EA has officially been sold, and with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund now the majority shareholder in the video game company, talks are reportedly underway to merge it with Savvy Games Group, the gaming and esports holding company that's also owned by the PIF.

Speaking to Bloomberg, sources said the PIF is aiming to foster "better coordination" between its gaming assets, and the merger could happen once it completes its plan to acquire Chinese mobile gaming company Moonton, a deal valued at $6 billion. The PIF also owns Pokemon Go developer Scopely and game publisher SNK, and it holds sizable stakes in video game publishers like Nintendo, Capcom, and Koei Tecmo.  

The move could face scrutiny from regulators across the globe, however, as this would place several of the biggest gaming franchises in the world under one roof, including EA Sports FC, Battlefield, and mobile juggernauts like Monopoly Go. While EA's acquisition is valued at $55 billion, the massive leveraged buyout has also saddled the game company with billions of debt that needs to be addressed.

The PIF is the majority owner of EA Games, with a 93.4% stake in the company, while its partners Silver Lake and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's private equity firm, Affinity Partners, own 5.5% and 1.1% of the company, respectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jsYBULf-qc

Employees fear that massive cost-cutting, projected layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations are on the horizon, as EA may be looking to reach $700 million in cost savings.

Developers at BioWare are already concerned with the future of EA and how the PIF might take issue with the studio developing pro-diversity games featuring inclusive storytelling and characters, which are fears that have been echoed by the developers of The Sims as well.

Everyone is focused on VRR (variable refresh rate) support for Switch 2 while docked. But the latest system update just provided a notable quality-of-life improvement for people--especially families--who own multiple Switch 2 and Switch consoles. Nintendo now allows for you to play a virtual game card on one of your devices without both having to be online. Previously, you'd need both hybrid consoles connected to the internet if you tried to play a digital title while it was "stored" on another.

For example, say your child is playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder on your old Switch OLED, but you want to play it on your Switch 2. You both can actually play the title simultaneously by turning off Wi-Fi on the original hybrid console. Then, on your Switch 2, you can utilize an online license to jump around as the mustached plumber, too. We tested this out successfully. 

This also helps a lot between manually sending virtual game cards back and forth between Switch and Switch 2 systems. Now I can just start say, Blasphemous, on either system without having to actually send it from the previous place to a new one. Sure, it's not as smooth as using apps across Apple devices, but it's a step in the right direction.

Here's Nintendo's official language for the version 23.0.0 update, which incorporates Switch 2 and Switch. "When starting software, if a virtual game card cannot be ejected from another console because it is powered off or otherwise not connected to the internet, there will be a prompt to start the software using an online license."

The one caveat for utilizing the online license is that only the user account that purchased the digital game can play it. So that means your child can't boot up the title with their account if the parent purchased it, which is silly. Nintendo needs to iron out digital ownership for families or come up with a nominal fee for multiple licenses to a game. 

Along with these changes, Nintendo also brought back music to the Mii Maker on Switch 2. In fact, you can choose between the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS tracks. It's been a big week for the house of Mario, with a Legend of Zelda 40th-anniversary Direct as well as a general Nintendo Direct.

28 Best Nintendo Switch 2 Games To Play Right Now View Images

With Sony no longer involved in the production of Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid spiritual successor, Physint, people are wondering why the PlayStation company decided to part ways with the veteran game designer's upcoming game. Xbox has stepped in to rescue the project, resulting in a rare win for Sony's rival. At the same time, Sony is weathering a PR storm brought on by its decision to kill game discs, rising console prices, and more.

Why would it take another loss in the court of public opinion? Reportedly, Kojima's recent games haven't been big earners for Sony, which could be why Sony decided to cease funding for Physint.

According to a Bloomberg report, people familiar with the project have expressed concerns about Physint's development, as it has reportedly missed deadlines and could be going over budget. With Physint potentially being a timed exclusive for PlayStation, it's claimed that the company was reluctant to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a game it would not own.

Alinea Analytics' Rhys Elliott also weighed in on the situation, saying, "From a strictly financial perspective, though, I can understand Sony's position. In a vacuum, anyway. PR and optics still matter. Ballpark math: word on the street is that the first Death Stranding cost about $100 million to make, and the second somewhere in the $150 million – $200 million ballpark (longer dev cycle, COVID, and all that). Depending on marketing overhead and the opportunity cost of pulling those Guerrilla developers onto Death Stranding, the franchise has almost certainly broken even--but not by much."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgSHvNF5FzM

As Elliott explained, Sony is becoming increasingly cautious of which projects it funds, as it has experienced several high-profile flops in the PS5 era.

"Margins are the name of the game now," Elliott added, suggesting that recent key misses from PlayStation Studios have made the company more cautious over which big-budget projects it backs. "Over the past few years, scares like Concord (cancelled, $300 million+ down the drain) and softer sales from the likes of Marathon (1.8M sold), Saros ($61 million), Marvel Tokon (725K, $49 million), and Lego Horizon Adventures (under 250K across Steam and PS5, $11 million) seem to be making PlayStation more wary."

As for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Elliott reported that the game has sold 2.5 million copies since launch, across PS5 and PC. Of those sales, 1.8 million were on PS5 and 700,000 came from PC, resulting in $170 million in revenue. And that's probably not good enough for Sony, considering the lengthy development time for the game and the costs of featuring several celebrities in it. To make matters worse, Death Stranding 2 sales have reportedly slowed massively since launch, even with the game discounted to $40.

"Meanwhile, the original Death Stranding has sold about 5 million copies at this point in its lifecycle--though it did have some deep discounts down to $20 in that window," Elliott added.

All of this adds up to what could be a very disappointing investment for Sony, as it published the two Death Stranding games. After a decade, Kojima Productions has released two games that have generated around $413 million in revenue, with the sequel being noticeably less successful than the first. That total is nothing to sneeze at, but considering that Sony as a whole made over $80 billion in revenue during its 2025 financial year, Kojima's games aren't contributing a whole lot to those numbers.

