Gaming - Page 36

We recently covered a report saying Sony plans to stop releasing its first-party PlayStation games on PC. This rumor gained further traction recently, as Sony made several changes to the PlayStation website, quietly removing any mention of PC from its marketing materials. However, it seems like not everybody is on the same page regarding Sony's decision.

Shuhei Yoshida, former President of Sony Interactive Entertainment, recently sat down with Back Pocket at ALT Games Festival in Australia for an interview, where he shared his thoughts on Sony's new direction. Yoshida maintains that PC ports are "largely positive" for Sony and don't have a meaningful negative effect on console or game sales.

Yoshida goes on to defend PC ports, saying that, rather than costing Sony financially, they could help recoup some of the initial development costs. This is because PC ports often arrive a year or two after the console launch, giving the game another sales cycle and media coverage. It is also important to note that Yoshida did not seem to think Sony would be moving toward shunning PC ports altogether. He also cast doubts on how Sony would continue to develop big-budget AAA games without help from PC ports.

Xbox's new CEO Asha Sharma shares what's next for Xbox, and the plan makes a lot of sense.

Today, Microsoft published a memo outlining the future of Xbox. Management has already reduced the price of Game Pass, nixed the confusing This is an Xbox marketing campaign and the Microsoft Gaming brand name, and promises a return to form...with a modern twist.

While Sharma did promise to "reevaluate" exclusivity, prompting fanfare from gamers, the most interesting part of the memo is one that reveals Microsoft's hand as a platform-holder and -operator.

Final Fantasy VII Remake made its Switch 2 debut earlier this year, and it did so with style. For Nintendo Switch owners, though, that was a bitter pill to swallow, since the remake never came to the original handheld. And that would have remained the case had modder Naga not decided to put his skills to work to achieve this impressive feat.

Naga detailed the creation of a Nintendo Switch Lite "Pro" in a new video spotted by Wccftech, showing the PC version of Final Fantasy VII Remake running on the modified handheld. Even with the performance overhead of the Box64 and Wine translation layer required to run a PC game on an ARM system, the results looked plausible.

The modifications behind it are straightforward enough. Naga upgraded the Switch Lite's RAM from 4GB to 8GB, swapped in a 256GB eMMC storage card, and fitted a Super OLED screen. The result is a custom Nintendo Switch Lite that can handle both native and emulated games.

Xbox's new CEO Asha Sharma gives a status update on her first 60 days leading the games division, offering hope to fans who want to see the return of Xbox exclusive games.

Xbox broke exclusivity back in 2024, and hasn't really looked back since. Looking at the sales figures, it's not hard to see why--pent-up FOMO demand has led to gargantuan sales of key first-party Xbox games, with titles like Forza Horizon 5 amassing an estimated 5 million copies on PS5 alone. Opening up a sales portal on PlayStation has helped surge game sales, engagement, and possibly even in-game spending in Microsoft's games.

Despite the sales jump, which has had a material positive impact on Xbox's results, it's possible that Microsoft could return to some kind of content exclusivity and launch new games only on the Xbox ecosystem. In an open memo, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma mentions that Microsoft will "reevaluate our approach to exclusivity," meaning that the group is now at least willing to entertain the idea of Xbox exclusives, likely on a case-by-case basis.

Microsoft Gaming has apparently been retired as the last vestiges of the former gaming rebrand have been stripped out of Xbox.

For some time now, Microsoft has been trying to slowly rebrand the Xbox games division as Microsoft Gaming. The name would pop up frequently in the FTC v Microsoft trial documents, and was often used interchangeably with the term 'Xbox.'

Now that's all over; sources tell The Verge's Tom Warren that the division's identity crisis has been solved. The Xbox moniker is back and Microsoft Gaming has been cut out of the naming scheme.

NVIDIA has implemented a quality-of-life update for its GeForce Now cloud gaming service that improves the visibility of supported titles that can be played with streaming services. In a blog post, the GPU manufacturer announced "in-app labels" that will appear on games that can be streamed with Xbox Game Pass or Ubisoft+.

