If you haven't played Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, I highly recommend it, especially if you're going through something stressful. It's a great game for venting your frustrations. Apparently, putting it out was a turning point for developer Saber Interactive, as the studio is now enjoying a prosperous era of development.

That's no exaggeration either, since CCO Tim Willits says Space Marine 2 "literally changed everything" for Saber. "It not only changed the way that the team looks at making games, it changed how people look at us," he tells The Game Business. "I've seen this in my career, when you have a huge hit, when you go to make the next game, everything has to be awesome. It's like, 'This has got to be the most awesome toaster ever.' And it fuels success."

Since it was a licensed project, that opened more doors for the company. Nothing helps land a contract more than a good reputation, leading to Saber having to pick its battles in terms of capabilities. "Because we have a reputation of really doing well with licensed IPs, every major license holder wants to make a video game," Willits says. "It's just the way it is. Everybody. So, we are in a very fortunate position to turn down more than we can accept."

Apparently, there was a particular exciting opportunity Saber had to pass on for just this reason. Willits can't name them, of course, but he knows just how nice of a problem it is to have. "You know you're successful when you've turned down those guys. It's really nice to be in that position," he comments.

Indeed it must be. Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival is Saber's last major outstanding release for the year, a first-person nightmare co-written with Barker himself that comes out in October, just in time for Halloween. Then, next year, we have Hitman Classic Trilogy Remastered, and the likes of Turok: Origins and the long-in-the-works Knights of the Old Republic remake to get dated at some point.

That's just a small sampling as well. Willits isn't kidding about how much is going across the myriad studios Saber operates, and it sounds like there may be more to come as well. I think we can rest easy that Space Marine 3 will happen, and when it does, who knows what Saber will do next. All I know is, more Cenobites, please.

Hitman and 007 First Light dev IO Interactive regains "full ownership" of its mysterious online RPG project after Xbox reportedly pulled funding

Minecraft's newest update finally brings more ways to rest your blocky behind, as Cushions and Straw Beds headline the new preview.

On the Minecraft website Mojang details what Minecraft: Bedrock Edition players can expect from update preview 26.40.30, which launches today. While it's not going to introduce any game-changing biomes or new mobs to the game, it does introduce a massive new feature in the form of Straw Beds.

Straw Beds are a new type of bed which allow you to sleep through the night while retaining your previous spawn point, which will be perfect for waiting out the night while you're on an expedition. However, there's a catch, as these beds can only be used one time before being destroyed, and of course you won't be able to use these in the Nether or The End. If you use three Hay Bales you'll get Four Straw Beds to use, so it's not the worst trade for something that's a one-time use, plus you can find them naturally in Abandoned Camps.

The update's focus seems to be to help spruce up the Abandoned Camps that were introduced a few weeks ago in update 26.40.27. The new area will now spawn in the Pale Garden and Flower Forest biomes and boast procedural trees, and an issue which saw loot tables list incorrect potion names has also been fixed.

The other new change is the introduction of the Cushion, which you can craft 16 different colored versions of. These don't exactly have much practical use for your hardcore survival mode run, but they're a new item you can sit on and make your home look that much cuter. These currently aren't found in Abandoned Camps, but Mojang lists this as a "known issue," implying these will find a home there after a while.

Frankly, I'm shocked that it's taken almost 17 years (or 15 years after its official 1.0 launch in 2011) for Minecraft to add a way to sleep through the night without resetting your spawn, now that it's actually in the game, it feels like something that should've been a given on day one, so it's good to finally have the option.

Smaller Minecraft updates like Tiny Takeover and Chaos Cubed "feel more sustainable" for Mojang, says lead: "There's always another one right around the corner."

David Hayter, the striking voice behind the Metal Gear series' various Snake roles, isn't a fan of Sony's decision to end physical disc production for new games on PlayStation consoles in 2028 – and he's certainly not afraid to show it.

The end of physical media as we know it is dominating online discussions following Sony's announcement, which cited how "general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs" – a statement that plenty of folks definitely cannot get behind.

One of them is none other than David Hayter, the iconic voice actor known for his work on Metal Gear Solid games as Solid Snake, Old Snake, Naked Snake… you name it.

In a new online post, Hayter makes this as clear as he possibly can, sharing a picture of all his consoles and games (physical, of course, mind you). Between the Xbox and PlayStation 5 – and various controllers – I see a plethora of gems, including everything from GTA 5 to Red Dead Redemption 2.

As for his caption? "No disc, no buy." And, yes, he tags the official PlayStation account on Twitter, too, so as to catch Sony's attention.

Unsurprisingly, fans are largely in agreement with the actor, who admits in the comments that "this is a fraction of my game collection" as well. Not to mention, "I also have 2500+ DVDs." Physical media, you say? Hayter's no hater in that department.

He's not alone, either, as big developers in the industry themselves have spoken out against the move toward digital-only. Take former Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra, for example.

He says "we can't live in a world of fear if our games will work in the future or not," and game preservation experts share in that sentiment, explaining how this will all lead to more piracy.

Just yesterday, CEO of Lords of the Fallen 2 publisher CI Games, Marek Tyminski, also stated that Sony's choice to axe discs and the fact that GTA 6 is going disc-free itself "feels unfair to studios still backing physical" – so, yeah.

There's no telling what the future will bring for physical media enthusiasts, but I'm choosing to remain hopeful that game discs won't do a DVD on us and all but disappear. Something tells me Hayter is, too.

Here's why we think PlayStation killing discs is bad for everyone, whether you care about physical games or not.

Sony is taking a metaphorical sledgehammer to physical media in early 2028 when it ends production of discs for all new PlayStation games, in a decision that's gone down just as well as you'd expect. The news has been so unpopular, in fact, that folks have now viewed the announcement tweet more than Rockstar's two Twitter posts sharing GTA 6's mythical trailers.

Yup, things are serious out here. Sony had a double barrel of bad news last week – in the very same tweet sharing the impending doom of PlayStation discs, it announced the planned death of the PlayStation Store on PS3 and Vita, the latter of which was already unpopular enough five years ago that the company walked back on the plan, only to bring it back this month. This doozy of a post has, at the time of writing, racked up 166.6 million views on Twitter, and has been flooded with replies ranging from "final nail in the coffin of the company I once loved" to "genuinely, what the fuck are you doing?"

To put things into perspective, Rockstar's Twitter post sharing GTA 6 Trailer 1 back in 2023 has amassed 125.5 million views on the platform, while the Trailer 2 post in 2025 hit 160.6 million, meaning noticeably more people have now seen PlayStation's post – albeit, likely with a shake of the head rather than the unadulterated excitement that comes with literally any GTA 6 news.

The other engagement metrics can tell you that much. PlayStation has 64,000 likes on its post, which might sound like a lot until you compare it to the million on Rockstar's Trailer 1 tweet and 895,000 on Trailer 2. On the flip side, PlayStation has been inundated with 100,000 strongly worded replies, compared to 33,000 and 36,000 on Rockstar's two posts, respectively. Not even GTA 6 hype can outweigh the barrage of negativity Sony is facing.

There's a level of irony to this given that, only two weeks ago, Rockstar Games confirmed that 'physical' copies of GTA 6 launching this November – both on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S – won't come with an actual disc, but rather a code in a box. Obviously, Rockstar is far from the first company to do this, but the lack of a real, on-disc release always tends to go down poorly, and GTA 6 is no exception. As you'd expect with so many people keen to play the game, the backlash was also extremely loud.

It's a troubling time for gaming, as the move away from physical games is something that affects us all. Even if you're not a collector who feels a sense of satisfaction each time you add a new boxed game to your growing shelves, a digital-only future for gaming – which seems more and more likely with decisions like these – could mean the end of the second-hand market and game-sharing, and it raises concerns about ownership and game preservation, to boot.

As disgruntled cries from disc defenders overwhelm PlayStation's first social media post since that fateful announcement, however, it seems likely that Sony might have underestimated just how passionate folks would be about this.

Hideo Kojima is "really sad" about PlayStation ending physical disc production, warns against "frightening" streaming-only future: "You don't actually possess the data yourself."

It began as a disaster. Fresh off conquering the Continent in peerless fantasy RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red turned its attention to the neon metropolis of Night City for Cyberpunk 2077.

Instead of being an instant success, Cyberpunk 2077 – in the franchise's parlance – flatlined out of the gate in 2020. Game-ruining glitches, a broken world, and stuttering last-gen ports led to the unprecedented removal of the title from the PlayStation Store.

Far from CD Projekt Red being able to do no wrong, things suddenly looked dire. I, along with plenty of my chooms, dropped Cyberpunk – seemingly never to return.

But it's here where the comeback story begins. Away from the gaze of many who felt burned by one of gaming's biggest modern-day disappointments, the developers clawed back a large chunk of goodwill with 2023's 2.0 update. The dramatic changes overhauled everything from skill trees to chrome upgrades to ensure Cyberpunk 2077 closely matched CD Projekt Red – and fans' – initial expectations for the game.

That same week, the Phantom Liberty DLC, introducing players to a dangerous new section of Night City in Dogtown, and a story revolving around a trapped President and the emergence of Idris Elba's shadowy FIA Agent Solomon Reed. Far from being a desperate last gasp of a dying game, it rejuvenated the series. Phantom Liberty now stands alongside CD Projekt Red's dreamy trip to Touissant in The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine as shorthand for best-in-class expansions.

But that wasn't how I, or others, returned to the Cyberpunk fold. Our way back into Night City's crime-ridden streets was through Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a joint collaboration between CD Projekt Red and the acclaimed Studio Trigger of Kill La Kill fame.

Chrome sweet chrome

The show charts the rise of David Martinez, a down-on-his-luck kid who, after suffering a family tragedy and in desperate need of 'eddies' to pay the bills, forces his way through the seedy underbelly of Night City to become one of its most prominent Edgerunners.

Ably backed by a crew that includes netrunner and David's love interest Lucy, hot-headed Rebecca, and stoic leader Maine, Edgerunners begins as an effortlessly cool, stylish depiction of how a Robin Hood-style set of mercs could thrive in a world that wants them dead. Then, spoiler alert, most of them do end up dead.

As much as I love Cyberpunk 2077, Edgerunners understands the franchise's message that much more. Because there are no winners and losers in Night City, just the corporations and those crushed underfoot. While the RPG can absolutely have its heart-wrenching moments, it pales in comparison to David's journey. Hell, you probably haven't looked at the moon in the same way since.

Ahead of the Cyberpunk sequel, Edgerunners also gives Night City new life. Where its game counterpart is a joyful futuristic playground once you're kitted out in all the best chrome, Edgerunners' take is close to something like Akira: a wiry, suffocating beast of a city that – as cliche as it sounds – is a character in itself. This is a place that chews people up and spits them out whole; a lethal, kinetic rush is found in every dilapidated alley and brutalist rooftop. Cyberpunk 2077 may have won back favor on its own merits, but Edgerunners kickstarted everything by truly getting what made everyone so eager in the first place.

Back to Night City

But that's not the end of the saga. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 is coming to Netflix later this year – and first signs are promising.

The early reactions from Anime Expo are incredible, with fans and critics alike praising the premiere as an undoubted step up from the first season. It also speaks to the dedication to the series and its remarkable turnaround that 6000 fans packed into the L.A. event to watch the premiere episode of the second season, and not a single soul leaked footage from the event. There are no gonks here, only those who wish to protect a shared secret, safe in the knowledge that they've just witnessed something very special.

Then you hear the creators talk, and the hype only intensifies. Edgerunners writer Bartosz Sztybor has described the second season as a Scorsese movie in comparison to the first season's explosive Michael Bay-coded offering. That instantly brings to mind something far more narratively brave than what we've seen so far – a path Cyberpunk could do well to walk down between now and the release of the codenamed Orion sequel.

From disaster to delight, Cyberpunk has done what so many have failed to do. As the twin industries of Hollywood and gaming become increasingly littered with failed big-budget projects, layoffs, and a gnawing sense of dissatisfaction, CD Projekt Red should be held aloft as a teaching lesson for many. With time, patience, and a risky side-project, everything can be fixed again. Welcome back to Night City. We can't wait to see where it takes us next.

For more, check out the first Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 reactions. Then, dive into our collection of the best anime on Netflix.

The Blood of Dawnwalker is shaping up to be this year's most ambitious RPG. Helmed by The Witcher 3 game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, the debut game from developer Rebel Wolves will see players dropped into south-east Europe during the 14th century – where time is not on their side.

As the remote Vale Sangora reels from the Black Plague, ancient vampire Brencis muscles in on the region, enforcing blood tithes in exchange for protection from the sickness. When village-boy protagonist Coen is forcibly turned into a vampire by Brencis, the process goes wrong and Coen is caught between two states – fang-toothed undead by night, (mostly) human by day. As Coen, we'll have just 30 in-game days and nights to save his family from Brencis; set loose in an open-world where our actions move time forward and cause rippling consequences.

I got to play the first four hours of The Blood of Dawnwalker, and found that while Rebel Wolves' many CD Projekt Red veterans have continued to build upon The Witcher 3's open-world sensibilities, there's a degree of the old-school RPG friction we're seeing make a comeback in the likes of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Baldur's Gate 3, and Dragon's Dogma 2.

From Dusk Till Dawn

Much has been made of The Blood of Dawnwalker's time mechanics, but in play, the feature is unobtrusive. I step into Coen's shoes on the morning before mass, which, under Vale Sangora's new ruler, has been perverted into a bloodletting ritual. A bar on the top-right of the screen, broken into eight segments, shows how much time you have left in the day or night. Only specific activities move time forward. Exploring and fighting won't, for example, but quests, certain side activities, and even leveling up will. These are clearly signposted and often only take one hour, creating the sense not that you're rushing through The Blood of Dawnwalker to meet a deadline (the game doesn't end with Coen's 30-day limit), merely being asked to consider how your time in its world is spent.

To begin the day, I'm asked to visit the local healer to fetch herbs for Coen's sick mother, to ensure she's strong enough to survive the upcoming mass. Along the way, I bump into Coen's siblings and decline their request to help them fish – which would take an hour – but a little further down the road, agree to find a villager's missing brother. It's on the way, so I do so – taking the time to track him down with Witcher-esque heightened senses and investigative powers – and rescue him from an unearthed barrow, though decline to spend longer escorting him home.

With all of that done, I still have time to fetch the herbs, set two hours aside from an optional Latin lesson, teach the neighborhood bully some manners, spar with Coen's ex-mercenary father, and solve the case of a missing banner – all in time for mass. Frankly, I manage more in one day here than I do in the real world. And as a reluctant congregation gathers at the church, I realize that The Blood of Dawnwalker is less interested in tracking the minutes, and more focused on how they're spent.

All day, I've heard whispers of rebellion. The banner hanging over the church font – stolen by another villager and returned by Coen earlier in the day – doesn't help ease the tension, depicting humans bleeding to death on a tree of thorns. The priest begins his sermon with a speech acknowledging the tapestry's horrors, while it visibly agitates the congregation, and I'm pleased to see just how much of an impact my decision to return it makes. Similarly, having retrieved medicine for Coen's mother and correctly prepared it, her distress is kept mostly in-check. Comparing my experience to another, I learn that not only can she die during the mass if not properly medicated, and by returning the banner I unknowingly saved its maker from a grisly execution.

Later that night, the townsfolk rise up against Brencis' garrison – fighting their way into an off-limits silver mine to arm themselves. But, as is apt to happen in game prologues, catastrophe strikes. The would-be rebellion is rumbled, Brencis turns Coen into a vampire, and his family is hauled away as their village burns. It's a brilliant opening salvo: for as much as I've waited to see The Blood of Dawnwalker's open world for myself, I'm now itching to hunt down Brencis and his lieutenants.

