In December 2025, the developers at Ubisoft Halifax--the studio behind the mobile game Assassin's Creed Rebellion--successfully voted to unionize and join the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada. Now, less than a month later, Ubisoft is shutting down Ubisoft Halifax and laying off 70 people.

According to Video Games Chronicle, Ubisoft has denied that the closure of the studio has anything to do with the employees' unionization efforts. The publisher also stated through a spokesperson that the decision to close Ubisoft Halifax had already been made before the union vote was taken.

"Over the past 24 months, Ubisoft has undertaken company-wide actions to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs," Ubisoft's spokesperson said in a statement to VGC. "As part of this, Ubisoft has made the difficult decision to close its Halifax studio ... 71 positions will be affected. We are committed to supporting all impacted team members during this transition with resources, including comprehensive severance packages and additional career assistance."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Season 1 Reloaded arrives in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone on January 8, and the big midseason update adds a crossover event with the Fallout TV series. This includes Fallout-themed skins, limited-time game modes, and an event pass.

This midseason update is bringing the wasteland to Black Ops 7 and Warzone with an all-new Fallout event. As shown in the trailer above, this event will feature operator skins for Lucy, Maximus, and The Ghoul from Amazon Prime Video's Fallout TV show. The event also includes additional vault dweller skins.

Call of Duty's Fallout event pass

This Fallout event follows the formula of Call of Duty's other major IP events, such as the TMNT and Squid Game crossovers, offering both free and paid event passes filled with cosmetic rewards. Call of Duty's paid event passes usually cost $10. The Ghoul and Maximus are available to unlock in the paid event pass, while the vault dweller skins are earned in the free pass. Lucy's operator skin is available as a shop bundle, and Call of Duty's operator bundles are typically around $20 each.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Arc Raiders quests can sometimes get pretty complicated, demanding you venture across multiple maps to complete various objectives. A Bad Feeling isn't one of these, though, as it asks something quite simple of you: Just open an Arc Probe or Arc Courier. But where exactly will you find one of these, and what will you find inside? We're here to answer that for you, so read on for where to find Arc Probes and Arc Couriers.

Table of Contents [hide]

• Where to find Arc Probes

Where to find Arc Probes

You may occasionally see a fresh Arc Probe come in from the sky (keep an eye out for something that looks like a rocket coming down). These will be standing straight up once they land. However, these aren't likely to be the probes you normally come across, as most Arc Probes are found tipped over on their sides. In either case, you can hear Arc Probes from some distance--listen for their odd bleeps and bloops emitting every few seconds.

Arc Probe

While they're found in randomized spots all across every map, Arc Probes are considerably more common during the Electromagnetic Storm map event. During the event, check the roof of the Testing Annex on the Dam Battlegrounds map to score at least 2-3 of them in the same spot--which is a great way to start getting your points up if you're trying to knock out an Open Arc Probes weekly trial that may be active.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Quests in Arc Raiders most frequently require you to visit only one map, but you'll occasionally encounter some that send you across multiple maps to complete them. One of these quests is Back on Top, which asks you to visit all four launch maps and mark specific buildings. It's not a particularly challenging quest, but it can be rather time consuming due to the amount of travel time needed to reach each building on the maps. As such, we've compiled the locations of all four buildings you need to mark. When you're ready to get this quest underway, follow the steps below.

Table of Contents [hide]

• Mark the Pattern House

Mark the Pattern House

The Pattern House is located at the northern tip of the Dam Battlegrounds map. Head to the wall right beside the entrance and mark it to finish this portion of this quest.

Gallery

This area is generally safe, but you should probably still keep your gun in hand if you plan to meander around inside and loot after marking it.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Xbox Wireless Controller – Fallout Pip-Boy Edition

$100

See at Amazon Sold out at Xbox Store

The Fallout Pip-Boy Edition Xbox Wireless Controller is now available at Amazon for $100. The limited-edition controller initially launched as an Xbox Store exclusive on December 16 and sold out fast. If you're interested in owning the cool Fallout-inspired version of the official Xbox Wireless Controller, you should snag one soon. You can still purchase and customize the controller on Xbox Design Lab, but the price starts at $105. Xbox released the controller on the eve of Fallout Season 2's premiere on Amazon Prime Video.

Xbox Wireless Controller – Fallout Pip-Boy Edition $100

Inspired by Vault-Tec's wearable computer, this controller features a black top case, the outer casing of a Pip-Boy, and a bright green Vault Boy icon in the center. The D-pad sports a healthy radioactive glow, and several other design elements replicate the Valued-Added Targeting System from Fallout. Beyond that, this is a standard Xbox wireless controller.

