Gaming - Page 32

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen is selling GameStop merchandise on eBay to fund what he calls a potential $55.5 billion buyout of the auction platform eBay. Yes, that's right. The GameStop CEO is selling items on eBay to fund his venture in acquiring eBay.

In a move that's certainly eyebrow-raising, Cohen is listing items on the very site he wants to own. The idea behind the new eBay listings is to mock skeptics who question how Cohen will finance the blockbuster deal.

Cohen's $55.5 billion offer, which values eBay at $125 per share, is a 20% premium over its recent closing price. The deal would give GameStop control of one of the most established online marketplaces in the world, where users trade everything from collectibles to electronics.

Xbox is getting its first new boot-up sound in years, and while it might seem like a small change, it signals something much bigger happening behind the scenes at Microsoft.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma revealed the updated startup sound in a recent X post, confirming it will begin rolling out to Xbox consoles next week. The refreshed animation features a more modern, glass-inspired version of Xbox branding alongside a redesigned sound effect, replacing the startup audio players have been hearing since the Xbox Series X and Series S launched in 2020.

The update arrives during a major transition period for Xbox. Since taking over earlier this year, Sharma has overseen sweeping changes across the division, including the return to the "We Are Xbox" branding, Project Helix announcements, Game Pass pricing changes, and a renewed focus on console identity after a tragic marketing campaign that left Xbox fans confused and what an Xbox console actually is, or, at the very least, what Xbox was trying to be as a brand.

Capcom has doubled down on its design for Resident Evil Requiem's character Grace, despite widespread backlash over how NVIDIA's DLSS 5 neural rendering altered her facial features. Notably, the NVIDIA video linked below is measuring at

In a recent interview with Eurogamer, producer Masato Kumazawa framed the controversy as a positive, stating that the strong fan reaction to Grace's original design proved the team "got the design right."

Kumazawa and director Koshi Nakanishi emphasized that the game has been well received overall, with over 6 million units sold in just 16 days, making it the fastest-selling Resident Evil title to date.

Project Fantasy is the game that Hitman developer IO Interactive has always wanted to make, but has it been scrapped? CEO Hakan Abrak confirms the game is still in development.

Three years ago, IO Interactive announced Project Fantasy, a new online RPG set in a fresh IP. The game, which had previously been known through rumors and reports as Project Dragon, represents an unexplored frontier for the action game studio that explores "deeply personal" feelings about old-school gaming origins, including the classic Fighting Fantasy roleplaying books from days of yore.

While details on Project Fantasy are light, it was believed that Xbox was funding the project. Specifics haven't been confirmed, and Xbox has cut lots of funding for third-party projects throughout the years as it downsized to cut costs, laying off thousands of workers, shutting down studios, and canceling first-party games in the process. It's now been confirmed that Project Fantasy hasn't been scrapped, and that it's in a good position financially.

Valorant Mobile has hit 10 million daily active players in China without a global release, proving just how hungry mobile gamers are for competitive FPS action.

The game, launched in August 2025, is already outperforming expectations, with Tencent and Riot Games reaping the rewards of a focused regional rollout.

Riot Games confirmed the milestone via Weibo, noting the mobile title has already surpassed 10 million daily players in just under a year. With 170,000 downloads and $1 million in first-day revenue, Valorant Mobile has become one of the most successful mobile game launches in recent memory.

CCP Games just bought back its independence from Pearl Abyss for $120 million, and now the developer is changing its name and making an ambitious AI partnership.

Eve Online developer CCP Games today announced big changes at the company. The group has rebranded to 'Fenris Creations' and has teamed up with Google's DeepMind AI to help build its EVE Forever initiative.

Specific details on the partnership and how exactly Google's AI will be used remain vague, however, the studio says that it's primarily research-based, and that all testing will be done in secured, offline versions of EVE. This isn't about funding, as Fenris Creations' CEO Hilmar Veigar explains that the game is still quite lucrative: "the company remains profitable, with strong reserves and the ability to keep investing in the long-term health of New Eden."

