Metroid fans have been waiting for the better part of two decades for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. The sequel was officially announced in June 2017, and Amazon put up preorders sometime after that. Through the game's extended development, those orders still stood. Now, even after last summer's re-reveal of Metroid Prime 4, Amazon is canceling those longstanding preorders.Presumably this is a mistake on Amazon's end, rather than anything dire like another delay for Metroid Prime 4 or even a cancelation of the game itself. GameSpot has reached out to Nintendo for comment. At least one person on GameSpot's staff noted that his six-year-old Metroid Prime 4 preorder--which was discounted to $48--was among the canceled orders today.Following the initial announcement in 2017, Nintendo updated the status of Metroid Prime 4 in 2019 when it was revealed that the previous development was being abandoned in favor of a fresh start with Retro Studios, the same studio that developed the Metroid Prime trilogy. During the years between announcements, a standalone title called Metroid Dread and a remastered edition of Metroid Prime were released on Switch. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption are both reportedly getting remasters for Switch as well.Continue Reading at GameSpot

PS5 Slim: Fortnite Cobalt Star Edition $424 (was $500) See at Walmart See at PS Direct See at Amazon (Sold Out) PS5 Slim Digital: Fortnite Cobalt Star Edition $375 (was $450) See at PS Direct See at Amazon (Sold Out) Fortnite Limited-Edition DualSense Controller $85 See at Best Buy See at Target If you've been looking for the PS5 Slim Fortnite Cobalt Star Edition bundle, there is good news: the special edition console is back in stock and on sale at Walmart and PS Direct for just $424 (down from $500), matching its Black Friday sale price. PS5 Slim: Fortnite Cobalt Star Edition $424 (was $500) The PS5 Slim: Fortnite Cobalt Star Edition includes the standard PS5 Slim Disc edition console and DualSense controller, plus a collection of codes to redeem Fornite in-game items. Here's a list of all the Fortnite content you get in the bundle.Cobalt Snowfoot Outfit (Lego Style)Saphhire Star Back BlingIndigo Inverter PickaxeWeathered Snow Stripes WrapCobalt Crash DrumsKrackle Boost (Gold Painted Style)Discotheque Wheels (Gold Painted Style)Stella Trail (Gold Painted Style)1,000 V-Bucks (in-game currency) See at Walmart See at PS Direct See at Amazon (Sold Out) PS5 Slim Digital: Fortnite Cobalt Star Edition $375 (was $450) A PS5 Slim Digital edition of the bundle is also available for $375. It swaps out the PS5 Slim Disc Edition for the PS5 Slimg Digital edition--which can only play digitally downloaded games--but includes all the same Fortnite items and the DualSense controller. It's currently only in stock at PS Direct. See at PS Direct See at Amazon (Sold Out) Fortnite Limited-Edition DualSense Controller $85 If you'd like to add some extra Fortnite-themed flare to your setup, you can grab the official limited edition Fortnite DualSense controller for $85 at Best Buy and Target. See at Best Buy See at Target If you're shopping for other options, the standard PS5 Slim Disc Edition is also available for $500, as is the standard PS5 Slim Digital for $450. These models do not include the Fortnite extras and are a bit more expensive than the Cobalt Star edition, but are worth keeping in mind if the PS5 Slim Fortnite Cobalt Star Edition sells out at Walmart.For the most powerful option, you can grab the PS5 Pro for $700 at multiple online retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and GameStop. It's currently sold out at Target, but considering the availability at other stores, it's likely Target could restock soon.Continue Reading at GameSpot

A new year is upon us, and though it promises many horrors of its own, it deserves to be said that 2025 should be another banner year for the video game horror genre. From new sequels in major tentpole series to indies you may well learn about by reading this roundup, the year ahead in simulated scares is long, diverse, and overall unsettling. We've arranged over two dozen horror games for you to preview below, and included store links to each so you can wishlist what you'd like and keep them on your radar.We've arranged these games in order of release date, though many haven't been given concrete dates yet. Games that have been linked specifically to launching this year have received "2025" windows, while those that seem likely to launch this year but haven't mentioned any specifics have "TBA" listings for our purposes. Here are the most-anticipated horror games of 2025 and beyond on PC and consoles. DreamcoreDeveloper: MontraluzPlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: January 23This liminal-space horror game kicks off our list but won't be the last of them highlighted. Whereas Below, Rusted Gods (mentioned further down) seems to promise enemies to dodge, Dreamcore looks--at least from trailers--to be devoid of combat and chases. That's actually my preferred kind of liminal-horror experience, but given the nature of these kinds of games, more than anything I'm just along for the ride. With several different settings and a bit of analog horror thrown in for good measure, Dreamcore's setup suggests a bit more story than this sort of project usually includes, which may help it stand apart from the many games like it. See on Steam Dead Letter Dept.Developer: Belief EnginePlatforms: PCRelease Date: January 30With a hazy, nightmarish filter, Dead Letter Dept.'s data-entry and mail-sorting gameplay is already creepier than it would seem when you hear those words being used to describe it, but it's the story that's teased in the game's demo that has me really intrigued. As you type up letters that have met their