Resident Evil games over the years have slowly added more fantastical elements to their tale of bioweapons running amok, but for the new live-action movie, director Zach Cregger is dialing back those ideas to a more "grounded" level. Even so, he doesn't think he'd fare very well if he were dropped in that world.

"I feel like some of the Resident Evil games get a little magical," Cregger said during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session (via YouTuber Troy Hill Talks Movies).

"[Resident Evil] 8, we have a woman who can turn into a bird and fly around. And like, I love it. I've played it a bunch of times. I think it's an awesome game, but in terms of me making a movie out of it, it's like I've got to try and limit some of the wild aspects of Resident Evil. And so I chose to stick with the T-Virus, keep it as grounded as possible. So that means I'm not going to have a gigantic jacked dude in a trench coat, because I'm like, where'd the coat come from? How did he get the coat?"

https://youtu.be/mNd1gb19A-c

Cregger explained that while the Resident Evil games do explain how Mr. X gets his stylish coat, in the world he has constructed for the movie, there's no time for the infected bioweapons to consider zombie apocalypse fashion. "This movie, it's like the outbreak just happened," Cregger added. "I want to keep it chaotic, I want to keep it primal, and I want to just keep it as grounded as I can. The T-Virus causes all kinds of cool, fun mutations. That is enough, so I'm limiting it there."

As a co-founder of the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U' Know, Cregger says that the muscles he developed for creating sketch comedy also helped him zero in on "absurd" opportunities and find the right timing for unexpected results in Resident Evil. As for his chances of surviving his own creation? Cregger doesn't think he'd last too long in his version of Resident Evil.

"There's no chance I would survive," Cregger bluntly stated. "I wouldn't have survived the cop car attack because I would have probably just dropped to my knees and just been like, just bite me, just f***ing do it. I can't handle that kind of energy. No, I would die so fast."

Resident Evil will be out September 18 in theaters, and the movie is projected to have a big opening weekend in North America. For more on the film, you can also read up on how several of the best Resident Evil games inspired the visuals of the upcoming movie.

Athanasia, the indie horror game that traps you in a mysterious facility full of dinosaurs, is launching in the ideal horror-game window: just before Halloween. GameSpot can exclusively reveal Athanasia's release date; it comes to PC on October 19 via Steam Early Access.

In Athanasia, players find themselves trapped in a South American research facility swarmed by dinosaurs that have somehow traveled through time to the present day in the game's story. Though the art style recalls something quite like Dino Crisis, Capcom's long-dormant dino horror series, the specifics of the gameplay are actually more surprising.

Influenced by System Shock, the first-person Athanasia also has immersive-sim leanings, as seen in the game's trailer below, where the player can creatively get themselves out of a jam by experimenting with their environment. Of course, if it's really an immersive sim, players will be able to flush the toilets. It's wait-and-see on that one.

That's not the only wrinkle, though. Athanasia also teases a different enemy type hidden from all of the game's trailers so far. It seems something worse than dinosaurs is lurking.

Athanasia launches on October 19 from Momentum Games, with the horror-focused Black Lantern Collective publishing.

Ahead of the release of Resident Evil later this month, director Zach Cregger sat down for an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit he answered questions about the movie. While trailers for Resident Evil have teased a few Easter eggs that players of the game will recognize, Cregger also spoke about another game-inspired influence on his horror movie: Resident Evil's third-person viewpoint.

"I feel like the biggest inspiration for this was the games, and I mean cinematically," Cregger said during the AMA (via YouTuber Troy Hill Talks Movies). 

"I'm not talking about the content of the movie. I'm talking about the visual language of the movie. I feel like people my age and younger, we grew up with our visual tastes informed just as much by video games as we did by movies. I know as a kid, I played video games probably just as much as I watched movies. There's something that is ingrained now about this third-person camera and this first-person thing where you really are learning the space as the character learns the space, and you feel much more immersed in their perspective because you are. And so, for me to make a movie about Resident Evil where I'm following a character on his foot journey, it's like, obviously, I'm going to employ the visual vocabulary that these games have employed so well."

https://youtu.be/SJPu1spHqfk

Cregger added that he choreographed scenes to emulate this gameplay approach, so as to "train the viewer" early on as to how they're going to experience the movie and the journey of Bryan, the medical courier played by Austin Abrams. Resident Evil 7 was also influential on the film for how it portrayed a normal person being put through the ringer, Cregger said, but Resident Evil 4 also played a large role in the "rhythm" of the film.

