Here’s the animated teaser from EVO Japan.
EVO Japan is currently taking place this weekend and there’s already been some video game announcements. One of them happens to be a new crossover between Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 and the Capcom title Street Fighter 6.
Blizzard shared this news on stage at day one of the event. It will see the characters from Street Fighter 6 transported to the world of Overwatch 2 with new skins and all their iconic moves.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
All together now.
The Switch 2 marketing campaign is well underway around the globe and now Nintendo’s Australian branch has joined in on the fun with a new commercial.
It’s far from a tear-jerker – like that other one featuring the guy on the bus playing Zelda, but it does the job. The focus here is on being able to connect with others “anytime, anywhere” with games like Mario Kart World and the new GameChat accessory.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
After five years in development, Steel Seed has officially launched on Xbox Series X|S — and whether you’re just starting your journey or well into the story, there’s more beneath the surface worth exploring. In this behind-the-scenes breakdown, we’re diving into the creative and technical process behind Zoe, the game’s central character. You’ll learn how Storm in a Teacup — a small team of around 20 developers based in Italy — approached the challenge of building a protagonist who is both machine and deeply human.
From early concept art to animation and narrative design, this article unpacks how Zoe’s robotic form was carefully balanced with emotional depth. These design choices don’t just affect how she looks or moves — they directly shape how players engage with the world, make decisions, and connect with the game’s story. Steel Seed isn’t just a sci-fi action title; it’s a layered experience about identity, resilience, and the personal cost of survival.
Zoe’s story begins in mystery: she awakens alone in a robotic body deep within an AI-dominated facility, with no memory of how she got there. This setup posed an immediate creative challenge — how do you design a character that players can emotionally relate to while she herself is unsure of what she is?
Our solution was to emphasize vulnerability in her animations and body language. We intentionally contrasted mechanical precision with subtle, human-like motion — shaky breaths, cautious glances, hesitant footsteps — so players would instinctively connect with Zoe before even hearing her motivations.
Zoe’s look was heavily inspired by a blend of cyberpunk and anime sources: “Alita”, “Casshern”, and “Blame!” formed the visual backbone. But more importantly, her design needed to serve gameplay readability. Her glowing joints, for example, are not only stylistic but also provide feedback in low-light environments. Her expressive eyes — built with an advanced eye-tracking rig — became a key storytelling tool for in-game cinematics.
No character like Zoe could exist in isolation. Enter Koby — a small, expressive drone initially designed as a gameplay mechanic. Very quickly, however, Koby became much more: an emotional anchor. His design language evolved to reflect that. His “face,” for example, is an LED screen that shows simple emoticons in real time, allowing him to “talk” in tones and visuals, which helps Zoe (and players) feel less alone.
Creating Koby meant fusing function and emotion. He helps solve puzzles, unlocks doors, and scouts ahead — but he also beeps in concern when Zoe is hurt and celebrates small victories. It’s AI companionship by way of empathy. He’s based on a robot originally designed and modeled by the Storm in a Teacup head when he was just 19 years old.
Steel Seed features cinematic action moments we internally dubbed “Michael Bay Sequences.” These were built to break tension and change pacing through high-octane gameplay: collapsing bridges, high-speed chases, massive explosions. But even here, storytelling was key.
Each of these sequences was crafted not just to look great, but to show how Zoe reacts under pressure. We used dynamic camera systems and occasional 2D perspective shifts to amplify spectacle without sacrificing player control. These scenes are also crucial moments for Koby to shine — rescuing Zoe, alerting her to hazards, or navigating tight quarters at speed.
While Zoe’s enhanced mobility (wall runs, air dashes, silent takedowns) gives her an edge, surviving the Facility is all about environmental awareness.
These soft cues are all part of what we call passive storytelling—immersing players without pausing the action.
At its core, Steel Seed is not just about survival — it’s about what defines us as human beings. What makes Zoe work isn’t just that she’s cool or capable — it’s that she’s scared, conflicted, and trying anyway. Her journey isn’t just about defeating enemies—it’s about reclaiming agency. Players may see a machine, but what we hope they feel is a very human soul.
Steel Seed is more than an action game — it’s an emotional blueprint of identity told through pixels, motion, and sound. And Zoe, more than anyone, carries that blueprint.