Parting ways with Kojima will likely save Sony money in the interim, but it's not a good look for the company at a time when its reputation continues to take a beating. Xbox pledging to support Physint is a big PR win for Microsoft's gaming division, and a move that could be more valuable as the brand aims to recapture the momentum it once had. 

Logan is sporting a sharp look in Marvel's Wolverine, and if you're a fan of his latest video game incarnation's fashion sense, you can bring him home with this sixth-scale figure. Hot Toys has revealed its official Wolverine figure, which features Logan in his default black-and-yellow "Battle Reborn" battlesuit. As you'd expect, it's not going to be cheap, but you are getting plenty of extras with this figure.

You'll have two options: either a $285 standard figure or a $375 deluxe edition. Both versions feature the same Wolverine body and design, which comes equipped with seamless silicone arms, an internal metal skeleton, and interchangeable components. There's no unmasked headsculpt, but you are getting alternate eye-plates and lower faces that allow you to change up Wolverine's expressions. You can also swap between two sets of cowl wing-flaps to show him off with varying stages of battle damage, and the textured suit is complemented by forearm gauntlets, a utility belt, and soft vinyl material boots.

Looking sharp!

You can even change up Logan's claws with sets of replica Adamantium, scarlet, and diamond blades, and they come with attachable translucent slashing motion effects. Finally, a carved katana ornament earned from the "Last Stand at Cold Pines" storyline mission is also included. If you're looking to create a diorama piece, then you'll want to grab the deluxe version, as it includes a statue bust of Omega Red in the display stand. While he doesn't have any articulation, there are two wire-embedded Carbonadium tentacles that you can coil around Logan.

This isn't the first time that Hot Toys has ventured into the Marvel Universe created by Insomniac Games, as the toy company previously released several Marvel's Spider-Man figures. These included both Spider-Men--Peter Parker and Miles Morales--in their various alternate outfits, including their default threads, Spider-Punk, Spider-Man 2099, and Venomized Suit, to name a few. Hot Toys has also made several Wolverine figures over the years, although these have primarily been focused on the version of the character played by Hugh Jackman in the X-Men and Deadpool movies.

Outside of Marvel, the Video Game Masterpiece line also covers games like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Fortnite, and Marvel Rivals.

It feels like it's the 2021 PS5/Xbox Series X|S shortage all over again, as scalpers have once again begun targeting preorders for limited-edition consoles and accessories. After the 25th-anniversary Xbox Series X sold out within a minute and stock of the new Legend of Zelda-themed Switch 2 console was scooped up in record time, it looks like the next hot commodities are the GTA 6 DualSense controllers. These were recently unveiled, and while they aren't sold out yet, that hasn't stopped scalpers from heading to eBay to sell them at a drastically increased price.

Currently, Sony has the two GTA 6 controller designs listed at an MSRP of $84 each. On eBay, listings have popped up for them, with prices averaging around $140 per sale. Believe it or not, people are actually buying the controllers before they're out, as the white model is currently out of stock. Sony is still listing the black version for preorder on its PlayStation Direct store, but it appears that the white limited-edition controller is the popular choice. What's also worth noting is that these eBay sales go against the site's terms of service, which specifically state that "presale listings must guarantee that the item will be shipped within 40 business days of purchase."

Yes, people are paying above MSRP for a GTA 6 DualSense controller!

These controllers will start shipping out on November 19--the launch day for GTA 6--so each listing is well above the threshold of eBay's sales terms. Of course, that fine text doesn't mean much when eBay isn't even enforcing its own rules. While Sony has released several DualSense variants over the years, it looks like these new entries to the hardware line are benefiting from the hype and momentum of GTA 6 before it hits the scene in November.

Each controller variant features an eye-catching design, ranging from a shimmering, color-shifting finish to palm tree details molded directly into the controller body. Sony hasn't announced a limited-edition GTA 6-themed PS5 yet, but it did launch two very cool versions of the console inspired by its next exclusive game, Marvel's Wolverine. In more GTA 6 news, you can check out how wanted levels work in the game, take a closer look at its (unofficial) launch times, and read up on why the next couple of months on the gaming calendar could be a bloodbath.

Take-Two owns one of the largest entertainment franchises out there in Grand Theft Auto. The newest entry, GTA 6, launches this November. There is enormous hype for the new game, which is expected to sell millions of copies at launch and break records. In short, it's expected to be a once-in-a-decade (if not ever) kind of title. The game is also coming to market with a lot of positive sentiment and excitement. If you're a Take-Two shareholder, however, the past year has been a big bummer. Take-Two's share price has slid about 15% so far this year and is down about the same over the past year, meaning anyone who invested in the past year has lost money (at least on paper; gains or losses are not realized until positions are sold) in the run-up to GTA 6's release in November. 

What's going on here? There are plenty of factors involved in what could be driving Take-Two's stock price down, and plenty of reasons that this could ultimately just be a short-term blip.

Zooming out

First, it's important to zoom out. In the past five years, Take-Two's stock price is up 39%. That is short of the growth of the S&P 500 (+73% over the past five years), but it's still very solid for a single stock in a competitive field. 

Going back even further shows even greater gains for anyone who bought and held Take-Two. For example, after Strauss Zelnick and his team at ZelnickMedia successfully completed a hostile takeover of Take-Two in 2007, the stock exploded in price. Take-Two shares were trading at around $20 back then. Today, Take-Two trades at around $215. When GTA 5 launched in 2013, Take-Two was trading at about $18. Clearly, the stock did gangbusters since then, continuing to surge over the years as Take-Two expanded its portfolio to include numerous other heavy hitters while increasing profitability with microtransactions and recurring revenue.