"[Resident Evil] 4 has the rhythm that I really like, where you're moving from set piece to set piece, location to location," Cregger explained. "Resident Evil 4 is just such a big game. You go through all these different worlds, from the village to the castle, and to the island. It just kind of keeps giving and giving. I like the idea of kind of borrowing the rhythm and the scale from RE4 and using some of the character elements from RE7."

Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18, and Cregger has teased a fast-paced movie full of "f**ked up and weird" imagery for fans to enjoy.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been Nintendo's golden goose for several years, as it's the company's best-selling Switch game of all time and has received various updates over the years, becoming a feature-packed experience. Even with Mario Kart World aiming to usurp its position, Nintendo isn't done dropping new content into Mario Kart 8 yet, as the game just received a new eight-player split-screen mode out of nowhere on Switch 2. It's free to download, allows for up to eight players to share the screen locally, and it looks wild in action.

Alongside the new mode that segments your TV like a slab of chocolate, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Version 4.0.0 also adds several more improvements that take advantage of the increased horsepower on Switch 2. In a nutshell, you're getting sharper graphics, CameraPlay support, and shorter load times in addition to smaller quality-of-life tweaks under the hood of the popular kart-racing game. Even player speed has been increased by a whopping coin--whatever that means.

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/2094968553728274749

But the expanded local split-screen is the real star of the show here, as not only can you strain your eyes while playing on TV, but you can also make your local optometrist happy by watching all those races unfold in handheld mode on the Switch 2. Considering just how much of an intensive load it is to render eight sessions in real time, the new multiplayer mode is a technical marvel to watch.

This will likely keep Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at the top of the Nintendo food chain for a while yet. Mario Kart World has its charm, but as fans have pointed out, the anemic amount of content added since its launch last year has made it hard to root for. That drought might be coming to a temporary end, as with a rumored Nintendo Direct supposedly arriving later this month, players are expecting Mario Kart World to get some sort of an update. If you're looking to grab it, a new Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle ($550) launches in late September--albeit for $50 when compared to the original launch bundle.

Here Are The Switch 2’s Best-Selling Games So Far View Images

Earlier this summer, Fenris Creations (formerly CCP Games) released an update to its popular online spacefaring MMO called Cradle of War, which the community immediately abbreviated to "CoW." This shorthand apparently sparked a few ideas inside Fenris, and now an actual cow is livestreaming an Eve Online session from Iceland.

The cow, whose name is Valva and username is FC CapitalCowPilot, is manning a mining ship on a deep space mining operation. The team at Fenris Creations fitted its pen with "cow-proof" buttons, which when stepped on will perform certain in-game actions, while a voiceover host delivers cow facts to viewers of the livestream.

https://bsky.app/profile/lotrlore.bsky.social/post/3muk2ibt4zk25

As of this writing, over 200 players have joined CapitalCowPilot's mining expedition, with over 4000 viewers watching along on Twitch as the cow moves around its pen. Fenris Creations has announced some community goals which can be unlocked during the stream, including new skins for ships and new updates for the Cradle of War expansion.

The stream will run "for roughly 4 to 6 hours," as Fenris admits that it's "on the cow's time, she's not on ours." Valva has made quite an impression on the stream's chat, with some users demanding that the cow be left alone while on its mining mission.

The Cradle of War expansion's non-bovine additions include time-limited Military Campaigns, which let players complete tasks in order to advance their empire's goals, and a new area called Exordium specifically built to help onboard new players.

In what feels like a monkey's paw situation, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate unexpectedly received a new patch--but unlike recent updates for other major Nintendo games, this Smash update doesn't include any Switch 2-specific features.

