Valve Make Steps to Improve Steam Deck Verification, Giving Developers More Performance Data
Valve announced an upgrade to its Steam Deck Verification tools, giving developers access to detailed performance metrics. The new offering includes a 30‑day rolling average framerate chart and variance data, letting studios see how stable gameplay is on the handheld. Additionally, a post‑play user survey captures feedback when players disagree with a game’s Verified rating, providing reasons such as stability or input lag. Initially limited to Steam Deck Verified titles, the data will later extend to Playable games, strengthening the verification ecosystem.
‘Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced’ Remake Release Date, Price and More Revealed
Ubisoft confirmed that Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced will launch on July 9, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The remake rebuilds combat, stealth and parkour from the ground up, adds new story missions and fresh music by Woodkid,...
Land Ho, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced's System Requirements Have Washed Ashore
Ubisoft unveiled Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced on April 23, with a launch slated for July 9. The remake’s baseline PC requirements call for a GTX 1660 GPU, an i7‑8700K CPU, 16 GB RAM and a 65 GB SSD to achieve 1080p at 30 FPS. High‑end...
Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail Merch Is Now Available in the Google Play Store, but Good Luck Getting It
Google Play Store has added redeemable merchandise for miHoYo’s hit titles Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, accessible through the Play Points rewards program. Items range from 280 to 7,000 Play Points, with examples like 1.5 k standees and 5 k plush...
Caedrel Reportedly Turned Down UK Mid-Lane Role for Esports Nations Cup
Former LEC pro and broadcaster Marc “Caedrel” Lamont turned down an offer to play mid lane for the United Kingdom at the 2026 Esports Nations Cup, according to UK national team manager Jeff Simpkins. The refusal leaves the UK’s ENC...
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Tops the Japanese Charts, Outselling the Rest of the Top 10 Seven Times Over
Nintendo’s new Switch 2 title Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream debuted at #1 on Japan’s physical software chart, moving 565,405 copies between April 16 and April 19. The game outsold the second‑place PS5 entry Pragmata by more than fifteen‑fold, which sold just 36,470...
"The Best Game Ever": Old World Designer Dreams of Making a Sequel to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri that "Renews the...
Designer Daniels Umanovskis of Mohawk’s Old World says Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri remains the best 4X game and hopes to create a sequel that updates its mechanics for today’s audience. He praises the original’s deep sci‑fi story, memorable characters, and ideology‑driven gameplay. Co‑founder...
ESIC Suspends NOMERCY Amid Integrity Breach Probe
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has provisionally suspended the CS:GO team NOMERCY and all its players amid an investigation into suspected integrity breaches. The probe centers on matches at the Roman Imperium Cup VII, where the squad suffered heavy defeats...
AI Is Going to Change the Video Game Industry. Morgan Stanley Says These 4 Stocks Will Be Winners
Morgan Stanley reports generative AI could halve video game development costs, unlocking a $22 billion profit opportunity. The bank highlights four U.S.-listed firms—Sony, Roblox, AppLovin, and NetEase—as likely beneficiaries, citing Sony’s IP depth, Roblox’s user‑generated platform, and AppLovin’s ad‑tech edge. While...
Europa Universalis 5 Is Getting Its First Big DLC in May, a Race to Save the Crumbling Byzantine Empire
Paradox Interactive announced the first major expansion for Europa Universalis 5, "Fate of the Phoenix," arriving on May 6. The DLC centers on reviving the Byzantine Empire with new bureaucracy mechanics, Orthodoxy‑focused religious options, fresh Eastern Mediterranean art, units, disasters and character...
New Platform Mr Raffle Launches To Transform Instant Win Competitions Market
Mr Raffle has entered the online gaming space with a new instant‑win platform that blends classic raffle mechanics with modern digital formats. The service launches six game types—including Plinko, Scratch Cards, and Loot Boxes—offering cash payouts, high‑end electronics, and luxury...
ESIC Bans Quartet for Cheating and Match Manipulation
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has imposed bans ranging from five years to a lifetime on four Russian players—Egor “zLy” Polyakov, Dmitriy “propleh” Senigov, Aleksandr “Ruler” Maximov and Petr “timeagento” Markheev—for using cheating software and manipulating matches. zLy received a...
Maden Announces Free Agency
Pavle “Maden” Bošković announced his departure from fnatic, entering free agency after being benched for the newly signed Ukrainian rifler Viktor “Br4tkO” Kondratets. Maden’s recent stint with fnatic was marked by a .92 rating and role clashes, following productive years at...