In theory, I can do just that. Similarly to how The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild lets players beeline to their showdown with Ganon at any point, it's possible to march straight to Brencis' fortress. But, my preview is limited to one segment of the map, so instead I take stock of the leads I'm offered and step into the night.

Creatures of the night

The Blood of Dawnwalker's passing of time creates an interesting dynamic with Coen, whose vampiric transformation leaves him with a foot in both worlds. By day he's human, relying on a sword in combat and left to make do without his supernatural powers. When the sun goes down, the fangs come out.

A Dishonored-style blink can be used to vanish and reappear elsewhere at will, while Coen takes notes from Dracula and can walk up walls and on ceilings – meaning he can only climb towers to reveal nearby locales at night. Get into a scrap, and Coen can keep his sword sheathed to instead put his claws to work. Eating food will only heal him during the day – when the moon is out, only blood will provide succor. Wildlife can be hunted for small amounts and you can shadowstep behind humans for quick gulps in combat, but the most filling meals are found by sneaking up on someone unaware and draining them into unconsciousness or even death.

As a long-suffering Oblivion vampire, I'm giddy to see Rebel Wolves commit entirely to vampiric mythology – limitations and all. If you don't keep Coen's thirst slaked, he can lose control during dialogue and fatally feed upon his conversation partner. At one point in my preview, I convince someone to leave a burning building – dying inside is supposedly preferable going outside with a vampire – and inadvertently prove him right, as I lose control and set upon the toasty treat.

In fairer fights, The Blood of Dawnwalker's combat lands somewhere between Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's exacting swordplay and The Witcher 3's sword-and-sign dance. Trading blows with sword and claw, directional input means you decide which angle to attack from (mixing it up makes your opponent less likely to block), while parrying attackers requires the inverse, matching your defense to wherever the blow is coming from. It's quick, fluid, and can be very challenging – particularly when outnumbered – but feels thrilling, particularly against tougher foes who can trade consecutive blows for longer. I did find Coen's active abilities tricky to use, however, as I could only use them by bringing up a clunky ability wheel – leaving them ignored more often than not.

The Blood of Dawnwalker's willingness to put players on the back foot is right up my street. More surprising is how quickly and effectively the RPG draws me into its world. The effect is partly physical: hemmed-in by the Carpathian Mountains, Vale Sangora perpetually has a second horizon above the eyeline. More engrossing still, the valley feels old. Vale Sangora is a melting pot of central to Eastern European mythology, and although vampires here have become a reality, other folklore creatures make their home here too. An abandoned mine, thought haunted, is actually infested with sneaky goblin-like creatures with a penchant for mischief and flesh; while wall paintings in a tomb detail heroic tales so old they seem to have been forgotten entirely.

By planting one foot in fairy tales and another in the realities of medieval life, Vale Sangora reaches similar liveliness to The Witcher 3's Continent. Both come across as believably ancient, and as an RPG fan drawn to worlds that feel like they've existed long before I joined them, I'm immersed in The Blood of Dawnwalker from the get-go. That's no small feat, playing in a crowded room filled with PCs.

Even after playing for four hours, I still feel like I've barely scratched The Blood of Dawnwalker's surface and would have gladly played for longer in a single sitting. From its combat to story and world, there are a lot of beat-by-beat draws. But frankly, I'm thrilled to play a fresh RPG with the nerve to be so big from the get-go. Every game I've compared The Blood of Dawnwalker to was built upon an existing series – success affording them the luxury to iterate – whereas Rebel Wolves has outlined plans for a "saga" before its first game has debuted.

With the RPG's passing time and Coen's uneven powers, I get the impression that the veteran cohort at Rebel Wolves see their fresh start as an opportunity. But what truly surprises me is how well The Blood of Dawnwalker comes together already – for all of the boundaries it pushes, nothing feels risky or gimmicky in play. What remains, then, is an ambitious love letter to role-playing itself – and although The Blood of Dawnwalker is launching in a slew of new games, what I've seen so far is enough to guarantee I'll be back to play more come September 3.

We have interviews with The Blood of Dawnwalker's developers, and more thoughts from our own playtime, still to come. In the meantime, here are the best RPGs to keep busy with.

As Sony announces it is abandoning physical games, Nintendo fans recall comments from former President and CEO Satoru Iwata about this very thing.

In 2009, during an investor meeting (via Kotaku, now resurfaced on Reddit), Iwata – who was president of Nintendo from 2002 until his passing in 2015 – said, "Most radical people even dare to say that retailers will be replaced by digital distribution in no time," adding, "But personally, I think it will still require a significant amount of time."

He explained, "In other words, it will require many years and months for the majority of video game purchase to become digital," predicting that "In short, in 20 years or so, I might say it will have probably changed. But in 5 years or so, I do not totally agree with opinions that no one will purchase titles at retailers by then."

And here we are in 2026, with Rockstar abandoning a proper physical release, leaving only digital or code-in-box options for GTA 6. And then we got the news that, come 2028, Sony will no longer produce physical discs for PS5 games. So Iwata was almost right, just about a year off.

Granted, physical copies will likely still exist in 2029. Xbox hasn't announced plans to abandon physical disks, although the writing is on the wall given recent Xbox physical releases have lacked data on the disk, while rumors say Project Helix may not have a disk drive. Meanwhile, Nintendo introduced the Game-Key Card, which is another fake physical copy as far as preserving the games on them goes, but at the very least, you are able to resell those.

Sony reportedly already has another use for its disc factory after announcing end of physical PlayStation games

The team behind Elder Scrolls Online is one of many that's been impacted by ruthless cuts being made by Xbox at the moment. Purportedly up to half of the devs behind Bethesda's MMO have lost their jobs, and a former designer on the fantasy sandbox has been quick to point out the game's unsung glories.

In the wake of the redundancies, Andrew Young, a senior content designer on Elder Scrolls Online who worked on the online RPG from 2012 through to 2024, vented his frustrations on Twitter. "I'm just so angry today," he says. "People will never know the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making ESO or how we basically funded other failing projects while never getting enough resources to really keep up with our release cadence."

He adds that fans may never realize just how integral Elder Scrolls Online was to Bethesda. "Talking to people today and realizing there’s really no one left and no changing it now makes my heart ache," he says. "For the people, our game, who we were as a team and a studio. This is a serious loss, and I don’t think people know how much."

No specifics are given, but my mind immediately jumped to Blades and Legends, two free mobile spin-offs that came out in the 2010s. The former was all about constantly getting into swordfights, while the latter was a digital card game. Both have since been unceremoniously closed, and Young could be talking about other projects within the umbrella of Bathesda's parent company ZeniMax, either.

Elder Scrolls Online has been a reliable money-spinner, bringing in upwards of $2 billion across its lifetime to date. Those are decent earnings, especially when it comes to the currently over-saturated live-service and MMO market. The game adopted a new updated schedule in 2025, moving from yearly changes to a more seasonal approach, with Season Zero: Dawn and Dusk due to finish tomorrow, July 8.

Hopefully, this all helps those impacted by the job losses - which are expected to total 3,200 across Xbox and Microsoft by the end of the year - to find new opportunities. And maybe a little more respect will be put on Tamriel's Second Era as well.

Hitman and 007 First Light dev IO Interactive regains "full ownership" of its mysterious online RPG project after Xbox reportedly pulled funding

Along with the announced cut of 3,200 employees at Xbox, a number of studios like State of Decay 3 creator Undead Labs have either split from the company or gone independent – which also means, in the case of the zombie survival threequel at least, Game Pass might be off the table.

Just yesterday, Asha Sharma revealed the Microsoft layoffs, noting that Xbox sees three to 10 times lower margins than "comparable platform and publishing businesses." This "significant restructure" of the company also means that several studios – one of which is Undead Labs – are officially moving under other brands or going indie, splitting from Xbox. The State of Decay 3 developer itself will see new management, although it's unclear who just yet.

Although we don't yet know who Undead Labs' new owner will be, part of the exit deal between the team and Xbox may mean State of Decay 3 won't have to launch on Game Pass.

As per a recent report from Game File, while the deal does call for the release of the game, as well as the continued funding required up to that point, it doesn't leave State of Decay 3 obligated to Xbox-controlling terms, like being available on Xbox Game Pass. That's certainly interesting.

It's especially eye-catching as State of Decay 3 was just showcased during June's Xbox Games Showcase 2026, where it finally got a 2027 release date – a date fans had waited six long years to hear about.

The supposed continued funding is always nice to read, but I'm admittedly left wondering what other implications this entire situation might have for the third State of Decay entry. It's difficult to tell.

As for the other companies that will no longer be operating under Xbox, there's Psychonauts dev Double Fine, South of Midnight creator Compulsion Games, Senua studio Ninja Theory, and Arkane – a team that is notably currently working on Marvel's Blade. Management at the latter is "beginning required consultation with its Works Council to review potential strategic options," so it's not yet clear exactly what's happening there.

Some of these, like the first two, are independent now. Meanwhile, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs are finding new homes to work within.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma says "a healthy Xbox could weather" the current storm, but Microsoft's gaming brand is anything but: "Our core has to be healthy."

On July 1, Sony announced the impending end of both physical PlayStation games and, in a demonstration of just one risk of a digital-only future, the shutdown of the PS3 and PS Vita storefronts. In its first social media post since this one-two bombshell, PlayStation discusses its fight stick controller.

The 10,000 Twitter replies this post has received in 30 minutes are not about the fight stick controller.

Increasingly, it appears that, just as PlayStation was previously bullied out of closing the PS3 and PS Vita stores in 2021, Sony has underestimated the scope and intensity of backlash resulting from its decision to end support for physical games.

Sony's July 1 announcement post has, according to Twitter view and comment metrics, outperformed both of the GTA 6 trailers shared by Rockstar Games. Rare close-ups of the most-anticipated game in history sparked less discussion than the death of discs on one of gaming's main platforms. I'm not sure this storm can be waited out, folks.

The responses to PlayStation's fight stick post are exactly what you'd expect: a litany of demands for discs interspersed with bizarre memes, riffs on PlayStation taglines ("Play has limits" and "Greed has no limits" and so on), and the general sharpening of pitchforks. My favorite reply is probably the shot of noted anti-corpo hero Cloud (of Final Fantasy 7) sizing up Sony headquarters. The award for best quote tweet goes to Scott Wozniak.

Sony higher-ups undoubtedly anticipated some measure of blowback to this new strategy, and for all we know this response is well within internal expectations and unlikely to rattle, let alone dissuade, leadership as the company's stock actually climbs after the news. Yet it's hard to remember a larger, louder, unified response in this space, and if I trust gamers with anything, it's spite.

We've heard many sensible arguments for the continued support of physical games. Consumer choice, game discovery, knock-on effects from collapsing game stores, hobbyist culture, repeat sales, price protection, new-gamer onboarding, game preservation – the list goes on.

Additionally, as gaming struggles to replace aging players and consoles tread water in a dire hardware market, many have called PlayStation short-sighted for inventing a new way to push even more people toward PC – as physical copies were a rare advantage consoles had over PC gaming – all just to make a little more money off game sales. Gaming is actively facing existential challenges that stretch far beyond the short term, and, historically, pissing everybody off hasn't worked out in any publisher's favor.

Instead of putting its games on PC, Sony apparently wants to escape the reputation that "PlayStation equals the living room" by selling monitors and speakers.

Hitman and 007 First Light developer IO Interactive has confirmed that it has "regained full ownership" of its upcoming online RPG, Project Fantasy, with plans to continue development "and fund it independently amongst our other projects" after Xbox reportedly pulled funding from it.

Last week, IO Interactive announced that "a relationship with an external partner on our own IP, Project Fantasy, has come to an end," and although the company said it'd "remain 100% committed" to the IP, there would be "short-term consequences, including staffing decisions." At the time, Bloomberg reported that it was Xbox that had pulled out of a deal to fund and publish the game – a claim IO Interactive didn't publicly confirm, but would hardly be surprising given yesterday's news of 3,200 Xbox employees getting laid off throughout fiscal year 2027.

Today, a statement from IO Interactive acknowledges the "end of our external finance partnership on Project Fantasy," adding that the company "has regained full ownership of the project and our IP. We will continue to develop and fund it independently amongst our other projects."

It explains: "With this context, we had to find a new balance for the long-term future of the studio, focused on the success of our main internal core titles instead of external projects and potential mobile game derivatives. This has meant making changes as well as proposed changes across our studios: the closure of our Istanbul studio and starting a process to part ways with colleagues who have been a meaningful part of what makes IOI what it is."

IO's "immediate focus is on supporting those affected as best we can through this period," it says, noting that it'd be thankful for any job opportunities and support that can be offered to any of the staff affected.

Furthermore, it calls its decisions "hard, but necessary" to "retain the long-term future of IO Interactive as one of the very few fully independent AAA" developer and publishers, in addition to giving "Project Fantasy the best possible foundation to succeed under our own passion and direction." It reiterates its commitment to the IP, noting that "we cannot wait to share the love with you."

Project Fantasy was first announced back in 2023, at which time IO teased that "it feels familiar, yet at the same time IOI is going on a journey unlike any we have been on before."

While yesterday's Xbox layoff news is undeniably devastating, one silver lining – per CEO Asha Sharma – is that "none of our first party publicly announced games or projects are being cancelled as part of these reductions." Several studios are parting ways with Xbox, however, with Psychonauts developer Double Fine and South of Midnight studio Compulsion Games both going independent.

Bethesda boss says the company must focus on its "strongest franchises" as Xbox layoffs reportedly hit The Elder Scrolls and Fallout makers hard.

It's been nearly seven years now since Activision and Toys for Bob released Spyro: Reignited Trilogy – and there's a reason the well-received three-in-one remake feels so faithful to its old counterparts from the late 90s and early 2000s.

In case you've never played the remade trilogy, it's pretty solid – in fact, it plays exactly as I remember the original few games playing, striking the perfect balance between nostalgia and quality of life (I'm looking at you, OG PlayStation controls).

Toys for Bob studio head Paul Yan explains how and why the developers pulled this off in a new discussion with Kinda Funny on YouTube – and insightful is an understatement here.

According to the lead, the team first tried to find source code in-house so it could "reconstruct it" for the Reignited Trilogy.

So, instead, "one of our engineers took an open- source emulator and then modified that so that we looked at the original game and actually peered into its data, extracted a lot of the models… We extracted the levels. We measured all the metrics. We found the exact placement for every gem."

That's not all, though. "We measured the timing, the speed, and the paths of certain enemies." In other words, they delved deep into the modified emulator. "It gave us a lot of metrics that gave us the authenticity on that side of it," as Yan says.

Obviously, they did change some things so that Spyro: Reignited Trilogy wouldn't feel too "old," so to speak – the controls, as I joked earlier, are one of the bigger things.

And, honestly, I'm grateful that they did. As associate creative director Lou Studdert chimes in, after all, players tend to have "rose-tinted glasses" on when approaching retro games like Spyro.

You imagine them looking and playing a whole lot differently than they actually did – but the devs took that into account with Spyro: Reignited Trilogy, and it's better for it. I do wonder, though… how will Spyro: A Realm Beyond feel, in contrast?

We have some very exciting features – like free flight and such – to look forward to, but also the same colorful visuals that made the original games so comforting. Personally, I can't wait to give it a go… a new entry has been a long time coming.

