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
Assassin's Creed Hexe Reportedly Loses 50 Developers
Assassin's Creed Hexe, Ubisoft's upcoming Witch‑Trial‑set title, has reportedly lost about 50 developers as they are shifted to the company’s Inter‑project team. The game also saw two directors exit within months, intensifying concerns about its stability. Sources suggest the staff cuts aim to trim the budget, potentially pushing the release from a June 2027 target to the holiday window later that year. The turmoil follows a pattern of delays and restructuring across Ubisoft’s flagship series.
Lessons From 2015: The Steam Controller Returns as a 'True Gamepad'
Valve is reviving the Steam Controller in 2026 as a true gamepad, built by halving the Steam Deck’s design and adding standard inputs like a second thumbstick, D‑pad, and tilted trackpads. The new controller retains the original’s trackpads, gyro, and...
Valve's Steam Controller Costs $99 and Arrives May 4
Valve announced that its Steam Controller will hit stores on May 4 for $99 in the United States. The gamepad works exclusively with Steam and the Steam Link app, linking PCs, Macs, mobile devices and the Steam Deck. It features...
Valve Says Its New Controller Is Shipping Before The Steam Machine Because It’s Unaffected By RAM Shortage And Is ‘Ready...
Valve announced that its new Steam Controller is shipping now, ahead of the delayed Steam Machine and Steam Frame. Designer Lawrence Yang confirmed the controller is unaffected by the industry‑wide RAM shortage because it contains no memory modules. While the...
Star Wars: Galactic Racer Leak Points to PS5 Podracing in October
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is slated for a PlayStation 5 launch on October 6, 2026, according to a brief Steam page update that was later removed. The leak also revealed a Deluxe Edition featuring a digital art book, three exclusive repulsorcraft, a steelbook,...
Steam Controller Developer Interview — Valve Talks Design, the Learning Curve, and the Lack of Kernel Drivers
Valve has unveiled its first new hardware since the Steam Deck OLED: the Steam Controller, a $99 gamepad designed to extend the Deck’s input suite to the living‑room TV setup. The controller mirrors the Deck’s layout, adds Grip Sense and...
'Millimeters Matter:' Making the Steam Controller 'Just Work' On Day One
Valve’s revamped Steam Controller launches with a plug‑and‑play "Steam Puck" that streamlines pairing, charging, and firmware updates, delivering the promised "just works" experience. The device inherits ergonomic lessons from the Steam Deck, featuring an improved D‑pad, repositioned rear buttons, and...
Aerith, Cloud, and Tifa Don Dresses for FFVII Ever Crisis Corneo Cup Event
Square Enix announced the Corneo Cup: Open Bridal Audition for *Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis*, launching on April 29, 2026. The event features Aerith, Cloud and Tifa in the iconic dresses from *FFVII Remake*, each paired with matching weapons. A trailer reveals the trio...
Valve Steam Controller Review: Every Input to PC Game From the Sofa
Valve’s Steam Controller offers a fully‑featured, highly customizable PC gaming experience, featuring TMR joysticks, touchpads, back buttons, and a 35‑hour battery life. At roughly 292 g (0.64 lb), it feels solid and comparable to an Xbox controller, though a bit heavy. The...
Video Games Don’t Need To Be Made Into TV And Movies To Justify Their Existence Anymore
The article argues that video games no longer need TV or movie adaptations to validate their cultural relevance, citing Ben Starr’s remarks at the BAFTAs. It highlights *Crimson Desert*’s unusually steady player retention, keeping roughly half its launch concurrency a...
Hajime Tabata Launches Revitalization Project in Shimabara Peninsula with Ryugu Nation Integration
Hajime Tabata’s JP Universe has launched the Shimabara Peninsula Geo‑Chronicle Project, turning the UNESCO Global Geopark on Kyushu into Japan’s first “Real Adventure RPG.” The initiative integrates the area’s three cities—Shimabara, Minami‑Shimabara and Unzen—into Tabata’s Ryugu Nation metaverse, using local...
Xbox Giving US Players Free $5 Gift Card for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Pre-Orders
Xbox is offering U.S. players a $5 gift card and an Assassin's Creed Resources Pack when they pre‑order the $69.99 Deluxe Edition of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, slated for release on July 9 2026 on Xbox Series X|S. The promotion mirrors previous...
