4A Games says Metro 2039, due in winter 2026, has been fundamentally reshaped by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with the studio developing under wartime conditions and reorienting the story toward the consequences of conflict, tyranny, silence, and freedom. Set in 2039 after Metro Exodus, the game returns to Moscow’s tunnels under the Novoreich and a new Führer, Spartan Ranger Hunter, while players follow a new protagonist, “The Stranger,” amid propaganda and fear.

Forza Horizon 6 has surpassed 500,000 pre-sales on Steam roughly a month before launch, translating to an estimated $30 million in gross revenue when factoring in different editions and regional pricing, according to Alinea Analytics. The figures point to exceptional momentum, potentially exceeding 2 million Steam sales in the first 24 hours, while additional demand from the Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass is not included.

AMD is reportedly preparing an “AM4 10th Anniversary Edition” Ryzen 7 5800X3D for a Q2 2026 launch, reviving its popular Zen 3 X3D chip with the same core specifications but updated packaging. The move is framed as a pragmatic response to surging DDR5 prices, offering gamers a cost-effective DDR4 upgrade path on the long-lived AM4 platform.

Deal | Presented in stunning hand-drawn animation, Machinarium takes you on a potentially nostalgia-inducing trip to the early days of gaming.

Deal | Disco Elysium, the acclaimed isometric detective RPG known for its story-driven design and dialogue- and skill-check-based “combat,” is currently discounted 75% on Steam to $9.99, backed by strong critical and user scores.

Metro author Dmitry Glukhovsky has teased that Metro 2039, the next mainline entry from 4A Games and Deep Silver, will be “darker than anything you’ve seen before,” with a full reveal scheduled for April 16, 2026. The article notes the studio’s relocation to Malta amid the Ukraine war and emphasizes Glukhovsky’s close involvement in the writing to reinforce the series’ anti-war themes, as fans await details on its tone and whether Artyom returns.

Take-Two Interactive shares rose 2.5% after hacker group ShinyHunters released Rockstar’s stolen financial data without delivering any meaningful Grand Theft Auto VI leaks or source code. The disclosure showed strong recurring revenue, particularly from GTA Online, while Rockstar said the breach was limited and non-material, easing investor concerns and adding roughly $1 billion to Take-Two’s valuation.

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.

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.