, Skate was never a live-service franchise, and I don't think it ever needed to be one. This is what has me worried about the game's future. While EA seems to be committed to keeping Skate online (for now), the team has to be much smaller now--especially after Full Circle suffered layoffs in February. Game development is already hard, and I imagine running a live-service is even harder. Doing that with fewer staff sounds even more challenging. While we don't know the exact number of layoffs at Full Circle, I just want Skate to succeed. I've waited over a decade for the franchise to make a comeback, and I'm having a hard time watching it suffer because profits matter more than the people who make the product. There's genuine good in the game, and the team was finally hitting its stride. I just hope that EA gives Full Circle the time--and resources--it needs to realize its vision.

dlvr.itWoW: Forever Is Keeping Its Secrets Close To The ChestWorld of Warcraft: Forever players may have searched its beta with a fine-toothed comb, but Blizzard said there are still plenty of secrets waiting to be found come launch and beyond. In a new WoW: Forever Podcast dedicated to the end of the beta, Blizzard made clear it's keeping many of the game's surprises close to its chest. Senior game designer Josh Greenfield said Blizzard had disabled some items and secrets for the beta. He gave an example of a new torch item that was originally turned off for the beta's first week, but later enabled to test out Forever's new lighting and fog tech. He said players can expect more of those types of surprises. "There's definitely some secrets and stuff that we had turned off," Greenfield said when asked about still to be discovered secrets in the level 1-30 zones. "There's going to be things to discover that we didn't surface, suffice to say that." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOlxa3xvNq4 Forever's beta had a maximum level of 30, meaning there is still a huge chunk of the game, including new zones, quests, dungeons, and raids, players haven't fully explored yet. When asked about items like a newly discovered sword in the beta that could potentially enable new playstyles, like a melee-focused "Battle Mage", Greenfield opted not to elaborate further. "It's hard to talk about secret stuff," Greenfield said. "It's secret, right? We want people to find it. There's some really, really, really cool, and really, really, really well-buried stuff out there that's probably going to take people a long time to find. If we tip our hats to it too much, it's just going to take the fun away." Unlike in past WoW releases, most of the items on Forever's beta were hidden from dataminers using a new system that hides an item's name and stats until it's discovered by the community. At the start of the beta, over 12,500 items were kept hidden. As a result, players don't know what items drop from dungeon bosses or what some of the best quest rewards are. The game is still a mystery, something Greenfield said is cool to experience "organically" for those who know WoW Classic like the back of their hand. Blizzard did give some more concrete teases towards the end of the podcast. Lead encounter designer Michael Nuthals said Blizzard is already laying the groundwork for Forever's future, and as such players may find examples of places that could be future dungeons already in the game. "There might be some homes, some manors, out there that folks have found that might be something interesting in the future," Nuthals said, seemingly referencing the new Manor Mistmantle in the game's Duskwood zone. "You might have seen some instance portals hiding in some inconspicuous spots. There are some things coming in the future and we're really excited to share those as we get there." A roadmap released during BlizzCon 2026 shows Blizzard is planning to release new dungeons and raids for Forever next year. WoW: Forever launches November 4. In other Forever news, Blizzard announced a new server ruleset that will make PvP players happy. As for where Forever will take players in the future, Blizzard said in an interview with GameSpot that while the team is committed to staying on Azeroth, it's open to exploring places players may have already seen before in other WoW expansions. Meanwhile, a leaked survey revealed 11 new classes that could potentially come to Blizzard's old-school MMO.

