Hello Kitty: Island Adventure is about to get a lot more metropolitan. Sunblink and Sanrio have officially announced the release date for the cozy adventure game's next DLC, City Town, which sends players to a "a rainbow metropolis teeming with creativity and mystery." While those playing Hello Kitty: Island Adventure on Apple Arcade have already gotten the chance to explore City Town, the DLC brings the fun to PC, Switch, Switch 2, and PS5 players on April 16.

Along with City Town's sprawling new map comes a new Sanrio bestie, Usahana. Described as "cheerful and full of energy," Usahana is eager to welcome you, show you around, and introduce you her to adorable friends, Pannya-chan, Buppyu-kun, Wanwa-chan, Sora-kun and Nyako-chan. The press release noted that players should expect a "mysterious cameo guest" as well.

Yet City Town adds a lot more than just a few friendly faces. Over 30 hours of content and 90 quests, some of which take you above and beneath the city, are headed to the game as well. The expansion also adds seven new shops, including a plushie boutique, blooming orchards, and a fun-filled arcade, and allows players to design and customize their very own Imagination Cafe.

A new Payday has been announced for virtual reality platforms. As the first new game in the series since the disappointing launch of Payday 3, Payday: Aces High will certainly face a high level of scrutiny at launch.

Payday: Aces High, much like the PC and console games it's based on, is a four-player co-op heist game where players work together to steal from the rich. The game gets its title because the crew is made up of the Ace of Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, and Spades, each of whom players can choose to play as and equip with different guns and gadgets like a grappling hook. Players complete missions to earn cash, which can then be spent on skill and gear upgrades.

Starbreeze Entertainment CEO Adolf Kristjansson argues that Payday: Aces High is "not just an adaptation" but a "true Payday game built from the ground up for this medium," in the press release announcing it. From the trailer, the gameplay of Payday: Aces High certainly looks similar to the PC and console games rather than a brief VR experience based on a known IP.

Handheld gaming PCs have become more common since the launch of the Steam Deck, with significant price differences across brands. Due to rising memory and storage costs driven by increased demand from AI and data-center companies, AyaNeo has suspended preorders and early-bird sales of its upcoming Next 2 handheld to address these escalating expenses.

While current preorders are unaffected and will be fulfilled, AyaNeo explained in a blog post that "significant cost pressure" had forced it to rethink its launch plans. "After the Chinese New Year, when we communicated with our suppliers again to confirm the latest storage procurement prices, we found that storage prices had increased to several times higher than before the holiday," AyaNeo explained. "Under such circumstances, the overall cost of the product has become far higher than our current selling price. Therefore, after careful consideration, we have decided to suspend the preorders of Next 2."

AyaNeo stated it had anticipated minimal or negative profit on each Next 2 unit and expected storage prices to eventually stabilize. However, the company did not anticipate component costs reaching record highs. "At present, the total cost of the product has far exceeded our selling price, even approaching twice the price we originally set. Under such circumstances, continuing to sell this product is no longer sustainable," AyaNeo wrote. The company confirmed it will continue to support backers and has prepared sufficient spare parts for after-sales support.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has been rated PG in the UK, which doesn't seem like a particularly big deal… until you look at the reasons behind the rating. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) gave the film a PG rating for "mild violence" and "threat," but if you take a peek at the "theme" tab on the BBFC's webpage for the film, more details are revealed, with the BBFC citing "infrequent very mild upsetting scenes" that feature "flashbacks to the separation of a girl and her younger sister."

Potential spoilers for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie below

Now, fans are wondering if the flashback scene in question might depict Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) becoming separated at a young age, which would confirm a fan theory that started back when Super Mario Galaxy launched for the Wii in 2007. Similarities between Peach and Rosalina immediately stuck out--they're both blonde and blue-eyed, both human, both princesses, and are seemingly similar in age--which led some players to theorize that the two are sisters. Nintendo has never confirmed their familial relationship, but it seems likely The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will clarify the details of their family line.

Microsoft Gaming's new CEO, Asha Sharma, is "willing to question everything," according to Xbox vice president Jason Ronald.

He told The Information that Sharma's ambition as the new CEO is to "retain what makes Xbox great" while simultaneously questioning Microsoft's previous strategies.

