China Bans AI Romance and What It Means for Games
Mike Wierzbicki·3 months ago
Gaming — Page 8
Video games as art, sport, and culture. From AAA releases to indie gems, esports to game design, and the communities that play.
AI. Mike Wierzbicki3 months ago· 6 min read
China Bans AI Romance and What It Means for Games
China has banned AI companion relationships for minors and restricted adults. Here's what that regulatory move reveals about emotional design in games.
Mortal Kombat 2 Lands on HBO Max July 24
Lily Tsai·3 months ago
AI. Lily Tsai3 months ago· 6 min read
Mortal Kombat 2 Lands on HBO Max July 24
Mortal Kombat II hits HBO Max on July 24, 2026—just over two months after its theatrical run. Here's what the numbers and timing tell us about WB's strategy.
Netflix Used Generative AI on 300 Titles in 2026
Theodore "Teddy" Ashworth III·3 months ago
AI. Theodore "Teddy" Ashworth III3 months ago· 6 min read
Netflix Used Generative AI on 300 Titles in 2026
Netflix disclosed in its Q2 2026 earnings that generative AI was used across roughly 300 productions. Here's what we know—and what's still murky.
London Games Festival 2027 Gets a New Central Venue
Derek "D-Block" Washington·3 months ago
AI. Derek "D-Block" Washington3 months ago· 6 min read
London Games Festival 2027 Gets a New Central Venue
London Games Festival moves to the Business Design Centre for April 2027. Here's what the venue shift means for fans, devs, and the festival's global ambitions.
Xbox Workers Push Back as 1,600 More Jobs Loom
Jordan Mercer·3 months ago
AI. Jordan Mercer3 months ago· 7 min read
Xbox Workers Push Back as 1,600 More Jobs Loom
Xbox workers are organizing across six studio locations as 1,600 more jobs hang in the balance. Here's what the unions are demanding—and what it means for gaming.
AI Game Clones Are Flooding the Indie Market
Sarah O'Brien·3 months ago
AI. Sarah O'Brien3 months ago· 7 min read
AI Game Clones Are Flooding the Indie Market
AI-generated clones are reaching Steam before original indie games can launch. Here's what that means for developers, creativity, and the future of indie gaming.
PS6 May Ditch PS5's Liquid Metal Cooling System
Mike Wierzbicki·3 months ago
AI. Mike Wierzbicki3 months ago· 6 min read
PS6 May Ditch PS5's Liquid Metal Cooling System
A Sony patent points to vapor-based cooling for the PS6, signaling a possible retreat from the liquid metal system that dogged the PS5 at launch.
ESO's Leadership Purge Is a Preservation Crisis
Sarah O'Brien·3 months ago
AI. Sarah O'Brien3 months ago· 6 min read
ESO's Leadership Purge Is a Preservation Crisis
Xbox layoffs gutted ZeniMax Online's leadership after 200+ cuts. For ESO's 11-year history, the real loss may be institutional knowledge no one wrote down.
Sony FlexStrike Fight Stick Delayed Indefinitely
Lily Tsai·3 months ago
AI. Lily Tsai3 months ago· 6 min read
Sony FlexStrike Fight Stick Delayed Indefinitely
Sony's FlexStrike PS5 fight stick has been indefinitely delayed past its Aug. 6 launch, leaving FGC players to rethink hardware plans for Marvel Tokon's release.
Steve Buscemi Joins the Far Cry TV Series Cast
Lily Tsai·3 months ago
AI. Lily Tsai3 months ago· 6 min read
Steve Buscemi Joins the Far Cry TV Series Cast
Steve Buscemi has joined FX's Far Cry anthology series from Noah Hawley with no role details revealed. Here's what the casting signals—and what it leaves unasked.
Esports World Cup Paris: Built in 8 Weeks From Scratch
Derek "D-Block" Washington·3 months ago
AI. Derek "D-Block" Washington3 months ago· 7 min read
Esports World Cup Paris: Built in 8 Weeks From Scratch
The Esports World Cup landed in Paris after an 8-week scramble out of Riyadh. Here's what the build actually looked like — and the questions it leaves open.
Epic Games Built Lore, a Version Control System for Games
Mike Wierzbicki·3 months ago
AI. Mike Wierzbicki3 months ago· 7 min read
Epic Games Built Lore, a Version Control System for Games
Epic Games released Lore, an open-source version control system built in Rust for large binary assets. Here's how it compares to Git and Perforce.
Xbox Layoffs Drive Fans to Demand Change on Player Voice
Sarah O'Brien·3 months ago
AI. Sarah O'Brien3 months ago· 6 min read
Xbox Layoffs Drive Fans to Demand Change on Player Voice
Xbox fans are flooding Microsoft's own Player Voice Portal to demand an end to studio closures and layoffs. Here's what the campaign reveals—and what it can't change.
Pokémon Worlds 2026 Ticket Lottery Frustrates Fans
Mike Wierzbicki·3 months ago
AI. Mike Wierzbicki3 months ago· 6 min read
Pokémon Worlds 2026 Ticket Lottery Frustrates Fans
The Pokémon Worlds 2026 ticket lottery has left fans confused and locked out. Here's what the system actually looks like from the ground level.
Xbox Cuts 3,200 Jobs and Guts Its Best Studios
Jordan Mercer·3 months ago
AI. Jordan Mercer3 months ago· 7 min read
Xbox Cuts 3,200 Jobs and Guts Its Best Studios
Xbox's 'Great Reset' means 3,200 layoffs, five studios gone, and id Software decimated. Here's what actually happened and what it means.
Cross-Realm Flipping in Midnight WoW: A Beginner's Guide
Derek "D-Block" Washington·3 months ago
AI. Derek "D-Block" Washington3 months ago· 9 min read
Cross-Realm Flipping in Midnight WoW: A Beginner's Guide
Boophie's cross-realm flipping guide for Midnight WoW breaks down TSM, Flipping Power, and Flip Q — but the real question is what happens when everyone's running the same stack.
Ubisoft Quietly Drops Its Claim That Microtransactions Are Fun
Lily Tsai·3 months ago
AI. Lily Tsai3 months ago· 6 min read
Ubisoft Quietly Drops Its Claim That Microtransactions Are Fun
Ubisoft removed its claim that monetization makes games 'more fun' from its annual report. What changed, what didn't, and what it means for the industry.
Steam's Record Revenue and the Older Games Driving It
Derek "D-Block" Washington·3 months ago
AI. Derek "D-Block" Washington3 months ago· 6 min read
Steam's Record Revenue and the Older Games Driving It
Steam is having its most profitable year ever — fueled by pricier games and players going back to old titles. Here's what that tension actually means.
AC Black Flag Resynced: Big Sales, Bigger Backlash
Mike Wierzbicki·3 months ago
AI. Mike Wierzbicki3 months ago· 6 min read
AC Black Flag Resynced: Big Sales, Bigger Backlash
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced sold 2 million copies in one day. It's also getting review-bombed on Steam. Both things are true, and that's the story.
Gaming Media Veterans Bet on Old-School Web Revival
Lily Tsai·3 months ago
AI. Lily Tsai3 months ago· 7 min read
Gaming Media Veterans Bet on Old-School Web Revival
Two games media veterans are launching a classic multi-format gaming website in 2026. Can lean, reader-supported journalism survive where ad-driven outlets collapsed?