games
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Source: Carlo Paloni / Getty / Abubakar Salim / Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
Surgent Studios founder and creative director of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Abubakar Salim addressed the constant harassment he and the studio have faced since releasing the game.
The video game industry still has a long way to go regarding diversity and inclusion.
People like Abubakar Salim are working hard to show that Black and Brown people have a place in the game’s business with the release of his game, Tales of Kenzera: Zau. However, there are still issues that must be dealt with, and Salim decided to speak about those challenges he and his studios have had to deal with.
Friday, Salim posted a five-minute video on his personal X/Twitter account to speak on the constant harassment that he admits he didn’t want to address initially.
Salim says he has dealt with claims that he didn’t “deserve the opportunit[ies]” he got at the beginning of his career, adding, “No, it was simply because I’m Black, and I’ve turned my other cheek and just kept doing my thing.”
Before dropping his game, Salim was best known for his acting roles in Assassin’s Creed Origins and roles in MAX’s original series Raised By Wolves and season two of Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon.
Salim states in the video that he could brush off some of the comments, but “when there’s a constant barrage of them, it’s exhausting.”
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The actor/video game developer says the harassment reached a “fever pitch” once his game, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, came to the forefront and became a focal point of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) harassment campaigns.
Per IGN:
“Don’t get me wrong, there’s been so much amazing and beautiful support for this game. The fact that it’s inspired so many people and touched, you know, so many lives, it was one of our goals from the outset — to have this positive impact, right?” Salim says. “But at the same time, we are being faced with constant targeted harassment from people who see diversity as a threat. From people who look across the vast landscape of modern media and decide that anything that doesn’t speak to them or centers around them is unnecessary and inauthentic.”
“And look,” he continues, “there’s always a reason why diverse stories can’t exist. You know, it’s always either we’re doing it the wrong way or it’s just there to tick boxes and it’s just beginning to feel like there is no right way. You know, these exclusionary rules continue to stack up and the goalposts continue to shift until, you know, me, my studio, people who look like us, just sit down, be quiet and just accept the fact that you’re outsiders. But I won’t do that.”
“If there are people who aren’t like you in a game, I want you to know that game is still for you,” Salim continues. “You know, if the characters are a different race or a different gender or you know, a different ideology or different perspective, that doesn’t mean the game isn’t for you. It can still be for you.”
Salim Counters The Harassment By Lowering The Price Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Game On Nintendo Switch
The game dev was determined to make his game accessible to as many people as possible, setting it at an affordable $20 price point across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
To combat the harassment, Salim announced that he lowered the cost of the game to less than $15 on the Nintendo Switch, thanking Nintendo for “acting fast on this.”
“I’m working with the team in bringing this discount to all platforms, and it’s gonna start from now to until the end of June because, you know, it just means so much to me, man,” he says.
Salim continues, “I believe this is just one way that I can show you how serious I am about this,” he says. “Games are for everyone. Diverse games, they’re not about taking something away from you. They’re about adding something new because there’s room for all of us.”
X Rallies Behind Abukar Salim
Following the release of his video, the gaming communities rallied behind Salim, offering him plenty of support and applauding his courage and commitment to pushing diversity in the gaming space.
“This is the message we all need to hear,” Kinda Funny and Gamertag Radio cohost Parris Lilly wrote.
Senior editor Alyssa Mercante added, “So grateful for your work, your vision, and your voice, and to consider you a friend.”
“Black gamers have been playing as non-Black characters in games for so long and enjoy those games, us included. But there is nothing wrong with us also wanting us to be represented fairly and authentically in the medium. What we’re finding here is these detractors don’t want the exact same experience that Black gamers have had to endure for a majority of the history of gaming,” Black Girl Gamers wrote.
We hear at HHW Gaming stand with Abubakar Salim and will continue to ensure we shine a spotlight on Black and Brown game developers like Salim, Xalavier Nelson Jr., and others.
You can see more messages of support sent to Salim in the gallery below.
