Late last month, Kwalee Labs launched its first-person horror shooter Luna Abyss on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. But not even a day-one Game Pass release was apparently enough to save the jobs of the team that made Luna Abyss.Kwalee Labs CEO and production director Hollie Emery announced on her LinkedIn page that she and the other eight members of Luna Abyss's development team were laid off earlier this week for undisclosed reasons.
"Unfortunately as of yesterday, the entire team has
✗ Close categories
Animals
Apple
Apps & Smartphones
Arts
Business
Cars
Celebrities
Child Care
Christianity
Conspiracy theories
✗ Close categories
Animals Apple Apps & Smartphones Arts Business Cars Celebrities Child Care Christianity Conspiracy theories✗ Close categories
✗ Close categories
Formula 1 - McLaren Videos
Formula 1 - Mercedes AMG Petronas Videos
Formula 1 - Sauber F1 Team Videos
Formula 1 - Scuderia Ferrari Videos
Formula 1 - Scuderia Toro Rosso Videos
Formula 1 - Team Lotus Videos
✗ Close categories
Formula 1 - McLaren Videos Formula 1 - Mercedes AMG Petronas Videos Formula 1 - Sauber F1 Team Videos Formula 1 - Scuderia Ferrari Videos Formula 1 - Scuderia Toro Rosso Videos Formula 1 - Team Lotus Videos✗ Close categories
✗ Close categories
Adelaide
Albany
Albury
Alice Springs
Armidale
Bacchus Marsh
Bairnsdale
Ballarat
Ballina
Barwon Downs
Batemans Bay
Bathurst
Bendigo
Blaxland
Bongaree
Bowral
Brisbane
Broken Hill
Broome
Buderim
Bunbury
Bundaberg
Burnie
Busselton
Byron Bay
Caboolture
Cairns
Caloundra
Canberra
Casino
Central Coast
Cessnock
Coffs Harbour
Colac
Craigieburn
Cranbourne
Dalby
Darwin
Devonport
Drouin
Dubbo
Echuca
Emerald
Forbes
Gawler
Geelong
Geraldton
Gladstone
Gold Coast
Goulburn
Grafton
Griffith
Gympie
Hamilton
Hervey Bay
Hobart
Horsham
Kalgoorlie
Karratha
Katoomba
Kawana
Kempsey
Kiama
Kingaroy
Kingston
Kwinana Town Centre
Launceston
Lismore
Lithgow
Mackay
Maitland
Mandurah
Maroochydore
Maryborough
Melbourne
Melton
Mildura
Moe
Mornington
Morwell
Mount Eliza
Mount Gambier
Mount Isa
Mount Martha
Mudgee
Murray Bridge
Muswellbrook
Nambour
Nerang
Newcastle
Nowra
Orange
Pakenham
Palmerston
Parkes
Perth
Port Augusta
Port Hedland
Port Lincoln
Port Macquarie
Port Pirie
Portland
Queanbeyan
Raymond Terrace
Redcliffe
Richmond
Rockhampton
Rockingham
Rosebud
Sale
Sawtell
Shepparton
Singleton
Sunbury
Sunshine Coast
Swan Hill
Sydney
Tamworth
Taree
Toowoomba
Townsville
Traralgon
Ulverstone
Victor Harbor
Victoria Point
Wagga Wagga
Wangaratta
Warragul
Warrnambool
Warwick
Whyalla
Wodonga
Wollongong
✗ Close categories
Adelaide Albany Albury Alice Springs Armidale Bacchus Marsh Bairnsdale Ballarat Ballina Barwon Downs Batemans Bay Bathurst Bendigo Blaxland Bongaree Bowral Brisbane Broken Hill Broome Buderim Bunbury Bundaberg Burnie Busselton Byron Bay Caboolture Cairns Caloundra Canberra Casino Central Coast Cessnock Coffs Harbour Colac Craigieburn Cranbourne Dalby Darwin Devonport Drouin Dubbo Echuca Emerald Forbes Gawler Geelong Geraldton Gladstone Gold Coast Goulburn Grafton Griffith Gympie Hamilton Hervey Bay Hobart Horsham Kalgoorlie Karratha Katoomba Kawana Kempsey Kiama Kingaroy Kingston Kwinana Town Centre Launceston Lismore Lithgow Mackay Maitland Mandurah Maroochydore Maryborough Melbourne Melton Mildura Moe Mornington Morwell Mount Eliza Mount Gambier Mount Isa Mount Martha Mudgee Murray Bridge Muswellbrook Nambour Nerang Newcastle Nowra Orange Pakenham Palmerston Parkes Perth Port Augusta Port Hedland Port Lincoln Port Macquarie Port Pirie Portland Queanbeyan Raymond Terrace Redcliffe Richmond Rockhampton Rockingham Rosebud Sale Sawtell Shepparton Singleton Sunbury Sunshine Coast Swan Hill Sydney Tamworth Taree Toowoomba Townsville Traralgon Ulverstone Victor Harbor Victoria Point Wagga Wagga Wangaratta Warragul Warrnambool Warwick Whyalla Wodonga Wollongong✗ Close categories