Campaign Evolved won't be the only Halo game that comes back, as sources tell game reporter Rebs Gaming that Halo Studios is working on two new Halo remakes--including a Halo 3 remake that could launch during a well-timed anniversary.

There are plans underway to remake Bungie's entire mainline Halo trilogy, not just CE. New reports indicate Halo 2 and Halo 3 will also be remade in Unreal Engine 5, complete with new features and content that weren't previously available in the games. The new chapters are said to be in early development at Halo Studios, and it's likely that both games will also launch on PS5 similar to Halo Campaign Evolved.

No release window information was offered, but we can't help but notice Halo 3 will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2027. The original game launched in 2007, and we could see Halo 3 remake, or maybe even a Halo 2 & 3 remake double-game package, release next year to coincide with this momentous occasion.

Nintendo fans may soon have a full slate of new games to sink their teeth into, as a leaker has said that new Metroid, Zelda, and Smash Bros. titles/content are currently in development.

The claims, which suggest 2027 - 2028 will bring new entries or updates to these iconic franchises, have reignited excitement around Nintendo's next-gen hardware and IP roadmap. To maintain the pace of Nintendo Switch 2 sales, Nintendo needs to keep releasing new titles to give gamers a strong reason to upgrade.

According to KiwiTalkz, a prominent video games journalist who regularly interviews developers, Nintendo is currently working on something new in the three aforementioned franchises for the Nintendo Switch 2. Kiwi Talkz hinted at a potential wave of first-party games slated to launch in a "year or two".

Forza Horizon 6 has officially gone gold two weeks ahead of its May 19 release, giving players and developers a healthy buffer ahead of launch.

Playground Games confirmed the final build is locked and ready for distribution, with preloads now live on Xbox and PC. This early gold status only signals that Playground Games is extremely happy with the condition of Forza Horizon 6, which has now set the stage, even more than previous marketing material, for a polished next-gen racing experience.

The game features an expanded soundtrack with 9 radio stations spanning electronic, rock, and synthwave, marking the largest music library in the series to date. Accessibility features like AutoDrive, Proximity Radar, and high-contrast mode have also been highlighted, with post-launch support for ASL and BSL sign language in cinematics.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is on track for release this October on PC and consoles, bringing high-speed racing back to the world of Star Wars video games. For fans who grew up playing Star Wars Episode I: Racer on the Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast, or PC, this looks and feels like a spiritual successor of sorts, albeit one that expands the vehicles beyond just pod racers.

And as we're talking about the return of a style of Star Wars gaming that has been missing in action for decades, the visuals are getting a major glow-up thanks to Unreal Engine 5, ray tracing, and, on PC, native support for DLSS 4.5 on day one. This includes DLSS Super Resolution with the impressive second-generation Transformer model for all GeForce RTX gamers and the new Dynamic Multi Frame Generation mode for GeForce RTX 50 Series owners.

A game that's a little closer on the horizon, 007 First Light, is also set to get native DLSS 4.5 support when it launches on May 27. From Hitman studio IO Interactive, this new third-person action-adventure looks to present a cinematic James Bond film in-game. On PC, the game will feature an exclusive path-tracing mode developed in collaboration with NVIDIA, enhancing visuals with more realistic, immersive lighting.

Based on the work of researcher Andy Nguyen, aka TheFlow, you can turn a PlayStation 5 into a Steam Machine-like device that runs Linux as its operating system. However, it's not an easy mod, and there are several caveats to getting Linux up and running on a PS5. According to a new deep dive into Linux on PlayStation 5 by Digital Foundry, it only works on a launch-era PlayStation 5 running system software (firmware) up to version 4.5.

