US consumer spending on video game hardware, content and accessories reached a January record $4.7 billion in 2021, according to data from market research firm NPD Group. Total spending was up 42% compared to January 2020, with content sales hitting $4.17 billion (up 36%), hardware sales generating $319 million (up 144%) and accessories bringing in $222 million (up 73%). Video game hardware sales reached their highest January total since 2011, led bySwitchandPlayStation 5, NPD analystMat Piscatellasaid....

A legally blind player has released a video explaining Forza Motorsport’s new Blind Drive Assist feature, and how it helped him win his first race. Steve Saylor, whoregularly posts videoslooking at games from the perspective of a blind player and also does accessibility consultation work for game studios, showed the feature in his latest video. Saylor has nystagmus, a condition that results in a repetitive and involuntary movement of the eyes, which affects his vision to the extent that he is legally blind....

Blizzard president Mike Ybarra has talked up the positive impact of Microsoft acquiring the studio. TheXboxmakercompleted its $69 billion purchaseofActivision Blizzardlast month, in the process taking ownership of franchises includingWorld of Warcraft, Diablo andOverwatch. Discussing the impact of the deal in an interview withThe Verge, Ybarra said he thinksBlizzardwill be afforded more freedom than has previously been the case. “I think the way [Xbox bossPhil Spencer] approaches building teams and focusing on culture and enabling creative freedom is going to give Blizzard a lot more of that sense of being an independent studio than ever before,” he said....

Members of the development team behind the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 have reportedly been inspired by Red Dead Redemption 2. “[Something] I did hear that a lot of people were playing wasRed Dead Redemption 2.” Zelda producerEiji Aonumatold IGNwhen asked which games younger members of the development team were inspired by. Asked about the wider team, he added: “When I was working on Breath of the Wild, the director [Hidemaro Fujibayashi] was playing Skyrim....

New alleged details on the development of Sega and Creative Assembly’s cancelled live service shooter Hyenas have been published, including claims that it was Sega’s biggest budget game ever before the company pulled the plug. The Japanese publisher announced last week that it wascancelling the multiplayer shooter“and some unannounced titles under development” in Europe, following at least six years of development on the project. DeveloperCreative Assemblyhassuggestedthe game was cancelled due to “ambitious” plans and high competition in the multiplayer shooter space....

Capcom has acknowledged major Street Fighter 6 leaks that appeared online hours after the fighter wasfully revealedduring a PlayStation State of Play broadcast this week. Detailed artwork for 22 Street Fighter 6 characterswas posted online on Friday. The roster appears to be legitimate, and if so confirms that all eight original ‘World Warriors’ from Street Fighter II will star inStreet Fighter 6, as well as other returning and new characters....

Capcom has announced another record-breaking financial year in its latest investor report. In a report covering its financial year 2024 (which ended on 29 July 2025), the company said it had “achieved record-high net sales and profit at all levels for the eighth consecutive year”. Net sales were ¥169.6 billion ($1.14 billion), up 11.3% year-on-year, while net income was ¥48.45 billion ($327.5 million), up 11.7% year-on-year. The company says its core video game business sold 51....

Over the weekend, VGC produced nine podcasts from LA as part of Summer Game Fest. Here’s everything you might have missed. We reacted to the big showcases from across the weekend and caught up with old friends. Below, you can find everything we recorded fromGeoff Keighley‘s Summer show, which includes some content exclusive toPatreon.com/VideoGamesChronicle. Day 0: What to expect fromSummer Game Fest Only an hour after landing in LA, VGC kicked off its Summer Game Fest coverage with a podcast chatting about what we expected from the show, and some of our favourite E3 memories....

Co-development studio Tose has reported a nine-month loss of ¥367 million ($2.28 million) due to numerous projects being cancelled by its clients. Established in 1979, Tose has a long history as a studio that specialises in working with other publishers and developers. However, in its recentQ3 earnings reportcovering July 05, 2025 to June 25, 2025, the developer says its digital entertainment sector suffered a significant decline in profit, resulting in an overall loss for the period (as reported byAutomaton)....

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation to determine whether Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo’s online gaming contracts are breaching consumer protection laws. The UK competition watchdog says it’s concerned about the legality of some of elements of the companies’ business practices, such as their use of auto-renewals for online subscription services, their cancellation and refund policies and their terms and conditions. The CMA has written to the platform holders requesting information about their practices to assist its investigation....

PS4 exclusive Days Gone has been updated with Death Stranding items, after its developer was revealed as a “support partner” for the game. With the release ofDays Gone’s 1.6 patch, the game has been updated with newDeath Strandingthemed bike tanks, decals, and a frame paint. Days Gone developerBend Studiois listed as a “support partner” in Death Stranding’s credits, along withSpider-Mandeveloper and fellow first-party studioInsomniac. More than 70 Guerrilla Games developers worked on Death Stranding, the game’s credits reveal, as well as a various motion capture and CGI support studios....

Detroit: Become Human will launch for PC exclusively through the Epic Games Store on May 27, 2025. Costing £29.99, it will be released alongside a free playable demo featuring the game’s opening scene. Previously only available onPS4, the sci-fi game is set in 2038 in a world where human-like androids built to serve are omnipresent. Players take on the role of three distinct androids and face a series of life-or-death moral dilemmas in a story featuring a branching narrative....

Bandai Namco has announced that Eddy Gordo will be the first DLC character in Tekken 8. A new trailer showing the game’s opening movie ends with a short clip revealing that Eddy will be released in spring 2024. He will be followed by three more characters, set to be released in the summer, autumn and winter, making up the game’s Season 1 character content. Initially appearing in Tekken 3, Eddy is one of the more popular characters in the game, but also one of the most divisive....