One of last year’s most highly anticipated action titles, Stellar Blade, has seen a price cut at Amazon.
The game has landed within 2 cents of its previous lowest price at the retailer, bringing the character action title from Shift Up down to $49.99 from its $69.99 MSRP – a drop of 28%.
Save On Stellar Blade at Amazon Right Now
Stellar Blade puts players in the shoes of EVE, tasked with saving humanity from the Naytiba through fast, flashy combat that constantly evolves as she levels up and faces ever more challenging foes.
It looks incredible, too, whether you’re on a base PlayStation 5 or the PlayStation 5 Pro, with lightning-fast loading times.
The game previously dropped to around $50 around Black Friday 2024, but it’s worth noting that with another Holiday season on the horizon, there’s every chance it could drop further.
Our reviewer Mitchell Saltzman gave the game 7 out of 10 in his review, saying “Stellar Blade is great in all of the most important ways for an action game, but dull characters, a lackluster story, and several frustrating elements of its RPG mechanics prevent it from soaring along with the best of the genre.”
A sequel, unsurprisingly titled Stellar Blade 2, is in development and slated to arrive before 2027.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.
Marvel Rivals is finally getting a PVE mode, pitting five of the game’s 42 stylish and bizarre, caped or capeless crusaders against… zombies. Ah, zombies, the real heroes of any videogame looking to phone in a quick co-op wave attack mode (while dabbling in a little cross-promotion). The AI and character design are supposed to look basic, stoopid. The experience is supposed to feel like punching a bucket of porridge, you ass. These are brainless shamblers, not the Sinister Six.
Nintendo has apparently requested its global suppliers to pump out as many as 25 million Switch 2 console units by the end of March 2026, Bloomberg reports (paywalled).
If the Big N can manage this, it would set the company up for meeting the demands of what’s set to be a record-breaking first year of sales for the new console.
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
The definitive ninja hack & slash franchise returns with Ninja Gaiden 4! Embark on a cutting-edge adventure where legacy meets innovation in this high-octane blend of style and no-holds-barred combat. Pre-order now to receive the Dark Dragon Descendant Yakumo Skin at launch.
The Double Dragon series has defined the belt-scroll action genre ever since it hit the arcades in 1987. Now it returns as Double Dragon Revive, thanks to the passionate support of retro game fans over the years! See your favorites from the golden age of arcades recreated in modern 3D graphics. Powerful foes from their past return to face off against the Lee brothers.
The next entry in the award-winning series, Jurassic World Evolution 3 puts you in control of building and running your very own Jurassic World. Help life find a way by synthesizing, breeding and nurturing prehistoric species. Manage each species and allow them to thrive, while helping your dinosaurs raise families and pass their genes onto future generations. Create incredible havens for your dinosaurs to help them flourish, build exciting new attractions to amaze guests, and maintain control when disaster inevitably strikes. Pre-order now to unlock the Badlands Set at launch.
Painkiller is a modern reimagining of the classic franchise, featuring online co-op for up to three players and offline play. Trapped in Purgatory, you are sentenced for your transgressions against Heaven. But the Voice of the Creator gives you a chance to redeem yourself. As one of the Champions, you are to stop the fallen angel Azazel, who is about to unleash his demonic armies onto Earth. Jump, dash and hook across vast biomes while fighting hordes of demons with a host of new and classic Painkiller weapons. Pre-order now and lock and load with the Iron Crusade Skins Pack.
Hunt your way through a modern-night Seattle on the brink of an open supernatural war in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, where visceral vampire action meets a neo-noir murder mystery. Navigate the vampire Court of Seattle and its dark underbelly in this action RPG, realized by the BAFTA award-winning studio The Chinese Room. Pre-order Bloodlines 2 and get an exclusive in-game jukebox with iconic tracks by original Bloodlines composer Rik Schaffer.
Bounty Star is an over-the-shoulder third-person action game that marries mech combat and customization with farming and base building. The player takes on the role of a broken but powerful ex-soldier named Clem — a war veteran, talented fighter and expert mech pilot. Clem attempts to shed the guilt and shame of her past and become a legitimate force for good in the Red Expanse, a post-post-apocalyptic version of the American Southwest.
