Today, Sony held its latest State of Play and while it didn’t include some of the bigger games that people were likely hoping for, like a new God of War spin-off, it did include some cool surprises, including what might be the best-looking fighting game I’ve seen in years and a remake of a beloved Final Fantasy title. Suggested ReadingTears Of The Kingdom's Newspaper Questline And The State Of Hyrulean Journalism Share SubtitlesOffEnglishview videoSuggested ReadingTears Of The Kingdom's Newspaper Questline And The State Of Hyrulean Journalism Share SubtitlesOffEnglishHere’s the full State of Play if you want to watch it all: State of Play | June 4, 2025 [English]Lumines Arise Lumines Arise - Announce Trailer | PS5 GamesThis fun announcement kicked off the 45-minute show. It’s from the devs behind Tetris Effect, and it looks (and sounds) awesome. This one is coming to PS5 and PSVR2 in Fall 2025.Pragmata delayed againPragmata - First Contact Trailer | PS5 GamesCapcom had a new gameplay trailer for its long-awaited space-adventure-action-horror game featuring a young robot girl and a cool astronaut dude fighting robots. The game was set to come out in 2022, got delayed until 2023, and then got delayed again. Now it’s set to arrive in 2026. Romeo Is a Deadman looks wildRomeo is a Dead Man - Announce Trailer | PS5 GamesZombies attack, nearly killing Romeo, but luckily his grandfather shoves a big sci-fi thing into his head and turns him into a sword-wielding half-dead undead killer. Okay, I’m interested. This one is “maybe” arriving in 2026. No shock that Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture are behind this wild-looking game. Silent Hill F arrives in SeptemberSilent Hill f - Release Date Trailer | PS5 GamesI’m very happy that we’ve entered a new and better era for the Silent Hill franchise after so, so many years of crap and lukewarm slop. This latest entry looks very different than past games, but still seems properly foggy, spooky, and creepy. And that’s all I need in a Silent Hill sequel. Don’t have to wait long for this one as it launches September 25, 2025.Bloodstained: The Scarlett Engagement is revealedBloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement - Announce Trailer | PS5 GamesSurprise! We are getting a new Bloodstained game. What started back in 2015 as a crowdfunded attempt to make a new Castlevania-inspired 2D action game has expanded into a large franchise of its own. And it’s about to get bigger when this new entry arrives sometime in the future on PS5. Digimon Story Time StrangerDigimon Story Time Stranger - Release Date Trailer | PS5 GamesWow, it’s wild how much better Digimon games look than Pokémon games. This latest time-traveling RPG set in the universe features some slick visuals and a lot of people screaming about the digital world. As someone living in 2025, I’m fine with the digital world being burned to the ground. Time Stranger is out October 3, 2025. Final Fantasy Tactics is finally getting a remakeFinal Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles - Announcement Trailer | PS5 GamesYou can read more about this in our story here, but suffice it to say that the legendary tactics RPG is, at long last, getting the remake fans have been clamoring for for ages. Sony devoted a few minutes to sharing trailers and a few bits of info on these four games, one of which is launching on PS4. Wild. Baby Steps - Release Date Announcement | PS5 GamesHirogami - Pre-order Trailer | PS5 GamesCairn - Release Date and Demo | PS5 GamesNinja Gaiden: Ragebound - Release Date Announcement | PS5 & PS4 GamesMortal Kombat Legacy Collection looks amazingMortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection - Announce Trailer | PS5 & PS4 GamesDigital Eclipse, the retro game wizards behind some excellent old-school video game collections, is taking on the Mortal Kombat series in 2025. Legacy Collection will contain a ton of games from the series, including handheld, console, and arcade ports, as well as rollback netcode and documentary content. I’m very excited to see more of this thing.Sony is making a fight stickProject Defiant