The RAMageddon Hits Home | Opinion
Valve announced steep price hikes for its Steam Deck handheld, pushing the 512 GB model from $550 to $790 and the 1 TB version from $650 to $950—a rise of over 40%. The increases reflect a broader supply‑chain crunch in RAM and SSD components that is rippling through the entire gaming hardware market. While the Steam Deck has long been a price‑performance outlier, its new pricing erodes the affordable PC‑gaming niche and puts pressure on rivals and console makers. The article warns that sustained component costs could reshape the industry toward cloud‑gaming and longer console lifecycles.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Is 2026's Top New Release by Revenue to Date | Newzoo Charts
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream topped Newzoo’s console revenue chart for April 2026, becoming the highest‑earning new release across the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. The title’s surge helped lift U.S. consumer spending on new physical software by...
BitSummit 2026 Showed Japanese Indies Pursuing a New Multimedia Model, Backed by Major Entertainment Firms | Opinion
BitSummit 2026 in Kyoto showcased over 200 indie titles to more than 68,000 visitors, highlighting a surge of interest from Japan’s major entertainment firms. Companies such as TOEI, Shueisha, Aniplex and PARCO Games announced dedicated gaming subsidiaries aimed at funding...
Valve Raises Steam Deck OLED Prices by over 40%
Valve announced that the Steam Deck OLED handheld will now cost $789 for the 512 GB model and $949 for the 1 TB model, representing price hikes of roughly 44% and 46% from last year’s $549 and $649 launch prices. The company...
Wizards of the Coast Writes to Staff to Explain "How Union Representation Works" As Studio Prepares to Vote to Unionize
Wizards of the Coast (WotC) sent a company‑wide letter ahead of a scheduled vote on June 2, informing employees about how representation by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) would work. The memo stresses that any collective‑bargaining outcome—wages, benefits, scheduling—could result...
Epic Games Unveils Unreal Engine 6 in New Rocket League Teaser
Epic Games released a one‑minute teaser showing Rocket League running on the newly branded Unreal Engine 6, but offered no technical details or launch timetable. The current stable version remains Unreal Engine 5.7, known for high‑fidelity real‑time rendering. Meanwhile, FIFA announced a...
Nintendo Reportedly Planning 20% Production Increase for Switch 2
Nintendo is reportedly boosting Switch 2 production to 20 million units, a 20% rise over its latest forecast of 16.5 million. The adjustment follows a stronger‑than‑expected sales momentum that saw 19.9 million units sold in the previous fiscal year, surpassing an earlier 15 million projection....
The Future of European Publishing Is Diversity, Not Concentration | Opinion
European AAA publishers Ubisoft and Embracer posted mixed results, with Ubisoft’s revenue falling 21.8% and Embracer missing Q4 forecasts despite restructuring. Both firms, once inflated by debt‑driven acquisitions, are now trimming scale—Ubisoft leaning on a Tencent liquidity stake, Embracer selling...
Report: Bungie Planning "Significant" Layoffs as Destiny 2 Development Ends
Take‑Two Interactive’s CEO Strauss Zelnick said the company will make material changes to Project Ethos after a mixed open‑beta response, signaling a possible shift in development resources. The remarks came alongside a report that Bungie is preparing significant layoffs as Destiny 2’s...
Former Housemarque Game Director Launches Cosmic Division
Take‑Two Interactive’s CEO Strauss Zelnick said the company remains confident that its long‑gestating online shooter Project Ethos can become a “massive hit,” despite a mixed response to its open beta and recent development adjustments. He highlighted that the firm’s full‑year net...
Original Doom Soundtrack to Be Inducted Into US National Recording Registry
Epic Games has relaunched Fortnite on the Apple App Store globally, except Australia, as it anticipates U.S. courts will compel Apple to reveal its App Store commission structure. The move follows a partial victory in Australia where a court deemed...
Sony Announces PlayStation Plus Price Rises "Due to Ongoing Market Conditions"
Xbox announced two senior hires as part of a broader leadership overhaul. Veteran gaming analyst Matthew Ball joins as chief strategy officer, while former Amazon and Azure AI executive Scott Van Vliet becomes chief technology officer. The moves aim to sharpen Xbox’s strategic...
"Hydra Is Polished and Battle-Tested" – Why Saber Interactive Is Opening up Its Live-Ops Tool All Developers
Saber Interactive has opened its battle‑tested Hydra live‑ops platform to any developer, offering a modular SDK for Unreal Engine 5, Unity and its Swarm engine. The service bundles matchmaking, cross‑platform play, dedicated server hosting, voice chat, micro‑transactions and real‑time configuration, all...
Nexon Q1 Net Income Rises 118% to $360.7m
Nexon posted a record first‑quarter net income of ¥57.2 billion ($360.7 million), a 118% year‑over‑year increase, helped by a ¥14.5 billion ($91.4 million) foreign‑exchange gain. Revenue rose 34% to ¥152.2 billion ($959.9 million, up from the prior year), driven by strong sales of Embark Studios' Arc Raiders...
Square Enix FY26 Operating Income Surges 34.9% Despite Net Sales Decline
Square Enix reported FY26 operating income of ¥54.7 billion ($345 million), a 34.9% YoY increase, even as net sales slipped 8.3% to ¥297.6 billion ($1.8 billion). The boost came from strong HD releases such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Dragon Quest remakes, alongside cost‑optimisation...