Gamereactor UK

Treasure clearly seems to imply something Guardian Heroes related

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 03:30:00 +0200

Unfortunately, the Sega Saturn was a console played by far too few people, especially outside of Japan (where it actually sold quite well). As a result, there are tons of really great games out there that many people don't even know about.

One example of such a title is 1996's {Guardian Heroes}, a beat 'em up with immense depth and co-op, somewhat in the vein of {Castle Crashers} but with better graphics and released about ten years earlier. It was developed by the action masters at Treasure ({Gunstar Heroes}, {Sin & Punishment}, {Ikaruga}) and was showered with rave reviews.

But aside from a re-release on Xbox Live Arcade 15 years ago, we haven't seen a trace of it since... but now something seems to be in the works. Without warning, Treasure recently posted a strange message on X (thanks, Time Extension) that apparently has something to do with Guardian Heroes, including the name "Sega Universe."

https://x.com/TreasureCoLtd/status/2047810435894981076

Yesterday, it was time again for yet another Guardian Heroes teaser, this time even more cryptic with a nonsensical text that ended with (translated using Grok): "Oh, I posted the wrong picture. Sega is going to be mad at me."

https://x.com/TreasureCoLtd/status/2048258804685705366

But Treasure apparently isn't done with the weirdness yet, and yesterday they dropped a third post featuring the Guardian Heroes logo written in Sega's classic font, along with the text:

"Oh, Treasure, it's not ready yet."
Days when I get scolded by Sega.

https://x.com/TreasureCoLtd/status/2048830722442662283

We have no idea what this is about, but it's likely a re-release, remaster, or remake of the original, or perhaps an entirely new game in the series. The above mentioned Sega Universe, by the way, is an initiative Sega launched last week (which we reported on) to celebrate its origins. Even though Treasure made Guardian Heroes, Sega was the publisher, and there's naturally a strong case for a connection.

Guardian Heroes written with Sega's font, and a mention of the recently announced Sega Universe... What is this all about?

Elementallis delivers classic Zelda vibes in its launch trailer

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 03:10:00 +0200

It's no exaggeration to say that {The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past} changed pretty much everything when it was released in 1991, becoming one of the most influential games of all time. It was followed by a flood of similar titles with that slightly isometric bird's-eye view, and the fact is that it remains a popular game format to this day.

One example of this comes from {Elementallis}, which was released yesterday for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. Development began as early as 2021 when the developers sought Kickstarter funding, which resulted in them raising about six times as much money as they needed.

Already then, the Spanish developer Ankae Games described the title as "a 2D top-down adventure mimicking the style and feel of classic 2D Zelda games," and now that we've watched the launch trailer, we totally see why. Check it out below, especially if you're a fan of Link's most classic adventures.

Meet the villains of Masters of the Universe

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 03:05:00 +0200

Skeletor probably needs no introduction as one of the most iconic and influential villains in pop culture history. He's so charismatic that it's easy to forget that the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe actually featured several other phenomenal and memorable villains.

Now, Amazon and MGM Studios want to remind us of this with a roughly one-minute trailer they're calling Forces of Evil, where we get to meet some of the main enemies He-Man will face in this summer's blockbuster, Masters of the Universe. It hits theaters on June 5, and you can find the video below.

The Blood of Dawnwalker's PC requirements revealed

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 03:00:00 +0200

On Tuesday evening, we finally got to find out more about {The Blood of Dawnwalker}, developed by {The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt} director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz's new studio, Rebel Wolves. Among other things, it was revealed that the game will be released on September 3 and will be around 50-70 hours of gameplay - and we also had the pleasure of talking to the developers.

Now, the studio has also released the PC requirements for the game, and since it's a visually stunning Unreal Engine 5 title, the specs are pretty demanding. The CPU requirements are surprisingly high, and if you want to play in 4K, you'll essentially need an RTX 5090 (which makes you wonder how consoles will perform).

Check out the PC system requirements below. Do you think they're reasonable or a bit too high, and roughly where does your computer fall on the spectrum?

Rebel Wolves unveil The Blood of Dawnwalker's estimated playtime

david@gamereactor.eu (David Caballero) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:42:34 +0200

Rebel Wolves' highly anticipated, vampiric dark fantasy RPG just got a release date as it's now official that The Blood of Dawnwalker will launch on September 3, 2026, and with that we at Gamereactor get to show you our special coverage from our visit to their offices in Warsaw, including our new impressions and video preview and three different interviews with its devs. But besides that, we also participated in a Q&A session with game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz in which he shared even more insight.

One of the predictable questions from our media colleagues (and among the most recurrent in the community) didn't take long: what is the approximate playtime of The Blood of Dawnwalker?

"It's funny, because when we first started to work", Tomaszkiewicz recalled, "we planned it for 40 hours. Right now, the average is around 50 hours, but it depends on which difficulty level you play, how picky you are, how much you explore, and how much you upgrade your gear and so on".

And then he concluded:

"Lately, a few persons from our team finished the game... and there are big differences between them. It's like from 50 hours to around 70"

So there you have it. With the tightly scripted yet incredibly variable open world game design we witnessed during our visit, it's only natural that its scope doesn't pursue the three digits, something we actually celebrate until we can assess the overall consistency of the full game in the summer.

Mario Tennis Aces' soundtrack is now available with Nintendo Music

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:02:46 +0200

We were pretty much in agreement here at the editorial office that Mario Tennis Fever didn't quite live up to its predecessor, Mario Tennis Aces, even though it was still a good game. Now, we have the chance to revisit memories of the latter, as Nintendo has just updated its Nintendo Music app (requires a Switch Online subscription) with the music from Aces.

There are a total of 23 tracks spanning one hour and 15 minutes, all composed by Motoi Sakuraba. He has previously contributed his compositions to game series such as Star Ocean, Mario Golf, and Golden Sun, so he's a seasoned composer who knows how to create captivating video game music.

The Mario Tennis Aces soundtrack is now available, so just pop it on tonight when you take the dog for an evening walk or hit the gym for your mandatory workout.

The Blood of Dawnwalker's open-world traversal revealed (and why there are no mounts)

david@gamereactor.eu (David Caballero) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:02:00 +0200

The live presentation is now over and the embargo has lifted, therefore we can tell you much, much more about The Blood of Dawnwalker from our time with both the game and the devs at the premises of the Rebel Wolves in Warsaw a couple of weeks ago. So first and foremost, there's our new preview and video preview of the game here. Then, you can watch our (fully subtitled) interview with creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz below, where among other things we talk about the still-under-wraps open world of the RPG.

"Sure. I mean, the world is big", Tomaszkiewicz confirms firstly about the real scale of the map when asked about potential mounts and teleporting shrines. "And of course, we were thinking about how do you traverse through it. And we don't have a mount specifically, but we have some abilities unique to a vampire or a mage that you get to use to traverse faster, right?"

It's then only natural for protagonist Coen, who got his Vrakhiri abilities inspired by werewolves, to make use of those instead of relying on other creatures. The creative director elaborates:

"So, one of them is shapeshift. You get to turn into a wolf as a vampire and you can get to move around quickly. And you can level this up, of course, to make it even faster. And for a mage, it's more like slowing the time a little bit, bending reality and moving through it faster. So, I think they're pretty cool and they kind of allow for these interesting traversal combinations. Because as a vampire, as you might remember, you have these abilities to Shadow Step, to walk on vertical surfaces. And you can combine this, of course. You can run fast and jump and Shadow Step. It creates this interesting, fluid system of movement around and getting to inaccessible areas."

We caught a couple of finer details about the mysterious full map in our aforelinked full preview. How had you pictured traversal mechanics in The Blood of Dawnwalker until now?

