Today at New York Comic Con, Wizards of the Coast announced the first 2027 Universes Beyond expansion set for Magic: The Gathering. Marvel’s Darkhold Destiny will pit Doctor Strange, Thor, Ghost Rider, and more against cosmic villains like Hela and Dormammu in 2027.

The set will include normal and Collector booster packs, and four pre-constructed commander decks themed around Marvel heroes and villains, including the Midnight Sons. Multiple cards were shown during the hour-long panel, including Magic, who transforms into Darkchild, Gargantos, and the titular Darkhold. 

Darkhold Destiny tells an original story co-created by designers at Marvel and Wizards of the Coast. Along with that story, a brand-new character created for this set will be introduced in a Marvel Infinity comic series starting in February. 

Mechanics include Vengeance, an Adventure-like gameplay feature that lets you cast spells from your graveyard and return the permanent it's attached to back to the battlefield, and the return of the Arcane subtype for spells.

Darkhold Destiny launches April 9 in big-box retailers and local game stores.

Minesweeper has been around for decades and it's probably overdue for some modern flourishes. Now there's a Triple-A Minesweeper parody that offers a hilarious look at what a Minesweeper update might look like.

The Triple-A Minesweeper was created by writer and programmer Mike Lacher, and it's fully playable as a browser game on his site. Aside from the intentionally pretentious title cards touting the involvement of Unreal Engine, Nvidia, Bink Video, and Wwise, Triple A Minesweeper looks and plays almost exactly like the regular Minesweeper.

However, the best way to enjoy this parody is by simply not doing anything at all. The main character, "Sweeper," will sit around and repeat things like, "I gotta sweep these mines," while receiving calls from newly created characters in the game. Lacher seems to have taken his inspiration from Grand Theft Auto 5, Metal Gear Solid, and even Cyberpunk 2077.

Among the callers are Nora, a potential love interest for Sweeper. Additionally, an underworld figure called The Don repeatedly calls for Sweeper to head down to his club while hinting at the latter's sinister past in Singapore. Meanwhile, the chipper DJ Dan celebrates Sweeper's efforts on behalf of New Dawn City.

In another amusing touch, Sweeper never acknowledges any of the other characters and keeps repeating the same lines over and over. It is possible to complete the game, which triggers a twist ending that probably wasn't that difficult to predict.

Although Lacher leaves the parody on that note, it would have been even funnier if the game's coda mentioned that Triple-A Minesweeper flopped and cost Microsoft hundreds of millions of dollars.

Microsoft hasn't done too much with Minesweeper in the past few years, although it was added to Microsoft Teams as a playable game. The company has also previously created a Minesweeper-themed ugly Christmas sweater.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's campaign is playable a week early for people who preorder, and now we know the DMZ mode will be as well.

Activision has announced that MW4's extraction-based DMZ mode will be playable starting Tuesday, October 20, which is three days before the game launches. Campaign early access, meanwhile, starts on October 16.

How to get in

To access DMZ mode before everyone else, you need to preorder any edition of MW4, including the standard or Vault versions. The perk applies to all platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC.

What is DMZ?

Described as the "definitive extraction shooter experience," DMZ in MW4 is an open-world game mode featuring other human players and AI combatants. Players will search the map for loot, craft gear, and complete objectives. Like in other extraction-based games, you need to reach the exfil point to make it out with all your rewards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV5vKAAkQkQ

DMZ originally debuted with 2022's MW3 as a free-to-play beta inside Warzone, but this version left a lot to be desired. The new version of DMZ for MW4 seems like a big step up, and it includes a new social space this time as well.

For lots more, be sure to read up on GameSpot's previous coverage of the new version of DMZ.

Microsoft's latest console exclusive, Gears of War: E-Day, launched this week, and now we've gotten the first glimpse at how the game is performing commercially. Multiple analysts have weighed in, and there are numerous factors at play beyond pure sales, due to Game Pass and other factors. So let's break things down.

Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics released a report that said the game has sold about 230,000 copies so far, with Steam sales accounting for 168,000 and Xbox (across console and PC) making up the other 62,000.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teClq4qYyzQ

Straight sales do not tell the whole story, though, because E-Day is available on Game Pass, which Elliott said "cannibalized" the majority of sales. He said Alinea's data showed than 1.7 million people acquired E-Day through their Game Pass subscription as opposed to buying a copy outright.

There is more nuance there, too, as Elliott said that 722,000 of the 1.7 million people who played E-Day through Game Pass bought the $30 Premium upgrade, which got them in early and awarded them with extra content.

"So despite selling far fewer copies on Steam, Xbox accounts for almost three-quarters of the revenue (roughly $26 million of the $37 million, versus about $11 million on Steam). So '230,000 copies' undersells the paying audience. Including the 722,000 upgrades, nearly 950,000 people actually paid something for E-Day."

Elliott concluded that these are "soft numbers" at a time "when Xbox badly needs revenue wins." In this environment, Elliott said E-Day's $70 edition is "functionally dead on Xbox."

"In a world without day-one Game Pass, many of these folks would have bought E-Day at $70. They paid $30 for five days early access to something they don’t own. Xbox is, in effect, charging its most valuable customers the least, based on a hangover from a tried-and-exhausted strategy from a previous administration," he said.

