Category: Gaming

Roblox reported fewer daily active users than Wall Street expected in the second quarter, as stricter child-safety controls and changes to content recommendations disrupted engagement and spending across its gaming platform.Average daily active users reached 123 million during the three months ended June, up 10% from a year earlier but down 7% from the first quarter. The sequential decline was sharper than investors had anticipated and marked a reversal from the rapid expansion recorded at the start of the year.The

The Video Game History Foundation has released several major digital collections chronicling E3, giving researchers and fans free access to thousands of pages, rare recordings and promotional material from the industry’s defining trade show.The newly published archive documents the Electronic Entertainment Expo from its launch in 1995 through its final years, bringing together material donated by organisers, exhibitors and attendees. It includes nearly 24 hours of video, more than 1,000 pages of event ephemera, complete show directories and scans of

CodeDev has launched The Performance Guys, a specialist division focused on resolving the frame-rate, memory and stability problems that can delay video games or undermine their performance at launch.The UK co-development company, also known as The Unreal Guys, has assembled a team made up entirely of performance engineers and technical artists. The unit will work across Unreal Engine, Unity and proprietary game technology, embedding its specialists directly within clients’ engineering, art and design teams.The division is designed to address optimisation

Bazzite is emerging as a flexible gaming operating system that seeks to bring a console-style experience to desktop computers, handhelds, tablets and home theatre systems without stripping away the functions of a conventional PC.Built on Fedora Atomic Desktops, the open-source platform arrives with Steam installed and includes gaming-focused drivers, software and system adjustments. Its developers aim to reduce the configuration work traditionally associated with Linux gaming while giving users access to a full desktop environment for browsing, productivity, streaming and

ZeroSpace has entered Steam Early Access with an unusually broad combination of real-time strategy, role-playing systems and community warfare, although its decision to place prominent streamers at the centre of its flagship multiplayer event has divided attention from the strength of the game itself.Developed by Starlance Studios and Ironward, the science-fiction strategy game launched on 20 July with the first act of its campaign, competitive matches, skirmishes, survival challenges and a persistent Galactic War mode. The project seeks to revive

A US federal judge has ordered Paramount Skydance to suspend its proposed takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery for at least 14 days, giving a coalition of states time to pursue claims that the transaction would unlawfully weaken competition across film, television and streaming markets.US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín issued the temporary restraining order in Oakland, California, preventing the companies from completing or implementing the merger until August 3. A hearing on whether to impose a longer preliminary injunction has been

Musician and retro-technology enthusiast Chris Graue has released free 3D-printable files that allow a modified Game Boy Camera to connect to a standard telescope, opening his Jupiter photography experiment to hobbyists and hardware tinkerers.The design became public after Graue used Nintendo’s low-resolution camera accessory with Mount Wilson Observatory’s historic 60-inch telescope in California. The unconventional arrangement produced a pixelated image of Jupiter, including part of the planet’s curved edge and faint indications of its cloud bands.Graue has also published a

Nintendo will shut down Mario Kart Tour on iOS and Android on September 29 in Pacific time, ending the smartphone racing game seven years after its launch and confirming that no offline edition is planned.The company has begun winding down paid services inside the app. Sales of rubies, the game’s premium currency, stopped at 11pm Pacific time on July 7, while automatic renewals and new subscriptions for the Mario Kart Tour Gold Pass were also halted during maintenance on the

Epic Games has moved to end its lawsuit against former contractor Hayden Cohen, accused of leaking confidential Fortnite collaboration plans involving major entertainment and gaming franchises before they were made public.The proposed settlement, filed in a North Carolina federal court, would permanently bar Cohen from possessing, accessing, using or disclosing Epic’s confidential information and trade secrets. It would also prevent him from helping others obtain or share such material. The agreement requires court approval and does not specify a financial

PlayStation 5 sales in the United States fell sharply in May, dropping to the weakest May performance for Sony’s console hardware since 2000, as higher prices and a maturing console cycle weighed on demand while Nintendo’s Switch 2 dominated the market.Unit sales of PlayStation 5 declined 58 per cent from a year earlier, while dollar sales fell 43 per cent. Xbox Series hardware also showed strain, with unit sales down 12 per cent year on year and May volumes reaching

Valve has acknowledged that its new Steam Machine will cost more than it wanted, putting pressure on the company’s attempt to bring PC gaming deeper into the living room at a price well above mainstream consoles.The Bellevue-based games and hardware group has priced the 512GB Steam Machine at $1,049, while the 2TB version costs $1,349. Bundles with the new Steam Controller lift the prices to $1,128 and $1,428 respectively. UK and eurozone pricing also places the device firmly in premium