-
Weeks After Launching A Great Game On Game Pass, Dev Lays Off Its Staff
via gamespot.com
-
Sharknado, Meth Gator Studio Made A Live-Action Dave The Diver DLC Short Film, And It’s Incredible
via gamespot.com
Developer Mintrocket and movie production studio The Asylum have teamed up to create a live-action short film for Dave the Diver's soon-to-launch In the Jungle DLC. The Asylum is known for its work on the Sharknado series, as well as Meth Gator more recently, and the Dave the Diver short film is keeping with the over-the-top tone you'd expect.The short film was written and directed by Anthony C. Ferrante. Steven Tulumello plays Dave the Diver, with Steve Falcone as Cobra, Kofi Baffour as Bancho,
-
Sharkando, Meth Gator Studio Made A Live-Action Dave The Diver DLC Short Film, And It’s Incredible
via gamespot.com
Developer Mintrocket and movie production studio The Asylum have teamed up to create a live-action short film for Dave the Diver's soon-to-launch In the Jungle DLC. The Asylum is known for its work on the Sharknado series, as well as Meth Gator more recently, and the Dave the Diver short film is keeping with the over-the-top tone you'd expect.The short film was written and directed by Anthony C. Ferrante. Steven Tulumello plays Dave the Diver, with Steve Falcone as Cobra, Kofi Baffour as Bancho,
-
Xbox Hypes Up Gamescom Return Amid Questions About Its Future
via gamespot.com
The summer of gaming is far from over, as following a week of showcases, the next big event is Gamescom in August. With the show drawing closer, more gaming companies are confirming that they'll be headed to Germany soon, including Xbox. Microsoft's gaming division will once again have a presence at the Koelnmesse, but it's pushing ahead with these plans while its future looks increasingly uncertain.For now, Xbox says that its Gamescom presence will be headlined by Gears of War: E-Day, which wil
-
Billionaire Gabe Newell Buys $70 Million Mansion With Its Own Tunnel To The Beach
via gamespot.com
Gabe Newell, the billionaire founder of Valve, has paid $70.8 million to buy a 20,000 square-foot seaside mega-mansion in Florida featuring seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, and an underground tunnel to the beach.The home was listed for sale in 2025 with an asking price of $85 million. It officially sold for $70,851,054 on June 15, or about 16% under the asking price. You can see many photos of the humble abode on Zillow. A video you can see below (from five years ago) takes you through the home.The
-
Microsoft Apparently Already Knew It Would Be Closing Ninja Theory When It Announced Senua
via gamespot.com
Earlier this week, it was reported that Microsoft was planning to close, or spin out, Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and potential other studios as part of a round of layoffs and studio closures. Now, a report suggests that Microsoft knew it planned to close Ninja Theory before the studio announced its new Hellblade game, Senua, during the Xbox Games Showcase just ten days ago.According to Stephen Totilo's Game File, Microsoft "had already planned to sunset or split" with Ninja The
-
Luna Abyss Developers Laid Off Just Weeks After Launch
via gamespot.com
Late last month, Kwalee Labs launched its first-person horror shooter Luna Abyss on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. But not even a day-one Game Pass release was apparently enough to save the jobs of the team that made Luna Abyss.Kwalee Labs CEO and production director Hollie Emery announced on her LinkedIn page that she and the other eight members of Luna Abyss's development team were laid off earlier this week for undisclosed reasons.
