Gaming News

Dead by Daylight Devs Share Their Live-Service Secret: ‘Start by Not Making a Live Game’

As Dead by Daylight rapidly approaches its 10th anniversary, the developers at Behaviour Interactive have shared their secret to a successful live-service game: “You have to start by not making a live game.” Head of partnerships Mathieu Cote and creative director Dave Richard opened up about the studio’s game development strategy during a conversation with IGN at the Game Developers Conference 2026 (GDC). While the team is busy looking to the future of its asymmetrical horror hit, they’re also taking the opportunity to look at how they’ve made it to the 10-year milestone. Through the highs and lows, Richard says Behaviour has managed to keep Dead by Daylight alive by “reinventing ourselves” and “listening to our community.” It’s...

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The Best Places To Start With Warhammer 40,000

Warhammer 40,000 has never been more popular, with thousands of new people getting involved with the epic, grimdark universe every year. But it’s a dense, complicated thing to tackle, especially if you’re a beginner. If you’ve seen the images of Space Marines with their massive guns and even bigger shoulder pads and wanted to get involved, it’s a daunting task to even just work out where to begin… or even what Warhammer 40,000 is. Is Warhammer 40k a series of books? A video game franchise? A tabletop game? An animated show? Well, it’s all of them – and you can be part of the hobby by doing any or all of them. To help you find the best way into the hobby, we’ve recruited beloved Warhammer expert Arbitor Ian – famous across YouTube for...

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Bungie Teases Upcoming Marathon Changes, Starting With Much Needed Buffs

I've been stuck in the Marathon hole since the server slam, and despite some of my better judgment, I've stayed loyal to my beloved Shell, Recon. In Bungie's sci-fi extraction shooter, Shells are characters who function like Heroes in Overwatch or any other class-based game. And Recon has been regarded as one of the lower-tier choices, despite their unique abilities to ping enemies in ways others cannot. So, in an effort to make Recon a more appealing option, Bungie teased what seems to be some game-changing buffs to how the Shell functions when patch 1.0.6 goes into effect on April 14 as part of Marathon's mid-season update. Starting with Recon's prime (ultimate) ability Echo Pulse, which pings all enemies within a certain radius of...

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'We’re Not Going to do a Dead by Daylight 2' – Developer Kills Possibility of a Sequel

The developers of Dead by Daylight tell me they're extremely committed to keeping the game going as long as possible with support, crossovers, and all sorts of updates. So committed, in fact, that a sequel to the game is off the table. Speaking to me at the Game Developers Conference last month, head of partnerships at Behaviour Interactive Mathieu Cote and creative director Dave Richard chatted with me about the challenge of following up on a super successful live service game. They said that while they had thought about doing a sequel or a "remake" at different points in development, it "never makes sense for the fans" to do. "There's always a point where we say, okay, we could do a sequel now, and it would be far easier actually...

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'Any Update Is a Bonus Not a Right' Says Peak Dev in Response to 'Lazy Dev Cycle' Accusations

The developer of 2025 surprise indie "friendslop" darling Peak is asking players to be a little more gracious to the studio when requesting updates. In response to a tweet saying developer Landfall has a "lazy dev cycle," Landfall's official account clapped back: "Neither us or [co-developer] Aggro Crab are live service studios, any update is a bonus not a right." This sparked via GamesRadar (the original offending tweet is no longer visible), which reports that this comes in the wake of "Landfall Day," Landfall's annual bevy of announcements on April 1, during which an exceedingly silly April Fools' Day feature that has players kicking each other off mountains instead of helping them climb up was revealed. While most replies are...

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Marvel MaXimum Collection First Impressions: Preserving the Past As-Is While Also Providing Optional New Features

The Marvel MaXimum Collection assembles a who’s who of arcade-y Marvel gems. Each game comes with a healthy suite of options and settings that do their best to painstakingly preserve every pixelated frame in the batch. From the arguable crown jewel, X-Men Arcade, to the cult classic Silver Surfer, it seems like the preservationists at Limited Run Games are living up to their reputation with yet another museum-like collection. I stopped by the Limited Run Games booth at PAX East last week to check out their latest collection, mess around with its tools, and punch some baddies as various Marvel heroes in the Maximum Collection. Packaged with X-Men: The Arcade Game, Captain America and The Avengers, Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage &...

