Helldivers 2 player numbers are looking pretty healthy following the release of its latest update, Heart of Democracy, reaching peaks the game hasn't seen since its initial post-release rush. Despite a rocky first year of release, the higher player numbers show Arrowhead's efforts to turn the game around are working.Helldivers 2's creative director Johan Pilestedt posted a screenshot to X showing almost 198,000 concurrent players online, calling it potentially "the largest simultaneous return of players for Helldivers," adding that the "team did a MEGA job on the update!" He later added that there are "around 2.5 million Helldivers playing the game every week," and anticipated seeing more players join following the most recent update. Since then, Arrowhead Game Studios has worked hard to improve the game and regain player trust, with CEO Shams Jorjani acknowledging how the swing from "it's so over" to "we're so back" had become a meme among the game's fanbase. In less than a year, Helldivers 2 managed to recover from review bombing to return to a "very positive" review rating on Steam, and now that is starting to be reflected in the game's player numbers.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The next Battlefield game is currently in development, having undergone very limited playtesting so far. Developer DICE has now announced an invite-only pre-alpha test which begins on May 23 and lasts for just 72 hours.In a post on the BattlefieldComm X page, the developer writes, "As part of our ongoing efforts to test the future of Battlefield, starting May 23, we will run a one-time 72-hour Pre-Alpha Server Performance Test in Europe, North America, and select areas of Asia."The developer explains the playtest's purpose is to "verify server performance and stability with increased player counts" during the weekend's testing period. There will be a "select group" of maps and modes available to play.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The second series of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us has been critically acclaimed since it debuted on HBO Max earlier this year, and with the TV adaptation earning rave reviews, fans are wondering if this could result in a third game being made. The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann says that he'd be keen to revisit the post-apocalyptic series, provided that certain conditions are met.One of the primary requirements for Druckmann is that he'd want the threequel to have a story that's "worthy" of being set in The Last of Us series. The creator says that he aims for quality over quantity, an artistic vision that has extended to other projects he has worked on."While I am the caretaker of this franchise, whatever the title is that Sony has entrusted me with, it's important for me that everything is of high quality. I don't want to just make a lot of it. I want to just be very thoughtful about everything that we make," Druckmann said in an interview with Sacred Symbols.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Bethesda has announced that Doom: The Dark Ages has become developer id Software's "biggest launch" in the company's 34-year history dating back to 1991.The game reached 3 million players, and did so seven times faster than Doom Eternal. Bethesda did not share any sales numbers, however, nor do we know how much was spent on development, marketing, and other expenses. Developers are known to closely guard these kinds of details, which makes it challenging to unpack the overall success of a given game.Another key thing to consider here is that Doom: The Dark Ages launched on Game Pass, whereas the previous games in the trilogy, Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal (2020) did not. According to Ampere Analysis, of the 3 million total players for Doom: The Dark Ages, 2 million came from Game Pass.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Last of Us Season 2 is coming to a close with the season finale this Sunday, May 25, but the show is already renewed for a third season and the team wants a fourth. Kaitlyn Dever's character, Abby, appeared at the beginning of Season 2 but hasn't been a focus after certain dramatic events unfolded. Anyone who wants more Abby will get more Abby in Season 3.Catherine O'Hara, who plays Gail on The Last of Us, told Variety that Season 3 is "the Abby story," so fans can expect to see more of her in the next run of episodes. That makes sense, of course, given that the show adapts the events of The Last of Us: Part II, chronicling Ellie's mission to hunt down Abby.Gail, however, is not coming back in Season 3. She said showrunner Craig Mazin informed her that Gail is "definitely" not going to be in Season 3, but that she might return later on. O'Hara said she imagines that the writers invented her character to "serve Joel and Ellie" in Season 2, and now that's run its course.