During a town hall meeting today, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma spoke to staff to help reassure them following mass layoffs and studio closures related to the "reset" of the business.

Windows Central reports that Sharma told staff that Xbox is "making the right decisions" and that "after an all time low, we've started to return to growth," though she did not share any specifics. She added that Gears of War: E-Day, Minecraft Dungeons 2, and World of Warcraft: Forever had "strong" starts, though she did not share any specifics.

Sharma said, "We've started to return to growth, more than 2 to 3 times what we were, and we expect that continue." She did not share any specifics about what "2 to 3 times" actually means, though.

Sharma also told staff that Xbox's "Gen-10" platform--AKA Project Helix--will be, as rumored, a "family of devices" because "there is no one device that fits all."

She said it's important for Xbox to have a "great console first," but there will also be options for players who are "on the go." Sharma went on to say that Microsoft will manufacture some of these devices, and others Microsoft will find partners for.

"So, we will be sharing more about that as our plans develop. The operating system is starting to look really good. We're very excited about this," she said.

Sharma didn't get into specifics about its next console or portable devices, but they're in the works amidst a very challenging time given the AI-fueled demand for memory and components. The global macroeconomic environment that has driven up oil prices has also rocked markets. Not only this, but in the US, the Federal Reserve recently raised rates, impacting borrowing costs with the effects trickling through various market categories, including gaming.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella praised Sharma for making such deep and extensive cuts at Xbox. This has so far included 1,600 layoffs in July, close to 300 more in September, and additional job losses to come. Microsoft also closed or divested of a number of studios, including Double Fine and Ninja Theory.

Some theorized Sharma was streamlining Xbox to make it more attractive to a prospective buyer, but she recently insisted that Xbox is not for sale. A lot of people don't believe her, though, pointing back to her comments about how "the plan's the plan until it's not the plan."

Beyond these moves, Sharma also oversaw a massive restructuring of the Xbox business that included Activision taking over the Halo series and Bethesda's remit expanding to also cover Obsidian.

Razer has officially revealed the next entry in its line of high-end gaming controllers, the Wolverine V4 for Xbox and PC. Geared toward competitive gamers--not that there's anything stopping you from using it to play Vampire Survivors--and it focuses primarily on polling performance and thumbstick sensor architecture.

One of the biggest changes is Razer choosing capacitive contactless sensors backed by a 16-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for the thumbsticks, rather than the usual Hall Effect magnetic sensor. While Hall Effect thumbsticks are popular for their durability and for essentially eliminating stick drift, they can be prone to magnetic interference. Not a dealbreaker if you're playing at home, but in a competitive scene where victory is measured in fractions of a second, this can be an issue. In comparison, Razer is aiming to offer the same drift resistance, finer granularity, and smoother signal tracking with capacitive sensing.

Then there's the polling rate, which is absurdly high. For example, a DualSense Edge is capable of offering up to 1,000Hz (1 ms to 8 ms input latency), but the Wolverine V4 pushes that number up to 8,000Hz in both its wired and wireless configurations when used on PC, which, in theory, should put that on par with high-end esports mice and keyboards. This isn't the first Razer controller to feature an 8,000Hz polling rate, as the Wolverine V3 Pro was also equipped to reach those numbers.

Just don't expect to reach those levels on Xbox Series X|S, as hardware limitations cap the refresh rate at 250Hz, meaning the 8,000Hz benefit is strictly for PC competitive gaming.

The controller also offers four removable magnetic back buttons and two top claw-grip bumpers, with a modular magnetic design that lets players quickly swap components out, stripping the controller of unused buttons and extra weight. First-person shooter players can also use a back-mounted physical toggle switch with software-tunable actuation points, allowing them to fine-tune the hair-trigger click threshold.

That makes for a solid controller on paper, even if you don't need all of its features. The wireless model has an MSRP of $200, making it a little bit more expensive than the Xbox Elite Series 2 wireless controller and on par with the DualSense Edge (which can also be used on PC). If you'd prefer a wired option, the Wolverine V4 wired version will set you back $100.

Another controller worth keeping an eye on is the recently revealed Genki Manta. Genki launched a Kickstarter campaign for it, raising over $1.1 million for a peripheral that combines high customizability with an OLED display. The company aims to launch it next year, with an MSRP of $279.

Veteran video game actor Nolan North has addressed his future in the Call of Duty series, saying he hopes to reprise his character Dr. Edward Richtofen from Black Ops' popular Zombies mode.

If this does happen, it probably won't be soon. That's because, North said he believes 2027's Call of Duty game might be developed by Sledgehammer. Given that, a new Black Ops game might not come until 2028 at the soonest, but this is just conjecture.

Speaking at Gamergy in Puerto Rico (via DomTheBomb), North said he hopes Richtofen's story continues in a future Black Ops game, whenever that might be.

"I always like when they leave things open for the next one. I know that Infinity Ward and I think Sledgehammer has the next two before there is another Black Ops. I just don't want it to be the end of Richtofen, and I don't think it is," he said.

North clarified that he does not know for sure that Richotfen's story will continue, so he hoped people wouldn't think he had some inside knowledge apart from his own hope and belief. Whatever the case, North said Richotofen is one of his favorite characters to voice, and he hopes to reprise him someday.

North first appeared as Richtofen in 2008's World at War, and has reprised the role many times over in subsequent games from developer Treyarch. He's a fan-favorite character in the fan-favorite Zombies mode, with the story taking numerous twists and turns over the years.

"It's been such a pleasure getting to work with my friends for so long, just like Uncharted was," he said.