dlvr.itThe Leaked Mass Effect 5 Trailer Is Absolutely HeartbreakingAfter hearing the disappointing news that EA has shuttered BioWare, putting an end to two of my favorite RPG franchises—Mass Effect and Dragon Age—I have been, like so many other players, feeling pretty bummed out. But I consoled myself with the fact that, given the environment at BioWare in recent years, the now-canceled Mass Effect 5 probably wouldn't be that good anyway. Like many players, I enjoyed the Mass Effect trilogy, but felt that Mass Effect: Andromeda fell short. Similarly, BioWare's other recent titles—Anthem and Dragon Age: The Veilguard—struggled with messy development cycles marked by frequent changes in direction, mixed messages from higher-ups at EA, constant staff turnover, and other issues that ultimately led to an underwhelming gaming experience. After playing Veilguard, which felt nothing like the Dragon Age games I had grown to love, my hopes weren't too high for Mass Effect 5. The news of its cancellation (and BioWare's subsequent shutdown) was a huge bummer, though I'd rather Mass Effect go out on a relatively high note than see it get the Veilguard treatment. But then I saw the trailer. Uploaded to Reddit earlier today, the trailer has not been verified as real by BioWare, but it doesn't appear to bear any hallmarks of generative AI, and a short message before the trailer begins implies it was planned to debut at a later date—perhaps N7 Day, or The Game Awards. "The following is in-engine footage from our small team," reads the text displayed before the trailer begins. "It uses our pre-production assets." What follows is one of the most exciting game trailers I've seen in years. We learn the name of the game—Mass Effect: Universe—and meet the male version of its protagonist (though given the history of the franchise, it's likely players would have been able to play as whatever gender they prefer). This nameless protagonist is in a bar, flirting heavily with an Asari. After some additional romantic banter, our protagonist explains that he and his crew "put out fires." Something in the Asari's eyes changes after she hears this. She leans forward, whispering to the protagonist that he should be careful, as she happens to prefer starting fires. It seems this Asari was planning to double-cross our protagonist in some way, but as soon as she's admitted her villainous intentions, the protagonist's crew (all lurking undercover nearby) reveal themselves one by one. A fight breaks out, and we catch a glimpse of the protagonist's combat abilities, interspersed with brief clips from other parts of the game, including a romance scene. The protagonist fights off Krogan and Turian enemies, blasting them with anti-gravity fields and gunfire alike. The trailer ends with a black screen that reads, "Coming soon." Mass Effect: Universe's protagonist sizes up a mysterious Asari. On paper, this trailer might sound similar to the first real look we got at Dragon Age: The Veilguard, a trailer that also ended in a bar fight. But there's one massive difference between these two trailers: tone. Where Veilguard's bar fight trailer introduced a controversial new art style to the franchise and featured loads of quippy, goofy, MCU-style dialogue, Mass Effect: Universe's bar fight trailer feels dangerous, intriguing, and sexy. It feels like Mass Effect; it draws you in and instantly makes you want to learn more. And that is, perhaps, the most heartbreaking part of all of this: We will almost certainly never learn more about this game, as EA has unceremoniously slit the throat of the studio that created it. EA also may prefer not to sell the Mass Effect IP off to another company, as it has a rather storied history of saying, "No, we're not making this game, but nobody else is allowed to make it, either." While it's impossible to determine the quality of a game solely from one trailer, and there's no telling what kind of shape Mass Effect: Universe might have launched in, one thing is very clear: The Mass Effect: Universe team was working hard to right the ship after Mass Effect: Andromeda's tepid reception, and based on what can be seen in the trailer, they were doing a damn good job of it. The fact that they weren't given the opportunity to finish their work is devastating, both for the developers themselves, and the many players who were eagerly waiting to dive back into a franchise they love dearly. At least we've still got the Mass Effect TV show to look forward to, I guess.

dlvr.itWhy People Think Valve Just Accidentally Confirmed Half-Life 3People online are going wild thinking that Valve may have accidentally revealed the existence of a new Half-Life game after a developer mentioned a project referred to as "HLX." Speaking at the Game Sound Con event, Valve sound designer Mike Morasky was discussing how Valve's games utilize high dynamic range (HDR) audio systems. He specifically called out how upcoming Valve game Deadlock has its own version of HDR and so does a project called HLX. Another Valve developer sitting next to Morasky says to him immediately after, "Nice work," seemingly in reference to how Morasky might have spoken out of turn here by mentioning HLX. Morasky is a Valve veteran, having worked on the sound and music for games like Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, Portal 2, Half-Life: Alyx, and Counter-Strike 2. Outside of games, he worked on visual effects for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies and The Matrix trilogy. He was a member of the band Steel Pole Bath Tab. A while back, a datamining effort found references to something called HLX, and some think it's a new Half-Life game, or possibly the fabled Half-Life 3. For what it's worth, it's become something of an annual tradition for people to get excited about the smallest possible evidence of a new Half-Life, only to be disappointed when nothing gets announced. The Half-Life franchise has a dedicated fanbase and the franchise has major cache, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Valve return to the series again after 2020's VR game Half-Life: Alyx. That was GameSpot's Game of the Year that year.