"Going independent meant taking a massive, massive risk": How Toys for Bob split off from Activision and Xbox to help guide Spyro to A Realm Beyond

GamesRadar+ Replay is the gaming show you make by sending in your gaming clips. Incredible feats, fantastic displays of skill, or just failing in the funniest way possible - send them to us and every month we share the best on site and our social media.

Below we've got the best clips from June. There's everything there from astounding long range knife kills in Battlefield 6 to dancing cars in Forza, the true horror or Paralives, smol Batman and more. Plus there's a festival of Bond after 007 First Light was our Theme of the month (for July it's Assassin's Creed).

Take a look...

And, if you want to submit your own clips then here's a big orange button that will let you do that:

By submitting your clip, you agree to the Terms and Conditions.

If you need a helping hand, here's how to record gameplay on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch/Switch 2 to save your highlights

Amid serious layoffs going on at Xbox, there have been concerns over what'll happen at Blizzard, since it was acquired by Microsoft in a landmark deal in 2023. So far, it seems the studio behind World of Warcraft and Overwatch is safe from heavy redundancies, though an internal memo suggests there'll be more updates for the company further down the line.

Windows Central managed to get hold of an email from the desk of Johanna Faries, the president of Blizzard, who addressed concerns to staff. "While you can expect to hear more details regarding the day's events and what they mean for Blizzard in further communications, for now I simply want to acknowledge that today is a difficult day that impacts many people in a range of ways," the dispatch says.

"Please take care of yourself and others in this moment as best as possible," Fairies continues. "In light of today's news I want to thank everyone across Blizzard for moving with focus and creativity behind our strategic priorities, supporting our myriad communities and each other throughout."

Some 3,200 positions within Xbox, across multiple wings of the games divisions, have been impacted. This includes people at studios like id Software, Bethesda, and Arkane, among many others. This is all part of a "reset" Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and CCO Matt Booty has been mentioning for some time, in order to push the company towards financial sustainability.

For the time being, Blizzard seems largely untouched, at least compared to what's happened to other teams, but Microsoft has suggested we'll be seeing more restructuring in the months to come. Being the home of Diablo, Warcraft, and StarCraft, the legendary studio is within its own bubble to an extent, and would require particular attention for any kind of reshuffling or change-up. Besides the fact that these franchises all have huge, active fanbases and live-service infrastructures to consider, you've got BlizzCon, a massive international event that welcomes tens of thousands of fans each year it occurs.

But what happens in the months and years ahead is anyone's guess. It seems likely we'll at least see some fat trimmed off in the form of unannounced projects, and perhaps another push for Warcraft or Diablo to be adapted to the big or small screen. Either way, the only constant is change right now. We'll keep you informed.

Xbox parts ways with 4 studios, with South of Midnight and Psychonauts devs going independent as Arkane begins "required consultation" to "review potential strategic options"

Arc Raiders' 1.36.0 update is here, bringing with it a big matchmaking change that should make the shooter much more pleasant to play if your playstyle varies between solo, duo, and trio games.

In today's patch, Embark outlines a key change to solo, duo, and trio matchmaking. Specifically, thanks to feedback logged by players during May's matchmaking survey, one of the "most requested matchmaking features" has been added – from now on, "we now track your playstyle separately for Solo, Duo, and Trio rounds, and match you accordingly."

Essentially, if you tend to take a more aggressive, PvP-focused approach to Arc Raiders when you're playing with your friends, but a friendlier one when you're playing solo, the new matchmaking feature should acknowledge this and give you your best match no matter what, rather than constantly pushing you into more aggressive lobbies even in solo, for example.

"Now, there's no overlap," explains Embark community lead Ossen. "You'll be able to go from friendly questing and plant-picking in Solo rounds to adrenaline-fueled PvP Trio games (if that's how you usually play in those respective cases) by simply changing your squad size. The same holds for Duo – all three are tracked on their own."

Alongside a bunch of bug fixes, Embark has also "significantly increased the value of loot dropped by ARC Turbines" to make them more rewarding to take down. Speaking of which, ARC Turbines can no longer randomly disappear right after spawning in, so happy hunting.

Embark acknowledges its recent anti-cheat efforts ("we are continuously getting more effective at identifying & acting against cheaters," the post says), as well as the action it's taken against duplication exploits.

Going forward, the devs also plan to expand on the "No Free Loadout" requirement introduced in patch 1.33.0 for Close Scrutiny and Night Raid. "We are looking into expanding 'No Free Loadout' to more map conditions and investigating other opportunities to further improve the experience overall," says Ossen.

"When Arc Raiders was at its peak," Embark was burning 30 terabytes of data per day tracking every single bullet fired: "We want to know who shot first."

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a generational historical RPG that deserves every ounce of praise it's gotten, and in my opinion was every bit as deserving of GOTY 2025 as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but apparently the actor behind one of its main characters hasn't been able to share in its success.

In conversation with Firezide Chat, Luke Dale, the charming face and voice behind Hans Capon in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, says he turned to streaming after becoming recognizable as Hans Capon, a role you'd think might open up a lot of professional doors for an actor.

"I wish I could say that Kingdom Come 2, the work I've done and the fact it's been played by millions of people led to more work, but it didn't," Dale says.

"I was hoping it would, but I always hedge my bets because I don't think the industry has been particularly kind to me. Warhorse have been absolute gems. They're so supportive and really believed in me the whole way through. But the industry at large has never really given a fuck."

As the games industry rushes to replace humans with AI on the payroll, and as seemingly unending layoffs make work more competitive, there's no denying that it's a hard time for everyone right now, actors and voice actors included. That said, Dale has managed to accumulate an impressive 72.2 thousand followers on Twitch and 177 thousand YouTube subscribers, which is likely at least in part thanks to his role as Hans, so it's not like his post-Kingdom Come professional life has been entirely thankless.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 lead designer says "friction is intentionally" in the RPG because when "you overcome the friction, you feel better about yourself"

The fact that physical copies of GTA 6 won't actually exist, because there won't be discs in the box, means Rockstar has reached the zenith of selling plastic tat. You're just paying for a regular case and a print out of the cover art! The publisher's genuinely having the last laugh here, because there's a sticker in one of the available images associated with the upcoming blockbuster embracing the bare naked truth at the heart of unregulated capitalism.

As posted on Twitter by GTA 6 Countdown, an official picture of Grand Theft Auto 6, in the art-style of the cover, contains the sentence, "Buy more useless shit." It's included in a bar code sticker that's stuck on the counter of a clothes shop, with a young woman standing in front of it.

You're not likely to spot it right away, but since actual materials related to the game are few and far between, people have been poring over every tiny detail to understand more about Rockstar's next epic. Thus, someone eventually caught this little titbit.

It's probably worth noting it comes from the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition as well. That version costs $100 and includes some digital goodies, but nothing that impacts gameplay any, and certainly no real life collectibles. I am suddenly filled with nostalgia for the days of Big Daddy statues and the like, standard in any limited edition release of a game.

That was then, and this is now, and Rockstar would like to encourage you to invest in its non-tangible goods as heavily as possible. Of course, financial decisions are yours to make, and if the Ultimate Edition will bring value to your life, go right ahead. But if you just want the base game, the standard version will do just fine.

I do hope we're getting the third trailer soon. People were analyzing Jason's muscles the other day. Players are getting a little stir crazy, and I don't blame them. It's a new month, and only four months until GTA 6 arrives. Come on Rockstar, give us something to really look at.

GTA 6 shipping without discs "feels unfair to studios still backing physical," Lords of the Fallen 2 boss says, and Sony's certainly not helping

In the wake of Pragmata's success, Bayonetta and Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya credits Capcom's success to its willingness to create new franchises.

After the last decade, I don't think it's a stretch to say Capcom has become one of the best AAA publishers on the planet. Since the release of Resident Evil 7 in 2017, the publisher has effectively been releasing a game of the year contender every single year – or multiple games, in the case of 2019, 2021, 2023, and, so far, 2026.

This has translated to sales success: every single game in the company's all-time top 10 best-selling games list was released since 2017. 2012's Resident Evil 6 is the first pre-2017 entry and comes in at 12th place.

Kamiya – who is now working with Capcom on Okami 2 after leaving the company back in 2007 – was asked by a fan on Twitter how Capcom is able to release hit after hit. Kamiya says (via machine translation) Capcom has a lot of talented staff under its banner. However, he also notes that Capcom management has a proactive approach to creating new series, like Pragmata is leading to good results.

While other new IP attempts like Exoprimal or Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess haven't exactly set the world on fire, Pragmata was a hit for Capcom receiving critical acclaim and positive fan reception, as well as selling over two million copies within 16 days of launch.

Capcom has also said it will "consider the possibility" of developing the sci-fi shooter into a series going forward, as well as saying it will continue making new IP.

Pragmata director Yonghee Cho told us in May that he would "of course" love to make a sequel to the game.

In a games industry dominated by safe bets, Capcom keeps getting weird with it.

As if Persona 4 Revival couldn't get any more exciting, it's now been confirmed that anime powerhouse MAPPA – the studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, Attack on Titan's final season, and more – is producing all of the JRPG remake's animated cutscenes.

That's right, from the animators who brought you Satoru Gojo's ethereal blue eyes and many of Attack on Titan's most explosive scenes, we can now get ready for Persona 4 Golden's cutscenes to be brought to life in a new way.

We've already seen some of these in action from the remake's trailers and promotional videos – like the snippet of protagonist Yu Narukami awakening to his first Persona, Izanagi, in the game's pre-order trailer.

From what's been shown so far, they look incredible.

MAPPA's involvement in Persona 4 Revival was announced during Anime Expo 2026 over the weekend, where it was also revealed that Rise (the game's navigator, like Persona 5's Futaba and Persona 3's Fuuka) will be voiced by Abby Trott in the English dub, replacing The Last of Us Part 2's Abby actor, Laura Bailey. This isn't Trott's first Persona role, as she also voiced Tae Takemi in 5 Royal.

The new cast might take some getting used to for veteran fans, but it'd be hard to fault the new performances, from what we've heard.

I always thought that Persona 3 Reload looked great, but I've got to say that Persona 4 Revival is already looking like an even more impressive remake from what we've seen. MAPPA is only handling those anime-style cutscenes, but even the regular in-game cutscenes look super expressive, too.

There's still quite a wait before Persona 4 Revival's February 17, 2027, launch, but at least we'll have something to tide us over until Persona 6 eventually releases.

It's real, it's green, and it's looking a bit sinister, but that's about all we know about that one right now.

One Persona 4 Revival actor shared her "hardcore manifestation" to get into the JRPG remake over 2 years ago, and it clearly worked: "Dreams really do come true."

I'm not sure I've ever had more fun listening to a game developer than when I watch Kenji Kanno introduce Crazy Taxi: World Tour to a small room full of journalists and content creators at Summer Game Fest. He's rocking long, gray hair that paints him as a rock star graced by the wisdom of age, and he speaks with such enthusiasm about the game that it's tough not to get on board with him.

Sega's reasons for bringing back Crazy Taxi are fairly boring – part of an effort to revitalize legacy IP to bring in a new generation of fans. For Kanno? "My biggest personal reason," he tells us via translator, "is that I really wanted to put out a game that can make people happy, that can make people smile as they play and express themselves in their own way."

Time to make some crazy money

Kanno softly sings "yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah" – the line from the opening of The Offspring's All I Want that's burned into so many Crazy Taxi fans' heads – as he demonstrates the basics of World Tour. It instantly looks familiar, offering the same blue skies and wild stunts that made Sega's arcade classic so memorable in the first place.

It looks doubly familiar since the map I'm seeing is a recreation of the original game's vaguely defined west coast city area. The Crazy Rush mode offers the classic experience of trying to deliver as many passengers to their destinations as you can in as short a time as possible. But there's a whole campaign this time, too, and the map is populated with all sorts of additional activities.

In one mission, you'll drive a pizza chef (confusingly named Cheeseburger) on deliveries, while trying to avoid disturbing the comically huge stack of pies. There's even a fishing mini-game, where you cast out a line from your cab and do a backdash to reel it in. It's all delightful stuff, especially with the promise that we'll be visiting five different countries over the course of the game – though Kanno laughs that "some of the marketing people will get mad at me if I say what countries they are."

I'm desperate to love Crazy Taxi: World Tour, both because Kanno's enthusiasm is infectious and because I'm always going to root for an old-school revival to succeed. But there's a lot here squarely in 'too early to tell' territory. There are clearly some changes to the core gameplay, especially in how you can just power through oncoming traffic and take advantage of a newly-introduced nitrous boost. It's also not immediately clear how old techniques like the backdash and drift work. In the original game, you had to master shifting between drive and reverse in order to pull these techniques off, but just watching somebody else play the game makes these techniques look much simpler than that.

Kanno offered a brief Q&A after the demonstration, but he responded to many of the questions posed by nervously glancing at the PR reps in the room and apologizing profusely for the fact that he couldn't actually answer just yet.

We saw Axel in the demo, but are there other playable characters? Can't say anything beyond "we won't betray your expectation." Does the soundtrack vary between locations? "Sorry," he can't say. There were an array of licensed shops and restaurants in the demo, just like the original game, but Sega emailed me shortly after to ask me not to publish any of them because they're "not yet final."

Most of my time at Summer Game Fest was spent on the ground, so I didn't have much time to see the internet's reaction to the event's announcements – including the revelation that World Tour was built, in part, using generative AI. The difference in vibe between the room where I watched series creator Kenji Kanno pledge to make the world a happier place and the community's actual reaction to the game has been pretty stark, and I've been having a hard time reconciling my own feelings in the month since I've seen the game. The goofy vibes and retro arcade sensibilities speak deeply to my tastes, but without actually playing it I have no idea how good it's going to feel with controller in hand.

What does Kanno have to say to fans who've been desperate for a return to Crazy Taxi for years? "Sorry to keep you waiting," is his simple message. "Crazy Taxi has a very special place in my heart as well. The fact that so many old fans are waiting for it – and so many people know about it right now, and even within the company so many people are very excited and want a new Crazy Taxi – it makes me feel very happy."

Final Fantasy Resonance is almost my dream FF game, but its link to Square Enix's mobile games leaves me cold

Overwatch has had a turbulent history on Steam, launching as the storefront's lowest-rated game in 2023 and only rising out of the "Overwhelmingly Negative" depths a couple of times – but now, things might just be turning around for Blizzard's hero shooter.

It's no secret that Overwatch hasn't performed well review-wise over on Valve's platform. Heck, even game director Aaron Keller himself has commented on the negative reception, stating earlier this year that he's "not sure what it would take for us to move up to a positive score at this point" – but, what do you know, Overwatch no longer has a negative rating attached to it on Steam at all. Now, it's actually "Mixed."

This applies to both its recent and overall reviews, as a new influx of more positive feedback has seen the previously "Mostly Negative" rating rise.

Sure, there are still plenty of comments on the game being disappointing. One amusing review (with 1,467 hours in-game, mind you) describes its writer's time in Overwatch as a "toxic relationship that needs to end." Others criticize performance, gameplay, and, yes, microtransactions.

Folks bring up microtransactions and in-game purchases quite a few times, unsurprisingly – I mean, we are talking about that game that recently charged nearly $100 for a cosmetic bundle that introduced a new skin rarity, after all.

As for the more positive reception the game has received recently, reviews range from amusing ("hot girls," y'all… hot girls) to informative, with some players feeling that Overwatch has made a comeback this year.

