There's undeniable hype and chatter for filmmaker Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie, but one talking point from fans concerns the evident differences in setting between the adaptation and the Resident Evil 2 game, despite the film "living in the world" of that game. But Cregger hasn't been shy to address these creative changes, and he candidly spoke about why his movie is set in the present day with a snowy backdrop.

Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con (per DiscussingFilm), Cregger reminded fans that he "took liberties to tell a story [he] wanted to tell and make a movie look the way [he] wanted to look." While the Raccoon City outbreak depicted in Resident Evil 2 and 3 takes place in September 1998, Cregger's film depicts characters using contemporary iPhones and sets the outbreak during wintry weather.

"I am not doing exactly a one-to-one Resident Evil 2 adaptation," Cregger said. "There are differences between the movie and the game." He added that the snow is an aesthetic choice, and he "looks really f**king cool to have a horror movie set in the snow."

https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/2080477872934854745?s=20

These statements are consistent with what Cregger has been saying about his film for the past couple of years--he's previously talked about how his film is "following the rules" of the Resident Evil world while wanting to create an original story in that universe. The latest Resident Evil trailer certainly shows the writer-director's love for the series, with numerous easter eggs and moments that tonally fit with the Resident Evil games.

The original Resident Evil 2 takes place in 1998 because, well, it released in 1998. It was a present-day setting at the time, and Cregger has chosen to set his film, which premieres September 18 this year, in our present day. Series purists might disagree, but Cregger is arguing that he'd rather capture the spirit of a Resident Evil game in a movie rather than creating a story completely subservient to lore.

"If the barrier of entry is whether I do a one-for-one port, then I guess in that regard, I have failed," Cregger said at San Diego Comic-Con. "But I think the movie is stronger for it."

Best Resident Evil Games, Ranked View Images

The launch of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has proven that there's still a strong appetite for video game remakes, and at 3.5 million sales and counting, Ubisoft's new game is off to a smashing start. That's not too bad, and if you look at the numbers, the Black Flag remake is already one of the best games in this category of the current generation. It still has a long, long way to go before it can dethrone the current king of remakes, as 2023's Resident Evil 4 is still a sales juggernaut.

According to new data by Alinea Analytics, the Resident Evil 4 remake has reached lifetime sales of 16.8 million units across PC and console so far. One thing to note is that the game has lifetime sales of 13.6 million units as of March 31, 2026, according to Capcom, and it hasn't updated those figures yet. If Resident Evil 4 has sold another 3 million units in the last couple of months, then that would make it the company's fifth-best-selling game of all time, leaping over the lifetime sales of Resident Evil Village (14.90 million) and Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (16 million). We've reached out to Alinea Analytics for clarification on the figure and will update as soon as we hear back.

The remake gold rush has a clear champion.

As for the rest of the list, the other entrants all boast impressive numbers of their own. Alinea counted games released for the current console generation--starting on November 10--and its data covers overall estimates of copies sold across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. In the number two spot is Ark: Survival Ascended, the 2023 remake of 2015's Ark: Survival Evolved, with 7 million units sold so far. Steam is where the lion's share of the sales came from (3.9 million), followed by PlayStation (2.1 million) and Xbox (1 million).

The Last of Us Part 1 took third place with 6.3 million lifetime sales, which is pretty high considering that it was only available on PS5 and PC. Oblivion Remastered generated 4.5 million lifetime sales, Dead Space reached 4.3 million units sold, and Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth sits at 4.2 million units sold since it launched in early 2024. Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake rounds out the list at 3.2 million lifetime sales, but since Ubisoft revealed the Black Flag remake sales numbers this week, it looks like the Ubisoft game has already outperformed it and in record time.

Not even sales chart success could save Dead Space  Dead Space

Sadly, while Dead Space occupies a prime spot on the list, it wasn't enough to save the franchise from going on hiatus. The sci-fi horror series is reportedly on ice at EA, and there are no plans for a new sequel, remake, or even reboot of the IP in the future. Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield revealed last year that he's attempted to revive the series at EA with pitches that he claimed would save the company tens of millions if they greenlit it, but so far, there has been nothing but radio silence regarding its future. Schofield also recently announced that he is retiring from day-to-day game development.

Remakes are more valuable than you think Silent Hill 2

Alinea noted that while remakes have been around for decades, in recent years, they've become a vital part of the video game industry for many publishers. "The way I see it, it's a direct response to the AAA market's woes," Alinea's Rhys Elliott wrote. "A brand-new IP is a six-to-eight-year gamble with no guaranteed audience, the riskiest bet on the board at the worst possible time to be making those bets. A high-fidelity remake is different, with a proven design blueprint, a built-in fanbase, and a much shorter, cheaper production cycle. So the budget gatekeepers aren't gambling on whether people want the thing--the demand’s proven. AKA, less risk."

