With the ongoing jobs cuts across the gaming industry, the shift of “Grand Theft Auto 6” from release this fall to a launch next spring, and the distraction of the first new Nintendo console in eight years, there was a chance that Summer Game Fest 2025 wouldn’t have the same allure as the annual video game showcase has had in years past. (There was also the factor of the actors strike against video game companies, which, as of June 11, has been called off by SAG-AFTRA.) Related Stories But the gamers came out in full force for the Geoff Keighley-hosted event on June 6, which live-streamed out of the YouTube Theater at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Popular on Variety “Viewership was up significantly year over year,” Keighley told Variety. “Stream charts said it doubled its audience year over year for the peak concurrency to over 3 million peak concurrent viewers, which does not include China.” In person, both the Summer Game Fest live showcase event and its subsequent weekend Play Days event for developers and press saw “significantly higher” media creator attendance this year: more than 600 registered attendees vs. “somewhere in the 400s” in 2024, per SGF. The boost is an indicator that both the current U.S. political climate and significant changes in 2025’s game release schedule, like the delay of “Grand Theft Auto 6” until next May, didn’t affect interest in the event. “Things happen in the industry all the time that are big news worthy happenings,” Summer Game Fest producer and iam8bit co-creator Amanda White. “Switch 2 just happened and we’re here, it’s all working out, everybody’s having a great time playing games. It’s not irrelevant — it’s just part of the way things go.” As big a hit as the Switch 2 was with consumers upon release — selling more than 3.5 million units during the first four days after its June 5 launch — and noted multiple times during the Summer Game Fest live showcase on June 6, Nintendo’s new console was not the star of the three-day Play Days event for developers and media in Downtown Los Angeles, which ran June 7-9. “I have not seen a single attendee with a Switch 2 on campus,” SGF producer and iam8bit co-creator Jon M. Gibson said with a laugh. “There’s a few Switch 2s that Nintendo supplied. Some dev kits for Bandai and for Capcom. Of course, the launch happened on Thursday, so bandwidth from Nintendo is stretched thin with all the midnight launches and stuff. But they’re really supportive and supply some for some pre-release games, which is exciting.” Some big video publishers such as EA, Take-Two and Ubisoft skipped this year’s SGF, eliminating potential splashy in-show hits for eagerly anticipated games like “Grand Theft Auto 6.” But SGF still managed a few big moments, like the announcement and trailer release for “Resident Evil Requiem.” Gibson and White attribute that reveal and other moments like it to the immense trust the festival has managed to build up with video game publishers in just a few years. “We are very proud of our ability to keep the trust of all the publishers on campus,” Gibson said. “Six years into SGF as a whole, four years into Play Days, we’re very good. Because we have to print everything ahead of time, too. So there are lots of unannounced things that we’re very careful about who sees what. We have vendors who print and produce and manufacture physical objects under very tight wraps. We’re just very protective, because we know what it means to have to keep a secret because we’ve had our own games that we’ve had to announce, as well. Capcom is a great example with ‘Resident Evil.’ We knew that for a very long time, but they trusted us with information, and we were very careful about what our team actually knew what was going on.” And even though some of the gaming giants sat this year out, White says conversations were already happening on the Play Days campus about who is ready to return next year and what they’ll bring. “People get excited, they come and see. And each year we grow, so people see more potential,” White said. As for next year, the June show will take place just a few weeks after the planned May 26 release for “GTA 6.” While Switch 2 didn’t seem to distract too much, will the draw of playing the newly launched “GTA 6” prove to be so powerful it outshines whatever could be announced at SGF 2026? “My view is that all boats rise with ‘GTA’ launch,” Keighley said. “It is a singular cultural event that is the biggest thing in all of entertainment this decade. It will bring more people into gaming, sell lots of consoles and bring back lapsed gamers. There will never be a better time to feel the excitement and energy around gaming than SGF 2026.” See more from Variety‘s Q&A with Keighley about Summer Game Fest 2025 below. How was this year’s show impacted by the date shift for “GTA 6”? How much was planned before and after that big announcement? So far as I know there wasn’t any material impact, but I think the date move did allow a number of teams to feel more confident announcing their launch dates. Halfway through the year, what do you see as some of the biggest trends in gaming for 2025, and how did you look to reflect that in the show? We continue to see some of the most interesting and successful games come from smaller teams outside of the traditional publisher system – games like “Clair Obscur,” “Blue Prince” and “REPO.” So we wanted to highlight some of those projects at the show like “Ill” and “Mortal Shell 2.” What game announcements and trailers do you think resonated most with audiences after this show? What assets were the most popular? “Resident Evil Requiem” was a massive moment. Also we saw a lot of love for “Ill” from a small team in Canada and Armenia.