3. In the face of racism and harassment we continue to have go higher. His decision was admirable.
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Source: PlayStation / State of Play
Everyone owes Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grub an apology. He was absolutely correct — no surprise — that Sony is holding an event this month ahead of Summer Game Fest and the Xbox Games Showcase, but it will be the smaller State of Play.
On Wednesday, Sony confirmed it will have a State of Play presentation on Thursday, May 30.
Immediately, the company tempered expectations, announcing it would be a 30+ minute presentation that would provide “live updates on PS5 and PS VR2 titles, plus a look at PlayStation Studios games arriving later this year.”
Let The Speculation Begin
No one knows precisely what games PlayStation will show or what the company’s announcements will be, but that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate.
The announcement of this upcoming State of Play follows news that a new Astro Bot game is on the way, with sites like IGN speculating that the game could be part of the presentation.
We could also get our first peek at the PS5 Pro console and announcements about God of War: Ragnarok coming to PC, continuing Sony’s campaign to strengthen its presence outside the PS5/PS4 ecosystem.
There is also a tiny chance (we hope) to see more of Insomniac Games’ highly-anticipated Wolverine game, a possible look at the leaked Venom game, or Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 DLC.
Oh, the possibilities.
We will still head into this State of Play with the lowest expectations: Sony usually holds onto the more significant announcements for its PlayStation Showcase events.
Still, gamers and PlayStation fans are hoping we will get some significant announcements, even though Sony already told us not to expect any significant releases for the remainder of 2024.
Again, we have to wait and see; until then, you can see reactions to tomorrow’s State of Play in the gallery below.
1. Jeff Grubb was right
2. Immediately
3. Consider us all hyped

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Source: Activision / Treyarch / Raven Software / Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
The Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 rollout did not start smoothly, but Xbox hopes to keep the landing when the game releases later this year.Microsoft is having one hell of a year, and this latest booboo is just another moment that Phil Spencer is probably sitting in his gaming chair with his hand on his forehead.
Spotted by The Verge’s Tom Warren, the company that now owns Activision and the COD franchise accidentally revealed the worst-kept secret: the next installment, Black Ops 6, will be on Xbox Game Pass, with a link to a dead Xbox News Wire post.
Whoever accidentally hit send on that push notification is in big trouble because the accidental reveal came before today’s teaser trailer reveal and the official announcement from Xbox, confirming what we all knew was going to happen with Call of Duty games.
There Are Some Famous Faces In The Black Ops 6 Teaser Trailer
The teaser trailer doesn’t show any gameplay—Xbox is definitely saving that for the big June 6 showing at the upcoming Xbox Showcase in Los Angeles— but it didn’t have plenty of famous faces in it.
In typical Black Ops fashion, the trailer features past world leaders like former US President Bill Clinton and the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, allegedly the main antagonist of Black Ops 6.
This isn’t the first time a Black Ops game has featured a prominent political figure; John F. Kennedy was in the first game, and notorious Presidental Op Ronald Reagan was in Black Ops Cold War.
Per Sports Keeda, Black Ops 6 will allegedly center around the Gulf War and will continue to revolve around the franchise’s main protagonists, Frank Woods, Alex Mason, Jason Hudson, and Russell Adler.
We will find out soon enough.
The trailer below shows more reactions to Black Ops 6 coming to Xbox Game Pass.
1. Gamers are happy
2. Xbox fans finally got something to celebrate about
3. Will this really shift the COD player base?
6. Salute to this guy
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Source: Future Publishing / Getty / White Xbox Series X
Didn’t care for the black Xbox Series X console? Well, there might be a white option on the way.
Exputer has shared leaked images of a white All-Digital Xbox Series X sporting the “robot white” look of Series S. The Verge reports it has seen documents confirming the photos are genuine.
While there should be excitement for the white All-Digital Xbox Series X, it can also mean that Xbox’s console refresh, the leaked “Brooklin” console, could have its wig pushed back.
The Verge reached out for comment but has not gotten word back.
The Brooklin console was also disc-less, but instead of box-shaped, it sports a new circular design plus a much-needed increased internal storage of 2TB, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, improved efficiency, 15% reduced PSU power, and a $499 price.