As Elliot noted, constantly remaking games is not a sound business strategy. Capcom appears to have cracked the right approach, as it uses remakes to help make the production of new games less risky, resulting in critically acclaimed titles like Pragmata. A remake is seen as a dependable source of revenue that also keeps an IP relevant, giving a publisher the space it needs to work on a new project. 

Mario and The Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto has also spoken about remakes, defending them as a way to connect with new audiences.

Meanwhile, last year saw dozens of familiar IP dominate the JRPG genre. The top-rated games--according to GameSpot's sister site Metacritic--were remakes and remasters, with only a handful of original IP like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker emerging to earn critical acclaim.

The 30 Best Video Game Remakes View Images

Alan Ritchson, known for his role as Aquaman on Smallville and Jack Reacher on Reacher, has revealed that Call of Duty is his favorite video game and that he would be interested in appearing in the upcoming Call of Duty movie.

Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Richtson said video game adaptations "scare me a little bit" because "so few work." He's right that video game movies have a spotty track record when it comes to critical and commercial success, with many notable flops, like 2024's Borderlands. There have been huge hits, too, including The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Five Nights at Freddy's, and Minecraft.

"I think the ones that work are the ones that are made directly for kids. Minecraft is a good example. If you make it for kids first, or it's fun... or self-aware, they tend to work. But ones that take themselves too seriously ... [shrugs]. It has to know what it is and it has to be ready to have a good time," he explained.

Alan Ritchson and his muscles in a scene from Reacher.

Asked if he would be up for a role in the Call of Duty movie, he said, "I do love Call of Duty, man... if the story is right."

He also advocated for the Call of Duty movie to feature Zombies, which he said are the best part of the Call of Duty series.

The Call of Duty movie is set in the Modern Warfare universe, which is not normally associated with the franchise's Zombies mode. But in Hollywood, anything is possible.

https://twitter.com/Logan_Taaffe_/status/2080401000675029023

The Call of Duty movie has no confirmed casting yet, but we do know it's going to be directed by Lone Survivor's Peter Berg, with Sicario's Taylor Sheridan writing. Paramount is producing the movie.

As for the Call of Duty game series, Modern Warfare 4 is the next entry in the series and it's coming this October. A free multiplayer beta takes place in August.

Video games are the hot new thing in Hollywood AKA the next content library to mine for ideas and stories. Atari has announced a 10-movie deal with Jurassic World and The Odyssey studio Universal to adapt some of the company's legendary video game properties for the big screen.

Announced at San Diego Comic-Con, Atari has partnered with Entertainment 360 to make a deal with Universal Pictures to give the movie studio the option to develop 10 Atari games into films. Not all of them are expected to go forward, as is often the case with development deals in Hollywood.

According to Deadline, Universal has, however, already bought the first project from the 10-movie deal and hired Matt Reilly and Carl Hampe to write and produce.

What this movie is, however, remains a mystery, but Deadline said it's an "original spec" from Reilly. He is a former Universal executive who switched to screenwriting and producing. Hampe, meanwhile, was a producer on 2019's Hellboy and also worked on Jungle Cruise.

The 10-movie deal includes the following Atari properties:

• Asteroids
• Adventure
• Berzerk
• Breakout
• Centipede
• Crystal Castles
• Millipede
• Missile Command
• Pong
• Yars' Revenge

Atari CEO and chairman Wade Rosen said, "We are excited to work with Universal and Entertainment 360 to bring the spirit of our iconic brand and games to a new medium.”

There are 50+ video game movies currently at various stages of production in Hollywood. In terms of movies that are definitely coming out, Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie arrives in September, followed by Street Fighter in October.

Zach Cregger, the director of the upcoming Resident Evil movie, appeared at San Diego Comic-Con this week, where he revealed that the movie's star, Austin Abrams, nearly died filming a scene that ended up in the movie. The Resident Evil franchise has a history with this kind of thing, as a member of the production crew on Resident Evil: The Final Chapter was killed from injuries he sustained during an on-set accident.

At Comic-Con, Slash Film reported that Cregger said there is a scene in the movie where Abrams' character, the medical courier Bryan, is running through a street, with zombies leaping from the tops of buildings at him. Cregger wanted to film this sequence practically instead of using CGI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNd1gb19A-c

To film the scene, the production team created 150-pound "body-sized blood bags" that were dropped from cranes to create the effect. One of the blood bags came close to striking Abrams, and Cregger said, "It would've killed him."

"If he had been one step to the right, he would've died," he said.

This shot--teased in the new trailer above--made it into the final cut of Resident Evil, "so it's f**king worth it," Cregger said.

"That's what's so great about making movies is you have this scene, you have this amazing idea in your head, and then you just have all these people help you realize that idea and immortalize it on the screen," he said. "And there's a real sense of teamwork and accomplishment. I'm very proud of this movie. I feel like I grew a lot making it, just as a filmmaker."

The Resident Evil movie comes to theaters on September 18. Cregger says the story is akin to The Lord of the Rings.

“Bryan is very much an everyman who happens to be burdened with this kind of sacred mission that’s going to take him into the heart of everything. It’s kind of like Frodo going into Mordor,” he said.