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Marvel's New Avengers Crossover to Include Exclusive Magic: The Gathering Card

Avengers: Armageddon is already shaping up to be one of Marvel's biggest projects of 2026, but they're giving fans extra incentive to pick up the first issue of that major crossover event. All copies of Avengers: Armageddon #1 will come bundled with an exclusive Magic: The Gathering card. This exclusive card is titled "Warstorm Surge." Featuring artwork by King in Black artist Ryan Stegman, this card depicts Wolverine, Iron Man, and Spider-Man battling Red Hulk in the wartorn ruins of Latveria. Check out the card below: The Warstorm Surge card will be included with all copies of Avengers: Armageddon #1, including both the standard cover and variant covers. It won't be sold separately. This issue hits stands shortly before the debut...

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Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Exclusive Cutscene – 'The Queen and the Saint' | IGN First

Our April IGN First "cover story" is underway with Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred! As we kick off our coverage today, get an exclusive first look at an in-game cutscene from Diablo 4's upcoming second expansion. Watch it above. The cutscene, as described by Blizzard: "Walk the path of faith and fire as Queen Adreona stands beside Akarat, their alliance forged in defiance of encroaching darkness. But devotion is a fragile thing, and unseen forces twist the truth, lurking just beyond the light. Will you follow… or be led astray?" Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred expansion arrives April 28, 2026, on Battle.net, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Steam. If you missed our review of Diablo 4 or its first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, take a...

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Brian Raffel, Co-Founder of Call of Duty Developer Raven Software, Retires After 36 Years at Studio

Brian Raffel, who cofounded developer Raven Software in 1990 with his brother Steve and has been its co-studio head ever since, is retiring from the studio after 36 years, during which he worked on major pop culture franchises from Star Wars to Star Trek to Marvel and most recently Call of Duty. Steve retired in 2017. "In 1990, inspired by a shared love of storytelling, Brian and his brother Steve set out to build something of their own," Raven said in a statement announcing Brian Raffel's retirement. "What began as a small creative pursuit known as Black Crypt grew into something far, far greater. Over the years, his leadership guided our studio through a wild and shifting industry, shaping it into what it is today. "From dark...

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PUBG Has Its Sights Set on Fortnite as It Aims to Become “A Global Cultural Icon”

PUBG is now so much more than the battle royale mode it once pioneered. As well as the classic 100-player battlegrounds, the Krafton-owned megahit has aspirations in the extraction shooter space with Black Budget, as well as the more console-friendly Project Valor, both in development. But soon, boot up Battlegrounds itself, and you’ll find the developer’s latest addition to that collection, the sci-fi co-op PvE roguelike Xeno Point. It’s perhaps the most extreme example of the now nine-year-old game transitioning into a platform – one clearly designed to rival the success of its battle royale competitor from the other side of the world, Fortnite. Epic’s globe-conquering shooter has long integrated different gameplay experiences into...

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Songs of Glimmerwick Is a Stylish, Stardew Valley-ish RPG Set in a Harry Potter-esque World | IGN Preview

I didn't expect to spend a full weekend arguing with a sentient bush, blowing my savings on spring seeds, and learning to chop trees by playing a melody on a flute — but here I am, already desperate for more. Songs of Glimmerwick, the next title from Eastshade Studios, drops you onto a strange island occupied by a school of music and magic, then hands you a daily planner full of classes, garden chores, potion ingredients, and townsfolk who are way too charming for their own good. If you've ever wondered what it would feel like to attend a Stardew Valley university that teaches Ocarina of Time-style spellcasting inside a Cartoon Saloon film, this is shockingly close to that. The demo only covers the first couple of days in spring, and I...

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GTA 5 Among a Handful of Games Leaving Xbox Game Pass This Month

Microsoft has confirmed the batch of games leaving Xbox Game Pass this month, and among them is Grand Theft Auto 5. As revealed on the Xbox PC app, Rockstar’s GTA 5 Enhanced and GTA 5 Legacy leave Game Pass on April 15, 2026. The timing here makes sense; GTA 5’s removal comes a year after the game returned to Game Pass, on April 15, 2025, with GTA 5 Enhanced playable via PC Game Pass. So it looks like Microsoft snapped up GTA 5 for Game Pass in a 12-month deal. But GTA 5 isn’t the only game leaving Game Pass this month. Games leaving Xbox Game Pass in April 2026: GTA 5 Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Terra Invicta My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery Ashen GTA 5 leaves Xbox Game Pass ahead of a ramp up in GTA 6 marketing...