While it’s now accepted by many that video games are an art form, it still might be hard to believe that one is featured in an exhibit at the same museum that’s home to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”: The Louvre in Paris. But this week, Xbox and World’s Edge Studio announced a partnership with what is arguably the most prestigious museum in the world for its new exhibition, “Mamluks 1250–1517.” Related Stories For those who are unaware of how the gaming studios connect to this aspect of the Egyptian Syrian empire: The Mamluks cavalry are among the many units featured in Xbox and World’s Edge Studio’s “Age of Empires” video game franchise. The cavalry is a fan favorite choice in the game centered around traversing the ages and competing against rival empires, particularly in “Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.” Popular on Variety Presented at the Louvre until July 28, the exhibit “Mamluks 1250–1517″ recounts “the glorious and unique history of this Egyptian Syrian empire, which represents a golden age for the Near East during the Islamic era,” per its official description. “Bringing together 260 pieces from international collections, the exhibition explores the richness of this singular and lesser-known society through a spectacular and immersive scenography.” This marks the first time a video game franchise has collaborated with the Louvre Museum, with installations and events that occur both in person at the museum and online through the “Age of Empires” game: Official “Louvre Museum” scenario in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Players can embody General Baybars and Sultan Qutuz at the really heart of the Ain Jalut battle(1260), which opposed the Mamluk Sultanate to the Mongol Empire. This scenario, speciallycreated for the occasion, is already available in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (see onhttp://www.ageofempire.com/lelouvre for instructions on finding the map in the game) [LiveTuesday 10th at 9am PT/6pm BST].Exclusive Gaming Night on Twitch Live from the Louvre On Thursday, June 12, at 8 PM, streamer and journalist Samuel Etienne (1.1M FrenchStreamer) will replay live from the exhibition “Mamluks 1250-1517” at the Louvre the official“Louvre Museum” scenario to relive the famous Battle of Ain Jalut on the game Age of EmpiresII: Definitive Edition, in the presence of Le Louvre Teams and one of the studio’s developers.This is an opportunity to learn more about the history of the Mamluks and their representationin the various episodes of the saga.Cross-Interview: The Louvre x Age of Empires To discover more, an interview featuring Adam Isgreen, creative director at World’s Edge, thestudio behind the franchise, and Souraya Noujaïm and Carine Juvin, curators of the exhibition,is available on the YouTube channels of the Louvre and Age of Empires.Mediation and Gaming Sessions at the Museum Museum visitors at the Louvre are invited to test the scenario of the Battle of Ain Jalut,specially designed for the Mamluk exhibition, in the presence of a Louvre mediator and anXbox representative during an exceptional series of workshops. The sessions will take place onFridays, June 20, 27, and 4 & 11 of July. All information and registrations are available here:www.louvre.fr “World’s Edge is honoured to collaborate with Le Louvre,” head of World’s Edge studio Michael Mann said. “The ‘Age of Empires’ franchise has been bringing history to life for more than 65 million players around the world for almost 30 years. We’ve always believed in the great potential for our games to spark an interest in history and culture. We often hear of teachers using ‘Age of Empires’ to teach history to their students and stories from our players about how ‘Age of Empires’ has driven them to learn more, or even to pursue history academically or as a career. This opportunity to bring the amazing stories of the Mamluks to new audiences through the Louvre’s exhibition is one we’re excited to be a part of. We hope that through the excellent work of the Louvre’s team, the legacy of the Mamluks can be shared around the world, and that people enjoy their stories as they come to life through ‘Age of Empires.'” “We are delighted to welcome ‘Age of Empires’ as part of the exhibition Mamluks 1250–1517, through a unique partnership that blends the pleasures of gaming with learning and discovery,” Souraya Noujaim, director of the Department of Islamic Arts and chief curator of the exhibition at le Louvre Museum, said. “It is a way for the museum to engage with diverse audiences and offer a new narrative, one that resonates with contemporary sensitivities, allowing for a deeper understanding of artworks and a greater openness to world history. Beyond the game, the museum experience becomes an opportunity to move from the virtual to the real and uncover the true history of the Mamluks and their unique contribution to universal heritage.” See video and images below from the “Age of Empires” in-game event and the in-person exhibit at the Louvre.

The 2025 edition of Summer Game Fest saw an 89% year-over-year growth in live peak viewership, according to StreamsCharts. Airing live across YouTube, Twitch and X (formerly Twitter) on June 6, the Geoff Keighley-hosted video game showcase, which was held out of the YouTube Theater at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, reached more than 50 million livestreams. That marks a record high in viewership for the event, which is now in its sixth year. Related Stories Major games announced or further teased during the show included the reveal of “Resident Evil Requiem,” “Atomic Heart 2,” “Scott Pilgrim EX,” “Mouse: P.I. for Hire,” “Game of Thrones: War for Westeros,” “Marvel’s Deadpool VR,” “007 First Light,” “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” and “ARC Raiders.” Popular on Variety SEE ALSO: Variety’s Summer Game Fest Recap Per a Friday press release from Summer Game Fest, which is produced by Keighley and iam8bit, “In total, the peak concurrent audience for SGF reached more than 3 million live simultaneous viewers across Twitch and YouTube, with significant year over year growth on both platforms in terms of average viewership, watch time and co-streams.” Peak viewership stood on YouTube (via account for The Game Awards, which is the sister event to Summer Game Fest and is used as the feed for the SGF livestream as well) was up 43% compared to 2024, with the average audience up 38%, per StreamCharts data provided by SGF. The archived video version of the live show has currently racked up more than eight million views. In total, the peak concurrent audience on YouTube reached over 1.5 million viewers globally, On gaming-focused social media platform Twitch, peak viewership for SGF was up 38% with more than 8,900 channels co-streaming the show. The total concurrent live audience stood at more than 1.4 million viewers worldwide. SGF was the top global trend on X/Twitter with 17 out of the top 30 trends in the U.S. related to Summer Game Fest, per the event.

The ninth installment in the “Resident Evil” video game franchise, titled “Resident Evil Requiem,” is set to release in February 2026. The new game was announced during Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles on Friday, complete with a trailer drop, which came as a surprise after developer Capcom teased the “Resident Evil” franchise’s upcoming 30th anniversary and a ninth game earlier in the presentation — but didn’t include any new footage or release date. Related Stories “Thanks to all of you, ‘Resident Evil’ is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary this coming March,” Capcom game director Jun Takeuchi said in a video message. “We truly appreciate your continued support. Now, about the latest ‘Resident Evil’ game you’ve all been waiting for, bear with us a little longer, just a blink of an eye more, and it’ll be ready. We’re incredibly grateful for your ongoing support of the ‘Resident Evil’ series.” Popular on Variety About 20 minutes later, the “Resident Evil Requiem” trailer and release date was the final piece of news revealed before the SGF 2025 show ended. The survival horror game will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S and Steam on Feb. 27, 2026. The last “Resident Evil” game, “Resident Evil Village,” launched in 2021 as the eighth installment in the franchise. The original “Resident Evil” was created by Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara for PlayStation and debuted in 1996. In addition to spawning multiple followup games, “Resident Evil” has been adapted for TV and film franchises. Watch the trailer for “Resident Evil Requiem” in the video below.

“Dungeons & Dragons” IP owner Wizards of the Coast is moving on from its “Baldur’s Gate” video game franchise with a new single-player action-adventure game set in the world of the popular tabletop fantasy roleplaying game. From game developer Giant Skull, the untitled project based on the “D&D” world is “marks a definitive moment in both companies’ gaming ambitions,” per the Hasbro-owned Wizards of the Coast. The game is currently in development for PC and console as part of a new exclusive publishing agreement Wizards has signed with Giant Skull. Related Stories The deal comes on the heels of the end of Wizards’ pact with “Baldur’s Gate 3” maker Larian Studios. Popular on Variety In addition to this new project, Wizards of the Coast’s growing lineup of current and upcoming games includes: “Exodus,” an epic sci-fi RPG that puts players at the center of an emotional story; a game centered on Snake Eyes, the legendary ninja/commando from “G.I. Joe”; another “Dungeons & Dragons” action-adventure game centered around magic; and an untitled project from studio Skeleton Key that the company says “blends suspense, horror and memorable gameplay experiences.” The Wizards of the Coast team also continues to expand ongoing online game “Magic: The Gathering Arena.” Founded by CEO Stig Asmussen, who was most recently the game director of “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor” and “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” for Respawn Entertainment and EA, Giant Skull was founded in 2023. Asmussen has also previously worked as the game director on “God of War III” and the art director for “God of War II” at Sony Santa Monica. “Stig and the team at Giant Skull are exactly the type of exceptionally talented creators we want to work with, and I’m so happy to be reuniting with him on this new project,” Wizards of the Coast chief and digital gaming president at Hasbro John Hight said. “In our time working together on ‘God of War I’ got to see firsthand Stig’s artistry and expertise, and he and the Giant Skull team are the perfect fit for our new game. Worldbuilding and storytelling is in our DNA, and this collaboration reflects our evolution and commitment to our ‘Playing to Win’ strategy, building a stronger presence in digital play. We look forward to revealing more about this brand-new ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ game in the future.” “Our talented and experienced team at Giant Skull is built on creativity and curiosity,” Asmussen said. “Our goal is to craft a rich new ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ universe filled with immersive storytelling, heroic combat and exhilarating traversal that players will fully embrace.”

