There's been a lot of speculation about the cost of Grand Theft Auto 6, with some companies hoping that it will debut at $100 to open the door for more games to drop at that price. The current ceiling for gaming prices appears to be $80, but Strauss Zelnick--the CEO of Rockstar Games' parent company, Take-Two Interactive--doesn't seem to be very enthusiastic about raising the price for GTA 6.

"I think our approach may be a little bit different," replied Zelnick when asked about pricing GTA 6 at $80 during Take-Two's August 7 investor call. "We believe that any consumer experience is the intersection of the thing itself and what you paid for the thing. So our goal is to vastly exceed expectations. We want to put out the best entertainment on Earth, and we want to deliver more value than what we charge for it. We think we've generally speaking, gotten that right."

"Variable pricing has been the nature of this industry forever," added Zelnick. "You know, most Frontline releases will go out at a higher price, sometimes with special editions, and then over time usually the price is discounted to optimize for the largest possible market. And I don't think that's going to change anytime soon ... The rubric that informs us is really that of delivering more value than what we charge."

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Few disaster movies are as iconic--or successful--as 1996's Twister. The blockbuster flick is often credited with kicking off a wave of popularity for the disaster movie genre that rolled far into the 2000s. The film's 2024 standalone sequel, Twisters, looks to be replicating that success, raking in nearly $400 million worldwide and earning praise from critics. Soon, fans will be able to add both movies to their Blu-ray collections with an upcoming double feature 4K Blu-ray release, releasing August 26, that includes 4K cuts of both films, a collectible steelbook case, and tons of bonus materials. Preorders for the Twisters Double Feature Limited Edition Steelbook 4K Blu-ray are available now for $45 at multiple online retailers.

Twisters Double Feature Limited Edition Steelbook 4K Blu-ray $45 | Releases August 26

The Twisters Double Feature Limited Edition Steelbook includes both Twister and Twisters on 4K Blu-ray and digital formats with support for Dolby Vision HDR, plus Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 7.1 spatial audio. There's also a long list of bonus features, which we've listed out below. The Blu-rays come in a collectible steelbook case featuring cover and interior artwork from both films. Note that preordering means you won't pay until the item ships, and if the price happens to drop between now and August 26, you're entitled to the lower price.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart Preorder at Gruv Twisters Double Feature Limited Edition SteelbookTwisters Double Feature Steelbook Bonus Features

The Twisters Double Feature Limited Edition Steelbook 4K Blu-ray offers a wealth of bonus content for both films, including commentary tracks, deleted scenes, documentaries, and more. Bonus material is presented in 1080p rather than 4K. Here's a look at all the special features:

Twister (1996)

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Reanimal Standard Edition

$40 | Release Date TBA

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Reanimal Deluxe Edition

$60 | Release Date TBA

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Reanimal Collector's Edition

$200 | Release Date TBA

Preorder at Amazon

Reanimal is an upcoming horror game for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC, created by Tarsier Studios, the folks responsible for the Little Nightmares series. It follows a brother and sister as they explore a mysterious island in search of their missing friends, discovering all sorts of mutated animals and other abominations along the way. Based on the brief glimpses we've seen of the game through trailers, there's a strong emphasis on its chilling atmosphere and surviving tense moments. Reanimal does not yet have a release date, though preorders are open at most retailers. Three versions of the game are up for grabs, including a $40 standard edition, $60 Deluxe Edition, and a massive $200 Collector's Edition that's packed with physical extras.

Reanimal Preorder Bonuses

Since Reanimal doesn't yet have a firm release date, details about preorder bonuses are scarce. The Collector's Edition does make a mention of some sort of "Preorder DLC," though it's unclear what exactly this will be. Once more details become available, we'll be sure to update this section with specifics.

Reanimal Standard Edition $40 | Release Date TBA

The standard edition gets you the Reanimal base game on your platform of choice. Physical preorders are available for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch 2 at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop. Digital preorders are also available.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Preorder at GameStop Reanimal Deluxe Edition $60 | Release Date TBA

The $60 Reanimal Deluxe Edition features the base game, plus access to the Season Pass and post-launch DLC--though we don't know exactly what these in-game bonuses will include. Physical PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X preorders are available at Amazon. You can also preorder this version digitally on consoles or Steam.

