Update [Sun 23rd Nov 2025, 10am]: Ahead of the December Update for Pokémon Unite, additional details have been shared about License Points and the Aeos Coins Exchange. Here's the rundown via the Pokémon website:

Pokémon Unite - December Update

Please see the details below regarding exchanging previously earned Aeos coins for license points.

Exchange Rate

• 10 Aeos coins → 1 license point

Points Required to Obtain a License

In License Journeys, the number of license points required to obtain a Pokémon’s Unite license will vary per license.

• License points required: 325–1,960

Usage Tips

Obtaining a license at the shop

• If you would like a specific Unite license, we recommend obtaining it via Aeos coins at the shop before the maintenance starts at 3:00 UTC on December 4, 2025.

• After the update, you will no longer be able to obtain Unite licenses via Aeos coins.

Exchanging Aeos coins at the Aeos Coin Exchange after December 4, 2025

• After December 4, 2025, you’ll be able to use the Aeos Coin Exchange to exchange previously earned Aeos coins for license points, which can be used in License Journeys.

• Besides license points, we also plan to make other items—such as fashion items, Holowear, and more—available at the Aeos Coin Exchange in exchange for Aeos coins.

The December game updates will also include a new Ranking System, updates to the Theia Sky Ruins battle map, improvements to the main menu and changes to Exp. Point distribution. Planned future improvements have been outlined as well. You can find out more on the official Pokémon website.

You can read the original announcement about the discontinuation of Aeos Coins and introduction of License Journeys in our story below.

Original Story: The free-to-play MOBA Pokémon Unite has experienced all sorts of updates since arriving on the Switch eShop and mobile devices in 2021, but this latest announcement appears to have a lot of the community talking about the title's future.

In an in-game notification, it's been revealed as of 4th December 2025, Aeos coins will no longer be distributed. Nintendo Life can confirm the following in-game message. Here's the part of this notice focused on Aeos coins:

As of December 4, 2025, Aeos coins will no longer be distributed, and the Unite Battle Comittee will no longer offer Unite licenses in exchange for Aeos coins. If you would like to obtain Unite licenses via Aeos coins, please do so by that date.

Aeos coin boost cards will become unusable starting December 4, 2025. We plan to allow remaining ones to be exchangeable for Aeos coins. This will be implemented at a later date.

After December 4, 2025, the Unite Battle Committee will, however, continue to offer Unite licenses in exchange for Aeos gems.

Aeos Coin Exchange

An Aeos Coin Exchange will become available December 4, 2025. Here, players will be able to exchange previously earned Aeos coins for license points or various items.

Aeos coins and the Aeos Coin Exchange will remain in-game until May 2026.

This discontinuation of Aeos coins will take place alongside the introduction of License Journeys on the same date (4th December 2025). These will give players a new way to obtain Licenses in Unite by playing the game and accumulating License points. These can be obtained as battle pass rewards, from random boxes, or as rewards from future events. Here's a bit more about this new feature:

"Typically, each time the player selects a Unite license to work toward, they'll choose from five available licenses. However, there will also be times players can choose from all the Unite licenses in the game. Unite licenses for newly released Pokémon may also become available via License Journeys at the same time they're released in the shop."

2025 marks the fourth anniversary of Pokémon Unite. Over the years it's been expanded with new playable Pokémon, maps, modes, and is also playable on the Switch 2.

Update [Sun 23rd Nov 2025, 5am]: Gear.Club Unlimited 3 was meant to be racing onto the Switch 2 in 2025, but it's reportedly been delayed.

Sim racing website Traxion has reached out to Nacon after noticing several retailer listings for the Switch 2 version were scheduled for early next year and has been informed "a release date has not yet been set".

If there is an official announcement about this or any other updates before the end of the year, we'll let you know.

Original Story: [Fri 22nd Aug 2025]:

It's been announced another racing game is speeding onto the Switch 2 in the future. This time it's Gear.Club Unlimited 3 and it's arriving at some point in "late 2025".

This game will follow on from the first two titles, which were released on the eShop during the original Switch generation. Apart from the teaser trailer above, Nacon has also shared some information about what you can expect:

Gear.Club Unlimited 3: Arcade Fun for Everyone - "Built for accessible fun and gameplay, Gear.Club Unlimited 3 returns with a more complete formula. This new installment features two contrasting environments: the sunny Mediterranean coast and the twisting, mountainous roads of Japan. A brand-new "Highway" mode challenges players with dense traffic and high-speed moments. With over 40 officially licensed cars and a full career mode, this game offers instant driving enjoyment for all player types."

As mentioned, this new entry will include "contrasting environments" from the sunny Mediterranean coast to the twisting, mountainous roads of Japan. We've also got some "work-in-progress" screenshots (via Gematsu):

When we hear more about this one, we'll let you know.

Guilty Gear -Strive- Nintendo Switch Edition arrived earlier this year in January, but fans on the hybrid platform were left behind when the new DLC and other updates never showed up.

