Naughty Dog is focused on releasing its first new IP since 2013's The Last of Us in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, but a new report suggests it is also busy with the revival of its biggest franchise.

According to MP1st, and corroborated by VGC, Naughty Dog could be developing Uncharted 5, a sequel to a series that last saw an entry in 2017. The report claims that Uncharted: The Lost Legacy director Shaun Escayag is leading the project, after briefly leaving Naughty Dog to work on Crystal Dynamic's ill-fated Avengers. It's suggested that Uncharted 5 will be the studio's next release after Intergalactic, with The Last of Us 3 coming afterwards. That would align with Naughty Dog's recent announcement that it is working on multiple new Last of Us projects.

The report doesn't have too many details on the game itself, outside of mentioning that the series' main protagonist, Nathan Drake, will be present in some capacity. That could leave the door open for Cassie Drake, Nathan's daughter who appears at the end of Uncharted: 4 A Thief's End, to potentially take over as the series' lead going forward. This latest entry is also apparently not a remake of any sort, with Naughty Dog reportedly shelving those plans a long time ago.

Uncharted 4 was positioned as the definitive end for Nathan Drake's story when it released in 2016, but Naughty Dog has repeatedly suggested that it is not done with the franchise. Escayag himself stated in 2022 that it's a world the studio wants to see more of, saying “I think we can say for certain that we can never say never." In February of this year, he posted a vague Instagram photo of a cannon in a tropical environment that was captioned “research," suggesting that he might be working on something related to Uncharted.

When Uncharted 5 might release is anyone's guess, but it's more likely that it'll arrive on the PlayStation 6 given that Sony is expected to release its next-generation console sometime in 2028. Intergalatic, the studio's most imminent project, will be revealed in full in 2027, with a release window still unknown.

New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has made a lot of big moves since taking over for Phil Spencer in the role, one of which was signing Hideo Kojima's new spy-thriller game, Physint, after Sony walked away from it.

According to The New York Times, Xbox's agreement with Kojima was "substantially below what Xbox would typically spend to develop a premium game." What exactly would be typical, however, is unknown, because game studios are incredibly secretive about budgets.

The money figures for Physint have been a point of contention, with unconfirmed reports that Physint's budget at Sony was $400 million. This has never been confirmed, but it was also reported that one of the reasons Sony opted to drop Kojima and Physint was that the game was over budget and late.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzzdyORdg80

Windows Central's Jez Corden said he was told by first-hand sources with "direct knowledge of the contracts" for Physint at Xbox that the real number is "far lower." He said the deal between Xbox and Kojima amounts to only a "fraction" of the reported figure.

The Game Business reporter Chris Dring, who originated the $400 million rumor, said he was only speculating, and the internet did what the internet does. He subsequently stated that he understands that Xbox is paying "far, far less," and "possibly even below $200 million."

Xbox's deal with Kojima for Physint also covers film and TV adaptations. Physint stars Bill Skarsgard as its lead, along with Charlee Fraser, Don Lee, and Minami Hamabe. The game doesn't have a release date or any footage as of yet. Kojima believes Physint could become his most commercial game yet.

Kojima said he got the idea for Physint in part due to the overwhelming fan demand for another Metal Gear game. He no longer works at Konami and couldn’t make a new Metal Gear, but the interest from fans inspired him to make a “new action espionage game” that became Physint.

Sony originally announced that it would publish Physint, but the company told Kojima over Zoom that it was terminating the deal. Kojima's previous game franchise with Sony, Death Stranding, reportedly barely broke even.

Sharma also briefly discussed Xbox's relationship with PlayStation, saying the two companies currently work together and that will continue under her leadership.

"Competition and collaboration can coexist," she said.

Physint is not the only Kojima game that Xbox is publishing, as the company is also partnered with the studio for the horror game OD.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered launched for free earlier this week, and has since been subject to debate over whether its visual changes have been for the better. One aspect that has routinely dominated the conversation is how overly bright the remaster makes the game look, and it's evident developer CD Projekt Red agrees that it went too far.

A patch for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and the Xbox Play Anywhere version of the game on PC has been released that makes "various lighting adjustments" across the game, among other things. CD Projekt Red detailed the patch on social media, stating that the team is working on another hotfix for PC that will address a save game issue that numerous players have reported. The brief patch notes can be found below.

https://youtu.be/_oEdB5S2d3U?si=v_wBtlRpVoS4Waq-

• Fixed an issue where DLSS was unavailable in the Xbox Play Anywhere version of the game on PC
• Made various lighting adjustments, including fixing some interiors that appeared too dark
• Made various other adjustments to ensure parity with the PC version

The patch isn't being released for other PC versions because it's likely that the fix centers around the game's bloom setting. It's one that PC players have suggested turning off to regain some contrast in the game's image, but one that wasn't available for players on consoles. This patch doesn't introduce that toggle, but likely toggles it off for all console players. If you're playing on Nintendo Switch 2, however, you won't be able to benefit from the fix just yet.

