Today's Gaming Pulse
Resident Evil Requiem launches free demo after 7 million copies sold
Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem, which has sold over 7 million copies since its release three months ago, is now offering a free demo on Steam, Epic, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2. The demo lets players experience early chapters with protagonist Grace Ashcroft, though progress cannot be transferred to the full game.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Goldenpeak takes majority stake in Ampere Analysis
Why Mortal Kombat II Is Deliberately Bringing ‘90s Game Graphics to Life
Mortal Kombat II, directed by Simon McQuoid, deliberately recreates iconic 1990s game arenas such as the Blue Portal and The Pit on a massive cinematic scale. By blending the original 8‑bit aesthetic with modern visual effects, the film aims to capture the nostalgic appeal for millennial and Gen‑X fans. McQuoid describes the design as a way to honor the game’s legacy while delivering visually striking set pieces. The movie opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, May 8, 2024.
Combo Preview for Kingdom Heroes: Arena, the Soul Calibur-Esque Fighting Game for Romance of the Three Kingdoms
A demo of Kingdom Heroes: Arena, a new fighting game built on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms universe, was released this week, highlighting a flashy yet easy‑to‑execute combo system. The Steam page promises “exhilarating” combos without the need for...
R.E.P.O. Cosmetics Update Release Countdown: Exact Date and Time
R.E.P.O. is set to roll out its long‑awaited Cosmetics Update on Thursday, May 7, with a global launch timed for early morning US Pacific time. The patch introduces three new magic staffs—Roll, Anti‑Gravity, and Void—each unlocked through separate missions that promise...
LEGO Batman Hid Hilarious Michael Caine Tweet in the Game
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, releasing May 22, 2026, includes an Easter egg that reproduces Michael Caine’s iconic Alfred line from the Nolan films, ending with the typo “Batman Begin” that went viral in 2024. A comic artist’s...
In The Black Arrives, A Space Combat Sim With Newtonian Physics
In The Black, a space‑combat simulator built on Newtonian physics, has entered Early Access with a publicly available demo. Developed by the team behind Star Wars: X‑Wing Alliance and MechWarrior 2, the game focuses on pilot‑centric missions and free‑play ship design...
GameStop Wants To Sell You Random Pokémon Cards For $5,000 A Pop
GameStop launched "Power Packs," letting customers buy single PSA‑graded Pokémon cards for up to $5,000. The top‑tier "Neutronium" offers a 0.4% chance at a card worth over $40,000, but odds heavily favor the house. This follows GameStop's broader pivot from...
Nafany Enters Free Agency
Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov’s contract with the now‑defunct AMKAL has expired, placing the veteran Russian IGL in free agency. He continues to compete with the ad‑hoc TDK squad while remaining open to solo offers or a full‑lineup acquisition. The move follows...
Mortal Kombat 2 Met With Mixed Reviews
The sequel Mortal Kombat 2 has just cleared its review embargo, landing a split critical reception. It holds a Metacritic score of 50 while Rotten Tomatoes reports a 77% approval rating, reflecting divergent reviewer standards. Critics agree the film is an...
New Mortal Kombat Game Confirmed by Ed Boon
Series co‑creator Ed Boon confirmed that NetherRealm Studios is already developing a new Mortal Kombat game, signaling the end of the current Mortal Kombat 1 content cycle. The studio hinted at multiple parallel projects, including non‑gaming media, and teased potential cross‑overs with franchises...
Twitch Bans Off‑platform Bit Use, Tightens Enforcement
Twitch has updated the Bits Acceptable Use policy for the first time since 2018. Changes: - Bits can ONLY be used for things on Twitch. (A ban on anything off-platform or of monetary value.) - Much stricter enforcement, including a new "forfeiture clause". -...
Beastro Cooking Game Delayed About a Month
Indie developer Timberline has pushed the launch of its cooking‑combat title Beastro from May 21 to June 11, 2026, citing additional quality‑control work. The three‑week delay will allow the team to polish mechanics, reduce bugs, and improve overall stability. A...