dead-ends, what happens when the mail seemingly starts addressing you specifically? I don't know if this game is ultimately a metaphor for the ennui of the modern underemployed workforce or a fever dream of an ex-postal worker or something else, but I'm ready to find out. See on Steam KioskDeveloper: ViviPlatforms: PCRelease Date: JanuaryKiosk is arguably the strangest game on our list, and that's really saying something. In it, you run a small restaurant cooking burgers, hot dogs, and other dishes, slinging them out the window to odd customers in a rainy city. Is there a monster lurking in this story? A threat of any kind? I don't actually know. But I know the sharp polygons of the world and the unnerving atmosphere work well on me. A demo is out now ahead of the game's debut, so you can see if you can stomach this one yourself. See on Steam Killing Floor 3Developer: Tripwire InteractivePlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: MarchKilling Floor is a series that loudly and proudly knows what it is: a co-op PvE wave-based horde shooter with over-the-top enemies and characters slicing and dicing to an energetic metal soundtrack. Killing Floor 3 sure does look like more of that, albeit with perhaps more fidelity and polish than past games. If you've ever thought Call of Duty's Zombies mode should be a bit more B-movie in its enemy designs and character barks, Tripwire has just the game you're looking for. See on Steam Below, Rusted GodsDeveloper: FromSouthGamesPlatforms: PCRelease Date: Q1 2025Below, Rusted Gods is the next of several liminal-space horror games on this list, and I confess to that revealing a bias of mine. I find liminal-space horror experiences to be super creepy, whether they're the type to feature monsters and enemies like the plethora of Backrooms games on Steam today or those, like Pools, which just leave you with your own thoughts and bad vibes. Below, Rusted Gods looks Backrooms-inspired but does not seem to include those famous yellow walls despite how wishlist-friendly they are right now. That suggests a confident team to me, and I'm eager to see more. See on Steam Dying Light: The BeastDeveloper: TechlandPlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: Summer 2025Once intended as DLC, Dying Light: The Beast is now a standalone game set in the Dying Light world, but those who own Dying Light 2: Ultimate Edition will get it for no additional charge. It brings the story to a new open-world setting and puts you back in the parkour-friendly shoes of Kyle Crane, protagonist from the first game. It also adds new enemies, driveable vehicles, and new weapons, like a launcher that fires UV lights and a flamethrower. It seems like it'll have all the markings of a major expansion, with the added bonus of being a standalone on-ramp for players new to the series. See on Steam Directive 8020 (The Dark Pictures Anthology)Developer: Supermassive GamesPlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: 2025For those following The Dark Pictures Anthology closely, you've been handed a new cinematic horror-adventure game roughly every year for several years now. Throw in spiritual tie-ins The Quarry and The Casting of Frank Stone, and Supermassive has been getting by on Hollywood-inspired scares since 2019 without taking a year off. The next Dark Pictures entry gets into sci-fi horror, with a story that looks a bit like Event Horizon. Some folks losing their minds, some body horror. All the genre flourishes you'd hope for. See on Steam HeartwormDeveloper: Vincent AdinolfiPlatforms: PCRelease Date: 2025There have been many games chasing the aesthetic and stylings of classic survival-horror games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil, but most of them have looked to the PS2 era for inspiration. Heartworm goes further back in time with a horror story heavily built on PS1-era games. You'll still manage inventory and run through corridors presented through fixed camera angles, but you'll not fight zombies with guns. Instead, you'll take on apparitions with a camera. I've played a few demos of this one over the last year and I've loved the music and atmosphere, including the traditional safe room song. See on Steam Little Nightmares 3Developer: SupermassivePlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: 2025Little Nightmares 3 is a fascinating game to have on this list. For one, it's from Supermassive, which is already represented on this list with the aforementioned Directive 8020. That makes the studio the only one to appear twice. But this is also the first game in the creepy series not from Tarsier, which is a studio with a different game on this list that also looks a bit like Little Nightmares. But all of that preamble aside, LN3 also adds co-op to a formula I'm not at all tired of. A demo I played last year suggested the addition of a friend doesn't diminish the scare factor. See on Steam Tormented Souls 2Developer: Dual EffectPlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: 2025The original Tormented Souls has been an under-the-radar genre favorite for a few years now. It's obviously cut from the Resident Evil cloth, even setting you in a mansion full of dead ends and doors "locked on the other side," but like I've said elsewhere in this roundup, that's exactly what many players are hoping for. The sequel changes the location but brings back its playable character for a second nightmarish chain of events to survive, surely complete with all kinds of elaborate locking mechanisms. See on Steam ReanimalDeveloper: Tarsier StudiosPlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: 2025I referred to Reanimal earlier in this roundup because it's the next game from the original Little Nightmares team. It does look quite like Little Nightmares, broadly speaking, with its twisted, Laika-like character