Lucia and Jason in GTA 6 So why is Take-Two stock down this year?

Take-Two, along with other game companies like Roblox, got hammered in January this year when Google announced its new AI-powered vibe-coding Genie technology, which the company said was capable of building games. Investors freaked out, thinking, or hedging, that an offering like Genie might be able to make competitors or contribute to an environment that eats away at the market share of heavyweight incumbents like Take-Two. Experts said that thesis was obviously wrong, but the market spoke, and Take-Two saw billions in market cap wiped out. Prior to the Genie announcement, Take-Two was trading at a 52-week high of $265, and the company has not recovered since then, at least in terms of its share price. 

Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics told GameSpot, "The stock market largely has no bloody idea what's going on with games." 

"It's fickle and reactive, so trying to reverse-engineer its logic on this stuff rarely works out," he said. "The stock market doesn't really grasp the gravity of a GTA launch, including the cultural weight, the install base, and the years of guaranteed revenue that follow. The negative stock reaction is more to do with headlines about leaks and rumours."

Something else that's playing a role in Take-Two's stock price is the price-to-earnings multiple, or P/E ratio, which Elliott said is "very high." A P/E ratio is determined by the formula of the stock price divided by earnings per share. Having a high P/E ratio suggests investors see significant growth ahead, but with that also comes greater volatility. 

"When a stock is that richly valued, even minor negative news can trigger a pullback, even if consumer demand hasn't actually changed," Elliott explained.

GTA 6 hype isn't juicing the stock

GTA 6 is expected to be an enormous, monumental success. It's reportedly already sold 5+ million copies through preorders, generating more than half a billion dollars. By launch, the game could reach 25 million preorders, bringing in $2 billion in revenue and paying for the game's entire development budget. These are positive signs that sound like they would resonate with investors. 

Rockstar finally lifted the veil on GTA 6 in the most detail yet through an "Extended Look" trailer in partnership with Netflix in August. People ate up the footage, and this event was so positively received that Xbox and PlayStation console orders surged as people sought out a new system to play the game on. Again, that all sounds like a showing of strength that could attract new investors or for existing stock owners to increase their positions. But no, since the GTA 6 Netflix event, Take-Two's stock has only declined further. 

GTA 6 releases in November.

So what gives? The stock market can be fickle. As Jeff Bezos famously said when Amazon's stock was in the toilet, "The stock is not the company and the company is not the stock." The billionaire executive said this when Amazon's stock was diving at the same time that the retail giant's internal numbers were moving in a positive direction. People who held Amazon stock through the market choppiness were handsomely rewarded: Amazon today trades at more than $250/share, which is up 50% in the past five years and up 4,500% since 2010.  

For his part, Elliott told GameSpot that the many GTA 6 leaks, reportedly stemming from a security breach, leading up to the Extended Look trailer on Netflix "rattled a lot of investors." He said investors generally don't like when a company displays a "loss of control over a product," especially one as valuable as GTA 6. Take-Two is undertaking efforts to find the person or people responsible for the GTA 6 leaks, but as of yet, no one has been identified. GTA 6 also suffered a major breach in 2022, with Take-Two eventually finding the person responsible.

Big banks generally agree that Take-Two today is oversold--a stock that consensus says is dropping too fast and not in line with business fundamentals--with numerous analysts issuing "Buy" ratings and lofty price targets for the stock. JP Morgan, for example reiterated a Buy rating with a price target of $310. Bank of America, meanwhile, held its Buy rating for Take-Two and issued an even richer price target of $368. A Wells Fargo stock analyst is also bullish, with a $293 price target. In short, the stock analyst consensus is that Take-Two has significant upside potential, making it an attractive investment in the lead-up to GTA 6's release.

How can Take-Two get there?

Rockstar and Take-Two have so far only discussed GTA 6's single-player mode. In fact, the game is being officially marketed to consumers as a "single-player experience." But everyone knows that GTA 6 will eventually have an online multiplayer mode given the enormous commercial success of GTA Online. A recent leak said GTA Online generates more than $1 million per day, and that's today, some 13 years after the game launched. 

In 2014, Zelnick referred to GTA Online as "the gift that keeps on giving" as it relates to ongoing spending via microtransactions. In short, it's a cash cow, and a high-margin one at that. While fans wait to hear what Rockstar may have in store for GTA 6 with regards to online support, the existing GTA Online is expected to have another banger year in 2026. Bank of America recently raised its GTA Online revenue forecast by a whopping $900 million to $2.2 billion for fiscal 2026 due in part to GTA 6's release having a positive halo effect on GTA Online. 

GTA 6 is coming to market with enormous hype behind it.

Elliott went on to say rumors of a possible delay for GTA 6's online mode "created short-term panic" among Take-Two investors, which contributed to the lagging share price. "This is a stock that's already been burned by delays twice, so any whiff of another is ringing alarm bells," he said.

To be sure, GTA 6's online has not been delayed, at least not publicly, in part because it hasn't even been announced yet. Analysts should not be surprised that GTA 6 won't launch with an online mode, though, as Rockstar employed a similar strategy with both GTA Online and Red Dead Online--neither of those games launched alongside their single-player experiences. 

It remains to be seen how GTA 6 Online could be monetized, but Rockstar has already shown signs that it is taking steps to make more money per user on GTA 6. To begin with, GTA 6's base edition is $80, which is $20 more than what GTA 5 cost at launch in 2013. Then there is GTA 6's $100 Ultimate Edition, which includes exclusive content. 

Rockstar and Take-Two also stand to make more money on GTA 6 because the game will not be sold on a disc anywhere, thereby allowing the company to capture more profit by virtue of lower fees paid to other sources. GTA 6 will still be sold in stores, but only the $80 edition will be available, and it only comes with a code in a box. The $100 Ultimate Edition, meanwhile, is seemingly bypassing retail entirely, as no retailers have any listings for it.

