The new Resident Evil movie from director Zach Cregger hit theaters on September 18, and it had a scary-good first weekend at the box office. The movie got great reviews but some people didn't like the ending specifically.

Cregger said in new interviews that he respects that, but doesn't agree--and the ending was almost totally different.

This story contains major spoilers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNd1gb19A-c

The Resident Evil movie ends by revealing that Austin Abrams' character, Bryan, becomes an infected demon after getting bitten by a child, and that the movie is actually the origin story of a monster that you might find in the games. The syringe carrying the cure to the virus shatters on the ground. In the original version, Cregger said the syringe with the cure also broke, but at that moment, Bryan simply went on a killing spree.

However, test screenings resulted in negative feedback, with people saying this was deflating and meant that the story was "over." However, Cregger told Collider that he filmed a second sequence as a Plan B, and that's the one that ended up in the movie where people root for Bryan to be cured. It led to a greater emotional journey for viewers, Cregger said, though not everyone agrees.

"I shot that shot of the scientist putting the needle in his pocket just because I had a feeling. I was like, 'I feel like I'm going to need that.' Then we were able to build a new sequence at the end. I shot a contingency of him going for the stab ... just like, if I need it, I should just get it. And thank God because that's what we ended up using," he said. "Because it keeps the stakes all the way until the end. It's like, 'Save him, save him!' Whereas before it was like, 'Kill them I guess? Kill them all?'"

In a separate interview with The New Flesh Horror Movie Podcast, Cregger said he liked the idea of Bryan reaching his "final form" as a mutant monster, especially because it's not what you'd expect.

"This whole movie wasn't this guy who saves the world. It was the origin story of a monster. It recontextualizes everything, and I like a movie that punches you in the face," he said. "I like a movie that does not give you what you want, but what it does give you is more impactful."

https://twitter.com/RENews_X/status/2102034866145726615

Some of the feedback Cregger said he received was that people enjoyed the movie up until the ending. If you're in that crowd, Cregger said he respects your opinion, but he made the movie he wanted to.

"That's too bad. I don't care. It does not bother me at all. If you don't like the ending, we just disagree. I respect it. But I would never in a million years change it."

Given how Resident Evil ended, it sure seems like there are more stories to told, and Cregger himself has said he does have sequel ideas in mind. That being said, Cregger has also said he is finished making franchise movies after getting lots of hate from fans of the Resident Evil games.

In addition to changing the ending, Cregger made other adjustments to the film based on screen tests, including removing a lot of jokes.

Bungie has admitted that it "lost sight" of what players loved about its games over the past few years, acknowledging that a series of broken promises and shifting promises caused the studio to lose the trust of its community. Now, the Destiny developer promises to refocus on its players, with plans to restore removed Destiny 2 content and evolve Marathon beyond its current extraction-shooter format.

In a new video accompanied by a blog post on the Bungie website, Bungie studio head Poria Torkan and Marathon head of product and general manager Josh Dean addressed the studio's recent struggles and outlined its plans for the future. Torkan acknowledges that Bungie's ambitions had stalled as the studio pursued too many different initiatives without enough focus on the things players actually want.

"We lost trust. We lost incredible colleagues. And our ambitions as a studio stalled," Torkan said. "We chased vision without enough focus on what players loved, and that's on us. We own that."

https://youtu.be/asnrQ1UoBQM

Bungie directly acknowledged the frustration surrounding Destiny 2--which received its last content update on June 9, 2026--including the removal of large amounts of content from the game in "sunsetting" processes.

"We haven't just heard your feedback. We understand the anger, the disappointment with us," Torkan said. "We're not asking for your trust, we know we have to earn it."

Bungie described Destiny as the foundation of the studio and stressed that it is "absolutely not done with Destiny." However, it wants to take its time with whatever comes next, starting with returning Destiny to what it describes as its original promise of mystery, discovery, and the community of Guardians facing seemingly impossible odds.

Before it shifts to new stories, Bungie plans to restore content that was previously removed from Destiny 2. That could include the Red War campaign, the Tangled Shore, or raids, including Leviathan and Crown of Sorrow. Bungie described the restoration as something that "never should have been ripped away to begin with."

Destiny 2's vaulted content will be returned to the game.

It's a notable shift for Destiny 2, which has spent years operating around the controversial vaulting of content. Bungie didn't provide a specific timetable for when the removed content will return, emphasizing that doing it properly will take time.

Bungie will also focus on the future of Marathon, where player numbers continue to dwindle. The studio plans to evolve Marathon beyond the genre constraints of an extraction shooter. Bungie's goal is to expand it into a "deeper survival experience." The studio says it wants to preserve the aspects of Marathon that players already enjoy while giving them more agency over how they play--including PvE and PvP.