As that firmware dates back to December 2021, finding a Linux-ready PlayStation 5 console to play Steam games could be quite difficult. From there, PS5 Linux leverages an exploit to boot the operating system from a USB stick, which can also be installed in the console's M.2 SSD expansion slot to boost speeds.

With access to the Ubuntu 26.04 LTS distribution, PS5 Linux offers 15GB of memory, all eight cores of the Zen 2 processor boosted to 3.5 GHz, and all 36 CUs of the RDNA 2 GPU clocked at 2.23 GHz. The tool also provides access to cooling, with the option to boost fan speeds to compensate for overclocking. And with that, although the output resolution was locked to 1080p, Digital Foundry was able to test gaming performance and compare that to the same games running natively on the console.

Electronic Arts soars past $8 billion net bookings for the first time ever, supercharged by nearly half a billion dollars in deferred revenue that had been set aside during previous quarters.

Today, Electronic Arts made history by achieving $8 billion in net bookings throughout FY26, a feat that was achieved thanks to how EA's earnings can overlap on a quarterly basis. For EA, the definition of net bookings is simple--you just subtract deferred revenue from net revenue. This classification allows EA to track how it records microtransaction spending from consumers, and every quarter, the company will set aside a portion of live service earnings to defer to another period in accordance with the game and the content.

That's how EA managed to hit $8 billion in net bookings. The company recognized a substantial stockpile of $495 million in deferred net revenue throughout FY26 that had been set aside through prior quarters. This tacked onto the $7.531 billion that EA earned in the yearly period.

Microsoft is officially retiring Gaming Copilot on Xbox consoles and shifting gears to focus on optimization, efficiency, and growth.

Xbox is changing. The division today announced a big corporate shake-up that saw two Xbox veterans leaving the group, and five new hires joining the team, including multiple people from Microsoft's OpenAI teams. Also, a former Instacart exec now leads Xbox's subscription and cloud business. This realignment also sees Microsoft scrapping plans that no longer fit its vision, like Copilot AI integration on Xbox consoles.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma today confirmed that the program is being shut down: "As part of this shift, you'll see us begin to retire features that don't align with where we're headed. We will begin winding down Copilot on mobile and will stop development of Copilot on console."

Xbox's new CEO Asha Sharma has shaken up the gaming leadership team, appointing five new leads that previously worked at Instacart and Microsoft's CoreAI teams.

New developments at team Xbox today, as CNBC reports big changes at the gaming group's upper management. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has hired five new people to help lead transformational change and deliver better profits and future-oriented growth.

Three of these new hires had positions at Microsoft's OpenAI division, one worked at Instacart--the former head of growth for ChatGPT is now the head of growth for Xbox, and Instacart's synonymous exec is now leading the general Xbox subscription and cloud business. The memo also confirmed that two long-time Xbox veterans, Kevin Gammill and Roanne Sones, will also be leaving after 24 years at Microsoft.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, which is out later this month, is a new open-world action-adventure that looks like it's set to deliver an Arkham City-like experience with that LEGO charm. And with the release right around the corner, developer TT Games and publisher Warner Bros. have published the PC specs and hardware requirements for the game. Which, understandably, has now come under fire for listing Frame Generation as a requirement to hit performance targets.

From a hardware perspective alone, the specifications point to a well-optimized experience, with the Minimum GPU requirements being a GeForce GTX 960 4GB or a Radeon RX 6400 4GB. However, this is to play the game with Low settings at 1080p with AMD FSR or Intel XeSS 'Balanced' upscaling and Frame Generation enabled. What makes these specs hard to comprehend is that this will only deliver 30 FPS, which runs counter to how and when Frame Generation technologies should be used.

Frame Generation, whether it's DLSS, FSR, or XeSS, is a motion-smoothing technology, not a performance boost, as it doesn't magically fix latency. And with that in mind, it's a technology that works best when the input frame rate is in the 60 FPS range, ensuring the game still feels responsive and that the generated frames have enough data to minimize issues like artifacts. This means that 1080p 30FPS performance with Frame Generation would feel like you're playing at 15 FPS, with a notable impact on image quality.

