Gaming

With an even bigger caveat than Capcom and Sony, Square Enix reports 90% of its game sales are digital ahead of Final Fantasy 7 Revelation release

• Square Enix reports 90% of game sales were digital.
• The figure has important scope limitations.
• Digital sales dominate before Final Fantasy VII Revelation.

Square Enix says digital purchases accounted for 90% of its game sales, underlining the industry’s continued shift away from boxed copies ahead of the next Final Fantasy VII remake instalment, Revelation. The figure is notable, but the article stresses that it has an especially significant limitation and should…

With gen AI assets cut from Assassin’s Creed creator’s new game demo, lead admits “we didn’t even realize it was AI anymore because we were used to seeing it”

• AI-generated assets were removed from a new game demo.
• The team said AI content had become normalised internally.
• The case highlights wider concerns about AI use in games.

Generative AI-created assets were removed from a new game demo by an Assassin’s Creed creator after the team recognised concerns about their use. The lead’s admission that staff had become accustomed to seeing the material illustrates how easily AI-generated work can become normalised within development pipelines. The developer…

This Switch Game You Might Have Bought Is Now Totally Unplayable

The Nintendo Switch version of Aliens: Fireteam Elite is now completely removed from sale and impossible to play for people who bought it. Developer Cold Iron Studios announced earlier this year that Fireteam Elite, a game that runs in the cloud and not locally, would be shut down…

1666: Amsterdam preview details Noa’s wave-based combat

• 1666: Amsterdam preview details its wave-based, Soulslike-style combat system
• Noa dodges, parries and swings a broom against swarming militiamen
• Cat companion Aaron aids exploration; combat stays solely with Noa

Destructoid journalist Andrej Barovic has published a hands-on preview of 1666: Amsterdam, the latest project from Assassin's Creed co-creator Patrice Désilets, focusing largely on its combat system after an earlier preview covered exploration and historical accuracy. The piece confirms the game features a wave-based, semi-Soulslike combat system built…

1666: Amsterdam enters early access on 25 August

• 1666: Amsterdam launches into early access on 25 August
• Made by Assassin's Creed creator Patrice Désilets' studio
• No AI-generated assets after demo backlash; ~15-hour campaign start

Panache Digital Games, co-founded by Assassin's Creed creator Patrice Désilets, has confirmed that its long-in-development title 1666: Amsterdam will launch into early access on 25 August for Windows PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. The release caps a development cycle stretching back to the early 2010s and…

How Long To Beat Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is the latest fighting game collaboration between a game studio and Marvel Comics. Generally speaking, there isn’t much to do outside of the arcade or story modes, as well as challenging combo trials to get those fingers slamming on the buttons, but little else.…

“They don’t understand art” – id Software lead slams Xbox, says it’s “impossible” to make games like 2016’s Doom now

• id Software lead says halved staff makes triple-A games "impossible" to make
• Chris Hayes disputes Microsoft's claims the studio is unchanged post-layoffs
• Cuts are part of Microsoft's wider 3,200-job "Xbox reset"

A lead developer at id Software has publicly criticised Microsoft over recent layoffs at the studio, saying it is now "impossible" to make triple-A games like 2016's Doom with half the staff. Chris Hayes, id Software's lead services provider, made the comments in a roughly 90-minute interview on…

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Gets Huge Boost 3 Years After Launch Thanks to Box Office Phenomenon Spider-Man: Brand New Day

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day's success has boosted Marvel's Spider-Man 2 sales and players
• Game gained 316,000 sales and $11m revenue in under two weeks
• Lifetime sales now 18.2 million copies, worth roughly $1.2 billion

Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Insomniac's PS5 and PC game from 2023, has seen a major resurgence in players and sales following the box office success of the film Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Analysts describe it as a striking example of a "transmedia halo effect", where a hit film drives…

The Witcher 3 devs wanted Geralt to have “no emotion,” but his voice actor pushed back against CD Projekt Red: “He’s an emotional being”

• Doug Cockle opposed an emotionless portrayal of Geralt.
• He argued Geralt suppresses feelings rather than lacks them.
• His input helped define the character’s final performance.

Doug Cockle, the English-language voice actor for Geralt in The Witcher 3, said he resisted an early direction from CD Projekt Red to make the character show “no emotion”. He argued that Geralt’s emotional restraint should not be confused with emotional absence, helping shape a performance that retained…

The upcoming Amiga A1200 remake will ship with a special edition of an iconic UK gaming magazine, but only if you’re an early bird

• Early Amiga A1200 remake buyers will receive a special magazine edition.
• The bonus is limited to early-bird orders.
• The offer targets retro gaming enthusiasts.

The forthcoming Amiga A1200 remake will include a special edition of a well-known UK gaming magazine for customers who order early. The offer adds a nostalgia-focused bonus to the retro computer’s launch and is intended to reward early buyers. The promotion appears to be limited to early-bird purchases,…