Naughty Dog has discussed the origins of The Last of Us Part 2, including how at one point it was intended to be an open world game inspired by Bloodborne. Speaking inGroundedII, a new documentary detailing the development ofThe Last of Us Part 2, the game’s development team revealed how their original intention was for the sequel to be “as different as humanly possible” from the first game. “In the first four or five months, the game was actually kind of an open world inspired by Bloodborne....

The creative director for the newly-announced remake of The Last of Us: Part 1 had the same role on Marvel’s Avengers. Shaun Escayg, who wrote and designed Avengers after leavingNaughty Dog, confirmed in April 2021 thathe had rejoined his former employer. Now, following the game’s official reveal at this year’sSummer Game Fest, Escaygtook to Twitterto confirm that he was the remake’s creative director. “So proud of our team on the incredible work done on The Last Of Us remake trailer shown at the #sgf2022,” Escayg wrote....

A new Princess Peach Showtime trailer has been released, revealing four more character transformations. It was already known that Peach can transform into a kung fu fighter, a detective, a pastry chef, a swordfighter, a ninja and a cowgirl. The latest trailer for the game, which is viewable above, shows that she can also turn into a figure skater, a dashing thief, a mermaid, and mighty Peach to complete various objectives....

Sony Interactive Entertainment has updated the PlayStation Studios website banner to include Death Stranding, leading to speculation that it may have acquired developer Kojima Productions. As spotted by aReseterauser, an image ofDeath Stranding’s Sam Bridgeshas replacedone ofConcrete Geniepreviously included on the banner. Other changes include the addition ofDemon’s Souls(Sonyacquired the game’s developerBluepointlast year) and updated MLB, Horizon andGran Turismoimages. UPDATE:Hideo Kojimahas since tweeted the image too, before laterclaiming that the studio will remain independent....

The first teaser trailer for the Super Mario Bros. movie will be shown next month at New York Comic Con, it’s been announced. In a tweet from the convention’s official account, it revealed that it would be shown on Thursday, October 6. No other details were given, and it’s unknown if the trailer will be shown as part of a panel for the film or during another event. To date, nothing has been shown publicly about the movie, beyond the original casting announcement which famously included Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt as Mario....

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will allow players to extend Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4’s 2-minute timer to an hour, it’s been revealed. By default, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will follow the same gameplay format as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, by giving players two minutes to complete as many goals as they can. While this was also the level mechanic in the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, this marks a change for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, which initially concerned some fans....

Unity says it will be “making changes” to its controversial install fee plans, following huge backlash from game developers. Last week the software development companyannounced plans to charge developersevery time a game that uses its Unity engine is installed. Starting in January 2024, the proposed Unity Runtime Fee would apply to games that meet a minimum revenue threshold and have passed a minimum lifetime install count. Update18th Sep 2023 / 7:40 pm Tentative changes to Unity’s controversial install fee policy have leaked after executivestold staff how the company intends to backtrackon some elements of its original plan....

Australian indie hit Untitled Goose Game was awarded Game of the Year at the 2020 Game Developers Choice Awards. Originally scheduled to take place during thenow-postponed GDC, the Game Developers Choice Awards were reformatted as a livestream ceremony broadcast on Wednesday. The other big winners included Remedy’sControl, which won the awards for Best Technology, Best Audio and Best Visual Art. Role-playing game Disco Elysium won the awards for Best Narrative and Best Debut for developer ZA/UM....

UK media and telecom firm Virgin Media O2 is offering its customers access to this weekend’s Tekken 8 closed beta test. The beta is playable between Friday, October 20 and Monday, October 23 acrossPlayStation 5,Xbox Series X/SandSteam. Codes for the beta are being made available to Virgin Media broadband and O2 customers only via theirPriority app. Those in London can also play theTekken 8beta at the Virgin Media Gamepad at The O2, a new gaming venue which is open to members of the public free of charge....

Xbox Game Pass will finally come to Samsung TVs this month, Microsoft has announced. One year on fromthe feature’s announcement, theXboxapp will launch on 2022 Samsung Smart TVs in 27 countries on June 30, allowing users to play cloud games without a console. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will be able to access their games library using the app, while non-members will be able to playFortnitefor free. Users will be able to connect a Bluetooth-enabled controller such as the Xbox WirelessController, DualSense orAmazonLuna pad, and also use a Bluetooth-enabled headset....

Microsoft has released an Xbox Series X/S backward compatibility video showing how the next-gen consoles can enhance older games by increasing their frame rates. The technical demo above shows Fallout 4’s frame rate “effectively doubled” from 30 fps to 60 fps onXboxSeries S. Peggy Lo, compatibility program lead for Xbox, discussed improved frame rates as part of a wider blog post published on Tuesday, which also covered previously announcedXbox Series X/Sbackward compatibility features....

The colored panels on the side of the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers can be removed, and some stores are already offering customization options. Nintendo Switch 2will launch next month, and while the console will be released in two different SKUs at launch, unlike theNintendo Switch, different color variations won’t be offered on day one. Now, third-party sites have begun selling replacement color panels for the side of the Joy-Con controllers....

Less than 6 years after it was released, John Wick Hex is being removed from sale this week. The strategy game, which Bithell Games developed, was first released on Aug 02, 2025, and will be removed from sale on July 17, it’s been confirmed. Publisher Big Fan Games confirmed the delisting onSteam, writing: “After July 17th, 2025, existing owners of John Wick Hex will still be able to access the game via their digital libraries (PC/Console) and/or physical copies (Console), however, new purchases of John Wick Hex will not be possible, regardless of platform or storefront....