Wireless Fight Stick - Teaser TrailerNot much info beyond that. Here’s Sony’s official description of the device:Join the fray at home or away with the Project Defiant wireless fight stick*. Take the fight to your opponents with the included sling carry case, and enjoy precise in-game response with ultra-low latency wireless and wired play options, along with a durable, ergonomic design that’s built for battle.New Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater trailerMetal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater - Gameplay Trailer | PS5 GamesThe Ape Escape mode is back and looks bigger than before. But the big news is at the very end, where Konami is teasing what looks like a multiplayer mode. Is Metal Gear Online returning? I hope so. Nioh 3 is coming in 2026, a demo is out nowNioh 3 - Announcement Trailer | PS5 GamesTeam Ninja is back with Nioh 3. The game will let players swap between a samurai and a ninja on the fly during combat, and looks slick as heck. This one drops in 2026, but you can check out a demo for it today on PS5. Thief VR spin-off coming to PSVR2 this yearThief VR: Legacy of Shadow - Reveal Trailer | PS VR2 GamesWhen I saw this trailer, I thought, “Hey, this looks like a new Thief game.” And I was right. Thief VR Legacy of Shadow arrives in 2025 and is being co-developed by Eidos-Montréal and Vertigo Games. Tides of Tomorrow looks like a colorful Waterworld gameTides of Tomorrow - Release Date Trailer | PS5 GamesI love colorful-looking games, so Tides of Tomorrow instantly caught my eye. The mix of online asynchronous gameplay and having to deal with other people’s decisions in a dying and flooded world sounds interesting. Tides of Tomorrow arrives in February 2026.Astro Bot is getting even more levels! Astro Bot - Challenge DLC Trailer | State of Play 2025One of the best PS5 games ever made, Astro Bot, is getting even more free levels later this month. Five new levels will soon be added to Astro Bot. And Sony is bringing back the fan-favorite Astro Bot PS5 controller that sold out instantly last year.Sea of Remnants is another colorful pirate gameSea of Remnants - Announce Trailer | PS5 GamesWait a minute, another colorful and fun-looking ocean-based adventure game? That’s strange. But anyway, this third-person pirate game has a cool style and big bosses to fight. and ship gameplay. And mermaids. It arrives on PS5 in 2026. Sword of the Sea is coming to PS PlusSword of the Sea - Launch Date Announcement | PS5 GamesThe people behind Abzu and Pathless have a new game coming out, and it looks like you’ll be doing a lot of sick sword surfing. This launches on PS Plus on August 19. More games coming to PS Plus Classic CatalogDeus Ex’s PS2 port - Jun 17Twisted Metal 3 and Twisted Metal 4 - July 15Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 - Later this summer007 First Light reveals its new Bond“Bond is a bullet without a target. Let’s give him one.” This new trailer looks exciting as heck, but I’m really bummed by how boring the new Bond himself looks. This is out in 2026. Read more here. Ghost of Yotei will get its own digital eventSony is promising a big gamepaly deep dive for Sucker Punch’s upcoming samurai game. Expect to learn more in July. MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls | Announce TrailerWell, this is a wonderful surprise. Sony, Marvel, and Arc System Works (Guilty Gear, BlazBlue, Dragon Ball FighterZ) are teaming up to make a 2.5D Marvel Comics tag-team fighting game. And it looks sick as hell. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is coming out in 2026 on PS5 and PC. Here’s a separate video Sony posted about how the game came about and the work going into it: MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls | From Japan to the World

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Witcher 4 is still years away from release, but we now have a much better idea of what the open-world RPG will look like. CD Projekt Red showed off a gorgeous tech demo of The Witcher 4 during Epic Games’ State of Unreal key

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 456 for June 2.

