Video games
fromKotaku
2 days agoPeak Devs Call Out Entitled Gamers Who Want Endless Free Updates
Endless support for games is not guaranteed; updates are considered a bonus, not a right.
The Esports Foundation Club Partner Program reaches fans globally and changes the way they experience esports. Over the past editions, it has created a platform for Clubs to strengthen their brands and engage with audiences.
"We want to make the Graham Norton of video games," says Kirsty Rigden, the chief executive of Brighton-based FuturLab, which makes PowerWash Simulator. Aspiring to emulate a talkshow host who has a reputation for being affable rather than for setting pulses racing is perhaps an unusual ambition for a gaming studio.
Petit Planet is the studio's take on Animal Crossing, though with a few interesting ideas of its own. The game's most recent test took place all the way back in November, but its next big test isn't far off.
The VanEck Video Gaming and eSports ETF ( NYSEARCA:ESPO) offers pure exposure to an industry defying traditional entertainment economics. With $405 million in assets and a 0.56% expense ratio, ESPO delivered 28% returns over the past year, outpacing the S&P 500 by nearly 11 percentage points. The fund holds 28 gaming companies, led by Tencent Holdings ( NASDAQ:TCEHY) at 8.1%, Nintendo ( NASDAQ:NTDOY) at 7.6%, and NetEase ( NASDAQ:NTES) at 7.4%. Recent trading shows the ETF consolidating around $105 after hitting $111 in November 2025.
Personalization is a tried-and-tested way to boost engagement while gathering valuable information about existing audiences - and is proving to be a key driver for the sports industry, says Rawnet's Harry Daniel. For brands looking to score with digital marketing, personalization is a winning long-term business strategy. Personalizing the user experience (UX) via websites and apps keeps fans engaged and enhances brand loyalty. It can help brands to grow, by extending their reach to new users and unleashing untouched opportunities for victory.
Just as the NFL playoffs heat up, Nintendo has announced that Madden NFL 26 will be available to try for free from January 15 through January 21 for Nintendo Switch Online members. It's the full game, not a limited slice of it, that Switch 2 owners can play for the duration of the free period. All save data will carry forward if players buy the full game. Additionally, Madden NFL 26 is 60% off through January 25, bringing the price down from $70 to $28.
Heated Rivalry may have been in our lives since the end of November but the internet's obsession with the series is still going strong. And Google has playfully referenced this whilst also looking ahead to season two. For those that have missed the furore until now - we can't imagine it's that many! - Heated Rivalry is the LGBTQ+ sports drama that has gripped the internet.
Starting on February 26 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET and finishing on March 2 at the same time, the Marathon server slam is an opportunity for players to get their hands on the game ahead of launch. It'll also allow Bungie to test its infrastructure before the full Marathon release date lands.
Freshly minted Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma has kicked off the newest era of Xbox leadership with an open thread on Elon Musk's social media platform. Coming from Microsoft's AI division, the former marketer with little experience in gaming faces a wave of skepticism from fans at the exact moment when trust in the Xbox brand has never been more challenged following waves of developer layoffs, game cancellations, and studio closures.
has been out for about 24 hours now, and surprisingly, one of the people getting flak for the perceived slight of its existence is Game Awards host Geoff Keighley. Wildlight Entertainment had originally planned to spiritual successor before Keighley approached them about featuring it in December's award show with a pimp spot, and now that the game is out and people are having...Highguard shadow-drop its Apex Legends passionate reactions to it, the host has been getting an odd amount of hate for it.
There has been a demo renaissance in the last few years, and we couldn't be happier. Demos have been a part of video game history for a long time, but whether or not they've been good for sales has been up in the air for quite some time. Fortunately, in the last couple weeks we've gotten a Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined and Final Fantasy 7 demo for Switch 2.