models and art direction. But the world the team has created is markedly different from its past games, too. This time, it features strange animal-esque monstrosities and can be played in co-op or with an AI companion. Tarsier seems content to stay in the horror realm, and with such inspired monster design, I'd say the team has found its strong suit. See on Steam A.I.L.A.Developer: Pulsatrix StudiosPlatforms: PCRelease Date: TBAA.I.L.A. is a first-person horror game that sounds a lot like a particular episode of Black Mirror. If you've seen the episode called Playtest and thought, "I'd like to play that," this is the game for you. It pits players as a playtester exploring an all-too-real VR world. In this case, however, the nature of the horrors seems to change a lot, as though the simulation is running through many kinds of horror stories. No matter your preferred subgenre of scare, A.I.L.A. may have you covered. See on Steam Cronos: The New DawnDeveloper: Bloober TeamPlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: TBACronos is the next game from Bloober Team, which was actually revealed in the same week Silent Hill 2's glowing reviews appeared online. That was a big week for the Polish horror team. In an interview last year, a Bloober Team dev told me the studio is done making "shitty" games and SH2 shouldn't be viewed as a fluke or a momentary high note. The team is excited about Cronos, which combines elements of Dead Space and Netflix's Dark to tell a sci-fi horror story with a time-travel twist. See on Steam DarkwaterDeveloper: Targon StudiosPlatforms: PCRelease Date: TBADarkwater is a multiplayer horror game built around an extraction gameplay loop in which players explore creepy, unwelcoming spaces and hunt for resources. That suggests it's the latest in a line of Lethal Company-inspired games, but I don't mean that as a bad thing. Popular indies always inspire similar games, but the best of them stand out as worthwhile in their own right--like how Amnesia presumably led to Outlast. If it can keep the loop unpredictable like its inspiration, Darkwater may be worth a swim in the deep end. See on Steam DarkwebStreamerDeveloper: We Have Always Lived In The ForestPlatforms: PCRelease Date: TBADarkwebStreamer (stylized as darwebSTREAMER) seems primed to hit on a subject that's been popular in other media as of late, such as the film We're All Going To The World's Fair or the novel We Had To Remove This Post. That subject is the dark underbelly of the internet and the effect it can have on our psyches. DarkwebStreamer is, according to its developer, "a narrative roguelite. a psychological horror. a self-creating story that changes every time. a made-up genre. it's a batshit attempt at something NEW." I'm in. See on Steam Deepest FearDeveloper: Variable StatePlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: TBADeepest Fear is probably one of the most mainstream-friendly games on this list, and that's despite its strange origin story. It's an immersive-sim horror game with metroidvania leanings, and all that sounds very cool, but it notably comes from Variable State, a team that first arrived on the scene with the very Twin Peaks-like walking sim, Virginia. Since then, the team has been hard to nail down, following up that game with a Telltale-style adventure and, soon, a PvP shooter. It's hard to think of an indie team willing to show this much range, but my hope is Deepest Fear proves to be well in their apparently expansive wheelhouse. See on Steam HolstinDeveloper: SonkaPlatforms: PCRelease Date: TBAHolstin is a bit like Heartworm in that fans of retro horror games will find something interesting here, but it does several things in its own way, too. Exploration is done in third-person, but at a zoomed-out, isometric angle in levels that look like boxed dioramas, giving it almost a 2D look at times. Combat switches you into over-the-shoulder gameplay, so the game's POV is quite dynamic. Set in an eerie Polish town in the 1990s, it's also sure to be dreary as hell, which I am always up for. See on Steam Jurassic Park: SurvivalDeveloper: Saber InteractivePlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: TBADinosaur horror is a subgenre that's been underserved since Dino Crisis went away decades ago. A few recent indies on PC have toyed with the premise, but if anyone is going to bring it back in a big way, it's Jurassic Park. This first-person game goes several steps past the dangers depicted in the somewhat family-friendly movies and leans way into the horror of being hunted by re-emerging dinosaurs. Saber has made a ton of horror games based on licensed horror IP, so the team feels like a natural fit to adapt Jurassic Park in this exciting way. See on Steam LutoDeveloper: Broken Bird GamesPlatforms: PCRelease Date: TBAI've written many, many times about the wave of games that P.T. spawned. Luto is not a novel idea, but it is quite effective, and sometimes that's enough. A post-2014 first-person claustrophobic haunted house game like Luto story certainly wears its inspiration on its sleeve, but a game can be both derivative and scary as hell, can't it? The demo for this one gave me that impression when I played it a year or two ago. Hopefully this is the year we can uncover the complete tragic backstory of Luto. See on Steam Paradise NowhereDeveloper: DCE ProjectsPlatforms: PCRelease Date: TBA, pre-alpha available nowFor the last liminal horror game on this list, I present a game that is actually said not to be a horror game. Paradise Nowhere's Steam page says the "game isnt intended as a horror experience, [but] your feelings towards liminal spaces might make it one." I'm definitely in that camp, and if you are too, this is one to check out. If Below, Rusted Gods is the liminal horror with monsters, and Dreamcore is the one with a hidden