Skybound Whips Invincible VS Into Shape for April 9 Open Beta
Skybound Entertainment and its Quarter Up studio are gearing up for the open beta of Invincible VS, a 3v3 fighting game based on Robert Kirkman's Invincible comic and TV series. The beta launches on April 9, giving players a two‑week preview before the full release scheduled for April 30. Skybound is using the test phase to fine‑tune character balance, matchmaking, and live‑service features. The title follows the franchise’s recent surge, with the Invincible show now the top‑ranked series on Amazon Prime Video.
So Far in 2026, 42 of the World’s 59 Game Layoffs Took Place in North America | Amir Satvat
In 2026, the gaming industry has seen 59 layoffs worldwide, with 42 (about 71%) occurring in North America, according to game‑jobs analyst Amir Satvat. The figures are compiled from Satvat’s job‑resource network and his Always Supporting the Games Community group....
Sony and Nex Increase PS5, Playground Prices
Sony announced a global price increase for its PlayStation 5, the Digital Edition, the upcoming PS5 Pro, and the PlayStation Portal. The company cited continued pressures in the global economic landscape as the driver behind the new pricing structure. These...
NZXT Player Two Prime Impressions, or How One Can Be a PC Gamer in 2026
NZXT recently released the Player Two Prime, a high‑performance pre‑built gaming tower aimed at users who prefer a ready‑to‑play PC over assembling their own. The system packs top‑tier CPUs, GPUs, and ample storage, while featuring modular cable management and advanced...
Inside Chaos Agents, Popularium’s Upcoming ‘Auto-Battler Royale’
Renowned game designer Richard Garfield, creator of Magic: The Gathering, launched Popularium in 2023 with veterans Skaff Elias, Arka Ray, and Jon Bankard. Their first title, Chaos Agents, is an auto‑battler royale that deliberately discourages optimal play. After a public...
The First Berserker: Khazan Hits One-Year Anniversary
Nexon and its subsidiary Neople marked the one‑year anniversary of The First Berserker: Khazan, the hardcore action RPG set in the Dungeon & Fighter universe. Launched in March 2025, the title has delivered fast‑paced combat, challenging bosses, and a narrative...
Honor of Kings and Arena of Valor Share Stage at Esports World Cup
The 2026 Esports World Cup will feature the Honor of Kings World Cup, pairing top squads from Honor of Kings and Arena of Valor in a cross‑title showdown. The tournament kicks off on July 30 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and...
Sandbox VR Hits $300M in Lifetime Sales and Grows to 80 Locations
Sandbox VR, the location‑based virtual reality operator, announced it has reached $300 million in lifetime sales. The company now runs more than 80 venues across five continents and 13 countries, a rapid expansion since its 2016 launch. This milestone underscores growing...
Colossal Biosciences Spins Out AI Startup Astromech at $2B Valuation
Colossal Biosciences, the company aiming to resurrect the woolly mammoth through genetic engineering, has spun out its artificial‑intelligence venture Astromech. The new startup, founded by Colossal co‑founders Ban Lamm and renowned geneticist George Church, secured a $2 billion valuation, making it...
Berkeley SkyDeck Will Showcase Startups Building the Next Wave of AI
Berkeley SkyDeck’s Demo Day will feature 17 startups from Batch 21, a global accelerator cohort focused on advanced artificial intelligence and robotics. Most of the companies are developing agentic AI systems that can set goals and act autonomously with minimal...
Blockchain Gaming’s Market Value Plunged 67% in 2025 | Chainplay
Chainplay’s 2025 report shows the blockchain gaming sector’s market value slumped 67% year‑over‑year, marking a sharp reversal from its rapid ascent. Both overall market capitalization and venture funding contracted sharply during the year. The decline coincided with heightened regulatory scrutiny...
Esports Nations Cup Appoints Nodwin Gaming as National Team Partner for India
The Esports Foundation has named Nodwin Gaming as India’s official National Team Partner for the Esports Nations Cup 2026. The ENC, a nation‑based esports tournament, will debut in Riyadh from November 2‑29, 2026. Nodwin’s appointment underscores its decade‑long influence on India’s esports...