Annapurna Announces Switch 2 Ports of Five Games, with Sayonara Wild Hearts and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Out Today
Annapurna Interactive announced Switch 2 ports for five of its back‑catalogue titles, with Sayonara Wild Hearts and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes launching today. Both games arrive on the Switch 2 eShop at $12.99 and $24.99 respectively and include free upgrades for existing Switch owners,...
Phaser 4 Renderer: Faster, Cleaner, and Built for Modern Games
Phaser 4 introduces a brand‑new RenderNode architecture that replaces the monolithic pipeline of Phaser 3, delivering cleaner WebGL state management and easier debugging. The renderer now uses index buffers, cutting vertex data per sprite by one‑third and boosting frame rates, while full...
Overwolf Ads Expands Global Brand Partnerships Team with Senior Hires Across EMEA & US
Overwolf Ads announced a major expansion of its global Brand Partnerships team, adding senior leaders in EMEA and the US. Mike Edwards joins as Director of Brand Partnerships, EMEA, while Dennis Ronneberger becomes Director for the DACH region, complementing recent US...
League of Legends Booster Puts Out Post Offering "10k per Month." Riot Absolutely Cooks Them
League of Legends booster “Little Peter” posted an offer of €31 (≈$34) per boost for Diamond‑plus accounts, touting potential earnings of $10,000–$20,000 a month. Riot’s Director of Product Drew Levin responded publicly on X, warning that anyone involved would be banned....
Sudden Strike 5 Review: More of the Same, in a Good Way
Sudden Strike 5 launches nine years after Sudden Strike 4, bringing the series back into a revitalized real‑time strategy market. The game retains the franchise’s large‑scale, historically grounded battles while adding Smart Squad and drag‑to‑formation controls to ease micromanagement. Reviewers note aggressive...
New Crimson Desert Update Brings New Difficulty Options and, Most Importantly, a Pet Bird
Pearl Abyss rolled out Crimson Desert’s 1.04.00 patch, introducing three selectable difficulty settings, expanded housing features, and a new avian companion system. The update also adds bulk furniture retrieval and direct storage access for crafting and cooking. Additional UI tweaks...
Urban Jungle Now Available for Xbox Series
Assemble Entertainment has released the Xbox Series X|S version of *Urban Jungle*, priced at $11.99, mirroring its PC offering on the Microsoft Store. Developed by Kylyk Games, the title debuted on Steam in March and now expands to console players....
CS2's Redesigned Cache Map Is Finally Coming, and I Can't Wait
Valve has unveiled a first look at the redesigned Cache map for Counter‑Strike 2, showcasing the T‑side spawn with noticeably upgraded textures and lighting. The iconic map, removed from the active pool in 2019, joins Inferno, Train and Overpass as the...
Where Winds Meet Sets April 30 for ‘Qinchuan’ Hexi Finale Update
Everstone Studio announced that the Hexi expansion’s final chapter, “Qinchuan,” will launch on April 30 (UTC). The update introduces a dynamic four‑season steppe, new story arcs that explore the protagonist’s origins, and a suite of combat and traversal upgrades. Highlights include...
New Xbox Sale Has Two Broken Achievement Lists You’ll Want to Avoid
The latest Xbox sale highlights two titles with broken achievement lists: Max Payne 3, a 2012 Xbox 360 release whose 30 base and DLC achievements were discontinued after a 2021 server shutdown, and Zoochosis, a horror game whose entire set of 19 Xbox...
Saros: Gameplay Modifiers, Accessibility Options, and More Detailed
Housemarque’s new sci‑fi action title Saros drops its launch trailer and confirms an April 30 release for PlayStation 5, with enhanced performance on the upcoming PS5 Pro. The video showcases the game’s dark world, signature bullet‑ballet combat, and two flagship weapons—the Chakram...
Can I Play WoW on Mobile?
Blizzard currently has no full World of Warcraft mobile game, and the planned “Neptune” project was scrapped in 2022 after a dispute with partner NetEase. The only official WoW‑related title on smartphones is Warcraft Rumble, a tower‑defense spin‑off released earlier...
Türkiye Passes Sweeping Digital Law Restricting Social Media Access for Under 15s
Turkey’s Grand National Assembly approved a sweeping digital regulation that bans social‑media access for children under 15 and imposes mandatory age‑rating systems and parental controls. Platforms with more than 100,000 daily Turkish users must appoint local representatives, and non‑compliant firms...