For more, check out GameSpot's breakdown of the latest terrifying new trailer for the Resident Evil movie.

EA looks like it'll be aiming to extract extra cash from consumers, as not only will the company be offering $70 standard and $100 "Ultimate" editions of its soccer game EA Sports FC 27, it'll also be selling a $150 "Ultimate Plus" version.

To put this into perspective, EA already sells an MVP bundle of its football games for the same price, but you're getting both Madden NFL, College Football, and deluxe edition perks in that package. In comparison, the Ultimate Plus edition of EA Sports FC 27 is a single game that includes a sizable amount of DLC, such as four premium season passes, 10,000 FC Points--the game's premium currency--spread across several months, player boosts, a Hall of FUT Player Pick, and more.

The other big draw is that this version of the game allows you to start playing seven days early, a perk that we're seeing pop up more often in video games lately. Halo: Campaign Evolved players who purchased the $70 Premium edition currently have early access to the game ahead of its official release on July 28, but a launch issue prevented them from hopping in ahead of schedule.

It's also worth noting that the EA Sports FC games have drawn heavy criticism over the years for how progression has been hidden behind paywalls, while other parts of the game have also been called out for overt pay-to-win gameplay mechanics. These ideas made their way into EA Sports College Football, resulting in everyone being pissed off. EA eventually removed the controversial microtransaction system, but there are still plenty of microtransactions for the popular Ultimate Team mode.

There are also fears that these gameplay systems could become more prevalent if the sale of EA goes through. The company is aiming to sell itself to a group of investors led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and the $55 billion deal will see the company burdened with billions in debt--debt that could require it to make some massive cuts to its portfolio of game studios.

Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot believes that Sony's plan to kill PS5 game disc production in January 2028 could have some benefits for the gaming industry. Speaking during a recent investor Q&A, Guillemot expressed his opinion that the PS5 console market could emulate PC gaming--which has been an overwhelmingly digital-only scene since the rise of Steam--and hardware costs could come down as a result.

"What we saw on the PC is that it helped to grow the market," Guillemot said (via VGC). "There's also some pressure for the future on the cost of machines, and being able to be only digital will help to have a more accessible machine, I would say. "There are pluses and minuses, but we think it will not disturb too much the industry."

https://youtu.be/4FatSqS3VYY

Sony's rationale for ending game disc production is that it's following market trends and consumer preferences, as the majority of PS5 game purchases are currently digital. New data suggests that physical game sales are weaker than ever, as only two PlayStation games sold more than 10,000 physical units in the US for the week that ended on July 11, 2026. Throughout 2026, only seven games have sold more than 100,000 physical units so far.

That's still a sizable number of people who purchase physical games every year, but even with its social media channels under siege from consumers demanding that Sony reverse course on its decision, it looks unlikely that the company will budge. Sony--and third-party studios--simply earn more from digital sales, especially with first-party games where it won't be required to pay any retailer fees or handle the financial cost of pressing discs, packaging, and distribution.

With spending on new physical games having been in decline since 2009, the numbers are clearly in Sony's favor as the majority of consumers prefer the convenience of digital games. Guillemot's other point of hardware being more accessible looks unlikely, however, as the current RAMageddon that has seen component prices skyrocket means that the next PlayStation console could cost north of $1,000.

The new season of Batman: The Caped Crusader kicks off on July 31, and anyone looking to join the world's greatest detective in solving some mysteries can also jump into a new game launching the same day. Amazon Luna and Warner Bros. have announced Batman: Caped Crusader - Chronicles, which will be available for Amazon Prime members through the Luna library of streaming games at no extra cost. Amazon also revealed today that Luna will be rolling out to Prime Video on Fire TVs in the US and UK, and the games can be streamed directly from these devices. You can use a controller or a smartphone, making it easier to access games from a single app.

Set in the continuity of Caped Crusader, the co-op party game supports up to four players as they join a special Gotham City Police Department task force and join Batman's inner circle. Alongside Detective Montoya, there'll be 11 episodic missions featuring a mix of sleuthing and minigames. Several of the crimes will also see Batman villains like Babyface, Scarecrow, Dollmaker, and the Joker step into the spotlight. Additionally, Hamish Linklater and Michelle C. Bonilla will reprise their roles as Batman and Montoya, respectively, to create a link between the game and the animated series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F22Gqk_ylNM

The first season of Batman: The Caped Crusader launched in 2024, and unlike other Dark Knight shows, it's set during the 1940s. Using a film noir-inspired setting, the series follows a young but capable Bruce Wayne as he establishes Batman as a force for good, even if the GCPD views him as a dangerous vigilante. Season One included new takes on Batman villains like the Penguin, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, and Gentleman Ghost. Another big departure from older animated series was the focus on Batman's skills as a detective, with many episodes featuring mysteries that only he could solve.

