In the absence of marketing for GTA 6 ahead of launch, Rockstar parent Take-Two Interactive has now explained the secrecy around the game, saying it wants to maintain “anticipation and excitement” for the release.
Treyarch has released the PS4 and PS5 ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2. The two games are now available on PlayStation Store, with PS Plus members getting a 50 percent discount for a limited time. Black Ops 1 and 2 originally launched in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced launched on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X on July 9. The game has already become the series' biggest launch on Steam, reaching nearly 100,000 peak concurrent players on the storefront. Black Flag Resynced is a full remake of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.
Swedish gaming company Embracer Group AB will sell one of its largest subsidiaries, Saber Interactive, to a group of private investors in a deal worth up to $500 million (roughly Rs. 4,142 crore), according to a person familiar with the transaction.
PlayStation Plus monthly games for March have been announced. The lineup of free for the month includes racing simulator EA Sports F1 23, kung fu beat ‘em up Sifu, online shooter Destiny 2: The Witch Queen and survival horror title Hello Neighbor 2.
Electronic Arts will reduce 5 percent of its workforce as part of a restructuring plan that also includes a reduction in real estate, the company said on Wednesday, as the video game industry struggles to grow amid high interest rates.
Sony is rolling out passkey support on PlayStation platforms globally as an alternative way for users to access their PlayStation Network accounts. The company made the announcement Monday and said that passkeys would offer a more secure and convenient way for PlayStation users to sign in and access experiences on the platform.
Japan's Sony is cutting about 900 jobs at its PlayStation unit and shutting a studio in London, it said on Tuesday as the videogame industry struggles to recover from a post-pandemic slump.
Nintendo is said to have delayed the launch of its next-generation console, the successor to the Nintendo Switch. Reports last week claimed that the company was advising game publishers that the Nintendo Switch 2 would be delayed until the early months of 2025. A new report now claims that the Switch successor will be released in March 2025. The Nintendo Switch is now almost seven years old, and a follow-up console was initially expected to launch later this year in the holiday season.
Infinix is looking to launch a new smartphone in 2024. The company teased the flagship gaming phone at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona. The phone is said to carry the moniker Infinix GT Ultra and the company has announced some chipset, display and hardware details. It also introduced a prototype technology called E-Color Shift.
PlayStation VR2 is set to get support for VR games on PC this year, Sony has announced. The company confirmed Wednesday that it was testing the ability for PS VR2 to play PC VR games in addition to the already supported titles available via PS5. The PS VR2 launched in international markets in February 2023, and it made its India debut in December. The virtual reality headset is currently only compatible with the PS5 and does not support PS VR content from the previous generation.
Elden Ring, the acclaimed fantasy RPG from FromSoftware, has sold over 23 million copies since its release in 2022, Bandai Namco has confirmed. The publisher revealed the sales figure in wake of the gameplay trailer and release date reveal of the game’s first major expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, on Wednesday. Exactly a year ago, Bandai Namco had announced that Elden Ring had sold 20 million copies worldwide.
Palworld, the action-adventure survival title that broke player count records on Steam at launch, has sold 15 million copies on Valve’s platform. Developers Pocketpair announced Thursday that the game’s total player count had gone past 25 million, with 15 million players on Steam and 10 million players on Xbox. Since its release last month, Palworld has become a phenomenon, becoming one of the most played games in Steam history even as it has attracted plagiarism accusations over its Pokémon-style in-game creatures that players can capture, train and utilise in combat.
Microsoft first-party games Pentiment, Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves will soon be available on Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation platforms. Xbox confirmed on Wednesday that much like other popular multi-platform games like Minecraft, Call of Duty, Overwatch and Diablo, players will soon be able to access these exclusive games on their Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, the first major expansion for the acclaimed action RPG, received a gameplay trailer detailing a new story, characters and a new map, and a release date. The DLC will launch June 21 across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X, with preorders for the game now live. Shadow of the Erdtree, which will focus on the story of Miquella, brother of Malenia, is FromSoftware’s largest expansion to date and will task players with uncovering a new mystery.