dlvr.itGears Of War: E-Day Cost Half A Billion To Make, ApparentlyMultiple new reports claim that the budget for Gears of War: E-Day was $500 million. Both Kotaku and Chris Dring of The Game Business reported today, with Kotaku's report saying the number does not include marketing costs. Jez Corden of Windows Central added that the $500 million figure is not wrong, but his own sources aren't able to say definitively if that number covers the game's budget alone, or the game's budget plus additional costs related to running the development studio, The Coalition. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Bn4cMZamNA4 Whatever the case, the consensus seems to be that E-Day was an expensive game to produce, and the game's early sales results do not seem very impressive. The game reportedly sold 230,000 copies across Xbox and PC, but that doesn't tell the whole story since the game is included with Xbox Game Pass. Further data shows that the game reached nearly 2 million people out of the gate, and that number is sure to grow over time. Game Pass is a juggernaut for Microsoft and Xbox, with its recurring revenue from subscriptions generating almost $5 billion annually based on the latest data. A $500 million development budget for E-Day would represent 10% of that annual revenue from Game Pass. Industry expert Mike Futter reacted to Kotaku's report about E-Day's $500 million budget, saying, "Exclusivity on console games simply does not make sense right now," even if the development budget was half of that. E-Day was expected to release on PS5, and Microsoft's own presentational materials showed that, but the game was not released on Sony's console. According to reports, Microsoft canceled a PS5 edition at the last minute, with others saying E-Day was being sent out to die on purpose. GameSpot has contacted Xbox seeking comment about E-Day's reported budget. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has said one of her ambitions is to bring back exclusives, following the previous leadership under Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond embracing multiplatform releases. E-Day is a prequel to the Gears series, telling the story of Emergence Day. The game got generally solid review scores, including a 7/10 here at GameSpot. No new Gears of War games have been confirmed, but developers at The Coalition have said the foundation is in place now to make an E-Day sequel faster. Beyond any possible new games, Netflix is producing a Gears of War movie and TV series.

dlvr.itEA Could Sell BioWare’s IP As It Looks To Tackle Its Massive Debt, Former Studio Boss SaysIt's a grim week for developers and fans, with EA announcing that it is shutting down Mass Effect and Dragon Age studio BioWare. EA said that after deciding not to pursue development on a new Mass Effect, it would shut down the studio as part of company-wide restructuring plans that will result in roughly 400 employees being let go. But should EA sit on the IP that BioWare was responsible for and let it gather dust? Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah has suggested they could go up for sale as it works off some of its $55 billion debt. "Remember BioWare, 100% owned by EA," Darrah said on his YouTube channel. “EA owns all the IP. They own Dragon Age, they own Mass Effect, they own Jade Empire. That doesn’t change the situation. Now, here’s nobody working on a game, or games, within the EA organization, and chances are there never will be, which might make them more likely to sell off those IP. But it might also make them more likely to just try to forget that they ever existed and bury them in the vault. I think we still are going to have to wait a little bit before we see if EA has any interest in selling off some of its dormant IP. Right now, they seem to be in cost-control mode. They might start into a revenue-generation mode where selling IP might be more desirable." https://youtu.be/2T8KlKPa2Y0 Earlier this year, former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider also spoke about the franchise and said he believed it was dead after the poor commercial performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. BioWare's last game failed to meet EA's expectations, and mass layoffs at BioWare eventually left only a core team to focus on the next Mass Effect game. While EA doesn't have anyone internally to work on a game based on a BioWare IP, that doesn't mean it can't look outward to find a studio to handle work on a new Mass Effect or Jade Empire--if it chooses to. For example, Konami has successfully resurrected its Silent Hill series in recent years, teaming up with developers like Bloober Team, Screen Burn, and NeoBards Entertainment to produce several critically acclaimed games in the IP. Following the success of Bit Reactor's Star Wars Zero Company and Fuse Games’ Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Lucasfilm Games says it wants to be more flexible in choosing who it partners with, and fans can expect some surprises in the future. Beyond the sad news about BioWare, EA also announced that work on the new Sims game has been paused, the team behind the new Skate game is being downsized, and a "social-first open-world” football game is in development.