story to uncover, this one seems to be purely made for atmosphere. See on Steam Post TraumaDeveloper: Red Soul GamesPlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: TBAPost Trauma was on this list last year, but got pushed out to 2025 last October. It's too bad it wasn't around for the Halloween season, but horror enthusiasts aren't known to be picky about when they're getting a new entry to the genre. Unlike lots of Resident Evil-inspired games, this one isn't pairing those combat and puzzle elements with retro graphics. Instead, it's going for a modern look, so you can see all of its grotesque monsters in high definition. See on Steam Project C and Project DDeveloper: Half Mermaid and Sam BarlowPlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: TBAWe know close to nothing about Project C and Project D--including, apparently, their real names--and yet they're two of the most exciting games on this list. How can that be? Well, for starters, they come from Half Mermaid and Sam Barlow, creators of inventive live-action, medium-bending adventures like Her Story, Telling Lies, and Immortality. As best I can tell from their especially cryptic Steam pages, both are horror games, or at least horror-adjacent, with Project C actually being a collaboration with Brandon Cronenberg, director of some of the best horror movies of the past decade. No Half Mermaid and Sam Barlow game has ever been less than fascinating, and with these two shrouded in secrecy, the anticipation is half the fun. See Project C on Steam See Project D on Steam RoutineDeveloper: Lunar SoftwarePlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|SRelease Date: TBAIf you like Ridley Scott's Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey, or No Code's Observation, Routine looks like one for the wishlist. Set in a world similarly imagined using a 1980s vision of a scanlines-heavy, analog future, Routine is a horror story about a lunar base that seemingly houses some, uh, problematic denizens in the form of humanoid robots--or is it a singular, hard-to-kill robot? That's one of many mysteries surrounding this one. See on Steam Silent Hill TownfallDeveloper: No CodePlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: TBASilent Hill gave us one of 2024's best games in the remake of Silent Hill 2, but also one of its worst in Silent Hill: The Short Message. With two more announced games in the series forthcoming, Konami can maybe break the tie soon. Townfall is the presumed smaller game of the two, but that doesn't mean it's worth overlooking. It comes from No Code, a team already mentioned several times in this roundup given its genre excellence. We know basically nothing about this one other than that, but that's plenty if you've played the team's other games.Sorry, there's no store listing as of yet. Silent Hill fDeveloper: NeobardsPlatforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5Release Date: TBASpeculation says this is the next mainline Silent Hill game. That would make Silent Hill f the first new mainline Silent Hill game since 2012's Silent Hill Downpour. Like Townfall, we don't know much about this one, though its odd name seems to hint toward something related to music, as the lower-case "f" is the symbol for "forte," which denotes a section meant to be played loudly. It's also said to take place in Japan during the middle of the prior century, making for a novel setting for the long-standing series.Sorry, there's no store listing as of yet. They Are HereDeveloper: DeklazonPlatforms: PCRelease Date: TBAThey Are Here touches on a subject I find odd we don't see more of in this medium: alien-abduction horror stories. So often, aliens in games are depicted as opposing militias or animalistic beings. They Are Here leans into the X-Files' way of doing things, with bug-eyed grey aliens threatening to beam down and overpower you the way humans might to an ant on the sidewalk. That sort of power dynamic is inherently terrifying, so if They Are Here can deliver on it, the game should feel both haunting and fresh. See on Steam We Harvest ShadowsDeveloper: David WehlePlatforms: PCRelease Date: TBAI should hesitate to call anything on this list Dark Animal Crossing, but if anything were to be called that, it would be We Harvest Shadows. The first-person horror game is also a farming sim and tasks you with unlocking new equipment like rakes and shovels, managing your crops, and, well, yeah, once in a while performing ritualistic sacrifices in the woods surrounding your home. See, it's not so different from Animal Crossing. See on Steam

Red Dead Redemption continues to be hailed as a strong RPG, allowing players to live out their outlaw fantasies. Rockstar's western adventure brings Old West gunslinging front and center, which makes for some thrilling moments. After the last entry, there are questions about when Rockstar may announce a third Red Dead Redemption.

Recently, Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios announced that Matt Reeves upcoming sequel The Batman Part II, which will feature the triumphant return of Robert Pattinson as the titular superhero, was delayed to October 1, 2027. To put that into perspective, this would be roughly five and a half years since the release of the first film, and over 10 years since Reeves signed on to helm the first film, which would also come along with its own established shared universe that would eventually include numerous spinoff series on HBO, officially kicking off with The Penguin.

Breezy Meadow is a massive sprawling area in Infinity Nikki, and houses a total of 88 different Whimstars. Though this is certainly a daunting number, most are relatively easy to locate and obtain. However, there is one in particular near the Swan Gazebo location that can be difficult to find, and the puzzle is confusing at first.