The bloom setting doesn't fix everything though. Players have still taken issue with the game's HDR implementation, path tracing visual presentation, and overall system performance on PC. CD Projekt Red hasn't yet commented on whether it is planning to make changes to those areas, but this patch does indicate that they are aware of the most glaring issues players are facing.

The Witcher 3 Remastered released as a free update for all versions of the game, introducing enhanced character animations, world detail, improved combat and role-playing systems, and more. An expansion for the 11 year old game, Songs of the Past, is scheduled to release in 2027 and will tie into the events of the The Witcher 4, which is currently in development.

Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie is a critical and commercial hit, but the director is not jumping right into a sequel, and may never. Instead, his next project is called The Flood, and while The Flood are well-known to gamers in Halo's lore, Cregger's new movie has nothing to do with Halo--though it does involve aliens.

Cregger is known for keeping secrets about his movies, and he’s not saying much about what to expect from The Flood beyond that it’s a sci-fi movie set in deep space. Dread Central reported that The Flood is "very Alien-esque," with the story focusing on a deep-space ship captain who, with her crew, investigates a strange signal "from a distant world." The signal leads the crew to an "alien artifact that warps time, reality, and their sanity, forcing them into a confrontation with an incomprehensible intelligence."

Oscar-winning actor Jennifer Lawrence has signed on for The Flood, according to Variety. Though her exact role in the film remains unknown, she will likely play the lead, the ship captain. This is somewhat familiar ground for Lawrence, as she starred in 2016's sci-fi movie Passengers, in which she played a character aboard a spaceship opposite Chris Pratt.

Cregger is re-teaming with Warner Bros./New Line for The Flood; he previously made the successful thriller Weapons at the studio. He said in a statement that Lawrence is a "one-of-a-kind" talent and that he's excited to work with her.

In addition to Warner Bros./New Line, Cregger is working with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Roy Lee's Vertigo on The Flood.

As for Lawrence, she earned her first Academy Award nomination for 2010's Winter's Bone. She won an Oscar for 2012's Silver Linings Playbook, and also picked up nominations for American Hustle and Joy. She is also known for playing Katniss in the Hunger Games movie series.

As for a possible sequel to Resident Evil, given the movie has made so much money and strong reviews, many are expecting another entry. That may happen, but Cregger has said he is done with franchise movies, even though he does have ideas for a sequel.

 “I’m doing this [Resident Evil], and that’s it for me. I’m not going to go tackle any other franchises," he said.

007 First Light developer IO Interactive has revealed a major new free update for the James Bond game, which is now available across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Extended Operations adds new missions, the Valhalla Protocol, a photo mode, New Game+, new weapons, outfits, and more. Here's a closer look at everything that's new:

Valhalla Protocol https://youtu.be/yRF4IXmNixo

The main event of Extended Operations, Valhalla Protocol brings back Bond's signature Aston Martin Valhalla ride for a race against the clock in Slovakia. The track will have four different versions that you can test your driving skills in, and when putting the pedal to the metal isn't enough, you can always rely on its arsenal of guns and missile launchers to help you earn a first-place finish--far better than a boring Formula One race.

Photo mode Is that a Great Gatsby meme pose?

007 First Light has no shortage of exciting moments, and you can capture them in all their digital glory in the game's new photo mode. Similar to the photo modes found in many modern games, you can set up Bond and use unique filters, custom light setups, exclusive poses, and much more to take the perfect shot.

New operation: Jungle Heist Welcome to the Jungle Heist, we've got guns and flames.

A new mission for 007 First Light, Jungle Heist tasks Bond with infiltrating a jungle villa, finding out who's concealing the codes to a secret safe, retrieving its contents, and then fighting your way up to the extraction point.

New weapons Locked and loaded.

Bond's arsenal is also being updated with two new weapons: the Squire Marksman rifle and the Storm 12 shotgun.

New outfits For your fashion eyes only.

Time to dress for success--or big-budget Hollywood explosions--with a fresh set of Q Division threads. Bond can don some casual clothes with the Leisure Beam outfit, posh it up with the First Class tuxedo, and blend in with the Observant Spy ensemble.

New Game Plus Time for a Bond replay.

You can replay the entire 007 First Light campaign--which is really good!--and you can also choose to wear different outfits that you've unlocked from your first session with the game.

00 difficulty mode Prepare to die, a lot.

Think you've earned your 00 number? You can put your skills to the test with the 00 difficulty mode, which is designed to punish even the smallest mistake. Resources are more limited, enemies are deadly, and the mode is billed as the ultimate challenge for players.

IO Interactive has steadily added new content to 007 First Light since it launched in May, and Amazon Game Studios boss Jeff Gattis recently suggested that a sequel is a matter of when, not if. The game reached an impressive milestone of 4 million units sold in August 2026 across PC and consoles--minus Switch 2, as 007 First Light is still MIA on that platform. 

The Switch 2 edition has been delayed several times, and it's now expected to arrive in March 2027 as IO works on getting it ready for the Nintendo handheld. 

"As Hollywood seems uncertain about where to take Bond next, IO Interactive’s debut effort is supremely confident," Mark Delaney wrote in GameSpot's 007 First Light review.

