Rockstar

Netflix has entered into an agreement to acquire Warner Bros Discovery for $82.7 billion, which includes the publisher's video game developers and IPs. This means that, should the deal go through, the ownership of Mortal Kombat team NetherRealm Studios, the Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche, and other outfits like TT Games and Rocksteady will be transferred to Netflix. IPs such as Harry Potter, DC, and Game of Thrones are all included in the deal. In a statement posted to the Netflix website, it is said the acquisition will bring "together two pioneering entertainment businesses, combining Netflix’s innovation, global reach and best-in-class streaming service with Warner Bros.’ century-long legacy of world-class storytelling". Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos added: "By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies—from timeless classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane to modern favorites like Harry Potter and Friends—with our culture-defining titles like Stranger Things, KPop Demon Hunters and Squid Game, we'll be able to do that even better. Together, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling." From a video games perspective, there's no mention of what will happen to the developers currently under Warner Bros' wing. Despite the success of Hogwarts Legacy, the publisher's video game efforts haven't been all that successful, with notable failures to its name like Suicide Squad. There are rumours Rocksteady has returned to the Batman: Arkham universe, while the Wonder Woman game was cancelled earlier this year. A sequel to Hogwarts Legacy is expected in the next handful of years. Warner Bros president and CEO David Zaslav concluded: "Today’s announcement combines two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world to bring to even more people the entertainment they love to watch the most." You can learn more about the two companies' intentions through the link. View full article

Update [Fri 5th Dec 2025, 7:45am]: We have an update on this coming from Game Developer, where a Warner Bros. spokesperson confirms that its video game division will be included in the sale to Netflix. We'll throw a quick quote from the site on this confirmation down below: Original Story: In an announcement that's sending shockwaves throughout the entertainment world, streaming giant Netflix has announced its intentions to buy Warner Bros. - for a whopping $72 billion (or $82.7 billion as a "total enterprise value"). Going off Netflix's statement on this, the move doesn't mention Warner Bros.' gaming studios - although the finer detail on this deal is still a little hazy at the minute, especially because it's not completed yet. All we know for sure is that Netflix has "entered into a definitive agreement under which Netflix will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO." Of course, the bit that's standing out to us right now is the sheer size and scope of this acquisition. Throughout 2022 and 2023, Microsoft fought tooth and nail to acquire Activision Blizzard at a cost of roughly $70 billion - and we all know how that went down within the realm of gaming. We suppose we'll have to see how things go for Netflix, and how hard the company has to fight to get this deal done. We'll also be keeping our eye on any potential news regarding the Warner Bros. gaming division, but as things stand, this deal seems to focus on film and TV streaming - which makes sense given the nature of Netflix's current business. In terms of timing, the two companies believe that "the transaction is expected to close in 12-18 months". View full article

Apparently, something is happening over in Nintendo land this week. There's some kind of long-awaited sequel that's been in the works for 18 years? "Metroid"..."Prime"... they call it? That's a new one to us! Seriously though, the new release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond actually has a connection to Xbox, and specifically the Halo series. When the reviews and latest gameplay footage started doing the rounds this week, many people were making the comparison to Halo, and it seems there's a very good reason for that. Taking to social media, VGC's Andy Robinson confirmed that there are "lots" of former 343 Industries developers on the Retro Studios team (studio behind Metroid Prime 4), with reporter Rebs Gaming highlighting that it's a "significant" amount of people that worked on Halo 4, Halo 5 and Halo Infinite. We haven't come across a full list of names yet, but looking back to a VGC article from 2024, various people with Halo history were listed in the development credits for Metroid Prime 4. At the time, the following names were mentioned: Jessica Spence, senior producer (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Halo 4) Chris Lewis, senior environment / material artist (Halo 4, Halo 5, Halo Infinite) Kyle Hefley, lead character artist (Halo 4, 5 & Infinite, Call of Duty: Black Ops, DJ Hero) Brandon Habib, lighting artist (Halo Infinite) Bobby Arlauskas, sound designer (Metroid Prime 3, Donkey Kong Country Returns & Tropical Freeze, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Halo 4) Robert Walker, gameplay engineer (Halo 2L Anniversary, Doom 2016, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered) In particular, Kyle Hefley is someone who made headlines when joining Retro Studios back in 2019, having served as the senior character modeler for Halo 4, Halo 5 and Halo Infinite before taking on a lead character role for Metroid Prime. Many have pointed out in the comments of the above Twitter post that Metroid developers have jumped to Halo in the past as well, so it's no surprise the two series' look quite similar. Of course, it's not like everyone on the Metroid Prime 4: Beyond team has worked on Halo before — there's a ridiculous number of people who have developed all sorts of major games across the industry (including many Bethesda and Activision titles that are now owned by Xbox) — but it's fun to see a crossover like this all the same. We'll leave you with a review of Metroid Prime 4 from Nintendo Life, just in case you own one of those "Switch" thingies! View full article

