E3 is deader than ever

Happy new year, Polygon readers! Each week, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.

Kuma has long been something of a joke character in the Tekken series — a literal bear who (mostly) stands on two legs. However, it really feels like Tekken 8 is trying to make Kuma cool — and we're 100% on board. Dripped out in a bandana and Heihachi's old martial arts uniform, the bear's looking like a beast.

Having been originally released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and not having received a current generation update, Red Dead Redemption 2 does not support ray tracing, which is a shame, as it would make the game look even more incredible than it already does.

Wordle was a lockdown phenomenon: one of those games that, merits aside, simply landed at the right time. I've kicked the habit now but like pretty much everyone else I had a Wordle phase with the family WhatsApp group and, yes, when I'm nearly out of chances I have gone running to my six-letter friend Google. Wordle's enormous popularity was such that, in January 2022, the New York Times purchased the game from creator Josh Wardle for a sum «in the low seven figures.»

Regardless of who you are and what you do in life, there will be times when your confidence is shaken. It can happen at the most random of times, or it could be something that happens immediately as you try and make something. Given the grand pressures that the video game world has, it’s unsurprising that many teams behind hit titles have had issues with their confidence as they’ve made their titles. But what might surprise you is that Sam Lake of Ready noted that it was a movie that helped Alan Wake 2 become what it was meant to be.

Disney and Marvel Studios have parted ways with, as the former Kang the Conqueror actor will no longer be reprising his role after being found guilty of assault and harassment. The actor’s ousting from the franchise leaves the future of the MCU in question, with many wondering if Kang will be recast or if a new villain will be introduced. This has caused many actors’ names to be thrown into the conversation, as fans speculate if the likes of John Boyega, Damson Idris, or another actor will now join the MCU in Majors’ wake.

Alan Wake 2 certainly isn't afraid to be weird, whether it's letting you change the layout of a level at the press of a button, or suddenly turning into a full-blown musical. Making a game so wilfully out there must be a nerve-wracking experience, however, as you've got no idea whether your kooky ideas are going to land with the audience. Yet according to Alan Wake 2's creative director Sam Lake, Remedy's belief in the game was boosted during development by a film that is equally weird and brilliant.

Last month Path of Exile 2 was selected as the #9 Most Wanted game in PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted. The sequel to the long-running ARPG Path of Exile is coming soon, and with work on Path of Exile 2 now well underway, we flew to New Zealand to talk to developers at Grinding Gear Games about how they're approaching a game that needs to be firmly rooted in the original while offering both new players and veterans something fresh and different.

You know it’s the holiday season when there are a million things to watch in theaters and at home. Forget Christmas carols: The halls are ringing with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Who’s under the tree and on your TV? That’s right: Barbie. And for the gamers, Santa has a stocking stuff: the Gran Turismomovie you did not ask for. It’s unclear if you were on the naughty or nice list this year...

The first for the Eddie Murphy-led Netflix sequel has dropped, giving fans a taste of the action-comedy series’ comeback. The fourth film, now titled Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, will be released through the streaming platform in summer 2024.

Almost three decades after first debuting at the Los Angeles Convention Centre, the Entertainment Software Association has announced it's finally laying gaming convention E3 to rest.

Eddie Murphy is back as foul-mouthed Detroit-made detective Axel Foley, 30 years after he last played him, in the first trailer for Netflix's upcoming Beverly Hills Cop sequel.