On the subject of Uncharted, North said he hopes to come back to play Nathan Drake once more. As it happens, rumors are swirling that Naughty Dog is working on Uncharted 5 and that Drake might have a role in it.

Regarding North's statement that Sledgehammer is working on the 2027 Call of Duty game, that's not confirmed, but doesn't seem outrageous given this has been reported since 2024. The studio's last game where it served as lead developer was 2023's Modern Warfare 3, so it might be time for Sledgehammer to take the lead again in 2027. Intriguingly, it's also been reported that Activision's new ownership of the Halo franchise could include Sledgehammer, or at least a division inside the developer, working on a Halo game.

This year's Call of Duty game is Modern Warfare 4, and Infinity Ward is leading development. The game releases on October 23 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC.

Being a haunted doll must be difficult. You're missing an eyeball, and your lipstick makes you look more like a cannibal than a cherub. People make faces of disgust at you in the antique mall, and you want to tell them you're actually the unblemished soul of a 19th century nun named Eunice, but they speed away before you can. But if you were a haunted doll, you'd at least have solo developer Steelkrill Studio on your side, as its upcoming survival horror game Where Dolls Hang features real-life creepy dolls looking proudly injured. 

The dolls of Mexico's Isla de las Muñecas, the Island of the Dolls, have been through a lot over the past 80 years. Folklore suggests the bald dolls cobwebbed and nailed to the island's trees contain the spirit of a drowned little girl, who caretaker Don Julian Santana may or may not have made up. In any case, he spent much of his life fishing plastic Barbies and babies out of the water near his home to honor her spirit. So Where Dolls Hang, which was featured in the Horror Game Awards' recent showcase this past summer, is a tribute, too--it honors the fact that our real world is often freakier than fiction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwPGsK7yWA4

"Some of the doll models you'll find were created using real photographs," developer Steelkrill explains on Twitter. "The photographs can also be found around in the game." An accompanying clip of first-person gameplay footage demonstrates with an image of a doll head coated completely in dirt and little pimples from raindrops. The Where Dolls Hang player then drops the photo and stares ahead; the same pimply doll head is sticking from a pike right in front of them. 

"It creates an unusual connection between the game's horrors and reality: something disturbing hanging in a room or sitting in the darkness may not have been designed entirely from imagination," a press release says. "Somewhere in the world, there may be a real photograph behind it." Intriguingly, that makes Where Dolls Hang a rare game that is based on a true story, since life is unknowable without art to make sense of it. 

Where Dolls Hang is scheduled for a 2026 release date, and it's available to wishlist now on Steam.

Sticker shock might be underselling it with GameStop's new used pricing for Sony's most powerful system. Starting today, the video game store is listing pre-owned PS5 Pros for $1,400, though GameStop Pro members only need to dish out $1,330. Basically, it's a $500 surcharge over a brand-new PS5 Pro and capitalizing on the fact that those are stock-constrained currently.

A generous take on GameStop's new strategy for used PS5 Pros is that the company's conditioning us ahead of the possibility that the PS6 could cost $1,000 or more. Obviously, Sony isn't the only one increasing hardware pricing and consoles probably aren't getting cheaper anytime soon--mainly because of the ongoing chip shortage from AI development. 

A more cynical take is that GameStop is taking advantage of the situation similar to what scalpers do with the launch of new video game consoles. I'm also curious how many people now trade in a PS5 Pro at GameStop when they see how much the company is then reselling it for. Wouldn't an easier option just be to undercut them on Facebook Marketplace or eBay by $100? 

Similar pricing for used PS5 Pro systems can be seen on Amazon and Best Buy's storefronts. One key difference here is that those are third-party sellers, such as this RYTEK example at Best Buy. GameStop is officially behind the pre-owned pricing on its own website.

Sony raised pricing for PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal in April. The PS5 Pro was $750 previously and now retails for $900, if you can find one. When PS5 Pro originally launched in November 2024, the system cost $700. Meanwhile, the Xbox lineup also saw another round of price hikes in August, with the cheapest option being an Xbox Series S for $500. This is the first generation of video game systems to increase in price dramatically over the years, instead of getting much cheaper. 

Every PS5 Pro Enhanced Game (So Far) View Images

The next Survivors-like game--or Survivaton, as Vampire Survivors developer Poncle refers to them--is out soon, and it's threatening to cut into GTA 6 playtime. Warhammer Survivors launches November 10 on PC, consoles, and mobile devices, and you can also grab a new demo on PC via Steam right now.

Set in the grim (and dark) 41st millennium of the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, Warhammer Survivors sticks to the Vampire Survivors playbook: You'll fight all manner of Tyranid enemies that threaten the Imperium of Man, evolve your weapons, and die a lot before you're strong enough to start easily tanking the waves of heretical creatures. Extremis bosses will push your builds to the limit, and when it launches, the game will feature over 40 playable characters and an arsenal of 70 weapons to collect.

https://youtu.be/XvvWBS2uMw8

Warhammer Survivors will release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and Switch next month, and it'll also be available via Xbox Game Pass. The new demo will give you a fresh taste of the carnage, featuring the heroes Lyssa Revenya and the Legend of Catachan.

It's one of the few November games willing to take a risk and launch close to November 19, as many publishers and developers have opted to avoid the GTA 6-sized elephant in the room. Only a few games are standing their ground, including one that features the king of the monsters, Godzilla.