Alongside its plans for Destiny and Marathon, Bungie says it has made internal changes intended to make the studio more focused. "Stability does not mean shrinking our ambition," Torkan said. "It means focusing on things that you want to see from us and making sure that our vision matches our reality."

With Bungie wanting to put players "above everything else" to rebuild the relationship between the studio and its communities, it also isn't expecting players to just accept their promises this time around. "We're not going to do it with words," Torkan said. "We're going to do it through the games that we make and how we show up for our players."

Bungie has made it clear that it has a lot to prove, but restoring Destiny 2 content that players--including me--have been longing for is a great start. But after years of promises, Bungie now has to show players that this time, it can deliver.

Fans recently discovered an odd-looking bathroom sign in Marvel's Wolverine, prompting people to wonder if developer Insomniac Games used generative AI.

According to Insomniac's community and marketing director James Stevenson, that's a bunch of baloney. The reason the bathroom image looks weird is because of a "UV map bug," he said. A fix is now in the works.

"There are no AI-generated assets in Marvel’s Wolverine," Stevenson said.

https://twitter.com/JamesStevenson/status/2101048325067751572

Insomniac's last game, 2023's Spider-Man 2, utilized machine-learning to help speed up development, and the company intends to keep doing this going forward. But for now, it sounds like AI-generated assets are off limits.

Marvel's Wolverine released on September 15 and became a swift success, reportedly exceeding the lifetime sales of Death Stranding 2 on PS5 right out of the gate.

While Marvel's Wolverine might not have featured any AI-created assets, that's not the case for every game. Activision's Call of Duty games use generative AI, as does Sega's upcoming Crazy Taxi: World Tour.

GameSpot's Marvel's Wolverine review scored the game an 8/10. Reviewer Tamoor Hussain said of the game, "At best, it’s a fun but forgettable experience that’ll entertain you for a few hours."

World Space Week kicks off on October 4, and if the idea of exploring the infinite horizon of the cosmos doesn't interest you, then maybe a world-famous Pokemon can inspire you to reach for the stars. As part of the event, the European Space Agency is teaming up with The Pokemon Company to shine a light on space exploration, and it'll feature a very special Pikachu. Back in June, French Astronaut Sophie Adenot traveled to outer space and back with a special Pikachu plush to lay the groundwork for the promotion, capturing several moments on camera.

https://youtu.be/mjkDwgStzuo

Back on terra firma, there'll be exhibitions at ESA facilities during ESA Open Days, and at museums during World Space Week. This will cover France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

While the goal is to both educate and entertain the next generation of explorers, there's a good chance that exclusive collaboration products will also be a big draw. These will include plushies, Pokemon Trading Card Game accessories, and a replica of Adenot's Pikachu decked out in astronaut gear and a bomber jacket. The ESA online shop will also offer special Pikachu-themed ESA apparel, including T-shirts, a tote bag, a notepad, and pins.

Look at all the cool Pokemon stuff you can't have unless you pay a premium for it on eBay.

And that's cool! It's also likely to attract the seedier side of the Pokemon fandom, as we've seen several times in the past, as just about everything with Pokemon branding is usually scooped up by scalpers and sold online to collectors who couldn't get their hands on those items. In one notable example, chaos broke out during a special exhibit at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam after people flocked to acquire a limited-edition Pikachu card, which ended with four workers being fired for alleged misconduct.

Not even perishable food items are safe from the Pokemon reseller hustle, as the recent Krispy Kreme collaboration saw people listing boxes of Pokemon donuts for sale. While most were empty, others contained delicious treats and an expiration date.

In related Poke-news, Japanese airline All Nippon Airways recently unveiled a Pokemon-themed airliner to celebrate 30 years of the franchise, complete with custom illustrations of popular Pokemon like Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Sprigatito.

Gaming legend Hideo Kojima was recently in the news when it was announced that Sony had dropped his new spy game Physint, with Xbox swooping in to sign it. In the aftermath of the shocking announcement, more information has come to light, including how Kojima thought Physint had major commercial appeal.

He told The Washington Post, "This is the biggest selling title I could possibly create." He went on to say, as reported by Kotaku, "I didn't think Physint would be on the list of being canceled."

Kojima's Physint stars Bill Skarsgard and Charlee Fraser.

According to veteran gaming reporter Jason Schreier, Sony abandoned Physint after Kojima Productions reportedly went over budget and missed deadlines. In response, Kojima Productions said people should be skeptical of what they read on the internet, though the Japanese studio did not refute the details of the report.

In an interview with IGN, Kojima said Physint is still in the concept phase. He is working out the game's systems, visuals, and design, and added that a "very small team" is working on it right now.

"The next cold war begins" is the tagline for Physint.

Despite this, Kojima believes a game like Physint has a lot of appeal because, "Anything espionage is going to be fun, period, no matter what game it is."

He went on to say that 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.