This little tweak will help gamers better identify which games in the GeForce Now library can be played with Xbox Game Pass or Ubisoft+, preventing situations where gamers accidentally assume a game (that is available through a supported subscription) can't be played unless they buy it. To get labels working, GeForce Now users will need to first connect their Ubisoft and/or Xbox accounts to their GeForce Now account. Labels will then appear on the game art for each supported title.

NVIDIA is introducing five new games to GeForce Now this week, at the same time the labels update is going live. Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors will be available on Xbox Game Pass starting April 21st, Tides of Tomorrow releases on Steam starting April 22nd, '83 releases on Steam starting April 23rd, Diablo III releases on Ubisoft Connect starting April 23rd, Crimson Desert is now available for streaming through Xbox, and MapleStory M is available to play now with Steam. NVIDIA has been adding games non-stop to its GeForce Now library this month, including Pragmata, which was released on Steam April 17th.

Circana's latest sales charts indicate that Sony is the leading platform-holder/publisher in the US in terms of the number of best-earning games, with the company beating out competitors like Nintendo and Xbox in some sales metrics throughout March 2026.

Sony is on a roll, or it was throughout March 2026. According to the latest data from Circana director Mat Piscatella, Sony Interactive Entertainment had 5 games in the US top 20 best-selling titles of March, more titles than other major industry players.

The PlayStation games lineup includes MLB The Show 26, which was #1 top-selling game of the month in the US by gross sales revenue even with Nintendo and Xbox sales excluded, as well as Bungie's new shooter Marathon at #4, Ghost of Yotei at #14, Helldivers 2 at #16, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach at #17.

Ubisoft's official breakdown of Black Flag Resynced reveals a remake that goes far beyond visuals, with sweeping changes across gameplay, systems, and presentation.

The updated version of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag introduces a wide range of improvements, including enhanced lighting, upgraded character models, more detailed environments, and improved movement, combat, and more. According to Ubisoft's official showcase on Resynced, the goal was to modernize the experience while preserving what made Black Flag one of the franchise's most beloved entries.

Beyond visuals, Resynced appears to refine gameplay systems, particularly naval combat and traversal. The ocean simulation has been expanded to create more dynamic encounters, while animations and responsiveness have been updated to better align with what gamers expect out of their games today. The return of Animus elements also suggests a renewed focus on narrative structure, something that was relatively light in the original release.

A bold new claim from Google suggests most of the games you're already playing are powered by AI, whether players realize it or not.

Speaking recently, Jack Buser said that "roughly nine out of ten game developers" are already using AI-powered tools, based on an internal survey conducted during Gamescom 2026. According to Buser, the gap between that figure and other industry reports stems from developers' reluctance to publicly disclose their usage. The comments position AI not as a future shift but as a technology already deeply embedded in modern game development.

The claim stands in contrast to widely cited reports such as the GDC State of the Game Industry, which places adoption closer to 50 percent. Buser argues that the discrepancy reflects underreporting rather than reality.

Bungie's stylish extraction shooter has made a splash on the bestsellers charts in the US, where it came in the #4 spot in total dollar sales revenue.

New data from Circana director Mat Piscatella gives indications of Marathon's success. According to the listings, Marathon was the 4th best-earning game in the US throughout March 2026 in terms of revenues from game sales, not just raw sales volume.

It's also very important to note that Pokopia's digital sales aren't included on this list--had they been, Pokopia might have been nearer to the top, as Nintendo themselves had confirmed Pokopia's mighty 2.2 million sales in just 4 days. It's also worth mentioning that Crimson Desert's digital sales weren't included, and as we know, the game sold 2 million copies in just 1 day.

Ubisoft has officially lifted the lid on Black Flag Resynced with a press release, and it's now clear the collector's edition leak was right on the money.