A film adaptation of hit video game “Split Fiction” starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Jon M. Chu has landed at Amazon MGM Studios, Variety has confirmed. As Variety first reported last month, along with the news of Sweeney’s casting (the actress signed on to the project March 6, the day the game launched) and Chu directing, the script for the movie is being written by “Deadpool & Wolverine” screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Related Stories From developer Hazelight Studios and publisher Electronic Arts, “Split Fiction” blends fantasy and science fiction, following a pair of authors, Mio and Zoe, who become trapped in the worlds they wrote. Written by director and Hazelight studio chief Josef Fares and Sebastian Johansson, “Split Fiction” is a co-op adventure game that features gameplay mechanics involving split-screen combat, platforming challenges and differing abilities for each character. Popular on Variety The “Split Fiction” film will be produced by Mike Goldberg and Dmitri M. Johnson’s Story Kitchen (formerly dj2 Entertainment) and Chu’s Electric Somewhere. Sweeney, Story Kitchen’s Timothy I. Stevenson, and Hazelight Studios’ founder Josef Fares and COO Oskar Wolontis are executive producing. “Even in early development here at Hazelight, it was clear how much potential ‘Split Fiction’ had to become a kick-ass movie,” Wolontis told Variety Monday. “We now know it’s got a shot at becoming something truly special with such an amazing creative team behind it. Jon M. Chu, Sydney Sweeney, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, together with Story Kitchen, have all been champions and true fans of this project since day one, and we can’t wait to see their vision for this movie come to life! Amazon MGM has shown intense interest in this project and we’re happy to see them show both confidence and clear intent to bring this movie to all current and future fans of ‘Split Fiction’ out there. We look forward to holding them to that and working together to bring Mio and Zoe to screen.” It has yet to be decided whether Sweeney will be playing Zoe or Mio, and the film is actively looking to cast her co-star. Released March 6, “Split Fiction” quickly became a hit with players and critics alike, receiving positive reviews and massive sales. According to Hazelight, the game sold more than two million copies in the first week following its launch, and that number continues to rise at a rapid clip. Variety first reported the “Split Fiction” film was in the works, and attracting top Hollywood studios for a bidding war, during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in March. “Split Fiction” marks the third film adaptation Hazelight has set up with Story Kitchen, following projects in development based on games “It Takes Two” (also at Amazon MGM Studios and counting Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks as producer) and “A Way Out.”

