It's a grim week for developers and fans, with EA announcing that it is shutting down Mass Effect and Dragon Age studio BioWare. EA said that after deciding not to pursue development on a new Mass Effect, it would shut down the studio as part of company-wide restructuring plans that will result in roughly 400 employees being let go. But should EA sit on the IP that BioWare was responsible for and let it gather dust? Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah has suggested they could go up for sale as it works off some of its $55 billion debt.

"Remember BioWare, 100% owned by EA," Darrah said on his YouTube channel. “EA owns all the IP. They own Dragon Age, they own Mass Effect, they own Jade Empire. That doesn’t change the situation. Now, here’s nobody working on a game, or games, within the EA organization, and chances are there never will be, which might make them more likely to sell off those IP. But it might also make them more likely to just try to forget that they ever existed and bury them in the vault. I think we still are going to have to wait a little bit before we see if EA has any interest in selling off some of its dormant IP. Right now, they seem to be in cost-control mode. They might start into a revenue-generation mode where selling IP might be more desirable."

https://youtu.be/2T8KlKPa2Y0

Earlier this year, former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider also spoke about the franchise and said he believed it was dead after the poor commercial performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. BioWare's last game failed to meet EA's expectations, and mass layoffs at BioWare eventually left only a core team to focus on the next Mass Effect game. While EA doesn't have anyone internally to work on a game based on a BioWare IP, that doesn't mean it can't look outward to find a studio to handle work on a new Mass Effect or Jade Empire--if it chooses to.

For example, Konami has successfully resurrected its Silent Hill series in recent years, teaming up with developers like Bloober Team, Screen Burn, and NeoBards Entertainment to produce several critically acclaimed games in the IP. Following the success of Bit Reactor's Star Wars Zero Company and Fuse Games’ Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Lucasfilm Games says it wants to be more flexible in choosing who it partners with, and fans can expect some surprises in the future.

Beyond the sad news about BioWare, EA also announced that work on the new Sims game has been paused, the team behind the new Skate game is being downsized, and a "social-first open-world” football game is in development.

World of Warcraft: Forever players are getting a fourth server "ruleset" option for launch: role-playing-player vs. player, or RP-PvP for short.

Blizzard announced the news on social media, stating the server would be open for name reservations starting on October 27. It joins three other rulesets for players to choose from, with options for PvE, PvP, and roleplaying. Yet another server ruleset, Hardcore (aka permadeath), is set to be added before Spring 2027.

The addition of a RP-PvP server is good news for the game's community, who have been vocal about wanting to see it added as an option. RP-PvP servers have been included in past versions of WoW Classic and WoW. 

https://twitter.com/Warcraft/status/2113291795576537230?s=20

Having another PvP server option has taken on new importance given Blizzard's server approach for Forever. Rather than multiple different servers for each ruleset, Blizzard instead opted for what is essentially one massive server for each. That means prior to now there was only one PvP server, and unsurprisingly, it's that server where much of the game's streamer population and their audiences will be playing. One of those streamers is the controversial Asmongold, whose Alliance guild, Olympus, currently numbers over 74,000 players on Forever's beta.

Many WoW Classic players would rather avoid streamer drama and Asmongold's army disrupting their experience, but didn't have anywhere else to go if they were committed to playing on a PvP server. Now, with a RP-PvP server, those players have somewhere to go, albeit with some extra RP-focused rules to contend with.

Blizzard originally seemed hesitant to introduce a RP-PvP server. Just last week, Blizzard said it had no plans to introduce one. 

"Whenever it comes to RP-PVP, people really remember fondly stuff like Grobbulus in 2019, but unfortunately, the reality is every other RP-PVP realm we've done since then has followed a different trajectory…," senior game designer Josh Greenfield said in a PvP-focused episode of the WoW: Forever podcast. "It's one of those things where we'd want to make a decision based on hopes and what we want; we have to make decisions based on what has actually played out and actual player behavior." 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzaMA5fZ1tE

He went on to state the game's RP community is "pretty small" compared to its normal and PvP communities, and that for Blizzard's new "realmless" ruleset system to work, it needs a "critical mass" of players to encourage social interactions and for the server to have a strong economy.

"Taking that already tight-knit community and splitting it again is something we have to carefully consider in this new world," he said. 

GameSpot reached out to Blizzard for comment on what changed its mind and why it decided to add another server option, but has not yet heard back as of publication. 

WoW: Forever launches on November 4. Even with less than two weeks before launch, Blizzard continues to deliver new information about the third version of its popular MMO. It recently revealed players can expect to see the return of a questing tradition in the game's new Riverglades zone and made big changes to Forever's racial abilities. In an interview with GameSpot, Blizzard teased how it's approaching Forever's endgame and its future.

There's nothing worse than running around a Call of Duty map, clicking heads and feeling awesome, then getting your head blown off out of nowhere, watching the killcam, and seeing that it was a camper. Apparently, that camper could've been Manchester City striker Erling Haaland because he's been a camper his whole life.