BioShock, Game Prices, GTA, the Disappearing NFL Deal and More: An Interview with Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick
In a rare interview, Take‑Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick addressed a wide‑ranging set of topics, from the current status of the BioShock franchise to the escalating costs of game development. He confirmed that the company’s multi‑game licensing agreement with the...
A Valve Glitch Made Steam Controllers Cheaper for Early Adopters
Valve discovered a billing glitch that omitted sales tax for some early purchasers of its Steam Controller, effectively lowering the $99.99 price by roughly $7 in high‑tax states. The issue was flagged on the Steam subreddit, prompting Valve to confirm...
This Black Flag Resynced Comparison to the Original Perfectly Shows Just How Far Graphics Have Come Since 2013
Ubisoft has released Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, a full‑scale remake of the 2013 pirate adventure. Direct screenshot comparisons show dramatically improved lighting, shaders, texture resolution, and water realism. The remake also adds far greater draw distance, volumetric fog, denser...
Best Players for FC 26 Fullback Takeover Evolution
EA Sports' FIFA 26 introduces a Fullback Takeover Evolution that lets players spend 35,000 in‑game coins to upgrade a right‑back (RB) card. The evolution adds stat boosts, new positions, and up to three playstyle slots across five upgrade levels, each...
Nintendo Under Pressure to Raise Switch 2 Price
Nintendo’s newly launched Switch 2, despite strong initial demand, is confronting investor pressure to raise its price as profit margins tighten. Rising component costs—especially memory chips fueled by AI demand—combined with higher tariffs are eroding unit profitability. U.S. holiday sales fell...
Create Without Limits: Game Art Workflows Powered by Dell & NVIDIA
Dell and NVIDIA, together with Adobe, hosted a GamesBeat webinar titled “Create Without Limits” to demonstrate how generative AI is being woven into game art pipelines. Demonstrations by NVIDIA’s Ashlee Martino‑Tarr and Adobe’s Vladimir Petkovic showed AI‑driven tools that cut...
The New Math of Experiential: How Xbox and Sparks Achieved an 11x Return at Gamescom 2025
Xbox teamed with experiential agency Sparks for a multi‑zone Gamescom 2025 booth that drew over 100,000 visitors and generated more than 500 million digital impressions. Sparks introduced two proprietary metrics—Earned Engagement Value (EEV) and Earned Event Impression Value (EEIV)—to quantify on‑site...
Mortal Kombat II Sacrifices Action for a Weak Plot
The kicks, punches & fatalities fail to land in MORTAL KOMBAT II, which puts a dumb, dense plot above action and spectacle. My review: https://freshfiction.tv/mortal-kombat-ii-review-feel-the-chill-of-despair/
Open APIs, Easy Paid Services Drive Market Dominance
An enlightened digital ecosystem company would offer all store features to all developers without obstructions, and profit by offering optional services that are so easy to use and priced so attractively that they gain large market share.
Game Engines Were Built for Video Games, but Japan Is Finding More Interesting Things to Do with Them
Modern game engines such as Unity and Unreal, which dominate roughly 70% of the traditional game‑development market, are being repurposed for non‑gaming applications in Japan. Construction giant Taisei builds interactive digital twins of urban districts to pitch redevelopment plans, while...
Take‑Two CEO
I've waited 20 years to interview Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, so we had a lot to discuss - He's feeling better about BioShock - Says a planned NFL game didn't come together - Admits criticism of NBA2K micro$ Plus: Switch, Civ, my marital...
Supreme Court Forces Apple to Reveal App Review Costs
The Supreme Court has considered Apple's delaying motion and found it unworthy. Now Apple will have to come clean with the District Court and show exactly what its costs are for reviewing apps with competing payment systems, so they can bill...
"No Need to Switch Civilizations Mid-Game": "Civilization VII" Announces "Test of Time" Update
Since its February launch, Civilization VII has lagged behind earlier titles, prompting Firaxis to roll out a major free update called “Test of Time” on May 19. The update eliminates the series‑breaking forced civilization‑switching mechanic, letting players remain with a single civ...