PowerWash Simulator is back – satisfaction is a spray away! Dust off your power washer and relax into pure feel-good fun. Blast away every last speck, smear and splatter of filth to restore Muckingham (and beyond) to gleaming glory. Craving more to clean? The jobs and water keep flowing in PowerWash Simulator 2. Play through a fresh new campaign, uncovering more of Muckingham’s mysteries. Plus, venture even further out to brand-new grime-coated locations like Sponge Valley, Power Falls and Lubri City.
Eggs-traordinary times call for eggs-traordinary heroes. After surviving the daring events of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the gang is back in a brand-new adventure, and it turns out nuggets weren’t the only thing on the menu – chickenkind is still in danger! Take control of Molly, Rocky, Frizzle and the gang as they sneak, scurry and scramble through five tantalizingly treacherous fortified farms to liberate captured chickens.
Oh no! Swiper got his paws on the Super-Duper Duplicator, and now his clones are causing chaos everywhere. Dora and Boots must fix the Duplicator and restore the vibrant Alebrije Tree. Join them and their amigos, Tico, Isa, Benny, Big Red Chicken and Ale. Run, jump and swing through five locations, collecting Magic Leaves and pods. Unlock new places and objects. Solve riddles, use clues from friends and use Map to guide you! Qué Aventura! Stop Swiper from swiping while playing solo or team up in local co-op mode.
Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition delivers high-speed racing and adrenaline-fueled action straight from the arcade to console! Choose from licensed supercars and tear through intense, cinematic tracks packed with shortcuts, stunts, missions, and explosive surprises. Race solo or go head-to-head in thrilling 2-player split-screen. With drifting, nitro boosts, and precision driving, this is the ultimate pick-up-and-play racing experience for fans of pure, unfiltered speed!
It’s a high-octane arcade racer packed with iconic cars, epic tracks, and action-fueled gameplay inspired by the hit Netflix animated series “Hot Wheels Let’s Race.” Drift through wild courses, take on giant boss battles, and unlock a garage full of fan-favorite rides. With track building, local multiplayer and non-stop speed, the race is always on!
The Jackbox Party Pack 11 catapults you and your crew into the best timeline of party game pandemonium. Whether you’re a trivia titan, a joke mastermind, or the resident undercover detective of your friend group, there’s something for everyone in this pack. No extra controllers needed – players simply join the game and play using phones, tablets or computers!
Once Upon A KATAMARI – King of All Sounds Edition Pre-Order
A shiny, new Katamari Damacy adventure awaits! Experience new stages and a fabulous new soundtrack! Behold a fresh rolling experience, with never-before-seen support tools like the magnet to draw in nearby objects! How … attractive! The King was so well-behaved until he mistakenly crushed the Earth, the Moon, and numerous planets while fiddling with a peculiar scroll. Now roll your katamari through the Jurassic Era, Ice Age, historic Japan and more eras to rebuild the sky’s dazzling field of stars.
After years in Crazy Dave’s attic, the original battle between Plants and Zombies is back – bigger, brighter, and crazier than ever before! Experience the game that started it all, now remastered with upscaled HD graphics and packed with new secrets to uncover. Fend off waves of Zombies in the original lane-based defense mode, now with added bonus levels and new content! Pre-order to receive a retro Peashooter Skin!
Become a God once again in Reus 2 by taking control of mighty giants whose command over their elements allows you to shape worlds, create an ecosystem of resources and enable human civilizations to thrive. Your choices will determine the fates of these fragile human beings, whose autonomy may lead them to great heights.
The House of the Dead 2: Remake is a remake of the second entry in the well-known and popular rail-shooter series. Take on the lone role of a secret agent as James or Gary, or team up in co-op mode to neutralize the dangerous undead monsters standing in your way.
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp brings you more of the world’s best (and maybe only?) multiplayer dating sim, but in a way you’ve never expected! The original Monster Prom is a multiplayer dating sim that shines for its beautiful art and unapologetic humor. The sequel brings you into a new setting (summer camp) with new characters to romance, including old faces and new ones: Damien, Calculester, Milo, Dahlia, Joy, and Aaravi. But that’s not all: Monster Camp comes with other new twists here and there, from the campfire mechanics to a new stage full of magic mixed drinks.
Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip finally answers the age-old question: “What if we added survival mechanics to a beloved dating sim franchise?” Monster Roadtrip adds a twist to its predecessors Monster Prom and Monster Camp, multiplayer dating sims brimming with beautiful art and unapologetic humor. This sequel takes you on an unforgettable road trip along with fan-favorites Scott and Polly. On the way, you will stay at crummy motels, engage in dark cult rituals, help out strangers on the road and pick up more hitchhikers than Scott can count. Bump into old friends and meet plenty of new faces on your way to one of six destinations!