Physint stars Bill Skarsgard, Charlee Fraser, Don Lee, and Minami Hamabe. Kojima Productions is also working on the horror game OD, which is being made in partnership with Xbox.

Konami has revealed that a free demo for Castlevania: Belmont's Curse will become available on October 1. Even better, progress from this early taste of the metroidvania title will carry over to the game's full launch, which is on October 15. 

The Castlevania: Belmont's Curse demo will offer up the opening chapter, according to Konami. That likely means we see Rose and Trevor Belmont arrive in the burning city of Paris, before being split up. Then it's up to Rose to utilize her sword and magical tarot cards to take on classic franchise foes, like zombies and probably skeletons. The game will also let you turn tough bosses into powerful friends. 

This small bite of Castlevania: Belmont's Curse will take up between 3GB and 6GB of storage space, depending on your platform. The smaller size is for Switch, while the largest is for PS5. However, the game will only run at 30fps on Nintendo's hybrid console; meanwhile, it runs at 60fps on Sony's system as well as Xbox Series X|S and PC. Here's hoping a Switch 2 version is in the works, though there's nothing official on that front.

Evil Empire Studio and Motion Twin are behind this newest entry in the Castlevania series, with the former previously working on the franchise with Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania. The latest project from Evil Empire was The Rogue Prince of Persia. However, even with this pedigree, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse isn't a roguelite. 

Last month, Konami announced the voice cast for Castlevania: Belmont's Curse. Dracula will sound familiar to fans of the Netflix Castlevania series, since Graham McTavish is reprising his role as the elder vampire. 

Best Castlevania Games: Ranking The Top 15 Entries View Images

In a big twist, Sony just dropped Hideo Kojima's new spy game Physint, with Xbox swooping in to pick it up. But will Physint be exclusive to Xbox?

Kojima himself said in a new interview with IGN that he does not know. "That would be a question for Xbox. But I don't know for sure," he said.

Under former Xbox CEO Phil Spencer's leadership, Microsoft began releasing some of its major games on rival platforms. Even Halo is on PlayStation today.

New CEO Asha Sharma has signaled a return to exclusives. Choices about exclusivity will be made case by case. Kojima said Microsoft’s ambition is to help its games reach the largest possible audience.

"In previous updates from Xbox, I thought that they have this kind of stance where they want to deliver to as many gamers as possible, no matter what the platform is," Kojima said. "I think all of that will be announced at a later time. I'm not sure yet, and I can't really say."

https://twitter.com/HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN/status/2099387994188939599

Xbox is publishing not only Physint, but also Kojima's horror game OD. Both games will feature celebrities. Bill Skarsgard will star in Physint, while OD features Hunter Schafer, Sophia Lillis, and the late Udo Kier.

Physint was reportedly over budget and late, which contributed to Sony's decision to abandon it. Kojima Productions released a statement in response, saying people should treat the report with skepticism, though the company did not deny or refute the reporting. Kojima himself said he was "shocked" when he was informed on a Zoom call that Sony was dropping the game, especially because he believed it could be his best-selling game ever.

It is still early days for both Physint and OD, as neither game has a release date or much in the way of concrete information.

IO Interactive recently delayed the Switch 2 edition of 007 First Light yet again, and now the studio's technical producer, Cristina Vega, has shared more details on why the company had "no choice" but to postpone it a second time.

Speaking to Inven Global, Vega said the deal is "disappointing news for fans," but it was a decision "also made for their benefit." The game was originally due to arrive alongside the other versions in May 2026, but IO pushed the game to Summer 2026, and now again to March 2027.

First Light's Switch 2 edition is now coming in March 2027.

Explaining why yet another delay was necessary, Vega said the studio had been grinding hard for a while and "needed a brief breather." She also said there were "requests from marketing and various other factors" that resulted in a scenario where IO had "no choice" but to delay the Switch 2 edition to 2027.

"Ultimately, we decided on another delay because we want fans to experience the game in its most polished form on Switch 2, so we ask for your understanding," she said.

Vega went on to confirm that First Light for Switch 2 does not utilize the console's mouse functionality. She said the team didn't find a way to utilize this, nor does the studio believe it even "makes particular sense from a gameplay perspective."

Finally, Vega acknowledged that the Switch 2 is relatively less powerful than the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S consoles, so "some compromises are inevitable" from a technical perspective. One example is that object detail won't be as impressive on Switch 2, she said.

"We might slightly lower the detail on trees, but core elements the player looks at, and the central aspects of gameplay, must remain identical," she said.

First Light for Switch 2 will also have fewer NPCs, but not fewer enemies to fight, Vega said. "We haven't changed the gameplay itself, so players don't need to worry about the game feeling empty due to reduced NPCs," Vega explained.