Master LinkedIn’s New Ultra‑Casual Game ‘Patches’
The newest game to join the ultra-casual games lineup at @LinkedIn is "Patches". Here's how to play Patches, and some simple tactics to help solve every puzzle: https://t.co/Vw2wAUKqdJ #games #puzzles #linkedin https://t.co/jklx27BTgh
Indie Games Push Boundaries with Bizarre Protagonists
You get to play as a severed arm or a zombie child. How's that for indie creativity? https://t.co/ZSuky2Qm1v
Xbox Adds Forza Horizon 6, Subnautica 2 and 11 More to Game Pass
Xbox unveiled a slate of 13 new Game Pass titles for May 2026, headlined by Forza Horizon 6, Subnautica 2 and the narrative adventure Mixtape. The rollout follows a price cut that lowered Game Pass Ultimate from $29.99 to $22.99 per month,...
Griffin Launches Project Financing Fund for Indie Studios
Good news for indie game studios. Griffin is turning to project financing with a new fund, in addition to its traditional VC investments. https://t.co/47axlCnNYv https://t.co/cS1gcIJjLn
When Creation Costs Collapse, What Remains?
Been looking forward to this one for a while. Mitch and I talk AI + games, and try to answer the question that matters most: What survives when the cost of creation collapses?
Invincible: Guarding the Globe Codes May 2026
Ubisoft’s idle mobile title *Invincible: Guarding the Globe* has released a fresh batch of redemption codes that award free gems, DNA sequencers, equipment tickets, hero dossiers and exclusive characters such as Omni‑Man and Conquest. The article lists each code, the...
Kano's Humor Saves Mediocre Mortal Kombat 2 Debut
#MortalKombat2: a to-be-expected amalgam of fights, flimsy story & forced coolness which nevertheless will please target aud. Surprisingly good amount of humor driven by Josh Lawson's Kano who steals every scene. A few wild kills, but battles are mostly uninspiring....
Riot Games Restores Shotcall for VCT Stage 1 Playoffs
Riot Games announced the return of the Shotcall system for the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Stage 1 Playoffs. The decision re‑introduces a real‑time strategic tool that was previously removed, sparking discussion among teams, analysts and fans about its impact on match...
Make Actual Songs with Singing Garden Gnomes in Offbeat, a Jobbing Composer Sim that Doubles as an Audio Production Tool
Offbeat is a quirky job‑bing composer simulation that doubles as a lightweight audio‑production tool, letting players arrange tracks and export them as WAV files. Developed by the three‑person studio Whetstone Games, the title mixes playful 1980s‑style narrative with lessons on...
My Hero Academia: All’s Justice Nana Shimura DLC Debuts This Week
Bandai Namco announced the Nana Shimura character DLC for *My Hero Academia: All’s Justice*, launching on May 7, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and PC. The add‑on costs $24.99 and is available both as a standalone purchase and...
Griffin Gaming Partners Launches $100 Million Fund for Indie Titles With Hollywood Potential (Exclusive)
Griffin Gaming Partners, a Santa Monica venture fund with $1.5 billion under management, announced a $100 million Special Opportunities Fund that will finance indie games through revenue‑share agreements rather than equity. The fund has already committed capital to 15 titles, nine of...
Court Turns Down Apple’s Request to Pause Order Holding It in Contempt
Justice Elena Kagan denied Apple’s emergency request to pause a civil contempt order stemming from the Epic Games antitrust case. The contempt ruling found Apple still restricting developers from directing users to alternative payment options and imposing higher fees, violating...
Unity AI Beta Launched
Unity has opened its AI beta to all Unity 6+ users, delivering a suite of generative‑AI tools directly inside the engine. The new version replaces the earlier Unity Muse experiment and adds agentic in‑project assistance, a chat interface, an AI Gateway...
