Weeks after his detainment by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), fighting game community member Ludovic Mbock is going home after being granted a low bond at a hearing.

According to Mbock's friends and family in a GoFundMe update post, around 20 people were in the courtroom at the hearing, with over 20 other people showing support online. "The judge was clearly moved," the post read. "Everything he said was in favor of Ludovic." Per Aftermath, Mbock was moved to facilities in Louisiana and then Georgia during his detention.

Friends and peers quickly took to social media to celebrate, with one post from fighting game community member Fem!Shep noting that Mbock's team is "optimistic" about a forthcoming hearing set for May.

If Donkey Kong Bananza is a game all about destruction, then the feature that allows for the most destruction could arguably be the best part of the game. According to a developer who worked on the game, the most destructive transformation for Donkey Kong might have gone too far, but that isn't a bad thing.

Speaking to Game Informer at GDC, Donkey Kong Bananza programmer Tatsuya Kurihara spoke about DK's Elephant Bananza transformation, which lets the primate inhale a large volume of destructible terrain and store chunks of it to throw. "I think we can agree the most destructive transformation is the Elephant Bananza, and honestly speaking, it probably went too far," Kurihara said. "But at the same time, it's fun, it feels good. And that's what matters most."

It's hard not to agree with that sentiment--the Switch 2 game practically invites you to wreak as much havoc as possible, and if you want to strip an entire layer of all its terrain, sucking it all up with the Elephant Bananza is the most efficient and satisfying way to do so.

Prime Video has announced a price increase for the subscription service, and it means the best way to watch Fallout--or anything else on the service--will soon be more expensive.

What we're talking about here is the ad-free version of Prime Video. Currently, it costs $3/month extra to watch content without ads. Starting April 10, however, the fee is going up to $5/month extra, and the tier is being re-branded as "Prime Video Ultra" (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Prime Video Ultra includes access to 4K/UHD streaming--and paying the $5/month extra is the only way to get this. Additionally, Prime Video Ultra supports up to five concurrent streams, which is up from three. Subscribers can also download up to 100 titles at once, up from 25.

Patrick Söderlund, the head of Arc Raiders studio Embark, has once again defended how the studio uses AI and revealed that the game now has fewer AI lines after the team re-recorded some parts.

Like Embark's previous game, The Finals, Arc Raiders uses an AI-powered text-to-speech system. A lot of people took issue with this, and Söderlund has now clarified how Embark pays the actors and revealed that Arc Raiders has removed AI voice lines since launch.

"We pay our actors for all time spent with us in the booth and continue to bring many of them back as we carry on updating the game," the developer told GI.biz. "For select usage, we also pay them for the approval to license their voices through text-to-speech for lines that aren't as essential to the immersion of the experience, mostly ping system audio."

Data firm NewZoo's annual PC and console gaming report reveals an interesting fact about Roblox and Minecraft players: They're far less likely to engage with popular AAA titles like Ghost of Yotei or Assassin's Creed: Shadows because they aren't too picky about realistic, lifelike graphics in games.

"I think there's been a shift in the last 10 years where the idea of chasing graphics has kind of faded and now you see the most popular games on the planet are not the most graphically high-fidelity games," NewZoo director of consulting Ben Porter explained at GDC (via gamesindustry.biz).

Per Porter, Roblox is leading the pack when it comes to massively popular but visually underwhelming games.

Despite being in development for over five years, almost all of Crimson Desert's pre-release footage has been from its PC version rather than consoles. Considering that this open-world fantasy is only a few days away from release, players have been understandably wary about that. Now, new console footage of Crimson Desert has been shared, but only from the PlayStation 5 Pro.

Digital Foundry has shared its early impressions of Crimson Desert on PS5 Pro, and for the most part, it sounds very promising. The video notes that the game's visual modes--optimal, balanced, and quality--all performed well, with only some occasional hiccups including PSSR upscaling artifacts.

Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter told IGN that developer Pearl Abyss offered the PS5 Pro preview without any restrictions. He added his primary concerns about the game have centered on its CPU demands.

Hawked is the latest casualty of the live-service gaming market, as the studio behind the Fortnite-like shooter has announced that it'll be pulling the plug on its servers later this year. Developer My.Games has already disabled all in-game purchases and payments, and the current Renegade Pass will be extended until September 7.