Next week, the former president of “Grant Theft Auto” maker Rockstar North launches his first title since leaving the Take-Two Interactive-owned video game developer and opening his own studio, Build A Rocket Boy: the AAA narrative-driven action-adventure thriller “MindsEye.” Published by IOI Partners, the team behind the “Hitman” franchise, the Unreal Engine 5-built game will debut June 10 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store with a $59.99 price tag for the standard edition. Related Stories Set in the near-futuristic city of Redrock, “MindsEye” puts players into the role of Jacob Diaz, a former soldier haunted by fragmented memories from his mysterious MindsEye neural implant, as he uncovers a conspiracy involving rogue AI, corporate greed, an unchecked military, and a threat so sinister that it endangers the very survival of humanity. Popular on Variety But the base story isn’t the biggest draw for “MindsEye,” which includes Build A Rocket Boy’s proprietary Game Creation System, that enables players to, well, “craft anything in their minds eye.” Per the studio, “Players can craft their own experiences using all of the ‘MindsEye’ assets, creating everything from custom missions to entirely new scenarios within the game’s expansive, richly detailed world. Whether you’re designing a high-speed chase through Redrock’s bustling cityscapes or a stealth mission in its industrial outskirts, it is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, ensuring that players of all skill levels can bring their imagination to life.” Benzies’ Edinburgh-based Build A Rocket Boy has promised “fresh premium content” will rollout monthly for the game, including regular releases of new missions, challenges and game assets. While “MindsEye” is the first title from Benzies since he launched BARB after leaving Rockstar in 2016 (Benzies was the lead “Grand Theft Auto” developer across the third through fifth games in the franchise, as well as “Grand Theft Auto Online,” and was in a legal battle with parent company Take Two over unpaid royalties from 2016 until 2019), it’s just step one in the prolific producer’s plan to shake up the gaming industry. “At Build A Rocket Boy, our vision goes far beyond a single title,” Benzies told Variety. “‘MindsEye’ is the first episode and central story around which ever-expanding interconnected episodes will span. We’re already working on future episodes, which will introduce alternate realities while maintaining it’s core themes of hope, redemption, and the intrigue of civilizations past and future, drawing from the lore and multiverse concepts.” See Variety‘s full interview with Benzies below, including the inevitable comparisons that will be drawn between “MindsEye” and the aesthetic of the “GTA” franchise, and his hopes for Rockstar Games’ highly anticipated and much-delayed “GTA 6.” Where did the concept for “MindsEye” come from? I pull a lot of inspiration from the real world. Watching the actions of humans – their foibles and their virtues. Watching the advancement of technology and how we adapt, or indeed, do not adapt. We’ve been moving to an automated world for many years now, and the impact on humans, especially with recent advancements in AI, which serves as good fodder for a story and even better for a video game. I think we all have this little nagging feeling about how humans and AI will blend together in the future—will it go smoothly, or will it turn sinister? We’re fans of all different types of media, and we’ve drawn influence from cinematic visionaries like Ridley Scott, Paul Greengrass, Christopher Nolan, and J.J. Abrams, and films like “The Bourne Identity,” “Memento,” and TV series “Lost” — they’re all exploring memory, perception, and control in their own ways. So, while we nod to those influences here and there, we wanted to build something that feels fresh, grounded in today’s world, but still asking the kinds of questions that have always made this genre powerful. With your “GTA” roots, obvious comparisons are already being drawn between the style and aesthetic of that franchise and “MindsEye.” Comparisons will always be made—it’s the way human beings pigeonhole concepts. But “MindsEye” isn’t built to fit into anyone else’s box. Many games share the same core elements: cars, guns, cities, and charismatic characters, and differentiation is even tougher in today’s entertainment landscape. Streaming, social media, and on-demand binge culture have fractured attention spans, and consumer mindshare is a brutal battlefield for all IP. Our industry continues to celebrate each other’s breakthroughs, and I’m proud that our collective innovation is advancing the medium of gaming, even if our paths diverge. As an independent studio we have the freedom to break ground in experimental new ways and the challenge is balancing innovation with familiarity—too much “new” risks alienating fans, too much “same” feels stale. It’s about nailing what makes your game’s world feel alive and urgent. “MindsEye” is about consequence and connection—it’s cinematic, reactive, and meant to feel like a world you’re not just playing in, but able to create in it too. We’re excited to see what they’ve crafted with “GTA VI ,” and I can’t wait to play it as a consumer for the first time. They’re always delivering something new, unique and at a scale that very few can pull off. What does MindsEye represent in BARB’s larger vision and long-term strategy? Are you plotting this out as a multi-game franchise or your first standalone? At Build A Rocket Boy, our vision goes far beyond a single title. “MindsEye” is the first episode and central story around which ever-expanding interconnected episodes will span. We’re already working on future episodes, which will introduce alternate realities while maintaining it’s core themes of hope, redemption, and the intrigue of civilizations past and future, drawing from the lore and multiverse concepts. It’s the future of entertainment to allow active participation so players feel like they have agency and can immerse themselves in our world as they want to. We are introducing three products in one game that will revolutionize AAA-quality interactive gaming and storytelling: “MindsEye” narrative story, Play.MindsEye, and Build.MindsEye. In our tightly crafted action-noir, “MindsEye” narrative story we have rips in time accessed through portals at strategic points throughout the game – so while you play as Jacob Diaz on his personal journey, players can also explore side stories and delve deeper into the backstories of characters they encounter along the way. In this way we are delivering companion content at the same time as the anchor content, weaving a rich narrative tapestry which will continue to evolve and expand giving greater depth to characters so you understand their personality and motivations. How do digital products Play.MindsEye (formerly named Arcadia) and Build.MindsEye (formerly Everywhere) tie in to plans for “MindsEye” and what BARB wants to offer gamers? In this new era of entertainment, where streaming platforms, boom-and-bust games, and an on-demand culture dominate, we’re pushing things in a new direction—with an interface that simplifies how we consume not just games, but all forms of entertainment. Consumers are moving away from 2D browsing into fully 3D, immersive experiences. Put simply, we’re shifting from passive interaction to active participation. As with all new products, things evolve. Arcadia was originally envisioned as our creation platform, but as we continued developing “MindsEye” and building out BARB’s ecosystem, it naturally grew into something more focused— Play.MindsEye and Build.MindsEye. Play delivers cinematic, high-intensity gameplay with missions and maps that constantly evolve. Build gives players intuitive tools to create their own content—no technical skills required, just imagination and intent. For BARB to fully realize our vision, we had to beta test our creation system with a community of builders in real-time and started with Everywhere while we were in stealth mode developing MindsEye. How did you settle on IOI as publishing partner? We’ve always found the way IOI handled the “Hitman” franchise interesting. They are one of the few publishers that have taken their single-player IP and increased their player count and amplified their community culture over time. From a technology point of view, their one executable approach for all of their content is very smart, and we always planned to have a similar approach, which encouraged us to join forces. This interview has been edited and condensed.

A video game based on Disney and Marvel’s “Black Panther” has been scrapped at publisher Electronic Arts as part of the closure of the game’s developer, Cliffhanger Games. As a result of EA shuttering Cliffhanger, multiple employees have been laid off at both that studio and across EA’s mobile and central teams. Variety has confirmed the number of staffers cut is less than the 300 that EA let go last month when it canceled its next planned “Titanfall” game, and the company is working to place these individuals with other teams throughout EA. Related Stories In an email sent to staff Wednesday, EA Entertainment president Laura Miele said these moves were made to “sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities.” Popular on Variety The cuts come as EA chief Andrew Wilson has made it clear the company’s priority is its biggest franchises, including EA Sports, “The Sims,” “Battlefield” and “Apex Legends,” and upcoming game “Skate,” rather than making licensed games. “These decisions are hard,” Miele said. “They affect people we’ve worked with, learned from and shared real moments with. We’re doing everything we can to support them — including finding opportunities within EA, where we’ve had success helping people land in new roles.” Representatives for EA declined to comment. This marks the third round of layoffs EA has made this year. In April, EA reduced its staff by more than 300 employees with approximately one third of the cuts made at developer Respawn, which was making “Titanfall” and one additional project, both of which were in “early-stage incubation,” according to Respawn. The layoffs mainly affected the teams working on games “Apex Legends” and “Star Wars Jedi.” IGN was first to report the news of the new EA layoffs and “Black Panther” game cancellation.

Blumhouse and Meta have announced “Blumhouse Horroverse,” a new immersive horror experience launching in Meta Horizon on May 22. The new world will transport fans into Blumhouse horror franchises including “M3GAN,” “Wolf Man,” “The Black Phone” and “Happy Death Day.”  The official event description reads: “Dare to enter Blumhouse Horrorverse! Hunt victims as M3GAN, Babyface, or Lady Liberty. Role play as villains from ‘M3GAN,’ ‘The Purge,’ and ‘Black Phone’ across thrilling minigames.” Related Stories The “Blumhouse Horrorverse” will feature the “Survival Lockdown” game, in which players can throw a lever assigning everyone in the house a random role: victim or villain. As victims work together to locate missing keycards to end the lockdown, players assigned the “villain” role will embody Blumhouse characters like M3GAN, the Babyface Killer from “Happy Death Day” and Lady Liberty from “The Purge,” to eliminate survivors before they can escape.  Popular on Variety In addition to the centerpiece “Survival Lockdown” game, the “Blumhouse Horrorverse” Meta Quest world will feature a “Wolf Man” mini game, target practice areas based on “The Purge” films and a screening area for “exclusive Blumhouse content.”  The “Blumhouse Horrorverse” is the latest horror experience to join Meta Quest, alongside 29 other titles featured in Meta Quest’s Halfway to Halloween celebration, including “Alien: Rogue Incursion,” “Arizona Sunshine 2,” “Cosmodread,” “Creepy Cabin,” “The Exorcist: Legion VR” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted.” “I’m thrilled to bring ‘Blumhouse Horroverse’ to life in Meta Horizon,” said Sarah Malkin, director of Reality Labs Entertainment Content at Meta. “This immersive experience lets horror fans interact with iconic Blumhouse movies and monsters. What excites me most is giving audiences more of what they love, and a platform to share their passion with others who feel the same way.” “Blumhouse has always looked for new ways to bring fans closer to the stories they love,” said Karen Barragan, Blumhouse chief marketing officer. “‘Horroverse’ is our most immersive experience yet — something that lets people step inside our worlds, connect with other horror fans, and even become the villain. With Meta, we’re not just pushing boundaries — we’re building a space where you don’t just experience horror — you exist inside it.” Fans can RSVP for the “Blumhouse Horrorverse” world, here. The experience will also be available on Meta Horizon’s website and mobile app. Watch the trailer below.

