Vince Zampella, the co-founder of Infinity Ward and one of the leading figures behind the first Call of Duty game, has passed away. Zampella was reportedly in a single-car accident on Sunday, December 21 in the San Gabriel Mountains when the vehicle went off the road and hit a concrete barrier.

According to NBC4 Los Angeles, the driver of the vehicle perished in a car fire while the passenger was ejected and died at the hospital. The report didn't share any further specifics about the incident.

Zampella got his start in the video game industry in the late '90s with stints at GameTek, Atari, Interactive Media/Ripcord Games, and SegaSoft. In 1999, he joined 2015 Inc and became the lead designer of the third Medal of Honor game, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, which was published by EA.

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2K Sports has confirmed that WWE 2K24 will be delisted as of January 31, 2026, with servers shutting down on March 31, 2026. This information was disclosed on the game's Steam page, but also applies to the console editions.

Once the servers go dark, "all game functions requiring online servers will no longer function."

2K Sports actually first confirmed the server shutdown on December 8, but it wasn't widely reported on until more recently. The game's offline modes like Play Now and Showcase will remain available after the servers go dark.

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Over the weekend, The Indie Game Awards shook up its winner's circle by stripping Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 of its Game of the Year Award over the publisher's use of AI. In its place, indie-darling Blue Prince was declared the new Game of the Year winner. Now, publisher Raw Fury wants to make sure everyone knows that Blue Prince wasn't made with AI of any kind.

In a statement released on X, Raw Fury credited Tonda Ros and his team for a game that "was built and crafted with full human instinct ... It is the result of eight years of development [fueled] by imagination and creativity, and we are extremely proud of what Tonda has achieved."

For people that need confirmation:
There is no AI used in Blue Prince. The game was built and crafted with full human instinct by Tonda Ros @dogubomb & his team. It is the result of eight years of development, fuelled by imagination and creativity, and we are extremely proud of… pic.twitter.com/zdbqp6xnKy

— Raw Fury I ROUTINE IS OUT NOW (@RawFury) December 21, 2025

Blue Prince is a roguelike puzzle game that casts players as Simon P. Jones, a man who is set to inherit a mysterious mansion called the Mt. Holly Estate following the death of his great uncle Herbert S. Sinclair. There are 45 rooms known to be in the mansion, and Simon has to find the hidden 46th room in order to claim his inheritance. However, the layout of the mansion changes each night, and Simon largely has to start from scratch if he can't find it in time.

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These past two months with Arc Raiders have been the most fun I've had with games all year. It represents the most exciting and unpredictable multiplayer landscape I've jumped into since Sea of Thieves in 2018, which I consider my favorite game ever made. It's safe to say I really love Arc Raiders. But it's become difficult to fully espouse those feelings as we learn about Embark Studio's use of generative AI.

According to the studio, Arc Raiders' voice acting was initially performed by humans, then used to "train" AI so that it could speak in the actors' voices while addressing any possible circumstance. For Embark, the team doesn't need to bring in the voice actors each time new content is added to the game. The AI voices learn to speak in the voices of the actors, which the actors are said to have agreed upon when they were hired, and the tools take it from there. Maybe it shouldn't have come as a surprise, since the team's previous game, The Finals, uses generative AI in a similar way. In an interview, Embark assured players that the game's visual artwork is entirely human-made, but admitted to using this text-to-speech training to bring voices to the game's shop NPCs, emotes, and other character barks. Knowing this has left me conflicted when I think to sing the game's praises.

On one hand, I can't deny the hold Arc Raiders has taken over me. The heart wants what the heart wants, and Embark's extraction shooter, rich in emergent, player-driven drama, has lit my heart on fire in a way few games ever have. At the same time, I've already written my review. Though it was a glowing one that I don't regret, I also feel it's my job to call out this disappointing practice. In recent weeks, similar practices or plans have arisen in several high-profile examples. Larian Studios' boss vouched for it in some cases. Nexon's former CEO said AI is about to rewrite everything in the games industry. Ubisoft announced it's using an AI tool to help write its games in some instances. Even Hideo Kojima, often considered a unique voice in the industry, says he uses it at times. It's being presented as not just helpful, but inevitable.

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Last month, Aspyr shadow-dropped the Switch and Switch 2 versions of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, the 2013 reboot that kicked off a new era for Lara Croft. According to Aspyr, the response has been so strong that more Tomb Raider games may make the leap to Switch 2.

Aspyr product manager Jordon Reese was recently asked by Nintendo Everything about the possibility of the other Survivor trilogy games--Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider--coming to Switch 2. Reese didn't directly confirm those titles, but he also seemed to leave the door open for them.

"We've successfully brought back the classic era [Tomb Raider 1-6] and now the origin story of Lara Croft to modern Nintendo platforms," said Reese. "We can't announce anything at the moment, but the passionate response to this release is strong encouragement for us to continue exploring those possibilities."