Returning from a hunting trip to find your lands in ruin, you must rebuild your home while fending off hordes of monsters that attack your gates every night. Should your city fall and the forces of darkness sweep across the land, you will awaken to begin a new run where you carry forward the rewards of prior attempts – more heroes at your disposal, previously unexplored lands already uncovered, and every opportunity to push further as you uncover the mystery that has you trapped in a never-ending cycle of life and death.
Ila’s beloved kitty, Coco, has mysteriously disappeared, and she’s determined to bring him back home! Explore a whimsical small open world as Ila, a spirited young witch-in-training flying on a magic Skatebroom. Uncover hidden stories, collect valuable items and improve your magical flying abilities in this cozy exploration platformer adventure.
Dreamout – October 21 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere / Smart Delivery
Explore a surreal world with a cute alpaca! Solve puzzles, fish out the most unusual items from rivers, fight watermelon thugs and uncover all the secrets of this world!
Fit and Fry: Mise en Place is a casual puzzle game set in a restaurant, where every challenge takes place inside a frying pan. The goal is to perfectly organize the ingredients on the board, fulfilling customer orders and progressing through 40 levels that mix strategy and fun.
In Junkyard Builder, you’re the proud owner of a once-forgotten junkyard, now brimming with endless potential. Dive into the satisfying world of restoration, recycling and raw hustle as you transform trash into treasure and rise to become the ruler of the junk empire!
In a grim world of chaos, where reality feels like a thin layer over madness, welcome to Murder Inc — a top-down adrenaline-fueled shooter where time and style are your ultimate weapons. You are a mysterious operative, an antihero walking the fine line between life and death. Your targets are the criminals who rule the city from the labyrinth of filthy streets. But there’s a catch: every shot, strike, or step you take sets time in motion. The faster you move, the faster the world collapses around you.
Sedap! is a co-op cooking-combat adventure that combines the chaos of a co-op kitchen and the wonders of adventuring into an unexplored world. Embark on an exciting culinary journey, whip up delectable delicacies, and serve your way through a fantastical reimagining of Southeast Asia!
Astro Duel 2 blurs the line between space shooter and platform fighter. Whether versus or co-op, prepare to fight in space and on foot at the same time! Strike within the fully-destructible arenas or just nuke ‘em from orbit.
In a little gnomey village, in a whimsical forest … A Gnome Grandpa awaits his family to gather ‘round for his 100th birthday. Explore the forest’s lush greenery and find his tiny gnome kin trapped in curious places. Solve puzzles, collect family pictures, enjoy the hand-drawn artwork and help each gnome find their way back home.
Gruniożerca Trilogy is a remastered compilation of three independently developed retro puzzle games that originally launched on the NES. Take control of Grunio – a hungry pig on a mission – and dive into creative challenges packed with charm, humor, and pixel-perfect nostalgia.
Polar Bear is Hungry is a 2D puzzle-platformer game where you must collide blocks of ice to break them and get all the fish stuck inside. Simply touching the blocks will make them move, but pressing the attack action button is necessary to throw the ice blocks at one another to break them and get the fish. Now it’s time to use your logical thinking, creativity and puzzle solving skills to help our polar bear friend!
Survive a relentless battlefield in side-scrolling retro arcade style! Redex is a pixel-art survival shooter where you battle waves of enemies in fast-paced side-scrolling combat. Collect coins to buy ammo, grenades, armor, and more from vending machines, then trade rare gold for permanent upgrades and new characters.
You’re grounded again for something totally unfair, but your friends are hanging out at the arcade tonight and you CANNOT miss it! In Schoolboy Escape, you play as a clever teen with a talent for creative problem-solving who must devise the perfect plan to sneak out for an evening of fun while the house is on high alert.
The award-winning survival horror classic is back! Following the harrowing events at Wildberger Hospital, Caroline Walker hopes for a normal life with her sister, Anna. Yet in the months that follow, Anna is haunted by visions of violence and death, compelling her to create disturbing drawings that rapidly manifest into horrifying reality, and the sisters soon find themselves at the center of an entirely new nightmare …
In 1992, following a series of mysterious deaths caused by wild animals, as well as strange sightings of cryptids in the sparsely populated and underdeveloped Amazon region of Acre, a special operations brigade from the Brazilian Military Police was sent to the area to gather intelligence. However, the situation took an unexpected turn for the soldiers, who soon found themselves cornered in the midst of a jungle infested with hungry dinosaurs.