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Cyberpunk 2077 will celebrate its fifth anniversary later this year, and the currently untitled sequel may still be years away. While fans will eventually get to revisit Night City, Mike Pondsmith--the creator of the Cyberpunk franchise--has hinted that the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel will include a second city.Pondsmith appeared at Digital Dragons 2025 (Via VGC) and indicated that he's not heavily involved with the Cyberpunk 2077 follow-up. But he has been shown the scripts and he's been kept in the loop about some fresh additions to the game's universe, including a new city."I spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment guys, and he was explaining how the new place… because there's another city that we visit," said Pondsmith. "And I'm not telling you anymore than that. But there's another city that we visit. Night City is still there."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Microsoft has announced the next Xbox game headed to PlayStation, and it's Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. The game will come to PS5 at some point this summer.Microsoft said the game will be optimized for PS5 and PS5 Pro, while a free update for all systems (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC) will arrive alongside the game's PS5 debut, adding new features. Developer Ninja Theory didn't say what these new features are, however.The original Hellblade game launched on PS4 in 2017, and it was exclusive on console to Sony's system until it came to Xbox in 2018 and then Switch in 2019.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Borderlands series' iconic cel-shaded visual style is one of its defining characteristics, perfectly matching the goofy humor and absurd violence the games are known for. The upcoming Borderlands 4 will introduce fans to an all-new side of this stylish sci-fi universe with its own unique locations, weapons, and characters. If you're eager to see how the visuals of the fourth entry evolved during development, you'll want to check out the upcoming The Art of Borderlands 4, releasing September 30. Preorders for the 224-page hardcover book are available for $54.41 at Amazon.The Art of Borderlands 4 is just one of many Borderlands books that are available now or up for preorder. Here's a quick look at all of the Borderlands books you can buy or preorder now. Below the list, you can take an in-depth look at the upcoming Borderlands 4 art book, the new graphic novel, a prose novel by the writer behind Borderlands 2, and more. Borderlands 4 launches on PC and consoles on September 23, and while the game is not yet available to preorder, these new books and graphic novels should keep fans busy in the meantime.Borderlands booksArtbooks and coloring booksThe Art of Borderlands 4 -- $54.41 ($55) | Releases September 30The Art of Borderlands 3 -- $23 ($45)The Worlds of Borderlands -- $20 ($30)Borderlands: The Official Coloring Book -- $15 | Releases September 9The Art of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands -- $28 ($50)Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: A Bunkers & Badasses Coloring Adventure -- $12.60 ($15)Novels and comicsBorderlands: Moxxi's Mysterious Memento (Graphic Novel) -- $20 | Releases September 2Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: Land of the Giants (Graphic Novel) -- $18.59 ($20)Borderlands: Debt or Alive (Paperback) -- $16 ($17)Borderlands: The Fallen (Book 1) Paperback -- $17.49 ($22)Borderlands: Unconquered (Book 2) Kindle -- $3Boderlands Gunsight (Book 3) Paperback -- $15 ($20)CookbookEat the Borderlands: One Loader Bot's Culinary Tour Through Pandora and Beyond! -- $28 ($30) | Releases July 29 The Art of Borderlands 4 $54.41 | Releases September 30 The Art of Borderlands 4 is an oversized vault of concept art, illustrations, and development materials alongside commentary from the creative team on the design of the game's new Vault Hunters, weapons, and locations. Preorders are available at Amazon.In case you have a Borderlands-shaped gap in your collection, you can also check out the previously released Borderlands art books that are still in print.Borderlands art booksThe Art of Borderlands 3 (hardcover) -- $23 ($45)The Art of Borderlands 4 (hardcover) -- $54.41 | Releases September 30The World of Borderlands (hardcover) -- $20 ($30)The Art of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (hardcover) -- $28 ($50) Preorder The Art of Borderlands 4 at Amazon Borderlands: Moxxi's Mysterious Memento at Amazon $20 | Releases September 2 If you're looking for more reading material celebrating Borderlands' visual style and want to read a good story at the same time, fans can preorder an official new Borderlands graphic novel, Borderlands: Moxxi's Mysterious Memento, for $20 at Amazon ahead of its September 2 release date. The 96-page graphic novel follows Siren Amara on a mission for Mad Moxxi.Previously released Borderlands graphic novel adventures are a little harder to come by, but you can pick up a graphic novel based on the Borderlands spin-off, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. Like the video game it's based on, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: Land of the Giants is framed as a fictional fantasy tabletop roleplaying game DMed by Borderlands character Tiny Tina.Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: Land of the Giants -- $18.59 ($20) Preorder Borderlands: Moxxi's Mysterious Memento at Amazon Eat the Borderlands: One Loader Bot's Culinary Tour Through Pandora and Beyond $28 (was $30) | Releases July 29 These artbooks and graphic novels aren't the only new Borderlands books coming soon. Fans can also preorder an official Borderlands cookbook, Eat the Borderlands: One Loader Bot's Culinary Tour Through Pandora and Beyond. Similar to other video game cookbooks, Eat the Borderlands is full of recipes inspired by Borderlands characters like Tiny Tina, Moxxi, Claptrap, and Handsome Jack, and accompanied by full-color photography. It launches July 29. Preorder Eat the Borderlands at Amazon Borderlands coloring books If you're looking to put your own colorful spin on Borderlands, there are official coloring books available. These give you all of the illustrations and plenty of space to put your own vibrant stamp on them, and there's even an official Tiny Tina's Wonderlands coloring book for anyone wanting to bring a fantasy realm to life.Borderlands: The Official Coloring Book -- $15 | Releases September 9Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: A Bunkers and Badasses Coloring Adventure -- $12.60 ($15) Borderlands: The Official Coloring Book Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: A Bunkers and Badasses Coloring Adventure Borderlands: Debt or Alive $16 (was $17) While most of the stuff listed above won't be out for a short while, you can grab some other Borderlands books right now. Last year saw the release of the novel Borderlands: Debt or Alive, a new adventure starring Tales From the Borderlands' Fiona and Sasha. What makes this one notable is that it's written by Anthony Burch, the writer behind Borderlands 2. The first Borderlands sequel is still a beloved game in the series, and its storyline is widely regarded to be the best.You can also check out three books that were released shortly after Borderlands 2 launched. This three-book series focused on three of the Vault Hunters from the first Borderlands sequel--Roland, Brick, and Mordecai--and the adventures they got up to on the planet of Pandora.Borderlands: The Fallen -- $17.49 ($22)Borderlands: Unconquered (Kindle edition) -- $3.44Borderlands: Gunsight -- $15 ($20) Borderlands: Debt or Alive Novel The World of Borderlands $20 (was $30) The World of Borderlands is the go-to guide for anyone planning to visit Pandora. Inside this 208-page tome you'll find a comprehensive guide on everything you have to watch out for on that alien planet, like bloodthirsty beasts, rampaging bandits, and worst of all, out-of-control corporations. See at Amazon Even more Borderlands books Here's a quick look at all of the Borderlands books you can buy or preorder now. Below the list, you can take an in-depth look at the upcoming Borderlands 4 art book, the new graphic novel, a prose novel by the writer behind Borderlands 2, and more.The Art of Borderlands 4 -- $54.41 ($55) | Releases September 30Borderlands: Moxxi's Mysterious Memento -- $20 | Releases September 2Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: Land of the Giants -- $18.59 ($20)The Worlds of Borderlands -- $20 ($30)The Art of Borderlands 3 -- $23 ($45)The Art of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands -- $28 ($50)Borderlands: The Official Coloring Book -- $15 | Releases September 9Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: A Bunkers & Badasses Coloring Adventure -- $12.60 ($15)Borderlands: Debt or Alive -- $16 ($17)Eat the Borderlands: One Loader Bot's Culinary Tour Through Pandora and Beyond -- $28 ($30) | Releases July 29Borderlands: The Fallen -- $17.49 ($22)Borderlands: Unconquered (Kindle edition) -- $3.44Borderlands: Gunsight -- $15 ($20) Update Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Nintendo's Pikmin series might not be as well-known as Mario or Zelda, but that hasn't stopped Shigeru Miyamoto from wanting to bring the sprite-sized characters to the big screen. While Miyamoto did work on some Pikmin shorts a decade ago, he wants to try his hand at a feature-length movie or even a television series.In a recent interview with IGN, Miyamoto discussed the collaboration process with Universal for the Super Nintendo World expansion as part of Epic Universe. The park has many details, such as Pikmin hidden all around, which the iconic game director wants to make as notable as his other creations, especially if that involves adapting it into other media."I spent a lot of time the past five, six years really wanting to grow Pikmin. Obviously, a lot of that is focused around Pikmin Bloom, and there was also new Pikmin titles that released. But I wanted to see if there's other ways that we can have people engage and get to know Pikmin that's outside of the population that plays video games, for example," he said.