[b]News - Here’s Why Everyone Is Talking About Hideo Kojima And Geoff Keighley’s ?/b]

If there are two internet gaming celebrities folks love to be parasocial about, it's gotta be Hideo Kojima and Geoff Keighley. For decades, the two have publicly shared what many thought to be an unbreakable bond. Despite their different backgrounds, ages, and positions in the industry--Kojima being the beloved game director behind both the Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding series, and Keighley, a long-time journalist and events-host-turned-founder of The Game Awards--their love of video games and entertainment seemingly served as the foundation for a long and fruitful relationship. Recently, however, internet onlookers had begun to suspect there was trouble in paradise.

Late last week, tweets began to circulate highlighting the fact that the pair had not been seen interacting since 2025's The Game Awards, during which Death Stranding 2 went home with zero awards despite securing seven nominations. As several of the clips and tweets circulating online reflect, this lack of (public) communication was not for lack of Keighley's trying; the host was frequently seen commenting on Kojima's posts only to be met with silence. Most recently, Keighley offered up a polite wave emoji on a recent photo Kojima shared standing next to actress Jodie Foster. Kojima, however, did not respond.

Fans of the duo began to refer to Kojima's "public shunning" of Keighley as indication that the pair were now "divorced." The cheeky jab at how close they once were--and how distant they now seemed--quickly gained traction and spawned videos like the following:

In an act that further intensified the rumors that there was tension between the pair, Keighley took to X to respond to one of the posts highlighting Kojima repeatedly leaving him on read. The incident took place just two days after Summer Game Fest Live--Keighley's annual showcase that shines a spotlight upcoming games and has essentially replaced E3 as the industry's biggest summer event--and saw the host respond to the above video with a GIF of Kojima looking briefly disappointed before clapping.

For a moment, it seemed as if there might be some validity to the pair having undisclosed issued. Shortly after the "divorce rumors" began to intensify, Gene Park, a reporter for The Washington Post, shared a photo alongside Kojima with the caption, "plz don't show this to geoff keighley." Kojima then retweeted that post not once, but twice.

Who was to blame for this falling out? Was is the developers behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the game that took home the most Game Awards in the show's history and (theoretically) prevented Death Stranding 2 from securing even one award? Perhaps it was Miss Piggy, fans began to speculate. After all, the pair had grown quite close. (Sorry, Kermit).

However, after a long, speculative, and frankly hilarious week, Kojima and Keighley have finally put an end to the rumors. Last night, the pair shared multiple posts across social media of their dramatic reunion. By the looks of it, the two picked up right where they left off, and spent the evening enjoying flutes of champagne and each other's company.

Ever the artist, Kojima also shared a black-and-white video of the two embracing. The clip ends with the two turning to the camera and offering two enthusiastic thumbs ups, just to ensure that we all move on with our lives and stop being a bunch of chronically online little weirdos. Friendship is truly magical.

News - Xbox Reportedly Planning Big Layoffs For Next Month

Microsoft is reportedly planning major layoffs at its Xbox division next month--a move that comes shortly after new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma admitted its business "isn't particularly healthy."

According to sources speaking to Bloomberg, the layoffs will come sometime after June 30, which is when Microsoft's fiscal year ends. In an email sent to employees on Wednesday, Sharma emphasized that annual revenue had declined "nearly half a billion" over the last five years despite more than $20 billion in investments across the Xbox brand, excluding Activision Blizzard King.

"We expanded our studio system when we needed a pipeline of content to meet multiple strategies across subscription, streaming, and devices," Sharma said. "In the process, we found ourselves overextended as we executed on changing strategies in a landscape of more readily available content."

Sharma also emphasized that Microsoft is in a "hardware component crisis," facing issues that have plagued much of the tech industry as more and more hardware is used for AI.

"When I joined as CEO in February, the price we paid for console storage components was over 2x as high as we paid last fall," Sharma said. "These costs have since doubled again. And as we plan for the 2027 holiday season, we expect another significant increase, taking us over 5x the prices we paid only two years earlier."

