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Activision has revealed that it will no longer be releasing Call of Duty's Modern Warfare or ****** Ops titles back-to-back, as the company will strive to give players a completely new experience to enjoy every year. Call of Duty has been releasing a new title every year for quite some time, but it seems as if the current strategy of launching titles within the same subseries back-to-back has not worked out for Activision, leading to some significant changes in the way the company plans its major releases. View the full article

Just a hair over two years ago, I wrote about a fan translation of a landmark Japanese PS2 game, Boku no Natsuyasumi 2, making a landmark "cozy" game playable in English for the very first time. We didn't call games cozy back in the early 2000s, but were it released today, the slice-of-life adventure game (translated as My Summer Vacation) about exploring a small seaside Japanese town would very much fit the description... Read more.View the full article

Crafting items before selling them in ARC Raiders is generally not profitable – you're better off selling the individual components – but enterprising players have discovered a perhaps unintended crafting gold mine. View the full article

"We might be able to pay back the people who have lent us the money and pay off the debt. But it's unlikely that will give us enough money to actually produce something new at this point"View the full article

Call of Duty will no longer release multiple ****** Ops or Modern Warfare games back-to-back, after two Modern Warfare releases in 2022 and 2023, and two ****** Ops releases in 2024 and 2025, respectively, and negative feedback and concerning sales reports for the most recent release, ****** Ops 7. This news was delivered from "the Call of Duty team" (encompassing studios Treyarch, Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward, and Raven Software) on the official website, in a post that acknowledged the criticism of ****** Ops 7 as well as broader criticism of the franchise in recent years. As the post opens: First off, thank you for all for the feedback we have received over the last few months. Call of Duty has enjoyed long-standing success because of all of you, a passionate community that demands excellence and deserves nothing less. We also know that for some of you, the Franchise has not met your expectations fully. To be very clear, we know what you expect and rest assured we will deliver, and overdeliver, on those expectations as we move forward. The post goes on to state a number of changes the Call of Duty studios will be making going forward. For starters, they're opening up ****** Ops 7's multiplayer zombies mode for a free trial and Double XP weekend next week, in an effort to get those who have hesitated on ****** Ops 7 to "experience the game firsthand and decide for yourselves." They also are committing to "unprecedented season support," saying that they "won't rest until ****** Ops 7 earns its place as one of the best ****** Ops games we’ve ever made." Then, the team had this to say about future Call of Duty releases: We will no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or ****** Ops games. The reasons are many, but the main one is to ensure we provide an absolutely unique experience each and every year. We will drive innovation that is meaningful, not incremental. While we aren’t sharing those plans today, we look forward to doing so when the time is right. The note concludes by saying the team believes Call of Duty's "best days are ahead of us" and that the next era of Call of Duty will "deliver precisely on what you want along with some surprises that push the Franchise and the genre forward." These changes come amidst, and likely in response to, a rough couple of years for the Call of Duty franchise. The most recent entry, ****** Ops 7, debuted last month to middling reviews, including our own 6/10 campaign review, 6/10 Zombies review, and significantly better 8/10 multiplayer review. This is also in the context of both ****** Ops 7 and Modern Warfare 3 receiving poor reviews in comparison to their immediate series predecessors the year before, with ****** Ops 6 and Modern Warfare 2 being received generally favorably. This likely accounts, at least in part, for the decision to stop the back-to-back releases. For ****** Ops 7, that lukewarm reception has also been reflected in the game's sales numbers, especially in relation to another recent major multiplayer shooter release, Battlefield 6. The game had a "terrible" launch in Europe, down 63% versus Battlefield 6 and down by more than 50% versus last year's ****** Ops 6 in the equivalent periods. It is worth noting that we don't have full visibility into ****** Ops 7's sales data, as it launched day one on Game Pass, and a number of people likely played the game through the subscription service and didn't count as unit sales. But nonetheless, the announcement today feels like an admission that something has gone wrong here. Whether or not the Call of Duty team can fix it will take a few years to truly comprehend. Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected]. View the full article