Now, alongside an apology about missing the previous window, Arc System Works has confirmed the Season 4 "DLC characters" and "implementation of ranked matches" will be arriving in the Switch version of the game on 18th December 2025. As a reminder, these characters include Venom, Unika and Lucy from the anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

Here's part of the translated message about the update and DLC delay on Switch:

We had initially announced that the game would be released in the fall of 2025, but due to additional issues arising during the operational testing process, we have changed the release date. We sincerely apologize to everyone who has been eagerly awaiting the update for any inconvenience caused. The development team is making every effort to ensure a high level of perfection so as not to impair the gaming experience of our users.

We hope you continue to enjoy GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- Nintendo Switch Edition.

In case you need a reminder, the Switch version of Guilty Gear Strive includes 28 playable characters in the base package, including the first three seasons of the title.

When this update finally drops, we'll share a reminder.

Update [Sun 23rd Nov 2025, 2am]: It seems we might have got to the bottom of this mystery. According to multiple online listings, Capcom will offer "Lenticular Editions" of Resident Evil Requiem for all platforms. So, not just for the Switch 2 but also the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game.

Some listings describe this as being a "case sleeve" or "card" (featuring what is basically a changing picture, depending on the angle you view it from). This same type of card has also recently been featured in official Capcom advertising materials for the 'Deluxe Edition' of the game.

Some online listings outside of the US also show the Switch 2 game case with cover art matching its PS5 and Xbox counterparts. So, there you go - it seems there might not be special treatment for the Switch 2 version in this department.

If we hear any updates or developments, we'll let you know.

Original Story: When the Switch 2 version of Resident Evil Requiem arrives next February, Nintendo fans can look forward to a few extra goodies, such as a limited edition Pro Controller and eventually a themed amiibo.

As highlighted by many Nintendo enthusiasts online, it seems there could be another surprise. If you haven't already seen the title's cover art for the Switch 2 standard physical release, it's apparently looking a bit "different" from the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions.

As you can see below, the cover art on display for the Nintendo release features the game's protagonist, and FBI intelligence analyst, Grace Ashcroft.

As Nintendo Everything highlights, although the standard release may show different cover art here for Switch 2 physical copies, it seems Capcom has shown the same design for the Deluxe Edition of the game.

This cover on display here for the Switch 2 standard version has resulted in all sorts of speculation online, so if we find out anything else, we'll let you know. On Switch 2, Resident Evil Requiem is expected to offer the same gameplay experience as other platforms and will also be releasing at the same time on 27th February 2026.

It's also been previously confirmed the physical Switch 2 version is a Game-Key Card. Capcom will be offering a special 'Generation Pack' as well containing the new game, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil: Village (launching for Switch 2 on the same date).

Will you be picking up the Switch 2 version of this game? Let us know in the comments.

Ys X: Proud Nordics, the definitive edition of the acclaimed Ys series game, was previously announced for PC and Switch 2 in the West. Today, NIS America announced that the title would also be coming to PlayStation 5. The publisher also revealed the game’s two release dates: one for the US and Europe, and the other for Australia and New Zealand. (I’m slightly annoyed that it’s US and EU, not the Americas and EU or even NA and EU. Rude.) The game was first released in Japan in July 2025.

This version of Ys X: Proud Nordic features the fast-paced combat and enthralling narrative from the original release, but also offers new mechanics, a high-difficulty dungeon, and a brand-new storyline seamlessly integrated into the game.

Adol and a proud Norman named Karja have a tense encounter at sea, and end up shackled together with Mana. Players will board the Sandras, their ship, to gather some trustworthy friends before going head-to-head with the Greigr to protect Obelia Gulf. The new story centers on Öland Island and the mysterious newcomers, Canute and Astrid. This definitive version of Ys Xaksi includes a new time-trial dungeon, Muspelheim.

Here are the game’s key features, from NIS America:

• Adventure Anew: The spectacular adventure of Ys X: Nordics is back and better than ever, with improved graphical performance and quality of life updates that make this the definitive way to experience Ys X.

• Isle of Mystery: Arrive at Öland Island and take part in a brand-new adventure! With Shield Siblings Canute and Astrid by your side, dig deep into the mystery surrounding this island in a story that’s been seamlessly integrated into the original.

• An Ocean of Experiences Awaits: New mechanics and content abound in Ys X: Proud Nordics! Use the new Mana Hold ability to manipulate the world around you, try your hand at new challenges on Öland Island, and prepare yourself for Muspelheim, a timed dungeon of diabolical difficulty.

Developed by Nihon Falcom Corporation and published in the West by NIS America, Ys X: Proud Nordics will be released in North America and Europe on February 20, 2026; it will be released in Australia and New Zealand one week later, on February 27.

If you're itching to play a brand-new Game Boy Color game, then you're in luck. Bitmap Soft has announced it has opened pre-orders for its latest title, Lightseeker, over on its official website.

Priced at £10 for a digital copy and £50 for a physical Game Boy Color cartridge, Lightseeker is a roguelike of sorts in which you defeat enemies to gain rations, while keeping any loot you've obtained upon each inevitable death.

It looks neat from the screenshots, but gameplay footage is, at the time of writing, a little scarce. Still, Bitmap Soft had previously released Glory Hunters, which you may have recently seen received a digital release on the Switch eShop. So if you're not keen on picking up Lightseeker for the Game Boy Color, then you might want to hold off for a bit.

