Latest Multi-platform Game News &amp; Updates

King of the Hill showrunner says Jonathan Joss’ passing was not the reason for John Redcorn’s big change this season

Saladin Patterson talks about the death of Jonathan Joss and says that isn't why Nancy breaks up with John Redcorn this season

Jimothy the Raccoon is already in Skyrim and Stardew Valley

Seattle celebrity raccoon Jimothy is winning hearts and minds and a spot in games, thanks to modders and World of Warcraft.

🎮 Skyrim🎮 Stardew Valley

Even sexy Skyrim mods aren't safe from AI slop anymore

Bethesda's popular RPG is seeing a surge of AI-generated content, some of which has been downloaded millions of times

🎮 Skyrim🎮 Elder Scrolls

What time does Black Ops 7 Season 5 start in your time zone?

All the details about when Black Ops 7 Season 5 starts and what to expect from the update.

🎮 Call of Duty🎮 Warzone

🎮 Nintendo Basically Says That Splatoon 4

Nintendo Basically Says That Splatoon 4 Will Happen

While Splatoon Raiders looks like a pivot from Nintendo's competitive multiplayer-focused franchise, a producer on the series confirmed that PvP gameplay in Splatoon will endure, even uttering the phrase "Splatoon 4" in an interview. Nintendo's Ask the Developer feature(https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-22-splatoon-raiders-part-1/) (per Nintendo Life(https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/07/nintendo-all-but-confirms-that-splatoon-4-is-on-the-way)) included a question that straight-up asked producer Seita Inoue why a spin-off is the franchise's next entry(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/splatoon-raiders-spin-off-game-announced-for-nintendo-switch-2/1100-6532308/) instead of a proper Splatoon 4. Inoue clarified that though Raiders is a markedly different game, Nintendo will "continue to develop competitive gameplay going forward." In short, the reasons for creating Raiders "as a spin-off and not as 'Splatoon 4'" came from Nintendo's desire to create "something with a slightly different approach to gameplay" and "a new entry point into the series," according to Inoue. Citing the PvE Salmon Run mode from Splatoon 2 and 3 and the single-player story modes in all three mainline games, Inoue emphasized that the series "isn’t just about competitive play." In Inoue's words, Nintendo has been "going full speed ahead for over 11 years since the series’ launch, developing and updating three titles along the way." Splatoon 3 was a sales hit(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/splatoon-3-is-fastest-selling-game-of-all-time-in-japan/1100-6507376/) when it launched in 2022, so making a fourth, traditional Splatoon game as a Switch 2 exclusive is an easy prediction to make. These comments from Splatoon developers only solidify the possibility further. GameSpot's Splatoon Raiders review(https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/splatoon-raiders-shows-the-series-should-have-always-been-a-looter-shooter/) calls it "loads of fun," with "a single-player campaign that’s much more satisfying than its past attempts to inject a story campaign into the main games." The Switch 2 game releases on July 23. Nintendo’s Top-Selling Switch 2 Games Of All Time !4692577-screenshot2026-05-08at10.53.20 am.png(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1179/11799911/4692577-screenshot2026-05-08at10.53.20 am.png?w=636) !4692568-screenshot2026-05-08at10.43.37 am.png(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1179/11799911/4692568-screenshot2026-05-08at10.43.37 am.png?w=636) !4692569-screenshot2026-05-08at10.44.28 am.png(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1179/11799911/4692569-screenshot2026-05-08at10.44.28 am.png?w=636) !4692570-screenshot2026-05-08at10.45.34 am.png(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1179/11799911/4692570-screenshot2026-05-08at10.45.34 am.png?w=636) !4692571-screenshot2026-05-08at10.46.29 am.png(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1179/11799911/4692571-screenshot2026-05-08at10.46.29 am.png?w=636) !4692574-screenshot2026-05-08at10.47.26 am.png(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1179/11799911/4692574-screenshot2026-05-08at10.47.26 am.png?w=636) View Images(https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/nintendos-top-selling-switch-2-games-of-all-time/2900-7694/)

🎮 X-Men: Who🎮 Here's what the comics

Avengers vs. X-Men: Who will win in Avengers: Doomsday? Here's what the comics reveal

How well do the mutants stack up against Earth's Mightiest Heroes?