Impressions: The Blood of Dawnwalker levels up and left us thirsty for more

david@gamereactor.eu (David Caballero) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0200

As you, my dear RPG lover, might or might not remember, when I had my first look at The Blood of Dawnwalker at Gamescom last year, it was a hands-off demo. So when Gamereactor was invited to visit the ~~office~~ den of the Rebel Wolves in Warsaw the other day, I assumed I'd finally spend some hands-on time with the game as mage-at-day and vampire-at-night Coen. Alas, we were pre-briefed: you won't be allowed to play this time either.

What first sounded like a bummer quickly turned into the opposite. The game remains scheduled for 2026, with a release date likely revealed when you're reading this, so the fact that it still wasn't playable did raise some eyebrows. Yet the guided demo went from "worrying, something must be wrong or broken" to "wow, it has progressed a lot, I now know much more and I need to play this asap".

Because what this new preview build gave us was, first and foremost, proof of the significant evolution from last year's early beta. And secondly, much more context about its lore and the so-called "narrative sandbox": its characters, its branching storytelling and quest design, and how it works. Could we have grasped all that on our own while learning the smoother graphics and multiple choice-consequence scenarios? I don't think so, at least not fully, and therefore I kind of appreciated the guided demo.

With this seen and notes taken, two big question marks still hover over the project. Can it maintain this fascinating variety of consequential missions and quests across the 30 in-game days while keeping the same level of intrigue and reward? And, as this is still described as an open-world dark fantasy action RPG, what about that open world?

We only caught a few details on that front during the demo and our time with its directors and devs. There'll be shrines acting as teleportation points and skill-honing stations, no mounts, as Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz confirmed to Gamereactor during our interview, but Coen will be able to shapeshift into a wolf (why of course) for faster traversal. We also glimpsed the larger overworld map which, besides being beautifully hand-drawn for clarity, we're promised is "full of ancient ruins", but still got no real clue as to how the adventure will spread across it once you leave the village of Laslea.

Now, let's cut to the chase. This was the game's prologue, so unlike last year's Day 9 demo, which focused on setting, abilities, combat, and the investigative side, the first hour and change of a new game served a different purpose. After the same prerendered intro we saw last year we got to meet Coen and his full family, had our first rush of FOMO with the different choices you can make, and saw just how harsh and story-changing the consequences can be. In the meantime, we revelled in the much more polished graphics (aside from a few stiff dialogue animations, this one's a looker already) and approved of a fluid directional combat system that seems fully transformed based on last year's feedback and corrections.

And this is why I wonder if it'll keep the quality in the long run, because for an open world with ever-changing outcomes, the first few steps into the game looked so damn well directed. It almost feels like your typical God of War-type single-player, rigidly scripted action adventure.

Coen is a young lad living through difficult times of pestilence and famine in the Valley of Sangora, in the Carpathians. He used to work at the mines, where he contracted Argyria due to exposure to silver dust. This single element seems key to his special condition as a Dawnwalker and to the story overall. He's tormented by how his little sister's episode with the Vrakhiri (the intro, described in our earlier preview) might affect her, but Coen himself ends up infected by the vampires. Soon enough the big call becomes apparent here:

"Fight for your humanity or embrace the curse to save your family"

And this is not something you'll decide towards the end of the 30 in-game-day adventure, but constantly from Day 1. Your sister, Lunka, disappears in the tutorial, hinting that something is wrong with her, and perhaps with you, in a deliciously twisted reddish vision. Your mum, Esmie, is ill, and the moment you're given control of Coen you must decide whether to fetch herbs for her. If you don't (and the Rebel Wolves didn't, as they deliberately spent time on other errands), she'll be brutally murdered, eaten alive before your eyes after showing weakness to Knyaz Brencis, the Vrakhir lord of this land. He might have done away with taxes and cured the villagers' illnesses, but he rules with a thirsty iron hand and "only" asks for one regular donation in return: "A pint of blood, once every Moon".

"Blood so thin it tastes like water" - Brencis on Esmie's weakness

This single fact showed real consequence. You can kill important NPCs, decide how to tackle quests, and choose who you support. "Uncover secrets, fight the night alone or with unlikely allies - Experiment and watch the world respond, exploit each form's strengths". That's the philosophy here, which to me sounded and felt like my beloved Dishonored, but in a much more RPG-ish fashion.

And what did you do, you bad ADHD son, instead of healing your poor mother? As the main goal, if you want, is to save your family, we were told that you can make the right choices each day to keep them all alive, including your dad Pieter, your little brother Mirto, and your older sister Yana. But as the ominous quote above teases, it looks like it'll be much easier if you give in and embrace your vampire abilities at night.

Instead of collecting herbs at the local doctor, we saw several tempting side quests pop up around Coen as he walked through the village. Completing those objectives, as well as learning new abilities, moves the in-game clock forward. They ignored a well-paid offering and a lady in distress called Gremla (later irremediably executed at Father Florin's Blood Mass), and instead opted to save a missing pig (because why not, if only to illustrate consequences) and an acquaintance's missing brother.

Leaves, light, shadows, architecture, and nature details in Laslea's outskirts now look beautiful, full of added personality despite the tension and despair in the air. Soldiers keep a constant eye on villagers, Vrakhiri come and go as they please. Only nearby quests show on the map or compass, while a Batman-like Focus Mode reveals lootables, interactables, and clues on screen.

A castaway had the pig in custody, and the hourglass icon in the first dialogue choice showed that helping would move time forward by one segment. It then triggered combat, with the directional attacks, manual dodges, and stamina-consuming auto-parries I explained last year. With the guy punched down and the pig chased down came wolves, showing no sympathy for Coen despite any remote kinship. Too bad the pig still ends up slaughtered and eaten for dinner by its true owner, who was already sharpening his blade when we delivered it, an ironically hilarious touch made better by the fact you can also choose whether or not to join the meal.

The missing brother? The name's Lazar, and as we arrived soon enough in the day's timeline, he's still alive. But it could've been worse. His rescue, including some detective work, leads us to one of the ancient ruins, which naturally sets the stage for an alternative mini boss, The Forgotten Guardian, a dead man somehow brought back to life whose attacks are unblockable, for those who rely on auto-parry. "If I had to fight that thing, I'd piss myself", says our rescuee. Such a different mission you'll miss entirely if you spend your time elsewhere.

Instead of the more generic vessel we saw in August, Coen gained a lot of personality for us with this new showing. Given the many ways you can shape him, we understand he'll need to maintain some sort of "player-created character" space, but he also needs to hook us with the story and his motivations. The new artwork dedicated to him already says a lot more, and this prologue showed how he'll go from a very inexperienced, weak young boy prone to getting scared to a stronger, more confident protagonist.

Cinematography has also improved, in and out of cutscenes. The Blood Mass events feel tense and believable. We get to know a bit more about the other vampires introduced in the original sequence, and it looks like they'll act as Brencis' Koopalings for the duration of the game.

The Mass came later in the prologue so we could see what happens next, which pits Coen against his silver mine colleagues and puts his grieving, and thus reckless, father in danger. I won't spoil more, but suffice it to say he ends up missing too, and it's here that Coen starts to struggle with his newly acquired Vrakhiri powers, something linked to how Brencis put a fang in his heart. And I have to say we loved the moment he feels tempted to devour his friend Kastel as he lies covered in tasty, smelly blood. A full leg will satiate for now, as a tapa appetiser. Interestingly, there'll be decisions you will or won't be able to make depending on your Blood Hunger, which can actually decide for you when you need a refill, signalled by a red frame on screen. And yes, you will unwillingly kill friends and foes like this.

With more vampire powers at our disposal, it was the perfect section to show off the familiar abilities. Coen looks less human, uses his claws in combat, and grows fangs. He deals swiftly with Gollum-like annoying creatures in the caves, and puts Shadow Step and Plane Shift to practice, the latter letting him walk on walls like Spidey and, we're told, always available in the open world. A new vampire ability was Claw Ride, allowing Coen to slide down walls instead of walking on them.

