In June, Sony informed Hideo Kojima via a Zoom call that it would cease funding the PlayStation‑exclusive title Physint, a spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid. Kojima, accompanied by Kojima Productions president Shinji Hirano and talent‑development head Aki Saito, said the announcement left him stunned and raised immediate concerns about cash flow, staff retention, and pending loans tied to the studio’s recent projects. Facing the loss of one of only two active contracts—Physint and the Xbox‑bound game OD—Kojima feared a [...]

Konami announced a free demo for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, launching on October 1 to kick off the Halloween season. The demo, developed by Evil Empire—the studio behind Dead Cells support and The Rogue Prince of Persia—covers the game’s opening chapter and allows players to transfer their save data to the full release, provided they purchase the game on the same platform. The full title is slated for release on October 15 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch, [...]

Insomniac Games’ community director James Stevenson denied that any generative‑AI assets appear in Marvel’s upcoming Wolverine title after fans circulated screenshots of a malformed restroom sign. Stevenson labeled the odd icon a “UV map bug” and promised a fix, emphasizing that the game contains no AI‑generated content. He also addressed unrelated launch problems, noting crashes linked to the game’s Scent Trailers and Audio Sense systems and assuring players that further testing is required before additional patches are [...]

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will bring back the series’ controversial Moogles in a new role. Director Naoki Hamaguchi told Anime News Network that the unpopular Moogle mini‑game from Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth – in which Cloud collects oddly proportioned Moogles while avoiding obstacles – is being reworked for the trilogy’s final chapter. The creatures have abandoned their merchant duties and are forming a pop‑idol group, a concept Hamaguchi hopes will make the segment more accessible and appealing. [...]

Bruce Straley, co‑director of The Last of Us, issued a public apology to Sony Santa Monica’s God of War Laufey team after stating in Edge’s “The game industry is broken” cover story that he was “not excited” by the upcoming title’s gameplay. In the interview, Straley lamented the lack of innovation in modern triple‑A games, claiming the genre has become “boring” and that his own ideas for a new AAA experience are unlikely to materialise. He praised Laufey’s visual [...]

Pocketpair’s head of communications, John “Bucky” Buckley, revealed that the game’s unexpected mascot, Cattiva, was originally anticipated to fade into the background. Cattiva, a pink feline with a sly grin, has become a prominent face of Palworld, especially in China, alongside Chillet. Buckley also noted that other early Pals, such as Lamball and Chikipi, received mixed reactions, while the snail-like Snock surprised developers with its popularity. The discussion highlights how player reception can reshape a game’s character [...]

IGN opinion writer Mat Jones critiques the backlash against experience‑altering mods for the newly released game The Blood of Dawnwalker. He notes that headlines have framed the game’s 30‑day timer, which pressures players to rescue the protagonist’s family, as essential to its design, and that modders who extend this clock are portrayed as “irresponsible.” Jones points out that the developers themselves are indifferent to preserving the timer and could remove it in a sequel without changing the [...]