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A placeholder listing for a PS5 version of Gears of War: E-Day has appeared on Walmart's website less than 24 hours before Microsoft's big 2026 Xbox Games Showcase. Reddit user Laughing__Man_ was one of the first to share the discovery when they posted a link for a "Gears: E-Day Standard Edition" available for PlayStation 5 via Walmart.com late yesterday. That link has now been scrubbed of any mention of Microsoft's Gears of War prequel, but IGN was able to visit the link before it was taken down. In addition to mentions of a PS5 version of Gears of War: E-Day, the page featured a price of $99.99 for the standard edition while describing its genre as "first-person shooter" with a pending ESRB rating. Three bullet points – Placeholder 1, TBD 2, and TBD 3 – could also be seen. In other words, just about every piece of text on the Walmart listing suggests the page was a placeholder posted in error, but its existence still has fans scratching their heads. Gears of War: E-Day was announced in 2024 with the expectation that it would eventually launch for PC and Xbox Series X | S – not PS5. Winds have shifted through the last few years, though, leading fans to second-guess Microsoft's exclusivity strategy. As some games, including Halo: Campaign Evolved, trickle onto Sony's rival console, many have believed the new Gears of War game would follow suit, and the appearance of the retailer's listing will only cause those rumors to heat up. However, Microsoft has seemingly walked back some of that messaging recently. While the appearance of PS5 versions of titles like Gears of War: Reloaded had many believing Microsoft was quickly moving away from exclusives altogether, newly appointed CEO Asha Sharma has signaled a potential change of plans. A mission statement emailed to Xbox staff in April of this year also promised leadership would "reevaluate" the company's approach to exclusivity. One month later, chief content officer Matt Booty warned the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase would still feature competing logos. Sharma eventually called the decision to highlight other platforms "a miss," promising that discussions about how to "adjust for future Xbox shows" were happening behind the scenes. Just days ago, Sharma returned to the exclusivity topic when she acknowledged that a platform "must have exclusive content and services" during a conversation with Bloomberg. It's hard to say how much influence this newfound appreciation for exclusive games could have on games like Gears of War: E-Day, which has been in development for years. Meanwhile, just as the Walmart listing had fans believing a PS5 version could soon be announced, conflicting rumors suggesting that a PlayStation version was recently canceled have emerged. They originate from Giant Bomb host Jeff Grubb, who said that "Gears of War: E-Day was going to be on PS5" but is "not anymore" following an internal decision that "just got made." So, the Gears of War: E-Day PS5 listing could be our first hint at a PlayStation version of the game…or it could mean absolutely nothing. As leaks and rumors consume an increasingly busy Summer Game Fest, it's probably best players keep expectations in check until we hear from a more official source. We'll at least know much more about the upcoming prequel game when the Gears of War: E-Day Direct follows the Xbox Games Showcase 2026 presentation later today. For more on the future of Gears of War, Microsoft, and Xbox, you can read about the all-caps rebrand Sharma revealed in May. You can also read about the "hard choices" she warned about a few weeks ago, as well as the Game Pass price cuts that arrived in April. Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe). View the full article

Steamhas a ton of free content on offer for PC gamers to take advantage of, either by way of its extensive free-to-play library, free limited-time offers that can run anywhere from a whole month to just 24 hours, or in the form of free demos that allow players to check out a small portion of the game to see if it's up their alley or not. View the full article

Polish horror developer Bloober Team is keeping busy. Coming off Cronos: The New Dawn and with a remake of the original Silent Hill in the works as well as Layers of Fear 3, the studio has now announced it's working on a sci-fi psychological horror game set in the Star Trek universe... Read more.View the full article

In this episode, a small crew gets everyone up to date on all of the announcements at Summer Game Fest 2026, so far. View the full article

