The time for Genshin Impact's major annual update has arrived, bringing with it the game's seventh major region, new storylines and characters, and special events to celebrate the game's fifth anniversary.

Version Luna 1, aka Song of the Welsin Moon: Segue, debuts Nod-Krai, the latest explorable region expanding the world of Teyvat: an autonomous setting where diverse factions converge for the main stage of the game's new "Song of the Welkin Moon" version series.

Nod-Krai consists of three island areas--Hisi Island, Lempo Isle, and Paha Isle--but players will begin their journey from Nasha Town, the main human settlement southeast of Lempo Isle, after sailing across the sea from Natlan.

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Activision has confirmed that, in fact, some Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 skins will carry forward to Black Ops 7--but they're limited to a handful of Black Ops 6 Zombies skins.

For anyone just catching up, Activision originally announced that Black Ops 7 would support the Carry Forward program and allow players to bring their Black Ops 6 skins to Black Ops 7. However, Activision later canceled these plans and confirmed that most skins--including ones people paid money for--are not carrying forward.

Now, Activision has confirmed that the four main quest operator skin rewards earned in Black Ops 6 will be available to use in Black Ops 7 at launch. The New Orders prestige level 1,000 operator skin from Black Ops 6 will also be available for the operator Samuels at launch for Black Ops 7.

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Mega Evolutions are making their grand return in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and after seeing how Dragonite, Victreebel, and Hawlucha will look once they've undergone this power-up, it looks like Malamar is also getting an upgrade. So far, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have released Mega Evolution reveal videos that put an interesting spin on the world of Pokemon, and just like the Victreebel Mega Evolution, this satirical news broadcast is a reminder of just how frightening the world would be if Pokemon were real.

In the video, Mega Malar uses its hypnotic abilities on the citizens of Lumiose City, explaining why there has been a boom in popularity for it. Mega Malamar is also slimmed down in comparison to its base form, as this Dark- and Psychic-type Pokemon gets a big boost to its mental powers. Does psychic power burn a lot of calories? Maybe, according to pseudo-science.

"Malamar’s brain has become enlarged as a result of Mega Evolution," its official Pokedex entry reads. "Greatly enhanced psychic power overflows from its body, emitting a bright glow. Mega Malamar views others--even Pokémon Trainers--as its pawns. If it disagrees with an order given to it by a Trainer, it will sometimes respond by hypnotizing them, making this an incredibly difficult Pokemon to interact with.

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United States Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced that the National Institutes of Health are looking into a range of issues as it relates to what may contribute to gun violence in the United States. He also cited video games as a possible cause of real-world violence.

"The firearms question is a complex question, and it's not an easy question," he said in response to a question from PBS about if the government is looking into mental health when it comes to gun violence.

He called out a variety of factors that could contribute to an uptick in real-world violence, including "dependence on psychiatric drugs," along with video games and social media. "We are initiating studies now that look at the correlation and the potential connection between over-medicating our kids and this violence." He did not elaborate on video games, however.

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Nintendo has secured a new patent that could have major implications for future Pokemon-inspired games. Granted on September 2, 2025, the filing describes a system that “covers the fundamental gameplay mechanic of summoning a character and letting it fight another” within a video game.

The patent application (via Games Fray) was filed in March 2023 and was granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office without any objection. It appears to be specifically focused on Pokemon-like games with its description and accompanying artwork, but there is concern that the wide-ranging text could potentially allow Nintendo to issue lawsuits against other companies and their games if they feature vaguely similar gameplay mechanics.

While Nintendo probably won't be taking companies like Atlus and Square Enix to court over established franchises with summoning mechanics like Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, and Final Fantasy, the existence of the patent could be discouraging to smaller studios, given the litigious nature of Nintendo.

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Nintendo has officially confirmed that a new Direct livestream will be held on September 12. The presentation will run for roughly 60 minutes and will be focused on upcoming Switch 2 and Switch games.

Nintendo Direct start time and runtime

This will be a long Nintendo Direct, running for around 60 minutes.

• 6 AM PT
• 9 AM ET
• 2 PM BST
• 11 PM AET

How to watch the September Nintendo Direct

As usual, you can tune into Nintendo's official YouTube channel to watch the broadcast. An archived version of the stream will be available after the initial premiere, as will trailers for each game shown during the event.

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Netflix's BioShock movie remains in development, and now a key detail about the story has been revealed. Producer Roy Lee said in a new interview that the movie is based on the first BioShock game.

"Netflix wants us to keep everything under wraps," Lee told The Direct, before confirming that the film is "definitely" based on the 2007 original.

The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence is attached to direct the BioShock movie, and Lee confirmed it will be the director's next film after The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. That film is in production now in Spain and due for release in November 2026.

