In a city of paper and steel, as large as a country, a small café gives humans and fantasy people a cosy place to be. Brew the right order for your customers as they seek refuge from the sweltering Tokyo summer heat and share heartfelt stories to chill lo-fi beats. Set in Tokyo, a city where old and new coexist, this newest game in the Coffee Talk franchise brings back familiar elements with new twists.

Following a nearly five-year hiatus between titles, Forza Horizon 6 debuted this week. And while fans are diving into its open-world take on Japan, some have already discovered a sound effect in Forza Horizon 6 that may trigger anyone who has ever had to work in an office setting.

As noted by a player on social media, one of the car horn sounds in Forza Horizon 6 is the Microsoft Teams calling noise--a joke made possible by the fact that the Forza games are published by Microsoft. The sound effect was also in Forza Horizon 5, but it still inspires negative reactions from players who would rather forget about anything work-related when playing the game.

https://twitter.com/Iphoniez/status/2057186442497986939 https://twitter.com/SirPootington/status/2057171802225258652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw https://twitter.com/Replay_TJ/status/2057182123392393528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw https://twitter.com/calcran4401/status/2057201780371710133?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

At the very least, Forza Horizon 6 has fixed one of the most annoying aspects of its predecessors. Players no longer have to painstakingly explore every section of a road to get credit towards exploring 100% of the map. Now, players can get the Trophy or Achievement simply by revealing the entire map.

Despite currently being in early access, Forza Horizon 6 set a franchise record for concurrent players on Steam with 172,093 players on its first day, May 15. Now that the game has officially launched on PC and Xbox Series X|S, it has already reached a new peak on Steam, with 273,148 players.

If you're a PlayStation 5 player, you're going to have to wait to join in on the fun. Forza Horizon 6 won't arrive on PS5 until later this year. In the meantime, they can check out GameSpot's Forza Horizon 6 review, which awarded the sequel an 8/10.

Best Forza Games: Ranking All 15 Games View Images

Embracer Group will split itself into two separate companies--Fellowship Entertainment and Embracer--in 2027, with the former maintaining the majority of the publisher's biggest video game IP. While Fellowship Entertainment will have a large focus on franchises like Lord of the Rings and Tomb Raiders, there will apparently be room for some of the company's other titles to thrive as well.

Embracer's chair of the board Lars Wingefors told investors that it will be seeking partners to work on some of Fellowship's "other well-known IP such as Saints Row, Legacy of Kain, Deus Ex, Red Faction, The Mask, Thief, TimeSplitters," and more. Wingefors added that the company sees potential in teaming up with partners on some of its AAA franchises as well, including Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Dead Island, Darksiders, Remnant, and Metro.

The most recent attempt to revive Deus Ex led to a game that was canceled as part of Embracer's cutbacks in 2024. Over 100 developers were laid off from Deus Ex developer Eidos-Montreal earlier this year. In February 2026, Saints Row director Chris Stockman shared his belief that the franchise is dead after he said that Embracer ghosted his attempts to revive it.

Dark Horse Comics--which was purchased by Embracer in 2022--will play a role in utilizing the company's IP, and Embracer's announcement noted the publisher's "long track record of co-producing film and TV shows with partners in Hollywood."

As part of Embracer's investor presentation, Kingdom Come: Deliverance developer Warhorse Studios revealed that it's working on an open-world Middle-earth RPG set in the Lord of the Rings franchise. Warhorse also noted that it's developing a new Kingdom Come adventure, but didn't share many details beyond that.

One of Embracer's next big titles is the return of its Metro franchise. This winter, Metro 2039 will revive the series after a seven-year hiatus by introducing a new main character. It will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC,

Embracer Group will split itself into two separate companies--Fellowship Entertainment and Embracer--in 2027, with the former maintaining the majority of the publisher's biggest video game IP. While Fellowship Entertainment will have a large focus on franchises like Lord of the Rings and Tomb Raiders, there will apparently be room for some of the company's other titles to thrive as well.

