Today's Gaming Pulse
Capcom rolls out free demo for blockbuster Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem, which has sold over 7 million copies, now offers a free demo across major platforms. Players can try early chapters on Steam, Epic, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2, though progress cannot be transferred to the full game.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Goldenpeak takes majority stake in Ampere Analysis
Saudi EGDC Boosts Capcom Stake to 6.04%, Marking Deeper Sovereign‑Wealth Play in Gaming
Saudi Arabia’s Electronic Gaming Development Company (EGDC) lifted its ownership in Japanese game maker Capcom from 5.03% to 6.04%, now holding 32.18 million shares. The move signals a broader sovereign‑wealth strategy that includes high‑profile deals such as the pending $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts by the Public Investment Fund and partners.
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...
Marathon’s Top Players Are Begging Bungie To Do More About Cheaters
Marathon, Bungie’s extraction shooter, is confronting a surge of cheating complaints from its most dedicated players, especially in ranked matches and the end‑game Cryo Archive map. Streamers such as AlbralelieVT and GJake have reported wall‑hacks, pre‑fire, and stream‑sniping that undermine...
New PS5 Dashboard Update Leaks And Damn, Sony, That Looks Good
Sony's PlayStation 5 beta program has revealed a revamped dashboard that relocates the PSN Store, media hub, and PlayStation Plus management to a new top row. Users can switch between these sections using the R1 and L1 shoulder buttons, streamlining navigation. The...
Tales Fans Are Fed Up as Hyped Anniversary Announcement Falls Flat
Bandai Namco marked the Tales series' 30th anniversary with a heavily promoted reveal that turned out to be a collection of 188 original illustrations created by ufotable and Production I.G., rather than a new game or anime. The announcement, teased since February,...
New Mortenax Blade Alt Debuts in Honkai: Star Rail 4.3
HoYoVerse announced that the Mortenax Blade alternate will debut in Honkai: Star Rail’s 4.3 update as a five‑star Nihility fire unit, headlining a new banner after the patch drops. The character shifts from the original Destruction‑type wind damage to a...
KuloNiku Bowl Up Review: The Life-Sim Cooking Game Is a Combination I Didn't Know I Needed
KuloNiku: Bowl Up, an indie title from Gambir Studio, fuses life‑simulation storytelling with hands‑on cooking gameplay. Players inherit a modest meatball restaurant, build relationships with quirky townsfolk, and manage daily orders that demand precise timing and flavor matching. The game’s...
Best Road to Vostok Graphics Settings for No Lag and Max FPS
Road to Vostok entered early‑access on PC and offers a suite of graphics options to balance visual fidelity with performance. A Destructoid guide outlines a configuration that runs smoothly on a system featuring an AMD Ryzen 5600G, 16 GB DDR5 RAM...
Developing Dynamic And Immersive Audio Soundscapes For The Next Generation Of Gaming
In 2026 the gaming sector is moving from static soundtracks to AI‑driven, real‑time audio that reacts to player actions and procedural environments. Platforms such as tomusic.ai, Mubert and Suno let developers generate endless music variations on‑the‑fly, cutting production cycles dramatically....
AionGuard Was Supposed To Be The Crimson Desert Of 15 Years Ago, But Was Canceled In A Text
Avalanche Studios’ ambitious open‑world fantasy AionGuard was cancelled in 2009 after a publisher abruptly ended the partnership via a text message. The game, slated for PS3, Xbox 360, and PS3, promised mechanics similar to what later appeared in Crimson Desert. Co‑founder Christofer...
Legendary Guilty Gear Creator Offers a Warning to AAA Game Developers
Veteran game designer Daisuke Ishiwatari warned that AAA studios risk locking talent into decade‑long, hyper‑specialized projects that can render developers unemployable when a title stalls. He criticized the industry’s aversion to risk, noting that massive budgets often suppress creative experimentation....
Capcom Cup 12 Champion Releases New Provisionary Tier List for Season 3.5 of Street Fighter 6
Capcom Cup 12 concluded with G8S|Sahara claiming the $1 million first‑place prize. Shortly after, Capcom released the Season 3.5 patch for Street Fighter 6, adding the new character Alex and previewing the upcoming Ingrid. Sahara, the champion, posted a provisional tier list for...