Xbox Gets Fresh Boot Animation and Sound Next Week
Xbox consoles are getting a new boot animation next week, complete with a slightly tweaked boot-up sound. Microsoft’s new Xbox CEO continues to make changes that are designed to please fans https://t.co/sLz2RLRjr1 https://t.co/ZiybbhTnKP
EVE Online Will Be Used to Help Train Google DeepMind's AI Tech, as Company Take a Minority Stake in the...
Google DeepMind has taken a minority stake in CCP Games, now operating as Fenris Creations, to use an offline version of the space MMO EVE Online as a testbed for its AI models. The partnership will focus on long‑horizon planning,...
Free‑to‑play Games Now Charge Absurd Prices for Items
Is it just me being cheap, or have F2P games' in-game items gotten really overpriced lately?
Bank Robbers Come to PUBG: 'Payday' Collaboration Trailer Released
Krafton unveiled a new PUBG × PAYDAY collaboration with a 1‑minute 46‑second trailer that introduces a heist‑themed PvE mode. Players will battle police forces to rob a vault, with the squad that amasses the most cash declared the winner. The mode launches on...
The CEO Behind Grand Theft Auto VI Doesn’t Play Video Games, but Analysts Say He Has Put $1.5 Billion Behind...
Take‑Two Interactive’s CEO Strauss Zelnick, who doesn’t play video games, has steered the company’s share price up 1,600% to $216 and boosted net revenue to $5.6 billion in 2025. Under his leadership, the firm is gearing up for the release of...
Starfield Lands Top‑5 in April PlayStation Downloads
Starfield debuted at #4 in the PlayStation Store download charts for April in the EU, and #5 in the US / Canada https://t.co/TZHPFYL9Kc https://t.co/7UD8UfjUyW
'We Are Definitely Pursuing Another Mortal Kombat Game' — Ed Boon Provides Comments on NetherRealm Studios' Next Project
Ed Boon confirmed that NetherRealm Studios is actively developing another Mortal Kombat title while still providing balance updates for Mortal Kombat 1 after its Definitive Edition launch. He emphasized that the franchise remains a top priority, even as the studio juggles...
Visionary Awards Winners Announced Ahead of GamesBeat Summit
I'm very pleased to reveal our Visionary winners ahead of our May 19 ceremony at GamesBeat Summit. Congratulations to Susanna Pollack of Games for Change and up-and-comer winner Amir Satvat of ASGC and Tencent. https://t.co/MfAWQUeqd2 https://t.co/DJd5iUw4Lg
Microsoft to Stop Developing Copilot for Xbox Console, ‘Winding Down’ on Mobile (Gaming News Roundup)
Microsoft announced it will cease development of the Xbox console Copilot and begin winding down the AI service on mobile devices. The decision was disclosed by new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who said the features no longer align with the...
Valve Releases Full External Specifications for 'Steam Deck' Accessory Manufacturing
Valve has published the full external specifications for its Steam Deck handheld and Dock, including STL and STP CAD files, to enable third‑party accessory creation. The move follows a launch‑day sell‑out that highlighted strong consumer demand. While personal printing and non‑commercial...
Final Countdown: Beat Manbreaker by Friday or Take Stairs
The final countdown is on. If I do not beat the Manbreaker in Baby Steps by the end of Friday's stream, I must simply accept help and take the stairs. Can I do it? I guess, in a sense, I...
PlayStation Store: April 2026’s Top Downloads
Sony’s PlayStation Store released its April 2026 download rankings across PS5, PS4, PS VR2 and free‑to‑play titles. New sci‑fi action game Pragmata broke into the US top‑three for PS5, while Starfield, MLB The Show 26 and EA Sports FC 26 also featured prominently....
Genshin Impact Luna VII Special Program Stream Dated
HoYoVerse will broadcast a Genshin Impact Luna VII Special Program stream on May 8, 2026 at 4 am PT/7 am ET/1 pm CET via Twitch and YouTube, with an archived version posted later. The Luna VII update is slated for release on May 20, 2026, wrapping up the Nod‑Krai...