The Revolt TV digital entertainment platform has been folded into a single entity, Offscript Worldwide, that also incorporates busy labels in music management (440 Artists), creator economy management (Rebel House) and brand and experiential marketing (Six Zeros). The goal is to provide Offscript’s advertising and sponsorship partners easy access to the young, multicultural urban audience that Revolt’s TV and streaming channels gather. It’s a big bet that talent that emerges from social media channels will be crucial to fueling big entertainment franchises of the future. Related Stories Offscript Worldwide, headed by CEO Detavio Samuels, who also remains CEO of Revolt, threads together the capabilities needed to run a next-generation media company. Management aims to find promising music and creator talent for TV, social media and podcast platforms and brand partnerships. In success, those relationships will yield products and services as well as licensed merchandise that generate profits that Offscript will share in. Popular on Variety “For us this is the culmination of a strategy we’ve been working on for the last few years,” Samuels told Variety. “It’s our aspiration to be the No. 1 company helping brands generate attention. Cultural relevance turns into results. We are uniquely positioned to be able to do that in a one-stop-shop. The rebrand and expansion of Revolt’s parent company comes two weeks before the company’s founder Sean “Diddy” Combs is scheduled to face trial on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs’ trial in New York is scheduled to begin May 5. Combs founded the company in 2012 but held no operational role for many years. The company cut all ties to Combs and he no longer has a stake in the company as of 2024, following his indictment. Samuels emphasized that he’s been working on the transformation of Revolt from a company based in a linear cable channel to a diversified platform. Samuels said the biggest challenges in the coming years will be to convince advertisers not to pigeonhole the company as a niche buy, especially given the Trump administration’s shameless bullying of corporate America on any activities focused on diversity, civil rights or equity considerations. “Revolt’s viewership is two-thirds people of color and 33% white. We’re trying to use this moment of becoming Offscript to force brands to understand who our audience really is, not what they imagine it to be,” Samuels said. Samuels joined Revolt as chief operating officer in 2020 and was promoted to CEO a year later. After Combs’ downfall and exit from the ownership group, Samuels led the restructuring effort to make Revolt an employee-owned venture. He’s been laying the stepping stones for a media-social-commerce eco-system ever since. “We need to prove to brands that we can help them drive sales and conversion by connecting them to the dopest creators and culture,” Samuels said. “We’re not building this thing for what media was. We’re headed for a world that is more diverse where creators power everything.”

A new ghost is ready for her revenge. Sucker Punch Productions and Sony Interactive Entertainment have unveiled the official trailer and Oct. 2 release date for “Ghost of Yōtei,” the hotly-anticipated standalone sequel to 2020’s “Ghost of Tsushima.” The game, which takes place 329 years after the events of “Tsushima,” follows the warrior Atsu on her bloody quest for revenge at the dawn of the Edo period. Related Stories It’s not easy to follow up a masterpiece like “Ghost of Tsushima.” The samurai action-adventure game was an instant hit among players, selling over 2.4 million units in its first three days and becoming PlayStation 4’s fastest-selling first-party original IP debut. There’s also a film adaptation in the works at Sony, and an anime series based on the game’s multiplayer mode coming to Crunchyroll in 2027. So the pressure was on for the Sucker Punch team when it came time to craft the sequel. Popular on Variety “Games are hard to make, and sequels are tough,” says “Ghost of Yōtei” co-creative director Jason Connell. “Before we go and make a second version of something, we have to ask ourselves, ‘What’s the core of it? What are the things that we feel we never walk away from?’ Samurai cinema-inspired combat. Lethal precision in the way it’s felt in the controller. We really loved creating the beautiful world.” During a research trip to Hokkaido (called Ezo at the time “Yōtei” takes place), co-creative director Nate Fox says the sequel’s world suddenly came into focus. “Hokkaido is filled with jaw-dropping beauty, juxtaposed with danger,” he says. “We were hiking through a forest. We saw a tree that had bear claw marks on it. And up until that moment, we were looking at these snow-capped mountains. Right then, it was clear that there were predators in the forest as well, so you had to divide your attention between a gorgeous view and being scared for your life.” As shown in the new trailer, Atsu will have to do just that, facing off with fearsome foes while traveling through both lush blue fields of flowers and rocky, mountainous terrain. Fox and Connell sat down with Variety to break down the action-packed trailer and what fans can expect from Atsu’s epic journey for vengeance. In following a game like “Ghost of Tsushima,” what qualities were most important to you when crafting the sequel? Jason Connell: We really love making origin stories. We thought about what’s going to be our next origin story, thinking about an underdog character inside of this not-been-done-before Hokkaido. It’s not a very particularly popular place in a lot of entertainment media, even though it’s a really popular place for travel. It’s an astoundingly beautiful place in the Edo period with a very dangerous landscape. Putting this underdog character on a vengeance quest up here, but keeping all those aspects of the “Ghost” IP: lethal precision combat, rewarding exploration, big open world inside this beautiful landscape. That’s how it got birthed. Nate Fox: Relatable humanity is something that we really keep close to our chest. We want to make sure that these characters are people that you can relate to, even though you’re getting to know somebody that lived hundreds of years ago. And while our games are inspired by the history of feudal Japan, they are fictional stories, right? People going through a landscape that’s inspired to have that feeling of authenticity, but is otherwise really about the experience of these characters while they grow and change and explore these places that we long for the player to get lost in. This new trailer gives us our first glimpse at the motives behind the new protagonist, Atsu. What can you tell me about her? Fox: Our new hero, Atsu, is somebody you meet early in her life, and this is her origin story, and it’s one of heartbreak. She suffers a horrible loss in her youth, and then sets off on a quest for revenge. Revenge is a classic samurai cinema trope, and we love samurai cinema. Atsu is going to hunt down the members of the Yotei Six that did her wrong and get revenge. And in the process of hunting them down and overcoming all of their forces, she defies the odds. And people start to think she’s more than human. They start to think that she is an “onryō,” which is a folk tale ghost that is an unstoppable force for vengeance. Exclusive concept art for “Ghost of Yōtei” Sucker Punch / Sony Some accused the game of being “woke” when Atsu was revealed as the main character. Why was a female protagonist the right choice for this story? Connell: We knew we had all these fans who love “Tsushima.” We want to carry all of those fans forward into an exciting new adventure. We’re creatives. We like to make new things. We like to make exciting, new pieces of art and move people in new ways. We want to make a sequel that’s fresh but familiar. Nate and I are pretty enamored with making origin stories, and certainly one that we could find a way to make them feel like a bit of an underdog in this landscape. This is a pretty dangerous landscape, which positions her to be an excellent person for that. This is somebody that people would not expect to be so powerful, yet here she is on this romp of a vengeance quest, which is probably pretty unexpected for some people. Over time, she’ll get this name of The Onryō, because this Japanese folk legend is an unkillable, vengeance-seeking ghost. And that’s just an awesome fit. Onryō are typically stories of vengeance from females. So that seems like a really nice package for this. The landscape of Hokkaido looks even more intricate and far-reaching than the island of Tsushima. How did you craft the open world and what did you learn about the Edo period that inspired your take in this game? Fox: This is the most open game we’ve ever made. One of the greatest joys is just getting lost. You let your curiosity guide you through the landscape. We view that as this holy moment that we want to uplift for players so that they can feel very present inside of Hokkaido, or Ezo, as it was called back when our game takes place. Ezo is a character in and of itself that’s filled with hidden secrets and an anthology of stories. Connell: It’s just so wild and nature-filled. There’s an opportunity to tell a slightly more wild and rural version of this story than if it was in a major city. There’s so many biomes to bring to life and so many majestic and beautiful locations to take inspiration from. There’s no way we could take it all, so we get to cherry pick some of the most beautiful locations and bring them alive to our players. Exclusive concept art for “Ghost of Yōtei” Sucker Punch / Sony Let’s dive into the combat mechanics. I’m sure the blade will still be the star here, but does the later time period open the game up to more advanced weapon technology? Fox: We have the benefit of gunpowder being part of the combat mix. While the Katana is still the most valuable weapon, having some more opportunities to blow things up is never a bad addition for a video game. Connell: We’ve teased the kusarigama, and obviously, she’s got two swords, so there’s a cool dual-wielding element there. In this trailer, there’s a frame towards the end where you get to see a spear, which is called a yari. Being able to play with such a different variety of weapons is so new for the game’s feel. Each one of them has their own benefits. Fox: The weapons are big deal, of course, because mastering a weapon is part of the feeling of samurai cinema. Becoming a master of that blade is integral to it. But we wanted to give players an even bigger connection to the weapons and the land. So inside of Ezo, you can find teachers who will teach you how to use that weapon in a very organic way that you might see inside of these films. So you get to experience what it’s like to grow as a martial artist along with Atsu. You’ve brought up samurai cinema a few times! Which title gave you the most inspiration for this franchise? Fox: “Yojimbo” by Akira Kurosawa is very, very big in both of our minds as being this tonal jumping-off point for what it’s like to be a wandering sellsword, which Atsu is. Exclusive concept art for “Ghost of Yōtei” Sucker Punch / Sony What do you most hope players take away from “Ghost of Yōtei” when they finally get their hands on it? Connell: I really hope that they take away a deep sense of immersion, of getting lost in the landscape, looking out on the horizon, seeing something that’s interesting and riding towards it. Fox: I hope players feel like they really know how to use a sword. There’s that moment when you play video games, and it stops being the character in the screen, and it becomes you. You say things like, “I died.” That feeling of mastery with different weapons, and when you overcome a group of enemies, and you’re alive, kind of splattered with digital blood. It’s the samurai cinema fantasy come true under your own control. And I hope people feel like that was them in that moment, succeeding, winning against all odds. The ending of “Ghost of Tsushima” famously presents the player with a final choice: they can either kill Lord Shimura and give him a warrior’s death, or spare his life and abandon the samurai code forever. Which ending do you choose? Fox: There is no wrong choice. However, from my point of view, if you love Uncle Shimura like I loved him, I gave him what he asked for, which was death. Connell: I might have been on the other side of the fence on this one. There’s not many times [Nate] and I differ, and I cannot believe that it’s taken this long. You’re the first person to ask us. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

