Kadokawa Corporation, the parent company of Bloodborne and Dark Souls studio From Software, has formed a “capital alliance” with Sony, it announced on Wednesday. The Japanese media conglomerate – which also owns manga, publishing and film companies – said in its latest financial reports that it had givenSonya 1.93 percent ownership as part of the financial deal. As part of the alliance, smart phone firm CyberAgent will also receive the same percentage of shares in the company....

Square Enix has hired Dragon’s Dogma and Devil May Cry 5 designer, Ryota Suzuki for a new action game project. The news was revealed on the company’sJapanese recruitment page– translated bySiliconera– which reveals that the veteranCapcomdesigner made the switch last year and will be “Battle Director” for the new “AAA” title. Suzuki was most recently a designer forDevil May Cry 5, game design lead for Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen and gameplay lead for Dragon’s Dogma....

Summer Game Fest 2025 saw a viewership increase of 89% compared to last year’s edition, according to organisers. Summer Game Fest, which featured new game announcements and updates on live service titles, saw more than 50 million livestream viewers across the two-hour show, which marks the highest viewership on record for the event. According toVariety, the show peaked at more than 3 million concurrent viewers across Twitch and YouTube. Viewership on YouTube increased by over 40% compared to 2024, while on Twitch, it rose by 38%....

Latest update2nd Nov 2024 / 11:00 am We’re looking for new Swim League codes for the November 3.1 update. Swim League codescan expedite the gains you’ll need to compete at the higher tiers, boosting the speed at which your power can increase through gym workouts. Swim Leaguetakes the click-based fitness-focused gameplay of other 2024 hitRobloxgames and adds an extra level of competition to the mix. Usenew Swim League codesto unlock some easy boosts....

New details about Nintendo’s Switch successor have reportedly surfaced. Long-running Spanish video games websiteVandalclaims to have received information about the console from sources at peripherals manufacturers. According to the site,Switch 2’s Joy-Con controllers will attach to the console magnetically. As current Joy-Cons connect to Switch using a rail system, it’s unclear if they’ll be forwards compatible with the new console. The existingNintendo SwitchProController will work with Switch 2, it’s claimed....

Take-Two is reportedly planning to shut down Private Division studios Roll7 and Intercept Games as part of recently announced restructuring. Last month, the publisher said itplanned to lay off 5% of its workforce, or around 600 people, as part of cost-cutting measures that would also result in the cancellation of unnamed game projects. Two casualties of this restructuring are Roll7, the London-based developer behind OlliOlli and Rollerdrome, and Seattle-based Intercept Games, which developedKerbal Space Program 2, according to documentation seen byBloomberg....

Square Enix has released the soundtrack for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which features 175 tracks. The digital version of the soundtrack is available now, and pre-orders have opened for the physical version. Square Enixhas also announced a limited-editionmusic boxthat plays Aerith’s Theme, which is available to pre-order for £849.99. Ready for 175 tracks of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth music?Get the original soundtrack as a physical CD set or download on major music platforms now....

The first trailer for Everywhere, the new open-world game from Grand Theft Auto producer Leslie Benzies, has been shown. The teaser trailer, which is viewable below, was revealed on Tuesday during theGamescomOpening Night Live presentation. It shows a large map with a number of different environments, including a futuristic-looking town, a forest, a lava-filled area and a rocky desert. It then features a variety of clips showing what appears to be third-person shooting and platforming gameplay, as well as vehicle-driving sections....

The next Nintendo Direct live stream will take place this Tuesday, June 18, it has been announced. The event will start at 7am PT / 10am RT / 3pm BST / 4pm CEST and last for approximately 40 minutes. It will be focused on games set for release in the second half of 2024,Nintendosaid. The company also reiterated that “there will be no mention of theNintendo Switchsuccessor during this presentation....

Nintendo has added three more games to Nintendo Switch Online’s NES and SNES libraries. Kirby’s Avalanche and Fighter’s History have been added to the SNES library, while Famicom title Daiva Story 6: Imperial of Nirsartia joins the NES collection. Kirby’s Avalanche, originally released in Europe as Kirby’s Ghost Trap, is the western version of puzzle game Super Puyo Puyo, which was released on the Super Famicom in Japan. Deciding that its anime characters may not appeal to western audiences, developer Compile teamed up withNintendoandHAL Laboratory, replacing the Puyo Puyo characters with Kirby ones....

Nintendo has released a Super Mario 3D All-Stars update, which makes big additions to GameCube’s Super Mario Sunshine. As promised, version 1.1.0 allows players to invert the camera controls in all three titles included in the anniversary bundle – a big omission at release for Sunshine in particular, considering its shooting and aiming-based gameplay. Surprisingly, the update also adds the ability for users to play Sunshine using an originalGameCubecontroller (via the officialController Adapter) – another feature sorely missing from theSwitchport at release....

Two men who leaked Pokémon Sword and Shield information have been ordered to pay $150,000 each to The Pokémon Company. According to documents filed yesterday by the Western District of Washington Court, David Maisonave was found guilty of violating the Defend Trade Secrets Act and the Washington Uniform Trade Secrets Act by leaking pages from thePokémon Sword and Shieldstrategy guide. Maisonave was working for LSC Communications, a printing company that had been hired to print the official Pokémon Sword and Shield strategy guide....

The Ukrainian government has said it will ask Sony, Microsoft and Valve to pull Atomic Heart from sale on their digital stores in the country. The game, which features Soviet and Russian military themes, was released forPC,PlayStationandXboxconsoles on Tuesday, just days before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It has become the subject of controversy over its ties to Russia, including claims that the Russian government stands to benefit financially from its release due its majority ownership of investors in the game....