More to the story

Game Pass creates recurring revenue for Xbox, and it's big business. For the latest fiscal year, Game Pass brought in nearly $5 billion in revenue. E-Day's inclusion on Game Pass adds value to the service for Game Pass members.

However, Elliott said Game Pass is no longer growing, putting Xbox "at a crossroads." Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has alluded to this as well, saying Game Pass was one of Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond's big bets that did not pay off.

“Our core business weakened, and we added more teams, more investment, and more time, hoping for a better outcome,” she said.

Microsoft spent many billions of dollars acquiring numerous developers with the aim of funneling content to Game Pass. The strategy did not work, and now Xbox has made major changes to Game Pass, including removing the biggest day-one new release it ever had in the Call of Duty franchise. New releases are no longer included at launch, so players have to buy them outright or wait a year until they come to Game Pass.

"When a game this bloody awesome and well-reviewed [Gears of War: E-Day] does this softly on its home platform, the model--not the game--gets brought into question," Elliott said.

Mat Piscatella of Circana reminded people that E-Day's revenue was not totally cannibalized in practice through its inclusion on Game Pass because a person had to pay $23/month for Game Pass in the first place. Beyond that, Piscatella pointed out that that not everyone who played E-Day through Game Pass would buy the game outright if that was the only way.

What about a PS5 version?

Many people expected Microsoft to release E-Day on PS5, in part because Microsoft's own documents showed that a PS5 version was in the works and because Gears of War Reloaded came to PS5 a year ago.

A PS5 edition of E-Day was reportedly canceled at the last minute; Microsoft denied this, but no one believes that. Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg has said E-Day is not a timed exclusive for Xbox, meaning it may never come to PS5. However, he said the same thing about Starfield, and then it came to PS5, so people are understandably hesitant to believe what the company says.

Elliott previously said Gears of War: E-Day (along with Clockwork Revolution) are being sent out to die due to their exclusivity to Xbox. They are also coming to PC, but not PS5.

Elliott told GameSpot that Microsoft will never succeed in the console space and promising fans exclusive games to help drive console sales is not going to make a difference.

“Console as we know it is over for Xbox–and has been for a while. There’s no turning that ship. But they still need to pretend to care until they’ve transitioned to pastures where they can return to growth (if they succeed),” he said.

“A Gears console exclusive does not shift meaningful numbers of Series X units. Exclusivity as a hardware-driver is over for them, because the install base it would drive simply isn’t responsive enough to justify the cost of building hardware at a 5x component premium. And those games are on Steam anyway,” he added.

Elliott went on to say that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are “sacrificial lambs for hearts-and-minds, not economics.”

E-Day sequel possibilities

Will there be a sequel to E-Day? That remains to be seen, but The Coalition's Mike Crump said E-Day creates a "great foundation" for the franchise to grow. Crump also stated that a potential sequel could be made much faster. The studio has no other games in development that have been announced publicly.

Microsoft bought the Gears of War series from Epic in 2014 for an undisclosed sum.

There have been big changes at Xbox lately as part of Sharma's effort to "reset" the Xbox business and help it grow. This has included mass layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. Recently, Sharma said Xbox was at an "all time low" but is now growing again, though she didn't provide any data to support her claims.

EA and Battlefield Studios have unveiled more details on Battlefield 6's upcoming Season 5, and it includes a new feature that fans have wanted since day one: a proper server browser.

Battlefield did indeed launch with a server browser, but--considering how it only supported Portal mode--it wasn't the one fans wanted. One of the game's producers asked why players even want a full server browser. Now, in response to the feedback, Battlefield Studios is adding a proper server browser with the Season 5 update this December, allowing people to create their own servers and set rules like map rotation and other particulars. Classic-era Battlefield games had server browsers, and fans flocked to them because they could pick and choose exactly the maps and modes they wanted to play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ufBOI6Dto&feature=youtu.be

Season 5 rolls out in waves, beginning with Siege of Las Vegas on October 13, which adds two new maps: Vegas Strip and Area 51. For Battlefield 6's battle royale RedSec, Siege of Las Vegas adds a new version of the mode called Rapid Royale, which promises faster rounds with smaller player populations.

Battlefield 6's Season 5 will also include a Halloween event running October 20 through November 7, featuring a "limited-time scenario" that has players hunting down "secret tech" beneath Area 51. This scenario, which Battlefield Studios stressed is non-canon, includes a celebration of aliens and the Dead Space series, taking players to environments based on the 2023 remake. There will also be Dead Space-themed cosmetics to unlock.

Phase 2 of Season 5, called Casino Heist, begins November 10, adding a new map called European Casino. Finally, Phase 3, known as Frozen Aces, arrives on December 8, and as its name suggests, it will bring cold weather to Las Vegas, along with a new operation across the Vegas Strip and Area 51. The Battlefield 6 server browser also arrives during the Phase 3 of Season 5.

Battlefield 6 was 2025's best-selling game in the US, even outperforming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

Street Fighter 5 launched in 2016 in rough shape, and if things hadn't changed, the classic fighting game franchise might have been dead and buried by 2026. That's according to Street Fighter 6 producer Shuhei Matsumoto and game director Takayuki Nakayama, who recently spoke about how Capcom's signature fighting game franchise was knocking on death's door at one point, before a turnaround strategy reenergized it for a new generation of digital fisticuffs.