The Vrakhiri Banneret featured in the last (night) combat showing as tougher enemies guarding a burning house alongside former friend and now untrusting colleague Vladimir. "Would a monster reason with you?", tries to humanise a Coen that can actually give in to the hunger if you choose to before it becomes automatic.

The icing on the cake? The final showdown with Brencis in the prologue, where he scratches Pieter's face to exploit his own son's thirst. Will Coen quench it on his father? Even this early in the game, it's time to face Brencis, the Knyaz of Vale Sangora, a thousand-year-old, experienced Roman soldier. Coen is no match for him, but then something happens: his silver-dusted Dawnwalker blood tastes bad and the sun is about to come out. "I should slice you open and study your entrails!" And our protagonist ends up pinned to a tree with a stake. How will he be saved?

We'll know that and beyond in a few weeks when we'll hopefully play the game ourselves to learn more about more advanced powers and mysteries, perk and ability-filled skill trees such as Swordmastery, the role of potential allies in the longer adventure, and of course the true open world scale we can expect from the full game when it releases later this year. For now, I can only applaud the many unique, but genuinely role-playing things The Blood of Dawnwalker is bringing to the table. If it holds up throughout like in the prologue, it can become something very special for genre fans.

Train collision in Jakarta leaves 15 dead and around 100 injured

alberto@gamereactor.eu (Alberto Garrido) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:17:41 +0200

Late on Monday 27th in Bekasi, a suburb of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. A passenger train was struck by a freight train on the tracks, according to the official report. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi stated that the accident occurred when a taxi stopped at a level crossing near Bekasi Timur station, causing the commuter train carrying passengers and a carriage reserved for women to come to a halt on the tracks, where it was struck by the long-distance train.

According to Reuters at the time of writing, the death toll stands at 15, all women from the carriage that was struck, and 88 people have been injured to varying degrees; however, the authorities are continuing to work on clearing the carriage, which has been completely destroyed, so further fatalities cannot be ruled out in the coming hours.

After visiting one of the hospitals in Bekasi where the injured are being treated, President Prabowo Subianto stated that he had agreed to build an overpass near the railway tracks and that the authorities would investigate the collision. He added that much of the railway network was not receiving adequate maintenance.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth demo now released for both Switch 2 and Xbox Series S/X

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:13:00 +0200

Earlier this year, Switch 2 and Xbox Series S/X players finally got the chance to dive into the stunning remake of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Remake Intergrade. By now, the biggest fans should have already finished it, which is good timing because the highly acclaimed sequel, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, is set to release on June 3.

However, we can already get a head start on the adventure, as Square Enix has announced the release of a playable demo for both Switch 2 and Xbox Series S/X, where you'll be able to carry over your save file to the full game. The demo includes both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, where in the first part, Cloud returns to the character's backstory alongside the iconic Sephiroth to find out why monsters have appeared near Cloud's hometown.

In Chapter 2, the story continues with a journey across the Grasslands, and Square Enix notes that there are several hours of entertainment to be had with side quests, the card game Queen's Blood, and battles. Check out the trailer for the demo and the new versions below.

For those who know they want to buy the game, pre-orders are available now for both Switch 2 and Xbox Series S/X, and those who order in advance can look forward to the following pre-order bonuses:

Digital Edition

Standard - Includes the Moogle Trio and Posh Chocobo Summoning Materia, Armor: Shinra Bangle Mk. II and Midgar Bangle Mk. II.
Digital Deluxe Edition - Includes the Standard edition bonuses, plus the Magic Pot Summoning Materia, Accessory: Reclamant Choker, Armor: Orchid Bracelet, Digital Art Book and Digital Mini Soundtrack.

Physical Edition

Standard - Those who pre-order the physical Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth will receive one Magic: The Gathering—Final Fantasy Zack Fair card featuring variant art by Tetsuya Nomura, while supplies last.

Universal has released a cinema release schedule... and we now know when we'll be seeing The Super Mario Bros. 3 Movie in 2028

alberto@gamereactor.eu (Alberto Garrido) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:58:50 +0200

When we went to the cinema less than a month ago to see The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, its conclusion could do nothing but set our imaginations soaring as we pondered how Nintendo and Illumination would continue to build on their highly productive partnership with what is almost certainly a third Mario film in a lengthy article. Well, we still don't have a title for that future film, but we've just received official confirmation that it's happening, along with an approximate release date to look forward to.

Universal Pictures has shared a document detailing its confirmed release schedule for the next four years (it's an expandable list, featuring only 'green-lit' projects), and on the list we can see a very revealing entry for an "untitled Nintendo and Illumination film" on 12 April 2028. This would make perfect sense, given that production on the film could already have begun, leaving them two years to complete the animation and voice recording.

So now we know: we won't have to wait that long to see the next film featuring Mario and co. in cinemas, and we should expect it in roughly two years' time from now. Which game or character do you think The Super Mario Bros. Movie 3 will be based on?

Confirmed: Rafa Jódar is facing Jannik Sinner: Times for the Madrid Open quarter-finals

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:44:41 +0200

The most anticipated duel of the Madrid Open is confirmed to happen: World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will face Spanish sensation Rafael Jódar on Wednesday, in the quarter-finals. Theirs will be the main match of the day, starting at 16:00 CEST, 15:00 BST.. It will be followed at 21:30 CEST, 20:30 BST by Arthur Fils vs. Jiri Lehecka.

Jódar, 19, is one of the breakthroughs of the year, coming from his maiden ATP 250 title in Marrakech, his semi-finals at the ATP 500 Barcelona, and now reaching his first ATP Masters 1,000 quarter-finals in Madrid; only the second player born in 2006 to do so after Martín Landaluce at Indian Wells in March.

On Tuesday afternoon, Jódar defeated Vit Kopriva 7-5, 6-0. Kopriva was, in theory, an easier rival for Jódar (the 29-year-old Czech has never won an ATP title and is now at his highest ranking in his career, World No. 66, while Jódar is already World No. 42 after four months in the ATP Tour). But Jódar had already defeated the "other" teenage star, Joao Fonseca, as well as his first Top 10, Alex de Miñaur, in the path for his first meeting against the World No. 1, on a 20-match winning streak, including defeating Cameron Norrie earlier on Tuesday.

At the moment, no tennis player seems good enough to stop Sinner, and Alcaraz will be injured maybe until Wimbledon, if not for longer. Will Jódar be the one to upset Sinner on Wednesday?

The man, the myth, the legend: Ted Lasso returns to Apple TV this August, with a trailer now available

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:30:00 +0200

While Apple TV has a broad slate of excellent television, the one series that continues to be one of the streamer's biggest and most popular is Ted Lasso, which is particularly amazing since the show wrapped its third (and what was originally thought to be its final season) in 2023. But as with anything that has demand, Ted is soon set to return.

This August, the long-awaited fourth season of Ted Lasso will debut on Apple TV, with this reuniting Jason Sudeikis' titular coach with a popular array of returning stars, including Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, and Jeremy Swift.

As for what the plot will offer fans, after Ted left AFC Richmond at the end of the third season, he is now returning to the club, but not to be the main men's team manager, as rather he will take a stab at coaching the club's women's side, which currently operates in the second division in the English football pyramid.

The official plot synopsis adds: "In season four, Ted returns to Richmond, taking on his biggest challenge yet: coaching a second division women's football team. Throughout the course of the season, Ted and the team learn to leap before they look, taking chances they never thought they would."

With a new premise in mind, Season 4 of Ted Lasso will introduce a bunch of new characters, each played by a bolstered cast that includes Tanya Reynolds, Jude Mack, Faye Marsay, Rex Hayes, Aisling Sharkey, Abbie Hern, and Grant Feely.

As for when exactly Ted Lasso will return, the fourth season will begin streaming on Apple TV on August 5, and you can see its first teaser trailer below.

