Subnautica 2 is officially heading to early access in May.

As reported by IGN, Unknown Worlds studio head Steve Papoutsis sent out a message to his employees that Krafton approved Subnautica 2 for early access last week, and that it will be arriving with "more story chapters, built new creatures, and created new biomes along with many other features."

This news arrived after the ongoing legal battle between Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds' ousted leaders and publisher Krafton took a major turn when a judge ruled in favor of the former and ordered former CEO Ted Gill to be reinstated to his role.

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In a recent interview, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick revealed that he has absolute faith in Grand Theft Auto 6, and isn't worried about players who are new to the franchise being unwilling to engage with it. In fact, he says he can't think of any reason a grown adult with a console wouldn't purchase Rockstar's upcoming game.

"I think we're gonna have a lot of 17-year-olds playing GTA 6," Zelnick said (via The Game Business.) "I don't think there's any risk of [them] being like, 'Oh, I didn't play [GTA] 5, or 4, or 3, or 2, or 1, I'm not showing up [for 6].' To the contrary, I think we'll be able to engage every appropriate individual in GTA 6."

GTA 6 will almost certainly be rated M for Mature (intended for ages 17 and up) by the ESRB, so the 17-and-up age group is Take-Two's target demographic, and Zelnick says the game will have no problem cornering the market. In fact, he can't imagine a world where an adult with access to a console wouldn't want to play GTA 6.

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Arc Raiders and The Finals developer Embark Studios has announced the departure of co-founder and CCO Rob Runesson after he faced allegations of sexual misconduct towards a female streamer who frequently played The Finals. Although Embark notes that an outside investigation didn't substantiate the accusations, Runesson and the company have "mutually agreed to part ways," as shared in a statement to IGN.

The original accusations were shared on Reddit and other forums, in which a third party claimed that Runesson pressured an unnamed female streamer into having a romantic and sexual relationship. The accuser contends that the streamer felt uncomfortable with the topic, but was unable to push back because her streams of The Finals made her financially dependent on being able to continue doing them.

IGN reached the female streamer in question, who declined to answer any questions on the record. The only thing she did say is that the allegations noted above were presented in a misleading way or out of context. Beyond that, no further details were shared.

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Starfield Standard Edition (PS5)

$50 | Releases April 7

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Preorder at GameStop

Starfield Premium Edition (PS5)

$70 | Releases April 7

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Preorder at GameStop

Bethesda's massive space-faring RPG epic, Starfield, is launching on PlayStation 5 on April 7, and preorders are now live. There are two versions available: a $50 Standard Edition and a $70 Premium Edition that includes the base game, all DLC, and plenty of other digital bonuses. Launching alongside the PS5 version of Starfield is the game's largest update since launch, which includes a breadth of new features and systems that will offer a deeper experience. An important detail to keep in mind is that, regardless of which version you decide to go for, an internet connection is required to access all the content, including the base game.

Starfield PS5 Preorder Bonuses

All physical and digital preorders of Starfield on PS5 included the Old Mars Skin Pack, a collection of in-game bonus skins. Here's everything you'll get:

• Laser Cutter
• Deep Mining Helmet
• Deep Mining Pack

Starfield Standard Edition (PS5) $50 | Releases April 7

This is the base version of the game, which includes the full base game and access to the Free Lanes update upon launch. The Free Lanes update will include new party members to recruit, a new home space station, improvements to fast travel, a new land vehicle called the Moon Jumper, and more. You can purchase both the Shattered Space and Terran Armada expansions separately with this version.

Physical edition preorders are available for $50 at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop. Digital preorders are also available on the PlayStation Store.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Preorder at GameStop Starfield Premium Edition (PS5) $70 | Releases April 7

Starfield Premium Edition includes the base game, all existing DLC and story content, as well as the upcoming Free Lanes and Terran Armada expansion at no additional cost. And for physical collectors, the game case sports unique artwork not available with the Standard Edition. Below is everything included in the Starfield Premium Edition for PS5:

• Starfield base game
• Unique cover art
• Terran Armada Story Expansion
• Shattered Space Story Expansion
• Constellation Skin Pack (includes Equinox Laser Rifle, Spacesuit, Helmet, and Boost Pack)
• Digital Artbook
• Digital Soundtrack
• 1,000 Creation Credits

You can preorder PS5 copies of Starfield Premium Edition for $70 at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop. A digital edition is also available at the PlayStation Store.

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Starfield takes Bethesda's signature first-person open-world gameplay fans know and love from The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, and gives it a sci-fi twist. Originally released in 2023, it takes place in the Settled Systems, a vast expanse of space comprised of dozens of planets that you can actually travel to and explore. The sheer scale of Starfield's explorable areas is undoubtedly impressive, if a bit underwhelming in terms of things to do. Michael Higham gave Starfield a 7 out of 10 in his review at launch, citing shallow mechanics and a vision of space exploration that left a bit to be desired. Since launch, the game has seen numerous updates, including a large story DLC in Shattered Space, which offered a much more traditional RPG experience that fans had been asking for.

