Online Gaming

Microsoft’s generative AI model Muse isn’t creating games – and it’s certainly not going to solve game preservation, expert says

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Last night, Microsoft trumpeted the announcement of Muse, a new “generative AI breakthrough” designed to aid “gameplay ideation”. The company also published some grainy-looking gifs of AI-generated gameplay footage, based on Xbox studio Ninja Theory’s multiplayer game Bleeding Edge. (The images were miniature in size, presumably to avoid highlighting some of the wonkiness AI is … Read more

Palworld surpasses 32m players a year after release, but Nintendo lawsuit remains unresolved

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Palworld has now surpassed 32 million players a year after release, though lawsuits filed by Nintendo remain unresolved. Developer Pocketpair shared the news on social media, with those player numbers across Steam, Xbox and PS5. The news arrives as the game receives its latest update, fixing crashes on Xbox and Steam Deck, reworking the Random … Read more

Obsidian’s modest ambition with Avowed is just what Game Pass, Xbox, and the wider industry needs – but will Microsoft let them stick to it?

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I’m having a lovely time in Avowed, a game about bonking little lizard men on the head, skipping through classic, florid fantasy countryside, and walking up to NPCs to receive vast dumps of expository dialogue. It’s a game that’s less interested in doing something radical with the structure – this is a pretty straight-ahead, sword-n-spells, … Read more

Marvel Rivals surpasses 40m players, as NetEase denies abandoning western studios

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Marvel Rivals has amassed over 40 million players since its launch, but Chinese publisher NetEase has denied abandoning western studios after it laid off a number of developers from the game’s US development team. In its latest financial report, the company also boasted the free-to-play hero shooter topped Steam’s global sellers chart after launch and … Read more

Street Fighter film gets new director, still set for 2026

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The live-action Street Fighter film now has a new director: Kitao Sakurai. Capcom is “deeply involved with the adaptation” reports The Hollywood Reporter, and it’s still set to release on 20th March 2026. The Japanese-American filmmaker most recently directed Netflix film Bad Trip starring comedian Eric André. Sakurai also wrote, directed and exec produced The … Read more

Sony responds to Marathon reboot director’s $200m wrongful dismissal lawsuit, alleges ‘disturbing communications’ with female employees

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Sony has responded to former Destiny 2 and Marathon reboot director Christopher Barrett’s $200m USD wrongful dismissal lawsuit, detailing Barrett’s alleged ‘disturbing communications’ with female subordinates – including “sexually charged games of ‘Truth or Dare’”. Barrett’s departure from Bungie was first reported last March, amid word of a leadership shakeup at the studio. However, it … Read more