2023-12

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has announced he’s stepping down from his position on December 29. The news comes two months after Microsoft officially completed its acquisition of the developer/publisher.  While it was previously announced Kotick would remain as CEO throughout 2023 to help ease the Microsoft/Activision transition, it had been believed (though not confirmed) that he would step down on January 1, 2024. Although his actual departure date is only a couple of days earlier, it means Activision Blizzard will be kicking off 2024 without Kotick at the helm for the first time in over 30 years.  Microsoft has not yet named Kotick’s replacement. According to The Verge, several other Activision executives will be departing the company through March, including vice chairman of Blizzard and King Humam Sakhnini and chief communications officer Lulu Meservey, who leave in December and...

Following its launch last year, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has received two DLCs as part of its Hidden Treasure of Area Zero storyline. The first, The Teal Mask, hit Switch in September; the second, The Indigo Disk, arrived last week, bringing with it plenty of returning legendaries and favorite starter Pokémon, too. Now, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have revealed The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero will be getting an epilogue that hits the game in January.  The companies announced this today with a brief trailer that teases a new adventure in the "Land of Kitakami" that awaits trainers. The epilogue goes live on Thursday, January 11, at 6 a.m. PT/9 a.m. ET, and, outside of goodbyes to friends from the journey of Generation 9, today's trailer also teases what appears to be a new Pokémon.  Check it out for yourself below:  In order...

Sony has announced that the PlayStation 5 has hit a sales milestone of over 50 million units. It achieved this milestone just over three years into its life cycle. Since the console’s launch in November 2020, over 50 million consoles have been purchased as of December 9, 2023. In July, Sony announced the PS5 had sold over 40 million units, meaning that roughly 10 million more consoles were sold in just the last 4 to 5 months. The holiday season is likely a big contributor to this bump. Additionally, the October release of the much-anticipated PS5 exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (now the fastest-selling PS Studios game ever) undoubtedly drove players to pick up the console.  The milestone is a nice way to cap off a busy 2023 for Sony. It launched new hardware with PlayStation VR2, the PlayStation Portal,...

The Epic Games Store release for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been delayed to March, while all other platforms remain on track for Feb. 2....

If you subscribe to the digital edition of Game Informer, you can now learn all about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth! Following the cover reveal our digital issue is now live on web browsers, iPad/iPhone, and Android devices. Alongside the cover story, you will also find big features on Marvel's Spider-Man 2 credits, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Penny's Big Breakaway, the remake of Riven, and much more. We've also got previews for the next Grand Theft Auto, Tekken 8, our year-end best ofs, including the top 10 games of 2023, reader picks, and much more! Individual issues are also now available for purchase at this link or in any GameStop store. You can download the apps to read the issue by following this link....

Fresh off its win for "Most Anticipated Game" at The Game Awards, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth lands on the cover of Game Informer. The second part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series breaks Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII out of the confines of Midgar and into a vast, open map where players can explore to their hearts' content. We spent two days at Square Enix's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, seeing new sections of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and speaking to the legends of the team that made it. This cover story, along with our exclusive coverage spread out over the next few weeks, should give you a good idea of what to expect when the game launches in February. On top of that, this issue dives into our favorite games of 2023, giving you a full rundown...

Last week, ransomware group Rhysida revealed it had hacked Marvel's Spider-Man 2 developer, Insomniac Games. It posted images to prove the validity of its claim, demanding 50 bitcoin – roughly $2 million – from Sony within seven days or it would leak what it had discovered, as reported by CyberDaily. Sony did not comply with the demand and now the group has released more than a terabyte of hacked data pertaining to Insomniac Games.  The total leak comprises more than 1.3 million files, for a total of 1.67 terabytes of data, according to VideoGamesChronicle via CyberDaily. The leaked data includes information about Marvel's Spider-Man, future Insomniac Games titles, release schedules, and private employee information like tax and employment forms, internal studio messages, and more. Game Informer will not be disclosing any of the hacked information.  CyberDaily reached out to Rhysida and learned the ransomware group...

If you’re looking forward to playing Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, especially to experience its story, your time on the internet just got a little bit harder. Some big plot points have leaked online, and naturally, developer Rocksteady isn’t happy. Apparently, the leaks stem from a closed beta test in which audio from a pivotal story cutscene plus images and a video showing yet-to-be-revealed characters got out in the wild. We won’t share the details, but they’re not hard to find, so you’re on your own if you want to know more. We just ask that you refrain from posting any spoilers in the comments out of respect for others who wish to remain in the dark. Rocksteady has posted a statement on its X account addressing the leaks, which we've posted in full below.  We’re looking...

Update, 12/18/2023 Over the last week, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo have each released their annual player year-in-reviews, letting users find out exactly how much time they spent engaged with each platform, the games they played most, and more. PC players on Steam can now do the same, as Valve has released its year in review.  You can access the review here (you'll need to sign into your Steam account, of course). You'll find the expected stats, such as the top batch of games you spent the most time playing, your average playtime per month, and even metrics like time spent playing on a mouse/keyboard versus a controller. In a nice bit of convenience, you can export your stats graphic in different sizes to fit whatever social media site you plan on sharing it on. Here's what the tall version looks...

Update, 12/18/2023 Over the last week, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo have each released their annual player year-in-reviews, letting users find out exactly how much time they spent engaged with each platform, the games they played most, and more. PC players on Steam can now do the same, as Valve has released its year in review.  You can access the review here (you'll need to sign into your Steam account, of course). You'll find the expected stats, such as the top batch of games you spent the most time playing, your average playtime per month, and even metrics like time spent playing on a mouse/keyboard versus a controller. In a nice bit of convenience, you can export your stats graphic in different sizes to fit whatever social media site you plan on sharing it on. Here's what the tall version looks...