Capcom has confirmed that Monster Hunter Wilds is in development for Nintendo Switch 2. The publisher behind the popular action-RPG promised a new version of its 2025 installment just hours after Summer Game Fest 2026 came to a close yesterday. It's the kind of announcement most players would have expected to see show up at a ******* summer showcase, or maybe even a Nintendo Direct, but instead, Capcom made its announcement with a simple two-sentence post on X/Twitter. "Monster Hunter Wilds is currently in development for Nintendo Switch 2!" Capcom said. "We'll have more info to share, including the release date, in the future." Monster Hunter Wilds skipped out on Switch when it launched for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S in February 2025. It made sense considering that release date fell so late into the life cycle of the Nintendo's original hybrid device but months before its sequel. Still, Nintendo consoles have been home to many Monster Hunter entries in the past, leaving fans to hope for a port for the last year. While a release date for Monster Hunter Wilds on Switch 2 has yet to be revealed, it looks that wait will soon come to an end. It's unclear how this new version will differ from experiences currently offered on other platforms. Capcom's announcement arrived just after it took to Summer Game Fest 2026 to reveal Monster Hunter Wilds' latest expansion, Ascendance. A trailer for the new content (below) teased a new land and abilities to explore when it launches for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X | S at some point in 2027. IGN gave Monster Hunter Wilds an 8/10 review upon its launch early last year. For more on everything announced at last night's show, you can click here. Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe). View the full article

The original Sinking City was a touch too ambitious for its own good, spreading its supernatural horror mystery across an open world that left it feeling thin. When I played a preview build of the sequel earlier this year, it seemed more focused, the kind of survival horror game with room for exploration within its levels but not an entire town to free-roam around—more like H. P. Lovecraft's Resident Evil than a budget Grand Theft Cthulhu... Read more.View the full article

Revealed during the Story Rich Games Showcase. View the full article

Citizen Sleeper and Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector for Switch 2 will be free for existing owners. View the full article

If you're even remotely familiar with the iconic spy franchise, you'll immediately notice that 007 First Light has countless Easter eggs and references to the series's greater history as a whole. While there are plenty of more obvious discoveries or referential legacy collectibles that offer cheeky nods to Bond's history, there are still more than a few references that are either hidden out of sight or can be easily overlooked while playing. View the full article

The Sinister Strip is one of several POIs available on the map in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3, and you will find a Locked Prison Cell in one of the buildings. The building in discussion is opposite the gigantic Sprite structure. Once you head inside, take the stairs that go down from the first floor, and you’ll come across the cell. Thankfully, you can open it to get some valuable items. How to Open the Locked Prison Cell in Fortnitehttps://embeds.beehiiv.com/a8d62108-86ed-4039-bf49-44877ba62c15 Screeshot by Destructoid If you stand in front of the locked door, you’ll notice that there are two big red wires. Screeshot by Destructoid One of the wires goes to the left, and the other goes to the right. Follow the wire that goes left. Drop, and keep following the wire through the sewers. Screeshot by Destructoid You’ll come across a point where the sewer will diverge into multiple paths. Your objective is simple: follow the wire. You will eventually come across a vent to open. Go through the opening, and you’ll reach a grid to deactivate. Screeshot by Destructoid Return to the locked door, and now follow the wire that goes to the right. Keep following the wire and go past the gnome in the sewer. You’ll eventually reach another vent to open and access another grid. Deactivate it and then return to the prison cell. Screeshot by Destructoid You’ll now notice that the cell door can be opened because you have powered both fuses up. Head inside, and you’ll find two Rare Chests, two Regular Chests, and a random Sprite. Screeshot by Destructoid The Rare Chest has an increased chance to spawn a Vault key. There are eight vaults located all over the island. However, there’s always a chance to find the Limitless Seven Silders. It allows you to slide infinitely, and it feels absolutely broken to use. You can easily get out of tight situations and slow yourself down to aim and shoot at enemies. However, be careful about the location. You can also find John Wick’s dog nearby, whom you can rescue to get more loot. I have always found many players dropping at this location. Hence, only try to solve the puzzle and unlock the prison door after the coast is clear. /wp-content/themes/destructoid2025/assets/img/icons/likes-off.png0 The post How to open the Sinister Strip Locked Prison Cell in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation game director Naoki Hamaguchi said that the infamous slap fight between Tifa and Scarlet is coming back as a mini-game in the upcoming title. Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will be the decisive finale of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series, with plenty of callbacks to the original Final Fantasy 7 that longtime fans may recognize. View the full article

While Larian Studios may have moved on from official new updates for Baldur's Gate 3 and have their hands full with the next Divinity game, the modding community is far from finished working on new content. Perhaps one of the most exciting and ambitious community-driven projects for BG3 comes in the form of a massive mod called the Cosmic Vessel. View the full article

