The latest news from games, film, technology and digital culture. The stories that matter, without the noise.
Niall Horan commanding the stage during iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball at The Kia Forum. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Shortly after celebrating her fourth chart-topping single, “Drop Dead,” Olivia Rodrigo has received a glowing endorsement from pop staple Niall Horan. In an insightful April 30 interview with Rolling Stone, the former One Direction standout discussed his evolving songwriting...
If your experience with Returnal left you feeling slightly apprehensive about tackling Saros, you aren’t alone. On the surface, Housemarque’s latest PlayStation 5 exclusive mirrors the intense, bullet-hell roguelike DNA of its predecessor. You will spend your time darting through kaleidoscopic clouds of projectiles while dismantling aggressive alien machines and hostile bots. Balancing these split-second...
In the challenging endgame of Diablo 4, the War Plan system acts as your essential strategic tool for conquering Sanctuary. Once you’ve wrapped up the campaign, your focus shifts to optimizing your build and pushing through the Torment ranks. Advancing toward Torment XII is a grueling process that demands a formidable character. To secure superior...
Every so often, a digital frenzy erupts when a game is inadvertently offered for free, only for the publisher to quickly shutter the loophole and disappoint expectant fans. When the retro RPG Wasteland Remastered suddenly appeared with a zero-dollar price tag on the Microsoft and Xbox stores earlier this April, many anticipated the usual corrective...
Long before the industry pivoted toward generative AI, social simulation, digital collectibles, and the metaverse, virtual reality was the defining frontier of gaming. By the time the PlayStation VR 2 arrived in 2023, it already felt like a late arrival to the party. The tail end of the 2010s had made one thing clear: there...
Sony has finally stepped in to clarify the confusion surrounding a digital rights management (DRM) controversy that ignited across social media this past weekend. While the company has managed to quell the immediate panic, the entire ordeal serves as a stark reminder of the precarious nature of digital game ownership and the opaque inner workings...
Extremely OK Games—the studio formerly known as Maddy Makes Games, renowned for the 2018 masterpiece Celeste—has pulled back the curtain on their next major project. Titled City of None, this upcoming metroidvania platformer is slated for release in 2027. The title is being crafted by Celeste co-creator Noel Berry alongside his brother, Liam Berry, and...
Marihiko Hara Hinako Kimoto In this exclusive installment of our Monthly Feature series, Billboard Japan sits down with acclaimed composer Marihiko Hara, the creative force behind the hauntingly beautiful score for the cinematic milestone, KOKUHO. KOKUHO has firmly etched its name into the annals of Japanese cinema. With box office receipts surpassing...
Navigating the heartbreak of a missed connection in a video game is a universal rite of passage—even if you happen to be a global superstar. Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye recently gave fans a glimpse into his personal gaming struggles via his Instagram Stories, revealing he’s deep in the trenches of Persona 5 Royal. The chart-topping...
Image: Neon At the turn of the decade, Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy was virtually unknown. That changed rapidly with a string of chilling, highly acclaimed horror projects. He first made waves with Caveat, a low-budget exercise in tension centered on a drifter tasked with guarding a fragile woman in a desolate estate. He followed that...