Compile's 1989 MSX2 Game Adventure of Randar Gets an EGG Console Port for Nintendo Switch
D4 Enterprise is rolling out a Nintendo Switch version of Compile’s 1989 MSX2 RPG *Adventure of Randar* through its EGG Console service, priced at $6.49 on global eShops. The port mirrors earlier EGG releases by keeping the original Japanese language...
PS6 Release Date Rumors Are Spiralling, but It Looks Like Things Could Kick Off in 2028
Rumors about Sony's next‑gen PlayStation (PS6) are divided between a holiday 2027 launch and a possible push to 2028 or even 2029 due to the ongoing memory‑chip shortage. Bloomberg and other outlets cite soaring RAM prices as a key factor...
Newly-Launched Ivors Composers Awards Will Honor Video Game Composers
The Ivors Academy announced the inaugural Ivors Composers Awards, set for November 17, 2026 in London. The ceremony will honor composers across film, television, video games and streaming music, expanding the historic Ivor Novello brand. Entries open June 1, 2026 and are limited to...
Deep Survival Game Vintage Story Gets Fishing, Mechanisms, Metalworking and More
Vintage Story’s 1.22.0 update dramatically expands the game’s survival toolkit, adding a full fishing system with over 20 species, a comprehensive forge overhaul, and new mechanical power blocks like waterwheels. The update also introduces a grinding wheel for weapon sharpening,...
Arknights: Endfield Approaches $100m on Mobile in Three Months
Arknights: Endfield generated $96.3 million in gross player spending on the App Store and Google Play within its first three months, surpassing $100 million when PC, console and Chinese Android sales are included. Japan led mobile revenue with $39.4 million, accounting for 41%...
The Revamped Spectrum Gets a Special White Version Today, Inspired by a Clive Sinclair Legend
Retro Games Ltd has introduced a limited‑edition white version of its modernized ZX Spectrum, a homage to the legendary computer’s mythic white case given to Clive Sinclair after reaching one million units sold. The hardware mirrors the November 2024 Spectrum release,...
World of Warcraft Is Getting a Sub Price Increase in Several Countries, and It Couldn't Come at a Worse Time
World of Warcraft will raise subscription fees in the UK, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Turkey on June 22, 2026, after a buggy 12.0.5 patch forced Blizzard to disable player housing in the Americas and Oceania. The UK sees a roughly 10%...
PvX Partners Announces Series A Funding Round, New Hires | Exclusive
PvX Partners announced a Series A funding round designed to grow its team and increase deal flow. The capital will support the company’s performance‑based financing model that underwrites user‑acquisition spend for mobile game developers. By tying repayments to game revenue,...
‘Their Favourite Games Were Already Built with AI’: Google Exec Says Almost Every Big Studio Uses AI, but Not All...
Google Cloud’s games director Jack Buser says roughly nine‑in‑ten major studios are already using AI tools such as Gemini and Nano Banana Pro, though many keep the practice quiet to avoid backlash. He highlighted Capcom as a user of Google’s AI for...
'It's Going to Be Extremely Hard to Repair the Relationship:' The Subnautica 2 Legal Dispute Is Far From Over
In March, the Delaware Court of Chancery reinstated former Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill after finding Krafton’s dismissal illegal, but left co‑founders Max McGuire and Charlie Cleveland in limited roles. The dispute stems from Krafton’s alleged delay of Subnautica 2’s early‑access...
Roblox Hires Joost Hagesteijn as First General Manager for Europe
Roblox appointed former Snap executive Joost Hagesteijn as its first general manager for Europe, a role created to capitalize on the region’s rapid growth. Europe now accounts for over 34 million daily active users and surpassed North America in DAUs during...
Street Fighter 6 and Silent Hill 2 Headline Steam's 2026 Golden Week Sales
Steam's 2026 Golden Week sale spotlights Street Fighter 6 and the Silent Hill 2 remake as marquee discounts, with SF6 at $19.99 and the remake at $34.99. Running through early May, the promotion also features Ys 8, Danganronpa, Dragon's Dogma 2, Steins;Gate Elite, and...
King President Todd Green Talks New Game Development, Competition and "Doubling Down" On the Casual Market
King’s president Todd Green outlined a renewed focus on casual mobile games, emphasizing both the launch of new titles and continual upgrades to legacy hits like Candy Crush. He highlighted the franchise’s $2 billion cumulative revenue and the growing competition in the match‑3...
