Issue #302

NEWS Link to heading

Modder injects AI dialogue into 2002’s Animal Crossing using memory hack

GOG shares their thoughts on preservation in the face of payment processor crackdowns

LocalThunk delays Balatro update to avoid “crunch mode”

Mobile Gaming Revenue to Top $100 Billion in 2025

Despite fakery concerns, Stop Destroying Videogames campaign claim “around 97%” of their signatures are valid so far

Rockstar Says GTA 6 ‘Will Be The Largest Game Launch in History’

Sony Lays Out Plans For AI Use In Gaming Going Forward

Apple’s new gaming app is out now and it includes features you’ll swear you already had

Valve no longer permits games with “mature themes” to release in early access

Nintendo stealth price increases are raising the cost of games by 50% or more

Arena Breakout Infinite is out on Steam, and it’s no longer pay-to-win

RuneScape has released Catalyst, its first-ever league

Palworld developer planning a “massive update” for v1.0, which is coming soon

The Online Safety Act is causing some studios to rethink in-game features, says law firm

Valheim Is Finally Coming To PlayStation In 2026

Coming to Game Pass: Hades, Visions of Mana, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, and More

Video game TV adaptations boost player numbers 140% on average, says new report

The Valve rumor mill goes into overdrive as VR influencers travel to Seattle for what seems likely to be the imminent reveal of the Steam Frame

Diablo 4 Reveals Season of Infernal Chaos, With Lots of Chaotic Twists, Rewards, and Perks to Progression

Legendary strategy boardgame Twilight Imperium is getting a proper PC adaptation with singleplayer support

Here are the four games leaving PS Plus next month

Logitech Just Announced An Impressive Suite Of New Products And Software Features

Congressional Republican Calls On Discord, Steam, Twitch CEOs To Testify About Radicalization

Why do some gamers invert their controls? Scientists now have answers, but they’re not what you think

Fortnite Creators Will Soon Be Able To Sell In-Game Items, Pay For Visibility

REVIEWS Link to heading

NHL 26

Lego Voyagers

Strange Antiquities

Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji DLC

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Gwent: The Legendary Card Game

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Jump Space Early Access

Dying Light The Beast

FEATURES Link to heading

Casually Classic: The quest design that World of Warcraft kind of forgot

Living through the transformation of games in Dubai | Mario Rizzo interview — The DeanBeat

The deflating realization that a neat little game was AI all along

Over three decades later, Nintendo remembers the Virtual Boy exists

Nioh 3 Looks Set to Level Up from Nioh 1 and 2 – IGN First

Interview: Chatting Lost Ark - Rise of the Valkyrie Update With The ARPG’s Community Lead

Silksong’s Hornet hover ability is instantly iconic and meme-worthy

I have been dreaming of labour in Easy Delivery Co

Europa Universalis 5 Gamescom Preview: A Strategy Nerd’s Dream

How Nioh 3 is Changing the Game with Ninja Style and the Distinctive Mist System – IGN First

Dispatch Interview: AdHoc Studio Talks Release Date, Episodic Format, and Game’s Vision

Arkheron preview: A Diablo-like looter with battle royale stakes

Why random lines of video game dialogue get stuck in our heads

Why, as a responsible adult, SimCity 2000 hits differently

Nioh 3: Will You Play as a Samurai, a Ninja, or Both? Exclusive Team Ninja Interview – IGN First

The Best Video Game Remakes of All Time

Why it took 15 years for World of Tanks to reach 2.0 | Artem Safronov interview

DISCUSSIONS Link to heading

Game of the Year is going to be such a bloodbath this year.

You get $500 million to bring back a defunct studio and finish a cancelled game.

VIDEOS Link to heading

Silent Hill f - Everything To Know

THE LIFT - Announcement Trailer | Supernatural Handyman Simulator

Ghost of Yōtei - One Thousand Blades Trailer | PS5 Games

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch | Official Trailer | Netflix

Dying Light: The Beast — The Story So Far

20 Minutes of Battlefield 6 Operation Firestorm Gameplay

Ghost of Yotei | Dual Katana Gameplay Trailer

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment — Fight the Epic Imprisoning War — Nintendo Switch 2

Ghost of Yōtei - The Hunt Begins | PS5 Games

Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 – Overview Trailer – Nintendo Switch

NINJA GAIDEN 4 - Advanced Yakumo Gameplay | Gamescom 2025

FUNNY Link to heading

When you have to pretend to be productive

Mind the gap [OC]

DEV / DESIGN Link to heading

Devs are more worried than ever that generative AI will lower the quality of games

Valve updates Steam to make it easier for devs to assess how discounts impact sales