Gears of War: E-Day is almost here--unless you're hopping in a few days early with the Premium Edition--and if you're looking to try out the campaign, you can settle in for a few days of action and chainsaw executions. While Gears of War: E-Day is primarily a linear cover-based shooter, the game also sprinkles in some semi-open-world environments for you to explore between missions, giving you the opportunity to hunt down collectibles, upgrades, and take part in side missions. Here’s how long it’ll take you to beat Gears of War: E-Day.

How long to beat Gears of War: E-Day depending on your play style

If you tackle the Gears of War: E-Day campaign on normal difficulty, do a little bit of collectibles hunting and take part in the game's non-story missions, expect the campaign to take 10-14 hours to complete.

In my own playthrough, I motored through the campaign and finished it in 11 hours, occasionally stopping along the way to track down a hidden item, find an upgrade pack for my arsenal, and take part in a side quest. I'd done roughly 60% of that content before I reached the end, and Gears of War: E-Day has a war journal that provides a very comprehensive list of things you missed in each mission, so you can go back and find them for a completionist run.

That's a fairly standard playthrough time for a game in this series, and once you've rolled credits, the various multiplayer modes look like they'll consume plenty of your hours. You can increase the difficulty and spend more time in the campaign, but on higher challenge levels, enemies can be bullet-sponges that quickly burn through your stock of spare lives. Horde Siege looks like an especially enjoyable timesink, as this new take on the Gears of War horde mode revolves around three teams of four players taking on waves of enemies, co-operating with each other to accomplish objectives, and survive against increasingly overwhelming odds.

Gears of War: E-Day mission list

The campaign for Gears of War: E-Day is spread across five acts, each comprising several chapters. Acts 1 and 5 are the shortest of the bunch, while Acts 2-4 are lengthy, meaty parts of the overall narrative. You could easily do an Act per night, and spread them out over a week. You can see the full list of Acts and Chapters below, and if you ever want to go back to an earlier one to hunt down a missing collectible or gear upgrade, you can easily do so from the main menu.

Act 1

• Prologue
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4

Act 2

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5

Act 3

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6

Act 4

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6

Act 5

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5

For more Gears of War: E-Day guides, you can read up when the game launches globally, if it's coming to Steam, and what its post-launch roadmap looks like.

There's a lot to love about Control Resonant, from its delightfully weird world to its intriguing story, but visually, the game offers some jaw-dropping visuals and art direction. From the Hiss hovering in the air to the tastefully red atmosphere when you venture into dangerous zones, every frame of the game is begging for some virtual photography. The only problem? There's no photo mode yet, and developer Remedy Entertainment only plans to add it in a November update.

And that's just too long to wait! Fortunately, if you're on PC, you can mod a photo mode for yourself. On Nexus Mods, user Kkyleeb21 has developed a robust toolset for nailing the perfect shot that, when active, switches the game engine to its built-in free camera and freezes time. Designed to be similar to Alan Wake 2's photo mode, the Control Resonant version offers everything you could ask for with its virtual camera. You can switch between presets, set exposure and depth of field, crop the image, and use one of six filters to make the scene look just right.

Control Resonant players on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 will have to wait until November to start documenting their Altered World Event journey through New York, as Remedy said in a recent blog post that it wanted to prioritize game development first and then add a photo mode in a later update.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1LEHPr8e_o&pp=0gcJCS4MAYcqIYzv

"The Photo Mode for Control Resonant is something we’ve been cooking for a while," Remedy wrote. "We even consulted some talented virtual photographers from the community to help us make it the best it can be. The reason Photo Mode didn’t release on launch is because we needed to prioritize making sure the game was in the best possible shape. We've seen gorgeous virtual photographs you’ve already taken – but once the Photo Mode releases, you can really go to town. We expect to release Photo Mode sometime in November."

A new update for the game has also gone live, adding an enhanced New Game+ mode and much more. Remedy says that, on top of recent gameplay balance tweaks, the new patch includes many bug fixes, adds extra polish, and throws in a few quality-of-life improvements.

Control Resonant Game Update 1.4.0

• New Game ++
• You can now play an infinite number of runs of CONTROL Resonant in New Game ++
• Added the Build Power number to the Loadout screen on the bottom left so that players can easily see their Power level instead of having to find it buried in the Stats & Effects menu
• It's worth saying here that if you are below the enemy level, you are going to have a tougher time with combat, so keep doing side quests, explore twisted Manhattan, and level up!
• The HUD will have a little notification icon to indicate that you have new things to buy or upgrade in The Gap
• Added a feature that when you pin materials you need to acquire for upgrades, you can see if these materials are available at the Vendor by looking at the Vendor icon on the Map (instead of having to go to the Vendor to see their wares)
• Unknown Zone - Decreased the overall amount of combat and intensity by 10%-15%
• Added a separate volume slider for radio dialogue. You can now customize the audio balance between speakers/headphones and the DualSense controller speaker
• Added a new option in the Assist Mode - Power Core Charge Duration: Added a 100-300% Power Core Charge duration multiplier
• Many fixes to map markers either sticking around too long or being in the wrong place and not clearing correctly. We are sure we still missed a few of these, though
• Fixed a VFX issue where framerate could drop during the Artist Resonant fight when she does her special attack
• Added “Mute copyrighted music” option to turn off Apocalyptica’s “Upperhand” intro credits song (It’s a great track, so why would you)
• Added a Tutorial about the Rush ability removing status effects
• Fixed over-saturated HDR highlights in AgX (tonemapper)
• Fixed a multitude of subtitle and VO issues across the game
• Several specific performance optimizations, mainly targeting PC minimum and recommended specs
• Polish on all aspects of the game, including audio, dialogue timing, subtitle timing, animation, lighting, code, mission polish, UI, and so on
• Added support for Razer haptics. The game will trigger many gameplay events like using melee, taking damage, etc., and trigger effects on Razer peripherals