A video game based on Robert Jordan’s 14-book series “The Wheel of Time” is in the works at iwot Studios’ new games division. Described as a AAA open-world role-playing game (RPG), the “Wheel of Time” video game will be developed wholly in house by the team at the newly launched iwot games, which will be led by Warner Bros. Games vet Craig Alexander. The studio projects a three-year development process for the game, which it expects to launch on PC and consoles. Per iwot, the studio’s new games division “will build on the global success” of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Wheel of Time” TV series adaptation, which is now in its third season, with this new project. Related Stories Based out of growing gaming development hub Montreal, the studio will be “spearheading the interactive entertainment pillar of the company’s multi-platform strategy to expand ‘The Wheel of Time’ across film, television, and gaming.” Popular on Variety iwot Studios, formerly Red Eagle Entertainment, acquired the rights to Jordan’s “The Wheel of Time” book series across film, TV, video games and comics in 2004. Currently, iwot Studios is producing multiple projects within the “Wheel of Time” universe, including the ongoing TV series adaptation at Amazon, as well as an action feature film “Age of Legends” directed by Kari Skogland, and a 3D animated feature in development with Quebec-based Squeeze Animation Studios. Chris Alexander/iwot Games iwot Studios CEO Rick Selvage tells Variety there will be “a lot of continuity in regards to how we approach our transmedia strategy” across the “Wheel of Time” video game, TV series and upcoming films. “It’s an open-world game, and it’ll be everything with the ‘Wheel of Time.’ Everything that is covered in the books, as well as all the backstory elements of it,” Selvage said. “As we build out the world, it’ll be the entire ‘Wheel of Time’ world, it’s not going to be limited to one area or another or a particular age. Of course, we’ll have opportunity on films, since we’re doing ‘Age of Legends,’ we’ll have a lot of assets from that and marketing opportunities and fan integration and a lot of other things. But it will cover the entire world.” “The Wheel of Time” book series, which features more than 2,750 named characters, features “vast elements of the world’s history and lore” that “remain ripe for exploration” beyond Jordan’s written work, per iwot Studios. “Adapting such a legendary mythology into an open-world RPG is a rare and ambitious challenge,” Alexander said. “It takes vision, scale, and a vibrant creative environment — all of which Montreal provides. I’m thrilled to lead the effort and build a world-class team capable of honoring this beloved world.” Previously vice president of product development at Warner Bros. Games, Alexander has led development on hit MMORPG “The Lord of the Rings Online,” “Dungeons & Dragons Online,” a “Game of Thrones” mobile game, and multiple DC superhero titles. He also held senior roles at Activision, Electronic Arts and Sierra On-Line. Alexander is currently building out the the new iwot game studio’s leadership team across design, technology, and art. Prospective candidates can apply at opportunities@iwotgames.com.

Video game publication GamesBeat has spun out from technology site VentureBeat into a separate, independent entity, Variety has learned. Gina Joseph, who was chief strategy officer at VentureBeat and GamesBeat, now serves as CEO for the latter’s new incarnation, which is keeping the same name. Dean Takahashi, lead writer at GamesBeat since 2008, is the revamped publication’s editorial director. “We are excited about this powerful new chapter for GamesBeat and the industry we are serving,” said Joseph in a press release. “As a niche independent publication, we’ll unlock unparalleled insights, opportunities and direct access to decision-makers, playing an integral role for this $177 billion industry and the broader interactive tech landscape.” Related Stories “This is a new era for GamesBeat,” said Takahashi in the press release. “As the gaming industry continues to evolve, thoughtful reporting is more important than ever. Our goal is to deliver the kind of insightful journalism that offers our audience contextual insights needed to understand how gaming interacts with other high-growth sectors.” Popular on Variety Joseph leads GamesBeat after spending more than two decades in media and tech, serving a stint as head of strategic partnerships and ad sales at Hearst before joining VentureBeat in 2018. She also sits on the boards of Midwest Games and the IGDA Foundation. Takahashi began covering video games as a staff writer at the Wall Street Journal in 1996, going on to write for other publications before landing at VentureBeat, where he launched GamesBeat. VentureBeat said in a press release it will “sharpen” its focus around “the enterprise shift to AI, data infrastructure and intelligent security,” in the wake of GamesBeat’s spinout. In addition to gaming coverage, GamesBeat hosts live events like the GamesBeat Summit and its Next, Global Tour and Games & Hollywood events. “What we want to do is really focus in on how we can create opportunity for the industry — not just… cover news but really just break through the noise and provide insights that matter, but also drive conversations and really focus in on the community and the needs of the industry,” said Joseph, speaking to Variety. Globally, the gaming industry saw more than 14,000 layoffs in 2024, with one in 10 developers reporting in a GDC survey that they lost their jobs. In 2025, EA’s BioWare reduced its workforce to less than 100 employees. Games journalism is just as unstable. Ziff Davis enacted soft layoffs across IGN, GamesIndustry.biz and Humble Bundle last October, after the IGN Creators Guild filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB earlier in 2024, in response to prior layoffs. In addition, GameStop shut down Game Informer last August, only for Gunzilla Games to purchase and resurrect the publication in March as an entity running independently from the studio. Meanwhile, Kotaku is one of just two publications left at G/O Media, which sold off Quartz earlier in April. Many gaming journalists have set up shop at platforms like Substack to continue their work. “We truly care about the industry and we recognize that it’s been underserved in so many ways,” Joseph told Variety. “We really want to break down barriers and get everyone paying attention.” “I often hear from the smallest game companies, the game startups, that if we didn’t do a story on them, nobody else would,” said Takahashi, also to Variety. “One of the most important things to us is to cover the ecosystem and how it sprouts new ideas.” GamesBeat’s new iteration counts strategic advisors like Peter Levin, who is co-founder and managing director at venture capital firm Griffin Gaming Partners. Levin previously co-founded Nerdist Industries, overseeing its sale to Legendary Entertainment in 2012, in addition to his involvement with the sale of Deadline in 2009 to Penske Media Corporation, which owns Variety. Greg Akselrud and Kelly Siobhan Laffey at Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP served as legal counsel for GamesBeat’s spinout from VentureBeat.

Roblox is launching a new regional pricing system for creators that sell in-game items on the gaming platform. The pricing model change is being made in order to stimulate global growth for the gaming platform’s economy by drawing in more international users with pricing based on their local market conditions. When creators who make and sell their own in-game items opt-in to the new regional pricing feature, Roblox will automatically set the “optimal local prices” for those items, according to Roblox. The prices in Robux, Roblox’s in-game currency, will now be “more reflective” of local economies, rather than asking all users to pay the same price regardless of their location. Related Stories The cost of creators’ in-game items will be “updated periodically as Roblox’s virtual economy—and the global economy in the physical world—shifts.” Roblox says it plans to enable this regional pricing feature on avatar items later in the year. Popular on Variety In a Roblox blog post published Monday, Roblox vice president of economy Enrico D’Angelo wrote, “Regional Pricing offers users prices that are more reflective of their local economy, rather than paying the same price regardless of where they are. For example, without Regional Pricing, users in Vietnam or Brazil would pay the same price as users in the United States to access an experience’s economy. With Regional Pricing enabled, prices are automatically optimized for each user’s local economy and updated periodically as Roblox’s virtual economy—and the global economy in the physical world—shifts. Creators set the base price of their in-game items and retain complete control over which are priced regionally. From there, Roblox automatically applies the optimal region-specific prices for those in-game items as economic factors fluctuate.” This change comes on the heels of last year’s implementation of Roblox’s “price optimization” tool, which “helps eligible creators determine the best prices for their in-game items.” According to Roblox, since price Since its rollout, Roblox says the price optimization offering has led to a median earnings increase of 4% for eligible creators who have run a pricing test and “in many cases, these tests recommended that creators reduce prices on some of their in-experience items to make their offerings more attractive to a wider audience, driving higher earnings overall.”

“Fortnite” will launch its biggest Star Wars-themed season yet with the May 2 release of “Galactic Battle.” This update will include the popular fan-fiction character Darth Jar Jar. While “Fortnite” has previously teamed up with Disney-owned Lucasfilm for battle royale seasons featuring Star Wars characters, this five-part season is described by the Epic Games-owned platform as “our most expansive experience” within the galaxy far, far away. The new Star Wars partnership is the most recent result of Disney’s $1.5 billion investment in “Fortnite” owner Epic, which was made in February 2024. That venture includes game tie-ins with “Fortnite,” like the “Galactic Battle” season, but also plans for a separate Disney universe-centric game. Related Stories As part of the season, “Fortnite” will introduce new ability “Force Lighting,” and also allow players to pilot and co-pilot iconic Star Wars ships like X-wings and TIE Fighters. Popular on Variety Per Epic, the new outfits that will be available in the Star Wars-themed season include Emperor Palpatine, two that “put a Star Wars spin on fan-favorite Fortnite original characters” with Apprentice Evie coming in both a Jedi Evie and Sith Evie style, and a Wookiee Team Leader look. “Fortnite” will launch the “Galactic Battle” season May 2, with Star Wars-themed gameplay released every week through June 7 as laid out below: Imperial Takeover – May 2 The Pull of the Force – May 8 Mandalorian Rising – May 22 Star Destroyer Bombardment – May 29 Death Star Sabotage – June 7 More details about the “Galactic Battle” season will be shared at a later date ahead of the May 2 launch. Watch a first-look teaser for the new Star Wars-themed “Fortnite” season via the video below.

Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm are teaming up for “Star Wars Zero Company,” a new single-player turn-based tactics game set during the Clone Wars era in the Star Wars universe. Developed by Bit Reactor in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games, “In ‘Star Wars Zero Company,’ players will step into the shoes of Hawks, a former Republic officer, to command an elite squad of cunning operatives through a gritty and authentic story set in the twilight of the Clone Wars. As an unconventional outfit of professionals for hire hailing from across the galaxy, Zero Company must set aside their differences to overcome nearly impossible odds and take on an emerging threat that will consume the galaxy if left unchecked.” Related Stories The game, which was revealed out of Star Wars Celebration Japan on Saturday, will include a cast of new Star Wars characters that are alterable within a player’s squad. Popular on Variety “Hawks’ appearance and combat class can be fully customized, while recruited operatives can be personalized from a range of original Star Wars character classes and species,” including Clone Troopers, astromechs and even a Jedi, according to Bit Reactor. “Star Wars Zero Company” will be released in 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S consoles. “Our vision for ‘Star Wars Zero Company’ is grounded in gameplay design pillars that weave in the immersive Star Wars galaxy with engaging turn-based tactics gameplay,” Bit Reactor CEO and creative director Greg Foertsch said. “It’s our aim to deliver a game with an original Star Wars story from the Clone Wars era that has meaningful outcomes from player choices, and deep turn-based tactical combat with an approachable and cinematic presentation.” “At Lucasfilm Games, we’re huge tactics fans and we have wanted to make a game like this for a long time,” Lucasfilm Games general manager and vice president Douglas Reilly added. “The best tactics games are all about meaningful choices, and we’re confident we have chosen the right squad in Bit Reactor to deliver a compelling and innovative title that is authentic to Star Wars.” Watch the trailer for “Star Wars Zero Company” in the video below.