Sharma comes from an AI background and has been transparent about her status as a newcomer to the world of games. It's this newness that could serve her well, Ronald said.

Since 2013, Digital Extremes has built its free-to-play online action game Warframe from an unknown new IP to one of the most successful live-service games on the market, with a legion of dedicated fans logging in every day. With the tenured title's 13th anniversary quickly approaching, Digital Extremes is set to unleash a new update into Warframe, The Shadowgrapher, which includes a new playable Warframe, Follie, as well as a new game mode that is tailored to this new character and adds a few scares.

We had the opportunity to preview what's coming next to Warframe, including Follie and the Follie's Hunt game mode, and came away from the experience feeling that Warframe fans will have a lot to look forward to when The Shadowgrapher update launches on March 25.

Follie is the 64th playable Warframe to join the game, following Uriel's launch last December. As the titular Shadowgrapher, Follie is themed after inkblots and Rorschach tests, as she uses ink and paint to wreak havoc on enemies through her various abilities. She also has a bit of a horror bend to her, with an unsettling cackle ringing out as she moves across the arena.

Microsoft Gaming has a new CEO, with Asha Sharma taking over for Phil Spencer, and one big move she is reportedly considering is a change to Xbox Game Pass to make it less expensive.

The Information reported that one of her ambitions is to help make "future consoles and products like Game Pass more enticing to a broader range of customers." To that end, the report said Sharma might look to revamp pricing models for Game Pass to "offer lower-priced tiers."

In October 2025, Microsoft raised Game Pass prices, with Game Pass Ultimate going up by a whopping 50% to $30/month. Game Pass Premium, meanwhile, costs $15/month, while Game Pass Essential goes for $10/month. PC Game Pass costs $16.50 per month.

Nintendo has announced that Pokemon Champions will officially launch for Switch 2 and Switch 1 consoles on April 8. The competitive battling game is free to start, but Nintendo and The Pokemon Company will also release a Starter Pack bundle on launch day that includes additional Pokemon storage space, an extra battle song, and more. Switch 2 players will also be able to download a free upgrade for the game that improves its visuals on the hybrid console.

In case you missed it, Pokemon Champions focuses purely on the battle aspect of the franchise. Familiar gameplay mechanics like turn-based combat and each Pokemon having four moves to use in battle will be present, and like the main games, strategies will revolve around type affinities and abilities.

The new overview trailer also revealed three different modes of Pokemon battles--Ranked Battles, Casual Battles, and Private Battles--and how they can be tackled in both Singles and Doubles formats.

Epic Games has announced a sweeping round of layoffs impacting more than 1,000 employees. In an internal message later shared publicly, CEO Tim Sweeney described the decision as difficult but necessary, pointing to a sustained decline in player engagement for Fortnite that began in 2025. Despite the title's ongoing popularity and high-profile collaborations, the company admitted it has been "spending significantly more than we're making." These layoffs are part of a broader restructuring effort that includes over $500 million in cuts across marketing, contractors, and unfilled roles.

Epic emphasized that its struggles are not isolated, but instead reflect broader challenges across the gaming industry. Sweeney cited that player spending has slowed, current console generations have underperformed compared to past cycles, and games now face increasing competition from other forms of digital entertainment. Even Fortnite, one of the most successful games of this generation, has had difficulty maintaining consistent seasonal engagement. In response, Epic has taken steps such as raising the price of in-game currency V-Bucks to stabilize revenue.

The layoffs are also having a ripple effect across Epic's ecosystem, with several projects and games being shut down or scaled back. Rocket Racing, Ballistic, and Festival Battle Stage are scheduled to go offline in 2026, while Horizon Chase and Horizon Chase Turbo will be removed from digital stores starting June 1. Horizon Chase 2, however, will remain available.

Apple created one of the most compelling technology products of all time in the iPhone, and it quite literally changed the world. Its influences on people and society haven't been 100% positive, though, as experts agree that people spend too much time on their phones. Now, Apple CEO Tim Cook has joined in to say people should put their phones down and go outside.