This isn't the only Survivaton on the way, as Poncle is also working on Jujutsu Kaisen Rumble. Like Vampire Survivors and Warhammer Survivors, it features the same bullet-heaven gameplay, but it draws from the manga and anime series' Culling Games storyline to shift the focus toward a "survivors royal" experience. The goal is to exorcise cursed spirits, grow your power, and outscore your opponents to be the last player standing. Originally scheduled to launch this year, the release date was shifted to 2027.

If you're looking for GTA 6's $100 Ultimate Edition but don't want to pay that much, there is a way to get it for $80--if you meet a few requirements.

Costco has rolled out a nice new deal where you can get four $25 PlayStation Store gift cards for $80. Or you can buy two $75 gift cards for $120. These offers are good through October 11 or while supplies last, so act fast.

While Costco does not require people to have a membership ($65/year) to shop online, the deals for these PlayStation gift cards are listed as "members only."

While GTA 6's $80 edition will be sold in stores via a code in a box, GTA 6's $100 edition will seemingly not be sold in stores. This makes the $100 edition even more profitable for Rockstar and Take-Two because digital games have better margins than games sold in stores.

The $100 Ultimate Edition of GTA 6 comes with many digital extras, including special weapon variants, a retro-inspired car, a boat, and special clothing. Additionally, the premium edition is the only way you can get access to a range of in-game stores and locations, including Rideout Customs for updating your car, Sara's Unisex Salon for getting a new haircut, and Electric Fang Tattoo for getting some ink.

These outfits are only for people who pay $100 for GTA 6.

It remains to be seen what will happen for those who buy the $80 edition with regard to these shops. Are the doors of these stores locked? Is there a literal paywall where you have to fork over extra cash to get in? Do they not even appear in the world for $80 players? Rockstar and Take-Two are well-versed in microtransactions, and the game's ESRB rating says these will be in the game, but we don't know yet how it will work in practice.

GTA 6 becomes available to preload beginning November 12, and that applies to the game's digital and physical versions sold at retailers. The game unlocks to play on November 19 across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Paramount has officially completed its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, but the company's announcement of the deal closing did not contain a single mention of video games. That's notable because Warner Bros. Discovery is heavily invested in video games, and many may wonder what's coming next.

CEO David Ellison says he is a big gamer himself, but whether or not that means anything for the future of games at the new company, now known as Skydance, is unknown. Ellison, the son of billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison, courted controversy due to his family's dealings with Donald Trump and the current administration, with some industry observers believing the close relationship helped get the deal through the regulatory process.

Netflix originally secured the top bid for WBD and believed its deal would close, but Paramount swooped in with more money and a contract to buy the whole company, not just parts of it like Netflix was planning. For its part, Netflix executives spent time with Trump and his team as well. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently praised Trump for believing in and supporting the entertainment industry.

Skydance's press release announcing the closing of the deal hypes up Ellison's stated plans to put a minimum of 30 "high-quality" movies in theaters annually, and touts its "creative-first, audience-focused, tech-forward, and globally scaled" setup, but doesn't mention video games at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2hu5UML3NI

The news release does mention that the combined companies will offer content for people "across every entertainment vertical," and that would seemingly include video games. But the brief does not include any specifics. GameSpot has followed up with Skydance seeking more information.

For what it's worth, when Netflix was planning to buy WBD, the streaming giant was similarly quiet on its plans for video games, saying it did not factor in video games very much. This came despite how 2023's Hogwarts Legacy was a bonafide juggernaut, selling more than 30 million copies.

While the release doesn't mention video games specifically, it does call out scary and tough times ahead for the people who work there. One of the main bullet points in the release was that Skydance is planning at least $6 billion in "run-rate syngeries within three years," which is likely a forecast for layoffs and cuts. Skydance's official word, however, is that the savings will "primarily" come from "technology, integration and procurement, marketing and real estate rationalization."

When big companies combine, layoffs often happen--it was the case for Microsoft, too, when it bought Activision Blizzard, with the company slashing thousands of jobs.

Skydance recently rolled out Paramount Games Studio, a team that folded in Skydance Interactive and Skydance New Media. Projects in the works at those studios are continuing, including Marvel 1943: Rise of Hyrdra and a new Star Wars game with Lucasfilm from Amy Hennig, now under the Paramount Games Studio banner.

With Skydance now running the show, the company takes ownership of numerous big gaming properties, including Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software and its publishing label, Portkey Games; Mortal Kombat and its developer, NetherRealm; and Batman: Arkham studio Rocksteady. Skydance is also now in charge of Lego developer TT Games, and numerous other developers, including WB Games Boston, WB Games Montreal, WB Games New York, WB Games San Francisco, and numerous other studios.

Beyond developing games themselves, Skydance is making the Call of Duty movie with Activision, which is due for release in 2028.

Time flies by fast, especially if you're Sega's blue mascot, as 2026 marks the 35th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. While Sega has various plans to commemorate the milestone, one of the most elegant is a hand-painted porcelain sculpture that is both graceful and expensive. Even if you can afford to shell out big bucks for this Blue Blur pottery, you'll still need luck on your side, as only 50 of these pieces are being made.

Sculpted by the artisans of the Japanese studio YOYOYO, this ornate piece costs a whopping $7,000. It comes with a certificate of authenticity, a wooden stand, and a wooden box, but you'll need to enter a lottery to have a chance to buy it.