Preorder at Amazon Reanimal Collector's Edition $200 | Release Date TBA

Reanimal is also getting a big $200 Collector's Edition that comes with everything in the Deluxe Edition, plus a bundle of physical collectibles. Here's what's included: the DLC and Season Pass, this edition gets you the following:

• Base game on your platform of choice
• Season Pass
• First post-launch DLC
• Pig statue (9.8 x 5.1 x 4.7 inches)
• Bucket mini statue (4.8 inches)
• Keychain
• Map poster
• Artbook
• Stickers
• Exclusive box

This version is available for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch 2. Preorders are live at Amazon.

Preorder at Amazon Reanimal Collector's EditionReanimal Collectibles Preorders

The Reanimal preorders don't end with just the game. There's also a selection of figurines available to preorder at the official Reanimal online store based on The Boy and The Girl protagonists, and various characters they'll meet throughout the game. These collectibles come in premium display boxes. They are estimated to launch on March 31, 2026. Here's a list of all the Reanimal figurines available to preorder:

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Studio Ghibli Movies: Steelbook Editions (Blu-ray + DVD)

Get many of Hayao Miyazaki's best films for only $16.

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If you're a Studio Ghibli fan, now's an ideal time to start or expand your Blu-ray collection. The distinctive, matching Steelbook Editions of most of the movies in the Japanese animation studio's filmography are on sale for exceedingly low prices at Amazon. Nearly all of animated movies written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki are featured in the promotion, including nine Blu-ray Steelbook Editions for roughly $16 each.

Seven of the best deals are on Studio Ghibli movies directed and written by Miyazaki: Spirited Away, Ponyo, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and Porco Rosso. More than a dozen Studio Ghibli Steelbook Editions are on sale for $19 or less, and all of them follow the same design aesthetics, which makes these vibrant collectible editions look great alongside each other on a display shelf. The list below is organized by price, from lowest to highest.

Studio Ghibli Movies: Steelbook Editions (Blu-ray + DVD)

• Spirited Away: Steelbook Edition -- $16.19 ($27)
• Ponyo: Steelbook Edition -- $16.19 ($27)
• The Tale of The Princess Kaguya: Steelbook Edition -- $16.19 ($27)
• Howl's Moving Castle: Steelbook Edition -- $16.29 ($27)
• Kiki's Delivery Service: Steelbook Edition -- $16.29 ($27)
• My Neighbor Totoro: Steelbook Edition -- $16.29 ($27)
• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: Steelbook Edition -- $16.29 ($27)
• Porco Rosso: Steelbook Edition -- $16.29 ($27)
• The Secret World of Arrietty: Steelbook Edition -- $16.29 ($27)
• From Up on Poppy Hill: Steelbook Edition -- $17.89 ($27)
• When Marnie Was There: Steelbook Edition -- $17.89 ($27)
• Princess Mononoke: Steelbook Edition -- $18.43 ($27)
• The Wind Rises: Steelbook Edition -- $18.89 ($27)
• Earwing and the Witch: Steelbook Edition -- $20 ($27)
• Grave of the Fireflies: Steelbook Edition -- $22 ($27)
• Only Yesterday: Steelbook Edition -- $22 ($27)
• The Boy and the Heron: Steelbook Edition (4K) -- $30 ($45)

Studio Ghibli Steelbook Editions of movies written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Along with the seven Miyazaki-directed films for $16.29 or less, you'll find two of the other films he directed, The Wind Rises and Princess Mononoke, for below $19 each. Two of the three Ghibli films he wrote but didn't direct, are also up for grabs for cheap, with The Secret World of Arrietty priced at $16.29 and From Up on Poppy Hill discounted to $17.89.

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Cronos: The New Dawn is an upcoming third-person survival horror game from Bloober Team, the dev responsible for terrifying hits like the Silent Hill 2 Remake, Observer, and Blair Witch. Cronos is shaping up to be another nightmare-inducing adventure with a sci-fi twist that looks unlike anything the studio has made. Cronos takes place in a futuristic rendition of Eastern Europe where an event known as The Change has radically altered the landscape, which is now stalked by horrific, mutating creatures. Players take the role of the Traveler, who searches the twisted environment for rifts that connect back to 1980s Poland so they can rescue key people from the past on behalf of a mysterious group known as The Collective. Preorders are open ahead of its September 5 release, with two editions up for grabs--including a $60 standard edition and a $70 Deluxe Edition--both of which include their own exclusive extras. On top of that, preorders come with a selection of additional in-game content, as well as up to 48-hour early access to the game depending on which version you buy.