After months of teasing the arrival of a certain human-reindeer hybrid in the next season of its live-action One Piece adaptation, Netflix has finally revealed its take on Tony Tony Chopper and the actress who will be bringing him to life. Today during this year’s Tudum event showcasing all of Netflix’s upcoming projects, the streamer announced that actress Mikaela Hoover (The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) has been cast a Tony Tony Chopper, One Piece‘s anthropomorphic reindeer who joins the Staw Hat Pirates on their search for the Grand Line. In addition to Cooper’s voice, a digital capture of her facial performance is being used to create the show’s CGI character. Iñaki Godoy (Monkey D. Luffy), Mackenyu (Zoro), Emily Rudd (Nami), Jacob Romero (Usopp), Taz Skylar (Sanji), Ilia Isorelys Paulino (Alvida), Jeff Ward (Buggy), and Michael Dorman (Gold Roger) are all returning in One Piece‘s second season. But the show is also set to introduce a number of new characters from the comics like Charithra Chandran as Miss Wednesday, Joe Manganiello as Mr. 0, Katey Sagal as Dr. Kureha, and Lera Abova as Miss All Sunday. Though Netflix has committed to quite a bit more One Piece, the second season doesn’t have a solid release date just yet. But the streamer plans for new episodes to debut some time in 2026.

Despite its appearance as just another arcady sandbox game, Deliver At All Costs is shockingly story-minded. So much so, that its constant focus on narrative might deter those just looking for some dumb fun. And after seeing the narrative through to the end, I wouldn’t blame them, given how hard the game tries to be a grand tapestry of storytelling excellence. The adventure is structured into three acts, each with a unique town to explore and complete missions in. One act even features a time skip accompanied by a moment of no return. So even if you just want to ignore story and focus on acing deliveries and causing mayhem in the streets, you still have to go through some cutscenes and narrative progression to unlock the next towns and side missions.   "The majority of the side content in Deliver At All Costs isn’t very enticing." Not that the side missions are worth doing anyway. The majority of side content in Deliver At All Costs isn’t very enticing. The rewards aren’t worth it and the fetch quest design doesn’t warrant the effort. I’d only recommend going out of your way for the side content if you’re already keen on exploring the various maps. The treasure chests and small boxes hidden throughout the game give cash that is used on materials for vehicle upgrades; however, a majority of upgrades can be purchased from the main story mission rewards anyway. I expected to have fun with the vehicle upgrades, but ended up sorely disappointed in their limited application. This is because upgrades cannot be used outside of curated story missions; bummer. Not that the crane attachment or extreme hauling capacity upgrade aren’t fun to play with; they are rather fun, but exclusively used for their particular missions. Again, if you’re expected a zany vehicular sandbox with a lot of options and unlockables, Deliver At All Costs isn’t that. The reason I keep associating the game with sandbox playability is due to its map design. It has an old-school 2D Grand Theft Auto style of isometric driving. In between story missions, you’re given the leisure to roam around town freely. All of your driving and running around is done through a top-down isometric camera angle that gives the environments a nice diorama look to them, and what’s more, you can move the camera between two different angles in case it’s difficult to see something. "Speaking of scenery, there’s a surprising amount of activity going on while you’re driving around delivering stuff." All the unique shops and landmarks of this diorama give off a classic vibe well. Oh, and the soundtrack fits the setting wonderfully. Lounge jazz and instrumental surfer rock accompany your deliveries, and it rarely gets repetitive. Tying it into GTA even more is the radio, with infrequent broadcasts that add flavor lore to the setting. Each town has multiple districts, each with their own theme, which helps vary up the scenery just that much more. Speaking of scenery, there’s a surprising amount of activity going on while you’re driving around delivering stuff. NPCs go about their business, birds glide across the sky, and plenty of vehicle traffic accompany the streets. In fact, there’s often a tad too much activity. Streets are so packed with cars and people that collisions are unavoidable. "NPCs roam the streets and become aggressive when threatened." I like how populated the game is, but it’s tuned a bit too high, getting in the way of