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BAFTA announced the “long lists” for the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards. After one more round of voting by gaming peers, the official nominees will be listed. The “best game” list of potential nominees includes ARC Raiders, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Dispatch, Ghost of Yōtei, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Split Fiction. .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 BAFTA announces 2026 game awards ‘long list’ voting results appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is making its way to Nintendo Switch 2 today. Even though the original Switch version of Skyrim has always been playable on Switch 2 via backwards compatibility, this is the fully Anniversary Edition running natively on Nintendo’s latest console. If you already have the Switch version of Skyrim Anniversary Edition, then this is a free upgrade. And if you have Skyrim itself already, then upgrading to the Anniversary Edition is just a $20 fee. But if you don’t own Skyrim on Switch at all yet, then Skyrim Anniversary Edition on Switch 2 is a full $60. .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 Skyrim Anniversary Edition out now on Switch 2 with improved resolution and performance appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

The statue teasing something for The Game Awards 2025 may have just had its mystery unveiled, according to an alleged insider, and it may be promoting a game we didn’t expect to see so soon. The annual award ceremony is set to happen later this week, and while awards for the nominees at TGA 2025 should be the center of the event, it will also serve as a stage for new announcements. View the full article

While Xboxis constantly adding new games to the catalog for players, apparently it also has to make room for these new games and do a bit of housekeeping every once in a while, which includes occasionally removing games for one reason or another. This month, however, seven games in total are being removed from Xbox for good, and you'll want to check them out while you still can. View the full article

Owners of the Switch 1 Anniversary Edition can upgrade for freeView the full article

It’s kind of insane that I never realized how perfectly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would work as a VR game. VR action games famously feature loads of jumping and climbing, which our turt bros do a whole bunch of on Manhattan rooftops. Sneaking around to do melee combat, and having to learn how to parry and dodge incoming attacks is also something the reptilian heroes are known for that has been done well in many VR games. And because these heroes in a half-shell appear most commonly as cartoons, you don’t have to worry about shooting for photorealistic graphics and the technical VR bottlenecks that sometimes come with it. In other words, why in the heck did it take us so long to get this pizza-powered quartet into a VR game? No matter the reason, I’m glad it’s finally happening with TMNT: Empire City, and the 15-minute demo I played was enough to sell me on this tubular action-adventure. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City is exactly the kind of action game you’d expect from the titular masked heroes. I spent my time fighting members of the Foot Clan as each member of the TMNT crew (including their iconic weapons of choice, like Leonardo’s katanas and Donatello’s bo staff), running and jumping across city skylines in pursuit of justice, and hanging out back in my sewer base and eating pizza. Doing all of that in VR is exactly as fun as it sounds (meaning, it’s super fun!), and it’s especially amusing to look down at your turtle body and remember, “Oh, yeah. I’m an anthropomorphic mutated reptile.” Unfortunately, the section I played was limited entirely to the tutorial, so I was mostly just learning the ropes, like how to hack into electronic devices as Donatello (since he does machines) or how to perform parries on those pesky Shredder-following Foot Clan. The fundamentals were definitely strong, as I was grinning ear-to-ear pretty much the whole time, but I’ll be curious to see if Empire City can build on that to keep it interesting across an entire campaign. For example, I only got to fight one boss at the very end of this introductory mission, and it lasted all of – I kid you not – five seconds as I dodged her opening attack and then whaled on her until she tapped out. Obviously this fight was also a part of the tutorial, so it’s hard to tell if things will get more challenging, but here’s hoping. Building a Better Turtle Something that would seem to indicate a deeper level of challenge is the fact that back at the base there’s a whole menu of upgrades to deal with. None of these were unlockable in the build I played from what I could tell, but it reminded me a bit of the upgrade system in Half-Life: Alyx, where you’re collecting parts throughout levels, then funnel it all into a machine to craft certain upgrades for your character. It’s also just great to see them using Donatello’s propensity for crafting gadgets brought to life via all the junk he stuffs in his pocket along the way, which his brothers made fun of him for doing, of course. I never forgot which of the brothers I was because Empire City did such a good job or reminding me with its banter that was completely on point with the surprisingly good writing for which the series is known. Which leads me to one of my favorite parts of the demo: how perfectly Ninja Turtles it was! The banter between the brothers and their recognizable idiosyncrasies left me smiling, whether it was Leonardo’s tendency to be way too serious all the time, Michelangelo’s wise cracks, or Raphael’s intensity and impatience. The unique weapon aside, I never forgot which of the brothers I was because Empire City did such a good job or reminding me with its banter that was completely on point with the surprisingly good writing for which the series is known. I could easily imagine a world where this thing felt like a reskinned ninja game that felt completely generic, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Huge relief. They also do a really good job capturing the comic book/Saturday morning cartoon art style, with environments that look cel-shaded and goofy voice performances that are over-the-top and amusing. Sure, lots of the textures are fairly undetailed, but that works pretty perfectly with the straight-from-a-comicbook vibe that this game is clearly shooting for. I could easily see myself spending a lot of time just hanging out in this world, exploring and fighting alongside friends. Which reminds me: will there be skateboarding in this? Why haven’t they let me skateboard yet?! (Multi-)Turtle Power? One pretty huge thing I didn’t get to see in action is how this will all work in four-player co-op. I can only imagine how much of a blast it’s going to be to roll through with the full shell squad smacking enemies around, but the section of the demo I played felt pretty designed for a single player and it’s a bit difficult to imagine how this kind of gameplay might scale up for four-player bouts. Presumably there’d need to be many more enemies and fewer linear paths than the ones I crept through to make it work. Also, I can only imagine how silly it’ll look to have teammates running around as big ol’ green cartoon characters while swinging around nunchucks. I’ll still need to see a fair bit more of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Empire City before I can speak definitively on it, but so far I’m pretty stoked by the potential here and am absolutely flabbergasted that it took us this long to get a first-person TMNT game. View the full article