GTA 6's Jason may be the series' best character yet, if his clothes are anything to go by

GTA 6's Jason has a lot of clothing options, and I'm hoping that means he'll have a stronger, better developed worldview than most GTA characters

🎮 GTA

Hasbro Is Betting On Fewer, Bigger Video Games After $56 Million Write-Down

Hasbro's ambitious plan to expand into video games appears to have hit an expensive snag, as the company has recorded a $56 million impairment charge related to its video games portfolio for 2028 and beyond, according to its second-quarter earnings results. For the uninitiated, an impairment charge is a sudden loss of value for an asset, making it worth far less than what a company originally paid for it. "Over the last several quarters, we have reviewed our portfolio and updated our plans for Hasbro's digital future," Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks said(https://investor.hasbro.com/static-files/72d34d76-438d-4a35-bdc1-6c243889db0a) to shareholders. "That work included canceling several games scheduled for release in 2028 and beyond and recording a $56 million non-cash write-down this quarter for related capitalized costs. The write-down reflects the standard we are applying to the portfolio. We are focusing our digital investment behind the franchises, platforms, and partners where we see the clearest upside and where Hasbro has the strongest right to win." According to Cocks, Hasbro will have four priorities going forward for its video game projects--focus, cost discipline, ownable platforms, and partnership. The plan includes a new focus on "trading card games and role-playing games," a decrease in total digital spend, prioritizing its own IP, and finding the right partners for these projects. Cocks cited Scopely as a prime example, as the studio's work on Monopoly Go(https://www.gamespot.com/games/monopoly-go/) is expected to exceed a lifetime revenue of $8 billion later this year. While Hasbro had big video game plans lined up, recent years have seen the company scale back and cancel several of its projects. It hasn't detailed exactly which games got cut, but it did mention that sci-fi adventure Exodus(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/exodus-looks-to-fill-the-space-opera-rpg-void-left-by-mass-effect/1100-6536865/) and its Dungeons & Dragons game Warlock are still scheduled to launch in 2027. While Atomic Arcade--the studio behind a new GI Joe game featuring fan-favorite character Snake Eyes--had layoffs earlier this year, Hasbro said that the developer's project still remains in development. "The digital strategy is straightforward. We are taking lower-conviction-projects out of the portfolio, reducing our annual spend base and concentrating investment behind the places where Hasbro has the best chance to build durable digital franchises: Magic, D&D, owned platforms, partner-led economics, and a concentrated number of high-conviction owned titles," Cocks added. Hasbro initially announced that it had formed six new internal studios in 2022, but since then, there have been some big changes behind the scenes. Baldur's Gate 3 and Monopoly Go were early hits for Hasbro, but in 2023, five of its game projects were canceled, and there were sweeping layoffs throughout its newly formed video game division. In 2024, head of digital product development Dan Ayoub said that Hasbro had invested $1 billion(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/following-baldurs-gate-3-wotc-and-hasbro-are-investing-1-billion-in-their-aaa-game-ecosystem/1100-6522241/) across its Invoke, Archtype, Skeleton Key, and Atomic Arcade game studios, and in 2026, Ayoub told The Game Business(https://www.thegamebusiness.com/p/hasbro-is-spending-1bn-making-video) that not a single one of those projects was designed to be a game-as-a-service title. In May, Hasbro confirmed that the single-player action-adventure title set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-wars-jedi-veterans-dungeons-dragons-game-has-been-canceled/1100-6540045/) and being developed by Giant Skull--the studio founded by Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and God of War 3 director Stig Asmussen--had been canceled.