Cronos: The New Dawn Preorder BonusesCronos: The New Dawn standard edition physical preorder bonuses

Cronos: The New Dawn has several preorder perks available. All preorders include the following bonuses:

• 4x Pistol Ammo
• Small Health Pack
• 1000x Energy
• Unique Armor Skin

These preorder bonuses are included with the standard and Deluxe Editions on all platforms.

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Everybody's Golf Hot Shots (PC)

$33.59 (was $40)

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After a bit of a hiatus, Hot Shots Golf is making a triumphant return with Everybody's Golf Hot Shots. Releasing on September 5 for PS5, Switch, and PC, it's looking like a fresh take on the classic golf video game series, featuring simple controls, a variety of solo and multiplayer gameplay modes, and a long list of character customization options. While preorders are available on all platforms, PC players should consider preordering at Fanatical, where it's on sale for $33.59 (was $40). This is the best price we've seen for the upcoming game, and the discount is only available before launch. Preordering the game unlocks the playable Pac-Man character early. You'll also get an additional 5% off voucher for your next Fanatical purchase.

Preorder at Fanatical

As if that weren't enough, Everybody's Golf Hot Shots preorders are also eligible for Fanatical's Summer Bonus Drop deal, which gets you a random bonus prize when you spend $15 or more during Fanatical's Summer Sale event. The possible prizes include free game keys and bonus coupon codes. Grabbing the game at Fanatical gets you an official key redeemable via Steam.

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Writer-director Hideo Kojima has revealed the two deceased Hollywood legends that he would have enjoyed working with for one of his games. Speaking to IndieWire, Kojima singled out Steve McQueen (Bullitt, The Great Escape) and David Lynch (Twin Peaks).

Kojima said McQueen was his "childhood hero," and he's not giving up on the possibility of him showing up in a future project, even though the actor died 45 years ago. "If it were possible, even with CG, I would love for him to be in one of my games someday," he said.

Kojima went on to say that he had "always hoped" to cast Lynch in a video game of his. The visionary filmmaker and actor passed away earlier. Kojima was a big fan of his, saying he was "devastated" like so many others when Lynch died in January this year.

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Battlefield 6's open beta is available now in early access and while a lot of the sentiment thus far has been positive, the game is experiencing some issues that Battlefield Studios is aware of.

The studio has now published a list of known issues for Battlefield 6, but before getting into the specifics, the developer said fans should understand that a beta, by definition, is an unfinished product and was always expected to have issues.

As for the specific issues that Battlefield Studios is aware of, the developer said it knows players may be unable to ping enemies when using stationary weapons. Additionally, the animations for when characters attach to a zipline are bugged. Beyond that, the aim assist feature when players are close to smoke is a work in progress, the studio said. Another known issue is that players can sink into the ground after reviving a teammate.

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The Fortnite Battle Royale island looks a bit different in Chapter 6 Season 4, and that's largely thanks to an invasion of insect-like aliens that has taken over the middle part of the map in the new season. Where we typically have human or human-like NPCs to contend with as we battle other players, this season it's all about the bugs.

There are three major locations in particular that the bugs currently dominate: Ranger's Ruin, Demon's Debris, and, of course, The Hive. All three of those locations are full of bugs and bug stuff, and they're each governed by a bug queen who runs the local colony. Killing the queen will grant a mythic weapon and one of the new medallions, but unlike most past NPC bosses, the bug queens aren't just sitting around waiting to be murdered. You'll need to draw it out. And to do that, you'll need to find Hive Stashes.

What's a Hive Stash?

A Hive Stash, pictured above, is essentially just a new type of chest that is only found in bug-infested areas, and they're basically like rare blue chests but with added bonuses like a guaranteed boon. In any of the three locations listed above, opening Hive Stashes will anger the local queen--open enough of them while battling the little bugs, and the Queen will pop up for a boss battle.

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Elden Ring Nightreign just introduced an option for two-player duos, and now it looks like a new, more mysterious mode could be coming to developer From Software's multiplayer experiment: a ranked mode.