Let's check out the key features:

- Battle dozens of enemies and colossal bosses in brutal, fast-paced combat.

- Discover the lore of a world long lost to the dark.

- Collect armour, weapons, and cards to build your strength and uncover hidden stories.

- Earn achievements, play minigames, and master every challenge the Abyss offers.

- Choose your path: a stalwart knight, a deadly hunter, a feral eastern warrior, or the mysterious Scorched.

Images: BItmap Soft

Will you be picking up Lightseeker for the Game Boy Color? Let us know with a comment in the usual place.

We're now just weeks out from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's anticipated release, and more details about it (including some previews) are beginning to circulate online.

In case you missed it, the estimated digital file sizes for the Switch and Switch 2 Edition of Samus' long-awaited adventure have also gone live on the eShop and official Nintendo website. So, if you didn't already know, here's what you can expect:

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Estimated File Size

- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Switch) - 28.9 GB

- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - 31.6 GB

Of course, these sizes are still classed as an "estimate" at the moment and are subject to change before and after release, depending on the patches and updates distributed. The eShop also has Metroid Prime 4's Upgrade Pack listed as 1.5 GB.

In comparison, Metroid Prime Remastered (based on the first Prime entry) is just under 7 GB according to the Switch eShop.

As previously confirmed, the Switch 2 version of Metroid Prime 4 supports higher resolution, faster frame rates, HDR and mouse controls. When in docked mode, players can choose from 4K at 60fps (quality) or 1080p at 120fps (performance). And in handheld/tabletop mode, the options are 1080p at 60fps (quality) and 720p at 120fps (performance).

Will you be downloading this game on Switch or Switch 2? Have you already pre-ordered Metroid 4 from the eShop? Let us know in the comments.

Although the new game Pokémon Legends: Z-A is now in full swing with its events and unlocks, The Pokémon Company and Game Freak are still showing support for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet with distribution events.

With this in mind, the latest one is now live and it offers up a Whimsicott based on the same one used by Federico Camporesi to win the 2025 Pokémon North America International Championships (thanks for the heads up, Serebii.net). This also lines up with the 2026 Latin America International Championships running this weekend.

To obtain this latest distribution Pokémon, the code you'll need is LA1C26TA1LW1ND. You can redeem it in the mystery gift section of the game, and it's available until 30th November 2025.

The same titles are currently giving trainers the opportunity to catch a Goodra with the Mightiest Mark. This event is now underway and will repeat on 28th November - 30th November 2025.

In case you missed it, earlier this year, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet also received a free Switch 2 upgrade - adding frame rate improvements and higher resolution. You can find out more about this in the full patch notes for Version 4.0.0.

Apart from this new distribution event for Scarlet and Violet this week, Pokémon Legends: Z-A also revealed a new Mega Evolution recently for its upcoming DLC, due out next month. The new entry's Ranked Battle Season 3 start date and rewards have also been detailed.

Update [Fri 21st Nov 2025, 10:30pm]: This Shadow Labyrinth update is now available for the Switch and Switch 2. Alongside this, Bandai Namco has released a video that runs for close to six minutes, explaining everything included in Patch 1.1.0. You can see it above and download the patch now.

The written patch notes for this latest update are available in the original story below.

Original Story: Bandai Namco announced at the end of last month that it would be revamping Shadow Labyrinth with a major update. It's now officially rolled out Version 1.1.0 across multiple platforms. These updates aren't out on the Switch 2 and Switch just yet, but will "release soon".

For now, here's the full rundown of this next major update, which includes the addition of "Explorer Mode", balance adjustments for the existing mode and improved play control for Mini-PUCK. Bandai Namco notes how this update has been designed to "enhance" the overall enjoyment of this title. Here's the full rundown:

Shadow Labyrinth - Update 1.1.0 (Switch, Switch 2 - Coming Soon)

Supported Platforms

• PlayStation®5 / Xbox Series X|S / STEAM® are available now

• Updates are also incoming for Nintendo Switch™2 / Nintendo Switch™ and will release soon. Thank you for your patience!

Adjustments

• Addition of Explorer Mode
  

  • This mode significantly lowers the difficulty of combat and exploration, allowing you to better enjoy the story and world

  • The existing mode, which was playable upon Shadow Labyrinth’s first release, will now be distinguished as "Veteran Mode," allowing you to continue enjoying the intense gameplay you've come to expect!

• Switching Method

• You can switch modes at any time during save data selection on the title screen or within the Miku Sol (Save/Warp Point) menu

• There are no disadvantages to selecting "Explorer Mode," so please enjoy the game in the mode that best suits your playstyle

• Main Adjustments in Explorer Mode

  • Sword Fighter and GAIA's attack power increased

  • Damage taken is reduced

  • Contact damage is nullified

    • Contact damage occurs when certain enemies are hit, or when enemies perform specific actions such as charging

  • Various energy consumption rates are reduced and recovery effects increased

  • ESP consumption is reduced

  • Increased GAIA energy recovery during predation (consuming foes)

  • GAIA Energy automatically recovers while in Sword Fighter phase

  • Increased ESP recovery speed while crouching

  • Increased recovery speed after ESP reaches 0

• Athletic Recovery Support

  • In certain areas with particularly high athletic (platforming) difficulty, failing three times in a row will cause a warp point to appear, allowing you to skip that specific challenging athletic area

• "Tenacity Boost" becomes available

  • "Tenacity Boost" further increases attack power!

