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
"Ban on Unilateral Server Shutdowns": California Proposes Game Protection Bill
California lawmakers introduced Assembly Bill 1921, a “Game Protection Bill” that would bar publishers from unilaterally shutting down servers for live‑service games. The bill requires at least a two‑month advance notice, in‑game disclosures of feature deactivations, and a prohibition on new sales within that window. It also obliges developers to provide an offline mode or, if that is not feasible, a full refund. The proposal follows Europe’s “Stop Killing Games” campaign, which has gathered roughly 1.3 million signatures.
SNK Is Releasing a Modern NeoGeo AES Console with ‘Unrivaled Authenticity’ and £70 Game Cartridges
SNK and Plaion are reviving the 1990 NeoGeo AES with a modern NeoGeo AES+ console slated for a November 12 launch. The standard and 35th Anniversary editions will retail for $249.99 (≈£179.99/€199.99) and include HDMI, 1080p output, and on‑screen BIOS...
The Outer Worlds and Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Share an Unlikely Lesson: We Make Our Own Pirates
Both The Outer Worlds and Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag illustrate how layoffs can turn workers into pirates. In The Outer Worlds, the Firefly Freebooters are stranded after corporate non‑competes dissolve their sport, forcing them to raid for survival. The game’s...
DressX and Amazon Announce Virtual Fashion Partnership | Exclusive
Avatar fashion platform DressX announced a partnership with Amazon on April 16, enabling shoppers to buy virtual garments through Amazon’s online store. The purchased items can be unlocked and worn in DressX’s Meta Horizon experience, Fashion Rivals. This marks the...
Japan: Nintendo Switch 2 Reigns Supreme and Pokemon Pokopia Remains No.1
Nintendo’s Switch 2 dominated Japan’s weekly hardware market, moving 52,058 units from April 6‑12, 2026. The broader Switch family sold 21,134 units, outpacing the PlayStation 5’s 8,673 and Xbox’s 685. On the software side, Pokemon Pokopia topped sales with 23,738 copies, adding to its...
PUBG Esports Publishes Latest Official Competitive Update
PUBG Esports has released an official competitive update outlining the EMEA selection process for the PUBG Nations Cup 2024. Germany, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and Norway will each send a four‑player roster plus a coach to Seoul, with the first...
Verizon VCT Game Changers NA Stage 1 Swiss Format and Schedule Revealed
Riot announced the Verizon VCT Game Changers NA Stage 1 Swiss Event, kicking off on April 15 with 16 teams battling online. Teams advance by reaching four wins or are eliminated after four losses, with the Swiss phase running through May 20. The...
Call of Duty Mobile Unveils Season 4 2026 Eternal Prison Update
Activision announced Call of Duty: Mobile Season 4 “Eternal Prison,” launching April 22, 2026, which adds the Rebirth Island map to Battle Royale and DMZ: Recon, introduces a new extraction flow with a rooftop Nikto boss, and rolls out a Godzilla × Kong crossover. Graphical...
When Is Riot’s New League of Legends Champion Locke Launching in 2026?
Riot Games plans to introduce a new League of Legends mid‑lane AP assassin, Locke, in Season 2 Act 2: Pandemonium on Patch 26.15, targeting a July 29, 2026 release. The champion will be the first brand‑new LoL hero since Zaahen’s November 2025 debut, arriving during the...
James Acaster to Star in New Apple Arcade Game Perchang World
British comedian James Acaster will narrate Perchang World, a new physics‑puzzle game launching on Apple Arcade on May 7. The title, described as a blend of Portal and Lemmings, marks Acaster’s first foray into video‑game voice work. Perchang, a seven‑person remote studio...
PGL Wallachia Season 8 Preview: The Dota 2 Storylines to Watch
PGL Wallachia Season 8 runs April 18‑26 in Bucharest, featuring 16 Dota 2 teams competing for a $1 million prize pool. The event marks the first major test of the post‑Facets meta after the 7.41 and 7.41b patches, putting teams’ adaptability under the spotlight....