The Ver. 13.0.5 patch for Ultimate fixes "behavior that occurs when invalid data is sent or received in online battles," according to the Nintendo Support website. It isn't clear from the patch notes (or note, rather) what "invalid data" refers to, but some users on Reddit speculated that the update targets mods.

Meanwhile, fellow Switch 1 game Mario Kart 8 Deluxe received a hefty 4.0.0 update with substantial features for Switch 2 users, including split-screen support for up to eight players, camera support, shorter loading times, and higher resolutions. Pikmin 3 Deluxe also got a similar Switch 2 update this week.

It's a disappointing time for Smash Bros. fans, with not a single hint of a new Smash game or a proper Switch 2 update for Ultimate, whether that comes in the form of a free patch or a Switch 2 Edition with new content.

There's a laundry list of features that players would love to see in a Switch 2 version of Smash Bros. Ultimate, including new characters, additional stages, increased resolution, and implementation of rollback netcode. The only Switch 2-related update that Ultimate received came in June 2025, fixing an issue where online matches with Mii Fighters would end immediately if one of the players was playing on a Switch 2.

Development for new content ended in 2021 after the addition of Sora from Kingdom Hearts capped off Ultimate's DLC. The latest title from Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai is Kirby Air Riders, which launched last November with no DLC planned. Perhaps Smash fans should bet on a new Smash game coming instead of an Ultimate update, though we can probably all agree that Sakurai deserves a break.

It’s Time For Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Switch 2 Upgrade View Images

GTA 6's Jason and Lucia can be romantically involved, or they can just be partners in crime. If you're not interested in the game's romance system, don't use it, Rockstar's Rob Nelson said in a new interview.

"I have to say it feels great--if you are into it as a concept. Don’t bother with it if you aren’t. Up to you," Nelson told IGN.

Players who do wish to grow and nurture a romantic relationship between Jason and Lucia can hold hands, visit a zoo together, or enjoy a romantic stroll on the beach, Nelson said. If players don’t want to do those things, they don’t have to, but Nelson said players might miss out on other things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpPpqZwUwl0

"I don’t want to say too much more about this because I don’t want to spoil anything. It really adds a compelling element to things, and it’s one of the reasons we wanted to approach this sort of story, because it's completely different for us," Nelson said. "Could we bring some sort of emotional resonance to GTA for people if they wanted to engage with it? Could we also provide mechanisms for people to just opt out of it if they're not into it? If they feel like, ‘I don't want a relationship in this?’ That's what we're going to find out. It's not something that we want to foist upon players."

Nelson said players might grow to "feel protective of [Jason and Lucia] as a unit" as they progress through the game, and the developers at Rockstar didn't originally envision this.

"This is something we did not know when we started, and it really had to be something we felt our way through. But I will say that whether you’re getting in trouble, or you’re running from the cops, or getting in a car, or waiting for the other one--playing as them together feels very cool. It feels like you’re taking care of them, if that’s something you’re into," he said.

Jason and Lucia in GTA 6.

Players will need to manage the relationship by responding to texts and, like in any good relationship, making an effort.

“It’s new for GTA, this idea of your actions having meaning in terms of how you treat your partner or how violent you are,” Nelson said in another interview.

Nelson went on to say GTA 6’s story will take cues from “that Bonnie and Clyde concept.” He added, “We knew it was the only way for us to go with this game.”

Bonnie and Clyde were famous American outlaws from the early 1900s who committed many crimes, including murder. They were lovers, and they were eventually killed by the police in 1934 in Louisiana.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. We learned a lot more about the game today, including how the map is 3X bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2’s and that a playthrough can be 80 hours long. The game also brings back six-star wanted levels, and that you can pet the dog.

Kingdom Come developer Warhorse is working on multiple new games, including a The Lord of the Rings role-playing game. We don't know much about it right now, and Warhorse isn't likely to share more details anytime soon.

In a post on social media, Warhorse said, "We're excited to tell you guys more, you've just gotta be patient for now." In short, you should be more like an Ent and slow down. Good things come to those who wait, after all.