In addition to the forthcoming Switch 2 version of First Light, IO is working on a new fantasy game. However, after Xbox pulled funding, IO laid off staff. Many also want to see IO work on the expected sequel to First Light, but no official announcements have been made.

Last year, Sony announced that it was partnering with Blackpink member and actor Lisa to promote the PlayStation 5, and that collaboration has resulted in an interesting spin on the PS5 DualSense controller. While previous limited-edition controllers for games like Marvel's Wolverine, Marathon, and GTA 6 have used bold, striking designs to capture eyeballs, the Lisa Limited Edition is something else entirely. See for yourself:

While it might look like the Live, Laugh, Love of DualSense controllers, Sony says this peripheral incorporates elements from the performer that hold personal meaning for her. The illustration of bangs and eyes on the touchpad are meant to reference Lisa's signature look, and you'll also find stars and "LL" lettering that has been set against her personal favorite DualSense colorway, Chroma Pearl. 

Like other limited-edition DualSense controllers, you can expect to pay $85 for it--or more if scalpers set their sights on it--and preorders start on October 2 on the PlayStation Direct store, before rolling out to retailers from October 30.

Alongside the DualSense controller, you can also grab a collection of PlayStation merchandise featuring Lisa's designs, with T-shirts, hoodies, caps, and keychains all sporting her illustrated gaze and hairline. This isn't the first time that Sony has partnered up with a celebrity to promote the PS5, as the PlayStation Playmakers program includes collaborations with comedian King Bach, NFL player Ja'Marr Chase, and even NBA legend LeBron James.

The new controller probably won't distract from all the public backlash that Sony has received throughout 2026. PS5 console price-hikes, the decision to cease producing game discs and go all-digital in 2028, the closure of Bluepoint studio, and canceling plans to fund Hideo Kojima's Physint have upset many PlayStation fans and gamers throughout 2026.

In the realm of gaming memorabilia, novelty items often serve as little more than dust collectors once the hype fades. However, Capcom's first aid kit popcorn bucket, launched as a collectible for the release of the Resident Evil movie, might actually be more practical than it first appears.

Instagram user pokicourtney has discovered the ultimate purpose for the green bag--storing physical copies of games from the Resident Evil franchise.

The popcorn bucket manages to hold a surprisingly dense amount of physical games across multiple console generations--13, in fact. There's a mix of Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, and deluxe steelbook editions of titles spanning from the Resident Evil Origins Collection through to Resident Evil Village.

https://twitter.com/ch8rileon/status/2101793505244787129?s=20

If you're accustomed to carefully organizing your grid slots in your Resident Evil inventory, seeing a physical copy fit so cleanly into the first aid kit is incredibly satisfying.

While it was originally meant to hold snacks for moviegoers, turning the bag into a dedicated Resident Evil media container seems like a pretty good alternative purpose.

Despite initial skepticism, the Resident Evil movie surpassed expectations at the box office this weekend, bringing in more than $108 million. In our review, Eric Frederiksen said, "Zach Cregger sheds the camp and artifice to give us a truly exciting, tense, and disgusting Resident Evil movie."

Sony's announcement that it would no longer publish Physint for PlayStation came as a shock, especially to the game's director, Hideo Kojima. While Xbox has since stepped in to save the project, there was still plenty of speculation as to why Sony was passing on it, with some people claiming that Kojima had begun to miss deadlines and was going over budget on his Metal Gear Solid spiritual successor. In a new interview, Kojima has revealed more details about the project and how Sony delivered the bad news back to him in June.

"So in June, Sony Interactive Entertainment said they wanted to have a Zoom call," Kojima said to IGN. "I was so busy at that time--I had just gone to New York for a Prada event and then to LA right after. But anyway, I came back, and we had this Zoom call. They said they can no longer fund development for Physint. I was shocked, and I said, 'What did you say?' I couldn’t quite process what they had said. I wasn't sure because I was in shock."

Kojima didn't elaborate on who he spoke to during that meeting, and he didn't say why Sony decided to cease funding the development of Physint. What Kojima did know was that he needed to move fast to protect his studio, Kojima Productions, which currently employs around 200 people. Initially, only Kojima, Kojima Productions president Shinji Hirano, and head of talent development Aki Saito knew about Sony's decision. This led to several months of Kojima looking to find a new partner for Physint, with Xbox eventually signing a deal with the veteran developer.

As for the aftermath? It doesn't sound like Kojima is holding a grudge against Sony, as he explained to IGN that he has "no bad feelings" towards the company. 

"Make no mistake, this was a serious situation for the studio with a range of potentially significant implications." Kojima wrote in an X post, possibly in response to Bloomberg's story about the game facing development challenges. "While we recognize that the article may have caused alarm, we want to reassure you all, for the record: that the studio is in a healthy, profitable state, development for Physint continues to move forward with Xbox, and our relationship with PlayStation remains strong."

https://twitter.com/kojipro2015_en/status/2101631479704883571?s=46

Physint closed out Xbox's Tokyo Game Show broadcast last week, with Kojima revealing that Bill Skarsgard had been cast as the protagonist of his stealth-action game.

