Fanatical's Black Friday Sale is now live, offering steep discounts on hundreds of PC games. As a bonus, if you spend $15 or more on a single order, you'll get to spin the Black Friday Sale Wheel. This gives you a chance to win anything from discount coupons to games (and all purchases also come with a guaranteed 5% off voucher for your next purchase). All games purchased at Fanatical are official keys for Steam or other launchers like the Epic Games Store.

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As for the game deals, you'll find several AAA RPGs in the event, such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition for $14.49 (was $50), The Elder Scrolls Online for $4.39 (was $20), and Fallout 76 for $8.79 (was $40). You can also grab the massive Warhammer 40,000 RPG, Rogue Trader: Voidfarer Edition, for just $35 (was $100). Both Monster Hunter Wilds and Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak are down to some of their best prices of the year. Wilds is just $41.29 (was $70) which is a great price for the newest entry in the series that launched earlier this year, while the Rise + Sunbreak bundle is just $8.39 (was $60), and is a solid pick for anyone who hasn't experienced it yet.

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If you grew up during the '90s and played NBA Jam, then you know the voice of Tim Kitzrow. His memorable commentary on the game became part of NBA Jam's blockbuster success in arcades. However, Kitzrow has revealed that he was paid a very small amount for his work in the first game.

While speaking with The Escapist, Kitzrow disclosed that he was paid $50 an hour for his work on NBA Jam, which was the same amount of money he made recording lines for Bally Midway's pinball machines. It wasn't until after the game was released that Kitzrow realized that he should have charged more.

"I'd go in, do a couple of sessions, maybe 15 hours total, and that was it," recalled Kitzrow. "I wasn't smart enough, savvy enough to know the business, to go, 'Gee, these games make a lot of money, maybe I should make more than $50 an hour.' I didn't have an agent at the time ... When the game came out and I found out it made a billion dollars, that's when I realized I'd made like $800 and change ... I thought, 'Well, I'm probably being underpaid, I might want to raise my rate.'"

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 received a small update on November 25, and the patch notes revealed a much-needed fix for the campaign's Endgame mode. The update added a new protection for disconnects that previously caused players to lose all of their progress in the mode.

Black Ops 7's Endgame works much like the high-risk/high-reward structure of extraction-style shooters. Players grind matches of Endgame to level up their characters' abilities and combat rating, and failing to successfully extract from the map means they lose everything. Unfortunately, players were losing everything to random disconnects and game crashes as well.

Treyarch said it heard the feedback from players, and the new update adds a disconnect protection. Now when players drop into matches of Endgame, the game snapshots the player's Combat Rating at the start of the match. This means players will keep their progress that was snapshotted at the start of the match even if a disconnect or crash occurs.

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Netflix's Assassin's Creed TV show is progressing ahead, with actor Toby Wallace joining the series as its first confirmed actor.

Wallace, known for his roles on HBO's Euphoria and the movie The Bikeriders, will be a series regular on the show in an unspecified co-lead role, Deadline reported. The official Netflix account confirmed Wallace's involvement.

Toby Wallace is entering the world of Assassin's Creed.

He's the first series regular cast for the live-action series adaptation of Ubisoft's best-selling video game franchise. pic.twitter.com/BNwFV84QQL

— Netflix (@netflix) November 25, 2025

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TimeSplitters Rewind, a remake of sorts of the original TimeSplitters trilogy, is now available completely for free on PC and with the official blessing of the IP holder.

TimeSplitters, TimeSplitters 2, and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect were a trio of well-liked FPS titles created in the early 2000s by UK developer Free Radical. The developer was working on TimeSplitters 4 when it went bankrupt in 2008 and was later absorbed by Crysis developer Crytek.

A few years later in 2013, Crytek gave its official blessing to a TimeSplitters fan project looking to keep the franchise alive, even going so far as to provide original TimeSplitters assets for the project. The IP would later be transferred to THQ Nordic (now part of the Embracer Group), which honored Crytek's original agreement for the fan project, even as it briefly resurrected Free Radical with the intent on bringing the TimeSplitters franchise back to life.

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Recently, actor Charlie Cox reacted to his nomination for Best Performance in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by saying the credit should also be shared with the performance-capture actor, Maxence Cazoria. Now, Cazoria has said he's receiving an outpouring of support after Cox spoke up, saying what Cox said about him was "incredibly generous."

"Thank you for all the messages these past few days. Charlie's words were incredibly generous, and I'm truly grateful," Cazoria said. "Bringing Gustave to life was a team effort, and I'm honored to have played my part in it. Thank you all so much for the love and support. Tomorrow comes."