enjoyability a lot of the time. Perhaps, it would have been better balanced to up the street traffic the further you get into the game, especially since the towns progress from rural to metropolitan through the course of the narrative. At the very least, there’s an attractive mini-map with well designed labels and indicators. Navigation is aided with helpful arrows showing the way to a mission destination too. But you aren’t merely delivering parcels to a destination in a given time limit; there’s a variety of ways the game mixes up its missions. Part of the game’s initial draw is its physics-based driving, which manifests in hilarious ways. One of the first missions tasks you with delivering a truck full of rotted watermelons. The first step is to bring them to a sanitizer, then you paint them so they look presentable, all while avoiding traffic and trying not to knock them over as they roll around in the back of the truck. It’s one of the enjoyable missions in the game, and one that demonstrates the physics gameplay best. I like how the missions get progressively more wacky and clever as you progress too. You even become a UFO hunter during one late-game job. It’s just too bad the very high traffic and wonky controls hamper the overall experience. "I like how the missions get progressively more wacky and clever as you progress." The driving controls are rather simple. Just aim in the direction you want to drive and hold the accelerate button. It’s the high sensitivity of the acceleration and the hard braking and turning that contribute to a somewhat frustrating experience. The high traffic just further compounds the controls to make for a somewhat clunky driving experience. Vehicles don’t differ in how they drive either, though you really only have the one truck for a large majority of the game anyway, so it doesn’t really make a difference. And the cars aren’t great to look at either. Heck, nothing looks particularly nice in the game, especially the characters. Facial animations are frankly bad and the bland art style doesn’t make up for the graphical shortcomings. What’s worse is there’s still some pretty substantial load times in-between regions, which hurts the flow of the open-world. But the element that gets hurt from graphics the most is the mixed story. It’s hard to take the drama seriously when its presented so poorly. There’s an attempt at cinematic camera angles during cutscenes, but textures are featureless and close-ups of people’s faces are serious PS1 quality stuff. Thankfully, a handful of characters are quite likable despite what their low poly models suggest. Winston’s delivery mates have surprising depth and a good amount of backstory. And Winston himself is a fully fledged personality and someone you can imagine working with. "Winston’s delivery mates have surprising depth and a good amount of backstory." Characters like Norman are instantly likeable while Winston’s arch-nemesis and hardline boss, Donovon, is perfectly punchable. I’m also impressed with a majority of the dialogue writing. Characters speak with a down-to-earth tone and level of informality that makes them realistic, even if they look like untextured Unity assets. Going back to where I started the review, the game goes surprisingly hard on the story axis, but it doesn’t fully land for me. The wacky yet earnest tone is great, but the execution of the plot doesn’t wrap up in a satisfying way. Winston’s mysterious past and the true motives of the delivery company’s executives had so much potential for an intriguing narrative thread. But alas, the finale just kinda falls flat without the payoff that the game was teasing. "The game goes surprisingly hard on the story front, but it didn’t fully land for me." As a whole, Delivery At All Costs delivers a zany and fun, though frustrating, isometric delivery experience with a story that tries a bit too hard. I can easily see this game being a cult classic, but for a majority of gamers, it won’t deliver a truly stunning experience. If you’re looking for a game with a wacky and inventive premise that experiments a bit, and don’t mind gameplay and graphics from three generations ago, give Deliver At All Costs a try and it might just deliver. This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Ever since Kingdom Hearts 4 was announced during the franchise's 20th anniversary celebration in 2022, fans have only been given pieces of the larger puzzle. With the latest screenshots teasing Mickey Mouse in action, it’s easy to imagine that the iconic mouse might be playable for at least one segment. Square Enix’s confirmation that development is still ongoing, paired with these visuals, has reignited interest in what the next chapter of the series could look like.