Dataminers on Reddit (via PC Gamer) who have combed through the files of the latest Nightreign update have revealed what looks to be a new mode that could come to the game in the future. It's called the Deep of Night and appears to be a ranked mode of sorts where victory can increase a player's rating, unlocking more challenging Depths in the process.

Elden Ring Nightreign new mode: Deep of Night
byu/Adminisitrator inu_Adminisitrator

"Victory will increase your rating, burnishing your Depth," a datamined description for the mode reads. "The darkness extends unto infinity."

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Fortnite has made an annual tradition out of adding horror icons as skins each October when spooky season rolls in. Last year it was Leatherface and Billy the Puppet, the year before that it was Michael Myers and Jack Skellington, and the year before that brought us Ash Williams. But it's looking like those lineups might pale in comparison to what's in store for us this year, as dataminers have collected evidence that both Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th and Ghostface from Scream will be coming for us all during this year's Fortnitemares in October.

While no one has actually seen these alleged Ghostface and Jason Voorhees skins, some compelling evidence was found in the Fortnite game files with the new season update. For Jason, leakers found references to a new medallion named after him, which is pretty clear cut. The evidence is slightly more circumspect for Ghostface--there's data about a new mythic item called a "Stalker Knife" which seems very much like it would fit with a Scream collab. That could instead be related to the existing Michael Myers collab, but Fortnite usually reserves new mythics for new collabs, not returning ones.

Regardless of what the reality actually is, it'll probably be a couple months before these rumors are officially confirmed or shut down, since Fortnitemares won't start until October anyway. In the meantime, though, there's plenty of new content to consume in Fortnite, what with the simultaneous launches of the new seasons of Battle Royale and OG. Battle Royale in particular is experiencing a massive vibe shift as it moves from the superhero-themed season that just ended to an invasion of bugs and very large worm creatures. Catch up on the new loot pool, map changes, and everything else Season 4 is adding to BR with the gallery below.

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Amazon has revealed the PC games that'll be coming to Prime Gaming in August, and this month, you can enjoy some all-time classics, interesting reboots, and a few casual games.

Strategy fans can pick up Civilization 3 right now, and it's one of the best games in the series. Released back in 2001, it made some impactful changes to the gameplay, and this edition also includes the expansions Play the World and Conquests.

Shifting to the dark streets of a steampunk world, you can also check out the 2014 reboot of Thief. While it didn't live up to the standard set by the older games, Thief still had moments of genius woven into its design, and the stealth gameplay was rock-solid. Sure, the map design was clunky at best--and it suffered from various technical issues--but a decade later, it's worth checking out and adding a few mods from the fan community to this game about five-finger discounts.

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Microsoft's wave of game cancellations continues today with the news that Just Cause developer Avalanche's day-one Game Pass release Contraband has been cancelled. Citing sources, this was first confirmed by reporter Jason Schreier.

Announced in 2021, Contraband was described as a "co-op smuggler's paradise" set in a fictional world in the '70s. The announcement trailer used Steely Dan's "Do It Again," which debuted in the early '70s.

The reported cancellation of Contraband comes not long after Microsoft laid off 9,000 people, including cuts to Xbox that led the other game cancellations and at least one studio closure.

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Devolver Digital and developer Kenny Sun revealed that Ball X Pit will launch October 15 at today's Nintendo Indie World presentation. The action roguelite will be available day one on Game Pass, as well as PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch. The Vampire Survivors and Loop Hero-inspired game will arrive on Switch 2 later this year.

Ball X Pit was featured earlier this year at the Steam Next Fest in June, and there's still a free demo to check out on Steam. The game features over 60 different balls to use (and fuse) to blast baddies. Plus, when enemies are hit, numbers bounce off the top of them.

When players aren't venturing through autoscrolling levels, you're rebuilding Ballbylon in Ball X Pit. There are over 70 building units to construct a new community. Doing so leads to acquiring power-ups, bonuses, and even new characters.

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The video game division of Warner Bros. might not be what it once was, but there's no denying that the company has published some fantastic games over the years. If you're feeling nostalgic and looking to score an incredible bargain on several excellent PC games from the publisher, you'll want to check out Humble's WB: Play The Legends Game Bundle deal. The bundle features up to 16 of WB's best games, including the excellent Batman Arkham series, multiple Mortal Kombat games, underrated gems like Mad Max and FEAR, and more. A portion of all purchases are dontate directly to the Raiden Science Foundation charity, which funds medical research to find cures for rare diseases that impact children.