Hollywood comms giant The Lippin Group and marketing firm Infinitize have partnered on a new PR and integrated marketing offering targeting clients with fandoms across genres including gaming, K-pop, anime, true crime, horror, animation, comics and graphic novels. Additionally, Infinitize has launched gaming division Vendetta, which is “built to champion indie rebels and fan-first studios.” Lippin and Infinitize will collaborate on creating custom campaigns targeting key fandoms for clients. Per the companies, offerings will range from integrated marketing (including social management, paid and performance marketing, interactive and transmedia experiences, lifecycle-email and SMS-marketing, influencer marketing) to strategic communications (creation of key positioning, writing press materials, pitching and media relations, content publicity, event promotion, thought leadership and networking). Related Stories Infinitize’s new gaming division Vendetta, which will be supported on the comms side by Lippin, is made up of staffers who have previously worked on campaigns with Devolver Digital, Good Shepherd, 3D Realms, and events including DreamHack, the gaming portion of SXSW, and Digital Entertainment World. Popular on Variety “At Infinitize, we specialize in transforming passion into power, and The Lippin Group shares our deep respect for fan-driven culture,” Infinitize CEO Jenny Zha said. “Their unparalleled legacy in media and entertainment publicity marries perfectly with our digital-first, fan-centric approach. Together, we’re unlocking new possibilities for the kinds of stories, creators, and communities that deserve the spotlight. Gaming has always been the frontline of fandom—where communities fight for what they love and shape culture from the ground up—which is why we are launching Infinitize’s new gaming division, Vendetta, as we signal our commitment to continuing our growth in this exciting area.” Lippin Group managing director Kevin Broderick added: “Understanding how to activate fandom is essential to audience development and working with the team at Infinitize has proven to us how much a coordinated campaign with our combined capabilities can deliver on campaigns. From K-pop and podcasts, to graphic novels and anime we have grown an understanding of fandom that has been fruitful and look forward to formally tapping into this partnership to provide value to companies wherever they are trying to grow.”

You’ll put your controller down a lot while playing “Sunderfolk” — but that’s a good thing. The new tactical RPG video game puts control of its fantasy creatures in the palm of your hand (alongside up to three of your friends) with some revolutionary smartphone controls. Instead of using a PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo Switch controller, you’ll use an app on your phone to control your character’s movements and attacks as they fight hordes of enemies in turn-based combat. Taking place in a mystical world called the Sunderlands, a peaceful village called Arden, where its denizens are magical, talking animals, is under attack by dark forces. A group of six heroes, including the arcanist crow, bard bat, berserker polar bear, pyromancer salamander, ranger goat and rogue otter, must team up and stop the spread of evil before it takes over the Sunderlands. Related Stories The good vs. evil story is simple and fine enough, but it takes a backseat to the crisp graphics, intricate co-op gameplay and seamless controls from your phone. “Sunderfolk” is the debut game from new studio Secret Door, released by developer and publisher Dreamhaven. Michael Morhaime, the co-founder and former CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, created Dreamhaven with many of his past colleagues, and the charismatic characters and sharp controls of Blizzard’s prestige games shine through in “Sunderfolk.” The goofy grin of the pyromancer as you launch a fireball, the stoic, humorless gaze of the ranger and the bruising hammer slam of the berserker are some of the infectious character quirks that make each animal a joy to play. Popular on Variety With six characters, there are dozens of gameplay combinations to try out and master in “Sunderfolk.” While the game is mean to be played in couch co-op with up to four people, one solo gamer can take control of 2-4 of the heroes and tackle missions just as easily. You can swap characters between missions, and each hero equally levels up and unlocks more powerful abilities as the game progresses, so nobody is lagging behind. If you want to rush in, absorb blows and dole out damage, then the berserker (naturally) is for you. Pairing the berserker with the ranger or bard, who can power up party members and weaken enemies, makes for a good team composition. And more magical users may gravitate toward the pyromancer, who can litter the field with fire and heal itself with the flames, or the arcanist, who deploys decoys on the field and can teleport long distances. There’s a character for every playstyle, and plenty of combinations to fight through each mission. With just the flick of a finger, you can control the movement, choose attacks and do just about everything else from a smartphone. The only time you need to use a normal controller is booting the game up and launching the software, from there you can ditch your controller completely and use your phone. It takes a bit to get used to, but the controls quickly become second nature and intuitive. It may be out of the norm to use a phone for most games (if you’re not playing “Jackbox”), but it makes for a refreshing experience that more titles could surely employ. It’s hard to capture the tabletop magic of playing Dungeons & Dragons with your friends, but “Sunderfolk” comes pretty close. Playing with 1-3 other players in couch co-op makes for strategic gameplay that rewards thought-out combat and combining heroes’ skills. Only one copy of the game is needed to play locally, but on the down-side, gaming online with friends requires screen-sharing or remote play. At a time when co-op games seem to be having a renaissance, it would’ve been easier if “Sunderfolk” had the same online friend pass that recent hit “Split Fiction” used. Nevertheless, assembling a party of heroes or playing solo is just as fun. Overall, “Sunderfolk” is perfect for fans of tactical RPGs or D&D fantasy action. The characters invite you right in, and the strategic, varied levels will keep you hooked.

Following an initial delay, Nintendo has set the preorder date for its Switch 2 console for April 24. The Japan-based company has also decided to keep the upcoming product’s pricing at the previously announced $449.99 price tag amid President Donald Trump’s tariffs policy. The pricing for the Switch 2’s tentpole launch titles, “Mario Kart World” and “Donkey Kong Bananza,” will also remain at their respective $79.99 and $69.99 price points that were first revealed April 2, as will the Nintendo Switch 2 and “Mario Kart World” bundle, which is priced at $499.99. Related Stories Despite those maintained retail prices for the console and first games, Nintendo notes pricing for Switch 2 accessories “will experience price adjustments from those announced on April 2 due to changes in market conditions” and “other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions.” Popular on Variety Per a press release issued by Nintendo Friday,: “Retail pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 will begin on April 24, 2025. At launch, the price for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will remain as announced on April 2 at $449.99, and the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle will remain as announced at $499.99. Pricing for both physical and digital versions of Mario Kart World ($79.99) and Donkey Kong Bananza ($69.99) will also remain unchanged at launch. However, Nintendo Switch 2 accessories will experience price adjustments from those announced on April 2 due to changes in market conditions. Other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions. We apologize for the retail pre-order delay, and hope this reduces some of the uncertainty our customers may be experiencing. We thank our customers for their patience, and we share their excitement to experience Nintendo Switch 2 starting June 5, 2025.” Nintendo has laid out the below manufacturer’s suggested retail pricing for its Switch 2 console, games and accessories: Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price – As of April 18, 2025 Nintendo Switch 2 – $449.99 Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle – $499.99 Mario Kart World – $79.99 Donkey Kong Bananza – $69.99 Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller – $84.99 Joy-Con 2 Pair – $94.99 Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip – $39.99 Joy-Con 2 Strap – $13.99 Joy-Con 2 Wheel Set – $24.99 Nintendo Switch 2 Camera – $54.99 Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set – $119.99 Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case & Screen Protector – $39.99 Nintendo Switch 2 All-In-One Carrying Case – $84.99 Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter – $34.99 Samsung microSD Express Card – 256GB for Nintendo Switch™ 2 – $59.99 More to come…

New interactive storytelling company Operative Games is setting out to change the gaming industry using one of the scariest resources in entertainment: generative AI. But Operative leadership aims to approach this endeavor in partnership with creatives and talent, not in lieu of them. Backed by investors including 1AM Gaming, Samsung Next and LongJourney.vc, the company’s goal is to create immersive games where players can “converse with genuinely thoughtful, lifelike AI characters that forge lasting emotional connections in the context of solving problems and navigating intricate stories together.” The company is run by Jon Snoddy, former head of Walt Disney Research & Development, and Kraft, founding CEO of Pandora Media, along with gaming industry vets Pegi Bryant and Tai Patwardhan. Related Stories “We bring in real writers. We bring in people who’ve written TV series, who’ve written films. They’re the heart and soul of what we’re creating,” Kraft told Variety. “And I think that’s a big difference. When you look at other companies trying to bring AI to games, they’re trying to take a traditional game and take the non-playable characters in that game, the NPCs, and just give them some intelligence using large language models and and maybe try and be a little creative with that. But we’re fully committed to this notion of story, and to this process of bringing in just the most talented writers in the world to create those stories.” Popular on Variety Per Operative, the company’s first game, “The Operative,” allows players call a character named Enya “who draws them into her world with a request for help.” According to the description for the game, which was unveiled out of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco last month, “What seems at first like a simple ask will ultimately unfold into a complex spy thriller in which the player has a pivotal role. Enya reacts to the players’ actions and will even show real human emotions – such as annoyance – if she is contacted late at night (just like a real person would).” Operative CEO Jon Snoddy; COO Jon Kraft/Courtesy images “We don’t use completely AI-generated voices. We go cast in the same way you would cast an actor, and get the person that has the voice that we feel like sounds the way we want it sound, and has the acting range to be able to create that voice for us,” Snoddy said. “And then we record an insane number of lines from them at all different emotion levels and then that gets put into a computer, it grinds for days to create this model. And then we can use that in our AI system, that when the AI system speaks, it speaks through the model of their voice.” Operative’s propriety StoryEngine “enables game developers to imbue their characters with a built-in sense of narrative and the understanding of how to take players through that narrative while allowing for full player agency.” The engine is server-based and requires no downloads. While Operative is launching with its own original IP, Snoddy and Kraft are already in talks with major companies about creating games around well-known franchises. “We’ve been out talking to publishers about what we’re doing, and we’re kind of amazed that every single one of them says, ‘This is different. No one else is doing this. This is amazing.’ And so we appear to have differentiated ourselves significantly from the pack there,” Snoddy said. “And it comes, I think, from that thing of saying, we’re telling stories. We want you to suspend disbelief and dive into the story. We’re not trying to convince you that all of this is real, but how you get into a book or a TV show or a movie, and you feel those emotions. They’re completely real, even though the characters are completely made up, and that’s what we’re going after here. And it’s a deeper level of storytelling that I think we’re seeing in a lot of the other things that will emerge.” Operative plans to run on a subscription-based model that allows players to buy one series at a time in pricing comparable to your average video game, rather than the triple A titles that retail for $70 and up. “We want you to think of this as though you’re subscribing to a great TV show or something,” Kraft said. “It comes with a different numbers of episodes and each week there’s a new episode. In each episode, it has a beginning, middle and end and it comes to a resolution. And as you narrowly escape the terrible thing that was happening, you’re celebrating that, and, oh no, something even worse is coming up for next week, and that takes off again. It’s a multi-chapter series. And we’re exploring right now how we want to do financing, but there will be a subscription series that’s not unlike what you pay for a game, not the $75 one, but the cheaper games, or what you pay for a season of a TV show. So familiar numbers there.” Amid the ongoing actors strike against the major gaming publishers — a work stoppage led by union SAG-AFTRA that specifically centers around issues with the use of generative AI by those companies — the Operative execs broke down their approach to compensating actors for their work based on how successful each title is, and plans to pay for each use of an actors’ voice. “We do scale the contract so that as a company is successful, as the as the game is successful, the actors who voice those characters reap that reward as well,” Snoddy said. “They’re paid, I think, quite well, industry standard rates for just the sessions. And as John mentioned, we use quite a bit of those sessions, so there’s good revenue there. But then also, as we scale, they succeed and they increase their compensation, as well.” Kraft added: “Contractually, we set this up so that if we do want to cast them in another project, they get paid just the same as they got paid for that first project. It’s not like, ‘Well, we’ve already got your voice!’ We’re very committed to creating talent and to working closely with creative talent and making sure that they succeed where we succeed.”

