The latest free update for Disney Dreamlight Valley is coming later this week. The update, which is called Wonderland Whimsy, adds a new Alice in Wonderland realm to the game, adding new quests and rewards like the Talkative Doorknob Door. Players will be able to add Alice and the Cheshire Cat to their Valley as new visitors, bringing the total to 51 characters. Once players add the Cheshire Cat to their village, progressing through is Friendship Quests will unlock the new Uncrafting Station to the game....

Annapurna Pictures, the film company which owns What Remains of Edith Finch publisher Annapurna Interactive, has reportedly avoided potential bankruptcy by settling over $200 million in debt. Sources said to be close to the deal toldVarietythat members of the indie studio’s revolving credit facility will receive about $0.82 on the dollar to wipe its debt, with an official announcement due later this week. Rather than seek a new credit line, Annapurna is expected to look for future financing partners on a case-by-case basis, or wholly finance projects itself....

Microsoft has reiterated that first-party Xbox Series X exclusives are not part of its launch strategy for the next-gen console. While exclusive games have traditionally been key to driving console sales,Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty said in Januarythat the company is keen to avoid alienatingXbox Oneowners by releasing platform exclusive titles during the new console’s early days. Revisiting the subject in ablogpublished on Thursday,XboxbossPhil Spencersaid first-partyXbox Series Xexclusives won’t be released for a number of years....

Build A Rocket Boy, the studio established in 2016 by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies, has announced the appointment of three games industry veterans to its executive team. It has hired Mick Hocking as its chief development officer, Murray Pannell as senior vice president of global marketing, and Randall Price as chief publishing officer. Hocking previously served as studio director for SCE Liverpool Studio,PlayStationLondon Studioand MotorStorm developer Evolution Studios, which he also co-founded....

When Forza Horizon 5 arrives on PlayStation, it will require a Microsoft account to play, it’s been revealed. The game, which will be crossplay on all platforms and contain all of the content from both theXboxandPCversions of the game, will require an extra account linking process fromPlayStationplayers. As pointed out by Does It Play? A newly published FAQ confirms that the game, which will mark the debut of the series on PlayStation platforms, will require the player to have both a PSN account and aMicrosoftaccount onPS5....

One of the co-founders of game grading company Wata has been accused of selling Wata-graded games for high prices on eBay. ProofjournalistSeth Abramsonreports that while clearing boxes at his house he discovered a note included with a game he’d purchased from eBay in the summer. The seller’s note told him to “email markhaspel@[redacted]” for more games. Abramson realised that he had purchased a game from Mark Haspel, one of the co-founders of Wata, then looked at his previous purchases and realised he’d bought three in total....

Monument Valley studio Ustwo Games is facing legal action over allegations of union busting, which it has denied. The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has threatened to take the BAFTA-winning mobile games and design company to court over its alleged victimisation of a prominent trade union activist. Austin Kelmore, a programmer on Ustwo’s recently releasedApple Arcadetitle Assemble with Care, is the chair and founding member of the Game Workers Unite (GWU) UK branch of the IWGB....

Journalist and presenter Geoff Keighley has revealed that Gamescom Opening Night Live will feature an “exclusive new look at Hogwarts Legacy”. The show, which will also have the first gameplay of Goat Simulator 3 and newSonic Frontiersfootage, takes place live from Germany 8 PM CEST/7 PM BST/2 PM ET/11AM PT on August 23. Hogwarts Legacy guides: Hogwarts Legacy Merlin Trials|Hogwarts Legacy Statues|Hogwarts Legacy Keys|Daedalian Key locations|Elder Wand location|Hogwarts Legacy killing curse|Hogwarts Legacy pages...

The Coalition has reportedly shifted its full attention to the next entry in the Gears of War series after two other games in development at the studio were cancelled. During his Game Mess Mornings show on Thursday, Giant Bomb reporter Jeff GrubbclaimedXbox‘s Canadian studio was now ‘full steam ahead’ on Gears 6. The Coalitionsaid in May 2021 that it was preparing totransition to next-gen development using Unreal Engine 5, and shortly after, the LinkedIn profile of one of the studio’s level designersclaimed they had been working on a “new IP”....

343 Industries has said it’s still planning to launch a test flight of Halo Infinite’s campaign co-op mode this week, but it’s not guaranteed. The studio recently confirmed that it was aiming to test campaign co-op and the game’s new Mission Replay feature this week. In its originalHaloWaypoint announcement, the studio said the test flight was “targeted to run from the week of July 11”, seemingly leading some readers to expect it to launch on that date....

Warner Bros. Games has announced Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions for PC and unconfirmed console platforms. According to anFAQon the game’s website, it’s “a fast-paced, competitive multiplayer game featuring the world’s most iconic magical sport”. It’s billed as “a complete, standalone Quidditch experience” that “engages players in the sport of Quidditch and other broomstick adventures alongside friends in a competitive, multiplayer setting”. The game will let users create and customise their own Quidditch players....

Since launching in July, VGC’s Patreon has offered us a new way to share coverage with our readers, and allowed those same readers to directly support VGC. We’ve posted over 40 pieces of exclusive content since August, with much more coming in 2025. What did VGC Patreon members get this year? Find out below, and if you’re keen to join and support VGC, you’re able to do so atPatreon.com/VideoGamesChronicle....

Elden Ring Nightreign will seemingly receive extra bosses and playable characters via DLC, according to now-removed text on the game’s Steam page. Elden Ring Nightreignwill see bosses from across the Souls series return, and include new bosses exclusive to Nightreign. But now, it seems that FromSoftware is planning to bring additional bosses, and playable characters to the game. TheSteampage for the upcoming game briefly included text referring to “Additional playable characters and bosses....