Microsoft Funds Physics‑driven Dungeon Crawler Awaysis, Featuring Hip Tanaka
NEW: When I took a meeting to try out Awaysis, I was expecting to play a physics-driven dungeon crawler I did and it was cool I did not expect to learn that Microsoft fully funded its development Nor the chance connection that led to Hip Tanaka scoring the game https://www.gamefile.news/p/awaysis-preview-microsoft-hip-tanaka
Three Dark Twists on Familiar Game Genres
In today's Game File, three short previews of three intriguing games 1. At Fate's End - a gorgeous family feud 2. Blighted - a brain-eating game whose world levels up, the better you play 3. Crop - an eerie farming game that...
Screenbound Blends 2D‑3D Gameplay, Homages Mario and Zelda
Screenbound, a so-called 5D game (2D + 3D) is pretty cool. I played it, wrote about it, put some clips of it in today's Game File, including the game's little-seen second world. If the game's first world is a Mario riff, the...
Played Clair Obscur, Got Unexpected Developer Revelations
NEW: A couple of weeks ago, I finally played through Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, so I could speak to the developers about the ending. We certainly did (and I've marked that part with spoilers, if you want to skip) But much...
Sony's PS5 Price Hike Confirmed, DDR5 Switch Looming
As Sony raises the PS5 price by $100+, I'd like to point people to yesterday's Game File. A rare case of a console-maker on the record about this stuff Nex CEO David Lee told me price was potentially going to go...
Nex Playground's Family‑Friendly Success Stumbles Over RAM Costs
NEW: The Nex Playground is a rare success story in the video game industry right now. They're a hit with families. They're building up tiny 1st-party teams. Game budgets are low. Only problem is RAM. They just had to raise...
Epic Layoffs Hit Washington Staff, Cutting Senior Roles
82 of 1000+ workers just laid off by Epic worked in Washington State, which is among the most transparent with these situations. Which is why we can see the 82 cuts by job title Included: - 2 senior gameplay programmers - 1 director,...
ChatGPT Botched My Game File Article Attempt
I wan't planning to publish an edition of Game File today. Then I had an idea. But I didn't have the bandwidth to do this idea. A thought: Was this the moment ChatGPT could help me commit some journalism? So...
Designer Reveals Favorite Puzzle and Plans Patch Fix
NEW: At GDC, I asked Blue Prince lead designer Tonda Ros to pick the game's best and worst puzzles The former was easy for him The latter was tricky, and led him to telling me about a puzzle he might tweak in...
Gill's Lawyers Demand Krafton Explain Potential Sanctions
UPDATE: At 1:13am ET this morning, Gill's lawyers submitted a heated motion to the court, saying Krafton must explain why it shouldn't be sanctioned. Peeved at Krafton confirming "May" to IGN, then PC Gamer and Kotaku Says Gill hadn't had a...
Legal Battle Erupts over Subna
NEW: There's already new Subnautica 2 drama. Lawyers for newly-restored CEO Ted Gill say Krafton had no authority to announce a May early access release for the game this week Krafton says Gill can still make his own decision Details: https://t.co/xIPT0MfvYr
PlayStation’s GDC Talk Spotlighted Fonts Over New Games
NEW: Last Wednesday at GDC, Nintendo held a Donkey Kong Bananza talk. At the same time, Microsoft ran a talk teasing Project Helix And PlayStation? Half an hour after those talks, they ran a session about Horizon fonts and Destiny logos. It was...
55-Year Veteran
NEW: Don Daglow, who's been making video games for 55 years, remains hopeful about an industry in turmoil Where did his optimism come from? Surviving the industry crash in '83 And something further back: "My parents met and fell in love during the...
Nintendo Tariff Lawsuit Paused, Refunds Likely Pending
As noted in Game File last week, Nintendo's tariff lawsuit against the US government is on hold, as all such suits have been automatically stayed A refund process is expected, though TBD if Nintendo will be among the companies passngi refunds...
DeepMind's Genie 3 Shows Real‑World Potential Beyond Gaming
GDC: Google's DeepMind team spoke to a packed audience about Genie 3, the world model tech that conjures interactive worlds that stay consistent for about a minute. Genie 3 sent game stocks tumbling in January Goal of Genie 3 isn't games,...
Kids Interview MLB The Show 26 Developer After School
NEW: A busy day of third grade wrapped up, their fruit-strip snacks eaten, my nine-year-old twins had some questions about MLB The Show 26. Good thing we'd booked time for them to interview one of the game's developers A fun new...
Join GDC Panel on Independent Game Journalism Rise
If you're attending GDC next week, please consider attending this panel about The Rise of Independent Game Journalism, featuring some so-called experts on the topic (Monday, 3:10-4:10pm, West Hall - Room 3005) https://t.co/pccS4g9IdS https://t.co/Vzw5nh6Fpe
Ubisoft Feels Unstable, Halted Shipments Amid Layoffs
Another Ubisoft source told me they used to consider the company to be stable, but were rattled by job cuts and “the fact that we’re unable to ship anything right now.” Ubisoft sources I speak to want to get more of...
Six Must‑Try Steam Next Fest Demos Still Available
The recent Steam Next Fest was great. So many wonderful demos for games I hadn't heard of. In the latest Game File, I highlighted 6 that still have PC demos up: - Froggy Hates Snow - Enter the Chronosphere - Wanderburg - Deg - Sokogram -...
2025 Game Industry Revenue Growth Flatlines Near Zero
A bleak report about the games industry made the rounds a couple of weeks ago. Then, last week, this dire chart was added to it What it shows: Game industry revenue growth in 2025, excluding China, Roblox, hardware and console services...
Vice City Stories Sells over 7 Million Copies Worldwide
NEW: We've got a new sales stat for...Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories? In an effort to block someone's attempt to trademark "Vice City Subs", Take Two's lawyers said VCS sold over 7 million copies since launch. (Prior disclosed stat was...
MLB Challenges Call of Duty’s “World Series” Trademark
NEW: Major League Baseball took issue this week with the name of Call of Duty's World Series of Warzone esports series, citing potential brand confusion Activision then bailed on the WSoW trademark I'd be surprised if they try using "World Series" again https://t.co/cLQszoDA9i
Asha Sharma Returns as Xbox CEO, Second Microsoft Stint
Fun fact: Asha Sharma's appointment as CEO of Xbox is her second time working on Microsoft's gaming brand A Microsoft rep confirmed to me that she did some Xbox work back during her initial 2011-2013 Microsoft stint but didn't specify what...
Requiem's Excellence Makes RE2 Remake a Mandatory Play
REVIEW: I liked Resident Evil Requiem so much that I took a break while on review deadline to play RE2 Remake through for the first time... a game I'd say is mandatory for this one See, Requiem is an excellent Resident...
Game Prices Surge: Nintendo Tests $65 Price Point
BONUS edition of Game File (aka what I planned to send Friday before the big Xbox news)... We talk about $60 games, $70 games... $100 games?? Nintendo, ever the innovator, has tried $65 a couple of times this year https://t.co/7sKoDr80re
Sarah Bond's Candid 2021 Interview Reveals Personal Side
With Sarah Bond set to leave Xbox, I wanted to point people back to this interview I did with her in 2021. She went "off book," as she put it, taking a personal turn that I hadn't expected but...
Sony's $5K Penalty Shows Zero Tolerance for Counterfeits
Sony filed more than 30 lawsuits last year against sellers of counterfeit PlayStation-branded goods In yesterday's Game File, I covered the outcome of one. A company that made $274.22 from selling 16 PlayStation-themed signs must now pay $5,000 in damages Item 2:...