EA could reportedly go private with a $50 billion deal to be revealed as early as next week between a group of investors, which includes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), according to The Wall Street Journal.

Alongside PIF, according to people the WSJ said are familiar with the matter, private-equity firm Silver Lake is also reportedly involved with the deal. While EA has a market value of approximately $43 billion, two people told the WSJ that the behind-closed-doors discussions have valued the sports-sim maker closer to $50 billion.

According to the WSJ, if the deal comes together and goes through, this will be the "largest leveraged buyout of all time." The last mega-buyout was in 2007, when Texas-based utility company TXU was purchased by a group of private-equity firms for about $32 billion.

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On September 4, I was one of the many eager Hollow Knight fans who hastily opened up every gaming storefront to experience the moment when the ludicrously long wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong finally ended. Like everyone else, I experienced the crashing of these storefronts, but eventually, to my delight, I managed to install Silksong on my Nintendo Switch 2.

I've barely touched the game since.

More than three weeks after its noteworthy launch, my progress in the game is significantly behind that of my friends and peers. Some have already rolled credits, and lengthy, spoiler-tagged conversations about Silksong on Discord read like classified CIA documents. Meanwhile, I've only just defeated the Bell Beast, an important but fairly early boss that you encounter in the story’s first hour.

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Marvel Legends x Magic: The Gathering

$40 - $60 each

Preorder at Amazon

Marvel Legends is crossing over with Magic: The Gathering's new Spider-Man set with a series of action figures bundled with exclusive MTG foil cards. There are four different figures in the collection so far: Battle-Damaged Spider-Man, Agent Anti-Venom, Mary Jane Watson equipped with the Iron Spider costume, and Man-Wolf.

The Spider-Man Magic: The Gathering set launched today, September 26, but these figures/promo codes arrive over the next two weeks.

Marvel Legends: Battle-Damaged Spider-Man $40 | Releases October 10

This Spider-Man figure comes with a "Specactular Spider-Man" foil card that can give you a powerful advantage if you decide to sacrifice it. The figure features Spider-Man in a tattered version of his costume, and it comes with web-shooter, web-shield, and web-line accessories.

Preorder at Amazon Marvel Legends: Agent Anti-Venom $40 | Releases October 2

The foil card included with this toy is "Agent Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer" and it can bring back a target creature from the graveyard. This card can also deflect, and the action figure is an accurate replica of the powerful anti-symbiote character--the lore around him is way too much to get into right now. For accessories, Agent Anti-Venom comes with several sets of alternate hands, two blast effects, two smoke effects, tendrils, and a powerful arsenal of weapons.

Preorder at Amazon Marvel Legends: Mary Jane Watson Iron Spider Costume $42 | Available Now

Now sporting a stylish costume that her former husband Spider-Man once wore, Mary Jane's "Stark Upgrade" foil card can be tapped to add +1/+1 counters to all creatures and vehicles in your game. The figure features over 20 points of articulation and it comes with an alternate masked head, two "thwip" hands, and four articulated Iron Spider legs.

See at Amazon Marvel Legends: Man-Wolf $59.89 | Releases October 2

John Jameson isn't just an astronaut and the son of Daily Bugle boss J. Jonah Jameson, he's also the fearsome Man-Wolf. His foil card features a transformative effect, allowing him to tap into primal powers. For his accessories, he's armed with his sword Stargod, a bow, and several arrows.

Preorder at Amazon A closer look at the included cards.Gallery

Ever since it started collaborating with big IP, Magic: The Gathering's popularity has surged through the roof. The Marvel crossover could be the biggest one yet for the collectible card game, as it focuses not only on Spider-Man and his amazing friends, but also villains like Mysterio, Sandman, and Venom.

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To promote preorders for the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, Asus looked to one of the most popular video games of all time: Grand Theft Auto V. Michael De Santa actor Ned Luke and Franklin Clinton actor Shawn Fonteno appear in a new social media ad talking about the upcoming portable PC devices.

"It's handheld freedom for everybody," says Fonteno in the clip posted on X by Asus. "You know you gotta have an ally, and Xbox picked the right Ally," adds Luke. Microsoft and Asus finally revealed the price points for the two PC portable devices yesterday. The ROG Xbox Ally will cost $600 in the US, while the Xbox Ally X will cost $1,000. Both handhelds will launch October 16.

It's important to have an ally when you game! Pick smart... just like what we did with @Xbox
Pre-order now: https://t.co/SVN902lDJV pic.twitter.com/JtRHWeeDcj

— ROG Global (@ASUS_ROG) September 26, 2025

The base model ROG Xbox Ally has drawn comparisons to the Steam Deck OLED from a specs perspective, featuring an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor (Zen 4), 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Meanwhile, the premium Xbox Ally X has an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor (Zen 5), 24GB DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD. In June, GameSpot got hands-on time with the Xbox Ally X.

