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

Weapons and Barbarian director Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie releases this month, and tickets are now on sale. If you don't want to pay full price, and you meet a certain requirement, you can get a ticket for a whole lot less than normal.

T-Mobile members in the US can score a ticket to Resident Evil for just $5 through Atom Tickets. As relayed by Wario64, subscribers can visit the T-Life mobile app on September 15 to get a discounted ticket.

That is three days before the Resident Evil movie arrives on September 18, though Thursday night screenings on September 17 are also taking place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNd1gb19A-c

The Resident Evil movie stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, an "idiot" medical courier who takes a job that brings him to Raccoon City where all hell breaks loose in a story akin to The Lord of the Rings.

The new Resident Evil movie is poised for a record-breaking debut at the box office, but that isn't saying too much since the other movies didn't do so great.

Cregger is coming off the biggest movie he's ever made in Weapons, and he has plans to follow it up with a spin-off focusing on Aunt Gladys.

If you've played a Grand Theft Auto game before, then you are probably familiar with the series' sprinting mechanic. Rather than clicking the left analog stick like in most other games, you have to either hold or mash a face button. It's annoying, less intuitive, and feels like a relic of the past, and luckily, Rockstar apparently agrees: Grand Theft Auto 6 is doing away with it.

As shared by the Italian YouTuber MikeShowSha, you will now click the analog stick in order to sprint. It's a welcome change for muscle memory if nothing else, as anything other than clicking the analog stick feels odd in 2026. We've occasionally seen other game series, like Halo, adjust control schemes over time to fit more modern standards, though usually the option for the old-style controls is available in these cases.

Of course, this change is certainly the reason it took 13 years for Grand Theft Auto 6 to arrive. Other, less-important changes include a map that is three times bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2, a new Criminal Profile system, throwable dog poop, and a physical-fitness system.

Grand Theft Auto 6 arrives November 19 for Xbox Series X|S and PS5, and it's expected to be one of the biggest entertainment launches in history. With the change to how you sprint, it just might get there.

GTA 6 is one of the most-anticipated entertainment releases ever, and many experts agree that it's sure to be a fast success. However, Rockstar North boss Rob Nelson said the studio is "nervous" about the game's upcoming release and living up to 13 years worth of hype and expectations.

"I try not to think about it," Nelson told IGN. "You’re aware of it, of course. But I think we just have to try and make something that we feel is innovating on what we've done previously, evolving it while still making it feel familiar."

Nelson went on to say that external pressure on Rockstar to deliver a great game with GTA 6 does not compare to "the pressure we put on ourselves as a team."

"Everyone wants things to be perfect. We are nervous! Nervous, of course, but also excited to see how people respond to this video and then ultimately the game," he said. "It is definitely a step forward in all respects for us--the size of the world, and how deep it feels. It’s a bit of a shock when you get in there, and you see the density of the traffic, the density of population, and the fidelity of their responses to you."

Part of the reason why GTA 6 took so long to come to market is because Rockstar is "creating perfection," according to Rockstar owner Take-Two.

Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick explained that Rockstar prioritized polish over rushing the game to release. “We’re seeking perfection,” he said. “When we feel we’ve optimized creatively, that’s the time to release.”

“There’s inherent tension, potentially, between getting something to market and creating perfection,” Zelnick added. “But this company errs on the side of perfection.”

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. A report said the game might make enough money from preorders alone–amounting to an estimated $2 billion by launch–to pay for the game’s entire production budget.

As Sony marches towards its all-digital future, the company is now arguing in a class-action lawsuit that it doesn't mislead customers into purchasing digital licenses for games, instead of actual ownership of the product.

In a filing in California's Northern District Court made last month (and spotted by Game File), Sony claims that "reasonable consumers would not be misled" when shopping on its storefront. The court overseeing the case against Sony is currently evaluating whether it should proceed to arbitration, as plaintiffs argue that Sony doesn't properly disclose the nature of digital purchases on its platforms.

California law requires a warning label that clearly communicates to consumers of digital goods that the products they're purchasing are, in fact, digital licenses. For PlayStation games, Sony says that its terms and services disclaimer--the wall of text that accompanies a sale--lays out the nature of a purchase. The disclaimer isn't found anywhere during the purchase process; instead, Sony leaves a paragraph of text above the "confirm purchase" button. Users then need to navigate through the terms of service menus and read through the text, which includes the following line in the PlayStation 5 System Software Licence Agreement:

Always read the fine print.