  • When "Tenacity Boost" is ON, the Sword Fighter's cloak turns red, and attack power gradually increases each time you die

  • Players can toggle Tenacity Boost ON/OFF and adjust its level at any time via Miku Sol (Save/Warp Point)

• MAZE difficulty adjustments

  • Including boss weakening, MAZE stage adjustments, and changes to item placement within MAZE.

The following adjustments apply to both Explorer Mode & Veteran Mode

• Adjustments to Miku Sol (Save/Warp Points)

• Significantly increased the number of Miku Sol (Save/Warp Points) and Simple Miku Sol (Save Points)

• Additionally, some Simple Miku Sol have been replaced with Miku Sol that allow warping, greatly improving player convenience

• Added Mode Change/Settings to Miku Sol Menu
  You can now switch between Explorer Mode and Veteran Mode at any time from the Miku Sol menu.
  Additionally, you can now toggle "Tenacity Boost" ON/OFF and set its level.

• HP tanks now recover even in Simple Miku Sol

• MAZE Adjustments

• Adjusted MAZE clear rewards

• The reward score required to clear MAZE has been reduced, making it easier to obtain

• Additionally, Ora can now be obtained when the score gauge is at maximum, or when the reward acquisition score is reached even if the reward has already been obtained

• Maximum bonus fruit acquisition increased from 100 to 200

• If you fail the MAZE for Red Bragza: Terrias-Gilba, Blue Bragza: Terrias-Juno, Orange Bragza: Terrias-Valou, or Pink Bragza: Terrias-Boz Rag, players can choose to skip it

• Added save/load support for the retry function from MAZE boss battles!

• MAZE that have progressed to the boss battle can now resume from the boss battle after restarting the game

• Mini PUCK Play Control Adjustments

• Added operation tutorial stages within Miku Sol's menu, certain MAZE, and after some events

• Added a dedicated button for neutral jump (jump without directional input). This reduces the chance of accidental inputs

• Added diagonal forward-up stick input to the normal jump button. Inputting the stick diagonally forward-up and jumping now follows the same trajectory as a neutral jump, making the controls more intuitive

• Improved mid-air control after jumping

• Other Adjustments

  • If defeated during the final battle against the last boss, you can now retry from the final battle!

  • Reduced consumption and increased recovery of various energy sources

    • No ESP consumption when Devour as the Sword Fighter

    • Reduction in ESP consumption during evasive maneuvers

    • Increased GAIA energy recovery during Devour (Recovery also slightly increased in Veteran Mode)

• Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash during the staff roll. (Nintendo Switch version only)

  • Fixed an issue where, in certain MAZE, the speed when ejected from a booster slowed down at high refresh rates. (Steam version only)

  • Fixed an issue where ESP would not naturally recover and the menu could not be opened after dying under specific conditions

  • Other minor fixes

20 years, eh, where does the time go?! Yep, Microsoft's Xbox 360 console launched on November 22nd, 2005 - which means the system has now hit the ripe old age of 20. To celebrate, we've been looking back at what made this gaming machine one of the very best - from the system itself to its launch games lineup and the experiences it delivered over time, Xbox 360 is simply an awesome console and one that's worth looking back on.

You may have seen that in recent days, we started the party early here at Pure Xbox! I raved about Project Gotham Racing 3 once again because of course I did, while Fraser went back and played Perfect Dark Zero for the first time in over a decade. We also recently listed off some of the biggest things we miss from the 360 era in more general terms. You can take a look at all of those PX features down below.

There's more where that came from too — including a fun little poll we're soon to publish about your favorite Xbox 360 launch games — but for now, we want to get some discussion going about what this anniversary means to you. Do you remember November 22nd, 2005 like it was yesterday? Did you discover the library later on, perhaps via modern Xbox backwards compatibility? We want to know!

For us here at the PX offices, Xbox 360 remains a special thing - it's the era we look back on most fondly; a time where Microsoft was firing on all cylinders in its gaming department. The games released on it — from first and third-party — were largely brilliant, the controller was amazing and is still one of the best around, and all-in-all, we just have great memories of being Xbox fans at that time. The system had its issues, sure (who can forget the RROD and those strange Kinect years?), but it represents a time where Xbox really was at the top of the gaming tree.

So, what does Xbox 360 and this anniversary mean to you? Do chat with us about that in the comments, and be on the lookout for plenty of other 360 stories here on Pure Xbox!

Analogue's amazing FPGA-based N64 clone, the Analogue 3D, will go back up for pre-order next week – but the price is getting a bump thanks to President Trump's infamous tariffs.

The company announced on social media that a new batch of the systems will be available for order at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET on Monday, November 24th.

The big catch is that the price is rising from $249.99 to $269.99, as the company has had to absorb the tariffs imposed by the US government on goods imported from abroad.