On behalf of the developer, Storm in a Teacup and all of ESDigital Games, thanks for all of the support during all these years! Steel Seed is finally here and it’s time to save humanity.
ESDigital Games
The post Finding Humanity in a Mechanical World appeared first on Xbox Wire.
“It’s entirely the leadership here, internally”.
Pokémon GO has been in the headlines a fair amount recently after Niantic sold off its gaming division to Saudi-owned mobile specialist Scopely. But in some good news for fans of the AR game, the developers have announced that they’re doubling the number of daily remote raids players can take part in.
This looks to be a permanent change, and given the timing, you’d be fair in assuming that this was a decision made by Scopely. However, in an interview with Eurogamer, senior producer John Funtanilla has said that the decision came from the team: “It’s entirely the leadership here, internally, and definitely 100 percent our decision to make these changes.”
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
The post Limited-Time Charity Humble Bundle Features 8 Xbox Game Studios Games; Proceeds Benefit Gameheads appeared first on Xbox Wire.
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Hey, everybody! Sid, Tim, and I are back this week to discuss the new Grand Theft Auto VI trailer, explore how Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 innovates on the turn-based RPG formula, and the ways Doom: The Dark Ages goes medieval.
Stuff We Talked About
Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE
O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE
Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
XCOM is one of the most beloved strategy game series of all time, with many entries since the first game’s release in 1994. Right now, you can take home every single mainline XCOM game on Steam for just $10. This includes the mainline games from the 1990s and the rebooted series from 2012 onwards. With over 15,000 bundles already sold, don’t miss your chance to secure to entire XCOM collection for only $10 (if purchased separately at MSRP, the total would be $269).
These games are sent as Steam codes, which are yours to keep forever. You can play them on a desktop, laptop, Steam Deck, or even send them to a friend if you already have the game or want to gift one! In addition to the above games, you will also gain access to all major XCOM 2 DLC, including XCOM 2: War of the Chosen.
The XCOM Complete Bundle supports the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Founded in 2000, the MJFF is aimed at supporting those with Parkinson’s diseases and finding a cure for it. To this day, no cure is available for Parkinson’s, despite over six million people affected around the world. Each bundle purchase will help contribute toward the fight for a cure.
Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.
Another week, another hectic shift in the Pokémon single card market whilst trainers are waiting for Destined Rivals to drop. At least the Black Bolt and White Flare Pokémon Center preorders avoided a hostile bot takeover this time around.
The most dramatic crash this week is Greninja ex 214/167, crashing by nearly half when compared the the start of this year. We’re also seeing some nice price drops across Obsidian Flames and the elusive 151 expansions. Meanwhile, Dragonite V from Evolving Skies is doing the opposite, nearly doubling in value compared to the start of this year, and the artwork alone always made this card undervalued.
Charizard V Alt Art is also a banger, depicting a Pokémon battle against Venusaur whilst slowly climbing up in value. But Rayquazza VMAX Alt Art is quite literally soaring high, scoring an extra $100 in value since the start of this year. Let’s dig into all the rest of the biggest Pokémon TCG climbers and crashers of the week.
Whilst we’re finally seeing a noticeable climb in Sword and Shield era Pokémon Cards, Scarlet and Violet series cards are settling back down into the realm of reality for the most part.
Alakazam ex SIR from 151 is a georgous card, and it’s 34% lower in price than the beggining of March. There’s absolutley no reason for not having Uri Gellars Grandad claiming a spot in your binder this year.
Bulbasaur was my first starter Pokémon when I first loaded up Pokémon Blue way back when, so this Bulbasaur IR has a special place in my heart. This card has dropped by a massive 52% since mid-March, so there’s no reason to not catch this beautiful card.
Moving onto Obsidian Flames, Ninetales IR has always been one of the best cards of the set. If you agree then it’s time to snap this card up seeing as it’s crashed by 40% from Feburary so a reasonable $18.17.
People can complain about Obsidian Flames all they want, but it’s Charizard ex SIR so cool. Rocking a stained glass look in it’s Tera form, it’s a show stopper for sure. Granted it’s not come down too much since March, but $5 less is $5 saved.
Finally the biggest crasher this month is Greninja ex SIR, which at one point was set to become the most expensive Scarlet and Violet era card. Then Prismatic Evolutions came along and took the FOMO up 10 notches. It’s still a class card that’s holding it’s weight at $275, but imagine reading this and paying $411.62 at the end of Feburary. Oh dear.