The game jobs recovery is real and accelerating for next year. That is one of the predictions from game jobs community champion Amir Satvat. In a post on LinkedIn, Satvat said his predictions for next year are based on data that he uniquely collects from more than 5,000 game studios — in his spare time. That data is why he has had more than six million viewers of his job community content in the past three years. Satvat noted that he is sharing personal predictions that reflect only his views and do not represent his employer, his community, or anyone else. These come from three years of his community’s data, insight from the 5,000 plus studios and partners connected to the network, and many polls and conversations with you. Satvat said updated numbers show his job resources have helped 4,400 people find jobs in games, and people have had more than 86,000 coaching conversations through his resources. (This is why he was named a Game Changer at last year’s The Game Awards; I’ll be speaking with him in a podcast recording this week at our GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games event). “I am not putting hard numbers on most of these yet, but I am confident enough in the direction of these trends to offer these conclusions,” he said. But he was clear that in 2026, he believes the velocity and magnitude of games hiring will continue to increase The recovery trend is real and accelerating. “Layoffs will remain in a similar magnitude ballpark to 2025. Stability will improve but not dramatically,” Satvat said. He also said new entrants and attempted entrants will continue to accelerate Including graduates, lateral movers, and those laid off. “Early career pressure will remain extremely high. I do not see entry challenges easing yet,” he said. Satvat said a rising share of laid off games professionals will find work outside games Despite the recovery, the pressure of point the new entrants will still be a challenge for the accelerating recovery. He said the share of open roles in North America and Western Europe will continue to decrease and opportunities will grow in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Satvat said a greater share of total production load will continue shifting to external development and contractors. Studios will rely on distributed talent more than ever. “The average individual’s purchase of full price AAA games will remain flat or decline Prices are challenging in a tough macroeconomic environment, and, particularly, long running series compete with their own cheaper older entries,” Satvat said. He also said indie games will remain the majority of top critical titles. And independent creators will continue to shape many celebrated releases. Satvat said the share of roles in North America will diversify slightly away from the top five states and regions. Cost pressures will keep reshaping hiring footprints. “Gaps in supply and demand for the most competitive fields like game design, writing, and narrative will get worse. Openings remain tight while demand rises,” he said. Placement rates will, relatively, improve for mid career professionals with five years to 15 years of experience. He said a few fields will remain heavily oversubscribed. “I know this reads as a tough picture. It is tough. But I do not believe in most apocalyptic scenarios. I believe it will keep becoming a more globally employed sector with downward pressure on compensation as similar quality talent emerges at lower cost locations,” Satvat said. “Discoverability will get harder and creators will need to adapt to new influencer driven and socially driven paths for players to find their work. Opportunity will still come from democratized access and the ability for anyone to create something great.” And he said, “The biggest challenges will be at the triple-A level where costs remain high. Many teams risk staying locked in a hit or miss survival cycle. I hope more teams break out of that cycle and experiment with new approaches.” The post Job-focused game industry predictions for 2026 | Amir Satvat appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

The Game Awards 2025 продолжает пополняться мировыми премьерами. Из соцсетей стало известно, что на церемонии награждения игр 2025 года состоится презентация LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. Разработчики подтвердили своё участие в шоу, опубликовав изображение с комментарием «Охрана The Game Awards усилена. Увидимся в пятницу утром». View the full article