In an October 21 video on his YouTube channel, the Norwegian soccer superstar was 1-v-1-ing English rapper Harrison "Aitch" Armstrong in Modern Warfare 4. Very early in the video, Aitch asks how Haaland tends to play CoD games. Haaland came through with some honesty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy3Ore5MT3o&t=38s

"You know what, and this is a bit embarrassing to say, but I've been a camper my whole life," Haaland told Aitch. "I'm that guy that you hate. [I'll] probably get some hate now, but it is what it is."

Well, you know what, Haaland? You are the guy that I hate, and I'm not sorry about it.

Camping has always been a controversial tactic in CoD games. The idea that someone would sit in a corner, often with a high-powered sniper like the DSR 50 in CoD: Black Ops or the M40A3 in CoD4: Modern Warfare, and pick targets off one by one always seemed counterintuitive to the fast-paced nature of CoD games. Sure, it provides better accuracy, but camping eliminates the skill involved with gunplay and instead produces boring matches as campers wait around for enemies to shoot.

Modern Warfare 4 doesn't officially launch until October 23, and the official subreddit is already full of people decrying campers. That's not everyone's experience, of course, but it appears that, since the beta, CoD players are running into lobbies filled with campers--and honestly, I'd be so pissed.

Anyway, I won't spoil how Aitch and Haaland's match goes, but it is an entertaining watch. There's plenty of screaming, camping, and screen peeking, so it's certainly worth the watch--if only for Haaland and his hot buzz cut.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 lands on Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on October 23. However, it's been out since October 16 if you preordered the Standard or Vault Editions.

Ahead of its first anniversary, Dispatch developer AdHoc has revealed a big (and free) update for the deluxe edition of the superhero workplace-dramedy. Available now on all platforms where the deluxe edition is available, two new behind-the-scenes modes are being added to Dispatch. Dispatch is also getting a mobile release for Android and iOS, a live concert in Los Angeles, and more.

The first one, Commentary, adds over 16 hours of cast and crew commentary across two tracks. Different choices made in the game will unlock different commentary, and the cast commentary track features Aaron Paul, Laura Bailey, Erin Yvette, and more of the cast. Storyboard will give players the ability to experience the entire game through the original storyboard animatics. This mode will show how the game was developed, with a closer look at how AdHoc developed the scenes, performances, and visual storytelling behind Dispatch. You can even double up on modes and enable the commentary tracks over Storyboard mode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siM80qE5Y8E

"Dispatch was only possible because of folks who believed in it enough to show up and do their best work. In our industry, it's often really hard to showcase those people and how the development process actually works, but fortunately our game is very weird and specific and affords us some unique opportunities," said Nick Herman, Co-Creative Director on Dispatch and COO of AdHoc Studio, in a press release. "So for the fans who made Dispatch a part of their lives, we wanted to give them more ways to experience the world they love, whether that’s playing alongside the cast and crew, experiencing the entire game in its original storyboards, or hanging out together IRL at the wildest version of a Dispatch concert our finance team would sign off on." 

The mobile edition of Dispatch will be available starting December 9, and AdHoc says it has been rebuilt for touch and vertical play. The first four episodes will be available for free at launch, and the full edition of the game will cost $20. Beyond that, AdHoc will also release new anniversary merchandise alongside the upcoming vinyl soundtrack, the digital comics are getting a physical edition release, and a new hardcover book from Lost in Cult, Dispatch: Design Works collection, will explore the making of Dispatch.

To cap things off, a Dispatch concert will be held for one night only, on December 3 at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles. One of last year’s biggest hit games--Dispatch follows Robert Robertson III, formerly the superhero Mecha Man. With his suit trashed and funds low, Robertson takes on a new job at the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN) as a dispatcher, directing the superhuman resources at his disposal to fight crime and save the day. 

As rumored, it appears that actor Jack Lowden, who played Lawrence of Arabia in EA's Battlefield 1, is a finalist to play James Bond.

According to Deadline, "final auditions" for the role will take place over the next week, and the process will include screen tests. At least four actors are coming in to test, the report said, including Lowden, Callum Turner (Masters of the Air), and Josh O'Connor (Disclosure Day). The fourth remains a mystery, but The Insneider said it could be Jacob Elordi. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Elordi is not testing, and neither is Jack O'Connell from Sinners.

Many expect the casting process for James Bond to do finalized relatively soon, with an official announcement coming before the end of the year.

In May this year, Bond movie production company Amazon MGM Studios said the search for the next James Bond actor was underway and that the film studio would not comment on the casting process.

Lowden is Scottish, and he would become just the second Scottish person to play James Bond, following Sean Connery. The character James Bond from the Ian Fleming book series is also Scottish.

Fans have been waiting a long time for the next James Bond movie, as the latest entry, No Time To Die, was released in 2021. However, it was expected to release much sooner, but had three delays due in part to COVID.

Daniel Craig played James Bond in five 007 films, and wrapped up his run with No Time To Die. Amazon MGM Studios bought the franchise and reportedly paid a lot of money to take back creative control from the longtime series stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.

The new James Bond movie will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker known for the Dune franchise. He’s also directed the movies Prisoners, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049, and Arrival.