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Humble's WB: Play The Legends Game Bundle deal offers two pricing tiers, and the more you pay, the more games you get. The base $7 tier includes seven games, including Game of the Year Editions of the first two games in developer Rocksteady's beloved Batman Arkham series, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City. You also get the series' recent spiritual successor, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. You also get excellent fighting games Mortal Kombat XL and Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition--both of which are packed with extra content, including Predator, the Xenomorph, and Leatherface bonus fighters in Mortal Kombat XL.

The $7 tier is rounded out with the open-world action game Mad Max, and the episodic brawler Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part 1 and 2, which retells the story of the acclaimed graphic novel from the perspectives of Rorschach and Nite Owl.

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Nintendo Switch OLED with White Joy-Con

$299 | New MSRP: $400

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Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Controller (2-Pack)

$69 | New MSRP: $90

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Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

$69 | New MSRP: $80

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The Nintendo Switch OLED is on sale for $299 at Walmart. Up until a few days ago, this would have been a $50 discount. Not bad, but not terribly exciting either. But earlier this week, Nintendo increased the prices on Nintendo Switch hardware and select accessories. The new Switch console prices included all three of legacy consoles, with the Switch OLED seeing the largest increase by moving from $350 to $400. That puts the Switch OLED just $50 shy of the Switch 2. So, if you want a Switch OLED, now seems like a good time to buy one. You can also get an extra pair of Joy-Con Controllers for $69 (new MSRP is $90) and the Switch Pro Controller for $69 (new price is $80).

Nintendo Switch OLED with White Joy-Con $299 | New MSRP: $400

This edition of the Nintendo Switch OLED comes with a pair of white Joy-Con Controllers, matching white wrist straps, a black Joy-Con grip, and the upgraded dock set with an HDMI cable and AC adapter. The Switch OLED, as the name suggests, still has one thing going for it that is objectively better than the Switch 2: OLED. The 7-inch OLED panel produces a more vibrant color range with deeper blacks and better contrast.

If you want a Nintendo console in 2025, the Switch 2 is clearly the better choice, especially when thinking about the next few years. That said, if you don't want to spend $450-$500, the new Nintendo console owners will have enough games to keep them busy for years to come. The Switch library is arguably the best in Nintendo's storied history, and if you want to play in handheld mode, the Switch OLED's screen is markedly better than the regular Switch's 6.2-inch LCD display or the Switch Lite's 5.5-inch display.

At $299, the Switch OLED is selling for the regular Switch's old MSRP. The regular Switch now costs $340, while the Switch Lite jumped from $200 to $230.

See at Walmart Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Controller (2-Pack) $69 | New MSRP: $90

Just like the Switch OLED deal, the discount on the Neon Purple/Orange Joy-Con Controllers at Amazon and Walmart would have been a deal even before the price increase. Prior to this month, a two-pack retailed for $80. Now the MSRP of Joy-Con Controllers is $90. The Switch 2 Joy-Con price for a set moved from $95 to $100--though Amazon is selling pairs for $95 still.

The original Switch Joy-Con work on Switch 2, just not in handheld mode since they are smaller and connect to the console differently. You'll get wrist straps for each controller in the box, but if you want to use them together in docked mode, you'll want to buy an extra grip attachment. You can get PowerA's officially licensed Comfort Grip for $10.88 at Amazon.

Amazon also has three other pairs of Joy-Con Controllers for $80 or less.

• Neon Purple/Orange Switch Joy-Con (2-Pack) -- $69 ($90)
• Pastel Pink/Yellow Switch Joy-Con (2-Pack) -- $77 ($90)
• Pastel Purple/Green Switch Joy-Con (2-Pack) -- $80 ($90)
• Neon Red/Blue Switch Joy-Con (2-Pack) -- $80 ($90)

See at Amazon See at Walmart Nintendo Switch Pro Controller $69 | New MSRP: $80

The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller remains the best conventional controller for the original Switch. It offers superb ergonomics and all of the features found in Joy-Con: HD Rumble, motion controls, an NFC reader for Amiibo figures.

The Switch Pro Controller is also a solid choice for Switch 2, and many Switch 2 owners are certainly still using it to play games like Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World. That said, the Switch 2 Pro Controller is markedly better, namely because of improved sticks and the addition of remappable back buttons. I will say that I personally prefer the overall feel of original, though. The new model has a matte finish that feels somewhat slick compared to the textured grip on the original.