Warhorse announced the game earlier this year, saying it will be a "deeply immersive" open-world Middle-earth RPG.

A scene from 2002's The Two Towers.

The game will feature a “living world” populated by “interesting characters, memorable places, and, of course, a strong narrative focus," the developers said. This doesn't tell us much about it, but it’s a starting point for understanding where the game may be headed. We also know that Deliverance 2 design director Viktor Bocan is leading the development of the untitled Lord of the Rings game.

In addition to the new Lord of the Rings game, Warhorse is producing a new Kingdom Come game, along with a Kingdom Come movie.

As for the Lord of the Rings game series, Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics is said to be working on its own game as well. Both Crystal Dynamics and Warhorse are owned by Embracer, which controls the rights to The Lord of the Rings.

Beyond these games, Aspyr Media has teased more re-releases of classic The Lord of the Rings games following the shadow-drop of War in the North.

The Lord of the Rings series remains popular outside of games, too. Prime Video’s The Rings of Power series returns for a third season this November and Andy Serkis is directing The Hunt for Gollum, which will be out in 2027.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is looking to add some extra wrinkles to several of its established gameplay pillars, but the biggest update here might just be the inclusion of an honor system. Taking a page from Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA 6 will remind you that actions have consequences, as your less-than-legal activities will feed into a criminal profile that evolves with you. Not only are there various profiles within this that gauge just how effective you are at crime--or bloodthirsty--but developer Rockstar Games will let you break it entirely if you cause too much chaos.

"There's no right or wrong way to play the game," GTA 6 co-head of development Rob Nelson said to YouTuber TGG. "Just a bit more choice now. How do you want to play this game if your actions may have some impact on things? You can still cause as much chaos as you want if that's what you want to do. I don't think it changes what GTA is. It changes what it can be for people who want to engage with it in that way. You still have as much freedom as you had before; you can just do more now, and you have more choice in terms of how you approach situations."

https://youtu.be/33t4kUEBL5k

At the highest level, players can have a criminal record that labels them as a "Professional," and from there, the states descend into Aggressive, Violent, and Psycho. Reaching the fifth, currently unnamed state, is said to be particularly tough, but once you do, there's no return from a full descent into villainy. The idea is that players will have the freedom to alternate between criminal profiles or replay the game while aiming to align with those particular states.

Players can also disable notifications about their profile status changing, and the co-protagonists Jason and Lucia will each have their own profile that changes throughout the course of the game depending on the actions you take with them.

How these states ultimately influence the story of GTA 6 has yet to be revealed, but we'd wager that being a homicidal loose cannon probably won't end well by the time that the end credits roll.

GTA 6 will include several other features designed to heighten the game's sense of realism. Non-playable characters will notice if you're carrying weapons out in public, cars require more finesse to steal, and yes, you can throw dog poop at people. At the same time, Rockstar has also removed one of the worst legacy features from GTA 6, as you'll no longer need to wear your thumb out when you're outrunning cops by mashing a single button.

GTA 6: 268 Screenshots To Ease The Wait View Images

CD Projekt joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski is "not worried" about the future of consoles, despite rising costs that could impact growth in the sector.

Speaking to The Game Business, Nowakowski said consoles continue to be "necessary to broaden the audience" for casual and semi-casual players. "It’s important to have easy to plug in and enjoy gaming," he said.

He said consoles will "weather the storm" they are currently facing today, including pricing. Nowakowski also said he's heard the rumors that the PS6 and next Xbox could be delayed, but he said, "I don't know if they're true."

A scene from The Witcher 4.

Generally speaking, Nowakowski said CD Projekt doesn't spend too much time worrying about how the company reaches people. "Content is the king. And if the content is right, people will find a way to play it," the executive said.

The developers at CD Projekt would ask for "as much power" as possible to help display games in the best possible light. However, Nowakowski said the developers at CD Projekt are "realistic," too, so if next-gen consoles get delayed, some ideas that would require new, more powerful hardware might get "put on a shelf for the future."