It's been a minute since we've heard anything about Askiisoft's samurai platformer Katana Zero, but the developer has re-re-reconfirmed that, yes, the DLC is still on the way--and it's big. Like, so big Askiisoft is basically calling it a sequel.

In a Bluesky post on October 22, Justin Stander of Askiisoft announced that the Katana Zero DLC has grown even bigger than when we last heard--which was in March 2021. It's apparently now "the size of a full sequel" and comes with a soundtrack of over 30 new songs. There's no release date or anything else outside of this confirmation, but at least it's still coming.

https://bsky.app/profile/askiisoft.bsky.social/post/3myhvlfbbv22b

This is wonderful news for any fan of the 2019 side-scrolling samurai platformer, though a release date would be better. It's starting to feel like Team Cherry's Hollow Knight: Silksong, what with how often Askiisoft confirms the DLC is coming but doesn't say exactly when. After all, the last time we heard about the project was in April 2025, when Askiisoft said it's "still coming" and "still free." This is no shade, of course. I'd just like to play the DLC already.

Katana Zero launched in April 2019. A neo-noir action-platformer, you play sword-wielding amnesiac assassin Subject Zero as you converse with a psychiatrist in between deflecting bullets and slashing bodies. It's an interesting amalgam of political intrigue, side-scrolling hack-and-slash gameplay, time-bending mechanics, and nightmare sequences that tells a compelling story about identity and suppression. GameSpot gave it an 8/10 in our Katana Zero review, calling it "bloody and brutal [with] a heartfelt tale that you shouldn’t overlook lightly."

The DLC was announced one week after the game's release, so it's been in development for seven years now. Askiisoft said in its October 22 Bluesky post that "more updates" will come, so hopefully we all get to take our clown masks off sometime in the near future.

Street Fighter movie director Kitao Sakurai has shared new insights into the recently released video game movie, including how he intentionally wanted it to go for a "gonzo" style of over-the-top action and silliness as opposed to being gritty and grounded.

"There’s a silliness to it, and there’s an absurdity to the world and the characters and how they interact. [Producer] Cale Boyter at Legendary really held the torch for this vision of Street Fighter that had a gonzo energy to it. I also love comedy and craziness and energy," he told The Hollywood Reporter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6sbm1OaJb8

Also in the interview, Sakurai discussed how his work on The Eric Andre Show informed his filmmaking sensibilities for Street Fighter. He said he learned from that show that not every minute needs to be hilarious, but "every minute needs to be interesting."

"So there can be elements that are so ridiculous they might not track narratively or make sense conceptually, but because they’re part of an overall energy and feeling, they fit. So I kept that in mind when I was developing this film," he said.

Also in the interview, Sakurai talked about how Street Fighter's original movie directors, the Philippou brothers, ended up appearing in cameo roles. He said he personally invited them to appear in the movie as two people ... fighting in the street.

Sakurai said he wanted the Australian brothers to be in the movie as a means to communicate how, "There's no bad blood. We're all part of the same family."

"There was no animosity, and it’s all love,” Sakurai said.

The Street Fighter movie hit theaters on October 16, and it's made more than $55 million worldwide so far, and that's not so great. The movie stars Noah Centineo as Ken, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Andrew Koji as Ryu, Jason Momoa as Blanka, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Roman Reigns as Akuma, and David Dastmalchian as M. Bison.

Resident Evil director Zach Cregger has responded to the success of his video game movie, and while he doesn't want to say “I told you so” to his haters, he's happy with the response, both critically and commercially.

“I don’t know if I feel vindicated,” he told A Shot. “I’m gratified. I’m gratified that people responded to it.”

The Resident Evil movie has earned $363 million globally, making it the highest-grossing Resident Evil movie of all time and the highest-rated. It's also the No. 9 highest-grossing video game movie ever.

Prior to Resident Evil's release, Cregger said he was "naive" to think gamers would embrace his vision for the movie. People wanted to see a direct adaptation of one of the Resident Evil stories, featuring familiar plotlines and characters, but Cregger's movie didn't do any of that.

In the new interview, Cregger said the "problem with the internet" is that it's generally anonymous and people who dig their heels in and never apologize or change their mind. So instead, Cregger said he's no longer going to interact with those people and just make the stuff he wants.

“The only real way, I feel like, to do anything with it is to just not engage with it and just move on with your life," he said.

The backlash to the Resident Evil movie in some circles is part of what makes Cregger excited about his new movie, The Flood, which is an entirely original sci-fi film that stars Jennifer Lawrence.

“I’m just feeling very grateful that my next movie is an original movie and it can be judged entirely on the merits of the movie and not what people think it should or should not do," he said.

Cregger has said he's done with franchise movies overall. Why? He said it’s because he wants to “write whatever I want to write,” rather than adhere to a specific franchise’s history and lore.

“I don’t want to write something where I have to make sure I’m tagging different data points to satisfy X. I just want to satisfy me,” he said.

So why did he do Resident Evil in the first place? Cregger said the “only reason” that Resident Evil made sense for him was because he’s a big fan of the games and he came up with what he believed is an original idea for it.