IGN Live saw the exciting reveal of the upcoming game Star Trek: Shadow Frontier, a mature, story-driven, action-adventure game that offers a different and darker side of Star Trek than is usually the norm. As shown in the reveal trailer, the game also has a notable main character in the form of former Lieutenant Ro Laren, the popular Star Trek: The Next Generation character played by Michelle Forbes. And yes, that's Forbes voicing Ro. At IGN Live, Shawn Kittelsen (SVP, Head of Creative & Production, Paramount Games Studio) and Michał Gembicki (Head of Publishing, Bloober Team) discussed the genesis of the game, with Kittelsen describing Shadow Frontier as "A new single-player third person action game from Bloober, the same team behind Silent High remake, starring Ro Laren." Added Kittelsen, "I would describe the genre as a psychological thriller. If you like a really thrilling survival adventure, this is the game for you. If you're a Star Trek fan who wants to dig into a character like Ro Laren, this is the game for you. " Gembicki admitted that at Bloober -- also known for games like Layers of Fear, Observer, The Medium and Cronos: The New Dawn -- they like dark stories, saying they felt that with Shadow Frontier, "A combination of horror and dark storytelling mixed with such as amazing IP as Star Trek would be just such a great match." Stressed Kittelsen, "This is not a Star Trek game like you've ever played before." The duo were cagey on revealing too many more details about the game just yet, but Gembicki did say that beyond playing as Ro, Star Trek: Shadow Frontier kicks off with Ro stranded on an uncharted planet that she's been lured to, which he described as "a bit of a graveyard for spacehships." This leads her "to have to figure out what happened there and why is there so much wreckage " Kittelsen and Gembicki noted you'd get to use classic Trek gear like a phaser and tricorder as you explore, and that there definitely would be plenty of Easter eggs - many of which can already be found in the reveal trailer for those looking. While they wouldn't say when exactly in the timeline the game takes place, Kittelsen said "this story will delve deep into Ro Laren and her personal conflicts and really bering things out. That's where the darkness comes from." Gembicki added there was "a lot of dealing with the skeletons in her closet and exploring the consequences of the decisions she made in the past." The game is intended to also be accessible to players who don't know Ro Laren, with Kittelsen stressing, "If this is your first time meeting Ro Laren, you will walk away loving her and want to know more," and that he felt Michelle Forbes gives a tour de force performance. Kittelsen said there was the possibility of more big things for Trek moving forward, remarking, "If you've been waiting for a AAA Star Trek game, congratulations you're getting one! And hopefully this is the first of many." Star Trek: Shadow Frontier will be available on Steam, PlayStation 5 (PS5), and Xbox Series X/S and Gembicki said to expect the game to be released sometime in 2027. Be sure to keep up with everything going on at IGN Live 2026. You can check the full schedule to see what else is coming up across games, movies, TV, streaming, and more. View the full article

Nano Park Studios and iam8bit showcase more of the slice-of-life RPG. View the full article

Here's one I wasn't quite expecting: Silent Hill 2 remake and Cronos: The New Dawn developers Bloober Team are working on a Star Trek game in collaboration with license owners Paramount. As you might imagine, given Bloober's pedigree, it doesn't appear to be a very uplifting Star Trek game. It is not a Star Trek game in which you would expect to have an Earl Grey teaparty on the Holodeck, with Data playing the viola. Called Star Trek: Shadow Frontier, it's a "psychological thriller" set on an uncharted planet that has become a spaceship graveyard. Something with tendrils lurks hereabouts, and it's trying to eat your mind. Read more View the full article

