Recent mass layoffs at developer Eidos Montreal were the result of a long-in-development project at the studio that was close to completion being canceled, according to a new report.

As reported by Insider Gaming, the project, known as P11, had been struggling for years due to changing between multiple game engines and an ever-ballooning budget. The game was reportedly an open-world, third-person action-adventure title where players would battle magical spirits. The main character, River, had a giant-moose companion that could be used to navigate the game's open world.

P11 reportedly had cost several hundred million dollars since work on it began in 2019. The cancellation is somewhat surprising, as according to the report, the project was almost complete and tentatively slated for release later this year, having recently passed key development milestones.

According to a new report, esteemed developer Crystal Dynamics is working on a new The Lord of the Rings game, which would be its third game now in development, joining Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis (2026) and Tomb Raider: Catalyst (2027).

Insider Gaming reported that the Embracer-owned studio is making the new game, with financial backing from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. It's been reported that this game is aiming to "compete with Hogwarts Legacy," but there is no word on what that means.

Crystal Dynamics is working on this game alongside the developer Revenge, the report said.

Blaze Entertainment has revealed a new Evercade gaming handheld device, the Evercade Nexus. Billed as the successor to its Evercade EXP-R handheld, preorders for the Nexus will go live on April 1, with the unit being priced at $200 ahead of its shipping date in October 2026. A Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack cartridge is included in the bundle.

Compared to the Evercade EXP-R, the Nexus features several substantial upgrades like a larger 5.89-inch IPS display, twin analog sticks, wireless headphone support, and EverSync for local multiplayer. This feature will allow players to share a game wirelessly with other Evercade Nexus consoles, and is similar to the single-cart local multiplayer of the Nintendo 3DS handheld.

Designed to play 32 and 64-bit games, the device can also switch to TATE Mode with the push of a button, shifting the screen into a portrait mode that works well with vertically orientated arcade games. The Nexus has a battery life of up to five hours, and it can download content faster thanks to Wi-Fi 6 functionality. For anyone who already owns an Evercade console, the Nexus will be backward compatible with over 80 Evercade cartridges from the officially licensed retro collection libraries.

Following its reveal last year, Secrets of Strixhaven quickly became my most anticipated Magic the Gathering set of 2026. While I adored our brief stop in the wilds of Lorwyn, there's just something about Strixhaven's dark academia atmosphere and art nouveau stylings that captivates me. After attending a preview event in which Wizards of the Coast offered press a first-look at what some of Strixhaven's secrets are, I feel fairly confident saying that Secrets of Strixhaven should be your most anticipated Magic set, too.

Secrets of Strixhaven is an incredibly powerful set--one that brings back high-value cards and gorgeous art treatments while also introducing a shockingly strong mechanic with prepare. We've prepared an overview of the set's new mechanics as well as a look at some of the set's most jaw-dropping cards.

While their frames might be reminiscent of Omen and Adventure cards, prepare is an entirely new mechanic designed for Secrets of Strixhaven that grants you access to some powerful spells. While the card type is still a creature and should be treated as such when resolving spells, abilities, and the like, these cards feature an incantation in the bottom-right portion of the card that they can cast if they are prepared.

It's not often that a quest in Arc Raiders sends you topside with an explicit goal of downing one of the game's biggest foes, but you'd best be prepared when it does. In the case of Settled in Full, you'll be going up against a dangerous Bastion so that you can take a Bastion Cell for its corpse.

If you're heading into fight against a Bastion with the goal of obtaining a Bastion Cell, we highly recommend you bring an augment with a safe pocket. It'd be a shame to waste your time and resources getting the cell only to lose it in a bad turn of events.

When you're ready to take down a Bastion for Settled in Full, check the tips below.

Arc Raiders is overflowing with challenging enemies to take down, and some quests will send you out to take materials from them. This is what the Test Case quest from Apollo is all about, tasking you with obtaining a Hornet Driver, Fireball Burner, and Firefly Burner.

Though completing the tasks in Test Case is a straightforward affair, you'll need to be prepared with appropriate shields and ammo, as some of these enemies can be a little irritating at times--especially if they catch you out in the open. Additionally, we'd recommend bringing an augment with a safe pocket or three so you can store the requested materials there, meaning you won't lose them in the event of your death.

When you're ready to find the materials for the Test Case quest, follow the steps below.

The third and final raid of World of Warcraft: Midnight's first season is set to go live March 31, but that didn't stop a group of clever players from trying and technically succeeding to kill its ultimate boss early. Spoilers for Midnight's story ahead.

The March on Quel'Danas raid sees players looking to take down the corrupted dark nauru L'ura, who after the events of the Voidspire raid, has been used by Xal'atath to transform the Sunwell into the ominous sounding Darkwell.