Something else that might have convinced Cregger to sign on to write and direct Resident Evil was the money–he was reported to have been paid $20 million.

Rockstar's marketing efforts for GTA 6 are ramping up, and this now includes burgers and fried chicken that you can buy in real life.

Rockstar's partnership with Miami's Kaseya Center expanded this week with the introduction of the restaurants "Burger Shot" and "Cluckin' Bell" at Heat games. These are based on their in-game counterparts, which themselves are parodies of Burger King and KFC.

According to people who were at the game, the Burger Shot burgers are not custom items that Rockstar created but instead are the same Skinny Louie burgers that the Kaseya Center previously offered, just wrapped in GTA 6 branding. The workers have Burger Shot shirts and hats, too, to help play things up further.

What does a GTA 6 burger cost? The cheapest combo that people can buy includes a cheeseburger with fries and a drink for $28.50 before tax. This scales up to $31 for an applewood bacon burger combo. This is expensive, but it's not out of line with how much it costs to eat food at a sporting event today.

https://twitter.com/OfficialJoelF/status/2113046248160625007

The Kaseya Center also added a Cluckin' Bell restaurant that sells fried chicken. The prices for the food here are no doubt similarly expensive.

For now, it appears Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell's IRL locations will be limited to the Kaseya Center.

https://twitter.com/GTASixInfo/status/2113072811275415635

Beyond the restaurant takeovers, the Kaseya Center now has advertisements on its elevators referencing in-game elements of GTA 6, including the radio station Vice City FM and the TV show Macca & Friends.

https://twitter.com/gtasix_/status/2113178474047578181

Before this, Rockstar airlifted the Vice City logo onto the top of the Kaseya Center. The partnership continues in November with a big event at an NBA Heat game on November 18 where the team will wear themed jerseys and play on a court inspired by GTA 6. The game then releases the next day, November 19, for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

September saw a surge in video game spending, but Xbox had a bleak month. New Circana data show Xbox Series hardware fell 27% year-over-year to an all-time September low, beating the previous record low set a year ago.

How did Sony and Nintendo compare? PlayStation 5 sales grew 22% in units and 43% in dollar sales, while Nintendo saw Switch 2 sales fall by 12% year-on-year. Sony dominated the market last month, though PS5 consoles cost more today than a year ago, and last month also saw reports of PS5 Pro stock selling out quickly, presumably ahead of the November launch of Grand Theft Auto 6. As for the Switch 2, it started its run in June 2025 with strong launch sales, but that momentum has begun to slow down. It's still outpacing the original Switch console by a comfortable margin, and it's Nintendo's fastest-selling system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FatSqS3VYY&t=19s

So what's going on with Xbox? There are various factors to take into consideration, all of which point to strategies that have emphasized that an Xbox isn't necessary for playing first-party Xbox games. Microsoft's multiplatform strategy, cloud gaming focus, and a move away from a console-under-the-TV model--remember the "This Is An Xbox" advertising?--created a downward trajectory for Xbox console sales. It's a steep decline, but one that Xbox is looking to reverse as it continues to overhaul its business by once again focusing on console exclusives, quietly sweeping the This Is An Xbox campaign under the rug, extending the life of the Series X|S consoles with new upgrades, and preparing for the expensive Project Helix hardware.

It's the clearest example yet of how different strategies can result in different outcomes. While several of Sony's decisions--including the decision to go all-digital in 2028--haven't been popular, it has largely stayed on brand with how it markets the PS5. The GTA 6 effect is also a powerful factor, as it has been promoting the game heavily ahead of its November 19 launch. On the other hand, the decision to reimagine Xbox as a brand split across multiple devices has naturally led to a decline in console sales, but Microsoft is attempting to reverse course and recapture its glory days under new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma--even if that "reset" means sweeping layoffs.

In related news, you can see how Marvel's Wolverine did surprisingly well last month, and which game broke Resident Evil Requiem's grip on the US market.

While EA has closed BioWare and canceled the next Mass Effect game, the TV show based on the sci-fi series remains in development, according to a source speaking to IGN. The source said all the key creative people attached to the project for Prime Video remain signed on.

This would seemingly include BioWare project director and executive producer, Mike Gamble, who was part of the layoffs at BioWare.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/muP7jLuXSiY

The Mass Effect show was first revealed back in 2021, so it’s been in the works for a long time already. The last we heard--which was back in 2025--was that Doug Jung (Star Trek Beyond) was the Mass Effect show's showrunner and that Fast & Furious 9 writer Daniel Casey was on board as a writer for it.

Prime Video is heavily invested in gaming, as it's also home to the upcoming Tomb Raider and God of War shows. The platform also hosts the popular Fallout TV show, which is coming back for a third season.

The closure of BioWare and cancellation of the next Mass Effect game came after EA went private via a sale to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Affinity Partners and Silver Lake were also part of the investor consortium.

EA had said it was looking for $700 million in cost savings to help service the massive debt from the sale, with many fearing layoffs and studio closures. In addition to BioWare shutting down, EA said it was conducting wider layoffs across the company and stopping development on other projects, like a new The Sims game.