It remains to be seen exactly how drastic the steps will be, but Sharma's words suggest studio closures aren't out of the realm of possibility. Microsoft drastically increased its number of studios under previous Xbox boss Phil Spencer, acquiring developers like Compulsion Games, Undead Labs, and Ninja Theory alongside the behemoths Bethesda and Activision Blizzard.

The upcoming layoffs, if accurate, are unfortunately not shocking. In late May, Sharma reportedly told staff that "hard choices" were coming as the Xbox brand attempts a resurgence.

News - Players Think Kingdom Hearts’ New Art Is AI-Generated

Yesterday's Nintendo Direct certainly got Kingdom Hearts players talking--but it's not the kind of discourse Square Enix was probably hoping for after unveiling a new Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer and announcing that native versions of the entire Kingdom Hearts trilogy are coming to Switch 2 on October 8. Instead, eagle-eyed players are focused on what appears to be AI-generated key art, which Square Enix shared on X shortly after the announcement of the Kingdom Hearts Collection [I-III]

As pointed out by artist and Kingdom Hearts fan Vexmyx, the image appears to show Donald with four fingers on one hand, but five fingers on the other--it's well known at this point that generative AI tools tend to struggle with hands and fingers, frequently generating images with subjects either missing digits, or having too many. As of his most recent appearance in Kingdom Hearts 3, Donald Duck has only four fingers, and knowing how protective Disney is when it comes to legacy characters like Donald and Goofy, it's hard to imagine they'd hire an artist who doesn't know how many fingers he has. Donald's feet are also shaped rather strangely, though that could just be a matter of perspective, as he's floating (flying?) through the air with one foot (flipper?) forward and the other behind him.

Other details, like one of the zippers on Donald's coat and the chain on Sora's beloved Keyblade, are also rather wonky and oddly uneven looking, as if drawn by someone who isn't quite sure how zippers or chain links work. But the fashion faux pas don't end with zippers--the treads on the soles of Sora's shoes are also off, sporting a close-but-not-quite-right pattern of raised squares, when his shoe treads have historically featured tiny, raised crown motifs that match the crown-shaped pendant around his neck. Goofy appears to be wearing steel-toed boots, but his right foot looks much longer than his left foot, and appears to be missing the steel toe.

Again, this could simply be a matter of perspective due to the way the characters are posed, but given how beloved the franchise is--and how strict Disney is about sticking to character designs--many Kingdom Hearts fans are wondering if the image was at least partially AI-generated.

"Either fully generated or AI-enhanced, I'm not sure," Vexmyx said, sharing an image highlighting parts of the image that feature the most obvious AI fingerprints. "But I'm disappointed. This is unacceptable if [the AI claims are] true, and needs to be addressed."

While human error might explain some of the strange aspects of the image, it certainly doesn't explain why the face of the franchise's iconic clocktower has hands that appear to curve and bend.

GameSpot has reached out to Square Enix for comment, but did not receive a reply in time for publication.

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News - Gears Of War: E-Day Modernizes Movement Without Going Full Parkour

Popping Locust heads and active reloading has never looked better than in Gears of War: E-Day, but this prequel is also making some big changes to how you'll move through the campaign. Movement has received a massive overhaul in the prequel, as Marcus Fenix and the rest of his squad can get around all manner of obstacles to reposition themselves while in combat. The game technically has a jump button for getting over larger obstacles like display cabinets, but don't expect Gears of War: E-Day to turn the series into a platformer.

Speaking with GameSpot, The Coalition studio creative director Matt Searcy explained how Gears of War: E-Day fuses the traditional sticky cover-based systems established in previous games and evolves them to feel more organic. This was on full display in the Xbox Games Showcase, as the gameplay preview for Gears of War: E-Day showed Marcus Fenix moving between chest-high structures, mantling over taller structures, and using the environment to his advantage in surprising ways.