"In 2026, we finally got back to just Overwatch," reads one such review. "The new characters are fun with interesting kits, the battle pass is good value, there's a lot of chances to get loot boxes, which means free cosmetics, the paid cosmetics have been really good, and overall the game has a lot to offer everyone."

Another adds, "I never thought I'd be writing a positive Overwatch review again, but here we are. Character development, apparently."

Character development, indeed. This does beg the question, could Overwatch rise up even more on the Steam ladder and perhaps see some variation of a positive review rating? I'm not keeping my fingers crossed for "Overwhelmingly Positive" or anything, but I do wonder…

Uncharted 3 co-director and The Dragon Prince co-creator joins the Overwatch team, once again reigniting hopes for an animated show.

If anyone deserves a nice, safe retirement away from the horrors inflicted by a variety of viruses, it's Leon Kennedy. To say the poor guy has really been through it in the Resident Evil series over the years is an understatement. When he's not being attacked by infected dogs, stalked by a hulking, hat-wearing tyrant, or dealing with men wielding chainsaws, he's rescuing the president's daughter, uncovering a conspiracy, and returning to a place of great trauma.

Isn't it high time that after all that, he gets to kick back and take it easy? This isn't me saying I want the iconic action man to step away from the limelight after Resident Evil Requiem. On the contrary, I want to experience the retirement Kennedy deserves, and to do that, I need Resident Evil 2 director Hideki Kamiya's joke conceptual pitch to be anything but a joke. The pitch in question? A cozy life sim starring a retired Leon fishing, baking, and having barbecues with old pals. Now that idea is in my head, I can't let it go. And as a scaredy cat who loves Resident Evil from a safe distance, I'd give just about anything for Capcom to actually make it into a reality.

Home over horror

Just like Kamiya, I'm definitely not a horror fan. Even so, I've always had a great fondness for Resident Evil. I love the over-the-top silliness, corny one-liners, and lore of the infected world, but I'll be the first to admit I still find it too scary to play myself. So how do I enjoy it if I'm not playing? Well, the way in which my relationship began with the series kickstarted how I would go on to experience it from then on: by watching others play.

Witnessing my dad play through Resident Evil 4 on the GameCube way back when is one of my favorite gaming memories. I loved Resident Evil 4 (and its bingo line) so much I even attempted to try it for myself, but I quickly came to the conclusion I just couldn't handle the creepy zombie villagers and scary atmosphere upfront. By watching someone else play, I could enjoy the story and action and put some distance between myself and the horror.

But what Kamiya jokingly pitched would deservedly put some distance between the horror for Leon, too, and better yet, it would bring to life a game set in the Resident Evil universe I could actually play. In the words of Kamiya, "it'd be a game where a retired Leon spends his days in the countryside fishing, gathering wild vegetables, baking bread, walking his dog, tending to his garden, driving 50 kilometers to the nearest general store, inviting his old friends over for barbecues, fixing his elderly neighbour's oven, and selling homemade lemonade at the local festival."

The sweet concept sounds like a laidback life sim with ingredients plucked right out of games like Stardew Valley, and as an avid player in the cozy game scene, that's really speaking my language. Not only could it bring a whole new audience into the world of Resident Evil, but Capcom could tap into the genre in such a novel way for longtime fans by bringing to life a cozy life sim experience led by an established character with such a rich history.

Handy man

Just think of all of the references they could pack in, with framed pictures and belongings dotted around Leon's retired abode in the countryside that nod to past encounters and meaningful moments. Not to mention cameos from other familiar faces who pop over for barbecues. I also love how the pitch so perfectly captures Leon Kennedy. He'd never be content to rest on his laurels completely, and I could see him getting very involved with the little neighboring communities. It's easy to picture quests, for example, that make him go out of his way to help others in more day-to-day ways.

After all, you don't have to fight zombies and put a stop to the schemes of a dastardly corporation to be a hero. I'm sure Leon is just as much of a hero to the elderly neighbor whose oven gets fixed as he is to Ashley Graham in Resident Evil 4.

Kennedy is easily my favorite character in the Resident Evil universe, and imagining him stepping into one of my favorite game genres sets my heart on fire. I mean, who wouldn't want to kick back in the countryside with the retired action man and sink into a relaxed routine of dog walking and bread baking?

I know I'm letting my imagination run away from me, and this is just a joke from Kamiya. Even so… what I wouldn't give for it to be made into a reality. Sure, Resident Evil has brought us many of the best survival horror games over the years (and will no doubt continue to do so with the likes of Resident Evil Veronica on the way), but I would love to see a spin-off that goes in a wildly different direction. And when it comes to a cozy life sim, there's undoubtedly a market for it. So, this is my open letter to Capcom: please bring to life an idyllic retirement for Leon Kennedy so we can both get a break from the scares.

Look back over the series' highlights with our ranking of the best Resident Evil games.

The Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced release date is rapidly approaching, with pre-loading for consoles and PC also coming to help you get ready for launch. It's almost hard to believe that one of gaming's worst-kept secrets is finally arriving into port, but it's not the simplest of launches, with Black Flag Resynced having multiple preload and release times to be aware of, depending on what platform you'll be playing on. Here's everything you need to know about the pre-install and release times for Black Flag Resynced.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced release time for PC

Black Flag Resynced has a global simultaneous release for PC platforms of 2PM UTC on July 9. That means you'll be able to start playing this piratical adventure via Steam, the Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, and cloud gaming platforms (GeForce Now and Blacknut) from the following times depending on your region:

• US Pacific: 7AM PDT on July 9
• US Eastern: 10AM EDT on July 9
• UK: 3PM BST on July 9
• Central Europe: 4PM CEST on July 9
• Eastern Australia: 12AM (midnight) AEST on July 10
• New Zealand: 2AM NZST on July 10

Pre-loading for AC Black Flag Resynced also begins from 2PM UTC on July 7, 48 hours before the full release, so make sure you get it installed early if you want to hop in right away – Steam's requirements say you'll need about 65GB of free space!

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced release time for PS5 and Xbox Series X

As for consoles, Black Flag Resynced has a much simpler release schedule as it launches at midnight local time on July 9 in your region.

Like on PC, you can preload the game on PS5 and Xbox Series X, but pre-installing will become available at different times:

• PS5: Preload from midnight on July 7 in your region (48 hours before launch)
• Xbox Series X: Available to preload now

A regional midnight release schedule for consoles also means the classic New Zealand trick can be used to potentially play the Black Flag remake several hours early, depending where in the world you are – just bear in mind that it's much easier to execute on Xbox compared to PS5!

Xbox Series X players can alter their console's region to New Zealand within the 'Language & location' menu (this is within the 'System' tab of Settings). Assuming you've also pre-ordered and pre-installed the game, you'll be able to start playing as soon as it reaches midnight on July 9 in New Zealand (that's 12PM UTC on July 8) with this trick.

However, for PS5 users, the only way to benefit from this trick is by purchasing the game through a New Zealand-based account, letting you access the New Zealand version of the PlayStation Store.

While you wait for launch, make sure you brush up on all the changes in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced so that you know what's new and different compared to the original.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Over the weekend, I saw multiple outlets stating that the official Sony Disc Drive product page on PS Direct had added "due to high demand, there is a limit of 1 per order" to its small-print in response to Sony's announcement that it was ceasing the production of physical games starting January 2028.

A quick search of the Way Back Machine shows the text was actually added as far back as January 18, 2026, well before Sony's July 1, 2026 announcement. However, if you were worried about getting your hands on the $79 (PS Direct), now is probably the best time as re-sellers are already starting to list them on second-hand sites like eBay for above their MSRP in the US and UK.

I never like to advocate someone invest in a PS5 accessory purely just in case stock starts to disappear, but I can't pretend I don't have fears that re-sellers are going to take full advantage of Sony's recent announcement in the near future. A quick glimpse at ebay.com already shows listings for sealed boxed copies of the PS5 accessory starting from $109 (eBay),which is $30 more than its $79 MSRP in the US, and current price on the official PS Direct online store.

In the UK, I've spotted some listed starting from £100 (eBay), despite the fact that stock on this side of the pond is also plentiful. As is stands, both the US PS Direct and UK PS Direct online stores still have listings for the official Disc Drive for its $79 / 69.99, so you don't have to give in to those inflated prices.

However, do remember that if you pick one up you won't be able to play any brand-new physical releases after January 2028 as there simply won't be any. While the "due to high demand, there is a limit of 1 per order" text was not new, the bolded text stating that "From Jan. 2028, newly released games on PlayStation will be available for purchase on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital format only" included on the Disc Drive product page most definitely is.

It's why, I don't in all conscious recommend investing in the $80 PS5 add-on if you're intention is purely to have access to all latest PS5 games going forward, as you won't once physical discs cease production.

However, if you want to take advantage of all the cheap PS5 game deals while you still can, go right ahead. The PS5 Disc Drive is compatible with both the digital PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro, and you have six-years worth of physical releases to pick up and play in the meantime. Not to mention, there's still over a year of physical PS5 releases to go until Sony calls it quits, and having a disc drive will allow you to play 4K Blu-rays and DVD discs, which would be otherwise impossible on a digital-only console.

• View all PS5 accessory deals at Amazon

Check out our guides to the best PS5 controllers and the best SSDs for PS5 if you still want to make the most out of yourSony console.

Between the controversy that Rockstar Games has sparked with GTA 6 only featuring digital download codes in "physical" copies and Sony's decision to end physical disc production for PlayStation consoles in 2028, both developers and gamers have had… thoughts.

That's putting it lightly. On the one hand, we've got game preservation experts arguing that this will all lead to more piracy. On the other hand, there are countless devs sharing their thoughts on the move away from physical media, like former Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra, who says "we can't live in a world of fear if our games will work in the future or not."

It all ties into the Stop Killing Games chatter as well – but there's also a financial aspect to consider.

Marek Tyminski, CEO behind Lords of the Fallen publisher CI Games, explores this thought in a new online thread over on Twitter, explaining why he feels Rockstar's choice to ship GTA 6 without an actual disc (and Sony's decision to axe discs altogether) is "unfair" to other developers.

"GTA 6 shipping with no disc feels unfair to studios still backing physical – and it's accelerating the shift," begins the studio lead.

"Sony ending physical support from 2028 could slash disc releases as early as 2027 or even sooner. Physical delivers far less revenue per unit to developers, longer lead times, and unnecessary costs in a demanding industry where many already lose money. We're still planning to release Lords of the Fallen 2 on disc, but business-wise, it's getting harder to justify when physical is way under 20% of sales, and considering recent events."

Although it's reassuring to hear that the Lords of the Fallen sequel will include a physical release with a disc, it's understandable that this comes at a cost.

Tyminski breaks it down a bit, too, detailing how it cuts into companies' earnings. "At $69.99, retail margin takes 25-35%, distributors another 10-20%, and physical production ~$10," he says. "That leaves studios with just over $26 per unit – compared to ~$49 on digital at highest margin."

He adds: "It only gets worse as prices drop. Large publishers sit on the better side of the equation, but even they make significantly more per digital sale. From a pure ROI standpoint, the choice is obvious."

It's concerning, to say the least, and it'll have an effect on retailers as well, as the CI Games head points out, worrying that "their incentive will be way different when they won't be able to offer software."

It's a difficult future to imagine, but I suppose shops like GameStop have already sort of been moving in that direction, selling tabletop card games, merchandise, etc.

Plus, even though folks in Tyminski's comments argue that opting to release physical discs is good for "PR," it's not that simple. As he states himself, "It looks like it won't be a meaningful option from 2028." Sadly, I'm inclined to agree there.

Between studios like Rockstar already opting to cut discs and bigger companies such as Sony planning to make them entirely obsolete, the future of physical media isn't looking so great. It's not just games, either – Blockbuster's been dead for quite some time now.

Rockstar Games reportedly has no plans to print GTA 6 discs at launch or in the months after

Former Tekken series lead Katsuhiro Harada says FromSoftware boss and Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki is a "unique" developer with a "'mad scientist' side," thanks to his "deeply serious, obsessive approach to creativity." However, when it comes to Dark Souls, it's not the notorious difficulty that makes Miyazaki's creation stand out – it's the world.

Harada and Miyazaki are both legendary games industry veterans in their own right, but asked about the Dark Souls mastermind on Twitter, the ex-Bandai Namco dev has plenty of thoughts to share.

"Miyazaki is a rather unique, yet extremely serious game developer," Harada begins, noting that the FromSoftware lead "didn't become a game developer until he was almost thirty years old," meaning he wasn't even in the industry for "the dawn of the polygon era" – making his impact on the scene "remarkable." It's that latter part that makes Miyazaki's career path "exceptionally unusual," Harada adds.

As for Dark Souls, it's not the difficulty of the game that stands out to him – in fact, Harada actually hits us with a 'skill issue' midway through his essay, as he notes his belief that "Dark Souls has fairly simple action mechanics, and I don't actually consider it to be an especially difficult game." Damn, OK. Rather, Harada says, "Miyazaki's true creativity shines through in the world he created."

To be fair, I'm sure Harada's not the only one who thinks this. The Dark Souls games aren't just notoriously difficult; they're also famously complex when it comes to their world-building and storytelling. As Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead Guillaume Broche discussed recently, the majority of Souls players will "finish the game the first time and haven't understood a thing." However, look a little closer under the surface, and you can uncover deep, fascinating lore and cleverly built locations full of details.

It's no doubt partly thanks to this that the series has cemented itself as such a firm favorite amongst fans, especially over time. Speaking from his experience "overseeing both production and marketing" of the Dark Souls games and Elden Ring, Harada says: "Dark Souls didn't suddenly become a massive success overnight. It was the result of everything Miyazaki and his team had built up through their previous titles."

In fact, there were times when "his team were struggling," which Harada looks back to now that Miyazaki "receives offers from all over the world," making him feel like some folks have had "complete reversals in attitude" to FromSoftware's work since it's become so successful.

Reminiscing about Miyazaki's approach to game development, Harada also looks back to the creation of the VR game Summer Lesson (which was released in 2016, and sees you take on the role of a tutor for a high school student), when the Dark Souls lead tried an early build of the game.

"While everyone else was laughing, chatting, and having fun with it, Miyazaki alone played it with incredible seriousness," Harada recalls. "Then, after everyone had finished and started discussing their impressions, he remained completely silent, staring intently at the preview monitor, deep in thought.

"Everyone became curious and finally asked him, 'Miyazaki, what are you thinking about?' He suddenly smiled and said, 'Oh… I got completely absorbed in thinking about what I would do if I were making this, and what kind of game I'd create,'" he continues. "What he talked about after that was, in the best possible sense, completely insane. It was one of those rare moments when I caught a glimpse of what I'd call his 'mad scientist' side – his deeply serious, obsessive approach to creativity."

The former Tekken boss wraps up by discussing why Miyazaki tends to avoid appearing in live streams and video interviews, and it might not be the reason you'd expect. As well as disliking seeing "himself moving around on video," which any camera-shy person can understand, Miyazaki apparently thinks there are "many people in this industry who know games far better than he does," which makes him believe "his own understanding is still shallow," so "he's not yet in a position to be the one talking about games."

This is, of course, a wildly modest thing for the creator of Dark Souls to think, which Harada acknowledges. "I mean… it's common for well-known developers to say, 'I still have a long way to go.' But whenever someone like him says that, my reaction is always, 'Come on… if you say you're still not there yet, then the rest of us won't feel qualified to talk about games at all.' (laugh)"

In the same enormous post, Harada also speaks about Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai, who he clearly also has immense respect for. In what might be the best form of compliment, he compares him to a Dragon Ball Saiyan "who genuinely believes he's just another ordinary human" – and apparently sometimes says things that make him sound "exactly like Goku."