Resident Evil Requiem emerged as one of 2026's first big hits when it launched earlier this year, quickly setting new records for Capcom's survival-horror-action series. In the US, it has been the year's best-selling game, but it was always going to face some stiff competition toward the end of 2026. NBA 2K27 has usurped Resident Evil Requiem's position, having made short work of Capcom's best-seller.

"Eight of the top ten best-selling games of September were new releases," Circana's Mat Piscatella wrote. "However, it was NBA 2K27 that ranked second in the month as it surpassed Resident Evil: Requiem to become the best-selling game of 2026 year-to-date. Eight of the top ten best-selling games of September were new releases."

While Marvel's Wolverine was September's best-selling game, NBA 2K27 has clinched the bigger victory overall. It's not surprising to see it doing well, as 2K's NBA series regularly ranks in the top five best-selling games in the US every year, alongside other annual sports franchises like Madden NFL. Call of Duty has also typically been the best-selling game in the US for several years, but recently titles like Hogwarts Legacy (2023) and Battlefield 6 (2025) have knocked it down from first place. Competition will be especially tight this year, with analysts predicting that Grand Theft Auto 6 will take the top spot in 2026 when it launches in November.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfnBVG7YNXg

As for Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom still has plenty of reasons to smile. The fastest-selling game in the franchise's history, it reached a sales milestone of 5 million copies in its first five days, and within two weeks, that number grew to six million. In terms of dollar sales, Requiem is one of the top five best-selling Resident Evil games in the US. It's also the best-selling physical game on PS5 for 2026, with Alinea Analytics recently estimating that 1.3 million discs have been sold to date.

Top 10 Best-Selling Games Ranked on Physical & Full Game Digital Dollar Sales RankTitleLast Month1NBA 2K2732Resident Evil: Requiem13007 First Light24MLB: The Show 2645Crimson Desert56Call of Duty: Black Ops II67Forza Horizon 678Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream89Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight910Pokemon: Pokopia10

Despite mixed reviews and lukewarm player reception, Marvel's Wolverine has done surprisingly well on the sales chart and set a new record for Sony. New data shared by Circana shows Marvel’s Wolverine debuted as September's best-selling game, delivering the highest launch-month dollar sales for a Sony-published game since February 2024’s Helldivers 2. PlayStation 5 hardware dollar sales also increased by 43%, resulting in Sony achieving its highest hardware dollar share in a month since May 2025--no doubt thanks to a PS5 costing more today than it did last year.

"Marvel’s Wolverine was the best-selling game of September in full game dollar sales, debuting as 2026’s 11th best-selling game overall, Circana's Mat Piscatella wrote, adding that out of the top ten best-selling games of September in the US, eight of those games were new releases. Marvel's Wolverine had plenty of competition last month in the form of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, The Blood of Dawnwalker, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword, but it still managed to take the top spot in that category--not too bad for a game that was only available on a single platform in a crowded month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nGnaG7kVIA&t=2s&pp=0gcJCSwMAYcqIYzv

Piscatella had previously spoken about how Marvel's Wolverine had broken a live-service stranglehold on the PlayStation charts, ranking seventh on Circana's Top 10 Titles by weekly active users in the US. Sony hasn't commented on the game's overall sales performance yet, but estimates suggest Marvel’s Wolverine has sold 1.9 million units as of September 18, with physical sales accounting for 799,000 units. That's a solid number, but not enough to help it break into the top 10 best-selling games of 2026 in the US, according to Circana.

NBA 2K26 is currently the top seller in the US, pushing Resident Evil Requiem to second place, with other games like 007 First Light, MLB: The Show 26, and Pokemon: Pokopia filling the remaining spots. GameSpot's Marvel's Wolverine review scored the game an 8/10, with editor-at-large Tamoor Hussain describing it as a "fun but forgettable" experience.

Top 10 Best-Selling Games Ranked on Physical & Full Game Digital Dollar Sales RankTitleLast Month1NBA 2K2732Resident Evil: Requiem13007 First Light24MLB: The Show 2645Crimson Desert56Call of Duty: Black Ops II67Forza Horizon 678Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream89LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight910Pokemon: Pokopia10

After Bloomberg broke the news of BioWare's shutting down at the hands of Electronic Arts, I searched for one of my favorite video game pieces of all time, the fittingly named "An End Once And For All" from Mass Effect 3. The top comment, written by user Lellianna, broke my heart:

"Yes, we are here for the same reason."

As I scrolled down, many more BioWare faithful came to this YouTube video to leave their eulogies, like roses on a digital grave. Some were direct quotes, like user acbagel quoting the Citadel DLC: "Best times of my life were spent on that ship... It's been a damn good ride. The best." Others greeted the moment with dark humor, like M.A.R.Z_316 with "'I should go.' -Bioware, 2026." The more I scrolled, the more users came out of the woodwork to pay homage to the studio they loved.

The end of the Citadel DLC in Mass Effect 3.