These systems will begin shipping on December 2nd, but Analogue has stated that “all open orders will ship before restock orders ship.”

That means if there are any issues with getting existing pre-orders out the door before the 2nd, you might be waiting longer. Still, this leaves a glimmer of hope that you might get your machine in time for Christmas.

The promising MARS FPGA console is dead, according to one of the project's developers.

Todd Gill – a longstanding and influential figure within the FPGA community – broke the news on Discord recently.

Gill, who was designing the console's casing, reveals that the person in charge of the MARS board development "just disappeared", putting the project on ice. Gill says that the rest of the MARS team was effectively "Ghosted" by the individual, meaning work could not continue.

MARS was promoted as a rival to the established MiSTer FPGA system and would have used a more powerful FPGA chip to emulate consoles like the Sega Dreamcast on a hardware level.

Image: Discord

Image: Discord

Its rumoured price point would have been around $699, and it was claimed that it would allow users to plug in their original controllers and cartridges.

In addition to Gill, the MARS FPGA team also included Flxel (developer of 3DO and Dreamcast emulators) and RetroTINK creator Mike Chi. FPGA developer Wizzo parted company with the project last year on good terms.

Implicit Conversions, the studio behind emulating some of your favorite PS1 and PS2 games as part of PS Plus Premium, is quietly working on a PS3 emulator.

While boss Bill Litshauer insists improving its support for PS2 is his company’s current focus, he revealed in an interview with Mystic that he believes it will be “feasible” to emulate PS3 games in the future – potentially on the PS5 and “certainly” on the PS6.

He said:

“We believe it’s feasible. I don’t think anyone expects it to run on a Switch or a PS4, but maybe PS5 and certainly PS6 whenever that comes out. We do feel it’s technically possible, it’s just a matter of devoting the time, energy, and resources to it.”

Litshauer explained that supporting PS3 is a “back burner project” for his team and that it actually hasn’t had many requests for the console. But it’s something it’s working on anyway.

He continued:

“We’re working with a third-party to help us with this. So, we have a base to work off. It’s a back burner project for us that we’re investigating over time. To be transparent, PS2 is more of a priority for us just because of the demand. But it’s a fun project for our engineers.”

Many believed that PS3 emulation may never happen due to the complicated nature of the console’s architecture, but in recent years we’ve seen PC-based solutions like RPCS3 come on leaps and bounds.

As Litshauer appears to allude to, the biggest bottleneck here seems to be the time and resources required to do it.

Hopefully it’s a project Sony will eventually put some muscle behind, as it’d be great to see PS3 games added to PS Plus Premium in the future.

Today marks the 25th birthday of one of Treasure's most acclaimed titles, Sin & Punishment.

Released exclusively in Japan on 21st November 2000, the game is a 3D rail shooter directed by Hideyuki Suganami. Built around the N64 controller's unique setup, Sin & Punishment is famed for its intense action, superb visuals and surprisingly mature and deep storyline.

While it was never released in the West, it is playable on Nintendo Switch Online, complete with translated menus.

Almost a decade after it hit the N64, a sequel appeared on the Wii under the title Sin & Punishment: Star Successor. Just as beloved as its predecessor, the game is one of the company's last releases; it would be followed by Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury (2011), Gaist Crusher (2013) and Gaist Crusher God (2014).

While Treasure is still active, most of its staff are now at other companies, and it primarily exists to oversee the release of its back catalogue on modern-day systems.

If rumors are to be believed, Ubisoft's next game might be a remake of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. While nothing has been confirmed by Ubisoft, numerous reports have been leaked or hinted at through the years, of a potential remake to one of Ubisoft's most successful entries in the series, giving building credence to the idea of a remake actually being developed. However, other rumors claim that there will be major changes within the potential Assassin's Creed IV remake, including doing away with all modern-day sections of the game, or reportedly modernizing it with more RPG-like gameplay elements.

Adding fuel to the fire, Ubisoft's financial report today showcased that the company has a handful of games due out before the end of the fiscal year, including one unannounced title, believed to be the ACIV remake, meaning it would theoretically launch sometime before March 31, 2026.

Source

Publisher Ubisoft is making no secret of its plans to utilise generative AI tech — at least, it certainly sounds that way in new comments from CEO Yves Guillemot.

The controversial technology has been a hot topic of discussion in the industry for a while now, and as it begins to feed into the games we're playing, it's rubbing some people the wrong way.

Games like ARC Raiders, The Finals, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and more used AI tools to varying degrees in their production, and they're being criticised by onlookers who are concerned about the tech replacing original creative work from human beings.

It seems Ubisoft is going whole hog on the AI front. Speaking to investors, Guillemot says the publisher is "making great strides in applying gen-AI to high-value use cases that bring tangible benefits to our players and teams".

He goes on to call generative AI "as big a revolution for our industry as the shift to 3D", and it sounds as though it's being implemented in quite a meaningful way.

Guillemot brings up "neo-NPCs", AI-powered characters capable of "unique and responsive" conversations with players to deliver "fully personalized and immersive experiences".

He says this concept is now out of prototyping, so we can probably expect to start seeing Ubi's neo-NPCs in future games.