"Unfortunately as of yesterday, the entire team has
-
Baldur’s Gate TV Show Gets A Positive-Sounding Update About The Cast
via gamespot.com
When the Baldur's Gate TV show was announced in 2025, people quickly became suspicious when it was confirmed that developer Larian has no involvement in it. Now, actor Samantha Béart--who plays Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3--has shared a positive-sounding update about the live-action series.
Béart told GamesRadar that Craig Mazin, who is heading up the Baldur's Gate TV series, reached out to personally express that he believes the "key cast of Baldur's Gate 3 should be meaningfully on
-
Guild Wars 3 Won’t Have “Hidden” Subscriptions Like Battle Passes
via gamespot.com
Guild Wars 3, the next MMORPG from developer ArenaNet, won't have a paid subscription, and it won't include battle passes or other paid seasonal systems, either.In a blog post, studio head Colin Johanson outlined the core pillars ArenaNet is focused on when it comes to creating the third entry in the Guild Wars franchise, freshly announced as part of Summer Games Fest 2026. One of those key pillars is something that has been a main focus of every Guild Wars title--no subscription fee, one of the
-
Ori Dev CEO Says Xbox Was Too Focused On Protecting Its Legacy To Build Its Future
via gamespot.com
Moon Studios CEO Thomas Mahler (Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and No Rest for the Wicked) has commented on the recent turbulence at Xbox. The Ori games were previously published by Xbox Game Studios, but Moon Studios remained independent and started work on No Rest for the Wicked shortly after the second Ori game was released.In his informed opinion, Mahler has claimed that Xbox’s troubles began years ago when it decided to focus on legacy IP inste
-
Helldivers 2 Gets A Much-Welcome Update To Reloading, Vehicles, And Campaign Progression
via gamespot.com
Helldivers 2 should feel more responsive to play than ever before, as the game's latest update brings major improvements to reloading. Patch 6.3.0, which is live now, brought a smorgasbord of balance changes, features, and bug fixes. Among them are some major tweaks to how reloading works. At long last, players can reload while diving, and starting a reload animation, only to be ragdolled or staggered, will now continue the animation once you regain control. It also adds "delayed reloads,"
-
You Are Everyone’s Intrusive Thoughts In Citizen Sleeper Dev’s Upcoming Fungal RPG
via gamespot.com
The next game from Gareth Damian Martin, the lead developer for Citizen Sleeper and its sequel, is a drastic shift away from playing as a sentient android desperately trying to survive while managing resources and relationships. Called Signet City, the first-person fungalpunk RPG sees you play as a sentient spore who must spread itself through a city by secretly infecting new individuals. As a spore, you become the new guiding psyche of those you infect, acting as a voice that influences how the
-
Sony Files Patent Application For Controller With Buttons That Harden Around Your Finger
via gamespot.comAs we creep closer to another generation of PlayStation consoles, Sony is exploring potential additions to its controllers that could set it apart in a similar way to the DualSense with the PlayStation 5. According to a new patent, that could include buttons that harden, or soften, according to what is happening on screen.The patent application, which was filed in November 2024 with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and published in May earlier this year (and found by Cheat Hap
-
Upcoming Xbox Exclusives Are Being Sent Out To Die, Analyst Says; Xbox Pushes Back
via gamespot.com
Xbox's chief strategy officer has pushed back against claims that Microsoft could "reverse course" and alter its stance on exclusive games. At the same time, analyst Rhys Elliott of Anlinea Analytics tells GameSpot that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are being sent out to die on purpose.Matthew Ball, who joined Xbox earlier this year, said the rumors saying Microsoft might "reverse course" are false. Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution "will stay exclusive," he said, addin
-
Star Wars Legend Mark Hamill Joins The Twisted Metal TV Show In A Key Role
via gamespot.com
Legendary Star Wars actor Mark Hamill--Luke Skywalker himself--is joining Peacock's Twisted Metal TV show for its upcoming third season.