Jack Emmert Returns, Unveils Veteran Leadership and MMO Vision
Our interview with Jack Emmert on his return to Cryptic Studios, his new veteran leaders and his plans for MMOs. https://t.co/BC7LMpCrMN
What if the Industry Started Remaking Bad Games Instead of Good Ones?
The article questions why the industry spends billions on AAA remakes of hits like Final Fantasy VII instead of revitalizing mediocre but promising titles. It argues that big‑budget remakes drain development talent and extend release cycles, citing Square Enix’s decade‑long...
Samson Developer Is “Making It The Best It Really Can Be,” But Don’t Expect Zero Bugs at Launch
Liquid Swords is releasing its debut title Samson: A Tyndalston Story on April 8 for PC at $24.99. The game offers a semi‑open world where the city reacts to player actions, but the studio warns players not to expect a...
How To Solve The Disconnected Truth Puzzle In Crimson Desert
The guide walks players through the five‑step Disconnected Truth puzzle in Crimson Desert, a floating diamond challenge that unlocks valuable Abyss Artifacts. It begins with restoring power in the first chamber, then directs gamers to a side room containing a...
Wardogs Is Proudly Not a ‘Battlefield Killer,’ but Has some Intense Game Design Ideas
Wardogs, Bulkhead’s upcoming multiplayer FPS, positions itself between arcade shooters like Call of Duty and hardcore simulators such as Arma. The game introduces an in‑match arms‑dealer system where players can invest earned cash, run side‑hustle businesses, and sell custom loadouts...
The First Reviews Are Going Live For Starfield's Terran Armada Expansion
Bethesda released the paid "Terran Armada" expansion for Starfield alongside the free "Free Lanes" update, pricing it at $9.99 (approximately $11 in GBP). Early professional reviews are largely positive, with VICE praising its end‑game combat and GamingBolt giving it a...
The Division Resurgence Embraces MMORPG Fun to "Push" Ubisoft's Shooter Onto New Ground
Ubisoft has brought The Division series to iOS and Android with The Division Resurgence, delivering the franchise’s signature looter‑shooter gameplay in a fully shared open world. The title blends traditional Division mechanics with MMORPG‑style social features, allowing real‑time squad play,...
The Myst Lifts over Call of the Elder Gods, Granting It a May Release Date
Call of the Elder Gods, the sequel to the 2020 Myst‑style adventure Call of the Sea, has been given a firm release date of May 12, 2024. Players will once again control Harry Everheart, now joined by Evangeline Drayton, as...
Starfield’s Free Lanes Update Improves Expert/Master Lock Loot, Bounty Targets in Cities, and More
Bethesda released the Free Lanes update for Starfield alongside the Terran Armada DLC and a PS5 port, delivering a suite of quality‑of‑life fixes. The patch improves loot from Expert and Master level locks, makes city bounty targets fully interactable, and...
The Shifting Balance of Power in Gaming | GamesBeat Crossfire Recap
GamesBeat’s Crossfire panel explored how power in the gaming ecosystem is diffusing across developers, platforms, regulators, and players. Speakers highlighted recent regulatory shifts—such as Apple’s external payment links and Google Play’s alternative billing—giving developers new monetization levers. They also examined...
Tetris Fans May Want to Check Out This Strategy Puzzle Hybrid When It Comes to PS5 This Month
Drop Duchy: Complete Edition is set to arrive on the PlayStation 5 on April 21, 2026, following a successful PC launch. The title blends Tetris‑style terrain placement with strategic city‑building, roguelite progression, and deck‑building mechanics. Developed by Sleepy Mill Studio and published by The Arcade...
Crimson Desert's Endgame May Be Lacking, but There's a Secret Fix
Pearl Abyss’s open‑world RPG Crimson Desert launched three weeks ago and already feels exhausted for many players. The primary complaint from endgame participants is a barren map lacking enough enemies to complete challenges or farm experience. A little‑known “Mask of...
