Gamereactor UK

Watch the first 13 minutes of 007 First Light

eirik@gamereactor.eu (Eirik Hyldbakk Furu) — Sun, 24 May 2026 23:27:08 +0200

We're still a few days away from the official launch of {007 First Light}, but it's fairly common that games leak early because of physical editions and make their way to the public faster than planned. IO Interactive's upcoming game is no exception.

This has obviously lead to footage of the game being shared online, and the Danish studio has spent the last few days taking most of it down. Still, the cat is out of the bag, so they've decided to "resolve" the situation by doing something a few developers and publishers do anyway: sharing the opening of the game themselves.

That means you can watch the first 13 minutes of 007 First Light in a much better quality than most of the leaks. Let's just say it starts with a bang like some of the best James Bond movies do.

Accessibility controller mistaken for cheat device in Call of Duty

joel@gamereactor.eu (Joel Pettersson) — Sun, 24 May 2026 22:28:46 +0200

Call of Duty has found itself in a bit of hot water after the paralyzed streamer WheeledGamer was temporarily banned from the game. The reason was reportedly that his QuadStick, a mouth-controlled controller that allows him to play by blowing, sucking, and using his chin, was flagged as an unauthorized "third-party input modification device."

WheeledGamer himself responded on X and wrote that it wasn't about cheating, but about accessibility. According to him, the QuadStick controller is simply the only way he can play Call of Duty and Warzone. After the post went viral, the official Call of Duty account responded that the suspension had been reviewed and that his account had now been reactivated. The team behind the game will also contact him to better understand his setup and what may have triggered the anti-cheat system.

So it seems the issue has been resolved, but the incident still highlights how tricky it can be when modern anti-cheat systems have to distinguish between actual cheating tools and assistive devices that make it possible for more people to play at all.

https://x.com/Wheeledgamer/status/2058273977194439052?s=20

Playground Games reveals big post-launch plans for Forza Horizon 6

joel@gamereactor.eu (Joel Pettersson) — Sun, 24 May 2026 22:08:25 +0200

Forza Horizon 6 has gotten off to a ridiculously strong start, with over six million players just two days after its wide release, as well as a historically strong Steam debut for an Xbox Game Studios title. But Playground Games doesn't seem to be sitting back and relaxing on the digital Japanese countryside just yet.

In a new post, the studio thanks players for the reception and shares a bit about what's coming next. First and foremost, they're continuing to work on technical improvements, particularly on the PC side where some players have reported crashes and loading issues. A hotfix for so-called "Invalid Loading" errors has already been released, but more fixes are on the way in upcoming updates.

On the content front, the first Festival Playlist series, "Welcome to Japan," has already kicked off with new events and rewards. Moving forward, monthly updates are promised, featuring new cars, features, and other content. Premium players can also look forward to the "Italian Passion" Car Pack in July, as well as the two upcoming expansions included in the Premium Edition and Premium Upgrade.

In other words, Forza Horizon 6 seems to have gotten off to a flying start, but the car is hardly parked for the season. Rather, it sounds like Playground Games intends to keep filling Japan with new keys, new roads, and even more reasons to drive way too fast through postcard-perfect environments.

Are you one of the over six million players who have sunk their teeth into Forza Horizon 6?

https://x.com/ForzaHorizon/status/2057841450839142765?s=20

Wroom-wrooom!

Unreal Engine 6 officially revealed with Rocket League showcase

joel@gamereactor.eu (Joel Pettersson) — Sun, 24 May 2026 20:29:16 +0200

Epic and Psyonix have now officially unveiled Unreal Engine 6 with great fanfare, marking the next major step for Rocket League and a significant upgrade.

The announcement was made during the RLCS 2026: Paris Major and described as "a new era." No specific technical details were mentioned, however, but the short clips shown still gave a hint of what's to come.

There have long been rumors that Rocket League would be moving to a new version of Unreal Engine. Many had probably expected a transition to UE5, but instead, they're taking a giant leap to the next generation.

Exactly what the new version of Rocket League will entail in terms of content remains unclear. It is not yet clear whether this is a completely new game, a major update, or a technical overhaul of the existing version.

Release date? Nope, nothing like that yet, but at least we now know that Unreal Engine 6 is on the way. Check out the clip below.

Esoteric Ebb's creator reveals which parts of the game were the hardest to make

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Sun, 24 May 2026 15:48:00 +0200

Esoteric Ebb is a massive game. It's a short D&D campaign rolled into a video game, with all the potential avenues a player could go down, complete with a huge cast of unique and interesting NPCs. Its script comes in at around 600,000 words, and while creator Christoffer Bodegård is clearly proud of all of the game (especially now thanks to its success), there were parts of making the game that were tricky or frustrating for him.

Speaking with us in a recent interview following the game's launch and success, Bodegård explained the parts of Esoteric Ebb that challenged him technically and emotionally. Regarding the latter, the internal politics proved particularly difficult to wrap up.

"I saved them until the end - three months before the game was released. Because I knew that a great deal of the protagonist's political development would be based on precisely these, and I also knew that they would be severely limited by my own political and philosophical knowledge," Bodegård explained. "I drank loads of tea and sat down in early December 2025 and wrote them all, one by one. And it was here that I really had to examine exactly what my own biased thoughts, fundamental ideological pillars, and feelings were regarding topics such as democracy, men and women, migration, and loneliness."

The process of putting it all out there was a scary one, particularly as Bodegård had no real way to gauge how people were going to react to the game's heavily politicised content and themes. If there was an element that frustrated more than it scared Bodegård, though, it was the encounters.

"That was the only part of the game where I actually enlisted the help of my editor, Phil Jamesson, who had to write drafts for four of the later battles, based on my design," Bodegård said. "There's just so much unique content that needs to be written for these - imagine, they can be played in so many different orders. There are so many different choices - every round must have unique attacks and actions. And every subsequent round is influenced (and often entirely based on) the choice you made previously. And for there to be tactics and strategy and AGENCY in these, everything has to be properly designed as well. I'm very proud of the final boss fight, though. It's really cool."

Even if some parts proved scary, and others frustrating to make, the end result of Esoteric Ebb is certainly an impressive whole, and one that would not be the same without the political strife, or wacky encounters.

Trading Rock and Stone for Rogue and Like: Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core Interview with Ghost Ship Games

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Sun, 24 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is out now in Early Access. Giving players a tougher, more combat-focused experience than the original Deep Rock Galactic, while maintaining a lot of what made players fall in love with the first game is a tricky task, but Ghost Ship Games' Marketing Manager Aaron Hathway told us how they managed it. Check out our full interview with Hathaway below, and take a look at our review of the Early Access experience here.

Q: Was the Deep Dive game mode from Deep Rock Galactic a key inspiration behind Rogue Core, and how did you evolve the experience from the base game?

Hathaway: "Yes — many years ago, when Rogue Core was just a twinkle in our eye, it stemmed from us playing around with the Deep Dive mission model. We wanted to experiment with a longer, more challenging endeavor, with this sense that you really put a crew together and commit to fighting through it or die trying. It's been through a lot of snowballing iterations and evolved since then. When we started working on Rogue Core more seriously, we quickly realized that it couldn't be a DLC for Deep Rock Galactic. We'd really have had to dial down our scope and ambitions if we wanted it to all fit into Deep Rock Galactic. It's been much more motivating - and fun - to explore new gameplay systems, art direction, weapons and damage mechanics when we don't have to 'justify' or balance it with regular Deep Rock Galactic. If we tried to mash it into Deep Rock Galactic, we'd risk screwing up the balance, or diluting that game's own identity.

We've had a lot of fun with the freedom to build stuff like new damage systems, weapons, progression structures, characters and themes. We think it's in a good spot, evolving on Deep Rock Galactic and in some places breaking away from it entirely. Rogue Core is a spinoff, not a sequel. It's intended to scratch a different itch than Deep Rock Galactic, and to co-exist alongside it."

Q: As far as we could tell, you can only have one player on each class in a team. What's the reasoning behind this?