Verse8 Raises $5M for AI-Driven Game Creation Platform
Verse8, an AI-native platform that lets creators instantly turn ideas into playable games, announced a $5 million seed round. Since its stealth launch in July, the service has attracted more than 3.5 million monthly active users, supported by over 5,000 active creators...
XploreRide Takes Hawaiian Tourists on XR Bus Tours
XploreRide has launched immersive extended reality (XR) bus tours in Honolulu, letting tourists ride a real bus while wearing mixed‑reality headsets. The headsets overlay high‑definition digital recreations of iconic sites such as Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head onto the physical...
‘I’ve Been Emotionally Preparing Myself for This for a While’: A Top Horizon Worlds Creator Reacts to the Platform’s VR...
Meta announced the imminent shutdown of Horizon Worlds' VR experience, leaving the platform’s future uncertain. Top creator Eugene “Emorgul” Morgulis, whose Element Battling games have drawn roughly 50 million visits, says he has been emotionally preparing for the loss. Creators are...
Why King Is Leaning Into Qualitative Data to Inform Candy Crush’s Live Service Evolution
King is deepening its use of qualitative research to shape Candy Crush’s live‑service strategy. By conducting player interviews, focus groups, and in‑game ethnography, the Stockholm studio aims to uncover the motivations behind long‑term engagement. These insights are being layered onto...
Owlchemy Reveals Sporelando as a Wacky XR Addition for Dimensional Double Shift
Owlchemy Labs unveiled Sporelando, the latest Dimension Pack for its chaotic multiplayer VR title Dimensional Double Shift. The add‑on launches on April 23 for $5 and will be available on Meta Quest and Android XR devices. The reveal took place...
Behaviour Acquires The Fun Pimps, Creators of 7 Days to Die
Behaviour Interactive, Canada’s largest game studio, announced the acquisition of The Fun Pimps, the developers behind the survival‑horror hit 7 Days to Die. The title has sold more than 20 million copies since its 2013 early‑access launch and maintains a vibrant...
Velaura AI Reveals Chip Design and IP Platform with 2X Less Power Consumption | Exclusive
Velaura AI, formerly Auradine, unveiled Titan Core, a new silicon design and IP platform aimed at dramatically improving power efficiency for AI accelerators. The company claims the technology can cut overall chip power consumption by up to 50%, translating to roughly...
Snapchat Adds AI Clips for Lens Studio so You Can Put Yourself on the Red Carpet
Snapchat has introduced AI Clips in Lens Studio, a new format that turns a single Snap or Camera Roll photo into a five‑second cinematic video based on a text prompt. The AI‑powered tool lets creators place users in settings ranging...
Appcharge Reaches $1 Billion in Annualized DTC Transaction Volume | Exclusive
Appcharge announced that its customers’ direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) transaction volume has reached $1 billion as of March 23, 2026, up from $500 million in July 2025. The Tel‑Aviv‑based firm raised a $58 million Series B round in August 2025 to expand its web‑store and revenue‑pipeline tools for game developers....
Dota 2 Returns to The Games of the Future Esports Event
The Games of the Future (GOTF) esports festival is staging Dota 2 in Astana, Kazakhstan from July 31 to August 5, 2026. The tournament will feature the world’s elite Dota 2 squads competing for a $1 million prize pool. GOTF positions the event as a showcase...
The BIG Show Returns with a Full Season Launch Powered by Gaming’s Biggest Minds
GamesBeat announced the launch of Season One of its video podcast series, The BIG Show, debuting next week. The show will feature conversations with some of gaming’s most influential executives, developers, and creators. It is positioned as a platform to...
Society for Game Cinematics Celebrates First Annual Awards
The Society for Game Cinematics (SGC) held its inaugural Cinematic Awards on March 10 during GDC in San Francisco. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach captured the top Excellence in Game Cinematics honor and also took Best Real‑Time Cinematic and Outstanding Character Performance....
Xthings Takes Wi-Fi HaLow to Commercial Security with AI-Enabled Ulticam Cameras | Exclusive
Xthings unveiled its Ulticam Long‑Range Wireless AI Security Kit, featuring up to eight sub‑GHz Wi‑Fi HaLow bullet cameras designed for commercial properties. The system combines AI‑powered video analytics with the low‑power, long‑range capabilities of Wi‑Fi HaLow, enabling reliable coverage across...