GTA is a small piece of Take-Two

Take-Two may be best known for the GTA franchise, but it's a highly diversified company. Take-Two has 15 franchises with individual titles that have sold more than 5 million units, including GTA and Red Dead, of course, along with NBA 2K, Borderlands, BioShock, Mafia, and Civilization, just to name a few. Additionally, Take-Two owns Farmville developer Zynga, and its franchises have collectively exceeded 10 billion downloads. Other factors potentially contributing to downward pressure on Take-Two's stock could be Civilization 7 and Borderlands 4 seemingly missing sales targets, at least initially, while Take-Two still hasn't provided specifics on what's coming next for some of its other giant franchises, BioShock and Mafia, to name a few. Then there are also the general macroeconomic factors that are putting pressure on stocks across the entire market. 

The GTA franchise at Take-Two accounts for less than 15% of the company's total revenue, though that number is for a typical quarter--when GTA 6 launches, it will significantly increase. Many industry watchers, including CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, have observed that news about GTA tends to push Take-Two's stock up or down. Zelnick pushed back and said Take-Two mainly trades on its earnings, and that may be true in the long term, but it's also true that after Rockstar delayed GTA 6 to November 2026, Take-Two's share price dove. 

But, again, the stock market is fickle. There is a famous Benjamin Graham saying that posits, “In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine.” 

This means, in essence, that a stock's price can fluctuate--sometimes wildly--based on emotional trading on news events like, say, GTA 6 getting delayed, even though everyone knows the game is still coming out and is expected to be one of the biggest entertainment releases ever. However, a company's core fundamentals--including cash flow, revenue, and profits--will ultimately determine the "true" value of a stock. Elliott told GameSpot that he believes the Take-Two sell-off in the past year has been an example of this.

"The thing that matters for the bottom line--that GTA 6 will be the biggest entertainment release ever--barely registers day to day for many."

Zelnick said expectations for GTA 6 are, naturally, "very, very high." However, he admitted that if GTA 6 doesn't live up to the hype or commercial expectations, "We still have an enormous business in mobile, console, and PC, outside of all things Grand Theft Auto. We have diversified the company meaningfully."

Both of Nintendo's Switch consoles have been cursed with deafening silence in their menus and eShops. But the latest version 23.0.0 update for the Switch 2 at least injects a little bit of personality and nostalgia into one of the platform's menus, bringing back music for the Mii Maker.

When you create a Mii in the Switch 2's system settings, the familiar Mii Channel music from the Wii now plays in the background. A music settings button on the top left also lets you change the track to the 3DS or Wii U Mii Maker music (the tracks are generically named "Track 1," Track 2," and "Track 3").

Certain Nintendo fans feel that the company's platforms have lost some of their soul with the lack of music and visual themes, so this update, as small as it is, can be taken as a nice gesture.

https://bsky.app/profile/wario64.bsky.social/post/3mv5dxaruok2a

Unfortunately, both Switch platforms are still without any eShop background music or visual themes. Nintendo omitted these menu elements for the first Switch to save processing power and allow users to quickly navigate the UI to start their games. At the very least, it seems like the Switch 2 has some extra juice to accommodate some Mii music.

The Switch 2 firmware update allows users to share their Miis through QR codes. While Miis might not be as big a deal for Nintendo as they were in the Mii days, the cartoony avatars are still very much a part of modern games like Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and the upcoming Nintendo Switch Sports Resort.

Version 23.0.0 also adds a quick setting for the Switch 2's handheld boost mode and support for variable refresh rate. Finally, the patch includes "stability improvements," as per tradition.

A big new military FPS, Wardogs (not to be confused with the 2016 Jonah Hill/Miles Teller crime-comedy War Dogs) launched today in early access on Steam, and it's off to a hot start. The shooter reached 300,000 peak concurrent users on Steam right out of the gate and the $40 game is currently Steam's No. 1 best-seller. Pretty impressive for a game that the developer told you not to buy.

Given the flood of players, developer Bulkhead instituted a server queue system, and this quickly became something of a meme on social media. Players shared screenshots of the queue and their place in it--some people reported having more than 300,000 people in line in front of them. Yeesh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpQnZgZCIo8

Bulkhead responded to the brutal queueing situation, saying it was partly due to the developer being "rate limited." The company said it was working with Valve to resolve this limit and get an increase in line with "larger titles."

Things got worse, temporarily albeit, for some, as Bulkhead made the decision to kick everyone from the queue as a fix that, in theory, would help more players get into the game faster.

Bulkhead boss Joe Brammer gave an update on the queuing situation, saying the queue itself is not "specifically broken," but instead he said Wardogs didn't get the kind of treatment that AAA games receive when it comes to rate limits.

"Hang in there," Brammer said.

https://twitter.com/Brammflakes/status/2098101353595724112

That wasn't the extent of the launch-day issues, as people reported getting banned for seemingly no reason. Bulkhead said it's aware of these "incorrect bans" and is working to address them immediately.

Wardogs is a large-scale military FPS featuring 100 players, divided into three teams, on a map battling it out in a fictional version of Eastern Europe.

In addition to launching Wardogs into early access, Bulkhead revealed that the game's console edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S will be released in 2028.

The next wave of monthly games for Amazon Luna has been revealed, and if you're a fan of first-person shooters, then you're in for a treat. The headline act is Doom Eternal, or if you'd prefer your guns to be chatterboxes, you can also grab the delightfully weird High on Life. Luna members can also stream Star Wars Outlaws later this month for open-world action set in a galaxy far (far!) away, or they can explore the alien world of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora right now. 

Sign up for Amazon Prime

Several new GameNight titles will also be available throughout the month, so if you're in the mood for some social gaming, you can check out kaiju-powered board game fun in King of Tokyo, test your general knowledge in Quiz Time: Guinness World Records, aim for a strike in Bowling Mayhem, and explore Cranium Planet.