Paramount Games Studio, which got its new name and management team this week, announced today that it is teaming up with Bloober Team to create a Star Trek horror game, Star Trek: Shadow Frontier. The Star Trek game is in production already, but it has no launch date yet, said Dan Prigg, head of games at Paramount Games Studio, in an interview with GamesBeat. Paramount Games and Bloober Team are working on Shadow Frontier, which is a darker psychological horror game. [Hidden Content] Prigg said the idea is to take the sci-fi game to the horror genre to give it a different kind of flavor and twist. “They approached it with the idea of how do we give this a fresh look,” Prigg said. I said I never would have expected such a game. “That is part of looking at the total portfolio of franchises and discovering the multiple audiences at multiple age ranges that want the content,” Prigg said. “How do we make something that feels fresh?” Paramount Games Studio announced the deal with Bloober Team, the acclaimed studio behind Silent Hill 2 and Cronos: The New Dawn, today during the IGN Live Showcase, sharing an exclusive first look at the new sci-fi psychological thriller title set on a mysterious, uncharted planet. Coming in 2027 to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, Star Trek: Shadow Frontier follows protagonist and member of the Bajoran species, Ro Laren, brought to life by Star Trek actress Michelle Forbes as she returns to reprise her iconic role, as she ******-lands on an uncharted planet after answering a distress call. The planet is a spaceship graveyard where nothing is as it seems. As she explores the planet’s corrupted surface and crosses paths with other survivors, she must face twisted creatures, a hostile ecosystem, and an entity that seeks to envelop her body and mind. “We’ve long admired the way Bloober Team crafts deeply immersive, atmospheric experiences that keep players on the edge of their seats,” said Shawn Kittelsen, SVP, Head of Creative and Production at Paramount Games Studio, in a statement. “For Star Trek: Shadow Frontier, it was essential to partner with a studio that could both honor that legacy and push it forward. We have full confidence in Bloober’s ability to deliver a game that does justice to the Star Trek name while bringing something bold and new to the beloved franchise.” “We’ve been waiting a long time to finally share what we’ve been working on. As lifelong fans of science fiction, Star Trek has always held a special place in our hearts,” said Piotr Babieno, CEO of Bloober Team. “By combining that passion with what we do best, horror, we’ve partnered with Paramount to create something truly unique: a new adventure set in a beloved universe, enriched with our own signature layer of dark, psychological thriller. We’re genuinely excited about this journey, and our hope is to honor the legacy of Star Trek in a way that feels both respectful yet refreshingly different.” On June 5, 2026, Paramount Games Studio announced the new, encompassing studio of all Paramount and Skydance gaming studios, including Skydance Interactive and Skydance New Media, under one creative vision. Led by an accomplished team of industry veterans with deep experience across AAA game development and entertainment, Paramount Games also revealed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin during the 2026 Summer Games Fest showcase and Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game in March 2026. Star Trek: Shadow Frontier is set to launch in 2027 and is available to wishlist now on Steam. The post Paramount Games Studio teams with Bloober Team on Star Trek: Shadow Frontier horror game appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

NPC Studio announces the final 1.0 release date for Fields of Mistria. View the full article

Chapter 7 Season 3 has 12 different Stealth Guardian Missing Cases in Fortnite, and you can find them all around the island. The cases are divided into three broad categories, with each featuring four parts. Finding all the parts can be difficult as their locations aren’t marked on the map. This guide will help you out to get all 12 parts. Table of contentsHow to find all Stealth Guardian Missing Cases in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3All Missing Arms Cases locationsAll Missing Helmet Cases locationsAll Missing Torso Cases locationshttps://embeds.beehiiv.com/a8d62108-86ed-4039-bf49-44877ba62c15 How to find all Stealth Guardian Missing Cases in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 If you check out the image below, you’ll find that there are clusters of map markers in three broad regions. All markers in Wonkeeland represent the cases that contain the arms. All markers in Calamari Canyon represent the cases that contain the torso. All markers in Shaken Sanctuary represent the cases that contain the helmet. Screenshot and remix by Destructoid There is no predetermined order in which you have to find the cases. You can mix and match and also break your search across multiple runs. Once you find a case, it will be registered. When you’re close to a case, look for a small exclamation mark icon to pinpoint the exact spot. All Missing Arms Cases locations Screenshot by Destructoid You’ll find a case in the northeast part of Wonkeeland by the fishing hut. The case is by the door. Another one is located by the temple near the lazy river in the northeastern part of Wonkeeland. Screenshot by Destructoid I found the third one in the southern part of Wonkeeland, where the case was outside a blue-colored building. You’ll find it behind the guard rail. Screenshot by Destructoid The last one is towards the east of Wonkeeland, right by a broken ramp. All Missing Helmet Cases locations Screenshot by Destructoid I found the first case to the left of the main building in the Shaken Sanctuary. It’s at one of the ends of the bridge on the western side. Screenshot by Destructoid To find the second case, I went north from the previous spot. There’s a big tree at the marked spot (refer to the main map image above), and the case is under it. Screenshot by Destructoid From there, I headed straight until I reached small hill where the grass is yellow, and the case is under a tree at the location. Screenshot by Destructoid From there, turn right, and you’ll spot a building. The final case is hidden underneath a set of stairs on one side. All Missing Torso Cases locations Screenshot by Destructoid I began with the small fishing hut located in the northwestern part of Calamari Canyon. You’ll find the first case by the hut’s main door. Screenshot by Destructoid From there, I went to the right of the map. There’s a small compound by the road, and you’ll find a case over there. Screenshot by Destructoid Then, I went south to the concrete foundation on one of the cliffs. You’ll sometimes find an Excavation Site over there. The case will be by the site waiting to be opened. Screenshot by Destructoid Finally, I went to the compound right below “A” of Calamari on the map. The case is by a set of small white boxes on the floor. /wp-content/themes/destructoid2025/assets/img/icons/likes-off.png0 The post All Stealth Guardian Missing Cases locations in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Atari and Digital Eclipse have announced Barbie Rewind. The game consists of a retro compilation, as well as a new Dreamhouse design game, all in one package. The Dreamhouse game has players decorating Barbie’s home by choosing from a selection of furniture, decor and accessories inspired by actual Barbie playsets released over the past 65 years. Read More... View the full article