Resident Evil Requiem Brought the House Down in February | Circana
Resident Evil Requiem emerged as the best‑selling video game of February 2026, topping PlayStation, Xbox and PC storefronts. The overall video‑game market grew 1% year‑over‑year, while content spending remained flat thanks to a 27% surge in subscription services. Hardware revenue...
Roblox Moves to Take a Cut of All Brand Integrations on Its Platform | Exclusive
Roblox announced it will begin charging creators a fee for publishing brand integrations, with charges scaling based on user traffic and engagement, slated to roll out in 2027. The policy is presented as a move to standardize ad labeling, improve...
Genies and Sanrio Partner on AI-Enabled Character Experiences
Genies, an AI avatar platform, has formed a strategic partnership with Sanrio, the creator of Hello Kitty and over 400 other characters. The collaboration will enable Sanrio’s iconic IP to be rendered as interactive, AI‑driven avatars that can speak, gesture,...
Zepeto Teams up with Bratz Dolls on Digital Runway
Zepeto, the avatar‑centric social platform with over 400 million users, announced a partnership with iconic fashion doll brand Bratz. The collaboration will launch the "Bratz × Zepeto Contest" on March 20, running four weeks with a fresh fashion theme each week. Participants can dress...
GeForce Now Adds Crimson Desert and 90 FPS Cloud Games on VR Devices
Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service now streams 90‑fps virtual‑reality titles across major headsets. The platform adds Crimson Desert, a highly anticipated open‑world RPG with over three million Steam wishlist adds, powered by RTX 5080‑class performance. Four new VR games debut, expanding...
Mabinogi Turns 18 with New Milestones for Nexon Online Game
South Korean publisher Nexon America announced the 18th anniversary of its flagship MMO Mabinogi, marking nearly two decades of online fantasy gameplay. To celebrate, the company will run a three‑week series of in‑game events featuring exclusive rewards and community‑driven statistics...
Mattel Announces Mattel Match, a Match-3 Game Starring Childhood Favorite Brands
Mattel, in partnership with Uken Games, has launched Mattel Match, a free‑to‑play match‑3 puzzle game available on iOS and Android. The title incorporates iconic Mattel properties such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Fisher‑Price, and blends classic match‑3 mechanics with modern...
‘Star Wars’ Launch Marks Fortnite’s Most In-Depth Creator IP Integration Yet
Epic Games announced on March 19 that Fortnite creators now have access to a suite of Disney‑licensed Star Wars assets, including characters, force powers, sound effects, and vehicles such as droid battle tanks. Creators can begin building and testing experiences immediately, but...
UGCon Wants to Be the Definitive Conference for User-Generated Content Creators
UGCon is debuting on May 21‑22 at Topgolf Las Vegas, targeting the fast‑growing user‑generated content (UGC) sector in gaming. The conference will spotlight UGC on platforms such as Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft, emphasizing brand and intellectual property integrations within virtual...
Maingear Drops 30 Systems as Limited Edition Crimson Desert Gaming PC
Maingear announced a Rush Crimson Desert Limited Edition gaming PC, a hand‑built collector’s machine tied to the launch of Pearl Abyss’s open‑world title Crimson Desert. Only 30 units will be produced, with orders closing on April 2 or when the final...
Fortnite Returns to Google Play Store Worldwide
Epic Games announced that Fortnite is now available again on the Google Play Store worldwide. The relaunch follows a settlement that resolved Epic’s antitrust lawsuit against Google over app‑store fees. The return coincides with the launch of the latest Battle...
How Mega IPOs Could Take All the Money Away From Smaller IPOs | Pitchbook
Pitchbook warns that upcoming mega IPOs could dominate market liquidity in 2026. SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic are rumored to go public, potentially becoming the three largest VC‑backed IPOs ever. Their combined valuation may surpass the total value of all VC‑backed...