As part of its September update, Amazon Luna is also introducing a Remote Play feature. This will allow people to play games together--even if they aren’t in the same room--and it should work nicely with the multiplayer titles featured in the Luna streaming library.

As a reminder, all of the free games that you claim through Amazon Luna are yours to keep forever, even if your subscription expires. If you aren’t a member, you can sign up for Amazon Luna for as little as $15 for one month to take advantage of the subscription and its freebies.

As mentioned above, you can download some pretty good action games, and if you want to experience the formative years of Doom, you can also check out the first two games in the franchise. Botany Manor is also recommended as it offers both a chance to flex your brain muscles and your green thumb. Rims Racing is a rock-solid motorbike simulator, and Just Die Already is an "old people mayhem sandbox game" from the team behind the Goat Simulator series. Several of these games are already available to claim, and the rest will roll out in weekly waves.

Amazon Luna Free Games For September 2026 Doom Eternal September 3

• War Hospital (Epic Games Store)
• Just Die Already (Epic Games Store)

September 10

• Drop Duchy (Epic Games Store)
• Doom + Doom 2 (GOG Code)
• Botany Manor (Epic Games Store)

September 17

• Doom Eternal (Microsoft Code)
• Rims Racing (Epic Games Store)
• Wall World 2 Amazon Games App)

September 24

• Hue (Epic Games Store)
• The Da Vinci Cryptex (Legacy Games Code)
• High on Life (Epic Games Store)

New games being added to Amazon Luna Standard for September 2026

• Star Wars Outlaws
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

New GameNight games for September 2026 Now available

• King of Tokyo
• It's Quiz Time: Guinness World Records

Coming soon

• Bowling Mayhem
• Cranium Planet

As part of its September update, Amazon Luna introduced a Remote Play feature that lets people play games together, even if they aren't in the same room.

If you haven't heard of it, Luna is Amazon's cloud gaming service for Prime subscribers that lets them access and play a catalog of games without the need for a console or PC. While some Luna games have had multiplayer features, you previously needed to be in the same room with others to play those titles.

Remote Play intends to solve that by letting Amazon Prime and Luna Premium subscribers invite up to seven others into their sessions. These other players won't need an Amazon Prime subscription to use Remote Play, although they will need to use Luna's website or TV app. Of course, you'll now be relying on the smooth internet connections of even more players to comfortably use Remote Play, but the same goes for similar features on PS5 or Nintendo Switch 2.

The logo for Amazon Luna

To promote Remote Play, Amazon also released two new multiplayer-focused games today. One is a digital version of the board game King of Tokyo, while the other is It's Quiz Time: Guinness World Records, a competitive trivia game. Later in September, it will add the motion-controlled Bowling Mayhem and Pictionary-like Cranium Planet to the game catalog. Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora were also added to the Luna Standard game lineup today, although those are single-player games.

This Remote Play update is one of the most substantial additions to Amazon Luna in some time, and it arrives in a month that hasn't been so great for cloud gaming. Last week, Xbox confirmed it will limit Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to just 15 hours of cloud gaming a month and make them pay extra for anything beyond that.

As Amazon Luna is included with Prime and just got this Remote Play feature, that makes it a little bit more alluring as a cloud gaming option.

Netflix and Rockstar Games worked together on the recent 26-minute GTA 6 Extended Look trailer, and it seemingly paid off in multiple ways for the streaming company. After Netflix's own data showed that the Extended Look was incredibly popular with viewers, it's now been reported that the Extended Look drove more than 100,000 people to sign up to Netflix that day in the US alone.

This is according to Ampere Analysis, which added that the Extended Look was the third-biggest Netflix event in 2026 for new subscriber sign-ups. The two bigger events were the final season of Stranger Things and the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano MMA fight, Ampere said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpPpqZwUwl0

Ampere went on to say more than 5% of US Netflix members who hadn't watched any content on the service in the previous 30 days before the Extended Look came back to watch it "before anything else." Ampere said this "reactivation rate" was higher than any other show or movie on Netflix during that 30-day period.

"More than 100,000 sign-ups from a six-hour exclusive window shows the pulling power of a major gaming event. For Netflix, it also offers a way to compete with YouTube for gamer attention and to bring lapsed viewers back to the platform. For Rockstar, Netflix opens GTA 6 up to audiences beyond the franchise’s traditional core," Ampere's Louise Wooldridge said.

The Extended Look was indeed just that--offering the deepest look yet at Rockstar's big new game. The video showed off a variety of gameplay and cutscenes, and teased out some of the new features people can expect. For more, check out GameSpot's breakdown video above to get up to speed with everything we learned about GTA 6 in the new footage.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and it appears people in the US will be among the last in the world to get to play.

A decade ago, at its PlayStation E3 press conference, Sony introduced veteran game designer Hideo Kojima in grand fashion to show off the first trailer for Death Stranding. It's now 2026, and that partnership appears to have fizzled out, as Kojima's Metal Gear Solid spiritual successor, Physint, has found a new home at Xbox after Sony dropped it. The Metal Gear Solid creator has also confirmed that he received notice from the company that it intended to cancel Phsyint, leading to several months in which the project was shopped around before Microsoft stepped in to sign a publishing deal.

