GameBurst

In an industry increasingly fractured by the volatile economics of games-as-a-service models, Hasbro has made a definitive, multi-million dollar counter-move. Chief executive Chris Cocks has committed $1 billion strictly toward internal, premium single-player AAA experiences via Wizards of the Coast. This bold rejection of the live-service trend headlines this week's GameBurst podcast, alongside Valve's substantial architectural overhaul of Steam's tag infrastructure—a crucial quality-of-life upgrade aimed at breathing fresh air into organic discoverability for hard-pressed independent developers. Meanwhile, historic milestones and prestigious recognitions bookend the industry's recent cultural footprint. Re-Logic's sandbox phenomenon Terraria has cross-examined its staying power by clearing a monumental 70 million units sold worldwide just in time for its 15th anniversary. Striking a grander historical note, the iconic, heavy-metal-infused 1993 Doom soundtrack has officially been selected for induction into the US National Recording Registry, formally cementing interactive media's aesthetic importance to global heritage. The team also breaks down Sony's impending June State of Play marathon, a raft of Develop:Star award nominations for Clair Obscur and Ghost of Yōtei, and our personal multimedia picks of the week spanning Mixtape to Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. #gameburst Featured Video Links: https://youtu.be/0o8xYjdA6x4?si=bEW98KuANqYVFPi1

This week on GameBurst, the team covered a bumper week in gaming news — headlined by the news that Rebellion's post-apocalyptic British gem Atomfall is heading to television, with the Emmy-winning writers behind Fleabag attached to pen the series. It's a fitting creative match for a game that won Best British Game at this year's BAFTA Game Awards. Elsewhere, retro enthusiasts have plenty to look forward to: clamshell handhelds based on the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum are due in October at £109.99, complete with 25 built-in games and MicroSD expansion — with limited collector's editions bundled with reproduction issues of Crash and Zzap! magazine. RPG fans got a firm release date for Blood of the Dawnwalker — the dark fantasy debut from Witcher 3 veterans Rebel Wolves — confirmed for 3 September 2026 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, alongside ten minutes of atmospheric new gameplay footage. Nintendo's cinematic ambitions continue to grow, with Universal quietly confirming a third Nintendo and Illumination animated film for April 2028 — with a Donkey Kong spin-off widely speculated to be in the frame. In community news, Games Done Quick is heading to Europe for the first time, partnering with Gamescom in Cologne this August for a three-day charity speedrunning showcase benefiting Gaming for Democracy. Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus subscribers can claim EA Sports FC 26 and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers from the start of May — and Xbox Game Pass users will welcome price cuts, with Ultimate now dropping to $22.99 per month, though new Call of Duty titles will no longer be included at launch. Pick of the Week this episode, Taylor recommended the YouTube channel Spinosnack — worth a look for gaming content with a distinctive edge. Join Gary, Jerome and Taylor again next Sunday for more video gaming news. #gameburst YouTube links from this episode: Taylor's Pick of the Week: https://www.youtube.com/@Spinosnack

This week on GameBurst, the team digs into a packed fortnight for the industry, from blockbuster release confirmations to hardware surprises and the ongoing turbulence reshaping the games business. Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto VI remains firmly on course for its 19 November 2026 launch, with Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick confirming a summer marketing push — and developers moving swiftly to quash viral rumours of a third delay. Meanwhile, Playground Games has confirmed that its long-anticipated Fable reboot will arrive simultaneously on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC this autumn, breaking the franchise's historically Xbox-exclusive heritage and landing on Game Pass from day one. Two notable releases hit shelves this week: Capcom's sci-fi action title Pragmata and Nintendo's life simulator Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, both landing after years of anticipation. Nintendo also continues to build momentum around the Switch 2, with a Handheld Boost Mode update now enabling original Switch titles to run at 1080p in portable play, and Pokémon Champions dominating the eShop charts since its 8 April debut. Summer Game Fest 2026 is confirmed for 5 June at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with Geoff Keighley also announcing the return of Play Days and a new trade event, The Game Business Live. And in hardware news, UK outfit Blaze Entertainment has unveiled the Evercade Nexus — its most ambitious handheld yet — featuring a 5.89-inch IPS screen, dual analogue sticks, wireless multiplayer, and a bundled Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack, priced at £169.99 and due in October. On a more sobering note, Ubisoft has announced a significant corporate restructuring, with further cuts at its Paris headquarters. The news arrives against a backdrop of continued industry-wide contraction, with a Newzoo/GDC survey finding around 28% of developers had been laid off in recent times. For picks of the week: Gary spotlights board game 1822: The Railways of Great Britain and Thomas & Friends: Wonders of Sodor; Jerome recommends The Rogue Prince of Persia and the Murderbot TV show on Apple TV; and Taylor highlights the Evercade VS-R alongside the excellent YouTube channel of Kim Justice. #gameburst YouTube links: Kim Justice: https://www.youtube.com/@Kim_Justice