As Memorial Day approaches and National Military Appreciation Month comes to a close, here’s a timely fact: the largest private funder of veteran employment in the United States is a video game. Tied to Activision’s long-running military game franchise “Call of Duty,” the aptly named Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) has placed over 150,000 veterans in jobs since 2009 and has been surpassing the federal government’s placement efforts since 2022, according to the organization’s president, Dan Goldenberg. Related Stories The initiative has raised $48 million through sales of special accessory packs in “Call of Duty” games alone (one of which recently launched in collaboration with real-life vets First Sergeant Korey Staley and Captain Florent “Flo” Groberg), in addition to other donation streams, and “every cent of which is going to putting vets in jobs,” Goldenberg says. Popular on Variety “The ‘Call of Duty’ community has been generous. Activision, as partners, have been incredible. They’ve all kind of come together in this ecosystem,” Goldenberg told Variety. “And one thing I know for sure is we’ve had more measurable social impact than anyone I know of in the gaming industry. I can’t think of another cause where it’s not so much the money raised, it’s the impact out. Others may have raised more money, but we’ve put — including the in-game stuff and other donations and corporate partnerships — close to $100 million against this problem. And as a result, 150,000 vets have jobs, their families are more secure. Meaningful employment is just so core to so many other challenges a vet may encounter. If you have a meaningful job, you probably have health care, you have colleagues, you have purpose.” According to C.O.D.E., it costs $628 per placement of each vet. The average starting salary for vets in these placements is $75,000, and 93% are receiving full-time placement. Goldenberg says the program has seen an 89% retention rate at six months. Additionally, 20% of the program’s veterans placed are women. Launched in 2009 by former Activision chief Bobby Kotick and co-chaired by General James L. Jones beginning in 2012, the Call of Duty Endowment started out a time when the unemployment rate for veterans “was super high,” Goldenberg said. “It stemmed from this very successful gaming franchise that said, ‘We’ve gotten really big, and we owe a lot of our success to the people who inspired us. We’d like to find a good way to give back to them,'” Goldenberg said, adding that “initially, we looked like a lot of corporate foundations writing big checks. But the difference was the discipline that had made Activision and ‘Call of Duty’ so successful was being applied to trying to solve a social problem here.” C.O.D.E. is currently bracing for a higher number of unemployed veterans amid the recent job cuts across government service, a popular sector for vet placement, under the administration of President Donald Trump. But Goldenberg says the techniques the endowment already has in place — methods it has been building on through years of trial and error — will help significantly with this influx. “A lot of it was vetting our partners, and we insisted on a return on our investment,” Goldenberg said. “The difference was, it was a social return. We wanted to see a lot of vets put in jobs. And when we started, we were at parity. Our cost per placement was about the same as the federal government’s efforts.” And with “consistent disciplined vetting and accountability of our grantees on a quarterly basis,” Goldenberg says the Endowment has pulled ahead. “It works. So last year, we placed vets in jobs for 1/15th the cost of placement of the government with much higher quality outcomes in terms of average starting salary, retention rates, and the percentage of those jobs that are for full-time employment,” Goldenberg said. “And I guess the big lesson out of it is the discipline of business can really make a big difference for social cost. That’s been our unequivocal experience. We didn’t go in for brands. We looked for nonprofit partners who we thought for the dollar could accomplish the most social impact, and that’s what we’ve gotten.” As for how the actual “Call of Duty” video games can help vets, a study done by the Entertainment Software Association found that 86% of surveyed U.S. vets said video games provided them with a “healthy outlet for stress and anxiety.” “And not surprisingly, ‘Call of Duty’ is their favorite game,” Goldenberg says of the study’s findings. “When I’ve talked to friends who’ve been forward, when I’ve gone forward, you would think, and people from outside will say, ‘Don’t you get enough of the military thing?’ And no, it’s like a great way for them — especially when we were in active combat, people would come back to the forward operating bases, and they use it to decompress and have fun,” Goldenberg says.

With “A Minecraft Movie” in striking distance of the billion-dollar mark at the global box office, there’s no better time to check in on the state of the video game industry, with an emphasis on its intersection with Hollywood. Kaare Eriksen, author of a recent Variety Intelligence Platform special report on these subjects, tackles everything on the latest episode of Variety’s “Strictly Business” podcast — from the shadow that Trump-era tariffs could cast over Nintendo’s Switch 2 console launch next month to the shift of “Grand Theft Auto 6” to 2026. Related Stories Rockstar Games, publisher of the hugely popular franchise, announced earlier this month that “GTA 6” is now set to release on May 26, 2026. Many publishers behind big games expected this year were reportedly reluctant to commit to release dates until they knew for sure “GTA 6” is locked down to one. Popular on Variety Listen to the podcast here:   “The immediate upside is the sheer reality that now some publishers can breathe a bit easy and schedule games for the fall,” said Eriksen. Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’s “A Minecraft Movie,” starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, has done well enough to become the second-best gaming adaptation ever at the box office, which will certainly whet appetites among film execs to capitalize on other gaming properties. “If there’s going to be any kind of ramifications of a ‘Minecraft’ movie doing so well, it is going to be studios obviously salivating for the chance to take some IP, whether it’s ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ ‘Call of Duty,’ or even Fortnite and Roblox, and try to figure out a way to do movies around those if it means they could potentially bring out that big of an audience,” said Eriksen. “Strictly Business” is Variety’s weekly podcast featuring conversations with industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment. (Please click here to subscribe to our free newsletter.) New episodes debut every Wednesday and can be downloaded at Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Google Play, SoundCloud and more.