Moving onto this weeks climbers, Rayquazza VMAX alt art is one of the main grails of the Sword and Shield era. It was already a $500+ card, but at $649.99 it shows no signs of slowing down. This could arguably hit the $1,000 mark in a few years, so i’d get one fi you can afford it.
There can’t be enough Kanto love in my book, and Charizard V Alt Art smashes it out of the park with this Venusaur battle. The angle is great and it feels like a moving card instead of a static body shot so many Pokémon cards are guilty of (Looking at you, WotC era). It’s earned another $40 since January, and there’s no reason why this card can’t get over $200 before the year is out.
Dragonite V Alt Art is one of the highlights of Evolving Skies. It’s a fan favorite Pokémon that can look cute as hell or ready to rip another mon’s face off. It’s a full package that looks nothing like it’s pre evolutions, but that’s ok because it’s Dragonite.
It’s cute side comes out in this artwork, and that’s exactly why it’s nearly doubled in value since the middle of January. It’s now rocking a solid $225, so make sure to grab yours before it flies any higher. Did you catch last week’s article? There are some bangers on there too.
If you’ve dedicated your life to pulling chase cards yourself, here’s what we can find in stock right now. Just watch out for pricing over MSRP, we’re in a wierd spot as Pokémon trainers right now, so don’t pay more than what you have too.
Here’s the Pokémon TCG full Release Schedule so far for this year too so you don’t miss anything. Buying singles is the cheapest way to collect right now, but don’t feel like you have to “Catch Em’ All!”.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
The tastiest thing you can currently do in Haneda Girl is eject yourself from your mech straight into a streaking katana blow that carries you though a door and two torsos before teleport-summoning your mech as though inflating a lifejacket to gun down three other mooks in a giddy gout of purple gore. OK, that’s more than one thing. It is, according to local experts, a combo. What are combos good for? Score multipliers, that’s what. Here is a trailer. Ware the techno.
There have been some truly inspired collabs in gaming, but I never saw this one coming: Overwatch 2 is getting a Street Fighter 6 crossover event.
As revealed on X/Twitter — and leaked a few days ago by PlayStation Network — the event goes live on May 20, “taking your fighting skills to the next level when the legendary characters from Street Fighter 6 square off in Overwatch 2,” letting Overwatch fans “discover the martial artist in you.”
Though the teaser isn’t very long, it does give us a peek at the characters getting a fresh skin for the collab, including Zenyatta as Dhalsim, Winston as Blanka, Sigma as M. Bison, Hanzo as Ryu, Juno as the inimitable Chun Li, and Soldier: 76 as Guile. We also get to see Chun Li kick the crap out of a truck — never a bad thing — and some more familiar faces sure to make both Overwatch and Street Fighter fans very, very happy.
“Soldier 76 as Guile is sending me,” laughed one commenter, whereas another simply said: “Genuinely such a stacked collab.”
“A COLLAB WITH TWO OF MY FAVORITE FRANCHISES?!?” cried this player. “THIS HAS TO BE [Overwatch’s] BEST ONE YET!”
Not everyone is convinced, though, with some players questioning the skin choices.
“Glad to see Winston and Sig get anything, but not having any SF6 original characters in a SF6 collab feels weak,” suggested this commenter. “Manon was right there for Widow. Marisa Zarya. Jamie Weaver. Doomfist also should have probably been a lock for this, he’s the best character that fits the theme.”
“Genuine question. Juri is literally a spider — why is she not Widowmaker lol?” asked this player.
And if there was any doubt that developers do listen to their communities, sometimes it’s worth trying to manifest these things — this fan mocked up a Street Fighter x Overwatch crossover two years ago, and this one, also posted two years ago, took a stab at what “easy” crossover outfits could be available. (This fan really, really wants a Resident Evil crossover next.)
Last week, Blizzard unveiled its Overwatch 2 Stadium roadmap for 2025, teasing some of the heroes and features it plans to add in Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond.
Overwatch 2 brought Stadium to players when Season 16 launched at the end of April. It’s part of Blizzard’s ongoing initiative to reinvigorate the Overwatch 2 player base, which began with an all-encompassing Spotlight presentation in February. It’s led to the return of loot boxes and an improved Steam rating as players celebrate what some feel is the best Overwatch experience fans have seen in years.
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