"How you move in, out, and along cover is a lot more natural," Searcy said. "We still kept cover like it was in Gears, and having that heaviness was important. But being able to move in and out, being able to transfer between different cover shapes more smoothly--you'll see us even interacting through car windows or through shelves--so there's a lot more organic sort of interaction with cover. It's such a core part of the game, we wanted to be able to expand it. You can slide under a car and blow up a guy, it's a really cool move."

"The mobility for us was more of a way to evolve the gameplay mechanics than a narrative device. Jumping in Gears, we will never be a platforming game. We don't have levels that are about jumping to get to somewhere. For us, we saw it as a way to add a new dimension to flanking. Just being able to climb onto that high mantle--which you can either do from cover or you can jump onto--and then, just jumping across to another place and flanking someone, it opens up all of our levels."

Gears of War: E-Day launches for PC and Xbox Series X|S on October 3--but there's no PS5 version--and an open beta kicks off in August.

News - Death Stranding Movie’s Script Is “Almost Done,” Director Says

The upcoming Death Stranding movie from Backrooms studio A24 and director Michael Sarnoski remains in development, and now Sarnoski has provided an update on how it's coming along and what fans can expect.

Sarnoski, who is also writing the script, told IGN he is "almost done" with it. Hideo Kojima, who is producing the movie, has seen drafts of the script and has passed along revisions, but there is no word on the specifics of the changes.

"Kojima has been really generous in letting me play in his world but letting me tell a story with my own characters and my own sort of corner of this world, but keeping it honest to the game and doing something that fans will really like. So it's been a great process so far, and I'm really excited to share it," he said.

Sarnoski also said he was impressed that Kojima recognized some of the nods he put into the script, including a reference to the 1985 movie Come and See.

"He just knows movies incredibly well. So that's been very cool to see," Sarnoski said. That's not surprising to hear, as Kojima says 70% of his body is made up of movies.

Sarnoski is known for directing the movies Pig and A Quiet Place: Day One. His next movie is The Death of Robin Hood, which stars Hugh Jackman as Robin Hood and releases on June 19.

Not a whole lot is known about the Death Stranding movie and how it may differ from the games, but Sarnoski previously talked about how his aim is to capture the soul and themes of the game, while featuring new characters.

Kojima himself was approached to direct the Death Stranding movie, but he declined. Kojima won't be “involved too much” because if he were, he would “start saying a lot of things.”

It’s still early days for the Death Stranding movie and there is no word yet on a cast or a release date. Norman Reedus, who plays main character Sam in the Death Stranding games, has said he’s open to returning for the movie. A Death Stranding animated movie is also in the works, as part of the bigger Death Stranding universe.

As for the game series, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach came out in June 2025, and while Kojima has ideas for Death Stranding 3, he doesn’t plan to make it himself. Kojima is also working on the games OD and Physint.

A24 is also producing the Elden Ring movie, which is being directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Alex Garland.

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Lonestar
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Calico
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News - Ninja Theory Cancels Ambitious Horror Title Focus To On Senua

Hellblade and Senua developer, Ninja Theory, has revealed that it has cancelled Project Mara, its experimental photorealistic horror title that was revealed in 2020.

In an interview on Xbox Wire, Ninja Theory Studio Head Dom Matthews explained that Senua, the studio's third title in the series, requires all of the studio's effort, with Project Mara suffering as a result.

"I suspect some people might ask what’s happened to Project Mara [a previously announced horror title] – I took the decision to not work on that any further," Matthews explained. "These decisions are never easy, but I did so to take the opportunity to have all of the talent and expertise in the studio, all 85 creatives, working together to realize the potential of what Senua can be."

When it was announced Project Mara was pitched as a revolutionary "real-world and grounded exploration of mental terror", that would be "a showcase of what could become a new storytelling medium.”