The ultimate nerd rage is back in Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit: an all-new action platformer set in the AVGN universe! Play as The Nerd and blast your way across a host of pixel art levels crawling with zombies, mechanical skeletons, ghoulish reapers and more!
Build a castle by day and defend it by night. Becastled combines cozy city-building with thrilling tower defense strategy. Lead the Sun Kingdom in its final stand against the Moon beasts and bring an end to the ancient conflict between light and darkness! Rule over your own fantasy realm. Build a mighty keep, lay roads, gather resources and grow a thriving settlement that will feed and shelter your people. Keep your subjects happy with taverns and decorations, and your economy strong with markets and workshops — all to support an army ready to fight at your command.
Bloodshed is an exhilarating fusion of roguelite elements merged with retro-styled visuals and first-person “Survivors-like” frenetic combat action: Face endless waves of undead foes, collect experience points, and upgrade your skills and weapons in a battle to survive the night. Even after death, you keep your hard-earned money which can be exchanged for persistent improvements and unlockable content, allowing you to progress further while adding depth to the overall gameplay.
Dreamed Away is an emotional action-adventure RPG with psychological horror elements. Play as Théo, a boy lost in a dark, mysterious world. Explore a unique reality, duel against darkness in a unique, fast paced combat system and mind your choices.
In Just a Little Purr Suit, guide a clever kitten in a turn-based strategy puzzle with 65 handcrafted levels. Use cards to decide every move: advance, launch the kitten with cannons, bounce on trampolines, cross mysterious portals and even create new platforms to overcome challenges.
The Lonesome Guild is a single-player top-down action-RPG all about togetherness. Embark on a heroic adventure as Ghost, a spirit who wakes to find they hold no memories. The world has become shrouded by loneliness and the mist just keeps spreading, corrupting everyone in its path. Now it’s up to you to get the band back together … even if they’re meeting for the first time.
A fearful entity has taken over the world, but luckily the key to fight back is hidden inside your best friend’s body! A team of young, adventurous and brilliant scientists will shrink their bodies and use their skating skills to get inside their friend’s body and explore a world like they have never seen before! Join Max, Jin, Lia and Zev in this fun adventure and skate around thanks to their customizable nano-skates, solve science puzzles adapted to different ages. Explore, learn and fight to save the future of humanity!
Give sports facilities a second life in this relaxing story-driven simulator. Restore the glory of old gyms, courts and pitches, and add a sprinkle of your own style. Collect trash, clean up the dirt from walls and floors, give the place a fresh coat of paint, fix broken fixtures, furnish and decorate the place. Use the money you earn to upgrade your equipment and expand your headquarters – each unlocked room comes with its perks and sometimes a little side quest …
Sushi For Robots is a whimsical puzzle game about quirky robots and their insatiable cravings for sushi – how they actually process it is a mystery, but hey, if that makes them happy. As the seasoned chef of the favorite sushi venue in robot town, it’s up to you to get the perfect dish in time for each of your picky patrons, placing the right stickers on the conveyor belts to change one tuna roll into a salmon nigiri.
Step into the driver’s seat and embark on an epic train-driving experience built exclusively for console gamers. Trainz Simulator: World Tour takes you across 4 stunning locales in 3 countries – spanning the rugged landscapes of the USA, the iconic railways of Great Britain and the untamed beauty of the Australian Outback.
Embark on an exhilarating journey as a bird navigating the skies alongside your flock. In this beautifully crafted adventure, you will soar through 11 vibrant and diverse levels, each offering unique challenges and breathtaking landscapes. Your mission isn’t just about speed – it’s about staying connected with your flock as you all journey together, guided by instinct and unity.
Splash and smash your friends in this juicy party kart racing game! Make and take speedy shortcuts as you compete against the sweetest competition. A wholesome and hectic racer packed with power-ups and heavy laughter.
Ultimate Zombie Defense is a top-down survival horror set in the suburbs of a once quiet city, in the heart of continental Europe. The city and the surrounding 250 km landmass have been sealed off in an attempt to curtail the outbreak, although sadly all attempts have failed, until now.