"If you are in North America, South America, or Central America, all games and other software made available for use with your PS5 system are licensed to you, not sold, pursuant to the Software Product License Agreement."

"In the digital age, it is not plausible to allege that reasonable consumers believed they were obtaining 'ownership' of a digital game," Sony's lawyers wrote in the company's defense (via Aftermath).

While Sony is correct that it does have disclaimers, this paints a worrying picture for the future of console games when there are no physical options available. Sony will stop producing game discs as of January 2028, and with its next-gen PlayStation console rumored to have no disc drive, the PlayStation Store will be the only game in town for accessing PS6 titles.

What's next for Double Fine following its split from Microsoft and Xbox? A whole lot, as the Psychonauts developer has multiple projects that it wants fans to vote on--including Brutal Legend 2, if you have a spare $100 million lying around.

The studio is currently seeking a more modest $400,000 on Kickstarter to fund its next project--with only a single stretch goal of $100 million--and at the time of writing, has secured $288,000 in pledges. Double Fine will be hosting its own two-week game jam called Amnesia Fortnight--not to be confused with the horror game series--and members of the studio will pitch ideas and prototype them during this period.

Company events like this led to the creation of games like Costume Quest, Iron Brigade, and Stacking, and once it's over, four of them will be chosen by Kickstarter supporters to be further developed. From that point, a single game will ultimately be chosen to be Double Fine's next project and help keep the lights on. The studio added that smaller games like these are designed to be a fun project for its team to work on, and it's still seeking funding for its next large-scale game.

So far, the Kickstarter includes the following games being prototyped, and you can click on each title to watch the pitch video.

• Architactics
• Astro Slam Intergalactic Pro Wrestling
• Bard Crawl
• Brouroboros
• Centauride
• Cosmic Bonsai
• Dragons, Gels, and Bear-Owls, Oh My!
• Echo
• Emergency Foley Artist
• Fermi's Playground
• Friendslap
• Golem Hero
• Insolation
• Lesbian Sled Death
• Lucid Gardening
• Mochimochi Line Dancer
• Muscle Madness
• Plot Armor
• Quokk 'n Roll
• Reluctance
• R.U.N
• Super Power Performance Evaluation
• Tonight We Feast
• Tractor Takedown
• Uprise
• Virtual Pet Manifesto

But if you want Brutal Legend 2 to be made? The studio has confirmed that for roughly 20% the price of Valve co-founder Gabe Newell's recent superyacht purchase, it'll finally continue the story of Eddie Riggs.

The odds of Double Fine getting a cool $100 million in pledges within a month are probably unlikely, as even the biggest video game Kickstarter success stories haven't come close to that figure. Shenmue 3 raised $6.3 million, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night secured $5.5 million in pledges, and Double Fine locked in $3.45 million for Broken Age, as a few examples.

The only exception here is Star Citizen, which has earned over $1 billion in crowdfunding over 14 years--but the full game still has no release date. Brutal Legend 2's high price tag could also be due to the costs of securing licenses for all the music, as the original game featured a greatest-hits selection of rock and heavy metal when it was first released.

Sadly, even if the sequel is made, several icons won't be returning, as in the years since Brutal Legend first hit the scene, Ozzy Osborne, Lemmy Kilmister, and Tim Curry have all passed away.

After its departure from Microsoft, Double Fine carried out a sweeping round of layoffs, affecting 23 people. "As a small, tightly knit team, these actions are not taken lightly,” studio head Tim Schafer said, adding that people were let go so as to ensure the survival of the studio.

Rockstar Games has confirmed more details about GTA 6, including how the developer cut a feature because it was deemed too realistic. Another feature that borrows from real life is staying, however.

Rockstar's Rob Nelson told Famitsu, as translated by GamesRadar, that Jason and Lucia were initially able to buy groceries and restock their fridge. However, Nelson said Rockstar decided to cut this feature because it didn't align with the studio's ideas for balancing "realism and ease of play."