Sam Fisher has been away for too long (Ubisoft) Activity on Ubisoft’s social media channels points to a potential Splinter Cell announcement, but is it connected to the remake? It’s been four years since Ubisoft announced it was working on a remake of the first Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, and we’ve heard nothing substantial about it since. Aside from some early concept art, a report last year claimed that, despite fan fears, the project hadn’t been cancelled and that it could launch at some point in 2026. Despite years of silence from Ubisoft, it seems they might finally be gearing up to make an announcement regarding the franchise. Either that, or someone on the social media team is feeling particularly torturous towards its fans. In an X post on Friday, May 30, the official Ubisoft account shared a head shot of series protagonist Sam Fisher, with eye emojis and ‘#SplinterCell’ in the caption. Weirdly, the screenshot itself is from the sequel to Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, titled Pandora Tomorrow, which was released in 2004 on PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and PC. While many fans are hoping this is a tease for news about the remake at Summer Game Fest on Friday, June 6, or at the Xbox showcase two days later, there’s a chance it could be connected to something else entirely. On Saturday, May 31, Netflix is holding its annual Tudum event where it shares trailers and announcements about its upcoming release slate. You might have forgotten about it entirely, but Netflix is developing an animated TV series based on Splinter Cell, called Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, which is slated to be released in late 2025. More Trending There’s a chance Ubisoft is teasing an announcement regarding the latter, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see an update about the remake at some point soon. In fact, it makes sense to line up the animated series with the launch of a remake, but that depends on whether Ubisoft is feeling logical. One potential ding against the chances of an update at Summer Game Fest is the fact Ubisoft hasn’t been listed among the event’s partners so far. This in turn suggests the company is planning its own Ubisoft Forward presentation again, like it did in June last year, but there hasn’t been an official announcement yet. The last mainline instalment in the series was 2013’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, which continued the series’ action-orientated shift, following Splinter Cell: Conviction. Ubisoft was working on a VR spin-off, but that was was cancelled in 2022. Could we get an actual trailer soon? (Ubisoft) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

News Splinter Cell Remake Reveal Potentially Being Teased A prominent leaker has also claimed that the long-awaited remake is looking "genuinely impressive" behind-the-scenes. Posted By Shubhankar Parijat | On 31st, May. 2025 Since announcing in late 2021 that it was working on a full-blown ground-up remake of the original Splinter Cell using the Snowdrop Engine (on which the The Division series is also made), Ubisoft has kept awfully quiet about the game, though it seems as though that might change soon. Ubisoft itself seems to be teasing an announcement related to Splinter Cell at some point in the near future. Taking to Twitter, Ubisoft recently tweeted a picture of Sam Fisher, protagonist of the stealth espionage series, simply accompanying it with the #SplinterCell hashtag. With Summer Game Fest coming up on June 6, you can’t help but wonder if an announcement is not too far away. Meanwhile, prominent leaker Tom Henderson claims he has heard good things about the remake and how it is coming along. Taking to Twitter in the wake of Ubisoft’s aforementioned tweet, Henderson wrote that the remake “looks genuinely impressive.” Hopefully, that means the game is at a stage in production where Ubisoft is finally ready to show it off. Of course, for now, nothing is confirmed, so treat any rumours with the appropriate skepticism. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated in the coming days and weeks. Tagged With: Elden Ring: Nightreign Publisher:Bandai Namco Developer:FromSoftware Platforms:PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PCView More Borderlands 4 Publisher:2K Developer:Gearbox Entertainment Platforms:PS5, Xbox Series X, PCView More Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Publisher:Sony Developer:Kojima Productions Platforms:PS5View More Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out! Silent Hill 2 Remake PS5 Pro Fixes Are Still in the Works, Bloober Team Reiterates The developer says it and publisher Konami will share more details on the survival horror remake's PS5 Pro fix... Splinter Cell Remake Reveal Potentially Being Teased A prominent leaker has also claimed that the long-awaited remake is looking "genuinely impressive" behind-the-... EA Sports College Football 26 Gets Debut Trailer, More Details Revealed EA Sports College Football 26 will feature a number of enhancements, including core gameplay, and even the Wea... MultiVersus Has Been Delisted From All Storefronts, Servers Have Been Shut Down Those who managed to play MultiVersus between February and today will be able to continue playing the game off... The Witcher 3 is Getting One Last Patch This Year, Bringing Cross-Platform Mods to Consoles The studio revealed through an FAQ that, while PC players can continue to use Nexus Mods, console players will... Elden Ring Nightreign’s Patch 1.02 Arrives Next Week, Increases Runes Gained in Solo Expeditions Solo players in FromSoftware's latest will also automatically revive once after facing defeat during night bos... View More

