The much-anticipated underwater survival exploration game Subnautica 2 finally launches today in early access on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store) and Game Preview (also available via Game Pass) on Xbox Series S and X, following an ongoing querelle between the founders of Unknown Worlds and KRAFTON that turned into an active lawsuit. After the court's decision to reinstate the former Unknown Worlds CEO, Ted Gill, the studio quickly communicated the early access launch date. Ahead of the debut, awaited by over five million users on Steam alone, Wccftech was invited to a remote media presentation featuring lead game designer Anthony […]

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NEXON's Q1 2026 earnings report reveals that the third-person extraction shooter game ARC Raiders has now broken the impressive milestone of 16 million units sold in around six and a half months. The game sold 4.6 million units in Q1 alone, reaching 15.5 million by the end of Q1 before crossing 16M as of this report. Needless to say, it is the most successful new product release in the company's history. ARC Raiders, together with new NEXON releases, drove horizontal revenue growth of 188% year over year to ¥59.3 billion (roughly $409 million) in Q1 2026. Moreover, NEXON has obtained an ISBN in […]

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Ubisoft has partnered with French startup Unsolved Hunts to launch Gold & Crystal, a real-life worldwide promotional treasure hunt for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced that will award $500,000 to the enterprising adventurer who finds the buried treasure. The $500,000 treasure consists of a crystal skull (a replica of the in-game artifact, made by French lapidary artisan Hervé Obligi) plus a chest full of gold coins minted with the AC Black Flag Resynced logo, produced by AuCOFFRE, a precious metals trading company. The gold coins are worth $350,000, while the crystal skull with an opal is worth $150,000.  All 15 puzzles can be solved from anywhere in the […]

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Rockstar Games might be very close to opening the GTA 6 pre-order campaign. The rumor comes from multiple gamers who, as reported by YouTuber Frogboyx1Gaming, received a Best Buy affiliate email referencing a "GTA 6 Pre-Order (Physical Game)" promotional window running May 18–21, 2026, with a 5% affiliate commission offer. To clarify, this is the promotional window for the aforementioned commission for Best Buy affiliates, not the GTA 6 pre-order period, which will predictably continue until the launch date of November 19. The email looks like an internal affiliate marketing slip, similar to how retailers have accidentally revealed release dates in the past. Other users from popular […]

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There's been a lot of "doom talk" in the gaming industry following studio closures, regular layoffs at big and small companies alike, and rising game development times and budgets. In late March, John Romero and Brenda Romero opined that the current state of the industry is even worse than the infamous 80s crash, which saw the revenue collapse by 97% between 1983 and 1985 in North America. However, not everyone shares their opinion. Speaking on the latest episode of The Game Business, Christian Svensson, VP, Head of 2nd/3rd Party Content Ventures & Strategic Initiatives at Sony Interactive Entertainment, expressed strong […]

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BioShock creator Ken Levine was interviewed by IGN as part of the publication's IGN Icons series, and he shared his opinion on the evergreen debate between realistic and stylized graphics. Levine reckons that relying on cutting-edge technology to deliver realistic graphics is expensive and also doesn't age as well as a more stylized approach. I don't think we've ever been a company that was like, oh my God, we need the latest and greatest technology. In the rendering space we've never been a company; outside of SWAT 4, we never really tried to do ultrarealism in our games. It's expensive, […]

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Fresh details and apparent in-game dialogue for Assassin's Creed Hexe have surfaced online courtesy of leaker Rogue, with additional context from j0nathan, offering juicy details about the next installment in Ubisoft's flagship action/adventure series. The game's protagonist appears to go by Anika, with "Elsa" reportedly serving as a placeholder name, as "Jora" did for Eivor during the development of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, according to j0nathan. The big twist is that it seems Anika is a descendant of Claudia Auditore, Ezio's sister, which provides the narrative thread connecting Assassin's Creed Hexe to the Italian Brotherhood's legacy. The game's primary location is Würzburg, a city in Bavaria historically associated […]

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P-Studio's Persona 4 Revival is targeting a February 2027 launch, at least according to leaker lolilolailo, who proved to be reliable when it comes to games published by SEGA/Atlus. In a brief post submitted on ResetEra, the leaker quoted a message that noted the similarity of Persona 4 with Persona 3, adding: Maybe even in the release month for the remake. Persona 3 Reload launched in February 2024 to rave reviews from critics (our own Chris Wray rated it 9 out of 10) and a very solid commercial performance. It was the fastest game in the series to become a […]

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Today, Pearl Abyss has reported a transformative quarter, with the launch of its long-awaited open world action RPG Crimson Desert turning in excellent sales numbers and setting the Korean developer on course for what could be its most profitable year on record. Crimson Desert launched on March 19, 2026 and immediately made a statement by topping Steam's Top Sellers chart across major markets despite being an entirely new IP. Despite the lack of overwhelmingly positive critical reviews, its sales trajectory was relentless: Pearl Abyss reports that the split between PC and console was nearly even at 50:50, which is notable for […]

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The quarterly financial week for developers and publishers continues with NEOWIZ posting revenue of KRW 101.4 billion (around $74 million) in Q1 2026, up 13.9% year-on-year but down 4.6% quarter on quarter, with no new releases during the quarter. Operating profit came in at KRW 7.0 billion ($5.1 million), down 32% YoY, while net profit surged to KRW 15.5 billion ($11.3 million), a massive 153% year-on-year gain thanks to FX gains from the strong dollar. Mobile led growth via Browndust 2 anniversary events, while PC/Console revenue stabilized on the back of the Lies of P DLC Overture and the indie game Shape of Dreams. NEOWIZ also revealed its full development pipeline of six […]

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A few days ago, alongside its quarterly financial report, Sony revealed that it has already embraced AI tools to empower the game development of its own first party studios. More information about this strategy is now available via the Corporate Strategy Earnings Presentation, delivered by Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki and PlayStation President and CEO Hideaki Nishino. Sony's overarching principle is that human creativity must remain central. CEO Hiroki Totoki set the tone plainly: "AI is a powerful tool, but it is not a replacement for artists or creators. It is an amplifier of human imagination and a catalyst for new possibilities". PlayStation […]

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It's been more than a year since FromSoftware and Nintendo surprised everyone with the announcement of Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, a Nintendo Switch 2 specific version of the award-winning open world action RPG that was revealed alongside the console itself. The game was supposed to launch in 2025, but got delayed to 2026 because the developers needed more time to optimize its performance on the weaker system. Now, though, it may be very close to launch, at least according to Canadian retailer PNP Games, which has listed it for an "estimated ship date" of July 10. For the record, that […]

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After nearly a decade of dormancy, one of Nintendo's most beloved franchises is finally making its comeback. Star Fox was announced during a surprise Nintendo Direct in May 2026 as a full remake of the classic Star Fox 64, and it's coming sooner than anyone expected. Originally released on Nintendo 64 in 1997, Star Fox 64 put players in the cockpit of Fox McCloud's Arwing as he and his team fought to liberate the Lylat system from the exiled scientist Andross. The game previously received a 3DS remake in 2011 (Star Fox 64 3D); then there was Star Fox Zero, released for the Wii U in […]

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