Hypemasters has raised $1 million in funding to make new strategy games in addition to its World War Armies titles. Riyadh-based Impact46 led the investment round in United Arab Emirates-based Hypemasters, an international game development studio focused on competitive strategy experiences for mobile. The round included significant participation from GEM Capital. .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 Hypemasters raises $1M for strategy game studio appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

Horizon Worlds is on the cusp of a significant expansion to its avatar clothing swap functionality. Meta’s metaverse platform made a quiet comeback over the past year, thanks in large part to the company’s decision to pivot to a mobile-first user experience, part of a range of ongoing updates to Horizon Worlds in 2025. Another of these updates was the ability for creators to design and sell avatar clothing items inside their experiences, which Horizon Worlds rolled out over the summer. Since then, popular Horizon Worlds experiences like “Profit or Perish” have implemented avatar clothing items. .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 Meta is building out Horizon Worlds’ avatar clothing swap functionality appeared first on GamesBeat. View the full article

Big Preview | When it comes to Total War's legacy, who better to pick the biggest hitters than their creators?View the full article

2K shared no other information on the teamView the full article

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is widely considered one of the best Star Wars game series ever made, which is why players were incredibly excited when they first learned of a remake in the works at Aspyr Media back in 2021. However, as development woes seem to trouble the studio and the years continue to pass without much news, players have begun to wonder what's going on with the remake. View the full article

Ashes of Creation is coming to early access on Steam, and this guide will help you stay updated for the upcoming launch. While the game has been available to Kickstarter backers, this will be the first time it launches to everyone. The countdown below will help you keep track of when the early access launch happens on Steam so you can jump in at the right moment. Table of contentsAshes of Creation release countdownWhat to expect from Ashes of CreationAshes of Creation release countdown Ashes of Creation's early access will be an extension of the Alpha Two phase that's currently live to Kickstarter backers. You can access the Alpha from the game's official website, or just wait for the following countdown to expire (which means that it's available on Steam). [hurrytimer id="1152752"] The countdown is based on the following times. 10am PT12pm CT1pm ET6pm UTC7pm CET As of writing, Intrepid Studios hasn't announced an exact launch time. The times mentioned above are based on SteamDB, and the actual release could differ. We will update the post if there are any changes before launch. What to expect from Ashes of Creation Ashes of Creation is an MMORPG set in a high-fantasy world that the players themselves shape. Here are the core features that you can expect to enjoy. A dynamic world that constantly changes and evolves based on player activities.Presence of both PvP and PvE content that you can grind for various loot and resources.An expansive crafting system that allows you to use resources and obtain various items. The community itself controls the whole economy of Ashes of Creation.Various archetype combinations that allow you to fine-tune your created character, which feels incredibly personal.Different content that you can play at your own pace, alone or with others. Plenty of content is expected to arrive as part of the early access roadmap in Ashes of Creation. It will be interesting to find out what kind of reception the upcoming MMORPG will have, and if its early access state will be able to draw the attention of players worldwide. The post Ashes of Creation release countdown: Exact date and time appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The Asus x TUF gaming Hatsune Miku collection just dropped to a new record-low price, so you can dedicate your setup to the adorable, virtual diva for less.View the full article