Hathaway: "We imagine the Reclaimers of Rogue Core as distinct individuals. Like, in the game's universe, there is only one Slicer, Retcon, Guardian, and so on — these are their callsigns, rather than general class descriptors. Having class exclusivity reinforces that, and creates more of a sense of a hand-picked team of operators to fit the whole feeling of the game."

Q: How familiar do you have to be with Deep Rock Galactic to enjoy Rogue Core?

Hathaway: "You don't have to be familiar at all, but it helps. Rogue Core shares a lot of DNA with Deep Rock Galactic, so many fundamental controls will translate — movement, shooting, mining, traversal. At the same time, Rogue Core's gameplay experience is quite different from Deep Rock Galactic. It's faster-paced, harder, and more combat-focused. We'd say the game's difficulty probably starts close to the 'Hazard 3' experience from Deep Rock Galactic, and it scales up from there. So in that sense, the Deep Rock Galactic approach of "chill in the caves and mine a bit" will probably get you killed here.

So yes, some core skills do translate. But it's a different game, so it's a different gameplay experience. It's also possible that not having experience with Deep Rock Galactic would mean players can more quickly adapt to what Rogue Core asks of the players. We'll see!"

Q: What can you tell us about the narrative element of the experience. How will players discover the story in the gameplay loop, and do you see the story as having an end, to build further on the Deep Rock lore?

Hathaway: "Like with Deep Rock Galactic, we go for a "show, don't tell" approach with the game's story and lore. There's not a traditional linear narrative arc. It's more about collecting more details, pieces of a puzzle that might (or might not) fit together, so you can speculate about what's happening. We always want to make room for players' own interpretations. At the end of the day, our players' collective imaginations are always going to be more interesting than any single concrete story we'd make. So in that sense Rogue Core definitely does expand on the Deep Rock lore, but it's rarely served up neatly on a platter. You'll have to play a whole lot to catch all the thousands of different voice lines, hidden interactions and tooltips, and decide for yourself how they fit together and what they say about this world."

Q: There are nine levels in the game, which is quite a lot of content already, but do you have plans for extended replayability if teams want to put in hundreds or even thousands of hours?

Hathaway: "Yes! The Enhancement Tree and Chip-based upgrade system, along with different Bio-Booster decks, introduce a ton of ways to change and re-focus your starting build, with lots of different ways to synergize with the upgrades you get during a run. Since the game is harder than Deep Rock Galactic, we'd say there's an overall higher skill ceiling, so more 'room to grow' for players looking for that. We're also working on the Gauntlet challenge mode, which is by far the most punishing difficulty level we've made in a Deep Rock Galactic game.

We're also looking at more progression that isn't necessarily tied to increasing difficulty. But again, it's too early for us to commit to any details there, as we'd like to wait to see what the players want and how they engage with the game."

Q: There's a lot of extras on the ship, even for Early Access. Things like a gym and dance floor. Can we expect a lot more of this in the lead-up to 1.0?

Hathaway: "The good ship Ramrod has been designed with a whole lot of extra space, so we've certainly got room for expansion if we need it. We've got a lot of ideas here, but this is a place where it's more fun for us to keep quiet about it and wait to see how it pans out. We'll put this on the Early Access roadmap, but it's hard to say exactly where it is on our list of priorities. A lot of the Space Rig 17 expansions and improvements only happened because of patterns we saw of how people were engaging with the space. In any case, we're always on the lookout for more ways to annoy OMEGA."

Q: I found the loot system in the game to be really interesting, as it makes players have to collaborate a bit more to get the builds and items they want. What was the decision-making process behind the loot system?

Hathaway: "The shared loot selection introduces friction, but we think a bit of friction can be fun. It ups the stakes, and nudges players to consider their teammates a bit more. If we wanted a frictionless game, we could turn off friendly fire too. But we keep that locked in for similar reasons."

Q: We've not yet got the 9th level in the game to go through, but how long do you expect players to take in beating all 9 levels and/or reaching the end of the "main" objective?

Hathaway:"Looking at the average player experience in Deep Rock Galactic, we wanted to make the main progression of Rogue Core something you can get through in about 40-50 hours. Keep in mind, this absolutely doesn't mean full completion — it's just the barebones core, like if you only do the 'main quests' and ignore all the side missions and collectibles.

This was designed so that a more casual player could still have a meaningful experience with the game. But beyond that, there's plenty to replay and unlock. We've already seen people logging hundreds of hours in the Closed Alpha, and much of that was on versions of the game that had less content than it does now.

As we keep developing after our Early Access launch, our aim is to make the core experience even richer for the casual player while also offering even more depths of challenge and progression toward someone who wants to stick with Rogue Core for hundreds, or even thousands, of hours."

Q: Are there any other roguelikes or roguelites you were inspired by when making Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core?

Hathaway: "Roboquest, Gunfire Reborn and Risk of Rain 2 come to mind first. Some of us in the office were really into Witchfire as well, but I think those first three are safe to call the biggest inspirations for Rogue Core's roguelite aspects.

Far Far West came out too late in our own development process to play a big role in our inspirations, but we'd like to give them a shoutout anyway because they've made a great game and we admire how they've tackled the co-op roguelike experience. Yeehaw!"

Q: Could you talk a bit about the overall gameplay philosophy for Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core and how it balances so much happening on-screen without overloading the player?

Hathaway:"It's tricky with roguelikes, as you often want to keep track of a lot of different upgrades and synergies and balance that with fast-paced gameplay. We mentioned our shared upgrade system, and in that sense, we think this actually can help people avoid that overload you describe — it creates natural breathing room, as it gives the team a moment to come together, discuss their builds, and check out what makes sense for them. The start of each level also tends to start somewhat quietly, unlike in Deep Rock Galactic which can sometimes drop you directly into an absolute hellzone. So we think that's also a nice chance to check out your upgrades and do a bit of strategic thinking.

This is also an area we'll be looking at as we develop further, to see if we can't find more effective and efficient ways to help players understand their build and all the information coming at them in the course of a run. Again, keep an eye out for our Early Access roadmap."

Fjord beats Coward, La Bola Negra to become Cannes 2026's Palme d'Or

david@gamereactor.eu (David Caballero) — Sun, 24 May 2026 13:57:06 +0200

"La Bola Negra or {Coward}". Of the 30+ film critics we asked during our time in Cannes, those were by far the two top picks for potential Palm d'Or winners. However, and to the surprise of many, they both ended up taking home smaller, yet prestigious category awards, paving the way for Cristian Mungiu's Fjord to become Cannes 79's Palme d'Or.

While the Grand Prix went for Andreï Zviaguintsev's {Minotaur}, both Los Javis and Pawel Pawlikowski were recognised as best directors ex-aequo for La Bola Negra and {Fatherland} respectively. On the other hand, actors were also given in doubles but because they were co-protagonists, with {Cowards}' Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne picking up the male award, and {All of a Sudden}'s Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto following suit with the female prize.

{Fjord}.

Here's the full list of awards:

Feature Films

Palme d'or

{Fjord}
directed by Cristian Mungiu

Grand Prix

{Minotaur}
directed by Andreï Zviaguintsev

Best Director Prize (ex-æquo)

Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi
for {La Bola Negra}

Pawel Pawlikowski
for {Fatherland}

{La bola negra} & {Fatherland}.

Best Screenplay

Emmanuel Marre
for {A Man Of His Time}

Jury Prize

{Das Geträumte Abenteuer (The Dreamed Adventure)}
directed by Valeska Grisebach

Best Performance for an Actress

Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto
in {All Of A Sudden} directed by Hamaguchi Ryusuke

{Soudain (All of a Sudden).}

Best Performance for an Actor

Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne
in {Coward} directed by Lukas Dhont

{Coward}.

Short Films

Palme d'or

{Para Los Contrincantes (For The Opponents)}
directed by Federico Luis

Para los Contrincantes.