"It was a great hunt, and we are grateful to every Renegade who joined the journey: exploring the jungles and ruins of X-Isle, chasing Caravans and Relics, solving puzzles and uncovering mysteries, battling VEKTR, and simply enjoying the adventure together," My.Games wrote in a blog post. "We are closing this chapter to focus on new challenges ahead."

Servers for Hawked will remain operational until June 9 for PC players, while the deadline for console players is September 7. After those dates, the game and its online services will be permanently retired. First revealed in 2022, Hawked launched for PC a year later and then made its way to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2024. The core loop of Hawked saw teams of up to three players race to collect and extract Artifacts from an island known as X-Isle, using the unique skills of one of several "Renegade" characters.

Late last year, CD Projekt Red celebrated the fifth anniversary of Cyberpunk 2077, one of the company's best-selling games. But if players were hoping that more Cyberpunk 2077 content was on the way, the publisher dashed those hopes by noting that no more DLC or expansions are planned.

CD Projekt Red made the pronouncement on the official Cyberpunk 2077 X account in response to a fan asking for more. "We have no plans for additional DLCs or expansions," wrote CD Projekt Red. "If anything changes, we will inform you all!"

We have no plans for additional DLCs or expansions. If anything changes, we will inform you all!

Earlier this week, Cyberpunk 2077 was added to Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass Premium. Near the beginning of the month, Epic Games' Fortnite teased a new Cyberpunk 2077 collaboration. CD Projekt Red is also selling a Cyberpunk 2077 5th Anniversary Collector's Set, for the hardcore enthusiasts.

Microsoft's AI-powered Gaming Copilot assistant is coming to current-generation Xbox consoles later this year, the company announced at the Game Developers Conference.

The announcement was made at a GDC talk featuring Xbox's gaming AI partner group product manager Sonali Yadav and gaming AI general manager Haiyan Zhang. Gaming Copilot is already available in a beta form for the Xbox PC and mobile apps, as well as ROG Xbox Ally devices. Per GamesRadar, Yadav stated that Microsoft will "continue to bring it to more services that players are playing."

Players can ask the Gaming Copilot chatbot for advice and guidance via text or voice about the game they're currently playing, or ask for game recommendations from the store or Game Pass. The AI assistant reads and connects to Xbox profiles, so players can also ask specific questions about their play history, achievements, or subscriptions.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is coming to theaters in April, and it's expected to have a massive opening weekend. Early tracking data suggests the movie could earn $160 million in the US alone for its first weekend, though this includes a five-day period covering the Easter weekend.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie releases on April 1, so the five-day tracking period covers Wednesday through Sunday of that week. The numbers were supplied by Deadline.

2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie, for comparison, made $204.6 million over its first five days and $146.3 million for its Friday-Sunday three-day window. That movie also released over the Easter weekend, and it was the second-best Easter-weekend opening in the US for any movie, only trailing 2016's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice ($166 million).

Want to know when the next Genshin Impact update is? Sticking with a regular six-week schedule, we rarely need to wait for the next livestream to know when a new version is releasing, but livestreams give us more than just a release date, as they're also a great source of official banner and event information.

Each new update for Genshin Impact brings new banners to pull on, events to take part in, and there's usually a main storyline or character quest to sink hours of our time into as well. Not to mention all the updates we get for Miliastra Wonderland, Genius Invokation TCG, and more. The current update is version 6.4 (Luna V), the next will be version 6.5 (Luna VI), and this page explains everything we know about both the current and next updates in Genshin Impact.

• When is the next Genshin Impact update?

The next Genshin Impact update will be on Wednesday, April 8 if it sticks with the usual six-week update schedule. This will be version 6.5 (Luna VI). Although this date is technically guesswork for now, it's highly likely Genshin will update on this day, as not much gets in the way of its regular updates. However, for official confirmation, we'll just have to wait until the version 6.5 livestream.