It's yet another baffling decision made by Sony as it continues to set a new speedrunning record for jettisoning goodwill, and naturally, the Internet has a thing or two to say about its divorce from Kojima--including how his studio, Kojima Productions, is situated directly across the road from Sony. You can't make this stuff up!

https://twitter.com/milktst/status/2097886264649490701 https://twitter.com/philiparola/status/2097938828204146875 https://twitter.com/ItsRyanHyett/status/2097944205138022833 https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:hkkn5gfv3zwfzzeeqj3rssfn/post/3mv54aqbwg223 https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:o5v2ehhranox5nubskub6424/post/3mv53vuhark23 https://twitter.com/FunSpeculation/status/2097886852174782611 https://twitter.com/slothsaretight3/status/2097881425408368750 https://twitter.com/realradec/status/2097906192198574122 https://twitter.com/TheVTran/status/2097902322257195516 https://twitter.com/MasterLeytrx/status/2097877698894770267

Physint is the second game from Kojima Productions to be made in partnership with Xbox--the first is his upcoming horror game OD--but don't expect to see it for a long time. While the game is a return to his Metal Gear roots with its focus on stealth and espionage, Kojima is also aiming for it blur the lines between movies and video games. Back when the project was still being supported by Sony, Kojima mentioned that it was still several years away from being released, and that timetable may have slipped further after the Sony drama.

GTA 6 is one of the most-anticipated games ever, and it arrives on November 19. People naturally want to know when exactly that day it will be available to play, and now it looks the like first indication of that has come to light.

GTA Vice scoured PlayStation Store listings for the game across 63 countries and regions, and discovered that the game will not have a global simultaneous release. It looks like the US will be among the last major markets to get it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpPpqZwUwl0

Again, this is all based on PlayStation Store listings and is not confirmed by Rockstar. GameSpot has followed up with the developer seeking comment.

According to GTA Vice, GTA 6 will unlock--on the PlayStation Store, at least--at midnight local time. That means people in New Zealand and Australia will get in first and the US will be among the final major regions to get started.

In short, GTA 6 will become available to play in New Zealand at midnight in the country, which works out to 5 AM PT / 8 AM ET on November 18. People in the US will then have to wait 16 hours to play GTA 6 where they live.

If this is accurate, then people in the US will be in for a tough day as they see the game go live for other people and have to wait. If you're concerned about spoilers, that's another reason to be on guard that day.

It is also worth mentioning again that this information may not be accurate, or that details could change, so people should wait to hear directly from Rockstar about launch times.

While GTA 6 unlocks on November 19, preloading for what we're expecting to be a very big game begins on November 12. That is also when the game's physical edition--which includes a code in a box--will be able to buy in stores, though it does not unlock until November 19.

According to SensorTower, GTA 6 has already sold more than 5 million copies via preorders, and that number could climb to 25 million by launch. That would work out to more than $2 billion in revenue, which is reportedly enough to pay for the game's development budget.

Nintendo of America has announced a "Customer Appreciation Sale," offering 30% off games and access, with Nintendo specifically citing its tariff refunds as the reason why it's running the sale, at least in part.

"The Customer Appreciation Sale is our way of saying thank you to Nintendo players for their continued support and is made possible in part by tariff-related refunds. While Nintendo absorbed most tariff-related costs, the refunds helped make promotions like this one possible," the company said.

Nintendo, like Sony and Microsoft, got money back from the US government related to tariffs, which were implemented by US President Donald Trump and later deemed illegal by the Supreme Court. All three companies argued in court that they should keep the money and give nothing back because that's just how capitalism works.

The Customer Appreciation Sale runs September 13-26 on the Nintendo eShop, Nintendo Store, and select retailers. Items on sale vary by retailer, but shoppers can expect discounts on digital and physical games, DLC, accessories, Amiibo, and apparel.

Not every gaming company is taking such a hard line on this topic. Panic, the company behind the Playdate gaming handheld, said it will pass its own refunds on to customers who paid more. People should get about $12 back.

“It’s just not our money to keep, and it felt really good to give it back,” Panic’s Cabel Sasser told Game Developer. “That’s an easy way to know you made the right decision.”

Many companies received major tariff refunds, and they are handling refunds differently. For example, Wamart and Home Depot have said they will use the cash infusion to lower prices on a variety of products, but not directly refund anyone..

“At the end of the day, a product is worth what somebody’s willing to pay for it, and there is a lot of choice in this marketplace,” Bryan Eshelman, a managing director at consulting firm AlixPartners, told CNBC.

As for Nintendo, it's been a busy week, as the company held two Nintendo Directs this week. For more, check out GameSpot's rundown of all the big news from the Zelda Direct and the general Nintendo Direct.

Star Wars Zero Company released late last month, and it became one of my favorite games of the year almost instantly. I recently finished it, and while I was very satisfied with how it all wrapped up, there was one thing--a certain achievement--that was missing, and it filled me with a rage I can only satiate by complaining about it online.

You see, like the XCOM series it took so much inspiration from, Star Wars Zero Company features a permadeath mechanic. With the exception of main protagonist Hawks, any of the allies you take into battle will permanently disappear if they're killed in battle.

Aside from accidentally knocking someone off the side of the map because I was still going through the tutorial segments in the first hour or so (I restarted the mission in this case), I managed to get through the entire game without losing anyone. Well, except for the poor fellow who automatically dies in the opening segment. The credits rolled and I waited for the achievement to pop up on my Xbox.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5QGkOGZubQ

Indeed. There are achievements for everyone from making an almost-impossible shot to changing some cosmetic items, but there is no achievement for making it through the game without losing a squad member. There is, however, an achievement for having a squad member die on your watch. If you're on PlayStation, it's a literal participation trophy.

I'm not actually a big achievement guy, and this isn't that big of a deal--I'm much more interested in making sure the team at Bit Reactor gets paid so it can continue making amazing turn-based tactics games like Zero Company. But if you make a sequel, please give me my reward.

With Rockstar's GTA 6 on the horizon, and poised for massive success, many people might be interested in buying stock of Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two, as opposed to selling it. One Take-Two executive, CFO Lainie Goldstein, recently sold a big chunk of shares, prompting some to theorize as to why. But the answer is not very exciting at all and doesn't speak to anything specific about her views on GTA 6 or the company's outlook generally going forward.