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Homura Hime Mini Review: A Stylish Action Game With Some Fantastic Designs

Homura Hime is an intense action game where style and timing are king, and you get to show off in pretty much every single encounter. You play as a powerful exorcist tasked with wiping out demons born from negative emotions, creatures that can take on the form of anything from a little blob that shoots lasers (and would absolutely make for a great plushie) to an enormous two-headed skeleton that looks like it crawled straight out of a nightmare. The enemy designs are genuinely wonderful, which is important when some of these fights can last long enough that you really start to appreciate how creative the game is willing to get. Fast, Combo-Heavy Combat That Rewards Skill If you’ve played a character action game like Devil May Cry...

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Capcom Adds All 3 OG Resident Evil Games to Steam, But There's a Catch

Surprise! The first three instalments of Capcom's storied Resident Evil franchise — 1996's Resident Evil 1, 1998's Resident Evil 2, and 1999's Resident Evil 3: Nemesis — are now available to play on Steam. From today, the games are available for $9.99 each, but all are currently for sale with 50% off, dropping the price to a collective $14.97 for the full OG trilogy. The first game — which spawned not just a franchise, but an entire genre — sees you join the Bravo Team of Raccoon City's Special Tactics and Rescue Service (STARS): Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, Joseph Frost, Brad Vickers, and Albert Wesker. Deployed to the Arklay Mountains, together they explore Spencer Mansion in search of the missing Alpha Team...

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Crimson Desert Players Work Out a Way to Fly Like Neo From The Matrix, but Given Pearl Abyss' Previous Form on Patches, They’re Not Sure if It's a Bug

Crimson Desert players have found a way to fly across the map like Neo from The Matrix, although they’re not sure if it’s a bug or a feature. In Pearl Abyss’ open world action adventure, flight is not indefinite. Rather, you slowly fall to the ground no matter how high your Stamina. So, anything that makes you boost around quicker while flying would be welcome. Enter, this latest glitch/mechanic/who knows at this point? Now, there are a few skills you’ll need to unlock (you can watch and learn them or just buy them) before you can make this work, and be warned: making it work is rather fiddly. And even when you do, it’s unclear whether this actually gets you significantly farther than you can without using it. But let’s run — or fly...

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Is the World Falling out of Love With 'Traditional' Video Games?

Something isn’t adding up in the video game industry. In 2025, global video game sales hit $195.6 billion, growing 5% year-on-year. That’s great news - except when you look at the larger picture. In that same time, 10 major studios including Monolith Productions and The Initiative were shuttered in addition to over 25 studios slashing their staff numbers. These were studios working on huge AAA titles including the Perfect Dark remake, a brand-new entry in the Titanfall universe, and superhero titles like Wonder Woman and Black Panther. How is it possible that an industry beating its previous peak year-on-year is also one where one third of its workers were laid off in the last two years? The industry is deeply unwell, with no singular...

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Steam Unveils New-Look Storefront With New Sections And Higher-Resolution Game Art to Make it 'Even Easier For You to Find New Games'

Steam is "refreshing" the look of its digital storefront "to make it even easier for you to find new games by displaying more content and information." The new look, available now for beta testers, builds on the improvements made a few months back, and includes "higher resolution game art for better visual clarity." "Those of you with higher resolution monitors will notice the new store home is wider and more responsive," Valve explained in an update. "If you're viewing the store home on Steam Deck or in Big Picture mode you'll also see these updates." Here's a full list of what's new: Steam storefront updates: Overall Design Refresh: Over the years [Valve] introduced new sections and added new ways for you to discover and learn...

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That Early Build of GTA 4 Found on an Xbox 360 Dev Kit didn't Last Long

An early build of GTA 4 has been taken offline by what appears to be a DMCA notice. Head to the page where the build was originally uploaded to, and you'll now get a notice that says: "This item is no longer available. Items may be taken down for various reasons, including by decision of the uploader or due to a violation of our Terms of Use." The notice does not indicate who filed the takedown request. The 360 dev kit previously owned by Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games, complete with an early beta build of GTA 4, popped up in a Scottish flea market. At first, Jan, the person who bought it, wasn't entirely sure what he'd found, only recognizing it as a "Phat Xbox 360." It was only later when he got home that he realized what...