Un Certain Regard

Un Certain Regard Prize

{Everytime}
directed by Sandra Wollner

Jury Prize

{Elephants In The Fog}
directed by Abinash Bikram Shah
1st film

Special Jury Prize

{Iron Boy}
directed by Louis Clichy

Best Actor

Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset
in {Congo Boy} directed by Rafiki Fariala

Best Actresses

Marina De Tavira, Daniela Marín Navarro, Mariangel Villegas
in {Siempre Soy Tu Animal Materno} directed by Valentina Maurel

Caméra d'or

Caméra d'or Prize

{Ben'imana}
directed by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
Un Certain Regard

La Cinef

First Prize

{Laser-Gato (Laser-Cat)}
directed by Lucas Acher
NYU, États-Unis

Second Prize

{Silent Voices}
directed by Nadine Misong Jin
Columbia University, États-Unis

Joint Third Prize

{Aldrig Nok (Never Enough)}
directed by Julius Lagoutte Larsen
La Fémis, France

{Growing Stones, Flying Papers}
directed by Roozbeh Gezerseh & Soraya Shamsi
Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, Allemagne

---

After attending the 79th Festival de Cannes ourselves, you'll soon find our full reviews on movies such as {Fatherland}, {Coward}, La Bola Negra, and {Histoires de la Nuit (The Birthday Party)}, together with live impressions and more from the event.

KPop Demon Hunters was originally meant to be a much more violent, adult movie

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Sun, 24 May 2026 11:31:00 +0200

KPop Demon Hunters was one of the biggest hits of 2025, and one of the the most recent triumphs in Western animation. A sequel is in the works, and we're sure from there Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation are set to franchise the heck out of this thing.

However, the original movie that kicked it all off could have been very different. Speaking with Deadline, co-director Maggie Kang explained that when she first pitched the idea all the way back in 2018, it was quite a different movie, describing the original concept as "dark, adult and very violent."

As the project began to take shape, Kristine Belson, the president of Sony Pictures Animation, said the movie could have franchise potential. It was suggested that Kang change some key aspects of the film, which made it more into what it is today. Part of those changes was to bring on a co-director in Chris Appelhans, who may not have been Korean himself, but helped the film keep its cultural identity.

"He's married to a Korean woman and so, culturally, even though he's not Korean, I knew that he was very familiar with the culture," Kang said. "What I really respected about Chris is that when he made Wish Dragon, which is culturally a Chinese movie, he knew he needed to go to China to make it, so he actually moved out there and worked there for two years with a full Chinese crew. So, I had immense respect for him because he knew the value of that."

Would you have wanted to see a more violent KPop Demon Hunters?

The 64-team World Cup is being seriously considered again by FIFA for the 2030 edition

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Sun, 24 May 2026 11:00:00 +0200

The idea of organising a FIFA World Cup with 64 teams was proposed months ago by the South American confederation CONMEBOL, which would allow more teams to participate in the global display that is the competition held every four years. While it wasn't well received by other confederation, it has been reported by several outlets, like AS, that the idea is being seriously considered again by FIFA.

That said, a final decision wouldn't be made after this year's World Cup, ending on July 19, 2026, which already will be the largest World Cup in history with 48 teams instead of the usual 32. A 64-team World Cup in 2030, an edition held in six countries (mainly in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, but also some matches Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, to celebrate 100 years from the first edition of the first tournament in 1930).

Teams like Cape Verde, Curaçao, Haiti, Jordan, or Uzbekistan have already benefitted from the larger competition, but some in South America failed to make it into the competition (Venezuela, Peru, Chile, and Bolivia, who lost the inter-confederation play-offs to Iraq).

Do you think having a 64-team World Cup is a good idea?

Sacha Baron Cohen doesn't think he'll ever bring Borat back again

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Sun, 24 May 2026 10:21:00 +0200

Sacha Baron Cohen is one of the best-known character actors of the current era, as the British star created and starred as Borat Sagdiyev, Ali G, Bruno Gerhard, and Haffaz Aladeen. But the actor has also appeared in a slate of other roles, including recently in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Mephisto in the Ironheart show.

With some of these epic characters in mind, you may be curious about which Cohen will next play. If so, the folks at Screen Rant asked the actor whether we'd be more likely to see Mephisto or Borat next, to which Cohen gave a very interesting response that might disappoint fans of the latter category.

"I think Mephisto. I don't know if Borat will ever return."

The MCU has a ton of characters in play so a return of Mephisto is incredibly likely, but hearing Cohen speaking about Borat as such does suggest that the actor is finished with playing such controversial and risky characters.

Who would you like to see back first, Mephisto or Borat?

Adventure Time returns next month with Side Quests series on Disney+, not HBO Max

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Sun, 24 May 2026 09:17:00 +0200

If you enjoy the hijinks of Jake and Finn and have been eager for more Adventure Time, we have some good news to share, as next month, the follow-up animated series known as Adventure Time: Side Quests will kick off.

This show will see the iconic duo return, alongside a host of other legendary characters, including Ice King, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, and BMO, with the famous voice cast even returning to reprise their roles, be this John DiMaggio, Sasha Knight, Tom Kenny, and more.

Premiering on June 29, the main thing to note is that the show will be available on Disney+ via Hulu, which might surprise the fans who have been enjoying Adventure Time on HBO Max. This is a tad odd as the show is from Cartoon Network, who is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the owner of HBO Max.

https://x.com/cartoonnetwork/status/2056376255839154622

We're waiting for an official trailer for the show, but you can see a poster for Adventure Time: Side Quests below.

Pokémon Go remains popular, but a sequel is apparently out of the question

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Sun, 24 May 2026 07:30:00 +0200

Do you remember exactly ten years ago when, all of a sudden, crowds of young people gathered in front of statues, murals, and other prominent landmarks around town, collectively swiping their smartphone screens with great fervor? The reason, of course, was {Pokémon Go}, which actually turns ten years old on June 6.

It became a phenomenon, not just among seasoned pocket monster hunters, but countless people from all walks of life eventually tried the game, which proved that exercise and fresh air can absolutely go hand in hand with video gaming. Even today, Pokémon Go remains hugely popular, and new fans are constantly joining the ranks.

Last year, Saudi Arabian mobile gaming giant Scopely acquired Niantic (the studio behind Pokémon Go) for a staggering $3.5 billion. However, at the time of the acquisition, they assured everyone that no major changes were on the horizon as a result. And apparently, they really meant it, because in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Scopely CEO Ed Wu now explains that they have no plans to release a sequel to it, apparently ever:

"I think that doing a sequel within a franchise is pretty clearly not the correct thing to do. There's such a big community because of the way that our games can be a part of folks's lives wherever they go, however they explore the world. Creating a sequel that divides the community doesn't make as much sense."

That doesn't mean, however, that there won't be more in the future. But if and when that happens, it will be something completely new and therefore not a Pokémon Go 2:

"If and when we do something new, it will really have to be from a different angle, but still with this notion of inspiring people to explore the world together."

What do you think of this approach, and is Pokémon Go 2 something you're personally hoping for?

Subnautica 2 developers respond to complaints about invincible fish

joel@gamereactor.eu (Joel Pettersson) — Sat, 23 May 2026 23:37:58 +0200

Unknown Worlds has now addressed the recent criticism of Subnautica 2 in an open letter to players. As we previously reported, several players have taken issue with the game's invincible fish and how underwater creatures behave in the Early Access version, and the developers now acknowledge that the balance isn't quite where it should be.

The studio writes that certain encounters with predators currently feel more frustrating than exciting, and that the tools players have to deal with these threats aren't always clear or satisfying. Therefore, they are now working on adjustments to, among other things, aggression patterns, aggro range, distress flares, the Survival Tool, and how creatures interact with vehicles and bases.

Unknown Worlds writes:

"Subnautica has always been built around vulnerability, exploration, and survival rather than traditional weapon-based combat. We believe that this is part of what makes the game unique. However, that design only works if creature encounters feel fair, readable, and engaging."

In other words, the studio seems determined to ensure that Subnautica 2 won't be a traditional underwater action game, but they also acknowledge that encounters with creatures need to feel more fair and understandable than they do right now.

Would you rather be blasting fish left and right?

Den firren ser inte jättesnäll ut.

