Gaming
All the latest gaming news, with everything related to PlayStation releases (PS4 & PS5), Xbox, PC Games, Nintendo Switch & plenty more.
GTA+ subscriptions are on the rise, here's what Take-Two thinks about the service
Rockstar's premium subscription service could be a major part of GTA 6's online component at launch, and could offer some other unique benefits to users.
In 2022, Rockstar announced GTA Plus (GTA+), a new subscription service specifically made for Grand Theft Auto Online. The service expanded and Rockstar created its own Game Pass-like service, complete with a rotating lineup of classic games. It's pretty much the most affordable and convenient way to access older Rockstar games because practically half of their catalog is on the service.
The value proposition has worked pretty well. Take-Two Interactive has commented a number of times on the success of GTA+ but hasn't given us actual subscriber figures. One thing's for sure, though: More people are buying into Rockstar's premium GTA+ offering. It's working so well that Rockstar raised the price of the subscription from $5.99 to $7.99 in April 2024.
GTA franchise may hit $10 billion revenue between GTA 5 and GTA 6
If sales trends are any indicator, Rockstar Games could finish Grand Theft Auto V's megaton legacy with $10 billion in cumulative earnings.
Grand Theft Auto VI is on the horizon, and when (if) it drops in Fall 2025 as executives have reaffirmed, GTA V's playerbase could tank. If everything goes according to plan, then GTA 6 could launch in Q2 or Q3 of Take-Two Interactive's fiscal year.
This gives the current GTA moneymakers--GTA V, GTA Online, and the GTA trilogy remaster on consoles/mobiles--up to 3 quarters to rake in money before everyone presumably moves to GTA 6.
Continue reading: GTA franchise may hit $10 billion revenue between GTA 5 and GTA 6 (full post)
Grand Theft Auto has made $9.54 billion since GTA V's launch
The Grand Theft Auto franchise has made over $9.5 billion in cumulative earnings since GTA V's release, new earnings documents reveal.
Take-Two's latest Q3FY25 results gave us a closer look at how much money the company made from the megaton GTA series. According to the reports, Grand Theft Auto products and services have made approximately $9.54 billion since the launch of GTA V in September 2013 to the end of 2024.
In Q3FY25, Take-Two made $179.465 million from the Grand Theft Auto series, up 4.42% quarter-over-quarter but down slightly year-over-year.
Continue reading: Grand Theft Auto has made $9.54 billion since GTA V's launch (full post)
Ukrainian military says Call of Duty gamers would make 'great' drone pilots in a real war
Have you ever sat there playing Call of Duty and thought 'man, I'd make for an awesome drone pilot in a real war', well, the Ukrainian military agrees with you... saying that COD players make great drone pilots in a war.
In a chat between battling it out in a war, Ukraine's special drone unit somehow had the time to speak with Business Insider. The unit is called Typhoon, saying that real drone warfare is far more complicated and more dangerous than using drones in games like Call of Duty.
Uncrewed systems, including a range of first-person view drones (FPV) are being used on Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, with Ukrainian operators comparing how they fly their drones, and how they play video games. FPV headsets aren't like VR systems, and while the controllers can be similar, they're different beasts.
Take-Two stock leaps 15% after GTA 6 release date 'reaffirmed' by CEO
Take-Two Interactive sees a substantial boost in stock value following yesterday's earnings results.
In a call to investors, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed confidence that Grand Theft Auto 6 would release in 2025. "Yes, we did today reaffirm our schedule through the remainder of the calendar year. And I think we were pretty clear about that," Zelnick said. GTA 6 is listed for a Fall 2025 launch on the sheets provided to investors.
The news was spread far and wide, and the market took notice. TTWO stock is currently trading at, $210.88, up +$27.80 or 15.19% in day-to-day trading.
Continue reading: Take-Two stock leaps 15% after GTA 6 release date 'reaffirmed' by CEO (full post)
GTA 6 publisher commits full support Nintendo Switch 2
Take-Two Interactive recently wrapped up its earnings call, where company boss Strauss Zelnick was asked about the publisher's perception of the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.
Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI, was asked if Nintendo's upcoming console, which is scheduled to get more details in early April, will get various Take-Two-published games when it finally makes its way into the hands of gamers. Zelnick responded by revealing Take-Two's perception of Nintendo's platform has shifted recently, with the CEO saying the days of Nintendo platforms being "geared at younger audiences" are now over.
Zelnick pointed to the release of Civilization 7 on the Switch and stated that in the past, Take-Two has supported the platform "when it made sense for the individual release." But, "today with Switch and potentially with Switch 2, the Switch device can support any audience." Notably, Zelnick didn't confirm any specific Take-Two title coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, but given the previous statements, from Take-Two's perspective, nothing is off the table -- begging the question, "Will GTA 6 release on the Nintendo Switch 2?"