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Super Meat Boy 3D Review

The original Super Meat Boy was built all around speed and precision; regularly demanding players make unbelievable jumps at high velocity, land on a box the size of Meat Boy himself, jump again while maintaining momentum, all while avoiding saw blades, insta-death salt waterfalls, and all forms of other hazards along the way. That’s hard enough to do in 2D, so the idea of requiring that level of precision while also contending with a Z-Axis made the thought of a 3D Super Meat Boy seem like an unsolvable puzzle. I’ll say straight up that even though the attempt is respectable, Super Meat Boy 3D does not completely solve this problem. Far too many of my deaths came from frustratingly jumping straight towards a wall or platform, only to...

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Get a 16" 1080p Portable USB Monitor for Your Laptop or Handheld Gaming PC for Just $44 (or Less)

It's no surprise why USB portable monitors are becoming so popular, especially with most people nowadys using laptops over desktop PCs. They provide extra screen real estate for road warriors and they're much slimmer and lighter than your average monitor. Many newer laptops now have USB ports that can power the monitor so that you don't even need to plug it into an outlet. Talk about convenience! Amazon is offering an excellent deal on one such monitor during its big Spring Sale that ends tonight. Today is the last day that Prime and non Prime members can get the Anyuse 15.6" USB Portable Monitor for a low price of $43.99 with free delivery. This is an excellent way to boost your productivity by adding on a secondary display to your...

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The First Berserker: Khazan Adds Immortal Fury Set to Celebrate Anniversary

The First Berserker: Khazan, the action RPG set in the Dungeon Fighter Online universe, is celebrating its one year anniversary, but instead of expecting flowers and a nice dinner out, it's giving its players a gift. All players will get a an anniversary armor and weapon set called Immortal Fury that includes the Greatsword of Chronicles, Dual Wield of Immortal Adamantine, and Sanguine Vanguard Spear. "I poured my heart into making Khazan, telling myself that this would be the game I stake my entire career on, leaving absolutely nothing in the tank. By the time we launched in 2025, I truly believed I had given every last ounce of energy I had. But then, so many of you showed up. You played the game, you shared your honest thoughts...

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April Fools’ Day 2026: All of This Year's Best Video Game Jokes (So Far)

It’s April Fools’ Day 2026, and that means it’s once again time to comb through another round of the best jokes and pranks the gaming industry has to offer. Social media feeds have already been filled with high-quality, low-quality, and downright confusing gags from AAA and indie games alike. You won’t have to look too hard to see some fake – and even some very real – updates that have already made their way to projects like Peak, Hitman, Lords of the Fallen, Minecraft, and more, and if you act quickly, you can even snag some truly bizarre Sonic and Silent Hill merch. More April 1 pranks will almost certainly sneak their way online in the hours ahead, but we’ve gone ahead and collected some of our favorite April Fools’ Day video game...

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Cyberpunk TCG Is Off to a Great Start, but Can It Truly Survive Beyond Its Kickstarter Success?

Earlier in March this year, WeirdCo launched their Kickstarter for the brand new Cyberpunk Trading Card Game, one that has been officially blessed by CD Projekt RED themselves. In the span of mere minutes, the campaign passed a million dollars, and now, less than a few weeks later (at the time of publication), this game of cardboard rectangles sits comfortably at a record-breaking $15 million plus. So much success has earned the game the medals for the “Most Funded Kickstarter TCG,” and the "Highest-Funded Game Campaign" ever, surpassing the previous record held by Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere Roleplaying Game, which raised $15.1 million on Kickstarter in 2024. With a ton of big-name support behind it before it has even arrived in...

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Crimson Desert Estimated to Have Made Over $200 Million Already — and PS5 Is a Big Contributor

Official figures put Crimson Desert at 4 million sales in just under two weeks, but how much money has it made? One analyst believes they’ve worked it out. Rhys Elliott, head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics, said in a Substack post that Pearl Abyss’ open world action adventure has made $200 million across platforms (PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S) so far. Somewhat surprisingly, Elliott believes $75 million of that has has come from PS5 alone. The overall verdict is that the huge sales success proves “there is a massive appetite for high-fidelity, single-player-focused sandboxes.” “Crimson Desert has silenced sceptics (and the stock market…), who feared a rocky critical reception would hinder potential among...

