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Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch this year's Call of Duty on its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, according to  The Wall Stree Journal . This follows reports in previous weeks indicating Microsoft and Xbox were mulling over whether or not to launch the next iteration in the franchise on Game Pass, out of fear it might hurt sales.  After acquiring Activision Blizzard for a colossal $69 billion last year , fans and analysts have speculated about how Microsoft will handle the Call of Duty franchise moving forward. It will obviously be a big draw for Xbox Game Pass, pulling in new subscribers, but most every year, the new Call of Duty is the best-selling game of the year – save for last year, where Hogwarts Legacy took that crown – and a Game Pass launch could affect those sales numbers.  However, this new report from  The Wall Street Journal  seemingly clears the air around that topic.  "Microsoft plans a major shake up of its video game sales strategy by rel

2K will reveal the next iteration of one of its biggest franchises at Summer Game Fest. Fans online are already speculating what it could be, considering some of 2K's biggest franchises are prime for a new game.  As for when to expect this new game, the official SGF X (formerly Twitter) account says it will be announced on June 7, during the Summer Game Fest livestream that begins at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET. That's less than a month away so we don't have to speculate too long on what this mystery iteration could be.  2K plans to reveal the next iteration in one of 2K's biggest and most beloved franchises at @SummerGameFest on Friday, June 7. pic.twitter.com/1vyFXE2N4z — Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) May 16, 2024 While there are plenty of 2K franchises that fit the bill, our eyes are on three franchises: Borderlands, Mafia, and BioShock.  The last mainline Borderlands entry – Borderlands 3 – hit PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in 2019, and with the live-action  Borde

Grand Theft Auto VI's reveal last December sent fans into a tizzy, but its then-distant 2025 release window immediately tempered that excitement. While the launch seemed more in reach now that we’re nearly midway through 2024, it appears we’ll have to wait another full year before playing it. Publisher Take-Two released its 2024 year-end financial report today (thanks, PC Gamer ), in which it states that Rockstar is targeting a Fall 2025 release window for GTA VI. This timing is reiterated in a calendar of the publisher’s upcoming releases, posted below. Click to enlarge Regarding GTA VI, Take-Two states, “We are highly confident that Rockstar Games will deliver an unparalleled entertainment experience, and our expectations for the commercial impact of the title continue to increase.” The game is slated to release for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. A PC version has yet to be mentioned.   Grand Theft Auto VI takes players to a modern-day Vice City (the franchise's par

In this week's episode of  The Game Informer Show,  we discuss several of the best indie games you might've missed amidst this month's releases. Specifically, we discuss Animal Well's mysteries, revisiting Hades I, Lorelai and the Laser Eyes, Paper Trail, With My Past, Indika, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space.  Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken ( @itsVanAken ), Marcus Stewart ( @MarcusStewart7 ), Wesley LeBlanc ( @LeBlancWes ), Charlie Wacholz ( @chas_mke ) The Game Informer Show  is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join host  Alex Van Aken  every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with  Game Informer  staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify , or your favorite podcast app. Matt Storm,  the freelance audio editor for  The Game Informer Show , edited this episode .  Matt is an experienced podcas

Summer Game Fest will bring together more than 55 developers, publishers, partners, and more, including the likes of PlayStation, Xbox, and various others. The SGF livestream, which kicks off the multi-day event, happens at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET on June 7 from Los Angeles' YouTube Theater. It will feature announcements, first-looks, trailers, and more .  Ahead of that livestream and the subsequent invite-only Play Days for hands-on gameplay, SGF has unveiled the first wave of partners taking part in this summer's festivities. We've bolded some of the bigger names appearing:  2K Amazon Games Annapurna Interactive Arc Games Atari Bandai Namco Entertainment Blumhouse Games Bokeh Game Studio Capcom Day of the Devs Deep Silver Devolver Digital Discord Dolby Electronic Arts Embark Studios Epic Games Focus Entertainment Funcom HoYoverse iam8bit Indie Angels Innersloth Ironmace Jyamma Games Level Infinite Magic the Gathering Meta NCSoft NetEase Games

Manor Lords, the medieval strategy city-builder and one of 2024's surprise hits, has surpassed two million copies sold. The game has only been available in PC Early Access since April 26, meaning it achieved this milestone in only three weeks. Publisher Hooded Horse announced the sales account for Steam, Epic, GOG, and the Microsoft Store (where Manor Lords is also playable through PC Game Pass). The game quickly caught fire, selling 1 million copies a day after launch. Since then, Manor Lords has enjoyed a consistently high concurrent player count, peaking at 173,000 on Steam in its first weekend.   Manor Lords is being developed by Slavic Games and puts players in the shoes of a medieval lord tasked with building and growing a city. Players manage their city’s community, infrastructure, economy, and defense/expansion, the latter of which unfold as large-scale tactical battles. The intricate social and production systems combined with an ever-changing world (complete with seas

You will need an internet connection to install Assassin's Creed Shadows , but after that, the entire experience can be played offline, Ubisoft has announced. The company did so after word online spread that Shadows requires a mandatory online connection to play the game.  Following the reveal of Shadows yesterday, which showcased the dual samurai and shinobi protagonists we'll be controlling in 16th-century feudal Japan, people noticed wording in preorder listings and elsewhere that seemingly pointed to the game requiring an always-online connection. This frustrated fans of the series, especially given Shadows, like its recent predecessors, is a single-player game. However, that's not the case and Ubisoft released a statement today to clear the air.  "Hey everyone, we wanted to share some of the early information on the upcoming launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows, following some questions we've noticed in the community," the statement reads. "