Alien Isolation 2 Teased, Moves to Unreal Engine 5 Development
Creative Assembly released a 25‑second teaser confirming development of Alien Isolation 2 and a switch to Unreal Engine 5. The new engine promises higher visual fidelity and modern rendering, while the teaser’s “False Sense of Security” tagline hints at possible changes...
Neverness to Everness NTE Events April 2026
Neverness to Everness, a new gacha RPG, launches on April 29, 2026. While no events are live yet, the developer has outlined several pre‑release activities, including a 14‑day login reward, a “Strange Encounters” free‑character offer after 50 banner rolls, and a permanent...
Kids Will only Value COD4 After Age Eleven
My kids are growing up on CoD 1-3 and they're only getting CoD4 when they can appreciate it when they're 11
Sdy Joins Passion UA on Loan
Ukrainian rifler Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev has joined Passion UA on loan, filling the spot left by Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold. sdy spent over two years with ENCE, posting a 1.04 rating across 1,963 maps and helping the team win Elisa Masters Espoo 2024....
RuneScape Reduces Visual Clutter in Combat, Adds Better Targeting, and Double XP Returns This Week, With Tweaks
Jagex’s Road to Restoration update trims combat visual clutter by adding optional target reticules and walk markers that scale with enemy size. Players can enable or disable these cues in the Settings menu, while other effects have been toned down...
PlayStation’s 30‑Day Digital Game Expiry Sparks Backlash Over DRM
Sony introduced a 30‑day online check‑in requirement for newly purchased PS4 and PS5 digital games, prompting a wave of criticism from gamers who fear loss of access. The change, first spotted on April 25, 2026, has ignited a debate over...
Pokémon Champions Dev Responds To Technical Criticism: ‘We’ve Truly Tried To Do Our Best’
Pokémon Champions debuted to fan backlash over a small roster, missing Pokémon, and a slew of bugs. Game director Masaaki Hoshino defended the title, pointing to his work on Pokkén Tournament and the technical limits of handling four Pokémon on...
Arc Raiders – Upgraded PS5 Pro PSSR Upscaling Available April 28
Arc Raiders update 1.26, released on April 28, adds an upgraded PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) for PS5 Pro users. The machine‑learning upscaler delivers sharper, more stable visuals, cutting flicker, shimmer and ghosting while preserving fine detail in motion. Embark...
Create Playable Browser Games From Simple Text Prompts
Wow... A YC-backed startup just turned game development into a single text box. It's called CodeWisp. Type what you want and it gives you a playable game right in your browser. No Unity. No Godot. No 5 years of tutorials. Just describe...
Following an Earlier Leak, EA Sports UFC 6 Has Been Officially Announced
Electronic Arts officially announced EA Sports UFC 6, slated for a June 19, 2026 launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The standard edition will sell for $69.99, while an Ultimate Edition costs $99.99 (about $127 in U.S. dollars) and grants a week...
Game Over For Trust: A Roblox Cheat Gives Attackers The Advantage
Vercel suffered a supply‑chain breach after a developer downloaded a Roblox cheat that contained Lumma Stealer malware. The malware harvested OAuth and AWS tokens from Context.ai, a SaaS tool the employee had linked with a corporate Google account. Attackers used...
Godot 4.7 Beta Released
Godot Engine announced the beta of version 4.7 on April 27, 2026, marking a feature freeze and shifting focus to hardening and bug fixes. The beta introduces several high‑impact features, including real‑time rectangular AreaLight3D, HDR output support for Windows, macOS,...
PUBG Mobile Codes April 2026
PUBG Mobile has released a fresh batch of promotional codes that grant players in‑game rewards such as 1,000 UC, Elite Royale Pass vouchers, premium character skins, and weapon skins. The guide lists active codes, explains how to redeem them through...
PowerWash Simulator 2's Next DLC Brings Star Wars to the Game Pass Hit
Futurlab announced a new premium DLC for PowerWash Simulator 2 titled the Star Wars Pack, slated for release this summer. The expansion lets players control the cleaning droid PO‑W2 and use a new water‑blaster to scrub iconic assets from the original...