After a traumatic event, Cora, a cinema student, finds herself suddenly transported to what’s known as the Limbo, or land of oblivion. In this land, you’ll be accompanied by a crow, who claims to be a god of death, and you will help him to solve the mystery of why you are on limbo and why other deaths occurred, in an investigation through time and space, in labyrinths that connect oblivion to human emotions.
Does liking someone really make you happy? I disagree. We might just enjoy the feeling of liking someone. I live in a serene and peaceful little village. There are no wars, and everything here is very pleasant, just like heaven or a utopia. In this perfect world, we meet and get to know each other. People’s emotions constantly intersect.
Inspired by horror and B-movies from the ’80s, Everdark takes us to a city infested with vampires. Armed with stakes, garlic, crosses, holy water and an arsenal of firearms and melee weapons, we’ll fight our way through this shooter that blends classic survival horror with an oppressive atmosphere.
Play poker like a champion! Think smart, bluff hard, and win big in this classic Texas Hold’em experience. Outsmart your opponents and prove that poker is more than luck — it’s skill, strategy, and nerve. Even a poor hand can become a brilliant victory in the right hands. Take a seat at the table, call, check, fold, raise, and bluff your way through intense rounds. With up to 4 AI opponents, every match is a new challenge. Are you ready to prove you’ve got what it takes to become the ultimate poker champ?
Make a fortune while working at a junkyard. You start with nothing but a hangover and slowly climb your way to success. You will have complete freedom in how you want to make money. Do you want to explore the world on foot or drive one of the available vehicles? Do you prefer to search for junk or look for hidden treasures? Is renovation your thing? Or maybe you’re more of a heavy machinery kind of guy? Would you rather sell enormous amounts of small items or try something more ambitious, like repairing a vintage car? Whatever you choose, and as long as it is junk-related, we got you covered.
The world is overrun by terrifying creatures, and only the toughest will make it out alive! Battle endless waves of monsters, face massive bosses and upgrade your survivors to become unstoppable. Every run is a new challenge! Improve your stats, unleash devastating abilities and buy epic artifacts as you carve your path through the apocalypse.
Best friends Sok & Jester devise a mischievous scheme to steal the Royal Diamond! To complete their master plan, they must start an improv theatre show and outperform every other act – including their rivals, Hofnar & Bok. Only becoming the best show in the kingdom will get them invited to the Royal Theatrical Spectacle in the Royal Palace, where the king keeps his precious gem.
Inflate your balloon as much as you can while dodging spiky balls. Time your moves perfectly to grow bigger without popping — and watch out, the bigger you are, the harder it gets! Challenge your friends in the exciting Versus mode, where 2 players go head-to-head! Race to the finish line or compete to collect the most coins before time runs and win!
In Solus, you play as a lost soul navigating through a dark, dreamlike landscape in this platforming adventure. To escape, you must collect symbols of light and awaken ancient totems that will guide you toward freedom. Explore atmospheric stages filled with hidden secrets, deadly traps, and intense platforming challenges. Discover collectibles in secret areas, avoid lethal hazards, and unravel the mysteries of your subconscious. Every step forward brings you closer to the truth — or drags you deeper into the nightmare.
Zoochosis is a bodycam horror simulation game. You’re a zookeeper. Identify infected mutant animals, make a vaccine and cure them. Will you save all of them and survive? This is your first night shift as a zookeeper. You find out that some animals are infected and turning into mutants. Save them and save yourself. Unravel the mystery of the zoo. Choose wisely. Your choices will determine your ending.
Sony has asked the courts for a preliminary injunction against Light of Motiram maker Tencent to stop the Chinese megacorp from commencing pre-release promotion of the upcoming adventure game, filing its opposition to Tencent’s motion to dismiss the high-profile copyright lawsuit.
It comes after Sony accused Tencent of developing a “knock-off game [of Horizon Zero Dawn] so blatant that the public loudly decried the obvious and pervasive copying of Horizon’s protected elements,” claiming the release of Light of Motiram “jeopardizes Horizon’s continued success, including current expansion plans for the franchise.”
Sony claimed Tencent’s upcoming game Light of Motiram was nothing more than a “slavish clone” of Horizon Zero Dawn, and filed a copyright lawsuit in a California court at the end of July, outlining numerous similarities and comparing various marketing screenshots from both games, as well as their descriptions. As we explained at the time, just like Horizon, Light of Motiram takes place in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by giant robot dinosaurs who roam large, natural environments such as tropical forests, deserts, and snowy mountains. Both games even feature red-haired women protagonists that wear very similar outfits and styles, and devices similar to Aloy’s “Focus” earpiece.
