Stellar Blade: Blood Rain is being promoted with an AI-slop music video created by developer Shift Up, and it's all about as soulless as you might expect. The video, which looks to be completely AI generated, features protagonist Evie singing an "original" song titled "Wanna be in Love" as she explores the dystopian cyberpunk city seen in the game's official announcement trailer that debuted as part of Summer Games Fest. At one point while wandering the city, Evie picks up a KPop Demon Hunters keychain. Towards the end of the video, there is "behind the scenes footage" of Shift Up developers "on set" with Evie, giving her direction, doing her makeup, and high-fiving members of the team. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ncuote9ADo An entirely AI-generated video serving as the first major piece of marketing for the Stellar Blade sequel following its reveal is certainly a choice, though it's more than a little concerning Shift Up somehow decided this was a good idea. It is, however, not all that surprising. Shift Up CEO and Stellar Blade director Hyung-tae Kim earlier this year said (as translated by Automaton) during a South Korean "Economic Growth Strategy" briefing he believed AI to be an "essential tool for going up against large competitors like China on a global level." He also said AI will not result in people losing their jobs, even though it will enable "one person" to perform the "work of 100 people." South Korea as a whole is doubling down on AI, with the country set to invest nearly $14 billion in AI and related infrastructure. The Stellar Blade franchise is no stranger to controversy, ranging from having to patch out unintentional racial slurs to the culture war over the appearance of main character Eve and her revealing outfits in the first game. Stellar Blade: Blood Rain is proving to be no exception, with some criticizing the sexualization of Evie, who appears more childlike in appearance, even as Shift Up promises "more appealing" outfits. In an interview with IGN, Kim was asked whether he was worried about using a younger-looking character for Blood Rain, and how that may be perceived by players. He said Evie is indeed younger and smaller in size than Eve, but largely dodged the question. "If you actually play the game, you will not think that," Kim said. Stellar Blade: Blood Rain does not yet have a release date. However, the original Stellar Blade is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 later this year. ...
Suspicions are arising among Legend of Zelda fans that the Ocarina of Time remake will launch in mid-November--just within spitting distance of Grand Theft Auto 6. The theories revolve around an apparent pattern of Nintendo's Amiibo releases, and it's hard to blame anyone for buying into them. Per Kotaku, fans claim to have spotted a November 11 release date (adjusted to November 12 with the correct regional system clock settings) for a pair of Kirby Air Riders Amiibo figures (Sword Kirby and Noir Dedede) on Nintendo UK's store--though those listings have since been removed. And fans have observed that Nintendo generally releases Amiibo figures on the same day as its first-party game launches, whether the Amiibos tie into those launches or not. 
Two Kirby Air Riders Amiibo figures are set to release in November, according to apparent listings on the Nintendo UK store. For instance, the Mineru's Construct Amiibo for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is coming out on September 17, the same day that Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave releases on Switch 2. Earlier this year, the King Dedede & Tank Star Amiibo launched simultaneously with Rhythm Heaven Groove on July 2, and the Meta Knight & Shadow Star Amiibo coincided with Pokemon Pokopia on March 5. That all leads many to the conclusion that Nintendo is releasing something in mid-November. With Nintendo firm on a 2026 release window for the Ocarina of Time remake, taking a prime November spot appears logical. Of course, Ocarina of Time would be facing off against the most anticipated video game launch in recent history with GTA 6, which is set for a November 19 launch. Pretty much every other gaming company has scrambled to avoid being near the epicenter of GTA 6's release, leading to an awfully crowded September. Nintendo seems like the one big player (if you don't count Atari with its Barbie game re-releases, or Devolver with whatever it's planning for GTA 6 day) willing to poke Rockstar's upcoming blockbuster with a stick. Presuming this prediction becomes reality, it'll be a fascinating example of counter-programming. Zelda (especially Ocarina of Time) and the GTA franchise are heavy-hitters with different audiences, and with GTA 6 not on Switch 2 at launch, the Ocarina of Time remake will give Switch 2-only players something to get their hands on in November. Both titles would have the opportunity to thrive despite occupying the same space on the calendar. And if you're a fan of both franchises, November could be the opportunity to eat two entire cakes to yourself, which could be a fun, albeit possibly overwhelming and time-consuming feat. Nintendo’s Top-Selling Switch 2 Games Of All Time 
