SAG-AFTRA may strike over AI terms in video game contract

Back in 2018, Retro Games Ltd. released THEC64 Mini, a plug-and-play console and computer modeled on one of the best-selling computers of all time, the Commodore 64. That was followed in 2019 by a full-sized THEC64 and THEVIC20, complete with working keyboards, as well as THEA500 Mini in 2022, which miniaturized the popular Commodore Amiga 500. Now, nostalgic Atari 8-bit computer fans get to join in on the fun with THE400 Mini.

The previously leaked Stellar Blade demo for PlayStation 5 will be made available later this week on Match 29.

Hasbro teased more video games based on Dungeonsand Dragons are in the works from the company's developers, following Larian Studios' recent announcement about its future. As one of the most iconic tabletop RPGs in gaming, the beloved franchise from Wizards of the Coast has welcomed a variety of different games to its library. The Forgotten Realms have been home to many video games, ranging from the Baldur's Gate franchise to Gameloft's newly announced Dungeons and Dragons survival RPG. Now, following Baldur's Gate 3's success, Hasbro reportedly has more on the way.

The career of Yoshitaka Amano, the Japanese artist who is well-known for his art in the franchise, spans over 50 years, long before his work on Square Enix’s (formerly Square) popular gaming series. Amano’s work started off in the anime industry and has since reached far beyond, extending to games, graphic novels, comic books, and even music. Amano is wildly popular as an artist, having even illustrated the cover of .

I never had reason to give much thought to fast travel in games before starting Dragon’s Dogma 2. In most open-world games that include the feature, the only requirement for accessing it is reaching points of interest. Once players do so, they are generally free to zip from point to point around the map with little to no inconvenience. That isn’t how Dragon’s Dogma 2 operates — fast travel is based around a limited currency called Ferrystones — and it has completely changed my mindset on the mechanic as a whole.

Hasbro is upbeat on video games after the success of Baldur’s Gate 3.

I just finished making my character for Dragon’s Dogma 2 thanks to the free character creator demo released ahead of the game, and I’m overjoyed at how gloriously, convincingly old I can be in this game. I feel very seen and very represented.

could see a much-needed endgame improvement soon. Unlike most open-world survival games, is surprisingly linear. Sure, players can go wherever they want, whenever they want, but the map is always the same, aside from its procedurally generated dungeons. Players will always find the same landmarks, Pal habitats, and skill trees in the same places in . There's something to be said for a bespoke map design, but the linear nature of means that there's a clear-cut endgame. At a certain point, a player has done everything there is to do on the Palpagos Islands.

Empire of the Ants, for those who don’t know, is an old-school real-time strategy game which first launched in 2000 for PC. In this PS5 reboot, publisher Microids is partnering with developer Tower Five to create what might be one of the most photorealistic PS5 titles to date. Seriously, this is pushing Unreal Engine 5 to its absolute limits.

As the video game industry grows and the technological tools for turning flesh-and-bone actors into digital beings evolve, it’s only natural for Hollywood stars to become more present in games.

Every year, the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) acts as an all-important watercooler moment for the video game industry. It’s the one time a year where developers can widely gather to share their innovations, discuss the state of the industry, and advocate for change at scale. This year’s show, though, is especially crucial. It comes amid a catastrophic wave of layoffs across studios that’s put well over 10,000 individuals out of work. That’s happening as executives look to tools like generative AI to cut costs, which has created a firestorm over labor issues.

Developers happy to mimic the style of Hollywood blockbusters in their video game soundtracks are stopping video game music from advancing, one of the best to ever do it - Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu - has said.