So what makes this piece so special? To realize the idea of Sonic being the "world's fastest blue," the studio incorporated gosu, a cobalt-blue underglaze pigment that results in a color that never fades. This created an "eternal blue" finish, and the artisans also designed this sculpture to have a shelf-life of at least 100 years.

https://youtu.be/DzCJw-H7Xfo

For the base, durable Amakusa porcelain stone was chosen, as its white surface lets colors shine through, and the artists used techniques like delicate underglaze painting to create Seigaiha and Shippo patterns. This requires incredible skill and concentration to pull off successfully, as the patterns are ornate and hard to keep uniform. This is time-consuming, back-breaking work to do once, let alone 50 times, but the neat thing is that each piece will be unique up close, so you can appreciate the subtle details of the craft.

The red is also special, as it's applied to the partner piece that expresses the an endless infinity trail. According to the artists, glossy red carries motion and heat, and they also change expression with the viewing angle.

Other neat details include the other blue hues chosen for this project, with the Yagasuri shade featuring a stylized arrow-feather pattern to symbolize strong forward motion. You can take a closer look at how this work of Sonic the Hedgehog art was put together in the video above, which features a detailed (and enjoyably soothing) look at the artistry involved.

It might be a major anniversary year for Sonic the Hedgehog, but strangely, there's no game tie-in to mark the occasion. Sonic has had a consistent run of releases throughout the 2020s--with titles like Sonic Colors: Ultimate (2021), Sonic Frontiers (2022), Sonic Superstars (2023), Sonic X Shadow Generations (2024), and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (2025)--but it looks like the franchise is taking a break in 2026. While work continues on the next mainline game, Sega is leaning into updates for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds alongside merchandise and community events to celebrate the decades-spanning career of its icon.

The virtual reality market has grown over the years, and depending on your budget, there's probably a VR headset out there for you. But can your VR gaming budget stretch to over $1,000 for the entry-level Steam Frame headset, and is it even worthwhile? That's the question GameSpot's senior video producer Kurt Indovina set out to answer, and after spending some time with it, his main takeaway was that it's the best VR headset he's ever used, and possibly the last one he'll ever own.

https://youtu.be/NcypRmYfP5s

"Having used this solid piece of tech for a couple of weeks now, it's been great to replay things like Half-Life: Alyx or booting up Ghost Town, or fiddling around in Hot Dogs, Horseshoes, and Hand Grenades," Indovina explained. "It's also been a time of reflection for VR as a whole, from where it started, where it went, and where it currently sits now. I've been an advocate for VR for a while. I've made plenty of videos about VR. In fact, the first GameSpot video I ever appeared in was for Five Nights at Freddy's VR."

"But for all of the love I've given VR, my gripes with it seem to be never-ending. I've been very vocal about how companies have stunted the growth of VR and are trying to chokehold the market with their product. Meta putting out the most affordable and accessible headset only to commit, for lack of a better term, public suicide by investing everything into the metaverse, favoring a dystopian weird social life and alienating people who just want to play games."

But if you look at the Steam Frame in a vacuum? "It rules," Indovina said. "I'm sure this thing will get support for a lot of other cool games. It's great."

The Steam Frame isn't the first time that Valve has launched VR hardware, but compared to 2019's Valve Index, this standalone wireless headset is a major leap forward. It offers inside-out tracking, improved streaming support, onboard processing, and Android compatibility, but it is one of the pricier models on the market right now. It's still cheaper than Meta's next foray into virtual reality, as the Facebook parent company recently unveiled its new $1,300 Meta VR Glasses, with a flashy trailer that didn't even mention VR gaming.

But if you've got the cash to flash and you're purely interested in gaming, the Steam Frame is worth considering, if you can get your hands on one, since they've sold out surprisingly fast. If you wear glasses, you'll also want to double-check your frame and avoid making an expensive purchase for high-tech VR gear you can't use.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is finally out, and so far, it might just be one of the best Star Wars games ever made. The new racing game has an attractive MSRP of $60, but if you're looking to grab it for the low price of nothing, you can play it for free through Amazon Luna starting today.

Amazon has announced that Prime members can stream the single-player campaign for free through Amazon Luna. "We've always believed Luna players deserve to be in the action from day one, and Star Wars: Galactic Racer makes that a reality for the first time,” Jeff Gattis, Head of Gaming at Amazon, said in a blog post. "Luna players can jump into the single-player campaign today without needing to own a console or wait for a lengthy download. It's exactly the kind of experience we want to deliver on Luna, and we think players are going to love it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA3BrR245mo

If you're unfamiliar with it, Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming service and platform available to Prime members. A rotating selection of games appears every month through Luna, and members can also claim several downloadable PC games. These can be redeemed through storefronts like the Epic Games Store and GOG. Last month was particularly good, as members could claim several of Id Software's critically acclaimed Doom games, including the 2016 reboot and Doom Eternal.

Set early during the era of the New Republic, Star Wars: Galactic Racer follows players as they take part in the Galactic League, a high-stakes underground racing circuit. What sets the game apart from other racing titles is its roguelike gameplay mechanics, which evolve the standard racing formula into a dynamic experience. Developed by Fuse Games--a studio founded by racing veterans from the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises--Star Wars: Galactic Racer currently has a metascore of 88 on GameSpot's sister site Metacritic.

"Galactic Racer is those absolutely perfect 10 minutes expanded into a full game. Every moment feels joyfully fast," Jordan Ramée wrote in GameSpot's Star Wars: Galactic Racer review. "Every decision carries the weight of tension. And every run is a rewarding chance to learn, improve, tinker, and adapt, whether it ends in success or failure. I can’t wait to keep playing what’s been my favorite racing game in years."

Halloween's first paid DLC is coming on October 27 in the form of a new skin for the game's killer, Michael Myers, and it's pulling from a source you might not expect: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. A free update on the same day will also add a fifth map, The Tower Farm, inspired by a location in the same film. 

