Some new eye-opening data from Circana demonstrates the impacts of gaming hardware getting more expensive, as over half the households who bought gaming hardware recently made $100,000 or more a year.

More specifically, a post from Circana's Senior Director Mat Piscatella on Bluesky revealed that 53% of households who bought new video game hardware, like the Nintendo Switch 2 or PS5 Pro, in Q4 2025 made more than $100,000 annually. In Q1 2022, only 40% of buyers were above that threshold.

Conversely, poorer households are buying less gaming hardware, as those making under $50,000 a year were just 19% of the buyers in Q4 2025, but they were 31% of the consumer base in Q1 2022. Essentially, this data shows that majority of consumers buying new hardware are from a smaller, richer base.

Today, the Backyard Sports video game franchise has made the leap to animation. As revealed last fall, Backyard Sports: The Animated Special has arrived, and you can watch it right here.

The special was produced and animated by Lighthouse Studios, one of the companies behind The Cuphead Show. This 11-minute episode largely focuses on Stephanie "Bubbles" Morgan, as voiced by Ego Nwodim. Bubbles is having a crisis because she lost her lucky bubblegum before the big game, and she only has 30 minutes to find it before game time. Luckily for Bubbles, she doesn't have to search for it alone.

Tiffany Haddish voices Kiesha Phillips, with Arturo Castro as Pablo Sanchez. The supporting cast also includes Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Donald Faison, Ashleigh Crystal Hairston, and Adam Pally.

Steal a Brainrot, the immensely popular Roblox game that just had a concert with Bruno Mars, could become a movie. Story Kitchen, the production company that's made a name for itself with video game adaptations, has begun the development process on a Steal a Brainrot movie, Deadline reported.

The creators of the game are involved, too, the report said. Crucially, the report said the Steal a Brainrot movie is in "early development." Plenty of movies get announced but never materialize, for any number of reasons. There is no word yet if the proposed Steal a Brainrot movie could be planned for a theatrical or streaming release.

For anyone just catching up, Steal a Brainrot launched in May 2025 on Roblox. The game is developed by BRAZILIAN SPYDER and has players trying to steal "brainrot" items from other players to build their own stash. The game reached an astonishing peak of 25.8 million concurrent players last October and has seen more than 56 billion visits.

A Walmart advertisement showing two unannounced GameCube games coming to Nintendo Switch Online was actually a mistake from Nintendo itself, and the two titles aren't planned for the service as of yet.

After Walmart's Nintendo page displayed a graphic including Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Pikmin 2, a Nintendo of America spokesperson told IGN that it "provided a retailer with an image of Nintendo GameCube -- Nintendo Classics titles that incorrectly included games that are not planned for release at this time." The image has since been removed.

The error on Nintendo's part is somewhat surprising, considering how airtight the company's marketing usually is. But that hasn't stopped careful observers from spotting hints of other unannounced retro games possibly making it into the Nintendo Classics library, such as a blurry image hiding some select Nintendo 64 titles.

The God of War TV show at Prime Video continues to add to its cast, with a new report saying Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Severance, Trapped) will play Thor, the God of Thunder.

He joins a cast that includes Ryan Hurst as Kratos (Hurst played Thor in God of War Ragnarok), along with Teresa Palmer as Sif and Max Paker as Heimdall. Deadline reported that Ólafsson had joined the God of War TV show as Thor.

Game developers are continuing to prefer working on games for PC and PlayStation 5 over Xbox Series X|S, according to new data from the Game Developers Conference's latest report tracking the state of the games industry over the last year.

The latest report from GDC (via Christopher Dring at The Game Business) showed a continued decline in developers working on projects for Xbox. While PC remains the one platform to rule them all, with 83% of surveyed developers currently making games for it and 80% saying they want to, developers are making games for PlayStation 5 at a seven-percentage-point difference over Xbox Series X|S. (47% versus 40%, to be exact.) This difference extends to developer interest as well, with 40% of surveyors saying they want to work on PS5 projects compared to just 20% for Xbox Series X|S.

The Steam Deck, meanwhile, is apparently the fourth-most-used platform, as 28% of developers are making or optimizing games for Valve's handheld console. Speaking of handheld consoles, 39% of participants say they're interested in making games for the Nintendo Switch 2, putting it just one percentage point behind the Steam Deck in terms of developer interest (40%).