Embracer's chair of the board Lars Wingefors told investors that it will be seeking partners to work on some of Fellowship's "other well-known IP such as Saints Row, Legacy of Kain, Deus Ex, Red Faction, The Mask, Thief, TimeSplitters," and more. Wingefors added that the company sees potential in teaming up with partners on some of its AAA franchises as well, including Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Dead Island, Darksiders, Remnant, and Metro.

The most recent attempt to revive Deus Ex led to a game that was canceled as part of Embracer's cutbacks in 2024. Over 100 developers were laid off from Deus Ex developer Eidos-Montreal earlier this year. In February 2026, Saints Row director Chris Stockman shared his belief that the franchise is dead after he said that Embracer ghosted his attempts to revive it.

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Splitgate developer 1047 Games has dropped the first look at its next game perhaps a little sooner than it planned to. In response to the Titanfall-style game making its first appearance on Steam, 1047 Games has officially announced Empulse, with a promise of an early-access release coming this year.

https://twitter.com/1047Games/status/2057168407355936830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Empulse is a 6v6 title that lets players battle across the streets of a city called Freehold. Piloting mechs appears to be a big part of the game, but not all of it. Players will be able to fight outside their mechs as well while utilizing P.A.I.N.T. bombs, Holojumps, wallruns, and grappling hooks to quickly travel across the map. 1047 Games calls it a "movement shooter."

According to the game's official description, two playable mechs will spawn on the map, each with its own armaments and abilities. Players who can get to one of the mechs first will have a distinct advantage over their opponents. But it's also possible for a squad to take down a mech and reclaim the momentum in a fight.

Players can sign up for early access on Empulse's official site, but there isn't a confirmed date beyond the vague 2026 release window.

1047 Games had a bumpy road in 2025, which included layoffs even as its founders cut their own salary. Splitgate 2 was also rolled back into beta in July 2025 before ultimately relaunching in December. Under the game's new title, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, the concurrent numbers haven't been very encouraging. Regardless, 1047 Games shared a statement that argued the Steam numbers don't tell the "full picture or what it feels like to actually play, and they definitely don't capture the community that's actively helping shape what Arena Reloaded is becoming."

The Best Shooters To Play In 2025 View Images

Since the introduction of the Xbox One in 2013, Microsoft has made small, subtle changes to its established Xbox Controller design. But a tweak on its most recent iteration suggests one feature might be permanently removed.

With the latest Forza Horizon 6 Xbox Controller, Microsoft's proprietary expansion port has seemingly been removed. A Reddit user shared an image of the controller with the expansion port completely sealed, with the standard auxiliary port still resting to the left. This suggests that Microsoft hasn't yet changed the molds that are used for Xbox controller production, but might not add hardware for the expansion port going forward.

The Xbox Controller had a standard auxiliary port introduced in 2015, but prior to that you had to use the controller's proprietary expansion port. This was used for a lot more than just headsets; it supported audio controllers (for volume and chat mix controls, among others) as well as full chat pads that made your controller look like a Blackberry. It's been a long time since Microsoft has developed its own accessories that utilize the port, and it seems it might be removed from controllers going forward.

The recently leaked Xbox Elite Controller 3 suggests that Microsoft is adding audio controllers directly into the controller design, with another leak showing a smaller Xbox controller that will be able to connect to the internet directly to reduce lag when streaming games via Xbox Cloud Gaming. It's possible that Microsoft could overhaul its Xbox controller further with the release of its PC-like console in the near future, codenamed Project Helix.

Since the introduction of the Xbox One in 2013, Microsoft has made small, subtle changes to its established Xbox Controller design. But a tweak on its most recent iteration suggests one feature might be permanently removed.

With the latest Forza Horizon 6 Xbox Controller, Microsoft's proprietary expansion port has seemingly been removed. A Reddit user shared an image of the controller with the expansion port completely sealed, with the standard auxiliary port still resting to the left. This suggests that Microsoft hasn't yet changed the molds that are used for Xbox controller production, but might not add hardware for the expansion port going forward.