Cox said he was "thrilled" to be nominated, adding that Cazoria should get the credit. "I believe the performance of that character is really down to him and my voice was just a part of that process," he said.

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Epic Games has come up with an entirely new way to promote Fortnite's Chapter 6 finale event and launch of Chapter 7 this weekend: by briefly turning the storm circle into a "storm seven" for an hour on Tuesday morning. Look at this:

Fortnite Battle Royale's storm circle took on a new shape for a bit.

The change occurred at 6 AM PT and was reverted at 7 AM, with all games that started during that one-hour window having this odd new storm circle. The change was a promotional stunt to build hype for the Chapter 7 launch on Saturday, November 29--the chapter finale live event, which will only play one time ever, is Fortnite's biggest event every year, as it usually draws player counts in the tens of millions for whatever spectacle Epic has in store.

But the emphasis on the number 7 isn't just because we're about to start Chapter 7. During the finale live event we're also expecting the return of the Seven--Fortnite's Avengers-esque team of superheroes that had been led by Dwayne "The Foundation" Johnson until the end of Chapter 3, when they were eaten by evil liquid chrome. No members of the Seven have been seen since the start of Chapter 4, and the game pretty much stopped referencing them completely in Chapter 5, so their return would be a big deal.

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One of this year's biggest gaming stories is the $55 billion sale of Electronic Arts to a group of private investors including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Subsequently, there have been rumors that Saudi Arabia is backing Paramount's bid for Warner Brothers, which Paramount has denied. Now, a new report suggests that the PIF won't be making any new major purchases any time soon after experiencing a cash-flow problem.

According to The New York Times, the PIF has been hit by a number of investments that are underwater financially. The report specifically mentioned that the planned Saudi Arabian city Neom and a ski resort with robot workers are among the PIF assets that are currently flailing. Saudi Arabia's wealth still stems from its vast oil deposits, but the kingdom has limitations on how much oil it can sell without violating agreements and treaties already in place. That could potentially mean PIF has been spending resources faster than Saudi Arabia can replenish the fund.

PIF spokesperson Marwan Bakrali denied the report and told the New York Times that the PIF still has $60 billion in cash and "similar financial instruments." Technically, the sale of EA has yet to officially go through yet, and it still needs regulatory approval in the US and other countries before it can be finalized.

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Marvel Snap will pay homage to classic comic team-ups with its next limited-time mode, Team Clash. The mode will reimagine dozens of existing cards as "Team Clash" versions with team-based synergies, and each team will have a passive ability to boost their strengths. The event will begin in late December.

The six teams run the gamut of Marvel characters and classic team-ups: Avengers, X-Men, Brotherhood of Mutants, Thunderbolts, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Spider-Verse. You'll be able to try out a pre-built deck with any of the six teams, or build your own custom Team Clash deck to try your own strategies. Your custom decks just need to have the six core cards for that team.

Some cards have been subtly tweaked for the Team Clash mode, while others are completely different. For example, in the Avengers team, each time you play an Avenger, you give the others at that location +1 power. Team Clash Captain America has an ongoing ability similar to his regular one: Other Avengers at his location get +2 power. But Hulk has a bigger shift--a slight reduction in power, but an On Reveal that gains +2 power for each other Avenger at his location.

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Earlier this year, Valve changed its rules to prevent adult games from having early-access releases on Steam. That came in the aftermath of a broader push against adult titles on Steam and Itch.io, largely at the behest of banks and payment processors. The upcoming indie horror game Horses is rated M for Mature, but it's not an adult title. Regardless, Steam informed the developer, Santa Ragione, that Horses was banned from the platform in 2023. The developer claims Valve has never explained its reasons for the ban in the two years since the ruling.

Horses is a first-person title that casts players as a ranch hand who spends two weeks at an increasingly bizarre and unsettling farm. The horses in this game aren't horses at all. They're naked humans wearing horse masks who are forced to act like beasts of burden.

Santa Ragione insists that Horses is not pornographic, and the publisher jokingly added that it apologizes if it "got your hopes up for horse porn." Instead, Santa Ragione says it's using "challenging, unconventional material to encourage discussion. It invites players to examine why something feels the way it does, what it says about the characters and systems at work, and where their limits lie. It is about tension, not erotic content."

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Ex-GTA boss Dan Houser has an explanation for why he believes the Grand Theft Auto franchise has been so successful for Rockstar Games, and it might not surprise you, but it's fascinating hearing him recall some history.

In a brief conversation with Channel 4's Sunday Brunch on November 23, the English producer and writer was asked if what led to GTA's mega-success had anything to do with the fact that the game is this sort of simulation for the version of ourselves that we can't actually live out.