The new season of Netflix's live-action One Piece series has just sailed into town, dropping anchor and delivering a new take on the acclaimed manga. Like the season before it, this new batch of episodes only covers a tiny portion of the manga series that has been running for 28 years, and if you're looking to see where the series is headed next, then you might want to grab the source material for some entertaining reading--or better yet, some cool merchandise that isn't buried on a faraway island. Fortunately, you can save quite a bit on these paperbacks and collectibles, as the Crunchyroll Store is offering big discounts on One Piece manga, merch, and more--but only until March 15, at 11:59 PT. There are quite a few items eligible for Crunchyroll's sale, so to help you find the best discounts, we've rounded up dozens of our favorites in the lists below. And if you're looking for even more deals, be sure to check out Crunchyroll's big manga sale, which is also happening this weekend, and sees most in-stock manga releases discounted by 30%.

Looking for some stylish One Piece clothing? The Crunchyroll Store has several T-shirts and long-sleeve tops available, or for something flashier, you can check out this stylish jacket inspired by the Strawhats visit to Egghead Island.

• Black Beard short sleeve T-shirt -- $15 ($30)
• Devil Fruit Athletic long-sleeve shirt -- $17.48 ($35)
• Jolly Roger cap -- $17.49 ($25)
• Kikunojo Kimono Symbol Crew -- $30 ($60)
• Luffy Straw hat -- $17.49 ($25)
• Nico Robin Checker hoodie -- $27.48 ($55)
• One Piece x Dim Mak - Luffy Egghead Jacket -- $136.49 ($195)
• One Piece x Dim Mak - Sanji Egghead Button Down Shirt -- $56 ($80)
• One Piece x Dim Mak - Luffy Hoodie -- $45 ($75)
• Zoro+Sanji+Luffy T-shirt -- $24 ($30)

You can also add some great collectibles to your shelf, ranging from action figures to attention-grabbing diorama pieces.

Crunchyroll is hosting a big sale on thousands of manga titles, giving fans a chance to save 30% on popular series and rising stars in the print scene. You won't want to dawdle on this promotion either, as it ends March 15 at 11:59 PT. While plenty of traditional manga paperbacks have gotten big price reductions, it's the deluxe editions and box sets where the discounts shave a substantial amount off the regular price for these collector's editions. Crunchyroll is also offering free shipping in the continental US for orders of $75 or more.

Some of the best deals in Crunchyroll's sale are for Deluxe Edition manga releases. While every publisher has their own standard for what qualifies as a "deluxe" release, generally, these are far better than your average paperback. While standard edition paperback manga offers a pocket-friendly format, the books also use lower-grade paper and print quality, and often include no extras. Deluxe Editions, on the other hand, offer a larger format so you can better see the art, as well as higher-quality paper and hardcover binding for a more premium look and feel. Many also include extras, such as interviews with series creators, bonus illustrations, and more.

As Xbox has continued to stumble in recent years, the future of the console has been in question. Most recently thanks to the "This is an Xbox" campaign, which tried to paint just about every piece of consumer electronics with a screen as a potential Xbox, despite there being two actual, dedicated Xbox consoles that we imagine Microsoft would be interested in selling. Whether or not Microsoft would even make a successor to the Xbox Series consoles was in doubt until newly-anointed Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma confirmed via X that the system is indeed in development, as well as offering up its code name--Project Helix. She also confirmed that it will play both Xbox and PC games and "will lead in performance." Even with this announcement, though, the future of Microsoft hardware is still in doubt.

In this post, we're rounding up everything we know about the next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, and what that console might look like. Keep checking back for more as we update this post as new information comes to light the closer we get to an eventual release date--sooner rather than later, we hope.

• Project Helix Release Date Speculation

Microsoft hasn't revealed an expected price range or release date for Project Helix, but we can make some guesses given the current market situation and some things Microsoft higher-ups have said. We're right in the middle of a huge shortage of RAM and SSD storage, and memory prices have doubled and worse across the market. This will affect both when Microsoft can release the console and what price point they can release at.

Season 2 Reloaded is live in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, bringing the brand-new Paradox Junction map to Zombies mode. Paradox Junction is set on Treyarch's iconic Nuketown map, and it features the Blundergat Wonder Weapon originally introduced with Black Ops 2's Mob of the Dead map. In this guide, we'll show you how to gather the barrel, sealant, stock, and hammer parts needed to build the Blundergat Wonder Weapon, as well as how to upgrade it to the Sundergat.