It may seem odd to jump to the fifth movie for the game's first DLC, but it's not the only piece of new content coming that day. There's also a second skin coming for Big Mike, borrowing from his look in the legacy sequel Halloween (2018). Each skin will run you $10.

Survivor mains also have new things to look forward to, including two new characters, Michelle and Eugene, as well as Civilian Costumes Pack 1, which includes 14 outfits--one for each survivor character--and 42 colorings, or "tints." The new survivors will also go for $10, though that's for the pair, not for each of them, while the new styles and colors will be--you guessed it--$10 for the set. This content drop is the first of several coming to the game in its first year, development studio Illfonic said. 

With 13 movies in the series, there's still plenty of ground to cover for Halloween, which makes kicking off its post-launch roadmap with Halloween 5 such an interesting choice. The appropriately autumnal farm map is more open than the game's earlier maps, making it harder to break line of sight from Haddonfield's boogeyman. I suppose that moody setting was too picturesque to pass up as an update just days before October 31. 

Just days before Halloween, Halloween will look more like, uh, Halloween.

As much as I love the 1978 original, I'm not particularly fond of most of the Halloween sequels, though Halloween H20 is probably dearest to me; I fondly recall seeing it on the big screen as a horror-obsessed nine-year-old, so I look forward to seeing that one reflected in the game down the line.

In any event, I don't think the sequels' quality ought to keep the development team from bringing them into the game like this. Illfonic's game should be a museum to all things Halloween, and watching it become that over the next few years is an exciting prospect. I hope the licensing deal extends to the series' more oddball entries, like Rob Zombie's reboot duology and Halloween 3--the one movie in the series that doesn't involve Michael Myers. If the game follows the roadmap I've built in my mind, we'll see every version of The Shape on the character select screen one day.

In GameSpot's Halloween review, I wrote that it gives players "a vibes-heavy experience befitting the timeless film, while also offering a unique hook that keeps the game from feeling like a rehash of the many horror multiplayer games that came before it."

One of actor Nolan North's most famous roles is that of Nathan Drake in Naughty Dog's Uncharted franchise, but he wrapped things up with 2016's Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. There are rumors that Naughty Dog is making a new Uncharted game, and North has said he would "110%" be up for coming back in a new game in the storied series.

“110%. Absolutely. I think it would be one of the biggest games ever if they decided to do it. It just depends if Sony wants to make money," he said at Gamergy in Puerto Rico prior to the recent rumors of Uncharted 5 (via DomTheBomb). "I absolutely would. I try to stay in shape just in case. I can't see a scenario where I would say no. I always keep out hope."

Nolan North in the Uncharted movie.

North went on to clarify that he has not heard anything about a new Uncharted game where he might be asked to come back, but he thinks it would be a good business decision for Sony.

"It is a business-my god, can you imagine if they did? It would be the biggest announcement in gaming. I don't think that's hyperbole. I think that's true," he said.

North said he enjoyed working with Naughty Dog over the years on the four main Uncharted games, and that's part of why he would be up to come back.

His one caveat, however, is that he hopes Naughty Dog wouldn't make something that doesn't live up to the franchise's legacy. He cited Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as an example of a middling movie in an otherwise great series, and he doesn't want that to happen for Uncharted.

According to multiple sources, a fifth mainline Uncharted game will be Naughty Dog's next project after Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which is reportedly due for release in 2027. A third The Last of Us game could follow after.

Intriguingly, the report said Nathan Drake would appear in the hypothetical Uncharted 5 in some capacity. 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. 

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. 

North played Nathan Drake in the four main Uncharted games, but not The Lost Legacy. He had a cameo in the Uncharted movie, too.

Gears of War: E-Day rolls out worldwide starting October 6, and thanks to early access players, The Coalition has identified several issues that it's fixing with the game's first patch. Focused mostly on overall stability and performance across the game's campaign, multiplayer, and Horde Siege modes, the Gears of War: E-Day update is out now.

One of the biggest fixes is the "Bilefrog-Kalona" error, an issue named after the gigantic subterranean Locust frogs encountered throughout the game, which regularly try to kill you by vomiting stomach acid at your position. Nasty stuff. The Coalition assigned several Gears-themed names to its network errors, and in this case, getting vomit-frogged is a specific split-screen multiplayer issue. This triggers when a split-screen player is automatically signed out of online services after the console or PC is suspended, then tries to use Quick Resume to hop back in.

The Coalition says it has also addressed an issue in Versus Social matches that results in players entering a waiting-lobby limbo, and fixed an issue that could prevent certain Siege Blitz Secure objectives from being completed. For the campaign, several pesky problems across Act 2 are being patched, while other game-wide instances of sticky turrets and unearned War Journal progress have been resolved.

These fixes come on the eve of the game's worldwide rollout on PC and Xbox Series X|S, and an influx of Game Pass subscribers are expected to enter Kalona starting tomorrow. While the overall story isn't the best Gears of War narrative, the game is still recommended for anyone who wants a big, dumb, and loud cover-based shooter that looks gorgeous on PC and Xbox Series X|S.