A video game backed by Viola Davis‘ JuVee Productions is set to headline the second season of titles rolling out on the Playdate handheld console. Developed by Kip Henderson, Popseed Studio Inc and JuVee Productions, “Taria & Como” is a physics-based puzzle platformer featuring a disabled protagonist and where movement is built around swinging instead of jumping. Per the game’s description, “Play as Taria, a young girl with a prosthetic leg, as she rescues her little sister Como in the midst of a world that constantly underestimates her. Separated after a disaster, Taria wakes up in a hospital where she’s forced to use an ‘approved’ prosthetic that limits her mobility. Undeterred, she takes control of her own fate, using ingenuity and sheer determination to escape and find her sister.” Related Stories “Taria & Como” is one of multiple games set to launch as part of the Season 2 collection of titles for the Playdate handheld console, which features a black-and-white screen and a mechanical crank. Playdate maker Panic is set to reveal more details about the console’s Season 2 slate, including pricing and release date, during a digital showcase Thursday. Popular on Variety “Artists tell stories across all mediums, and we’re excited to expand our portfolio into interactive gaming,” JuVee Productions founders Viola Davis and Julius Tennon said. “We were drawn to Kip’s vision because it’s so specific and imaginative—it captures you with truth, warmth, and a touch of mischief. That’s the kind of storytelling we believe in. ‘Taria & Como’ has a big soul, and we can’t wait for fans and the Playdate community to experience it.” “A few years ago, my friend’s son was diagnosed with Tourette’s, and I began to think about what sort of stories he’d grow up with,” “Taria & Como” creator Kip Henderson said. “As a disabled person, I’ve seen the same tropes recycled–pity case, inspiration, disability as a superpower, magical cures. Disability is complex, and we’re more than the inspirational fodder for able-bodied people. ‘Taria & Como’ is the story I wish I had growing up.” “A physics platformer, powered by a crank, starring a disabled hero that can’t jump? Those are incredible ingredients for an incredible Playdate game,” Panic co-founder Cabel Sasser said. “It’s original, wonderful, and exactly what we dreamed of for Playdate.” Watch the trailer for new game “Taria & Como” below.

The 2025 Games for Change Festival will feature Deepak Chopra and Poonacha Machaiah, CEO of the Chopra Foundation, as its keynote speakers. Appearing at the 22nd annual edition of social impact gaming and immersive media event, which is hosted by nonprofit Games for Change (G4C), Chopra and Machaiah will discuss intersection of gaming and mental health, their collaboration on upcoming game “Oasis of Quantum Consciousness” for The Sandbox, and the Global Mental Health Task Force. The 2025 event’s theme is “Designing for Tomorrow” and the festival will feature sessions across three tracks: games and learning, civics and social issues, and health and wellbeing. Discussions will center around game development, mental health research, emerging technologies, storytelling, and purpose-driven design, all inspired by play. Related Stories The Games for Change Festival will take place June 26-27 at Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York City. Popular on Variety Other speakers this year will include: Maria Sayans (CEO, ustwo games), Leo Olebe (VP of Global Partnerships, Xbox | Microsoft), Mathias Norvig (CEO, SYBO), Eric Monacelli (Executive Producer, Marvel Games), Deborah Mensah-Bonsu (Social Impact Partner, Supercell), Nicole Smith (Senior Manager, Tech Initiatives & Partnerships, USA for UNHCR), Patricia Noel (Mental Health Policy Manager, Discord), Rachel Kowert (Visiting Researcher, University of Cambridge), Harold Goldberg (President, New York Videogame Critics Circle), Phil Stuart (Executive Creative Director / Founder, PRELOADED), Stanley Pierre-Louis (President & CEO of the Entertainment Software Association) and Nicole Twohig (Director, Marketing and Communications Campaigns, Vibrant Emotional Health/988 Lifeline). “We look to a theme each year to help guide our open call,” G4C president Susanna Pollack told Variety. “We offer an opportunity for our communities to propose talks and panels and workshops, and then we also curate part of the the event ourselves. And we are internally curating this year — sometimes we work with partners, this time, we’re doing it all ourselves — and our theme this year is ‘Designing for Tomorrow,’ which allows for conversations around how games and immersive media enable borderless collaboration. How games as a platform can break down barriers, whether it’s geographic, generationally, looking at different kinds of perspectives and looking at how we can look ahead to the future and designing the world we want.” Additional speakers, program details, topic tables and masterclass sessions will be announced soon. Tickets for the festival are on sale now until June 9.