Multiple videos I searched related to Mass Effect revealed the same thing. A clip of the Citadel DLC ending quoted earlier has a comment from madara992 saying, "Thank you BioWare. For Everything [sic]." An 18-year-old mashup of the four different versions of "Vigil," the song that plays on the title screen of the original Mass Effect now shows TobiTheNomad offer a simple message: "Thank you BioWare…RIP."

Internet forums, as they were once known, are gone. Now, places like YouTube and Reddit serve as the place to get instant, candid reactions like this. Today, they're filled with all five stages of grief.

"My heart is broken for the community and for the folks who worked hard on ME4… to have it all end so unceremoniously absolutely kills me. This is the true 'wrong ending'" says Reddit user Helloyesthisisbat on r/masseffect's megathread about the news. "Keelah Se'lai Bioware" says Ok_Focus1716 on the same thread, quoting the Quarian phrase, "By the homeworld I hope to see one day."

There are a selection of angry comments too, of course, mostly pointed at Electronic Arts. Others acknowledge the studio's troubles long before this closure, while still expressing sadness over the news. Others still are, well, the kind of comments one is warned about when they hear "never read the comments," but they're not worth the time.

What drew me to these comments, I think, is the realization that the commenters and I had the same reaction once we'd heard the news; we turned to the music. BioWare's music has been a calming, soothing force in my life ever since I first heard "Sanctuary" from Jade Empire.

The Mass Effect trilogy, in particular, is bursting with terrific music. I've mentioned An End Once And For All and Vigil, but there's also the action-packed "Suicide Mission" from ME2 and the somber "Leaving Earth" from ME3. Both of those videos have comments saying goodbye too.

Music is but one piece of the pie, though, and I think what endeared me most to BioWare's games was their characters. The three brothers at the center of Jade Empire. HK-47 from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Commander Shepard, Liara T'Soni, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, and the rest of the Normandy's crew. Heck, even Marauder Shields. These are creations I can revisit whenever I want, but I'll never know what they've been up to since.

That, to me, is what makes this so sad. I want to revisit these worlds, see these characters again, and have new adventures. I hoped Liara would be the star of the now-cancelled next Mass Effect. I wanted to head back to the Jade Empire someday and pick up where my Spirit Monk left off. Unless some other company swoops in and buys the IP--or if EA is even selling it--these worlds will be locked away forever, consigned to the dustbin of the gaming industry in the interest of shareholder value. What a world we live in now.

This may be the end once and for all for BioWare, but I, and many others, will continue to remember the studio through its games. Every time we boot one up, we will hold vigil.

Included in the shocking news of EA's restructuring, which includes layoffs and the closure of BioWare, is a mention from the publisher that Apex Legends studio Respawn Entertainment and Battlefield maker DICE are collaborating on a project. According to a report, that project is a long-awaited sequel set in a galaxy far, far away.

Per Variety, which cites "multiple sources," the DICE and Respawn project is Star Wars Battlefront 3. While EA itself did not confirm this, the company's memo about the restructuring says that the studios' title will contribute to EA's goal of delivering a "shooter portfolio that unlocks growth."

EA specifically states that learnings from Battlefield 6's launch and live service will further that goal, while also announcing that Apex Legends will be expanded with new "gameplay modes" and "other new experiences."

As for the purported existence of Star Wars Battlefront 3, the timing coincides with a recent rumor that Lucasfilm Games was seeking a development partner for a new Battlefront, and that DICE and Sony-owned studio Bungie were among the studios being considered.

DICE had made two Star Wars Battlefront games for EA, which were released in 2015 and 2017. Battlefront 2 attracted criticism over loot boxes (remember when that was the hot controversy of the day?), but the game still proved to be massively popular. Last year, Battlefront 2 suddenly had a resurgence in players, with many hoping that it would ignite talks of a third Battlefront.

Outside of Battlefront and shooters, the Star Wars franchise has gained two new popular entries this year alone, with strategy game Star Wars Zero Company (which Respawn co-developed) and racing title Star Wars: Galactic Racer enjoying critical success.

Microsoft has revealed how much it will charge people for using the Xbox Cloud Gaming service without a Game Pass membership. Right now, this is available only to Xbox Insiders, but that's a free program that anyone can join.

Also notable is that the prices below are described as "introductory launch pricing," and that wording suggests the prices may change in the future. Microsoft is calling these "cloud playtime packs."

Cloud playtime packs pricing:

• 10 hours for $4
• 25 hours for $8
• 50 hours for $12

Anyone who buys these cloud playtime packs will get access to cloud gaming without ads and with perks like shorter wait times and higher-quality streaming. These packs will be available to more people starting in November.

A version of Xbox cloud gaming with ads is also available to Xbox Insiders without a Game Pass membership.

As for those who do have a Game Pass membership, changes are coming to cloud gaming in November. Microsoft will put limits on how many hours per month people can use the service, and then allow people to pay more to unlock more time. Below is a breakdown of how many hours you’ll get included with the tier of Game Pass you’re subscribed to:

• Game Pass Ultimate: 15 hours
• Game Pass Premium: 10 hours
• Game Pass Essential: 5 hours

Microsoft said it understands this is a “meaningful change,” especially for those who use the cloud regularly for gaming. However, the company said it estimates that these changes will impact about 4% of Game Pass subscribers, though the company did not share any specifics on how it arrived at that projection.