Xbox was allegedly gunning for a November release date, but speaking on the leak, Xbox chief Phil Spencer threw some cold water on those expectations.
“It is hard to see our team’s work shared in this way because so much has changed, and there’s so much to be excited about right now and in the future,” Spencer said in a September post on X, formerly Twitter. “We will share the real plans when we are ready.”
Exputer also reports that the All-Digital Xbox’s new coat of white paint and lack of disc drive are not the only upgrades. Some internal components, including the heatsink, which cools the console, will see an upgrade.
As for the price, Exputer reports the console will cost $50-$100 less than the current $499 Xbox Series X console.
Gamers Have Thoughts
The news of the white All-Digital Xbox Series X is sparking reactions. “Charging more while getting less. A tale as old as time. At least the ps5 slim still has a drive for $500, “one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Why wouldn’t you just get a PC at this point? The whole thing about consoles is the physical media with them and their exclusives. And the Xbox won’t have either anymore if this is true,” another post read.
Again, this isn’t confirmed, but if Xbox does verify its existence, we are intrigued to see how it will be received.
Hit the gallery below for more reactions.
1. Damn, flat out no.
2. Well, someone is excited
6. It might be cheaper
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Source: Rockstar Games / GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto 6’s 2025 date release could be in danger.
According to a Kotaku report, Grand Theft Auto 6, the next highly anticipated installment in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, could have its wig pushed back.
GTA 6 is still slated for an “early 2025” release date, but that date is in jeopardy due to “production delays.” The game could be released in late 2025 or sometime in 2026.
Per Kotaku:
As remote workers struggle with an unwanted return-to-office mandate from Rockstar Games, Kotaku has learned from sources with knowledge of the game’s development process that GTA 6 could miss its 2025 release window and slip into 2026.
Kotaku has also learned that it’s becoming more and more likely that the sequel might not land until late 2025. It’s also possible that it could even slip into 2026 as production reportedly falls behind.
While security and quality are reportedly the main reasons Rockstar is instituting the mandate to return to the office, I was told by sources—who wish to remain anonymous to avoid possible retaliation—that development on GTA 6 has started “falling behind.” I’m told this has leadership at Rockstar nervous and worried about the game missing the 2025 window and slipping into 2026, and is another big reason the company is pushing for a return to the office in April.
Is Rockstar Games Pushing Out Remote Workers?
Kotaku’s report comes after Bloomberg’s report that Rockstar Games was ending remote work, ordering employees back to the office following numerous leaks.
The drastic change was met with immediate criticism and caught many by surprise, leading to frustration. According to Aftermath’s reporting, some employees initially hired to work remotely felt like they were being pushed out of the company by not complying and completely upending their lives.
Some workers expressed concern to Aftermath that Rockstar Games was reverting back to its old crunch ways.
“We’re concerned about going back to that,” one Rockstar employee told Aftermath.
“I’ve been through a couple of projects, both of which had crunch. The first one was extremely difficult. I had way less gray hair back then. … We want to continue the strides we’ve made as a company to remove that toxic culture.”
Gamers also react to the news that they may have to wait even longer for GTA 6.
Some want Rockstar Games to take its time with the game, others don’t want the developers to experience crunch, and some are just overwriting; it’s been about 11 years.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. LOL, damn
4. Exactly
5. No, not yet
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Source: Anadolu / Getty / Xbox
Xbox has been in the news A LOT as of late, primarily due to fanboys losing their sh*t about the company’s new direction, but this latest development is something many gamers are on board for.
Spotted on VG247, the Microsoft gaming division is reportedly looking to make a big splash in the handheld gaming department after seeing Sony’s surprising success with its cloud-based/remote-play PS5 companion device, the PlayStation Portal.
On a recent episode of the Xbox Two podcast, Windows Central managing editor Jez Corden claims the Microsoft gaming company already has working prototypes.