Since the isle of Quel'Danas and the new Darkwell aren't exclusively instanced (they are simply part of the map), players who go to investigate the big shadowy laser beam in the sky can, in theory, see L'ura hovering above the corrupted Sunwell. I say in theory, because a debuff called Overwhelming Oblivion surrounding the Darkwell is intended to make sure players don't ever get close, dealing 45% of a player's total HP per second.

Later quests in Arc Raiders tend to have multiple steps, and Dust on the Wires is one of the most substantial. Though it's a fairly easy quest to complete, you'll want to be prepared for a good bit of running around on Spaceport.

Dust on the Wires contains an item you'll need to extract back to Speranza with, so we'd strongly recommend that you bring an augment sporting a safe pocket to ensure you can safely get it home even if you're killed.

When you're ready to complete Dust on the Wires, follow the steps below.

The latest patch for Bungie's new extraction shooter, Marathon, is here--and with it, Bungie is making its stance on movement exploits clear.

Patch 1.0.5.2 includes a fix for a movement exploit that allowed Thief players to cancel her slide animation by pulling out her Grapple Device, while still retaining momentum. (An example of the exploit in action can be seen here.)

In the 1.0.5.2 patch notes, Bungie explained why exploits like these aren't something the studio wants to encourage.

April Fools' Day is upon us, and once again, it's the most skeptical time of the year. You can't believe anything that you see or hear on this particular day, as the gaming industry has a longstanding tradition of pulling "got 'em" pranks on people. Sure, some people might be allergic to fun on April Fools' Day, but the intention here is to have a laugh and enjoy the silliness that comes with this celebration of mischief, lies, and trickery.

So far, it looks like a few games have jumped the gun and gone live with their gags. PUBG: Battlegrounds is going all-in on the event with a limited-time April Fools' mode, and Pokemon Pokopia is referencing one of our favorite Family Guy jokes. We'll be keeping an eye on everything for tomorrow and will update this post with all the new gags from publishers and developers, so be sure to bookmark this page. If you're looking to do some more reading on the subject matter, you can also check out our feature on the best April Fools' Day gaming jokes of all time.

Winning a chicken dinner in PUBG: Battlegrounds is no easy feat, as it requires skill, accuracy, patience, and luck--and who has time for that? Instead, you can cheese your way to victory with a new April Fool's Day limited-time mode in the battle royale game and disguise yourself as a prop in the game. Each "Prop Hunt" match features 12 players divided into three Hunters and nine Props, and matches are designed to be a lighthearted alternative to PUBG's traditional combat-heavy gameplay.

Microsoft is adding a new Xbox Game Pass perk in the form of special bonuses for a number of free-to-play titles from World of Tanks studio Wargaming.

Game Pass subscribers for any tier of the membership program will be able to get in-game perks for titles like World of Warships, World of Warships: Legends, World of Tanks: Modern Armor, and World of Tanks Blitz. The upcoming World of Tanks: Heat will also get the new Game Pass perks.

The Game Pass bonuses are coming over the next 12 months, Microsoft said, and they begin with a range of perks for World of Warships across Xbox and PC on April 9. You can see a rundown of the perks for World of Warships below, as shared by Microsoft.

In the Clamoring for Attention quest in Arc Raiders, Tian Wen seems to think that some well-timed distractions can assist in pulling ARC out of position. She wants you to test this theory around Blue Gate, so be prepared to make some noise.

For this quest, you'll need to bring a Battery and Wire x3 into the match with you to make some repairs. Alternatively, you can find these items in the match, but that seems like an unnecessary hassle if you have some in your stash already.

When you're ready to set off to Blue Gate to complete the Clamoring for Attention quest, we've got you covered below.

Microsoft's upcoming Halo game, Halo: Campaign Evolved, has no in-game shop. Halo Studios community director Brian Jarrard confirmed this on social media.

"There is no shop," he wrote.

Jarrard said this in response to a fan who was wondering if the fact that Halo: Campaign Evolved will have a special skin for people who buy soda meant there would be an in-game shop. There is no in-game shop, so it seems people will need to drink soda to get the "Fantastic Spartan Armor," which makes Master Chief look like a can of Fanta. That is currently the only known way.

While Resident Evil Requiem has had a monopoly on survival-horror talk since it launched, fans of old-school Resident Evil might want to check out Ground Zero. Developer Malformation Games has announced an April 16 release date for the retro-inspired survival horror game, and it'll be launching for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Set in South Korea, Ground Zero takes place two months after a devastating meteor impact. An elite Korean operative, Seo-Yeon, and her Canadian partner are sent to investigate the city of Busan, and they quickly discover that strange growths have infested the metropolis and hordes of mutant survivors prowl the streets. It's up to players to discover the truth of what really hit Busan by shooting, stabbing, and roundhouse-kicking their way through danger.

If you're getting PS1 vibes from Ground Zero, that's by design. A love letter to classic PS1-era survival horror games, Ground Zero features pre-rendered backgrounds and fixed camera angles alongside its nostalgic graphics, as well as puzzles, custom difficulty modifiers, and even tank controls for an extra layer of nostalgia. Combat is inevitable, but players who can fight back with skill will be rewarded with more Genome Points, which can be traded for powerful gear upgrades.