For Season Two, Batman will take on several familiar foes for the first time, including the Riddler, Mad Hatter--and after being briefly teased at the end of Season One--the Joker. Amazon's game isn't the only new project featuring Batman, as a new fighting game called DCKO was also announced this week. The mobile game features a roster of DC Universe characters slugging it out.

On top of that, the new Lego Batman game is also an unexpected treat and the Arkham sequel that you've been waiting for.

Shawn Layden may not be at Sony anymore, but the former PlayStation boss has a lot of thoughts about the company, its games, and the industry as a whole. Specifically, he'd love to see a return to the PS1- and PS2-era of games, and he has a (somewhat vague) plan to achieve it.

In a July 23 interview with Eurogamer, Layden spoke at length about how unsustainable the current model of game development is. He discussed the untenable ballooning budgets of recent years, how niche gaming is compared to the universality of movies and music, and how the current structures just don't hold up.

Tucked into the interview was a mention of PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 games.

"The problem we see there is the current model incentivises or almost dictates that to get funding--certainly in the triple-digit million era--you better be a sequel or you better be based on something like Lord of the Rings, or you had better be 'it's just like Grand Theft Auto but…,' he said, "So we make all those kinds of games, we fund those kinds of games. But the quirky kind of stuff you saw on PS1 and PS2, we don't see so much."

Layden admitted that the PS1 and PS2 had such "wacky" games because the incentives were different at the time and players weren't so siloed in their communities (re: more willing to try new experiences because gaming was still so new). Someone so steeped in Call of Duty may not play a Skate, or someone wrapped up in Halo may not give a Lies of P a try. But for Layden, that's the exact problem he hopes to solve with his plan.

"We keep making more of the same thing; bad habits are hard to stop," he said. "That's why I'm trying to put together a publishing concern that will address that underserved AA market, not only from the consumers I believe it can appeal to, but the developers who want to go back there."

A "publishing concern" certainly sounds like vague corporate gobbledygook. Maybe it is! Layden didn't expand any further on it with Eurogamer, but the theory is that he could be hinting at some sort of investment strategy to give AA studios--think of a developer like Asobo Studio (A Plague Tale: Requiem) or Questline (Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon)--a chance at survival in what's becoming a succeed-or-die industry.

He also touched on how much shorter games of that era used to be. Friends of his, according to Eurogamer, told him that they "miss the days" of finishing a game. That's something he'd love to bring back: the ease with which it is to beat a game (because now, games these days feel like 1000-hour affairs or even second jobs).

"Let's go back to understanding not only 'What did you want to build?' but 'Who are we building it for?'" he continued. "When the average gamer was between 16 and 24, you are time-rich and money-poor; but if you're between 28 and 32, you may not be money-rich, but you're definitely time-poor. So let's keep that in mind, folks."

Hours before launching, the official Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game account on X announced that the Xbox edition of the title isn't coming out today, July 23, as planned. Instead, it's now releasing on Xbox Series X|S sometime before September 3 because of "unforeseen circumstances on a backend feature." It's quite the last-moment delay, especially considering not even 24 hours ago the same account was promoting the game's launch. That's rough, buddy. 

The bad news doesn't stop with Xbox players, either. Cross-play isn't available on Switch yet, and the only localization option on the hybrid system is English currently. Meanwhile, the Deluxe Edition is also missing in action on Switch. All of these issues will be addressed at some point, though there isn't any sort of timeline officially revealed yet. 

https://twitter.com/avatar_fighters/status/2080094735314677888

It's odd that these speedbumps weren't addressed earlier from Paramount Games for Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, especially considering it's a real treat for fans. The title seems to really nail the characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. 

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is out on PC and PS5, alongside just the Standard Edition on Switch. The regular version of the title costs $30, while the Deluxe Edition retails for $50 and includes the Year 1 pass plus a digital art book. The DLC will introduce Iroh, Ty Lee, Lin Beifong, Bolin, and a voted-in fifth character. A Switch 2 version of the title is also in the works.

The Best Fighting Games To Throw Down With In 2026 View Images

Halo fans on Xbox excited to dive into Halo: Campaign Evolved today as part of its early access period are currently severely disappointed, as an issue is preventing them from accessing the game despite paying extra money for the privilege. 

As pointed out by players on social media (and independently verified by GameSpot), many (or possibly everyone) who purchased the Halo: Campaign Evolved premium edition or premium edition upgrade on Xbox or the Xbox PC app can't at time of writing access the game. Oops.

The premium edition, which cost $70 as opposed to the normal edition's $50, is supposed to come with five days of early access. Campaign Evolved is also available on Game Pass, and users have the option to pay an extra $20 to "upgrade" to the premium edition and play early.  Instead, players in both camps are being greeted with a message that states "You're too early."

Halo Studios is aware of the issue, and in a post on social media from the official Halo Support account, stated it was "investigating reports that "some players on Xbox consoles and the Xbox app for PC who purchased the HaloCE Premium Edition or Premium Edition Upgrade are unable to access the game.