After folding several of its studios into "Creative Houses" earlier this year, Ubisoft has announced a rebranding for Creative House 2, which might be slightly confusing. The branch that is home to almost all of Ubisoft's Tom Clancy-branded games, Creative House 2 will now be known as Massive Entertainment, which is also the name of one of Ubisoft's longest-serving studios. Massive Entertainment, as a studio, will still exist within Massive Entertainment the Creative House, and this arm of Ubisoft will continue to grow existing IP and work on new projects, like the upcoming March of Giants.

"Starting today, development teams responsible for these franchises in Montréal, Paris, Sweden, and Toronto will operate under the Massive Entertainment brand, bringing together their creative and technology expertise to shape its future, grow these franchises and craft challenging experiences for dedicated player communities," Ubisoft said in a statement.

Even the logo is massive.

Massive Entertainment--the studio--was established in 1997 in Sweden, and it was acquired in 2002 by Vivendi. After Activision and Vivendi merged in 2008, the developer was sold to Ubisoft and has remained with the publisher ever since. The developer has been a hitmaker for Ubisoft, assisting Ubisoft Montreal on major titles such as Assassin's Creed Revelations and Far Cry 3, while also developing two entries in The Division series. Its most recent release was the divisive Star Wars Outlaws in 2024, and the studio is currently working on The Division 3.

This rebranding follows in the footsteps of Creative House 1, which is known as Vantage Studios. This Ubisoft subsidiary--in which Tencent owns a major stake --is responsible for Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, and in total, there are five Creative Houses and one Creative Network that provides production support for the various studios.  Earlier this year, Ubisoft teased that several new IP are in development, but the restructuring hasn't been smooth sailing for the people working at the publisher.

Cost-cutting measures have resulted in the cancellation of games like the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, the shutdown of several Ubisoft studios, a return-to-office mandate, and numerous layoffs across the entire company.

The meaning of Resident Evil Requiem's title appeared to be self-evident when it was released earlier this year. However, Resident Evil producer Jun Takeuchi's explanation for the title from the recently published Biohazard 30th Anniversary Special may be a head-scratcher for even the series' diehard fans.

"'Requiem' isn't just a title chosen for its meaning of 'requiem,'" said Takeuchi via GamesRadar. "The spelling of Requiem (REQUIEM) contains not only the 'RE (response)' ... but also a 'Q (question).' In other words, this 'Requiem' presents both an 'answer' and a 'question.' I will explain the meaning of that at some point in the future."

More intriguingly, Takeuchi indicated that the Resident Evil remake games and the current titles have been building towards a crossover since Resident Evil Village.

"Currently, Resident Evil operates on a two-pronged approach: The numbered titles allow players to experience the ongoing drama of the series, while the remake series lets them experience the past," added Takeuchi. "Eventually, the remake series will catch up to the era of the numbered titles, and the mechanisms for that are already being considered. In fact, preparations for this have been gradually underway since Resident Evil Village, including the appearance of names like Umbrella and Spencer, and the reappearance of Raccoon City in Requiem. This is all in preparation for a crossover."

Takeuchi didn't elaborate on what form the crossover may take or how soon it will arrive. However, Requiem has already served as link between the two eras by placing classic hero Leon S. Kennedy in a co-leading role alongside the new heroine, Grace Ashcroft.

The only officially confirmed Resident Evil game in development is Resident Evil Veronica, a remake of Resident Evil – Code: Veronica. That title doesn't currently have a release date. Meanwhile, the Resident Evil movie helmed by director Zach Cregger has crossed over $100 million domestically and $208.3 million worldwide.

A remake of the original Splinter Cell game was first announced nearly five years ago, and since then, we've seen exactly zero seconds of the game in action, or even a trailer. However, as we know with Sam Fisher, silence can be deceiving, and it looks like Ubisoft is actively recruiting for several roles on the project.

Spotted by Insider Gaming, job openings for a few different positions, including level designer and producer, have been posted within the last few months. This isn't necessarily indicative of how far along the project is--people are hired and leave all the time--but it does at least let us know that the project is still in active development. It's also not the first time we've seen job listings pop up, but with company in as volatile a state as Ubisoft, you never know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A9iFjaKeMk

It's unclear exactly what shape this remake will take, as geopolitical dynamics have changed quite a bit since 2002. It's also unclear how much influence it would take from the later games in the series, with Conviction and Blacklist both including more action-aligned mechanics like Mark & Execute.