Dead by Daylight will soon be haunted by Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Sat, 23 May 2026 17:00:00 +0200

It's set to be a big year for Friday the 13th fans as later in 2026, the prequel series known as Crystal Lake will be making its arrival. While that will focus more on the mother of the famous horror slasher villain, Jason Voorhees, the iconic unstoppable killer will also have a big 2026 as ahead of the official 10-year anniversary of Dead by Daylight, it's finally been confirmed that the legendary character from Friday the 13th is coming to the asymmetrical horror title.

We don't yet know much else about this crossover and collaboration, as developer Behaviour Interactive has simply confirmed that Jason is soon set to debut in Dead by Daylight, all following a fitting 13-hour livestream countdown timer coming to an end.

Stay tuned as Behaviour will no doubt have more to share in the imminent future.

Mel Gibson's The Resurrection of the Christ delayed

joel@gamereactor.eu (Joel Pettersson) — Sat, 23 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Mel Gibson's long-planned sequel to The Passion of the Christ has unveiled its first image, which you can see below, as well as new release dates. The Resurrection of the Christ will be split into two films, but according to Screen Rant, both have now been pushed back significantly.

The first part was previously scheduled for Good Friday 2027, March 26, but will now be released on May 6, 2027. Part two was supposed to come 40 days later, on Ascension Day, May 6, 2027, but will now have to wait until May 25, 2028.

The films will continue the story following the events of Gibson's controversial biblical epic from 2004, but this time with Jaakko Ohtonen in the role of Jesus instead of Jim Caviezel. It remains to be seen exactly how much sacred seriousness and Gibson-esque madness will fit into two parts, but the project at least seems to be moving forward for real.

Fancy more Jesus movies from Mel Gibson?

Esoteric Ebb's creator reveals he'd love to make an "Elder Scrolls killer"

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Sat, 23 May 2026 15:38:00 +0200

Christoffer Bodegård, the creator of Esoteric Ebb, spent years of his life on the RPG. Starting it even before Disco Elysium - the game you're most likely to compare it to - came out, Bodegård now has finally seen his work pay off, with a tremendous response to the stylish and charming RPG. His passion for games and creating them hasn't faded, and it seems his dream project is an RPG even more lofty in its ambitions than Esoteric Ebb.

In a recent interview with Gamereactor, we asked Bodegård whether he'd add anything to Esoteric Ebb if he'd had a bit more time and money. The developer didn't want to change anything major about the project. "Perhaps you could add a few more visuals, sort out the voice acting, and polish it up a bit more - but I'm happy with Ebb," he said.

But, he would love to make an incredibly ambitious project if he was given essentially unlimited cash. "If you gave me endless funds to make another game, I'd definitely start production on a first-person open-world immersive sim set in Norvik. Imagine Ebb's art style, but in first-person, and with all the 5e mechanics adapted for a game that both emulates D&D and acts as an Elder Scrolls killer. Give me $500 million and ten years and I can sort it out for you!"

Bodegård spoke so candidly about the dream project because "it'll probably never happen." If Esoteric Ebb had sold millions and millions of copies, though, that would have been his next game. For now, Bodegård is interested primarily in more games like Esoteric Ebb, while his dream project sits in the background. "Unfortunately, the financial situation is what it is right now. Most game companies are lucky if they can get half a million to a million dollars in funding. So let's just say it's a joke. For now," he said.

Check out our full interview with Christoffer Bodegård here.

Blumhouse horror hit Obsession becomes box office sensation

joel@gamereactor.eu (Joel Pettersson) — Sat, 23 May 2026 14:32:14 +0200

As we previously reported, Blumhouse's new horror film Obsession got off to a really strong start even before its official premiere, and now Curry Barker's low-budget thriller appears to have continued its upward trajectory. According to Screen Rant, the film grossed $2.9 million at the U.S. box office on Monday, May 18, which was enough to land it at number one on the domestic box office chart.

What's most remarkable, however, isn't just the top spot, but the price tag. Obsession is said to have cost around $750,000 to produce. Which makes it the cheapest films to top the U.S. box office charts in the entire 2000s, and that's no joke.

Obsession is described as a supernatural horror story about a young man whose wish for his crush to love him actually comes true. With dire consequences. In other words, Obsession seems to be yet another example of how the horror genre doesn't need massive budgets to scare the life out of both audiences and the box office.

Have you seen Obsession yet?

Take-Two CEO reveals the $50 million change to Borderlands that saved the game

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Sat, 23 May 2026 11:16:00 +0200

Borderlands is one of the most visually defined franchises we've seen in the modern gaming era. It just takes one look at the characters and world to know you're in for a lot of looting and shooting. However, at one point Borderlands' art style was far too similar to other games of the time, and it forced Take-Two to endure a major financial hit.

"We screwed up and the art style is not appropriate and it's not differentiated, so we want to remake the game," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick explained in an interview with David Senra (via GamesRadar+). When Borderlands was first shown off, it had a look that seemed inspired by other hits of the time, like Gears of War and Fallout. That wouldn't have made the game stand out, according to Zelnick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZgUcrR0K7I

The decision to redo the art style cost Take-Two $50 million, but Zelnick saw it as a necessary investment. "Had we not done that, Borderlands wouldn't have been a hit. And that was a nonobvious decision. And I pretty much can assure you no one else in the business would have done it," he explained.

Essentially, then, Borderlands was given a remake before it was even put out. Even back in the late 2000s, this was something that was inconceivable because of the money you'd have put in on the game already. However, Zelnick's gamble paid off, and Borderlands is still around to this day.

Denshattack! Interview: Talking 'trainspirations', length, AI, and additional settings with Undercoders

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons & Alberto Garrido) — Sat, 23 May 2026 11:00:00 +0200

Video games are one of the most creative forms of entertainment, offering an unmatchable marriage of interactivity and artistic vision. Even though that is often how we look at the medium, sometimes a game makes its arrival and stands out even among the most unusual and wonderfully creative options on the market. That's certainly how we look at Undercoders' striking and rather eccentric Denshattack!

This is, when you boil it down to its fundamentals, a 3D platforming experience. While that might sound rather normal for a video game, Denshattack! trades a familiar 3D platforming mascot and more slower-paced gameplay for hectic and colourful, anime-like chaos where the player controls a train of all things, and proceeds to flip, trick, and grind a public transport carriage through a crazy version of dystopian Japan.

Needless to say, Denshattack! is a unique game, one that caught our attention when we had the chance to preview it recently, describing the game as "crazy and demanding" and a "refresh" of the arcade genre. It won't be too long until you can play the full game either, as Denshattack! will be launching on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 as soon as June 17, and with that date edging ever closer, we took the opportunity to ask developer Undercoders some questions about Denshattack!, with answers provided by founder, game director, and producer David Jaumandreu.

Gamereactor: We know the concept was based on putting a new spin on arcade games and skateboarding, but combining that with train carriages and Japanese characters seems a bit mad. Is it based on some kind of personal anecdote?

Jaumandreu: "It actually is! As you've pointed out, we're big fans of Japan, skateboarding, and trains. The idea came up while childishly playing with a Japanese train toy model as if it were a finger skateboard and thinking: wouldn't it be cool if trains could jump, grind, do flips...?

"From there, we started imagining how that idea could work as a video game: how the controls would feel, what kind of challenges there could be and how movement would work. At first, the team thought the concept was maybe too wacky, but once we started building prototypes and realised they were incredibly fun to play, we decided to make the game a reality."

Gamereactor: Denshattack! seems like the sort of game that's crying out for online leaderboards so you can compete against your friends or other users. Is this a feature we might see in the game's future? And perhaps on consoles?

Jaumandreu: "Yeah, why not! When we published the demo, which included one of the Trickparks, we noticed that the competitive aspect was really well received by players, and some crazy records were achieved. We took good note of that and further improved the Trickpark rules, balanced the scoring systems, tweaked the medals, etc., so players could enjoy the competition even more. So leaderboards are definitely something we'd love to look into if there's enough demand for them!"