"At one point during development, we were experimenting with a system that would allow you to buy groceries to restock the fridge," he said. "We had specifications for stores with groceries that you could buy and take home, and the fridge could be replenished. However, because this would have complicated the mechanics, we had to simplify it."

Presumably, this system would have tied into GTA 6's new gameplay feature where you can gain weight based on how much you eat. Players can also hit the gym to bulk up, and their physical appearance and stamina profiles will be directly related.

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

While you will not need to restock your fridge, GTA 6 players will need to refuel their cars with gas or recharge them if they're an EV. YouTuber TGG, who visited Rockstar and saw the game in action, said players can pull up to a gas station to refuel. It's not very expensive, he said, and should take only about 10 seconds to complete the refueling process, which also has its own animation. Additionally, TGG confirmed that players can repair their cars at gas stations.

TGG added that Nelson suggested to him that Rockstar is aware that the refueling/recharging system in GTA 6 might be divisive. However, Rockstar is sticking with it, and it will require players to think strategically. For example, if players are preparing for a robbery--which is one of the ways you can make money in the game--they'll want to ensure their car is fueled up beforehand to help with the getaway.

In GTA 5, cars have unlimited fuel by default, though if players puncture their gas tank, the fuel will go to zero and the car will stop working. There are mods for the PC edition of GTA 5 that add a more realistic refueling system to the game.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The expensive-to-produce open-world crime game is coming to market with enormous hype and expectations, but Rockstar and parent company Take-Two might not be sweating things too much. A report said the game might make enough money from preorders alone--amounting to an estimated $2 billion by launch--to pay for the game's entire production budget.

GTA 6's base edition costs $80, while there is a $100 Ultimate Edition that includes a lot of exclusive in-game content.

CD Projekt Red recently confirmed that the long-awaited RPG The Witcher 4 is targeting a release in 2028, and that timing has led many to wonder if the Polish developer will offer the game on a disc. After all, Sony is ending support for physical PlayStation discs in 2028 and Microsoft is expected to ditch discs, too.

CD Projekt joint CEO Michał Nowakowski told The Game Business that the studio has "no influence" on what companies like Sony and Microsoft choose to do with regards to supporting discs.

"The discs for the first parties, including PlayStation, have to be manufactured in their own factories. So, if they stop manufacturing indeed by 2028, then yes [we won’t have a disc]," he said.

At the same time, Nowakowski stressed that CD Projekt Red is a company that is highly fond of giving people "access to tangible collectible things." Given that, the executive teased that The Witcher 4 will, "for sure," have some kind of "box."

"We’re nerds ourselves, and we like that. We always supported that. So, whatever is the case, we’re going to be for sure having a box. We’re going to have a box that’s going to have some feelies in it," he said. "Something you’re going to be wanting to open up and enjoy. But we have no influence actually on what’s the case here."

The Witcher 4 kicks off a new trilogy of The Witcher games, spanning The Witcher 4, 5, and 6. These games are planned to all be released within a six-year window, so the entire trilogy could be here by the end of 2034.

In addition to these three new The Witcher games, CD Projekt is working on The Witcher 3 Remastered and a new expansion for the game called Songs of the Past. Additionally, the team is developing Cyberpunk 2, a The Witcher multiplayer game, and a game made in partnership with Scopely.

Murals might look like a stylish take on the Hades roguelike formula at first glance, but Disney Illusion Island developer Dlala Studios isn't aiming to copy Supermassive's homework. Instead, the studio is looking to put its own spin on the genre, as it fuses dark fairy tales and hews closer to the action-first approach of modern-day Doom and Diablo. One other big difference in Murals is that it'll offer a customizable approach to difficulty, as Dlala Studios says it wants to prioritize player fun over punishing runs--unless you're into that kind of thing.

"There are difficulty selectors, and you can kind of tweak some of the individual settings," Dlala CEO, Aj Grand-Scrutton, said to GameSpot. "We've kind of got some of the high-level ones you'd imagine: enemy damage, enemy health. We've also got stuff that affects the player's health. Something that [design director] Grant Allen was really keen on in Disney Illusion Island, we tried to make it as welcoming as possible.

