Xbox Ally X gets AI upscaling boost in April; what to expect
Microsoft is bringing AI-powered upscaling to the ROG Xbox Ally X in April. Here's what the feature does and whether it's worth enabling.
Jake Nguyen Gaming
Video games, esports, gaming industry, and interactive entertainment
Jake Nguyen 
Arc Raiders Devs Caught Off Guard by Enthusiastic PvE-Only Community
Arc Raiders has become an unexpected phenomenon among players who want to avoid player-versus-player conflict entirely. The game's developers say they are surprised and encouraged by this community, while adapting the game accordingly.
Zara Mitchell 
Photorealism Is Dead: Why Millions of Gamers Don't Care About AAA Graphics
Data from NewZoo shows players of Roblox and Minecraft shun photorealistic AAA titles, preferring social multiplayer experiences. For an industry betting billions on graphics, this is a problem.
Tom Whitfield 
Arc Raiders Studio Re-Records Lines as AI Voice Row Deepens
After releasing Arc Raiders with AI-generated voices, studio head Patrick Söderlund confirms the team has re-recorded some lines with human actors post-launch, seeking to quell mounting industry and player criticism.
Fatima Al-Rashid 
Move Fast: OpenTTD's Free Window on Steam Is Closing
Transport Tycoon Deluxe is back on Steam and GOG after decades as abandonware, but new players will now need to buy it to access OpenTTD, the superior free alternative.
Jake Nguyen 
Final Fantasy XIV's Long-Awaited Beastmaster Job Finally Arrives This Year
After two years of anticipation, Final Fantasy XIV's monster-taming Beastmaster job is confirmed for release in 2026, along with a new roguelike-style duty called Crucible of the Unbroken.
Priya Narayanan 
How Arc Raiders ditched diabolical machine designs for a better game
Embark Studios shares lessons from playtesting Arc Raiders, revealing how early machine designs that seemed overpowered actually missed the mark with players.
James Callahan 
Microsoft tackles two of PC gaming's biggest technical headaches at GDC
At GDC 2026, Microsoft revealed plans to eliminate two persistent PC gaming problems: shader compilation stuttering and slow asset streaming. Here's what actually changes for players.
Tom Whitfield 
Hawked becomes latest live-service casualty as gaming market narrows
My.Games has announced Hawked will shut down in June for PC and September for console, joining a growing list of failed live-service shooters competing in an increasingly hostile market.
Tom Whitfield 
Bethesda Stays the Course on Starfield, Says Composer Zur
Composer Inon Zur believes Starfield arrived before its time and insists Bethesda will transform it into something legendary. Upcoming content aims to deepen the experience for existing fans.
Oliver Pemberton 
Fast-Track Fun: Kaplan's New Game Ditches the Grind
Jeff Kaplan's new studio reveals how The Legend of California aims to respect players' time by delivering engaging gameplay quickly, contrasting with industry norms.
Patrick Donnelly 
Marathon's Community Puzzle Reveals Bungie's Bold Bet on Player Cooperation
Bungie is testing an unconventional strategy: holding Marathon's endgame map hostage until the entire player community solves a complex puzzle spanning multiple game maps and online platforms.
Zara Mitchell 
Epic Games cuts V-Bucks value as Fortnite costs soar
Fortnite players face a steeper cost for in-game cosmetics as Epic Games reduces the value of its V-Bucks currency, citing rising operational expenses without providing specifics.
Oliver Pemberton 
Xbox's New AI Coach Arrives on Consoles This Year, With a Catch
Microsoft is rolling out Gaming Copilot to Xbox Series X and S consoles later this year, an AI assistant that helps players beat bosses and find games. The feature raises thorny questions about fair payment for the creators whose work trains it.
Tom Whitfield 
Shepard's Future Uncertain as Jennifer Hale Questions BioWare's Creative Culture
Jennifer Hale, voice of Commander Shepard, questions whether the creative culture that made the original Mass Effect trilogy survives amid BioWare's ownership upheaval and staff instability.
Jake Nguyen 
Pokopia patch aims to fix quest blockers as game hits sales heights
Nintendo is releasing a patch for Pokemon Pokopia after just days of launch. The update fixes several bugs preventing players from progressing through specific quests.
Jimmy O'Brien 
How Overwatch Rose From Ashes of a $80 Million Failure
When Blizzard axed Project Titan after seven years of development, the remaining team had weeks to conceive, pitch and greenlight a new game. What emerged was Overwatch, one of the most successful new IPs of the decade.
Tom Whitfield 
Pickmon Steals From Fan Artists, Not Just Game Franchises
Pickmon, a new monster-collecting game brazenly mimicking Pokémon and Palworld, has now been accused of stealing designs from independent fan artists without credit or compensation.
Yuki Tamura 
How Embark Studios Slowed Arc Raiders to Find Its Soul
When Arc Raiders pivoted from a PvE game to an extraction shooter, developers cut movement speed by 60%, transforming how players approached combat and discovery.
Zara Mitchell 
CD Projekt's Split Focus: The End of Cyberpunk 2077, the Wait for Sequels
CD Projekt Red has shut down hopes for additional Cyberpunk 2077 content, directing all attention to The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2, with the sequel potentially arriving in 2030.
Oliver Pemberton