September is one of the most packed months for video game releases in recent memory — and everyone knows why. The delayed GTA 6 is coming out in November, and pretty much the entire rest of the video game industry is running scared. Publishers and developers are either making sure to get their games out at least two months ahead of GTA 6 or well after the launch, more in hope than expectation that the wider gaming public will have decided it's time to think about other video games again. Control Resonant, the sequel to 2019's Control, is just one of a number of big games that have gone with September. It's a growing list that includes Marvel’s Wolverine, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4, Halloween: The Game, and the console version of Dune: Awakening. Perhaps more troublesome for Control Resonant is the fact it launches on September 24, the same day as Silent Hill townfall, and a day before Onimusha: Way of the Sword. That’s a lot to contend with. So, is Remedy concerned that Control Resonant may struggle to stand out in September? Would it be better to bring the release forward, even by a few weeks? Not an option, Remedy told IGN. “We locked in our release date based on what’s best for the game,” Remedy communications director Thomas Puha said. “The most important thing, I’m sure you agree, is that we ship Control Resonant at the best possible quality because that is the right thing to do, rather than shipping something that isn't fully polished. If your game isn't great at launch, the gaming audience won’t like it, and it's hard to recover from that.” So, September 24 it is. So what can Remedy do to give it the best chance of success? Puha told IGN that Remedy is supporting Control Resonant with the company’s biggest ever marketing campaign (it appeared in this week's Summer Game Fest showcase with a new trailer, and its release date was announced at Sony's State of Play a few days earlier). Puha also pointed out that Control Resonant is priced $59.99, $10 below the typical $70 triple-A price point, which may help encourage purchases. And Remedy has more to reveal on the game in the coming months, Puha added. “The release window is challenging, there is no denying that,” Puha admitted, “but there is always going to be competition, but ultimately, we have to trust the quality of our game. We are giving Control Resonant, by far Remedy’s biggest marketing campaign, to support the game. It is very competitively priced, and much more is coming in the days ahead now that we have announced our release date.” Control Resonant is a crucial release for Remedy, which is self-publishing the game. The studio’s recent games have struggled for breakout success, and its multiplayer game FBC: Firebreak flopped. Last month, Remedy’s new CEO, Jean-Charles Gaudechon, admitted that the Alan Wake and Control games "should have sold more,” a problem he was brought in to solve. “To me, that's one of the first things we need to fix, even before trying to make more games to a certain extent. First of all, maximize the potential of the ones we have, because they're incredible. And cross-media is going to help us do that." The mention of cross-media is a reference to Annapurna Pictures co-financing and co-producing Control Resonant as part of a strategic partnership with Remedy that may result in Control and Alan Wake TV shows and movies. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