dlvr.itWoW: Forever Is Getting A New Server Option By Popular DemandWorld of Warcraft: Forever players are getting a fourth server "ruleset" option for launch: role-playing-player vs. player, or RP-PvP for short. Blizzard announced the news on social media, stating the server would be open for name reservations starting on October 27. It joins three other rulesets for players to choose from, with options for PvE, PvP, and roleplaying. Yet another server ruleset, Hardcore (aka permadeath), is set to be added before Spring 2027. The addition of a RP-PvP server is good news for the game's community, who have been vocal about wanting to see it added as an option. RP-PvP servers have been included in past versions of WoW Classic and WoW. https://twitter.com/Warcraft/status/2113291795576537230?s=20 Having another PvP server option has taken on new importance given Blizzard's server approach for Forever. Rather than multiple different servers for each ruleset, Blizzard instead opted for what is essentially one massive server for each. That means prior to now there was only one PvP server, and unsurprisingly, it's that server where much of the game's streamer population and their audiences will be playing. One of those streamers is the controversial Asmongold, whose Alliance guild, Olympus, currently numbers over 74,000 players on Forever's beta. Many WoW Classic players would rather avoid streamer drama and Asmongold's army disrupting their experience, but didn't have anywhere else to go if they were committed to playing on a PvP server. Now, with a RP-PvP server, those players have somewhere to go, albeit with some extra RP-focused rules to contend with. Blizzard originally seemed hesitant to introduce a RP-PvP server. Just last week, Blizzard said it had no plans to introduce one. "Whenever it comes to RP-PVP, people really remember fondly stuff like Grobbulus in 2019, but unfortunately, the reality is every other RP-PVP realm we've done since then has followed a different trajectory…," senior game designer Josh Greenfield said in a PvP-focused episode of the WoW: Forever podcast. "It's one of those things where we'd want to make a decision based on hopes and what we want; we have to make decisions based on what has actually played out and actual player behavior." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzaMA5fZ1tE He went on to state the game's RP community is "pretty small" compared to its normal and PvP communities, and that for Blizzard's new "realmless" ruleset system to work, it needs a "critical mass" of players to encourage social interactions and for the server to have a strong economy. "Taking that already tight-knit community and splitting it again is something we have to carefully consider in this new world," he said. GameSpot reached out to Blizzard for comment on what changed its mind and why it decided to add another server option, but has not yet heard back as of publication. WoW: Forever launches on November 4. Even with less than two weeks before launch, Blizzard continues to deliver new information about the third version of its popular MMO. It recently revealed players can expect to see the return of a questing tradition in the game's new Riverglades zone and made big changes to Forever's racial abilities. In an interview with GameSpot, Blizzard teased how it's approaching Forever's endgame and its future.

dlvr.itSoccer Star Erling Haaland Is A Call Of Duty Camper, And I Really Hate ItThere's nothing worse than running around a Call of Duty map, clicking heads and feeling awesome, then getting your head blown off out of nowhere, watching the killcam, and seeing that it was a camper. Apparently, that camper could've been Manchester City striker Erling Haaland because he's been a camper his whole life. In an October 21 video on his YouTube channel, the Norwegian soccer superstar was 1-v-1-ing English rapper Harrison "Aitch" Armstrong in Modern Warfare 4. Very early in the video, Aitch asks how Haaland tends to play CoD games. Haaland came through with some honesty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy3Ore5MT3o&t=38s "You know what, and this is a bit embarrassing to say, but I've been a camper my whole life," Haaland told Aitch. "I'm that guy that you hate. [I'll] probably get some hate now, but it is what it is." Well, you know what, Haaland? You are the guy that I hate, and I'm not sorry about it. Camping has always been a controversial tactic in CoD games. The idea that someone would sit in a corner, often with a high-powered sniper like the DSR 50 in CoD: Black Ops or the M40A3 in CoD4: Modern Warfare, and pick targets off one by one always seemed counterintuitive to the fast-paced nature of CoD games. Sure, it provides better accuracy, but camping eliminates the skill involved with gunplay and instead produces boring matches as campers wait around for enemies to shoot. Modern Warfare 4 doesn't officially launch until October 23, and the official subreddit is already full of people decrying campers. That's not everyone's experience, of course, but it appears that, since the beta, CoD players are running into lobbies filled with campers--and honestly, I'd be so pissed. Anyway, I won't spoil how Aitch and Haaland's match goes, but it is an entertaining watch. There's plenty of screaming, camping, and screen peeking, so it's certainly worth the watch--if only for Haaland and his hot buzz cut. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 lands on Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on October 23. However, it's been out since October 16 if you preordered the Standard or Vault Editions.