🎮 Hasbro

We Finally Know Xal’atath’s Evil Plan For The World Of Warcraft

After years of theories and speculation, World of Warcraft players may have finally uncovered the real endgame of its current main villain, Xal'atath. Xal'atath has been Azeroth's big bad for the past several expansions, but aside from amassing power in her Dark Heart artifact, her exact motivations haven't been entirely clear. She doesn't seem to work for the Old Gods but for herself, though to what end has been up for debate. Now, a datamined bit of dialogue from the game's upcoming 12.1 update may have just revealed her ultimate goal: one that will almost certainly spell doom for Azeroth and perhaps even the entire Warcraft universe. Potential spoilers for patch 12.1 and future updates below. As spotted by Reddit(https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/1v1pyas/spoilersdataminedigcscriptsshowxalataths/) user rapunzel1213, a datamined (and likely subject-to-change) script from the game's 12.1 public-test realm looks to have revealed Xal'atath's true goal, and it's not to corrupt or destroy Azeroth. No, it's to become Azeroth herself. https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/1v1pyas/spoilersdataminedigcscriptsshowxalataths/ For a little context, the last few expansions have built up the idea that within the planet Azeroth is a slumbering Worldsoul, essentially an unborn cosmic entity called a Titan. Azeroth, however, is not just any Worldsoul, but the Prime Worldsoul. It's for that reason Azeroth seems to be in many ways the center of the Warcraft universe. The Titans sought to protect Azeroth's Worldsoul, the Burning Legion sought to destroy it, and the Void aimed to corrupt it, knowing it would be the most powerful being in the universe were it to ever awaken. Xal'atath, it seems, is looking to become the ultimate power in the universe by somehow merging with Azeroth's Worldsoul. The datamined script looks to be part of patch 12.1's Epilogue, setting up the events of patch 12.2. In it, Arator and Orweyna arrive to deliver an urgent message to Blood Elf leaders Lor'themar and Liadrin. "Xal'atath has reached the Worldsoul," Arator says. "We have to move now. We have to find a way down there, blast open the coreway, anything." Liadrin asks if they don't make it in time if Xal'atath will consume Azeroth. "No," Orweyna replies. "Xal'atath will become her." Other datamined information, like a new Renown faction called the Radiant Core, does indicate players will indeed be heading to the Worldsoul chamber as patch of 12.2. Content creators like Bellular(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuTl3jdD874) have done a great job putting all the pieces together, if you want more context. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuTl3jdD874 Plus, there's the whole fact that Blizzard is calling this current expansion trilogy (of which Midnight is the second act) the "Worldsoul Saga." It would certainly be weird if players didn't confront the Worldsoul-sized elephant in the room at some point during this expansion. If Xal'atath does become Azeroth, that certainly raises some questions about the game's next expansion, The Last Titan. Is Xal'atath the titular last Titan? Or will players defeat her, cleansing Azeroth of her influence and ushering in a new age? Players will have to wait to find out, but it's clear WoW's narrative stakes have never been higher, and fans are eager to see how it will all play out. As players ponder Xal'atath's endgame, many are still trying to wrap their heads around WoW's latest lore reveal involving the Haranir(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-of-warcrafts-haranir-lore-reveal-has-players-scratching-their-heads/). And for those wondering what's next for the Warcraft franchise, an alleged leak(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-once-dismissed-warcraft-leak-may-have-just-revealed-blizzards-huge-plans-for-the-franchise/) may have revealed new games and shows set in Blizzard's fantasy universe.

Neill Blomkamp’s AI Film Has Fans Asking For District 10 Instead

A handful of filmmakers have begun testing the waters of AI-generated movies, and this week, Gran Turismo director Neill Blomkamp(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gran-turismo-director-neill-blomkamp-seems-unsure-about-district-9-sequel/1100-6517274/) showed off a 14-minute short that was made entirely with the technology. Could the famed director of cult-classic movies like District 9 and Elysium be one of the first people in Hollywood to use generative AI in a way that wasn't met with overwhelming negativity? Probably not, as the comments for Blomkamp's latest project have ranged from apathetic to hostile, with pleas(https://x.com/adamhlavac/status/2079328653276758464) for the filmmaker to make a District 10 film instead. Blomkamp's project, Nightborne, features 32 AI characters based on real actors, according to him. Clocking in at around 14 minutes, the short film follows a helicopter pilot who has been resurrected into a zombie super-soldier. "I've been experimenting with AI for a couple of years, and it's now at the point where I want to tackle a full feature in this format. This is a 13-minute test start," Blomkamp said online. https://youtu.be/8Wbtt2JxP7g Like other AI-generated films, Nightbourne suffers from several technical issues. Characters and assets are hamstrung by various inconsistencies--from injuries to pocket pens--wooden acting, and the overall production having a very uncanny-valley vibe to it. Comments have been less than kind, with celebrated comic book creator Stjepan Seijic dropping a barb of note: https://twitter.com/stjepansejic/status/2079235069881819626 Negative comments aside, Blomkamp seems intent on producing a feature-length movie with generative AI, and he announced that he had created a studio dedicated to the project called Barley Studios. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan's Greek epic The Odyssey has gotten off to a strong start at the box office and is being hailed as one of the best movies of the year. While Nolan has once again emphasized how important the human factor is in making a film like The Odyssey, other opportunistic companies are attempting to ride his coattails by making their own version of an ancient story with generative AI. While production company Fountain 0 and director Ash Koosha have admitted that their AI-generated project, Odysseus: The Fall(https://variety.com/2026/film/news/ai-generated-odyssey-film-fountain-0-dreams-of-violets-1236810051/), won't be on the same level as Nolan's movie, the people behind it are hoping it'll start new discussions on how AI can be used to make movies.