In other Game Pass news, it was recently reported that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is considering a massive shakeup to the service to allow people to build their own Game Pass and choose which features they do and do not want.

When EA was acquired by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, many expected major changes at the gaming company, including layoffs and game cancellations, among other shakeups. Now, those have begun, with EA on October 21 confirming a series of significant changes impacting the people and teams that worked on many storied franchises.

EA also teased some of what's to come in the future, including a joint project between Respawn and DICE. Here's a rundown of all the big EA news today.

Layoffs

EA said in a statement that it made the "difficult" choice to lay off staff, and Bloomberg reported that the cuts will impact about 400 people. Affected staffers will be treated with "care and respect," EA said, and some impacted employees may have a chance to get a different job within EA.

BioWare closes and new Mass Effect axed

BioWare, the esteemed Canadian developer founded 30+ years ago, is shutting down. The studio employed fewer than 100 people, Bloomberg reported, and the team was working on the next Mass Effect. That game is now canceled.

"BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly," EA said.

Developers at BioWare had feared their jobs were at risk after PIF announced that it would buy EA. BioWare is known, in part, for making pro-diversity games featuring inclusive storytelling and characters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg-Ctg6k_Ao

Longtime BioWare writer Patrick Weekes, who was laid off in 2025, speculated that EA’s new owners, including the PIF, might want to avoid “gay stuff” and politics that the PIF’s leadership does not agree with.

There has been an outpouring of support and thoughtful messages about BioWare in the wake of the news, from fans and industry professionals alike.

CD Projekt's Michal Nowakowski said his company first got to know BioWare when the studio did the work to localize Baldur's Gate games in Europe. Later, BioWare lent its game engine to CD Projekt for the first Witcher game.

"Very sad for the people affected, but also sad to see a legendary brand go down. Not a great day in the games industry," he said.

New The Sims game paused

Another game that's not going ahead at EA is Project Lotus, the codename for new game in The Sims franchise. Another The Sims game, codename Project Evergreen, is now the main focus for the developers working on The Sims. Exactly what this game is, however, remains a mystery, but The Sims is a juggernaut at EA and fans have been waiting for a new game for a long time.

Skate gets scaled back

EA's new Skate game, which was released in 2025, will remain online, but EA said it's "making changes to the studio," and that includes cutting staff to create a "more focused, smaller team." EA said this will help Skate have a "very clear roadmap" and one that can lead to a "healthier and more sustainable business."

EA Sports open-world football game

The EA Sports division, which is among the strongest at the company due in part to the lucrative loot boxes and microtransactions in Ultimate Team modes, continue to operate "from a position of strength," EA said. In addition to the usual annual sports games, EA said it has two new projects in the works, including a "brand-new, social-first open-world" football game in the works under the codename Project Gridiron. The other project is the next Fight Night, which is coming back after a 15-year hiatus.

Shooters

EA said Battlefield 6 was a "great success," and that the studio "learned a lot from the launch and live service." There will be future Battlefield games, as well as a new project to be collaboratively developed by Respawn and DICE. EA didn't say what this will be, but many believe it could be a new Star Wars: Battlefront, following recent rumors that DICE could make that game. Variety reported that yes, indeed, a new Battlefront game is coming. This would not be surprising at all, given DICE's two previous Battlefront games sold a combined 33 million+ copies.

As for Apex Legends, EA said it will continue to "invest heavily" in the franchise by adding new gameplay modes and "other new experiences."

Iron Man and Star Wars Jedi

While EA may have canceled its Black Panther game already, the company's other big Marvel game, Iron Man, remains in development. Additionally, the next Star Wars Jedi game is still on the way, EA confirmed.

"Beyond that, we will concentrate our efforts on fewer simultaneous, large-scale projects, ensuring that every game we build in this space is fully set up for success," EA said.

The biggest leveraged buyout of all time

The PIF, along with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, took EA private in a $55 billion sale that was constructed as a leveraged buyout, or LBO. This was the largest LBO ever, not just in gaming, but in the history of all business. Since the acquisition was "leveraged," that means it comes with debt, and a lot of it, so many expected EA to make major cuts to help service that debt.

Prior to the deal closing, Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis said EA may look to “cut excess spending and rationalize the company’s workforce” to help bring in more money to address the debt. A report from Financial Times said EA might look to further bolster AI tools and technologies to help cut development costs and drive profitability.

Mat Piscatella of Circana told GI.biz that the companies being acquired in LBOs rarely fare well. “Leveraged buyouts have a certain history that generally hasn’t been great for the acquired companies,” he said.

Rayman Legends Retold is almost here, and as you'd expect from this remake, it's a pretty noticeable graphical glow-up of Rayman Legends and it includes a very French outfit for you to dress the phantom-limbed hero and his partner Barbara up in. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 fans, this is where you do the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme.