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In late 2023, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 brought most of the early games in the franchise to modern consoles. Since then, fans have clamored for Konami to complete the collection of games with Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2. Now, the producer behind Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has confirmed that Vol. 2 is still in the works, but declined to confirm any titles included in it.

During a presentation at the Tokyo Game Show, Metal Gear Solid producer Noriaki Okamura fielded a question about the next installment of the MGS Master Collection. X user Kuwabara357 shared a fan translation (via Video Games Chronicle), which essentially said that Vol. 2 is moving forward, but the team isn't ready to share any information about it yet.

SCOOP MGSVOL.2❗️ : On the METAL GEAR PRODUCTION HOTLINE, Noriaki Okamura briefly mentioned MGS Master Collection Vol.2. and according to him, it will take a little more time.
Here is a translation of his statement: “It has certainly taken quite a while now. Since we called the… pic.twitter.com/JUccwXkJJ2

— Outsider Snake (@Kuwabara357) September 25, 2025

The most-anticipated possibility for the collection is Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, which has never been released outside of the PS3. The first Master Collection excluded Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, a 2010 PlayStation Portable game that had previously been remastered in 2011 for the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. One of the series' other portable games, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, was also excluded from the Master Collection Vol. 1.

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A developer based in Estonia has stated that it's working on a classified Brothers in Arms game with Gearbox Software. Frozen Lake Studios notes on its website that more than 50 employees--including artists and animators--are working on "Gearbox’s next Brothers in Arms mission."

Just a bit over four years ago, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford confirmed his studio was working on a new Brothers in Arms game. However, Pitchford added that a reveal wouldn't happen "until we have it, you know." Basically, Pitchford didn't want to show anything too soon for the project to draw comparisons to the Aliens: Colonial Marines debacle.

Frozen Lake has previously collaborated with Gearbox on Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina's Wonderland, per the studio. In addition, Frozen Lake highlights experience assisting on games set during World War II, such as Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond as well as Sniper Elite 4.

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Nioh 3 Steelbook Launch Edition

$70 | Releases February 6, 2026

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy

Nioh 3 standard edition

$70 | Releases February 6, 2026

Preorder at Best Buy

Between Ninja Gaiden and Rise of the Ronin, Team Ninja has been pretty busy lately. The developer is keeping the pace into 2026 with the release of Nioh 3 on PS5 on February 6. Preorders are now live, and if you act fast, you can get the limited Nioh 3 Steelbook Launch Edition for $70. You'll also get bonus DLC as a preorder bonus when Nioh 3 launches on February 6, 2026.

Nioh 3 Preorder BonusesNioh 3 Steelbook Launch EditionGallery

The Nioh 3 preorder bonuses differ between the physical and digital versions of the game. Preordering the physical Nioh 3 Steelbook Launch Edition gets you an exclusive Steelbook case featuring unique key art and slipcase cover. You'll also get the Lucky Tanuki Netsuke and Kusanagi Netsuke Charm accessories. While not technically a preorder bonus, the Steelbook Launch Edition is only available in limited quantities--so while it's possible you could find a copy after launch, it's best to preorder if you're interested in this version. A standard physical edition is available, though it doesn't include the steelcase or extra in-game accessories.

There's also an additional Early Purchase bonus that gets you the Hellfrost Warrior and Hellfrost Ninja armor and attire sets if you purchase any physical or digital version of Nioh 3 by February 19, 2026.

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As I entered Wizards of the Coast's Seattle headquarters, I was greeted not only by the Wizards' team, but by an astoundingly large statue of a magnificent copper dragon. The statue, of course, was none other than the beloved beast Mitzy, one of Magic: The Gathering's iconic mascots. After spending a sufficiently long amount of time gazing at both Mitzy and a wall covered in unopened booster packs, a surreal catalog of Magic's three decades of history, I was led to the studio's dining hall. Yet to call that room a dining hall feels almost inaccurate, as the majority of what graced those tabletops was--you guessed it--Magic cards.

Throughout the day, I watched as folks rummaged through their bags for cards, or sauntered over to dig through the studio's boxes of bulk, then holed up at a table for a game or three. And while most of the folks I saw playing were, like me, giddy members of the press, it was plain to see that this level of excitement--this enthusiasm for play--was not an incidental or momentary thing, but rather a part of the studio's culture.