Incremental Updates Expand Marble's Worlds Step by Step
Making improvements one step at a time for Marble. In the case of generating bigger worlds, it's quite literal ;) 🤩🌐
Why Director Genki Kawamura Threw Out the Video Game Film Adaptation Playbook with ‘Exit 8’
Director Genki Kawamura’s "Exit 8" redefines video‑game film adaptations by staying true to the source’s minimalist horror. The movie, based on the 2023 indie walking‑sim "The Exit 8," debuted in Japan in August 2025 and will hit North American theaters...
007: First Light's Bond Isn't Cool Enough to Look Away From Explosions, but He Will Be Trying to Find His...
IO Interactive’s upcoming title *007: First Light* puts players in the shoes of a 26‑year‑old James Bond, emphasizing his youthful inexperience and idealism. The game’s narrative explores themes of belonging, intuition versus technology, and how a risk‑taking Bond could reshape...
Nintendo Is Taking $20 Off Switch 2 in the US if It’s Bought with Super Mario Galaxy 1+2
Nintendo is offering a $20 discount on the Switch 2 when purchased with Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 from April 12 to May 9. The promotion applies at major U.S. retailers—including Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Walmart—and covers both physical and digital versions of the game. Galaxy 1+2,...
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Blizzard Explains Visual Updates to Overwatch's Anran
Blizzard announced a visual overhaul for Anran, the newest Overwatch hero, to be implemented on April 14, 2026 after the original design drew criticism from fans and the character’s voice actor. Game director Aaron Keller detailed changes to her eyes, eyebrows,...
Reminds Me of Outer Wilds with Space Soundtrack
First thing that comes to mind when watching this is @Mobius_Games's Outer Wilds. And in my head plays "Space" from @andrewprahlow's soundtrack
Jam Kuradoberi and Her Bunny Companion's Alternate Colors Revealed for Guilty Gear Strive
Arc System Works announced that Guilty Gear Strive’s Patch 2.00 will drop on April 9, 2026, adding at least 15 new color palettes for Jam Kuradoberi. The update not only revamps Jam’s outfit, skin tone, and hair but also alters her bunny companion Usagi’s fur,...
Bethesda's Most Controversial RPG Is Getting a Free Update to Go Along with Its PS5 Port
Bethesda is rolling out its biggest Starfield update yet, dubbed “Free Lanes,” which arrives alongside the upcoming Terran Armada DLC. The patch introduces X‑Tech weapon upgrades, cruise mode for seamless travel, shared containers for faster resource movement, and new side...
Move over Ashveil, Honkai Star Rail's Mortenax Blade Is the Husbando We've Been Craving
Honkai Star Rail introduced Mortenax Blade, a Fire‑Nihility version‑four character, during the Phantasmoon Games. The redesign adds a red spider‑lily chest emblem, full‑body bandages and darker robes, underscoring a death‑themed aesthetic. Marketing material includes the line “May this journey lead...
Upcoming VRS Race Talk, HLTV Live, Rio Trip
Lots to discuss about the VRS race and the process around it. Will unpack it on the pods later this week. HLTV Confirmed on Friday live before the Bucharest semi finals. Talking Counter Thursday sometime. Fly to Rio on the weekend 👋
Beyond Words Is Scrabble Meets Balatro, and It's Left Me Feeling Like I've Gone Ten Rounds with a Dictionary
Beyond Words is a digital word game that mixes Scrabble’s tile‑placement with Balatro‑style power cards. Players must hit rapidly escalating score thresholds within five moves, using cards that add multipliers and bonuses. The reviewer notes that early rounds are manageable,...
Red Bull Wololo: Londinium Crowns Hera and MarineLorD
Red Bull Wololo: Londinium concluded on April 6, 2026 with Hamzah “Hera” El‑Baher and Alexis “MarineLorD” Eusebio claiming the Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires IV titles. The eighth edition featured a $250,000 prize pool, a peak viewership of over 110,000, and...
Game of Thrones: Dragonfire, a New Game Based on 'House of the Dragon', Just Got Announced and You Can Pre-Register...
HBO Max and Warner Bros. Games announced Game of Thrones: Dragonfire, a free‑to‑play mobile strategy title inspired by House of the Dragon, now available for pre‑registration on iOS and Android. Players will assume the role of a Valyrian dragon‑hatcher, battling...