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The actor who provided the motion capture for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Gustave has spoken out to say it would be "more logical" to have a Best Character category at awards shows to help give credit to everyone who contributed to bringing a character to life in a game. The actor, Maxence Cazorla, is saying this against the backdrop of only one person, voice actor Charlie Cox, being nominated for Best Performance at The Game Awards for the role of Gustave. For what it's worth, Cox was open in acknowledging that Cazorla deserved credit, too, and Cazorla said Cox was kind to say that.

Cox did not end up winning Best Performance, as it was Jennifer English as Maelle from Expedition 33 who took home the award. In any event, Cazorla told Eurogamer that he believes a "Best Character category feels more logical" than "isolating a single performer and potentially leaving others invisible."

Whether or not this is something that host and organizer Geoff Keighley is considering for next year's The Game Awards is unknown.

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Sucker Punch Productions co-founder Brian Fleming is leaving the gaming studio after working there since it opened 28 years ago in 1997. What's he doing next? Fleming says he does not know.

In a post on LinkedIn, Fleming said, "I really don't know what's next."

He's staying with Sucker Punch through April 2026 to help with the transition efforts, and after that he said he plans to travel. He's also going to spend the time trying to "sort out which opportunities" he wants to pursue next. Fleming said he's considering a lot of different options for the future, including staying in games, moving to the wider technology space, getting into the "entertainment" business, and even working in the "advocacy/politics" areas.

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If you find yourself with a shiny new Meta Quest headset during the holidays, be sure to check out the new Winter 2025 Edition of Fanatical's Build Your Own Quest VR Bundle deal. Like other Fanatical deals, you choose from a catalog of 21 games (all of which are offered as official keys for your Quest), and the more you buy, the more you'll save. Buy two or more games to get each for $9, four or more for $8.75/each, and seven or more for $8.50/each. If you want, you can add 21 games to your bundle, in which case you'll pay $178.50--while that's higher than most Fanatical bundle deals, it's still a massive 65% savings compared to the bundle's $471.79 value.

See deal at Fanatical

As for the games in the bundle, if you're a fan of Superhot, take a peek at Chronostrike. The stylized shooter emphasizes cooperative play, tasking you and a buddy to take down hordes of foes while deflecting bullets, manipulating time, and making liberal use of your environment to your advantage. There are also more traditional shooters like Contracts Shadow: ExfilZone. Fans of dark fantasy dungeon crawls should check out Amid Evil VR, which offers a frantic melee adventure with classic Quake-style movement and level design.

For something more strategic, check out Neon Squad Tactics. The top-down, turn-based, cyberpunk tactics game lets players choose from nine unique characters and fight across 31 maps. Meanwhile, 7th Guest VR and Shadow Chambers are great picks for more immersive, puzzle-filled adventure games.

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Microsoft has reacted to a report that said the company is pushing Xbox to make more profit. In a statement to CNBC, the company said it has ambitious profit goals, but the specific 30% profit-margin figure was not correct. The statement was paraphrased and not attributed to any specific person at Microsoft, and GameSpot has followed up with Microsoft in an attempt to get more information.

Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft pushed the Xbox team to increase profit margins starting in 2023, with the goal of rising to 30% (up from 12% in 2022). The industry average for profit margins is likely between 17% and 22%, analysts said in the Bloomberg piece.

According to the report, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood implemented the new goals, and her team has "taken a larger role" in the company's gaming business recently.

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Battlefield 6 players believe they have discovered evidence that the game features AI-generated art. People are theorizing that some of the art in player emblems in Battlefield 6 was created, at least in part, with the use of generative AI systems, though there is no concrete evidence of this as of yet or any comment from Electronic Arts or the game's developers.

People have pointed out some apparent irregularities with the art below. GameSpot has contacted EA in an attempt to get more details on the situation.

This definitely looks AI Generated right? #Battlefield6 pic.twitter.com/VLYMhEMOqQ

— Battlefield 6 News (@BF6Updates) December 21, 2025

Battlefield 6 is getting accused of using Gen AI. pic.twitter.com/fa2E79X8as

— Shooter Intel (@ShooterIntel) December 22, 2025

Back in October, DICE GM Rebecka Coutaz said EA's teams use generative AI in the early stages of development "to allow more time and more space to be creative." But Battlefield 6 has no gen AI-created content, she said. She is optimistic about the technology overall, though. "If we can break the magic with AI it will help us be more innovative and more creative," she said.

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In the span of a week, Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was named Game of the Year by both The Game Awards and The Indie Game Awards. But just two days after its latest win, The Indie Game Awards stripped Expedition 33 of its two wins over the developer's use of AI.

"The Indie Game Awards have a hard stance on the use of gen AI throughout the nomination process and during the ceremony itself," reads a statement on The Indie Game Awards' official site (via Insider Gaming). "When it was submitted for consideration, representatives of Sandfall Interactive agreed that no gen AI was used in the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. In light of Sandfall Interactive confirming the use of gen AI on the day of the Indie Game Awards 2025 premiere, this does disqualify Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from its nomination."

Following that decision, The Indie Game Awards named Blue Prince as its new Game of the Year. Sorry We're Closed was given the award for Debut Game, which Expedition 33 previously claimed.