It's invigorating, finding yourself around people who make something you care deeply about and discovering their love for that creation is as genuine as you'd hoped it was--that there is a palpable reverence for it. And yet, something bit at me as we delved into conversations about the main reason I had come to the studio: Magic: The Gathering's Spider-Man collaboration.

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A MOBA that's been in development for 15 years and launched into early access in May 2025 to a "mostly positive" Steam rating has unceremoniously shut down. The game never left its early-access period and, according to developer Lunchbox Entertainment, couldn't keep going despite the team's best efforts.

You may have never heard of this game before now. Titled Sirocco, it's a 5v5 naval brawler where customizable boats try to send each other to the bottom of the sea. It started as a Warcraft 3 mod over a decade ago before the team made the concept--a sort of Battleships-esque multiplayer online battle arena--a full-blown game. It's only ever peaked at 882 players some four months ago, according to SteamDB data. And now, with the game barely cracking 30 players at any given time since its May 2025 launch, Lunchbox Entertainment has decided to pull the plug on Sirocco servers.

"We are shutting down our servers indefinitely on August 20, 2025 at 3PM ET," the team wrote in a Steam update post. "After that time, the game will be unplayable. [...] We are sorry for the inconvenience and grateful for your support. If you have questions, reach out in Discord and we will do our best to help."

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The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is celebrating its one-year anniversary today, September 26, 2025. Below, we look back at how it successfully married the flexibility of recent Zelda games with the top-down classics.

When Nintendo unveiled The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2017, it redefined what a Zelda game could be. Gone were the dungeon-by-dungeon progressions of earlier entries. Instead, players were dropped into a vast, living world and told to simply survive, explore, and discover.

Six years later, Tears of the Kingdom expanded that formula upward and downward, stacking floating islands and subterranean caverns around Hyrule’s sprawling surface. Together, those two games set a new standard for open-ended adventure.

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One of the big upcoming first-party PlayStation Studios titles is Saros, the next game from developer Housemarque. A spiritual sequel to Returnal, Saros builds on the foundation of that roguelike action game and is described as the "ultimate evolution" of the company's approach to gameplay-first adventures. Here's everything we know about the game so far, ahead of its upcoming release in early 2026.

Table of Contents [hide]

• When will Saros be released?
• Preorder Saros

When will Saros be released?

Housemarque has set a release window of March 20, 2026, for Saros.

Preorder Saros

Preorders are not yet available for Saros.

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In a spectacular fusion of pop culture and lucha libre, The Pokemon Company joined forces with Mexico's legendary wrestling promotion, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), and hosted a vibrant event promoting Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

Held in Mexico and streamed for free on YouTube, the show featured a fully customized Pokemon-themed wrestling ring and appearances from fan-favorites Pikachu and Eevee. The centerpiece of the night was a high-energy, two-out-of-three falls match between Team Hawlucha (Místico, Máscara Dorada, and Titán) and Team Machamp (Volador Jr., Hechicero, and Bárbaro Cavernario).

The event was more than just a spectacle; it brought Pokemon characters to life through some of the performers' stunning ring gear. Místico donned Hawlucha-inspired attire, Hechicero embodied Machamp, and other wrestlers repped favorites like Gengar, Sylveon, and Togepi.

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The newest Borderlands 4 patch arrived on September 25, addressing stability and performance issues. The update doesn't fix everything, though, and now developer Gearbox has given players some advice about how to addresses ongoing stability issues.

The developer said it's aware of players experiencing stuttering issues following installation of the new update, impacting performance. This is due to shader compilation that's occurring in the background during gameplay, which it said should clear up after 15 minutes of "continuous play." That's an unusual note, as shader compilation is typically handled during start-up, before you begin playing, in order to avoid just these sorts of issues.If the stuttering doesn't clear up after 15 minutes, Gearbox advised clearing your shader cache, which is a process specific to your graphics card's manufacturer.

The technical issues with Borderlands 4 prompted Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford to post through it, but he's since moved on to posting a lot about the upcoming Now You See Me movie sequel. Pitchford contributed to the magic elements of the movie and says he was more involved with that film that the Borderlands movie.

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Despite heaps of critical praise at launch, Square Enix revealed in investor briefings that 2024's Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth did not meet sales expectations. Those disappointing sales figures shouldn't be of concern to you, though, as director Naoki Hamaguchi has stated that Part 3 will be a "proper, high-quality" series ender.

Speaking to Automaton (and spotted by IGN), Hamaguchi said that although sales didn't meet Square Enix's marks, Rebirth has picked up steam. Quite literally, too, as the game is performing well on PC, which will allows the team to do the third installment justice.