Team Spirit Knock Out G2 to Reach IEM Rio 2 Quarter-Finals
Team Spirit defeated G2 Esports 2‑0 in the IEM Rio 2026 lower‑bracket decider, advancing to the quarter‑finals of the $1 million event. The wins came on Mirage (13‑7) and Dust 2 (13‑11), with Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich posting a 1.57 rating, 96.8 ADR...
Ludum Dare Will Officially End in October 2028
Long‑running indie game jam Ludum Dare announced its final scheduled event will take place in October 2028, capping a three‑year run of six more jams. Co‑founder Mike Kasprzak also hinted at an unscheduled “encore” jam in April 2029, but emphasized that the...
Valve Look Like They Might Be Rolling Out 30-Day Steam Price Tracking for Everyone, Making It Easier to Spot when...
Valve appears to be preparing a global rollout of its 30‑day price‑tracking tool, a feature currently limited to European Union stores. The code, spotted on SteamDB, would display a game’s regular price, current sale price, and the lowest price seen...
Get Another 15 Games for $15 in This New Humble Bundle for April
Humble Bundle’s April 2026 promotion bundles 15 indie games for a flat $15 price, matching the UK minimum spend of £13.38 (about $17). The collection spans genres and includes six titles verified for Steam Deck, with most games holding Steam ratings...
Game Devs Explain the Tricks Involved with Letting You Pause a Game
Game developers reveal that pausing a video game is far from trivial, despite its ubiquity. While many engines let you set the timescale to zero, some creators use near‑zero values to sidestep Unity’s zero‑speed quirks or to enable hidden fly‑around...
Legends Unite at BAFTA Games Quiz, Fun Over Finish
Had a blast with a bunch of legends at the @bafta Games Quiz - swipe to meet my team and find out our bubby-winning team name (makes up for us coming 4th!) Brilliant hosting and questions by @aliplumb and first...
EA President, Naughty Dog Co‑Founder, Analyst Headline Summer Game Fest
Speakers for @TheGameBusiness Live as part of @SummerGameFest on Monday, June 8 in L.A. have been announced. - Laura Miele, president of EA Entertainment - Jason Rubin, co-founder of Naughty Dog - Matthew Ball, analyst Industry tickets now available: https://t.co/vmwVhXxqmW https://t.co/4tfkg0hDmo
How Do You Follow a Hit Game About Bacon? Make a Sequel About Bacon in the Human Body
Philipp Stollenmayer, known for quirky physics titles, is releasing Bacon in Zane, a free sequel that sends the beloved bacon slice on a journey through the human body. The game follows a proven ad‑supported model, offering a $2.99 one‑time purchase...
Marathon's Faction Intros Showcase Cohesive, Stunning Visual Style
Obsessed with the visual style of the new Bungie game, Marathon. Here are the faction intros as a taste of the varied yet cohesive visual language employed throughout the game. SO. MUCH. STYLE. https://t.co/f7r3uGadFr
The Expanse: A Telltale Series Arrives on Nintendo Switch Today
Telltale Games released The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Deluxe Edition on Nintendo Switch, marking the franchise’s first handheld launch. The edition includes all five episodes and a bonus chapter featuring Chrisjen Avasarala. Players control Camina Drummer, voiced by Cara Gee,...
Rockstar Hack Highlights Supply‑Chain Risks While Pragmata Shows Narrative Ambition on PS5
Rockstar Games confirmed a supply‑chain breach by the ShinyHunters group, exposing limited internal data and raising alarm over third‑party cloud security. Meanwhile, Capcom’s new PS5 title Pragmata delivers a heartfelt sci‑fi story, demonstrating that narrative depth remains a key differentiator...
Migrating From Phaser 3 to Phaser 4: What You Need to Know
Phaser 4 launches as the framework’s most substantial upgrade, featuring a rebuilt WebGL renderer, unified filter system, new high‑performance game objects, and an overhauled lighting model. For projects that rely on the standard Phaser 3 API—sprites, text, tilemaps, and basic objects—the migration...
How Broadcast Innovation in APAC Is Redefining the E-Sports Viewing Experience
Broadcasting in Asia‑Pacific esports is evolving from a single, linear feed to a multi‑layered, personalized experience. Viewers in markets such as Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Korea now expect real‑time data overlays, multi‑angle streams and interactive tools that let them...
