GameStop's ambitious plan to purchase eBay has been officially rejected by the online auction marketplace. The company raised several concerns, with its primary one being how GameStop would plan to fund its proposal to purchase eBay for $56 billion--especially when GameStop itself only has $9.4 billion in assets.

The eBay board of directors ultimately decided that GameStop's proposal was neither "credible nor attractive," citing that the company in its current setup is more than capable of delivering "long-term value" for its shareholders. Essentially, eBay is doing just fine business-wise and doesn't need to entertain a buyout offer from GameStop.

"We have taken into account such factors as 1) eBay's standalone prospects, 2) the uncertainty regarding your financing proposal, 3) the impact of your proposal on eBay's long-term growth and profitability, 4) the leverage, operational risks, and leadership structure of a combined entity, 5) the resulting implications of these factors on valuation, and 6) GameStop's governance and executive incentives," eBay chairman Paul Pressler wrote in response to GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen's offer.

It's official: Switch 2 consoles are going to become $50 more expensive as of September. Even with the price hike, Nintendo says the new MSRP still won't cover all the costs involved in producing a Switch 2.

"We sincerely apologize to our customers for the considerable inconvenience and trouble this will cause," Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said during the company's recent financial results presentation (via a Nintendo Patents Watch translation). "While we wanted to prioritize a wide adoption, it was challenging to bear the rising costs over a long period. The [new] pricing does not fully account for all cost increases."

Like almost all hardware in 2026, Nintendo is facing a perfect storm of conditions that has forced its hand. The ongoing shortage of crucial components, a weaker yen, and rising oil prices have all contributed toward making tech more expensive. Furukawa added that the higher price may create an additional barrier to entry, but Nintendo is confident that a "robust software line-up" will help "enhance the Switch 2 ownership value" for consumers. Once September arrives, a Switch 2 will increase from $450 to $500 in the US.

The first Sinking City was an ambitious swing for developer Frogwares. It was open-world, featured a massive, flooded city to explore, had loads of side quests, and made an--albeit flawed--attempt at third-person horror action. All of that wove together with the studio's signature detective-mystery roots to make an experience that wasn't very good, but was at least worth trying or paying attention to.

Before The Sinking City, Frogwares had iterated on the deduction mechanics of the detective genre one Sherlock Holmes game at a time, sprinkling in influences from other genres along the way, from open-ended exploration in Crimes and Punishment, to light combat with The Devil's Daughter. But neither were as stark in genre shift or as daring in scale as The Sinking City--even if those bold decisions were to the game's own detriment.

The Sinking City 2, on the other hand, is not as ambitious. Instead of aiming for the same heights as the first game and Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, Frogwares has whittled The Sinking City 2 down into a genre more safely suited for its Lovecraftian Psychological roots: survival horror. And, yes, that makes sense, but while the first Sinking City has its share of blemishes for its stiff combat and underbaked open world, I had a soft spot for its earnest ambitions. It was clear the studio had aimed for something higher, even if it couldn't quite reach it.

Crimson Desert has been a huge hit since it arrived in March, and unsurprisingly, developer Pearl Abyss is looking to capitalize on it with post-launch content. The company outlined plans for the game as part of its quarterly financial performance update, while also revealing that the game made an impressive $180 million in revenue. In comparison, Black Desert Online brought in $40 million during that same quarter, and Pearl Abyss wants to keep the momentum going.

"Crimson Desert will continue to focus on enhancing user satisfaction and driving new sales through continuous updates, while expanding its market presence through platform expansion," Pearl Abyss said in its earnings letter. "In addition, we are currently exploring various ways to broaden the game to the next level, including DLC. We will share the details once the concrete plans are set."

It has only been two months since Crimson Desert launched, but the game has already shifted a massive 5 million units across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in its first 26 days. While Pearl Abyss does expect to sell fewer copies from now on, it still expects the game to sell consistently well throughout the year. As for the studio's other projects--DokeV and Plan 8--these are still in development, and Pearl Abyss is aiming to release a new game every two to three years.

Phasmophobia's next event is unlike any before it, because it's the first to involve a crossover with another franchise. The "Phasmophobia by Alan Wake" event runs for three weeks, beginning today, May 12, and includes the game's debut of unlockable skins, modeled after the main characters of Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake 2: Alan himself and FBI agent Saga Anderson.

During the Phasmophobia by Alan Wake event, four of the game's maps have been reimagined to suit the Alan Wake world, including touches that are inspired by Alan Wake 2 locations and events. Included in that limited-time map overhaul are the newest of them, Nell's Diner, as well as both of the farmhouses and Camp Woodwind. Like in Remedy's own games, you'll be seeking out pages from Alan Wake's writings and interacting with some of the game's enemies, including cultists in deer masks, though the game will still fundamentally feel like Phasmophobia, so it doesn't "introduce any confusion for players," Kinetic director of marketing and partnerships Asim Tanvir told me.

New challenges will guide you through the event, and you'll use new items taken right out of Remedy's game, such as Alan's angel lamp. Perhaps most exciting of all, if you're coming to the event as a fan of Alan Wake, is that its story was written by Remedy's creative director, Sam Lake, and will feature narration from Alan Wake's voice actor, Matthew Poretta.

Adi Shankar has had success in adapting video games into animation, having worked on multiple seasons of Castlevania alongside Konami and Netflix, as well as with Ubisoft for Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix. More recently, he has been collaborating with Capcom on Devil May Cry, the first season of which launched on Netflix in 2025 to a largely favorable reception.

Now, with its second season, Shankar and team are delving deeper into the story of Dante and Vergil, as the two characters come to grips with their origins, the divergent paths their lives took following a family tragedy, and how their two perspectives shape them and the fate of a world that hangs in the balance. It also embraces Devil May Cry 2, the video game series' most divisive entry.

Of course, with as much experience as Shankar has in taking video game source material and adapting it for animation, we would be remiss not to get his perspective on the latest high-profile announcement of a similar project: Sony's adaptation of From Software's Bloodborne.