Xbox is surely finished now. Might as well pack it up now that JC has sworn allegiance to PS5. Someone call Nadella and give him the news.

I believe it is worth mentioning that PC Game Pass also dropped in price, now 13.99 / mo.

If you're primarily a PC user, and don't need the benefits included in Ultimate, PC GP feels like one heck of a bargain right now.

Reading between the lines, this does confirm that a significant portion of the previous GP Ultimate increase was to cover Call of Duty inclusion (no surprise).

As others have said, CoD moves millions of units every year. Players tend to purchase it anyway, thus inclusion in GP felt unnecessary.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price Update - Xbox Wire Starting today, Game Pass Ultimate drops from $29.99 to $22.99 a month. Find out more inside.

Game Pass Ultimate is dropping to $22.99 per month.

- Future #CallofDuty titles will no longer come to Game Pass on day one (no changes to current games).

- No other changes reported to #Xbox first party titles.

news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/0...

4/ MSFT would like to see all of their end users on some kind of subscription, no doubt. Hell, I pay both Office 365 and Game Pass. They got me. 😅

3/ I still somewhat suspect that using Project Helix in "PC mode" might possibly require some level of a Game Pass subscription. I'm not saying they will do that. It's just a thought.

2/ I know there are questions surrounding that, including how does that even benefit Microsoft, but from the standpoint of consumer that's a good thing.

I know we have yet to see all the real details about how that would even work, but it something to consider.

1/ As many other people have mentioned, one of the more enticing aspects of #Xbox Project Helix is that it will allow a console end user to (probably) switch over to Steam and enjoy something like #Windrose.

Windrose, the Pirate themed, crafting, survival, base-builder, adventure game, just hit a new peak player count (Apr 19, 2026 - 10:20 EDT).

Our gaming group is current playing as well. It's great. There are some server side weaknesses at the moment, but if you can live with that, you'll enjoy it.

2/ The laws the protect the small developers are the same laws the protect the big studios.

If you're passionate about game dev, or you want to try running your own project, stop using owned IP without permission. Use your own work.

Nearly all of these fan projects end by being shut down.

1/ No one wants to hear it, but this was the inevitable outcome of Turtle WoW. They were taking someone else's IP, rehosting it without a license, and then making money from it (donations does not make it OK).
forum.turtlecraft.gg/viewtopic.ph...

Surprised we didn't see "We've decided to hold recommended price changes by one more week..."

I know that's not really how that works, but it's Sony, so...

Sony:
"How do we boost PS5 sales?"

Also Sony:
"Raise the price."

Sony:
"Done"

😁

Crimson Desert sold through (end point buyer) over 5M copies. Impressive results for something that wasn't already a known IP.

Everyone posting this table is all like "Hey everyone, when it rains, the ground gets wets."

The most popular console drives the most players in GTAO, and brings in the most revenue. *shocking*

People playing on PC are too busy spending money on...everything else.
gtaforums.com/topic/100419...

Especially with the games industry presence in California.

All that said, it's worth noting that it does exist. If you've been following the UK version, it basically died in debate. The EU version is moving slowly.
The California version is in committee (and likely be challenged by the games industry).

Is this going to pass in California in its current state? Unlikely, AND it needs to escape committee. Even passing that process, it would need to become a law. Furthermore, the bill does little to separate itself bill from license law, which would directly conflict it (be challenged in court).

In the current amended version, it would not apply to:
1. Subscription based games
2. F2P
3. Local files usable on your machine

California currently has a bill (in committee) that echoes the requests from the "Stop Killing Games Movement."

AB-1921 would require game makers to provide some playable version of the game before shutting off server side processing, or offer refunds.
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billCo...

Morbid Metal is good, or at least good enough for $13 (USD), even in early access. Good on Ubisoft for backing this one. It's light on content at the moment, but that's to be expected in early access. Imagine an action hack & slash (such as Ninja Gaiden) combined a roguelite formula.

That IS the extraction shooter.

2/ But, I can tell you what I wouldn't do. I wouldn't criticize my former employer, in public, for **operational** disagreements. Sort of surprising as well, considering he's been in the industry for significant period of time.

Burning bridges. The standard procedure in the 2020s.

1/ I'm not sure Pete Hines was all that great, or terrible, for Bethesda. He did what he did and then exited after the acquisition. Hell, before the acquisition, Sony kept buying up Bethesda exclusivity. Hines was part of all that.

3/
They likely don't see any benefit from offering these connected libraries (or sales), and have noted the service is primarily used (casually) by Amazon Prime members.

"Starting April 10, 2026, Amazon Luna will no longer offer game stores, individual game purchases or third-party subscriptions."

2/ If I had to wager a guess, this is a cost savings measure. I suspect that Amazon looked at the demographics of people using the service, and no longer see a need to pay support / licenses for these extended services.

Fix Amazon Luna Lag Buffering and Choppy Issues on Your Device - Amazon Customer Service Troubleshoot device-related Amazon Luna issues. Fix lag, buffering, and choppy gameplay problems on your streaming device such as Fire TV, Chrome browser, Mac, and Fire Tablet.. Apply device-specific fixes including Game Mode, hardware acceleration, Location Services settings and more.

1/ Amazon is revamping Luna (cloud gaming) significantly. Purchasing titles, or using a subscription from another game service, will no longer be supported. If a person purchased a game on Luna, they will need to use the originating store license (example: Ubisoft).
www.amazon.com/gp/help/cust...

Dune Awakening was already leaning in this direction after PvP basically wrecked end game for most players, but the full conversion is here. Dune Awakening will now allow for a full PvE experience.
x.com/DuneAwakenin...

Next, there's a big pivot several months after release to re-focus the game on PvE (because the fact is more players would be willing to spend money on a game when they aren't being destroyed by other people).

Whether it's Gray Zone Warfare, #DuneAwakening, Arc Raiders, whatever...the story is always the same.
The development team realizes that 80% of their player community prefers PvE content, and would be more than happy to stick around if they had an option to just play the game without being attacked.