"I don't want people using them too much," he said on Good Morning America. "I don't want people looking at the smartphone more than they're looking in someone's eyes. Because if they're just scrolling endlessly--this is not the way you want to spend your day. Go out and spend it in nature."

Stanford's Maris Loeffler said the negative effects of screen time are "insidious." She said negative effects of excessive screen time would be "minimal" if people didn't do it often. "But if it becomes a habit, day after day, month after month, this behavior can take a toll," she explained.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a record-setting product, quickly becoming the fastest-selling console of all time--even so, sales were reportedly below Nintendo's expectations at the end of 2025, which is said to spur the company into cutting down production output of the device.

That's according to a Bloomberg report, which claims that Nintendo will now make only 4 million Switch 2 units this quarter, a roughly 33% reduction from the 6 million units the company originally planned to make. The report adds that the revised output rate will continue in April. Shares in Nintendo fell by 6.3% in Tokyo after the report.

Despite the purported decrease in production, Nintendo should still be able to meet analyst predictions of about 20 million Switch 2 units sold in the fiscal year through this month, according to Bloomberg's sources. Back in November, Nintendo increased its hardware forecast for the business year from 15 million units to 19 million. As of December 31, Nintendo has sold 17.37 million Switch 2 consoles.

New data shows that most gamers just do not care about the use of generative AI in video games and that a vocal minority is making a lot of noise on the subject. At the same time, there is a growing share of people who say they are more likely than before to refuse to buy a game if they found out it uses generative AI.

New data from Circana's PlayerPulse showed that just over 25% of US video game players surveyed in December 2025 said a game using generative AI would make them less likely to buy it.

"The majority were neutral or unsure," Circana's Mat Piscatella said. "At the moment, a vocal minority is against genAI usage, while the majority of video game players don't currently care that much either way."

Korean developer Pearl Abyss has announced that its RPG Crimson Desert has now reached another sales milestone. The game has surpassed 3 million copies sold worldwide, up from 2 million units sold over the game's first 24 hours after releasing on March 19.

In a statement, Pearl Abyss said, "To everyone who has stepped into Pywel and shared the journey with us, thank you."

The developer went on to say it continues to listen to fan feedback to help "shape the experience," and that effort will continue as the team aims to make Crimson Desert "even more enjoyable for our players."

Crimson Desert's region of Pywel is vast, a continent brimming with mystery, adventure, and plenty of opportunities to drop enemies with pro wrestling finishers. But what lies beyond the borders of Pywel? Instant death, delivered by 150 metric tons of mammalian adventurer-squashing marine life. From hell's heart, this whale shall smash thee.

Highlighted by Intelligent-You-7002 on Reddit (via Questlive.in on Instagram), Crimson Desert's method for keeping players in Pywel is one of the more imaginative invisible walls we've seen in gaming lately. We've also verified this ourselves--painfully--and you can see the sudden demise of a wayward adventurer in our video below.

The concept isn't new, as many open-world games use everything from automated turrets to near-instant death to keep players on the golden path, but we're fairly confident no open-world game has ever used whales to body-slam players out of forbidden territory before.

Warning! This post contains spoilers for the entirety of Resident Evil Requiem's story, as well as some spoilers for the larger Resident Evil canon. Finish the game before you read this.

You don't get Resident Evil Requiem without Resident Evil 6.

When it was released in 2013, the return of Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and Ada Wong was set to be the pinnacle of the series. With RE6, the series was going to merge its survival-horror roots with its action-horror evolution. It was going to add even more co-op, and it was going to tell the biggest story Resident Evil had ever seen, featuring a bunch of its major characters.

Marvel's Spider-Man was one of Magic: The Gathering's many Universes Beyond mainline sets released last year. It brought a handful of product types with it when it launched in September, from Scene Boxes to a highly coveted, serialized version of the Soul Stone card. One of the more unique kits you could pick up from the Spider-Man set is the Marvel's Spider-Man Gift Bundle. These specialized boxes are similar to a regular bundle included in every set drop, but they offer a few exclusive perks--and in this case, it was unique cards and box art based on one of Spider-Man's most iconic comic book covers. If you've been looking for this pack, you're in luck--it's currently in stock and on sale for just $60 (was $90) at Amazon for a limited time. Just note that we don't know how long the discount will last, nor how many units are available, so it's worth grabbing while you can.