Gamereactor: Although we don't yet know the full story of the campaign, we know the game is set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian Japan. However, we reckon the concept of jumping between ruined buildings could be adapted well to other urban landscapes around the world. Could we have additional content set in other parts of the world, Europe, or even the United States... Chicago, or New York?

Jaumandreu: "We guess so! When we first came up with the idea for the game, we immediately made a connection with Japan. From our previous experiences backpacking through the country using its amazing railway system, we completely fell in love with it.

"We may not have such a high concentration of railway lines around here, but there are definitely some really interesting places and routes that could work perfectly as settings for more crazy train adventures. Denshattack Euro Tour? Why not!"

Gamereactor: How long will a playthrough of Denshattack! take a player?

Jaumandreu: "Beating the full game takes around 10 hours of gameplay if you're quick. For players that want to unlock every secret, pick up all collectibles and achieve all dares or get all the medals, there's even more gameplay time awaiting them!"

Gamereactor: What is Undercoders' stance on using artificial intelligence in video game development? Was AI used in the production of Denshattack!?

Jaumandreu: "As a creative team, creating a game ourselves is what makes us love our job and it's what we think makes games worth playing, with all their virtues and flaws. We're not big fans of AI, so it hasn't been incorporated into our development process."

Gamereactor: What's one part of Denshattack! you wish more people were talking about?

Jaumandreu: "Even though the game was designed from the ground up as a gameplay-focused concept, we've put a lot of love into developing its characters and story. We've tried not to spoil too much ahead of launch so everyone can enjoy discovering it for themselves, but we're really happy with how the game's narrative has turned out.

"We're looking forward to players discovering the world of Denshattack!: its lore, gang leaders, enemies, and the development of its protagonists. The stages have also been modeled after real train lines and real locations across the country, so we'd love to see how people recognise the settings and landmarks while playing."

Thanks to Undercoders and Jaumandreu for taking the time to answer our questions. Again, Denshattack! will be launching on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 on June 17, with a demo currently available to check out.

UEFA imposes lifetime ban to Czech women's football coach who secretly filmed players

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Sat, 23 May 2026 11:00:00 +0200

UEFA has imposed a lifetime ban on a Czech women's football coach who secretly filmed players from FC Slovacko in the dressing room. The coach, Petr Vlachovsky, confessed his guilt and was convicted in May 2025 with a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming in players in changing rooms, the youngest of whom was 17.

According to the indictment cited by the Czech media, via Reuters, Vlachovsky confessed and expressed regret. One year later, UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) issues their own verdict: a ban from exercising any football-related activity for life.

UEFA goes further, asking FIFA to extend his ban worldwide so that he cannot go train elsewhere in the world, as well as ordering the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr. Petr Vlachovsky's coaching licence.

The club, FC Slovacko, said that during the process "the club has regarded itself as an injured party ⁠and has treated the matter with the utmost seriousness, sensitivity and respect for those affected".

"This is a deeply serious and distressing matter which came to light in 2023 and had a significant impact on ‌our ⁠club, and above all on the players affected".

Matthew McConaughey's Yellowstone spinoff show wasn't axed to make room for Dutton Ranch

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Sat, 23 May 2026 10:27:00 +0200

It's been a busy start to the year for Yellowstone fans, as we've been treated to the Kayce-led spinoff Y: Marshals, the new story that is The Madison, and now recently the Beth and Rip-led spinoff Dutton Ranch too. Many of these shows have grand plans for the future, but with this growing evolution in mind, how does it impact the other more unique plans for the wider world, namely the once rumoured series that was supposed to feature Matthew McConaughey.

With some claims that Dutton Ranch has come at the expense of McConaughey's project, in a recent interview with The Playlist, Cole Hauser, known for playing Rip in Yellowstone, the actor looked to dispel any confusion and reveal the fate of McConaughey's show was not tied to Dutton Ranch at all.

"No. Dutton was a one-off to its own. I know what you're talking about. I'm friends with Matthew, so we had a little dialogue along the way years ago, but it had nothing to do with that. It just was how do we take these two creative beings and Kelly, and give us the kind of, I guess, roadmap to continue to create these characters and do something special that's new and challenging and that's entertaining ultimately for the audience."

It's unclear if we'll ever get the McConaughey-led Yellowstone spinoff/sequel project, but what we do know is that he and Hauser will soon be collaborating for the Nic Pizzolatto Netflix series where they play brothers coaching college-level sports in America.

Yacht Club "got caught up in AI fever" but "didn't find it was very effective" for Mina the Hollower

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Sat, 23 May 2026 09:06:00 +0200

With artificial intelligence continuing to become a bigger and bigger topic and a more prevalent technology in all walks of life, the question of how it's being used in the video game sector is also a popular one. To this end, with Mina the Hollower set to land on PC and consoles on May 29, we had the luxury to speak with developer Yacht Club Games to learn about its position on using AI in development and for their upcoming and anticipated project.

To this end, in the full interview you can see here, we asked whether AI was used in Mina the Hollower at all, to which Yacht Club explained it "got caught up in AI fever" but ultimately decided it wasn't "very effective for what we're doing".

In full, programmer David D'Angelo told us: "We all got caught up in AI fever like the rest of the world, but we didn't find it was very effective for what we're doing. Maybe our work just isn't that generic! We've found some ways it can help... like Google or a thesaurus, but it hasn't affected what's in our game."

With the launch of Mina the Hollower planned for May 29, stay tuned for more from the game as we edge ever closer to its full and public launch.

Now you can finally watch the classic Jackass series without that terrible YouTube quality

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Sat, 23 May 2026 04:17:30 +0200

In just over a month, it's premiere time for Jackass: Best and Last, in which the Jackass crew bids farewell to all their fans and celebrates with a few final rounds of madness, while also treating viewers to highlights from the archives to honor their long career. It all started with an MTV TV series that debuted in 2000 and went on to become a global phenomenon.

If you want to check out the three Jackass seasons but are tired of watching low-quality clips littered with ads on YouTube, there's now, fortunately, a great alternative. Via Threads, the official Jackass account has announced that the TV series has been restored and uploaded to Paramount+.

https://www.threads.com/@jackass/post/DYm_BGECap7

Unfortunately, the service isn't available in a number of countries (where many have SkyShowtime instead), and as of this writing, the TV series isn't available there, but hopefully it will be soon.

Feel free to share which Jackass stunt you think is the funniest of all time in the comments section.

Swedish movie star starts a new video game developer

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Fri, 22 May 2026 19:22:00 +0200

Perhaps not everyone knows that before Josef Fares became a famous game developer with Brother: A Tale of Two Sons and later founded the successful studio Hazelight (It Takes Two, Split Fiction), he was an actor and filmmaker. Now it's clear that another Swedish actor is attempting the same journey.

This time, it's Dragomir Mrsic, known for films like Easy Money and the Hollywood production Edge of Tomorrow, who announced via Instagram that he is starting a game studio together with author Per Anders Hovbom. The idea has been brewing for five years, but they aren't ready to reveal the studio's name just yet. Mrsic says, among other things:

"We're going to create entertainment in games inspired by real events, with powerful experiences where both the story and the action feel authentic."

He also comments on the focus of the gameplay and explains:

"Our ambition is to create gameplay that engages both emotionally and mechanically, where the player, the story, and the experience take center stage."

Hopefully, it won't be too long before we learn more.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYm5s-UsHSD/

Rumour: Sonic Frontiers is getting a Definitive Edition for Switch 2 next month

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Fri, 22 May 2026 18:49:00 +0200

Rumours have been swirling that Sonic Frontiers is set to be re-released as a Definitive Edition, with reports even suggesting that this version has already received age ratings in several parts of the world. It's therefore roughly 99% certain that it is actually underway.

Now, one of the most reliable leakers, Billbil-kun from Dealabs, has shared a bit more information, which primarily includes the release date. He writes that Sonic Frontiers: Definitive Edition will be launched on Switch 2 on June 23 and will cost $49.99, which is ten dollars less than when it was originally released four years ago.