It's still the same design that was introduced five years ago, with textured triggers, tactile face buttons, and a very clicky D-pad. These controllers can be powered by AA batteries or a rechargeable battery pack sold separately; they're equipped with an audio jack for wired headphones, and their ergonomic design still makes them very comfortable to use for long stretches. The other great thing about the Xbox controller is that it can be used on multiple platforms, including PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and mobile devices via Bluetooth.

See at Amazon Sold out at Xbox Store

Xbox was also offering the Fallout Pip-Boy theme for the Elite Series 2 on Design Lab, but it's no longer available as of January 7.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

StarCraft may be set for a comeback, with a new report indicating a third-person shooter set in Blizzard's sci-fi franchise will be revealed at this year's BlizzCon.

According to a report from Windows Central's Jez Corden on what to expect from Xbox this year, a StarCraft shooter could headline Blizzard's fan convention in September.

Details about the game, including whether or not it will be a multiplayer title, are light, but it was first reported to exist in 2024 by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schrierer in his book Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Former Far Cry lead Dan Hay is said to be leading the project. Corden said he's confirmed the game's existence with his own sources, but did not share any additional information on what the game will look like.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

There's no shortage of handheld gaming PCs to choose from lately, but the Steam Deck has been a popular option thanks in part to its operating system. SteamOS works far better than Windows on these machines, and fortunately, it's available on another device: Lenovo's Legion Go 2. The company recently rolled out the Legion Go S with SteamOS, but for anyone looking for a handheld with more heavy-duty hardware--and Switch-like controllers--the Legion Go 2 has been a solid option. Lenovo will start selling the Legion Go 2 with SteamOS preinstalled in June, with pricing starting at $1,199.

Preorders aren't open at the time of writing, but it's likely that you'll find a listing at Best Buy and Amazon soon for the Legion Go 2. Compared to other PC gaming handhelds, the Legion Go 2 offers a lot of technical bang for your buck. The premium model is powered by the AMD Z2 Extreme chip, has 32GB of DDR5 RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 74Wh battery. The base model uses the AMD Z2 SoC, has 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and the same battery.

Lenovo Legion Go 2 SteamOS

Both models also share one of the best screens you can find on a gaming handheld in the form of an 8.8-inch PureSight OLED display. This has a 144Hz refresh rate with VRR, making games look vibrant and smooth. The detachable TrueStrike controllers are also a big draw, and you can use them to shift between handheld, tabletop, console, or FPS modes.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Some collectors will stop at nothing to complete their collections, even if that means decades have to pass before ever finishing. One such collector was on such a journey, finding and acquiring every Xbox 360 game released, and at the start of this year, that collector has finally finished this now vintage library that totals around $20,000--with the last game being a gift from their son.

Redditor uncleseeth shared their massive library in a post on the r/gaming subreddit on January 2. Starting the collection after receiving their Xbox 360 and Neversoft's Western shooter Gun on Christmas Day in 2005, uncleseeth then went on a mad hunt for every single game ever released on Microsoft's seventh-generation console. From standard editions to different variants, uncleseeth said their collection topped at 1,353 games--well over the 1,256 needed for a "complete set," which doesn't include the variants of various games.

Some games and items were given as gifts, including Efecto Studios' racer El Chavo Kart and the Xbox stand. One game that shocked them to find was The Farm 51's action-adventure Deadfall Adventures, which they described as "kinda [having] Indiana Jones vibes."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

A new report claims to have information on some of the upcoming unannounced games coming from Xbox, including a Fallout: New Vegas remake, a StarCraft shooter, a new Warcraft game, and more.

Windows Central reported that a remake of the beloved 2010 RPG from Obsidian is in the works, alongside the previously rumored remake of Fallout 3. These may not be the only Bethesda projects in the works, as the report said id Software may be working on a third Wolfenstein game to coincide with the upcoming Wolfenstein TV series for Prime Video.

Bethesda boss Todd Howard previously alluded to major reveals for Fallout coming up, saying Fallout is the Bethesda series that the company is "doing the most in" currently.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

War never changes, but major TV production plans do. A new report points to Fallout Season 3 starting to shoot as soon as May 1, which is almost two months earlier than previously thought. The Prime TV series will film in Santa Clarita, California, according to ProductionList.com, which added that this location was utilized for Season 2 as well.