Hideo Kojima and Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki's games have something other AAA titles don't, former PlayStation boss says: "You can tell it's their visions."

There are a few moments strewn across Final Fantasy 7 that seem expressly made to engineer a lump in your throat. So far, the remake trilogy has delivered several of its own, and one of the main voice actors believes that the third part will be the most emotional of the lot.

At KawaCon, Cody Christian, the voice of Cloud Strife for the Final Fantasy 7 redux, gives a little hint of what's to come in the climactic finale of the blockbuster RPG. "There's so much emotionality, there's so much vulnerability," he tells Ally B.

"There are moments in this that if you haven't cried in the first two yet, I guarantee you'll be sobbing in this third one," he adds. That's a rather large claim to make, but then, I'm not expecting much less.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will cap off almost a decade's worth of storytelling, after Square Enix took the original JRPG and expanded it in just about every way imaginable. There have been many narrative alterations too, making what happens difficult to predict, leaving those of us who know the source material well vulnerable to having our heartstrings played just like anyone else.

Christian finishes by saying, "It's a payoff," and it truly will be. Development on this project has been going on for well over a decade by now, and it'll be a seven-year journey once Revelation lands on shelves. Even just having Cloud and Sephiroth face off for the last time is going to feel like the end of an era.

For me, at least, the most bittersweet part will be the epilogue. Nanaki and his cubs looking at an overgrown Midgar hundreds of years later is just such a poetic climax. All things fade, and all things heal, given enough time and energy. It's beautiful. Is it 2027, yet?

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation DLC includes "Story Expansion Pass," according to Epic Games Store database listings

Metal Gear and Death Stranding mastermind Hideo Kojima is "really sad" about Sony's decision to stop producing physical copies of new PlayStation games in 2028, calling the idea of not being able to access the media we want in the future "frightening."

I'm not sure I can think of a single person who's happy about PlayStation's move to soon kill off its new physical games – it's devastating news for collectors, worrying for game preservationists, and raises concerns about all sorts of things from ownership to the second-hand game market, sharing with friends, and more. Kojima is understandably also upset, as he reveals in comments at the Il Cinema in Piazza film festival (translated by @Genki_JPN on Twitter).

"Since production is ending in 2028, this is about video games, but I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad," he begins. "Currently, I've been buying up a lot of Blu-rays, such as various movies, and CDs too.

"The situation is different for games, as they are downloaded to the hard drive, that means the game data remains on your own hardware. However, if things shift to streaming in the future, that won't be the case anymore."

He looks to streaming services like Netflix as he notes that "there is a server somewhere, and you essentially just have the right to turn the tap, and when you do, the data flows out." However, he continues, because you don't download the data of those movies and shows, but rather gain access to them via your subscription, "the consequence of that is that you don't actually possess the data yourself."

And there lies a bigger problem – while the "companies that own these servers" will "let you 'turn the tap' for a monthly fee," things might not stay the same forever. "With nations, politics and various ways of thinking, one naturally has to consider the possibility that if there is a change, the data inside will stop being distributed," Kojima says. "And if that happens you won't be able to watch or play the movies and games you like. That is what is frightening."

As a huge fan of movies, Kojima clearly has concerns that this same issue approaching PlayStation could end up impacting the film industry, too. "So, what is happening to video games in 2028, might also happen to movies," he adds. "I'd like everyone to keep that in mind."

Kojima is far from the only developer worried about the death of physical media – last week's news saw many devs and publishers speak out against Sony's decision, with Larian Studios publishing director Michael Douse calling the situation "heartbreaking." Sony apparently already has another use for its disc factory in the form of microlenses, and has reportedly recently invested €30 million into the technology for manufacturing them. Needless to say, it doesn't seem likely that the company could backtrack on the idea, despite the mass backlash.

PlayStation's disc-less future could "heavily influence" Xbox and Nintendo's approach to physical games, former Sony boss says, calling the decision "dramatic."

Mere days after celebrating 40 million sales overall, CD Projekt Red reveals the RPG has hit its highest Steam player peak in three years.

That's right – CD Projekt Red just can't seem to stop winning. The neon light-laden gem has officially hit over 1,000 players on Steam (101,558, to be exact, as per SteamDB), which just so happens to be the highest number CD Projekt Red has seen for its game since 2023.

It isn't quite toppling the 274,526 player peak it saw then… but it's nonetheless an impressive figure, and the studio can't help but celebrate the milestone.

Lead quest designer and Cyberpunk 2 associate game director Paweł Sasko is thrilled, for one – and he's thanking the recent first look at Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 and collab event with Wuthering Waves for the influx of new fans.

"Tons of new chooms seem to be discovering Cyberpunk 2077, thanks to Edgerunners and our collab with Wuwa," he writes. "Have fun, my dears, hope it’s going to keep you hooked, entertained, and inspired."

Global PR director Radek Grabowski notes the influx himself in a separate post, saying, "Today's peak player count on Steam surpassed 100k – the highest it's been since 2023. This is crazy! Thank you all for playing Cyberpunk 2077!"

He includes a screenshot of the Steam charts, highlighting this month's new peak. Joint CD Projekt Red CEO Michał Nowakowski then chimes in with a reply, dubbing it a "crazy player peak today."

He concludes: "So happy to see you all. Come and check out Night City. It's a really nice and cozy place to visit!" And, you know what? I'm inclined to agree, even if it's obviously a joke.

With the hundreds of hours you can sink into Cyberpunk 2077, it does oddly become cozy in a way – the same way The Witcher 3 does, I suppose. CD Projekt Red's fantasy RPG isn't struggling with some 30,000 players over a decade on, either.

Here's hoping Cyberpunk 2 – and other upcoming CD Projekt Red games, such as The Witcher 4 – impress as much as the studio's current RPGs clearly have.

Cyberpunk 2077 lead proves the RPG's "biggest scene" is so much more complex than The Witcher 3's that you can barely compare them

Koei Tecmo recently pulled the curtain back on Attack on Titan 3, the company's upcoming action game, with almost an hour of new footage, and boy oh boy, this looks like one of the most ambitious anime tie-in games in years.

Despite its name, Attack on Titan 3 isn't exactly a continuation of the previous two games in the series. It instead retells and makes playable the entire epic anime, from the first season's humble beginnings with our characters in training to the final season's all-out war.

Publisher Koei Tecmo this week released a new trailer and almost an hour of gameplay, showing off some of the things you'd expect (grappling action and titan takedowns) to things you might not (character customization, equipment upgrades, seemingly wide open environments).

Pulling rubble down on a naked titan's head before grappling around its ankles like it's an AT-AT obviously looks like a fun time, but glimpses at Attack on Titan 3's progression is what gets me really excited. Rather than simply recreating the anime's most memorable moments, as tie-in games often do, Attack on Titan 3 seems like it's really trying to fulfil the fantasy of being a Survey Corps grunt who's eventually promoted to a squad leader. People you save out in the field can then be recruited into your squad, adding an exciting layer of management to what could've been an otherwise straight forward staby-stabby game.

"Engage in pulse-pounding battles against the Nine Titans—making their first appearance in the game series—and immerse yourself in brand-new story arcs," the game's Steam page reveals. "Iconic moments from previous titles have been completely reimagined to deliver a fresh experience, with the narrative carried all the way through to its dramatic climax."

Attack on Titan 3 launches sometime this winter on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Here's how to watch the Attack on Titan anime in order and the very best anime games to tide you over until then.

Halo: Combat Evolved birthed the long-running and widely loved series Red vs. Blue, an animated show filmed inside of the classic sci-fi shooter that ran for decades. Now, in a sweet full circle moment, the remade Halo: Campaign Evolved is paying tribute to the series with a brand-new Machinima mode.

Halo Studios announced as much in a new blog post answering the community's most-burning, non-spoilerific questions ahead of the remake's release date later this month. Is Campaign Evolved playable on handhelds? Yep. Friendly fire during co-op? If you want. And is there a physical disc release? Yes, despite last week's PlayStation controversy.

Asked about a possible Machinima mode, the answer was another yes. "Halo: Campaign Evolved will have a Machinima mode," community manager John Junyszek writes. "With Machinima mode, you will be able to pop out a freecam, lower your weapons, and even control your Spartan while in freecam mode."

"Machinima mode is available to all players just by using input combos, and does not need to be unlocked by finding a Skull. If you're looking to create great content, you can leverage Machinima mode, in combination with the Acrophobia & Blind Skulls, and even various personal settings such as disabling your HUD UI, to capture unique videos and screenshots."

For those out of the loop, Rooster Teeth first struck gold in the early 2000s with its webseries Red vs. Blue, and is widely credited with popularising Machinima filmmaking, which mostly consists of editing in-game or in-engine footage to create narrative content. People had made Machinima content prior to the first Halo game, but Red vs. Blue is really the first of its kind to blow up to that extent.

At the time, Halo's Forge and Theatre modes were used to record and plan content. Halo: Campaign Evolved has neither series-staple this time around, but it's nice to see the new Machinima mode filling in for now.

Halo: Campaign Evolved is a faithful remake tasked with relaunching a legendary franchise for a new generation of players

Guillaume Broche, the lead developer behind last year's hugely acclaimed RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, reckons we'll one day be able to prompt an entire game into existence, but that's a theoretical future that's scary for him and many other developers.

Asked about generative AI in the games space during a chat in Konbini's Video Game Club show, Broche clarified that his studio, Sandfall Interactive, isn't using the tech for any "creative" work. When it comes to administrative duties and coding, Broche says "it depends," but generating anything else feels "like it takes away from the joy of creating things."

Sandfall Interactive found itself in hot water last year when AI-generated textures were found in the final game. The developer swiftly removed the assets in question and explained they were placeholders not intended for release, though the mishap did lead to at least two of its GOTY awards being revoked. It sounds like the studio's next game won't be toying around with the tech in the same way.

"I think everyone's a little scared, though - of the road ahead, of how things might turn out," Broche continues. "With video games, we're still somewhat protected because, technically speaking, it's a different ball game. But I think the day will come when we'll be able to churn out a game in five seconds with a prompt. Will it be a good game? I hope not. But I think everyone's asking themselves the same question - and admitting it's a little scary."

At least, after the huge success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Broche and his team don't feel much pressure. "That's why I'm also glad… because we're a studio that's secure. So even if we're not doing things in the best way possible, we don't care."

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is "sort of the successor" to Final Fantasy creator's overlooked JRPG Lost Odyssey, lead says: "Truly one of the most powerful, emotional experiences of my life"

Looking for something excellent to read this weekend? We published over 400 articles on GamesRadar+ this week, but here's my pick of the six stories that you absolutely need to read.

1. Final Fantasy 14 is leaning the right lessons from Dawntrail as it enters the Evercold era

Final Fantasy 14 may be one of the longest-running MMOs still in active service, but that doesn't mean there isn't still room for improvement. Square Enix is honest about the challenges it faces as it prepares to deploy the new Evercold expansion next year, with assistant director Tsuyoshi Yokozawa explaining that there's "much to learn from missteps" made with the eight-player raid series in Dawntrail. This exclusive interview outlines how the Evercold team is drawing on past experience to outline a "firm guideline for our future battle content development."

2. Milestone Reached: Cyberpunk 2077 hits a sales record as CDPR clears up its brand heritage

CD Projekt RED is hard at work on The Witcher 4, a new IP, and a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, but that doesn't mean the studio doesn't have time to take a little victory lap. It was confirmed this week that over 40 million players have visited Night City, quite the turnaround given how hostile the RPG was to tourists during the 2020 launch window. CDPR took this opportunity to also clear up some confusion between CD Projekt and CD Projekt RED, opting to combine the two entities under one banner.

3. PlayStation readies for a digital-only future, on the same day it closes down two online storefronts

The video game industry has been gradually shifting towards a digital-only future for some time now. Rockstar Games opting to ship a code in a box for GTA 6's physical edition felt like a sign of the changing times, and now Sony has confirmed it: "Physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028." The news arrived on the same day that Sony confirmed that the PlayStation Store on PS3 and Vita will shut down, highlighting the perils of a digital-only future.

4. Fantasy meets reality: Why turmoil at Xbox is impacting IO Interactive and Project Fantasy

IO Interactive has been on a victory lap in recent weeks, celebrating the release of 007: First Light and a smattering of new Hitman and World of Assassination content. Speaking with me back in June, CEO Hakan Abrak said that Project Fantasy – a new online fantasy RPG – would be revealed "soon", although IOI has since found itself caught in the crosshairs of a Microsoft restructure. Xbox was due to fund the game but, with that support now pulled, the future of Project Fantasy is mired in uncertainty. Get caught up on the situation here.

5. The team responsible for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has no plans to play it safe

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is undoubtedly one of the biggest success stories of the current generation, with the turn-based RPG surpassing all expectations when it launched early last year. Does that mean that developer Sandfall Interactive is going to play it safe with its next game? Absolutely not. In fact, game director Guillaume Broche says he "doesn't really care" if players like whatever comes next as much as they did Expedition 33. It's a candid conversation, one which highlights the creative struggle that Sandfall will undoubtedly face as it works to build on such solid foundations.

Update: Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has clarified that these administrative changes “happened a few months ago and went into effect today.” Jerk Gustafsson has seemingly been managing both MachineGames and Arkane since last summer. “I do not know what Arkane’s future looks like - we’ll find out Monday,” Schreier writes.
Original Story: Major behind-the-scenes shake-ups are underway at several Xbox subsidiaries, but one acclaimed Xbox studio has seemingly gotten a new leader from another acclaimed Xbox studio.

Arkane Lyon (of Dishonored, Deathloop, and Marvel's Blade fame) now seems to be under the leadership of Jerk Gustafsson, the former co-founder and studio head of MachineGames.

As spotted by Timur222 and Windows Central, MachineGames' ex-studio director appears to have been promoted to the head of Arkane Studios, replacing outgoing company president Leonard Bendel. A legal notice about the leadership shift was posted to French enterprise site Pappers only a few days ago - June 30, to be exact.

Of course, MachineGames is the beloved developer behind the modern Wolfenstein reboots and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The studio's next game is a mystery for now, though higher ups have teased that an ending to its Wolfenstein trilogy would come at some point eventually.

On the other hand, Arkane has been hammering away at Marvel's Blade, the superhero game we haven't seen much of since its brief 2023 reveal trailer.

The Verge recently reported the game was at risk of cancelation and Arkane was at risk of outright shutting down amid Xbox's corporate "reset" of the business. A sudden change in leadership is perhaps a sign of life for the company - why restructure a team that's not going to be around in a few days, after all? Xbox's plans are said to go public next week, so we'll see how it all shakes out. Multiple Xbox-owned studios are reportedly negotiating to avoid closure, however.

After Wolfenstein, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle felt "very natural" to MachineGames since it involved even more punching Nazis

A Nintendo Switch 2 port of Final Fantasy 15 isn't totally off the table, according to publisher Square Enix. Squeezing the massive, open-world, boys-on-the-road game onto the handheld console might be tricky, sure, but it's not impossible.

Square Enix has been one of the most active publishers since the Switch 2's launch last summer, with everything from its Dragon Quest remakes to The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales hitting the console. More notably, the company's also ported a number of Final Fantasy games onto the system between Final Fantasy 7 Remake, a native version of Final Fantasy 10/10-2, and the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Revelation.

In a recent shareholder's meeting, questions naturally came up about other Final Fantasies potentially getting on-the-go Switch 2 versions as well. If a game as ambitious and scarily big as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth can fit, why not others?