"On the production side, we now have teams in all our studios and offices embracing these new technologies, and constantly exploring new use cases in programming, art, and overall game quality," Guillemot says, essentially saying AI tech is planned to be a major part of how the publisher makes games going forward.

Whether that works out in the long run remains to be seen, of course.

It's very likely there are use cases for AI tools in the production pipeline, but the concerns from fans are more to do with creative disciplines within that; generating art, music, animation, and so on, rather than having talented artists helming those areas.

Again, we'll have to wait and see how things play out.

South Korean studio Shift Up has begun recruiting for what seems to be a new game in the Stellar Blade series.

Stellar Blade is a PS5 console exclusive action game that released last year, quickly becoming a fan favourite.

Now, it looks as though the developer is openly hiring for people to work specifically on Stellar Blade's "next work".

The company's recruitment page has several sections, each related to an individual project, and the Stellar Blade project is up at the top.

Shift Up is hiring across several disciplines, including writers, artists, programmers, and designers.

It's difficult to really glean any details about the game from the job listings, but it at least reaffirms a follow-up to Stellar Blade is in the works.

We probably won't see the new game for a while; Shift Up has previously said it's targeting 2027, but isn't making promises.

In a sign of the times that makes us feel old, a new report has found that nearly half of the USA's children are planning to ask for in-game currencies this Christmas.

A survey conducted by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) asked over 700 kids about video game gifts, with nearly three out of five respondents wanting a game-related present this holiday season.

43 per cent would like in-game currency, presumably for games such as Fortnite and Roblox.

Some more statistics: 39 per cent of the kids want a game console, while 37 per cent would like physical games under the Christmas tree.

The survey also asked more than a thousand adults about their Christmas purchasing plans, with a third of them planning video game gifts.

The ESA holds this survey on a yearly basis, and looking back, it's interesting to see how these results compare to previous results.

We reported on the survey in 2023, when a smaller percentage of children wanted in-game currency, but at the same time, fewer kids planned to ask for a physical game.

It seems the appetite for game-related presents is growing, then, and more children are after V-Bucks than full games on a disc.

What are your thoughts on this? Tell us in the comments section below.

Earlier this year, those paying attention will have likely seen an unusual game cropping up on social media, all about digging a hole and seemingly nothing more.

Well, that game is A Game About Digging a Hole, and after its huge success on PC, it's now coming to consoles.

The viral hit indie title is tunnelling through to PS5 on 9th December 2025:

The game is very much a what-it-says-on-the-tin situation; it's all about digging a hole in pursuit of unearthing treasures in the ground outside your new home.

As you dig you find resources, which can be sold, and the cash you earn can be spent on upgrades to make the digging faster and easier.

It's a very simple feedback loop, and when you add on top a layer of mystery — just what will you find if you dig deep enough? — it makes for a short-lived but compelling experience.

The game only costs £4.29 on Steam, and we expect it'll be around the same on PS Store.

Are you curious enough to try A Game About Digging a Hole on PS5? Tell us in the comments section below.

As we celebrate the Xbox 360's 20th anniversary this week, I've been going back to one of its launch titles in the form of Perfect Dark Zero to see how it holds up and whether its mixed reaction over the years has been justified.

My personal history with Perfect Dark is a little muddled - the first memory I have of the N64 version is watching my friends play it and enthuse about how it was "like GoldenEye, but better". I obviously ended up playing the Xbox Live Arcade version years later and enjoyed it, but I think some of the impact from its launch was lost on me.

Perfect Dark Zero, meanwhile, has just been sitting on my shelf mostly untouched for the past 15 years-or-so. I'd always heard it was a disappointment compared to the original, and although I remember enjoying the multiplayer, I totally ignored the campaign. This week though, it was time to boot it up — through backwards compatibility on Xbox Series X in order to get the best possible experience — and see whether it's actually worth playing in 2025.

The first thing I'll say about Perfect Dark Zero is that it's such a time capsule of those early Xbox 360 days. There's a James Bond-esque intro that feels like it's desperately trying to appeal to the MTV generation (think Die Another Day), and a menu screen with flashy 2000s style presentation featuring an old-school Samsung logo in the top corner. You can totally see how this blended with the classic Xbox 360 "Blades" dashboard at the time.

Once the campaign began, I definitely felt how dated the game is as well. Movement is painfully slow at first, even in terms of how quickly the crosshair moves around the screen, while the gameplay feels like a mix of old-school FPS controls from the likes of Perfect Dark 1, GoldenEye and even TimeSplitters, as well as more modern takes on the formula that we'd seen in Halo 1 and 2. The cover system is clunky-at-best and would be perfected by the likes of Uncharted just a couple of years later, and the AI (particularly friendly AI) can act somewhat bizarrely at times.

So, yeah... in many ways, Perfect Dark Zero immediately feels like a game from 20 years ago. The way it plays out is reminiscent of 007: Agent Under Fire for me - the first James Bond title from the PS2 and original Xbox generation that did some ambitious things but ultimately didn't quite reach its potential (whereas 2002's 007: Nightfire definitely did).