Clockwork Revolution has a bit of hype behind it within the Xbox fanbase - heck, even boss Phil Spencer sounds pretty excited about what inXile is cooking up. And, while info on the title remains scarce, the team has delivered a new message about the game as part of the latest PC Gaming Show. The upcoming Xbox RPG was named amongst the showcase's 'Most Wanted' titles, and so, Brian Fargo & co. gave us a quick update on how it's progressing over at Microsoft HQ. We'll share the video message down below: Everything the team is saying sounds rather exciting, from this being Fargo's "most complex game" to date, to the Clockwork Revolution dev "taking visual reactivity to an entirely new level" with its time-travelling mechanics. Visually it's very striking too; something that's no doubt grabbing fans' attention right now. Finally, Fargo teases that they've "only shown a tiny glimpse" of the game so far, before again leaving us hanging with its "in due time" release window. We've got a feeling this one will get a date when it's really closed to being finished - and all we can say is, bring it on! View full article

While Mario Kart World may have just received a rather hefty update, fans of the Switch 2 launch game have been eagerly anticipating any potential DLC that will come to the racer. And a recent datamine of Nintendo Today! has brought all of those hopes and dreams to the surface (thanks, IGN!). So, some context: earlier this week, Nintendo updated its news app with a suite of Donkey Kong themes, with many of them seemingly inspired by Donkey Kong Bananza. Fans decided to datamine the themes and see which Kong characters would be appearing in the future and over on Famiboards, user MondoMega shared the results, and there were a few surprises. Now, beyond this point, we'll be going into big Donkey Kong Bananza spoilers, so if you haven't beaten the game yet and want to be surprised, then stop reading right now; the spoilers will be after the image. It turns out, none other than King K. Rool will be featuring on the app on 15th December. Nintendo has rarely acknowledged the villainous croc in recent years, besides his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Donkey Kong Bananza's endgame — and his role as the final boss — was a huge surprise to many. Kritters will also be appearing a few days prior, on 9th. Now, why would Nintendo have K. Rool pop up on the calendar on 15th December? Honestly, it may well be a harmless bit of promotion. Nintendo features multiple characters unrelated to game releases on the app. But the timing of this update, and all of the assets coming from Bananza (you can see all of the datamined animations on Mario Wiki - beware of spoilers, obviously) has people fervently speculating; will King K. Rool be added to Mario Kart World? It's not just baseless speculation, either; shortly after Bananza launched, eagle-eyed players noticed that both King K. Rool and Void Kong's voices were listed in Mario Kart World's credits, but neither character was in the game. So will we be getting some DLC news soon? The Game Awards are next week, but Nintendo rarely makes an appearance at the ceremony, with its biggest announcements there being Bayonetta Origins and a variety of Smash Bros. DLC. Could the Big N buck the trend in 2025? We'll have to wait and see. For now, take this with a pinch of salt. We'd love to see K. Rool in a kart, but we won't get our hopes up just yet. View full article