The box office tallies for Resident Evil are in, and as expected, the new Zach Cregger-directed movie has been a big hit on its opening weekend. In North America, the film made $60 million, and globally, it brought in $48.3 million. That makes for a combined total of $108.3 million.

That exceeds the original prediction of between $40 million and $50 million by a comfortable margin. How does that current box office tally stack up to previous live-action Resident Evil movies?

https://youtu.be/KGlapnJFacE

Cregger's new flick has already surpassed the lifetime box office totals of 2021's Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, and it looks like it'll be on track to earn more than the first three movie adaptations. It still has a way to go to beat the franchise's current record holder, 2016's Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, as the last movie to star Milla Jovovich in the lead role brought in a whopping $312 million at the global box office during its theatrical run. Here's a closer look at how the new Resident Evil currently stacks up in comparison:

Resident Evil Movies

• Resident Evil (2002) -- $102.9 million
• Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) -- $129.3 million
• Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) -- $147.7 million
• Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) -- $300 million
• Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) -- $240 million
• Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) -- $312 million
• Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) -- $41.9 million
• Resident Evil (2026) -- $108.3 million (First weekend)

Resident Evil was already generating plenty of buzz before its general release, and it's currently the highest-rated video game movie of all time. It has earned a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 140 reviews, and on GameSpot's Sister site, Metacritic, the movie has a metascore of 80 from 32 reviews. Our own review was also positive, calling it an exciting--and disgusting--adaptation of the Capcom survival-horror games.

"By backing away from the stories and characters of the video games, Cregger dodges the giant bullet of 'that’s not my Leon Kennedy' and instead lets us finally experience Resident Evil ourselves, through our own eyes," Eric Frederiksen wrote in GameSpot's Resident Evil movie review.

Someone playing Refractive Entertainment's recently released action-RPG Luminary for less than an hour accused the team of using AI for the game's only voiced character. The player said the voice "killed it" for them. There was just one problem: It wasn't AI. It was actually the developer's wife doing her first-ever voice acting gig.

Refractive Entertainment launched Luminary into Steam Early Access on August 11. It's a resource-gathering action-adventure sandbox with an art style that's giving Fable meets Immortals Fenyx Rising. It's cute-looking and well-received, with a "Mostly Positive" rating out of almost 350 Steam reviews. But for an indie developer who says his game's success lives and dies by its Steam review score, one particular negative review caught the creative director's attention.

On September 10, user NyteKnyte posted a short Steam review after only 0.4 hours with the game to say that Luminary looked good but "the awful AI-generated voice killed it" for them. "Feels off, like an AI game," NyteKnyte said in their review. "Hopefully its temporary and gets better, but [the AI voice] killed it for me."

Not long after this review hit the game's Steam page, Refractive Entertainment responded, saying that the “awful AI-generated voice” that NyteKnyte decried was actually the creative director's wife.

"While my wife might not be the greatest voice actress out there (that was her first time), I can assure you she is a real person and not AI haha," creative director Keith Kolod said. "We don't use AI at all in our game, we're just some indie game devs doing our thing with the resources we have."

https://twitter.com/RefractiveENT/status/2098435648218910791

Kolod even shared the negative review on X on September 11 to wonder publicly why people just "automatically assume" that every voice in an indie game is AI just because it doesn't sound like AAA quality. He also thanked those who played Luminary and complimented his wife's portrayal of the Temple Guardian.

In Discord DMs with GameSpot, Kolod said he doesn't have any issues with people using AI for any reason, especially in game development and for voiceovers. However, he doesn’t use the controversial technology because voiceovers are a way for him to "leave parts of me, my family, and friends" in the games he makes.

"That said, Mikell did NOT jump to the opportunity," Kolod explained. "She is shy, felt like it would be bad, and didn't want to hurt the game. I told her this part doesn't need a lot of 'acting.' It's an ethereal goddess who should feel calming to the player as though she has delivered this speech to hundreds of Luminaries over centuries, and that I believe she could do it. The first few takes of recording you could tell she was extremely nervous, even though it's literally just me and her at my computer and a mic. [She] stumbled on words, worried about all of her inflections and how certain words sounded, but with enough takes and only reading a couple sentences at a time, I thought we got a pretty decent run. She was happy it was over."

Kolod said the whole reason he built Luminary was so "me, my wife, and son [could] play together." As a Souls and Elden Ring fan, he wanted something that could introduce newer players to the action-RPG genre without the punishing difficulty of those games while creating something his whole family could enjoy together. Luminary is that for Refractive Entertainment. With no funding, no publisher, and no other job bringing in income, Luminary has a lot of expectations on its shoulders. For Mikell, lending her voice to the game wasn't about becoming a professional voice actor or saving money. She did it because she wanted to help her husband succeed.