The InSneider was first to confirm Hamill's involvement, with Deadline subsequently backing up the report. Details about the character that Hamill plays follow the spoiler warning further below.Hamill is just the latest big name to join Twisted Metal, as Anthony Carrigan came aboard for Season 2 as Calypso. Tiana Okoye, meanwhile, joined the show for its second
-
Xbox Game Pass Loses 8 More Games Very Soon
via gamespot.com
After dumping five games from Xbox Game Pass on June 15, Microsoft has announced the next slate of eight removals for June, bringing the total number of games removed from Game Pass in June to 13.Games leaving Xbox Game Pass on June 30 include Payday 2, Tomb Raider, and Rise of the Tomb Raider. Slay the Spire, Ultimate Chicken Horse, Mecha Break, Volcano Princess, and Unpacking are also being sent packing.As a reminder, if you’d like to keep any of these games, you can buy them at a discou
-
New Switch 1 Update Finally, At Long Last, Resolves One Of Its Most-Annoying Issues
via gamespot.comAmong the flaws of the original Nintendo Switch, one long-standing issue has been the performance of the eShop. And no, I'm not talking about the lack of music in the vein of the Wii; browsing the store itself was always an exercise in frustration due to awful performance. And now, with the release of a new system update more than nine years after launch, that issue has suddenly been resolved.The Switch 22.5.0 update patch notes don't lay out that specific change, instead just vaguely saying it
-
GTA 6 Release Date Confirmed Again By CEO Who Also Explains Why It’s Taking So Long
via gamespot.com
The hugely popular TikTok account The School of Hard Knocks caught up with Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick recently, and you better believe they asked about GTA 6's release date. In the on-the-street interview, Zelnick confirmed, once again, that GTA 6 remains on track for release on November 19.Why is it taking so long, though?"The team at Rockstar really does seek to do something that's never been done before. That's really hard and it takes a long time," he said.
https://www.tiktok.com/@theschoo
-
Xbox Game Pass Gets Another Round Of New Games In June
via gamespot.com
It's that time of the month once again, as Xbox has announced the second wave of games being added to Game Pass in June. While the first half of the month was pretty stacked in terms of new releases, the latter half of June is taking it easy with four more games arriving and the first two games of July have also been confirmed. Here's a closer look at what's on the horizon:Xbox Game Pass June Wave 2 AdditionsJune 16
Junkster (Xbox Series X|S, PC, cloud) – Game Pass Ultimate,
-
Hundreds Of Books Are On Sale In Amazon’s Buy 2 Get 1 Free Sale
via gamespot.com
Amazon's massive Buy Two, Get One Free sale is back as an early Prime Day deal just in time to stock up your summer reading list. To take advantage of this deal, add three eligible books to your cart; you'll then receive a discount on the lowest-priced item at checkout. Most eligible books are also seeing big price cuts in addition to the B2G1 promotion, meaning you can save quite a bit while the deal is available. Dozens of novels, comics, art books, and other reading material are eligible for
-
Double Fine, Ninja Theory, And More Reportedly Trying To Spin Off From Xbox Game Studios
via gamespot.com
Earlier today, word broke that Microsoft is reportedly planning to close Compulsion Games--the studio behind South of Midnight, We Happy Few, and Contrast--as part of a larger round of layoffs and studio closures. Now, there's word that a handful of Xbox Studios' smaller developers are taking some steps to avoid that fate.Bloomberg is reporting that Compulsion, Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and "several other studios" have started negotiations with Microsoft to spin off their companies from Xbox St
-
Obsession Director Would Be Up For A Video Game Movie
via gamespot.com
Filmmaker Curry Barker is on top of the world right now thanks to the success of his horror movie Obsession. It's made more than $220 million against a reported $750,000 budget, and everyone wants to know what he's going to do next.
He is making a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie, and plans to expand Obsession into possible sequels and a TV show, but what else?