Invite Friends to Play NYT Crossplay One‑On‑One
https://t.co/288OAr1u1m Be my friend on The New York Times Crossplay app so we can play one-on-one in this word game.
Destruction Tank' On a 3-Game Winning Streak... Hanwha Life Esports Defeats DNS
Hanwha Life Esports opened the 2026 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) regular season with a decisive 2‑0 victory over DN Supers at LoL PARK in Jongno. The team set an aggressive tone in Game 1, securing first‑blood and building a...
Reviving Classics Prioritize Gameplay Feel Over Pure Immersion
Was similar with Kunitsu-Gami. Also coming at a time when Okami and Onimusha are coming back. A focus on feel and mechanics over immersion for immersion's sake.
How Virtual Gaming Has Become a Pillar of Modern Entertainment Culture
Virtual gaming has moved from a niche hobby to a core pillar of modern entertainment, sharing space with streaming, social media, and live sports. The sector’s growth is fueled by instant‑play convenience, sleek user‑interface design, and mobile‑first accessibility that fit...
Games for Change and Tencent Launch “Raising Good Gamers” Program to Guide Parents
Games for Change and Tencent Games announced a joint “Raising Good Gamers” programme on April 15, 2026, delivering research‑based tools, workshops and a white paper to help parents and schools engage confidently with video‑game play. The initiative will pilot in...
Esport Firm Veloce Wants to Put 5G in Pole Position
Veloce, a racing‑simulation esports firm, has teamed with the GSMA to define a set of Quality‑on‑Demand (QoD) API requirements that would let telcos deliver ultra‑low‑latency, high‑throughput connectivity for competitive gaming. The "statement of requirements" calls for standardized, programmable 5G network...
AI Takes Centre Stage at SBC Summit Malta 2026 Through Hands-On Workshops
SBC Summit Malta 2026 will feature AI‑focused workshops that give gaming operators, developers and regulators hands‑on experience with machine‑learning tools. The sessions showcase practical applications such as fraud detection, player personalization and operational automation. Organizers stress that the industry is...
Gaming on Linux with an Older GPU Levels up with DXVK-Sarek v1.12 Bringing Major New Features
DXVK‑Sarek, a community fork of the Vulkan‑based DXVK translation layer, released version 1.12.0, introducing dyasync—a dynamic asynchronous pipeline compilation system that replaces the older async patch—and integrating D7VK to support Direct3D 3‑7. The update backports numerous fixes for D3D8, D3D9,...
Hanjin POM 'Chovy': "I'm Satisfied with My Performance Today"
Gen.G Esports defeated Hanwha Life 2‑0 in the opening round of the 2026 LCK regular season, with mid‑lane star Jung Ji‑hun ‘Chovy’ turning the tide in both games. He counter‑picked Azir with Grasp of the Undying in Game 1 to neutralize Akali...
Roblox Pays $12 Million in Nevada Settlement and Launches New Youth Safety Features
Roblox Corp. settled with Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford for more than $12 million, funding youth programs and a law‑enforcement liaison while rolling out age‑verification, facial‑age estimation, and new Kids and Select accounts. The deal marks the first major state‑level agreement...
Vehicle-Building Bullet Heaven Survivor-Like TerraTech Legion Launches April 30
TerraTech Legion, a new survivor‑style bullet‑hell game, launches on Steam on April 30, 2026. The title blends the fast‑paced swarm combat of Vampire Survivors with a deep, modular vehicle‑building system that lets players snap together parts to create custom battle rigs. Players...
‘Fortnite’ Launches New Karaoke Mode for ‘Festival’ Music Game: “‘Rock Band’ Is Finally Reborn”
Epic Games has rolled out a microphone‑enabled karaoke mode for Fortnite Festival, its music‑centric spin‑off launched in late 2023. The update adds real‑time vocal support and drum‑kit compatibility, expanding the library to over 600 tracks and introducing two classic karaoke...