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Despite Netflix announcing a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to acquire the media and entertainment behemoth, Paramount has not given up on its own attempt to acquire the company by going directly to shareholders. Now, Paramount has announced that it has further sweetened its proposal in a bid to make a deal.

Paramount, which is run by David Ellison, has offered an "irrevocable personal guarantee" from his father, billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison, of $40.4 billion. Additionally, Paramount announced that it would increase and match Netflix's fee of $5.8 billion to be paid to WBD if the deal gets struck down in the regulatory process. Paramount's previous breakup fee was $5 billion.

What's more, Paramount said its revised proposal includes "further improved flexibility to WBD on debt refinancing transactions, representations, and interim operating covenants." The updated offer also includes the publishing of records that show the Ellison family trust owns 1.16 billion shares of Oracle stock, which is an attempt to show WBD shareholders that the Ellisons can indeed finance their $40.4 billion of the proposed $108 billion all-cash offer.

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Ark 2 now has a new release window, but don't expect it to be out soon, as the new date for the game is a nebulous 2028. Developer Studio Wildcard originally announced the dino-taming survival soulslike game sequel all the way back in 2020, but since then, the project has suffered several delays.

The 2028 date was revealed during publisher Snail Games' Investor Day held at the NASDAQ Marketsite building in Times Square this week (via the Epic Games Store blog), and the studio also unveiled a new look at the in-game model of Bob, the character who has appeared in multiple Ark projects and is voiced by The Boys star Karl Urban.

Studio co-founder Jeremy Stieglitz revealed a two-year roadmap for Ark: Survival Ascended, which will culminate with the release of Legacy of Santiago, a major expansion that will lay the groundwork for Ark 2 and introduce several new gameplay mechanics coming to the sequel.

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Amid Netflix's proposed buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery, the streaming platform has made another big business move, acquiring a gaming startup amid the company's push further into games.

Netflix has paid an unspecified sum for Estonia-based Ready Player Me, a company that builds the technology used to create gaming assets that are available across different titles.

"Our vision has always been to enable avatars and identities to travel across many games and virtual worlds. We've been on an independent path to make that vision a reality for a long time. I'm now very excited for the Ready Player Me team to join Netflix to scale our tech and expertise to a global audience and contribute to the exciting vision Netflix has for gaming," CEO Timmu Tõke said.

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Evil Dead: Rise Limited Edition (4K Blu-ray)

$35 (was $50) | Releases January 13, 2026

Preorder at Amazon

Just like the Deadite antagonists that torment the heroes in each movie, you can't keep the Evil Dead film franchise down for long. A new film in the series, Evil Dead: Burn, is on the way, but until then, you can check out one of the creepiest entries in the saga with this new Evil Dead: Rise Limited Edition 4K Blu-ray. While the film was released on Blu-ray in 2023, this new version is being distributed by Arrow Video and will launch on January 13. Preorders are discounted to $35 (was $50) at Amazon.

Evil Dead: Rise Limited Edition (4K Blu-ray) $35 (was $50) | Releases January 13, 2026

Like its other releases, Arrow Video's Evil Dead: Rise Blu-ray comes with several brand-new extras. The physical release has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork, a double-sided fold-out poster, and a booklet featuring new writing on the film by film journalist and screenwriter Michael Gingold.

On the disc, you'll find eight newly filmed interviews with the cast and crew of the film, including actors Alyssa Sutherland, Gabrielle Echols, and special make-up effects designer Luke Polti. The Blu-ray also includes featurettes on the movie, concept artwork, and promotional materials.

The film is presented in Dolby Vision and HDR10 with support for the original DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track and Dolby Atmos.

Evil Dead: Rise Special Features

• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Waldemar Witt
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Waldemar Witt
• Collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Gingold
• Audio commentary with director Lee Cronin and actors Alyssa Sullivan and Lily Sullivan
• Eight New cast and crew interviews
• Raising a New Evil Dead featurette
• Ghost Train: 2013 short film directed by Lee Cronin
• Behind-the-scenes video clips and still gallery
• Concept artwork gallery
• Storyboard gallery
• Trailer and TV spots

Preorder at Amazon

Evil Dead: Rise was a big departure for the horror film franchise, as the movie swapped the creepy woods for a seemingly normal LA apartment building. Once again, the cursed Necronomicon features prominently in a tale about estranged sisters, giving rise to flesh-possessing demons and forcing one family to take on the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable.

If you don't feel like waiting for the new Arrow Video version of Evil Dead: Rise, you can pick up the older Blu-rays from Amazon. It's worth noting that the 4K and standard Blu-rays come with no special features whatsoever, but if you want the movies on their own, these are cheap alternatives. We'd still recommend waiting for the Arrow Video release, given that the price difference is slight and you're getting much content in return.

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Lego Transformers: Bumblebee 2-in-1 Model (950 Pieces)

$72 (was $90)

See at Amazon See at Target See at Lego Store See at Walmart See at Best Buy

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