The execs at Microsoft, Warner Bros. and Legendary can now breathe a collective sigh of relief as “A Minecraft Movie” proves to be a certified hit after its second big weekend at the box office. Heading into the Jack Black and Jason Momoa-led movie’s April 4 launch, uncertainty surrounding how the project would perform was high, but Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer was ready for whatever reaction was coming. Hopes were high amid the company’s hit “Fallout” TV series at Amazon, though the risk was clear following the cancellation of its “Halo” adaptation at Paramount+, not to mention the mixed results for projects from competitors: for every “The Last of Us” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” there seems to always be a “Borderlands” movie that knocks the genre back a peg. Related Stories But the gaming giant’s desire to take the risk on a move into Hollywood outweighed the fear of a flop, and the gamble proved to be worth it for Spencer, “Minecraft” developer Mojang and Microsoft’s franchise-focused team, led by Kayleen Walters. Spencer spoke with Variety for a feature story ahead of the movie’s release and, along with his hopes for “A Minecraft Movie,” revealed plans for future Microsoft IP adaptations, including “Fallout” Season 2, while balancing Microsoft Gaming and Xbox’s first priority: video games. What will be your metric for success for “A Minecraft Movie” within Microsoft? I’m going to come back to respecting our player community. “Minecraft” is such a big community of players and creators already — obviously, with the time that the game’s been in the market over 15 years now — and just incredibly successful in the video game space. So when we do something like this, the opportunity is for some to bring “Minecraft” to them. Maybe they don’t play video games, and this is an opportunity for them to see it on the big screen, “What is this ‘Minecraft’ thing?” and get invested in it. But almost more important to me are the people who have been playing, who have been part of the community, and when they see this, they’re proud. That “Minecraft is something that they’ve been investing in with their time and they see it represented on the big screen and doing well now. That is the high order for me: how do people feel? Does this respect the IP? Does it respect the franchises? Then how it flows through to the business is, we will see more players playing the game across all platforms. And, obviously, the game has the business models to allow people to invest as they’re playing, and the business can perform, and that’ll be the real world metric for us — looking at the impact that the movie has, as it raises awareness. “Minecraft” is something that’s been around long enough, and it’s a successful business, that this has to be additive to what we’re doing, because anything that might take away from the quality and expectation of the video game could be so damaging. That’s why it’s taken us a while through this process to make sure that we find the right partner, we’ve got the right creative ideas, and we want to make the community proud with how we continue to be shepherds of this world. With that in mind, how do you decide what IP you’re willing to take a risk on, and manage expectations and prepare for the chance the movie underperforms? It starts with the fact we’re in the entertainment business. And whether you’re building games, movies, television, doing an album, you have to accept that you’re going to have a hit rate and it’s not going to be 100%, and making sure the culture inside of the teams is, “We can do new IP. We can do new games. Some things will vastly exceed our expectations, and some, we will be disappointed by the results, and let’s learn and go forward as an organization.” And that’s just got to be something, even in the game space alone, about the culture of being in Microsoft Gaming and Xbox. So then when you look at this and you say, OK, these kind of opportunities of a place that we’re not native as creators, we build video games, I really start from, does the team have a unique point of view around what they want to get done? Have they found a partner that really understands the franchise and the core of what these worlds are? And then support them. And I will say, support them when something turns out to be crazy successful, and also support them when something isn’t as successful. The next thing is always the most important thing and you got to make sure that you have a culture of teams that are willing to take risks and bets on doing kind of cool, innovative, new things. And I think the “Minecraft Movie” will be one of those. What are your goals for how you want Microsoft to be viewed within Hollywood and the larger entertainment industry outside of the gaming biz? I’ve been in video games for quite a while, and I would say for a long time, I think there was a certain amount of envy in the video game space when looking at movies and television. Of their storytelling capability, the worlds that they had built, whether it’s “Star Wars” or “Star Trek,” the things that we grew up loving. And I’m very proud of the fact that the games industry is now being seen as a place where really deep stories and characters are told. Deep enough that they can be realized in a different medium, through a movie or a television show. “The Last of Us,” the “Mario” movie, I’ll even go to “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle,” the game we released in December, which I think is one of the best “Indiana Jones” stories. Forget about playing the video game, it’s a really well done story that fits with Indiana Jones and his archeology background and traveling the globe and seeing all these fantastic spaces. Could you do a movie around that same kind of story? Absolutely you could. I think it’s deep enough to support that. So for us, as part of the games industry, I want our worlds and the characters that our creators have built to feel deep enough, quality enough and, frankly, successful enough that they could be realized in TV and movies, and even other places. I think movies went through books, when you think about things like “Lord of the Rings,” and then they kind of moved into comics with the whole Marvel and “Batman,” all of this. And you really see that industry turning its view to video games, because they have a large community, and the stories are actually rich and deep enough. And I love that. And as a player in the video game space, I think it’s fantastic that our worlds can reach new customers, new viewers. Is there Microsoft IP that you think shouldn’t be adapted, or is it more, anything could be, it’s just about how it’s done. Do you try to do “Warcraft” again? Would you never do “Call of Duty?” Are there things that you wouldn’t touch or you could, but it needs to be done a certain way? The video game business is successful by itself. It doesn’t need this outlet. You’ve got to start with a partner who understands our team and the story of that IP and then letting them work through the process. That’s my only barrier: let’s never turn this into something where it has to get done, every franchise has to have a game or a movie or a TV show, and it becomes more like licensing. It’s got to be about the creative outlet that linear media offers for our franchises. A new trend coming up in entertainment is that people want to develop new IP and own it from the beginning across mediums: We’re going to make it from the beginning, we’re going to own it, we’re going to do the game, and we’re going to do the TV show, and we’re going to do the movie, and we’re going to make the physical products. Is Microsoft talking about doing that as you develop new things? Owning it and producing the adaptations yourselves? Not really, if I’m being honest. It’s not about me — but I play video games at night, I don’t watch a lot of TV and movies. But we have a team with decades of history on building video games. And I love when we do new franchises. We just shipped “Avowed,” I just came out of a launch review of “South of Midnight,” a game that’s coming out, which is so awesome. I want our team staying very focused on, we’re a video game organization. Now, we can build worlds that can support these things showing up in traditional media, I think that’s awesome. But I’m really trying to keep us focused on being a great creator of interactive entertainment, video games, and then if these other opportunities show up, great. But we start most IP, almost all of our new IP, with, how is it going to play? Because the mechanic of playing the franchise is a unique ingredient we have in our process of video games, and I think that’s as important as world building and character building, and that’s the area I just want to see our teams continue to innovate in. Due to the interactive and ongoing nature of the gaming industry, do you find Microsoft is looking more at what fans and users say and responding to it than a film studio or a TV studio would? And if you find you have more pressure to respond to those reactions than your studio partners? Definitely in the video game space, the line between us as creators and our community of players is very thin. The conversation around “Minecraft” is such a great example. “Minecraft” today is as big as it’s ever been, and as a franchise, it is doing incredibly well. In the last year, I think two-thirds of our new “Minecraft” players came from outside the US, which is awesome. Getting feedback around maintaining and growing something like a “Minecraft” is really important. And in TV and movies, where you kind of do it and then you launch it and step back, it’s just very different than how our teams manage the communities. There’s content updates that come through. You have to be plugged into the sentiment and the desires, and you have to continue to evolve them. And I’m not gonna say it’s a better skill or worse skill than what TV or movie creators do, because I’m respectful of what they do, it’s just different how we manage communities. And I do think it’s one of the things that allows us sitting here 15-plus years later to see “Minecraft” where it is, as relevant today as it’s ever been. You have “Fallout” Season 2 coming, there is a “Minecraft” TV series in the works at Netflix. What can you tease about those, as well as what other adaptation projects you might have in the works right now? I think what I would say to our fans of this is we’re learning and growing through this process, which is giving us more confidence that we should do more. And we like it, and our community seems to get a lot of energy through it. I think we learn something through our creative process every time we find a good partner who has their point of view on how different parts of the story can be told. I’ll go all the way back to “Halo” [the TV series adaptation at Paramount+]. We learned from doing “Halo,” we learn from doing “Fallout.” All of these build on themselves and we’ll have, obviously, a couple that miss, it’s just kind of part of it. But I think what I’d say to the community that likes this work is, you’re going to see more, because we’re gaining confidence, and we’re learning through this. That’s why it’s hard for me to tease any specific thing, because while I know all of these things that are in the creative process, I want to give them time, and I don’t want to put any undue pressure on them. I like the stories that our teams are writing now, and the games that they’re launching. There’s just a lot of interest from traditional media and we’re happy about that. On the gaming side, what titles are you most excited about for the rest of the year? For us and the rest of this calendar year, I really feel great about the slate of games. We just had “Avowed” come out, and I have to go backwards and just say Obsidian continues to do a great job. We’ve obviously talked about “The Outer Worlds 2,” “South of Midnight,” “Doom.” There’s more stuff, some stuff that’s unannounced and I’m walking in my head to make sure I don’t leak anything. With the successful launch of “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” back in December, and the upcoming release on PlayStation, do you have larger plans for updates to that game, as well as a potential franchise? I will say, we’re really happy with “Indy” and the players and the reception. We do think there’s life in that franchise, and I’m just gonna leave it at that. We’re launching on PlayStation here pretty soon. I think that’ll be a cool moment. I was really inspired by Machine Games taking someone else’s IP and doing something so unique, and I’m inspired about what that team can do next. Certain people were kind of pushing them on the first person versus third person. And I think once you play it, you realize you are Indy. But going forward, I also want to give the teams the ability to do our own games and our own franchises. We have a lot of room to tell new stories, as well. And I want to make sure that’s an option for us. Switch 2 is set to be released soon. As you’ve begun to branch out with games available on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, do you have plans for specific projects on Switch 2? So we’ve been supporting Switch 1, I want to support Switch 2. Nintendo has been a great partner. We think it is a unique way for us to reach players who aren’t PC players, who aren’t players on Xbox. It lets us continue to grow our community of people that care about the franchises that we have, and that’s really important for us to make sure we continue to invest in our games. I’m really a big believer in what Nintendo means for this industry and us continuing to support them. And getting the support from them for our franchises, I think, is an important part of our future. Does Nintendo revealing its next-gen console make you antsy to announce what Xbox has coming next in that space? No. I think all of us in this industry should focus on our communities and the player base that we’re building. I get inspired by what a lot of different creators do and other platform holders. But I believe in the plans that we have. Obviously, we’re evolving what it means to be Xbox and meeting players in so many different places. There are 3 billion people who play video games on the planet and I get up every morning and think about how Xbox can be more relevant to the 3 billion people who play. And that’s through making sure we’re leading in how our games and our platform features can be available in as many places as possible, whether that’s Cloud, whether it’s people playing on PC, whether it’s people playing on console. So we’re really driven by trying to grow our franchises and our platform to be an important part of gaming for as many of those 3 billion gamers as we can reach. How are you viewing Game Pass’s ongoing role in the larger Xbox business right now? I’ll start with just how many people are playing games. And I’ve always thought about Game Pass as just another option for somebody who wants to play. We have many business models for people playing from free to play, buying games, discounted games, Game Pass is an option. So when I’m looking at Game Pass, I want to make sure the hours that people are playing continue to go up, that new people see this as a way for them to find and build their library of games, and we remain focused on that. Our biggest areas of growth right now are PC and Cloud, which makes sense, since consoles, all up, are a good business, they’re an established business, but they’re not really a growing segment in gaming. So we’ve got good growth on PC, we’ve got growth on Cloud, in terms of users and hours. And console continues to be a really healthy part of Game Pass. But there isn’t a unique need for Game Pass to be the only way for people to play. If everybody who’s a Game Pass subscriber instead decided to buy their games, that’s good for the business as well. For me, I look at Game Pass as a healthy option for certain people. It’s not for everybody. If you play one or two games a year, Game Pass probably isn’t the right business model for you, you should just buy those two games, and that would make total sense. But I want you to have the choice. So we remain focused on everything that’s on Game Pass is also available to buy. We’re making those games available to buy in more places. And I look at the overall hours of people who are playing on Xbox, playing our games, and that’s a number that continues to grow fairly substantially, and that’s really the metric I think about for success. And Game Pass has been an important part of that, but I don’t try to solve for Game Pass specifically on its own. It’s kind of part of the equation for Xbox finding new players. How are you preparing for game-specific tie-ins and updates for “Fallout” Season 2 and “A Minecraft Movie” release? I was glad we had “Fallout 76,” and even “Fallout Shelter” grew when the “Fallout” television show came out. We had the “Fallout 4” remaster there so there was something for the community that was loving the TV show to try something new in “Fallout.” But I wouldn’t say we perfected that, of being ready and having a date when we knew the show was going to come out, and really we learned from it, is the best way of putting it. I think with “Minecraft,” we’re doing some things that are more unique, in terms of content and the alignment of the movie with the things that we’re doing. But this is a great example of us learning. Trying to align production schedules for new games and new movies at the same time, I think, is probably beyond our creative capability right now. And I don’t even know that that’s the goal. But for things like a “Minecraft” or a “Fallout,” things that are ongoing and have communities, it makes a ton of sense for us to allow people who love the movie or love the television show to celebrate that in the game. And I like the plans that the team has on “Minecraft” around this. “A Minecraft Movie” is releasing on April 4, the 50th anniversary of Microsoft. How do you reflect on your own time at the company in this moment? I’ll go to games role at Microsoft. I really love the role that gaming is playing to both shape the kind of customer view of what Microsoft is about. I often remind the leadership team here that our longest-running franchise inside all of Microsoft is “Flight Simulator.” It’s older than Windows, it’s older than Office. It’s true, the longest-running, still in development franchise inside the company is “Flight Sim.” But to see how gaming has actually always been around at Microsoft, from Adventure and kind of things that they did early on, but to the role that we play now, the organization plays now, I just think is awesome. I’ve been around for a majority of those 50 years working at this company, and it wasn’t always true that gaming was as front and center as it is now. But it’s inspiring to me, it’s inspiring to the team, the role that it plays, and I think it helps us as a company. We have a much better customer and consumer and community sensibility through the experience that we have in gaming, and it’s one of the things that my team shares with the rest of the company. And these moments like “A Minecraft Movie” are examples of respecting community, making sure that they feel respected and heard through the products that we build — we do it in gaming, but it’s something that the whole company aspires to be. And I’ll say, personally, I started as an intern here in 1988, which I know is a crazy long time ago, but to see this company now at 50 years and everything it’s meant, it’s an inspiring moment, and I’m looking forward to the celebration. This interview has been edited and condensed.

Trevor Noah‘s Day Zero Productions will launch a climate-themed video game competition on Earth Day in partnership with indie developer Anima Interactive and “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” producer Cinereach. Dubbed “Day Zero Games: Solarpunk Jam,” the competition will run April 22 through May 10 and culminate with a $10,000 grand prize. Per the official description for the inaugural Day Zero Games competition, the event “challenges creators to make original video game prototypes that bring climate visibility to the forefront.” The contest “invites developers around the world to imagine hopeful and optimistic climate futures inspired by the solarpunk literary and art movement.” Related Stories All participants will receive a narrative toolkit created by Cinereach in partnership with Good Energy offering insights and climate research to inform projects. Popular on Variety Additional sponsors and partners for the competition include International Game Developers Association (IGDA), Black in Gaming Foundation, Latinx in Gaming and Games for Change. The launch of the competition comes on the heels of Noah’s Day Zero Productions’ (which takes it name from the water shortage crisis in Cape Town, South Africa that occurred between 2015-2018) recent investment in gaming startup Midsummer Studios. This marks a re-team for Anima Interactive and Cinereach, which last year host the competition Just Play, an initiative that encouraged creators to explore different lenses of justice through gaming, which ended with game showcases at SXSW in Austin and the Hollywood Climate Summit. “Indie games are fertile environments to push creative boundaries in our industry”, Day Zero head of games Dan Zubrzycki said. “Our team’s name, Day Zero, has its roots in the climate conversation. It’s an issue close to Trevor’s heart. With this Solarpunk game jam, we’re tapping into that spirit to reimagine the climate conversation — not with fear, but with creativity, resilience, and joy. The future needs more than warnings; it needs worldbuilders brave enough to imagine a better tomorrow.” “Game jams offer a safe space and playground to experiment and take risks that might not always be possible within more structured studio environments,” Anima Interactive founder and creative director Karla Reyes said. “We’re excited to partner with Day Zero on this solarpunk-themed jam. During a time when our Earth is fragile, it’s more important than ever for art and activism to converge and inspire a brighter future. It should be electrifying!” Cinereach chief creative officer Candice McFarlane added: “We’re thrilled to team up with Day Zero Productions on our third game jam with Anima Interactive. We can’t wait to see our narrative blueprints—shaped by representatives of impacted communities and climate professionals—transformed into playable worlds with the power to inspire alternative futures. What developers create here might just be the seeds from which a new reality can emerge.”