Just days after Sony filed its lawsuit alleging the upcoming game was a “slavish clone” of Horizon, Tencent quietly updated its Light of Motiram Steam page and swapped out a number of screenshots, including its cover image, before responding to Sony’s lawsuit by claiming it was only making use of “well-trodden” tropes and suggesting the PlayStation maker’s own game was too similar to Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
Tencent then hit back by describing Sony’s lawsuit an overreach, highlighting other game franchises with similar elements to Horizon Zero Dawn such as The Legend of Zelda and Far Cry. It was “startling,” Tencent said, that Sony was now attempting to claim Horizon’s concept was original, rather than an idea based on “ubiquitous genre ingredients.”
Now, as reported by The Game Post, Sony has dismissed Tencent’s response as “nonsense,” insisting “the damage is done – and it continues” and accusing the Chinese company of trying to minimize its involvement by using “shell” entities even though the Chinese firm remains “at the helm.”
“The copying was so egregious that numerous journalists and Horizon fans called Light of Motiram ‘a major Horizon rip off,’ ‘an obvious knock off,’ a ‘copycat’ with a main character that ‘resembles Aloy to a tee,’ and ‘extremely similar to Horizon Zero Dawn’,” Sony wrote.
That’s not all, though. As spotted by Games Fray, Sony has also filed for a preliminary injunction in a bid to prevent Tencent from using a red-haired character in Light of Motiram, as well as other visuals or storyline elements close to that of the Horizon franchise. It hopes for the injunction to be enacted by the end of the year.
Tencent, however, maintains that with a scheduled release date on Q4 2027, Sony “cannot possibly hope to demonstrate the ‘immediate threatened injury’ that is the prerequisite of a preliminary injunction” given the game is so far from release. It attached declarations from a number of key stakeholders, including Guerrilla’s head of music, Lucas van Tol, and artist Jan-Bart Van Beet who both claim they were “shocked” when they saw Light of Motiram, with Van Beet writing: “Tencent’s promotional material presents a visual setting almost identical to SIE’s Horizon promotional material.”
“After spending over a decade creating and developing the Horizon franchise, it was disappointing to see our work copied to such a significant extent,” he wrote. “Instead of spending the years and money that we invested into creating the Horizon world, Light of Motiram simply copied it, sidestepping the investment we made — and significant risk we took — in developing Horizon.”
He continued: “There is an even greater risk of harm to the Horizon franchise if Light of Motiram, once released, does not have the same high quality as the Horizon games. The confusion caused by Light of Motiram promotions has already interfered with our existing Horizon development strategy, as there is a risk that future expansion could be incorrectly interpreted as copying Light of Motiram.”
Van Tol wrote: “I have reviewed the music and sounds in Light of Motiram’s promotional materials. I found striking similarities between their promotional trailer and the Horizon music. Light of Motiram’s promotional materials contain the same core features of the Horizon sound, including the pillars, instrumentation, intimacy of the lead female voice, melodic composition, and rhythm, creating a similar overall feel.”
The case continues.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
The owner of a high-profile social media account dedicated to sharing Pokémon leaks has boasted of having numerous images removed by The Pokémon Company today in response to copyright claims — something they say only proves the leaked details are legitimate.
Copyright removals have now hit a long list of posts by CentroLeaks, an X account that this week shared dozens of images said to originate from the infamous Pokémon “Teraleak” of data, originally hacked from the servers of developer Game Freak last year.
“Funnily enough they took the bait,” CentroLeaks posted this morning, stating that The Pokémon Company was behind the removal of numerous images that appeared to detail upcoming projects, including next year’s unannounced but highly-anticipated “Gen 10” Switch 2 games.
“Mr. Takato Utsunomiya, the Chief Operating Officer of The Pokémon Company, has personally sent an email to Centro Leaks / X to take down the Pokémon leak images,” another post by the account stated, later sharing what appeared to be a formal demand for a long list of posts to be removed as they contained “copyrighted works (illustrations) of the characters from the Pokémon video game series… reproduced and distributed to the public without our permission.”
