Amid an ongoing lawsuit between Unknown Worlds and Krafton, Subnautica 2’s store pages on Steam, Epic Games Store, and Xbox now list Unknown Worlds as both developer and publisher, with SteamDB showing the change was made on April 7, 2026. Neither company has commented, leaving it unclear whether this reflects an official publishing shift or a strategic move to distance the sequel from Krafton as Early Access reportedly approaches in May.

Former Microsoft publishing executive Ed Fries says Xbox’s early-2000s push into Japan ran into a risk-averse PS2-era industry, where many publishers hesitated to publicly support Microsoft despite private interest and negotiations over major franchises. He claims Sony’s market power enabled it to “punish” partners (if it wanted to) through tactics like delayed dev kits or reduced marketing, with a few companies, such as Tecmo, backing Xbox exclusives to curb what they saw as a monopoly.

NZXT and its billing partner Fragile Inc. have agreed to a $3.45 million preliminary settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging the NZXT Flex “Rent-a-PC” program misled nearly 20,000 customers with deceptive rent-to-own claims, component bait-and-switching, and aggressive collections that prompted RICO allegations. If approved in September 2026, the deal would cancel qualifying subscriptions, forgive about $923k in debt, provide $1.21 million toward transferring PC ownership to eligible long-term payers, and offer $450–$500 in cash payments to certain former subscribers.

City Masterplan, an upcoming Unreal Engine 5 city-builder from indie developer 1:1 Studio, is positioning itself as a next-gen rival to Cities: Skylines with a massive 24×24 km map, freeform roads, true-to-scale skyscrapers, and advanced procedural growth. While early footage looks impressive and Cities: Skylines II continues to recover from its troubled launch, City Masterplan’s sweeping realism claims remain unproven in gameplay and the project is still targeting an estimated 2027 release.

Leaks surrounding Hideo Kojima’s PlayStation-exclusive action-espionage project Physint point to a major antagonist described in casting materials as a “quiet and intense” killer type with a mandatory German accent, likened to “Mads Mikkelsen in Hannibal, but with flair.” The report also notes Kojima Productions’ near-term focus on casting and performance-capture planning, with early shoots rumored for June and additional talent names circulating despite the game remaining in the concept stage.

Framework CEO Nirav Patel warns that the AI boom and a “winner-takes-all” scramble for chips and storage could drive up component costs and push consumers toward cloud-leased, closed devices, effectively ending personal computing as traditionally understood. While acknowledging progress in repairability across the industry, he positions Framework’s upcoming Next Gen Event as part of a renewed pledge to defend user ownership through upgradable, repairable hardware and local control over data and computation.

S-Game CEO and Phantom Blade Zero director Liang says the studio has used zero generative AI, insisting every asset from character models and performances to maps and environments was created by human artists. Ahead of the game’s September 9, 2026, launch, he details an intensely hands-on production process involving actor scans, traditional brush-and-rice-paper art, forged weapon replicas, martial-arts motion capture, and on-location scans across China to realize its “Kungfupunk” aesthetic.

An ultra-rare, fully playable but silent early prototype of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! has been dumped online, revealing major departures from the final 1987 NES release, including arcade-era character names, unused fighters, and only four accessible opponents. The Video Game History Foundation analyzed the unusual cartridge, reportedly found at a former Nintendo of America employee’s garage sale and later sold for $45,000, highlighting its retail-style mask ROM chips and previously unseen roster entries like Rockyhead and Mongol Khan.

Framework CEO Nirav Patel warns that the AI boom and a “winner-takes-all” scramble for chips and storage could drive up component costs and push consumers toward cloud-leased, closed devices, effectively ending personal computing as traditionally understood. While acknowledging progress in repairability across the industry, he positions Framework’s upcoming Next Gen Event as part of a renewed pledge to defend user ownership through upgradable, repairable hardware and local control over data and computation.

