Industry tracking of Games as a Service (GaaS), including seasonal updates, battle passes, concurrent user tracking, and server shutdowns.
PEGI is finally treating loot boxes and other modern monetisation hooks like the real consumer-risk flashpoints they’ve become, not just a footnote slapped on the back of the box. Starting in June 2026, newly submitted games with paid random items will default to a PEGI 16 rating, while a wider set…
Jeff Kaplan — the longtime Overwatch director and co-creator who became the public face of Blizzard’s hero shooter — has finally put words to the moment that pushed him out the door in 2021. In a new interview on the Lex Fridman podcast, Kaplan says a meeting with Activision Blizzard’s then-CFO…
Valve has finally gone on the record in its escalating legal fight with New York Attorney General Letitia James over mystery boxes (loot boxes) in Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and Team Fortress 2. In a rare public statement posted on Steam, the company flatly rejects the claim that its crates, cases,…
After nearly nine years as Fortnite’s paid, often-overlooked original mode, Fortnite: Save the World is officially going free-to-play on April 16, 2026. Epic Games says it’s also removing all current purchase options ahead of the change, while offering pre-registration rewards and a thank-you…
Epic Games is changing how much V-Bucks you get for your money in Fortnite, saying “the cost of running Fortnite has gone up a lot” and that it’s raising prices “to help pay the bills.” Starting March 19, 2026, V-Bucks bundle dollar prices stay the same, but most packs will grant fewer V-Bucks,…
Ghost of Yōtei’s upcoming Legends online co-op mode is taking a notably old-school approach to monetization: developer Sucker Punch Productions says there will be no microtransactions and no season passes, with cosmetics and other content unlocked through gameplay. The mode launches as a free…
Pokémon Pokopia players on Nintendo Switch 2 can now visit a special developer Cloud Island, courtesy of The Pokémon Company. The visit requires an active Nintendo Switch Online membership, an in-game unlock (the Mysterious Goggles), and a newly shared island code—making it a notable early look at…