In less than two weeks, on June 9, Apple will kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), in which it will showcase the next versions of the operating systems that power its myriad devices. The centerpiece of that event will be iOS 26, the soon-to-be renumbered operating system that powers the company’s flagship product, the iPhone. Yet, despite artificial intelligence being all the rage in the tech industry right now, reports say that with iOS 26 (formerly referred to as iOS 19—see below), Apple will promote something visual instead of artificial. While some new AI features may be baked into the newly renumbered OS, the key feature of iOS 26 will be its complete visual redesign. In other words, your iPhone’s software is about to look strikingly different. Here’s how. Welcome to the solarium—and iOS 26 Two big changes are coming to the next iOS. The first is a naming rebrand. Historically, iOS versions were numbered sequentially, starting with “iPhone OS 1” for the original iPhone in 2007. With the iPhone’s 2010 operating system—its fourth version—Apple shortened the name to “iOS 4.” However, Bloomberg reports that starting with the new iOS Apple will debut on June 9, the company will drop the sequential numbering of the operating system, and go with the year it will spill over into, just like carmakers do with vehicles. So, despite being the 19th version, the upcoming iOS will no longer be called “iOS 19” and will instead be called “iOS 26.” This change will be carried over to the numbering system on all of Apple’s other operating systems, too, and is reportedly being done to provide a more uniform numbering scheme for its various software products (currently numbered macOS 16, iPadOS 18, and visionOS 2, etc), and make it easier for consumers to identify if they are running the latest device software. However, the rebranded iOS naming scheme is a relatively minor change compared to what else Apple has in store for iOS 19—sorry, iOS 26. That change is a radical visual redesign of the operating system. Most of what is currently known about iOS 26’s visual overhaul comes from two sources: Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and Jon Prosser, host of the Front Page Tech YouTube channel. Both have reported on iOS 26’s major redesign, and their reports largely align, suggesting that they are, at least in part, accurate. So what will iOS 26 look like? Its internal codename—something Apple assigns to every software product in development—gives us a big clue. That name is “solarium,” Bloomberg reported. If you’re wondering what a solarium is, know that you’ve probably stood in one if you’ve ever been to an interior garden. It’s a room fitted with glass walls and ceilings, designed to let as much sunlight as possible filter in. Apple presumably chose the “solarium” codename for iOS 26 because the entire operating system will have a glass-like appearance. By “glass-like,” think of an operating system with elements like menus and toolbars that are partially transparent—you can see through them, and the colors and shapes of content behind them will show through, just like light shows through a solarium’s glass walls. If this sounds vaguely familiar to you, it’s because Apple has actually used similar transparency in one of its operating systems before—visionOS, the software that powers the Apple Vision Pro. Indeed, reports suggest that iOS 19’s design is inspired by visionOS. But visionOS powers a spatial computing device—one that melds the physical world with the digital. That 3D interface relies heavily on digital drop shadows and other visual tricks to re-create the feeling of physical depth. However, an iPhone’s operating system runs on a 2D screen, so don’t expect iOS 26 to feature heavy digital dropshadows.  