The European Commission will not mandate video game companies to maintain online support for discontinued titles. Instead, it will work with the industry to develop voluntary standards for game preservation and raise consumer awareness of their rights.
A mid-year review highlights six standout video games of 2026, including Pokémon Pokopia, Marathon, Cairn, Mixtape, Titanium Court, and SAROS, offering diverse experiences from creative building to intense combat and narrative-driven adventures.
The Simpsons franchise has launched a new collaboration with Monopoly Go!, featuring original storylines and animated shorts. This partnership highlights the show's unique ability to adapt across various game genres and maintain relevance through creative involvement from writers and animators.
Composers Alexis Smith and Joe Henderson, known as The Flight, discuss creating the score for the new James Bond video game, 007 First Light. They recorded 32 minutes of music with the London Chamber Orchestra at Abbey Road studios, blending classic Bond motifs with electronic and avant-garde sounds for the game's origin story.
The Creepshow video game, a point-and-click adventure spin-off of Shudder's horror anthology series, has a Steam page live with a release window of August 2026. Developed by PHL Collective and published by DreadXP, the game follows Danny and his friends on a dark quest involving a mysterious fortune-teller, promising pulp-inspired visuals and dark humor.
A new UK lab, Nerve Lab, is using AI and brain imaging to study how children consume media, aiming to develop tools for better content classification and personalized learning. Researchers are analyzing animated shows for features like pacing and color, and using fNIRS to understand children's math comprehension difficulties.
Summer Game Fest 2026 showcased over a week of new game reveals, release dates, and developer spotlights. Multiple showcases highlighted diverse indie titles, including horror, life sims, and RPGs, with specific events focusing on Black, Latin American, women-led, Southeast Asian, and Australian/New Zealand creators.
Summer Game Fest showcases a resurgence of single-player games, a surge in horror titles, and a strong Y2K aesthetic. Trends include a move away from live-service games, a focus on narrative-driven experiences, and a revival of early 2000s gaming styles.
The soccer video game market is seeing unprecedented transformation in 2026, with EA Sports FC 26 facing strong competition from Konami's free-to-play eFootball, Cristiano Ronaldo's UFL, and Netflix's new cloud-based FIFA game, challenging traditional console-centric models.
A compilation of upcoming video games across various platforms including PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo. Titles range from horror and action to RPGs and simulators, featuring sequels, remakes, and new IPs.
A new robot-assisted video game therapy is helping children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) rebuild strength. Six children in China, aged 6-10, showed significant improvement after just a few weeks, enabling some to stand from a chair for the first time.
An Apple II computer, personally gifted by Steve Jobs to video game pioneer Al Alcorn in the late 1970s, will be available for purchase at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum for 35 million rubles. The artifact, displayed by the Stargift gallery, includes a personal letter from Alcorn.
The California State Assembly has passed the Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921), requiring publishers to give two months' notice before delisting games, offer refunds, and ensure continued access for players. The bill, which excludes free or subscription-based games, now moves to the State Senate.
YouTube creators are increasingly finding success in feature films, particularly in the horror genre. Directors like Kane Parsons (Backrooms), Curry Barker (Obsession), and Markiplier (Iron Lung) have achieved significant box office success in 2026, challenging traditional film school pathways and demonstrating the platform's potential as a training ground.
The Nex Playground, a new motion-controlled console, launches in the UK, offering camera-tracked minigames for family entertainment. Despite a high subscription cost, it has seen success in the US, outselling Xbox during Black Friday, and aims to promote active play and family connection.
Gen Z is driving box office growth, attending more films per year than older generations, with 40% of movie audiences in North America in 2025
Zeppelin Witheridge, 18, faces charges after a 'Scientology speedrun' social media challenge in Brisbane went awry, involving using a police car as a BMX ramp.
Ribbit, a daily word game on Puzzmo, is hailed as the new Wordle. It offers a unique maze-based word-finding experience with clever visual design, making it entertaining and intellectually satisfying. Other gaming news includes Destiny 2's wind-down, PlayStation's shift from PC releases, and Microsoft's rebranding efforts.
The article critiques several modern trends in football, including excessive long throws, questionable team kits, chaotic penalty areas during set pieces, and the Premier League's poorly received Roblox game, Dribble Dash.
The ABC Arts May film wrap reviews new releases including 'Birthright' tackling the housing crisis, the rom-com 'Finding Emily', the adaptation 'H is for Hawk', 'The Mandalorian and Grogu', 'Mortal Kombat II', 'Obsession', 'Power Ballad', and 'The Sheep Detectives'.
The ABC Arts May film wrap highlights "Birthright," a horror film addressing Australia's housing crisis, the rom-com "Finding Emily," and the video game adaptation "Mortal Kombat II." Other featured films include "H is for Hawk," "The Mandalorian and Grogu," "Obsession," "Power Ballad," and "The Sheep Detectives."
A new James Bond video game, '007 First Light,' introduces a younger, more vulnerable Bond before he earned his '00' status, played by Irish actor Patrick Gibson. Developed by Danish studio IO Interactive, the game bridges eras for the franchise amid a transition in cinematic Bond casting.
UK adults spend ~7.5 hours daily on screens. Experts argue screen time isn't inherently bad, but how it's used. Active engagement like learning, gaming, creating, or connecting offers benefits, unlike passive scrolling.
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis spoke about the "singularity" and the tangible arrival of agentic AI systems at Google I/O 2026. He believes AGI has a 50% chance by 2030 and will be more impactful than the Industrial Revolution.
