Give Us an Xbox Handheld Already

Microsoft is gearing up for a big holiday season at the end of this year. During yesterday’s much-hyped Official Xbox Podcast, Xbox president Sarah Bond teased news regarding the company’s hardware, as well as its plans for its next-gen gaming devices. “What we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will … Read more

‘Diablo IV’ Heads to Game Pass as Microsoft Eyes 4 Games to Expand Beyond Xbox

Microsoft is bringing its first Activision Blizzard title to Game Pass, following its successful multibillion-dollar acquisition of the company: The 2023 hit Diablo IV will be available on the subscription service starting March 28. Microsoft announced the news today during an episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, which also served as an attempt to clear … Read more

‘Spec Ops: The Line’ Disappeared. It Won’t Be the Last Beloved Game to Vanish

On January 30, X gaming account Wario64 spotted something strange: Yager’s seminal cult classic Spec Ops: The Line had been unceremoniously removed from online storefronts without warning. Developers who made the game were just as baffled as fans. “Makes no sense,” tweeted the game’s director, Cory Davis. “Especially because the themes portrayed in Spec Ops: … Read more

The Console Wars Are Over. Some Influencers Won’t Let Them Go

A handful of Xbox titles may soon lose their exclusivity status and move to platforms like PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Good news for players who own those platforms. Not so for everyone. Rather than rejoice that more people may be able to enjoy their beloved games, parts of the Xbox community are furious about what … Read more

‘Palworld’: How ‘Pokémon With Guns’ Became an Overnight Hit

In the grass ahead lurks a cotton-ball puff of a creature with stubby appendages, round, yellow eyes, and a macaroni-noodle smile. Appropriately named Lamball, it is one of many island creatures that can become your pal, with the right touch: smashing it over the head with a big wooden stick (to weaken it, of course), … Read more

Mass Layoffs Are Causing Big Problems in the Video Games Industry

As games like Baldur’s Gate 3, Alan Wake II, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Spider-Man 2, and so many more marked 2023 as a year of instant hits and commercial success, developers were suffering. Layoffs rolled across the industry worldwide, knocking out a reported 6,500 jobs from studios like Amazon Games, Ubisoft, … Read more

The ‘Sex Update’ for ‘Cult of the Lamb’ Is a Good Sign for Horny Video Games

The pitch is straightforward: What if this video game had sex? Fortnite needs sex. Among Us needs sex. Every game deserves a sex update, so the meme goes. In November, Cult of the Lamb, Massive Monster’s adorable, animal-themed roguelike about building and maintaining a cult, got in on the action: “We will add sex to … Read more

Why Everyone Is Obsessed With the Kid Who Beat ‘Tetris’

A 13-year-old kid has seemingly beat Tetris. Long believed impossible or a myth, the magical feat took place on December 21 and apparently shocked even the player, Willis Gibson, who reached level 157 and launched the heretofore unseen “kill screen,” where the game crashes and there’s nothing left to play. “Oh my god,” Willis says … Read more

The Fight Tearing the Game Awards Apart

Geoff Keighley had a lot to talk about. Onstage at this year’s Game Awards, the host, who is also the event’s creator and producer, took an in-person and online audience through hours of trailers, announcements, celebrity appearances, and awards. His event has become, almost by default, the biggest show in gaming. By the time the … Read more

The ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ Trailer Is Here. And It’s Already Causing Mayhem

The first trailer for Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI has arrived and is teasing a new female protagonist. More of a teaser than anything, the trailer introducers viewers to Lucia, a woman who blames her incarceration on “bad luck, I guess.” To say Grand Theft Auto VI is hotly anticipated is an understatement. Rockstar’s … Read more