If you want to see how Apple will handle transparent elements on a 2D device, you don’t have to wait until June 9. Instead, simply check out Apple’s new Invites app, which it launched in February. You can see a screenshot of it above. See how different the UI looks in the app from the UI of iOS 18 currently? Those glassy panes in the app give the best visual hint of what to expect system-wide in iOS 26. Another reported feature of the redesign is reflective buttons and other elements that shimmer when you move your phone. This shimmering isn’t caused by real light hitting your iPhone’s screen. Rather, the software can tell, thanks to your iPhone’s gyroscope, when the device is moving and tilting in your hand, and will thus generate a reflective light effect across buttons to give the translucent objects more depth and form. It will probably be very similar to how the home screen icons in tvOS, the operating system that powers the Apple TV, appear to shimmer when you gently swipe them with your thumb using the Siri Remote’s touchpad. iOS 26 is also expected to gain other major visual changes, including floating pill-shaped toolbars (replacing the fixed toolbars used at the bottom of iPhone apps now), thinner buttons, a glass-like keyboard, and potentially even rounder app icons. What’s behind the iOS 26 visual shakeup? Those who have reportedly seen builds of iOS 26 say the redesign that Apple is set to unveil in less than two weeks represents the most significant visual overhaul to the iPhone’s operating system since iOS 7 in 2013—a design that has largely persisted through and to the current iOS 18. Indeed, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has called the redesign transformative, stating that it is “one of the most dramatic software overhauls in the company’s history” while noting that it “will fundamentally change” the look of iOS. But here’s one thing about change: most people hate it—or are at least apprehensive about it. And Apple has a lot of people to contend with. It has more than two billion active devices around the world, used by hundreds of millions of users, and the switch isn’t coming to just the iPhone’s operating system, but to the operating systems of all of Apple’s devices this fall, including the iPad’s iPadOS, the Mac’s macOS, the Apple Watch’s watchOS, the Apple TV’s tvOS, and the Vision Pro’s visionOS (all renumbered to “26,” too). But Apple reportedly feels it needs to deliver something this year with iOS and its other operating systems that is, quite literally, eye-catching. It needs something special to help reinvigorate device sales, particularly after the flagship feature of iOS 18, Apple Intelligence, has largely been met with indifference by the average consumer and disappointment by AI aficionados. In January, respected TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that there was no evidence to suggest that Apple Intelligence was driving hardware upgrade cycles among consumers. In Apple’s most recent financial report, from its second quarter, iPhone revenue rose about 2% from the same period a year earlier, to $46.8 billion, but that growth may have been driven by U.S. consumers snapping up the device before Trump’s tariffs make iPhones more costly, notes Sherwood. Putting a new digital coat of paint on iOS 26 and the company’s other new operating systems is an easy way to make its devices feel fresh again—and, if done right, it can go a long way to actually making the ever-increasingly complicated operating systems more straightforward to use and easier to navigate. By incorporating the same design language used in iOS 26 into its other products, the redesigned interface may make users feel more familiar with Apple’s other devices, which could help spur sales of Macs or Apple TVs to people who currently only own iPhones. The iOS 26 redesign may also help distract from the fact that Apple isn’t expected to make any significant announcements regarding its AI platform, Apple Intelligence, at WWDC. Despite the early reports about iOS 26’s visual changes, we won’t know anything for sure until Apple unveils a preview of the upcoming operating system at WWDC on June 9. Speaking of that event: Apple’s logo for WWDC25 may be teasing the iOS 26 redesign in plain sight. If you check out the animated logo here, you’ll notice that the ends of the transparent, glass-like rainbow seem to show colored light reflecting through its surface—just like you’d see at a solarium.

Since announcing in late 2021 that it was working on a full-blown ground-up remake of the original Splinter Cell using the Snowdrop Engine (on which the The Division series is also made), Ubisoft has kept awfully quiet about the game, though it seems as though that might change soon. Ubisoft itself seems to be teasing an announcement related to Splinter Cell at some point in the near future. Taking to Twitter, Ubisoft recently tweeted a picture of Sam Fisher, protagonist of the stealth espionage series, simply accompanying it with the #SplinterCell hashtag. With Summer Game Fest coming up on June 6, you can’t help but wonder if an announcement is not too far away. Meanwhile, prominent leaker Tom Henderson claims he has heard good things about the remake and how it is coming along. Taking to Twitter in the wake of Ubisoft’s aforementioned tweet, Henderson wrote that the remake “looks genuinely impressive.” Hopefully, that means the game is at a stage in production where Ubisoft is finally ready to show it off. Of course, for now, nothing is confirmed, so treat any rumours with the appropriate skepticism. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated in the coming days and weeks.