The Xbox Controller had a standard auxiliary port introduced in 2015, but prior to that you had to use the controller's proprietary expansion port. This was used for a lot more than just headsets; it supported audio controllers (for volume and chat mix controls, among others) as well as full chat pads that made your controller look like a Blackberry. It's been a long time since Microsoft has developed its own accessories that utilize the port, and it seems it might be removed from controllers going forward.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Splitgate developer 1047 Games has dropped the first look at its next game perhaps a little sooner than it planned to. In response to the Titanfall-style game making its first appearance on Steam, 1047 Games has officially announced Empulse, with a promise of an early-access release coming this year.

We wanted to share EMPULSE on our own terms, but leaks happen. We knew the risk and took it anyway, because getting real feedback early matters more to us than a perfect reveal.

We're a team that loves movement shooters, and we’re putting that passion into EMPULSE, a brand new… https://t.co/a45Z7K1R0C

— 1047 Games (@1047Games) May 20, 2026

Empulse is a 6v6 title that lets players battle across the streets of a city called Freehold. Piloting mechs appears to be a big part of the game, but not all of it. Players will be able to fight outside their mechs as well while utilizing P.A.I.N.T. bombs, Holojumps, wallruns, and grappling hooks to quickly travel across the map. 1047 Games calls it a "movement shooter."

According to the game's official description, two playable mechs will spawn on the map, each with its own armaments and abilities. Players who can get to one of the mechs first will have a distinct advantage over their opponents. But it's also possible for a squad to take down a mech and reclaim the momentum in a fight.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a reinvention of the Lego game formula, including a much-needed trimming of some of the bloat present in the series' past entries. One way bloat has been reduced is by limiting the roster of playable characters, giving each character unique abilities in addition to a variety of costumes.

In total, there are seven playable characters, outside of the occasional one-off section in some levels where characters like Alfred are briefly playable. Characters are unlocked via story missions, giving you access to new activities in the open world. If you'd like to see the whole list of capes and cowls you'll be donning, keep scrolling.

The characters are listed in the order you unlock them, with minimal story spoilers.

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Ignore the haters: American teens absolutely listened to The Jesus and Mary Chain in the '90s. That the music somehow isn't accurate is the most off-base criticism lobbed at Mixtape, Beethoven + Dinosaur's new game about a music-loving teen's "perfect" mixtape. Sure, the Scottish noise-mongers were far from the most popular band at the time, but they weren't that obscure; they were on major labels, their records were easily found at chain stores, they played the mainstage of Lollapalooza in 1992 (Pearl Jam actually had an earlier slot than them), and their 1994 song "Sometimes Always" hit the Billboard Hot 100 and got regular airplay on MTV. Hell, I spent the summer of 1993 listening to their Honey's Dead tape on repeat while playing Might and Magic II on the Genesis. Almost all of the bands in Mixtape are entirely believable playing on the stereo of a '90s high schooler, especially in the first half of the decade, when "alternative" was ascendant and before teen pop and nu metal took over the airwaves.

Of course, Mixtape rarely goes with those bands' biggest songs or most recent hits. And that tells you a lot about the game's main character, Stacey Rockford. She's the kind of passionate, restless music fan who would know her favorite bands' deepest cuts. By the time we meet her, at the end of her senior year of high school, she probably would've long since moved away from reading Spin or Rolling Stone in favor of zines, Magnet, and the then-nascent web. She absolutely bought a whole bunch of tapes based on Sassy's Cute Band Alerts. She's a true searcher, not content to just listen to whatever the radio plays, and the result is a soundtrack that feels like a personally curated mixtape. And, well, that's what it is, although it wasn't curated by an entirely fictional American teenager in the '90s, but by the Australian musician and game developer Johnny Galvatron.

Galvatron happily acknowledges that Mixtape's music is a direct reflection of his own personal tastes, both today and when he was a teenager. He makes no bones about what he calls its "undeniable rock 'n' roll core," and credits the game's first song as the key to the whole soundtrack, and the inspiration for Mixtape as a whole.

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The latest financial disclosures for Ubisoft have been shared by the company, and it included a record €1.3 billion operating loss for its 2025-2026 fiscal year. While Ubisoft doesn't project immediate relief for its problems, the company has high hopes that new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Ghost Recon games can help turn things around.