Mattel has partnered with Uken Games, an independent Canadian game studio, to develop “Mattel Match: Toybox Unlocked,” a free-to-play match game that “brings together all of Mattel’s iconic brands in a brand-new digital experience.” The new game marks the first IP crossover mobile game from Mattel, and was developed as part of Mattel’s 80th anniversary celebration campaign. Related Stories “Toybox Unlocked” features Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, UNO, Thomas & Friends and Masters of the Universe and more Mattel franchises in a leveled puzzle adventure that challenges players to match characters, toys and items from across Mattel’s titles before time runs out.  “For the first time ever, Mattel is uniting its beloved brands in a single mobile game with ‘Mattel Match: Toybox Unlocked,’ offering fans an exciting, new way to engage with the characters and stories they love,” Mattel’s head of business development and digital gaming Erika Winterholler said. “Our team has really enjoyed working with Uken Games to imagine and create this unique, interconnected world on mobile and can’t wait to have it join our growing portfolio of digital entertainment titles.”  Popular on Variety “Uken is delighted to partner with Mattel on this iconic mobile match game that seamlessly brings together your favorite Mattel brands with this unique & challenging gameplay style,” added Uken Games co-CEO. “I cannot wait to see players filling up their digital toy boxes with their favorite Barbie, Hot Wheels, and UNO toys among the many others the game will feature.”   “Mattel Match: Toybox Unlocked” is currently soft launching in the Philippines and Canada, with additional regions rolling out ahead of its official wide launch later this year.

“Grand Theft Auto” publisher Take-Two Interactive is planning to sell off $1 billion of its common stock. In addition to the public offering, which was announced Tuesday, the video game giant will give underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $150 million of shares. The offering is subject to market conditions. Per the company, “Take-Two intends to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, which may include the repayment of outstanding debt and future acquisitions.” Related Stories Take-Two, which is the parent company to Rockstar Games, 2K and Zynga, saw its shares drop nearly 3% in after-hours trading Tuesday upon news of the stock sale. Popular on Variety The public offering announcement comes less than a week out from Take-Two reporting its latest earnings results, which included a writedown of more than $3 billion. That was on the heels of the publisher revealing on May 2 that its highly anticipated Rockstar Games-developed “Grand Theft Auto 6” would be shifting from a planned fall 2025 release to a May 26, 2026 launch. Speaking with Variety last week about the earnings results and anticipation for the company’s fiscal 2026 (which runs April 1, 2025-March 31, 2026), Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick said “obviously, the net bookings that are expected for Fiscal ’26 are lower without the release of ‘GTA 6,’ that goes without saying,” adding: “But we haven’t actually parsed what the specific effect is, although analysts have speculated.” “I think the key point to bear in mind is, once again, we’re setting a record, which is what we said we would do,” Zelnick said. “We certainly expect growth in Fiscal ’27. This company is in extraordinarily sound shape and well positioned both for the challenges and opportunities ahead.”

SAG-AFTRA is objecting to the use of AI to recreate the late James Earl Jones’ bass intonations of Darth Vader in Epic Games’ “Fortnite.” The actors union said Epic-owned Llama Productions “chose to replace the work of human performers with AI technology” for the Star Wars-themed Fortnite Battle Royale mini-season that launched last week. “Unfortunately, they did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms.” As such, SAG-AFTRA filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against Llama Productions. Related Stories Reps for Epic Games did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Popular on Variety Jones, who died in 2024 at 93, had signed off an agreement to allow his archival voice recordings to be used to recreate his younger voice from the Star Wars films for future Lucasfilm projects. In addition, Jones’ family had granted permission for the use of his voice in “Fortnite,” according to Disney, Lucasfilm and Epic Games. “James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it,” his family said in a statement. “We hope that this collaboration with ‘Fortnite’ will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character.” But SAG-AFTRA said “Fortnite’s” use of Jones’ AI-generated voice was not cleared by the union. In its statement, the union said, “We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles. However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader’s iconic rhythm and tone in video games.” Actors repped by SAG-AFTRA have been on strike against several game companies (including Epic’s Llama Productions) since July 16, 2024. In their “best, last and final” offer on a new contract sent to SAG-AFTRA last week, the game companies made concessions with respect to AI. The most significant of these was the removal of a one-time payment option for unlimited pre-generated content per game; with that change, performers who consent to the use of an AI-generated digital replica would receive compensation for that use comparable to what they would have received had they directly provided services. Last week, Darth Vader returned to “Fortnite” as a Battle Royale boss, letting players scheme with the ultimate Sith Lord and speak with him using conversational AI. “Be the first to recruit him and your whole team will be able to take turns talking to the Dark Lord,” Epic said in a May 16 blog post. In “Fortnite,” when players talk to the Darth Vader character, Epic Games “securely processes the voice audio to generate Vader’s responses, but audio and transcriptions of the conversation are not stored,” according to Disney.

SAG-AFTRA is objecting to the use of AI to recreate the late James Earl Jones’ bass intonations of Darth Vader in Epic Games’ “Fortnite.” The actors union said Epic-owned Llama Productions “chose to replace the work of human performers with AI technology” for the Star Wars-themed Fortnite Battle Royale mini-season that launched last week. “Unfortunately, they did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms.” As such, SAG-AFTRA filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against Llama Productions. Related Stories Reps for Epic Games did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Popular on Variety Jones, who died in 2024 at 93, had signed off an agreement to allow his archival voice recordings to be used to recreate his younger voice from the Star Wars films for future Lucasfilm projects. In addition, Jones’ family had granted permission for the use of his voice in “Fortnite,” according to Disney, Lucasfilm and Epic Games. “James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it,” his family said in a statement. “We hope that this collaboration with ‘Fortnite’ will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character.” But SAG-AFTRA said “Fortnite’s” use of Jones’ AI-generated voice was not cleared by the union. In its statement, the union said, “We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles. However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader’s iconic rhythm and tone in video games.” Voice actors repped by SAG-AFTRA have been on strike against several game companies (including Epic’s Llama Productions) since July 16, 2024. In their “best, last and final” offer on a new contract sent to SAG-AFTRA last week, the game companies made concessions with respect to AI. The most significant of these was the removal of a one-time payment option for unlimited pre-generated content per game; with that change, performers who consent to the use of an AI-generated digital replica would receive compensation for that use comparable to what they would have received had they directly provided services. Last week, Darth Vader returned to “Fortnite” as a Battle Royale boss, letting players scheme with the ultimate Sith Lord and speak with him using conversational AI. “Be the first to recruit him and your whole team will be able to take turns talking to the Dark Lord,” Epic said in a May 16 blog post. In “Fortnite,” when players talk to the Darth Vader character, Epic Games “securely processes the voice audio to generate Vader’s responses, but audio and transcriptions of the conversation are not stored,” according to Disney.