Each week on Polygon, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.This week, Flow, the Golden Globe-winning animated feature from director Gints Zilbalodis, washes ashore to purchase on VOD. Theres tons of other exciting releases on VOD this week too, like the apocalyptic musical The End starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon, as well as two harrowing documentaries in the form of Soundtrack to a Coup dEtat and Black Box Diaries. In terms of this weeks new streaming options, weve got a French action thriller on Netflix, a documentary about the supernatural on Max, and a horror comedy starring Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) on Shudder.Heres everything new thats available to watch this weekend!New on NetflixAd VitamWhere to watch: Available to stream on NetflixGenre: Action thrillerRun time: 1h 35mDirector: Rodolphe LaugaCast: Guillaume Canet, Nassim Lyes, Stphane CaillardAfter surviving an attempt on his life, Franck Lazareff is hounded by mysterious men from his past to once again work on their behalf in exchange for his wifes safe return. Caught between his criminal past and his life as a police officer, Franck must make difficult choices and overcome incredible odds to protect his loved ones.New on MaxLook Into My EyesWhere to watch: Available to stream on MaxGenre: DocumentaryRun time: 1h 45mDirector: Lana WilsonThis documentary explores the psychology of psychics, documenting a group of practitioners in New York City as they conduct intimate readings with their clients. Less a pointed examination of the veracity of their supernatural inclinations than a portrait of mourning and the myriad ways it manifests, Look Into My Eyes is an affecting and touching film that is one of the best documentaries of the year.New on Paramount PlusBlack Box DiariesWhere to watch: Available to stream on Paramount PlusGenre: DocumentaryRun time: 1h 42mDirector: Shiori ItIn 2017, Japanese journalist Shiori It accused a media executive with prominent ties to the Japanese prime minister of raping her. Black Box Diaries chronicles Its real-time investigation into her own assault, the subsequent media scandal that ensued, and her struggle to navigate the countrys antiquated sex crime laws in pursuit of justice.New on ShudderGet AwayWhere to watch: Available to stream on Shudder and AMC PlusGenre: Horror comedyRun time: 1h 26mDirector: Steffen HaarsCast: Nick Frost, Aisling Bea, Sebastian CroftA quirky family takes a well-deserved vacation to a remote island. What could go wrong? Well, as the characters in Get Away, the new horror comedy from director Steffen Haars, soon find out, theres a serial killer loose and looking for their next victims. The film stars Nick Frost, known for his iconic turn in Edgar Wrights Shaun of the Dead, alongside Aisling Bea (This Way Up).New to rentFlowWhere to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and VuduGenre: AdventureRun time: 1h 25mDirector: Gints ZilbalodisAnimator Gints Zilbalodis feature debut took home the Golden Globe award for Best Animated Motion Picture this past weekend, and its not hard to see why. Aside from being a visually marvelous spectacle sans any dialogue, its also, as my colleague Petrana Radulovic puts it, a vivid tale of loss, survival, and renewal. Flow centers on a black cat navigating the post-apocalyptic ruins of a world engulfed by a flood aboard a boat piloted by a capybara. If that doesnt sound like a good time, I dont know what does.The EndWhere to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and VuduGenre: Apocalyptic musicalRun time: 2h 28mDirector: Joshua OppenheimerCast: Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon, George MacKayThe Act of Killing director Joshua Oppenheimer movies from documentary to fiction in style. This sci-fi musical centers on an eccentric and wealthy family who, two decades following an apocalyptic event, live in a luxurious secluded home converted from a salt mine. Having never seen the outside world, the lone scion of the familys (George MacKay) beliefs are shaken by the mysterious appearance of a woman (Moses Ingram) from the surface.2073Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and VuduGenre: Documentary thrillerRun time: 1h 25mDirector: Asif KapadiaCast: Samantha Morton, Naomi Ackie, Hector HewerInspired by Chris Markers 1962 dystopian featurette La Jete, Asif Kapadias documentary-fiction hybrid centers on a scavenger (Samantha Morton) in an apocalyptic future sifting through her memories of the past. It hasnt exactly gotten particularly good reviews, but the premise sounds interesting enough to warrant a watch, at the very least.Soundtrack to a Coup dEtatWhere to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and VuduGenre: DocumentaryRun time: 2h 30mDirector: Johan GrimonprezThis documentary (also one of the best of the year) chronicles the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose uranium became a contested resource amid the Cold War. After learning that their diplomatic envoy to Africa served as a smokescreen for a covert post-colonial coup, jazz ambassadors including Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, and Nina Simone wrestle with the contradiction of representing a country where institutional segregation reigns supreme.