Billbil-kun notes that he doesn't know if it will also be available on other platforms or if it's a Switch 2 exclusive, but either way, we'll likely find out more very soon, perhaps during Summer Game Fest or the Nintendo Direct rumoured to be coming in June.

Soldier Boy, Bombsight, and Stormfront returns: The first look at The Boys spinoff Vought Rising has arrived

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Fri, 22 May 2026 18:18:00 +0200

Now that The Boys has officially ended, Prime Video is looking to the future of the franchise by looking into the past. Next year, as the annual The Boys universe offering, we can expect Vought Rising to make its arrival, with this being the third spinoff series behind The Boys Presents: Diabolical and Gen V, and it revolving around the original supes created by Vought.

Essentially, expect to become far more acquainted with Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy, Aya Cash's Stormfront (AKA Clara Vought), Mason Dye's Bombsight, and a collection of others too.

As for the official premise of Vought Rising, we're told the following: "Set in the 1950s, the prequel series explores the twisted origins of Vought International. The teaser offers a diabolical first look at the world and story that will define this next evolution of the franchise."

Talking about a teaser, a first look trailer for the project has arrived and is available to watch below, which in a natural The Boys manner, is filled with questionable morals, bloody violence, and overindulged superheroes.

Debuting on Prime Video in 2027, Vought Rising is stewarded by showrunner and executive producer Paul Grellong, with Eric Kripke attached as an executive producer alongside other The Boys veterans like Seth Rogen (who is actually alive despite the events of the show).

McDonald's and Mega Man collaboration announced

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Fri, 22 May 2026 17:32:00 +0200

As usual, Japan gets all the cool collaborations in the gaming world, and we have a great example of that today from McDonald's, which has teamed up with Capcom to launch a joint Mega Man campaign for Premium Roast Iced Coffee.

The marketing campaign features a new version of an 18-year-old fan-made song that became very popular in the Japanese gaming community and helped younger gamers rediscover classic Mega Man games. This is a lovely way for Capcom to show their appreciation for fan-creations, rather than trying to work against them, which unfortunately still is too common.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nnn72S0bjc

As part of the campaign, there are also three wallpapers featuring Mega Man in different versions available for download for Japanese gamers craving a burger.

https://x.com/McDonaldsJapan/status/2057612406856065346

Nintendo increases Switch 2 production despite upcoming price hike

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Fri, 22 May 2026 17:08:00 +0200

We know, all these reports about how well the Switch 2 is doing are starting to get a bit repetitive, but the fact is that Nintendo itself also seems surprised by its success. Now, Tech in Asia reports that Nintendo has asked suppliers to increase Switch 2 production by about 20% by the end of this fiscal year (March 31, 2027), from 16.7 million units to 20 million.

This is actually a marginal increase from the first fiscal year, when Nintendo sold 19.9 million Switch 2 units, leading one to wonder what the company actually has in the works to justify this. Could it be a new Mario or Zelda on the way, or is it Pokémon Winds/Waves that looks so promising that Nintendo believes it needs more hardware available?

It's worth remembering that Nintendo very recently announced that it would need to raise the price of the Switch 2, which was expected to have a dampening effect on sales. Despite this, they are now increasing production quite significantly, so they must have something interesting in the works.

You can buy an actual version of James Bond's watch from 007 First Light

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Fri, 22 May 2026 16:44:00 +0200

IO Interactive has done their research when it comes to creating their version of the young James Bond for 007 First Light, including bringing on Lana Del Ray to record an official opening sequence song, and working with a broad list of established partners known for being key players in the James Bond franchise.

On this point, Omega watches are used by Bond in the game, including a special edition model made specifically for 007 himself. And the really exciting part is that this watch is also a real timepiece, an accessory you can buy and wear in-person for the completely reasonable price tag of £7,900.

The watch is a Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph 007 First Light edition, which clocks in at 44m in size and features a body made of stainless steel. It has a polished black ceramic bezel ring with a white enamel diving scale, plus laser-engraved waves and a sundial ring at 3 o'clock that is finished in PVD bronze gold. The strap is a NATO Strap inspired by 007 First Light, using elements of the watch worn by Daniel Craig in his last Bond adventure, No Time To Die.

Each watch also comes in a special presentation box themed after the suitcase that carries the watch in-game, and you can see what this elegant timepiece looks like below.

We discuss the Destiny dilemma and Warhorse's ambitions on the latest The Gamereactor Show

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Fri, 22 May 2026 16:19:00 +0200

It's been a crazy week in the video game industry for a whole slew of reasons. Naturally, this has made choosing the relevant topics for the latest episode of The Gamereactor Show a walk in the park, as for the 91st episode, we touch on Warhorse Studios, Grand Theft Auto VI, and the big story of the last 24 hours, Bungie deciding to sunset Destiny 2.

Yep, we look at Warhorse's confirmation of two games being in the pipeline, with one being a The Lord of the Rings experience. After this, we touch on the latest update to Grand Theft Auto VI's launch plans, with the project still firmly slated for a November arrival. And likewise, we even spend a ton of time discussing Destiny 2 and the choice by Bungie to move on from the game with reportedly little in the pipeline as a replacement.

Catch the latest episode of the show below, or listen to it on your podcast provider of choice, be that Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, or Spreaker.

Apple Music wants to "keep music fair" during the time of AI

markus@gamereactor.eu (Markus Hirsilä) — Fri, 22 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Apple Music has written an open letter to music labels and industry partners entitled What We're Doing to Keep Music Fair. The idea is to help the music business in the world of AI, as reported by 9 to 5 Mac.

According to Apple Music, technology should amplify artists, and not replace them. At the moment, AI music represents significantly less than 1% of all plays on the service. Still, the use of AI needs transparency and actions to prevent abuse. Apple is not banning AI-generated music, but it must be clearly labelled and not misleading.

Apple has developed internal tools that help identify AI-generated content in its ongoing fight against fraud, spam and impersonation. When a majority of plays for an AI song are coming from stream manipulation, Apple Music automatically removes that song from the service. Apple's Music Style Guide forbids the use of AI in a misleading manner.

Apple also states that in 2025 it excluded about 2 billion manipulated streams, redistributing those royalties to its pay-out pool. Stream manipulation on Apple Music is below 0.5%, which is one of the lowest rates in the industry.

Already features like AutoMix and the recent debut of Playlist Playground help users quickly create personalised playlists using a natural language prompt.

Spider-Noir: Season 1

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Fri, 22 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

I won't lie, when I heard that Prime Video was set to make a live-action series based on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's Spider-Noir character, voiced by Nicolas Cage, I was a tad sceptical. Did we need this? Would it have the same range as the blockbuster flicks featuring Tom Holland? Is Nic Cage too old to be an effective live-action Spider-Man? These may seem like unfair criticisms and concerns to some, but considering the absolute mess that has been Sony's villain-based Spider-Man universe, which included live-action Spider-folk in Madame Web, I feel like it was fair to be a tad worried about what this show could ultimately become.

But then things steadily changed and my criticisms shifted to wholehearted intrigue as more information on the project arrived and set photos and even trailers painted a very unique picture. What we were to get with Spider-Noir isn't Spider-Man set in the 1930s and with a noir overtone, as rather it's a noir crime drama that involves Ben "The Spider" Reilly and sees how he exists in a world of gangsters, prohibition, and socio-political turbulence. In many ways, it's not really a Spider-Man show at all and I stand by this statement after watching the first season and seeing how the events unravel.

For one, while we don't actually know much about this character as it's not quite the same version as the Spider-Verse variant, Spider-Noir isn't an origin story. There's no Uncle Ben-like "great power comes great responsibility" moment, there's no montage-type scene where we see how Reilly masters his new abilities, there's not even a spider bite scene (at least not in the way you might be thinking). The point is, if you were expecting Spider-Noir to re-tread the typical Spider-Man formula, this show basically conforms to none of it - and that's perhaps its strongest element.

