All articles tagged with #video games
CD Projekt Red describes Witcher 4 as its biggest, most ambitious project with 500+ developers. The game has not been given a fixed launch date but is targeting a 2028 release window. There will be no Witcher 4 gameplay shown at Gamescom this year, though the company hints a future Gamescom reveal could happen in 2027 or 2028.
Blood Dungeon blends Vampire Survivors-like auto-fire with Spelunky-style arena runs, offering quirky characters, RNG-driven upgrades purchased with blood, and a brutal but rewarding difficulty ramp. Its MS Paint-inspired visuals and a dungeon-DnB soundtrack amplify the tension as you dodge bizarre enemies and rack up near-misses across fast, arena-sized rounds. The game shines as a portable, endlessly replayable experience on Switch 2 and Steam Deck while avoiding the hollow slot-machine loop of similar titles.
Shigeru Miyamoto once called the Rubik's Cube his 'eternal rival,' a remark rooted in his industrial-design background and aim to create products that surprise non-gamers; the quote comes from a 1996 interview and is referenced in retro coverage, with attention to its age and what might occupy him now.
English localization of Final Fantasy XVI and other Japanese media hinges on conveying meaning, tone and cultural context rather than literal word-for-word translation. Fox and his team adjust rhythm, humor, and dialogue structure to fit Western audiences while respecting the original intent, illustrating how subs-versus-dubs debates and fan scrutiny drive a broader conversation about what makes translation feel authentic. The scale of modern localization—thousands of words per update and evolving collaboration with writers—shows that the goal is clear communication and entertainment, not perfect literalism.
System 3 released a statement defending the James Pond Legacy artwork and trailer as human-made, detailing a process from retro pixel art to a modern 3D render with manual touch-ups and denying any use of generative AI, despite ongoing fan accusations and prior criticisms from series creator Chris Sorrell about AI-generated content.
AEW reportedly lost at least $30 million on Fight Forever due to prolonged development and sales underperformance. Because the company owns the Fight Forever engine, a future console game could start with a lower cost basis and potentially partner with a different developer instead of rebuilding from scratch, though no new project is confirmed and licensing talks aren’t evident.
Rock Paper Shotgun reviews Valkyrie Iteration: Mecha Pilot Raising Pocket Simulator, a sci‑fi visual novel in which you train Lana and her sentient Valkyrie, balancing her daily schedule, synchronization, and mental health to keep her ready for missions as Phantoms threaten humanity; the game nods to Evangelion and offers a Steam demo.
AEW's first video game Fight Forever reportedly lost at least $30 million, due in part to a delayed 2022–2023 release and lower-than-expected sales; AEW owns the game's engine but has no ongoing development relationship with Yuke's, and while a new title isn't planned soon, the company may revisit games far in the future.
Compulsion says it has regained ownership of its IP and will reown publishing rights, meaning sales of its games (including South Of Midnight) will now benefit the studio instead of Microsoft, during a transition period with platform holders.
Fortnite’s servers are down for scheduled maintenance ahead of version 42. Epic Games says the game will be back online around midday UK time (7am ET). The update introduces map changes, new weapons and items, new loot, and gameplay tweaks including a “cheat code” feature, plus bug fixes and performance improvements (notably on Nintendo Switch). Players have mixed reactions, with some criticizing a monetization move that gates exclusive content behind gifting a Battle Pass and ongoing complaints about matchmaking and other changes.
NBA 2K27's global reveal showcased major updates across Gameplay, MyCareer, The City, and MyPlayer Builder, including new eras, a co-ed City, updated Rec options, and badge token systems, plus multiple cover athletes (Victor Wembanyama for Standard, Caitlin Clark for Deluxe, Derrick Rose for Ultra) with release dates set for Sept. 4 worldwide and early access starting Aug. 28 for Deluxe and Ultra editions on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC (Steam).
Hands-on with Virtue and a Sledgehammer reveals a slow, narrative-driven demo where Pratelle vents rage on androids, prompting uneasy reflections on family, memory, and what it means to live among machines, with combat kept deliberately minimal as the story unfolds toward a 2026 release.
Veteran game designer Warren Spector announces retirement after nearly four decades shaping immersive-sim classics, including Deus Ex; he says he’s ready to write, lecture, or consult, hopes to mentor the next generation, and hints he might return in the future but that it’s time for new talent to take the spotlight.
A feature on Steam’s opaque content-review process for games with sexual content, where developers report lengthy reviews, requests to disclose or isolate explicit scenes, and the potential chilling effect on storytelling. The piece ties these gatekeeping practices to broader regulatory and platform-monetary pressures, with creators fearing reduced accessibility and uncertainty over what gets released or sold on Steam.
Mattel is launching Mattel Game Studios, a 300-strong in-house game development and publishing arm split between Los Angeles and Hangzhou, to create original games based on its iconic brands (including Uno). The studio, under Mattel Digital Studios, has already released Masters of the Universe: Legends Unite and is soft-launching UNO Wild with a Hot Wheels game in development. The move follows Hasbro’s retreat from in-house game development and signals Mattel’s ambition to build a scalable, internal pipeline for games, though success remains uncertain and tied to navigating a notoriously difficult market.