Farewell to Spiders studio: Nacon has failed to find a buyer for the subsidiary and has begun the process of winding down its operations and laying off staff

alberto@gamereactor.eu (Alberto Garrido) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:23:39 +0200

You may not be aware of this, but Nacon's software division filed for bankruptcy in February. This led to the management of its assets and subsidiaries (KT Racing, Cyanide, Nacon Tech, and Spiders) being placed under administration to restructure the company and see if it could be saved as a whole. Until mid-April, the court-appointed administrator and Nacon had held out hope that a fund or external investor might make an offer to buy the studio, founded in Paris in 2008, and thus save it. However, as no offer was received, the court has now initiated liquidation proceedings, which will take effect within 15 days.

This is devastating news for the 70 employees still working at the studio, though they have been preparing for this difficult news for days, updating CVs and attending retraining sessions and in-house employment seminars. According to the French outlet Origami, this week's traditional Friday drinks will in fact become a "tribute party" marking the studio's 18-year history.

Over the past decade, Spiders released Greedfall, Steelrising, and GreedFall 2: The Dying World, games of significant budget and ambition which, however, failed to make a successful impact with players, either critically or financially. In 2025, an unannounced, big-budget project codenamed Dark was cancelled, and since then all resources have been redirected towards trying to optimise GreedFall 2: The Dying World as best as possible, a project that had already suffered budget cuts. Until a few days ago, they were preparing prototypes for a proposal to save the studio, but pre-production halted a few days ago.

With the closure of Spiders, it is highly likely that the other subsidiary that Nacon had put up for sale, Nacon Tech, will also shut down permanently.

David Attenborough's 100th birthday will be celebrated with a live event from London's Royal Albert Hall

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:11:00 +0200

In just a couple of weeks, David Attenborough will officially turn 100-years-old, with the iconic wildlife broadcasting icon and environmental conservationist set to celebrate a century on the planet by featuring in a special event that will be hosted in-person at London's Royal Albert Hall and also streamed to fans around the world who want to partake in the proceedings and mark this incredible milestone for perhaps the most-famous voice in wildlife documentaries.

As confirmed by the BBC, Attenborough will be the star of 100 Years on Planet Earth, an event which is described as a "ninety minute special event honouring one of the most influential figures in broadcasting and natural history storytelling."

The show will take viewers on an "extraordinary journey through a century of exploration and discovery in the natural world, seen through the prism of David's remarkable life and work," and it will commence from 20:30 BST/21:30 CEST on Friday, May 8, all on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The show will bring together footage from Attenborough's entire career, all using footage from the BBC's natural history archive and combining this with performances and music provided by the BBC Concert Orchestra. There will even be guests who have been impacted by Attenborough's career, including Liz Bonnin, Steve Backshall, Chris Packham, and Michael Palin, plus extra musical performers, be this Dan Smith from Bastille and Sigur Rós who will be on-hand to perform Hoppípollia, which was written for the Planet Earth series.

It's unclear if the show will be broadcast elsewhere, and if so, the exact broadcast locations are unnamed.

Jannik Sinner complains about timetables at the Madrid Open: "Two matches starting at 20:00 are too late"

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:38:09 +0200

Jannik Sinner dispatched Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-5, in their first encounter, and qualified for the Madrid Open quarter-finals, where he is set to play against Vit Kopriva or Rafael Jódar on Wednesday. The Italian will be World No. 1 for quite a long time thanks to Carlos Alcaraz's absence due to injury, and aims to win his first Masters 1,000 in Madrid, a tournament which he's never gone beyond quarter-finals.

The Italian, however, criticised the organisation of the Masters 1,000 tournament, as he was scheduled to play two matches in a row starting at 20:00 CEST, 19:00 BST, which is too much: "I think we need to make some adjustments to the daytime schedule. Two matches starting at 20:00 are too late.

"I know there's a day in between, but it's still very late", explained Sinner. "You finish at 1:30 AM and you need to eat, get treatment. It's very late. Even so, we try to adapt our bodies and minds; for my part, it was a good performance today", he said, talking on Tuesday after beating Norrie, in a match which started at 11:00 AM. "It's unusual for me; I can't remember the last time I played at 11:00. But I don't mind what time it is; I try to do my best."

The Authority has been dropped by DC Studios as "it didn't quite work" with the wider universe

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:38:00 +0200

When James Gunn and Peter Safran first took over DC Studios and decided to entirely reboot the DC Universe, retconning all of the work that Zack Snyder had begun with his "Snyderverse", we were initially introduced to a slate of planned projects for the so-called first part of the wider narrative. This was regarded as Chapter 1: Gods & Monsters and it was supposed to take full effect with Superman and then lead to an array of follow-up projects that would introduce several other key DC characters.

So far, we've seen Peacemaker return, been introduced to the Creature Commandos, seen Superman in cinemas, and soon will see Supergirl and Clayface in cinemas too, while Lanterns comes to TV screens, all ahead of Man of Tomorrow in 2027. Beyond this, there are plans for other projects, but little of substance has ever been shared about some these projects, so their existence tends to have an asterisk next to them, with one key example being The Authority.

This team-up movie was originally conceived as a key part of Gods & Monsters, but it will longer be made. Gunn has confirmed as much in a Threads comment, where he explains the following.

"Just a normal slip of the tongue. I would have never had time to do this and although I know this is a popular theory online I never had an intention of writing or directing The Authority. The script wasn't quite there but more importantly it didn't work in terms of the larger DCU both in terms of the story and practical concerns. Maybe some day. Not soon."

https://www.threads.com/@jamesgunn/post/DXoqGFUkbp1

One has to wonder whether the fate of The Authority will stretch to other works that have displayed similar existences so far, including the Swamp Thing film, the Booster Gold show, the Blue Beetle series, and even Paradise Lost.

Is there any upcoming DC Universe project you're particularly excited to see?

Directive 8020 dropped The Dark Pictures naming convention to "ensure our messaging is clear"

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:16:00 +0200

If you have been following the development of Directive 8020, the next horror project to come from developer Supermassive Games, you may notice that the title has dropped its The Dark Pictures tag. It is simply now known as Directive 8020 and not The Dark Pictures: Directive 8020 as it initially was, and there's actually a very good reason for this.

In a recent interview with Supermassive Games, we inquired as to the reason behind this change, to which creative director, Will Doyle, explained that it's mostly in an effort to make the messaging more clear and evident to fans both new and old.

"Directive 8020 is set in the same shared world as our other titles. It is an intense, branching narrative game where your choices matter and you control a cast of characters where everyone can live or die. The deluxe edition of the game features costumes sets and collectible dolls that highlight characters and monsters from our previous Dark Pictures games. So yes - 100% Dark Pictures.

"We are delighted to continue the series, but after a short break we wanted to ensure that our messaging is clear for our audiences. After we wrapped season 1 of the Dark Pictures Anthology, we did an extensive player research study in preparation for Directive 8020. This study revealed that many newcomers thought that they had to play through our games sequentially - partially due to terms like "Season."

"For Directive 8020, we have settled on the tagline "A Dark Pictures Game", which tells our fans that it is part of the shared universe, without suggesting that it is an essential follow-on to other games in the series."

Directive 8020 is on the horizon with plans to launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on May 12. With the debut right around the corner, you can read our full interview with Supermassive Games here.

Your new iPhone has a problem turning back on after the battery runs out

markus@gamereactor.eu (Markus Hirsilä) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

9 to 5 Mac has something unusual to report about. It seems that the new iPhones have a problem turning back on after the battery runs out. This seems to affect multiple models of iPhones, namely iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air.

No news about how many are affected, because not every phone is, and it does not happen every time a particular phone's battery runs out of power. But if you fail to turn your device back on, here seems to be the best way to do it at the moment. "Put your phone on a MagSafe charger, and just leave it there for a good fifteen minutes or so".

So it seems that when a phone gets in this state, wired charging is an unreliable way to revive it, so wireless charging is seemingly the best first try.