Following Capcom veteran Yoshinoro Ono's exit from the company in 2020, Matsumoto and Nakayama started work on a new Street Fighter game that could appeal to both the existing--and aging--player base while attracting new blood to the series. "When the two of us were talking during Street Fighter 5, we realized that if we didn't do something about Street Fighter, the Street Fighter IP would probably die in 10 years. It was critical. So, we had to make it a game where people would get to know it all over again and play it again," Matsumoto said in an interview with Karin Ohira (via IGN). "At that time, the player base for Street Fighter 5 was roughly 35 to 45 years old. In 10 years, these people will be 60. It’s difficult to sustain the franchise if we only rely on that group."

Matsumoto added that while Street Fighter was still recognizable as a franchise, that didn't mean people were engaging with it. If things didn't change, Matsumoto predicted that the IP "would likely die in 10 years."

https://youtu.be/y2DSNf_1TDw

The turning point came with Street Fighter 6, as the team approached its development as if it were a brand-new fighting game. By not relying on the legacy of Street Fighter, designing the Modern Control scheme to level the playing field, adding World Tour mode, and incorporating the fighting game community more closely into the project, Street Fighter 6 proved to be a hit when it was released in 2023.

Street Fighter 6 is also arguably the fighting game of the current decade. It still has a healthy audience, has expanded with post-launch content, and its modernized control schemes have attracted new players. It would have been a strange twist of fate if Street Fighter did fade into obscurity, as back in the late-2000s, Street Fighter 4 was credited with reinvigorating the fighting game scene, following several years of the genre being overshadowed by new game IP on the rise.

You could also point to Street Fighter 6 as another example of Capcom's golden touch: after the release of Resident Evil 7 almost a decade ago, the company has turned out hit after hit, with only a few misses along the way. This year alone has seen Capcom release four games, with each one being critically acclaimed--Resident Evil: Requiem, Pragmata, Monster Hunter Stories 3, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword.

Beyond that, Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie adaptation has also been a big hit--and is one of the most commercially successful in the franchise--and it'll be followed by a new live-action Street Fighter movie later this month.

Rockstar's GTA 6 is the biggest game of 2026 and possibly ever, but it's not coming to Switch 2 ... or is it? Nintendo of America's new president, Devon Pritchard, was recently asked if GTA 6 is coming to Switch 2, and she didn't say yes or no. Instead, she said people should ask Rockstar and its owner, Take-Two.

“That’s going to be a conversation for Take-Two and Rockstar, but nothing to announce on my end at this time,” Pritchard told Variety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klc0fQmAL6k

In May of 2025, a report from NateTheHate said Rockstar was conducting tests to see about bringing GTA 6 to Switch 2. He clarified that this doesn't mean GTA 6 was planned for Switch 2, going on to say developers regularly conduct tests to see if their games are technically feasible on different platforms.

For now, GTA 6 is confirmed only for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S when it launches on November 19. History suggests that a PC edition will follow later, but this is not confirmed.

CEO Strauss Zelnick said the company could bring more games to Switch 2, but it's unknown if GTA 6 may be among them. He said Take-Two “would not necessarily bring every title to the platform,” but he noted there is a “great” opportunity to bring some of its older titles to Switch 2. He also said he is a “big believer” in the Switch 2.

While GTA 6 may not be coming to Switch 2, Rockstar released GTA: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition on Switch in 2021, and it's playable on Switch 2 as well. Before this, Rockstar released GTA: Chinatown Wars for Nintendo DS. GTA 1 and GTA 2 also came to the Game Boy back in the day.

A movie adaptation of the popular game series BioShock has been in the works for a long time, and like a lot of film projects, it appears to be trapped in Development Hell. It remains to be seen how things will shake out with BioShock, but now its director has provided a positive-sounding update.

Francise Lawrence told GamesRadar that the team is "still working on a script," but he believes, "We're pretty close." He added: "I'm feeling really good about it."

Hollywood is littered with stories of filmmakers who are excited about projects, only to see them never materialize for countless reasons. That could happen for BioShock, too, but Lawrence is hopeful.

"Yeah, I would love to make it. I've been like dying to. I've been working at it. I've been trying," he said.

A BioShock movie has been in development for more than a decade now, with Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski originally tapped to direct for a theatrical release. He pushed for a big-budget, R-rated version, and the studio reportedly balked after Zach Snyder's expensive Watchmen adaptation flopped.

Netflix announced in 2022 that it had taken over the BioShock movie project, but things didn't go to plan. There was a regime change at Netflix, and producer Roy Lee said this resulted in the BioShock movie getting scaled back to become a more “personal” film.

The BioShock movie was supposed to happen years ago, but Lawrence had a full plate with 2025's The Long Walk and this December's The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. With that movie finished up, Lee said he thinks Lawrence could begin work on BioShock in 2027, though he acknowledged that anything can happen in Hollywood and plans may change.

Blade Runner 2049’s Michael Green and Terminator: Dark Fate’s Justin Rhodes are working on the script. There is no word yet on a cast.

Intriguingly, Lee said BioShock rights-owner Take-Two is “very anxious to see the movie come out” because the plan is for it to “coincide with some of the potential new incarnations of the game.”

Lee did not name any specific games outright, but Take-Two recently reiterated that the long-in-development BioShock 4 will see the light of day … some day. A remake of the original BioShock was reportedly in development, but was canceled in 2025.

