Sonic Mania Plus and Braid come to Netflix's gaming library

Is Call of Duty coming to Xbox Game Pass? When Microsoft first began pursuing it’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, many assumed using Call of Duty to bolster Game Pass was one of their goals, but things have changed since then. Game Pass growth has slowed, badly missing growth targets, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer has admitted there’s a ceiling to its success. While some Activision Blizzard games like Diablo IV have been added to Game Pass, recent reports suggested that Microsoft was still “evaluating” whether to do the same with the headliner that is Call of Duty.

Sony’s lineup for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers in May 2024 has been officially revealed, with all titles going live on May 21st. PS4 players can look forward to the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2 and Watch Dogs, but they’ll also have access to Cat Quest 1 and2, The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame, The Settlers: New Allies, and The Sims 4 City Living.

may already be one of the most immersive games on the market but those players who want to really feel the atmosphere of Night City should absolutely check out this new mod. As V spends their time journeying around the dystopian metropolis they call home, they'll be exposed to all manner of unique weather patterns, although rain is probably the most common, fitting with the cyberpunk genre. Having everything slicked with water is a great way to emphasize the game's impressive visuals, but sometimes, it's nice to experience a little variety.

Microsoft has announced the second wave of titles coming to Game Pass in May, starting with the original Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, available today for cloud, consoles and PC. On May 15th, subscribers can check out the acclaimed puzzle adventureChants of Sennar. May 16th sees the arrival of EA Sports NHL 24 on the cloud and Immortals of Aveum for cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S.

In a couple of months, you'll be able to get Microsoft's mobile games from its own store. Xbox President Sarah Bond has revealed at the Bloomberg Technology Summit that the company is launching a web-based store where you can download its mobile games and get add-ons or in-app purchases at a discount. Bond said the company has decided to launch a browser-based store instead of an app to make it «accessible across all devices, all countries, no matter what» so that you don't get «locked to a single ecosystem.»

For a while in the late 2010/early 2020s, it seemed liked gaming subscriptions may be the future of the hobby. Microsoft certainly wanted us to think it was the future, pushing Xbox Game Pass every chance they got, and Sony eventually joined the party with their own expanded PlayStation Plus service.

A new report is bad news for subscription services like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, as data suggests that spending on those services has been stalled for nearly a year. Microsoft and Sony have both bet big on PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, with Microsoft in particular going all-in on Game Pass. Xbox Game Pass is a cornerstone of Microsoft's current gaming strategy, with the company bolstering the service through the release of massive, day one games.

Tencent and Remedy, the developer of Control and Alan Wake, have completely scrapped their joint gaming project codenamed Kestrel, which they have been working on since 2021. The companies were originally developing a free-to-play co-op shooter until they decided to go in a different direction in November last year. They went back to the drawing board, renamed their project from Vanguard to Kestrel and had planned to make a «premium game with a strong, cooperative multiplayer component» instead. Back then, they said their game will «lean more into Remedy's core strengths» and will use repurposed versions of the company's assets and themes. Clearly, though, their partnership wasn't meant to be.

After soft-launching it in mid-February, Netflix has finally dropped Sonic Mania Plus globally on Android. It’s obviously an exclusive for all Netflix subscribers. During the past couple of months, the game saw over 10K downloads on Android alone.

Sonic Mania Plus has come to mobile for the first time, as a Netflix Games exclusive.

Netflix unveiled the lineup of games it plans to bring to its game catalog over the course of May. The ones that stand out the most are Sega’s excellent Sonic Mania Plus and Askiisoft’s violently satisfying action game Katana Zero.

Apple is adding a bunch of new titles to its Arcade video game subscription service next month, including Return to Monkey Island. It's the first new entry in the franchise by series creator Ron Gilbert since Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, which was released way back in 1991. The game still revolves around the pirate Guybrush Threepwood who's on a journey to unearth the secret of Monkey Island. You'll see some familiar locations from the older games in the new title, which also features Threepwood's wife Elaine Marley and his arch-enemy, the zombie pirate LeChuck. Return to Monkey Island is already available on the App Store, but it's coming to Apple Arcade on June 6 where subscribers can access the whole game, including the in-app purchases non-subscribers would have to buy.