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August is shaping up to be a fun month with the release of games like Beast of Reincarnation and Pro Jank Footy, and if you're a fighting game fan, you can also grab Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls. Officially out next week, physical copies of the game have managed to break their street date, and naturally, there are plenty of spoilers online. While we won't be listing them here, please start fine-tuning your filters for specific keywords. From what we've seen online, details include various game secrets, trophies, story details, and more. A lot of these details had been kept under wraps--and even managed to escape being data-mined during the recent open beta--but a few people who got their hands on the game early have wasted no time in spoiling those surprises for everyone else. Posts detailing the secret content are being taken down as quickly as they go up, but you can't unsee a leak before that happens. It's a pity, because developer Arc System Works has crafted some pretty good narratives for its fighting games--like Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ--and the single-player campaign for Marvel Tokon was penned by award-winning comic book writer Kieron Gillen. If your spider-sense can help you dodge the leaks, then you won't have to wait too much longer to play the game. Marvel Tokon officially launches on August 6 for PC and PS5. So far, 2026 has been a great year for fighting game fans with all of the high-profile releases in the genre. Invincible Vs kicked things off in April with some brutal brawling, Avatar Legends has been a hit with fans of the series despite the high skill ceiling needed to master it, and Street Fighter 6 has continued to add new characters to its roster. If you're on PC and looking to grab a bargain, you can preorder Marvel Tokon for just $54 at Fanatical, a nice little 10% discount. Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom. ...
While Microsoft itself just set a record for the biggest single-day market cap swing in history, the company's Xbox division is struggling. How will new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma turn things around? In a memo to staff obtained by The Verge, Sharma shared the top Xbox priorities for the current fiscal year and beyond. These included four main buckets--Core, Content, Creation, and Connection. Some of the efforts include making Minecraft "the world's creator platform" and getting Xbox games to become "global franchises." She also wants to "strengthen" the Xbox platform, "led by console" and undertake an effort to "extend the worlds that fans love." Here are the four pillars, as written by Sharma: CORE: Strengthen our platform, led by console CONTENT: Grow great games into global franchises CREATION: Make Minecraft the world’s creator platform CONNECTION: Extend the worlds that fans love Xbox revenue decreased by 7% for the latest fiscal year, or about $1.7 billion. It's not uncommon for businesses to have up and down swings, but what's particularly notable here is that most of Microsoft's other divisions are booming. Microsoft's Windows and Devices division dipped, too, but not by as much as Xbox. Additionally, every other business unit showed year-over-year revenue gains. Microsoft's biggest success in the past year was its "server products and cloud services" division, which jumped by $31 billion thanks in part to the AI craze. "Our business did not grow with our audience" Sharma said in FY2026 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026), more than 200 million "new players" came to Xbox, "but our business did not grow with our audience." She said Microsoft must "close that gap by investing in what players value." She said this will take time--but not that much time, at least for the first stage. Sharma said Xbox is expected to "return to growth" by the end of FY2027, so by June 30, 2027. In her memo, Sharma said for FY2028 and FY2029, the Xbox division must "move into businesses producing meaningful player value and revenue acceleration." She also talked about trying to "scale what works" and by FY2030, she said Xbox's ambition is to "be halfway to our long-term daily-player goal with sustained double-digit growth in players and engagement and industry-leading margins." 