Welcome back, fellow bargain hunter. From karting chaos to murderous Vikings, strategy disasters to horror that’ll haunt your sleep, this idle Wednesday's deals are here to remind you that self-control is optional and retail therapy is mandatory. Grab a seat, grab a wallet, and try not to cry when I make your “just browsing” excuse fail spectacularly. Contents RetroNintendoXboxPlayStationPCPC GearLEGOThis Day in Gaming In retro news, it's somehow been 26 years since I prepared for my finest hour in Medal of Honor, a pivotal PS FPS that I still snap a salute to. After reinvigorating WWII in popular culture with Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg and DreamWorks Interactive used that beachhead to conceive, produce, and write a more kid gloves companion piece game. End result: they triggered a decades-long landslide of shooters themed on virtually every major battle undertaken by The Greatest Generation (not to mention the unintended creation of a rival Call of Duty franchise). Personally, I adored the Nazi-blasting, disguise-wearing OSS saboteur antics of MoH. Few games of the era looked, felt, and sounded this cinematic. A true classic, and its original trailer still slaps. Aussie birthdays for notable games. - Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES) 1992. eBay - Final Fight (SNES) 1992. Get - Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (SNES) 1992. Redux - Doom (PC) 1993. Redux - Resident Evil: Director’s Cut (PS) 1997. Redux - Medal of Honor (PS) 1999. Get - Stranded Kids (PS) 1999. Get - Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS) 2009. Get Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch Mario Kart World (-26%) - A$89 - *Low stock* Race your mates, spin out, and pretend those blue shells weren’t personal attacks. Fun, chaotic, and hilariously unfair.Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (-31%) - A$59 - Speed, loops, and chaos wrapped in blue hedgehog energy. Fast reflexes optional, screaming at friends likely.Donkey Kong Bananza (-19%) - A$89 - Big ape stomps, barrels fly, and your thumbs hurt before the first banana is collected. Worth it for the destructo-tech alone.Kirby and the Forgotten Land NS2 (-18%) - A$89.90 - Cute, squishy, and constantly inhaling everything in sight. Kirby never apologises, and neither will you.Bluey: The Videogame (-27%) - A$44 - Family-friendly chaos where dogs wag, toddlers cheer, and adults pretend they’re not crying from sheer cuteness. Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card. Switch Console Prices How much to Switch it up? [/url] Back to top Exciting Bargains for Xbox ******: The Old Country (-34%) - A$49 - Suits, cigars, and crime sprees. Kill your rivals in a more than decent revenge tale and speak with far too much hand waving.Dishonored Def. ed. (-58%) - A$10.50 - Sneak, stab, and chaos your way through a city that absolutely hates you. Oldie but a greatie.Unicorn Overlord Monarch ed. (-65%) - A$39.50 - Strategy with sparkle. Crush foes, rule kingdoms, and make magical ponies jealous.XCOM 2 (-95%) - A$3.40 - Aliens, tactics, and permanent death. Your soldiers will cry, you will cry, the aliens don’t care.Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Del. ed. (-80%) - A$25.90 - Pillage, raid, and grow a beard. Hours of Viking chaos packed in one epic package. Or just invest in an Xbox Card. Xbox Console Prices How many bucks for a 'Box? [/url] Back to top Pure Scores for PlayStation Ghost of Yotei (-21%) - A$99 - Haunting, slick, and atmospheric. Perfect for when you want to swing swords and brood at the same time.******: The Old Country (-46%) - A$49 - A more intimate, non-sandbox approach to crim-simming. Meticulously detailed and I personally couldn't put it down.Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 (-40%) - A$44.90 - Skate fast, grind rails, and remind everyone you used to be cool.Gran Turismo 7 (-50%) - A$63 - Cars look better than your dreams, and driving is way more forgiving than reality. A-w-e-s-o-m-e in VR.Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (-50%) - A$62.40 - Colourful, chaotic, and a bizarre gun lover’s wet dream. Warp through worlds, explode stuff, repeat. Or purchase a PS Store Card. What you'll pay to 'Station. [/url] Back to top Purchase Cheap for PCRoboCop: Rogue City (-90%) - A$6.30 - Justice served with a side of bullets and a ****** gunslinger twirl. I'd buy this for a dollar. Six of them, too.Blasphemous 2 (-67%) - A$14.80 - Grim, gory, and absolutely gorgeous. Pixel art with pain, basically a religious experience.Slay the Spire (-75%) - A$9.20 - Card-based agony that somehow feels rewarding. You will lose repeatedly and love every second.No Man's Sky (-60%) - A$35.10 - Infinite planets, procedural chaos, and hours of “why is this my life now?” exploration.The Medium (-70%) - A$22.70 - Haunting dual-world puzzles that make you question your life choices. Perfect for when you like fear with a side of clever. Or just get a Steam Wallet Card PC Hardware Prices Slay your pile of shame. [/url] Legit LEGO Deals Just like I did last holiday season, I'm getting festive with the LEGO section. In Mathew Manor, my sons and I are again racing this year's batch of LEGO Advent Calendars. Basically, we open the City, Harry Potter, Minecraft, and Star Wars on the daily and compare the mini-prizes for "Awesomeness" and "Actual Xmas-ness". 2024's winner was the Lego Marvel one, but, weirdly, there's no 2025 equivalent. So it's anybody's race this year. Here are the cheapest prices for the four calendars we're using. Score them yourself or just live vicariously through our unboxings. LEGO CIty Advent 2025 - A$59.95 $45LEGO Harry Potter Advent 2025 - A$59.95 $45LEGO Minecraft Advent 2025 - A$59.95 $45LEGO Star Wars Advent 2025 - A$59.95 $45 Adam Mathew is a passionate connoisseur, a lifelong game critic, and an Aussie deals wrangler who genuinely wants to hook you up with stuff that's worth playing (but also cheap). He plays practically everything, sometimes on YouTube. View the full article