While we wait for a more permanent solution, at least there seems to be a way to fix the problem, if or when it happens.

Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era (Early Access)

alberto@gamereactor.eu (Alberto Garrido) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

I am not, nor can I be, impartial when I speak of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era. It is (yes, in this year of 2026, brimming with gems) one of my most eagerly awaited games of the year. And of the decade. Heroes of Might and Magic, as a series and almost as the leading exponent of a genre—that of turn-based army strategy—has been a series that has defined me as a player. I wanted to make this clear from the outset so that you understand how I approached such an important game, and one from which I was going to demand a great deal personally.

Although HoMM has been very important to me, in reality it's only the second and third instalments of this Might and Magic spin-off series that have been. I still have Heroes of Might and Magic III: Complete Edition installed on my PC, because it's always a pleasure to switch off from everything and everyone for a couple of hours to play a quick random game. I said two hours... which can easily turn into six or seven. That's how it goes. And although I love the game, it's been in need of a worthy successor for decades. And now, at last, it looks like it's going to get one. For now it's only in Early Access, but this Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era already has practically every element I could ask for in a successor.

One of the best things about this Early Access build is that we already have six factions available to explore and optimise. Joining the classic factions of the Sun Temple humans, the Necropolis undead, the Dungeon monsters and the Forest faeries are the new factions of the Schism (which we now finally know, according to the game's lore, is a splinter group from the Dungeon that went into exile in the depths of the sea) and the Hive. Each of these has seven different types of basic units, with the exception of the Hive, which has eight. But almost all of them can be upgraded to stronger variants, which can also be customised to have characteristics that best suit your playstyle and your army. You can also have units from different factions under your command, although this comes with some penalties to troop morale.

This Early Access version features a multitude of maps and setups for enjoying quick matches against the AI, where for now you can customise the faction, but not the starting hero or resources. I enjoyed giving the tutorial a brief try, though it will only be useful for those new to the series. Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era plays practically the same way it has for the past 30 years. You have one (or several) heroes at your disposal, and with them you gradually clear the fog of war on the map turn-by-turn, with each turn representing a day in the game. With the help of an entourage of creatures, you can recruit more along the way in exchange for gold and resources, which you in turn acquire through exploration and combat. You can then reinvest those resources into upgrading your castle(s), which serve as a stronghold, a recruitment post and the hub for upgrading your hero's spells.

This gameplay system is actually a web of smaller systems within which the magic of this game lies. It's not just about swelling the numbers in your army and then sending them charging in a straight line against the opponent. There are a thousand and one ways to gain an advantage or fall into traps that can cost you dearly. Not having enough resources at the start of the week to recruit more troops can give your opponent a crucial few turns' advantage, and ruin a game lasting hours because of a single bad decision. In Olden Era there are far more variations than in previous games, and I like that one of the options on the main menu is 'Challenges', which are like tutorial missions much more specialised in the game's subsystems.

There are four main game modes for quick matches in Olden Era. Arena Mode gives you a hero who is already quite high-level, with spells and high stats, and a full army ready for battle, and what you do there is face off directly in battle against another AI-controlled hero. The aim is to make the most of the terrain, your hero's strengths and the synergies of your troops to secure victory in closely matched encounters. Then there's Classic Mode, where you must explore a map, gather resources and protect your base whilst conquering the bases of the other players (controlled by the AI, though we hope multiplayer servers will arrive soon), and a more difficult and streamlined variant of Classic Mode called 'Single Hero', where you can only have one army on the field and, if you lose it, it's game over. Finally, there is the Scenarios game mode, which consists of standalone maps taken from the game's campaign, but without the terrain or objective limitations found there.

And since we're on this subject, this is where Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era has stirred up the most excitement in me. I wasn't expecting much from the campaign, but the missions currently available (we can only play Act 1 of it) have already won me over more than any previous attempt in the series to construct a coherent narrative. Both the characters and the way the missions unfold (which are packed with optional but equally interesting side objectives) have really won me over, and the studio Unfrozen has even dared to add genuine RPG elements to it. Without a doubt, for now this is what I'd most recommend enjoying until new content updates arrive for the game.

For now, I don't have many complaints about the current state of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, although I have noticed some slowdowns in combat that simply shouldn't be there. Animations that stutter, but which the GPU quickly recovers from. Nothing major or overly serious, but they are something to bear in mind for future patches. Furthermore, for now I think what is a bit more urgent is to adjust the difficulty levels the game offers, which I currently find unbalanced. I played a quick game on Normal and the enemy simply wiped me out completely by the eighth turn. That's almost right at the start of the game!

In short, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is practically everything I could have asked for in a new game in the series: an experience familiar enough with the past to connect with my fondest childhood memories of keyboard and mouse, whilst adding new features such as factions and game subsystems to make me think and immerse myself fully in its universe and gameplay. It's a new era for strategy, and I'm delighted to be back on this path.

Next of Kin returns with a new murder mystery

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:35:23 +0200

It's time for the third game in the Next of Kin series, where we'll play as veteran investigator and private detective Dennis Monroe. His white whale in life is a person known as the Epiphany Killer, who has also given the game its name: Next of Kin: Epiphany, a killer who has been on the loose for over two decades.

As usual, the goal is to solve puzzles, gather evidence, interview witnesses, search for clues, and then slowly but surely piece together enough information to crack the Epiphany Killer case once and for all.

Next of Kin: Epiphany is set to release later this year for PC and consoles, and we have a first trailer to share that lets you check out its classic 16-bit RPG look.

Punisher co-creator and The Night Gwen Stacy Died writer, Gerry Conway, has died

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:08:00 +0200

In a sad turn of events, it has been confirmed that comic book veteran writer and editor, Gerry Conway, has died. At the age of 73-years-old, the exact cause of Conway's death has yet to be confirmed, but the comic icon did recently overcome a bout with pancreatic cancer, something that resulted in multiple hospitalisations in 2022 and 2023.

Speaking about this sad passing, Marvel Comics shared an obituary and message of thanks.

"On behalf of his family, we are sad to share that Gerry Conway has passed away. Gerry was a tremendous icon in comics who shaped pop culture itself. He was a dear friend, partner, and mentor, and our hearts are with his family and the millions he touched through his work."

https://x.com/MarvelComicsHQ/status/2048797819222343686

For those unaware of Conway's influence on comic books, he is credited as the co-creator of the Punisher, Spider-Man clone/variant Ben Reilly, Jackal, the first Ms. Marvel, and as the writer of the beloved Spider-Man arc, The Night Gwen Stacy Died. Considering Punisher and Ben Reilly (via Spider-Noir) are about to have very big summers, this news makes hearing of Conway's death all the more tragic.

Beyond Marvel, Conway also helped sculpt some key DC characters over the years, including having co-creation credits for Firestorm, Power Girl, Jason Todd, and Killer Croc, with over eight years of writing Justice League stories under his belt too. With Superman and Spider-Man crossing over again this year, it should also be said that Conway penned the first crossover between these two legendary superheroes, which at the time was the first of its kind.

RIP, Conway.

Zelenskyy accuses Israel of legitimising Russian looting

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:45:12 +0200

Receiving stolen goods is illegal everywhere, but sometimes it involves unsuspecting individuals who unwittingly purchase stolen goods through platforms like eBay. However, that does not prevent Israel, with one of the world's most sophisticated intelligence services, from purchasing stolen goods from Russia.

That is the view of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who wrote on X that yet another ship loaded with wheat stolen from Ukraine is currently unloading its cargo at one of Israel's ports:

"This is not - and cannot be - legitimate business. The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country's ports and what cargo they are carrying."

This behaviour by Russia, he argues, constitutes systematic looting, and he points out that under Israeli law, it is an illegal act:

"Russia is systematically seizing grain on temporarily occupied Ukrainian land and organizing its export through individuals linked to the occupiers. Such schemes violate the laws of the State of Israel itself."