Continue reading: GTA 6 publisher commits full support Nintendo Switch 2 (full post)
Marvel responds to claims Fantastic Four marketing was created with AI
Marvel Studios recently released the trailer for "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," and to go along with the trailer were other marketing materials, such as posters, which weren't as well received as the trailer.
The trailer for the upcoming movie has gained more than 23 million views at the time of reporting, and while reception has been generally good (based on the Like to Dislike ratio on the YouTube video), Marvel fans were quick to accuse Marvel of using artificial intelligence tools for the movie's marketing posters. The four posters that were released showcased telltale signs of being AI-generated, with hands only having four fingers, two women with the same face, floating objects, and other unnatural inconsistencies.
However, according to The Wrap, a Marvel spokesperson has told the publication that none of the posters were created using AI, which only leaves the possibility of these inconsistencies being human errors made by the artists. For those wondering, this isn't the first time Marvel has been embroiled in accusations of using AI to generate media, as AI was used to generate images shown in the opening credits of the TV miniseries "Secret Wars."
Continue reading: Marvel responds to claims Fantastic Four marketing was created with AI (full post)
Microsoft could soon bring three staple Xbox titles over to PS5
Microsoft is continuing its plan to remove the walls of exclusivity surrounding Xbox games and bring some of its best first-party titles over to competing platforms such as the PS5 and the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.
For quite some time, it has been rumored Microsoft is working on several ports for first-party Xbox titles that are destined for the PS5, and now a new article by The Verge's Tom Warren details PS5 ports for Halo, Gears of War and Microsoft's Flight Simulator. It was only last week Microsoft confirmed Forza Horizon 5 is coming to the PS5, and it was only yesterday that Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age of Mythology: Retold were also confirmed to be coming to the PS5.
Notably, all three of these titles were announced via blog posts and not during a dedicated PlayStation or Xbox event, which seemingly highlights the normalcy of ports from Xbox's perspective. Warren writes he heard in June 2024 that Age of Empires and Age of Mythology were both coming to the PS5 and at the same time that Microsoft was currently "working on some form of a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster that [was] also being considered for rival consoles." The rumor of the Age games coming to PS5 ended up being true, which leaves us with Halo.
Continue reading: Microsoft could soon bring three staple Xbox titles over to PS5 (full post)
Monster Hunter Wilds free Benchmark Tool running on the GeForce RTX 5080 in 4K
Capcom's highly anticipated Monster Hunter Wilds is out later this month, and ahead of the launch, the developer and publisher has released a free Monster Hunter Wilds Benchmark Tool on Steam so you can see if your system is ready to go wild. The benchmark includes a couple of action-packed cinematic sequences, some simulated open-world and town exploration, and ends with the game's main characters sitting down for a meal.
As it's currently in our test rig, we decided to fire it up and see how the game performs on the brand-new MSI GeForce RTX 5080 VANGUARD SOC. After the game's beta was criticized for its performance and optimization, the Benchmark Tool running on the GeForce RTX 5080 was smooth and stutter-free. Running in 4K using the 'Ultra' graphics preset with DLSS 'Quality,' we got a respectable average frame rate of 86.74 FPS.
Interestingly, as the game's ray-tracing option only covers reflections, enabling RT on the highest preset saw the overall performance drop to 79.58 FPS - an 8% reduction. However, with Frame Generation enabled, this increased to an average frame rate of 116.97 FPS. Of course, the GeForce RTX 5080 is one of the planet's most powerful 4K gaming GPUs, so getting decent 4K performance is expected.
Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse functionality revealed in new images
A new patent for the Nintendo Switch 2 has revealed new functionality with the joy-con controllers, and while Nintendo hasn't officially confirmed the functionality, the company did subtly showcase it in its most recent trailer for the Switch 2.
The new patent shows Nintendo has been exploring using its Joy-Con controllers like a computer mouse, which was briefly showcased in the above trailer with the Joy-Con's sliding around on their connector side. However, it wasn't touched on for the rest of the trailer and was left to ambiguity and speculation. But, the newly released patent provides more details on the proposed functionality, as the images included in the patent show the Joy-Con being held horizontally with both the SR and SL buttons facing downward, with a user's thumb placed on the joystick.
More specifically, an image shows the right index finger and middle finger placed over the R and ZR buttons, similar to the left and right buttons on a traditional mouse. This design has led to the assumption that an optical sensor within the joy-con is downward facing. The patent also includes the translation "mouse operation sensor" 28 times, according to The Verge.
Continue reading: Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse functionality revealed in new images (full post)