"For better or worse, E-Day is distinctly Gears, and I had a good time with it, even if the story is disappointing and the open areas are fairly dull," Richard Wakeling wrote in GameSpot's Gears of War: E-Day campaign review. "But that’s all it is: a good game, propped up by combat that hasn’t changed all that much over the past 20 years. That’s enough to skate by, but I wish Gears of War would dig deeper."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teClq4qYyzQ Gears of War: E-Day October 5 Patch Notes

Stability and Performance

• Made various stability, performance, hardware compatibility, and reporting improvements across the game

Online and multiplayer services

• Addressed an issue causing some Versus Social matches to remain on the “Waiting for players” screen
• Improved Xbox authentication handling when the system clock differs significantly from the correct time
• Addressed "Bilefrog-Kalona" error, where a split-screen player could be signed out after suspending and resuming the game
• Improved online-session stability when accessing session information

Campaign

• Addressed an issue where players joining an existing Campaign could receive War Journal progress and Forge rewards earned before they joined
• Addressed an issue where players could remain attached to turrets when a cinematic or gameplay moment began
• Addressed an issue where some join-in-progress players might not receive the expected Forge Discovery War Journal progress
• Act 2 Chapter 2: Addressed an issue where the objective could fail to update when entering Allfather’s Plaza after completing activities elsewhere in the mission
• Act 2 Chapter 2: Addressed an issue where the Heavy Gear in the Black Raven Down side objective could appear without a Vulcan
• Act 4 Chapter 1: Addressed an issue where certain side objectives could fail to start if players entered the objective area while introductory dialogue was playing
• Act 4 Chapter 2: Addressed one cause of the Power Station defense objective failing to complete after all visible enemies were defeated

Horde Siege

• Addressed an issue that could prevent certain Siege Blitz Secure objectives from being completed
• Addressed an issue where the extraction helicopter could fail to appear during a Downtown West Blitz mission

Versus

• Addressed an issue in Demolition where a bomb could become stuck in a defusing state if a player was eliminated while beginning the defuse interaction

UI

• Adjusted the size and appearance of Online Diagnostic text
• Addressed one possible cause of the UI repeatedly attempting to claim the same Challenge Mail reward

Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser left the company in 2020 and now runs a new outfit called Absurd Ventures. Houser will be forever connected to the GTA franchise, and he's now weighed in on GTA 6.

He told Variety that he did not watch the "Extended Look" trailer and doesn't plan to. Why? He said he tries to avoid consuming things that are going to "disrupt me creatively."

"And given that I spend a large amount of time trying to make open-world games, and the rest of my conscious time trying to figure out innovative ways to market them, I don’t need to see what other people are [doing]," he said. "I’m always trying to think about new ways of doing it, not sit there in some kind of comparison of what I would have done differently.”

Also in the interview, Houser said he doesn't play a lot of open-world games anymore, for similar reasons.

"I find when I play them, I can almost deconstruct the strengths and weaknesses of the team in real time and it’s distracting. I’m always thinking, ‘Well, their animation team is weak, but I think this game design is fantastic.’ And, ‘Oh, I can imagine that meeting when they discuss this feature,'" he said. "I’m not a game designer; I’m a sort of creative director. So I’m trying to always find new things that haven’t been done before, or that I can steal from older media, quite frankly or just inspired me or things I always thought about.”

Jasona and Lucia in GTA 6.

It's not that Absurd Ventures is burying its head in the sand, however. Houser went on to say he has a team of people at his company who take the time to examine "what everyone else is doing."

He said when Rockstar began to develop Red Dead Redemption, he avoided watching any more Western films. For GTA, he said he avoided HBO's acclaimed mob show The Sopranos (1999-2007) because "it would have disrupted everything I did on GTA" if he had seen the show while formulating the GTA series, which was first released in 1997.

"So I really try and avoid things that I think are going to overly influence me," he said.

Houser is now working on multiple projects at Absurd Ventures, including an open-world comedy game that he will reveal further "in the next few months." Another is a dystopian sci-fi game about "video game development gone very wrong" when a rogue AI becomes sentient.

He said in the Variety interview that "there could be no greater compliment" than to be forever associated with GTA. At the same time, Houser said he hopes some of what he works on at Absurd Venture can be successful in its own right.

Dan Houser's brother and Rockstar co-founder, Sam Houser, remains at Rockstar and was involved in the creation of GTA 6. GQ writer Sam White recently posted a series of tweets (and then deleted them) saying an interview he had planned with Sam Houser fell apart at the last minute. That's notable because Sam Houser rarely gives any interviews at all, nor does he appear in Rockstar's official promotional efforts for the company's releases.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. In other news, Rockstar recently revealed some of its secrets and detailed how a game like GTA 6 gets made.

Games developed by Hideo Kojima typically have an air of mystery, but for his upcoming horror project OD, the veteran game director wants to both terrify and mystify his fans. On a new episode of his weekly radio show Koji10, Kojima briefly spoke about the game, avoiding the release of teasers, and ensuring that players get a proper shock when playing it

"It's still a mystery. That doesn't mean we haven't made the game," Kojima said. "I want to keep quiet and release it. That's unusual for me, isn't it? I normally put out teaser after teaser. This time I don't want to reveal much. A mystery. It's so new that it's a mystery. It aims to create a new experience and test the limits of what players can bear in terms of fear. The limits of fear, that's the idea behind the title. The critical point of fear."

https://youtu.be/YDTq8SeY9s0

OD was originally announced in 2023, with the game being described as an experiment on what it means to overdose on fear--hence the title, OD. As for Kojima's comments about marketing, the first Death Stranding was a prime example: There were several teaser trailers and extended gameplay previews, each leaving viewers with more questions than answers. Kojima isn't even sure OD will find an audience, as he believes the gameplay systems are unlike anything he's created in his career.

Alongside his Metal Gear Solid spiritual successor Physint, Xbox is supporting development on OD, and the game is reportedly safe from the studio closures, layoffs, and game cancellations that have hit Microsoft's gaming division throughout 2026.

