Nintendo’s limited-time game releases are designed to fuel a fear of missing out and drive consumers to buy software re-releases which can be a tough sell. That’s according to a newVicereport, which cites an anonymous development source who claimed to have knowledge ofNintendo’s strategy. A group of industry figures spoke to the publication ahead of several Mario products and a Fire Emblem game being removed from sale on June 19, 2025....

Sony has officially announced November 2022’s free PlayStation Plus Essential games, followinga leak earlier this week. As expected, the new batch of games includesNioh 2(PS4/PS5), Heavenly Bodies (PS5 / PS4) and Lego Harry Potter Collection (PS4). These titles can be downloaded byPlayStationPlus Essential, Extra and Premium members from Tuesday November 1. PlayStation Plus Essential is the new name for the base PS Plus subscription service, where players get access to a few ‘free’ games every month....

Overwatch 2 is around the corner, and fans are ready to finally jump into the sequel to Blizzard’s incredibly popular hero-based shooter. Now thatOverwatchhas permanently shut down, it’s time for heroes everywhere to move on toBlizzard‘s newest game. Butwhen doesOverwatch 2go live?Read on to find out. Overwatch 2: When does Overwatch 2 go live? Overwatch 2 preload is now live forPCplayers who already own Overwatch. On console, preloading for the game is expected to take place on October 4, at 9am PT / 12pm PT / 5pm BST / 6pm CEST....

Step into the lobby of Platinum Games’ Osaka HQ and it’s impossible not to be impressed by the developer’s incredible, vibrant portfolio of original games. Sprawled across its office carpet are numerous critically-lauded IPs created in its first decade of operation, from the painfully stylish Mad World and Vanquish, to the excellent-but-overlooked Wonderful 101 and its iconic action game Bayonetta. [UPDATE:VGC’sAstral Chain reviewhas been published, awarding the game a score of 5/5]...

PlatinumGames and the studio behind Kingdom Hearts 4 have both revealed that they took part in the development of Final Fantasy 16. The news was revealed during theFinal Fantasy 16Pre-Launch Celebration live stream held duringSummer Game Fest. In a video message,PlatinumGamespresident and CEOAtsushi Inabasaid: “PlatinumGames was graced with the opportunity to develop a part of Final Fantasy 16. “We’d never had an experience to work on a title in this manner, so it certainly took us by surprise when we were first approached....

Sales of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are off to a record start, according to publisher Nintendo. The platform holder announced on Wednesday that sales of theNintendo Switchtitles surpassed 10 million combined units in the first 72 hours following their worldwide release on August 02, 2025. “This is the highest global sales level for any software on anyNintendoplatform within the first three days,” Nintendo said. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet also sold more boxed copies in the UK duringlaunch than any other game this year....

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles will be available at Target today. The retailer is making a limited number of both consoles available to purchase online on Thursday, according toJake Randall, who has previously successfully reported on multiple Target restocks ahead of them going live. In order to stand the best chance of getting a console, users should be signed into a Target account, which will automatically direct them to the store closest to their registered address where systems are available....

Clockwork Castellans are the main collectible in Capcom’s 2023 Resident Evil 4 remake. So here’s our guide to all Clockwork Castellans locations, including exactly where to find each Clockwork Castellan in each chapter in exchange for a special reward. Clockwork Castellansare bobbleheads hidden around the game world. There are sixteen in total – one per chapter – and destroying all of them will earn players with a unique weapon (scroll to the bottom to find out what it is)....

It doesn’t require an archeological dig to see that Wild Hearts is EA and Koei Tecmo’s attempt to dine on some of that lucrative Monster Hunter dollar. However, even though this new IP is mostly standing on the shoulders ofCapcom’s giant beast, it does offer some original ideas of its own. These new concepts, however, while welcome, don’t often work perfectly, and it’s this combined with the game’s other limitations that makeWild Heartsmerely a good Monster Hunter alternative rather than a viable first choice....

Shovel Knight has cleared 2.5 million sales, according to developer Yacht Club Games. The studio announced the latest sales milestone in ablog postcelebrating the fifth anniversary of the game’s release. The 2D retro platformer took 18 months to hit the one million sale milestone and a further 26 months to achieve two million sales, a feat announced in April 2018. The celebrated action adventure title, which was brought to life via a Kickstarter campaign, has won multiple awards including Best Independent Game at the inauguralThe Game Awards....

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will reveal its final DLC character in a live stream event next month. Hosted by directorMasahiro Sakurai, the stream will take place on October 5 at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm BST. The event will be the final held for Ultimate, nearly three years after its first release. Sakurai recently reiterated thatthe title’s next fighter after that will conclude developmenton the game. “Finally, the next DLC fighter will be the last one,” he said....

Paramount Pictures has released the first trailer for its upcoming live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Set for release in November, the adventure comedy stars Jim Carrey as antagonist Dr. Robotnik andJames Marsdenas Sonic’s sidekick. Ben Schwartz is the voice actor for Sonic and Tika Sumpter also stars. Paramount says: “The film follows the (mis)adventures of Sonic as he navigates the complexities of life on Earth with his newfound – human – best friend Tom Wachowski....

Google has launched the “first version” of Stadia’s achievements system. Players will now receive notifications when playing on desktop, laptop and TV, and can view their full achievements list online, but mobile support won’t be available until 2020. In a community update,Googlesaidthe following features are now available: Stadia launched in 14 markets on November 19. The platform arrived withseveral missing featureswhich are being added as and when they’re ready. Whilefull Chromecast Ultra supportandBuddy Passes are now available, Stadia still doesn’t offer family sharing and 4K/HDR streaming onPC, among other features....