Last month, Fallout executive producer Jonathan Nolan stated that they were aiming to begin filming this summer, with the plan to get Season 3 on the air as soon as possible. This new report adds that creators Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner will be back, too. Nolan alluded to this fact when talking to IGN in December.

Another returning name for the creative team is reportedly Frederick E.O. Toye. He has directed multiple episodes of the Fallout series and will helm more in Season 3. Toye also has previously worked on Shogun and Westworld.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Unless you lived under a rock, you'd know that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was easily 2025's most acclaimed game of the year--and not just because it took home the Game of the Year trophy (alongside being named GameSpot's GOTY). Despite the massive popularity and success of the JRPG, developer Sandfall Interactive was surprised by the reception the game received, going as far as saying the team "underestimated" just how much Clair Obscur's side content would resonate with audiences.

Speaking to Edge Magazine for its February 2026 issue (via GamesRadar), lead game designer Michel Nohra explained that the optional objectives in the game--the additional bosses, minigames, side quests, and more--were far more popular than the team initially thought.

"Often, people don't want to finish the game, so they do all the side content before finishing it, because once the story is over, you're usually less motivated to do the side content," Nohra said. "And that's something I underestimated, which made people [who] wanted a challenging end boss fight feel a bit disappointed. I don't regret doing it the way we did it, but [we could have] had more explanation about your choice [in Act 3]."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The Switch is already lacking in video-streaming apps, and the platform is set to lose one of the biggest ones next month. Nintendo confirmed that the Hulu app is already off the eShop, which appears to be a part of a larger change for the Disney-owned media service.

Nintendo's support website states that official support for the Hulu application ends on February 5. The Switch app silently launched back in November 2017, months after the console came to retail. The app is not compatible with Nintendo Switch 2, and a native version of the app never came to Nintendo's new console.

Disney confirmed last year that the Hulu app will be fully integrated into Disney+, unifying both of the company's streaming services. Standalone subscriptions for both services will still be available once the platform merger occurs sometime this year, but anyone wishing to watch Hulu offerings at that point will have to do so on the Disney+ app.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Arc Raiders is an online multiplayer extraction shooter that features PvE as well as PvP systems. You can run in and shoot NPC enemies or, if you're feeling particularly violent, you can blast player-controlled characters. But for developer Embark Studios, the latter isn't really the point of the game, so don't expect more PvP systems in the future.

In an interview and video playthrough with GamesBeat on December 30 (via IGN), Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund explained that the team isn't planning on adding anything like PvP leaderboards because the PvP environment merely creates tension in the game. It isn't the bedrock on which the rest of the game was built.

"We've had several discussions about Nemesis systems and all types of things," he said. "I don't know where the team [is] on them right now. I think one of the beauties of this game is the fact that we don't have those leaderboards, and it's not competitive. We don't want to necessarily foster that type of gameplay. The game isn't about shooting other players. You can do that if you want to, but the ethos of the game has never been to go in and shoot players. It's a part that we use to craft tension."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Similarly to Season 1 of Prime Video's Fallout release, the Fallout games have once again seen a spike in popularity over on Steam, coinciding with Season 2's premiere. There was also a rise for the mobile game Fallout Shelter, which could be attributed to having crossover appeal with the show since Lucy (Ella Purnell) and The Ghoul (Walter Goggins) were added to the game.

Looking at the numbers on SteamDB, it appears that the number of people playing games like Fallout 76, Fallout 4, and Fallout 3 has seen significant upticks since Season 2 premiered back in December (via PC Gamer). Fallout: New Vegas, which is featured heavily in the new season, had about 20,000 concurrent players last weekend, up from about 8,000 before the show debuted.

Even Fallout 3, which typically drew only around 100 concurrent Steam players, has climbed to nearly 200--hardly massive, but roughly double its pre-Fallout Season 2 numbers.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

More than a decade after its last release, Carmageddon is returning with Carmageddon: Rogue Shift. Developed by Redout studio 34BigThings, this spin-off casts players as a faceless driver in a world wrecked by war, disasters, and an inconvenient zombie apocalypse triggered by megacorporations.

Zombies--called the Wasted in this universe--overwhelm humans while players clash in deadly races for power, prestige, and a chance to escape the chaos by catching a rocket off Earth. While this sounds par for the Carmageddon course, the catch here is that Rogue Shift leans heavily into roguelite gameplay. Players drive through randomly generated paths and tackle events to seize upgrade credits, and even if you crash out, permanent bonuses unlocked with beatcoins grant you an edge for your next run.