The game features actors Hunter Schafer and Sophia Lillis, although it's unclear how much of a role the late Udo Kier will have in OD, following his death last year. Kojima previously said that the 2025 SAG-AFTRA strike forced the team to reschedule filming for OD until 2026, although Kier can still be seen in the early teaser for OD.

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6 is one of the most highly anticipated game releases this year, or ever. The franchise is known for its massive scope and impressive attention to detail, but how is a game like GTA 6 actually made? In a new interview with Love magazine (via Kotaku), Rockstar North boss Rob Nelson said that part of the secret sauce with the GTA franchise is that many of its developers have been working together for a long time and have a "good sense of what they need to do."

In terms of actually building the game, Nelson said the process begins by creating assets and systems, and then "roughing in content across all areas of development."

More specifically, Nelson said GTA 6 was built through a series of eight-week milestones where select pieces of the game are compiled together. Then, the team evaluates those pieces, incorporates changes based on feedback, and then gets back to work on the next milestone.

"We work our way there, year after year, one obsessive day at a time, course-correcting as we go; always with the feeling we want the finished game to have firmly in mind, knowing that often we have to find that feeling, and trusting that, even if we haven’t found it yet, we will eventually," he said.

Another way Rockstar gets a game like GTA 6 out the door is by working with a lot of people. Anyone who watched the credits roll on Rockstar's last game, Red Dead Redemption II, is aware of just how many people worked on that game. For GTA 6, it wouldn't be surprising if the headcount is even higher.

GTA 6 writing director James Horton said, "There are no shortcuts when it comes to building a world like this."

“It’s a question of giving the right people the resources they need to build something that’s not only vast and varied as a whole, but where every part rings true no matter how small it is, or how closely you look at it," he said. "It needs to wash over you when you’re sprinting down the busiest street in the city, hearing snatches of a hundred different conversations as you go; and it needs to be totally convincing if you decide to stop and pay close attention to any one of those conversations."

Rockstar spun up a team in Los Angeles to work exclusively on NPCs, to help them feel more alive.

"Every room in the game, somebody thought about this," Rockstar's Aaron Garbut told The New York Times. "Who's sitting where, what they're drinking, the marks that are left on the table. The pictures on the wall will have the people that are in that room, with their tattoos on their arms and their family behind them. That whole thing has been made, and built, and photographed, and placed in this random room in a random building in a huge city, in a world."

Rockstar's developers also visited strip clubs in Florida and did ride-alongs with police to help get the details right in its recreation of Miami for Vice City.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. After a long period of silence, Rockstar has finally begun to reveal more details and show the game off. For lots more, be sure to read all of the new things we just learned about GTA 6.

Hideo Kojima's spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid, Physint, doesn't just have a new home at Xbox; it also has a famous face attached to it, with Bill Skarsgard (It, Boy Kills World) playing the lead role. Thanks to Death Stranding 2: On the Beach composer Yoann "Woodkid" Lemoine, Kojima was introduced to Skarsgard, who would later be cast as the yet-to-be-named protagonist of Physint.

"He's been in some excellent films. Directors I know have worked with him and can't praise him enough," Kojima said on a new episode of the Koji 10 radio program. "I wanted to work with him for a long time. Then one day, Bill visited Woodkid's studio. When Bill went to his studio, he saw piles of Kojima Productions merchandise. He said, 'What's this? Why do you have all this!?' Yoann said, 'I worked with them,' and that’s how Yoann introduced us."

Kojima would later travel to Sweden to meet Skarsgard and his family. Skarsgard was a fan of the Metal Gear franchise, and Kojima pitched him the lead role in Physint, which Skarsgard accepted.

https://youtu.be/YDTq8SeY9s0

It's still early days for Physint, and Kojima says that Skarsgard is eager to get his hands on the game's script so that he can start preparing for the role. "We've finished his scan now. We have to scan actors early, because processing the data takes a long time," Kojima explained. "We'll film the performance much later. But he's so eager he doesn't want to wait. He keeps asking me for the script. I have the plot ready. But he wants to know the lines and how his character speaks. He wants to start preparing now. He's really eager. That's how deeply he gets into a role.

One other crucial factor in choosing Skarsgard was his chemistry with his fellow Physint actor, Charlee Fraser. "The poster we released the other day showed him with Charlee. Their chemistry is very important," Kojima added. "We tested their on-screen chemistry and did a camera test. We scanned them in full makeup. Their clothes were just for reference; these aren't the final costumes. The contrast between these two is striking."

Skarsgard also kept his involvement secret, as Kojima added that not even his parents knew he was going to be the star of Physint. "He's so serious; he hadn’t told anyone. It was confidential, of course, since we hadn't announced it," Kojima added. "Even his parents didn't know. That's impressive. He's a very conscientious person."

Physint won't be out for a long time, but Kojima has said that it's the "biggest-selling" game that he could possibly create. With Skarsgard and several other actors attached, it's likely also a very expensive game to produce, with unconfirmed reports that Physint’s budget at Sony was over $400 million. This figure has never been confirmed, but it is rumored that Xbox is paying a lot less to get it over the finish line.

2K Sports has announced that NBA 2K25 will be discontinued soon, and that includes delisting the product and server shutdowns that will make even the game's single-player MyCareer and MyTeam components unplayable.

In a post, 2K Sports said NBA 2K25 will be removed from sale on October 30, 2026 and then fully discontinued on December 31, 2026.

