Latest Multi-platform Game News &amp; Updates

🎮 PlayStation, Xbox, Multi-platform

Another Game Skips Last-Gen, As Dying Light: The Beast Dumps PS4/Xbox One

Dying Light: The Beast was released last year for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with developer Techland promising a last-gen version of the game as well. That's no longer the case, as the studio says it has made the "difficult decision" to cancel the PS4 and Xbox One versions, due to the game's visuals being too advanced for those systems to handle. "Dying Light: The Beast was built from the ground up to take full advantage of current-generation hardware," Techland said(https://x.com/DyingLightGame/status/2077000243455906018) in a statement. "Its open world, advanced visuals, and fluid combat and traversal all depend on processing power and memory that previous-generation consoles simply cannot provide." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ17PvGRgF0 Techland added that while development progressed on the last-gen versions, it came to the conclusion that the games would need to be technically compromised in a way that impacted the experience the studio sought to offer players. The developer added that it wasn't a matter of leaving those older platforms behind, but that they could not keep up with the demands of the game. Anyone who was expecting to play Dying Light: The Beast on PS4 or Xbox One and preordered the game will be eligible for a refund. Dying Light: The Beast isn't the only game to pull the plug on a last-gen release. The last few years have seen numerous titles focus purely on current-gen tech and PC, like Gotham Knights(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gotham-knights-will-not-offer-performance-mode-on-console-runs-only-at-30-fps/1100-6508324/) and Hogwarts Legacy(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hogwarts-legacy-last-gen-ports-delayed/1100-6512076/), while Cyberpunk 2077's major updates and Phantom Liberty expansion skipped the older consoles(https://www.gamespot.com/videos/cyberpunk-2077-reveals-dlc-ditches-last-gen-consoles/2300-6459403/) as well--likely due to the game suffering from severe performance issues on those platforms. The world of Dying Light: The Beast expanded with a free update(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-dying-light-the-beast-update-makes-your-choices-actually-matter-for-once/1100-6539002/) back in March that put much more emphasis on survival. The new mode allowed players to permanently clear out zombies from zones and repopulate them with people, but the catch with the Restored Land update was that supplies would be harder to find due to them no longer respawning, containers weren't as plentiful with goodies, and shops would charge a premium for their stock. "Techland's expansion turned standalone sequel winds up being the most enjoyable Dying Light so far, because it dials back the power fantasy," Mark Delaney wrote in GameSpot's Dying Light: The Beast review(https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dying-light-the-beast-review/1900-6418407/).

🎮 s brand-new puzzle game

Annapurna’s brand-new puzzle game is too nuanced for its own good

D-topia asks big questions about the future through gentle problem-solving, but it's too wholesome to ever get too serious.

PolygonIndie, Newsabout 1 month ago

🟩 Xbox, Multi-platform

EverQuest’s biggest fans are leading its revival

Live-service games and the companies that run them are in big trouble. Games and their developers are getting shut down and gutted, and publishers' huge promises are dubious. Meanwhile, EverQuest, one of the original live-service games, is thundering back more than 25 years later. EverQuest Legends is currently in preorder beta with an upcoming release &8230;

TheNewsabout 1 month ago

Netflix just added a 5-part post-apocalypse series so good you'll binge it in one week

The Hunger Games is now complete on Netflix. Here's why Suzanne Collins' dystopian saga still feels eerily relevant almost 20 years later.