As for the in-development BioShock 4, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick recently said the game is not dead and will come out “without question.” He offered this assurance to fans in the wake of BioShock 4 undergoing a partial overhaul to improve on key areas. Developer Cloud Chamber also suffered layoffs, with studio head Kelley Gilmore departing and former Diablo boss Rod Fergusson taking over. Some may recall how Ferguson was called in years ago to be a “closer” for BioShock Infinite to help get the game out the door.

European consumer protection authorities have announced a series of "coordinated actions" aimed at 10 video companies, accusing several of the biggest names in the industry--like Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft--of "dark patterns" that are designed to put minors and individuals at risk of gaming addiction.

If you've ever purchased in-game currency, then you're probably aware of how one of these tactics works. For example, Destiny 2's in-game currency, Silver, comes in bundles of 500, 1,000, and 1,500 units, but buying a fancy new skin for a set of armor ornaments costs between 600 and 1,500 Silver. That way, you're forced to purchase extra Silver that you don't need, and you can exchange any remaining Silver back for cash, creating what is essentially a one-way exchange rate conversion. Destiny 2 isn't an outlier in this space, as multiple big games like Fortnite and Call of Duty all have their own currencies, available through exploitative bundle deals. The key takeaway is that the setup of these bundles ensures that you'll always be short a few digital bucks on the one item you really want.

One of the few games that is changing its approach to in-game currency is Fortnite, as starting October 14, players can purchase the exact amount of V-Bucks they need. This change will also roll out to Rocket League and Fall Guys across Xbox, Nintendo, PC, Android, iPhone, and the Fortnite web Item Shop, but for now, it won't be supported on PlayStation.

The European-wide enforcement says that it's focused on practices that obscure real-world spending in video games, such as the use of premium in-game currencies, selling virtual currencies in set quantities that rarely align with item prices and thus force players to overspend, and insufficient parental control mechanisms. Under the coordination of the European Commission, the goal is to promote transparency and fairness, as well as protect the rights of consumers and minors when playing video games.

Minecraft Minecoins are just one of many premium in-game currencies out there.

So far, the following companies have been targeted by the Italian Competition Authority-led actions:

• Activision Blizzard
• Crytek
• InnoGames GmbH
• King
• Mojang
• Plarium Europe S.à.r.l.
• PLR Worldwide Sales Limited
• Riot Games
• Supercell
• Ubisoft

Activision Blizzard remains the primary point of focus, with games like Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty being singled out, expanding on previous investigations carried out on those titles. Manipulative user interface design tactics and poor customer support have also been cited as areas of concern. "These practices make it difficult for gamers, particularly vulnerable consumers, such as minors and individuals at risk of gaming addiction, to understand and keep track of how much money they are spending," the EC press statement reads.

If successful, this action could set a new regulatory precedent with stricter oversight of monetization strategies in free-to-play and live-service games across all European markets. This follows a recent trend across the world, where consumer protection, UI design, and contract transparency has come under the spotlight. Several years ago, the Federal Trade Commission began an investigation into "roach motel" subscriptions in live-service games that only required a single click to sign up for season passes or recurring subscriptions, but canceling them required the digital equivalent of jumping through multiple hoops. 

Meanwhile, Sony has claimed that it doesn’t mislead customers into purchasing digital licenses for games (instead of actual ownership of the product) as it moves closer towards its all-digital future, and it is also set to pay out nearly $8 million to PlayStation customers as part of a settlement regarding digital game prices.

Rockstar Games recently announced GTA 6's in-game radio stations, and one of them is co-hosted by 11-time Grammy-nominated Lana Del Rey. The singer-songwriter had a connection to video games before this, as she recorded the song "Video Games" on her 2012 album Born to Die. Now, she's set to appear in the biggest video game ever, and she's pretty stoked about that.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Del Rey said, "On so many different levels this is super special and a privilege. Can’t wait to get into the game and start playing.”

Lana Del Rey and Morgan Wallen co-host GTA 6's Back Country Radio.

She plays the character Delta Dawne, and is a co-host for the Back Country radio station alongside singer Morgan Wallen as MW. Del Rey's husband, Jeremy Dufrene, will lend his voice to the game's Back Country Radio station, too, as the character Mud Dog Mike.

Elsewhere, the GTA 6 in-game radio stations feature other real-world famous musicians like Bad Bunny, and Kerry King and Tom Arya of Slayer

Music has always been a big part of the GTA franchise, and that continues with GTA 6. In the new game, players can listen to music in their cars and digest podcasts while walking around in Vice City through headphones. For more, check out all of the songs in GTA 6 so far.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, so its release is right around the corner. Fans have been waiting a long time, as the game has been in development since 2015.

Daredevil: Born Again actor Charlie Cox is starring in an upcoming video game, but it's not the first time he has lent his voice to one of these projects. At New York Comic-Con 2026, Cox revealed that he'd just finished recording his lines for a game that'll be published by Sega, but he didn't say which one. Hilariously, Cox mentioned that the game's crew was disappointed to find out he was English, not American.

"I did another one! It doesn’t have a name yet," Cox said to IGN. "I did a Sega one. I've done one since. It hasn't come out yet. It was fun to do. It's hard. It's a whole different job, man. I'm not sure what I'm allowed to say, but I showed up for it, and I met them for the first time, they asked me to do this game, and so I agreed to it. Then I had to do 40 hours or whatever it was, and I showed up for the first day, and I was like, 'Hi guys, nice to meet you! How are you?' And all of them went, ‘Oh, he’s English.’ They’d hoped, they'd wanted him to be American. But now I've got to do 40 hours of lines I've not prepared in an accent. Yeah, I think they thought I was American."