Israel has not yet commented on the matter, but Ukraine is working on a package of sanctions to punish anyone profiting from the trade in stolen wheat. Zelenskyy concludes his post by noting that Ukraine has contributed to stability in the Middle East and expects mutual respect:

"Ukraine counts on partnership and mutual respect with every state. We are genuinely working to enhance security, particularly in the Middle East region. We expect that the Israeli authorities will respect Ukraine and refrain from actions that undermine our bilateral relations."

https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2049058273836335489

Mourinho is the top choice to replace Arbeloa at Real Madrid, according to The Athletic

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:38:25 +0200

Who will be Real Madrid's coach next season is a question many people have asked since January, when Álvaro Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso: few predicted that the former Real Madrid Castilla manager would remain for longer than half a season, unless a miracle happened (and it didn't). Two names have been tossed around for months, with current USA manager Mauricio Pochettino sounding like the most likely choice, while Head of Global Football for Red Bull GmbH Jurgen Klopp being the fantasy choice.

But a new name has been sounding more and more loudly, to the point that The Athletic reports today that he is Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez's preferred choice: José Mourinho.

They say that, according to multiple anonymous sources, Pérez will have the final decision on which manager to bring in, in contrast to the hiring of Alonso last year to replace Carlo Ancelotti, a process which was led by the general manager Jose Ángel Sánchez with the green light by Pérez.

Mourinho has a €3 million exit clause from Benfica

Mourinho currently coaches Benfica, returning to the first team he coached 25 years ago after one year at Fenerbaçe and three at Roma, a team that has remained unbeaten in the Primeira Liga, but has nearly impossible chances to win the league, seven points behind Porto with only three games remaining. His contract in Portugal ends in June 2027, but has a €3 million exit clause to break the deal up to 10 days after the final match of the season, which will be on May 16.

Mourinho trained Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013: he won a league title with a point record and a Spanish Cup, but was less successful than expected and didn't manage to win Champions League, a pending subject that Mourinho will want to fix if he is appointed next season.

However, Mourinho has always been a divisive figure at the club, and still now there is some internal opposition to his potential appointment. Not that it wouldn't matter much, as according to The Athletic's sources, Pérez wants to have control in the decision for their next coach...

Resident Evil Requiem will get reportedly get a single-player mini-game DLC in May

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:15:00 +0200

After the insane success of Resident Evil Requiem's launch, which just recently was confirmed to have surpassed seven million sold copies, it didn't take long before Capcom announced that DLC was in the works for the project. While we're expecting something of more significance and size in the future, there will be new features added to the current game as soon as next month.

This news comes from DenFaminicoGamer (thanks, Genki), who shares a snippet of information following an interview with Requiem's director, Koshi Nakanishi, who reveals that a mini DLC is debuting in May and offers up action based on the base game's combat.

"For those who have cleared the main game and are thinking 'I still haven't done enough rampaging yet' I think you might enjoy it and go "Whoa!!", so please sharpen your tomahawk and wait."

Nakanishi also notes that this mini DLC will be a single-player experience and free to all owners of Requiem, with it being unlocked after clearing the main game. With all of this in mind, now all we have to do is wait for the official announcement from Capcom.

https://x.com/Genki_JPN/status/2048989835151712463

The Last of Us Multiplayer director says he'll never let a project he's worked on "not see the light of day again"

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:08:00 +0200

The Last of Us Multiplayer game is likely going to be one of the biggest gaming what ifs of the 2020s. The project was cancelled at Naughty Dog, allegedly after Bungie took one look at it and decided it wasn't strong enough to compete in today's market. However, the developers who'd worked on the project still believed in it, and the director would have loved to see it released, just to know whether the external hype could have lived up to the reception it got internally.

Vinit Agarwal, the former game director on The Last of Us Multiplayer title, said that "it's wild how many of my ex-colleagues still message me today saying how amazing TLOU Online was going to be." Some apparently called it "the best multiplayer game they've ever played." Due to the experience of seeing the project cancelled before his eyes, Agarwal made a vow. "Never going to let what I work on not see the light of day again," he said.

https://x.com/vinixkun/status/2047932214181265713

It is possible that The Last of Us Online could have been the multiplayer shot of adrenaline we've all been waiting for. Then again, it could have just as easily stumbled as we've seen so many live-service games do over the past few years. Highguard proved internal impressions mean very little when you ship a game to the public, but there will always be fans wondering what the The Last of Us Multiplayer would have been like if it hadn't been cancelled.

MotoGP 26

johan@gamereactor.eu (Johan Vahlström) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

If there's one thing motorcycle games have going for them, it's choice. Unlike other sports games, where one title dominates and there's no competition, this genre offers several games to choose from. Most of them, however, are developed by Milestone. There's Ride, MXGP (though the latest instalment was released in 2024), Monster Energy Supercross if you prefer that type of bike, Speedway Challenge, and other older but still popular games such as MX Bikes (from 2019, but which still has 3,886 concurrent players on Steam at the time of writing). And then there's the official MotoGP game.

Heading towards this year's launch.

To be honest, the recent instalments in this series tend to blend together a bit, and that applies to this year's version too. If you'd launched MotoGP 26 and said it was MotoGP 25, I wouldn't have argued for a second. The main reason for this is that this is a game with an official licence, which means it can't be as wild as Ride. However, Milestone usually tweaks and hammers away at the content a bit every year and offers a few minor updates.

The Career situation is dire.

They don't need to tweak the actual motorcycling much, as it's one of the best in the genre, and the only real difference this year compared to last year is that the "Pro" experience has been changed to focus more on the rider. "Rider-Based Handling", as they describe it. Just as the name suggests, the physics are now designed to let the player control the rider directly rather than the motorbike. Just like in real life, where it's you who leans and the motorbike follows. The bike doesn't start leaning to the side on its own to turn and apparently this has made it necessary to update certain animations for the riders. Having tested both versions - this rider-based physics and what's called "Arcade" - I can say there's a big difference. According to the developers, "Pro" is supposed to "make it easier to learn to ride". I feel exactly the opposite, that it's harder than controlling the bike in the Arcade setting, but that's a matter of personal preference. The other new feature is that the Moto3 and Moto2 bikes have had their audio updated.

You can ride different types of motorbikes if you feel like it.

So, not a great deal has changed on the track, but perhaps there have been changes elsewhere instead? The Career mode, where I reckon most players will spend the bulk of their time, is pretty much the same. You can once again choose to start in Moto3, Moto2, or jump straight into the big league of MotoGP and then work your way up to the title. After that comes an opening press conference where you get to choose what your goal is for the year, and perhaps you create a rivalry, ride well enough to secure a contract with a better team, or ride for prestige. One thing I like is that you can develop your bike to compete with the best and all bikes can reach maximum performance if you spend enough time developing them during test days and debriefings. So Ducati and Aprilia might need to watch out.

The Career is then structured on a weekly basis with an official race schedule (if you so wish). Week one might consist of a practice session, qualifying, a sprint, and the race, while week two is the same on a different track. Week three could then be a so-called Race Off, where you get the chance to ride a bit more casually with other types of motorbikes, such as minibikes and motards. A new venue, Canterbury Park, has been added, bringing the total to three, alongside the existing Mont Lagard and Borgo Caselle. Now, I'm no expert on how professional riders spend their free time, but this is apparently meant to give us an "insight into real riders' training routines".

Unfortunately, MotoGP 26 has been a bit too cautious when it comes to new content.

If, on the other hand, you're someone who prefers multiplayer, you can play locally in split-screen mode with two players or in online races for up to 22 players with full cross-play between Steam, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The single-player experience offers everything you'd expect beyond the Career mode and there are Grand Prix events, championships, solo races, and time trials.