"This was my wife's first time voice acting, she wasn't a huge fan," Kolod told GameSpot. "You know how it is--everyone hates hearing their own voice in a recording who isn't a professional. As [much] fun as we had together doing it, it may be a hard sell for me to convince her to do it again. She really just helped me out of love and wanting to see me succeed with Luminary, and helping in any way she could."

Despite the AI accusation, Luminary appears to be off to a promising start for the two-person team at Refractive Entertainment. Two weeks after its Steam Early Access launch, Kolod took to X on August 25  to share that the action-RPG had generated over $100,000 in sales in just one week, with the team pulling in approximately $70,000 in revenue after Steam’s cut. Not bad for a two-person studio with no funding and no publisher.

The attention surrounding Mikell's voice has apparently brought even more eyes to the game, too. Kolod told GameSpot that posts about the story on Reddit and elsewhere have generated views, likes, upvotes, and more wishlists, though he said the team has yet to see that attention translate into a comparable bump in sales. And perhaps nobody was more surprised by the whole thing than Mikell herself. Before Kolod pushed the update to the game containing her voice, she had one request for her husband (who will celebrate 15 years together in November):

“Ok, but I don't wanna hear if people hate my voice in reviews or on X. I did what I could.”

“Little did she know it would turn into our biggest story,” Kolod said.

Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) has unveiled a Pokemon-themed airliner to celebrate the franchise's 30th anniversary this year, and it looks incredible.

The Green Pokemon Jet, as it's called, made its inaugural flight from Haneda to Honolulu today following a big unveiling event--you can see video and images below. The airplane goes well beyond simply getting a Pokemon wrap, though it does have that, too, featuring famous Pokemon like Bulbasaur, along with Pikachu. Because how can you have a Pokemon plane and not include Pikachu? Also on display is Browt, a newer Pokemon coming in Winds and Waves.

https://twitter.com/poke_times/status/2100896394277990526

Inside the aircraft, there are headrest covers, paper cups, and napkins containing Pokemon branding. Beyond that, people flying on it can watch and listen to Pokemon-themed in-flight entertainment, including Pokemon: The First Movie and the best-of soundtrack from the show (1997-2023).

https://twitter.com/FlyANA_official/status/2100827162341192183

In addition to Haneda, which is the busiest airport in Japan, the Pokemon plane will make stops at a variety of airports in Okinawa, Kyushu, and Shikoku.

https://twitter.com/ANA_travel_info/status/2100832382970626300

Pokemon was created in Japan, and this is not the first time we've seen a Pokemon plane. All the way back in 2000, Japan Airlines announced that its fleet of jets would include Pokemon characters printed on the sides for domestic flights, along with Pokemon-themed in-flight entertainment.

In 2024, ANA created a Pokemon-themed safety video, featuring the franchise's adorable little monsters teaching passengers how to stay safe during flights.

There are quite a few months until Final Fantasy 7 Revelation launches on Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. But you're going to want to get your systems ready now because the download for the final showdown between Cloud and Sephiroth may be big.

According to a September 18 VGC Interview with game director Naoki Hamaguchi, the file size for Revelation will "probably" be absolutely massive. So huge, in fact, that Hamaguchi acknowledged that there was no way the game would fit on one--or even two or three--discs.

"In a word, yes. Things are still getting worked out, but it's probably going to be around 200GB of game," Hamaguchi said. "I understand there are a lot of opinions about this topic, but at the end of the day, the fact is we need to overcome the hardware to a certain extent."

2OOGB is pretty huge, especially when the base PS5 (which is what I still have, sue me) holds approximately 667GB of usable storage space. With many of the games I own clocking in just at or well over 100GB (like The Elder Scrolls Online, Ghost of Yotei, Infinity Nikki, and Mortal Shell 2), I'm already debating with myself what games I delete to make room for Cloud's big sword and Sephiroth's shampoo collection.

Although Hamaguchi knows that the absolutely gargantuan size of Revelation's download prevents the game from shipping on a disc, he still reiterated the team's commitment to some sort of physical release. What that is remains to be seen, but it is important to Square Enix.

"One thing I want to say is, even though the game will not be on the full disc, in the position we’re in, because discs may be dying out, or maybe staying, with Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, we definitely wanted to deliver some kind of physical product," Hamaguchi continued. "That was really important to us. Trust me!"

We don't have an official file size for Revelation, as the game doesn't come out until April 8, 2027. However, we do know that it could take about 100 hours to finish, and with two post-launch expansions starring Vincent and Sephiroth that may be the same size as Remake's Intermission DLC, I suspect Revelation will be enormous.