Details of a further set of Mega Pokémon coming in Legends Z-A’s $20 DLC are among the images that have been removed, the account noted. “I guess Game Freak also confirmed the returning Pokémon list in the Legends: Z-A DLC is real,” CentroLeaks said.
Other removed images included concept art and early screenshots purported to show various upcoming Pokémon projects, including the Gen 10 games, a third Pokémon Legends title, and an ambitious sounding concept for a Pokémon game spanning multiple regions.
Attention to CentroLeaks’ account has been so widespread that fan art has already started to spring up of Pokémon species shown in the leaked art, likely years before any official reveal.
However, as IGN has stated previously, it is worth treating all of the details leaked online this week with a measure of caution, amid claims that some logos were in fact fan-made, and a general acknowledgement that all of the information is now a year out of date at the very least. Game Freak’s servers were breached in August 2024, and The Pokémon Company’s plans may have since changed, with specific concepts or indeed entire projects potentially scrapped altogether.
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have previously attempted to track down the culprit behind the original Teraleak, though seemingly have not had much success, judging by the huge spread of further details online this week. As for CentroLeaks, the account’s owner does not seem particularly concerned by either company, despite their infamously litgious nature.
At the time of writing, the most recent update on the CentroLeaks account is a retweet of a previous post from 2024, which simply states: “if only he knew that laws don’t exist in Peru.”
Attention, folks who like the idea of flinging a fire-breathing Group B monster down some dirt tracks. Assetto Corsa devs Kunos are bringing out a rally sim. It’s called Assetto Corsa Rally, therefore instantly winning the inventive video game name award for this year.
As with road racing AC successor Assetto Corsa EVO, the studio and co-developers Supernova Games Studios have opted to go the Steam early access route for this selection of Scandinavian flicks, with a release penned in for November November 13 this year.
The fear that Stranger Things might tank its reputation with a dodgy finale was a concern for the show’s cast, star Finn Wolfhard has admitted, after seeing Game of Thrones’ final season brutally “torn to shreds.”
Speaking to Time, Wolfhard mentioned the widespread reaction to Game of Thrones’ final episodes as an example of how a long-running big-budget TV series can build up enormous expectations for its hotly anticipated climax — then spark enormous backlash after failing to deliver.
Negative reaction to Game of Thrones’ final season still dominates discussion around the show, following widespread criticism of its plot, pacing and sudden character developments. Many fans blamed the uneven final season on the series’ creators running out of book material to adapt, while others have suggested the series simply tried to do too much in too few episodes. Regardless, it has become a model that other series, clearly, do not want to follow.
“I think everyone was pretty worried, honestly,” Wolfhard said. “The way that Game of Thrones got torn to shreds in that final season, we’re all walking into this going, ‘We hope to not have that kind of thing happen.'”
Not that Wolfhard is suggesting Stranger Things will wrap up its own run with a similarly polarizing finale — far from it.
“Then we read the scripts,” Wolfhard continued, saying that the show’s cast now felt reassured. “We knew that it was something special.”
Stranger Things’ fifth and final season will launch on Netflix with four episodes on November 26, before a further three episodes arrive on Christmas Day, December 25. The series’ feature-length finale will then release on New Year’s Eve, December 31, wrapping up the show’s supernatural saga after almost a decade. No pressure.
After all that, will this really be the end of Stranger Things? Of course not. Netflix already has plans for animated series and at least one spinoff.
The Crew 2‘s offline mode is now live, ensuring that the racer “remains accessible for years to come”. Well, assuming you’re not bothered about playing online, which would still be deep-sixed if Ubisoft opted to shut down the game’s servers, as they did with its predecessor. Odds are that won’t happen at least in the immediate future, due to the player feedback the publishers have credited as the impetus behind this addition.
That acknowledgement very much looks to be a way of nodding to the Stop Killing Games campaign, who rose to prominence following Ubisoft’s shutdown of the first Crew’s servers – thereby rendering it totally unplayable – without naming them directly.
Ah, the humble Metroidvania. We’ve seen more additions to this genre than we can count in recent years and now — with all other bases covered, presumably — even memes are being adapted into the format of non-linear exploration.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, This is Fine: Maximum Cope takes KC Green’s iconic dog meme and bends it into a metroidvania complete with perilous platforming, challenging bosses, nasty enemies and unlockable abilities. Oh yes, and it all takes place in the anxiety-riddled mind of the central character, Question Hound.
2 – Premium Edition – Preorder
