Marvel Rivals Reveals Closed Alpha Characters, Maps, Modes, and More Info

The video game industry has reacted with shock and anger after Microsoft shut down several game studios today, May 7, 2024 including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks, the developers of Redfall and Hi-Fi Rush respectively.

A trailer for Apex Legends has revealed new cosmetics, customizable artifacts, finishers, and much more. These additions come alongside Upheaval, the latest season of Apex Legends, which will introduce a new legend, fans' return of a long-requested limited time mode, and the reshaping of a map.

The barrage of TV — and great TV — continues apace in 2024, with plenty of intriguing new and returning shows launching their seasons this week.

AI roundup: The first week of May has been a series of AI breakthroughs. Now that the week has ended, let's take a look at the top AI happenings such as Nvidia announcing the integration of Google's Gemma model for its AI chatbot, ChatRTX. In other news, a new report revealed that Apple has a secret AI lab in Europe. Know more about such AI news from this week.

Bandai Namco promised a balance patch for Tekken 8 this Spring, and based on the recent notes, it’s a doozy. Going live on May 7th at 7 PM PDT, Ver.1.04.00 contains adjustments to several fighters. Right off the bat, characters like Asuka, Bryan, Jack-8, Panda, Zafina, and Kuma have received some buffs, improving the usability of the game’s new Heat mechanics or further carving a niche for them.

Marvel Rivals will see players battling with and against each other while playing as a variety of different Marvel heroes and villains, but given its nature as a 6v6 hero shooter, the arenas that you’ll be fighting in are going to be just as crucial as the characters you’ll be playing as.

Popular MOBA game SMITE is getting a sequel, and you’ll soon be able to play it yourself. While the release date for Smite 2 is still a ways off, developer Hi-Rez Studios is letting fans get an early look at the title with a closed alpha test.

Bandai Namco has revealed its roadmap for Tekken 8 throughout the rest of 2024, including the game’s second DLC character, new story, and plenty more.

Upon its announcement last month, NetEase Games confirmed that Marvel Rivals would be getting a closed alpha sometime in May, and now the company has revealed further details. The 6v6 hero shooter’s closed alpha will go live on May 10 at 5 PM Pacific, and will remain live until May 20 at 11:59 PM Pacific. The test will be available to 30,000 players, but only in the United States and Canada.

MultiVersus is now less than a month away from its relaunch, and the game is set to receive some exciting changes to its combat. After closing its open beta, MultiVersus is going to be released with some major upgrades to its fighting mechanics.

Despite being a very good game, Granblue Fantasy: Relink got a bit lost in what was a chaotic release schedule earlier this year — but developer Cygames will be hoping that the action RPG's first big update will get people's attention. Launching on the 26th April (that's tomorrow at the time of writing), patch 1.2.0 adds a bunch of new stuff to the game.

In recent years, it’s become common for AAA games to hold back their New Game+ modes, often rolling them out as part of a “big update” weeks or months after launch. Well, apparently, that won’t be the case with the upcoming PS5 exclusive Stellar Blade, which will have New Game+ available from launch, and it sounds pretty meaty. In addition to tackling the game at a higher difficulty, players can look forward to learning new skills and earning a bunch of NG+ exclusive outfits for Eve (a hefty 34 all!) We have more details about NG+ below, but first, check out Stellar Blade’s stylish launch trailer.