Limited Run Games has warned customers that numerous pre-orders will arrive later than expected, admitting its previous delivery timelines were “too aggressive” and promising future “dates you can believe in” under new leadership. But after a string of past production and quality-control controversies and with little clarity on which orders are affected, many buyers remain skeptical and fear delays could extend well into 2026.

Pearl Abyss has enabled Intel Arc GPU support for Crimson Desert following significant community backlash and public comments from Intel, with the game now launching properly on Arc cards after installing Intel’s Game On driver 32.0.101.8629. Early reports indicate the fix comes with notable visual artifacts and instability, while Intel XeSS remains unavailable.

Sony has launched The Playerbase, a new community program that will select one fan to have their face scanned and appear as a limited-time character portrait in Gran Turismo 7, with additional PlayStation Studios titles reportedly under consideration. Eligible PSN users across multiple regions can apply by sharing their PlayStation experiences, after which finalists will be interviewed and the winner flown to Los Angeles for 3D scanning ahead of a planned summer 2026 announcement and a later in-game update.

Intel says its 14th‑gen Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs and the LGA 1700/700‑series motherboard platform will remain in production, ensuring continued availability for desktop builders even as the company transitions to Arrow Lake. The move also keeps DDR4 support alive amid volatile memory pricing, giving users a lower‑cost entry point and a clearer upgrade path to DDR5 later.

Take-Two Interactive, publisher of Grand Theft Auto VI, has reportedly shut down its AI team and terminated its head of AI, Luke Dicken, along with other AI staff, according to multiple LinkedIn posts from affected employees. The move appears to reflect a shift in upper management priorities and contrasts with CEO Strauss Zelnick’s recent investor comments, which touted “hundreds” of AI initiatives while emphasizing that GTA 6 uses no generative AI.

Digital Extremes says it will not use AI-generated content in either Warframe or its upcoming fantasy title, Soulframe, drawing a clear line as more studios adopt generative AI to speed development. Community director Megan Everett told GameSpot at PAX East 2026 that the company is “very non-AI,” citing growing distrust of online art after mistakenly featuring AI-made fanwork and vowing, “Nothing in our games will be AI-generated. Ever.”

A hardware modder on Overclock.net reports successfully booting Windows 11 on Intel’s OEM-only Core 9 273PQE “Bartlett Lake” CPU using a standard Asus Z790 LGA1700 motherboard after crafting custom BIOS microcode and patches that spoof early initialization as Raptor Lake. The proof-of-concept highlights both the platform’s latent compatibility and the limits of accessibility, since Bartlett Lake chips remain unavailable to typical consumers despite interest in an all–performance-core desktop release.

Former Rockstar Games audio designer Robb Carr says Grand Theft Auto VI is likely to reuse and expand systems from Red Dead Redemption 2, citing how GTA V adapted RDR’s Dead Eye into character abilities. He suggests GTA VI could similarly incorporate RDR2-style realism and reactive world mechanics, such as reputation-driven NPC behavior, while emphasizing he has no insider details and is only speculating.

A PSP enthusiast has submitted a 333-piece LEGO Ideas recreation of Sony’s original PSP-1000, accurately capturing its distinctive curves, controls, and screen, using legal building techniques and detailed parts such as the power slider and charging port. The model also includes a retractable UMD tray with a demo disc and must reach 10,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas after surpassing 700 votes since its April 1, 2026 launch to be considered for an official release.

Capcom has brought the original Resident Evil trilogy alongside Breath of Fire IV to Steam for $4.99 each, using the same enhanced versions previously sold on GOG with upgraded audio, controls, and display options. The release, however, is drawing criticism for adding Capcom’s Enigma DRM, which users link to past performance problems and current Steam Deck compatibility issues, including input glitches, video playback inconsistencies, and missing cloud saves.

A resurfaced account from Portal 2 lead designer Josh Weier says Valve co-founder Gabe Newell stepped back from hands-on game development after Portal 2 because his seniority made it difficult for developers to challenge his ideas with honest disagreement. Weier described Newell as eager to collaborate but often met with deference, citing Portal 2 design debates as an example of why Newell ultimately chose to give teams more autonomy while offering periodic check-ins and feedback.