MotoGP 26 remains a very strong game in a series that does justice to the real-life MotoGP, and gameplay-wise it's entertaining, but unfortunately it feels as though the series is starting to slow down a bit too much. There simply isn't enough new content, nor does it feel sufficiently different from last year's title.

Bayern Munich vs. Paris Saint-Germain: How's the head-to-head before Champions League semi-finals

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:56:28 +0200

The first of the Champions League semi-finals takes place tonight, a duel between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, with the first leg being played at the Allianz Arena in Munich, and a desire of revenge in the air after the PSG beat Bayern in their last match, in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup on July 5, 2025.

Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé scored in the final stages of the second half, in a match in which Jamal Musiala suffered a horrific injury, fracturing his fibula when he clashed with Gianluigi Donnarumma: some put the blame on the goalkeeper, now at Manchester City. It took nine months for Musiala to recover, who returned on April 1, but may miss World Cup.

In official UEFA matches (the Club World Cup doesn't count), Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have faced 15 times, Bayern has won nine times, and has scored more goals (21 versus 16). Interestingly, a PSG vs. Bayern has never ended in a draw.

In fact, in Champions League, Bayern has four victories in a row against PSG. The last time PSG beat Bayern Munich was in the 2021 quarter-finals, winning 3-2 away and qualifying on away goals. One of the most remarkable matches was the 2020 Champions League final, in which Bayern beat PSG 1-0.

Bayern Munich will aim to win their seventh Champions League title, to match AC Milan's record of seven titles (only behind Real Madrid's 15), while PSG will aim for their second title, which would be a consecutive title. The second leg will be played in Paris on Wednesday, May 6.

Spanish basketball legend Moncho Monsalve, who won three European Cups with Real Madrid, dies at 81

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:26:40 +0200

The world of basketball in Spain mourns the death of one of their most historic players and coaches, José Manuel Monsalve, known as Moncho Monsalve, who passed away at the age of 81. Described by Real Madrid as one of their great legends, Monsalve won three league titles, 3 Spanish Cups and 3 European Cups between 1963 and 1967. He also played 61 matches with Spain, and won silver medal at the 1963 Mediterranean Games.

However, his career was cut short and retired in 1971, at the age of 26, due to several injuries, but started working as a coach almost immediately, training for Barcelona, Zaragoza, Murcia, Málaga, among many others, and even the national teams of Morocco, Domincan Republic and Brazil, winning, among other titles, the FIBA Americas Championship for Men with Brazil.

He continued working until his final years as coach for the young teams of the UCAM Murcia, and was also part of the technical staff of the Spanish Basketball Federation as well as pundit, and was included in the Hall of Fame of Spanish Basketball.

King Charles III expected to try and smooth UK/US relations in address to Congress

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:10:00 +0200

As the special relationship between the UK and US seems in peril due to tensions caused over the United States' wishes that the United Kingdom was more involved in the Iran war, King Charles III looks to play the diplomat and smooth over relations with the White House. His official visit - the first of its kind since Queen Elizabeth II visited America in 2007 - began yesterday, and later he's expected to make an official address to the US Congress.

As per the BBC, it's expected that King Charles will say that "time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together." He's also expected to express his sympathies to President Trump following the attack at the Correspondents' Dinner over the weekend.

King Charles' speech has been written on the advice of the government and should last around 20 minutes. It's just one part of the overall official visit, which is expected to help reunite the UK and US, due to President Trump's appreciation for the British Royal Family.

Later in the week, Charles and Queen Camilla will visit New York, before bidding farewell to the Trumps in Virginia, where King Charles will then travel to a national park, and hear about a conservation project. Afterwards, King Charles will then visit Bermuda as he undertakes his first royal visits to British overseas territory.

The logo for Zach Cregger's Resident Evil has been shared

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:06:00 +0200

In less than five months, Resident Evil fans will have yet another treat to look forward to, as Zach Cregger's adaptation will be making its debut in cinemas around the world. While we're yet to see a trailer for the flick to get a deep and clear look of what to expect from the movie, a website has been activated for the film, which suggests more information is close on the horizon.

But adding to this, the website even gives a first look at the logo for the movie, which certainly has a hostile design to it. You can see this below.

It should be said that the first trailer will likely be published to the public very, very soon, as it was shared with audiences at CinemaCon earlier this month. According to reports, it painted a very terrifying picture, suggesting that the Weapons and Barbarian director is back to doing what he does best; scaring the socks off his fans.

We also know that this film has been made with a blank cheque and that while it will feature iconic locations and be faithful in its own right, it will not revolve around fan-favourite characters, as Cregger intends to avoid being crucified by the fans of Capcom's game series.

Disney+ buys rights for UEFA Champions League, Europa, and Conference League in Belgium: Best Belgian clubs

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:27:34 +0200

Belgian fans will have it much easier to watch UEFA competitions next season, as Disney+ has made the surprise announcement of buying the television rights of UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Conference League between the 2027-2031 cycle (starting next season). Up until now, TV rights were divided in different channels: RTL and Proximus had Champions League rights, while RTBF and Voo Sport World held rights for Europa League and Conference League.

Disney+ already bought global rights of the Women's Champions League, and follows continued investments by OTT services, usually dedicated to TV and movies, into live sports: Amazon Prime has a big chunk of the NBA, Netflix is getting more and more boxing and even UFC fights...

How well did the Belgian football clubs in Europe?

This season, only Club Brugge reached the knockout stages of the Champions League, losing to Atlético de Madrid in the knockout play-offs. Genk was eliminated in round of 16 of the Europa League by Freiburg and RSC Anderlecht lost in the knockout round play-offs of the Conference League to AEK Athens.

But no Belgian club has ever won a major European trophy since Anderlecht won UEFA Cup in 1983, and a few European Super Cup and Cup Winner's Cup in the 1970s and 1980s, while Club Brugge reached the final of the European Cup in 1978.

Next season, Union Saint-Gilloise from Forest, Brussels, which was eliminated from the Champions League - league phase this season, may play again in the league phase as they won the regular season of the Belgian Pro League; the winner of the play-offs will get direct qualification for the Champions League league phase, currently disputed between Club Brugge and Union SG.

Paramount notes it'll be almost 50% foreign-owned if Warner Bros. deal goes through

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:15:00 +0200

As one American billionaire wages war on a Middle-Eastern country, another hopes to charm some of their richest people. If David Ellison wants to buy Warner Bros. as well as own Paramount, he's going to need some powerful friends, and it's believed that should the deal go through, almost half of Paramount's equity will be owned by indirect foreign interest.

This statistic was discovered in a recent request from Paramount to the FCC. Paramount wished for the government's approval of the foreign ownership stake in the company, to help get the WB deal through. As per Deadline, Paramount said that the foreign investments, including a 38.5% holding shared by three Middle East investment funds, will add "greater access to capital" to Paramount.

Paramount does note that non-US stakeholders are given no voting control and are seen as passive backers, even if after the Warner deal they could make up approximately 49.5% of the combined company. What concerns people most doesn't seem to be foreign voting power, but potential interests being reflected in the news cycle of CBS and CNN, both of which will be kept under the Paramount label if the deal goes through.

It's currently projected the deal will officially close by September. Most of the regulatory hurdles Paramount could have faced have been overcome. There are some who believe legal action may be taken against the deal, but currently it seems smooth sailing for Paramount and Warner Bros. to become one.

Donald Trump fires all 22 board members of the government agency National Science Foundation

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:03:03 +0200

Donald Trump has fired all 22 members of the advisory board of the National Science Foundation (NSF), one of the government's most important agencies devoted to research, education, and funding of all non-medical fields of science and engineering. This independent agency was founded in 1950 and its members are appointed by the US President in six-year terms in a staggered way, and all of them are required to be 'eminent' in their scientific fields.

But last week, all members received an email saying that their positions had been terminated effective immediately. According to Nature, it follows similar mass lay-offs in federal science advisers: last year all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which played a crucial part in US vaccine policy, were terminated, as well as 14 advisory committees at the NSF, to reduce government spending.