Netflix began streaming new episodes of the popular British preschool series “Peppa Pig” in the U.S. today — and will offer the “World of Peppa Pig” gaming app within the streamer to go with it. The move is one of Netflix’s splashiest to date when it comes to building out not just its video game offering, but specifically its kids and pre-K titles. “When we think about the overall kids game strategy, there’s taking from what we know from film and television and what they’ve learned with kids, which is about focusing on familiarity and focusing on things that kids already know and love,” Netflix kids gaming chief Lisa Burgess told Variety. “And we’ve also seen hints of that with our games portfolio, too. If you focus on bringing things that are familiar over onto our service, it helps our members to understand what we’re offering. So from from the highest level of what kinds of games do we want to select? We want to go after things that are big IP, beloved IP, a connection to Netflix — and Peppa falls to the top of many of those things, big IP, beloved on our service. And then ‘World of Peppa Pig’ has been a great game for many years. And so when we were thinking about all the opportunities, it was one of the very top ones that we wanted to go after.” Related Stories Per Netflix, the “World of Peppa Pig” app will offer users activities including puzzles, mini-games (spot-the-difference, dress-up games and memory challenges) and coloring books. Popular on Variety Burgess describes the “World of Peppa Pig” games as “very approachable” for a two year old and of interest to kids up to eight year olds, with the “sweet spot” being children ages two to five. “It’s less about the age spectrum and more about how much have they been exposed to games before in the past,” Burgess said. “Overall, the strategy is focusing on things that are familiar, and so that familiarity can be an IP, and not necessarily an IP tied with a game,” Burgess said. “And kids at this age are very IP driven. They want to play with their favorite character like that’s their best friend. And so they want nothing more than to be able to engage with those characters. There are a lot of great kids games that are out there right now, ‘World of Peppa Pig’ was one of them. And so I do think we want to think about our strategy of, what is the value add of us being able to bring some of those other great games onto our service that add value for our members? And then in the other dimension, what about IPs that exist but don’t have great gaming experiences around them for kids? And how do we actually build up good experiences and great gaming experiences for that?” Example: On Monday, Netflix announced it had acquired the streaming rights to powerhouse PBS Kids series “Sesame Street” and would be developing video games for both “Sesame Street” and “Sesame Street Mecha Builders.” “A the high level, it’s all about familiar, big IP,” Burgess said. “Some will be existing games that are already built, and some will be games that we’re building up from the ground up, based on big IP.” To date, Netflix says kids and family viewing represents 15% of its total viewership, and the streamer weeks to make its kids gaming offering “an extension of the safe environment parents already trust” that’s included with that subscription. As Netflix builds out its overall games lineup, it’s also laying the groundwork for keeping a user interested in its offering from pre-K through adulthood by having titles targeted to subscribers in each age demographic. “It’s the million-dollar question: how do you actually facilitate through that journey?” Burgess said. “And with kids, there comes a certain point in time where they no longer want to sit at the kids table. And so you cannot design experiences that are labeled for kids, because they’re not going to want to do that anymore. And so finding that line of, how do you start introducing kids to things that are safe and accessible, but not necessarily just for kids, that are more like for all ages?” Burgess says Netflix is able to use its existing data from kids profiles and family viewing habits to adjust the flow from kids games to more adult games the same way it feeds new content to children as they get older. “For every place possible, we’re going to try and take those learnings and apply them to games,” Burgess said, adding: “but we have a lot that we need to do on the overall journey and discovery experience and it’s something that we’re thinking about as we’re scaling out the portfolio of games for kids, and as that diversity gets bigger.”

Fortnite players can channel their inner dark side as James Earl Jones‘ Darth Vader returns to the game. Players will be able to recruit the Sith Lord and be able to talk to him, he will respond with the help of AI. Epic Games and Disney have brought Jones back with the permission of his family. According to a release, the family said, “James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it. We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character.” Related Stories Jones, who died in 2024, had previously announced he was stepping away from the role. But before he died, he signed off on archival voice recordings being used by young filmmakers, who plan to utilize artificial intelligence synthetic speech technology to recreate Jones’ younger voice from his previous films for future Lucasfilm projects. Popular on Variety The company recurited the assistance of Respeecher, a Ukrainian startup that uses AI technology to craft new conversations from revitalized old voice recordings. Respeecher’s relationship with Lucasfilm began with the Disney+ series “The Book of Boba Fett,” for which they recreated the voice of young Luke Skywalker. The two also teamed for the voice performance of Darth Vader on the series “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” In the game, Darth Vader will be a boss in battle royale. “Ask him all your pressing questions about the Force, the Galactic Empire… or you know, a good strat for the last Storm circle,” reads the official post on Fortnite’s site. “The Sith Lord has opinions.” It continued, “Darth Vader wouldn’t be nearly as sinister without the legendary performance of James Earl Jones, who voiced Vader in the ‘Star Wars’ films.”  However, the addition of Darth Vader has not come without glitches. Gamers have already created amusing video content with one gamer and Twitch streamer making the Dark Lord swear. A gamer called Loserthug has him saying “Fuck.” Epic Games was swift to respond and said they have “pushed a hotfix immediately and this shouldn’t happen again.”