And yet, despite all of that, I'm enjoying Perfect Dark Zero on my Xbox Series X right now. The campaign is muddled and I have little idea what's going on in the story (they don't tell you much), but the moment-to-moment FPS gameplay is at least decent and feels pretty good to play once you've got used to the pace and controls.

It's not uncommon for major console launch titles to carry a sense of "tech demo" with them instead of being fully fleshed-out releases (even Ryse: Son of Rome has that to a degree), and Perfect Dark Zero kinda feels like an example of this, but it does also try some ambitious things. There are numerous gadgets at your disposal, a healthy selection of weapons, some well-designed maps and objectives to complete, and even a vehicle-based section at one point.

These are levels that still remain legitimately enjoyable to play here in 2025, and carry with them a heavy sense of nostalgia for those early Xbox 360 days. It very much feels like travelling back in time to another generation when you're playing PDZ, but not to the point where you can't still have fun with it on a modern-day system.

I also really appreciate how it offers you the perfect amount of hand-holding. It's not a game that wants to guide you too much, but if you lose your way for whatever reason, it seems to quickly sense what's going on and begins providing you with subtle arrows and hints for where you need to go. A lot of today's titles could learn from this!

Speaking of a modern-day system, Perfect Dark Zero can look stunning at times on Xbox Series X. Some of the environments in particular are beautiful, and when you consider how games looked 20 years before PDZ came out (Super Mario Bros., Excitebike, etc.), it's quite incredible how technology advanced in such a short period of time. The Series X cleans everything up and allows Perfect Dark Zero to shine its brightest here in 2025.

The real shame is that Perfect Dark Zero's excellent and surprisingly in-depth multiplayer suite is seemingly dead these days. You've got tons of maps to choose from, a whole heap of customisation options, the ability to play with up to 16 bots, a ridiculous number of game modes including fan favourites like Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and Infection, and yet there doesn't seem to be anyone playing anymore.

Why? Well, Halo 3's arrival in 2007 seemed to kill off the Perfect Dark Zero community, and that's probably no surprise considering how great that game's multiplayer ending up being. There was just no place for PDZ anymore as the years rolled on, but at least it's still playable to this day - maybe there could be a mini revival for it eventually?!

This has been a fun little nostalgia trip to celebrate the Xbox 360's 20th anniversary this week, and I'm far from finished with the campaign just yet, so I can see myself returning to try and complete it ASAP. The disc version works just fine on Series X, but keep in mind that it's included with Game Pass and is part of the Rare Replay collection.

If nothing else, it's a fascinating and quite bizarre walk down memory lane - a pre-Halo 3 era when the Xbox 360 was in its infancy and its eventual lineup of incredible games was only just starting to take shape.

It's such a shame that Perfect Dark Zero will remain the most recent entry in the series for seemingly a long to come, as there's clearly so much potential with it. The glimpses we saw of the Perfect Dark reboot hinted at something that could have been pretty special, and PDZ does make me long for a sequel, but perhaps it's never meant to be.

Have you been waiting over a year for Silent Hill 2 to come to Xbox? Well, you don't have to wait any longer! Konami and Bloober Team are releasing the game on the Xbox Store today, complete with an immediate 50% discount.

Despite bizarrely not appearing at the Xbox Partner Preview event, Silent Hill 2 Remake quietly started appearing for Xbox a few hours ago in certain regions, and now it's extending to even more countries - mostly at midnight local time.

It just so happens to be Xbox Play Anywhere compatible as well, meaning you get a free PC version if you buy it for Series X and S.

As for the game itself, here's the team's short introduction to its Silent Hill 2 remake:

"Investigating a letter from his late wife, James returns to where they made so many memories - Silent Hill. What he finds is a ghost town, prowled by disturbing monsters and cloaked in deep fog. Confront the monsters, solve puzzles, and search for traces of your wife in this remake of SILENT HILL 2."

If you never came across it last year, Silent Hill 2 Remake ended up being one of the best-rated games of 2024, racking up an 86 average for PS5 and 87 average for PC on Metacritic.

That makes it well worth considering for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, then, and at a very reasonable price of just £27.49 / $34.99 on the Xbox Store right now, we think this one's going to prove a very popular purchase over the weekend!

• Silent Hill 2 (Xbox Store)

Infocom's original Zork trilogy is now open-source under an MIT license, thanks to the combined efforts of Microsoft’s Open Source Programs Office (OSPO), Xbox, and Activision (h/t: The Verge).

The three classic text adventures — which Microsoft OSPO director Stacey Haffner and the Microsoft vice president of developer community Scott Hanselman referred to in the announcement as "a cornerstone of gaming history" — were originally released between 1980 to 1982 for various home computers (such as the TRS-80 CoCo and Apple II), and have their roots in an earlier game that was developed between 1977 and 1979 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a PDP-10 mainframe computer.

This original version was created by a group of individuals, including Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and Dave Lebling, with three of its four creators later going on to help form the influential adventure game company, Infocom, in 1979.

The latter version, on the other hand, was the work of Dave Lebling and Marc Blank, and was written in a new language called ZIL (Zork Implementation Language), which was designed so that games could be easily ported to different home computers with the help of a "Z-Code interpreter" rather than having to write everything again from scratch whenever they wanted to target a new machine.