🎮 s AI Film

🟩 Xbox, VR, Multi-platform

Xbox Game Pass Is Going Somewhere You Probably Forgot About

Xbox Game Pass is teaming up with another subscription service this week, albeit one that appeals to a niche section of gamers. Facebook parent group Meta and Xbox have announced that a starter edition of Xbox Game Pass is now available to Meta Horizon+ subscribers, giving them access to over 50 games via cloud streaming. Games can also be downloaded directly from the cloud and onto a Meta Quest headset, and the starting lineup includes a mix of AAA hits and classic indies. One thing to note is that cloud-streaming games do have a time limit of 10 hours per month through this subscription, and a high-speed internet connection is also required. So far, the list includes(https://www.meta.com/blog/quest-3s-xbox-edition-bundle/) games like Fallout 76, Fallout 4, Overcooked 2, Grounded, DayZ, Deep Rock Galactic, and Snowrunner. Meta says that players will soon be able to use their Meta Quest Touch controllers to emulate an Xbox controller, or if you already have one, you can pair it with the headset to play games. If you're unfamiliar with it, Meta Horizon+ is a subscription service similar to Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, as it offers users a library of VR games, deals, and a few freebies for an $8 fee every month or $60 annually. If you'd prefer a bigger library, you can also access Xbox Game Pass Ultimate via the dedicated Xbox app on the Meta marketplace, and use cloud streaming to access those games. This is a separate--and pricier--subscription, and to ensure lag-free gaming, a 5Ghz internet connection is recommended. This isn't the first time that Meta and Xbox have teamed up, as last year, the companies unveiled the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition that featured a carbon black color scheme, matching Touch Plus controllers, an Xbox controller, an Elite Strap, and a three-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-game-pass-price-games-tiers/1100-6524825/). That version of the virtual- and mixed-reality headset is designed to be a smaller sibling to the older Quest 3 headset, and in a nutshell, its lenses aren't quite as impressive in comparison. It does have slightly improved battery life, and it is cheaper, but the price of these headsets recently increased(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/meta-quest-3-vr-headset-prices-are-increasing-making-reality-more-expensive-to-escape/1100-6539447/) by $50-$100 each. Meta said that the current global memory shortage led to price increases, but it pledged to keep Quest headset accessories at their current prices. Both of these headsets are popular as entry-level devices, as they're fairly powerful and they're completely wireless, while the game library includes well-received titles like Batman(https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/batman-arkham-shadow-review-i-am-batman/1900-6418308/) and Deadpool VR(https://www.gamespot.com/games/marvels-deadpool-vr/) games. The Best Xbox Game Pass Games In 2026 !4499283-game-pass-2025.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4499283-game-pass-2025.jpg?w=636) !4674631-absolum.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4674631-absolum.jpg?w=636) !4517812-the-alters.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4517812-the-alters.jpg?w=636) !4656146-avatar.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4656146-avatar.jpg?w=636) !4451894-4356216-avowedscreencombatkaixaurip.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1585/15855271/4451894-4356216-avowedscreencombatkaixaurip.jpg?w=636) !4451893-4270078-sse32ac94d7d1d6be7dd015d78f2b52aeb4cc282ed.1920x1080.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1585/15855271/4451893-4270078-sse32ac94d7d1d6be7dd015d78f2b52aeb4cc282ed.1920x1080.jpg?w=636) !4397033-batman-arkham-knight.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4397033-batman-arkham-knight.jpg?w=636) View Images(https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/best-xbox-game-pass-games/2900-4001/)

🎮 Horizon🎮 Xbox Game Pass