A regulatory filing (via The Motley Fool) revealed that Goldstein sold 1,335 shares of Take-Two on September 2 at a price of $217.65. The total sale price worked out to $282,039. That's a fat stack of cash, but it was an automatic sell-to-cover sale to satisfy tax witholding obligations. Not very exciting stuff.

Following the sale of these 1,335 shares, Goldstein continues to hold a whopping 282,039 shares of Take-Two, which are worth more than $60 million on the open market. The value of those shares could climb significantly, as numerous stock analysts at big banks are projecting Take-Two's stock to grow significantly, with some saying it could go beyond $300 per share.

Take-Two currently trades at around $211/share, which is down more than 16% so far this year and down about 14% in the past 12 months. The company's share price got hammered in January after Google announced new AI tools for game development, and the stock price has not fully recovered.

GTA 6 is set for release on November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It's a big game and will undoubtedly contribute meaningfully to Take-Two's bottom line, but the company also has numerous other major franchises and sources of revenue. In a non-release period, GTA makes up less than 15% of Take-Two's overall revenue.

Sony has revealed today that it will no longer be working with Kojima Productions on stealth action game Physint, while Kojima announced that Xbox has stepped up to rescue the project. The change in publishers means both of Kojima's upcoming projects are now being made in partnership with Xbox, a departure from his long history of developing games for the PlayStation.

PlayStation's official statement didn't say why it chose to end its support of Physint, leaving gamers to speculate on the reasons behind its shock exit. "We continue to have great admiration for Hideo Kojima's vision for the game," Sony said, adding, "we look forward to continued close collaboration with Hideo Kojima and his award-winning independent studio in the future."

https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/2097875212427735146

Kojima posted from his personal account with more details, saying that PlayStation cancelled Physint as of mid-June this year, and the new collaboration with Xbox came as a result of the studio's determination to keep the project alive.

https://twitter.com/HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN/status/2097877506401681753

"We're honored that Kojima-san has chosen Xbox to work with Kojima Productions on Physint," said Xbox CEO Asha Sharma in a statement. "His ambition to challenge conventions reflects the kind of creativity we want to support at Xbox."

Though it may be surprising after Kojima's long history of collaborating with PlayStation, from his work at Konami to both Death Stranding games, Kojima also has an existing working relationship with Xbox, which is publishing his upcoming horror game OD.

Xbox's statement added that its collaboration with Kojima Productions will go beyond these two games, also collaborating "across film and television to bring new stories to broader audiences."

Kojima assured fans that despite the change in publishers, development on Physint "is ongoing and will continue moving forward," though the game is still likely in an early phase of development. Kojima has said that Physint will be his return to Metal Gear-like action-espionage games, adding that it would use cutting-edge technology to blur the lines between movies and video games.

For more than three decades, Pokemon and its various card and video games have enjoyed sustained popularity around the world. And at least one prominent collector and investor--Griffin Gaming Partners co-founder Peter Levin--believes that Pokemon's enduring appeal not only extends to the present, it could continue even if the world suddenly came to an end.

"Pokemon is a global phenomenon," Levin told The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm absolutely convinced that if the world suffered an apocalypse tomorrow, the following day the global currency would be Pokemon cards. Pokemon cards are beating the S&P 500 by 3,000%. Emanating from Japan, it really took hold around the world in the late '90s and early 2000s. It then had a zenith moment and then a nadir moment, and ever since then, it's been on a parabolic growth curve."

As unlikely as that scenario might seem, there could be a very entertaining movie based on survivors using Pokemon cards as currency during an apocalypse. It would be probably even better with actual Pokemon--like the Detective Pikachu movie--but Levin's really hit on fun idea even if it doesn't have a basis in reality.

Everything Levin said about Pokemon's popularity is correct. There's a reason why the Japanese mob reportedly used rare Pokemon cards to launder money or for increasingly brazen robberies of Pokemon cards from stores across the US. Some people are willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for the rarest Pokemon cards and collectibles.

However, that value can only hold if the cards have some intrinsic value outside of Pokemon fans. They're only valuable as long as someone puts real currency toward them. Without that network of dedicated buyers, Pokemon cards wouldn't be worth the paper they're printed on when the world goes to hell.

Before any potential apocalypse comes along, Pokemon is getting a new stop-motion animated series on Disney+. The September 2026 events for Pokemon Go were also recently announced. Earlier this summer, Pokemon Pokopia received a DLC update as well.

I am not enthusiastic about what feels like an inevitable future wherein games and gaming subscription services are inundated with advertisements. That said, I am excited to reinstall Skyrim so I can play an elaborate Ikea ad.

Newly released on Bethesda's Creations site, Kallax Storageborn is a remarkably in-depth Skyrim mod that features the titular Ikea item. But rather than simply adding the Kallax shelving unit as an item you can use to organize your in-game house, the mod turns it into a companion that follows you around, holding an unlimited number of items on your behalf. Oh, and the Kallax is voiced by Matt Berry.

You can get a taste of the mod in the video below, showing off Berry's performance and even a modified version of the opening "You're finally awake" sequence. There are new items to obtain, including the Allenblade, which looks like a giant allen wrench, and the Meatball Helmet. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tBlFZsMuO8

With the mod installed, there's a new series of quests that kicks off to find the parts to assemble the Kallax, eventually all culminating in a boss fight. To trigger the quest, you'll have to become over-encumbered, which raises the need for a walking, talking shelving unit in the first place.

Aside from the audacity of this idea in the first place, and the inexplicable yet wonderful inclusion of Matt Berry, I'm personally tickled by this focus on the Kallax. As someone who owns four of them in various sizes to display all of my various Legos, foolishly purchased collector's editions, and duck-ified versions of Yakuza characters important business papers, the idea of one following me around in Skyrim is genuinely amusing.

The mod is available for both the PC and Xbox versions of the game, and it's out now for free.