If you like when Arc Raiders sends you on quests to collect items for Tian Wen, then Outstanding Balance is right up your alley. This time, you'll be heading to Blue Gate to track down Dodger's Stash for Speranza's favorite gun-shop owner. Be prepared to visit more than one spot, though.

Dodger's Stash will need to be brought back to Tian Wen, meaning you'll have to extract with it in your inventory. With this in mind, we highly recommend bringing an augment that offers a safe pocket.

When you're ready to tackle Outstanding Balance, follow the steps below.

Gearbox Software has announced a new Borderlands-themed art print with profits going to a charity that helps promote positive mental health for military veterans.

At PAX East recently, Gearbox showed off the one-of-one oil-on-wood painting from artist Erik Thor Sandberg depicting the Borderlands 4 bad guy, the Timekeeper. Gearbox also created prints of the art that anyone can buy, with 100% of the profits from sales going to the Stack Up charity.

The 18 x 24 prints are available exclusively through GameStop for $50. It releases on May 25.

After launching in 2010--and again in 2016 with the Warmastered Edition for PC, PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One--the original Darksiders is riding onto PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles on May 19. Publisher THQ Nordic has announced a new port of the action-RPG, and a few more details on how the PS5 version will differ from the PS4 edition have also been revealed. Physical and digital editions will be available, priced at $30, but there has been no mention of an upgrade path yet for owners of the last-gen version of the Warmastered Edition.

On PS5, Darksiders will be presented in a native 4K resolution and at a "stable" 60fps. DualSense and Activities Cards support has been added, and the game now features a photo mode. It's likely that these graphical upgrades will also be present in the Xbox Series X version, and just like the 2016 release, the Warmastered Edition includes all previously released content.

The debut game from developer Vigil Games, Darksiders followed the horseman of the apocalypse, War, and his steed Ruin as they battled across the wastelands and demon-infested dungeons of a post-apocalyptic Earth. The game featured a unique art direction led by popular comic book artist Joe Madureira, and the game is best described as a blend of Devil May Cry's action with the exploration of The Legend of Zelda.

An official Pokemon Pokopia and Ikea collaboration starts tomorrow--and no, that's not an April Fool's joke--to celebrate Ikea's 20th year in Japan. The event involves both real-world and in-game furniture, though honestly, Pokopia's adorable furniture seems like the vastly superior product here.

"Over its 20 years in Japan, Ikea has believed that a home you truly love grows with you. This belief led to a special collaboration between Ikea Japan and Pokémon's new game, Pokemon Pokopia." reads a statement on Ikea Japan's website (via machine translation). "The message we want to convey is that, just like in the Pokemon Pokopia game, everyone can create a home that reflects their own personality in real life."

So, how exactly is that happening? Starting tomorrow, April 1, a new, Ikea-themed Developer Island will go live in Pokopia, where players can visit in-game versions of Pokemon-themed rooms that will also be on display in Ikea locations in Japan. Players will need to use the Mysterious Goggles and enter a code (which Nintendo will presumably release tomorrow) to get to the island. As for exactly what lies within the island--and what players can get out of visiting it--we're not entirely sure. We do know it will feature some adorable in-game versions of Ikea furniture. According to Pokemon fansite Serebii, the event will last from April 1-30.

Musician and Game of Thrones actor Ed Sheeran has revealed that he rejected a Fortnite collab, saying he doesn't play the game and didn't want to lend his name to something he doesn't care about. Instead, Sheeran worked with The Pokemon Company on a Pokemon song because he loves Pokemon.

"[My record label] asked me to do something for Fortnite. I was like, 'I don't play Fortnite.' I feel like whenever you see my face near any product, I want it to be something I actually do," he told Jackson Warne recently (via ShiinaBR).

"It has to be real. So when my record company was like, 'We can put you in Fortnite, I was like, 'I don't really want to do that.' But, I do play Pokemon. We contacted Pokemon and that's why we did the song. I love Pokemon."

A significant part of the Arc Raiders experience is collecting materials, whether it's to craft weapons and parts, or to invest in projects back in Speranza so you can gain additional rewards. That second option is what you'll be doing if you engage with the new High-Gain Antenna project, which sees you completing an antenna by contributing a variety of materials you find during raids. Doing so will earn you rewards, including usable items and Raider Tokens.

As with past projects you may have completed already, the High-Gain Antenna project can be found in the Projects section of the Raider tab. This is where you'll contribute items towards the rewards you want as you work on completing the full project. It won't be a straightforward process, and there's even a chance you may have to do a bit of killing along the way if you want to get all that sweet loot back home with you.

In the guide below, we'll detail every step of the High-Gain Antenna project and the rewards you'll earn for completing each one.