Following weeks of leaks, Ubisoft has released new official details for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, confirming the scope of the project and reinforcing earlier reports that positioned it as a full remake. Alongside the announcement, previously leaked information about a premium collector's edition is now aligning with what Ubisoft is publicly outlining.

The collector's edition, which surfaced online ahead of the reveal, is expected to retail for around €199.99 and includes a detailed Edward Kenway statue, a steelbook case, an art book, a map, and additional physical and digital bonuses. This mirrors my reporting that framed the bundle as part of Ubisoft's plan to make Resynced a full-price AAA release rather than a smaller remaster.

Ubisoft has finally revealed the PC requirements for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, and they point to a proper modern rebuild rather than a light remaster.

In a new blog post outlining the announcement, Ubisoft confirmed that Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced will demand significantly more powerful hardware than the 2013 original. The updated version of Assassin's Creed Black Flag has been rebuilt with modern rendering features, improved lighting, and denser world detail, all of which increase system requirements across the board.

Minimum specifications target mid-range hardware, with recommended specs pushing into modern GPU territory to fully experience the visual overhaul. Ubisoft is also leaning into newer technologies, such as improved volumetrics, higher-resolution textures, and expanded environmental detail, particularly in ocean rendering and large-scale naval encounters. These upgrades reflect a broader shift toward current-generation standards, aligning the remake more closely with recent Assassin's Creed releases.

Ubisoft has finally broken its silence on Black Flag Resynced, confirming the long-rumored project just days after leaks painted a clear picture of what's coming.

In what is a culmination of leaks, Ubisoft has officially acknowledged Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced via its social channels, and at the time of writing, is currently hosting its Resynced showcase. The confirmation comes after multiple reports outlined updated visuals, the return of Animus elements, and a modernized take on Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

The leaks leading up to this moment have been substantial. Reports pointed to upgraded graphics, potential gameplay refinements, and even collector's edition listings surfacing online. Previous coverage has also suggested the return of Animus-related features, hinting at a more integrated modern-day narrative compared to the original release. Now that the showcase has gone live, we can see that Ubisoft has made substantial changes to the new version of Black Flag, and that many of these rumors were quite accurate.

Ubisoft's recently confirmed Black Flag remake continues to leak ahead of its official showcase, with pricing, a collector's edition, and a clearer idea of what's coming.

A new Amazon France listing has revealed the Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Collector's Edition, priced at €200. The bundle includes a detailed Edward Kenway statue, a steelbook, an art book, a map, and in-game bonuses, showcasing the premium offering tied to Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. While Ubisoft has yet to officially confirm this specific edition, the listing aligns closely with ongoing leaks surrounding the project.

Backing this up, a new report from Notebookcheck claims the standard edition will launch at around $59.99, with the collector's edition at roughly $199.99, reinforcing the €200 pricing seen on the Amazon page. The same report suggests a July 9, 2026, release date, although that remains officially unconfirmed.

The Xbox mobile store could still happen at some point as new gaming CEO Asha Sharma implies that the rollout is being stymied by ongoing litigation.

Mobile gaming was a big reason why Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard King. All three segments delivered their own distinct billion-dollar mobile games with COD Mobile, Diablo Immortal, and Candy Crush. At one point, ABK made more from mobile than PC and console combined. So...where is the so-called Universal Store with its unified mobile-console-PC offering that was discussed years ago? Microsoft is still ironing out the details for a fully-fledged store of this nature, and while recent evidence pointed to the strategy being scrapped, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma clarifies that the mobile store hasn't been buried.

"Three weeks ago, we filed an amicus because mobile competition still matters and we believe the future of play should be more open. While I am still learning, the idea of an Xbox mobile store is not dead," the new Xbox CEO said on Twitter.

League of Legends is gearing up for Season 2 with a surprisingly impactful patch that goes far beyond simple balance tweaks, as major changes are coming to Shyvana, Zeri, and items.

Patch 26.9 has been previewed by Riot Games, and while the number of direct buffs and nerfs appears modest at first glance, the broader scope tells a different story. Only a handful of champions are receiving straightforward changes, including buffs to Gragas, Tahm Kench, and Taliyah, alongside nerfs to Ambessa and Briar. But beneath that surface, the patch is packed with system-level updates and champion adjustments that could significantly shift the meta in League of Legends.

The biggest focus lies in champion identity and creating different build paths for champions. Shyvana is receiving major updates aimed at separating her AP and AD playstyles, with changes to her survivability, scaling, and ability flow. Zeri is also being adjusted to trade raw damage for mobility, reinforcing her speed-focused identity.

Grand Theft Auto VI is still on track for its massive November launch, at least according to a fresh industry whisper that's giving fans a reason to breathe again.

Despite lingering fears of another delay, a new claim from the GTAVI O'Clock podcast suggests that Grand Theft Auto VI is still locked in for its previously announced November 19, 2026, release date. As one of the most anticipated releases in gaming history, the next entry from Rockstar Games carries enormous weight, not just for players but for parent company Take-Two Interactive and the industry at large.

According to podcast host James Jarvis, sources close to the development of GTA 6 indicate that "there's no delay incoming." While this isn't official confirmation, the show has built a reputation within the GTA community for measured reporting and industry connections. Still, it remains firmly in rumor territory. The podcaster goes on to say that, based on what they have been hearing, if it were measured in percentages for Rockstar following through on the November release date, it would be about 90% confidence.

Troy Baker, who played Joel in Naughty Dog's The Last of Us and its sequel, told Eurogamer in a recent interview that we haven't seen the last of the character. Baker expects Joel to appear in future projects across "multiple mediums," though he didn't specify in what capacity.

Joel was the central figure of the Last of Us series, but the second game gives his story a definitive and brutal conclusion. Spoiler warning: Joel is killed by Abby, a consequence of his actions in the first game. His fate plays out similarly in HBO's The Last of Us Season Two, where the character is portrayed by Pedro Pascal.

Baker admitted he didn't enjoy watching that moment any more the second time around, and said he hopes to see more performers take on Joel's role in the future. "I hope that Pedro is not the last person to play Joel," Baker said. "I want to see this character be proliferated and iterated on in multiple mediums, whether it be TV, film, more games, comic books. I see people that cosplay as [Joel] all the time. He made an impact."

IO Interactive is pulling back the curtain on its Bond reboot, with a new gameplay trailer for 007 First Light showing off stealth, gadgets, and a surprisingly deep tactical layer.

The latest "Rules of Spycraft" trailer for 007 First Light dives into what players can expect when stepping into the role of the iconic agent. This new footage shifts focus to gameplay, something fans of the upcoming title have been chomping at the bit for. Just like the James Bond movies, blending in appears to be a core pillar of gameplay, with players navigating environments through disguise, deception, and social stealth, alongside more traditional sneaking and takedowns.

One of the coolest features is players will have the ability to bluff enemies, enabling the player to move through large packs of enemy NPCs completely undetected. However, for enemies that are clued-in, bluffing will be more difficult, and if caught will aggro surrounding enemies.

Xbox could be about to shake up Game Pass in a big way, with a new Discord partnership hinting at a more flexible future for the subscription service.

In a recent post on X, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed that Xbox is once again teaming up with Discord as part of its broader push to evolve Game Pass. While details remain scarce, Sharma teased that players may begin seeing "code in the wild" tied to the collaboration, suggesting testing is already underway. The move aligns with earlier reports that Microsoft is exploring a more customizable "pick your own plan" structure for Game Pass, signaling a departure from its current tier system.

The bigger picture here is flexibility. Internally, Xbox is reportedly experimenting with new tiers, including a "Triton" plan focused on first-party titles and a "Duet" bundle that could include services like Netflix. A Discord integration fits neatly into this strategy, with speculation pointing toward a potential bundle that includes Discord Nitro alongside Game Pass Ultimate.