Since the release of Splinter Cell Blacklist in 2013, we haven't gotten a new Splinter Cell game. Sam Fisher has made numerous appearances, however, including a few guest missions in Ghost Recon and an inclusion in Rainbow Six Siege. The Netflix animated series also released last year, with Liev Schreiber taking over voice duties from Michael Ironside.

The "Xbox reset" has people wondering whether Microsoft is preparing to exit the video game business, but Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has flatly denied that the gaming division will be put up for sale.

"Xbox is not for sale," Sharma said to The New York Times. "We will do whatever it takes to set the company up for success, and we will look at the right partnerships, the right operating model, and everything needed to achieve that."

Sharma's comments come in the wake of analysts predicting that Microsoft could sell Xbox off entirely. Compared with Microsoft's profitable cloud computing and artificial intelligence businesses, Xbox has paled in comparison, and the gamble on Xbox Game Pass hasn't paid off, despite Microsoft investing tens of billions in acquiring several video game publishers and studios over the years. Xbox’s accountability margins amount to only a 3% profit, a small return on investment for its parent company.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiYNNGR4uLo

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has said that Xbox will have to start pulling its weight under Sharma's leadership, and the Xbox CEO previously told employees that the Xbox business was not in a healthy state. Nadella has also praised Sharma's cuts at Xbox, saying they have led to a "streamlining" of the division.

If Sharma is setting Xbox up to generate more profit for Microsoft, then it's all part of a years-long strategy in the making. Halo is now an Activision project, and is likely several years away as the publisher is currently building a new team to develop the next Master Chief adventure. Meanwhile, two of Blizzard's biggest upcoming games will arrive at the end of this decade: Diablo 5 is aiming for a 2029 launch, while StarCraft is set for 2030. At the same time, Xbox has also tasked several of its studios with working on its Fallout franchise, with multiple new games in the series in various stages of development.

"We've got a long way to go with Microsoft," Sharma said to the NYT. "And we’re going to take the long-term view."

The Best Xbox Series X Games In 2026 View Images

Sonic has had a rough go at things lately, what with the myriad games that haven't been hitting like they used to. Sega appears to be aware of that and has acknowledged that, although the games have struggled recently, the franchise as a whole is back in the zeitgeist again--and it's all thanks to the live-action movies.

In an interview with Automaton at the Tokyo Game Show, series producer Takashi Iizuka spoke about the impact that director Jeff Fowler's three live-action movies have had on repopularizing Sonic again.

"Thanks to the movies, awareness of the Sonic series has grown, and more people around the world have become interested in Sonic as a character and in the games," Iizuka said when asked about the positive effect other media has had on the franchise. "That has contributed to game sales as well. Strong game sales mean we have more resources available when making the next title, which allows us to deliver something of even higher quality. That creates a positive cycle. In that sense, multimedia and transmedia expansion are majorly beneficial for the games."

Iizuka went on to say that movies weren't the only medium that has improved Sonic the Hedgehog's cachet in recent times. Anime has contributed as well, and so has Netflix, which has made film and television production more ubiquitous for Sega.

"In the past, even if we decided to make an anime as part of our transmedia strategy, we had to approach television broadcasters and other outlets that would air it, and we couldn't move forward without their approval," Iizuka continued. "With Netflix, on the other hand, once we decide to work together on something, we can distribute it worldwide. That's has [sic] been a major advantage when it comes to expanding the brand."

Iizuka's comments echoed similar sentiments from earlier this month. In an interview with One More Game on September 21, Iizuka said the live-action movies essentially saved the franchise.

"The biggest milestone for me was the first movie," Iizuka said. "That had been a great hit and definitely changed the course of this franchise."

So, whether you like those live-action movies or not doesn't really matter because, in Sega's eyes, the Blue Blur would've stayed just that: a blur that goes poof and is gone ... forever. Iizuka did leave us a little nugget to chew on, though:

"Also, we don't use the game developers' resources for transmedia projects, so you don't have to worry about a new game being delayed because we're making movies or anime," Iizuka told Automaton.

World of Warcraft: Forever is looking to keep its secrets, as over 12,500 items in the game's files have been kept hidden from dataminers.

The WoW: Forever beta is currently in full swing, and in addition to new dungeons, abilities, and even a whole new playable race, players are quickly discovering there are tons of new items that will completely change how this old-school version of WoW is played. Whether it's items with far more spellpower at early levels or gear tailored towards professions, Blizzard is definitely mixing things up so that the game's leveling journey, and its endgame, are going to feel all new.