"We will share updates as soon as more information is available. Thank you for your patience."

https://twitter.com/HaloSupport/status/2080325392036970797?s=20

A glance at various Halo-focused social media accounts, or in the replies to official Halo posts, shows more than a few players are frustrated by the situation. Many point out that while Halo Support's message states that only "some" players are experiencing the issue, it appears to be everyone on the Xbox platform who purchased the Premium version.

It's not a great start for Halo Studios' remake, especially since the game that is synonymous with the Xbox brand appears to be working great on PlayStation 5. Halo: Campaign Evolved's Xbox early access blunder isn't the only pothole the remake has fallen into, with the game having previously caught flak for some of its gameplay changes (like the addition of sprint) and requiring players on PS5 to have both a PlayStation and Microsoft account to play local co-op.

That hasn't stopped Halo: Campaign Evolved from being generally well-received. In GameSpot's 8/10 Halo: Campaign Evolved review, editor Jordan Ramée said the remake is "the best way to play through Master Chief's first game" and praised how its new prequel missions lead into Combat Evolved's original story. Halo: Campaign Evolved currently sports an 81 on review aggregate site Metacritic.

If you're planning on playing the latest Halo adventure with friends across different platforms, read up on how Halo: Campaign Evolved's cross-play works, as well as how long the game's campaign, including its three new prequel missions, lasts. Halo: Campaign Evolved launches for non-premium edition owners on July 28.

Amazon Games' boss Jeff Gattis has a solution for the rising cost of console gaming, but it's certainly one that nobody wants and hasn't been successful thus far: cloud gaming. Let's hear him out real quick.

In a July 23 interview with the BBC, Gattis talked about what the future of gaming could look like as consoles soar past $1,000. Although he acknowledged how important systems are to the industry as a whole, he also noticed an untapped market beyond traditional consoles that Amazon Games has been trying to reach.

"There are somewhere between 2.5 and 3 billion people who play games around the world, but only a fraction of those own dedicated gaming hardware," Gattis said. "As hardware becomes more expensive, and as streaming technology continues to improve, I think you'll naturally see more people asking whether they actually need that dedicated device."

He reiterated this point to The Game Business on July 23. In a lengthy interview, Gattis said that Amazon isn't attempting to supplant consoles or PCs, but rather, to give players yet another option to play their games that doesn't make them decide between this month's rent and the next PlayStation or Xbox system.

"Our business isn’t predicated on replacing consoles," Gattis said. "Historically, cloud gaming has been a little bit of a solution in search of a problem. Consoles, for the most part, have been relatively inexpensive until now. So, our business is more about reaching more players and expanding the market, not trying to get people to give up their consoles or gaming PCs."

For Gattis, cloud gaming is that option. He believes that, as the technology around cloud gaming continues to advance, Amazon can capitalize on the market of underserved players who want to game but don't want to spend a fortune on it.

"Having said all that, we saw the Steam Machine opening at $1,000. We hear rumors about consoles, because of the RAM crisis, pushing up over $1,000 in Gen 10. So, I do think you get to a point at which more people will be in the consideration set for a cloud gaming solution, just because of the sheer cost of buying dedicated hardware."

He then spoke about developers and publishers, adding that if Amazon can target the "two and a half billion audience that I think is a little underserved," maybe developers and publishers would see Luna as a viable platform to release games on.

"The [skepticism] you'll hear is, 'Well, if I put my games on Luna, particularly if we push it into Prime, I'm going to cannibalize all my sales on these other platforms,'" Gattis said. "And the reality is, at least the pitch that we keep making--and it is the truth--is that this is about reaching players that a lot of those games are never going to be able to reach. Particularly in a world of $1,000 consoles."

This is all very interesting in the context of cloud gaming. Sure, PlayStation and Xbox have their own offerings that appear to be successful for their business, but Google Stadia shut down in 2023 and Amazon Luna was folded into the larger Amazon Prime subscription service in 2025. Console gaming is getting more expensive, with price increases coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S this year. The Steam Deck is also getting a price hike, and Valve's $1,000 Steam Machine has certainly turned some heads. But cloud gaming isn't as reliable as a console, primarily due to the internet's potential instability.

If, for whatever reason, your internet goes down or access to the cloud gaming servers becomes unavailable, then you won't be able to game. Speaking from personal experience, even when my Spectrum internet service is interrupted--because of some regularly occurring outage--I'm still able to play single-player games I've downloaded on my console like AI Limit and Lords of the Fallen. The same can't be said of cloud gaming.

That's not to say that cloud gaming can't or won't ever be viable. There just likely needs to be more work done on reliability and stability to ensure that there's no latency and continued accessibility.

Microsoft has rolled out a test for its free, ad-supported version of cloud gaming. Select members of the Xbox Insider program can start testing this out today.

As announced by Microsoft, ads play before people get into a session. The ads do not interrupt the gameplay experience like they might for ads on a TV or movie streaming platform. Sessions are limited to one hour per session, at least for now, as part of this early test version that supports games people already own.