Again, this story is mostly about how private eye Ben Reilly attempts to exist in a world run by corrupt politicians and ruthless gangsters. Reilly has a knack for finding himself in the worst possible places at the worst possible times, and because of this, he has to smooth-talk and outsmart dangerous and conniving threats as the man, not The Spider. The reason is because Spider-Noir is a show set years after Reilly hung up the mask and retired from crimefighting. The lifestyle took its toll and now he wants none of it, leaving him a somewhat selfish shell in a cruel and tough world. But while it's never explicitly stated, the Spider-folk creed of "great power leading to great responsibility" always nibbles at his heels, calling for The Spider to return and be a champion for those being abused by others with too much power.

When you boil it down, Spider-Noir is a kind of traditional Spider-Man tale, but not in the sense that we get to see a costumed hero kicking ass on the regular. Imagine Peter Parker being a forensic scientist and banging up criminals by finding the relevant evidence or Bruce Wayne joining the GCPD to do things by the exact letter of the law. That's kind of what this show explores, except that in a rather lawless New York City of 100 years ago, neither the police, government officials, nor the mobsters play by the rules, so neither can the hero.

So it's unusual and probably not what you'd expect, especially if you've seen the trailers, seen the web-slinging and the crime fighting, and expected this in droves. It's slower, it's more stylish, it's Boardwalk Empire with the odd thwip-thwip sprinkled in. To this end, the creators deserve plenty of applause for making such a creatively unique series with Spider-Noir, one where the overarching noir and harsh 30s are wonderfully represented across all avenues, be that the costumes and set design, the performances and dialogue, the use of music, the way characters fight like they have 10kg weights in their shoes. Spider-Noir doesn't just feel like it belongs in the 30s, it feels like the creators wanted to film it like a more dated production, scaling back on modern and eccentric stunt performances and flashy special effects and instead leaning more into letting its stars do the heavy-lifting and delivering fight sequences like they have been pulled out a Power Rangers project. It's a very unusual setup, almost as though Spider-Noir, across all facets, wants you to think of this show like a time capsule of an age gone by, something you easily can do when watching the excellent black and white version (which is the best way to consume this series).

There are vices with leaning so heavily into this design philosophy and that includes the scenes when The Spider makes an appearance feeling a little underwhelming and flat. The character isn't smooth and agile, it's heavy and stiff, a reflection of the aging Cage who plays an aging hero in this series, a character that feels the impact of every fight and fall. Essentially, don't expect backflips and acrobatics like we see from Holland as Peter Parker, as Cage is more about cracking his back and drowning his sorrows in whisky.

Ultimately, Spider-Noir comes at a perfect time as this isn't your average superhero show. As fans become tired of the usual heroics and eccentric digital effects scenes, Spider-Noir stands out similarly to Wonder Man, where this is a project about the man and not the mask. To understand the kinds of themes this show explores, how it leans into the tough and unforgiving era, I'll leave you with a quote directly from Cage's Ben Reilly: "With no power comes no responsibility." If you're looking for any semblance of what to expect from this show then that statement says everything and then some.

Tom Hardy reportedly fired from MobLand, won't appear in Season 3

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Fri, 22 May 2026 15:38:00 +0200

In a rather surprising turn of events, it has now been reported that Paramount+'s drama series, MobLand, its biggest original series that wasn't created by Taylor Sheridan, will soon look very different. Ahead of work beginning to take place on a third season, with Season 2 yet to debut too, Puck News has claimed that lead star Tom Hardy has officially been fired from the show and won't be reprising his role as Harry Da Souza for future chapters.

In a recent newsletter article, it's claimed that Hardy frequently clashed with the producers and the executives on the show, often looking to change dialogue and otherwise give notes that would adjust the planned production. This is on top of allegedly being late to set on a frequent basis.

The newsletter also adds that "any list of the most difficult actors in town would probably include Tom Hardy," which simply adds fuel to the fire of his conduct on sets, including a much-talked about affair back during the era of Mad Max: Fury Road, where the actor was allegedly often late too and even butted heads with co-star Charlize Theron on a frequent basis.

No official confirmation has come yet from Paramount or Hardy in regards to this news.

TikTok sensation King Chilli the Pug smashes GoFundMe goal for live-saving surgery

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Fri, 22 May 2026 15:14:00 +0200

In a little bit of delightful news, everyone's favourite TikToking pug has been the subject of headlines as of late. Long story short, King Chilli the Pug, as the dog is known, recently had a serious seizure that was soon discovered to have had a life-threatening impact on the adorable animal. His owners, Ollie and Helena, were told by veterinarians that to save King Chilli's life, the animal would need surgery that would cost as much as £125,000 in total, leading to a GoFundMe page being set-up where fans were being asked to donate in an effort of making the surgery possible.

The page was only set up on May 13, and already it has surpassed its goal of £125K. Over 5,200 individuals have donated to the cause and now it seems like King Chilli will be able to get the surgery and treatment he requires, an effort that will likely see the little dog requiring care for the rest of his life.

The page explains how the money is being spent, with around £9-10,000 in chemotherapy-style treatment, topped off by £18-30,000 worth of continued treatment for the rest of King Chilli's life. This is then on top of medication, appointments, reviews, scans and tests, and all manner of added extras that will continue to make caring for King Chilli an immense financial challenge.

One of the latest updates on King Chilli's health is that the pug has gone through the first round of chemotherapy treatment and is "still improving neurologically". He is currently going through the process of re-learning how to walk, all as he has a wound near his paw that is proving difficult to heal due to its position.

San Diego Comic-Con Málaga confirms the creator of Captain Tsubasa: Yoichi Takahashi

alberto@gamereactor.eu (Alberto Garrido) — Fri, 22 May 2026 15:00:09 +0200

When we recently reported on the confirmation of Emily Rudd's attendance at San Diego Comic-Con Málaga - the actress who plays Nami in the Netflix live-action adaptation of One Piece - we already suggested that the organisers seemed to be stepping up the pace of big-name announcements for this year's event.

And today it seems there is a general consensus that the list of confirmed guests has just been taken up a notch, because this year SDCCM 2026 will welcome manga legend and creator of Captain Tsubasa, Yoichi Takahashi. The mangaka and creator of the football universe will be attending the convention for all four days. This means that, whichever single-day ticket you buy, you'll have the chance to meet the master.

https://x.com/comicconmalaga/status/2057780537528299787

Is Yoichi Takahashi reason enough to encourage you to confirm your attendance at San Diego Comic-Con in Málaga? Remember that you can buy your tickets now on the website.

Logitech G512 X 75

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Fri, 22 May 2026 15:00:00 +0200

When it comes to a keyboard, I'm quite an easy person to please. I don't need immense amounts of features, broad RGB, a full 100% layout, or much of that jazz. What I need is simply a responsive and straightforward device that uses punchy and reliable switches and that doesn't take up too much room on my desk. That being said, I do appreciate when technology gives me the option for a broad slate of features without requiring me to purchase add-ons or use nearby space for added extras. For the case of the Logitech G512 X (in this situation, the 75% layout model), this is what you get to a very competent degree, as we're talking about a keyboard that goes above and beyond on features all while providing a useful home for each bonus element.

Before we even get to the more advanced features and the customisation options on hand for the Logitech G512 X, let's begin by touching on the core build and design philosophy. For one, this isn't a very subtle keyboard at all. There's a huge amount of RGB, both in the backlighting of the keys but also in the lightbar on the front side facing towards you. The top plate is stuck on like an added extra, leaving gaps down the sides where the purple underplates shine through, and this is all while the backside of the keyboard plays host to the quirkier features we'll touch on later. It's made out of quality plastic that's firm to the touch and smooth to run your fingers over, but it does lack that true top-of-the-line material choice that, say, HyperX's Alloy Origins series of keyboards utilise with its rich and heavy aircraft-grade aluminium body. This analysis also applies to the keycaps and even the two rotatable dials in the upper right of the keyboard that can easily manage audio levels, for example.

At the end of the day, when you boil it down and ignore the flashy RGB and the slightly unusual design style, the Logitech G512 X functions as a competent and able keyboard, one that doesn't really require setup, as it's very much plug and play. But here's the thing about saying that; you won't be buying a Logitech G512 X as a plug-and-play solution. This is a quirky keyboard built for those who want the added functionality it offers, so where does it ultimately stack up when we judge it on these more intricate parameters?