In a perfect universe, Cox is headlining Sonic Frontiers 2.

So what game did Cox sign up for? It's probably not a Sonic the Hedgehog game, but if the gig involved him recording dozens of hours of vocals, that would suggest a narrative-heavy title. Persona and Like a Dragon would fit that bill, but Cox may have signed up for a completely new project at Sega. Fans of the Daredevil actor last heard him in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, where he played Gustav.

The game won critical acclaim after it launched last year, and Cox was pleasantly surprised at how popular it was. While Cox was nominated for Best Performance at The Game Awards last year, he said he didn't deserve the full credit as the motion-capture for Gustav was performed by Maxence Cazorla. With Expedition 33 proving to be a critical darling, Cox said he was looking forward to playing it--after he got a console for it.

His fellow Daredevil actor, Deborah Ann Woll, will also be popping up early next year in God of War Laufey on PS5.

The upcoming anime adaptation of Sony's Ghost of Tsushima just took another big step forward, with Crunchyroll revealing more details on the cast and crew attached to the project, as well as a 2028 release window.

While details are still light on what the story will be, Hayate Inc. did confirm that actors Mayumi Saco and Shinya Fukumatsu will voice characters. Saco had previously voiced Tomoe in Ghost of Tsushima, a master archer and pupil of the renowned Sensei Ishikawa, while Fukumatsu lent his vocal talents to One-Punch Man, playing the martial arts master Bomb.

Official poster artowrk for the Ghost of Tsushima Legends anime.

For the crew working behind the scenes on this production, there's some big talent attached. Takanobu Mizuno (Star Wars: Visions "The Duel") will direct the anime, and it'll be produced at animation studio Kamikaze Douga (Batman: Ninja, Star Wars: Visions shorts). For the story, that's being handled by Gen Urobuchi (Psycho-Pass) and Renji Oki (Azur Lane). Rounding out key roles, there's also Keiji Inai as the anime's music composer, Yoshikazu Iwanami handles sound direction, and Gyousyou Suzuki brings their talent for calligraphy to the project.

As for the source material video games, Ghost of Tsushima first hit the scene in 2020 for the PS4, and was later upgraded for PS5.

Its sequel, Ghost of Yotei, launched in 2025 and also received a "Complete Edition" upgrade that adds the Echoes of Sekigahara expansion and bundles in the Legends multiplayer mode.

Anime adaptations of video games are on the rise, as multiple other projects are in various stages of development currently. From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Bloodborne are getting the anime treatment, and the world of Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding is expanding with an anime film and a separate anime series that's on its way to Disney+.

Have you ever wondered what two-time Oscar-winner Ben Affleck thinks about Fortnite skins, and the game generally? You can now rest easy, as the man himself has weighed in with some strong takes.

Appearing on the New Heights podcast with brothers Jason and Travis Kelce, Affleck said he's a big gamer, and is particularly fond of first-person shooter games, so when he tried Fortnite, he thought he'd hold his own. That wasn't the case, though. He said not only did he get wiped out immediately, but the 12-year-olds he was playing against made fun of him after taking him out.

Affleck said he got heated and shouted back at the kids: "I don't suck! I'm a grown man!"

https://twitter.com/yonann/status/2108191229884133646

Affleck also told a brief story about how his son wanted Fortnite skins for Christmas, and he was shocked to learn the specific skins his son wanted cost hundreds of dollars. "They ain't even real? Just to wear in the game? That's bullsh**," Affleck said.

Affleck is a big fan of the competitive shooter Valorant. In the movie Gone Girl, Affleck's character can be seen playing Battlefield 3.

Affleck is not the only person who has some strong words for the state of Fortnite. Writing for GameSpot, Phil Owen recently talked about why Fortnite sucks this season.

Ubisoft has announced that Rainbow Six Mobile is shutting down, and it didn't have a very long life. The game soft-launched in 2023, but properly rolled out for everyone back in February 2026. It will shut down on January 16, 2027, so it will have been online for less than a year in its full state for everyone.

"'We are proud of the passion, creativity, and dedication our team has put into the game," Ubisoft said. "One of the greatest parts of this adventure has been getting to experience it alongside you. We've loved seeing the memes, videos, strategies, tournaments, impossible plays, and all the countless moments that happened because you were here."

The developers are going to move on to "other long-term strategic projects," but Ubisoft did not say what these may be. The studio will share more details on the game's final days in the coming weeks.

"We are truly grateful to everyone who has played our game," the developers said.

Rainbow Six Mobile pitched itself as a mobile version of the extremely popular Rainbow Six Siege, which continues to crush it more than a decade after release. The next Rainbow Six game is Rainbow Six Tactics, and it's coming next year.

It's been a bumpy year for Ubisoft, as the company created a new organizational structure by way of its partnership with Tencent. As part of this, Ubisoft enacted mass layoffs, closed studios, and cancelled games.

Movie studio Paramount has announced that it's making a Cyberpunk 2077 movie, becoming just the latest upcoming game adaptation. The studio is also behind the Call of Duty movie that's set for release in 2028.

Deadline reported that Lorenzo di Bonaventura, known for his work on the super-popular Transformers movie series, is attached to produce. CD Projekt Red is on board as well to produce, which might make fans happy to hear.