"We’d have to adjust. We’re not worried on the commercial side. Consoles are here to stay," he said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FatSqS3VYY&t=19s

CD Projekt has multiple games in the works that are likely planned for new consoles, as The Witcher 4 is lined up for release in 2028, with Cyberpunk 2 likely coming sometime after.

Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have raised hardware prices due to global market factors, including tariffs and the AI-fueled demand for components and memory. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma recently said it's "wonderful" that GPUs have use cases outside of gaming, even if it means that Xbox consoles are now more expensive than ever. Nintendo, for its part, has received refunds for President Trump's tariffs--which were deemed illegal--but said it has no legal requirement to pass along any money to consumers who paid more. Sony, meanwhile, has received gigantic tariff refunds as well, with no plans to pass anything along.

There are rumors that the next wave of new consoles could cost $1,000 or more, and that could have a dramatic, negative effect on the market overall.

Sony's decision to kill off PlayStation game discs has been met with almost universal disdain since it was first announced, and it looks like its employees have been caught in the crossfire. Just about every Sony announcement or social media post is met with calls for it to reverse its decision, and Sony Japan has instituted a new anti-harassment policy to protect the customer service employees who have had to deal with a vocal contingent of dissatisfied consumers.

These changes also align with new workplace laws in Japan that will take effect later this year. "Similar to other companies in Japan, Sony Interactive Entertainment has published its policy in compliance with a new law taking effect on October 1, which requires employers in Japan to implement measures to address customer harassment," Sony said in response to GameSpot.

According to the policy, Sony will restrict people who "exceed what is considered reasonable" when interacting with customer service, including "unreasonable demands" for compensation or apologies. Abusive language, threats, and "forcing someone to prostrate themselves" can also get you cut off from the help desk, as will visiting offices or related facilities without permission. Sony added that it will work with the police and lawyers, if necessary, to protect its employees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FatSqS3VYY&t=19s&pp=0gcJCRoMAYcqIYzv

While customer service workers are currently dealing with backlash over Sony's decision to focus on an all-digital future, the company has also been criticized for several more recent actions. Sony responded to a class action lawsuit in which it was accused of not clearly informing consumers that its digital store sells game licenses, not full games. Various publishers have also accused Sony of anti-competitive moves and of working toward creating a monopoly through its digital storefront. Sony will pay out nearly $8 million to PlayStation customers as part of a settlement over digital game prices.

Even with all of that bad press, the company is still moving "cautiously forward" with its plan to end game disc production, as no amount of negative comments or week-long boycotts has convinced Sony to change its mind. Expect a flood of comments highlighting this during this week's back-to-back State of Play livestreams.

Following a report that Square Enix was potentially exploring going private, the company behind hit franchises like Final Fantasy has released a statement denying the claims. Japanese business magazine Sentaku originally reported that Square Enix was exploring this possibility and that foreign investment funds were rumored to be interested in a deal, which saw Square Enix's stock rise by 7%.

"The September issue of the monthly magazine Sentaku carried a report regarding the possibility of Square Enix. (the Company) going private," Square Enix wrote in a press release. "However, this information was not announced by the Company. No consideration is currently being given within the Company to taking the Company private."

Even if Square Enix were to change its mind, buying back all shares wouldn't be cheap. Depending on daily stock fluctuations on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Square Enix has a Market Capitalization of roughly $6.67 billion to $6.82 billion. While that's pretty big, Square Enix still pales in comparison to the market valuations of its fellow Japanese gaming giants, Nintendo ($64 billion) and Capcom ($11.33 billion). Where the company stands out is that it has a stable revenue base, and recent financial overhauls have improved its capital efficiency.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3NrZKxdh6Q

Square Enix is also more than just a video game developer and publisher, as it also publishes manga magazines and graphic novels under its Gangan Comics imprint, operates arcade franchises under the Taito Corporation banner, and it has a massive merchandising arm. Looking ahead, Square Enix has plenty of games in the pipeline, including the upcoming releases of Final Fantasy Resonance and Final Fantasy 7 Revelation.

That would make it a lucrative prospect for an offer to go private, as seen in the case of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund--alongside Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s private equity firm Affinity Partners and investment company Silver Lake--taking ownership of Electronic Arts last month, concluding a $55 billion deal.