Magic: the Gathering has unveiled three new cards from its upcoming “Final Fantasy” set and Variety has the exclusive first look at the preview images from Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast. The three new cards part of the collection made in collaboration with “Final Fantasy” game developer Square Enix include: The Strahl (an overlay of Smuggler’s Copter), Luka Stadium (Strixhaven Stadium), and Tidus, Zanarkand Fayth (Thrasios, Triton Hero). The will be released with the rest of the set on June 13, which is now available for preorder. Related Stories “The Strahl, a.k.a. Smuggler’s Copter. During the previews, we showed you Balthier and Fran, and they care about vehicles, that’s kind of their mechanic,” principal designer and set design lead for Magic’s “Final Fantasy” collection Gavin Verhey told Variety. “And the Strahl is their ship, and we wanted to get the Strahl somewhere in the set. But it wasn’t really making sense with what the main set was trying to do, we couldn’t quite get it in there. But we thought, let’s put it on this bonus sheet, so that way you can have Balthier and Fran and the Strahl side by side with each other, interacting. So that was kind of a fun little nod for us. Smuggler’s Copter, of course, is a Magic card with a lot of pedigree. So that’s pretty cool.” Popular on Variety Wizards of the Coast/Square Enix “Gavin was so polite when he was like, people were trying to find a place in the main set — that was me,” principal game designer Dillon Deveney said. “Every day I was like, ‘I think we have to have this somewhere. It’s so iconic to ‘Final Fantasy.’ People love these sky pirates in the game, they do this legendary shit. And so eventually, Gavin was like, I think I found the perfect spot on the bonus sheet and then it could be Smuggler’s Copter. And honestly, it’s even better at this point in time that we found that connection back to Magic. Smuggler’s Copter is obviously a very famous card in Magic history, but also just the flavor of Smuggler’s Copter being, in the original set, for a pair of sky pirates. I was just like beside myself. You found my dream, Gavin.” Wizards of the Coast/Square Enix “Thrasios is a really fun example of a card that we really collaborated with Square Enix on,” Verhey said. “We were working out what cards we might want to use, and we sent Square Enix over an initial list of some ideas to show them. And they were really excited about Thrasios, right? I want to really emphasize, it’s not just us going to them, they love Magic tons and tons. And we have weekly calls with them where they play tons of Magic, tells about what they think about Magic. And when we were over there playing with them and hanging out at the Square Enix offices doing work, after hours, we’ll play a commander or play Magic together. So they love cards, too. And we mentioned Thrasios, they got really excited. So OK — we love it, they love it, let’s put it in the set.” Wizards of the Coast/Square Enix “So this was just all encompassing passion of, ‘Final Fantasy X’ is my favorite game of the series, my personal favorite game,” senior game designer Daniel Holt said. “Everybody asked, ‘Is there going to be Blitzball? Is there going to be the laughing scene?’ etc. But Blitzball just kept coming up over and over on ‘Fantasy 10,’ which, you will get some of that in the commander deck. But a lot of fans, once they learned we were doing this collaboration, were like, ‘What about Strixhaven Stadium as Blitzball stadium?’ People asked for this specifically, and I designed the original Strixhaven Stadium, too. So I designed this card. We got to apply it to my favorite game with this overlay. And it goes in the deck because it uses counters, so like Tidus in the deck and everything, it’ll just slot right into the deck. It was just a perfect fit in every way possible.” Releasing June 13, Magic: The Gathering’s “Final Fantasy” collection will include cards based on the sixteen mainline games in the video game franchise. Per MTG’s description for the collection, “Cast powerful spells, call upon classic summons, and even visit your favorite locations on the back of a chocobo. Countless elements from the games are here for you to weave together your own story!” “Magic has existed in Japan since 1995,” executive producer Zakeel Gordon said. “We’ve had a lot of positive market signals and excitement from our Japanese community for distribution and retailers for this IP. There are a couple of special promotions that we will be doing in Japan as a celebration of this moment. So as a whole, I would say it’s obviously very good for Japan, but more than anything, it’s just trying to lean into the authenticity of what it represents to that market — what the history is with respect to video gaming culture in that region, and making our players globally excited.”

“Fortnite” has gone offline worldwide on iOS devices after Apple blocked the online video game’s release submission. The video game’s social media pages put out the following statement: “Apple has blocked our ‘Fortnite’ submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. Now, sadly, ‘Fortnite’ on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.” In August 2020, Apple officially booted “Fortnite” and other Epic Games titles off the App Store, suspending the games company’s developer account after Epic filed an antitrust lawsuit against the tech giant. Epic’s lawsuit against Apple argued that the tech company acts as a monopoly, taking a 30% cut on all in-app purchases while banning outside payment methods. Related Stories News broke at the end of April that “Fortnite” would be returning to the App Store after a court found that Apple willfully violated the court order in the Epic Games v. Apple suit. “For the reasons set forth herein, the Court finds Apple in willful violation of this Court’s 2021 Injunction which issued to restrain and prohibit Apple’s anticompetitive conduct and anticompetitive pricing. Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated,” Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said in the documents. Popular on Variety An Apple spokesperson shared the following statement with Variety after the ruling: “We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal.” While “Fortnite” was expected to return to the App Store, Epic Games says Apple did not approve its submission in time. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney posted on X on May 15: “We don’t have an update on our ‘Fortnite’ submission to the App Store. Apple has neither accepted nor rejected it. So the Friday update to Fortnite is now in jeopardy.”

Take-Two Interactive reported its latest earnings Thursday, which included a writedown of more than $3 billion. But despite that hit, the biggest news for the company still came out nearly two weeks ahead of the financial results: the publisher’s highly anticipated Rockstar Games-developed “Grand Theft Auto 6” would be shifting from a planned fall 2025 release to a May 26, 2026 launch. The choice, which was announced May 2, was made before Take-Two revealed these full fiscal 2025 results (which ran April 1, 2024 -March 31, 2025) and projections for its Fiscal 2026, but the company has not disclosed exactly at what point Rockstar decided “GTA 6” would need to be moved. As of February, the company had still been publicly eyeing that fall window. Related Stories “So we don’t talk about when we make decisions around here,” Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick told Variety Thursday ahead of the company’s earnings call. “And obviously, the net bookings that are expected for Fiscal ’26 are lower without the release of ‘GTA 6,’ that goes without saying. But we haven’t actually parsed what the specific felt is, although analysts have speculated. I think the key point to bear in mind is, once again, we’re setting a record, which is what we said we would do. We certainly expect growth in Fiscal ’27. This company is in extraordinarily sound shape and well positioned both for the challenges and opportunities ahead.” Popular on Variety Wall Street forecast a loss of earnings per share (EPS) of 5 cents on $1.55 billion in revenue for Take-Two’s January-March results, according to analyst consensus data provided by LSEG. On Thursday, Take-Two reported $1.58 billion in net bookings. GAAP net loss was $3.78 billion, or $21.08 per share. That loss included a writedown of $3.55 billion, though Take-Two did not disclose which division within the company accounted for that large hit and declined to comment when asked. For the year-long period between April 1, 2025-March 31, 2026, Take-Two is projecting net bookings between $5.9 to $6 billion. Regarding the potential pricing for “GTA 6,” as well as the rest of Take-Two’s games moving forward, Zelnick said he’s not letting recent moves made by competitors affect what Take-Two decides to do. “Well it’s true that some of our competitors have talked about higher prices and variable pricing. The rubric that informs our decision making is that we need and want to deliver way more value than whatever we charge consumers,” Zelnick said. “We think the consumer experiences the intersection of the thing itself. How great is the property with how much you pay for it? I think you know that anecdotally about yourself. We all feel that way. So we’re very mindful that it’s our job to deliver enormous value to consumers. We think we do just that.” More to come…