The test allows people to play games for free, in exchange for watching ads.

This is a limited-time test version of free gaming with ads, Microsoft clarified. The program was available internally to Microsoft employees last year, and now it's rolling out to the public for another round of tests.

Microsoft said in its announcement that playing games like this, over the cloud, can help with the affordability crisis going on now in games. A new Xbox, after all, is more expensive than ever due to the memory and component issues.

With cloud streaming, people who might still be playing on an Xbox One can play the newest games without having to buy any new hardware. They will, however, need to have a strong and reliable internet connection.

"Advertising has existed in gaming for decades, from in-game placements to free-to-play models. But it hasn’t always been built with the player in mind. When done well, advertising can help lower the cost of access. It creates another way for players to get into games without an upfront streaming purchase and expands audiences through new ways to play," Microsoft said.

Microsoft also outlined how it plans to handle advertising going forward with the following pillars:

1. We start with the player. Ads should create value. 
2. We do not interrupt the flow of gameplay. 
3. We hold ads to the same quality bar as our content. 
4. We’re clear about what’s advertising. 
5. We make sure ads fit what players expect on each platform. 

Microsoft also stressed that this is all entirely optional. People can bypass ads by subscribing to a paid tier of Xbox Game Pass. They can also buy games outright.

"We’ll learn from this test and continue to improve it based on how players use it and what they tell us. Our goal is simple. Give more people more affordable ways to play," Microsoft said.

There are hundreds of games playable via Xbox Cloud Gaming currently. However, people currently need to subscribe to Game Pass to stream them. The new ad tier will allow anyone, even if they don’t have a Game Pass membership, to stream select games in exchange for watching ads.

An ad-based tier is no surprise, as Xbox’s Tim Stuart first hinted at it some time ago. In August 2025, Xbox boss Jason Ronald teased an evolution of Xbox Cloud Gaming, saying on a podcast that Microsoft was looking for a way to make the service “more affordable” and “accessible,” and adding an ad-based tier could be part of this.

Microsoft is not alone in its pursuit of bringing more ads to gaming. Electronic Arts recently announced a program called EA Advertising that seeks to bring more ads to EA games in ways that the company claims should feel natural.

In other Xbox news, the company is going through a "reset" of the business currently, and this has included 1,600 layoffs so far and 1,600 more to come. Additionally, Microsoft divested of five studios and canceled some games.

In the US, Xbox sales "more than doubled" in June 2026 compared to June 2025.

The proposed sale of Electronic Arts to an investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has cleared a major hurdle in the closing process. The European Commission announced today, July 23, that it has approved the merger, saying the deal does not raise competition concerns.

This was the expected result, and now it's official.

The $55 billion deal, which is structured as a leveraged buyout (LBO), comes with billions in debt for EA. This has led many to believe EA will implement a dramatic cost-cutting effort to help service the debt, and that this could include mass layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations.

That remains to be seen, however, and no major changes are expected to be announced until the deal formally closes.

Battlefield is among EA's top properties.

A report from Insider Gaming cited multiple anonymous sources within BioWare stating they believe BioWare could be one of the first companies to see cuts under the new ownership.

“I’ve been doing it since last year, but I’m making sure I have a portfolio ready and feelers out for other jobs,” a current BioWare developer said. “Kind of feels like a matter of time.”

BioWare is known, in part, for making pro-diversity games featuring inclusive storytelling and characters. 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. Weekes theorized that EA might straight-up close or otherwise get rid of BioWare to avoid any concerns, should the deal materialize.

In addition to the PIF, the sale includes private equity firm Silver Lake and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners. In 2025, EA admitted that there were risks involved with selling itself, but was proceeding ahead.

Additionally, cosplayers raided EA’s California headquarters in protest of the deal.

Kingdom Hearts is such a significant part of many people's lives, but for former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, greenlighting the iconic Square Enix franchise was just another Tuesday. Eisner must have taken a trip through Castle Oblivion, because he seems to have forgotten why he approved the series.

Reporter Stephen Totilo of Game File briefly had the ear of Eisner after a panel about video game company Delphi Interactive, for which Eisner is an investor. Totilo asked the 84-year-old businessman if he recalled giving the go-ahead for Kingdom Hearts, which launched on PlayStation 2 in 2002. Eisner simply responded: "No."

Totilo says he clarified to Eisner that he was pitched the game in Tokyo and it was a crossover between Final Fantasy and Disney characters. While that jogged Eisner's memory a bit, he failed to remember why he gave Square the thumbs-up, according to Totilo.

At least one person from that Tokyo meeting remembers how it went down--per Kingdom Hearts Insider, Shuji Utsumi, then the managing director for Disney Interactive's Asia Pacific division, detailed that faithful day when he ran Kingdom Hearts by Eisner and over 100 members of management. Utsumi characterized Eisner's demeanor as that of an "ancient Chinese Emperor," and regarding the pitch for Kingdom Hearts, Eisner's response was "Keep at it, and do it right."