As broken down in detail by Icy Veins, part of how Blizzard looks to be accomplishing this is by keeping almost 40% of the game's nearly 32,000 items a secret. Dataminers can technically see that these 12,000 plus items exist and even where many of them potentially come from, but can't see what their stats are. Many of these items are assumed to be all-new, though some are likely variants or modified version of items from WoW Classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvueCoFTkCk&t

Players have already taken a bite out of that 12,500 item total, having discovered over 4,400 "hidden" items in the Forever beta. Once an item has been discovered, it's then revealed in the game's backend. Icy Veins notes that not all the items datamined might actually exist in Forever, as it lists a number of items that were part of WoW Classic's Season of Discovery and might not make it into Blizzard's new version of the MMO.

Many of the hidden items come from raids and dungeons, including tier sets. So far, players have uncovered a few different sets, such as some low-level dungeon item sets, as well as full loot tables for early-game dungeons like Wailing Caverns, Ragefire Chasm, Shadowfang Keep, and the Deadmines. The beta's level cap is currently 20 (but will be raised to 30 before the beta's end), meaning players will likely uncover even more dungeon loot ahead of launch. 

The aura of discovery and mystery players are experiencing as they explore Azeroth once more is just one of the reasons Forever's beta looks to be wildly popular. Multiple WoW devs, including Blizzard VP Holly Longdale, have commented that the beta is breaking player-number records, and Blizzard has had to raise the beta's population cap as a result. However, the beta hasn't been without controversy, as a recent streamer scandal involving gold trading has players demanding Blizzard do more to combat real-money transactions and gold buying. 

WoW: Forever's beta ends October 21, with the game's full launch set for November 4. Blizzard's third version of its MMO will add over 1,000 new quests to classic Azeroth, as well as new zones and endgame content. Though there won't be a new class at launch, a recent Blizzard survey revealed 11 new potential WoW: Forever classes that could come to the MMO in the future.

The Street Fighter movie is shaping up to be a love letter to Capcom's classic fighting game series, with its goofy action and costumes, but if there's one crucial element it's nailing, it's the franchise's sound. Specifically, Guile's iconic theme, which is legendary for its ability to complement anything in life. How does the movie version match up? It's not straying from what is considered fighting game soundtrack perfection, but it is adding to it with a kickass guitar solo and a few more cinematic tweaks, allowing the main theme to do all the heavy lifting. Listen to it yourself, from one of the streaming links below:

• Apple Music
• Spotify
• Amazon Music
• YouTube Music
• Deezer
• Tidal

Guile's Theme is one of those evergreen memes of the late 2000s and early 2010s, and while it's nowhere near as popular as it once was--YouTube probably got sick of all those 10-hour uploads--it's still instantly recognizable. The original theme debuted in the 1991 arcade release of Street Fighter II and was composed by Yoko Shimomura.

For the upcoming Street Fighter movie, the score was produced by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson (Cobra Kai), who say that the original game soundtracks were instrumental in shaping their musical identities. "As young and budding composers, we listened to Yoko Shimomura's iconic Guile’s Theme probably more than Raiders of the Lost Ark," the duo said in a press statement. "We hope fans will hear the love and reverence we hold for this music within our version of Guile’s Theme.

https://youtu.be/U6sbm1OaJb8

The full Street Fighter soundtrack will feature 39 tracks in total, and it'll be available starting October 16. The movie releases on the same day, and so far it looks like it's leaning fully into the absurdity of its source material. WWE performer Cody Rhodes plays Guile, and if you feel like cosplaying as him, you can grab an official Street Fighter popcorn bucket shaped like his iconic hair. Absolutely perfect, no notes.

Street Fighter will be landing a month after another film based on a Capcom video game series, Resident Evil, hit theaters. So far, the Zach Cregger-directed movie has been a critical hit and, commercially, continues to smash franchise records.

Street Fighter Movie: Release Date, Cast, And Everything We Know So Far View Images

Now that development of future Halo games is being handled by Activision Blizzard's hands, some former developers of the series have spoken out to share their thoughts on the shocking but not entirely surprising mix-up. This includes the former franchise creative director, who has provided some salient advice to the Call of Duty publisher.

Frank O’Connor has worked on Halo for over 20 years, first working as a writer and community manager before serving as the game's franchise creative director from 2003 to 2023. This is a guy who knows Halo like the back of his hand, and with all that series expertise, he took to LinkedIn on September 25 to share some thoughts on how to make the next Halo great.

"Pro-Tip: Do NOT tie it to hardware/services launch cycles, do not try to force it into a shape (or aging platform) that it can't fit and do NOT abandon sandbox," O’Connor said in response to Xbox's former social media manager, Genevieve Harrison, who was pontificating on Activision Blizzard's development tactics. "Pro-Pro-Tip: Hire Bungie, Halo Studios and other laid-off folk who are bursting w. talent and ideas that got nerfed or shut down over the years."

In laying out these tips, O’Connor gave three ways the next Halo game could bring the franchise back to its former glory.

The first is a "classic" Halo game that focuses on a sandbox, movement, and shooter experience. It'd be "tailored to a core audience [and] scaled to be successful with that core audience and attractive to a broader one so it can grow."

A second option could be "something new [and] modern" that reinvents the game. O’Connor suggests this "surprising but fantastic" reinvention could be an action-sandbox game that's a "new take" on the FPS or an "action RPG" that's fundamentally different, but its success comes from a strong story and IP use.