Scammers are exploiting the opening of Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders with fake early-access offers, bogus beta invitations and imitation websites designed to steal money, passwords and banking details from players waiting for Rockstar Games’ biggest launch in more than a decade.The warning comes as pre-orders for GTA 6 are set to open on June 25 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with the game scheduled for release on November 19, 2026. Rockstar Games and authorised retail channels, including

Electronic Arts is pushing artificial intelligence deeper into its game development pipeline as senior executive Laura Miele said the technology is already helping its studios move faster and sharpen creative decisions by taking repetitive work out of production.Miele, president of EA Entertainment, Technology and Central Development, said AI tools had contributed to “a real rise of creativity” across the company’s teams by removing some of the “tedious tasks” that slow artists, designers and developers. She said the result had been

Nintendo has reintroduced purchase checks for the multi-language version of the Switch 2 in Japan after detecting orders suspected of bulk buying, adding a fresh layer of control to one of the year’s most sought-after gaming devices.The Kyoto-based company temporarily halted sales of the Nintendo Switch 2 Multi-Language System on its official Nintendo Store and said future purchases would be limited to accounts showing at least 50 hours of play on the original Nintendo Switch by 23:59 on 31 May

Xbox Game Pass lost “millions” of subscribers after Microsoft lifted the monthly price of its Ultimate tier from $20 to $30 in October 2025, exposing the limits of consumer tolerance for subscription gaming even at one of the industry’s most heavily promoted services.Matthew Ball, Xbox’s chief strategy officer, said at The Game Business Live that the company “shed millions of subscribers over the span of a few months” after the increase, giving rare public detail on a service whose membership

UAE residents are entering the FIFA World Cup 2026 cycle with access to the country’s first licensed online sports wagering and internet gaming platform, marking a significant shift in a market that has long treated gambling as tightly restricted activity.Play971, operated by Abu Dhabi-based Coin Technology Projects LLC, is listed by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority under both internet gaming and sports wagering categories. The platform offers betting markets on football and other sports, alongside casino-style online games and

Square Enix has confirmed Final Fantasy VII Revelation as the closing chapter of its remake trilogy, setting a spring 2027 launch across PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S and PC on the same day.The announcement marks a major shift for one of the company’s most important franchises. Earlier entries in the remake project arrived first on PlayStation before expanding to PC and other consoles, but Revelation is being positioned from the outset as a global multiplatform release. The

Asia and MENA’s video games market is on course to expand from $88.9 billion in 2025 to $103.6 billion by 2030, a 16.5% rise that underlines the region’s growing weight in the global games industry as publishers, platforms and investors look beyond slower mature markets for new growth.The latest market model points to revenue growth of 3.4% in 2026 to $91.8 billion, with the five-year compound annual growth rate projected at 3.1%. The number of players across the 13 tracked

Amazon MGM Studios and Amazon Games are set to take a larger role in future James Bond video games, shifting the franchise away from the self-publishing model used by IO Interactive for 007 First Light and placing the next stage of Bond’s gaming strategy more firmly under Amazon’s expanding entertainment empire.The move follows Amazon MGM Studios’ acquisition of creative control over the James Bond franchise in 2025, a turning point that changed the balance of power around one of cinema’s

Abu Dhabi Gaming has signed a strategic partnership with ASPIRE to accelerate AI-led game development, linking the emirate’s interactive entertainment ambitions with advanced research capabilities from one of its key technology institutions.The agreement was formalised during the A2RL Summit at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, where global technology, mobility, autonomy and gaming specialists gathered to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries built around real-time decision-making and simulation. The deal places gaming alongside robotics, smart mobility and autonomous systems as part

Playstack is set to come under the majority ownership of Integrated Media Company in a deal that values the Balatro publisher at about £125 million, marking one of the more closely watched transactions in the independent games market this year.TruFin, the London-listed fintech and investment group that owns 84.5 per cent of Playstack, has agreed to sell its holding to VantageCo Limited, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Integrated Media Company. The proposed transaction is expected to generate about £112.4

Rotterdam Ahoy became the centre of Twitch’s European creator community as TwitchCon Rotterdam 2026 opened its final weekend before the Amazon-owned livestreaming platform shifts its European convention to Berlin next year.The two-day gathering, running on 30 and 31 May, brought streamers, viewers, game publishers, sponsors and technology partners together at one of Europe’s busiest fan events for livestreaming culture. Twitch confirmed that TwitchCon Europe 2027 will be held in Berlin on 22 and 23 May, marking a return to Germany

Acer has unveiled the Predator Atlas 8, a Windows 11 handheld gaming PC powered by Intel’s new Arc G-Series processors, marking a deeper push by the PC maker into a fast-expanding portable gaming market dominated by premium devices and performance-focused chip platforms.The device, announced for Computex 2026, will be offered with Intel Arc G3 and Arc G3 Extreme processor options, paired with Intel Arc B370 or Arc B390 graphics based on the Xe3 architecture. Acer is positioning the Predator Atlas