After the confirmation that the DMZ mode will be making its return in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Infinity Ward revealed new details including where it takes place and the living world players will be dropping into. While the original DMZ never really seemed to reach its potential, Infinity Ward is taking another swing at the mode in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and this time around, it sounds like it may just be what fans were hoping to see originally. View the full article

The gorgeously grisly Blasphemous 2 has a new DLC, and you can get it right now without paying a penny. Following in its predecessor's footsteps, the punishing Metroidvania delivers beauty and brutality in equal measure, and is a worthy pickup for anyone craving a blend of platforming, action, grandiose boss battles, and semi-obscured lore. I'd certainly recommend it, and doing so just got even easier, because developer The Game Kitchen has just handed us a fresh expansion, complete with another weapon and three handy companions, all for free. Read the full story on PCGamesN: Blasphemous 2 just shadow-dropped a new expansion, completely for free View the full article

Summer Game Fest has officially kicked off for 2026, bringing with it an endless stream of video game news, from demo drops to developer deep dives and a boatload of trailers for games you may not even have known you needed until you saw them in the show. Alas, regardless of the many eye-catching reveals vying for your precious attention, there's one game from this year's announcements list you should not miss, and that's AION 2. Read the full story on PCGamesN: AION 2 Just Announced Its Launch Window at Summer Games Fest - Here's Why MMO Fans Should Be Paying Attention View the full article