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After over five years of development, Crimson Desert is just days away from its debut. And if the early numbers from Steam are any indication, Crimson Desert is on course to have a very big launch. According to Alinea Analytics, Crimson Desert is currently tracking even higher than Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 at the same point in their release cycles.

As reported by Alinea, Crimson Desert has sold approximately 400,000 pre-launch copies on Steam, which at $70 per game, would come close to $20 million in revenue three days before its release. By comparison, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 had $5.2 million in pre-launch sales on Steam three days before its release, while Expedition 33 had only $2.4 million in the same period.

However, both Expedition 33 and Deliverance 2 enjoyed sustained success on Steam, with $95.5 million and $101.3 million earned respectively after 120 days. There's no guarantee that Crimson Desert will be able to match those numbers, since it's going to come down to how players receive the game and whether word of mouth will carry it forward to even higher sales.

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Remedy Entertainment has introduced a Friend's Pass for its multiplayer Control spin-off, FBC: Firebreak, as it ceases new content updates for the game.

The studio revealed that new content updates would end in the Steam blog post celebrating the launch of the "Open House" update. Although Open House introduces new arenas for the Endless Shift mode and a perk system rework, its most notable additions prepare the game for its future now that Remedy no longer plans to actively support it.

In addition to a permanent price drop to $20, people who haven't purchased the game can now download the Friend's Pass version of FBC: Firebreak on Steam or the Free Trial version of it on consoles to play the game with someone who owns it. While Friend's Pass players can't start games or create lobbies, they'll have access to the full game once they connect with someone who bought it.

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Bethesda's Todd Howard has once again commented on the decision to announce The Elder Scrolls 6 all the way back in 2018. The game was announced at E3 that year alongside Starfield, and just after Fallout 76 was revealed in May 2018.

The timing of those reveals played a key role in why The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced around the same time. Fallout 76 was the franchise's first stab at online multiplayer, while Starfield was a brand-new IP. Announcing The Elder Scrolls 6 at the same time was a purposeful decision to help core fans understand a more traditional Bethesda game was coming ... eventually.

Howard would not have done it this way if he got to decide, however.

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Bethesda boss Todd Howard has commented on the departure of Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, saying in an interview he was "really, really sorry" to see his good friend Spencer retire.

Spencer worked at Microsoft for 38 years before he announced his retirement from the company earlier this year. He's staying on the through the summer to help with the handover to new CEO Asha Sharma.

According to GamesRadar, Sharma hasn't visited Bethesda Game Studios as of yet, but Howard said "everybody has talked virtually" already. Discussing the new CEO, Howard said Sharma is "great" and that, for now, people are feeling "really optimistic" about her taking over for Spencer.

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Hitman developer IO has announced that the planned Hitman mission in the controversial and poorly received game MindsEye is no longer going ahead.

IO published MindsEye through its IOI Partners program, but the Danish developer has announced the conclusion of the publishing deal with MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy following numerous controversies related to the game.

"Both IOI Partners and Build A Rocket Boy recognize the anticipation this collaboration generated among the community and express their appreciation for the support shown by the players," IO said.

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Sony's PlayStation Portal continues to see strong support from the PlayStation 5 manufacturer, with today's latest update introducing options that will let you choose better visuals for both local remote and cloud play.

As part of an update that is rolling out to PlayStation Portal users today, Sony is introducing a new streaming quality toggle. This new 1080p High Quality mode increases the overall bitrate for both local PlayStation 5 remote play sessions and cloud streams, providing a clearer visual presentation and better fine details. It requires a stringer connection for a consistently smooth gameplay experience, but if you have the bandwidth to support it, all of your Portal sessions should now look a lot better.

As part of its ongoing effort to make the Portal feel more like a platform as opposed to a PS5 accessory, the update is also making tweaks to the user experience. Are you irritated by the way the PlayStation Store consolidates all versions of a game into a single page? Well now, you'll be able to choose individual games from bundles on the PlayStation Store when selecting a product to stream, so that you can get into the version you actually want to play faster. Additionally, improved notifications for game invites will prevent you from missing any messages from friends, while better Trophy descriptions bring the Portal's presentation of them closer to that of the PS5, will the added bonus of a new animation for Platinum ones.

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Bethesda said Fallout 5 was coming many years ago, but the company never specifically said it would make the game internally. According to former Fallout developer Jonah Lobe, he wouldn't be surprised if Bethesda outsourced Fallout 5 to a different developer.