The Logitech G512 X is designed to offer a very rudimentary engineering experience, one where you can take the base keyboard as it is out of the box, play around with the RGB lighting in G Hub software's Lightsync section, and maybe switch the polling rate from a completely usable 1000Hz to a completely extreme 8000Hz (for if you game and require input responsiveness that measures 0.125ms, which for reference is about 36 times faster than a bee's wing flaps during flight...). But if you do want to take the next step, you can remove the back panel of the keyboard and take one of the nine included Gateron KS-20 Linear Mechanical Analog Switches and replace the existing Linear Mechanical Switches to get a more enhanced responsiveness experience. The main thing to note is that there are only 39 Dual Swap switch beds on the keyboard, meaning not every input will be able to take full advantage of this swappable setup, but the ones that matter, the majority of the keys on the left of the keyboard and the arrows, are part of the Dual Swap range.

Once you've swapped a switch - which is easy as the Logitech G512 X comes with two handy plastic tools made for removing keycaps and then switches - you can return to G Hub and change the actuation point and the sensitivity of the Gateron KS-20 switches you've just installed. If you're unfamiliar with how the two different switch types change the experience of using a keyboard, the Logitech G512 X is an excellent gadget for proving this point, as the Gateron KS-20 switches are softer, make far less noise, require a fraction of the force to activate, and ready themselves up in a heartbeat too. And this is without even having to make any changes in G Hub and just using the base settings for an installed switch, so you can probably imagine how things change when you tweak a switch to exactly how you like it.

The customisation elements are an interesting feature, but they don't stand out as particularly crucial. Again, it's niche and it offers a unique way to customise this device to your preferences, but it's also limited in the sense that you don't get many Gateron KS-20 switches to play around with, can't utilise them properly across half of the keyboard, and likewise the majority of players likely won't notice a huge change in performance from granular improvement these switches offer even if they do deliver a different feel to the regular switches.

So I appreciate the customisation options and I do absolutely adore how Logitech has managed to incorporate a relevant home for these different features on the keyboard itself. There's even a slot on the base of the keyboard that includes five SAPP rings to further reduce the noise of key presses and otherwise also act as a second trigger point too, and if that's not enough, the keycap and switch removal tools double as 'legs' for the keyboard, meaning you can remove them, swap switches, and then pop them back onto the bottom of the keyboard so you won't forget where you left them. In these aspects, the Logitech G512 X is rather ingenious engineering, but when it comes to how it offers a more customisable keyboard and software experience, it doesn't quite fully lean into the depth a device like this could, truly offering users deep customisation tools to make a device their own.

But again, as a keyboard, it functions well and has been a pleasure to use on a day-to-day basis in my experience and I've had a bit of fun tweaking the switches and keys, playing with the RGB at the same time. But has any of this had a noticeable impact on my performance in video games? Not that I can see. So, if you do end up contemplating snagging one of these gadgets, just understand that it is basically a regular keyboard that gives you an added jolt of customisation tools, and considering it doesn't offer a wireless connection, perhaps we should be expecting a little more from a gadget that costs £170.

Alberta will hold a referendum on potential separation from Canada

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Fri, 22 May 2026 14:25:00 +0200

Alberta may no longer be a part of Canada, as the province is set to hold a referendum later this year on whether it will remain a part of the country or not. Nestled between British Columbia and Saskatchewan, Alberta is an oil-rich province within Canada, one that feels like it has been overlooked for some time.

As reported by the BBC, the referendum was decided after a petition calling for separation gathered more than 300,000 signatures. A separate petition to remain as part of Canada then gathered more than 400,000 signatures. Opinion polls currently point to the province firmly remaining in Canada, but we will only know for sure once the referendum takes place.

It's currently scheduled for the 19th of October, as announced by Premier Danielle Smith, who said she herself would be voting to remain. However, she supports the rights of citizens to be able to make their voices heard, if they do call for separation. "Alberta's future will be decided by Albertans," she said.

This isn't the first time Canada's unity has been under threat. Quebec almost left the country in 1995, with remain winning the vote with just a 50.58% majority.

Here's what you can earn in Forza Horizon 6's four-week-long Welcome to Japan event

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Fri, 22 May 2026 14:14:00 +0200

It's only fitting that the first event to debut in Forza Horizon 6 would have an immense emphasis on Japanese cars. Now available in-game, the Welcome to Japan series has commenced, bringing a four-week-long activity that gives players a chance to earn a slate of Japanese car models by competing in seasonal activities.

For those unaware of what seasonal activities are, these are effectively just regular activities on the Forza Horizon 6 map. They take existing races and open-world activities and place an added restriction over them, asking you to win a race in a Class A Japanese car or to complete a Time Attack using a Japanese SUV. The situation changes frequently meaning you will need a broad garage to conquer what's required.

But should you do so, there are plenty of additional cars on offer, spanning the four rotating seasons over the next four weeks. Summer, which is now in operation, will let fans earn the 1999 Toyota Altezza RS200 Z Edition and the 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR. After this, from May 28, will be autumn when the 1997 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec and the 1991 Honda CR-X SiR will be available.

Next up is the winter season from June 4 where the 2019 Subaru STI S209 and the 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser Arctic Trucks AT37. Lastly is the spring season from June 11, where the 1996 Toyota Starlet Glanza V and the 1974 Toyota Corolla SR5. Plus, if you partake enough in the season, you will be rewarded with a 2010 Nissan 370Z and even a rare 2008 Mazda Furai.

Will you be ticking off some tasks in the Welcome to Japan series?

Tokyo could have a high-tech AI district as early as 2031

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Fri, 22 May 2026 14:03:26 +0200

Japan is often known as a country at the cutting edge, so it is perhaps not entirely surprising that Nikkei Asia is now reporting that a university, the Institute of Science Tokyo, is interested in building a kind of enclave in Tokyo that will be extremely high-tech and rely on AI and robots.

The idea is that the area will include, among other things, a 39-story high-rise equipped with everything we normally associate with science fiction. This includes self-driving cars, robots that grow vegetables, and a focus on residents' health - such as serving each person individually tailored, optimal meals.

In addition, humanoid robots will walk around the area and serve residents in various ways, while drones will be used for tasks such as delivering packages. This is not a distant future vision either; plans are already in place for parts of the project to be realized as early as 2031.

Around 70 companies are reported to be involved in the plans, with Hitachi and SoftBank, for example, mentioned by name.

Image from the movie I, Robot.

Lupita Nyong'o responds to controversy around her casting as Helen of Troy

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Fri, 22 May 2026 14:02:00 +0200

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has wound up with a few controversial casting choices. Travis Scott playing one of the suitors loitering in Odysseus' house, for example, but perhaps none have drawn the ire of the internet quite like Lupita Nyong'o's casting as Helen of Troy, as well as her sister Clytemnestra. It's Nyong'o playing Helen that has people particularly riled, as many see the face that launched a thousand ships as the most beautiful woman in the world.

Nyong'o, though, wasn't keen to just be a pretty face. "You can't perform beauty. I want to know who a character is. What is beyond beauty? What is beyond looks? That's the thing about doing such a well-known text, which has been studied and interpreted and derived from. The research could be endless. The good thing about working with a writer like Chris is that it's on the page. The investigation starts with the pages you're given. That's what I based it on," she told Elle magazine.

The actress wasn't willing to give away many details about the film itself, but she did address the controversy around her casting. "Our cast is representative of the world. I'm not spending my time thinking of a defence. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not," she said. "It's quite something to be a part of The Odyssey, because it is so grand. It spans worlds. So that's why the cast is what it is. We're occupying the epic narrative of our time."

Christopher Nolan, the film's director, never had any doubts about casting Nyong'o. "The strength and the poise were so important to the character of Helen. And Lupita makes it look effortless," he said. That probably won't stop certain people on the internet from hating the choice, as they've always got to find something new to be mad about.