Asked specifically about a Final Fantasy 15 port, Square Enix says "while there are certain hardware constraints when it comes to faithfully replicating the exact experience of Final Fantasy 15, we can say that it is not entirely impossible."

As for whether the company will actually take the time to make a Final Fantasy 15 Switch 2 version, "we will pass along your input to the development team as a valuable perspective on marketing and future platform options," Square Enix slyly leaves. Alright, then, keep your secrets.

Final Fantasy 15 first came out in 2016 (20 years ago!) and quickly became one of the best-selling games in the entire series, even if it was clear the endearing RPG needed a little more time in the oven. Square Enix has since beefed the game up with various DLC packs and a Royal Edition that added new content, features, and tech improvements to the already handsome world.

More traditional Final Fantasy remakes could happen, as Square Enix says it'll follow what "truly resonates" with fans, even if that's not open-world action

Crimson Desert's one trillionth update is rolling out now and comes with 39 pieces of new gear, plenty of fixes, and a must-have feature for any action game - the ability to snuggle in bed with your pets.

Developer Pearl Abyss released Crimson Desert's 1.13.00 patch earlier today, and the headlining new feature is that Oongka and Damiane can now enter the Abyss as well. "Accordingly, the locations of Memory Fragments for certain rematchable bosses have been changed," the developer writes in its latest page of patch notes.

That's all well and good, but it pales in comparison to a game-changing new addition that should really be an industry standard across all games: "Summoned pets will now rest together with the character when resting in bed." Your fluffy friends will simply teleport next to you whenever you climb onto a bed and curl up into a ball.

Kliff and Oongka now also have 39 new pieces of equipment, including boss gear and complete sets. Damiane just gets 8 pieces of gear. Poor Damiane.

The rest of Crimson Desert's new patch is absolutely packed with smaller but still nice changes, including loads of bug fixes and slight tweaks here and there. "Changed certain disguise outfits that could not be dyed so that they can now be dyed," is one example from the patch notes. "Improved gathering so that up to 3 fireflies can be obtained when gathering from a firefly colony," is another.

Compared to similar single-player open-world games, Crimson Desert's enjoyed a frankly bonkers cadence of near-constant updates. Everything from Pinball to boss rematches have been added in the months since launch, and that's only beginning to tell the full tale. Marketing director Will Powers recently said the updates aren't Pearl Abyss' attempt to sell more copies, however.

Crimson Desert DLC "will be substantively different" to the main game, Pearl Abyss PR lead teases

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creative director Guillaume Broche thinks that "games that try to be perfect" often end up "really boring" – and despite his RPG winning countless awards last year, he thinks it includes plenty of "imperfections" that add to its charm.

Speaking in a new episode of Konbini's Video Game Club on YouTube (below), Broche talks about loads of his favorite games and influences, including the Devil May Cry series.

He thinks that the series' first game is "a bit of a mess" when you look at Dante's love interest, Trish (who looks like his own mother), and the "cheesy lines" the protagonist is always saying, but Broche reckons "these games are really endearing" because they're not perfect.

"You see their flaws, and you think to yourself, 'Yeah, it's lame, but I don't care,'" he says, adding: "Games that try to be perfect, that try to fix all their flaws – they're usually just really boring. My theory is that it's just like people. People who try to be perfect are boring because they have no personality. Whereas people who embrace their slightly weird side – in the end – are the interesting ones."

But what about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? It might be a GOTY winner, but when asked about its quirks, Broche has plenty of examples, including its "unbearable" minigames, the fact that "you could get absurdly strong in Act 3," and that some players could "breeze through the whole thing in one go and won't see all the content."

But to that, the devs simply thought: "'Who cares? It's just funny. That's what we love about it.'" And, as Broche says, "the imperfections are part of the charm."

I definitely think Broche has a point – I spent more time in the Only Up-esque Gestral Games climbing minigame than I'd like to admit, and it was agonizing, but looking back on my 70 hours in the RPG, making my way to the top of that ridiculous tower stands out as one of the highlights of the whole experience.

Personality is important, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has plenty of it.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead doesn't "care" if his next game isn't as popular as Sandfall's GOTY RPG, because "we're just going to do what we love again."

As soon as I saw Final Fantasy Resonance sporting a 2.5D pixel art aesthetic, it instantly shot up in my most-anticipated list for this year. The new spin-off, a sort-of remake of a mobile game, is delivering on the retro-inspired ideals I've been hoping to see from the franchise for some time, and it appears the response to this may decide how quickly we see more of them.

During a question-and-answer section of a recent shareholders meeting, Square Enix responds to an inquiry over the scale of its remakes and remasters. Essentially, could we expect more smaller projects like Resonance, with games that update an older title's visuals but retain traditional combat systems, unlike the huge open-world, action-driven Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy? The answer isn't fully committal in either direction.

"As part of our market-in approach, we engage in trial and error to establish what is best for contemporary customers based on current market needs and trends," the company says, per a transcript. "In doing so, it is extremely important to us that we strike the right balance between our approach and the expectations of players who loved the original works."

This all makes sense – the higher-ups are watching what sells, and what kind of feedback any given release garners. "While specific titles may call for specific mechanics, we will continue our development efforts by assessing what truly resonates within the current market environment for both original titles and new remakes," the answer finishes.

If something is popular, they'll make more of it, seems to be the gist here. Resonance isn't the only game to test the market here, we also had Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles last year, which maintained the isometric visuals of the original.

Square Enix has already embraced the beauty of 2.5D with Dragon Quest, where we've seen several of the early entries be remade in this style. They are gorgeous looking, and seem to have successfully allowed the property to find multiple generations of new fans.

The same could be true for the early Final Fantasy games, while the 17th mainline game and whatever other remakes forge forward in terms of triple-A development. Wouldn't that be nice? I know I'll be picking up Resonance to do my part. Will you?

Square Enix doesn't promise to keep games playable forever, but it will "continue to create pathways" for fans to enjoy them "even after service has ended."

As beloved as the MMO is itself, the Final Fantasy 14 community is certainly no stranger to controversy… especially when it comes to in-game stalking, sadly.

If you've been playing the Square Enix gem for a while, you'll probably recall some of the conversations surrounding stalking over the years. From issues with the built-in blacklist system and complaints about it not being protective enough of users to contention stemming from some, erm, questionable mods that enable harassment, it's not as though there's exactly a shortage of discussion about it – and this continues to be the case.

Most recently, a plug-in (yes, the ever-eternal third-party tool controversy and what have you) known as "Memoria" has taken the limelight as the latest Final Fantasy 14 mod to essentially allow for… well, in-game stalking.

In case you haven't seen ads – or, more likely, posts about the add-on – Memoria's creator described it as a "free" plug-in that "tracks every player you encounter automatically and builds a history over time" on GitHub.

As for what it "remembers," they said, "Memoria captures what the game already exposes to nearby players, then adds public Lodestone data on top." So, think everything from a player's name and world history to their appearance changes and progression.

It's not hard to see why this wouldn't be welcomed by most Warriors of Light, as it tracks everything and lets others see it. Should you want to get away from someone, it becomes virtually impossible.

Players immediately took note of Memoria and shared it on forums like Reddit, calling for the takedown of the mod and attention from Square Enix.

A new stalking plugin emerges, post everywhere to get the devs attention. from r/ffxiv

As one user's post reads, "Plug-in developers will continue to push the line further and further with the development team's lack of action against them. Cheating, botting, harassment, and stalking continue to be amplified with the continued advancement of plug-in development."

The conversations over on Twitter showcased similar worries, with one fan asking, "Why is no one talking about the new stalking plug-in? That thing shows your frequent areas, your character models, and they have now just disabled the fact that they can see your alts?"

They clarify that, as per Memoria's creator, people would have to contact them via Discord to remove their data – not that the modder was very receptive to those requests, either, it's alleged.

Well, thankfully, Memoria is no longer up for download (although it was available for a good few months, seeing as it first went live in April) – but its creator's farewell message isn't any less controversial than the plug-in itself.

"Memoria set out to remember the people you crossed paths with in Eorzea: every sprout you helped, every static that drifted apart, every stranger you could swear you had partied with before," it begins.

"The service is now closed, and all collected player data has been permanently deleted," the takedown notice continues, assuring fans their data isn't up anymore. "To everyone who installed it, tested it, and helped make it better: thank you. You made a solo project feel like a team."

Admittedly, it leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, too – as much as I'd like to think the mod came about with good intentions, the implications are hard to ignore here, regardless of what its creator had in mind.

As the player sharing the post from Memoria's creator puts it, the add-on "infringed on people's privacy and could've caused a lot of potential harm with its location tracker."

It's a tale as old as time with Final Fantasy 14 at this point, sadly, and I'm sure it'll continue to be so long as plug-ins exist. It'd be nice for Square Enix to crack down on problematic mods like Memoria more hastily in the future.

With new Final Fantasy 14 expansion Evercold also approaching, the topic of stalking and blacklist functions is sure to come up again – here's hoping the devs are prepared.

Final Fantasy 14 devs pulled off the best relaunch "in the history of video games," Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says.

These games to play before Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced are a great way to get ready for the remake of Ubisoft's swashbuckling stealthy adventure.

Whether you're looking to get in the spirit of Edward Kenway by diving right into pirate life, or you're wanting to polish off your hidden blades in some of the best Assassin's Creed games that either have direct ties or similar features to Black Flag, I've brought together a handy list of games I'd recommend playing before Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced.

Of course, the new game is arriving on July 9, so you won't have to wait much longer to reunite with Kenway, or meet him for the first time. But if you're planning to hold off on playing the upcoming Assassin's Creed game straight away, the selection I've brought together below can offer up some great alternatives. And even if you are getting the remake on day one, you can also come back to this list if you're in the mood for something similar after you've wrapped up your time in the Caribbean. So, if you're ready to get on board and hoist your pirate flags, read on as I take you through some games to play before Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced.

Games to play before Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced

Windrose

If you want to step into an open world set during the age of piracy before you navigate the Caribbean seas in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, then Windrose is your answer. With a unique setting made up of procedurally generated biomes that brings to life an alternate take on the 18th century, Kraken Express' adventure sees you become a pirate captain who commands your own ship and crew. As you try to survive the dangers of the high seas, the naval combat will surely prepare you for Kenway's seafaring battles.

When you choose to go from ship to shore and explore the biomes you come across, you can also make the most of the building, crafting, and resource-gathering ingredients at play to establish your very own settlements. With some familiar faces of legend making an appearance – including Blackbeard – you can also take on bosses, delve into dungeons and uncover mysteries. There are all kinds of swashbuckling adventures to be had, and while it's playable solo, you can even share the experience with any pals who want to be pirates in online co-op. If you're looking for some tips to get started, check out our guide to the best ships in Windrose.

Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age

You don't need to be at sea to be a pirate. And no, I'm not talking about landlubbers who've never gone beyond the shore. I'm talking about pirates in the sky! Yes, I'm going a little rogue here (which is in the spirit of things anyway) with Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age. If you're after something a little unique that still captures the spirit of pirate life in a decidedly different and more fantastical way, then this is for you.

Set in the world of Ivalice, which is at war, the story follows Vaan, a young orphan who dreams of someday flying freely in the vast skies above. Enter sky pirate Balthier and his airship Strahl. Before you know it, you're navigating the skies with a ragtag group as you set out on a memorable journey to free your homeland. Being a pirate is all about freedom, so the story marries perfectly, and who wouldn't want to be a sky pirate? Airships are just undeniably cool, after all.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Now, if you're after a single-player pirate experience with a modern-day spin, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a very over-the-top adventure that brings RGG Studio's action to the Pacific Ocean. Playing as Yakuza series mainstay Goro Majima, you find yourself washed up on a remote island with no memories. And when you can't even remember your own name, what else is there to do but reinvent yourself as a pirate? As you commandeer a ship and set sail to try and get your memories back, you'll soon find yourself swept up in a wild, seafaring quest for legendary treasure.

Naturally, you can expect to come to blows against criminals and enemy ships as you explore the open world and its seas. With naval combat, you can also get stuck into some satisfying action that the best Yakuza games are so known for, with Majima boasting his own signature fighting styles that pack a punch. Let's face it: if any Yakuza character was made to become a pirate, it's Majima. I mean, he's already got an eye-patch and a rebellious spirit. For more, you can check out our Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii review.

Sea of Thieves: 2026 Edition

If you want to channel Edward Kenway and become a pirate legend of your own making, then you can't go wrong with Sea of Thieves. With the revised edition that was released in 2026 bringing together all of the permanent additions added to the base game throughout its many seasons since first launching, Rare lets you live out a pirate fantasy that's yours to shape in the shared open world. From exploring islands to delving underwater, you can take on quests, search for treasure, and work to build up your own reputation at sea. And if you're after a challenge, you can even try to take on big oceanic foes like the Kraken, or Megalodons.

Heck, you can even bury the treasure you plunder and create a map to it just like a true pirate. With lots of goals to work towards, side objectives to complete, and the option to create your own private sandbox with the recent Custom Seas feature that gives you the freedom to set your own rules and create the kind of pirate experience you want, Sea of Thieves is also still bringing in fresh features and in-game events. It's definitely a lot of fun sailing with friends, but you can try it solo, too.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Sure, Assassin's Creed Odyssey is quite a change in direction from the pirate-filled antics of Black Flag, but the adventure set in ancient Greece not only boasts a big open world, it also features its fair share of naval combat and seafaring exploration. Yes, if the vast open waters and ship-commanding side of things really puts the wind in your sails, Odyssey will absolutely get you in the mood for Black Flag in that respect.

Resynced is set to be even more action-orientated than the latest mainline entry, Assassin's Creed Shadows, too, with "hit-box based modern combat". Odyssey's real-time system is definitely more action-forward – albeit going more in the direction of an RPG with Spartan moves. But hit boxes also brings to mind the likes of Arno in Assassin's Creed Unity (which I have to give a little honorable mention here). Check out our Assassin's Creed Odyssey review for more.

Assassin's Creed 3 Remastered

Assassin's Creed 3 may not have managed to reach the same kind of heights as the likes of its predecessors, or the games that would follow it, but you can see how the third entry in the stealthy series paved the way for Assassin's Creed Black Flag. Nestled in the Assassin's Creed timeline after the events of Edward Kenway's adventures, Black Flag actually serves as a kind of prequel to Assassin's Creed 3, which takes place during the American Revolution in 1775.

Playing as Connor, a Native American who fights in the name of liberty for his nation, you'll come to meet Haytham Kenway, a member of the Templar Order who's actually the son of Edward. While you don't need to play Connor's adventure to follow Black Flag story-wise, Assassin's Creed 3 does bring to light some interesting ties, and it also introduces naval combat into the series for the first time – which was iterated and vastly expanded on for the sprawling open world of Black Flag.

Our guide on how to play the Assassin's Creed games in order is also here to help if you're looking to tuck into the series either chronologically, or by release date before playing Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced.

The industry is reeling at the moment from Sony's announcement that it'll be ending new physical discs for PlayStation consoles in 2028. Though the pivot appears quite sudden, barring more extraneous market factors, a new report suggests it's been coming for some time, and the main factory involved is already changing direction.

This comes from ORF Salzburg, an Austrian outlet who spoke to the head of Sony's flagship disc-producing plant in Thalgau about the shifting tide in business. Apparently, some 600,000 discs come out of the facility every single day, 50% of which are for PlayStation devices.