As reported by Reuters, Ubisoft has projected that its top franchises will arrive in the 2027-28 and 2028-29 financial years and give the company a much-needed boost back to profitability. The Assassin's Creed title is believed to be Assassin's Creed Hexe. Far Cry and Ghost Recon haven't had new games since 2021 and 2019, respectively. There's very little to go on about the plans for those two titles, though it appears the Ghost Recon game will be a first-person shooter.

Ubisoft also noted that there will be "targeted premium games based on established Ubisoft brands" slated for release in its fiscal 2026-2027 year. However, the company declined to specify which titles are on deck for the near future.

The biggest Ubisoft release on the horizon is Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced, which is hitting PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on July 9. Ubisoft's report notes that "early preorder momentum" for Resynced "has been particularly strong, notably in China." The publisher recently launched a real-life treasure hunt as part of the ongoing promotion for Resynced.

Outside of Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft reportedly canceled an Animal Crossing-like game that was previously in development. The publisher also recently assured players that the future of The Division franchise is secure despite the departure of executive producer Julian Gerighty, who has signed on to EA's Battlefield franchise.

Best Assassin’s Creed Games: Every Game, Ranked View Images

Batman: The Animated Series - Batgirl 1/6 Scale Figure

$235 | Release date TBC

Preorder at Mondo

Gotham's sixth-scale supervillains have a new vigilante to watch out for, as Mondo has officially announced a new Batgirl figure for its line of Batman: The Animated Series collectible figures. Now available to preorder and priced at $235, the new Batgirl figure is the spitting image of the character as seen in the landmark animated TV series.

Batman: The Animated Series - Batgirl 1/6 Scale Figure $235 | Release date TBC

Like the other Batman: TAS action figures in this series, the new Batgirl collectible comes with an array of swappable hands, portraits, capes, hair attachments, and accessories. It'll ship with three headsculpts that feature Batgirl's iconic cowl, alongside an alternate hairpiece and cape for those windy Gotham nights. You'll also get an unmasked headsculpt of Batgirl, for when you want to show her off in her alter-ego of Barbara Gordon.

There are also plenty of swap-out hands that range from fists to batarang-holding appendages, a grapple gun accessory, a canister of tear gas, a bola to trip up crooks, binoculars, batarangs, and a teddy bear. Finally, you can pose Batgirl on her very own custom display stand.

Preorder at Mondo Gallery

While the Batgirl figure doesn't have a release date yet, you can prepare for her arrival by checking out all of the other Batman: TAS figures at Mondo. The Dark Knight himself and Robin also come with a ton of accessories, and you can pit them against iconic villains like Two-Face, Clayface, and Scarecrow.

Mondo Batman: The Animated Series Figures

• Batman -- $220
• Catwoman -- $160
• Clayface -- $260
• Harley Quinn -- $185
• Man-Bat -- $230
• Robin -- $235
• Scarecrow -- $195
• Two-Face -- $235

For even more Batman action, don't forget to grab a preorder for Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight ahead of its launch on May 22.

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Though the reviews might be mixed, there's no denying that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a major commercial success. Earlier this month, it was announced that the movie has grossed over $940 million since its release on April 1, making it one of the highest-grossing video game movies of all time. Following the film's tremendous success--and its recent digital release--GameSpot met up with one of its key voice actors, Keegan-Michael Key, to discuss his role as Toad, what he'd like to see next in the Nintendo cinematic universe, and if he's open to voicing any other video game characters.

Similar to something like the MCU, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie kind of established this Nintendo universe. What's it like being a part of that? Is there any part of you that's maybe overwhelmed at the commitment?

I will tell you straight out, I am not overwhelmed by the commitment. I am thrilled by the commitment. I never knew that this was going to be part of my professional journey, and I am absolutely over the moon about it.

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Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds has outlined all the ways its looking to improve on its wildly popular underwater-survival game in the near future, but don't expect to be able to fight or kill hostile alien creatures.