People who own the game can redownload it and play offline after the shutdown. However, as of January 1, 2026, all multiplayer games and access to every online mode will be removed. This means the single-player MyCareer and MyTeam modes will be unplayable, while players also won't be able to acquire any more virtual currency.

As for what will be available after January 1, 2027, 2K Sports confirmed that Play Now, MyNBA, The W, and MyWNBA modes will remain.

NBA 2K25 was released in October 2024, so it will have been fully online and full-featured for a period of about two years. The previous year's game, NBA 2K24, was discontinued on January 31, 2026, with NBA 2K23 going dark a year prior to that. It's become something of a set schedule for the NBA 2K series to keep its servers up and operational for about two years.

The impending closure for NBA 2K25--or any game--is a bummer for people who want to keep playing online, but this kind of thing is not uncommon in the world of sports games and beyond, for 2K and other publishers who shift resources to newer, more popular games over time.

For a game like NBA 2K, there could also be licensing and legal requirements, too, given how many real-world people and brands appear in the games.

People are particularly upset about only being able to play a mode like MyCareer for two years. They invest significant time into their teams, and two years just isn't enough for many people.

One of the most popular games in the entire world, GTA Online--which hails from 2K parent company Take-Two's Rockstar--has remained online and playable since 2013. That game reportedly makes many millions of dollars every month, so it makes sense that Rockstar would continue to update and support it.

The newest NBA 2K game, NBA 2K27, was released in September 2026, so if a similar pattern holds, it could be delisted in October 2028 and close down for good in January 2029.

New information about Grand Theft Auto 6 continues to be revealed. Game Informer's most recent issue included a number of new details, and we've rounded up some of the key things we learned below.

Story Setup

It seems like we'll start the game playing as Jason, since Lucia is still in prison. When Lucia gets out, the two get a score because they both want to live better, wealthier lives. It's supposed to be a simple job, but they get caught and an entire mystery that spans all of Leonida will unfold.

The GTA 6 map is the biggest one Rockstar has ever made. Map Size

While there has been a lot of speculation, leaks, and information around the internet about the GTA 6 map size, it's now been confirmed that Leonida in GTA 6 is twice the size of GTA 5. It's the largest map Rockstar has ever created by "some degree." It's difficult to fathom a bigger and more detailed world than Red Dead Redemption 2, but GTA 6 is about to deliver it. We're curious to see how all of the different areas of the map fit together to make one unified Leonida.

The Main Regions

The map is split into six different areas, and they are: Vice City, Leonida Quays, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia, and the Mount Kalaga National Park. Vice City is obviously based on Miami, and probably where you'll spend the most of your time. Grassrivers is GTA 6's version of the Everglades. Port Gellhorn, which represents smaller towns that double as tourist traps in Florida. Ambrosia is the "heart" of Leonida where a lot of factories and distilleries are, and we imagine there'll be plenty of seedy shootouts here. Mount Kalaga will have the off-road events, but also has some wealthier areas.

Rideshare App

The Rideshare app is called RydeMe. When you take one of these rideshares, you can chat with other NPCs and hang out, listen to music, and get from one point to another. GTA 4's cab hailing mechanic seems to have been expanded hugely here for GTA 6.

Weather

There's a lot of new detail about the weather. Florida has very turbulent weather, and it seems like Rockstar is trying to capture that. Weather is dynamic and localized--it doesn't just happen in your vicinity. If you're flying a plane you'll see thunderstorms in the distance or sunny spots. It'll all happen concurrently. If the conditions of the storms are right, a dynamic rainbow can be formed, but evidence of the rain will also be present. Puddles, wet pavements, and maybe NPCs with wet hair will all be clear signs of a recent rainstorm.

Wind has had an overhaul since RDR2, and Rockstar has ensured it is as realistic as possible. Clothes, hair, and items will all move in the wind. It's more localized, and depending on the weather, the wind can change. If it's windy over a body of water, you'll see ripples, and more of the wind's effects on the surrounding environment.

Hurricanes

Separate to the weather, hurricanes will be present in GTA 6. We don't know if there will be any gameplay implications, but we'd hope so. Maybe a strong gust of wind would affect driving, or there could be floods. Rockstar has said gutters can overflow and affect the nearby environment. Perhaps entire routes are impassable due to hurricane damage.

Jason and Lucia

Jason's story starts in Leonida Quays as he's driving around completing smaller jobs. Lucia is from Liberty City and has moved to Leonida, but the reason she ended up in prison is something to do with her family.

Wildlife

There are over 170 species, 60 of which are birds, over 30 land mammals, and a bunch of fish and reptiles. Some animals specifically called out are manatees, flamingos, pelicans, alligators, feral cats, king toads, armadillos, non-native monkeys, sharks, whales, rays, turtles, and jellyfish. There are probably more to be spotted in the trailers. Animal fur is reactive and can be wet, matted with dirt, or pressed down.

NPCs are more diverse than ever. Activities

A lot of these can be seen in the trailers, or called out in our GTA 6 activities guide. These include base jumping, billiards, working out in the gym, kayaking, racing, visiting the zoo, airboating, jet-skiing, and mini-golfing.

NPCs

Some of this we already knew, but GTA 6 has the most diverse cast of NPCs yet. Diverse body types and looks are going to be walking the streets of Leonida. Interestingly though, NPC appearances won't be entirely randomized. There are a lot of different factors at play, including location. Where are they from and where do they live? Different areas of Leonida have different clothing styles, different tattoos, and different haircuts.

Those are the biggest takeaways we found in Game Informer's article. If you'd like to read it in full, take a look at the current issue of the magazine that's out now.