Esports Specialist, GSMA Target SA 5G Gaming Opportunity
Veloce Media Group and GSMA Fusion released a network‑requirements guide showing how standalone (SA) 5G can power low‑latency esports, cloud gaming, and live creator streaming. A demo at MWC Doha 2025 used SA 5G for racing simulators, proving events can...
SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer) Ban AI / LLM Code Contributions
SDL, the widely used cross‑platform development library for games, has instituted a formal ban on AI‑generated code contributions. Effective April 15, the new policy defines AI as any large language model such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or Grok, and requires...
The Next Phase of Mobile Monetization Belongs to Publishers Who Diversify
At Gamesforum Barcelona, PubMatic warned that relying solely on Cost‑Per‑Install (CPI) is no longer enough for mobile game publishers. E‑commerce and performance brands are shifting budgets toward outcome‑based advertising, growing faster than traditional user‑acquisition spend. Publishers must diversify revenue by...
AI Still Struggles to Outsmart New Video Games
Why #AI still can't beat a new video game by NYU Tandon School of Engineering @TechXplore_com Learn more: https://t.co/6eZFzHWTA9 #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML #MI https://t.co/avkWkt2vv7
![[Guest Post] How Console Marketing Works](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://mcvuk.com/wp-content/uploads/company-logo.png){kind=logo}
[Guest Post] How Console Marketing Works
Indie developers rely on Steam wishlists, but console stores prioritize day‑one organic visibility. Upscale Studio’s pipeline starts with direct pitches to Sony, Xbox and Nintendo, using tailored decks and exclusive trailers to secure manual features. A relentless daily content engine—two...
Only Full Commitment Guarantees True Maxing
If you're not maxmaxxing, then anything else you maxx will not actually be maxed. Let that sink in.
50 Cent Heads Street Fighter Pop‑up, Trailer Drops Tomorrow
50 Cent has taken over the #StreetFighter pop-up event at #CinemaCon. They just showed the new trailer - drops tomorrow. It’s awesome. https://t.co/NKrI4y2V6t
Fire Emblem Heroes "New Heroes: Duo Sigurd & Attuned Lachesis" Arrive April 17th, 2026
Nintendo announced the next Fire Emblem Heroes update, dropping on April 17, 2026 at midnight PT. The release introduces four new heroes—Lachesis, Claud, Naoise, and Sigurd—presented as a duo and an attuned version. A new story chapter titled “Flame Princess”...
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Updated to Ver. 1.2.1
Nintendo released version 1.2.1 of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, targeting the upcoming Switch 2 console. The patch focuses on general adjustments and bug fixes to refine the gameplay experience on the new hardware. Nintendo’s brief note emphasizes that the update aims to smooth performance and...
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Icons Now Available for Switch Online Members
Nintendo has rolled out a new series of user icons for Switch Online members, featuring the Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream franchise. The icons are released in four weekly waves, starting April 15 and concluding the week of May 13,...
FZ: Formation Z "R-9Aix Extra Arrow" DLC Trailer
City Connection and Granzella announced that the classic arcade shooter FZ: Formation Z will arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 in Japan on May 21, 2026. A new DLC titled “R‑9Aix Extra Arrow”—a transformed version of the iconic R‑9 mech—was revealed in a fresh...
Rumor: Starfield Could Be Coming to Another Platform Soon
Starfield, Bethesda’s ambitious space RPG, received an R rating from Taiwan's rating board for a potential Nintendo Switch 2 version, sparking rumors of a port. The game launched in September 2023 as an Xbox Series X|S flagship but fell short of expectations,...
Marvel Rivals Season 7.5 Release Time
Marvel Rivals will roll out Season 7.5, titled “The Hunt Is On,” on April 17, 2026 at 09:00 AM UTC worldwide. The update introduces Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) as a second mid‑season hero, expanding the New York storyline that began with Season 7. Players should expect a 3‑4 hour...
Mixtape Price Announced To Be 19.99
The indie title Mixtape, from BAFTA‑winning studio Beethoven & Dinosaur, announced a retail price of $19.99 ahead of its May 7 launch. The game follows three high‑school friends on a final night of adventure, using a curated playlist to trigger dream‑like...