Senua, which was announced at the Xbox Showcase at Summer Game Fest, is a departure from the slow-paced Hellblade titles. Described as an "out-and-out action-adventure game" by Matthews, the title will still star Senua as she continues to battle her psychosis.

News - Crazy Taxi: World Tour Dev Defends GenAI Use

Sega's newly announced Crazy Taxi: World Tour game is among those made in part with generative AI, and now the franchise's original creator, Kenji Kanno, has defended his studio's use of the controversial technology.

He told Kotaku, via a translator, that the game's artists would use generative AI to generate ideas, and then they would "draw the actual thing."

"So actual creators, everything from programming to assets, everything is made by an actual human. It’s only used as a reference for them to look at and then they would actually create the actual thing that would go into the game," he said.

Kanno went on to say he anticipates that generative AI will become more of a "hot topic" in the future than it already is today in the gaming landscape.

World Tour's use of generative AI was first discovered by way of the game's AI disclosure on Steam. It states that generative AI "support tools" were used during the game's development, and that, "No AI was used in reference to the performers in the game." The game's publisher, Sega, said it uses generative AI technologies as a "support tool" for developers with the aim of allowing them to "focus on more creative tasks."

A spokesperson for Sega told Game Informer that the developers used generative AI to create "background assets" in World Tour, and that AI assets were still reviewed by the development team.

Industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, who is the director of research and insights at Niko Partners for the Asia and MENA markets, said the use of genAI technologies is "more accepted" in Asian markets.

"They're going to see massive backlash in Western markets," Ahmad said of developers based in Asia.

He added: "The real question of course is whether there will be a material impact on sales." So far, Ahmad said he has not observed much evidence about a negative impact on sales for games where genAI use is disclosed. He cited examples like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Arc Raiders, and Call of Duty.

"But it does come down to how it's used," Ahmad said. He has also talked about how AI usage is very commonplace across the entire games industry.

World Tour is the first entry in the main, non-mobile game series since 2002's Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller. The Unreal Engine-made game has players racing around the world to hunt down the villains who stole the iconic yellow taxi. The game is set for release in 2027 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2.

For more, check out GameSpot's further coverage:

• Crazy Taxi Is Back And It's Coming With... Lore?

Suika Game (スイカゲーム), widely known as the Watermelon Game, is a casual puzzle video game that became a massive global phenomenon. Originally developed by Aladdin X as a built-in app for their projector systems and later released on the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, it has captured the hearts of millions of players worldwide.
Here is a complete breakdown of what makes the game so special:
? Core Gameplay: Merge & Evolve
The gameplay is heavily inspired by 2048 and Tetris, combined with a dynamic physics engine. The rules are incredibly simple: "Merge smaller fruits to create larger ones, with the ultimate goal of making a giant watermelon."

1. Drop Fruits: You control a cloud at the top of a rectangular container and drop fruits one by one.
   
2. Merge and Upgrade: When two identical fruits touch each other, they fuse (evolve) into a single, larger fruit of the next level, earning you points.
   
3. The Challenge: Every time fruits merge, they generate physical force, causing other fruits to bounce, roll, and shift unpredictably.
   
4. Game Over: If the fruits pile up and cross the top boundary line of the container, it's game over.
   

• Easy to Learn, Hard to Master: Anyone can understand the game in 10 seconds, but achieving a high score requires careful positioning, strategic planning, and a bit of luck.
  
• The "Deceptive" Physics: The physics engine is notoriously quirky. A tiny cherry rolling into the wrong spot can trigger a chain reaction that completely ruins a perfect run—or saves it!
  
• Highly Addictive ("Cozy Stress"): It features cute graphics, cheerful music, and low-stakes gameplay, yet it delivers a thrilling sense of tension as the container fills up.
  
• The Streaming Boom: The game became a viral sensation largely thanks to VTubers, Twitch streamers, and YouTubers whose dramatic reactions to near-wins and sudden losses made it highly entertaining to watch.