Even though Ubisoft doesn't mention Sandfall Interactive or Expedition 33 by name, it did confirm that the new baguette outfits are "a playful nod to a fellow game" created in Montpellier. "Conceived as a tribute from one French studio to another, these costumes celebrate the creativity, passion, and unmistakably French touch that continue to make the country's video game industry shine on the global stage," Ubisoft said in a press release. Sandfall Interactive is also headquartered in Montpellier.

The friendly homage is no doubt a tribute to Sandfall Interactive and its award-winning debut game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The Expedition 33 outfit features a white shirt with black pinstripes, black pants with black suspenders, a red beret, and a baguette kept inside a red-and-white plaid cloth, making it as Gallic as Groundskeeper Willie's introduction to the beautiful French language. Unlocking the outfit for each character in the hit RPG isn't easy, as players must defeat secret mime mini-bosses around the map.

The look isn't unique to either game, as the ensemble draws on 19th-century naval uniforms, Basque headwear, and "Onion Johnny" door-to-door traders. Over time, those fashion elements became synonymous with France, becoming a symbol of French elegance and casual style that artists like Pablo Picasso and fashion icon Jean Paul Gaultier adopted. You've probably also spotted people wearing these costumes at conventions, as Expedition 33's baguette outfits make for an easy, low-cost, and comfortable cosplay.

Ubisoft says the baguette costumes will be available to all players at launch, when the game launches for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 on December 3. It's the second big remake from Ubisoft this year, following the release of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced in July.

I guess someone's gotta collect 'em all, and it appears that thieves are doing just that, as yet another high-stakes burglary in Southern California has resulted in just about $1 million worth of Pokemon cards being stolen from a FedEx truck.

According to a report by The New York Times' sports journalism department, The Athletic (via ABC News), a FedEx truck parked near the authenticating and grading business known as the Professional Sports Authenticator in Santa Ana, California, was robbed on October 13. The Santa Ana Police Department said in a statement to ABC News that hundreds of cards were stolen, with the robbery estimated at a value of $963,000.

"The pallets contained various trading cards, including, but not limited to, sports cards and Pokemon cards," the Santa Ana Police Department said in a statement. "However, the exact value of the stolen items has not yet been determined."

According to the Santa Ana Police Department, the thieves broke into the FedEx truck, stole two full pallets of cards, and tore through a third pallet for even more packaged goodies--all of which belonged to collectors from across the country who submitted their cards to the Professional Sports Authenticator to be authenticated and graded for collecting or reselling purposes.

Collectors, the parent company of the Professional Sports Authenticator, told ABC News that in the wake of the theft, it has deactivated the certificates for the missing cards and notified its other businesses in its marketplace to "be on the lookout" for the cards in case they turn up.

"We are aware of a theft involving a third-party shipping vehicle carrying PSA-graded items," the company said. "We are working closely with law enforcement and the carrier as the investigation continues. Our customer service team has contacted affected customers directly and is arranging compensation based on fair market value. We understand the impact this has on collectors involved, many of whom see these cards as far more than a financial asset."

FedEx is also aware of the burglary, telling ABC News that it's cooperating with police.

"The security of our customers' shipments is a top priority, and we are working with local law enforcement in their investigation," the corporation said. "Further questions should be referred to local investigators."

This seems to be a regular occurrence these days: people stealing tens of thousands of dollars worth of Pokemon cards, sometimes at gunpoint. What was once a fun hobby has become quite fraught as people battle each other to get their hands on cards. I don't know what happened because it wasn't like this 30 years ago, but soon, you may need a face just to buy Pokemon cards. Yikes.

One of the most annoying things about PC games is how long they can take to start, thanks to the traditional shader compilation a game goes through after installation or after getting new drivers. The silver bullet to this might be Microsoft's Advanced Shader Delivery, which was used in Gears of War: E-Day to drastically cut down on its initial launch, and Nvidia graphics card owners can also take advantage of this technology starting today with the release of the version 621.01 drivers. AMD has featured this technology for a while now, but with Nvidia included, ASD will be open to the vast majority of the PC gaming community.

Available for Nvidia RTX and RTX Spark graphics cards, ASD reduces shader compilation times by downloading precompiled shaders. For now, only two games support ASD--the new Gears of War prequel and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Combined with Nvidia's Automatic Shader Compilation, which is designed to prevent shaders from needing to be recompiled after you install new drivers, this should make for a pretty seamless approach to installing a game and playing it right away, something which console owners have enjoyed for years. This is down to consoles only having one configuration, whereeas PCs come in multiple configurations, thus requiring shader compilation to set a game up on that platform.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM5tzrBuWFo

In my own testing, ASD proved to be very quick on both my desktop PC and my Asus ROG Ally X. After installing Gears of War: E-Day, I could start the game in under a minute on either platform, a marked improvement compared to how some games asked me to wait around 10-15 minutes so that they could get their shader ducks in a row. ASD works with multiple hardware configurations, including devices powered by AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm, although results may vary between systems.

On the console side, Sony recently announced Quick Spectral Super Resolution for base PS5 consoles, and AMD has announced that FSR 4.1 is coming to Xbox Series X|S in the future.