CD Projekt Red's Michał Nowakowski praised Paramount, saying the company shares the developer's ambitions.

"We're excited about Paramount as a future partner who shares our creative ambitions for the Cyberpunk franchise. We look forward to sharing more details at the appropriate time," he said.

Cyberpunk 2's associate game director, Paweł Sasko, said, "I’m beyond excited chooms."

Cyberpunk 2077 is headed to the big screen.

Not all Hollywood adaptations include their creators, as Larian has no involvement in the Baldur's Gate 3 TV show, while Naughty Dog dropped out of The Last of Us Season 3 on HBO, prompting fears about creative decisions.

Paramount has been in the news a lot lately following the company's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and combination of the two companies. Going forward, the parent company will be called Skydance.

Presumably the Call of Duty and Cyberpunk 2077 movies are among those set for release in theaters, following Paramount's commitment to releasing at least 30 movies in theaters each year.

It is very early days for the Cyberpunk 2077 movie, and there is no word yet on who may direct or star in it, nor has Paramount given it a release date.

The game series, meanwhile, is expanding with a sequel, Cyberpunk 2, which is in development now.

Cyberpunk 2077 had a well-documented disastrous launch in December 2020, but the Polish developer steadily supported, updated, and improved the game over the years. Many are calling it one of the best comeback stories ever for a high-profile game. Things culminated in the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 release in 2023 and the launch of the stellar Phantom Liberty expansion. The game has sold more than 40 million copies.

Ahead of GTA 6's release in November, Rockstar Games has announced an official merch collection for the game, and it includes some snazzy stuff like a t-shirt featuring an alligator wearing sunglasses and drinking a cocktail.

The alligator's name is Macca the Gator, and he's the star of a fictional in-universe TV show of the same name. Presumably we will learn more about this at some point, but I am certainly intrigued.

All the GTA 6 merch you can buy right now.

Available in the Rockstar Store, the collection includes t-shirts sporting that alligator design and numerous others, including the GTA 6 logo. There are also a collection of branded hats in black, pink, and blue, along with a GTA 6-branded Zippo lighter, canvas tote bags, and vinyl stickers, among other offerings.

Of note, Rockstar says its t-shirts should be machine washed cold, but not put in the dryer. Instead, you should hang them on a line, Rockstar says.

In addition to this merch, Rockstar partnered with the NBA's Miami Heat for a "Vice City Collection" of gear you can buy right now.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game will have a lot of great music in it, as well as podcasts, and famous radio hosts.

One of the more interesting game reveals from today's Triple-i Initiative showcase was Gods With Badges, a narrative-driven tactics game about a disgraced police officer returning to the line of duty. What makes Gods With Badges even more fascinating is that it was canceled by its original developer and saved by El Paso, Elsewhere developer Strange Scaffold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXdR706AKPQ

The press release announcing Gods With Badges explained that the project began at Artificer, the Devolver Digital-owned studio behind games like Minos, Sumerian Six, and Showgunners. Originally called Hard Justice, the project ultimately didn't pan out and almost never saw the light of day.

Meanwhile, Strange Scaffold is spearheading an initative called Project Share, which encourages developers to share the original code for their games so other studios can riff on it. This previously helped enable the development of another Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion game and has now saved an Artificer game from cancellation.

The press release explains that Gods with Badges took the work already completed by Artificer and reinterpreted it "through Strange Scaffold's distinctive creative lens." Studio Head Xalavier Nelson Jr. added that he is "deeply grateful to the original developers at Artificer for trusting us with their project, and can't wait for people to see what we've built on this complex, exciting foundation."

Gods With Badges follows a disgraced police officer named Harrow McClellan as she patrols the dystopian city of Scarhelm. Each encounter starts with choice-driven conversations but can devolve into isometric, turn-based combat. Players can even turn off their bodycam to gain access to more combat abilities, though this will obviously affect how the narrative plays out.

I expect this game to tackle subjects like police brutality and the role of law enforcement in an increasingly dystopian world. Gods With Badges will be released on PC sometime in 2027.

When Embark said it would take several months to deliver the major Arc Raiders update it envisioned, days like today were probably the goal. The extraction shooter is once again high up in Steam's charts for both best-selling and most-played games. 

Among best sellers, Arc Raiders currently ranks fifth, behind this week's other big releases, Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Gears of War: E-Day, but those came out earlier this week, and it's still early, so we may see it leap over those before the week is through. Its new cosmetic DLC, the Frozen Trail Collector's Set, is also selling very well. It currently sits at #8 on the best-sellers list.

As for concurrent players, Arc Raiders has eclipsed triple digits on Steam, something it hasn't done since May. It's sitting at 106,000--that's good for 12th on the list--and has actually gained 5,000 more players since I started writing this. Like its sales surge, it seems likely that it'll keep climbing throughout the day. 

Not coincidentally, May was when Embark announced it would be moving to a semi-annual cadence for major updates, with today's Frozen Trail being the first such update since that change. Embark felt it needed more time to deliver bigger updates for players while giving developers breathing room for a healthier work environment. 

I've been fascinated by that bold move because it's rarely seen in the world of extremely popular live-service games. Arc Raiders never really dropped off completely; it still averaged 40,000 concurrent Steam players in September, but it was close to averaging half a million last holiday season, so the fall was precipitous, even if those numbers were likely never to be sustained. 