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Lego Classic Creative Brick Boxes Save up to 50% on tubs of Lego bricks. See at Amazon Lego Classic brick boxes are on sale for up to 50% off at Amazon and Walmart. These back-to-basics tubs of Lego bricks are great for young builders who are just getting into the hobby as well as experienced enthusiasts who regularly piece together custom creations. The three most popular Lego Classic brick boxes--Large, Medium, and Creative Suitcase--come with plastic storage tubs.Each Lego Classic Creative building set includes a booklet of build ideas. But if you're looking for additional projects, The Lego Ideas Book and 365 Things to Do with Lego Bricks are great resources for young builders. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Nintendo has revealed why it decided to name the latest game in the Mario Kart series Mario Kart World rather than Mario Kart 9.This was revealed in a lengthy new Ask the Developer interview with Mario Kart World's development team, which reveals a ton of details. In it, the team is directly asked why Mario Kart World was chosen as a title over Mario Kart 9, and producer Kosuke Yabuki gave a very understandable response."If the idea had just been to add more courses, then I think we would’ve called it Mario Kart 9," Yabuki explained. "But, that wasn't our approach this time. We wanted to take the series to the next level. So, we decided to drop the numbering this time and go with a completely new title, Mario Kart World. So, we'd already added "Mario Kart World" to the concept art from the early stages of development."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Pokemon Trading Card Game continues to grow, with Scarlet & Violet: Destined Rivals releasing on May 30. The expansion focuses on Team Rocket, and you’ll have over 240 new cards to collect. Preorders are just as hot as expected--in fact, some products are already going out of stock at select retailers. To help you navigate the chaos, we’ve pulled together all the best places to buy the Destined Rivals expansion. If one of your favorites is out of stock, consider checking in at a later date to see if inventory has been replenished.Note: GameStop has issued a purchase limit of 1 unit per SKU each. Sleeved boosters are limited to 5 per customer. This means you might have a better chance of finding the cards in stock at the retailer. Some other retailers are restricting purchases to only shoppers with an online account to dissuade resellers.Pokemon TCG Scarlet & Violet: Destined RivalsSee at AmazonSee at WalmartSee at Best BuySee at GameStop Pokemon TCG: Destined Rivals Booster Bundle $60 | Releases May 30 This Booster Bundle includes 6 Destined Rivals booster packs, each containing 10 cards and 1 Basic Energy. Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart Preorder at Best Buy Pokemon TCG: Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box $50 | Releases May 30 The premium Elite Trainers Box includes:9 Pokemon TCG: Destined Rivals booster packs1 full-art foil promo card (Team Rocket’s Wobbuffe)65 card sleeves45 Energy CardsPlayer’s Guide to the expansion6 damage-counter dice1 competition legal coin-flip die2 plastic condition markersCollector’s box + 4 dividersCode for Pokemon TCG Live Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart Preorder at Best Buy Pokemon TCG: Destined Rivals Booster Box (36 Packs) $161 | Releases May 30 This booster box comes with 36 Pokemon TCG: Destined Rivals booster packs. Like the other booster packs, each one gets you 10 cards and a Basic Energy. Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart Preorder at Best Buy Pokemon TCG: Destined Rivals Build & Battle Box $85 | Releases May 30 Includes:Premade 40-card deck that’s ready to play right out of the boxA unique foil promo card4 Pokemon TCG: Destined Rivals booster packs Preorder at Amazon Pokemon TCG: Destined Rivals Blister Pack (random selection) $14 | Releases May 30 Each blister pack includes:A unique foil promo card.3 booster packs, each with 10 cards and a Basic Energy. There are multiple versions available featuring different promo cards, and which pack you get is selected at random. Preorder at Walmart Preorder at Best Buy Preorder at GameStop Pokemon TCG: Destined Rivals Sleeved Booster $4.49 | Releases May 30 Each booster pack contains 10 cards and 1 Basic