Unfortunately, this takeover has left EA saddled with billions in debt, and it's feared that mass layoffs will follow as the company aims to cut costs.

Sony is set to pay out nearly $8 million to PlayStation customers as part of a settlement regarding digital game prices. The settlement (via IGN) comes after Sony's motion to dismiss the lawsuit was denied, and settlement class members across a more-than-four-year period are potentially eligible for a payment.

The lawsuit, originally filed back in 2024, alleged that Sony established a monopoly over PlayStation Store prices by making publishers "cede control over the final price to Sony" and that Sony "eliminated the last vestiges of price competition when it stopped allowing outside retailers to sell digital download codes that could be redeemed on the PlayStation Store."

Sony is not agreeing to wrongdoing as part of the settlement, and will be avoiding a civil trial if the terms are agreed upon by the court. Once that happens, the claims against Sony will be dismissed "with prejudice," meaning another lawsuit on the subject cannot be filed.

You are potentially eligible for a payout if you purchased one of the affected games via the PlayStation Store between April 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023. Dozens of games are listed in the official court documents, including Nier: Automata, Resident Evil 4, The Last of Us Remastered, and Vita games like Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Killzone: Mercenary.

Like most big movies these days, the upcoming Resident Evil movie from Weapons director Zach Cregger will have its own dedicated popcorn bucket, and now it's been revealed, at least for one theater chain.

People who see Resident Evil at a Regal theater will be able to buy a popcorn bucket themed after an organ-transport bag like the one Austin Abrams' character has in the movie. The popcorn bucket can hold a large order of popcorn and the fine print states that it does not come with a beating heart like the one in the promotional image below. Phew. Pricing for the bucket was not announced.

https://twitter.com/RegalMovies/status/2094772370154148016

Tickets for the Resident Evil movie went on sale today, September 1, and today is also the day that Cregger will answer fan questions in a Reddit AMA. If you're a T-Mobile subscriber, you can potentially get a ticket to the movie for just $5.

The Resident Evil movie comes to theaters on September 18, and it's expected to have the biggest opening in franchise history. In addition to Abrams, the movie features Zach Cherry, Paul Walter Hauser, Kali Reis, and Johnno Wilson. Cregger wrote the film alongside Shay Hatten (John Wick, Army of the Dead).

Netflix has confirmed that GTA 6's recent "extended look" trailer was the streamer's most-viewed title overall last week, drawing 31.1 million views.

The trailer was labeled an "English-language film" by Netflix, and it was No. 1 by that designation in 87 of 93 regions globally that Netflix's tracks (via Variety).

The GTA 6 trailer was well ahead of the No. 2 title last week, which was the movie The Whisper Man, which had 23.2 million viewers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpPpqZwUwl0

Netflix's view counts cover views for each title from Monday to Sunday of the previous week. A "view" is defined by Netflix as the total hours viewed divided by the total runtime. Netflix publishes this data each Tuesday.

The extended look trailer was published first on Netflix before being released on Rockstar's own YouTube channel and elsewhere six hours later. Rockstar's own video has 17 million views, but YouTube counts views differently, and that represents just one channel, as numerous other sites and sources hosted it, including here at GameSpot.

Netflix called its partnership with Rockstar Games for the trailer a "first-of-its-kind" offering for the popular streaming platform. Netflix's stock price has crashed since its bailed out of its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, and the company has undertaken numerous efforts to increase engagement and total watching time on the platform.

Beyond this partnership for the GTA 6 trailer, Netflix has expanded into video podcasts. The New York Times recently reported that Netflix is in discussions to add Fox One and Peacock to the platform, while it's also been reported that Netflix could add free ad-supported TV content.

As for GTA 6, the game launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

CD Projekt Red's RPG Cyberpunk 2077 infamously launched in December 2020 in such a poor technical state that Sony took the rare move to remove it from the PlayStation Store. Thousands of people refunded the game. CD Projekt joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski has now reflected on this, saying it "was for sure wrong" to launch the game in that state, but he pushed back against the theory that the studio did so to appease investors who wanted to see financial returns.