dlvr.itDispatch Is Coming To Mobile In December, With Its First Four Episodes FreeAhead of its first anniversary, Dispatch developer AdHoc has revealed a big (and free) update for the deluxe edition of the superhero workplace-dramedy. Available now on all platforms where the deluxe edition is available, two new behind-the-scenes modes are being added to Dispatch. Dispatch is also getting a mobile release for Android and iOS, a live concert in Los Angeles, and more. The first one, Commentary, adds over 16 hours of cast and crew commentary across two tracks. Different choices made in the game will unlock different commentary, and the cast commentary track features Aaron Paul, Laura Bailey, Erin Yvette, and more of the cast. Storyboard will give players the ability to experience the entire game through the original storyboard animatics. This mode will show how the game was developed, with a closer look at how AdHoc developed the scenes, performances, and visual storytelling behind Dispatch. You can even double up on modes and enable the commentary tracks over Storyboard mode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siM80qE5Y8E "Dispatch was only possible because of folks who believed in it enough to show up and do their best work. In our industry, it's often really hard to showcase those people and how the development process actually works, but fortunately our game is very weird and specific and affords us some unique opportunities," said Nick Herman, Co-Creative Director on Dispatch and COO of AdHoc Studio, in a press release. "So for the fans who made Dispatch a part of their lives, we wanted to give them more ways to experience the world they love, whether that’s playing alongside the cast and crew, experiencing the entire game in its original storyboards, or hanging out together IRL at the wildest version of a Dispatch concert our finance team would sign off on." The mobile edition of Dispatch will be available starting December 9, and AdHoc says it has been rebuilt for touch and vertical play. The first four episodes will be available for free at launch, and the full edition of the game will cost $20. Beyond that, AdHoc will also release new anniversary merchandise alongside the upcoming vinyl soundtrack, the digital comics are getting a physical edition release, and a new hardcover book from Lost in Cult, Dispatch: Design Works collection, will explore the making of Dispatch. To cap things off, a Dispatch concert will be held for one night only, on December 3 at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles. One of last year’s biggest hit games--Dispatch follows Robert Robertson III, formerly the superhero Mecha Man. With his suit trashed and funds low, Robertson takes on a new job at the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN) as a dispatcher, directing the superhuman resources at his disposal to fight crime and save the day.

dlvr.itBattlefield 1’s Jack Lowden Is One Of The Finalists For New James Bond, ApparentlyAs rumored, it appears that actor Jack Lowden, who played Lawrence of Arabia in EA's Battlefield 1, is a finalist to play James Bond. According to Deadline, "final auditions" for the role will take place over the next week, and the process will include screen tests. At least four actors are coming in to test, the report said, including Lowden, Callum Turner (Masters of the Air), and Josh O'Connor (Disclosure Day). The fourth remains a mystery, but The Insneider said it could be Jacob Elordi. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Elordi is not testing, and neither is Jack O'Connell from Sinners. Many expect the casting process for James Bond to do finalized relatively soon, with an official announcement coming before the end of the year. In May this year, Bond movie production company Amazon MGM Studios said the search for the next James Bond actor was underway and that the film studio would not comment on the casting process. Lowden is Scottish, and he would become just the second Scottish person to play James Bond, following Sean Connery. The character James Bond from the Ian Fleming book series is also Scottish. Fans have been waiting a long time for the next James Bond movie, as the latest entry, No Time To Die, was released in 2021. However, it was expected to release much sooner, but had three delays due in part to COVID. Daniel Craig played James Bond in five 007 films, and wrapped up his run with No Time To Die. Amazon MGM Studios bought the franchise and reportedly paid a lot of money to take back creative control from the longtime series stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. The new James Bond movie will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker known for the Dune franchise. He’s also directed the movies Prisoners, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049, and Arrival.

dlvr.itKatana Zero DLC Is Still Coming, And It’s Apparently Freakin’ Huge NowIt's been a minute since we've heard anything about Askiisoft's samurai platformer Katana Zero, but the developer has re-re-reconfirmed that, yes, the DLC is still on the way--and it's big. Like, so big Askiisoft is basically calling it a sequel. In a Bluesky post on October 22, Justin Stander of Askiisoft announced that the Katana Zero DLC has grown even bigger than when we last heard--which was in March 2021. It's apparently now "the size of a full sequel" and comes with a soundtrack of over 30 new songs. There's no release date or anything else outside of this confirmation, but at least it's still coming. https://bsky.app/profile/askiisoft.bsky.social/post/3myhvlfbbv22b This is wonderful news for any fan of the 2019 side-scrolling samurai platformer, though a release date would be better. It's starting to feel like Team Cherry's Hollow Knight: Silksong, what with how often Askiisoft confirms the DLC is coming but doesn't say exactly when. After all, the last time we heard about the project was in April 2025, when Askiisoft said it's "still coming" and "still free." This is no shade, of course. I'd just like to play the DLC already. Katana Zero launched in April 2019. A neo-noir action-platformer, you play sword-wielding amnesiac assassin Subject Zero as you converse with a psychiatrist in between deflecting bullets and slashing bodies. It's an interesting amalgam of political intrigue, side-scrolling hack-and-slash gameplay, time-bending mechanics, and nightmare sequences that tells a compelling story about identity and suppression. GameSpot gave it an 8/10 in our Katana Zero review, calling it "bloody and brutal [with] a heartfelt tale that you shouldn’t overlook lightly." The DLC was announced one week after the game's release, so it's been in development for seven years now. Askiisoft said in its October 22 Bluesky post that "more updates" will come, so hopefully we all get to take our clown masks off sometime in the near future.