In a week dominated by big announcements and bigger surprises, GameBurst returns for its weekly roundup of all things video gaming. Microsoft lifted the curtain on Project Helix at GDC 2026, its next-generation console powered by a custom AMD SoC and promising significant advances in ray tracing and neural rendering — though a consumer launch remains some way off, with developer kits not expected until 2027. Meanwhile, Nintendo took a different kind of swing, filing suit against the US government to reclaim tariff payments ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court in February. On the opposite end of the fortunes spectrum, Wildlight Entertainment's team shooter Highguard shut its servers permanently just weeks after launch, a sobering reminder of how unforgiving the live-service market has become. More cheerfully, Pokémon Pokopia proved the doubters wrong, sending Nintendo's share price surging 15% on the back of 2.2 million copies sold in its opening four days. And in entertainment crossover news, Donald Glover was revealed as the voice of Yoshi in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, arriving in cinemas on 1 April alongside a star-studded cast. For Pick of the Week, Gary has been racing through Cities Skylines: Race Day DLC, Jerome has been exploring the mysterious Esoteric Ebb, and Taylor has been diving into the much-anticipated RE9. All that and more on this week's GameBurst. 🎮 #gameburst Links: Xbox Reveals Project Helix at GDC 2026 Nintendo Sues the US Government Over Trump Tariffs Highguard Shuts Down Servers Just Weeks After Launch Pokémon Pokopia Sends Nintendo's Share Price Soaring Donald Glover to Voice Yoshi in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

In this week's episode of GameBurst, we navigate a particularly turbulent period for the video game industry, marked by significant leadership shifts and mounting legal pressures. We lead with the executive upheaval at Xbox, where the sudden departures of stalwarts Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond have forced a swift pledge from new leadership to return the brand to its console hardware roots. The legal landscape for Valve also intensifies this week. The PC gaming giant is currently facing a dual-front battle: a lawsuit from the New York attorney general over alleged illegal gambling within loot box systems, and a staggering £656m collective action claim in the UK courts regarding Steam's market dominance. Meanwhile, the human cost of industry consolidation is felt at Eurogamer and Outside Xbox, which have been hit by a fresh wave of editorial layoffs following their acquisition in 2024. On a brighter note for fans of gothic platforming, Konami has announced Castlevania: Belmont's Curse for a 2026 release, developed in collaboration with the team behind Dead Cells. We also discuss the departure of creative director Clint Hocking from Ubisoft's upcoming Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe and dive into our Picks of the Week, featuring the board game Speakeasy and the latest from LumiBricks. Finally, we address community feedback regarding the ethics of game ratings and the evolution of the podcast's format. #gameburst

In this week's episode of GameBurst, we examine a series of significant disruptions across the video gaming industry, from retail collapses to industrial action. We report on the high-street stalwart GAME, which has reportedly filed for administration, potentially ending its long-standing presence in British retail. Meanwhile, Valve faces a substantial £656m class action lawsuit in the UK over allegations of anti-competitive practices on its Steam platform. The programme also covers the four-day strike launched by Ubisoft unions in France over wages and return-to-office policies, and Jagex's firm commitment to human artistry by rejecting generative AI for in-game content. Additionally, we analyze Microsoft's hardware struggles as Xbox revenue continues to decline. For this week's "Pick of the Week," our panel shares their latest experiences, ranging from the indie title MIO: Memories in Orbit to a visit to Nuuksio National Park in Helsinki. #gameburst YouTube Links: If Ryan is dead, then where is the body? by Siobhan Brier Aguilar: https://youtu.be/vrUir0fnB4Q?si=X37HzJFuujbJaJh9 Gary's MixCloud https://www.mixcloud.com/Xantiriad/