Speaking on the Kiwi Talkz YouTube channel, the former Bethesda character artist known for designing the Deathclaw said Bethesda Game Studios may simply be too busy right now.

"I think that they're doing more and more of that already, they're bigger and bigger than ever," he said, as reported by GamesRadar. "I feel like The Elder Scrolls 6, the expectations are already beyond the screen here, and they already have their hands full with that."

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Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has once again shared his thoughts on AI in gaming, saying it is "laughable" to believe people can use AI tools to simply "push a button" and make a high-quality, top-selling game.

"The notion that somehow new tools would allow an individual to push a button and generate a hit and bring it to many millions of consumers around the world, it's a laughable notion," he told The Game Business. "It's just never been the case with entertainment. Right now [in music] there are programs that allow you to put out a prompt and get a professionally recorded song spit back out at you. It sounds like a song, but I defy you to listen to it more than once. It's great to send as a greeting card to your partner on their birthday, but that's about it."

Zelnick has said pretty much the same thing on the topic since 2023, so his new comments are not surprising. Previously, he said AI is "not going to allow someone to say, 'Please develop the competitor to Grand Theft Auto that's better than Grand Theft Auto', and then they just send it out and ship it digitally and that will be that. People will try, but that won't happen."

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Helldivers 2 is now in its third year, but developer Arrowhead for the first time has revealed a content roadmap that will give Super Earth's finest an idea of the threats ahead.

As shown in the roadmap, the game's soon-to-be-released 6.1 update will see players encountering new Illuminate enemies as well as a new mission type. It also brings the release of the previously revealed World War I-inspired Entrenched Division Warbond.

The March 20 update is asking Helldivers to "uncover the truth" about a new Illuminate threat, as the alien menace uses powerful storms to ravage entire planets and shroud its plans in secrecy. A trailer for the content updates gives a glimpse at some of the new enemies Super Earth will be facing, including a bipedal Illuminate walker.

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The trading card game market is filling up fast, with tenured games like Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon Trading Card Game being joined by Disney Lorcana, One Piece Trading Card Game, and Riftbound: The League Of Legends Trading Card Game in recent years. Today, tabletop game company WeirdCo launched a Kickstarter campaign for Cyberpunk TCG, a new game featuring the world and characters of CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk universe, and the project has blown through all set milestones in a matter of minutes.

As of this writing, the campaign--which began at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET today--has raised over $3.6 million and counting, crushing WeirdCo's initial goal of $100,000. This figure has also eclipsed five of the 11 initial stretch goals included in the campaign's launch, with the highest goal set at the $5 million mark.

Per the game's official website, Cyberpunk TCG pits players against one another in an attempt to collect Gigs, which are indicated by special dice that enter the playing field each turn. Cards featuring many notable characters from Cyberpunk 2077--including V, Panam, Goro Takemura, and more--are used to attack other players, defend against attacks, and earn the Gigs needed to secure victory.

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Nvidia has announced its next addition to the growing suite of DLSS options, which already includes impressive upscaling, ray reconstruction for ray-traced workloads, and frame generation. DLSS 5 is being teased as the biggest leap forward yet, with Nvidia introducing an AI-powered model that changes lighting and material properties at a per-pixel level. However, the response to the announcement has been overwhelmingly negative so far.

Equated to the introduction of a programmable graphical shader in 2001, Nvidia is leveraging a real-time neural rendering model that takes in color and motion vectors from a single in-game frame and generates a wholly new one with photorealistic lighting and material changes. Nvidia notes that these changes are anchored to a game's assets, indicating that the model doesn't inherently change the geometry of a character's facial model, for example, but instead just reshapes the lighting that around it, providing a new level of detail.

The technology was predominantly showcased using character models from games such as Resident Evil Requiem, Starfield, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. The results are striking, but for polarizing reasons. Lighting is indeed photorealistic, but seems to also drastically alter the look of some characters to a point where they look entirely different. This is very obvious when looking at the difference between Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem, where the DLSS 5 altered model exhibits properties that her look like she's been passed through a beautification filter.

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Starfield will release for PlayStation 5 on April 7, Bethesda has announced. It'll be out that day alongside the release of the "biggest update to the game since launch" for all platforms. None of this is surprising, as the release date and some early details have been leaking for a long time.

The Terran Armada and Free Lanes updates will make Starfield the "most complete version" of the game, Bethesda said.

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Putting in-game ads in full-priced games "would seem unfair," according to Strauss Zelnick, the head of GTA 6 parent company Take-Two.

Speaking to The Game Business, Zelnick said in-game ads for free-to-play titles makes sense based on the business model, but not for $70 or $80 games.

"It's difficult for me to believe that we would want to have interstitial advertising in a game that someone paid 70 or 80 bucks for. It would seem unfair," he said.

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