"I think partly," Houser said. "I think it's partly that, partly it put you in this exaggerated cinematic world, and mostly I would argue because it was this sense of freedom. Before that, games were either a shooting game or a driving game or a simulation game, and [GTA] was all three smashed together in a way that felt very free. And just, also, you know, when people talk about the metaverse or this digital world, those were the first games that showed you this idea of living in this fake place."

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Pokemon 24-Inch Plushies

$25 (was $60)

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A bunch of Pokemon plushies are on sale at Walmart for Black Friday, including 24-inch figures of iconic pocket monsters like Pikachu and Charizard. Psyduck, Dragonite, and Sprigatito are also among the discounted plushies, all of which are just $25 apiece (normally $60). These giant stuffed figures could make an awesome holiday gift for the Pokemon fans in your life, or you as a cuddly accent for your bedroom, game room, or living room. We've listed all of the stuffed Pokemon deals below, along with a selection of other collectible plushies available in Walmart's Black Friday sale.

Pokemon 24-Inch Plushies$25 (was $60)

There are five different Pokemon plushies eligible for the $35 discount: Psyduck, Charizard, Pikachu, Dragonite, and Sprigatito. All five are made of extra soft materials, are officially licensed Pokemon products, and clock in at an impressive two feet in size. All five look pretty great, though the Pikachu and Dragonite models might be the most adorable. Pikachu is wearing its signature smile, while Dragonite is giving a friendly wave. For something even cheaper (and slightly smaller), the Sleeping Pichu 18-Inch Plush is on sale $20.46 (was $30). This is yet another officially licensed plushie made with ultra-soft materials.

Pokemon Plushies at Walmart See all at Walmart

• Charizard 24-inch Plush -- $25 ($60)
• Dragonite 24-inch Plush -- $25 ($60)
• Pichu 18-inch Plush -- $20.46 ($30)
• Pikachu 24-inch Plush -- $25 ($60)
• Psyduck 24-inch Plush -- $25 ($60)
• Sprigatito 24-inch Plush -- $25 ($60)

Beyond these stuffed Pokemon characters, a few other plushies are also on sale for just $25 in Walmart's Black Friday sale. This includes a Jumbo 30-inch Stitch Plush based on Disney's popular fuzzy blue alien. If you're a lover of cartoon dogs, you can also grab a giant 36-inch Bluey Plush or a 27-inch Snoopy, both of which are part of Walmart's sale. You'll also find a few Winnie the Pooh characters on sale, including a 26-inch Pooh Plush. Check the list below for more Plushie deals in Walmart's Black Friday Sale. And don't forget to check GameSpot's Black Friday Deals Hub, which we're updating continuously throughout the holiday shopping season with all the best discounts.

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The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz has confirmed that his studio used artificial intelligence technologies for his new game, The Blood of the Dawnwalker, but he believes AI should help--not replace--humans in the development process.

Tomaszkiewicz told Eurogamer that his team at Rebel Wolves used AI to create character voices for The Blood of the Dawnwalker's early tests before the company hired actors later on.

"We wanted to have it as soon as possible to test the game and iterate on it. And then when we decided the story was great and it worked, we started the proper recordings with the actors. This is the use of the AI we had in our company," he said. "I think that it's quite reasonable."

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This month's big Xbox update adds several titles to the list of games you can stream from your personal library, among other features.

An Xbox Wire post touts that there are over 1,000 games in the "Stream your own game collection" library, including recent releases Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide. Keep in mind that only Xbox Game Pass subscribers can stream their owned games. The extensive list of supported games is on the Xbox website.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has finally launched the beta for its Gaming Copilot AI assistant on the Xbox mobile app. Gaming Copilot, which has already rolled out on Windows PCs, is essentially a chatbot that "knows what’s happening in your game in real-time," allowing you to ask questions and seek tips and strategies.

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Microsoft and Asus have rolled out a new update for the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, with the primary focus on default game profiles. That's the descriptor for titles to not only run well themselves, but to make sure the handheld is running efficiently as well--without owners having to tinker with settings.

On Xbox Wire, the highlighted example for how default game profiles will work with ROG Xbox Ally handhelds is demonstrated with Hollow Knight: Silksong. By enacting the setting after the update, the metroidvania game should gain "nearly an hour of battery life compared to performance mode while still delivering smooth 120fps gameplay." Default game profiles are starting in preview with 40 titles available, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Other improvements as part of the Xbox-branded handheld update are faster loading for your games library and "improved gamepad response after login." In addition, Microsoft and Asus have teased future tweaks for the devices. They want to enhance "sleep and wake reliability" as well as add AI-powered automatic super resolution, for instance. Additionally, next week the plan is to introduce a game-save-sync indicator so you know when your progress is properly stored in the cloud to use on another system.