Xbox is undergoing a "reset." Additionally, Sharma said Xbox is already "one of the largest stadiums" out there, reaching 100 million people daily, 500 million monthly, and nearly 1 billion each year. Sharma also spoke about how important console is to Xbox, saying console "generates the majority of Xbox revenue and remains the foundation of our fandom." Microsoft is working on a new system, Project Helix, but it may be undergoing changes due to AI-related memory and component pressures that are being fueled, in part and ironically, by Microsoft. Also in the memo, Sharma talked about moving away from a decentralized model for game development to a system that is "more focused around our strongest franchises and biggest new ideas." Part of this has included divesting of five studios and re-focusing on games like Fallout and Elder Scrolls that have the best chance at succeeding. She added that Xbox leadership is coming up with "long-term plans" for the company's biggest franchises, spanning games, film, TV, consumer products, live experiences, sponsorships, and doing more in China. On the subject of games specifically, Sharma said Xbox already has three franchises that generate $1 billion or more annually. She didn't name them outright, however. She also said Microsoft will invest in Minecraft "more than ever before." As for film and TV projects, Microsoft is working with Paramount on a Call of Duty movie that's coming in 2028. There is also a Gears of War movie in the works for Netflix. A Gears of War animated TV show is coming as well. There is also a new Minecraft movie set for release in 2027, a third season of Fallout, and a Sea of Thieves movie. In total, Microsoft has a dozen film and TV projects in the works. Earlier this year, Xbox's new chief strategy officer, Matthew Ball, spoke frankly about how Xbox languished in recent years and what comes next. Another way Microsoft is trying to get back to growth is by cutting staff. The company laid off 1,600 people this month and will part ways with another 1,600 people in the next year. For more, check out GameSpot's breakdown of the Xbox studios that are left and what they're working on...
Three decades ago, Nintendo discontinued its Virtual Boy console after it failed to catch on. But now, two of the unreleased Virtual Boy titles are set to make their debut on Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo has announced that D-Hopper and Zero Racers will be available on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass on August 4. D-Hopper was originally known as Dragon Hopper, and it's a fantasy action-adventure game that puts players in control of a prince as he attempts to bring down an evil regime and free his loved ones, fairies, and elemental spirits from their grasp. Zero Racers is a racing game that was inspired by the SNES hit F-Zero. Both D-Hopper and Zero Racers would have been released in 1996 if Nintendo hadn't pulled Virtual Boy from store shelves. https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/2083002205519413357 Nintendo is also catering to Virtual Boy fans with its latest additions to Nintendo Music. The following games have been added to that lineup and are available to listen to now. Virtual Boy Wario Land Mario Clash Galactic Pinball Teleroboxer Mario's Tennis Although Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey once opined that Virtual Boy had "hurt the VR industry," Nintendo surprised players by adding support for select Virtual Boy titles in September 2025. It even released a plastic replica Virtual Boy as well as its cardboard counterpart to recreate the experience of playing the games in a primitive form of VR. As an unexpected benefit, players can also use the Virtual Boy replicas to access VR modes in Switch titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. Additionally, the GameCube's signature Mario game, Super Mario Sunshine, will arrive on Nintendo Switch Online on August 13...
There's no shortage of video game soundtracks that you can boot up and enjoy these days, but few can compare to Mick Gordon's work on 2016's Doom and 2020's Doom Eternal. Each soundtrack has a raw, unflinching sound that perfectly encapsulates the rip-and-tear gameplay with its heavy beats and unrelenting ferocity, and Gordon even built a custom analog effects and audio-routing rig to turn the most brutal of sounds into harmonic violence. Gordon will be bringing that soundtrack with him when he hits the Radar Festival stage as a headline act in the UK next summer, and ahead of that performance, GameSpot spoke to him about his work on the Doom games. One of the interesting takeaways was how Gordon sees himself in the space of video game music, as he approaches each gig in the way that an archeologist works on an excavation site. As Gordon puts it, the music is already there--he just has to uncover it. "I think my job, I feel, is very much like a musical archeologist," Gordon said. "My job is to turn up with a delicate set of tools and very carefully--with a very delicate brush and a very careful hand--start uncovering what I feel is already there. It's just the sound or the music is already there, and the job I feel is to uncover it and very, very delicately unearth it, polish it up. And then send it out into the universe. Because the truth is, a franchise like Doom inspires that type of music, and I feel it wouldn't deserve anything less than that." As for the longevity of his work, from Doom to a guest spot on Gareth Coker's Absolum album? Gordon credits the fans of his music for giving his soundtracks plenty of airtime. "Once I've done my job, save out the audio files, and I send it to the developer, they wrap it up into the game, it comes out, and I'm no longer involved," Gordon explained. "That's it. That's my job done. If this thing has any legs, goes off, and does the things that you just mentioned there, that has nothing to do with me. That's all about the fans. That's all about how other people receive it. It's not me who's been prolonging it. It's the fans enjoying it. You know what I mean? So they deserve as much credit as I do." Following a sabbatical at the end of his work on Doom: Eternal--which Gordon has since distanced himself from--he has lent his talents to several other games, from Atomic Heart to Routine, and his next project will see him riff and tear in the upcoming cyberpunk FPS game Defect...