Control Ultimate Edition Arrives on iOS with Its Award-Winning Story and Telekinetic Combat
Remedy Entertainment has released Control Ultimate Edition for iPhone and iPad at $4.99, bundling the base game, two expansions, Expeditions and Photo Mode. The mobile port features reworked controls, a new touch‑optimized interface, and the series’ signature telekinetic combat. Players...
Amanotes Partners with Balancy to Scale Live Ops Across Music Game Portfolio
Amanotes, the Vietnam‑based creator of music games such as Magic Tiles 3 and Tiles Hop, has teamed up with live‑ops platform Balancy to centralise operations across its 30‑plus titles. The integration introduces cross‑project templates that eliminate per‑title engineering work, accelerating in‑app‑purchase offers,...
The Quiet Surrender: Why Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam All Handed Social to Discord
Console giants Xbox and PlayStation have discontinued their native social services, while Steam’s built‑in groups are increasingly bypassed. All three platforms now rely on Discord’s voice, text and community tools, which are embedded directly into their ecosystems. The shift reflects...
The Xbox Mobile Store Isn’t Dead Yet
Microsoft’s new gaming chief Asha Sharma signaled that the Xbox mobile store is still alive, refuting rumors of its demise. Sharma’s X post referenced an amicus brief filed in the Epic‑vs‑Apple case, emphasizing the importance of open mobile competition. Epic...
Best MPC-25 Loadout in Black Ops 7 Ranked Play to Dominate in Close Range
The MPC-25 has entered Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Ranked Play and quickly become the go‑to SMG for close‑quarters combat. Its higher fire rate outpaces the Dravec 45, though recoil is more pronounced, prompting a specialized loadout that balances control and...
![[Industry News] TIGA Report Highlights Ongoing Skills Challenges in UK Games Industry as Studios Invest in Training and Adaptation](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://mcvuk.com/wp-content/uploads/TIGA-Education-Skills-report.png)
[Industry News] TIGA Report Highlights Ongoing Skills Challenges in UK Games Industry as Studios Invest in Training and Adaptation
TIGA’s 2026 Skills, Training and Education report shows UK game studios are still grappling with talent gaps, especially in programming, even as overall shortages have fallen from 70% to 29% during the sector downturn. The survey of 3,000 developers reveals...
All Six Neo Geo Metal Slug Games Are Half Price to Mark the Series’ 30th Anniversary
Hamster Corporation is offering a 50% discount on its ACA Neo Geo digital re‑releases of all six Metal Slug titles to celebrate the series’ 30th anniversary. The promotion runs until May 6, pricing each game at $3.99 instead of $7.99 across Switch, PS4,...
Former Worlds Champion Easyhoon Returns to T1 as Coach for LCK 2026 Round 2
Lee “Easyhoon” Ji‑hoon is rejoining T1 as a coach for Round 2 of the 2026 LCK season. The former Worlds champion, who helped T1 win the 2015 World Championship, brings experience from stints at Suning, Weibo Gaming and Bilibili Gaming. T1...
5 More AWESOME Xbox April Indies: Take a Break From Getting Beat up in Hades 2
Xbox’s ID@Xbox initiative added five fresh indie titles in April, offering alternatives to heavyweight releases like Hades 2. The lineup includes the cozy management sim Tiny Bookshop, cyber‑punk platformer Replaced, FMV adventure Hacked: The Streamer, horror co‑op game Content Warning, and...
Playtika Expands Into Microdrama with Bingo Blitz and Shortical Collaboration
Playtika announced a partnership with Shortical to fuse its flagship casual title Bingo Blitz with an original micro‑drama series. The cross‑platform experience will weave Bingo Blitz into the narrative, using a new “chase” system that links game progression to story...
![[Event News] Abragames Showcases Brazil’s Global Games Industry Ambition with Major Presence at Gamescom Latam 2026](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://mcvuk.com/wp-content/uploads/braz.jpg)
[Event News] Abragames Showcases Brazil’s Global Games Industry Ambition with Major Presence at Gamescom Latam 2026
The Brazilian Game Developers Association (Abragames), together with Brazil Games and ApexBrasil, announced a major presence at Gamescom Latam 2026. The agenda features the XDev Executive Bootcamp, a Business Speed Meeting, an Industry Track of panels, and the Pitch Arena competition. Abragames...