Per VG247:
Speaking on the Xbox Two podcast, Jez Corden said that he knows that “[Xbox] have got handheld prototypes right now.” He clarified that they are “new prototypes” and not old ones that were supposedly previously in the works, and he also made sure to point out that it’s “not a cloud handheld” it’s “a fully native Xbox handheld.” This was pointed out on the podcast too, but it should be noted that just because Xbox is working on a handheld prototype, if it is, that doesn’t mean it will ever actually release. Projects like these are cancelled all the time, so don’t go writing any comments complaining it never came out when it was never guaranteed in the first place.
A “Fully Native” Handheld Sounds Clutch
This news isn’t all that surprising because Xbox is pushing the plan to make Xbox Game Pass available on devices other than Xbox Series X, S, or PC.
You can now run the subscription gaming platform on handhelds like Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, Logitech G Cloud, the Lenovo-Legion Go, or your smartphones via a cloud gaming app still in beta.
However, a dedicated device would be a clutch, especially if paired with an Xbox Game Pass.
Gamers are reacting positively to the rumor of a “fully native” handheld console.
“I want a Xbox Handheld – its time As much as I like my ROG Ally, portable hardware that plays all my Xbox games with a simplified UI and not having to worry about system settings with improved battery life In other words a pick up and play experience,” Kinda Funny (XCast) and Gamertag Radio host Parris Lilly wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. From your lips to God’s ears.
2. We hear you Parris
3. It would be nice

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Source: Lightspeed Studios / Undawn / Will Smith
Even Will Smith wasn’t enough to prevent this video game from flopping like his film Wild Wild West.
Undawn, the zombie survival game featuring Will Smith, bombed epically, according to a report from Reuters. The website reported that the game was a “key” in-house project at Tencent and “flopped spectacularly” even with Smith’s involvement and the game’s closet to 1 billion yuan (around $140 million).
We first reported on the game’s existence in May 2023. Before its June launch, 2.3 million people pre-registered to play it. That didn’t matter, as the game didn’t meet expectations.
In the game, which eerily resembles Smith’s film I Am Legend, the actor plays Trey Jones and serves as your guide in the game.
It was billed as a free-to-play mobile and PC game, as well as these other features:
Base construction and survival mechanics
An expansive open-world
Vehicular combat
Customization elements
PvPvE platform
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Per Reuters, through research firm Appmagic reporting, Undawn only brought in $287,000. The game’s poor performance resulted in Tencent shifting strategy in its mobile division, canceling a mobile game based on Square Enix’s Nier franchise and delaying the Assassin’s Creed: Jade mobile game.
News of the game’s flopping has taken many by surprise, with many people saying they didn’t even know it existed.
One person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote, “…there was a Will Smith-fronted zombie survival game called Undawn?”
“I’m not shocked as someone who’s only just hearing about The Will Smith-fronted zombie survival game Undawn,” another X user wrote.
Well, we knew. We just thought people didn’t care.
In the gallery below, you can see more reactions to Will Smith’s game, Undawn, flopping.
3. Apparently you and everyone else

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Source: Marvel / Skydance / 1943: Rise of Hydra
Marvel video game fans, we might have a banger! The first trailer for the Black Panther and Captain America game, now titled 1943: Rise of Hydra, is here and looks absolutely amazing.
We didn’t see what the Amy Hennig-led game looked like until now, as it was first unveiled during the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase during the D23 Convention in 2022 that was until now.
During the State of Unreal keynote, Marvel and Skydance New Media delivered an epic story trailer showcasing the power of Unreal Engine 5, and it’s f***ing awesome.
Per Kotaku via Marvel, the game’s narrative reads as follows:
As the game’s narrative unfolds, players will assume the role of four central characters: a young Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America; Azzuri, T’Challa’s grandfather and the WWII-era Black Panther; Gabriel Jones, a US soldier and member of the Howling Commandos; and Nanali, a Wakandan spy embedded in Occupied Paris.