For at least the last decade, video games have been offering profound emotional single-player experiences, yet the recent surge of solo tabletop role-playing games has shown that pen & paper RPGs can be just as heartbreaking if not more.Traditionally, tabletop role-playing games have been opportunities for players to come together at the table to crack jokes and slay monsters. While older hack and slash tabletop games could on occasion offer profound emotional moments (with a real uptick in narrative gaming during the 90s), the latest crop of tabletop designers has perfected the solitary, almost meditative experience of playing a single-player TTRPG.Below are just a few games that will crack you open like an egg, leaving you to put your pieces together again.Midnight Melodies by Cezar CapacleJust one of many solo games from this award-winning game/graphic designer, architect, and musician, Midnight Melodies taps into his musical experience, having players embody a jazz pianist who discovers that the Grim Reaper cannot touch them. Rather than chase you eternally, Death takes you under its wing in the Department of Unauthorized Deaths. Each night, after your performance at the jazz bar, you unravel a mystery of someones untimely demise performing a song to report your findings to the Grim Reaper.Among Capacles other solo games are the ghost hunting Wraithhound, the 2023 CRiT Award winning Not A Demon, and Insurgent, a game for single or group play that tasks players with toppling a tyrannical government.Galatea by S. Kaiya J.Galatea named after the greek myth of a statue come to life is about a piece of art made by a brilliant and celebrated, yet terribly lonely and tormented artist. You were his perfect creation come to life and now you must remain perfect at all costs. This game about codependency and helplessness hones in on how devastating it is to not live up to the expectations others have forced upon you. Based on the Wretched & Alone system, this solo RPG uses the growing instability of a wooden block tower to build tension as it progresses. Galatea is maybe the most literal interpretation of this articles theme, with a cover that alludes to the Japanese practice of Kitsugi, repairing the cracks in a piece of pottery with gold.Among S. Kaiyas other solo games work includes the Untitled Moth Game, a card based game about making promises you cant keep, and you, beyond the pale, a daily ritual game which has players take on the role of a singularly unique monster observing the mortals around them.The Magus and Farewell, Goodnight by momatoesInternational award-winning designer momatoes makes games that feel like works of art before it even has the chance to dash your heart on the floor. A graphic designer by trade, momatoes singular perspective comes through both in their aesthetic and mechanical choices. For a free delve into their work, you can pick up Farewell, Goodnight, a game that uses die rolls to examine the inevitable cruelty of memory loss through the lens of electroshock therapy in a mid-century psychiatric hospital.Offering a more mechanical experience, the second edition of The Magus has you act as a Wizard in search of arcane supremacy. Unlike other journaling games, The Magus is crunchy in its mechanics having players roll dice as they lose control, gain power, and collect scars as they risk everything. Still, at the heart of this solo game is other people, bonds that ground you to your humanity along your doomed journey towards omnipotence.The first edition on sale, while the second edition is currently available for pre-orders.

Love and Deepspace, the mega-popular mobile game from the studios behind Infinity Nikki, will be getting a head-turning feature in its next update: a period tracker.Released stateside in 2024 by InFold Games and Papergames, Love and Deepspace is a free-to-download otome game where players meet, date, and get to know a variety of swoon-worthy virtual men in a sci-fi setting. In a 3.0 update livestream on Friday, developers shared new updates heading to the game on Jan. 22, including one that would add a period-tracking feature, where players can input their real-life menstruation dates, to the game.Its part of a new feature called Remind Me. Based on the developers description, Remind Me works like a little calendar app within the world of the game. When players use it, they can add an event or reminder and set a time for it. When the set day and time arrives, one of Love and Deepspaces dreamy men will notify the player in-game and on their device. The system could work for little things, like a notification to drink water, but it also contains a dedicated space to track your menstrual cycle. Its rare for video games to contain positive features directly related to womens reproductive health. The demo showed one of its characters looking lovingly at the player and affirmed that the players mood and health are the top priority for its virtual assistant. Period tracking apps have long been a privacy concern for many people, especially those based in the U.S. When Roe v. Wade was overturned in the United States in 2022, privacy experts worried that period tracker apps could be used to share sensitive health information with the government. Polygon reached out to representatives from Infold Games and Papergames and has not yet received a response.