Exclusive: Fatal Fury Director Talks Wolfgang Krauser's Big Return and Reveals the True Reason the Emperor Couldn't Crouch as a...
Wolfgang Krauser, the iconic "Emperor of Darkness" from Fatal Fury, returns as a downloadable character in the new City of the Wolves update. SNK confirmed the decision was locked in around August 2023 as part of a monthly DLC rollout....
Metal Gear Solid Voice Actor Doesn’t Understand “All Of” The Story
Voice actor David Hayter, who voiced Solid Snake from the original 1998 Metal Gear Solid through 2010’s Peace Walker, admitted he still doesn’t fully grasp the franchise’s labyrinthine plot, often asking developers for line meanings during recording. He praised the...
The Hollow Knight Inspiration Is Blatant in Promising PS5 Metroidvania Karma Exorcist
Karma Exorcist, a new Metroidvania from debut studio Cyclos, draws unmistakable inspiration from Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight. Set in a Chinese‑mythology‑infused underworld, the side‑scroll title features combat with a satisfying “thunk” and staggered hit reactions. A reveal trailer and nine‑minute gameplay clip...
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin Spin-Off Mobile Game Shutting Down
Sakuna: Hinuka Junreitan, the mobile spin‑off of the acclaimed Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, launched on Android and iOS in Japan on February 5, 2026 and will cease operations on July 27, 2026. The shutdown cancels the previously announced PC...
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Previews More Combat & Progression Update Features, From Engaging NPCs to Items
Visionary Realms announced the upcoming Combat and Progression Update for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, detailing class reworks, a First-to-Engage loot system, NPC engagement delays, dynamic leashing, and itemization changes. The update will also introduce rested XP bonuses, hot‑bar simplification,...
Enter The Gungeon’s Creators Think The Roguelike Genre Has Lost Its Way And Become ‘A Little Cash-Grabby’
Enter the Gungeon celebrates its ten‑year anniversary, and co‑founder Dave Crooks used the occasion to critique the roguelike genre’s recent direction. He argues that titles like Vampire Survivors and Balatro have turned roguelikes into slot‑machine‑like experiences, prioritizing frequent, cash‑grab mechanics...
Alleged Would-Be Trump Assassin Once Made an "Atomic Fighting Game", Which Steam Have Now Yanked From Sale
Valve has disabled purchases of the indie Steam title Bohrdom after its creator, 31‑year‑old Cole Tomas Allen, was arrested for attempting to shoot the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Bohrdom, a quirky quantum‑physics‑themed fighting game released in December 2018, had attracted...
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Barely Understands The Series’ Aesthetic And Completely Lacks Its Subtlety
Owlcat Games released the closed beta for *The Expanse: Osiris Reborn* on April 22, 2026, and the early build quickly revealed a mix of technical hiccups and artistic missteps. While the game captures the series’ gritty visual tone, it suffers from buggy...
Subway Surfers City Runs Towards $2m in Player Spending in Two Months
Sybo’s Subway Surfers City has generated $1.9 million in player spending worldwide within its first two months, outpacing the original title’s $882,000 in the same period. The game achieved roughly 27 million installs, delivering $1 million on Google Play and $881,000 on the...
Star Wars: Galactic Racer Release Date Accidentally Revealed on Steam, Out on October 6th
Fuse Games' upcoming title Star Wars: Galactic Racer had its release date unintentionally exposed on Steam, showing an October 6, 2026 launch. The same listing also revealed the Deluxe Edition’s contents, such as exclusive Repulsorcraft, custom banners, and a steelbook‑wrapped physical edition....
Apple's iPhone 18 Could Benefit From a Gaming Performance and Memory Upgrade Despite the RAMaggedon
Rumors from tipster Dan Nystedt suggest the upcoming iPhone 18 will be the first Apple phone to ship with 12 GB of RAM and a new A20 processor built on a 2 nm process. The memory boost would match the iPhone 17 Pro Max, while the...