The first day post-update can't tell the whole story on whether this revised roadmap pays off for Embark, but it's clearly off to a strong start.

Arc Raiders will be free-to-play this weekend on all of its available platforms.

We normally get only one Triple-I Initiative showcase per year, but 2026 is proving to be the exception. The second broadcast of the year from organizers Evil Empire, the Triple-I Initiative was a focused blast of curated trailers and game updates, all rolling out across an almost-hour-long livestream. If you don't have time, fret not, because we've recapped everything below for you to check out. Most of these games also have demos that are now live on Steam, so if you like what you see, you can get an early taste of them right now.

Aftergods https://youtu.be/9tmDraA3FrI

After Ragnarok annihilated most of the deities who safeguarded the land, it's up to the survivors of that cataclysm to form a new pantheon and push back the monsters that have risen up in their absence. The debut trailer for Aftergods featured some godly DNA--it was produced by the team behind the Blood of Zeus and Castlevania animated series--and this top-down survivalite ARPG is coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.

Waltz and Jam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lfSS002Ezo

Korean developer Flyway Games announced hand-drawn action-adventure Waltz and Jam has a release date, and you can get your hands on this cute little afterlife game starting December 3. It'll be launching for PC, Switch 2, and PS5.

Among Us Story: On Guard https://youtu.be/RzIWYTHHCtI

A new Among Us standalone game in which you have to prove your innocence before the Impostor gets to the rest of the crew? Nothing sus about that! Billed as both a narrative and detective game, Among Us Story: On Guard launches on February 17, 2027 for PC, Switch consoles, and mobile.

Astral Ascent https://youtu.be/dgS44SPIixI

Astral Ascent's next update adds some Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 flavor to the popular roguelite, as well as a ton of new content. The free Expedition 33 For Those Who Come After update is now available on PC and console, adding new summons, bosses, and a huggable Esquie. Wheeeee!

Brotato: Primal Dread https://youtu.be/2AvmACnnkps

The Primal Dread DLC for Brotato is out on November 2 for PC, adding bigger enemies, new brotatoes, and weaponized panflutes.

Canyons https://youtu.be/pgq2NDpY_Xk

A new co-op PvE shooter from the creators of Breathedge, Canyons drops you into a brutal, ever-changing world populated with supernatural creatures known as the Awakened. Everything from tombstones to thrones is out to harm you in this strange world, but an itchy trigger finger and Blood Pacts that allow you to wield exotic abilities will help keep you alive long enough to establish a settlement. Canyons is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in November 2027.

Chained Together https://youtu.be/8PvjKlUvouY

Co-op game Chained Together is getting its first new map on November 12. Your climb out of hell is just getting started, and a new gameplay mode will also test teams by seeing just how quickly they can overcome the trials of the damned.

Dandelion Void https://youtu.be/Psm3fo_ezww

Dandelion Void has a simple premise: The game wants to know if you have what it takes to survive the hostile jungle-choked halls of a derelict spaceship adrift between the stars. You'll need to establish a refuge to keep the horrors at bay, and if that sounds like a grand time, you can try a demo ahead of its Steam Early Access launch next year.

Dave the Diver X Subnautica 2 DLC https://youtu.be/Rp4KqJEnr_U

After teaming up with Sega's Yakuza series and running into Godzilla, Dave the Diver's next crossover brings the wet world of Subnautica to his shores. Out in early 2027, you can expect the casual single-player adventures of Dave the Diver to be fused with the alien oceans of Subnautica 2--which should make for some interesting sushi dishes.

Drunken Goddess Reflux https://youtu.be/VrQPbptH3eQ

Summary: From the developers of "Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis" comes their latest title: Drunken Goddess Reflux! Play shot-glass Russian roulette against Femme Soule, a demon who loves you to death--literally! Break the rules as you drink in this twisted game of Russian roulette, and push the demon until she spills it all.

Escape The Backrooms https://youtu.be/csuzytGT-G0

And now for some liminal horror! Escape the Backrooms is getting a new "After Party" update in December, adding new levels to the game. New skins are also coming later this month, and if you haven't tried it yet, Escape the Backrooms is a co-op game that builds on the idea of analog horror. It's available for PC and consoles.

False Echo https://youtu.be/wIh2OoWjbyU

Like Papers, Please combined with Das Boot, False Echo's blend of submarine warfare and cryptography thrills will be surfacing on PC in Spring 2027. To give you an idea of what the full game will be like, you can try the demo right now.

Gods with Badges https://youtu.be/MXdR706AKPQ

Fans of turn-based tactics games have been eating well lately, and Gods with Badges from Strange Scaffold (I Am Your Beast, Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator) looks like another delicious entry in that genre. With a focus on narrative sequences and brutal turn-based battles, players will step into the boots of disgraced police officer Harrow McClellan as she seeks to change lives and pursue her own version of justice. Combat requires you to follow the rules, but turning off your body-cam can unlock special dialogue and combat options if you're prepared to deal with the consequences of going dark.

Haunted Paws https://youtu.be/dCcOI-fwU6w

A spooky co-op game where you get to play as two adorable dogs? Sign us up! Haunted Paws lets you send your puppies on an adventure through a haunted mansion to locate your missing owner, and it's coming to PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and Switch. On PC, you can grab a demo for it on Steam. 