Activision announced today that Call of Duty will no longer have back-to-back Modern Warfare and ****** Ops releases. As part of the announcement of its Season 1 content, Activision said it had received feedback over the last few months. The statement means that there will still be an annual release, but it no longer will be back-to-back releases like ****** Ops 6 and ****** Ops 7 releases as the company did in the last two years. (And before that, there were two years in a row of Modern Warfare releases). For those who have gotten used to Call of Duty releases every year, the company seems like it will still stay on the cadence as it said it wants to “ensure we provide an absolutely unique experience each and every year.” The announcement of a weak release so far this year isn’t a surprise, as Call of Duty has had extraordinary competition from Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 6 as well as the surprise Nexon multiplayer hit ARC Raiders. Social media is full of people sharing their experiences in those games, and ****** Ops 7 enthusiasm is less intense. By way of apology to players, Activision said the following. “Call of Duty has enjoyed long-standing success because of all of you, a passionate community that demands excellence and deserves nothing less. We also know that for some of you, the franchise has not met your expectations fully. To be very clear, we know what you expect and rest assured we will deliver, and overdeliver, on those expectations as we move forward,” the company said. The company said it will have a double XP weekend and a free trial for people to play over the weekend. In addition, it said the release cycle strategy is changing. “We will no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or ****** Ops games. The reasons are many, but the main one is to ensure we provide an absolutely unique experience each and every year,” the company said. “We will drive innovation that is meaningful, not incremental. While we aren’t sharing those plans today, we look forward to doing so when the time is right.” And to allay any fears, Activision, which is part of Activision Blizzard, now a division of Microsoft, said: “To be clear, the future of Call of Duty is very strong and we believe our best days are ahead of us given the depth and talent of our development teams. We have been building the next era of Call of Duty, and it will deliver precisely on what you want along with some surprises that push the Franchise and the genre forward. We look forward to welcoming you in, listening to you, and moving forward together.” Here’s the full announcement: First off, thank you for all for the feedback we have received over the last few months. Call of Duty has enjoyed long-standing success because of all of you, a passionate community that demands excellence and deserves nothing less. We also know that for some of you, the Franchise has not met your expectations fully. To be very clear, we know what you expect and rest assured we will deliver, and overdeliver, on those expectations as we move forward. With respect to ****** Ops 7, we set our sights to deliver a spiritual successor to ****** Ops 2 and the studios have poured their passion into making a great game that all of us are very proud of. But it’s one thing for us to say it, more importantly it’s up to you to try it and judge for yourselves. So as it relates to ****** Ops 7 and the future of Call of Duty, here are a few important notes. You’ll Have the Opportunity to Play ****** Ops 7 for Free Next week, we are opening the doors for everyone to jump in and play ****** Ops 7 Multiplayer and Zombies for a free trial along with a Double XP weekend. We would like you to experience the game firsthand and decide for yourselves.We Are Committed to Unprecedented Seasonal Support Your continuing feedback will help shape our seasonal updates over the coming months. Season 1 is the largest live season ever and we’re just getting started. We won’t rest until ****** Ops 7 earns its place as one of the best ****** Ops games we’ve ever made in terms of content and support. Our Strategy Going Forward Is Changing We will no longer do back-to-back releases of Modern Warfare or ****** Ops games. The reasons are many, but the main one is to ensure we provide an absolutely unique experience each and every year. We will drive innovation that is meaningful, not incremental. While we aren’t sharing those plans today, we look forward to doing so when the time is right. To be clear, the future of Call of Duty is very strong and we believe our best days are ahead of us given the depth and talent of our development teams. We have been building the next era of Call of Duty, and it will deliver precisely on what you want along with some surprises that push the Franchise and the genre forward. We look forward to welcoming you in, listening to you, and moving forward together. The post Call of Duty will no longer have back-to-back Modern Warfare and ****** Ops releases appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

The unenthusiastic reception to Call of Duty: ****** Ops 7 has publisher Activision reevaluating its yearly release schedule, and the franchise will take an important step in ensuring each new entry is fresh. View the full article

Owners of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition for Switch get this new Switch 2 version for free. It features DLSS, mouse controls, and more. View the full article

Опыт продвижения The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered пришёлся Bethesda Softworks по душе. Компания без предупреждения выпустила культовую фэнтезийную ролевую игру The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim на новой целевой платформе.View the full article