New Industry Panel Forms to Help UK Government ‘Get Esports Right’
Ukie has announced a 20‑member UK Esports Advisory Panel to serve as a single, trusted voice between the esports sector and government. The panel includes senior figures from EA, Team Liquid, Fnatic, Riot Games and the British Esports Federation. It...
PS5, PS5 Pro and PS5 Portal Prices Are Going Up in Southeast Asian Markets
Sony announced price increases for its PS5, PS5 Pro and PlayStation Portal in Southeast Asia effective May 1. In Singapore the PS5 now costs SGD 849 (≈$620), Malaysia MYR 2,799 (≈$620) and Thailand THB 20,990 (≈$590); the Pro model is priced similarly, while the Philippines and...
Xbox Game Pass Adds Bullet Hell Shooter Luna Abyss in May
Xbox Game Pass will add the bullet‑hell first‑person shooter Luna Abyss on May 21, available for Xbox Series X|S, PC and with Xbox Play Anywhere support. The title, developed by Kwalee Labs, follows a story‑driven premise where players navigate an alien megastructure...
The Sequel to the Iconic Emulator ZSNES Is Called Super ZSNES, of Course
After two decades of inactivity, the classic ZSNES Super Nintendo emulator has been revived as Super ZSNES. The new version is rewritten from the ground up with a GPU‑driven "Super Enhancement Engine" that adds high‑resolution rendering, widescreen, overclocking, uncompressed audio...
Following About 50 Assassin's Creed Hexe Devs Reportedly Being Taken Off the Game, Ubisoft Say Team Switches Are "a Standard...
Ubisoft confirmed that roughly 50 developers from the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Hexe were moved to an inter‑project pool, a shift it describes as routine team mobility. The reassigned staff must find a new project within three months or risk redundancy. Hexe,...
New Star Fox Title Launching in June, But April Reveal Is Up in the Air – Rumor
Rumors from insider NateTheHate suggest Nintendo is developing a classic‑style Star Fox game slated for a June launch, with the originally expected April reveal possibly delayed. The delay could reflect a marketing pivot, positioning the title for announcement during the...
Xbox Wants to ‘Restore the Core’ and Grow Daily Active Players – so Is Mobile Part of the Plan or...
Xbox’s new head Asha Sharma announced a shift to daily active players (DAP) as the division’s North Star, signaling a push to “restore the core” of console and PC gamers. The move follows a Game Pass price cut and rumors...
People Can Fly Acquires Cooldown Games to Grow Publishing Business
People Can Fly, the studio behind Bulletstorm, announced the acquisition of Irish indie developer Cooldown Games. The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, adds a new publishing arm to People Can Fly’s portfolio and reflects broader consolidation trends in...
Atari’s Adventure of Samsara Gets Post-Launch Update
Atari and Brazil‑based Ilex Games announced a post‑launch update for the 2D Metroidvania "Adventure of Samsara." The update adds new content that will be demoed at Gamescom Latam from April 30 to May 3 at Ilex’s booth. The title is already available...
Webtoon Partners with Genies to Expand Fandom with Digital Avatars
Webtoon Entertainment announced a strategic partnership with AI avatar maker Genies to embed digital avatars into its storytelling platform. The collaboration will let readers create personalized, character‑driven avatars and interact through chat‑based experiences. Webtoon, founded in South Korea in 2005...
Learn Phaser 4 From Scratch: Zenva's Beginner Course
Zenva Academy has released the Complete Phaser 4 Course for Beginners, a hands‑on program that teaches developers how to set up projects, work with graphics, and master the scene lifecycle. The curriculum is part of a broader Phaser 4 Mini‑Degree, spanning five...
Feature: All New Games Coming To Xbox In May 2026
Microsoft’s Xbox lineup for May 2026 features more than 50 titles, ranging from blockbuster franchises like Forza Horizon 6 and a remastered Darksiders edition to a diverse slate of indie releases such as Mixtape and Outbound. Several games—including Final Fantasy V, Echo Generation 2...
Final Fantasy 14 Is Coming to Nintendo Switch 2, but It'll Cost You
Square Enix confirmed that Final Fantasy XIV will arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 in August 2026, but players must subscribe to a dedicated service for the game. The new subscription is separate from existing PC or console plans, though current FFXIV subscribers...