A video game movie, perhaps.He told Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that while he is not a big gamer himself, he would
-
Blizzard Sues WoW Private Server It Alleges Raked In Millions
via gamespot.com
World of Warcraft developer Blizzard is seeking legal action against yet another WoW private server, accusing the creators of Ascension WoW of copyright infringement, racketeering, and having earned millions of dollars illegally. In a court document submitted on June 12 in California, Blizzard cited many of the same offenses it used against the creators of Turtle WoW in a lawsuit last year. Blizzard alleges the makers of Project Ascension have infringed on its WoW copyright on a "massive sc
-
Xbox Closing We Happy Few, South Of Midnight Developer Compulsion Games – Report
via gamespot.com
Microsoft is reportedly going to close the Canadian developer Compulsion Games, which is known for Contrast, We Happy Few, and South of Midnight.
According to Kotaku, the cuts could affect more than 90 people.Another report, from Mike Straw of Insider Gaming, said Arkane is also set to be closed as part of Microsoft's "reset" of the Xbox business.GameSpot has contacted Microsoft seeking comment on the reports.Microsoft acquired Compulsion in 2018 and took ownership of Arkane following its buyout
-
Amazon’s 3 4K Blu-Rays For $33 Deal Returns This Month
via gamespot.com
Streaming might be the new standard for watching movies at home, but nothing beats a physical film collection. If you're looking to stock up your Blu-ray library, Amazon is running a limited-time promotion ahead of Prime Day that lets you bundle three 4K Blu-rays for just $11 each, which adds up to $33 total. That's a pretty good deal considering most Blu-rays normally cost around $20. To get the deal, add three (or more) eligible 4K Blu-rays to your cart, and the discount will automatically kic
-
Halo: Campaign Evolved Release Date And Global Launch Times Revealed
via gamespot.com
Microsoft's next big game is Halo: Campaign Evolved, which launches at the end of July for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. Ahead of that, Microsoft has published the official release times for the game, which begins with early access on July 23.Read on to find out exactly when Halo: Campaign Evolved release where you live. The game is having a global launch, Microsoft said, which suggests the game will arrive in all regions at the same time.
Halo: Campaign Evolved early access release timesJuly 23
8
-
Xbox Game Studios Boss Is Out Ahead Of Reported Layoffs And Other Major Changes To “Reset” Xbox
via gamespot.com
Craig Duncan, the head of Xbox Game Studios, is leaving the company after 15 years at Microsoft, and so is his chief of staff. The changes come ahead of reported layoffs and possible studio closures at Xbox under the leadership of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who has vowed to "reset" the Xbox business.Duncan was the longtime studio head at Sea of Thieves developer Rare before he got promoted to overall Head of Xbox Game Studios in November 2024. He took over that position from Matt Booty, who was himse
-
Capcom Says Betting On Teams Instead Of Visionaries Changed The Company
via gamespot.com
We're halfway through 2026, and so far, Capcom is on a roll. Resident Evil: Requiem, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and Pragmata have all been hit games, while other titles like Street Fighter 6 continue to do well with post-launch content. So what's Capcom's secret? According to the company itself, having a team-first mentality instead of auteur-driven games is one of its keys to success."In the game industry, when a title becomes a series, it often ends up depending he
-
Microsoft Boss Wants Xbox to Start Pulling Its Weight Financially
via gamespot.com
While the new Xbox leadership team under CEO Asha Sharma has been on a charm offensive lately--while also promising a "reset" for the division that suggests layoffs are on the way--Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella got down to brass tacks recently. During a panel at the New York Times Hard Fork event, Nadella spoke about how Xbox will have to find a way to become more profitable as it enters a new era."No one can accuse Microsoft of not having invested for the last 25 years," Nadella sa
-
EA Announces New Plan To Launch Ads “Directly Into Gameplay” After Working On In-Game Ads For Decades Already
via gamespot.com
In an announcement that is sure to unsettle players but please investors, Electronic Arts has announced a new program to bring in-game ads to its games in ways that EA claims won't "disrupt" the player experience.EA Advertising, as it's called, is a new platform that EA says advertisers can use to reach EA's network of 120 million monthly players. That's indeed a massive scale, and some people in the video game industry have been surprised that this kind of program hasn't happened sooner given h
Follow @Games_news_au on Twitter!