Bruce Straley, best known for his work at Naughty Dog on the Uncharted and The Last of Us franchises, has apologized to God of War: Laufey studio Santa Monica Studio, after he said he was "not excited" about what the game was offering, at least in some respects.

Straley told Edge that he thinks "every pixel" in Laufey looks "mindblowing and that he is "blown away" by the lengths Santa Monica Studio went to. However, Straley said he is "not excited" by "what you're doing in the game."

Beyond Laufey, Straley said he feels there is "no opportunity to inject fresh, innovative ideas" in AAA games generally.

A scene from Straley's new game, Coven of the Chickenfoot.

In a new statement shared on social media, Straley said, "I want to apologize to the Laufey team for dragging you all into this uninvited and unnecessary negative attention." He said he was trying to make a point about his concerns about the AAA games industry generally, and acknowledged that he made a mistake by naming Laufey specifically.

"I have thoughts about what’s wrong & the possible serious harm done to our industry & how we might be able to fix it. But in trying to have a thoughtful conversation I stuck my foot in my mouth & mentioned Laufey, and that was my mistake," he said.

Straley said games like Half-Life 2, Gears of War, and BioShock--along with games he worked on, including Uncharted 2 and The Last of Us--"set the 'modern AAA' mold." He said these games felt like "they were trying to creative a new experience within AAA."

Secondarily, Straley observed that the quest for "games-as-a-service" in a bid to make the next Overwatch or Fortnite is "not a viable strategy and frankly shows these 'industry leaders' don't know their own brand."

Straley went on to say he believes the gaming industry is suffering from a "lack of good leadership, clear direction, and conviction from the people at the top." These people are in charge of the money, and therefore determine the stability of the business, he said. "I believe if they understand their brand, they could have honest, inspiring conversations with creators to steer our medium to innovate," Straley said.

Straley is now working on much smaller games than he made at Naughty Dog. His new independent studio, Wildflower Interactive, is working on the puzzle-platformer Coven of the Chickenfoot. The game has players taking on the role of an elderly witch named Gertie, who works alongside a "creature-companion" that Gertie cannot speak with. Instead, Gertie needs to "discover the creature's true intentions" in other ways, like through environmental storytelling.

Xbox was originally set to publish Coven of the Chickenfoot before dropping it, according to another developer. It's still in the works, backed by an unknown financier.

Sony's upcoming Helldivers movie remains in development, and now a key piece of news has surfaced. According to Deadline, Reacher star Alan Ritchson will replace Jason Momoa as the lead, following Momoa's departure earlier this year.

Justin Lin, known for his work on the Fast & Furious and Star Trek franchises, remains attached to the Helldivers movie as director.

Alan Ritchson in Reacher.

The movie is set for release in theaters on November 10, 2027. Ritchson is reportedly going to play one of the helldivers, with other cast to be revealed later. Shams Jorjani, the CEO of Helldivers developer Arrowhead, has said he hopes the movie violently kills off celebrities.

Beyond the Helldivers movie, Ritchson has said he's a big fan of Activision's Call of Duty franchise and would be up for a role in the upcoming movie.

While Momoa won't be in the Helldivers movie, he is set to appear in October's Street Fighter movie as Blanka. Momoa is also coming back for the A Minecraft Movie sequel in 2027, so he's not hurting for roles in video game movies.

Helldivers 2 was released in 2024 and became an enormous success, reportedly selling more than 20 million copies. Arrowhead Studios has said it doesn't, and shouldn't, have final say in how the movie turns out.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is shaping up to be the biggest entry in the remake trilogy by a considerable margin, as game director Naoki Hamaguchi estimates that a complete playthrough of everything that the game has to offer could take up to 100 hours. That includes the campaign, side activities, and endgame content--something that Hamaguchi has experienced dozens of times for himself throughout the development of Revelation.

This is all part of the job; to ensure that players enjoy a smooth experience, the developers have to check every part of the game for any potential issues. "In a standard playthrough from beginning to end, if I were to review and check every single asset and element in the game, it'll easily take over a hundred hours," Hamaguchi said to GameSpot. "Obviously, I can't do that in each and every single playthrough. As the director, I don't have enough time for that, so sometimes I would just skip combat and focus on checking the main story. In different playthroughs, I focus on different elements."

In total, Hamaguchi said he had completed 46 playthroughs by the time he was interviewed. So how do you get so many game completions under your belt, when the game in question is so lengthy? Hamaguchi explained that he'd devoted all his time to playtesting the game, and he even slipped in a few testing sessions between interviews on the current Final Fantasy 7 Revelation press tour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRA759MHPJs

"I will try to do these playthroughs as much time as time allows," he said. "Yesterday, during a separate round of interviews, when there was downtime, I actually did bring a PS5 controller, so I checked the latest version of the build. Even on business trips, if there's even a small amount of time that I have available, I'll try to check the latest version of the game to see if there are any issues."