Sony could reportedly release a Pro version of the PlayStation 5 later this year to help PS5 sales find a second wind in the latter half of the current console generation. The PS5 has sold over 50 million units since its launch in November 2020, but the sales for the console are slowing down. Sony is set to miss its PS5 sales target for fiscal year 2023, with the Japanese electronics giant expecting to sell four million units fewer than its 25-million goal for the year.
Elden Ring’s long-awaited expansion is finally getting a trailer. Developers FromSoftware confirmed that the first trailer for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will be revealed February 21. The trailer, set to be released on Wednesday at 7am PST (or 8.30pm IST), will feature gameplay from the upcoming major expansion. The presentation will also likely provide details about the launch date for the expansion. Shadow of Erdtree was first announced almost a year ago in February 2023.
Ubisoft has released a new Invincible mobile game, based on Robert Kirkman's popular comic book series and its hit TV show adaptation. The studio launched Invincible: Guarding the Globe, a free-to-play idle RPG, on Monday. The game is now playable on iOS and Android devices and is also available on the Amazon store. The Invincible mobile game will let players take part in squad-based battles and repel invading alien forces.
Nintendo has announced the year’s first Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, scheduled to take place February 21, at 6am PT (7.30pm IST). The showcase is confirmed to be around 25 minutes long and will focus on games coming to the Nintendo Switch in the first half of 2024. The event will be available to watch on Nintendo’s YouTube channel on-demand.
Helldivers 2, the latest co-op shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios, is a smash hit. The game, which released February 8 on PS5 and PC, has surpassed popular titles like Grand Theft Auto 5, Destiny 2, Starfield and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in all-time peak concurrent players on Steam. Owing to its ballooning player count, however, the third-person shooter has faced persistent server issues, with developers working to issue fixes. Now, Arrowhead Games Studios has reportedly capped its concurrent players to around 450,000 to improve server stability.
Nintendo is advising game publishers that its next-generation console will be delayed until the early months of 2025, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The successor to the popular Switch was targeted for release at the end of this year, however several publishers have now been told to expect it to slip into next, according to the people, who asked not to be named since the device hasn’t been announced.
Sony announced February’s slate of games coming to PlayStation Plus game catalogue for Extra and Deluxe/Premium tier members last week. This month’s PS Plus offerings, announced on the PlayStation blog, are headlined by Need for Speed: Unbound, The Outer Worlds, Tales of Arise and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The full list of games arriving to the PS Plus game catalogue this month will be playable starting February 20.
Microsoft shared new details about its plans for Xbox hardware, teasing the next generation of Xbox consoles and providing updates about its gaming business in a special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast Thursday. While the company confirmed that four Xbox-exclusive games would launch on PS5 and Nintendo Switch, it reiterated its commitment to developing Xbox hardware and exclusives titles on the platform. In the podcast, Xbox president Sarah Bond said that Microsoft was focussed on delivering the “largest technical leap” for a new console generation for the next Xbox.
Apple Vision Pro now supports spatial games that allow users to play games while wearing the mixed reality headset. Apple Arcade subscribers can access titles like Bloons TD 6+, Cut the Rope 3, Game Room, Illustrated, Jetpack Joyride 2, LEGO Builder's Journey, Patterned, stitch., Super Fruit Ninja, Synth Riders, What the Golf?, and Wylde Flowers. Meanwhile, Apple has also confirmed that Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City, Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, and Spire Blast are coming to the Apple Vision Pro.
Four Microsoft first-party games will launch on Sony’s PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch, the company confirmed late Thursday after weeks of speculation over its exclusive titles releasing on rival platforms. The announcement came on the Official Xbox Podcast from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who also shed further light on the reasons behind Xbox’s business decision and confirmed that the next generation of Xbox consoles were in development.
Japan's Sony slashed the full-year sales forecast for its PlayStation 5 console on Wednesday and said it plans to list its financial business next year as it focuses on entertainment and image sensors. Sony cut its PS5 sales forecast for the year ending March to 21 million units, from 25 million units previously, after weaker-than-expected sales over the year-end shopping season.