Ahead of Crimson Desert's March 19 launch, developer Pearl Abyss has shared a 15-minute features-overview video detailing some of what you can expect in the open-world action-adventure game. This includes a grappling hook, a mountable dragon, a pilotable mech to wreak some havoc, and two more playable characters.

The features-overview video went over primary protagonist Kliff's journey of saving the world of Pywel, a medieval-fantasy continent that is embroiled in conflict from political and supernatural forces. Over the course of 15 minutes, Pearl Abyss showcased just a few elements of the game, like the two additional playable characters that will accompany Kliff on his expedition. We don't meet them, so we don't know their names or their lore, but they look rather fascinating, and the studio said each of the playable characters has their own skills, combat styles, and weapons. One is a swift female warrior with a gigantic sword (claymore style) who appears to wield a flintlock pistol. The other is a bruising male tank using some sort of Barret-like arm cannon and a massive axe.

Later in the video, we can see Kliff traversing the massive open-world with multiple mid-air jumps, a grappling hook to latch onto and swing from ledges, a huge dragon to "soar high above" Pywel, and a missile-firing mech so you can blow a bunch of stuff up instead of just swinging your sword and RKO-ing enemies to oblivion.

There's no shortage of mystery games on Steam, but developer Talha & Jack Co is aiming to put a handcrafted--and gruesome--feel on that genre with its next title, Abide. The duo behind games like Judero and Mashina has revealed its grisly new mystery game, which uses traditionally animated dolls and prosthetic gore effects to tell a stomach-churning narrative that looks heavily inspired by Italian Giallo thrillers. You can check out the reveal trailer below.

Set in the secluded, supposedly idyllic St Boniface Retreat, Abide will see players explore a community experimenting with new therapeutic techniques for its residents. At night, monsters and other horrors lurk outside the walls of the rehabilitation center, and players can push their luck by venturing out from relative safety to encounter these threats. That day/night cycle will create two distinct experiences: Investigations and relationship-building exercises will unfold during daylight hours, while the night brings mystery, intrigue, and psychological horror.

Players will choose who to spend their time with as they build trust with several eccentric characters, and choices made during the adventure will have tangible effects on the world around them. That sense of realism is reflected in the design of the characters, as each one has been meticulously handcrafted using ball-jointed art doll-techniques, painted with modelling acrylics, and brought to life by a talented voice actor.

Nintendo admits that, with Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream arriving on April 16, the social-life sim may lead to "humorous, surprising, or unpredictable moments" that could be misunderstood when taken out of context. As such, the Mario maker is placing restrictions on "certain image-sharing features" in the game to facilitate a more welcoming and enjoyable experience for all players.

The company announced the decision in a short press release on Nintendo's official support page. The company said that in committing to creating a "fun and safe" environment that's comfortable for everyone to play in, certain image-sharing features have been restricted. It's unclear exactly which features have been limited, but the company briefly clarified in a January 29 X post that players should "review the platform's rules" when sharing images or videos from the social-life sim.

To support Nintendo’s commitment to creating experiences that are welcoming and enjoyable for everyone, we have decided to place restrictions on certain image‑sharing features in #TomodachiLife: Living the Dream.

Learn more: https://t.co/AtjjFiondG

"While these [humorous, surprising, or unpredictable] moments are often fun for players, we recognize that out-of-context scenes may be misunderstood or may not reflect the spirit in which the game is intended to be enjoyed," the company said. "Nintendo is committed to creating experiences that are welcoming and enjoyable for everyone. [...] We understand that some players may find these restrictions limiting. However, they reflect Nintendo's ongoing philosophy of creating experiences that bring smiles to everyone who plays."

Playground Games has published a new FAQ for the upcoming Fable reboot that answers a series of key questions about the RPG, including whether or not there will be multiplayer and if it's coming to Switch.

While many games are adopting multiplayer modes and features, the new Fable reboot is not. The FAQ confirms that the game is a "single-player open-world action-RPG" with no multiplayer.