Each run will require you to carefully plot your destination, as your ride will require repairs along the way. Difficulty also increases dynamically, but finding the right synergies between vehicles, perks, and weapons will help you build the ultimate killing machine that can be used against the Wasted hordes or other drivers roaming the streets.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Warner Bros. Discovery has officially rejected Paramount's revised offer to buy the company, saying it was "not in the best interests of WBD and its shareholders." The offer also does qualify as a "superior proposal" based on the definition in WBD's pact with Netflix that was announced back in December.

After WBD announced a deal with Netflix, Paramount launched a hostile bid, appealing directly to WBD shareholders. Paramount later sweetened the deal, including a massive $40.4 billion guarantee from Larry Ellison, but WBD's shareholders rejected this as well.

WBD's board of directors said on January 7 that it continues to recommend that shareholders approve Netflix's bid and reject Paramount's.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Arc Raiders was one of 2025's biggest success stories in gaming, and it's keeping up the momentum in 2026, with January 4 becoming the game's biggest day ever in terms of daily users. The game was originally going to be a free-to-play title, but it changed to $40 ahead of launch. Why $40? Embark Studios boss Patrick Soderlund said in an interview that the decision to switch from free to premium came after the team saw the success of Helldivers 2, which was also priced at $40.

"We basically looked at games like Helldivers and other games and decided, 'OK, that is where we should sit,'" he told GamesBeat (via Eurogamer). "We made that decision, whether that was right or wrong one can argue. I like the fact that the game is relatively affordable and that people can come in and try the game."

The executive added that $40 was the right price for Arc Raiders also because it helped the game avoid being an "offender" for players. The game has no campaign and is 100% multiplayer.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

This year's first Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) charity livestream has shown players a side of Mario Kart World that they may not have been aware of before. Free Roam mode lets fans explore the open world of the game, but someone at AGDQ has demonstrated how to turn that into your personal playground.

A speedrunner named Helix went through Mario Kart World's Free Roam mode to complete the All ? Panels category in under 30 minutes. The goal is to activate every single question mark block in the game. To pull that off, Helix needed to pull off a lot of tricks, as well as some lucky breaks, and judicious use of the game's rewind feature.

Helix clearly has a mastery of Mario Kart World's open world, as some of the question marks aren't easily accessible without knowing where they are or how to reach them with your chosen character. For this speedrun, Helix went with Para-Biddybud because his light weight and ability to stay in the air longer than most of the other racers. Helix also explained that this is best attempted with a fresh save file, or else Free Roam mode will drop players near the last course they completed.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Even the most expensive advertising campaigns are nothing without a good Steam review score. A studio that manages to shift a game's review score from "Mixed" to "Very Positive" can as much as triple its chance of making a sale from a marketing campaign, a new games industry report has shown.

Games marketing firm Gamesight published the statistic in its latest Performance Marketing Playbook, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz. Gamesight charted the conversion rates of 30 premium games against their respective Steam review scores, showing that every game with a conversion rate over 2% boasted a Steam review rating over 80% positive.

The report also included a case study that followed a single unnamed game's 21-month marketing campaign, charting the campaign's success against its review score at the time. The game generally saw a higher conversion rate when its review score was higher, with the conversion rate peaking at over 7% when the game briefly achieved a rating of "Overwhelmingly Positive."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

This past weekend has seen a new spate of Pokémon TCG-related crimes, with over $300,000 worth of rare cards stolen in two seperate incidents in Southern California. In one, thieves broke into a trading card store and smashed display cases, while a second incident saw a collector held up at gunpoint for a briefcase of rare cards.

Trading card store Simi Sportscards in the Simi Valley was the target of a break-in early Sunday morning, KTLA reports, with CCTV footage showing a group of at least five thieves smashing display cases to steal the cards inside. Store owner Jake Miller says the group stole rare sports trading cards and valuable Pokémon TCG cards after sawing through the front door. He estimates the break-in will cost the store over $50,000 in repairs, lost merchandise, and security upgrades.

A second theft occurred on Sunday night shortly before 10pm, NBC reports, with police saying the two may be connected. The target of the second theft was a regular of card shop RWT Collective in Sawtelle, who was tailed and held up at gunpoint in the underground carpark. The group of thieves stole a briefcase from the collector containing cards valued around $300,000.

Continue Reading at GameSpot