"The second entry, FFVII Rebirth, has been doing very well on both PS5 and PC," he said. "I know some fans have expressed concerns, but please rest assured, we'll be able to deliver a proper, high-quality third installment."

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Earlier this year, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt celebrated its 10th anniversary. As part of that event, CD Projekt Red announced one final update for the game that will allow console players to enjoy many of the mods that PC players have used for years. However, the highly anticipated feature won't be coming this year as planned.

CD Projekt Red has posted an update via (GamesRadar), in which the developer apologized to fans and indicated that the new release date will fall in 2026.

"We originally planned to introduce cross-platform mod support for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S later this year, but the rollout is now shifting to 2026. We apologize for the delay and will share more details as we get closer to the release. Thank you for your patience!"

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Helldivers 2 has proven to be one of Sony's few breakthrough live-service titles, especially after it went cross-platform with an Xbox Series X|S release. But if fans thought that Helldivers 2 would lead to another action-packed sequel, they may be mistaken. Arrowhead Game Studio CEO Shams Jorjani's ambition for Helldivers 2 is to keep it going forever.

In a recent post on Discord (via GamesRadar), Jorjani wrote that there are "no plans for [Helldivers 3]--just [Helldivers 2] for as long as it can go." He went on to say, "Think RuneScape" to convey the idea of keeping the same game alive for years and years. RuneScape did eventually get two sequels, which were largely updated versions of the original game. Helldivers 2 was itself released nine years after its predecessor, although its exponentially bigger success would certainly justify a more timely sequel.

Earlier this month, Jorjani appeared to indicate that a Destiny-style social hub was on the feature list for Helldivers 3. However, Jorjani has since clarified his statement and said that he was referring to Arrowhead's next game. Whatever that mystery project is, it hasn't been officially announced yet.

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The video game industry has been a tumultuous place of late, with mass layoffs, game cancellations, and studio closures, not to mention ongoing fears about the role of artificial intelligence. These issues have affected developers big and small. One smaller developer that has endured and thrived is Supergiant, which just launched Hades 2 this week.

Supergiant was formed in 2009 with seven people and has grown to 25 today. The seven original members all remain at Supergiant today, and the company has never done a major layoff, all while never taking in outside funding, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. How has Supergiant achieved this? In an interview, the developer discussed that and dug into how the company will choose the next game to come after Hades 2.

What's the secret?

Creative director Greg Kasavin, the former executive editor of GameSpot, said there is no "magical explantation" for why Supergiant has endured while others have not. However, one theory he has is that Supergiant has focused on staying modest instead of pursuing massive growth.

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In 2015, developers Pilgrim Adventures and GrabTheGames Studios released The Deed, an adventure-RPG that upended the traditional structure of mystery stories. This week, The Deed is available on Steam for free for a limited time, but only if you grab it quickly.

From now until Saturday, September 27 at 10 am, The Deed is free to all users on Steam. The best way to describe the premise is to invoke the board game Clue. Except this time, you're not out to find the killer because your character is the murderer, and the goal of the game is to get away with the crime.

Players assume control of Arran Bruce, a man who believes that he's the rightful heir to his family's ancestral home, Dunshiel House. Arran's father disagrees, and has cut him out of the will in favor of Arran's younger sister. For Arran, the solution is simple: His sister needs to die. How she dies is up to you as the player.

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If you've ever wanted to rewind a Twitch stream, that long-awaited feature is finally at hand. Twitch CEO Dan Clancy has announced that pause and rewind options were added to the service this week, with some notable exceptions.

Clancy made the announcement during a live-stream (via The Verge), and noted that it is currently limited to Twitch Turbo subscribers or for channels that users are individually subscribed to. However, it's not available on mobile yet.

"It's a feature I've been looking forward to us getting out," said Clancy. "It keeps viewers connected as they pause or rewind. Chat continues to stay live, so you can see the hype and understand what's happening in the live stream. The idea is that you're still there, you can catch up and then you come back."

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Two of developer Blizzard's worlds are once again colliding, with the sci-fi heroes and villains of StarCraft crash landing in Diablo 4 in the form of class-specific premium cosmetics based on iconic characters from the RTS franchise.

From September 26 through October 10, StarCraft cosmetics for each of Diablo 4's six classes, as well as a Zerg mount and mini Hydralisk pet, will be available for purchase in the in-game shop. Blizzard has not yet revealed the price of these cosmetic bundles, but if they are anything like Diablo 4's previous Berserk crossover, expect to pay around $28 per bundle.

A look at Diablo 4's StarCraft crossover skins.

Each skin is class specific and based on major characters StarCraft players are more than familiar with. They are:

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