A major investor in Final Fantasy maker Square Enix has published a 100-page document criticizing the company's performance and calling for a "fundamental reassessment" of its business, citing perceived "sluggish" revenue and profits. In a press statement, 3D Investment Partners — Square Enix's third-largest investor, holding around a 14% stake — claims there has been a "significant deterioration in earning power" despite the company owning some of the world's biggest franchises and being a "preeminent Japanese game developer." "What Square Enix once brought to life was a 'culture' that shaped an era, and an 'industry' that fascinated the world. Is Square Enix really giving birth to something genuinely new, or has Square Enix turned away from the challenges before it and let its steps falter?" the document asks, imploring that the firm "surprises us, moves us, and ignites that passion we once felt," as "gamers across the globe have been waiting, endlessly, for that irreplaceable experience. "However, under the newly established management structure, the past three years have been marked by a pronounced stagnation in both revenue growth and profitability, with a significant deterioration in earning power, as evidenced by declines in operating income, return on equity, and other key performance metrics." Calling this "the most critical management challenge" currently faced by the Japanese company, 3D1P calls for the firm to "devise and rigorously implement concrete countermeasures addressing critical management issues," including the "excessive fragmentation of the development portfolio, product design, and promotional strategies that have led to declining tie ratios, and inflated expenditures such as development costs." "We respectfully urge a fundamental reassessment of the medium-term management plan, with the objective of fully unlocking the potential of Square Enix's distinguished intellectual property and thereby maximizing corporate value." After directly comparing Square Enix with Japanese competitors like Capcom, *****, Konami, Bandai Namco, and Nintendo — and cherry-picking "harsh" responses from Metacritic of both new and established IP — the investment firm revealed that it had been "engaged in ongoing dialogue" with Square Enix since last summer. "Since July 2024, we have been engaged in ongoing dialogue with SQEX HD. In October 2025, we explained to President Kiryu and Outside Director Abdullah the management issues of SQEX HD as seen from the market. We also presented to President Kiryu our proposals. "However, in response to this request, President Kiryu replied only with a brief email stating, without addressing any of the specific management issues or solutions we had raised, and without providing any concrete explanation of his reasoning." 3D Investment Partners is now sharing its views on the perceived management issues "with all shareholders" to "collect [their] frank views, and, based on the views we receive, engage in constructive dialogue with SQEX HD to enhance its corporate value again." IGN has asked Square Enix for comment. Former Square Enix exec and CEO of Genvid, Jacob Navok — the same exec that recently claimed "Gen Z loves AI slop" — also weighed in, saying that the presentation from 3DIP essentially has two themes: "sales are bad" and "dev costs are high." "These are the same issues I addressed in 2024 when discussing the problems with Square Enix's sales for FF16 expectations for sales were set correctly," he added. "They were not met because Square Enix sales were poor, and the game cost too much to make." The very public complaint comes just weeks after Square Enix announced mass layoffs, impacting over 100 individuals, alongside a broader effort to consolidate its publishing organization and focus its development work in Japan. It had also already sold Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montreal, Square Enix Montreal, and a number of associated IPs to Embracer Group, and laid off workers across its western operations in 2024. Square Enix also expects 70% of its QA work to be handled by generative AI by the end of 2027. The company has stated in the past that it intends to be "aggressive in applying AI" across both development and publishing. Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky. View the full article

Creative Assembly recently held their 25th Anniversary Showcase for the Total War series, with Total War: MEDIEVAL III being announced. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Codes for Detonate can be redeemed for regular and Lucky Spins, which unlock new abilities to use on the battlegroundView the full article

A random, unassuming Magic: The Gathering card from the Avatar The Last Airbender set has risen to a whopping $30 on the secondary market because it's apparently a lot rarer than it ought to be. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Tournament-winning MTG deck sets off price spikes of up to 1000% New Otter-based Infinite MTG combo sweeps into Standard The best Avatar MTG card is not Badgermole but a surprise boomerang View the full article

No one tell Geoff Keighley we already know when he gets revealed at The Game AwardsView the full article