This move temporarily leaves the NSF headless, an agency with a 1532 employees as of 2025 and an annual budget that rose to $8.28 billion in 2020, mostly dedicated to funding research projects in universities and centres, but many expect more cuts will be made as Trump is making more attacks to academic research.

According to the El País, it is rumoured that the White House would nominate financial investor Jim O'Neill as the new director of the NSF, a figure criticised by many because he lacks scientific background and would work to dismantle the organisation.

Rumour: Assassin's Creed Hexe to launch in June 2027

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:02:00 +0200

It's understood that around 50 developers at Ubisoft have been removed from the upcoming Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe. Over the course of recent months, we've seen lead roles on the project leave. Just yesterday, we caught that the game's director left Ubisoft. This may not sound like a good sign, but apparently things are still on track for Hexe to release relatively soon.

This comes via a report from Insider Gaming, which states that the removal of 50 developers from the project is largely to reduce the overall budget. Most of the developers that were working on Assassin's Creed Hexe have now been moved to Ubisoft's Interproject team, where they can continue to work towards getting a new project within a three-month period.

Assassin's Creed Hexe is believed to be targeting a June 2027 release date, but apparently this could slip to a release some time in the Holiday period next year, due to the scaling back of the development team. It's also noted that Assassin's Creed Hexe won't be as magical as perhaps we'd first thought, with the witchcraft being more closely linked with alchemy and chemistry in the game. A cat companion, for example, has recently been removed.

Two weeks of Call of Duty League Major III qualifiers remain, here are all the fixtures

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:00:06 +0200

We're well into the latter half of the 2026 Call of Duty League season, as Major III has already hosted multiple weeks of qualifier action, and the first Minor of the season has concluded too.

With only four planned Majors this season before the postseason in July, it's becoming crucial for teams to find their form and secure vital Call of Duty League Points to ensure they will be present in the Championship Weekend proceedings. To this, there are two weeks of qualifier action left for Major III, which is being held between May 15-17 in Atlanta, Georgia.

With plenty of action on the horizon, here are the remaining fixtures for Major III's qualifiers.

Friday, May 1:

OpTic Texas vs. Boston Breach

Los Angeles Thieves vs. Cloud9 New York

FaZe Vegas vs. Carolina Royal Ravens

Saturday, May 2:

Cloud9 New York vs. Carolina Royal Ravens

Miami Heretics vs. FaZe Vegas

Vancouver Surge vs. Riyadh Falcons

Toronto KOI vs. OpTic Texas

Sunday, May 3:

Vancouver Surge vs. Los Angeles Thieves

Miami Heretics vs. G2 Minnesota

Paris Gentle Mates vs. Boston Breach

Friday, May 8:

Riyadh Falcons vs. Miami Heretics

Paris Gentle Mates vs. OpTic Texas

Vancouver Surge vs. Toronto KOI

Saturday, May 9:

Los Angeles Thieves vs. Carolina Royal Ravens

OpTic Texas vs. FaZe Vegas

G2 Minnesota vs. Boston Breach

Riyadh Falcons vs. Cloud9 New York

Sunday, May 10:

Paris Gentle Mates vs. Miami Heretics

Los Angeles Thieves vs. G2 Minnesota

Toronto KOI vs. Cloud9 New York

Black Myth: Wukong is journeying to the West with a worldwide concert tour

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:52:00 +0200

After wowing the game industry as a whole back in 2024, Game Science's Black Myth: Wukong is taking its soundtrack around the world, with a huge orchestral tour that hits 12 cities with 21 performances over the course of this year.

The concert tour starts on the 30th of May, in Hangzhou, at the Linping Grand Grand Theatre. Then, it moves to Shanghai, before hitting Changsha, moving to Los Angeles, and then into Guangzhou. New York is next, followed by Beijing, Chengdu, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok, and Berlin. You might notice that the tour has more dates on the Eastern side of the globe than elsewhere. Europeans will have to scramble for tickets to the Berlin event, which currently doesn't have a venue or dates announced.

Fans who do manage to get a ticket will enjoy exclusive gifts. Depending on the tier of ticket you purchase, you'll have a gift waiting for you, which comes from a range of exclusive, non-purchasable items that have been made as part of the tour. Check out the full range below, and keep your eyes peeled for more information on the musical tour of one of 2024's biggest games.

Valve says it's "hard at work" on Steam Deck 2

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:36:00 +0200

We're getting a brand-new line-up of Steam hardware this year. A new Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame, but some PC gamers had hoped they'd get a new and updated Steam Deck to top it all off. Instead, the old dog is still hanging around the young pups, as the 2022 handheld PC remains. It's still a super popular bit of kit, but does struggle to run some modern games well these days.

Speaking with IGN, Valve programmer Pierre-Loup Griffais did have a somewhat promising update for the Steam Deck's successor, even if he didn't slap a release window on it. "We're hard at work on it. And obviously every step of the way, if you look at our hardware projects over the years, you can draw a straight line from the original Steam Controller and Steam Machine to Steam Deck, to everything that we're announcing and shipping this year. And we expect Steam Deck 2 will be a lot of the same where a lot of what we're doing here will be learnings that build up to it," he said.

We do know that Valve wants the new Steam Deck to eclipse the old in terms of performance. Small upgrades of 20 to 30% better performance won't do it for the Steam owner, and so it's for the best Valve takes its time, so it can make a machine worthy of succeeding the most popular handheld PC to date. Let's just hope by the time it does release, the price of PC components has calmed down a bit.

Why the victory of Al-Ahli in the AFC Champions League Elite was so controversial

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:35:56 +0200

Saudi club Al-Ahli Saudi FC from Jeddah was crowned Champions of Asia for the second year in a row, winning the AFC Champions League Elite over Japanese club Machida Zelvia, with a goal by Feras Albrikan in the first part of extra time of the final on Saturday, April 25, ending 1-0, despite the Japanese team playing with number superiority after Al-Ahli defender Al Hawsawi saw a direct red card for a head-butt to a rival in the 68th minute.

But as The Guardian points out, this outcome reflected the flawed format of the competition, which since last season plays all final stages, from quarter-finals to the final, in Jeddah, which gives Saudi clubs an edge as they are always supported by local crowds, eliminating the away-match factors, and with crowds ranging from 60,000 in the final, to 395 people during a match between Machida and Shabab Al-Ahli from Dubai.

The AFC Champions League was rebranded to AFC Champions League Elite in 2023, and it was decided to host all final stages in a single-leg ties in Saudi Arabia. Many see this as an unfair concession to Saudi Arabia, whose football industry, partly funded by the government, is growing to attract more players, investors and interest from abroad, in a form of "sportwashing" that disregards the rest of Asian nations.

The presence of Machida in the final was also interesting, as this Japanese club has only been playing in the top-tier of Japanese football for two seasons and has developed a more physical playing style that is uncharacteristic to the Japanese tradition of football, more free-flowing, and is trained by a former high-school teacher.

Next season, the AFC Champions League Elite will expand from 24 to 32 clubs, and the hosting rights to Saudi Arabia of the final stages was initially said to be reviewed.

We're playing Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred on today's GR Live

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:24:00 +0200

The day has finally come to throw down with Mephisto and to do whatever it takes to free Sanctuary from the Prime Evil's vicious grasp. Diablo IV has been expanded with its second major DLC, as Lord of Hatred has now debuted on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox systems, bringing a new story, two new classes, a wealth of gameplay and quality-of-life changes, a new region, and more.

With Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred now available, we're going to be dedicating today's GR Live stream to the game, where starting from the usual time of 16:00 BST/17:00 CEST, I will be hosting and diving into the opening hour of Lord of Hatred all at the GR Live homepage.

Be sure to drop by for a taste of the action, and for more from Lord of Hatred, be sure to read our dedicated review of the expansion.