The fate of the world is in your hands in Arc System Works' new title, Donutal. But you won't save it by picking up a gun. Instead, Donutal places players in charge of determining which aliens can immigrate to Earth and which visitors from another world are actually threats to humanity's survival. And a free demo is on Steam now.

The premise may remind some fans of a more lighthearted Papers, Please or the Men in Black films, minus the action sequences. Donutal's action is all verbal as players converse with Earth's new arrivals in the orbiting space station that used to be called the ISS. The players' character is the Chief Xeno Inspector on the station, which is the job that's waiting for you after 150 years in stasis. Because the player was charged for each of those years in cryosleep, they have to pay off a massive debt before they can even dream about going home to Earth.

To work off that money owed, players will screen groups of up to as many as eight aliens at once. Subjects can be interrogated one or two at a time, but it prove more illuminating with duos. Some alien species drop all facades about their hidden motives if placed with members from a rival race.

A once-beloved PlayStation studio is no more.

On Thursday, we learned that Sony Interactive Entertainment is shutting down Bluepoint Games, which had not released a game in over five years. Bluepoint made a name for itself with remakes of PlayStation classics like Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls, but as Bloomberg reports, the studio worked on a live-service God of War game after being acquired in 2021. That was canceled by Sony in early 2025, and with no new projects greenlit about a year later, the studio will shut down.

While Bluepoint may just look like yet another victim of the video game industry's recent flurry of layoffs, studio closures, and live-service game failures, the closure is also emblematic of the biggest problems PlayStation has faced throughout the PS5 generation. This is a generation where Sony hasn't done a good job of managing and shepherding its most beloved franchises, has released fewer games due to bloated development timelines, and has been generally inconsistent with its live-service efforts.

Mega Crit has announced that Slay the Spire 2 will be released into early access on Steam on March 5. When it does come out, it'll feature a co-op mode that lets you experience the rougelike with friends.

Slay the Spire 2's co-op mode will let groups of up to four players go on a run together. It will actually give you access to multiplayer-specific cards that emphasize teamwork and ability synergy, so those who typically play roguelikes solo will have a reason to check it out.

The original Slay the Spire is a classic roguelike, with its approach to card-based combat and encounter-driven runs becoming particularly influential for the genre. This sequel was first announced in 2024 and was going to be released last year before a delay to March 2026. This new gameplay trailer finally gave us the firm March 5 early-release date, which it shares with Pokemon Pokopia and Marathon.

A Minecraft Movie 2 producer Roy Lee has teased that the sequel will introduce one character that fans had been clamoring for. After the first movie focused on the heroes trying to defeat Malgosha and her Piglin army, fans reacted by saying they want the Ender Dragon to show up in the sequel.

It remains to be seen if that's going to happen. But, speaking to Collider, Lee offered up the following tease, "A lot of people said, 'Yeah, just make that movie, but make sure the Ender Dragon is in it.' I think that's what a lot of the requests have been."

Another possible new character for A Minecraft Movie 2 is Alex. After all, the post-credits scene from the first movie featured Jack Black's Steve meeting up with his red-haired counterpart.

Gamers have been getting hit hard for years, thanks to Bitcoin, COVID, NFTs, and more affecting GPU price and availability, and things aren't letting up. The rapid investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has pushed the tech world into a major chip shortage that has sent the price of memory chips--the stuff that makes up RAM and SSD storage--skyrocketing. It's a problem that will eventually affect all kinds of consumer electronics.

This could mark a huge turning point for games.

First, let's talk about the chip shortage itself. AI (setting aside the confusion that term causes) is everywhere, with data centers going up daily to support it. The massive data centers required to run AI applications are filled with server computers, and the component that allows anyone in the world to request an image of Sonic the Hedgehog delivering a baby while SpongeBob holds his hand is RAM.

Bluepoint Games, the developer behind 2020's Demon's Souls remake, has reportedly been shut down, according to a Bluesky post by reporter Jason Schreier.

A PlayStation spokesperson told Bloomberg that roughly 70 staff have been cut with the studio's closure coming sometime in March "following a recent business review."

"Bluepoint Games is an incredibly talented team, and their technical expertise has delivered exceptional experiences for the PlayStation community," the spokesperson told Bloomberg. "We thank them for their passion, creativity, and craftsmanship."

Games industry veteran Jake Solomon has shared the first footage of his next game, but it comes as part of the developer also stating that his studio is shutting down and the game may never release.

After spending 20+ years at Firaxis, Solomon founded Midsummer Studios in 2024 with the ambitious mission statement that it would "reinvent the life sim genre." The company said at the time that it raised more than $6 million from a variety of investors, but it seems Midsummer will close without releasing any games.

Solomon said he is "really proud" of the studio and the game that Midsummer was working on, which was called Burbank. It was a "dream" game for him. He said the studio wanted to show the game "before we close the doors at Midsummer Studios" so the world can see what the team was working on.

For three decades, Charles Martinet was the official voice of Mario across Nintendo's platforms. Although Martinet retired from the role in 2023, he still has a great deal of appreciation for his former alter ego.

Martinet recently took part in a Q&A session on the Nintendo Today app (via GamesRadar), and he reiterated the connection he felt to Mario as well as his desire to be more like the character he became synonymous with.

"Everything about Mario is someone I want to be like," said Martinet. "Kind, passionate, always optimistic, facing adversity with a 'let's-a go!' [These are] the sort of characteristics I think the whole world needs more of, and it's certainly who I want to be as a man and as a human being."

The calendar for video game fans has a few notable highlights checkered throughout the year--shows like Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards, tentpole publisher presentations, and increasingly, the regular occurrence of Steam Next Fests. The Next Fest has been growing in size and stature for years, and now it's among the best ways to get a glimpse at future big PC games and sleeper hits alike. It is also now, unfortunately, a regular reminder that the Steam Deck's sorting features are severely lacking.

As someone who's naturally curious to see what's next, both personally and for this job, I'm always excited to check out Next Fest. The biggest draw of Next Fests are the slew of demos, numbering in the thousands. I don't have the time or the storage space to check out more than a few dozen at most, but I'm always eager to browse and find the ones that catch my eye. Which makes it all the more baffling that Steam's signature piece of hardware, the Steam Deck, has no dedicated Demos section.

I suspect how Valve envisions this working is that users will browse the store and download demos directly from their Steam Deck, at which point they'll be added in chronological order to the home screen hub. And that works well enough, if you're only trying a handful of demos at a time.

Veteran screen and voice actor Ben Starr--best known in gaming circles as the voice of Clive in Final Fantasy XVI and Verso in Clair Obscur--is joining the cast of Fortnite as The Visitor. As far as Fortnite characters go, The Visitor is a big one, because he was Fortnite's first actual character when he first popped up during Chapter 1. But this isn't a recasting of the role, because The Visitor didn't speak when he originally appeared. He was the only member of Fortnite's The Seven to appear in the game without speaking. Until now, anyway. You'll be able to hear Starr's performance as The Visitor by doing story quests and picking up audio logs around the Battle Royale island.

I’m joining Fortnite as The Visitor.
I’m so excited to bring back this iconic member of The Seven. I imagine I’ll be very normal about it. pic.twitter.com/cUNBkr2gWG

When Epic Games began the hype cycle for Fortnite Chapter 7 in November, the company marketed it as "Chapter Seven," a very clear nod to the team of Fortnite-original multiverse warriors that have been missing from the game entirely since the end of Chapter 3. But their return hasn't been quick. It began with the appearance of the character known as The Order appearing in a locked cell under Classified Canyon, and continued with story quests to free her. The Visitor will be the next interloper from The Seven.

But it won't actually be the same Visitor from Chapter 1. This version, which debuted on the Season 5 OG Pass last summer, is a variant from a different timeline than the original one. Since Brie Larson's version of The Paradigm was also an alternate-reality variant of that character, The Seven actually has nine current members that we know of.

Kratos doesn't tend to talk too much, saying only what he needs to and grunting the rest of the time. However, he had a lot to say this time, with voice actor Christopher Judge talking a bit too much about developer Santa Monica Studio's God of War trilogy remake.

As spotted by Kotaku, YouTuber Fuzhpuzy posted their encounter with Judge at Fan Expo Vancouver 2026. The video has since been deleted, but mirrors of it are still up. Fuzhpuzy had asked if Judge was playing Kratos in the remake trilogy, to which he reiterated that Kratos' original voice actor, T.C. Carson, will reprise his role as the God of War.

Judge also told Fuzhpuzy that the team is "putting all the new technology in it [and] adding more stuff" to the God of War remake trilogy, including "a fighting system." He later said that "you'll then be hearing about what we're doing probably later this summer." And no, he doesn't voice Kratos in God of War Sons of Sparta, either.

Bungie's upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, doesn't just have a distinctive look; it has a unique sound as well. Several tracks for Marathon have been uploaded in the months leading up to release, and ahead of the game's full release, Bungie has released a new documentary examining the ethereal soundtrack produced by composer Ryan Lott and Bungie audio director Chase Combs. The video explores how contemporary electronic influences and human performances were blended to create the sound of Marathon, and you can watch it below.

"I love that feeling of it being both neon and also kind of crusty and falling apart at the same time," Lott said in the video. "To me, that has a sound. Something that was really inspiring about the concept of the game was that you relinquish your human body for a Runner shell. You hold onto your soul. You take 'you' with you, but you leave your body behind. I thought what better way to take the human voice--which is the soul of your person--and transform it into these playable instruments."

You can also listen to four tracks right now from the game:

I've never played a hero shooter or character-driven multiplayer online battle arena game in which you don't get to pick the hero you control from the jump. But that's pretty much exactly the conceit of Arkheron--this player-versus-player, strategy-driven action game doesn't let you just pick your hero from a roster. No, instead you have to earn the right to play as your favorite character (or just be extraordinarily lucky), all while fending off the desperate attacks of enemy players and racing to the top of a tower being overtaken by darkness. It's tense. It's challenging. It's a game I really want to keep playing.

In Arkheron, you fight in a squad of three within a dark fantasy world of swords, axes, bows, whips, hammers, and magical spell-producing artifacts. As the first round of a new match begins, your team picks where they want to spawn on the first floor of a tower. The corridors and dungeons of this first floor are full of loot-filled chests that contain weapons and expendable items, computer-controlled enemies that can ruin your team's day, locked doors that hide secret pathways and vaults of legendary equipment, hidden portals that can transport you to other locations on that particular floor, and, of course, the other teams. As the round reaches its end, a dangerous darkness begins to encroach on all the players, funneling everyone to flee for one of the handful of glowing beacons that randomly spawn on the map.

Each beacon can only be claimed by one team. If your squad is the only one present at a beacon when the round ends, you ascend to the next floor, no problem. But if at least one other team is present, it's a fight to the death to determine which single squad moves on. Teams that are killed--whether during the exploration phase of a round or during the final fight over a beacon--are knocked out of the match for good.

Roughly 40 developers have been laid off from Ubisoft Toronto, the company announced this week. Despite that and a bevy of other cancellations happening at Ubisoft right now, the long-awaited Splinter Cell remake remains in development.

MobileSyrup was the first to report on this round of layoffs, which are part of the larger restructuring Ubisoft has been going through to begin 2026. "This decision was not taken lightly and does not in any way reflect the talent, dedication, or contributions of the individuals affected," Ubisoft explained in a statement to MobileSyrup. "Our priority now is to support them through this transition with comprehensive severance packages and robust career placement assistance."

In January, Ubisoft revealed its plans to restructure the company into several different Creative Houses focused on certain franchises. This came alongside a wave of layoffs, a return-to-office mandate, and several project cancellations that have caused developers to go on strike and demand CEO Yves Guillemot's resignation.

It was easy to count out Highguard and assume that a wave of layoffs at studio Wildlight Entertainment and a non-functioning official website spelled the end of the raid shooter, but the game appears to be back in the saddle with a new content drop coming this week.

Per the official Highguard X account, players will be able to choose a new Base, utilize a new Raid Tool, and spend cash on new cosmetics and a mount.

The new Base is Cloudreach, which houses a large airship and a deck that gives defenders vantage points for sniping. The Lockpick Raid Tool temporarily disables windows and doors for enemies, allowing teammates to access them; an upgraded Lockpick also casts an energy field on lockpicked doors and windows that damages enemies and gives teammates a speed boost.

Yet another detail about the next-gen Xbox console has apparently emerged, as Windows Central reports that Microsoft staff are testing a new Gaming AI feature currently running on their Ally X units dubbed "Highlight Reels."

The feature will seemingly allow you to seamlessly edit a sizzle reel of your most memorable moments in a game. According to Windows Central's sources, "Highlight Reels" are all automatically captured "without leaving gameplay," suggesting you won't need to go to a separate editor to create and post gameplay highlights.

"The Highlight Reels feature allows players to automatically capture memorable gaming moments without any additional downloads, and without leaving gameplay," the source said of Highlight Reels. "This will launch in the next few months on the Xbox Ally X handheld."

Blue Prince was one of 2025's best games, and making it took a toll on its creator. Tonda Ros said in an interview that he was working about 80 hours per week for eight straight years to get the puzzle game out the door. Unsurprisingly, he doesn't plan to do that again.

"I was working, I think, 80 hours a week for eight years straight," he told Aftermath. He went on to say he does not plan to put himself through the same struggle for whatever he makes next.

"It was an incredibly long journey, so it might take as much time [to make my next game], but I certainly won't be working as hard. ... That's just not sustainable now. It's a young man's game," he said.

With every new Magic: The Gathering expansion comes new card designs, new alternate art variants, and new strategies to enhance your latest deck builds. Not every set, however, offers a whole new way to play the 30-year-old card game, as the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles expansion is bucking that trend with Turtle Team-Up, a co-op experience for up to four players and the first co-op MTG product since 2017.

GameSpot can exclusively reveal everything you need to know about Turtle Team-Up, including every card included in the box, how each deck is constructed, and how the rules of the game play out. We have images of every card, including the Bosses players will face off against, and we have a rundown of all of the rules you'll need to get started.

Along with this, we sat down with Turtle Team-Up's lead designer Corey Bowen, TMNT set design lead Eric Engelhard, and TMNT narrative design lead Crystal Frasier, to learn more about the choices that went into designing not only this new co-op product, but the TMNT set as a whole.

Bethesda's Todd Howard has come out to say he is "sort of anti-remake" and prefers remasters, like 2025's popular The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.

"I'm sort of anti-remake. I respect the other ones out there, but I really think the age of a game is part of what it is and its personality and what it represented when it came out," he told Kinda Funny.

Howard said the ambition with Oblivion Remastered was to make "the absolute best version" of the game. "It was important to us that the original game was running, so imagine you had patched that game many, many, many times for many years, what would you have done?" he said, as reported by GamesRadar.

To kick off the 20th anniversary of God of War, Sony announced a remake of the first God of War trilogy with original Kratos actor TC Carson reprising his role. That doesn't necessarily mean Kratos' current actor, Christopher Judge, is out of the picture. According to recent remarks by Judge, Sony Santa Monica--the studio behind God of War (2018) and God of War: Ragnarok--will be revealing its next game this summer.

During Fan Expo Vancouver, Judge told YouTube streamer Fuzhpuzy that he's not involved with the God of War trilogy remake, but he seemed to indicate that he is in Sony Santa Monica's upcoming title.

"You'll be hearing about what we're doing probably in late summer," said Judge. He also indicated that the God of War trilogy will have a new fighting system rather than a recreation of the one used by the PS2 and PS3 games of that era.