The source code for all three games has been preserved for a while, thanks to the internet archivist Jason Scott, but according to the terms of the MIT license, people may now "use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software" as long as they include the correct copyright notice and this permission notice included. The repositories for all three games are available below, and include the source code and "accompanying documentation where available, such as build notes, comments, and historically relevant files":

• Zork I

• Zork II

• Zork III

In particular, this initiative seems to be targeted at helping educators first and foremost, with Haffner and Hanselman stating the goal of this license change is "to place historically important code in the hands of students, teachers, and developers so they can study it, learn from it, and, perhaps most importantly, play it."

This does not include "commercial packaging or marketing materials" associated with the titles, and "it also does not grant rights to any trademarks or brands, which remain with their respective owners."

The 3DO M2 is one of the most famous unreleased consoles of all time.

A successor to the ill-fated 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, the M2 promised the kind of power that would put the Saturn and PlayStation in the shade – but in 1996, 3DO sold the rights to M2 to Panasonic's parent company, Matsushita, which ultimately cancelled the project the following year.

The M2 did make it to market as a physical product, however – the FZ35-S was a kiosk-style unit intended for commercial purposes. As explained by the 3DO Archive, it featured the same hardware as the M2, but was incapable of playing the games which were powered by the arcade variant of the M2 hardware.

Thanks to the efforts of Dutchconsolefreak / @Clown57859, it's now possible to play an M2 arcade 'port' on a FZ-35S kiosk system – and it's Konami's 1998 one-on-one fighter, Battle Tryst.

The game is notable for the fact that it was originally intended to include fighters based on Castlevania's Simon and Richter Belmont.

Konami released four other games on the M2 arcade standard: Heat of Eleven '98, Evil Night, Tobe! Polystars and Total Vice.

Not a fan of the 8BitDo 64 controller's rather simple black and white colour schemes? Then we have some good news to share with you.

8BitDo has just announced that it will be releasing a new colourway for the Bluetooth controller early next year, which more closely resembles the Nintendo 64 classic grey controller.

That means, instead of the buttons all being one colour, like on the black and white models released earlier this year, the new controller will instead line up a little more closely with what you remember from back in the day, boasting a red start button, blue and green A&B buttons, and an all-yellow C-pad.

This new controller will cost $44.99 ($5 more than the Black and White versions that are already available) and will reportedly ship near the beginning of next year, on January 30th, 2026.

Images: 8BitDo

The 8BitDo 64 controller was originally designed in conjunction with Analogue for its new 4K N64 console, the Analogue 3D, which was released earlier this month, and was based on the company's 'Ultimate' line of pads. However, it can also be used in conjunction with other platforms, too, including the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Windows 10, and Android (9.0).

Noticeably, it does away with the three-pronged design of the original N64 controller (exchanging the gun-style Z-trigger from the middle prong for two new Z triggers positioned at the top of the pad), and also introduces three additional buttons on the face – Screenshot, Minus and Home – which offer different benefits.

In addition to this, it also switches out the original N64 Analogue "Wand" for a Hall Effect Joystick, incorporates a built-in vibration feature (for use with the Analogue 3D and Nintendo Switch N64 Online library), and includes a turbo feature.

Interested? You can pre-order the controller here.

The technology that powers the games we play has evolved over the past few decades to the point where graphics have transitioned from simple, blocky sprites to blindingly photorealistic in a relatively short period.

However, the tech which allows us to interface with our games has enjoyed a somewhat less dramatic development; sure, analogue control might be the norm now, but it's easy to forget that the first game console to use analogue joysticks was the 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System, which hit the market all the way back in 1978.

Still, that's not to say that the world of gaming controllers hasn't seen its share of innovation and creativeity, as a new tome from Bitmap Books proves.

Images: Damien McFerran / Time Extension

Trigger Happy: A Visual Celebration of Video Game Controllers is a 396-page epic which aims to chart the history of the video game controller via 200 different examples. It's packed with 560 amazing photos snapped by Christian Wenk, who co-authored the book with veteran game journalist Steve Jarratt (EDGE, Official PlayStation Magazine, Official Nintendo Magazine).

Wenk's photography is truly stunning – I'd even go so far as to say it's some of the best controller imagery I've ever seen. Jarratt's expertise comes in when describing the impact of some of these devices – some of which were arguably little more than design dead-ends (who remembers the Batman joystick?) but remain interesting artefacts nonetheless.

Images: Damien McFerran / Time Extension

Flicking through the pages, I was amazed at how broad Trigger Happy is; there are controllers featured here that verge on the totally obscure, so the book neatly sidesteps the usual issue of familiarity that plagues many similar ventures.

But that's not all; sprinkled throughout are comments from industry luminaries such as Trip Hawkins, James Rolfe ('The Angry Video Game Nerd' to you and me), ex-Rare artist Kevin Bayliss, and DOOM co-creator John Romero.

I often feel guilty about not investing enough time in researching the history of the humble video game controller, so Trigger Happy feels like a breath of fresh air – and a book that has already encouraged me to look on eBay for a reasonably-priced Seaman gamepad.