Epic has pulled a pet it was selling in Fortnite and said it will issue refunds after fans complained about its striking resemblance to a previously released cosmetic item. The Gunner pet, which had been available from theFortniteitem shop priced at 1,000 V-Bucks (£8/$10), was almost identical to Bonesy, a dog previously released as part of season six’s battle pass. Battle passes offer exclusive in-game cosmetic items players can unlock which aren’t meant to be obtainable again later, hence the outcry over similarities between Gunner (pictured above) and Bonesy (below)....

Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida has said the game’s medieval Europe setting placed constraints on the range of characters that could ‘realistically’ be included in the RPG. Discussing the “difficult question” of character diversity in an interview withIGN, Yoshida acknowledged his comments might be “disappointing” for some readers. Trailers released for the game to date have mostly featured white characters, and Yoshida was asked whether fans can expect to see a more diverse cast including Black characters, or people of colour, in the final game....

Square Enix has released a new Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer, which is viewable below. The trailer, which premiered duringSummer Game Fest‘s live kick-off show on Thursday, sees Cloud, Aerith and the rest of the party from the end ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeexploring the walls beyond Midgar. It includes several combat encounters and full CG cutscenes, and closes by confirming that thePS5game will be released in “early 2024” on two discs....

Forza Motorsport’s creative director has emphasised that the ray-tracing support announcedlast weekendwill be present “when you are playing the game”. In a possible dig at rival titleGran Turismo 7– which only features the lighting effect in replays –Forzacreative directorChris Esakisaidon Thursday that developerTurn 10wasn’t trying to “mislead” or be “funny with words”. “Ray tracing is here. It’s on track and most importantly, it’s real-time gameplay,” he said during a live stream....

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is likely to focus on consumer data that both companies hold, and the potential impact on the labour market, according to a new report. According toThe Information(paywalled, transcribed bySeeking Alpha), FTC chair LinaKhanwill “examine the deal with an eye to the combined companies’ access to consumer data, the game developer labour market and the deal’s impact on those workers who have accusedActivisionof discrimination and a hostile workplace”....

Around half of the full-time developers who worked on Metroid Prime 3 remain at Retro Studios, VGC analysis suggests. A core team of around 50 people worked full-time on the 2007 Wii shooter and around 27 remain at the Texas-based developer, including four contractors made permanent, according to LinkedIn. Crucially, five of Metroid Prime 3’s 11 designers are still at Retro and potentially working on the upcoming Metroid Prime 4....

343 Industries has confirmed that Halo Infinite’s first technical preview will kick off tomorrow, Thursday, July 29 and last until Sunday, August 1. TheXboxdeveloper will also be live streaming the content of the preview from 2pm PT / 10pm BST on Wednesday. The playable preview is reserved for those who registered forthe Halo Insider program, and invites have begun appearing in inboxes today. According to 343, “hundreds of thousands” will be invited to the test, which will be focussed on a new multiplayer mode that pits human players against AI bots....

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s isolated encounter method for shiny hunting has made the extremely tedious process of finding shiny Pokemon easier than ever. Theisolated encounter methodis a shiny hunting method that is one of the most effective in the game. By greatly eliminating the number ofPokemonthat can appear in an area, the isolated encounter method means that finding the shiny Pokemon you’re looking for is easier than ever. But how do you do the isolated encounter method in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?...

Yogscast’s Jingle Jam Humble Bundle 2019 raised $1 million for charity in its first 24 hours of availability. The annual charity fundraising initiative, which is supported with daily livestreams throughout December, centres arounda Humble BundleofferingPC“games worth over $700 – for as little as a $30 donation”. That’s about £23. The bundle will include 66 titles to download in total, with new games released each day through to December 20....

Konami has said it’s planning to reveal even more new games, building on its recently disclosed plans to revive classic franchises. As part of its New Year greeting (published onFamitsu), the company mentioned “new games for well-known series”, likely referencing the roster ofSilent Hillgames andCastlevania collaborationannounced last year. However, it said it also had new announcements to make regarding projects “deeply and quietly underway” behind the scenes. “Happy New Year to all game fans,”Konami’s greeting reads....

Ubisoft is sending emails to lapsed Far Cry 6 players taunting them for abandoning the game. GamesIndustry.biz managing editorBrendan Sinclairshared screenshots of an email he received from the game’s publisher mocking him for stopping playing the game after three hours. “You disappoint me”, reads the subject line. “It was amusing watching you fail” and “surely you can do better than this,” the message says. Sinclair was heavily critical ofUbisoft’s email marketing, tweeting on Tuesday: “A lot of games are already ruthlessly designed to maximize engagement, but now they email and hassle you if you dare to stop playing them....

Xbox Live had a record number of monthly active users during Microsoft’s first financial quarter ended July 18, 2025, the company said on Wednesday. The company recentlyconfirmedit’s no longer disclosing figures forXboxLive monthly active users in its earnings reports, a metric it had been including in its financial results since 2014. The last time it disclosed Xbox Live monthly active users in July,Microsoft said the total stood at 65 million, but during its earnings call on Wednesday, CEOSatya Nadellasuggested the figure has risen since then....

Microsoft is testing a new streamlined Xbox One user interface and making changes to how voice commands work on the console. Designed to get players into gaming experiences more quickly, the streamlined UI will be available to select members of theXboxInsider programme later this week and will continue to evolve based on user feedback. “With this new experimental Home design, the first thing you’ll notice is we’ve removed the Twists from the top of Home in favor of separate buttons that launch your gaming experiences,” Xbox Insider team lead Bradley Rossettiexplains....