The origin story of the wonderful and strange Kingdom Hearts series is well-known among hardcore fans, stemming from a chance encounter between Square's Shinji Hashimoto and a Disney executive on an elevator. Even with how big the first Kingdom Hearts and its subsequent follow-ups grew, it shouldn't be too surprising that it was just a blip to Eisner, who ran the behemoth entertainment corporation from 1984 to 2005.

As for what's next for the franchise, Kingdom Hearts I-III Collection is due for release in October, though its reveal was marred by some questionable artwork. There's no word on when Kingdom Hearts 4 will come out, but with any luck, we'll hopefully receive news at next month's D23 expo.

The Best Way To Play Kingdom Hearts View Images

Epic Games has confirmed that The Simpson family, and characters from the wider world of Springfield, are returning to Fortnite.

In a social media post, the company said, "I miss my friends: Bart, Lisa, Krusty..."

A full reveal for the "Reloaded" of the Fortnite x The Simpsons event will take place on July 29, so we won't have to wait long to learn more.

https://twitter.com/Fortnite/status/2080290057270018225

The Fortnite x The Simpsons crossover event originally took place in November 2025. It was a tremendous success, helping propel Fortnite to its highest player numbers in a long time, so it's no surprise to see it come back like this.

In the original collaboration, the Fortnite map got turned into an explorable version of Springfield. That was novel for the game and helped encourage people to try it out. The crossover also led to a lot of great memes as young people discovered The Simpsons for the first time.

Additionally, Epic has confirmed that  The Simpsons is being added to the Fortnite UEFN program, which means players will be able to make “fully authentic” games based on the iconic animated show. This rolls out later this year, and you can bet that someone will make a new Hit & Run very fast.

Shigeru Miyamoto had some choice words for businesses that put profits over people, essentially saying it's a shame that the priority always seems to be short-term profits over long-term playability.

In a recent interview with Famitsu (that was machine translated by VGC), Miyamoto talked about his son, Mario the Plumber's, continued success in the face of companies who regularly chase profits. In pondering just why Mario remains so popular, Miyamoto explained that Nintendo as a company doesn't approach game development from a profit point of view but rather from one of playability.

He cited Pokemon and Splatoon as two franchises that were designed like this because, had they been created with maximizing profits in mind instead of creating fun experiences, they would've been fundamentally different games.

Miyamoto then expanded on his thoughts about Mario and how that franchise was created with physical movement as the center of the gameplay experience. Because of the simplicity of that concept, he said anyone in the world--regardless of culture or language--can enjoy a Mario game. That, to Miyamoto, is what separates Nintendo from other companies. That is also why Miyamoto finds it disappointing that the endgame for most businesses is profits instead of playability.

"So, the reason Nintendo enjoys such strong global support is simply that we don't start by asking: 'What's trending right now?' Instead, we focus on who we’re actually doing this for. Who is it that's putting up the money? I really dislike terms like 'depreciation' or 'recouping costs,'" he said. "The people funding these projects are doing it to make a fortune, so why celebrate things like 'we recouped our investment' or short-term profits? To me, if you've burned through the talents of so many people just to achieve that, that feels like a massive failure."

He underlined this point, saying that Nintendo's standard practice is what he calls the "principle of gameplay." It's the idea that, if something is unique and fun to play, it will have a longer-lasting impact on a person's life rather than something that came into existence only to satisfy shareholders or line their pockets.

"We've always focused on creating the best possible product to match the 'fun gameplay' we envision," Miyamoto continued. "I think that's the only real difference. I might sound a bit arrogant saying this [laughs], but if you make things while constantly asking 'will this make money right away?' you can't create anything truly unique or with broad appeal."

Nintendo is a business, too; there's no doubt that profits are important to maintaining the company's longevity. However, at least for Miyamoto, fun and playability come first. Maximizing profits for the company's success comes second.

It's a big day for Halo, as Halo: Campaign Evolved launches today, July 23, in early access. Beyond the excitement that normally surrounds the launch of a new Halo game, the release is especially notable because today will also be remembered as the day Halo finally came to PlayStation after more than two decades of console exclusivity on Xbox.

The sci-fi series debuted in 2001 as a launch title for the original Xbox, and the franchise has been exclusive, at least on console, to Xbox ever since--until today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sUil_Tj_OQ Why now?

Why is Halo now, after all these years, finally coming to PlayStation? According to developers, the aim is to "bring players back together" and help the franchise reach new audiences.

“There are people who have never been exposed to Halo. Maybe they’ve always been on Sony products, switched consoles at a certain point, or just missed it at the time. We want to bring players back together,” executive producer Damon Conn said.

Creative director Max Szlagor added that, “Halo is best played when we have a large, healthy community.” Releasing Halo: Campaign Evolved on PS5 is a “way to grow, expand, and reconnect the Halo community,” Szlagor said.