"And whilst this is obviously a slightly more core genre, we tried to do the same here. When we're building, we don't care about player deaths. Our goal isn't to kill the player; it's to make sure they have fun. We try to make it as customizable as we can so everyone can get through. Even if you're a button-masher, that's a legitimate tactic in our rules."

https://youtu.be/D42nkf8EHMk

Grand-Scrutton added that the moment-to-moment gameplay of roguelikes like Hades inspired the fast, frantic combat in Murals, but the goal was to capture a "persistent, linear" experience within the fairy tale worlds that players will explore. As mentioned above, Doom and Diablo also helped inspire the game's design, and Allen added that an indie game called Blazing Beaks also served as an influence.

"For me, it was kind of like looking at those games and understanding the experimentation that they had," Allen added. "But obviously, it's very finite how long you have those for in those games. It was more like looking at our game as more like a child's science kit."

Revealed during Gamescom Opening Night Live, Murals will see players trek through hand-painted fairy tales that have gone spectacularly wrong. For example, Sleeping Beauty is an insomniac, and Rapunzel's own hair is trying to murder her. As the amnesiac protagonist, it's up to you to defeat distorted legends from lore and take down the enigmatic Creator. Murals will launch for PC in 2027.

Most upcoming games have looked to steer clear of the behemoth that is Grand Theft Auto 6 and avoid the month of November entirely. The upcoming remaster of 2002's Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee is a notable exception, and as it turns out, the developers didn't think about GTA 6 at all when choosing its release date.

In an interview with IGN, senior designer at developer Pipeworks Simon Strange revealed GTA's looming release of November 16 wasn't a factor when choosing Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee: Remastered's November 3 release date. 

Like others online, the development team got a kick out of kaiju fans celebrating the fact that the King of the Monsters (and Barbie) were the only two pop culture icons brave enough to face off against developer Rockstar's open-world juggernaut.

"Honestly, [it] wasn't even in our heads at all when we were picking the release date," Strange said. "That's not my business. I make the video games. I'm not too worried about when they come out. If Atari had come to us and said, 'Wow, we can't because we think it's going to affect the sales with GTA', we would've had that discussion. But no one ever said anything."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBDD_Q9rSiQ

As Strange points out, November 3 is a special date for the Godzilla fandom. It was on that same day in 1954 that the original Gojira film was released and is regarded as Godzilla's official birthday. Strange said the upcoming remaster arriving on the same day was "respectful," and that at the end of the day, Godzilla fans would show up no matter when it was released.

"I wasn't looking at the calendar and being worried in any way, or thinking about what other games are coming out because the Godzilla fans are very excited for it," Strange said. "They'd buy it on any day that it came out, and putting it out on Godzilla's birthday, that's just respectful."

While Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee: Remastered and Barbie Rewind, a collection of classic Barbie games, are both releasing in close proximity to GTA 6, there is one game brave enough to release on the exact same day. Publisher Devolver Digital recently revealed Volvy's Adventure: Reslimed, a "remaster" of a nonexistent remake that will release on Steam November 16.

For those eagerly awaiting GTA 6, Rockstar recently posted a lengthy gameplay presentation that revealed tons of new details.

Fear not, Control fans: Control Resonant will be packed with lore despite the combat-heavy trailers we've seen so far, according to developer Remedy. The lack of focus on story in promotional footage, says Remedy senior communications manager Miika Huttunen, is no reflection of the game's content, but instead a deliberate decision by the team to have the narrative side of the game on lockdown until release. In short: You'll get your fill, you just have to wait.

The sneak peeks we've had of the game so far have been mainly combat-focused, a result of combat being something that doesn't need to be revealed gradually to the player. "There's lots of weird stuff to come," says Huttunen, "plenty of twists and turns and surprises… things to discover. We're asking fans to trust us--we're Remedy. And I hope that, because we're Remedy, we get the benefit of the doubt." 

Dialogue with NPCs, collectibles, and environmental clues will all give fans a new story to piece together.

Lore-related collectibles, like FBC documents and written materials from pre-Hiss-invasion times, are scattered liberally throughout the game. It pays to explore and take your time finding secrets, as the world of Control Resonant is no less carefully crafted than its predecessor, and the story is far from an afterthought. Besides the written word, you'll also find countless places where you can open shortcuts, unpack subtle environmental clues, and have interactions with NPCs who help to expand your understanding of the world.