Hela: of Mice & Magic https://youtu.be/Awbht9ANxE8

Out on December 1, Hela: Of Mice & Magic is a cute adventure game featuring a brave little mouse. Set in a world inspired by Northern Sweden, the game encourages you to be a force for good. A PC demo is out now, and the game launches on December 1 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch 2, and Switch. It'll also be a day-one release through Xbox Game Pass.

Risk of Rain 2: Hallowed Concepts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5OpnVoxkmE The Escapists 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl_dBtp2PKQ

Team17 revealed a new entry in The Escapists franchise, building on the foundation of previous games to offer more 3D prison hijinks. It's out in 2027.

Machinarium 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GosoACCaBs

Amanita Design has a new Machinarium sequel on the way, almost 20 years after the first game was released. There's no release date yet, but so far it looks like a gorgeous follow-up to the original, with its unique art.

Lazare's Sacrifice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2bTtzyxGak

A narrative deckbuilder that has been designed in collaboration with Damien Monnier--the game designer behind the original Gwent and Gwent: The Witcher Card Game--Lazare's Sacrifice is set during the height of the French Revolution, and it tasks you with not losing your head.

The Talos Principle 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB-btaymgEY

The final entry in the series, The Talos Principle 3 is once again being developed by Croteam, and it'll offer plenty of thought-provoking puzzles to solve.

Militsioner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft-3PUM23Wo

First revealed in 2020, Militsioner is an immersive talking sim with a unique hook--you're being followed by a Godzilla-sized policeman, who is keeping a giant eye on you in spite of your protestations of innocence. You need to pack your bags and skip town to avoid the extremely long arm of the law, but be careful, because the Giant Policeman is watching your every move.

Pony Island 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QX_lfkK2gM

The next game from Inscryption creator Daniel Mullins, Pony Island 2 is getting a public playtest soon.

Stronghold 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg-WjI1EzBA Windrose: Ashlands Update https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3K2wjkbfVA Vaultbreakers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDJx0Q8quuE Too Deep To Quit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HKlaGK23M4 Volatiles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWYRShsmwK8 Revamp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDundXh6aa0 Jiaohun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUNGg3a-y1M Outward 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTsMBNhVyig Kingdom Two Crowns: Pharaoh Lands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQx4TODuB2k Living Hell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg_ib0KnwPw Prison of Husks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTOGBRMpEu4 RockBeasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbhvq6zHLvU Prospice: Anomalous Logistics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cV7PIg5oTA Little Prince Tyger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbaX6FKvLKQ Wyldheart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X88HFhWATps Trainwatch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCVkQiRytK4 Isle Goblin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXTw84DXWj0 Sulfur https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DS-ExBDSFQ

Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie got solid reviews and is making a lot of money at the box office, but where does it rank on the list of highest-grossing Resident Evil movies? It's not at the top, but it's pretty close.

Director Paul W.S. Anderson made six previous Resident Evil movies, starring his wife, Milla Jovovich, and 2016's The Final Chapter currently ranks No. 1 in terms of money at the box office. Anderson's movies did not fare very well with critics, but had dedicated fans who kept going to see them. Together, Anderson's six movies made more than $1 billion.

Cregger's Resident Evil movie currently ranks No. 3 with about $250 million worldwide. It will need to add more than $60 million more to surpass The Final Chapter ($312 million worldwide). It's also still behind 2010's Resident Evil: Afterlife, which made about $300 million globally.

The new Resident Evil movie just came to China, and the franchise is very popular there. If it performs to expectation in China, the movie could reach $280 million soon to become Cregger's highest-grossing movie ever, surpassing Weapons.

Below you can see a rundown of the highest-grossing live-action Resident Evil movies ever, including domestic, international, and global figures. In addition to Cregger and Anderson, director Johannes Roberts worked on the series for 2021's Welcome to Raccoon City, the lowest-performing Resident Evil live-action movie ever.

While Cregger's Resident Evil movie still has work to do to become No. 1 globally, it's already No. 1 domestically. In fact, it's the only live-action Resident Evil movie ever to perform better domestically than internationally, though that may change when the final numbers from China are added in.

The Resident Evil movies are produced by Constantin Films, which bought the rights back in the '90s and has retained them ever since. After Welcome to Raccoon City flopped, Constantin planned to put the film franchise on ice ... until Cregger showed up with a pitch.

While Cregger has said he has ideas for another Resident Evil movie, he's done with franchise movies and is instead making an original movie, The Flood, next.

Highest-grossing Resident Evil movies

8: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)

• Domestic: $17,000,612
• International: $24,914,303
• Worldwide: $41,914,915

7: Resident Evil (2002)

• Domestic: $40,119,709
• International: $62,865,153
• Worldwide: $102,984,862

6: Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

• Domestic: $51,201,453
• International: $78,141,316
• Worldwide: $129,342,769

5: Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

• Domestic: $50,648,679
• International: $97,069,154
• Worldwide: $147,717,833

4: Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

• Domestic: $42,345,531
• International: $197,813,724
• Worldwide: $240,159,255

3: Resident Evil (2026)

• Domestic: $127,881,769
• International: $121,404,309
• Worldwide: $249,286,078

2: Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

• Domestic: $60,128,566
• International: $240,099,518
• Worldwide: $300,228,084

1: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)

• Domestic: $26,830,068
• International: $285,412,558
• Worldwide: $312,242,626