The FAQ also outlines the game's platforms, including Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and "Game Pass." There was no specific mention of PC, but that's probably covered by Game Pass. The game already has a Steam page. The FAQ also does not mention Switch 2 as a supported platform. Recently, a report said a Switch 2 version is not in development but could be considered for later on.

Nintendo dropped a 22-minute Direct presentation for the upcoming social-life sim Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, which revealed all kinds of fun and fascinating features for the Switch-exclusive. Tucked in the broadcast was an interesting dilemma, and if you blinked, you might've missed it, but let me point it out for all to see: You can not only fall in love with a clown, but you can get involved in a love square with said clown because, well ... everyone loves clowns, right?

Yes, the forthcoming Living the Dream, the latest entry in the Tomodachi franchise following 2014's Tomodachi Life, allows you to go on dates with a clown named Hugh Morris. One of the main Miis in the trailer, Angie, admits to us that she "can't hold back" her feelings for the clown and "needs to tell him" how she feels. The player encourages Angie, suggesting she "go for it." Which she does! She invites Hugh on a Ferris wheel date, where she confesses her feelings "the old-fashioned way." That is, stuttering through rosy cheeks and nervous breaths.

Morris, oblivious, says he's "totally in love with the view" from inside the Ferris wheel, too. Angie clarifies what she meant, blurting out that she's "in love" with him and asks to go on a real date. As hearts pound in the background, a Mii named Jess somehow enters the Ferris wheel and professes that the one who "truly loves" Morris is them.

More than 10 years after vowing to make a "more inclusive" Tomodachi Life game, Nintendo has made good on that promise, revealing in a Nintendo Direct that Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream will add not only same-sex romances, but the option to make non-binary Mii characters.

The 22-minute Direct for the Switch game demonstrated the character creation process for Miis, which includes three gender options: Male, Female, and Non-Binary. Additionally, players can pick any (or none) of the three options for their character's dating preferences.

When the previous entry in the wacky Tomodachi Life series, released in 2013 for Nintendo 3DS, lacked the option for same-sex relationships, a social media campaign called Miiquality called on Nintendo to include the option in the game. Nintendo of America responded with a rather cold statement, saying that the game "was intended to be a whimsical and quirky game" that was "absolutely not trying to provide social commentary."

It's been sometime since Haunted Chocolatier, the next game from Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, received an update, but that doesn't mean the project and its progress have stalled.

That's according to a new update from Barone himself, who provided a short post on the game's website to address some speculation around his focus on the game, its current progress, and rumors of a 2030 release date. In the post, Barone explains that he's been very productive on Haunted Chocolatier lately, and that the game is taking longer to bring together than expected. He concedes that it was likely announced too early, with the first trailer debuting in 2021, but that he had reasons for making that call, too.

Taking aim at a handful of recent rumors, Barone shut down the insinuation Haunted Chocolatier would be canceled and have its content added to Stardew Valley, or that mechanics for the new game were being tested in Stardew Valley updates. "Also, Stardew Valley is a different game, so you can’t really “test something” for Haunted Chocolatier in it in an accurate way," he added.

Not even a month after launching, Hytale players have already created Call of Duty mods for the Minecraft-like game. New clips popping up on social media showcase people lighting up opponents with a variety of guns on the iconic Black Ops 2 map, Hijacked. Hytale partner EpicNNG and content creator Dave Kratzy posted short videos on X showing off the action, with the server apparently being found at Everlands.net.

The Call of Duty mod may not feature ADS or killstreaks (at least not yet), but the gameplay looks rather faithful in the blocky transition. The Hijacked map also returned for last year's Black Ops 7, the latest Call of Duty entry in the long-running franchise. Developer Hypixel has ensured that Hytale supports mods, as the team's background includes working on one of the most popular Minecraft servers.

Hytale servers are evolving rapidly... pic.twitter.com/LIcYYHWACU

Last week, a Hytale update brought dinosaurs and easier storage upgrades to the game. The patch also included a laundry list of bug fixes. So far, Hytale is only available to download on the game's official website. As such, Hytale isn't on Steam currently and may never arrive on Valve's PC storefront.

The new James Bond game 007 First Light features actor Patrick Gibson in the starring role of a young James Bond. Narrative and cinematic director Martin Emborg has now shed more light on why he believes Gibson is a great pick for the role.