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Sony Confirms PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for April 2026

Sony has announced the PlayStation Plus Monthly games lineup for April 2026, confirming earlier leaks that spilled some — but not all — of the games. Three titles make up the entirety of Sony's offerings for next month, which will be available to claim from Tuesday, April 7 until Monday, May 4. As previously detailed, this trio will include enjoyable Soulslike Lords of the Fallen, as well as the MMORPG-like Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream. Completing the lineup, however, is a nice surprise: Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, which offers Lara Croft's original three adventures with all expansions, secret levels, and a shiny lick of paint. You can also switch back to playing using the games' original graphics, polygons and all, should...

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade for Nintendo Switch 2 Is Down to Just $30 at Walmart

Spring sales may be winding down, but there's still quite a few deals holding out for shoppers to take advantage of. This includes some great video game deals. One that's caught our eye that's still available is on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade for Nintendo Switch 2, which has dropped to $29.99 at Walmart. Unfortunately, this deal is only available for pick-up right now, but if you live by a Walmart store this is a great chance to save on it. Head to the link below to scoop it up at this discounted price. Save on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade for Nintendo Switch 2 Intergrade comes with both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the additional Yuffie-focused episode, INTERmission, for you to play. Keep in mind that this physical edition...

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Crimson Desert Modder Restores What They Believe to Be 'A Fully Designed Food Consequence System That Pearl Abyss Built but Never Activated'

As Crimson Desert approaches two weeks on sale, modders are unearthing more of its secrets. One of these appears to be a fleshed out food risk system, which has all the ingredients to give eating in the game some genuine consequence. If you’ve played Crimson Desert, you’ll know a big part of the gameplay revolves around eating food. You eat so often just to stay alive that it’s already become a meme at this point; spam consume during boss fights to instantly restore health in a rather unrealistic manner, leaving poor protagonist Kliff stuffed from all the soup and grilled meat. Then, farm for ingredients and spend a decent amount of time cooking before your next big fight. This is the Crimson Desert way (and we have a cooking guide...

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Baby Steps Fans Think the Game Might Secretly Be a Fan-made Uncharted 5

Fans of last year's gloriously painful literal walking sim game Baby Steps have a wild theory about its onesie-clad screw-up of a main character, Nate: they think he's the son of Uncharted's Nathan Drake, and they have a shocking amount of evidence to prove it. Baby Steps follows the story of Nate, a grown man who wakes up barefoot in a onesie in a strange world occupied by donkey people. Unsure how he got there or where he's even going, you have to make Nate press onward anyway by using the control sticks and shoulder buttons on your controller to painstakingly lift one leg at a time, position it, and set it back down. The very act of walking forward is agony, and you'll be terrible at it for a good chunk of the game. Then, just when...

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Fortnite's First Update Since Layoffs Adds Finger Guns Weapon, Big Heads and Shoulder Riding — All Just for 24 Hours

Fortnite has released its first major update since last month's devastating layoffs, which left more than 1,000 staff at Epic Games out of work. Today's additions to battle royale gameplay are comedic yet sizable — and will only last 24 hours. Today is, of course, April Fool's Day — and Fortnite is leaning into the fun by adding a new weapon to its main Battle Royale mode, as well as its sister offerings Reload and Blitz. The weapon is... finger guns, where your character will really just make finger gun gestures at an enemy for damage. Also added today — and just for today — are big heads, reminiscent of the look you'd often unlock in classic video games via the use of cheat codes. Amusingly, developer Epic Games has admitted it has...

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USPTO Rejects Nintendo's Controversial 'Summon Character and Let It Fight' Pokémon Patent in Non-Final Ruling, as Palworld Legal Battle Rumbles On

The USPTO has rejected Nintendo’s controversial 'summon character and let it fight' Pokémon patent, after it was heavily criticized by IP lawyers last year. In November, the director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ordered a reexamination of the patent after IP lawyers had criticized the U.S. patent system and the USPTO for awarding it. At the time, IP expert Florian Mueller took to social media to say Nintendo “should never” have received a "summon character and let it fight" patent in the first place, while video game patent lawyer Kirk Sigmon told PC Gamer "these claims were in no way allowable." Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are currently embroiled in ongoing litigation with Pocketpair's Palworld in...

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