It was once part of a small phalanx of factories, with two based in the United States, but one of those was shuttered in 2011 and the other pivoted toward the auto industry. As of 2022, it's been all based in Thalgau, according to Dietmar Tanzer, the president of Sony DADC, and as translated by The Verge, it's since been treated as the centre of Sony's disced operations.

But since from 2028 onwards, those 300,000 pieces of circular plastic won't be going to PlayStation-related systems, the focus will apparently be on making microlenses, a practice that began coming in toward the end of 2024, The Verge notes. These are made using transparent discs, and per the report, Sony's recently allocated €30 million into the technology for manufacturing them, and there's potential to move into auto-motion too. It's claimed that employees are planned to be retrained extensively in the future, with plans to begin mass production of microlenses potentially as soon as next year.

Alas, the choice to discontinue physical games on PlayStation consoles wasn't made in a hurry, and it appears Sony's not about to give up on a start-of-the-art factory like in Thalgau. I'm relieved to see it doesn't appear jobs are being lost on this front, anyway, which was among my fears when hearing about the shift away from allowing us to buy discs in boxes.

This is a small upside thus far, and the industry's been collectively voicing their concerns and disappointments. The future of game preservation and consumer rights in the medium is in danger of regressing further. At least we'll have good microlenses.

Former PlayStation boss warns Sony won't be able to replicate a key factor to the PS2's success "in the current generation" due to hardware costs.

Sony is ending physical disc production for new PlayStation games in 2028, and the widely controversial decision could affect how Xbox and Nintendo approach physical media, according to the company's ex-boss.

Earlier this week, PlayStation made everyone and their unborn children mad by announcing that it plans to discontinue physical production of new games releasing on PS4, PS5, and inevitable PS6 consoles from January 2026. "Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only," the company explained.

Former PlayStation Worldwide Studios head, Shawn Layden, who led the company across its PS4 golden years, recently chimed in on the "dramatic decision" in an interview with Eurogamer.

Speaking on how PlayStation's disc-less future could impact the other two console makers, Layden essentially says it's not good news: "Certainly this is an industry where if one company, particularly the leader of the industry, makes a decision of this magnitude, that's going to heavily influence what the other ones do."

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a fairly new console that supports physical cartridges, despite a few less-than-ideal Game-Key Card releases. The likelihood of the Big N completely ditching physical games any time soon is pretty low, then.

Meanwhile, Xbox has pretty openly discussed its next-gen plans for Project Helix, a console that can also apparently play your PC games. What shape that takes isn't totally clear, but there haven't been any promises of a built-in disc drive at the time of writing.

Ending support for physical releases isn't a new point of debate for the company, Layden says, since was apparently asked about it "every year for the last 20 years." But he was always hesitant to pull the trigger until he was "comfortable enough to believe that worldwide, broadband throughout is good enough to support that download experience, good enough to reach the majority of customers," he tells Eurogamer. While he was in charge, that reality obviously never came to pass, though he acknowledges that he no longer works for PlayStation and, thus, no longer knows what their internal data says about the matter.

Regardless, Sony's decision has been hugely unpopular. Developers and publishers across the industry spoke out against PlayStation's all-digital future, citing concerns around game preservation and consumer rights.

Despite huge declines over the last two decades, one analyst recently revealed that spending on physical games in the US actually increased over the last 12-month period. Around $1.6 billion was spent on physical video games in the US alone – certainly nothing to scoff at, and the small increase in business indicates that it's not a market that's ready to die by itself.

Game preservation expert says stop killing games if you don't want piracy, because companies like PlayStation and Rockstar "refuse to offer a meaningful alternative"

As the wait for Cyberpunk 2 continues, CD Projekt Red continues to celebrate wins with its 2020 RPG – in fact, Cyberpunk 2077 now boasts over 40 million sales.

That's a solid five million more than CD Projekt Red unveiled in November last year, when Cyberpunk 2077 outpaced The Witcher 3 in its five-year success with 35 million copies sold.

For just eight months or so (not to mention the fact that it's been a good six years since the game launched), jumping up to 40 million sales is worthy of celebration – and the developers are doing just that, sharing their excitement online.

CD Projekt Red joint CEO Michał Nowakowski stands as one of the folks celebrating, calling this "another big milestone for Cyberpunk 2077 sales" in a thread on Twitter. "Thank you for your continuous support! Night City welcomes all travelers."

He's not alone, though, with lead quest designer – and Cyberpunk 2 associate game director, might I add – Paweł Sasko chiming in with his own celebratory post on the website.

"Incredibly thankful for your amazing support, my chooms," writes Sasko. "You are the reason we can do all this work, entertain and delight you."

All of this speaks to the grand comeback Cyberpunk 2077 made, honestly. After an initially disastrous release, CD Projekt Red clearly put in the work to ensure the RPG's quality matched that of its other titles, like The Witcher 3… not to mention its incredible Phantom Liberty expansion.

Here's hoping Cyberpunk 2 – and other upcoming CD Projekt Red games, such as The Witcher 4 – impress as much as Cyberpunk 2077 clearly has now.

"Limitation sparks creativity": Cyberpunk 2077 quest lead turned one character's appearance into "part of the story" because CD Projekt Red couldn't afford the alternative.

After seeing GTA 6's price, I think it's time for me to break up with AAA gaming. Or, to be more specific, it's time to say goodbye to new games with legacy IP and cliff-face system requirements.

It's a heartbreaking thing to admit, because despite 2026 already being one of the most expensive years for gamers thanks to the likes of RAMageddon, I was ready to upgrade my PC and even considered buying a PS5 Pro just to get in on GTA 6 shenanigans. However, as soon as GTA 6 preorders revealed a $80 price tag for the base game and $100 for the Ultimate Edition, I saw a picture of a pricey future that my pockets and I can't ignore.

It's no secret that gaming is getting more expensive, but it's also filled with so much choice. From classic games that still run just fine on current-gen consoles to indie games that don't set your machine on fire, I always have to really justify the long-term investment when upgrading my systems. And I fear GTA 6 has set a new, unsustainable premium price tag for legacy studios that, at the end of the day, isn't cost-effective enough to make me seal the deal anymore.

Looking ahead

I'm not against GTA 6's price by itself. Considering its market power and the level of global anticipation it's created, $80 is actually pretty reasonable and could have been a lot higher. GTA is also not the first game to hit the $80 price tag, with Nintendo jumping on that train back in 2025 with Mario Kart World. However, unlike Nintendo, which exists in its own premium, platform-exclusive bubble, GTA 6 (a multi-platform AAA game) has a lot more sway over the future of game releases as a whole.

Whether you are a PC player, Xbox Series X, PS5, or Switch 2 owner, AAA game prices affect us all. A luxury tier in gaming has been formally established, and while some prices have been high for a while, only a handful have passed the $70 mark. I fear we will see more titles from the likes of EA or Sony pushing an $80 base price to follow GTA's example. Paired with rising console and subscription costs and potentially new-gen machines releasing in 2028, will undoubtedly price many gamers out of their hobby.

Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, analyst Neil Barbour points out that "the push to $80 flirts with the same negative feedback loop that engulfed recorded music, cable TV, and film exhibition over the past two decades." He goes on to note that the higher price may result in fewer people buying, which will then "lead to fewer purchases, pushing vendors to offset slower growth with higher prices, which risks further alienating consumers." Higher prices may result in even higher prices. The end result is me looking at my gaming setup, which can run nearly all non-AAA games just fine, and wondering if an upgrade's even worth it?

The golden goose

I hope my bleak vision of the future isn't entirely correct and that other studios recognize that GTA 6 is an outlier that shouldn't be used as a basis for the rest of the industry's costing models. Let's be honest: Call of Duty won't get the same level of pandemonium that GTA 6 has. Rockstar has created a cultural moment in the gaming community, one where the vast majority of us will all be playing the same thing by the end of the year.

People can easily justify the $80 price point for GTA 6. However, asking people to continually justify that price for more and more games is unattainable. I'm very interested to see what 2027 price tags will look like once all the GTA launch buzz dies down and studios can start setting dates on their calendars for their games again. However, right now, my PC and consoles look like they are here to stay, and my bank account is side-eyeing the potential future of the market.

Upgrading my setup will be pricey no matter what if I do, especially if I decide to ignore my gut and do it this year. Of course, I want the best graphics and smoothest gameplay while playing the latest open-world games and best RPGs – who doesn't? But I don't need that if it's going to cost me nearly $100 each time. Especially when there are thousands of games (old and new) that run just fine.

If you want to go back to the classics, check out our list of the best GTA games and the best Rockstar games of all time next.

Fumito Ueda's directed some of the best games of all time – Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian – but even he admits that memorable in-game moments can often sprout out from unintended or even "clunky" ideas.

All three of Ueda's classics are more or less about controlling a little guy in a huge world. Sometimes that scale comes across in the towering architecture of Ico, sometimes it manifests in the absolutely gigantic beasts you'll need to climb and stab in Shadow of the Colossus, and sometimes it's both, as is the case with The Last Guardian.

Getting around isn't always easy or intuitive, but it's part of what makes those experiences feel grounded in reality. Clinging onto a hairy colossi while it tries to shake you off like a bug shouldn't be frictionless, after all, and it's a topic of discussion that came up during a conversation between Ueda and famed game dev Goichi 'Suda51' Suda.

Speaking to Automaton, Suda mentions how one of the sections in Shadow of the Colossus gave him a bit of trouble. "It was the third or fourth enemy, the guy at the top of a slope you have to climb," he says. "There's a part on the way up where you have to make Wander jump sideways, and I was terrible at it. But as time passes, parts like that are exactly what stick with you as memories of an adventure."

Ueda reckons that initial clunkiness is partly what makes some games special. "So even things the creators didn't necessarily intend, including those 'difficult' parts, or elements that are a bit unforgiving or clunky, are what actually end up being memorable," he concludes.

Despite coming to that realization now, Ueda acknowledges that he might not be so forgiving if he was making his PS2 classic nowadays. "If I saw that today, I'd probably think I have to fix it. I'd look at the playtest results and immediately think, 'If players are struggling here, we need to patch it right now.'"

In collaboration with Epic Games, Ueda's next game Gen Atlas is another adventure that plays with size and scale. You play as a wanderer who pilots flying, giant mech heads that can detach from and attach onto different robot bodies. Here's hoping it keeps its predecessors' rough edges.

Battlefield 1942 was the unlikely inspiration behind PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus back when it was a game "where you cooperate to defeat giant monsters."

Turtle Beach has a weird reputation amongst my peers.

Whenever the brand is brought up in conversation, it's often followed up with stories reminiscing about how "Turtle Beach headsets are cheap", but I don't think those people have touched a Turtle Beach headset since they were teenagers. For the sake of not troubling the waters of friendship, I usually just smile and nod whenever I hear those remarks, rather than spew the usual neurodivergent-fueled rhetoric that I've tested plenty of Turtle Beach-branded cups and had a pretty great time with them.

Now I have the Stealth Pro II to bring up as a straightforward example that the brand's quality is almost on par with some of the best gaming headsets on the market today.

Key specs

Design

The Stealth Pro II is one of those headsets that doesn't stand out too much against a sea of similarly looking black pairs, but it doesn't look horrendous either. On close inspection, there are some sleek design choices, like the recessed curves and metal earcups, that give it a more "premium" aesthetic. Ideally, for a pair that's $349.99 / £299.99, those premium vibes are exactly what you want.

The Pro II has the same headband as the brand's Atlas 200, which includes two plastic pieces connected via a swatch of stretched mesh fabric. The fabric underhangs below the headband, and it's this that sits across your noggin' while you're playing your favorite games. The pair's yokes are pretty unique and connect to the earcups via a simple S-shape design, which can then be adjusted by just pulling down and away from the headband.

Talking of the earcups, this pair went the oval route for its earcushions instead of opting for circular ones that you can spot on the older Stealth Pro. These oval-shaped earcushions are made from plush memory foam, which is coated in a breathable black fabric, and are attached to rounded cups, which are cluttered with on-board controls.

The best design element of this pair comes down to that Charging Dock. Rather than including a large Game Hub like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni, Turtle Beach included a small cylindrical pad that looks like someone sliced the bottom off a Pringles tube.

It doesn't include all the bells and whistles that come with SteelSeries' charging gadget (more on that in a bit), but it requires far less desk real estate - a plus if you're like me and have plenty of figures and merch that have a home amongst your PC setup.

Features

The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II wireless gaming headset is decked out with Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio, a 9mm flip-to-mute microphone, ANC, and 60mm Eclipse Dual audio drivers, but the real meat of the pair for me comes down to that Charging Dock. It doesn't just charge spare batteries, but it doubles up as a wireless receiver. While the headset includes a 2.4 wireless dongle within its accompanying hard case, you can simply plug the Charging Dock into your PC to have a low-latency wireless experience.

The accessory also includes a button that pops batteries out for easy access. This was a major draw for me, as I have joint issues in my hands as a result of a chronic illness. Having fiddly controls in tech can be a literally painful experience, but this simple button makes swapping the batteries a breeze. Each battery has an up to 80-hour battery life, so I never needed to do that too often, if I'm honest. Alas, the accessibility remains a huge bonus.

The battery can be swapped for the one sitting by default in the left earcup. If that battery tech sounds awfully familiar to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, that's not just where the similarities end. While SteelSeries provides the ability to hook up to multiple platforms at once via its GameHub device, the Stealth Pro II is equipped with Crossplay 2.0 and can achieve console switching whether or not the consoles in question are in the same room.

It doesn't have an integrated screen that allows you to adjust volume and EQ settings, so it's not as bursting at the seams with integration as the Game Hub. However, with Crossplay 2.0, one device (like your gaming PC) can be hooked up to the Charging Dock receiver, and your PS5 in another room can be attached to the 2.4GHz wireless dongle. From then on, all you need to do is press the Crossplay button on the headset to switch between platforms. Turtle Beach actually boasts that you can wirelessly connect to "up to 4 Audio Sources" at a time, but there's a little bit of a catch.

If you want to be able to switch between up to 4 gaming platforms at a time, you'll need to purchase additional wireless dongles, which cost $34.99 ( Turtle Beach) / £29.99 (Turtle Beach) each. As of writing this review, the Xbox model USB Wireless Transmitter (which would be the one I'd need as I was given the Xbox model to review) is currently out of stock, so you'll have to take availability into account too.

Performance

Testing the Stealth Pro II was a more streamlined experience with the brand's Crossplay 2.0 tech, at least, as I was able to leave the Charging Dock transmitter on my PC desk while having the 2.4GHz dongle plugged into my chonky ol' PS5. So often when I'm testing headsets that are built around multi-platform support, I have to pick up and move around gadgets from room to room, but Turtle Beach made facilitating my detached PC and console setup more straightforward.

To begin with, I donned the pair when playing my PS5 as I was still taking my time with Lego Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight. The brick-built version of Gotham is surprisingly atmospheric, and on its default settings, I was able to hear the stud-laden streets come to life. Dialogue had a slight echo, which was not to my preference, but I was still able to hear Robin's incredible (and not at all cringeworthy) quips crystal clear.

There's not a whole lot of music in the game, which is why I'm glad that Deltarune Chapter 5 happened to drop during my time with the headset. I'm a huge fan of Deltarune, especially when it comes to the game's music. Toby Fox's works are hugely inspirational to me, so I put a lot of onus onto the headset that I use to hear the latest tracks for the first time, and the Stealth Pro II didn't disappoint. Mastering the new platforming mechanics as Fox's 'Sunset of the Seven Suns' played in the background was a memorable experience. The moment the full percussion kicked in, it felt almost euphoric as the Stealth Pro II had the power to level out the game's soundstage and help bring Chapter 5's new Dark World to life.

