Gaming

Following Rockstar’s firing of more than 30 developers last year in a move accused of being “union busting”, developers at the studio have formed the Rockstar Game Workers Union. According to Game Developer:

The proposed deal, in which Playstack would be owned by a subsidiary of Integrated Media Company (IMC), was reported on by Game Developer. IMC also owns brands like Fandom, Screen Junkies, and TV Guide.

Microsoft is testing a feature for the Xbox Accessories app that shows an image of the type of controller that you’re using in the UI.

Matt Booty, Xbox’s chief content officer, shared the update on a new episode of the Official Xbox Podcast. Microsoft is using today to set some expectations ahead of the showcase, which takes place on June 7th at 1PM ET; the company also delayed Fable to February 2027.

Following an Asteroids-themed watch in early 2025, Atari has once again collaborated with Nubeo on a new mechanical timepiece now featuring the Missile Command battlefield recreated on its face in all its pixelated glory. It’s available now for $500 and limited to 100 pieces for each of its four color variants.

Today’s Thinky Direct 2026 featured more than 40 trailers and announcements about upcoming games featuring puzzles and problem solving. Not a bad way to kick off the upcoming run of big gaming events.

The vehicle physics simulator arrived on PC more than 10 years ago, and now it’s coming to the PlayStation 5. It’s a great game if you just want to drive around and smash into things, but it also has an extensive car customization system, time trials, and different scenarios to complete, like deliveries.

Season two of Marathon’s live service rollout happens on Tuesday, June 2nd. When it drops, players on all platforms (Xbox, PlayStation 5, Steam) can play the full game for free through June 9th, with progress carrying over if you buy the game. Bungie confirmed a discount is coming, too, so stay tuned.

The banger made a cameo in Donkey Kong Bananza, but next week you’ll be able to enjoy the original DK Rap when Donkey Kong 64 comes to the Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics collection. However, because it’s an N64 title, you’ll need a pricier Expansion Pack subscription to play.

We already knew that the RAM crisis would affect pricing for Valve’s upcoming Steam Machine console, but several hundred dollar price hikes for the Steam Deck don’t give us much hope for affordability.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, SK Hynix and Micron both passed the milestone this week. The spike in value for the world’s three largest DRAM manufacturers follows a months-long global memory shortage, driven by demand from AI data centers, that’s causing prices to skyrocket on everything from phones to game consoles.

Over the last few months, I’ve written stories with the headlines “Waiting to buy a game console will cost you,” “Everything about buying video games is getting more confusing and expensive,” and “The future of game consoles is looking bleak.” And the costs just keep going up: the Steam Deck is now $200 more expensive. Whew!

During a brief presentation, Square Enix showed a first look at the long-in-the-works RPG, but also revealed that they had to “restart” development, so it’s going to be even longer before launch. It currently doesn’t have a release date. But hey: a new DQ Monsters is on the way.

It’s also one of the better intros to any James Bond film. The opening sequence in 007 First Light feels like it belongs in the official Bond catalog, with an original song written and composed by Lana Del Rey and David Arnold. Hell, I’d even place it as a top-10 Bond theme song. The game is out May 27th.

The company pulled the plug on multiplayer for Destruction AllStars, a game about smashing cars that launched in February 2021, due to “ongoing technical issues.” Destruction AllStars was also delisted from the PlayStation Store earlier on Tuesday.

This 3.5-hour GamersNexus video makes me wonder. We knew tariffs, RAM prices, and oil prices were scaring buyers away, but it’s something different to watch a Cooler Master guy, standing in a warehouse full of unsold PC cases, dish for 30 minutes straight — or see how Thermal Grizzly’s thermal paste sales have cratered.

MLB The Show Mobile, a mobile version of Sony’s baseball franchise, has officially been released worldwide (except in Japan) on iOS and Android. In the game, you put make a team from player cards (“including current stars and all-time greats”) and then use that deck in solo and multiplayer modes.

First announced in 2012 and with no release date so far, Star Citizen has now collected over $1 billion in crowdfunding. That’s the kind of growth model we can build an economy around.

As long as you don’t expect it to do anything more than just store a stack of UMDs you won’t be disappointed by Zara’s new $35.90 PSP crossbody bag that features a silicone recreation of Sony’s handheld on the front and a matching Playstation-themed shoulder strap.

Blockbuster games getting leaked early is becoming the norm, and the upcoming Bond prequel 007: First Light is no exception. But the developers at IO Interactive have decided to roll with it by releasing footage of the first 13 minutes of the game ahead of launch on May 27th.