Energy. Preorder at Best Buy Preorder at GameStop Ultra Pro Pokemon TCG Pocket Portfolio Release May 30 Store your cards in style with these relatively affordable portfolios. One is large enough for 80 cards, the other 180. The 40-card portfolio features colorful artwork of Gold & Ho-oh on the front, Cynthia and Garchomp on the back. The 80-card portfolio features Team Rocket. Preorder 80-Card Portfolio Preorder 180-Card Portfolio More Gaming, Tech, and Entertainment Deals & Preorders Highly Limited Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary 4K Blu-Ray In Stock At Amazon Lego Monkey Palace Board Game Is Over 50% Off At Amazon Right Now 8BitDo Reveals Leverless Arcade Controllers For PC, Switch, And Xbox + Show More More Gaming, Tech, and Entertainment Deals & Preorders Links (5) Locke & Key Keyhouse Comic Compendium Gets Massive Limited-Time Discount Lego's Awesome New Mario Kart Display Set Is Available Now First Book In Joe Abercrombie's New Fantasy Series Is Finally Here Amazon Restocks Lego Transformers Optimus Prime, Offers Big Discount PSA: Lego Bowser's Muscle Car Is Retiring - Save Big On 3 Mario Sets Before They're Gone Info from Gamespot.com

After Mario Kart 8 Deluxe introduced The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing characters to the series, people were curious where Mario Kart World would turn next for new racers. It's highly doubtful anyone predicted Cow from Mario Kart 64's Moo Moo Farm course. But Nintendo has revealed how a drawing--seen below--of the character driving a truck was the impetus for including the bovine.In a new Ask the Developer interview, Mario Kart World art director Masaaki Ishikawa discussed the origins of Cow as a playable character. "Each new Mario Kart game features new characters to race with, but since we added so many to the previous game, we wondered where we could go from there," Ishikawa said. "And then one of the designers came up with that silly sketch of Cow cruising along, and I thought to myself, "This is it!" (Laughs) So that's when we realized the course surroundings actually contained a lot of untapped resources."This sketch of Cow driving a truck led to the character becoming playable in Mario Kart World, according to Nintendo.Ishikawa added that Cow's inclusion then led to "Cheep Cheep and Pokey as racers." Additionally, Mario Kart World producer Kosuke Yabuki noted Cow also inspired "obstacle characters like Camel and Giraffe." As such, "Cow is actually a pivotal character in the Mario Kart series (laughs)," Ishikawa said.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Donkey Kong recently received a redesign across Nintendo's games and merchandise, and in a new interview, Mario and Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto explained the logic behind updating the iconic Nintendo character.Speaking with IGN, Miyamoto said he still plays a role in managing and creating Nintendo's iconic characters. He said the team recently went back to the Rare-designed version of the character from Donkey Kong Country and reevaluated it."When we were talking about trying to create new versions, evolving Donkey Kong, we created the game called Jungle Beat," Miyamoto said. "We worked together with the team that made 3D Mario. With the technology that was available at the time, we were able to make Donkey Kong more expressive. And going back to the design that Rare came up with, we reevaluated; what can we do with the design to make it more expressive? And then when it comes to the movie, we decided to move forward with this new generation Donkey Kong design."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Xbox has announced Retro Classics, a new collection of classic games coming to all Xbox Game Pass membership tiers. Developed in collaboration with Antstream Arcade, this is a collection of over 60 Activision games from the '80s and '90s, and it includes titles like Pitfall, Commando, and Grand Prix. These cover a wide range of platforms, from the Atari 2600 to the PlayStation. The collection will also expand over time to over 100 titles, and will include several more games from Activision and Blizzard.While it's only Mechwarrior 2 that populates the PlayStation section--it was also available on Sega Saturn and PC--it's still interesting to see a PlayStation game highlighted on this app specifically, considering that it can be installed on Xbox Series X|S consoles.According to Xbox, this is the latest step in its game preservation and backwards compatibility efforts, and Retro Classics will be available across console, PC, and cloud-compatible devices. Additionally, Xbox Achievements can be earned from these games, and there are other challenges for these games that players can pursue through modes like community challenges, competitive leaderboards, high-score rankings and more.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com