Following one day of respite, the U.S. stock market returned to its downward spiral Thursday amid ongoing concerns tied to President Donald Trump‘s proposed tariffs. Media stocks briefly rallied on Wednesday when Trump announced a 90-day pause on the planned tariffs for non-retaliating countries while simultaneously instituting a 125% tax rate increase for imported goods from China. But the initial impressive spikes on that news didn’t hold more than 24 hours with many entertainment companies seeing their shares fall again by the time the U.S. market closed Thursday, including Disney at $85.23 per share (-6.8%), Warner Bros. Discovery at $8.10 (-12.5%), Netflix at $921.17 (-2.6%), Comcast at $33.68 (-4.3%), Paramount Global at $10.92 (-2%), and Amazon at $181.22 (-5%). Related Stories Before the closing bell rang Thursday, Trump dismissed China‘s decision to reduce the number of U.S. films it allows to play in the country’s theaters. The China Film Administration confirmed the reduction earlier on Thursday and when Trump was asked about the move at a press conference, he responded: “I think I’ve heard of worse things.” Popular on Variety On the tech side, following a one-day burst, Apple was down to $190.42 per share (-4.2%), Meta to $546.29 (-6.7%), Alphabet to $155.37 (-3.5%), Nvidia at $107.57 (-5.9%), Microsoft at $381.35 (-2.3%) and Roku at $59.27 (-7.2%). Looking at the market overall, the tech-centric Nasdaq Composite index was down 4.31% and the S&P 500 fell 3.46%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average took a 2.5% hit, dropping 1,014 points. By comparison, on Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 8% — its biggest one-day jump since March 2020. The tech-heavy Nasdaq soared 12%, marking that index’s biggest one-day gain since 2001. The S&P 500 rose 9.5%, its biggest bounce since 2008.

“Black Mirror” is getting more “Black Mirror”-y with Netflix‘s launch of a video game based on an in-universe game from the newly released Season 7. Titled “Thronglets,” the game is featured in the seventh season episode “Plaything,” which includes the return of Will Poulter’s character from the 2018 interactive installment of “Black Mirror,” “Bandersnatch.” Per Netflix’s description for the “Thronglets” game, “Set in the same universe as ‘Black Mirror’s’ ‘Bandersnatch,’ this long-lost Tuckersoft game hasn’t seen the light of day since its cancellation in 1994…until now. It’s a Tamagotchi-gone-wrong that turns into a personality test for humankind.” Related Stories “Thronglets” was developed by Netflix-owned game studio Night School in partnership with “Black Mirror” creator Charlie Brooker and his writing team. Popular on Variety The game launched Thursday at 12 a.m. PT timed to the release of “Black Mirror” Season 7 and is available exclusively for Netflix subscribers via the streamer’s app. “Thronglets” is free to play for subscribers and does not include any in-game purchases. “A lot of the early conversation was, the thing about ‘Black Mirror’ is you expect this to– we can’t just do a standard game, right? It has to have some element to it that’s possibly unexpected, or it looks like it’s going one way, and then it sort of goes another,” Brooker said. “The juxtaposition of making it look as cute as possible, and having quite disturbing and dark things happen in it. And so I think around there it definitely was when it really started feeding back into the episode itself, as well.” Brooker says there was a “cross-pollination” in how the show and the game affected each other, even though the episode was completed first. “In fact, when we were looking at the designs of the creatures themselves, they went on an evolution where we shot the version that we shot and we were trying to save money by having everything in camera and we ended up having to replace it all because we redesigned the Thronglets later as a result of looking at the [Night School] team’s work,” Brooker said. Without giving away the plot of “Thronglets” or “Black Mirror” Season 7 episode, “Plaything,” Night School co-founder and “Thronglets” game developer Sean Krankel broke down the concept: “It’s hard to talk about the episode without spoiling all of it, but the rough setup, I would say, is that Colin Ritman, who’s the brilliant game designer from ‘Bandersnatch’ returns in this episode and there is a game that looks like it could be ‘Lemmings’ or an early life sim. But, of course, it has a lot more than that.” Once you download and start to play the game, Krankel says it will become apparent how the mobile title is meant to be cute and terrifying all at the same time. “Charlie said something early on that we wrote on the wall very quickly, which was, ‘Thronglets are adorable and horrible.’ And so that is the game,” Krankel said. “It’s a lot of, like, we want you to fall in love with this character. We want you to multiply them, proliferate them. But guess what? You are also raising them. And that’s what happens in the episode, and that’s what happens when you play the game. You have these creatures that are a reflection of you. And then we move through sort of multiple genres over the course of the experience with the characters.” Watch the trailer for the “Thronglets” game below.

Nintendo rocked the video game world last week with the unveiling of its new console the Switch 2, its price and, most surprisingly, a driving cow. The Switch 2, releasing on June 5, will cost $450 for just the console and $500 for a bundle that comes with “Mario Kart World,” the latest entry in the racing series. Gamers were overjoyed at the first official information on Nintendo’s next console, but the high price (the Switch launched at $300 in 2017) left many dismayed. The Switch 2 news also came amid President Donald Trump’s rollout of U.S. tariffs that have caused the stock market to drop and prices of many goods to increase. On Friday, Nintendo paused Switch 2 pre-orders “in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions” in the U.S. The June 5 launch date is unchanged, but U.S. gamers will have to wait a bit longer before they can pre-order a console. Related Stories Outside of the price, “Mario Kart World” made headlines for being the biggest iteration of the popular racing series. With 24 racers on a track, more than 50 characters to choose from and a massive open-world to drive around, it’s Nintendo’s most expansive “Mario Kart” game ever. Out of all the characters, however, the Moo Moo Meadows cow went viral online for its surprising inclusion in the roster. Popular on Variety With Variety, Devon Pritchard, executive vice president of sales, marketing and communication at Nintendo of America, discussed the Switch 2 reveal and what to expect at its launch. How did the unveiling of the Switch 2 go over at Nintendo? It was incredibly exciting to see the reactions of people that were able to see the Nintendo Direct or be here and have the hands-on with the different titles. When “Mario Kart World” was announced it was quite loud. Seeing the smiles and the really positive reactions from everyone just made it a momentous day for us. Speaking of “Mario Kart World,” what did you think of the cow going viral online? With “Mario Kart World,” “Donkey Kong Bananza,” “Metroid Prime 4:Beyond,” you saw this powerful gameplay and franchise-firsts. “Mario Kart” never looked like it looks in “Mario Kart World,” whether it’s a cow or some of the other features, like Knockout Tour or Free Roam. Seeing the joy brought to how we’re looking at those franchises and how they’re continuing to evolve is really exciting. We enjoyed as well the conversation around the social connections that Nintendo Switch 2 is bringing with game chat. The Switch 2 so far has “Mario Kart,” “Donkey Kong,” “Mario Party” and “Metroid” games on the way. How does Nintendo look at its console lineups to make sure its classic characters are represented? When you think of the world of Nintendo and how many characters and worlds there are, we’re just excited by the opportunities we have to share what’s ready. You have “Mario Kart” and the Mushroom Kingdom for folks, and Donkey Kong has his day and his moment. With “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond,” we spent time getting it ready. It’s a long time coming for this title, so we’re excited to share that as well. The lineup has “The Legend of Zelda” Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Kirby and all the third party partners. When you look at this entire slate of the Nintendo Switch 2 lineup, you have really diverse genres of games, but also the different characters and worlds that we’re going into. “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” is the best-selling game ever on the Switch. What are the expectations for “Mario Kart World”? As we thought about “Mario Kart World,” it was more about what this game could showcase with the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s this vast, interconnected playground, and you’ve got things that you love. It’s about bringing new experiences to the “Mario Kart.” It’s a well known and beloved franchise, but for the first time, you’re going to Free Roam, where you’re able to go and tour your kart around the world. Now we have Knockout Tour, where 24 people are going to be able to determine who the best player is. It was this idea of, how do we bring what’s known and loved, and how do we also expand the experience? We also brought in game chat. You have the ability to bring in 12 of your friends through audio, and up to four with video with compatible cameras, and you’re going to be able to have a different kind of experience that you can only have on the Nintendo Switch 2. What has Nintendo learned about launching a console since the Switch came out in 2017? Is there anything the company is doing to make sure there aren’t console shortages at launch? We are working to ensure a study supply. That’s one important part for us. We also have a strong slate of titles, both in the first party and third party. I don’t know that those are as much learnings as opportunities that we see with Nintendo Switch 2. This proposition of powerful gameplay and a social experience together is a really unique aspect of Nintendo Switch 2 that we’re focused on. I don’t know that it’s a difference between the Switch and Switch 2, but this concept of a next generation platform is the idea of having an all new Joy-Con 2 controller that can also play as a mouse. It’s bringing mouse functionality into games. It’s having game share, game chat. As we look at that next generation experience, it’s all new with Nintendo Switch 2.