• How to find all parts for the Blundergat Wonder Weapon

The Blundergat is a craftable shotgun Wonder Weapon in Paradox Junction, and the weapon parts can be obtained in any order. You can skip around this guide and collect them however you choose, but we'll be explaining this in our recommended order.

The four parts are as follows:

The Regent is one of the two new characters in Slay the Spire 2, and while their power is undeniable, the character can also be pretty confusing to use. In addition to the regular gameplay mechanics in Slay the Spire 2, The Regent offers some new mechanics that change up your entire run. This can make building out your deck and choosing Relics more complicated than you're used to.

Whether you're struggling with The Regent or you just want some advice on how to build out the character in Slay the Spire 2, you're in the right place. Below, we'll go through the best deck, Relics, and strategies to use with The Regent.

A majority of the best builds for The Regent revolve around the Stars mechanic. This is unique to the character, and it encompasses most of what The Regent has to offer in Slay the Spire 2.

The winter snows are melting, the smell of spring is in the air, and that means it's time for Fanatical's annual Spring Sale event once again. From now through April 1, you can save on over 10,000 PC games, including classics like Age of Empires II, multi-game collections like the Resident Evil Remake Trilogy bundle, and recent releases like Digimon Story: Time Stranger. Along with the regular discounts, each day of the sale will also include multiple limited-time Flash Deals offering even bigger discounts on select titles. To top it all off, if you spend $15 or more on a single order, you'll unlock an additional free game key or coupon code.

If you're looking to save on something new, Fanatical's sale includes plenty of the latest PC releases, inclduing Resident Evil Requiem, the newest entry in Capcom's iconic survival horror series, which is down to $57.39 (was $70). Bungie's new multiplayer extraction shooter reboot of the classic Marathon series is down to a $34.39 (was $40), while the Monster Hunter Wilds - Premium Deluxe Edition is on sale for $51.14 (was $110), and includes dozens of exclusive cosmetics and armor.

Fanatical's Spring Sale offers a ton RPGs on sale, like Atlus' Persona 5 Royal at $16.49 (was $60) or Metaphor: ReFantazio for $31.84 (was $70), which was GameSpot's Game of the Year in 2024. For something with more real-time action, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is on sale for $19.49 (was $60) as well. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered is a gorgeous Studio Ghibli-inspired adventure that any JRPG fan should experience. Pick it up for $9.24 (was $50) during the sale.

Peak was such a breakout hit that Aggro Crab’s Game Developers Conference talk was packed 30 minutes before it was scheduled to begin. Aggro Crab studio head Nick Kaman took that time to answer questions from a crowd eager to learn more about the biggest friendslop game of 2026.

One of the first things brought up was, why BBNO$? The artist behind Lalala and edamame made an unexpected appearance on the base of the mountain for a concert last year.

"We wanted to have a parody of a Fortnite concert, but what if it was bad?" Kaman said jokingly.

Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Yotei is already an ambitious open-world adventure that builds on its predecessor in several ways, but the team had a number of other ideas that never made the final game. At GDC, the studio’s two creative directors discussed both the features that made it into the game and some ambitious concepts that didn’t.

From mechanics that would have let players climb anywhere to dual-timelines and a fully diegetic map system, Ghost of Yotei began as a game full of possibilities. Some ideas proved too large to implement fully, but they still influenced the final experience, leaving traces of that ambition in the game’s narrative and design.

One of the most ambitious features was the ability to switch between young and old Atsu at any point in the game. This would have created two versions of the world simultaneously, meaning the entire map would need to have versions in spring and winter.

2016's The Nice Guys starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, from Iron Man 3 director Shane Black, got solid reviews and was generally enjoyed by fans. People wanted to see a sequel, but it never happened. Why? Gosling said recently that, although The Nice Guys would go on to make more than $71 million worldwide against a reported $50 million budget, it got beaten badly by The Angry Birds Movie in its first weekend, and that matters in Hollywood.

The Nice Guys made $11.2 million in the US over its first weekend, compared to $38.2 million for The Angry Birds Movie. Gosling, whose last name is another word for a baby bird, said during press for Project Hail Mary, "We got killed by Angry Birds."

"[The Nice Guys] came out at the same time as Angry Birds, and Angry Birds just destroyed us," Gosling told Letterboxd, shaking his head. "They're just so angry."