EA Sports FC 25 is removing contracts from Ultimate Team

EA Sports FC 25 will remove contract items from Ultimate Team. The contract items were previously required to play matches in the popular mode, however, this will no longer be the case in the next entry of the game. While contract items were not difficult to acquire, they were a reoccurring frustration for the player base, which saw applying the contracts as more of a chore than anything else. It’s unclear if the item will be replaced by another system....

July 15, 2025 · 1 min · 210 words · David Adams

Electronic Arts is raising the price of its EA Play subscription

Electronic Arts is raising the price of its EA Play subscription service. As first reported byGamesIndustry.biz,the standardEAPlay tier is rising from $4.99 / £3.99 per month to $5.99 / £5.99, with the annual fee increasing from $29.99 / £19.99 to $39.99 / £35.99. The price of a monthly EA Play Pro subscription is increasing from $14.99 / £14.99 to $16.99 / £16.99, with the annual membership rising from $99.99 / £89....

July 15, 2025 · 2 min · 243 words · Tony Lewis

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth hit the most concurrent Steam players of any single-player Final Fantasy

The Steam version of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has hit more concurrent players than any other single-player Final Fantasy game on the platform. Rebirth was released onPCon January 23 and, according to data onSteamDB(as spotted byEurogamer), hit a peak of 40,564 concurrent players over the weekend. This is higher than any other single-player Final Fantasy game has achieved onSteam, and is significantly higher than the previous leader, Final Fantasy 15 (which hit a concurrent peak of 29,498)....

July 15, 2025 · 2 min · 255 words · Amy Ramos

Fisch Totem locations – How to buy Eclipse, Sundial, and weather change items

Latest update21st Dec 2024 / 11:00 pm We’ve added the exact location of the Blizzard Totem and Avalanche Totem. Change the weather, time, or season in Fisch in your favour by picking upFisch totemsat specific locations ahead of your grind. Whether you have a weather-specific enchant on your rod or need a fish that only spawns in the rain, knowing all the weather-changing and event-triggeringtotem locations in Fischcan save you a lot of time....

July 15, 2025 · 6 min · 1247 words · Candice Evans

Flight Simulator is getting a free GOTY update alongside its first paid expansion

Xbox has announced Microsoft Flight Simulator Game of the Year Edition alongside a release date for the game’s first major expansion. Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition will be released on November 18 as a free update for existing players, including Game Pass members. It will include five new aircraft, eight fresh airports, new missions and tutorials, an updated weather system and DX12 support. Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition will be released alongside the game’sfirst major expansion, Reno Air Races, which will bring the STIHL National Championship Air Races and competitive multiplayer racing to the title....

July 15, 2025 · 1 min · 204 words · Kyle Ryan

Football Manager 2023’s PS5 version has suffered a last-minute delay

Sega has delayed the PlayStation 5 version of Football Manager 2023 less than a week before its planned release. In a press release, the game’s publisher said the delay was “due to unforeseen complications which have arisen during the submissions and approvals process”. While it’s still planning to release the game forPS5as soon as possible, the company is cancelling pre-orders made through thePlayStationStore and will be refunding customers. “We’re devastated by this outcome, which we have worked tirelessly with our partners for a number of weeks to attempt to address,” saidMiles Jacobson, studio director at developerSports Interactive....

July 15, 2025 · 2 min · 214 words · Anna Ryan

Former PlayStation US boss says Japan Studio closure was ‘sad’ but not surprising

Former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden says that while he was saddened by the decision to close down Sony’s Japan Studio, he wasn’t particularly surprised by it. In an interview withIGN Japan, Layden – who during a 30-year career atSonyserved as CEO of SIE America and chairman of Worldwide Studios – was asked how he felt aboutSony’s decision to close Japan Studioback in April 2021. He replied that the decision wasn’t entirely unexpected, given thatJapan Studiohad struggled to find great success in the period leading up to its closure....

July 15, 2025 · 2 min · 348 words · Brandon Soto

Gallery: Here are the first Metroid Prime 4 Beyond screenshots

Nintendo has published the first Metroid Prime 4 Beyond screenshots, after the game was revealed during a Nintendo Direct on Tuesday. Developed byRetro StudiosforNintendo Switch, ‘Metroid Prime 4 Beyond’ was confirmed for release in 2025. “The galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter Samus Aran will embark on a new mission,”Nintendosaid in its PR. “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, a new entry in the Metroid Prime series, is coming to Nintendo Switch in 2025....

July 15, 2025 · 1 min · 70 words · Lisa Wagner

Grammy Awards reveal nominees for new video game soundtrack prize

The Grammy Awards has announced the nominees for its newly introduced video game category. TheCall of Duty: Vanguardand Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy soundtracks are among the nominees for the inaugural ‘Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media’ award. It was confirmed in June thatgame soundtracks were to receive their own categorystarting at the 65th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held in Los Angeles on June 11, 2025....

July 15, 2025 · 1 min · 208 words · Tracy Deleon

Gravity Rush’s director would like to make a third game and bring the series to PC

Gravity Rush director Keiichiro Toyama has said he would be interested in making a third Gravity Rush game if the opportunity was offered to him. Speaking to fan siteGravity Rush Centralto celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original game, Toyama was asked if he would like to work on a new Gravity Rush title given the chance. Toyama, who is now working onSlitterheadwith his newly foundedBokeh Game Studio, answered: “There are various things to bear in mind as a start-up, but on a personal level I obviously would like to....

July 15, 2025 · 2 min · 301 words · Jonathan Peterson

GTA V’s first PS5 trailer has divided opinion among fans

The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto V’s new-gen console version has received a mixed response from fans. At the time of writing, the official trailer has earned over 1.1 million views across the officialPlayStation YouTube channelandRockstar Games YouTube channelcombined. Of these viewers, 82,000 have clicked either like or dislike, with the latter currently dominating (35,000 positive versus 47,000 negative). The trailer on the officialPlayStationchannel is more overwhelmingly negative (13,000 likes vs 23,000 dislikes), while the Rockstar channel’s video is more evenly split (22,000 likes vs 24,000 dislikes)....

July 15, 2025 · 3 min · 465 words · Kristin Williams

HANDS-ON: NetEase’s Floatopia feels like it could surpass Animal Crossing in a lot of ways

If there’s one type of game we certainly haven’t been short of in recent years, it’s the life sim. The ongoing success of such series as Animal Crossing andHarvest Moonhas always ensured a steady supply of similar games, but it really does feel like the 2020s have seen a surge of them, often with the latest buzzword ‘cosy’ attached. While most of these have come and gone without causing tremors in the industry, a few have made their mark by offering something different (I’ll defendDisney Dreamlight Valleyto the death)....

July 15, 2025 · 4 min · 848 words · Amanda Underwood

How to unlock Pictomancer in FFXIV Dawntrail

Latest update28th Jun 2024 / 10:20 am With Dawntrail now live, we’ve updated our guide on how to unlock Pictomancer with a handy map. New for Dawntrail and the 7.0 update, here’show to unlock the Pictomancer class inFinal Fantasy XIVDawntrail. Starting at level 80, which makes the grind up to 100 far less gruelling than a class from the A Realm Reborn days, this new ranged magic job is sure to be a hit as the expansion kicks off....

July 15, 2025 · 3 min · 471 words · John Evans