In a new blog post, Unknown Worlds addressed key areas of feedback it's received since Subnautica 2's early-access launch on May 14. One of the key complaints its heard revolves around predator encounters coming off as "more frustrating than tense or exciting," with the game's current tools not doing enough to give players a reliable way out.

That will be changing in the near future, Unknown Worlds said. In addition to adjustments to creature aggression and aggro range, improvements will also be coming to items like the flare and survival tool to give players better options when it comes to surviving encounters. The changes will be rolled out in a series of upcoming patches, Unknown Worlds said.

Going hand-in-hand with those changes is feedback Unknown World received about wanting to be able to fight hostile creatures or even kill them. While Unknown Worlds said it's understandable some players feel that way given the game's existing survival tools don't seem sufficient for handling threats, it emphasized Subnautica is not about combat.

"Subnautica has always been built around vulnerability, exploration, and survival rather than traditional weapon-based combat," Unknown Worlds said. "We believe this is part of what makes the game unique. However, that design only works if creature encounters feel fair, readable, and engaging. Right now, we know we have more work to do to achieve that."

In addition to outlining the above changes, Unknown Worlds apologized for how it communicated with the community following the early-access launch, and said it knows that recent comments from members of the development team made some in the community feel ignored or dismissed. The studio later in the blog post outlined that it views early access as a collaboration between the game's community, and while it might not make every change players ask for, it has a "responsibility" to listen and explain its decisions.

"Early access should be a conversation with our players, not a one-way explanation from the development team," Unknown Worlds said.

The game's early-access launch comes amidst an ongoing legal battle between Unknown Worlds and its parent company and publisher Krafton, the latter of which allegedly ousted members of Unknown World's leadership team based on advice from ChatGPT in an effort to not pay them previously agreed bonuses related to Subnautica 2 sales goals.

Unknown Worlds filed a lawsuit as a result, and a judge ruled in favor of the studio back in March, ordering CEO Ted Gill reinstated and extending the timeframe for the studio's potential $250 million bonus to September. Considering how Unknown Worlds announced Subnautica 2 sold more than 2 million copies in its first 12 hours, it seems like that bonus check will be on the way soon.

Subnautica 2 is currently available on PC and Xbox Series X|S. For more on how to survive Unknown World's alien ocean survival sim, check out our Subnautica 2 guides hub.

16 Best Games Like Subnautica To Play In 2026 View Images

The latest financial disclosures for Ubisoft have been shared by the company, and it included a record €1.3 billion operating loss for its 2025-2026 fiscal year. While Ubisoft doesn't project immediate relief for its problems, the company has high hopes that new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Ghost Recon games can help turn things around.

As reported by Reuters, Ubisoft has projected that its top franchises will arrive in the 2027-28 and 2028-29 financial years and give the company a much-needed boost back to profitability. The Assassin's Creed title is believed to be Assassin's Creed Hexe. Far Cry and Ghost Recon haven't had new games since 2021 and 2019, respectively. There's very little to go on about the plans for those two titles, though it appears the Ghost Recon game will be a first-person shooter.

Ubisoft also noted that there will be "targeted premium games based on established Ubisoft brands" slated for release in its fiscal 2026-2027 year. However, the company declined to specify which titles are on deck for the near future.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

World of Tanks developer Wargaming has announced a release date for its new spin-off, World of Tanks: Heat. A standalone tactical vehicle-shooter, the free-to-play game launches on May 26 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, and is designed to be a faster take on the armored warfare of the original World of Tanks game.

The developer says that World of Tanks: Heat has been built completely from the ground up inside of its new proprietary engine, which is designed to offer dynamic gameplay and modern visuals. It's optimized for use across a wide variety of hardware configurations, including Steam Deck for PC players.

The launch day version of Heat will offer plenty of content, including Agents who each have access to two vehicles, three battlefield roles--Defender, Assault, and Marksman--15 vehicles that can be customized through equipment upgrades, and eight maps to battle on. Four PvP game modes will also be available, with players having the option to battle other teams in Hardpoint, Control, Kill Confirmed, and Conquest matches across an alternative timeline set after World War 2.

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