New #gameburst: Chloe Price returns in Life is Strange, Sophie Turner is Lara Croft, and Sony purges the PS Store. Plus, picks including Indiana Jones and The Outer Worlds 2. Pre-order James Batchelor's Pokemon history book now! Pre-order "The History of the Pokemon Games" by James Batchelor: Pen & Sword: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-History-of-the-Pokemon-Games-Hardback/p/57238 Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-history-of-the-pokemon-games/james-batchelor/9781036100988

Total War: Medieval III confirmed! Sony links with Left 4 Dead co-creator for a new shooter, and Amazon is building a "unified universe" for Tomb Raider. Plus, Dan Houser compares open-world games to Dickens. #gameburst

The gaming world felt the tremor of resolution this week as Epic Games and Google settled their landmark Android lawsuit, concluding a five-year legal battle over mobile app store practices. Meanwhile, the digital landscape received a blast from the past: Springfield's finest, The Simpsons, have descended upon Fortnite in a huge crossover event, turning the battle royale map into a delightfully absurd animated town. In hardware news, Nintendo's Switch 2 is cementing its place in history, reportedly having sold an astronomical 11 million units since its June debut, outpacing the PlayStation 5's launch success. Not all news was celebratory, however, as Rockstar Games disputed allegations that staff firings were linked to union activity, bringing the contentious issue of workers' rights back into sharp focus. Finally, while Arc Raiders climbs to the top of the OpenCritic charts as the highest-rated multiplayer shooter, fans are finding solace in the unexpected return of therapeutic gameplay with the release of PowerWash Simulator 2. Hear Gary, Jerome, and Taylor dive into these headlines, plus their personal picks including Hades 2 and the board game The Old Kings Crown, on the latest GameBurst Podcast. Links https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/357873/the-old-kings-crown https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/429405/orloj-the-prague-astronomical-clock

This week's GameBurst podcast dives into the big talking points shaping the video game landscape. We dissect the phenomenal, yet technically troubled, launch of Battlefield 6, which has smashed sales records despite widespread player complaints about bugs and exploits. The conversation then pivots to the origins of its rival, as industry veteran Vince Zampella makes the provocative claim that Call of Duty only came into existence due to poor management at Electronic Arts. We also mourn the loss of a design titan, Tomonobu Itagaki, the acclaimed creator of the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden series. The crew looks at the newly confirmed, horror-heavy PlayStation Plus line-up, the enduring debate over the $100 price tag for Grand Theft Auto 6, and the persistent rumours of a 2027 launch for the next generation of consoles, the PS6 and the new Xbox. Finally, our picks of the week span the nostalgic return of Yooka-Replaylee, the mythological intensity of Hades 2, and the feudal intrigue of Ghost of Yotei. Listen now to catch all the news and debate. #gameburst

The latest GameBurst podcast is here with a deep dive into the biggest stories from the world of video games. This episode covers the latest reveals from the Tokyo Game Show and the recent Sony State of Play event. Get the scoop on the newly revealed Marvel's Wolverine gameplay and its 2026 release window, plus confirmation that Forza Horizon 6 will be set in Japan. The show also features a look at the remastered cyberpunk classic Deus Ex and the surprise addition of Bruce Lee to Hitman: World of Assassination. Other highlights include new details about the single-player campaign for Battlefield 6 and the casting of Gemma Chan in the upcoming 007: First Light game. The hosts also share their "Pick of the Week," with Jerome highlighting the games Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist and Hollowknight: Silksong, as well as the video "Beast Wars Is Shakespeare: The Value of Garbage Media".

Gamescom 2025 shattered attendance records, Tim Sweeney blames devs for Unreal Engine 5 performance issues, and Capcom's RE Engine gets new hair tech. We've got all the news plus our picks of the week! #gameburst

Nintendo Switch 2 breaks sales records; Zelda Switch 2 editions impress. Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy set nets $200m. FF14 patch 7.3 arrives soon. New Resident Evil film details, 2XKO's competitive edge, and The Last of Us script book. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers patch incoming. #gameburst