3Goo, which has previously published the likes of Gear.Club series and WRC Generations on Nintendo consoles, has announced a brand new multiplayer grand-prix racer. 4PGP: Four-Player Grand Prix, which releases on 5th February 2026, has a phenomenally straight-forward moniker, and we reckon that suits its aims as a no-nonsense 90s-style racer just fine, as the keyword here is "simplicity" in being able to pick up and play, with easy to grasp controls. That extends to the visuals too, in the clean and simplistic graphical style adopted to bring this arcade speeding to life with 4K and 120fps on Switch 2. The game also features track "design contributions" from Kenji Sasaki, who of course designed the tracks for little known racers such as Ridge Racer and Sega Rally. Hold on, what? Excuse us? Oh, and you've also got a soundtrack by Tomoyuki Kawamura, who did the music for Sega Rally and Virtua Racing. Wow. Here's some more deets from the press release: Images: 3goo Images: 3goo We like the look of this one, and if 3goo can nail the driving, get the arcade feel just right and give online that works well, this one could fill a proper hole in our Switch libraries when it comes to F1-style racing with pals. We're also totally down for that price point of $24.99 on Switch 2 and $19.99 on Switch 1. View full article

In a staggering piece of news this Friday, streaming giant Netflix has announced that it has entered an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery to acquire Warner Bros. in a deal that's valued at roughly $82.7 billion — an equity value of $72 billion. Netflix is specifically acquiring Warner Bros.' Streaming & Studios company, which it created in June 2025 and includes including Game of Thrones, the DC Universe, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and platforms such as HBO and HBO Max and Warner Bros. Games. The media company doesn't mention WB's gaming division at all in its press release. However, Game Developer has confirmed with a WB spokesperson that "the recently-restructured video game division... will be joining Netflix." Currently, Warner Bros. Games includes a number of studios such as Rocksteady (Batman: Arkham series), NetherRealm Studios (Mortal Kombat), TT Games (LEGO), Portkey Games, and Avalanche Studios (Harry Potter), along with WB's studios in Boston, Montréal, New York, and San Francisco. It's a huge deal that Netflix expect to take around 12-18 months, but that's if it goes through. We know how long other huge acquisitions have taken. Plus regulators are more than likely to get involved. Paramount had previously attempted to purchase the studio in October, which was rejected. Images: Warner Bros. If successful, Warner Bros. shareholders will receive $27.75 a share along with stock in Netflix and the company expects to make savings of around $2-$3 billion by the third year. The deal could have a huge impact on these studios, and is yet another example of consolidation in the video game industry at a time when layoffs, game studio sales, and closures are rampant. In fact, earlier this week, reports emerged that Netflix was selling Spry Fox, developer of Cozy Grove, back to the owners. We'll update this story if more information comes to light. View full article

Kirby Air Riders arrived on Switch 2 just a few weeks ago and, for the most part, it has proven to be a pretty polished experience. Of course, that isn't to say the odd bug didn't slip through the net, but don't worry, Nintendo knows about 'em. A new post on X from @nintendo_cs (translated by @Oatmealdome on Bluesky), Nintendo stated that it is aware of two bugs in particular, and it's working on a fix. First, there's the City Trial 'Dyna Blade' event, which Nintendo has noticed isn't showing up as often as it should. There's also a glitch in the Free Run timer, where it stops counting if the mode is used for too long. It seems that the latter of these two bugs only applies if Free Run is played for a really long time, mind you. X user @maziari1105 shared a clip of their timer maxing out after running the mode for a whopping 116 hours — so don't worry about leaving it on for an hour or two! Nintendo has given no indication of when a patch will be released to remedy these issues, though we'd be surprised if we don't see it soon enough. View full article