Multiple retailers have raised the price of the Pro Controller to $80, so you'll want to grab this soon if you're interested. The Switch 2 Pro Controller's price increased to $90, reducing the gap between MSRPs to only $10.

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Diablo 4's community Campfire Chats will receive changes going forward in an effort to "better serve players."

Since before Diablo 4's launch, Blizzard has regularly hosted Campfire Chats to discuss what's coming in future seasons, feature improvements, and balance changes. Now, it looks like Blizzard will be making some major changes to the livestream's format.

S10 PTR is still a few weeks out. We are doing a big revamp for streams going forward to change up the format. Will have some adjustments on how we do PTR streams as well.

The streams need some adjustments after a few years and been wanting to readjust to better serve players…

— Adam Fletcher (@PezRadar) August 2, 2025

Adam Fletcher, Diablo's director of social and content marketing, said in a reply on X that the Season 10 public-test realm is still a "few weeks out," and so is its corresponding Campfire Chat livestream. But when the Season 10 Campfire Chat does arrive, it sounds like it will be different than what fans have become accustomed to.

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During this year's Summer Game Fest, SMG Studio, the Lego Group, and Frictions revealed their upcoming party game, Lego Party. The five exclusive preorder Lego bonus playable figures were shared shortly thereafter. Now, SMG Studio has revealed when players can get their hands on the game.

Lego Party will officially launch on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on September 30. There's also a new trailer for the game to go with that announcement.

Lego Party was apparently inspired by Nintendo's Mario Party games, and this title follows a very similar formula. Up to four players can join in on the fun as they travel to four different levels inspired by Lego Ninjago, Lego Pirates, and Lego Space. There are also 60 different minigames, including a jump rope-like game involving an octopus' tentacle and a unicycle race.

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Blumhouse Games' next title, Eyes of Hellfire, is getting an open beta starting today before heading to early access on Steam near the end of the month. And players won't have to face the horrors of the Hellfire Club alone. Blumhouse and developer Gambrinous have announced that Eyes of Hellfire will take advantage of Steam's Friend's Pass, which lets players join the co-op horror title as long as one of them has a copy of the game.

Gambrinous is an Irish developer, and Eyes of Hellfire dives into some Irish folklore as it traps up to five players inside of the Hellfire Club's lodge. The goal of the game is to work together to solve puzzles and escape while also freeing each player from their respective curses. Ghosts and other violent apparitions stand in their way, and players may have to look over their shoulders with each other as well. That's because there's an option for players to betray one another in the name of their own survival.

The Hellfire Club lodge's host is also working towards his own agenda despite his relatively friendly tone towards the player characters. That may force players to decide whether they can trust the host or each other when their lives are on the line.

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We live in an era of unmitigated excess and constant suppression. The wide proliferation of machine learning image generation means that anyone can make creepy porn of their celebrity of choice. Expressions like "gooning" are widespread slang. Games like Marvel Rivals and Street Fighter 6 sell themselves on their pin-up characters. Meanwhile, books for children and teens like Genderqueer and All Boys Aren't Blue are banned for being "pornographic." In July, the UK introduced an age-verification requirement for internet access, ostensibly protecting kids, but mostly violating the privacy of adults. All these things, though disparate, represent a siloing of acceptable eroticism and thereby a siloing of life and art.

Independent video games are the latest front of this suppression. In July 2025, anti-porn non-profit Collective Shout pushed multiple payment processors to stop facilitating payments for some "adult titles" from Steam and Itch.io. In an attempt to halt the immediate loss of business, Steam removed Itch de-indexed thousands of not-safe-for-work games from the storefront. To be clear, this means removed from search results--the games in-question are still available if you can find them. On August 1, Itch re-indexed free NSFW games, sidestepping the participation of payment processors altogether. The quick changes have led to no shortage of confusion.

Mastercard has since denied its direct involvement in Itch's mass de-listing, stating, "Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations." The statement did claim that Mastercard “require[s] merchants to have appropriate controls to ensure Mastercard cards cannot be used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content.” Mastercard did not clarify whether any of the games removed from Steam were illegal. Additionally, Valve contradicted its account, stating that Mastercard communicated through payment processors and acquiring banks.

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