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Star Trek Day has come and gone, and out of all the announcements that were made, the tease of an official Lego Star Trek could be the best one of all. The first teaser for this upcoming collaboration was short, but it did show off a Lego minifigure of famed Starfleet captain Jean-Luc Picard beaming into a transporter room, while geared up in his signature Star Trek: The Next Generation uniform. The teaser also featured some Klingon writing at the end, which spells out "coming soon" after being translated.

This will mark the first partnership between Lego and Star Trek; however, details about the upcoming sets have not been revealed yet. There's plenty of potential here for some big builds, from the TNG incarnation of the Enterprise to Borg Cubes, Klingon warships, and much more. Multiple eras of Star Trek exist, and while it looks like TNG will kick this partnership off, fans would probably be happy to build sets from the classic, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, and Discovery series as well.

On the other side of the Lego sci-fi aisle, the company's official Star Wars sets continue to be massively popular with its fanbase. The company has just unveiled its next Ultimate Collector Series Star Wars set: the Death Star. This is the biggest Star Wars model and the fifth-largest Lego set overall, as it has over 9,000 pieces that can be used to construct a mobile battle station big enough to end any rebellion.

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Hit RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has sold out its first live concert series in just 45 minutes, meaning more shows are likely on the horizon. The first series of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - A Painted Symphony will be held exclusively in France, but Sandfall Games has teased international events coming next year.

Expedition 33 has seen runaway success since its release this April, and its soundtrack has been no less popular, topping Billboard's Classical Album chart back in May. The soundtrack also reached number 13 on the Official Soundtrack chart, and 31 on the Official Album Download chart. Many of the songs on the soundtrack have reached over a million plays on Spotify, while its most popular track, Lumiere, has almost 21 million listens at the time of writing.

Woww!!
Tickets for the French concert series "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - A Painted Symphony" are sold out!
Those of you who are looking for another chance to buy Paris tickets for the French concert series, there will be a small allocation of tickets available on:
Thursday… pic.twitter.com/qRrPS62Xvr

— Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (@expedition33) September 9, 2025

"If you happened to miss out on this event, don't worry there'll be plenty more opportunities next year as we work on bringing the official international concert series to you in 2026!" the official Expedition 33 account adds at the end of the concert post. While Sandfall hasn't said where it plans to tour the symphony series next year, there are plenty of fan requests for concerts in Europe, the UK, and the US.

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Mortal Kombat: Flawless Victory: A Visual History of the Iconic Series

$50 (was $60) | Releases October 21

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More than 30 years ago, Mortal Kombat hit arcades, kicking off the hyper-violent franchise that now spans numerous video games, big-budget movies, comic books, and even an animated series. Soon, fans can get an inside look at the franchise's gore-spattered history thanks to the upcoming art book, Mortal Kombat: Flawless Victory, written by Ian Flynn--the lead writer of IDW Publishing's Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and Sonic Frontiers. The $50 hardcover book will be released on October 21, 2025, and is available for preorder at Amazon.

Mortal Kombat: Flawless Victory: A Visual History of the Iconic Series $50 (was $60) | Releases October 21

According to the book's Amazon store page, Mortal Kombat: Flawless Victory will feature over 300 pages of concept sketches, renders, and illustrations. The art will be presented alongside exclusive interviews with the development team at NetherRealm Studios, commentary from Flynn, and an in-depth look at fan-favorite characters like Scorpion, Raiden, and Liu Kang.

While August 2025 is a bit of a long wait, the silver lining here is that you won't be charged until the book ships, and thanks to Amazon's preorder price guarantee, you'll get it for the best price.

Preorder at Amazon Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is a blast from the past

The best way to experience Mortal Kombat history is through the original games, and fortunately, they're all coming to PC and console later this year. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection from retro specialists Digital Eclipse launches on December 12, and this bundle includes the original trilogy of arcade games, Mortal Kombat 4, Game Boy ports, several spin-offs, and a look behind the scenes with archival materials and newly filmed interviews.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection will be available in three editions: Standard, Deluxe, and Kollector's. The Deluxe Edition comes with the game, a steelbook case, magnet, poster, and more, while the Kollector's Edition offers all of those extras and a controller-holder shaped like Goro, an arcade token, and several other extras. Preorders for all editions are now live.

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September 7, 2048. The world you once knew is gone, and so is your memory. An unfamiliar voice urges you to defeat A.D.E., the AI behind the long lasting 20-year war that has driven humanity into hiding beneath the Earth. The surface is now ruled by hostile machines, new lifeforms fighting for their survival. Just like everyone else. To defeat A.D.E., you must wield your powers. Abilities that grant access to a new plane of reality: Worlds within technology, within a world shattered by it. Journey through a dystopian tale where nothing is as it seems, and the line between friend and foe has never been so thin. Battle through a ravaged world to save what remains of humanity’s future. Of Lies and Rain is a story-driven first-person shooter built exclusively for VR. Set in a dark, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic world, you’ll fight to reclaim your past and save humanity from the brink of extinction.