Arc Raiders secured Nordic Game of the Year at the Nordic Game Awards in Malmö, strengthening Embark Studios’ position as one of the region’s most influential developers after a breakout year for the extraction shooter.The title, developed by the Stockholm-based studio, won the top award at the ceremony held on May 28 during the Nordic Game conference at Slagthuset in Malmö. It also took Best Technology and Best Audio, making it the most decorated game of the night and underlining

Epic Games has offered the first public look at Unreal Engine 6 through a short Rocket League teaser, placing one of its most durable live-service titles at the centre of its next major technology transition.The reveal came during the Rocket League Championship Series Paris Major, where a brief in-engine sequence showed the vehicular football game running with sharper lighting, glossier car surfaces, denser stadium detail and more polished effects. The teaser was short, but its message was clear: Rocket League,

Fortnite’s full return to Apple’s iOS ecosystem has delivered an estimated 3.4 million downloads in its first week, giving Epic Games its strongest App Store performance for the title since its launch month in 2018 and underscoring the scale of pent-up demand after years of restricted access on iPhones and iPads.The download surge followed the game’s May 19 return to the App Store across most major markets, widening availability beyond earlier limited channels and restoring direct access for users

Take-Two Interactive Software ended its 2026 financial year with a sharp rise in net bookings and revenue, as sustained demand for NBA 2K, Grand Theft Auto and Zynga’s mobile portfolio strengthened the company’s position ahead of the planned launch of Grand Theft Auto VI later this year.The New York-based games publisher reported fiscal-year net bookings of $6.72 billion for the year ended March 31, 2026, up 19% from $5.65 billion a year earlier. Net revenue rose to $6.66 billion from

Quantic Dream has halted development of Spellcasters Chronicles and will close its servers on June 19, ending the studio’s first original multiplayer title less than four months after its early access launch on Steam.The Paris-based developer said the free-to-play action-strategy game had failed to attract the audience needed to support long-term development. Players will be able to access the game until the shutdown date, while all spending during the early access period will be eligible for a full refund on

European Parliament scrutiny of the Stop Destroying Videogames initiative was diverted by Slovak MEP Milan Uhrík after he used a debate on digital ownership and game preservation to attack what he described as “woke ideology” in the games industry.The initiative, widely known through the Stop Killing Games campaign, asks the European Commission to require publishers selling or licensing videogames in the European Union to leave them in a functional state when official support ends. It became the 14th valid European

Take-Two Interactive has moved to quiet speculation over another Grand Theft Auto VI delay, reaffirming that Rockstar Games’ blockbuster open-world title remains scheduled for release on 19 November 2026.The confirmation, issued alongside Take-Two’s fiscal 2026 results, places the game at the centre of the company’s next financial year and signals that management is still planning around one of the most consequential launches in entertainment. Chief executive Strauss Zelnick said fiscal 2027 was expected to deliver record operating performance, driven by

Morocco is moving to turn video gaming into a high-growth industry, offering financial backing, incubation and training to local startups as it seeks to create skilled jobs, widen export revenue and produce the country’s first billion-dollar technology companies.The push has gained fresh momentum around the Morocco Gaming Expo 2026 in Rabat, held from May 20 to 24, where officials, developers, investors and international technology firms are gathering to promote the Kingdom’s ambition to become a leading gaming hub for Africa

Sony has raised PlayStation Plus prices for new customers in select markets, increasing the cost of one-month and three-month subscriptions from 20 May as pressure builds across the video games industry over tariffs, currency swings, platform costs and weaker consumer spending.The company said the change was being made because of “ongoing market conditions”, with one-month subscriptions now starting at $10.99 in the United States, €9.99 in Europe and £7.99 in the United Kingdom. Three-month subscriptions will start at $27.99, €27.99

Jeff Fowler has signalled a major step forward for Sonic the Hedgehog 4, confirming that filming has wrapped and offering fans an early glimpse of Metal Sonic, the robotic rival whose arrival is expected to reshape the next chapter of Paramount’s fast-growing video game film franchise.The director, who has steered all three previous Sonic the Hedgehog films, marked the end of principal photography with a production update that immediately drew attention to the franchise’s next antagonist. The image shared from

Uwe Boll is moving back into zombie cinema with a new project positioned as a spiritual successor to his 2003 videogame adaptation House of the Dead, escalating a public rivalry around Sega’s revived screen plans for the franchise.The German filmmaker has begun production work on 23 Years Later: The Castle of the Dead, a horror film designed to invoke the legacy of his earlier House of the Dead picture without operating as an official Sega-backed sequel. Filming is scheduled to