Lastly, O’Connor thinks that an Activision Blizzard-esque Halo game could be viable. It could be a sandbox game with "player, progression, and business models" that the publisher is well-known for with the likes of CoD. Given that experience, maybe this idea could be "a big annual or semi-annual spectacle" with consistent content.

O’Connor couched these ideas, saying that none of them are "easy, guaranteed, or necessarily viable." Still, he believes that one "could be successful" now that Activision is driving the Warthog.

O’Connor isn't the only former developer who shares his opinion on the CoD publisher taking over the Halo reins. Co-creator Marcus Lehto also weighed in, saying on September 23 that he is "shocked but not entirely surprised" by the move. Like Lehto, we're all "eager to learn more about what’s next," and for right now, all we know thus far is that the next Halo game will be a "full-feature, mainline installment" in the long-running series.

Following an initial rollout to Xbox Insiders, the Xbox disc-to-digital program is officially available for all Xbox One and Xbox Series X users. The program allows you to receive digital licenses for a whole bunch (but not all) of your physical Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S games, and Microsoft has outlined how it works and a pretty neat trick you can use.

In order to claim your digital license for a supported Xbox game, all you need to do is put it into an Xbox console while you're signed in. You'll get a notification to let you know you've received a license. One cool thing is this can be an Xbox Series X or an Xbox One console, even if you're exclusively claiming Xbox Series X games.

https://twitter.com/xbox/status/2105040959192916253?s=46

While the disc will also automatically start installing when you insert it, you can turn this feature off by going to the Profile & system section in the settings, then Devices & connections. You'll see an option for Disc and you can uncheck "Play disc automatically."

This way, you can more quickly claim licenses in bulk. With a disc inserted using this method, you'll have to manually select the game card on the home screen, select it with the Menu button, and then claim the digital license. Once that's done, you just eject the game and move on to the next one. When you've finished the process, re-check that "Play disc automatically" box for whenever you get your next physical game to play.

If your license isn't available to claim, there's a good chance the publisher doesn't support the program. Major companies like Square Enix and Ubisoft don't appear to support it yet, which could limit its usefulness for those who want to truly digitize their entire collection.

Once you've claimed the digital license, you should still be able to lend the physical game to a friend, but they will then get the digital license. If they give the disc back to you, you'll receive the license back after re-inserting the game into your own system.

Xbox has undergone major changes since a new leadership team took over. Under Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, Microsoft's gaming division has had waves of mass layoffs, parted ways with several studios, and consolidated its remaining developers under Activision, Blizzard, King, and Bethesda. All of this is being done to make Xbox a profitable part of the Microsoft empire and to grow its reach, but former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has suggested that the company should "pick a lane" and narrow its focus.

"I said in another interview a couple of months ago, you've got to pick a lane," Layden said to The Expansion Pass when he was asked if he had any advice for Sharma. "Either you're going to be a platform competitive with PlayStation--which Xbox has not been competitive with PlayStation for years--but that's not out of the window. You can still make another run at it. And there are certain decisions you have to make around that about the platform. We talked about exclusivity. We talked about how do you incentivize third parties to support your platform in a meaningful way. These are all things around the platform business, or you sit back and realize you are the biggest game publisher in the world--maybe Tencent's bigger--but in the Western world you are the biggest game publisher out there with Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda, and all the other pieces."

"Be that. This is your Dreamcast moment. When Sega decided, 'We're just going to be on PlayStation 2 and we're going to get out of the hardware business and just be a great software company. It can be done. It has been done before. That's my advice. Pick a lane."

https://youtu.be/rUwPH-s8TVw?si=C6Y_AOa7-ByyOQ5N

The "Dreamcast moment" that Layden refers to is the rise and fall of Sega's last home console--the moment when Sega realised it could no longer compete in the gaming hardware market and had to shift entirely to software. Microsoft has been notoriously secretive with the sales of its Xbox hardware, as it's believed that it trails far behind Sony's PlayStation 5 (95.3 million units sold as of June 2026).

The future doesn't look too good for Xbox console sales either, as analysts predict that only 2.5 million Xbox Series X|S units will be sold in 2026, as Microsoft prepares for a "rapid wind-down toward zero" ahead of its next-gen console launch.

Would it make sense for Xbox to shift towards being a software-only company then? There's certainly evidence to suggest that it might be a viable path forward, as several of its first-party games have done very good numbers on PC and PS5, and if it's streamlining operations to focus on hit franchises like Fallout and Forza Horizon, there is an audience for those games.

Of course, releasing games on PlayStation and Steam also means that Xbox has to give up a cut of its revenue, whereas it gets to keep 100% of first-party game sales when they're sold through Xbox console and PC storefronts. Microsoft also charges a fee to third-party developers, so there's a lot of nuance behind the math of sticking with gaming hardware or focusing purely on software.

While it already feels like it's been around forever, October 31 will mark the one-year anniversary of Riftbound, the trading card game based on Riot Games's popular League of Legends franchise, releasing in Western markets. The game has seen four set releases so far, but there's one more on the schedule, Radiance, before we hit that one-year milestone.