The Kallax Storageborn mod

Following the big Steam leak that revealed achievement lists and more for upcoming games, Microsoft has officially released the list of Achievements for Gears of War: E-Day, and there is a Shrek/Smash Mouth-inspired one among them.

Players can unlock an achievement called "HEY NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL STAR..." by accumulating 25,000 kills in the Versus multiplayer mode. This Achievement provides 25 Gamerscore.

For anyone just catching up, 2001's Shrek famously featured the Smash Mouth song, "All Star,"

The most difficult Achievement to unlock appears to be "Dead Serious," which requires players to 100% the campaign on the highest difficulty, Insane, reach 25,000 kills in Versus, achieve max player level, and max out four classes. Players who do that will be rewarded with 85 Gamerscore, which is the most for any single Achievement in the game.

It is a big year for both Xbox and Shrek, as both celebrate their 25th anniversaries this year. The original Shrek movie was re-released in theaters this past summer, and Shrek himself showed up in various video games. As for Xbox, the biggest news event for the 25th anniversary has been Microsoft's decision to lay off thousands of people, close development studios, and cancel games.

Gears of War: E-Day releases on October 6 for Xbox Series X|S and PC, with early access arriving October 1 for people who pay more. E-Day will also be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch. There was a lot of evidence that Microsoft canceled a PS5 edition at the last minute; Microsoft denies this, but no one believes them.

Achievement NameAchievement DescriptionPointsThe Lucky Ones Died on E-DayEarn all other Achievements.0FNGComplete Boot Camp.15Emergence BeginsUnlock during Act 1 of the Campaign.15We Must ImproviseUnlock during Act 1 of the Campaign.15The Bigger They Are…Unlock during Act 1 of the Campaign.15The Scorched LegionUnlock during Act 2 of the Campaign.15You Want What On the Front of a Gun?!Unlock during Act 2 of the Campaign.15Got to the ChoppaUnlock during Act 2 of the Campaign.15Get Back You Eight-legged FreakUnlock during Act 3 of the Campaign.15Twice the Pride, Double the FallUnlock during Act 3 of the Campaign.15…The Harder They FallUnlock during Act 3 of the Campaign.15End of the LineUnlock during Act 4 of the Campaign.15The Only Good Bug is a Dead BugUnlock during Act 4 of the Campaign.15Nothing Left but the FightUnlock during Act 5 of the Campaign.15For My BoysUnlock during Act 5 of the Campaign.15You’re My BrotherComplete all Acts of the Campaign on Co-Op (any difficulty). 15Side PieceComplete all Secondary Objectives in the Campaign (any difficulty).15Relax. I’m the Map.Discover all Hard Cases in the Campaign.15Memories From E-DayFind all Collectibles in the Campaign (any difficulty).15Lift Outta HellComplete and Survive 50 Horde Siege Missions (Infantry difficulty or higher).15Best I Can Do Is a Pizza PartyComplete any 100 Secondary Objectives in Horde Siege.15Turn It Up to 11Execute 50 enemies Stunned by the Sonic Disruptor in Horde Siege.15Never Fight AloneExtract from Horde Siege with all squadmates alive on Allfather difficulty.15Just Let Me Get One More…Get 100 Revives.15I Am Heavy Weapons GuyKill 10 enemies in a row using a single detached turret.15I’m All Amped UpMaintain 30 seconds of Adrenaline with the Injector in Horde Siege.15Somebody Set Us Up the BombPlant the bomb in Demolition and have it explode without the enemy defusing it.15Spotted and SlottedPulse 1,000 enemies with the Pulse Drone in Horde Siege.15Field ServiceReach Player Level 100 and Re-Up for the first time.15Form-Up!Receive the max reward from a Perk Cache in Horde Siege (any difficulty).15Who Loves Ya, Baby?Revive 20 players from other squads in Horde Siege.15Down, but Not DeadRevive 250 squadmates from DBNO with the Stim Vaporizer in Horde Siege.15BrotectorSave another player from a struggle with a Locust.15Stacks, On Stacks, On StacksSpend 150,000 Energy at the Supply Cache in Horde Siege (any difficulty).15Like a BossSuccessfully complete 25 Invasion Events in Horde Siege (any difficulty).15Quartermaster Unlock all Supply Cache items in the Campaign.15This Is My RifleUnlock all Weapon Mods in Horde Siege.15It Only Game, Why You Heff to Be Mad?Win a game of Conquest without the enemy team scoring.15Crepe du RavenCarefully inspect the underside of a Raven in Horde Siege.15Okay, Boomer.Carve-up a Boomer.15Days Since Last Accident: 0Commit a workplace safety violation on Battleship in Versus.15Right in the TickerConvert a Ticker to express air mail and return to sender.15Chainsaw Go BrrrrrrrrrLet a chainsaw do what it does best against a Locust in Campaign or Horde Siege.15Explosive IndigestionPlay a game of explosive cornhole with a Bilefrog.15I Didn’t Hear No BellSave your entire squad while you’re moments from death in Horde Siege.15Two Grubs, One Gut-PunchShow two Grubs what a single Gut-Puncher round can do.15Payback’s A PitchTake revenge on an Armored Wretch that stunned you.15Remember KalonaComplete all Acts of the Campaign (any difficulty).25Today We Are Canceling the ApocalypseComplete all Acts of the Campaign on Insane difficulty.25HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL STAR…Get 25,000 kills in Versus.25I WILL MASSACRE YOUKill 50,000 Enemies in Horde Siege (any difficulty).25Siege SpecialistReach max level with the Assault, Breacher, Marksman, and Medic classes in Horde Siege.25Got Your Wings Re-up for the final time and claim your wings.25For Whom The Bell TollsComplete Campaign on Insane, complete all side missions, find all hidden items.75Dead Serious100% Campaign on Insane, 25,000 kills in Versus, max Player Level, and max 4 classes.85