Actor Tom Holland, who starred as Nathan Drake in the Uncharted movie, has shared new insight into his gaming habits, and he is a big fan of another Naughty Dog game. He also discussed how difficult he finds Fortnite to be. Asked on the Happy Sad Confused podcast to name his favorite video game, he said The Last of Us: Part II. "So good," he said. But did he watch HBO's The Last of Us TV show? He said he did not, in part because he holds the game in such high regard. "I have not watched the series. Because I love the game so much. I don't play video games all that much. And the game is just so good," he said. https://youtu.be/9DvB4G2FZ_o?si=eqhoJnTebwAF2SBr&t=2614 Season 2 of HBO's The Last of Us adapted some of the events of The Last of Us: Part II, and Season 3 is expected to continue down that path. The HBO series was never billed as a 1:1 adaptation of the game--and, indeed, it makes a number of changes. Holland is not alone, as a number of other people have expressed similar reservations about watching the TV show. Also in the interview, Holland was asked if he's ever played as one of his Uncharted or Spider-Man skins in Fortnite. He said he does not play Fortnite all that much because of how challenging the game is, especially when it's full of people with serious building skills. "I am so bad at Fortnite that I cannot play it. I don't think I've ever got a kill in Fortnite. When you play those people who start building stuff? I don't know what to do. I don't know how to do that," he said. Fortnite does offer a Zero Build mode, but that can be challenging as well. Holland, 30, stars in what are expected to be two of 2026's biggest movies. He plays Telemachus in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is out today, July 31. Sony's Uncharted movie, released in 2022, made more than $400 million globally to rank as the No. 8 highest-grossing video game movie ever. The film, which also starred Mark Wahlberg as Sully, was described as the first in a franchise, but a sequel has not been announced. While an Uncharted movie sequel might not be happening just yet, there are numerous adaptations of Sony games in the works. The Helldivers and Horizon Zero Dawn movies are coming in 2027, with film adaptations of Days Gone, Bloodborne, Ghost of Tsushima, and Gravity Rush also in the works...
Sony's plans to embrace an all-digital future are starting to gain ground, as the company has confirmed that 82% of all PS5 games, microtransactions, and DLC from Q1 2026--covering April 1 to June 30--were sold digitally. This is an increase of the previous ratio of digital games sold across the entire 2025 financial, which averaged 78%. It is worth noting that each quarter in that period had different numbers--83% in Q1 2025 FY, 72% in Q2, 76% in Q3, and 85% in Q4--so there's still plenty of time to see what the average ratio is when the next three quarters are added in. That quarter also saw several big games launch for PS5, such as Starfield, Saros, and 007 First Light. While the numbers point toward the inevitability of a digital-only games marketplace future for PlayStation, a section of the playerbase is still aiming to convince Sony to reverse course and keep offering physical games to some extent. Sony's social platforms have been under siege from a dedicated number of people who reply to every post with calls to keep physical games alive, and a week-long boycott of the company will kick off later in August. 