See the Guilty Gear Strive Jam Kuradoberi Moveset in Her Starter Guide
Jam Kuradoberi, a longtime Guilty Gear staple, returns to Strive as the first Season Pass 5 character on April 9, 2026. Arc System Works released a Starter Guide that details how her new Asanagi no Kokyuu mechanic fuels specials like Gekirin, Ryuujin, and...
Introducing EGF: An Open File Format for Educational Games
An open file format called Educational Game Format (EGF) was released on Zenodo in November 2025 to simplify creation and distribution of educational video games, especially for Africa’s growing edtech market. Developed by the founder of ZakiGames, EGF packages content,...
Lenovo Legion Go 2 Now Costs Nearly 50% More, and You Already Know the Reason Why
Lenovo has abruptly increased U.S. pricing for its Legion Go 2 handheld, with the top‑end Ryzen Z2 Extreme model climbing from $1,349.99 to $1,999.99 – a near 48% jump. The base configuration with a Ryzen Z2 chip and 16 GB RAM...
Save $100 on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally Handheld From Amazon with This Surprise Discount
Amazon has reduced the price of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally handheld to $499.99, a $100 discount from its $599.99 MSRP on Microsoft’s store, where it remains out of stock. The device features AMD’s Ryzen Z2 A processor, 16GB of...
Sony to Acquire Machine Learning Company Cinemersive Labs
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the acquisition of UK‑based machine‑learning firm Cinemersive Labs, a developer of six‑degrees‑of‑freedom 3D capture technology. The deal, disclosed on April 2, adds the startup’s portable rig and smartphone‑based generative‑AI capture system to Sony’s Visual Computing Group. Sony...
Quantic Dream's Star Wars Eclipse Is Reportedly Still 'Years Off'
Quantic Dream's Star Wars Eclipse, announced at the 2022 Game Awards, remains in development with progress described as "very slow going." Insider Gaming reports that the studio's financial health now drives the project's outlook, as NetEase may reconsider funding if...
Starfield Trophies Revealed for PlayStation 5
Bethesda’s Starfield launched on PlayStation 5 with a full suite of PlayStation Network trophies, instantly attracting the console’s achievement‑hungry community. The game offers 51 trophies, including a platinum award for collecting the other 50. TrueTrophies released the complete trophy list, providing...
April 2026 GameDev Assets Giveaways
Epic Games is running its bi‑monthly asset giveaway on the Fab marketplace from April 7 to April 24, offering three free Unreal Engine assets that can be kept permanently. The giveaway also includes a versatile asset usable in Unity, Godot, Blender and...
AfroAnimation Summit Is Quickly Emerging As A Major Talent Pipeline
The AfroAnimation Summit, launched in 2021, has rapidly become a central hub for animation, gaming and digital media talent, especially for Black and Brown creators. Attendance surged from 1,700 in its first year to 4,700 by the second, prompting major...
Drop Duchy Complete Edition Drops April 21 on PlayStation 5
Drop Duchy Complete Edition launches on PlayStation 5 on April 21. The indie strategy title blends tile‑laying board‑game mechanics with roguelite runs, procedural building drafts, and medieval combat. The Complete Edition adds two new factions—Tribe druids and Viking North—plus extra bosses, an...
Pillars of Eternity's Turn-Based Mode Is Finally Out in Full, and Obsidian Have Also Kindly Turned Off the Invisible Treadmills
Obsidian Entertainment has officially launched the long‑awaited turn‑based combat mode for Pillars of Eternity, concluding a year‑long beta that began in November. The full release arrives alongside a comprehensive patch that addresses major combat bugs, UI quirks, and animation glitches....
Xbox Has Revealed 18 Game Pass Titles for April, Including Hades 2, Kiln and Vampire Crawlers
Microsoft announced 18 new games for Xbox Game Pass in April, launching on console, PC and cloud streaming. Highlights include the highly anticipated Hades II, indie titles Kiln and Vampire Crawlers, and a mix of RPGs, simulators and shooters. The titles...
Indonesia's New Rating System Mislabels Games, Sparking Confusion
Indonesia's new Game Rating System went live on Steam recently, causing confusion among gamers and developers after games for children ended up with an 18+ rating and vice versa. Here's what you need to know, what comes next, and the...