AI Vs Human influencer at Spotify and Meta. Source: Yoga withAdrienneThe proportion of AI-generated content has been increasing on Spotify. Some businesses now specialise in generating low-cost AI generated songs and playlist under artist profiles that cant be differentiated. You dont know it, but if you are a regular user of Spotify, you most likely have listened to AI-generated music.These music arent songs that were crafted by artists going through a breakup and needing to express their emotions, they are the output of an AI that learnt to do music, using these artists work. The problem was uncovered by some users after they started to notice that the same song was played under different names and artists. Often they are part of playlists meant to fill the silence such as chill orfocus.https://medium.com/media/ecca6d05b8b922dedd88b8d4837ea590/hrefIts interesting because Meta and Spotify once connected humans and supported their creativity by giving them a free, opened platform. But now, the increasing focus on revenue and the rise of AI in the last few years means that this relationship is stumbling. The AI-generated songs were uncovered after a user stumbledacrossThey are not happy with being a simple platform, and want a share of the content creation pie either by creating content themselves or finding cheaper content where theycan.This is a big shift as it questions the relationship that Spotify or Meta will have with artists and influencers in thefuture.Can the platforms create AI-generated content while remaining fair, transparent and authentic to their mission? How does it impact the way we connect to people and consumemusic?The rise of the creatoreconomyThe creator economy has boomed in recent years. Between 2020 and 2023, the number of creators monetizing their work online grew by over 30%, and global creator economy is now valued at over $191billion.By 2030, the creator economy is expected to surpass $525billion.Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, and now TikTok have become the backbone of this economy, connecting creators with their audiences and taking a cut of the revenue in exchange for their services.Platforms and tools for content creators. Source: https://grin.co/blog/understanding-the-creator-economy/For years, this model worked wellat least for those who made it on these platforms and the platforms themselves.Creators earned income from ad revenue, brand partnership, and fan support, while platforms thrived by hosting and distributing this content. The more eyeballs they were getting, the more ad revenue making it a win-win relationship. But the pressure to generate revenue only increased and pushed them to want a slide of the content creationpie.Enter AI.With the ability to generate content at scale and at minimal cost, platforms saw a way to take a larger share of the revenue by becoming content creators themselves.Spotifys AI shift: what happens when the platform becomes thecreator?AI-generated music is created using algorithms trained on vast amounts of data from human-made compositions.Heres how it typically works:How is AI-generated musiccreatedSpotify doesnt label these AI-generated tracks as such, so users often dont realize theyre listening to machine-made music.Spotify doesnt label AI-generated tracks andartistsFor instance, a Focus playlist might include real songs (made by a human) and AI-generated piano tracks with no way to differentiate them.While they may sound harmless or even pleasant, they raise significant questions about transparency and artistic integrity.Why is Spotify leaning into AImusic?Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify recently said to the BBC that hehadno plans to completely ban content created by artificial intelligence from the music streaming platform.Spotifys embrace of AI-generated music is less likely about improving the listening experience than it is about cutting costs and boostingprofit.Heres why its such an attractive strategy for the platform:Lower licensing fees: Spotify pays royalties for every stream of human-made music, which adds up quickly. Spotify, Liz Pelly discovered, not only has partnerships with a web of production companies, which, as one former employee put it, provide Spotify with music we benefited from financially, but also a team of employees working to seed these tracks on playlists across the platform. In doing so, they are effectively working to grow the percentage of total streams of music that is cheaper for the platform.The majority of Spotifys revenue is distributed to recording owners, songwriters, and publishers. However, by producing its own content, Spotify retains full control of the revenue, acting as the recording owner, songwriter, and publisher all in one. Source:https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2021/11/how-spotify-royalties-actually-work.html2. Algorithmic synergy: AI music fits perfectly into Spotifys algorithmic playlists. Its tailored to match the moods and themes these playlists aim to evoke, ensuring users stayengaged.3. Endless content: With AI, Spotify can generate infinite tracks to fill playlists, ensuring theres never a shortage of content, no matter how niche thetheme.While its easy to see why this is a win for Spotifys bottom line, its harder to see how it benefits usersor the music industry as awhole.The UX problem: no transparency, notrustSo to begin, Spotify uses artificially intelligent music-generation. Not particularly a big deal, until one considers the whole thing is set up to be profoundly opaque: it doesnt flag when a track is AI-generated, nor does it give one the option to filter themout.This lack of transparency has several consequences:1. Trust: Users dont know and cant decide not to listen to AI music which is a problem if you value authentic, human-made art and freedom ofwill.2. Undermining artists: By prioritising AI songs, Spotify impacts the exposure of human artists and their revenue. Over time, AI music composers could take over humanartists.3. Passive consumption: As The New Yorkers Kyle Chayka pointed out, Spotify design and algorithm encourages passive consumption of vanilla content, instead of exploring new music. Over time, users become more dependent on the playlists instead of forming their own musicaltastes.Music has always been more than just relaxing background soundits an art, a cultural expression, and a deeply personal experience.Fixing Spotify: what needs tochangeIf Spotify wants to regain the trust of its users, it needs to rethink its approach to AI-generated music.Heres what the platform coulddo:1. Be transparent: Clearly label AI-generated tracks and inform users when theyre listening to machine-made music.Example of how Spotify could inform users that the artist they are listening to is AI generated2. Give users a choice: Allow listeners to filter change their