Build A Rocket Boy Moves to Self-Publishing for MindsEye
Build A Rocket Boy and IOI Partners have terminated their publishing agreement for the upcoming game MindsEye. Effective immediately, Build A Rocket Boy will assume full publishing responsibilities for the title. The shift moves the studio from a traditional publisher‑developer...
Nvidia’s CloudXR 6.0 Supports Foveated Streaming on Apple Vision Pro
Nvidia announced CloudXR 6.0 now supports foveated streaming on the Apple Vision Pro, extending GeForce RTX‑powered graphics to the mixed‑reality headset. The cloud‑based solution streams high‑resolution visuals while dynamically allocating rendering resources to the user’s gaze, reducing bandwidth and latency....
Saudi Investment Firm EGDC Acquires 5% Stake in Capcom
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's MisK Foundation‑backed investment firm EGDC has purchased a 5% stake in Japanese game publisher Capcom, representing roughly 26.8 million shares. The shareholding was disclosed in a filing with Japan’s Kanto Local Finance Bureau on March 13 and is...
Nvidia Releases Open Physical AI Models for Healthcare Robotics
At its GTC conference, Nvidia unveiled a suite of open physical AI models tailored for healthcare robotics. The models provide pre‑trained control frameworks for surgical robots, enabling faster integration of AI into operating rooms. Early adopters include surgical robotics firms...
Synopsys Builds Hardware-Accelerated Agentic AI Stack with Nvidia
Synopsys announced a collaboration with Nvidia to create an open, secure, hardware‑accelerated agentic AI stack spanning from silicon design to system‑level applications. The stack leverages Nvidia GPUs and AI accelerators to deliver high‑performance inference and training for agentic models. In...
Nvidia DGX Spark and DGX Station with NemoClaw Deliver Autonomous Agents Platform
Nvidia announced that its DGX Spark and DGX Station systems, paired with the NemoClaw software stack, now deliver a full‑stack platform for building and running autonomous AI agents. The solution is designed to support always‑on agents that can reason, plan,...
San Sound Previews Sanwear Hardwire Gaming Wired-Earbuds
San Sound has unveiled its upcoming Sanwear Hardwire, a competitive‑gaming wired‑earbud set for a limited release in the first quarter of 2026. The earbuds are built from the ground up for low‑latency performance, targeting esports athletes, audio‑focused professionals, and audiophiles...
Razer Flexes AI Desktop Companion and Other New Products at GDC
At the Game Developers Conference 2026, Razer showcased a suite of AI‑powered products, headlined by an AI desktop companion designed to streamline gaming workflows. The company also introduced AI‑enhanced peripherals, including a smart mouse and headset, that promise real‑time performance...
Inside Baseball Hits 26’s Community-Driven Strategy Keeping Players Coming Back Every Day
Ares Interactive’s soft‑launch of "Baseball Hits 26" shows strong daily engagement, with 51% of players logging in seven days a week. The studio attributes this retention to a community‑first approach, sharing updates via Discord and actively soliciting player feedback. The...
‘The Train Has Left the Station’: The State of Child Safety and Age Verification in 2026 | GamesBeat Crossfire Recap
At GamesBeat Crossfire in San Francisco, ESRA President Patricia Vance and psychologist Rachel Kowert highlighted a looming wave of trust and safety reforms set for 2026. The discussion focused on tightening child‑safety tools and robust age‑verification mechanisms across gaming platforms....
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Dominates Game Developers Choice Awards
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, developed by Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive, swept the 26th Game Developers Choice Awards, securing the coveted Game of the Year trophy. The title added to its already extensive trophy cabinet, bringing its total...
Gameforge Unveils Shelf Heroes FPS Roguelite
Indie studio Fun Punch Games and publisher Gameforge have announced Shelf Heroes, a fast‑paced first‑person shooter roguelite that treats players as the loot they collect. The title lets gamers rebuild their toy hero piece by piece each run, mixing modular...
Discussing the Balance of Power in Gaming | GamesBeat Crossfire Recap
GamesBeat Crossfire, held on March 10 during GDC 2026, convened over 500 attendees to examine the shifting balance of power in gaming. High‑profile speakers including PUBG creator Brendan Greene and former EA chief creative officer Rich Hilleman led six sessions covering platform‑developer...