The 2025 BAFTA Games Awards will air April 8 just after the theatrical release of Minecraft, ahead of HBOs The Last of Us Season 2 and amid Amazons high-budget production on the second season of Fallout. Its hard to argue there has been a more exciting time to be part of a project straddling both Hollywood and the gaming industry, or a riskier time to rollout your take on such valuable IP.The bar has been set very high for video game adaptations across film and TV as the projects and the games they are based on rack up awards nominations and critical acclaim, and their success or failure is more important than ever to the gaming industry. It used to be a flop of an adaptation could exist in a vacuum independent of the gaming franchise itself but now that adaptations like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Fallout and The Last of Us have proven theres a method to the madness, an adaptation that bombs will be more directly tied to its source IP and the company that owns it. However, that risk does come with the potential for a massive reward.Related StoriesI think what people have seen in Hollywood is that video game adaptations, if done right, can actually be very popular, and they scale really well, PlayStation Productions chief Asad Qizilbash told Variety. Thats been a big sea change that Ive seen in the last five, six years, since weve really started to come and deliver some great content. Because of that, theres a confidence level that the film industry is seeing. For one, theyre seeing that some of the great creative ideas of stories are coming from video games and I truly believe that some of the best stories you are seeing are from video games.Popular on VarietyQizilbash adds: But no. 2 is theyre seeing that, if done well, adaptations can really reach a different audience. I think thats why youre seeing a lot quicker picking up of adaptations. One thing I would say is you have to strike a balance between establishing it as a video game property first and getting it out there. Establishing an audience, establishing a fan base. In the conversations Ive had with our film studio, its important and that makes it less risky for them, is when theres an established audience. And so when you have a brand new IP, it may not have an established audience.Among the top noms at this years BAFTA Games Awards is PlayStations Astro Bot, a critical darling family-friendly platformer that Qizilbash is absolutely looking at for its potential to be added to PlayStations growing list of adaptations, which currently stands at at least 10 projects in various stages of development. Aside from the second season of The Last of Us, that includes Amazons God of War TV series and a Sony feature film adaptation of Horizon Zero Dawn, which was first set up as a TV show at Netflix. So how does PlayStation decide which of its many titles is worthy of the adaptation risk?For us, its, OK, weve established one of our franchises as a great game. Its starting to get a built-in audience. Its winning awards. Those are very early indicators for us to want to try and grow that franchise and grow that IP, Qizilbash said. So were constantly looking at that. And I would say its not just sort of awards and nominations that drive that. Sometimes we have IP thats just got great stories that a creator really wants to adapt it.How you adapt it matters too, as Qizilbash notes Horizon was found to be a better idea as a film than a TV series when PlayStation was working with Netflix and it just wasnt creatively going how we wanted to. The head of Microsofts Bethesda Game Studios and Fallout producer Todd Howard echoes Qizilbashs sentiment when it came to the choice to go with Jonathan Nolans idea for a TV series over a Fallout movie.Originally, a lot of people were approaching to do a feature film. And looking at what we wanted to do for this one, that felt too compressed, Howard said. Fallout is such an amazing world what would we really want to watch in it? Well, wed like to watch the next story, or new stories in that world, as opposed to, again, in this instance, adapting a story we had told and kind of compressing it down. For this one, we were very much interested in telling new stories.Whats also important to the overall success of the video-game adaptation trend is knowing when to quit. For The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin, that will be when he runs out of source material from game developer Naughty Dog and game co-creator and fellow TV series producer Neil Druckmann.We certainly need another season to finish, at minimum, but it may very well be that we need a couple more seasons to finish, Mazin said ahead of the April 13 premiere of Season 2. And the length of those seasons, currently, the story will tell us how many episodes it should be, and where we should hit pause.But he sees the potential for HBO to want to continue exploring The Last of Us world beyond the two games that have been published by PlayStation in the popular franchise with a spinoff series.As far as additional source material, as a fan of The Last of Us, if Neil has more games, I would love it, Mazin said. For me as a writer and showrunner, this is my Last of Us. So this will be the last of my Last of Us, covering the events of the first and second game. I think theres always a world where you could see additional material, like the way House of the Dragon has thrived after the conclusion of Game of Thrones. And I could certainly see myself being somebody that the people making that show, they pick up the phone and call me and say, How did you do this? Or what do you think about this? But it wont be mine to do. Somebody else will be handling that.Then there is of course how these traditional entertainment companies begin to think about not just adaptations of games, but what they can learn from the gaming industry and what the gaming industry can learn from them.I think what will be a great development is when people start thinking about the individual media and their individual strengths and how they all sit within an ecosystem, BAFTA Games Committee member Charu Desodt said. So games, for example, I think they bring a lot of player agency. They bring lots of player empathy with the characters and the situations. That also means that players are very invested in storylines. But then when youre watching a film, its a contained story, and thats a really lovely way to to engage with an IP. So people are thinking about that aspect of it as well. And then in general, players are also looking to video games for increasingly meaningful social connections. These are things that developers are going to be taking account of, too.Fallouts Howard says there are a lot of opportunities for a game and its TV show counterpart to create a feedback loop after the spike in player engagement Bethesda saw for Fallout 76 when the first season of the TV series came out.I dont want to spoil anything, but obviously we still do a lot of development on Fallout, in particular with Fallout 76 and were in the midst of Season 2 right now, Howard said. Actually, last week, I was on set a whole bunch and really excited for whats happening on Season 2. And you have that hope in the first season, Hey, what effect does that have on the larger franchise? Obviously, particularly the games, but everything around the franchise. And it had a tremendous effect for both people who already love the franchise and obviously a lot of new new people coming in. So we had done the work for Season 1 to really make the games welcoming to a new audience and have them in a good place. And it was hugely successful. We learned a lot and as we head into future things knowing when a new season comes out that theres going to be an audience, both a new one and a returning one to these games were thinking, how do we make it the best it can be for the players?Mazin thinks one of the biggest lessons to be learned is how to manage development pipelines across all mediums, as expectations grow with each passing year for the quality of games, TV shows and movies.I think Hollywood will be very carefully watching what happens with Grand Theft Auto VI [this fall] because Im just gonna go out on a limb here and say that Grand Theft Auto VI will be the largest selling piece of media ever not including the Bible, Mazin said. Im saying motion-picture medium of any kind. And Grand Theft Auto V came out in 2013. The size of these things requires time. And people are getting used to an interesting combination of handmade, super-attentive method of making things married to size, which again, makes things harder to do. And as the bar is raised with production, and as every episode starts to approach movie quality and movie intensity, it does take more time.The 21st BAFTA Games Awards will stream April 8 on BAFTAs official YouTube channel and Twitch.

Nintendo is switching a few things up with its new console as it enters the next generation of gaming.The Switch 2 was unveiled Wednesday morning during a Nintendo Direct press conference, and Variety got a hands-on demo with the hardware and games launching on June 5. In addition to being bigger and more powerful, the Switch 2 now includes a built-in microphone to talk with friends online and a new way to use a Joy-Con controller like a wireless mouse. While its not as groundbreaking of a technological jump as the GameCube to Wii or the Wii U to Switch, the Switch 2 improves upon the originals design and injects fun, upgraded gameplay into beloved franchises like Mario Kart, Donkey Kong and more.Related StoriesMario Kart World was the first game revealed during the Nintendo Direct, and the biggest change from previous entries is that now 24 players will compete against each other to see who can zoom through open-world racetracks the fastest. One giant map replaces the four individual tracks from past games, and racers will be much more immersed as the game seamlessly transitions through various regions like sandy deserts, snowy tundras, sprawling cities, rainy villages and much more. There are 30 playable characters, with plenty of new and familiar faces. Just about everyone from the world of Mario is here. New racers include Paulina, Cowboy Mario, Goomba, Wiggler, Hammer Bro, Biker Bowser, Mariachi Waluigi, a viral Moo Moo cow and more costumed versions of classic characters. Players can use new items, like an ice flower to freeze enemies and a mega mushroom to grow and squish them, grind on rails, defy gravity by wall-jumping and turn their karts into boats or airplanes.Popular on VarietyThe game introduces Knockout Mode, which places the 24 players in a series of six races that eliminates the slowest drivers until theres one winner remaining. For example, one race stretched from icy glaciers to overflowing rivers to a bustling town as racers frantically hit the gas, grabbed items and duked it out to the end. A free roam mode ditches the races and lets players drive through the massive world and discover new paths with friends. There will also be weather and a daytime/nighttime cycle that affect how each course looks.Marios foe-turned-friend Donkey Kong joined in on the fun with his own game, Donkey Kong Bananza. Its a 3D-platforming, action-adventure game that seems inspired by the open-world levels of Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Set in a cavernous, underground mine, Donkey Kong can smash through just about every rocky surface whether its a wall, floor or ceiling and monkey-climb his way to high peaks. In addition to his super-powerful fists, he can pick up boulders to throw at enemies, smash his way through obstacles and even ride them like craggy surfboards. The level of destruction and detail in Donkey Kongs demolition is impressive and no doubt wouldnt be possible on the current Switch.The technical upgrades come at a price, though. Donkey Kong Bananza costs $70, while Mario Kart World has a heftier price tag of $80. The Switch 2 itself costs $450, and if you want Mario Kart World along with it, you can buy it bundled with the console for $500. Current Switch titles cost $60, and when the console launched back in 2017 it was just $300. The Nintendo Direct announced the Switch 2 release date but sidestepped discussing its price, leaving fans riled up online. The Switch 2 is still cheaper than the PlayStation 5 and Xbox One X launch prices, but gamers are worried that this could signal a permanent price increase for the industry.Current Switch owners will be able to upgrade existing titles like Super Mario Party Jamboree, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom with Switch 2 features. Super Mario Party Jamboree showed off six new minigames that used the Joy-Cons mouse mode in inventive ways. There was a Tetris-esque block stacking challenge, air hockey with Koopa shells and a tracing game where players dragged a dangling Toad through an electric maze onscreen. The high-sensitivity controller put your hand-eye coordination to the test in the games, and a future Mario Party could bring even more creative minigames.Finally announced last week, the long-delayed Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is now coming to the Switch and Switch 2. In the demo, space bounty hunter Samus Aran had to shoot her way through hordes of space pirates and a gigantic alien boss. Nintendos first-person shooter controls get a major lift as players can now use the mouse mode for more precise target practice. For non-PC gamers, it can take some getting used to as decades-old Nintendo controls are getting a modern facelift with the mouse, but Samus lasers soon hit their marks after some trial and error.The Metroid and Mario Party demos had smooth desks to test the mouse controls on, but how will that translate to playing at home? Most people dont have perfectly sized desks to sit at when reclining on their sofas and playing games on the TV. The new sports game Drag x Drive, which pits teams of players against each other in high-tech, wheelchair-basketball games, relies on the mouse controls, but seemed nearly impossible to learn without a desk to sit at. Nintendo has said that gamers can use their laps as makeshift trackpads for the mouse controls, but trying that out yielded some moderate, but awkward, success. Depending on the game or high-intensity boss fight, it may not be enough to simply slide your Joy-Con controller around your thigh to win a Metroid space shootout or claim victory in a Mario Party showdown.As a new console generation approaches, Nintendo is relying on Mario Kart World, the sequel to the Switchs best-selling game ever, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, to push units. A wide range of third-party titles, like Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Hogwarts Legacy, Borderlands 4 and more, will bolster the Switch 2 library. There are also upgraded Switch titles, like Breath of the Wild and the upcoming Pokmon Legends: Z-A, which will revitalize those hours of entertainment, and a retro GameCube catalog that gives nostalgic gamers the ability to revisit their pasts. The Switch 2 may not have a new Mario or Legend of Zelda launch title or a revolutionary feature, like the Wiis motion-control, but its a modern, powerful console that can stand alongside PlayStation and Xbox instead of lagging behind. The family-friendly party games and also more challenging adult titles should give gamers of all ages a reason to join Nintendos next generation if only Mario would spare a few gold coins to bring the price down.

Roblox is launching a rewarded video ads product that will be available through a new programmatic partnership with Googles advertising solutions, as well as a direct buy option.Per the gaming platform, rewarded video ads enable users to opt in and watch up to 30-second full-screen video ads within immersive Roblox games and experiences. In return, users receive in-game benefits from the creators of these games and experiences, also known as the ad publishers.According to Roblox, early tests show an average completion on rewarded video ads of more than 80%, with select experiences seeing completion rates over 90% as users saw the value in rewards, such as power-ups or in-game currency, and considered these ads additive to their overall experience.Related StoriesRoblox boasted85.3 milliondaily active users (DAUs) at the conclusion of 2024. The company says tens of millions of those users are in the Gen Z demographic, the main target for the rewarded video ad content.Popular on VarietyAdvertisers that use Googles media buying tools will be able to measure performance of their rewarded video and other immersive ads on Roblox. Third-party measurement companies also working with Roblox on its new video product include DoubleVerify, IAS, Cint, Kantar and Nielsen ONE Ads.This new format is a win-win-win for brands, creators, and users, and weve been excited by the early results of our tests which have proven this out, Roblox vice president of global brand partnerships and advertising Stephanie Latham said. Our partnership with Google makes it very easy to buy these engaging ads and reach key audiences at scale. We are continuing to remove barriers for brands and agencies that are quickly realizing the massive potential of immersive gaming platforms like Roblox where Gen Z are increasingly spending their time.