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The trading card game ecosystem has become very crowded in recent years. Longtime stalwarts, like Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering, have been joined by One Piece, Disney Lorcana, and Gundam all in the last three years, and more companies are entering the space quickly.

The most recent name to throw its cards on the table (literally) is Riot Games with Riftbound, a trading card game centered around the champions and worlds of the ultra-popular League of Legends. Its first set, Origins, released late last month, and has already been deemed a massive sales success. Yet based on the recent Riftbound PAX Unplugged panel, it seems as though this is just the beginning of Riot's big plans for the game moving forward--and they want everyone to be a part of them.

According to Riftbound head designer Dave Guskin, there's one simple reason why Riftbound is so appealing (and easy to play) for new players: It was designed for everyone. "We designed Riftbound, first and foremost, to be an easy game to get into with your friends," Guskin said. "It's really welcoming to those who are familiar with other TCGs, and if you love League, we have done a lot to try to make the champions feel here the way they feel there."

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Splitgate 2 is finally getting out of its long beta phase. The developers confirmed that the beta will end on December 4, when the servers will shut down so they can prepare everything for the full launch later that month. When this happens, the Beta Season, all active battle passes, and everyone's seasonal ranks will come to an end.

"Since launching the beta in May, this game has majorly transformed," the team said about how much the game has changed. "We started with factions and abilities, and we've rebuilt the entire foundation about what makes Splitgate special: portals, movement, and pure gameplay."

Splitgate's world is basically a futuristic sport where combat arenas are set up for high-tech portal battles. Players are dropped into zones with weapons scattered around, and the whole point is to outplay people using smart portal tricks, quick movement, and good aim. The gameplay feels like a mix of classic arena shooters and mind-bending portal tactics, where you can surprise enemies from almost any angle.

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That new Hyrule Warriors game, Age of Imprisonment, will get a free update this week that adds new content, such as challenges to complete and weapons to unlock.

Nintendo of America posted about the free update on X on November 25. Landing in the game on November 27, you'll be able to battle against enemies for "additional in-game rewards." This includes two new weapons, a new Sync Strike for Zelda and Calamo, and more.

Unlock new challenges in a free update for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment on Nov 27. Take on fearsome enemies to earn additional in-game rewards including two new weapons, a new Sync Strike for Zelda and Calamo, and more! pic.twitter.com/ADRlQJBu5E

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) November 25, 2025

According to Nintendo Everything, you'll get access to multiple Battle Challenges and Hyrule Challenges after you've cleared the main campaign, alongside new enemy types for you to fight. There's a Greatsword of Light and a Spear of the Upper Guard you can equip to the mysterious golem and warriors of various races. And you have Zelda and Calamo's new Sync Strike, which apparently sees Calamo throw a boomerang that Zelda will call back with the power of time, as well as a Sync Strike with the Block Golem, which is this powerful spinning attack that knocks down weak enemies.

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A new Nintendo Switch 2 software patch is out, and besides the usual stability improvements, it addresses some small but noteworthy problems.

Nintendo says that the version 21.0.1 update fixes two error codes that occur on a Nintendo Switch 1 when attempting a system transfer to a Nintendo Switch 2 through local communication. The more prevalent note is a fix for when "wireless controllers or Bluetooth audio devices were unable to connect" after waking a Switch 2 up from Sleep mode or turning off Airplane mode.

While the Bluetooth wireless connectivity problem was not widely reported, several users on Reddit shared that they experienced issues with their Bluetooth headsets and expressed joy over the patch. Switch 2 owners also pointed out that after the 21.0.1 patch, the Switch 1 version of the fan-favorite Nier: Automata now functions properly on Switch 2 after having compatibility issues.

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One of the biggest year-end questions people have about the gaming industry this year is whether or not Battlefield 6 will outsell Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, a feat that would end a 20-year run of Call of Duty's dominance. It remains to be seen if that will happen, and while we wait for the data to come in, Circana's Mat Piscatella has shared some data points about the shooter category in the US.

To begin with, Piscatella pointed out that the last shooter game to outsell a Call of Duty title in the US over a full year was Gears of War in 2006. The last FPS to beat Call of Duty was Star Wars: Battlefront II in 2005.

Call of Duty has reigned supreme in the US not just in the shooter and FPS categories, but generally as well. A Call of Duty game has finished the year as the best-selling title for 13 of the past 16 years, the exceptions being 2013 (GTA 5), 2018 (Red Dead Redemption II), and 2023 (Hogwarts Legacy).

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