Call of Duty: ****** Ops 7 will mark the final time games from the same sub-franchise will launch in consecutive years, Activision just announced. This means no more ****** Ops 8 next year. Just kidding, but that's no longer an option moving forward, the company said in a new blog post released tonight. But with that, CoD is hoping to be more innovative and "unique" each year. Image via Activision It began with Modern Warfare III in 2023 following up on Modern Warfare II (2022), and continued this year with BO7 dropping the following year after ****** Ops 6. That formula clearly isn't working to some degree, so changes are being made. "Call of Duty has enjoyed long-standing success because of all of you, a passionate community that demands excellence and deserves nothing less," Activision said. "We also know that for some of you, the franchise has not met your expectations fully. To be very clear, we know what you expect and rest assured we will deliver, and overdeliver, on those expectations as we move forward." For now, the focus is on BO7's live seasons before CoD 2026 next fall, and the company said that fan feedback "will help shape our seasonal updates in the coming months," bringing updates at least every month to add more content to the game and keep players engaged. But up first, BO7 multiplayer and Zombies will have a free weekend next week, along with double XP, because the company said "we would like you to experience the game firsthand and decide for yourselves." "We won’t rest until ****** Ops 7 earns its place as one of the best ****** Ops games we’ve ever made," the blog said. And with season one, the game is off to a good start, especially when it comes to Warzone's BO7 integration and the sheer amount of stuff to play across all modes. 2026's CoD title is rumored to be Modern Warfare 4, which at least at this point in time, confirms we won't be getting Modern Warfare 5 in the following year. The move itself sounds like a good idea to help each individual game separate itself a bit more from the previous one and prevent things from feeling too same-y for too long. "To be clear, the future of Call of Duty is very strong and we believe our best days are ahead of us given the depth and talent of our development teams," Activision said. "We have been building the next era of Call of Duty, and it will deliver precisely on what you want along with some surprises that push the franchise and the genre forward. We look forward to welcoming you in, listening to you, and moving forward together." The post ****** Ops 7 will be the last time CoD releases games from the same sub-franchise back-to-back, Activision says appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

On December 9, Overwatch 2 launched its 20th season, bringing with it the new Hero, Vendetta, and several adjustments to various playable characters. Along with the return of the Winter Wonderland seasonal event, Overwatch 2 also made some changes to the Aim Assist feature that should make it easier for console players to use. View the full article

Overwatch 2 has launched the big Season 20 update but unfortunately for Linux / SteamOS fans, it comes with some really annoying ****** bugs. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Owlcat Games shares new Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy alpha gameplay screenshots ahead of the alpha's Steam launch next week. View the full article

If you've been waiting for a good opportunity to pick up the prehistoric survival game Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, here it is: You can get it on GOG right now for 80% off, cutting it to just $8. That's the good news—the bad news is that it, along with Obsidian's popular sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds, is being delisted on December 15... Read more.View the full article

Rogue looks like the closest thing to a straight-up fighting game character in her new Marvel Rivals trailerView the full article

How very specific of you LarianView the full article

The next seasonal update for Marvel Rivals introduces a new character alongside Gambit, adding a new hero for players to try. Rogue is being introduced in Season 5.5, but this character has a surprising role in teams that some may not have expected. With Gambit's inclusion as a Strategist at the start of the Season, Rogue's assumed status has shifted into something far more interesting. View the full article

Annapurna Interactive released a new trailer for D-topia, a puzzle-adventure game from Marumittu Games. The trailer was revealed during the Wholesome Games showcase, shining a new light on the game’s futuristic world where happiness is curated by artificial intelligence. .memberful-global-teaser-content p:last-child{ -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); } Read This Article Free Get instant access by joining the GB MAX Access tier — it’s free to sign up and unlock premium content.Join Now to Start ReadingAlready a member? Sign in The post Annapurna and Marumittu Games reveal trailer for puzzle-adventure D-topia appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

The identity of the mysterious statue that was created for The Game Awards may have been revealed. Last week The Game Awards organiser Geoff Keighley posted an image of the statue and tracking information which pinpointed its location to a roadside in the Mojave Desert in California. Players have been visiting the location to take photos and videos of the statue, while the gaming community online has been guessing what game it could represent. Read More... View the full article

Valve ended official support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.x in the Steam client just a year ago, forcing gamers clinging to those aging operating systems to upgrade to Windows 10 or Windows 11. Now, a developer has backported a recent Steam release to the older OS, though you'll still... Read Entire Article View the full article

Xbox Game Pass has a host of incredible games, but for obvious reasons, one thing it doesn't have is Zelda, arguably one of the most iconic franchises in gaming. If you're looking for an Xbox alternative to open-world Zelda games like Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, however, Game Pass has an unexpected sci-fi RPG that's the next-best thing. View the full article

Valve just launched their latest upgrade for Proton Experimental to get as many Windows games as possible running on Linux / SteamOS. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article