At long last, Leon S. Kennedy has been confirmed to appear in Resident Evil: Requiem — via a leaked image on the PlayStation Store. The reveal of new cover art for the game featuring Leon finally puts to bed one of this year's biggest gaming mysteries — something developer Capcom has itself refused to address — just days ahead of Requiem's appearance at The Game Awards. Presumably we'll see Leon announced officially there. This morning, Resident Evil fans began spotting the new cover art appearing on PlayStation 5 consoles in the pre-download screen for owners of the standard (non-Deluxe) version of the game. IGN has now verified this ourselves, and can confirm the image is legitimate. Leon is real. The game's cover shows a stubbled and haggard-looking Leon looming over Requiem's other main protagonist, Grace Ashcroft. In his appearance, Leon looks most similar to his iconic look from Resident Evil 4, his floppy hair set off by a snazzy leather jacket, its collar lined with fur. Rumors have persisted for months over Leon's involvement in Resident Evil: Requiem, with Capcom specifically declining to answer IGN's questions over the character back at Gamescom in August. The game's developers have even suggested that Leon would be a poor fit as a protagonist for the game's quieter sections as he is now too grizzled to be scared. But through all of this, Capcom left itself with just enough wiggle room for Leon to still be lurking somewhere — presumably during Requiem's more action-packed sequences. Here's a better look at Resident Evil: Requiem's new box art, with Leon's look shown in more detail: Despite Capcom's secrecy, persistent leaks pointed to Leon's presence in Requiem, while the game's story itself seems like it's built around the character's return. Requiem returns the franchise to its roots in Raccoon City, where Leon was once a rookie cop, and its "overarching narrative" that was begun 30 years ago, as of next year. An early trailer for the game even showed the remnants of his former Raccoon City Police Department, hinting at his involvement. Still, amid frenzied speculation, Capcom has been keen to keep fan expectations in check. Last month, Requiem producer Masato Kumazawa has finally confirmed that "yes, there are going to be some characters from the past series to come in" but said that fans shouldn't "over-expect or hype it." Throughout all this, Capcom had kept the secret the quiet — up until today, just 80 days from the game's February 27, 2026 launch date, and little more than 48 hours from its big splash at The Game Awards this Thursday — where gameplay featuring Leon is now all but certain to be fully revealed. Despite Leon's involvement now being confirmed, Requiem still has plenty of secrets left in store. Earlier this week, a GameStop listing referenced yet another unrevealed character, Rosemary Winters, who fans have suggested will play a more minor role. And what will become of these characters, as Requiem seemingly ties a bow on the stories of the franchise so far? Will Leon get to retire and hang his jacket up in peace? Time will tell. Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social View the full article

Digital platform D&D Beyond shared a reflective update on December 8, promising changes to both the website and its philosophy in the coming year. D&D's new executive producer, Brian Perry, lists a number of quality-of-life tweaks coming to the platform. He also admits "In the past, we haven't been clear about our mission or priorities-or shown up to the table to talk with you, our players". "That's going to change." Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: DnD Tiefling 5e - the full species guide D&D's new Cartographer subclass sucks, but can multiclassing fix it? How to build Nick Wilde from Zootopia in DnD 5E View the full article

Final Fantasy 16 reportedly cost around $58.3 million to makeView the full article

Oh no, it's going to pull me back in isn't it? War Thunder is finally adding infantry combat to its roster of war games in a future update. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Starter decks are, I'd argue, the best introduction to a new trading card game. You don't need to fuss over singles or worry that your deck's construction is sub-par. All you need to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the adventure of learning how to play. Heck, Star Wars Unlimited's Twilight of the Republic starter set even comes with two decks, so you can easily convince a friend to join you on your galactic journey. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Get a Star Wars Unlimited Twilight of the Republic booster box for under $40 in this ****** Friday ***** Star Wars Unlimited bans Force Throw after newest set turns it into powerhouse Padmé and Palpatine face off in two new Star Wars Unlimited starter decks View the full article

A new weekly boss has been leaked for Genshin Impact 6.3, and their presence will give players the fight they’ve desired to engage in for years. HoYoverse’****** RPG has just recently entered Version 6.2, an important patch that expands the Archon Quests in Nod-Krai and adds Durin to the playable roster. While the game goes through the current patch, there have already been a lot of leaks about the next one, such as the Genshin Impact 6.3 character banners. View the full article

Swen Vincke isn't sure these stats would've been useful to the teamView the full article