While rivals such as Electronic Arts and Ubisoft have jumped into the world of Generative AI development with both feet, not every company in the games industry is willing to throw caution to the wind. During a Q&A session following its recent Q2 financial results, Sega‘s top brass addressed the use of AI when it comes to making games (thanks, VGC) and how it will help tackle the increasing costs of development. Sega's response was as follows: So, while Sega certainly isn't against turning to AI to streamline production, it doesn't look like it will be embracing it with quite the same vigour as other companies. While Generative AI models are powerful tools, they are often trained on the work of artists, musicians, filmmakers, and animators without permission or remuneration. Many models have been found to produce copyright-infringing results with minimal effort. Nintendo has previously stated that it doesn't currently intend to use Generative AI in its own games, citing "issues with intellectual property rights" as one of the main reasons for avoiding it. View full article

New Blood Interactive's Dungeons of Dusk wasn't only the promising game announcement to come out of last night's PC Gaming Show, with Freshly Baked Games and Future Friends Games also revealing an exciting new retro-inspired action-RPG, which is set to come to Steam next year. Queen's Domain, as you might have guessed from its title, is a homage to From Software's classic PlayStation series King's Field, and is said to combine "brutal combat and a super stylish retro-fantasy aesthetic", as well as "traversal-focused exploration" set on an interconnected island filled with secrets. The game starts with the player washing up on the shores of the Isle of Neasied, where they will begin a search for their missing father, while also attempting to uncover the mysteries at the island's "dark heart". Images: Freshly Baked Games/Future Friends Games Equipping themselves with a string of weapons, ranging from basic wooden clubs to enchanted swords and hammers, the player will do battle against various enemies, such as "mind-boggling" skeletons, human-fish hybrids, and laser-firing plants, levelling up and accessorising their character as they venture deeper into the island's cavernous depths. If that sounds like something you'd be into playing, a Steam page for the game is already available, as well as a short demo giving you a taste of what's to come. Images: Freshly Baked Games/Future Friends Games Here's the game's trailer: View full article

At last night's PC Gaming Show, New Blood Interactive announced that its modern FPS classic Dusk will be getting an RPG spin-off next year, in 2026. Dungeons of Dusk is described as a "classic turn-based dungeon crawling RPG that takes place canonically between the episodes of the cult classic FPS" and is being developed by 68K Studios, the company behind indie RPGs like The 7th Circle: Endless Nightmare, Inferno - Beyond the 7th Circle, and Ludus Mortis. It is scheduled to be released on PC (Steam & GOG), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, iOS, and Android, and seems to not only be a homage to both '80s and '90s cRPGs, but also Fountainhead Entertainment's (later id Mobile's) phone-based RPGs for Wolfenstein and DOOM (which were also obviously based on existing shooters). Images: New Blood Interactive It is said to feature "a 30-level campaign" with character progression and NPCs who will grant you passive buffs; a bunch of new and familiar enemies to fight, such as chainsaw-wielding leathernecks and the KKK-esque cultists; and a variety of action-packed game modes, which include boss rush, survival, and endless arena. Looking at the reveal trailer, there also seems to be plenty of weapons to find and equip, ranging from sickles to shoguns, and shops where you'll be able to stock up on ammo and health items. You can watch the full trailer below: View full article

Look, Data East's Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja isn't a great game – we all know it. However, it seems to have had a disproportionate impact on the world of video games thanks to its cool premise, amusing dialogue with "President Ronnie", and the fact that it came at a time when the entire world seemed to be utterly crazy about ninjas. A hit in arcades and on the NES, Bad Dudes was never ported to a Sega system back in the day – but don't worry, because Andrea Baldiraghi is fixing that particular oversight with an unofficial port to the Genesis / Mega Drive. Baldiraghi, as you may or may not be aware, is the person behind the upcoming Sega port of R-Type. The footage shown so far is looking very promising indeed. Released in 1988, Bad Dudes was followed by Two Crude Dudes / Crude Buster, and both titles are available on modern-day systems like Evercade and Polymega. View full article