Huttunen also revealed that Control Resonant will reward players' decisions in dialogue through subtle changes in how other characters react to them, side quest variations, and a slow build of their own personality. The main story will be largely linear and have one distinct ending--though if Remedy's track record is anything to go by, one that players won't see coming. 

The combat we've been shown looks excellent, but there will be plenty of lore, too.

The brief chunk of gameplay we saw at Gamescom already had enough to get fans of the original game wondering how the hell things got so bad, as test-subject-turned-paranatural-protagonist Dylan was shown actively seeking out and consuming the stupefying Mold. Manhattan is unrecognizable, requiring gravity shifts to traverse streets that now point directly up into the sky or curve around to form an unnatural ceiling, and enemies of various grotesque flavors roam free. 

Dylan himself is as much of an enigma as the world around him. You're revealing the story of the wider city--past, present, and future--but also coaxing Dylan's story out one puzzle piece at a time. 

Fights in the demo were fluid and flexible. Using the Aberrant, a shapeshifting melee weapon, Dylan quickly adapted to waves of enemies, building up a Falter gauge to deliver fatal blows, and dashing nimbly between the legs of shambling Mold creatures. It's satisfying, fast-paced, and rewards the aggressive strategist's approach. Using the paranatural abilities to your advantage means your weapon feels like an extension of you, especially as Dylan gains health only by killing enemies. Resonant's combat focuses on aggression, as we previously learned there won't be a parry mechanic.

Before this place got covered in mold it probably looked alright.

In between these bouts--either after a victory, or voluntarily during quieter periods--Dylan can retreat to The Gap. This is a sort of liminal space where you can practice moves in a low-stakes arena of enemy types (useful for learning weaknesses), change his loadout, use new Artifacts for boosts, and upgrade his abilities. It's a peaceful reprieve, but once you return to the real world, there's a penalty: everything has been refreshed and strengthened, designed to level up with you. 

Between the snippets of conversation shown in the demo, the strange and immensely detailed setting, seamless combat against intelligent foes, and a load of new lore to uncover, it seems like Control Resonant might be exactly as good as fans were hoping.

Fans eager to see what Nintendo is cooking up for the 2026 holiday season might not have to wait long, as new evidence is making a September 10 Nintendo Direct look likely. 

That evidence in question is Just Dance: Decades of Hits. A recent leak saw gameplay from the upcoming Ubisoft title circulate online, leading to an official statement from the game's official X account. Far from simply acknowledging the leak, Ubisoft actually told players when they can expect a proper, official look at the game--September 10.

"We're committed to sharing the complete picture with you on September 10, and we sincerely thank you for your patience and continued support in the meantime," Ubisoft's statement reads.

https://twitter.com/justdancegame/status/2093013175197130759?s=20

As highlighted by Nintendo Everything, Just Dance titles frequently appear during Nintendo Directs, with last year's Just Dance 2026 Edition announced during a summer presentation. Nintendo also has a history of premiering a Nintendo Direct ahead of the Tokyo Game Show, which kicks off on September 17 this year.

The September 10 date then is looking promising, especially when combined with Nintendo's previous history. We recently explained why a September Nintendo Direct is likely to happen; there has been an early-to-mid September Nintendo Direct almost every year for the past decade (with a late August direct in 2024 being the one exception).

We'll know if the September 10 date is real by September 9 at the latest, as Nintendo has a history of announcing a Direct with around 24 hours notice. 

Even without taking into account whatever surprises Nintendo is potentially saving for the end of the year or the first half of 2026, the house of Mario already has two exclusive games fans are expecting more details and release dates for--The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake and From Software's The Duskbloods. 

Both are slated to release in 2026 but don't yet have official release dates. In Zelda's case, we know almost nothing about the remake aside from a short teaser that lacked any gameplay, leading to fans wildly speculating on every aspect of information revealed so far. It seems safe to assume Nintendo's next Direct will give fans a more in-depth look. 

Those eagerly anticipating The Duskbloods got a chance to go hands-on with From Software's latest multiplayer experiment in a recent network test--one that reportedly saw more interest than Elden Ring Nightreign and left us eager to play more. 

In addition to the two games above, Nintendo may also look to celebrate The Legend of Zelda's 40th anniversary. A recent leak showed a special Zelda-themed Switch 2, which could be officially announced at a potential September 10 Nintendo Direct.