Mojang’s Minecraft “Tiny Takeover” update, released March 24, refreshes baby mobs with fluffier designs and new vocalizations recorded from “real animal voice actors,” including a specialist “cow whisperer” brought in to capture authentic mooing. The patch also adds golden dandelions to prevent baby mobs from growing up, simplifies name tag crafting, and expands music-building options with copper-based note blocks that produce trumpet tones that vary with oxidation.

More than 20 years after Deus Ex: Invisible War split fans over its streamlined design, audio director Alexander Brandon said the game had “room for improvement” but argued the team delivered strong work under tight deadlines and technical constraints.

A gamer who bought an Xbox 360 development kit for £5 at an Edinburgh car boot sale discovered a legitimate 118GB November 2007 beta build of *Grand Theft Auto IV*, later shared online and now being examined by the GTA community. Early findings point to substantial cut content, including a ferry system removed due to AI and physics issues, altered radio assets, and evidence of a scrapped “Z: Resurrection” zombie mode that Rockstar’s former technical director Obbe Vermeij described as an internal test.

A PC modder, “kryptonfly,” used Claude AI-assisted BIOS rewriting to inject missing microcode and get Intel’s OEM-only Core 9-273PQE Bartlett Lake CPU to reach POST on an Asus Z790 motherboard, with the BIOS correctly identifying the processor. The system still fails to boot past POST with a black screen and errors, underscoring that full Bartlett Lake support remains unofficial and could be closed off by future Intel or Asus firmware updates.

Analogue’s firmware 1.2.4 update for the FPGA-based Analogue 3D addresses a major pain point for N64 flash cart users by detecting ROM header changes and treating each title on a single cartridge as a separate library entry. The “advanced library detection” feature preserves per-game saves and settings, such as Virtual Controller Pak data and controller configurations, while additional OS tweaks, such as a cartridge-dependent “Ready” prompt, streamline startup.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said the company is working directly with the family of Michael Prinke, a laid-off Epic employee with terminal brain cancer, and pledged to “solve the insurance” gap that left him without life coverage. Sweeney added that Prinke’s medical condition was not a factor in the layoff due to confidentiality rules, as the case reignites scrutiny of how mass layoffs affect workers with serious health conditions.

Framework CEO Nirav Patel posted a teardown comparing Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo with the similarly priced Framework Laptop 12, arguing they embody opposing philosophies despite both targeting budget buyers. He praised Apple’s improved access to parts like the battery and ports, but criticized its soldered RAM and storage, and the costly display replacement, positioning Framework’s modular, upgradeable design as a longer-lasting alternative that reduces e-waste and avoids pulling users into Apple’s “walled garden.”

A Reddit user reported buying a Crucial 64GB DDR5-5600 SO-DIMM laptop memory kit for $6.99 at a local liquidator after it was labeled as an Amazon return and lacked a price tag, prompting the cashier to assign a flat price.

Czech-to-English translator and editor Max Hejtmanek says Warhorse Studios abruptly ended his four-year role on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, telling him his position would become “obsolete” as the company shifts all future translation work to AI to boost efficiency and cut costs. Hejtmanek, who says he handled much of the game’s English text from dialogue to promotional material, urged fans not to harass staff or review-bomb the game, while Warhorse and its publisher have not publicly responded.

Fans awaiting Grand Theft Auto VI have begun scrutinizing Rockstar Games’ UK financial filings, with online analyses suggesting Rockstar North alone may have spent more than £2.1 billion (over $2.7 billion) since 2019, fueling speculation that the project could ultimately exceed $3 billion. The estimates, drawn largely from wages and expenses and popularized by a YouTuber and a Reddit user, remain unverified and may also reflect ongoing support for other Rockstar titles rather than exclusively for GTA VI development.