34 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Jay Peters

Jay Peters

Senior Reporter

Senior Reporter

    More From Jay Peters

    Jay Peters
    Jay Peters
    Valve says games like Vampire Survivors fall under the “Bullet Heaven” genre.

    As one of many updates to Steam store tags, Valve has added “Bullet Heaven,” which it defines as: “The opposite of Bullet Hell; Focus on upgrades while automatically attacking hordes of enemies”.

    I’m fine with it, but Aftermath has a great argument about why it doesn’t work. What do you think?

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    Jay Peters
    Jay Peters
    This week in the big AI data center buildout.

    AI data center projects are continuing to pop up across the US, with frequent opposition from locals concerned about their impact. Here are a few recent articles about the projects:

    Update: Added NYT article about NextEra’s proposed deal to acquire Dominion Energy.

    Jay Peters
    Jay Peters
    Embracer is spinning out Fellowship Entertainment.

    Fellowship Entertainment has rights for brands like The Lord of the Rings and Tomb Raider, and Embracer believes the spun-out company will “thrive the most by becoming its own standalone business.” It’s Embracer’s latest big shift, of which it has had a few in recent years.

    Jay Peters
    Jay Peters
    Ubisoft is working on more Far Cry.

    It’s been a long time since Far Cry 6 released in 2021, but Ubisoft says it expects new releases in the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Ghost Recon franchises in its 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 fiscal years. Still, that could mean a new Far Cry game is still a ways out —the company only just started its 2026-2027 fiscal year in April.

    Jay Peters
    Jay Peters
    There’s a new Lord of the Rings game in the works from the developers of Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

    Warhorse Studios is developing an “open-world Middle-Earth RPG” and a “new Kingdom Come adventure” The company says it will share more about both when “the time is right.”

    A promotional image for Warhorse Studios about its new games. The text reads: “a new Kingdom Come adventure” and “an open world Middle-earth RPG”.
    Image: Warhorse Studios
    Jay Peters
    Jay Peters
    You can now print your Cairn ascent on a T-shirt.

    It’s another way to remember your journey in what’s already a very memorable game.

    Jay Peters
    Jay Peters
    A game studio promoting an AI video contest is canceling the competition.

    From Recreate Games, which was working on the contest for its multiplayer party game Party Animals:

    Even though our original intention was to encourage more diverse forms of creative expression and lower the barrier to entry, allowing more players who love Party Animals to participate, we mistakenly tied “lowering the barrier” together with “using AI.” In doing so, we overlooked the potential offense and harm that the ongoing debate surrounding AI-generated content could cause to our players and the creator community.

    Jay Peters
    Jay Peters
    Google is launching an Android version of its AI Studio vibe coding tool.

    The app, which you can pre-register for on Google Play, will let you use AI and prompts to starting building other apps.

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    A screenshot from the Google Play listing for the AI Studio app.
    Image: Google
    Jay Peters
    Jay Peters
    Xbox is launching a new “goal post”-shaped adaptive thumbstick topper.

    The new shape will be available via the Xbox design lab’s 3D printable configurator page, where you can also check out other accessibility-focused joystick toppers, starting May 21st.

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