Speaking to The Game Business, Nowakowski said COVID "was a factor" in the game's rough state at launch, because "the team was getting exhausted in a different way." He admitted there were "people outside telling us we should launch," and fans lobbied for this as well. The developers themselves also "wanted to push it out the door" because the ongoing development was "really tiring."

Looking back on it, now with the benefit of hindsight, Nowakowski said, "The decision to launch was for sure wrong, period. There is no denying it."

That being said, Nowakowski said, "There were no magical investors telling us, 'You have to get this out.'" Instead, he said, "It was much more complicated and psychological."

A scene from Cyberpunk 2077.

CD Projekt's fiscal years follow the calendar and end on December 31. Cyberpunk 2077 was released on December 10 in 2020, and this timing led people to wonder if the developer put the game out then instead of delaying to 2021 to meet the fiscal deadline. There is, after all, precedent for game developers pushing games out the door in a rough state to hit certain fiscal deadlines.

Cyberpunk 2077 might have released in a rough technical state, but it was a smashing success at launch commercially. The game sold nearly 14 million copies right out of the gate, which made it one of the most successful RPG releases in the history of video games. Given that success, CD Projekt Red executives got multimillion-dollar bonus payouts, while developers also took home big bonus payouts related to the game's huge success in sales.

Following Cyberpunk 2077's rough launch, CD Projekt Red steadily supported the game with numerous updates and improvements over the years, culminating with a massive, game-changing 2.0 update in 2023 alongside the Phantom Liberty expansion. Today, the game has sold more than 40 million copies.

In other news about Cyberpunk 2077, Microsoft just announced that the game is leaving Xbox Game Pass soon.

Given the huge commercial success of Cyberpunk 2077, it only makes sense that CD Projekt is now making Cyberpunk 2, but it is likely still years away from release. On the more immediate horizon is The Witcher 3: Remastered this year, The Witcher 3's new Songs of the Past expansion in 2027, and then The Witcher 4 in 2028. Fans hoping to play The Witcher 1's remake might want to get comfortable.

CD Projekt has revealed that The Witcher Remake from Fool’s Theory is currently on the back burner as the studio works on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s Songs of the Past expansion and awaits some of The Witcher 4's technological innovations.

Joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski mentioned roadblocks for the project in an interview with The Game Business. “We started a collaboration with Fool’s Theory. They were supposed to work on The Witcher 1 [remake], but we realized that needed a bit more time because of certain technology dependencies with The Witcher 4,” Nowakowski revealed.

GameSpot has reached out to CD Projekt for comment on the state of The Witcher’s remake and whether issues with those “technology dependencies” required for further development have been resolved. We will update if we get a response. 

CD Projekt at large is transitioning from using its proprietary RED Engine for all its games to Unreal Engine. The Witcher 4 will set the standard for what a Witcher game in Unreal Engine looks like, and it appears that The Witcher 1’s remake (announced in 2022) got caught up in that technology shift. Now Fool’s Theory is the primary developer of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s upcoming Songs of the Past expansion, which was unveiled at Gamescom.

This is the only image related to The Witcher's remake that CD Projekt ever publicly shared.

Previous statements Nowakowski made in conversations with investors support his latest comment. In its Q3 2024 earnings report Q&A, Nowakowski said that “work is progressing” on the remake, but in the Q&A reflecting on the entire 2024 fiscal year, Nowakowski’s tone on the project changed. He explained that the remake’s development had been integrated with The Witcher 4’s. 

 “Due to production process dependencies - among others related to assets and technology - we have decided to temporarily integrate its development with ongoing work on The Witcher 4,” he said. “As a result, a small portion of The Fool's Theory team is currently supporting The Witcher 4 team. Our goal is to have the necessary assets, tools, and pipelines ready for more efficient development of The Witcher Remake.”