Will those initiatives help? Probably not, as Sony says that it will still "cautiously" move forward with its plans, but it is aware of the strong emotional connection that people have with physical media. Sony CFO Lin Tao said during a Q&A investors meeting that the "digitalization of content" has been steadily progressing and that Sony won't be doing a U-turn. Sony also stands to gain financially from the decision, as it'll earn 100% of the profits from sales of its first-party game. With physical sales of third-party PS5 games also coming to an end in 2028, the company can also claim a cut of those sales when people purchase games through its online marketplace. In other news from Sony's Q1 report, PS5 sales are slowly closing in on the 100 million lifetime sales milestone, monthly active user numbers are up, and company profits are up despite game sales remaining flat, thanks to tariff refunds and favorable exchange rates...
Sony is starting to feel the pinch of console price hikes, as the last quarter--April 1 to June 30 of 2026--saw the company sell 1.6 million PS5s, a slight increase when compared to the previous quarter that saw 1.5 million consoles sold. That's a steep decline of 36% when compared to the same period in 2025, and so far, PS5 lifetime sales have reached 95.3 million units sold. In comparison, the PS4 had moved 100.2 million units by the same point in its lifecycle, albeit with the help of regular discounts and the MSRP of the system decreasing over time. The PS5 hasn't enjoyed the same benefits as its predecessor, as the ongoing shortage of RAM and other crucial components has resulted in PS5 console prices increasing instead of decreasing, a first for PlayStation hardware. Sony noted that revenue from hardware sales is also down by almost 10%, while software unit sales are up from 65.9 million to 66.1 million, year-on-year. Despite its decision to end PS5 disc production being met with almost-universal backlash, digital game sales also increased from 78% to 82% during Q1. 
Monthly active user numbers are also up by 2 million, with Sony recording 125 million people using its services. Overall, sales are holding steady across game and network divisions, but profits did increase by 37% thanks mostly to US tariff refunds and favorable exchange rates. Nintendo also benefited from tariff refunds lately, but the company refuses to pass any refunds on to its customers. Sony has also noted that it has "secured the quantity of memory necessary" for all the PS5 consoles it expects to manufacture and sell this calendar year. The next few months will be a crucial period for Sony, as the release of GTA 6 is expected to give the company a sales bump during the holiday season...
Sony's decision to kill PS5 disc production in 2028 has been met with massive criticism since it was first announced, and the company has acknowledged the backlash. In a Q&A session for investors following the posting of its Q1 financial results today--running from April 1 to June 30--Sony revealed more details about its decision to shift toward an all-digital future, and how the announcement had been met with "strong views" from its community of gamers. "We announced that from January 2028 onwards we will no longer be manufacturing game discs, so one-and-a-half years ahead," Sony CFO Lin Tao said (via an interpreter). "There are various reasons we made this decision, the biggest being that digitalization of content overall has been progressing. That's the big factor. It’s not just for PlayStation, but for all kinds of content; digitalization is progressing. When we think about the future, we put in a lot of thought and time, and we cautiously considered this, and we came to this conclusion and we're going to cautiously move this forward." Tao added that Sony has since then received "various opinions" from people with "strong views," acknowledging how its consumers have a strong emotional attachment to physical media. "We understand those emotions; we want to consider that. And in the future digital ecosystem, how we engage the gamers is something that we would like to continue to explore," Lin concluded. Sony's plans to move past physical media have been the subject of a lot of debate over the last couple of weeks. Digital adoption at Sony has surged in the last few years, with 82% of consumers choosing this option. Sony also stands to benefit financially, as it'll get to keep all of the revenue from selling a first-party game and take a cut of the profits from third-party sellers through its online marketplace. While PlayStation gamers have been vocal--going so far as to voice their displeasure with every single social media post that Sony makes and organizing a rally for August--developers and publishers have also voiced their opinions. Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot believes that there could be a benefit to gaming being a digital-only hobby, while Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser says that Sony should provide an option for players to have physical copies still--even if digital games offer several benefits. There might be some hope on the horizon, however, as Sony has suggested that there could still be code-in-a-box releases for games--an option that GTA 6 is using for its physical release in November...
