Arc Raiders developer Embark Studios has re-recorded some of its AI-generated voice lines, acknowledging "there is a quality difference" between lines recorded by human actors and those generated by AI. https://bit.ly/4cQ2c9o
Waterfox
EXCLUSIVE: Xbox Boss Phil Spencer is retiring, and Xbox President Sarah Bond is resigning, with Microsoft AI Executive Asha Sharma taking over. https://bit.ly/4rZUZI7
Blizzard will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Diablo by adding the Warlock class to a swathe of games — including Diablo 2: Resurrected, more than 25 years after the game's original launch.
Kena: Scars of Kosmora Announced for 2026
Ember Lab revealed Kena: Scars of Kosmora, a sequel to Kena: Bridge of Spirits coming to PlayStation 5 and PC this year, at today's State of Play. https://bit.ly/3OoghAC
'God of War Trilogy Remake' has been officially announced 🎮
Now in development
You can try the Microsoft just released a Quake 2 demo that runs on genAI.
It forgets where you are you each time you look at the floor and soft-locks when it's to dark. A technological marvel.
You can try the "Copilot Gaming Experience" here: copilot.microsoft.com/wham
BREAKING: Ubisoft is canceling the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake and 5 other games (4 unannounced, 1 mobile). The company says it is also delaying 7 games (including an unannounced project believed to be a Black Flag remake) as part of a larger restructuring.
For the last few weeks, rumors have been circulating that Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was completed and would be released on January 16. In reality, Ubisoft was not happy with the state of the game and decided to cancel it as part of a massive reorganization
The office of Grand Theft Auto 6 developer Rockstar North has been cordoned off by police following an explosion. While the source is currently unconfirmed, reports suggest that a boiler is the cause. https://bit.ly/3No3M7T
Meta logo.
Meta shuts down Twisted Pixel, Sanzaru Games, and Armature Studios as it makes significant cuts across its VR division. gameinformer.com/2026/01/14/m...
Anthem, the failed attempt at a live-service game by Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare, is now offline for good. https://bit.ly/49gwmk0
There's no secret episode of 'Stranger Things' releasing tonight
• Many fans were so underwhelmed with the series finale that they made up a theory around a 9th episode
• Theory went viral amassing millions of views on social media
• Variety says it's not happening
• A lot of the 'evidence' points to wardrobe choices and set inconsistencies, like a doorknob in the Wheelers’ basement appears to be on the opposite side of the door in the finale, and a dial at the WSQK radio station had changed colors between episodes
variety.com/2026/tv/news...
• Some fans were even duped sharing a 'live countdown' that led to a potential malware site
DELL EXEC: Consumers are “not buying based on AI. In fact I think AI probably confuses them more than it helps them understand a specific outcome."
@pcgamer.com #CES
www.pcgamer.com/hardware/del...
New footage for 'The Blood of Dawnwalker' 🎮
• AAA vampire RPG
• Players have 30 days and nights to complete the main story
• Created by Rebel Wolves — new studio founded by devs who worked on 'The Witcher 3' and 'Cyberpunk 2077'
• Releasing in 2026
‘Stranger Things’ has ended after 9 years
CD Projekt has sold its DRM-free PC storefront GOG to its original co-founder, Michał Kiciński, for 90.7 million Polish złoty (approx. $25.2 million). bit.ly/3LhWRMy
Damn, that's a lotty of zloty
Vince Zampella, co-creator of the Call of Duty franchise and co-founder of Infinity Ward and Respawn Entertainment, has died aged 55. https://bit.ly/48TVYTK
Sony and Tencent have reached a 'confidential agreement' over the 'Light of Moritam' lawsuit
• Sony called it a 'slavish clone' of 'Horizon'
• The game is no longer listed on Steam or Epic Games Store
After fans noticed it made significant errors in the details it was displaying, Amazon pulled its AI-powered Fallout Season 1 recap. https://bit.ly/3MLyreN
Larian CEO Says Divinity Final Game Will Not Have “Any AI Components” After Generative AI Backlash
After backlash regarding the Divinity developer's use of AI for concept art and placeholder text, CEO Swen Vinke responded to clarify, saying AI is, "something we are constantly discussing internally through the lens of making everyone's working day better, not worse." https://bit.ly/4p9nDoA
NEW: I spoke to Larian boss Swen Vincke about their ambitions for their new RPG Divinity, cutting down development time, pressures from Baldur's Gate 3, why BG3 wouldn't have happened without Tencent, how Larian uses generative AI, and much more www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
consider my feedback: i loved working at @larianstudios.com until AI. reconsider and change your direction, like, yesterday. show your employees some respect. they are world-class & do not need AI assistance to come up with amazing ideas.
heres my last comments on the matter:
-no i will not comment on my experiences, sorry. i left 2 years ago & know nothing about how it is there now
-no i didnt leave because of AI, i was already leaving. these days no one has the luxury of leaving a job over this anyways so its kinda irrelevant
If I had known the two paragraphs about genAI in my article today would be so controversial, I would have expanded them a bit! Here's a rough transcript of the relevant portion of my interview with Swen Vincke, so everyone has all the context. (Full article here: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...)
I am not sharing this transcript because I think it will make anyone view Larian's stance on genAI any differently; I'm sharing it so people can see all the context and judge for themselves if they feel that Larian's position was misrepresented by my story