Thatgamecompany announced “Dear Van Gogh” as a new interactive experience within its blockbuster game Sky: Children of the Light. The experience is based on the legendary artist’s most influential works and relationships, all rendered in a painterly world. (See the video here). Dear Van Gogh brings players into the life of Vincent van Gogh through an interactive journey shaped by his paintings, his struggles, and the people closest to him. “We’re currently working on a very, very interesting project, creating the digital world of Vincent Van Gogh,” said Jenova Chen, CEO and creative director for Thatgamecompany, in an interview with me. Chen showed me an image of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, and the team is working on visualizations of the work. “We’re inventing a new way to paint the world into paintings, and so you can technically still navigate inside a painting, like playing a game,” Chen said. Visualizing a Van Gogh painting on a smartphone. Source: Thatgamecompany “Some stories are so universal that they must be experienced, not just observed, and Van Gogh’s is one of them,” said Chen. “Most people remember Van Gogh as the tortured artist who suffered alone. That loneliness was a big part of who he was, so honoring his story meant integrating that into this experience.” I interviewed Chen about the experience of creating the Van Gogh work and how it could spread beyond the gaming experience. Chen, “But we also wanted to shine light on the devoted family whose quiet sacrifice and unwavering support helped carry him forward without recognition. This is the side of the story most people don’t know. What moves us most about Van Gogh’s legacy is that behind his extraordinary art was extraordinary human devotion and resilience, but also the question that his works keep asking across the centuries: what makes his art endure? At Thatgamecompany, we have always believed that games can carry the same emotional truth as other classic artistic media. This interactive Van Gogh experience is our tribute to the love and devotion behind Vincent van Gogh and his family.” Dear Van Gogh experience Jenova Chen visits a Van Gogh museum. Source: Thatgamecompany Players will step into a living canvas in Dear Van Gogh, where art, emotion and human connection intertwine. Embark on a journey to bring Van Gogh’s masterpieces into the light, traveling inside his paintings to witness his earliest uncertainties, his Paris awakening, and the fragile beauty of his final years. At the heart of this experience are the letters between Van Gogh and his brother Theo, a decades-long exchange of doubt, wonder and unfailing devotion that make Van Gogh’s art possible in the first place. Through them, players discover the full depth of that bond: Vincent’s lifelong struggles, Theo’s steadfast belief, and a correspondence that became one of history’s most remarkable artistic records. Guided by Theo’s wife, Johanna, players become quiet witnesses to a life shaped as much by that invisible support as by Van Gogh’s own restless vision. Through her, players learn how the birth of her son inspired Vincent into a new era of painting, along with her tireless work to promote Van Gogh’s paintings after his tragic death at age 37. Blending exploration and emotional storytelling, Dear Van Gogh invites players to feel the weight and warmth of that family bond, to discover that art, at its most basic, rarely endures alone. Players can explore 3D recreations of some of Van Gogh’s most iconic works of art in-game, each brought to life in his distinctive bold, swirling brushstroke style, evocative of the Post-Impressionism style he helped popularize. Dear Van Gogh will be available on July 17, 2026 through the Sky: Children of the Light game app on iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam. Sky: Children of the Light released as a free-to-play iOS game in 2019, receiving critical and commercial acclaim. Sky later expanded to Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam, hitting 300 million downloads as of 2026. Bringing to life the world of Van Gogh. Source: Thatgamecompany Thatgamecompany is the visionary studio behind the critically acclaimed award-winning titles Flow, Flower, Journey, and Sky: Children of the Light. Since its founding in 2006, Thatgamecompany has been committed to developing broadly accessible, artistic, emotional, and enriching experiences that inspire human connection between all ages and cultures. The studio’s work is now featured in the Smithsonian permanent collection and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, along with countless awards and nominations from industry groups. Led by co-founder and creative director Jenova Chen, thatgamecompany is currently supporting its latest title, Sky: Children of the Light, which broke the Guinness World Record for “most users in a concert-themed virtual world” and achieved over 300 million downloads since its launch in 2019. That’s why Chen can afford to work on this kind of technology project. Chen ponders how to present Van Gogh to the widest audience Jenova Chen is CEO of Thatgamecompany. Source: Thatgamecompany I interviewed Chen about what he thought was moving about Van Gogh’s work and how the team is putting it together. Vincent Van Gogh’s brother was Theo, an art dealer, and he sponsored the entire life cost for Van Gogh, Chen said. Van Gogh eventually killed himself, shooting himself in a wheat field filled with crows. The player in the game tries to help Van Gogh, and the player is a mailman who delivers a letter between the brothers. Those letters were very touching, Chen said. “Van Gogh, in his entire life, his painting was never getting the recognition, but in our game we can gather up to 10,000 players in the same location,” Chen said. “So we’re thinking about creating a gallery filled with thousands of people, and they can leave their messages for Van Gogh, and you will take Vincent to go through the gallery and see what the real people are saying about his art.” There will also be a gallery themed by Starry Night, one of his famous paintings. Chen also noted that Theo died of grief about six months after Vincent died. Theo’s wife, Johanna “Jo” Van Gogh-Bonger, held onto the paintings, and it took her 20 years to socialize them to art galleries so they could be shown in Amsterdam. The Van Gogh family: Vincent (left), Theo and Johanna. The player gets to experience what it would be like if Van Gogh’s work was famous, and the player write something for the Vincent that is still living today in everybody’s heart, Chen said. “With all of the UGC of the players, we can take Vincent and go through the gallery and let him to see what people are saying about him,” Van Gogh said. Unlike past games from Thatgamecompany, this is a story that has words, as it’s based on the real letters between the brothers. Chen wants to figure out a way to take the digital Van Gogh exhibits and take them to the real world. He hasn’t figured that out yet. After all, it might be hard to get whole families looking at an exhibit on just one family member’s smartphone. Overall, the images were very cool, like one of an almond blossom tree, and another windmill in Paris, when Van Gogh first learned impressionistic painting. “Eventually we will have a gallery of all his most famous paintings,” Chen said. Chen wants to do a show that is like the concert that Aurora held in sky for a stadium of around 65,000 people, all floating in the air over the stadium, with audio emotes and colorful clothes. The Van Gogh project has been under way for around nine months. The work is all original , with the paintings, the tech, and the story. “It’s basically an indie game, and probably a ******* production than we did on Journey,” Chen said. What was interesting to me was that Chen was trying to figure out how to break through the video game wall, and move Van Gogh from the virtual world of his game to the physical world. It might be possible to do a broader experience on a PlayStation and make use of its cross-media bar, where you could launch a portal into the Van Gogh experiences. You could try to show the experiences in movie theaters, but many of them around the world are shutting down. The question sticks in Chen’s mind. How do you reach the people who will never pick up a game controller? How do you express to them the feeling you get from games, or to appreciate the art of games? The post Sky: Children of the Light adds new visual experience with Dear Van Gogh | Jenova Chen exclusive interview appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

June is kicking off, and the open-world game that gacha players have been tracking for months has catapulted into the View the full article