preferences in profile to exclude AI-generated music.Example of ways Spotify could give users achoice3. Support their artists: Ensure that human song writer continue to be at the center of the platforms mission, rather than being sidelined by prioritiding cheaper AImusic.Whats next forSpotify?Spotifys strategy with AI-generated music is a symptom of a larger issue: a shift from customer-centricity to monetization-first.If the platform goes too far, it risks alienating the very users who made it a global phenomenon.Metas pivot: from connecting people to competing withthemMeta has a somewhat similarstory.It was once the quintessential enabler of social interaction, built its empire as a platform where billions of users could share their lives through photos, videos, and stories. For creators, platforms like Facebook and Instagram became the essential tools to build an audience, connect to them and eventually monetize.Instagram (and now TikTok) are the main platforms for amateur creators. Source:https://influencermarketinghub.com/income-disparity-creator-economyBut with the rise of AI and the continuous pursuit of profitability, similarly to Spotify, Meta has also ventured into the dangerous territory of content creation.How Metas AI-generated personasworkIn 2024, Meta introduced AI-generated profiles.These profileslike Liv, a fictitious Black queer momcreated posts, shared images, and even interacted with users in ways meant to mimic human behavior.The personas were meticulously crafted to appeal to diverse audiences, and were posting some cute posts about their family time, ice-skating Sundays, charitable events, and so on, all this using AI-generated images.Source: https://x.com/DramaAlert/status/1875217669089288610?mx=2The underlying technology combined advanced AI language models and image generators, enabling these AI profiles to simulate complex identities and narratives.Zoomed in image of one of the post from Lizs profile. Some progress still remains when it comes to generating images offeet.US-based users could chat and interact with them, blurring the line between authentic social interactions and artificial connection.The fallout: a case study in brokentrustThe profiles were labeled as AI-managed by Meta, but the reception wasnt great, highlighting a few problems.Livs profile, for example, portrays a marginalized identity that was entirely fabricated by a team largely composed of white male developers.Some angry users on X labeled the project as digital blackface, highlighting how it trivialized real experiences and diluted the value of genuine representation.Chatting with these AI profiles only made mattersworse.When questioned by users, Livs AI admitted that no Black creators were involved in her designmaking me wander what the process to get this approved by senior leadership was. This revelation deepened public mistrust, exposing the lack of diversity and ethical consideration behind theproject.Within 24 hours, Meta removed the AI-generated profiles, issuing a statement that the profiles were part of an early experiment.Why Meta is pushing into contentcreationThe motivations behind Metas foray into AI-generated personas areclear:1. Revenue retention: Again, by generating its own content, Meta no longer needs to share ad revenue with content creators. This allows the company to maintain full control over monetization.Infuencer marketing and ad share revenues are some of the main source of income for influencers. Source: https://influencermarketinghub.com/income-disparity-creator-economy/2. Engagement optimization: AI-generated content can be optimised to increase user interaction, keeping people on the platform longer and boosting ad impressions and, therefore revenue.3. Infinite content creation: AI can generate infinite content at scale, ensuring a constant stream of new posts without the costs of paying creators.While these strategies align with Metas monetisation objectives, they erode their vision and mission as social media, which is to connect realpeople.Metas AI personas: when fake profiles spark realproblemsSimilarly to Spotify, Metas experiment revealed deeper issues that go beyond public backlash:1. Erosion of authenticity: By introducing AI-generated personas made for connection, Meta forgets the importance of trust. The blurred line between real and fake interactions creates a dystopian sense of disconnection.2. Ethical oversights: Once again, the lack of diversity in tech impacts its ability to ethically create unbiased content and risks further alienating the very communities these profiles tried to represent.3. Competition with creators: By generating its own content, Meta competes with human creators who rely on the platform for visibility andincome.Metas pivot toward creating content underscores its desire to dominate every aspect of its ecosystemfrom hosting content to generating and monetizing it.The bigger picture: platforms vs.creatorsThe shift from enabling to competing with creators is a risky gamble for platforms like Meta andSpotify.On one hand, creating content in-house offers some monetisation opportunities and a way to fill gaps in their ecosystems. On the other hand, it undermines the trust and loyalty of creators and users, the lifeblood of these platforms.Key impactsFor creators: As platforms generate their own content, creators face increased competition for visibility and revenue. This will drive smaller creators away or force them to find other platforms where they can better create, grow, and retain their audience.For users: The lack of transparency on AI-generated content erodes trust for users who come to find authentic connections andcontent.For platforms: While this strategy may boost short-term profits, it risks hurting their network effects by driving users and content creators to other platforms.Content clash, Platforms vs. creators in the AIageMeta and Spotifys pivot from empowering creators to competing with them reveals a troubling truth about tech today: profitability beats everything.By turning to AI-generated content, these platforms are chasing short-term gains at the cost of their users and creators.For creators, its a wake-up call to diversify and reclaimcontrol.For users, its a stark reminder to ask for transparency and authenticity in an increasingly synthetic world.The future belongs to platforms that can innovate without sacrificing their communities, and they will need to strike a balance between making money and giving creators control over their audiences.Interesting reads to gofurther:The ghosts in themachineIs There Any Escape from the Spotify Syndrome?Metas AI bots are weird (and really fuckingbad)Enjoyed this? support my work by Subscribe to my newsletter for more deep dives!Meta and Spotifys AI takeover: is this the end of human-created content? was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.