South Korean company Hybe Interactive Media (IM) has received a new investment of approximately $21 million (30 billion in won) for its young gaming business.Hybe IM cites its potential to expand as a game business through using parent company Hybes K-pop artist IPs, as well as anticipation for its games Architect: Land of Exile and Arkheron, as key drivers for the new investment. The company says funds will be primarily used for marketing, operations and localization strategies for the launch and live service of Hybe games.This latest round of funding for the Hybe-owned entity comes on the heels of a roughly $80 million strategic investment Hybe IM received in August 2024. In total, Hybe IM has now raised approximately $100 million from backers including IMM Investment, Shinhan Venture Investment and Daesung Private Equity.Related StoriesSince launching in 2021, Hybe IM has found success with its earliest titles like Rhythm Hive and BTS Island: In the SEOM, followed by a quickly growing lineup that includes publishing contracts for Macovills OZ Re:write and Flints ASTRA: Knights of Veda.Popular on VarietyPer the company, Hybe IM remains committed to building a sustainable gaming ecosystem, prioritizing the stable operation and growth of its titles through its global publishing expertise.This additional funding marks a pivotal moment in strengthening Hybe IMs global competitiveness in both game publishing and development, Hybe IM president Wooyong Chung said. We aim to evolve beyond IP-based gaming and become a next-generation publisher delivering compelling content to gamers worldwide.Hybe IM is one of Hybes multiple subsidiaries, including Big Hit Music, Belift Lab, Source Music, Pledis Entertainment, KOZ Entertainment and ADOR.

Nintendo has unveiled the first details about the Switch 2 console, its follow-up to the Switch, and several new games players can soon get their hands on. The Switch 2 will release on June 5 and cost $449.99, the company announced Wednesday morning.Mario Kart World, the super-sized ninth entry in the racing series, was also revealed and it goes off road for the first time in franchise history. Instead of racing through distinct courses, 24 racers (the most ever for the series) drive their karts, motorcycles, boats, trucks, snowmobiles and planes through an open world full of various regions. The Nintendo Direct showed new vehicles, items and costumes for the racers, which featured the classic Mario crew plus some other new faces. Related StoriesHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, a third entry in the fighting series, was announced for a winter release. The Duskbloods, a gothic, action-heavy new title from Bloodborne developer FromSoftware, is coming exclusively to the Switch 2 in 2026. Kirby Air Riders, a follow-up to the popular racing game from 2003, is coming this year from director Masahiro Sakurai. And Donkey Kong is getting a new open-world game, seemingly inspired by Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild, titled Donkey Kong Bananza, releasing on July 17.Popular on VarietyThe original Nintendo Switch released back in March 2017, and its successor follows in its footsteps as a hybrid console that gamers can play at home or on the go. After months of rumors, the Switch 2 was officially announced in January with a teaser video that showed off its sleek, larger design. The new console has magnetically detachable Joy-con controllers and ditches their red and blue colors in favor of a mostly black palette. The controllers can also now be used as wireless mouses for certain games. In other enhancements, the Switch 2 has a bigger, 7.9-inch LCD screen that supports HDR, plus a built-in stand to prop up the console when playing it in tabletop mode. The same directional buttons are included on the left Joy-con controller, and the A, B, X and Y button are on the right. The new C button and built-in microphone allows gamers to chat with each other while playing online. There are 256 gigabytes of storage, which is eight times more than the Switch. Game cartridges are now red, instead of black, and support faster data reading. There will also be a camera add-on that allows players to video chat onscreen or put themselves in minigames in the upgraded version of Super Mario Party Jamboree.Nintendo Switch Online is getting a major expansion with retro GameCube titles being available to play on the console, including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, SoulCaliber 2, F-Zero GX and more to come after launch. There will also be wireless, classic GameCub controllers to purchase to play the throwback games.The Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with certain Switch games, and past titles, like Super Mario Party Jamboree, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, will get upgraded versions for the new console. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, Hades 2, Street Fighter, Split Fiction, Madden NFL, Hogwarts Legacy, Tony Hawks Pro Skater, Hitman: World of Assassination, Yakuza 0, Borderlands 4, Civilization VII, NBA 2K, WWE 2K, Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy VII Remake and more are coming to the Switch 2. https://www.youtube.com/live/DXUmjX7DsP8

The age of clunky, amped up, zoned out, overly literal movies adapted from video games lasted a long time from the very first one, Super Mario Bros., in 1993, stretching on through such duds as Mortal Kombat and BloodRayne and Max Payne and (sorry, fans) the Resident Evil series and the grandiose liquid sludge of Assassins Creed and, just last year, Borderlands. So in a way that era didnt end; the potential to turn a video game into a bad movie never goes away. Why would it? Video games are the anti-movies. They have characters and worlds and narratives and action and fantasy and spectacle, but theyre ultimately a post-psychological form for a post-psychological age. They lack the heartbeat that (good) movies have.Related StoriesOver the years, though, lessons have been learned. Overtly pandering strategies have been abandoned. Steven Spielbergs Ready Player One, while not based on a video game, had the visual wizardry to put you right in the gamers seat. And two years ago, offering a bookend to a form that had kicked off so wrongly, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was pure mutating eyeball-tickling fun a fantastic video-game movie that was also a nicely rounded kids fairy tale. It demonstrated that animation was probably always going to be the key to bringing video games to life onscreen. It hit the dazzle-and-emotion sweet spot. And it set the bar.Popular on VarietyA Minecraft Movie isnt nearly as good as The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Its not even as good as Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves which, given the latters 50-year-old pedigree, might be described as the analog version of a video-game movie. A Minecraft Movie is just a flaky, spirited, low-hijinks quest comedy that plops a crew of actors down into the Overworld, the epicenter of the Minecraft universe, where theyve arrived by coming through a portal that looks like its made of pulsating blue slime. Its very 1980s, that portal, and the whole movie has a retro cheeseball flavor, even though Minecraft wasnt created until 2011.At first, we register how hard the actors are working to make it all look like a breezy screw-loose adventure. Whatever your feelings about Jack Black (Im mostly a superfan), no one can ever say that he phones it in. Hes 55 now, with a gray-white beard as big and boisterous as the rest of him, and though he might strike you as a little long in the tooth to still be doing his happy dazed stoner line readings, he invests them with so much conviction in A Minecraft Movie, he simply will not deliver a line of dialogue straight that he spikes the film right along.He plays Steve, who always yearned to be a miner and wound up falling in love with the Overworld, a place where you can literally create anything that pops into your head, even though it will always come out as the cubic version of itself. The place is a surrealist Lord of the Rings alt-world paradise thats also as angular, in its billowy way, as the world of Lego, because its made of voxels, which is Minecrafts fancy word forblocks.In the Overworld, there are blockish snow-capped mountains, blockish bumblebees, blockish pink sheep, blockish shrubs and trees, blockish flowers, blockish ducks, a blockish wolf, blockish skeleton archer warriors, blockish baby Frankenstein zombies (a whole army of them), blockish buildings that look like gingerbread houses gone brutalist and, in the underworld known as the Nether, blockish pigs, who have blockish boar incisors and are done up in a way that suggests a Mad Max biker horde meets The Dark Crystal, all of them slaves to Malgosha (Rachel House), the evil British swine queen, who has kept Steve imprisoned in a dungeon.Minecraft, in real life, is whats known as a sandbox game. Like Roblox, it creates a place for the player to invent things as much as it offers a goal of victory. And so the challenge of making a movie out of Minecraft is: How do you create a story we have a stake in if the whole point of the world is simply to hang out in it?The producers of A Minecraft Movie attempted to resolve this dilemma by handing the assignment of directing the film to Jared Hess, who is still best known for Napoleon Dynamite (2004). He has had a few quirky indie follow-up films and has worked in television, but watching a self-consciously absurdist filmmaker like Hess take control of a blockbuster monster machine like Minecraft made me think, at moments, of Episode One of The Studio, in which the hip director Nicholas Stoller is recruited to somehow create a movie out of the Kool-Aid franchise. Watching A Minecraft Movie, were always aware that the story is something thats been grafted onto the world, and that we dont have much of a dramatic stake in it that its just the films way of cobbling together something that works. (Which, in its way, is very Minecraft.)Yet Hess brings something likable to A Minecraft Movie. Hes a genial camp satirist who knows how to invest not taking anything seriously with a flaked-out conviction. A Minecraft Movie never stops goofing on itself, and thats appealing.As a movie star, Jack Black had a hand in inventing this school of air-quote daffiness, but the surprise of A Minecraft Movie is how much Jason Momoa gets onto the self-skewering doofus-kitsch wavelength. He plays Garrett The Garbage Man Garrison, who was a video-game champion in 1989 and now runs a corner store called Game Over World (its stuffed with old video screens and vintage gamer knickknacks), which is teetering toward bankruptcy. Garrett is a relic, maybe a clich, but I was amazed at how much Momoa, in a pink fringed jacket and heavy-metal locks, sinks into Garretts blissed-out cluelessness, his bedazzled narcissism hanging by a thread of desperate cool. Garrett and Steve may be overly similar personality types, but thats what makes the movie click the way they mesh and fight like rival dude brothers.And the plot? Do I have to go there? Theres a glowing blue orb the Orb of Dominance. Which fits into a box, known as the Earth Crystal. Plopping one of these things into the other, in a kind of Avengers-on-happy-pills way, will allow the characters to defeat the pig demons, and also to return to Earth. They already have the Orb in their possession; they need to journey to the Woodland Mansion to retrieve the Crystal. There is, of course, a Crafting Table, in which objects, or metal pieces, are placed on it and you bonk them with a hammer, and voil! they turn, with medieval alchemy, into a brand new object, often a weapon. As fun as these scenes are, the film could have done more with the mutating magic of it all. Thats where you wish Jared Hess were less of a comedian and more of a technological showman.There are two teenagers on hand, Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers), an orphaned brother and sister who, despite their prominence, dont have much heft as characters. And theres a fish-out-of-water subplot in which one of the Overworlds blockish pacifist vegetarian monks a silent dude with a monobrow winds up traveling through the portal, landing on earth, and going on a date with Vice Principal Marlene, played by Jennifer Coolidge with her over-the-top diva broadness. Some of this is amusing, but like the rest of A Minecraft Movie it never feels like it matters. Yet its no insult to say that, in this case, that may be more true than not to the spirit of a video game that turns life into a blockhead version of itself.