Fans of one of gaming's most iconic soundtracks will soon get to experience it in a whole new way, as composer Mick Gordon is set to play the Doom soundtrack live on stage for the first time as the headliner at Radar Festival in the UK next summer. Although Gordon played a medley at The Game Awards in 2016, this will be his first full-length set with a live band, orchestra, and full production. Gordon is known for defining Doom's identity with crushing riffs, industrial synths, and earth-shaking electronic production. His work on 2016's Doom and 2020's Doom Eternal established a new benchmark for video game soundtracks, with titles like Rip & Tear, BFG Division, and The Only Thing They Fear Is You becoming firm fan favorites. They've earned millions of streams and remain staples of game music playlists years after release. https://youtu.be/QHRuTYtSbJQ?list=RDQHRuTYtSbJQ While the music has always had the scope for being performed live, Radar Festival marks the first time it will be performed with both a live orchestra and full backing band. If you've long hoped to experience the soundtrack in a live setting, that time has finally come. It's an even rarer opportunity considering Gordon's split from developer id Software after the release of Doom Eternal raised questions about whether he'd be able to perform these tracks live again. Speaking exclusively to GameSpot ahead of the reveal, Gordon said he hopes that the live performance opens up the potential for more collaborations between festivals and video game music. "I hope this thing shows the potential of this type of stuff to publishers and developers," he said. "The game isn't just that gap between the player and the television." Gordon explained how the collaboration came to be. "Ever since Doom 2016 … there's been rumblings and multiple attempts to try and get some version of this into a live setting," he said. "I've been trying for a number of years to get this thing off the ground. Then out of the blue Joe [James, Radar Festival organizer] came to me with a really awesome opportunity through Radar." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZMg9ryeWOw Gordon commended Radar Festival for its audience blend of metalheads and gamers, since the festival features three days of live alternative music alongside a marketplace where developers and players join together to preview new games, run tabletop sessions, or just chat about all things gaming. Gordon noted the crossover between metal music and gaming spanning is pretty wide, adding, "For a long time, I've wanted to take what I love about video game music and put it into a live setting that matches the energy you would get from a live rock or metal show … Radar feels like the absolute perfect [festival] to do it. There's no better," he said. But there was a time when Gordon thought a production of this magnitude might not be possible. "We released Doom Eternal on March 20, 2020, and lockdown was already in effect. I remember thinking, 'Shit, anything we could have done around this exact moment of the game coming out is gone now.' It felt, not like it was over or that we wouldn't be able to do it, but certainly if there was an opportunity it was slowly passing by. But it's interesting--music just survives." Gordon has confirmed that he'll be bringing the legendary Doom Machine for the performance--the custom instrument he created specifically to compose the soundtracks. Theatrics will be in full swing too, as festival organizer Joe James tells GameSpot, "We're looking at all options to make it epic. Fire, screens, projection mapping are all on the table." Radar Festival takes place between July 30 and August 1, 2027. You can sign up to their mailing list for 25% off tickets. Gordon is currently working on the soundtrack to the upcoming game, Defect...
Electronic Arts will become a private company again very soon, with the gaming giant set to be acquired by an investors' group led by the Saudi Arabian government. As revealed in today's SEC filing, "all regulatory approvals required to complete the Merger have been obtained. Electronic Arts currently expects the Merger to close on or about the close of trading on August 4, 2026." The news comes just after the deal was approved by the European Union. The $55 billion deal is among the biggest ever seen in the gaming industry and will see EA--which has long been a publicly traded company--be taken private. Alongside Saudi Arabia, which is involved in the deal through its controversial Public Investment Fund, the other partners are private-equity firm Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, which was founded by Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The buyout comes during a particularly tumultuous time for EA, which has seen several mass layoffs and canceled projects in recent years. Much of its resources have been funneled into a few key franchises, particularly Battlefield. Critics remain concerned that the Saudi government's involvement could influence the themes and values present in EA's games, perhaps most prominently in The Sims series, but that remains to be seen. Most recently, EA CEO Andrew Wilson was given a massive pay increase despite laying off many of the people responsible for his company's successful games. The deal will also saddle the newly private company with a tremendous amount of debt, and it's unclear how that will be addressed...