It sounded even better once I had the Turtle Beach Swarm II app at my disposal. The headset supports dual audio, so I was able to have it connected to both the PS5 and my phone at the same time. On the app, I selected the 'Bass and Treble Boost' audio preset to give it more of a kick, and it added even more vibrancy to the underlying bass of the track. I kept this preset toggled on when switching to PC, and it helped boost the score to everything I threw its way, from Marvel Rivals, Mina the Hollower, and even the dramatic sounds of Peak. The app's audio settings are one of the reasons I know I'm going to resort back to this headset time and time again, as you can actually update the firmware wirelessly through it - no wires required.

So often there have been moments where I've had to update the firmware on a headset or a piece of tech, and it's required me to have multiple cables attached to my PC, despite how limited my desktop is when it comes to ports. Turtle Beach must've known of my frustrations, as so long as it was hooked up to my phone, the app did the job on its own.

In fact, the app was even better in my experience than the official Swarm II software. When trying to do a firmware update on the PC, it kept refusing to show any progress on updating the Charging Dock transmitter. I tried multiple times and reset my PC, only to resort to updating both through my phone, where it did it the first time. This is one of the rare occasions where I don't mind having a headset app taking up the valuable storage space on my Samsung S26.

On this very app, you can also adjust your microphone settings, selecting between audio presets and toggling the AI Noise Reduction setting on and off. This was pretty useful when it came to testing the mic out while playing games like Peak and Meccha Chameleon with my partner. I didn't have to switch between windows when my phone had all the same settings, which resulted in a less intrusive experience.

I've provided a little sample of the microphone above, so you can hear for yourself. There are some plosives, but I did not have the 'Noise Gate' setting turned on when recording this sample. Through my own experience of many hours playing Peak, Marvel Rivals and just chatting to my partner through Discord, this was far less noticable with the setting on. Additionally, you can actually turn down the sensitivity of the microphone through the Swarm II app, which can also lessen the harshness of certain sounds.

Yet overall, this microphone is pretty impressive. My only issue is, is that it adds an extra bit of weight to the wireless headset. The pair is 393g with the microphone attached, and 382g without, and even that small difference is noticeable as I found the Stealth Pro II got a little sore pretty fast. I believe it's not just the weight that's at fault but a combination of it and the design of the headband, as the fabric mesh didn't do enough to suspend the plastic band above my head.

Should you buy the Stealth Pro II wireless gaming headset?

As much as I herald the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni as the best headset on the market right now, its reliance on assuming you have a combined gaming setup doesn't mesh well with my personal gaming layout. I have my gaming PC in my home office, and my PS5 and Switch 2 in another room entirely, and so I can never truly take advantage of one of the pair's biggest draws.

The Stealth Pro II changes things with its Crossplay 2.0 system. I left the Charging Dock on my desk and had the 2.4GHz wireless dongle attached to my PS5, and it only took the literal press of a button to switch to my platform of choice on any given day. Ideally, I would have preferred that Turtle Beach provided an additional dongle for its $349.99 / £299.99 price tag so I could have incorporated my Nintendo Switch 2 into the Crossplay ecosystem, which is why I'd recommend waiting for a discount before grabbing the Stealth Pro II for yourself.

I'd definitely recommend the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II for those with a split-room gaming setup looking for an alternative to SteelSeries' flagship headset, but I'd recommend ensuring you've got space on your phone for the app to bring out the pair's best sound possible. By default, it sounds fine, but it wasn't until I was able to give the bass and treble a little boost that it felt truly on par with the sound conjured up by other premium pairs on the market.

How I tested the Stealth Pro II wireless gaming headset

I've been testing the Stealth Pro II for a little under a month, switching it between my PC and main-room split PS5 and Nintendo Switch setup. During the testing process, I played through titles like Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, Marvel Rivals, Doom Eternal, and Deltarune on the PS5. On the Nintendo Switch 2, the brand-new Star Fox remake was my game of choice, but I also made sure to see how the Pro II handled Mario Kart World, Pokemon Pokopia, and Donkey Kong Bananza compared to other high-end headsets I've tested so far.

Meanwhile, on PC I was playing Counter-Strike 2, Mina the Hollower, Marvel Rivals, Peak, and Meccha Chameleon, the latter of which was played with friends over Discord to put the microphone through its paces. When not gaming, I was also listening to a huge variety of music, from Ariana Grande's new single, Ninajirachi, Placebo, and the Deltarune Chapter 5 soundtrack, as playing through the chapter was not enough to satiate my Deltarune fandom. For more information on how we test gaming headsets, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

Check out our best PS5 headset, best PC headset for gaming, and best Nintendo Switch headset guides to see how we rank the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II against the best cups on the market today.

Consoles are running on adrenaline. Serious damage has been dealt but the pain hasn't fully set in yet, so like an MMA fighter blissfully unaware that their forearm has gained a cool new elbow, manufacturers are staggering through the same old motions. And in today's AI-driven component drought, consoles are hurting. Gaming has never been less affordable. But what actually scares me is the apathy I feel at the thought of another console generation.

We're coming up on the seventh year of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The same old motions demand a new box be enshrined in the hallowed media center, but many of the factors hurting current-gen consoles will only get worse with a new generation. This leaves me wondering: does anyone actually want new consoles any time soon?

The next generation

The Nintendo Switch 2 just barely made it. Even Nintendo, whose strategy of staying well behind the cutting edge of processors is really paying off today, has marked up prices in response to ballooning production costs (and US tariffs). And Nintendo got lucky, launching its latest handheld just before the landscape soured.

Valve, the latest living room contender, got unlucky, and its Steam Machine's dizzying price offers a glimpse of what is staring down the PS6 and Xbox Project Helix. Nobody is happy with the Steam Machine, least of all Valve. The company wanted, and planned, to price its box significantly lower. Even if you like the Steam Machine – and it has some genuinely solid features and upsides, including a great OS – there's no denying that it costs too much for what it can do. Because of course it does. Everything costs too much right now! And in a world where Valve is selling a weaker PS5 for $1,050 at base, I don't see the PS6 or Xbox Project Helix getting over the price hurdle.

Console gaming faces mounting challenges. First of all, if you hike the price of consoles too high, you risk pricing them out of relevancy altogether. Microsoft just went through this with Xbox Game Pass. It got so expensive that it lost its use case for millions of people. Everything has a price threshold where people stop caring, and that's especially relevant here because affordability and convenience are core selling points for console gaming. You pay $500 for a box that plays games. Oh, how good we had it.

This is an essential part of the console bargain. It's the fast food problem – worse, really, because games aren't a need. But I get fast food because it's cheap. If fast food and sit-down food are the same price, I'm not going to Taco Bell. In this analogy, console platform holders can thank their lucky stars that PC gaming hardware is also on fire and everyone is pawing their way through the smoke.

But games exist elsewhere, too. Free games that run on phones and potatoes alike are already eating a huge chunk of the rapidly aging gaming market, to say nothing of other media in the attention market. Never mind bringing new or younger players into the next generation; an intimidating price could also block existing console gamers from trading up, and consoles have survived this long by remonetizing the same people in a matured market. Underpinning this is the existential threat of a vanishing audience, which is worthy of its own screed.

Your money's worth

Now put two more bricks on the scale. New consoles have to justify themselves with software and hardware. Does this have enough awesome new games to warrant a purchase? Does it run or display my games appreciably better?

Performance gains have gotten smaller and smaller with each passing console generation. Now more than ever, Sony and Microsoft have to deliver big enough upgrades to distinguish new systems without pushing the price so high that people tune out, and I don't know if any architect can do that with the AI monkey on their back. Godspeed, Mark Cerny.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to buy a new console right now anyway, not just because life has gotten more expensive, but also because my PS5 and Xbox Series X still work fine and, frankly, feel untapped. This has not been a great generation for exclusive games, and for many reasons.

A lot of the bids on live service games and studio acquisitions amounted to nothing at best and disaster at worst. Remakes have been injected into release schedules like liquid bandages. As much as a third of developers have been laid off in the past few years. Loads of studios have canceled exciting projects or closed their doors entirely. And bloated production cycles have given us between zero and maybe two games from almost all of the big first-party hitters in the past seven years.

I do not want to minimize the far more important human toll of the games industry's contraction. I just want to also point out that there ain't many system sellers 'round here. (Again, I think Nintendo's strategy of not firing its best people is pulling ahead.) The list of PS5 exclusives could fit on a napkin, or a gum wrapper if you trim it to console exclusives. Xbox is in even worse shape because Microsoft's primary export is layoffs. Sony and Microsoft haven't done a great job securing games for the newest consoles I already have. How are they going to sell me on an even more expensive version?

PlayStation, for one, is transparently charging more for less. In January 2028, PlayStation will end production of all new physical games. The future of the brand is digital-only, and if you think the new consoles won't follow suit, I've got a bridge to sell you. Maybe programs like Microsoft's rumored disc-to-digital library can take the sting off backwards compatibility, and maybe we get another add-on disc drive to bring PS5 games forward. But physical copies are also a major selling point for consoles. Losing discs hurts, and it hurts everyone.

I'm not predicting the end of console gaming, but year after year of unprecedented times has upended the industry's established cycles. Now does not feel like a good time for new consoles. Few seem ready or willing to buy one, and platform holders appear equally incapable of delivering a product people will or should accept. Frankly, as soon as we got consoles with NVMe SSDs, I was basically comfortable for life. I'd be happy to hunker down for several more years, enjoy the consoles I have, let the AI monkey jump into a woodchipper that it hallucinated was a pile of money, and talk about a new console generation when we aren't living through a particularly heavy chapter of future history books. I would like my times to be a little more precedented. And at this point, I'd be happy if the next few years somehow go that smoothly.

On the topic of using what we already have, check out the best PS2 games that made Sony's second-gen console such an icon.

Game preservation is a hot topic right now, on the back of Sony's decision to end physical discs for new PlayStation games come 2028. It came up during a recent shareholders' meeting at Square Enix, where the company stated it has ways and means of keeping releases available to some extent, even if they aren't necessarily what fans would like.

A questioner raised how, although Square Enix is publishing a lot of remakes and such at the moment, much of the original software is unavailable on modern systems. Likewise, a number of live-service and phone-only games, which are often very difficult to preserve meaningfully without publisher help, have been shut down. The question finished by asking what the general policy is towards keeping media available.

"How we enable customers to enjoy a game after service has ended depends on the nature of a title," Square Enix's response starts. "For instance, for the Nier series, we share information through official livestreams. For other titles, we preserve cutscenes on video streaming platforms."

Square Enix then gives a broad platitude about finding ways to maintain availability. "We will continue to create pathways befitting each title to ensure that players are able to enjoy them even after service has ended or the story has reached its end," the answer finishes.

To be blunt, as nice as it is that cutscenes are uploaded to YouTube, I don't believe this constitutes a meaningful effort when compared to making the actual game playable. Even for Nier, a huge series that's been involved in a long list of crossovers, you can only get the remastered first entry on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S or PC, not the original.

There are multiple other examples here. Kingdom Hearts itself is littered with them. The Game Boy Advance version of Chain of Memories is still relegated to those cartridges, as only Re:Chain of Memories, the PlayStation 2 remake, was included in 1.5 Remix.

Two entries in the franchise, 358/2 Days and the mobile game X, are only included in the Kingdom Hearts collections as extended films stitched together from their cutscenes. There are allowances here, since 358/2 is a DS release, making it difficult to port anywhere else, but given the evidence that Kingdom Hearts 4's first trailer directly references X, there's room for improvement in making sure fans can go back to these games.

As the industry pushes towards digital distribution, it's important to remind companies like Square Enix that preservation and physical media matter. Buy discs where you can, and where you can't, don't be afraid to demand the option. Your favorite game's future may depend on it.

Just one generation ago, PlayStation couldn't shut up about how great physical games are: "Keep it forever."

A new Captain America cosmetic continues Marvel Rivals' hot streak of, urm, hot outfits, but this isn't merely an example of classic gooner bait from developer NetEase – the skin is actually an important historical recreation that just so happens to double as gooner bait, thank you very much.

Even at a quick glance, it's not hard to see why fans are going feral for Captain America's new Seaside Sentinel skin. Our Steve Rogers has his bushy chest and bulky arms out, although, what makes the summery fit exceptionally horny is the skin-tight swimsuit that wildly exaggerates his – ahem – assets and front assets.

"This literally feels like a gooner mod," one fan tweets in reaction to Cap's multiple bulges.

"Marvel Rivals is an equal opportunity gooner game," someone else rightly points out. NetEase stays consistent between its male and female heroes, at least.

Certain emotes and poses emphasize his proportions even further, but that is America's ass, after all, as the MCU and now Marvel Rivals like to constantly remind us.

Captain America's skin comes as part of the game's summer season that welcomes a number of revealing (more so than usual) skins to the game. Seaside Sentinel is particularly interesting because it's actually adapted straight from a 34-year-old comic, 1992's Marvel Swimsuit Special.

Marvel Swimsuit Special was a short-lived limited series that aimed to parody those '90s magazines stuffed with half-nude models, only this time with superheroes bathing in the sun. Marvel's since tried to revive the idea with last year's Swimsuit Special: Friends, Foes & Rivals and this year's Marvel Swimsuit Special: Brand New Beach Day, which looks more focused on the Spideyverse characters.

Marvel Rivals will become a "'moving anime' experience" by 2027, says creative director, as devs evolve past PvP with PvE, Infinity Saga updates, and more game modes.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director Guillaume Broche is a huge fan of turn-based RPGs (heck, his own multi-award-winning Game of the Year is a stellar example of the genre) – and he won't have any of the chatter that they're "old school."

The lead discusses as much in a new episode of Video Game Club via Konbini on YouTube (below) after sharing why he loves the Persona – a series of some of the best JRPGs (turn-based, of course) out there.

"I don't get this whole 'turn-based is old school' thing," he says. "I've never bought into that; I've always thought it was total nonsense. A lot of people say that, but it's just a game system. I like board games, too."

Those count as turn-based, right? It's not just the fact that all of these games are turn-based that makes Broche enjoy them, however.

"It's not just the turn-based aspect that I like. It's also the part where you prepare your team beforehand," he explains.

As a fan of JRPGs (and consequently, turn-based games) myself, I get where he's coming from – a lot of effort goes into planning before combat sometimes, and it feels great when it pays off.

"It's just that when you come up with a plan, you get into battle, and everything goes pretty much the way you want it to, and you see that all the pieces you've been preparing for 50 hours of gameplay before all fit together perfectly and everything works out great, and you take down the boss right in front of you – it's incredibly satisfying because you feel smart," as Broche puts it.

Other genres just don't offer that same sort of satisfaction.

The director uses Devil May Cry as an example: "Whereas, in an action game like Devil May Cry, I don't feel particularly smart – I just feel like I have quick fingers and good dexterity. But in a turn-based game, it's more your brain that gets rewarded."

I mean… I get it. Both are good for different moods. Devil May Cry is undeniably a stellar series, but you can turn your brain off and enjoy some action-packed (and far less strategic) combat.

Broche concludes that in a turn-based game, "It's kind of like math. You put things together, you work out the equation, you get to the end – x = 2 – that's the right answer, you beat the boss, and you're happy. And I love that." Same, Mr. Broche. Same.

Elden Ring and Dark Souls inspired Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director's approach to the RPG's story – "I didn't want to spoon-feed the player"