'There is No Secret Cow Level' is an iconic line from Blizzard's Diablo series, as it refers to a hidden dungeon or level infested with weapon-wielding cows and the promise of loot. Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 both featured this bovine bonus, and Diablo 4 players have been trying to locate and find it in the game for years. And now, with the arrival of the Lord of Hatred expansion, the long search is over, as the game's Secret Cow Level has finally been discovered by xGarbett on X. Check it out.

As expected, getting to the Secret Cow Level requires the use of the new Horadric Cube crafting system, where three items (a Stamina Potion, Rusten Bardiche weapon, and Neyrelle's Hand) transform into a mysterious Torn Page. From there, a boat appears on the coastline of the new Skovos region, which takes you to the Secret Cow Level island. This first part of the mystery was solved a couple of days ago, with Diablo fans spending the time since trying to solve the mysteries of the island to actually open the portal to the for-real Secret Cow Level.

Turns out that, like Diablo 2 and Diablo 3, once you do it's a large area or dungeon filled with cow enemies and the return of the Cow King boss. A new boss that drops a special new Mythic Item called 'The Cow King's Helm.' And when it comes to the helm's stats and affixes, it's a fun little nod to Diablo 4's launch from the Blizzard team.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick gives a brief explanation on why GTA is coming to consoles first and PC second.

For Rockstar, console has always come first...and for good reason. Recent financial leaks showed that GTA Online makes most of its money on consoles, with PC making only 3% of weekly bookings, as well as 11% of weekly active players (a lot of PC players also play FiveM, a separate modded version of GTA Online). The numbers speak volumes, but now Take-Two Interactive CEO shares a quick take on Rockstar's console-oriented focus:

"Rockstar always starts on console because I think with regard to a release like that you're judged by serving the core. Like really serving the core consumer. If your core consumer isn't there, if they're not served first and best, you kind of don't hit your other consumers," Zelnick said in the interview with Bloomberg.

Activision gets ahead of a recent rumor, squashing reports that this year's Call of Duty game is coming to PS4.

The rumors were false: Call of Duty 2026, which is believed to be Modern Warfare IV, won't be launching on Gen 8 consoles like the PS4 or Xbox One.

"Not sure where this one started, but it's not true. The next Call of Duty is not being developed for PS4," Activision said on Twitter.

Well-known financial institution Bank of America believes that Grand Theft Auto 6 will cost $80, and that the game could herald a new baseline price hike for AAA game software in preparation of the new console generation.

According to a new report from Seeking Alpha, Bank of America Securities analyst Omar Dessouky openly predicts that Grand Theft Auto 6 could be priced at $79.99, a $9.99 surcharge (+14.3%) over the current $69.99 base price for new AAA games.

The analyst also thinks that other publishers and developers could support the new price hike, effectively meaning that consumers would now be paying $79.99 for all new AAA games. This would be similar to the jump from $59.99 to $69.99 that was introduced at the start of the 9th console generation back in 2020 (side note: Take-Two was among the first publishers to push this new price with NBA 2K).

Grand Theft Auto 6 might still be on track for November, but new reports suggest Rockstar is pushing hard behind the scenes, with crunch conditions intensifying as the November deadline slowly looms.

According to recent reports, QA staff working on GTA 6 have been dealing with heavy workloads, with some employees reportedly working as late as 3 AM to meet internal milestones. The claims come from employee reviews, which describe "hectic days," unpaid overtime, and expectations to complete months of work in significantly shorter timeframes.

Take-Two has repeatedly expressed confidence in the November 19 release window, even joking that players will call in sick on launch day. At the same time, Rockstar has maintained its usual silence, sticking to a short, high-impact marketing strategy following the record-breaking Trailer 1 reveal. That combination of public confidence and limited communication often signals an intense internal final push, especially for a project of this scale.