In the gorgeous cinematic trailer for 1943: Rise of Hydra, we follow both Captain America and Black Panther as they take down Nazis in Paris. At the same time, Captain America is hunting Black Panther, and the two heroes eventually bump heads on a bridge, but we all know they will eventually team up at some point in the game.
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We have no idea how this game will play, but the trailer has already hooked us.
Gamers Are H Y P E D
Gamers on X, formerly Twitter, have been sharing their reactions, specifically showing love to actor Khary Payton (The Walking Dead), who plays T’Challa’s grandfather Azuri, who carries the Black Panther mantle in the game.
We also have to salute the fact that we have not one, not two, but three lead Black protagonists in a AAA video game.
What a time to be alive.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra will be released in 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Sorry, Nintendo Switch owners, you cannot take this ride.
You can see more reactions to the game in the gallery below.
2. SAY LESS!
3. We do too.
4. Yes, yes it is.
5. Video games have come a loooooonnnnnngggggg way.
6. He’s incredible
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Sony / PS5 Pro
The video game section of the internet was talking after specs for the PS5 Pro were “leaked” and then confirmed to be true. Sony is reportedly putting on its detective hat to find out who did it.
According to Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, Sony is reportedly launching an internal investigation to determine how leaked documents about “Project Trinity,” aka the PS5 Pro, hit the internet.
The leak occurred over the weekend during a third-party developer rollout. It could lead to more security measures being implemented for additional third-party developer Push Square reports.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Henderson wrote:
As expected, Sony has launched an internal investigation into the leaked documents on Trinity as it leaked during a third-party rollout.
Not sure on the implications yet as I don’t think they can catch one individual, but Sony could reduce its third-party developer pool for new tech as a result.
According to the leaked documents shared by YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead over the weekend, the PS5 Pro boasts some impressive specs that could put it on par with powerful gaming PCs. Some say that on paper, it sounds like the PS5 6.
It could also set Sony up to push out more consoles when Grand Theft Auto 6 finally arrives.
The PS5 Pro Specs:
Rendering 45% faster than PS5
2-3x Ray-tracing (x4 in some cases)
33.5 Teraflops
PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling) upscaling/antialiasing solution
Support for resolutions up to 8K is planned for future SDK version
Custom machine learning architecture
AI Accelerator, supporting 300 TOPS of 8-bit computation / 67 TFLOPS of 16-bit floating point
We will continue to monitor this situation as it develops.

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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / PlayStation VR2
According to reports, the PlayStation VR2 is looking like a flop.
Spotted on IGN via Bloomberg’s reporting, Sony has hit the pause button on the production of the PlayStation VR2 headsets.
The website claims the tech giant is trying to clear the backlog of unsold units, signaling what many have been saying about the PSVR2: it’s a flop.
Per IGN:
Bloomberg reported sales of the $550 virtual reality headset have “slowed progressively” since its launch in February 2023, causing a buildup of stock. According to the site, Sony produced “well over” two million PSVR2 units.
The relative success of the PSVR2 was called into question earlier this year when Sony announced a number of upcoming games for the device, none of which were from its first-party studios. Then, as part of a wave of devastating layoffs affecting 900 staff, Sony’s VR-focused London studio was earmarked for closure.
According to Sony, the PSVR2 sold nearly 600,000 units six weeks after its launch, and according to analysts, just over one million units in its first year.
Giving the impression that PlayStation VR2 did not sell well over the holiday season, SIE’s head of global business, Eric Lempel, told The Financial Times that the peripheral was a “bit of a challenging category right now,’ adding he believed “there was a higher expectation generally for what VR would do to gaming.”
Welp.
Meta Is Killing The VR Game
Sales of the PSVR2 were well behind Meta’s Quest 2 and 3 headsets during the holiday season.
The PlayStation VR2’s future is uncertain, but maybe its reported compatibility with PCs, a feature that Sony is currently testing, will help get it in the heads of more gamers.
Until then, the gallery below shows more reactions to the unsurprising news that PSVR2 is not selling well.
1. Fair point
2. More excellent points
3. Sounds about right
5. Sony listen to Nicholas
10. Do they?