The Gift Bundle comes in one convenient storage box featuring cover art of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man's most iconic depictions, including his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15. The storage box fits everything listed below, and once you crack open your packs, it even has room for plenty of other cards if you're looking for another space to store your sleeved decks.

• Exclusive Alternate Art Card
• 9 Play Booster Packs
• 1 Collector Booster Pack
• 30 Basic Lands (15 foil, 15 nonfoil, and 10 full art)
• Spider-Man Spindown Life Counter
• Storage Box
• Rules Insert

Marvel's Spider-Man was Magic: The Gathering's penultimate set of 2025. The 233-card main set featured plenty of your favorite heroes and villains from Spider-Man's vast and storied history, with almost 100 unique Legendary Creatures for you Commander players. As a Limited format, Spider-Man's inclusion of so many Legendary Creatures made deck building a bit more of a challenge, but it's hard to deny that collecting your favorite version of these heroes from throughout the Spiderverse is a ton of fun. This Gift Bundle offers a great way to bolster your Magic collection, with 10 booster packs to rip into and hope for your chase card, and the inclusion of basic lands ensures that you'll have plenty of resources to cast your spells.

The free TV and movie streaming service Tubi has announced a young adult romance movie called Game On, and it will feature veteran gaming actor Nolan North (Uncharted, Assassin's Creed).

The film follows the talented gamer Casey, played by Sky Katz, who is trying to win her high school's first gaming tournament for the game Eon Rush. Her main competition is a boy she has a crush on named Theo (Case Walker). The twist is that Casey tries to "stay undercover and use their budding romance to study his moves and take him down from the inside."

The report from Variety did not specify, but it seems North plans Casey's father, a man who seeks to remind Casey "who she is beyond the headset." And in classic soap opera form, Casey's "carefully calculated plan begins to unravel as fake feelings turn real," according to the movie's official description.

Square Enix and Google have partnered to inject the tech giant's AI, Gemini, to help advise and guide players in the popular Japan-only MMO, Dragon Quest X.

Announced at a press event over the weekend, the partnership with see Square Enix turn one of the loveably blue slimes of the Dragon Quest universe into an AI-powered chat bot called Chatty Slimey. Players can converse with the bot through both voice and text, with the bot responding with generated voice lines that can help guide a player through different stages of the game and remark on their actions. Gemini is trained off data publicly available on the internet, although Google didn't specifically mention where this bot might get the required content for these responses.

Speaking to Japanese publication Sankei (via VGC) Square Enix's head of development, Takashi Anzai, said that the chat bot will make the game more inviting to new players. “New players won’t feel lonely wondering where to start playing; it will become their own personal companion," he concluded.

Electronic Arts has announced that Battlefield Hardline--the 2015 FPS entry in the series focused on police and heists, not traditional military warfare--will shut down on console this June.

The game will be removed from the PS4 and Xbox One storefronts on May 22, and that's also when people won't be able to buy any more in-game content. The game's servers, meanwhile, will close on June 22.

Hardline's single-player campaign will remain playable after the server shutdown date for anyone who owns the game currently or buys it before it's removed in May. Physical copies of the game will also remain playable offline.

Stephen "Votesaxon07" McCullagh, a YouTuber who primarily engages with science fiction entertainment (like Battlebots toys and Star Wars sets), was convicted of murdering his 32-year-old girlfriend who was 15 weeks pregnant with a baby boy in December 2022.

According to the BBC, McCullagh--who was on trial for more than four weeks--appeared in a Belfast court in Northern Ireland on March 23. After just over two hours of deliberations, the jurors returned to deliver a guilty verdict, with McCullagh facing a potential life sentence, according to the presiding judge.

During the trial, the jurors learned exactly how McCullagh committed the crime. On December 18, 2022, he went "live" with a six-hour Grand Theft Auto broadcast. However, the livestream was a ruse, and McCullagh--who reportedly admitted in a written statement to police--used the pre-recorded livestream to show up at his then-girlfriend Natalie McNally's Lurgan house in disguise to beat, strangle, and stab her before taking a cab home to call 999 on December 19.