While Final Fantasy 7 Revelation might monopolize all your attention when it launches, the team at Square Enix also wants to respect your time. Minigames aren't essential to the game's main campaign, you can skip through cutscenes if you want, and pacing has also been adjusted to keep the story moving. For more on the game, you can check out how Red XIII might steal the spotlight during the snowboarding minigame, why The Witcher 3 continues to inspire Hamaguchi, and what Chadley will be up to in the game.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation launches for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 on April 8, 2027.

Interview conducted by Emma Fyffe.

Nintendo recently held two Direct presentations back to back, with fans hoping that the company would reveal a new Mario game of some kind. While that didn't happen, what we did get was the reveal that Mario Kart World is getting some new tracks. Now, though, it seems the company has some more Mario news for us: new logos and renders for everyone's favorite mustachioed plumber.

It seems that over the last day or so, Nintendo quietly updated the look of the "Super Mario" logo. Honestly, the change is subtle. The colors are the same, just a little less vibrant and a little more gradient. The logo is also on one line instead of stacked, as it has been for the last 30 years or so.

The big "change," though, is in Mario's look. In a passing glance, you might not notice anything different. The mustache is still there. The gloves haven't gone anywhere. The hat looks the same. Everything appears to be in order. But look closer.

https://twitter.com/Swag_K1RBY/status/2100773081853608419

It's tiny, but on his waist is a ... pocket? Yes, Nintendo added functional pockets to the red plumber's overalls, which is great! I always wondered where those flowers and mushrooms went, and now it makes sense. He just stores them in his small pockets.

Unfortunately, if he had a Kingdom Phone--or whatever the smartphone equivalent would be in the Mushroom Kingdom--I'm sure that wouldn't fit in these pockets, especially if it was a foldable device like the newly announced iPhone Duo. I guess Mario can't play Mario Kart Tour before it shuts down forever on September 29.

Those pockets are also so itty-bitty that he probably couldn't hold many Nintendo Switch game cartridges. Not that it matters much, since there aren't any new 3D Mario games coming to the Switch 2 right now.

The internet is having an extensive conversation about what this means. Some believe that the new renders give Mario a more detailed look, while others are hoping we'll see our mustachioed plumber in 4K in 2027. The main thought people are having, though, is that Nintendo finally remembered Mario.

https://twitter.com/jr_taurus62289/status/2100774237526982677

Even YouTuber GameXplain posted a brief overview video of the new renders, talking about how the clothing "just looks way better" because it doesn't seem like Mario's wearing latex. The texture makes our favorite plumber's clothing appear real.

All of this is great, but what would be better is if Nintendo announced a new 3D Mario game. The theory is that the company has something in the works, but nothing has been officially announced yet. These new renders certainly don't confirm anything, but with Mario getting an updated look, we can at least assume that this version of Mario will appear in whatever the next Mario game is.

Thirteen years ago, Sony "won" E3 with a simple public service announcement that dunked on Microsoft's controversial Xbox One DRM plans. All it took was 22 seconds for Sony's Shuhei Yoshida and Adam Boyes to show how game sharing would work on the PS4, resulting in a huge PR win for the company. Fast-forward to 2026, and at the Tokyo Game Show, Yoshida and Boyes reunited to recreate that meme, but with a big difference: This time, there's no disc to pass between friends.

https://twitter.com/yosp/status/2100797688271012195

The original video from Sony--which was infamously put together at the last second--showed just how easy it was for PS4 owners to share physical games, compared with the frequent DRM checks that were initially planned for Xbox One games. Boyes left Sony in 2016, while Yoshida said he was "fired" from his role as SIE worldwide president in 2019, and he departed in 2025 after several years of leading Sony's Independent Developer Initiative.

https://youtu.be/kWSIFh8ICaA

Things have changed drastically since the two left, as Sony announced several months ago that it would cease production of game discs, an announcement that has not gone over well with its users and third-party partners. Sony's reasoning is that with the lion's share of game sales being digital, it can afford to move toward an all-digital future, which also has several positive knock-on effects for its business.

By making its PlayStation Store the only game in town, it can earn more from first-party sales and cut out the retail costs associated with physical games. There are fears that this could be a step backwards compared to a platform like Steam. Sony's PlayStation Store typically offers no refunds on purchased games and lacks several other features that would help make the transition easier.

The other elephant in the room is that you're not purchasing a game from its store, but a license to play it. Sony is currently arguing in a class-action lawsuit filed against it that it doesn't mislead customers into purchasing digital game licenses, as it claims that it's "not plausible" for consumers to think they own their digital products. In comparison, Microsoft's disc-to-digital program has been received positively, as it allows Xbox owners to unlock a digital license for their physical games--but not all games, as some publishers haven't joined the program.