In a Q3 2025 earnings call Q&A, Nowakowski reiterated this by stating, “the majority of the team is currently involved in the other project [Songs of the Past], and also support for The Witcher 4, so there is some limited team working on TW1, but since it’s very much tied with TW4 development…for TW1 per se, it’s a smaller group of people.”

The Witcher 1’s remake does not have a release window at this time, but from Nowakowski's comments, it seems likely it won’t arrive until after The Witcher 3 Remastered later this month, Songs of the Past in 2027, and The Witcher 4 in 2028.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 open beta was supposed to end today, September 1, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, but Activision is extending it.

The beta is now set to wrap up at 10 PM PT / 1 AM ET (September 2), meaning it's been extended by a full 12 hours. Not only that, but Activision is offering double progression XP and double weapon XP now until the beta closes down.

This is great news for anyone grinding through the levels to claim the MW4 open beta's various rewards. Players who make it all the way to the level cap of 30 get a special weapon blueprint, and now there are 12 more hours to grind for it, or likely less if you're at work, school, eating, sleeping, gardening, etc.

After the beta wraps up, the next time people will be able to play MW4 multiplayer is when the game launches on October 23. The game's single-player campaign, meanwhile, unlocks a week before that for people who preorder.

MW4 is in development for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC. The game is coming to a Nintendo platform for the first time since 2013's Call of Duty: Ghosts. Additionally, MW4 is skipping last-gen consoles for the first time since Ghosts.

The MW4 launch comes 34 days before GTA 6 arrives on November 19.

The latest batch of removals from Xbox Game Pass have been announced, and some heavyhitters are leaving soon. After The Witcher 3 was removed in August, another CD Projekt Red game, Cyberpunk 2077, is leaving the service on September 15.

There are nine other games leaving Game Pass that day, including Dead Cells, Frostpunk 2, Spiritfarer, Train Sim World 5, and more. You can see the full list below.

Cyberpunk 2077 was added to Game Pass in March this year, so it may have had a six-month deal, given that it's leaving this month.

In terms of new additions for September, Game Pass is adding Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage, and RuneScape: Dragonwild this month, just to name a few.

Cyberpunk 2077 is leaving Game Pass soon. Game Pass removals for September 15

• Commandos: Origins (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Cricket 24 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (Cloud and Console)
• Dead Cells (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Deep Rock Galactic Survivor (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Frostpunk 2 (PC)
• Mullet Madjack (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Spiritfarer (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Superliminal (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Train Sim World 5 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

It's the start of a new month, and right on cue, Microsoft has revealed the first wave of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in September. The upcoming batch isn't too massive, but it does include a day-one release that competitive gamers will want to check out, along with more titles for Xbox Game Pass Premium. Inversely, Game Pass will be losing some pretty big titles this month, with Cyberpunk 2077 leading the wave of departures.

Kicking things off today is Shelldiver, an incremental game about a turtle fishing for jellyfish and then selling its catch at its adorable little store. On September 3, Speedrunners 2 launches as a day-one game. This competitive co-op platformer now supports up to eight players online, and you'll need to outrun and outjump your rivals to win each match. I hope you have good memorization skills for the challenging levels!

On September 4, Game Pass Premium subscribers can grab Dice a Million for some roguelike deck-building fun, and one of the big highlights in September is the inclusion of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on September 8. While new Call of Duty games won't be added to Game Pass on day-one, you can grab this 2020 first-person shooter and enjoy a tightly paced Cold War-era story centered around hunting down a Soviet agent who is looking to destabilize the world.

Another roguelike deck builder joins Game Pass on September 10 in the form of the medieval-themed The Royal Writ, but if you'd prefer to bang knuckles, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage is a pretty fun brawler featuring Sega's fighting game royalty, and it's available the same day. Rounding things out for the first half of September is RuneScape: Dragonwilds, a co-operative survival adventure.

Xbox Game Pass September Wave 1 Games https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo_olnx7uGo September 1

Shelldiver (Cloud, Console, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

September 3

Speedrunners 2: King of Speed (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

September 4

Dice a Million (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

September 8

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (Cloud, Console, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

September 10

The Royal Writ (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

September 15

RuneScape: Dragonwilds (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass