Playground Games co-founder forms new AAA studioFormer studio head and co-founder of Forza Horizon developer Playground Games Gavin Raeburn has announced Lighthouse Games, a new triple-A studio that's working on an unannounced IP.Posted 5 months ago by Sean Carey 15
Xbox Activision deal won't "substantially lessen" UK console gaming competition, says CMAThe UK's Competition and Markets Authority has provisionally found that Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard "will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in relation to console gaming in the UK."Posted 5 months ago by Sean Carey 111
Justin Roiland domestic violence charges droppedDomestic violence charges against Justin Roiland have now been dismissed due to "insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt."Posted 5 months ago by Sean Carey 235
Ubisoft is developing an AI tool that will help writers generate NPC dialogueUbisoft has unveiled a new AI tool called Ghostwriter that will supposedly streamline development and aid writers in creating first-draft dialogue for NPCs.Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 43
Xbox to launch "new process" for faster feedback on Game Pass deal evaluations and moreWhile celebrating ten years of ID@Xbox, director Chris Charla also looks forward at what's to come, and touches on how the Xbox team aims to ensure "all developers get equal access to decision makers at Xbox."Posted 5 months ago by Heidi Nicholas 12
Microsoft's Xbox mobile gaming store could launch next yearXbox boss Phil Spencer, has revealed that Microsoft's Xbox mobile gaming store could launch as early as next year, providing the Activision Blizzard acquisition is approved.Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 46
Enter the Gungeon gets $6,000 arcade spin-offQuite possibly the most incredible spin-off in the history of spin-offs, the Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead arcade cabinet looks awesome — it'll set us back almost $6,000, but by golly would it be worth it!Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 20
Creative Assembly opens third development studio, working on unannounced projectSega has announced that the developer behind Total War: Warhammer and Alien: Isolation, Creative Assembly, has opened its third studio, which is working on an unannounced project.Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 9
Microsoft inks fourth ten-year Call of Duty agreementXbox head Phil Spencer has announced that Microsoft has signed another ten-year agreement, which would see PC Game Pass and Activision Blizzard titles head to the Japanese cloud gaming platform, Ubitus.Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 26
Microsoft signs yet another ten-year Call of Duty licensing dealMicrosoft has signed another ten-year agreement to bring Xbox PC games and Activision Blizzard titles, including Call of Duty, to cloud gaming provider Boosteroid should its acquisition of the publisher be approved.Posted 5 months ago by Sean Carey 47
Xbox won't feature on E3 2023 show floorThe Xbox team has confirmed it won't appear on the E3 show floor for 2023, although it will feature as part of E3 Digital.Posted 5 months ago by Heidi Nicholas 12
Call of Duty on Game Pass would not lead to price rise, Microsoft claimsMicrosoft has responded to the CMA's provisional findings, confirming that Xbox Game Pass prices would not increase to reflect the addition of Call of Duty following the merger with Activision Blizzard.Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 32
Sony is scared Xbox might sabotage Call of Duty on PlayStationSony is worried that Xbox could potentially release a buggy version of Call of Duty for PlayStation consoles should Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard be approved.Posted 5 months ago by Sean Carey 149
Xbox Games Showcase event confirmed for JuneMicrosoft has confirmed that despite skipping E3 this year, it will still host its usual Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday, June 11th, with a Starfield Developer Direct presentation set to follow afterwards.Posted 5 months ago by Luke Albigés 24
Take-Two confirms layoffs at Private DivisionTake-Two has confirmed that it's laying off staff at publishing arm Private Division, calling them "necessary steps" as it attempts to "position the company for another extended period of success."Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 11
Aragami dev Lince Works announces studio shutdownLince Works, the developer behind the Aragami series, has announced that it's closing down in April, halting all development on its projects. Its games will remain on storefronts and online co-op will still be available.Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 48
Microsoft survey shoots down regulator's Call of Duty complaintMicrosoft claims that the potential impact of Call of Duty becoming an Xbox exclusive has been overcalculated by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, with only three percent of PlayStation users likely to switch consoles.Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 44
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4 announced after 16-year waitIt's been 16 years since we last saw a Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi game launch, but during Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour this weekend, Bandai Namco revealed that a fourth instalment is in development.Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 36
GSC Game World announces S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game crowdfunding campaignGSC Game World has announced that it has partnered with Awaken Realms for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game. The crowdfunding campaign is set to appear on Gamefound later this year.Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 7
EpiXR forced to remove cheat codes from easy achievement games by XboxMicrosoft has taken action against EpiXR Games, warning the publisher and developer to remove controversial cheat codes that unlocked achievements in a matter of minutes from its games.Posted 5 months ago by Sean Carey 235
Dead by Daylight is getting a movie adaptionBehaviour Interactive has announced that it has partnered with Atomic Monster and Blumhouse to bring its hit horror game, Dead by Daylight, to the big screen via a feature film adaption.Posted 5 months ago by Tom West 34
PlayStation must reveal third-party exclusivity deals, FTC ordersAs part of Microsoft's ongoing battle to acquire Activision Blizzard, the US Federal Trade Commission has ordered Sony to share details of third-party PlayStation exclusivity deals from the past four years.Posted 5 months ago by Sean Carey 145
EA lays off more than 200 QA testers in surprise Zoom call — reportEA has laid off over 200 QA testers — who mostly worked on Apex Legends — by way of an unscheduled Zoom call, according to a new report.Posted 5 months ago by Heidi Nicholas 64
Call of Duty won't feature platform-exclusive DLC if deal goes through, Phil Spencer saysPhil Spencer discussed Microsoft's view of exclusivity while talking about how the Xbox team would handle Call of Duty if the acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes through.Posted 5 months ago by Heidi Nicholas 44
New Gears of War game in development, job listing suggestsA new job listing from Microsoft and developer The Coalition suggests that a new Gears of War game is in development at the Canadian studio.Posted 5 months ago by Sean Carey 66
Hitman devs IO Interactive working on a new online fantasy RPGIO Interactive, the developer behind the Hitman games, has announced work on a new online fantasy RPG which it hopes will "entertain players and expand for many years to come."Posted 6 months ago by Heidi Nicholas 33
Forspoken developer to be folded into Square EnixForspoken developer Luminous Productions will be folded into Square Enix in the coming months, the publisher has announced.Posted 6 months ago by Sean Carey 37
Beyond Good and Evil 2 reportedly suffers another blow with departure of managing directorIt seems Beyond Good and Evil 2 has lost its managing director, with a new report claiming Guillaume Carmona is no longer with Ubisoft Montpellier.Posted 6 months ago by Heidi Nicholas 38
Microsoft, Sony, and Valve will be asked to ban Atomic Heart digital sales in UkraineThe Ukraine government will call on Microsoft, Sony, and Valve to ban digital sales of Atomic Heart in Ukraine, and will "also urge limiting the distribution of this game in other countries."Posted 6 months ago by Heidi Nicholas 277
Ori developer Moon Studios betting the farm on next action-RPG projectMoon Studios creative director Thomas Mahler has said that the team's next game will be a "make-or-break moment" for the developer, with all hopes riding on a new unannounced action-RPG looking to take on Diablo.Posted 6 months ago by Luke Albigés 12
Microsoft reveals average number of monthly Xbox Store users in EUMicrosoft has revealed the number of monthly users that access the Xbox and Microsoft storefronts from countries in the EU, in accordance with the European Union's Digital Services Act.Posted 6 months ago by Tom West 20
Founder and studio head Shinji Mikami to leave Tango GameworksTango Gameworks' founder and CEO, Shinji Mikami, is set to leave the studio after more than 12 years with the developer.Posted 6 months ago by Sean Carey 50
Microsoft announces new deal to bring Xbox PC titles to NVIDIA GeForce NOW serviceIt's a busy time for Microsoft — as its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard undergoes continuing scrutiny, Microsoft has now announced an "expansive new gaming deal" with NVIDIA.Posted 6 months ago by Heidi Nicholas 37
Ubisoft confirms it's sanctioned almost 19,000 accountsUbisoft Support has confirmed it's handing out "account level sanctions" to almost 19,000 accounts which were spotted "making use of a fraudulent exploit" in a number of Ubisoft titles.Posted 6 months ago by Heidi Nicholas 74
M3gan movie producer Blumhouse to expand into horror gamesBlumhouse, "regarded as the driving force in horror" and the production company for movies such as M3gan, Insidious, and The Invisible Man, is expanding into making games for consoles, PC, and mobile.Posted 6 months ago by Heidi Nicholas 21
Xbox Series X|S prices increase in SwedenMicrosoft has now increased the price of Xbox Series X|S consoles in Sweden, marking the second country to see a price hike this year, following Japan at the end of January.Posted 6 months ago by Tom West 24
Ubisoft has a "strong lineup" for E3 2023, confirms attendanceUbisoft is the first publisher to confirm its attendance for E3 2023 this June, confirming that it has a "strong lineup" ready for the show.Posted 6 months ago by Tom West 27
Microsoft signs "binding ten-year contract" to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platformsMicrosoft has now signed a "binding ten-year contract" to bring Call of Duty games to Nintendo consoles, should Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard be approved.Posted 6 months ago by Sean Carey 87
Microsoft set to defend Activision Blizzard deal in EU hearing next weekMicrosoft will defend its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard against EU competition regulators in court next week following a recent formal antitrust warning from the EU commission.Posted 6 months ago by Sean Carey 49
Descenders publisher aims to get all future releases onto Game PassMike Rose, the founder of publisher No More Robots, has once again thrown his weight behind Game Pass, saying that the publisher is aiming to get all its future releases onto the service.Posted 6 months ago by Sean Carey 15