Microsoft will share an update on the Xbox business later this week, the company confirmed Monday after weeks of reports and rumours of its first-party games coming to rival consoles. The Xbox parent will reveal its plans for the platform in a special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast on February 15 at 12pm PT (February 16, 1.30am IST in India), where Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, Xbox president Sarah Bond and Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty will share details about the future Xbox roadmap.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to release some time in 2025, with developer Rockstar Games announcing the much-awaited title via a trailer late last year. The GTA 6 trailer, which has 174 million views at the time of writing, came out December 5, showing off shiny visuals, a dense and detailed Vice City, and a Tom Petty song that has since experienced a 37,000 percent increase in its Spotify streams. But hours before Rockstar was forced to actually put out the trailer on YouTube, it leaked on the Internet. Now, the CEO of Rockstar parent Take-Two has said that the leak was “disappointing.”
Take-Two Interactive Software forecast fourth-quarter bookings below market expectations and cut its annual estimates on Thursday, on signs of weak demand for its gaming titles such as NBA 2K, sending its shares plunging 10 percent after the bell.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is set to receive a title update in March, which will include the much-requested New Game+ mode, developer Insomniac Games confirmed Wednesday. The update will also bring new suits for Peter Parker and Miles Morales and a few more changes, details of which will be revealed closer to the update’s release. The post-launch update was initially planned for late 2023 but was confirmed to be delayed to early 2024 in December last year.
Walt Disney is acquiring a $1.5 billion (roughly Rs. 12,400 crore) equity stake in Fortnite maker Epic Games as part of a collaboration involving Disney properties like Star Wars, Marvel and Avatar, the companies said Wednesday.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth received an in-depth look at PlayStation’s latest State of Play showcase, where publisher Square Enix announced that a demo for the game will be made available Wednesday on the PS5. The playable demo, currently available to download on the PlayStation Store, will allow players to take control of both the protagonist Cloud Strife and the antagonist Sephiroth in an early section of the game.
Tecno has confirmed the devices and technologies it will show off at the MWC this year. The company will showcase an AR gaming set with AR glasses and a robot dog at the MWC. Tecno will also unveil a new Pova series smartphone at the event. It will also showcase its Universal Tone technology and an improved version of the rollable concept phone.
Roblox launched an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that is capable of translating languages in the game chat in real time. The online gaming platform, which has more than 70 million daily active users, created a native large language model (LLM) to build the tool that can translate any combination of 16 languages. The translations occur with a small delay of roughly 100 milliseconds.
A day after reports of multiple Microsoft first-party titles possibly making their way to rival platforms, the company said early Tuesday that it would host a business update event next week, detailing the “future of Xbox.” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer posted the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), promising more details to the Xbox community.
Microsoft seems to be shifting its strategy in the gaming space, with reports claiming that the company is mulling launching its first party titles on rival consoles. Starfield, the space RPG from Microsoft-owned Bethesda Softworks that launched exclusively on Xbox and PC in September last year, could be coming to PS5. The Xbox parent is also considering bringing another upcoming Bethesda title to Sony’s console. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, first revealed at Xbox’s Developer Direct showcase last month, could also reportedly launch on PS5.
Sony has announced the pack of free games coming to PlayStation Plus in February. The monthly games lineup includes the new 4v4 online party shooter Foamstars, shooter-skater hybrid Rollerdrome and the Soulslike action-RPG Steelrising.
PlayStation hosted the year’s first State of Play games showcase early Thursday, bringing a host of new announcements, reveals and updates on upcoming releases. Sony dived deep into two of its first-party titles, with an extended gameplay trailers for Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade. The latter also finally received a release date — Shift Up’s action-adventure title is arriving April 26. Team Ninja’s Rise of the Ronin received a detailed gameplay trailer, showing off sword combat, special weapons, and traversal.
Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now out on the App Store on iPhone, iPad and Mac computers. The surreal package delivery game from Kojima Productions can be played on the A17 Pro-powered iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad models and macOS devices running on the M1 chip or later.
PlayStation has announced the year’s first State of Play games showcase event, set to stream January 31. The 40-minute showcase will feature extended looks at Shift Up’s action-adventure title Stellar Blade and Team Ninja’s action-RPG Rise of the Ronin, both of which will arrive on the PS5 this year.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League seems to have hit a new hurdle right out of the gate. The co-op looter shooter from Rocksteady Studios is all set for a full release on February 2 and was supposed to be in its three-day early access launch for customers who pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition. The developers, however, were forced to pull the title offline barely an hour into its early access release due to a major bug. Rocksteady confirmed Monday that several players, who logged into the game in early access, encountered a bug that resulted in full story completion. As a result, the studio took down Suicide Squad servers to work on fixing the issue.
Horizon Forbidden West, the sprawling action-adventure title from Guerilla Games, is finally getting a PC port. PlayStation announced last week that the Complete Edition of the sci-fi open-world epic, which includes the Burning Shores expansion from 2023, will arrive on PC on March 21.
Microsoft will let go of 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox this week, it said on Thursday, the latest cuts in the technology sector that has extended massive layoffs over the past years into 2024.
Palworld, the viral hit action-adventure survival title that has come under intense scrutiny over the alleged likeness of its in-game creatures to the cute monsters from Pokémon, could be staring at legal trouble. The Pokémon Company, which manages the iconic franchise, has finally released an official statement addressing the swirling plagiarism accusations against Palworld, albeit without naming the game directly. Palworld released in early access on January 19 and quickly took the Steam charts by storm, with developers Pocketpair confirming Thursday that the game had sold over eight million copies.
Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima’s surreal package delivery title that first launched as a PlayStation exclusive in 2019 and was later ported to PC, has a new release date on Apple devices. The Director’s Cut version of the game is arriving January 30 on iPhone, iPad and Mac, with pre-orders currently open, 505 Games announced Tuesday.
WWE 2K24, the next instalment in 2K’s popular annual wrestling video game franchise, has officially been announced. The newest WWE 2K title will launch March 8, across PC (via Steam), PS5, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X. Along with the release date, 2K also revealed the cover stars for the title.
As Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League nears its launch, developer Rocksteady has confirmed that the game’s post-launch DLC will bring iconic DC villain Joker as a playable character. The studio made the announcement Monday in the third episode of its Suicide Squad Insider developer diary series, detailing its plans for delivering free post-launch seasonal content to players who buy the game, multiversal concepts and a few multiplayer features that will be present at launch.
Palworld, the viral hit action-adventure survival title from Japanese developers Pocketpair, has taken the gaming industry by storm, climbing to the top of Steam charts and selling six million copies in just four days of release. But as the game’s concurrent player count balloons, it has found itself embroiled in a plagiarism controversy, with many on the Internet pointing out alleged similarities between the designs of Palworld’s creatures and Pokémon.
Tencent Holdings' Riot Games plans to lay off 530 employees, or about 11 percent of its staff globally, the online gaming company said on Monday in a blog that included a letter to employees from CEO Dylan Jadeja.
Palworld, an open-world action-adventure title where players can combat and capture Pokemon-like creatures, has become a bon-fide phenomenon, rising to the top of Steam charts days within launch. The game, which also incorporates elements of the survival genre, now has the fifth-highest peak concurrent players in the history of the Valve storefront, going past heavyweight titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring and Hogwarts Legacy.
Xbox kicked off its 2024 with jam-packed Developer Direct showcase, bringing reveals and updates on four upcoming releases from four studios, plus a bonus update from Square Enix. The 45-minute presentation, streamed live on YouTube and Xbox’s other social channels late Thursday, took the covers off MachineGames’ upcoming Indiana Jones game, provided a release date for the highly anticipated Senua’s Saga, and revealed a release window for Avowed, Obsidian’s next big fantasy RPG.