Sorry, You’re (Probably) Never Going To Get Another Need For Speed Game

As Criterion focuses on Battlefield moving forward, Battlefield Studios Europe's vice president and general manager, Rebecka Coutaz, has confirmed that the Need for Speed and Burnout franchises are not the focus of the company anymore. "We're not here to talk about the past," she said during a celebration of Criterion's 30th anniversary (via IGN(https://www.ign.com/articles/criterions-future-is-battlefield-but-dont-forget-the-burnout-heritage-within-its-walls)). When directly asked whether the studio is focusing on any other projects, Coutaz said, "We are solely focused on Battlefield." Criterion took over developing the Need for Speed games beginning with 2010's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, a reboot of 1998's Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. It was also responsible for Need for Speed Rivals and 2022's Need for Speed Unbound. The studio also developed the Burnout franchise between 2001 and 2018, which raises doubts that the series will ever make a return, either. With Courtaz confirming that Criterion's focus is now on Battlefield, she acknowledged some of the studio's strengths that came from the Burnout and Need for Speed games. "Yes, it used to be cars and less guns. But it's the overall player experience that we are sharing with the same intensity," she said. "The intensity, the cinematic view, the instant reward moment that our players love on Battlefield, those are really the strengths of Criterion." As Criterion puts all of its resources into Battlefield, it's easier to get cosmetics(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fomo-in-battlefield-6-gets-a-small-reduction-but-itll-cost-you/) you might have missed. It's a small improvement, but one of the more meaningful updates was rolled back due to "a mistake."(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-6-almost-made-a-great-change-twice-but-both-were-an-error/)

US States Are Trying to Stop Paramount Skydance From Owning Mortal Kombat (And Everything Else)

Paramount Skydance's plan to take over Warner Bros. Discovery(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/paramount-skydance-is-buying-mortal-kombat-and-batman-but-thats-not-all-its-doing-to-expand-its-gaming-footprint/) is facing a new hurdle, as several states are suing the company to prevent the proposed $111 billion acquisition. In total, 12 state attorneys have formed a coalition to stop the merger, citing that it'll be a violation of the a violation of the Clayton Act antitrust law that was designed to block monopolies from forming. "There is no debate here: This merger will snuff out competition, drive up prices, diminish content quality, and produce fewer movies and shows each year," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said (via THR(https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/paramount-sued-warner-bros-merger-1236631313/)). Alongside California, the lawsuit also includes state attorneys from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington. In response, Paramount Skydance claims that the lawsuit represents a "fundamentally flawed application" of antitrust laws, and it still maintains that the merger will allow it to better compete with entertainment giants like Netflix. The streaming giant had originally intended to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, but intense lobbying by Paramount and the offer of a higher purchase price to shareholders eventually saw Netflix pull out from the deal. The states have also argued that the movie market will be disrupted, as Paramount will potentially control more than 30% of the movies hitting theaters. This could result in cinemas having to make changes that will harm their bottom line, like caps on discounts, less investment in improving their facilities, and being forced to raise ticket prices if Paramount Skydance decides to charge a larger fee for their films. "Movie theatres rely on competition between Paramount and Warner Bros," the complaint from the states reads. "Through this competition, theatres incentivize creativity and quality, and they secure competitive prices and terms for themselves and for audiences." While Paramount Skydance stands to gain valuable film IP, film studios, sports properties, and television networks from the deal, it'll also become the owner of Warner Bros. Games(https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/netflix-could-own-all-these-warner-bros-game-studios-soon/2900-7310/1). This will give it access to various franchises and studios, like Hogwarts Legacy developer Portkey Games, Mortal Kombat studio NetherRealm Games, and much more. Paramount CEO David Ellison is a noted gamer, and the company is already involved in gaming projects like the upcoming Call of Duty movie(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-movie-everything-we-know-about-the-activision-paramount-film/1100-6536962/). Recently, Paramount Skydance announced a new in-house game development studio, Paramount Games Studio, and some of its upcoming projects include Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra and a Star Trek horror game(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-studio-behind-silent-hill-2-remake-is-taking-star-trek-somewhere-unexpected/) with Silent Hill 2 remake developer Bloober Team. Paramount Could Own All These Warner Bros. Game Studios Soon !4616655-netflixwb.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4616655-netflixwb.jpg?w=1024) !4616645-hogwartslegacy2.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4616645-hogwartslegacy2.jpg?w=1024) !4616646-hogwartslegacy1.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4616646-hogwartslegacy1.jpg?w=1024) !4616647-mortalkombat1.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4616647-mortalkombat1.jpg?w=1024) !4616641-batmanarkhamknight.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4616641-batmanarkhamknight.jpg?w=1024) !4616648-tt-games.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4616648-tt-games.jpg?w=1024) !4616643-legobatman.jpg(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/original/1601/16018044/4616643-legobatman.jpg?w=1024) View Images(https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/netflix-could-own-all-these-warner-bros-game-studios-soon/2900-7310/)

🎮 Mortal Kombat

Star Wars' latest story fixes the controversial ending of The Rise of Skywalker

Madeleine Roux addresses how the bond between Rey and Leia in Star Wars: Legacy reshapes the meaning behind Rey's lineage in The Rise of Skywalker.

Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday Infinity Vision tickets go on sale next week

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Infinity Vision tickets for Avengers: Doomsday will go on sale next week.

Stephen King's The Long Walk just hit #1 on HBO Max after just one day

The Long Walk had a long walk to theaters

Marvel's next big solo movie could revive the Guardians of the Galaxy era

Loki creator, Avengers: Doomsday co-writer Michael Waldron is developing Nova

LA Noire Could Have Featured A Different, Very Famous, And More Expensive Lead Actor

The 2011 detective game LA Noire, which was published by GTA company Rockstar Games, starred Mad Men actor Aaron Staton as the lead character, Cole Phelps. A writer on the game has now revealed that a different Mad Men actor, Jon Hamm, was considered for the role as well. Staton portrayed Ken Cosgrove on Mad Men, with Hamm playing the show's leading role, Don Draper. Daniel McMahon told IGN(https://www.ign.com/articles/la-noire-developer-considered-mad-men-star-jon-hamm-for-the-role-of-cole-phelps-but-had-a-very-good-reason-for-going-with-aaron-staton-instead) that Mad Men and LA Noire had the same casting director, and that Hamm was "discussed as a possibility for the role of Cole Phelps." "It was never said at the time, but now, I understand the vision which was Jon Hamm is a wonderful actor, but he's not Cole Phelps," McMahon said. !(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lanoire.png) Aaron Staton as Cole Phelps in LA Noire. McMahon went on to say that Staton was "much better at portraying Cole's fragility." "He's very smart, but he's also young, not very experienced, and he's just trying his best. So, I think Jon Hamm would've been incredible, but expensive, and probably, in the end, not as good casting for that character as Aaron Staton was," he explained. LA Noire was developed by Team Bondi, and it never got a sequel. Earlier this year, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said the company is considering future projects for all of its franchises(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/take-two-boss-gives-hope-for-la-noire-2-and-other-sequels/1100-6539678/), and that includes LA Noire. LA Noire was developed by Team Bondi and released in 2011 for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, with Rockstar publishing it. The game takes place in 1947 Los Angeles, with players taking on the role of the detective Cole Phelps, who is played by Mad Men’s Aaron Staton. The game came to Switch, PS4, and Xbox One in 2017. A VR edition called The Case Files came out in 2019. For his part, Staton said in 2021 that he had “never heard a word”(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/la-noire-star-says-he-never-heard-a-word-about-a-sequel/1100-6491576/) about a sequel to LA Noire, despite the game selling millions of copies(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/la-noire-pc-bound-this-fall-ships-4-million-units/1100-6320849/). Back in 2012, Rockstar said a sequel to LA Noire was a “possibility.”(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/la-noire-sequel-a-possibility/1100-6350294/) At the time, the developer said, “We don’t always rush to make sequels, but that does not mean we won’t get to them eventually. We have so many games we want to make and the issue is always one of bandwidth and timing.” If a sequel comes to market, it wouldn’t be from Team Bondi, as the studio shut down amid a flurry of controversy, after accusations of hostile working conditions(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/igda-investigating-team-bondi-workers-rights-complaints/1100-6321475/) prompted the International Game Developers Association to launch an investigation into the developer. Additionally, when the developer shut down, it reportedly was $1.4 million in debt(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/la-noire-dev-14m-in-debt-report/1100-6338766/). The studio’s assets, including its next project, Whore of the Orient, were acquired by film production company Kennedy Miller Mitchell(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mad-max-director-buys-rights-to-ex-la-noire-devs-new-project/1100-6346705/).

🎮 GTA