“We want to honor the Halo legacy on PlayStation, and we’re paving the way to expand our Halo universe–that’s how we see it,” Conn added. “And it’s not a small thing. We don’t, and we won’t, take it lightly. We definitely feel the weight of it.”

Also, money

That all may be true, but another factor at play here is money. Microsoft bringing Halo to PlayStation is also a way to make more money, and that's important for Xbox given how unhealthy the business is currently.

Microsoft's new multiplatform strategy has already helped Microsoft generate hundreds of millions of dollars bringing its games to PS5, so it's not surprising to see Microsoft bring another major franchise to a rival console.

The pivot to releasing Xbox games on rival consoles came from the Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond days, and now that they are gone, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has suggested the company will return to more exclusives.

Halo veteran Brian Jarrard said in 2025 that Halo games will be on PlayStation going forward, so Campaign Evolved may not be the last Halo game on a Sony console. Whether or not Sharma and her team could change this, however, remains to be seen.

What Halo games are coming next?

Years ago, Microsoft announced that multiple new Halo games were in development at Halo Studios, and they will be developed using Epic's Unreal Engine. Halo: Campaign Evolved is the only one that's been announced, but Halo 2 and Halo 3 remakes are reportedly also in the works. Beyond those, a report said Microsoft is working on a new live-service Halo game.

For more on Campaign Evolved, check out GameSpot's breakdown of how to play with your friends across platforms. Campaign Evolved's early access starts today for people who buy the game's $70 premium edition. The standard edition ($50) unlocks on July 28. Game Pass members get the game with their subscription, but they can buy a $20 upgrade to the premium edition to start playing today.

Campaign Evolved is a remake of the original Halo, with improved graphics and features. It also includes new prequel missions. However, there is no multiplayer.

Voice actor Nick Apostolides has revealed how he prepared to play Leon Kennedy in the recent Resident Evil remakes, and part of that preparation involved listening to some iconic bands.

In a Cameo video, Apostolides said he turned to some iconic metal and grunge bands. Specifically, he said Nirvana inspired his performance as Leon in Resident Evil 2 because the "grunge, rock energy" helped him get in a good headspace to play a young Leon.

He also called out Alice in Chains (and specifically the songs "Them Bones" and "Would") as his inspiration for Resident Evil 4. The actor then turned to "super heavy" Metallica to get in the groove for Leon in Resident Evil Requiem. He said Metallica's "Orion" is his favorite song of all time, and listening to it helped him prepare to play Leon in Requiem.

https://twitter.com/RENews_X/status/2079188765730611344

Apostolides has been praised for his performance in the Resident Evil series over the years, and now he's no doubt won over new fans by revealing his fantastic taste in good music.

Lego has officially revealed its Donkey Kong Arcade set, a nostalgic throwback to one of the company's first big games. A tribute to the groundbreaking 1981 arcade hit--which starred Mario as Jumpman--the 1,371-piece set launches on August 1 and is priced at $200. It also comes with a gift in the form of an Animal Crossing kit featuring everyone's favorite landlord, Tom Nook, valued at $5, if preordered from The Lego Store.

• Amazon
• The Lego Store

Inside the box, you'll find all the pieces you need to build a nostalgic arcade cabinet. It features the original first stage of Donkey Kong, complete with scaffolding, ladders, and hammer details, and a mechanism to circulate the 21 barrels in a continuous loop. Other cool details include a function to move Jumpman with the joystick and make him jump by hitting the correct button. While you won't get any minifigures inside of it, there are pieces included to build pixel-accurate versions of Jumpman, Donkey Kong, and Lady.

Once it has been fully constructed, the set measures 15.5 inches tall, 10.5 inches wide, and has a depth of 5.5 inches. This is the latest in several Nintendo Lego sets released over the years, although several of them were recently discontinued. Last year saw the release of the Lego Nintendo Game Boy, a 1:1 scale replica of the iconic handheld that was extremely popular amongst fans.

Lego's line of Pokemon sets are also evolving, as the toy company recently announced several kits coming soon. The highlight of these new arrivals is the Lego Iconic Trainer Moments: Poke Ball, a cute replica of the signature tool used to catch Pokemon. Fans can also look forward to minifigures of Arcanine, Munchlax, and Rayquaza, as well as a scaled minifigure of Red, the original Pokemon trainer.

These will be joining several more Pokemon sets following the launch of its first three kits. Announced earlier this year, there'll be 12 sets launching with Smart Play compatibility, including Smart Play All-in-One projects like the $120 Charizard vs. Jolteon Ultimate Battle display (751 pieces) and the $70 Training House Pikachu (400 pieces). Part of a new subline at Nintendo, Smart Play kits include interactive features through Smart Brick pieces, offering lights and sound interactivity.

Amongst the new releases are 10 "Smart Play Compatible" sets, which are compatible with Smart Brick pieces but do not ship with those advanced bricks like the All-in-One sets do. Some of the highlights here include the Charmander & Geodude Cavern Clash (198 pieces) and the Cubone & Gengar's Spooky Showdown (782 pieces) sets.