Games

The incident began with a simple pun: merging the words “Xbox” and “House” produced “Xbouse.” What appeared harmless at first quickly turned into controversy, because in French-speaking countries “bouse” means “cow dung” and is used as an insult aimed at the Xbox brand. In France, Belgium and Switzerland, “Xbouse” has long been used by PlayStation...

Square Enix plans to release a new figure of Fran from the role-playing game Final Fantasy XII in 2026. Fran is an exceptional mechanic, a member of the Viera race, and serves as the second pilot aboard the pirate ship Strahl. Square Enix has announced that pre-orders are now open for the new Fran figure....

Creative Director Guanyun Chen reiterated the core principle of the shooter’s business model: fun first, spending later. In the interview he explained that the team’s mission is to make the gameplay so compelling that purchases are seen as voluntary expressions of enthusiasm rather than necessities. “We truly believe that consumer-friendly monetization is vital… First, make...

Sony may be preparing a countermove to a competitor. Players have spotted a new icon in the PlayStation Store that could indicate the return of cross-buy functionality. Gamers remember cross-buy well: a few years ago it allowed you to buy a title once and play it across Sony platforms—from PlayStation 3 and Vita to PS4....

A recent market study of the video game industry indicates that most publishers and studios believe Valve has established a monopoly in the PC space through its Steam platform. The survey, titled “The State of PC Game Distribution” and conducted by Atomik Research, polled 306 industry executives across the United Kingdom and the United States....

November has kicked off energetically for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Two new titles have just arrived on the service and are worth noting. The first arrival — Dead Static Drive — is available via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Cloud, Console, and PC. The game blends survival-horror with a road-trip thriller vibe; many players...

Obsidian Entertainment will be remembered by players for the mark it left on Fallout: New Vegas. In an interview with The Game Business, studio representatives acknowledged that The Outer Worlds drew inspiration from Fallout’s universe, and some even suggested a sequel might have become “the new Fallout.” Marcus Morgan, Obsidian’s Vice President of Operations, pointed...

Model Natasha “Dziro” Kuzmina journeyed to a world called Gaia to transform into Sephiroth from the role-playing game Final Fantasy VII — a figure bent on crushing Cloud Strife, toppling the old order, and ascending to godhood. Final Fantasy VII stands as one of the most influential and beloved video games of all time, particularly...

Square Enix has rolled out an update for the versions on Steam and the Epic Games Store, introducing enhancements aimed at improving smoothness and overall stability. The developers describe this patch as one of the most significant releases for PC players. Game director Naoki Hamaguchi confirmed the patch not only addresses bugs and refines performance...