Speaking to Game Informer, Emborg said Gibson--who recently gained more fame for playing a young Dexer Morgan in the Dexter prequel series Original Sin--has "great youthful" energy and a level of "built-in impatience."

This was "perfect" for the version of James Bond being depicted in First Light, Emborg said. The young James Bond players will meet in the game is all about asking "What's next?" and "What are we doing now?" Emborg said. What's more, the developer said Gibson is skilled at getting "really insanely focused at the drop of a hat," and that he also has great comedic timing.

Phasmophobia is set to have its scariest year yet, with the game's 1.0 update slated to arrive in 2026 alongside new maps, a major overhaul of character models and animations, a Switch 2 release, and more "spooktacular surprises."

As revealed in developer Kinetic Games 2026 Phasmophobia roadmap, the 1.0 update will feature what the developer had previously described as "Horror 2.0"--a collection of major changes to the core ghost-hunting part of the game and that is now included as part of the 1.0 update. Those changes range from new ghost models and visuals to additional ghost events and hallucinations.

The roadmap is unfortunately lacking when it comes to specific dates or release windows. Kinetic Games didn't state when the 1.0 update will be arriving, but it did announce another major update is set to be released in the first quarter of the year--the player-character update. After the update, players will be able to customize their hunter with free cosmetics, and the game's character models themselves will be improved with new animations.

Easy Trigger Games and Coffee Stain Publishing have announced Huntdown: Overtime, a roguelite prequel to their 2020 run-and-gun action game Huntdown.

The game directly follows the origins of John Sawyer, one of the playable characters in Huntdown, as he's transformed into a cyborg bounty hunter. Players fight through the game's cyberpunk criminal underworld in procedurally generated runs, and upgrade John Sawyer with new cybernetics after each death.

That reveal trailer and the game at large are intentionally going for a tone that Art Director Tommy Gustafsson says is inspired by "the badass spirits of '80s cinema," according to a press release. It doesn't seem like Huntdown: Overtime will take itself too seriously, and definitely stands out from its predecessor and other Coffee Stain Publishing games quite a bit.

Return to Silent Hill director Christophe Gans has confirmed that an alternate, longer cut of the film exists, but there's no guarantee this version will see the light of day.

That's according to a fan who attended the Return to Silent Hill premiere and a Q&A session with Gans (via Reddit), who says the filmmaker originally submitted a longer version of the movie. Gans described this cut as longer and allowing the story more room to breathe, but he was instructed by his producers to trim the movie down to two hours. This version also gave a key character from Silent Hill 2--the game the movie is adapted from--more screen time and a death scene.

According to the fan, "Gans said he struggled to find the right place for it in the edit," and it's unclear if the scene will appear in a potential director's cut version of Return to Silent Hill. The film has gotten off to a poor start at the box office, grossing just $3.2 million from US theaters. This pales in comparison to the opening US weekends for 2006's Silent Hill ($20.2 million) and Silent Hill: Revelation ($8 million), and reviews have not been kind.

Metal Gear protagonist and stealth-action game icon Solid Snake is making his Rainbow Six Siege debut very soon for one of the most obvious crossovers in video game history. The official announcement came shortly after leakers teased the upcoming crossover.

Rainbow Six Siege leaker Shiny claimed in an X post that a Metal Gear Solid collaboration will debut in Siege's Year 11, Season 1, saying that the event is "not just a skin collaboration" and teased that it includes a new operator. Insider Gaming corroborated the leak, reporting that Solid Snake will indeed be added as an operator when the next season begins in March.

Ubisoft later confirmed the news, teasing a February 15 Roadmap Reveal event that will shed more light.

A Split Fiction movie is in development now with Sydney Sweeney attached to star in it, but how is the movie coming along and will it ever actually get made? That remains to be seen, but game director Josef Fares gave an update on it recently, saying in an interview that he just recently got a first draft of the movie script.

He told Moviezine (via Dexerto) that even getting a script in the first place was notable because, "There's so much talk in Hollywood" for projects that have a lot of buzz but never materialize. But the Split Fiction movie is indeed moving ahead with a new script from Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

Also in the interview, Fares said he met with Sweeney and remarked that she seems "super chill." Fares added that it's his belief that Sweeney is "hyped" to make the movie.