There are many exciting cards being revealed as we get closer to Radiance's October 23 launch, and today, we have an exclusive look at the Overnumbered variants of one of the set's most notable names. We've seen the card's base form before, but this new art is a beauty to behold.

Without further ado, here's the Overnumbered variants for Ekko, Boy Who Shattered Time.

• Ekko, Boy Who Shattered Time (Legend - Ekko)
  • Colors: Fury/Mind (Red/Blue)
  • Empower: Exhaust 1 rune and Ekko to empower him
  • Disempower Ekko and exhaust him to reduce the cost of the next unit you play this turn by 2 and a recycled rune of any color and give that unit "Kill me at end of turn."

Ekko is known for his ability to bend time to his will, while also creating temporary clones of himself to confuse opponents. With this new card, he can effectively give that ability to other units in your deck, though they will be sent to the discard pile at the end of the turn.

Building a deck around this legend will capitalize on cards who can make an immediate impact on the board, like units with Accelerate who enter ready and can attack immediately. Considering that Accelerate costs are one exhausted rune and one recycled rune, Ekko's discount means you'll still pay less to summon the Accelerated unit.

Radiance, Riftbound's fifth major set, launches October 23 in local game stores and big-box retailers. Prerelease events, or "Pre-Rifts" as they're known in Riftbound, will be held at local game stores beginning October 16.

More than a decade has passed since The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt first launched, and on Steam, the game is doing better than ever. With the launch of The Witcher 3 Remastered, the game has surged up the Steam charts and has reached its best concurrent players level--ever. At the time of writing, the CCU has peaked at 120,975 players, beating the previous January 2020 record of 103,329 players.

That older milestone was reached after The Witcher TV series launched on Netflix, but the new numbers have blown it out of the water. The game is also available through other PC storefronts like GOG and the Epic Games Store, as well as on PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S, so it's likely that the total number of players is much higher. Clearly, there's still a lot people out there who are more than happy to toss a coin to their Witcher.

https://twitter.com/thewitcher/status/2104959102858178595

The Remastered Edition of The Witcher 3 is a big one, as it added numerous technical and graphical improvements to the original 2015 game. What makes this even more impressive is that the game is reaching these player numbers at a very busy time on the gaming calendar, as numerous high-profile games have launched in an effort to avoid being caught up in the wake of GTA 6's November release. Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Control Resonant, Marvel's Wolverine, and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave all landed within weeks of each other, and that's not including the live-service games which regularly dominate the charts.

One other thing worth noting is that The Witcher 3 Remastered is a free upgrade to anyone who already owns the game. Considering that it has lifetime sales of 65 million units globally (as of May 2026) and has been regularly discounted, it's likely that plenty of existing owners of The Witcher 3 dived back into the game to see all the new improvements. If you're wondering if the download juice is worth the squeeze, you can check out GameSpot’s in-depth breakdown of what’s new in the remaster to see all the changes for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oEdB5S2d3U

Beyond a return to the Continent, Witcher fans have much to look forward to. The Witcher 3 is getting a new expansion in 2027, Songs of the Past, and The Witcher 4 could be out as soon as 2028. CD Projekt Red is rumored to be working on a multiplayer Witcher game, and the company recently confirmed that it is working with Scopely on a new mobile game based on one of its franchises--which could be The Witcher or Cyberpunk.

The front page of Steam has long been a hot commodity for game developers and publishers, but next year, some big changes are coming. Valve has announced that it'll be changing how it handles game discoverability during sales and promotions on Steam, as it'll be moving away from the old model of a tightly controlled page through a manually curated calendar to dynamic, personalized recommendations that'll cater to individual user preferences and their purchase history.

Historically, Valve employees selected which games got featured in a limited number of fixed slots on the Steam front page, and only a fraction of discounted games got valuable front-page visibility. According to Valve, preliminary experiments resulted in up to 10 times as many games appearing per day in the Discounts & Events section, leading to measurable increases in store page visits and wishlist additions.

Steam deals page

What does this mean? For developers, it means that they won't need to rely on relationships, manual pitches, or sheer luck to potentially get a front-page placement. This will also effectively level the playing field for all developers, as smaller teams and publishers typically don't have the budget to compete with AAA blockbuster marketing teams. Valve added that it has already paused scheduling curated placements in the Weekend Deals, Midweek Deals, and Daily Deals sections, and it will soon roll out new and updated tools to help developers better manage their discounts and sale events on Steam.

"Our goal is to let developers focus on crafting the most compelling games and deals for customers, and not spend time trying to convince someone at Valve to feature their products," Valve wrote. The rollout window for this change to the Steam storefront will be in early 2027.

This news comes on the eve of a new Steam sales event, as the week-long Steam Autumn Sale kicks off on October 1. There'll also be a new Next Fest held at the end of October, while themed events for the rest of 2026 include Steam Scream V Fest, Auto-Battler RPG Fest, and Cooking Fest before the Steam Winter Sale in December.