News
Mike Kasprzak, longtime caretaker of the Ludum Dare game jam, has announced that LD 64 in October 2028 will be the final scheduled event, capping 26 years of one of indie gaming’s most formative institutions. Kasprzak is planning an unofficial April 2029 encore before the lights properly go out, and has openly challenged the community to build a better successor rather than inherit the name. LD 59 is live for theme suggestions in the meantime. Few jams have shaped indie development like Ludum Dare has - 26 years of weekend experiments that seeded careers, studios, and whole corners of the scene. Enormous legacy, and enormous props to Kasprzak for keeping the lights on this long.
Sony Pictures has confirmed an R-rated animated adaptation of FromSoftware’s Bloodborne, with studio exec Sanford Panitch promising it’ll stay “very true” to the game’s gothic brutality. It’s co-produced by PlayStation Productions, Lyrical Animation, and YouTuber Seán “JackSepticEye” McLoughlin. Amazing we’re getting a film before 60fps, but we’ll take it!
Phil Spencer has officially retired from Microsoft, ending a 38-year career that included 12 years leading Xbox through an incredibly transformative period; overseeing the acquisitions of Mojang, ZeniMax and Activision Blizzard. Asha Sharma has been appointed CEO of Microsoft Gaming, with Matt Booty elevated to Chief Content Officer. Xbox President Sarah Bond, long considered Spencer’s heir apparent, has also resigned - her departure buried several paragraphs into Spencer’s own statement and notably unmentioned by anyone else at Microsoft. End of an era.
Slay the Spire 2 has locked in a March 5 early access launch on Steam after a short delay out of 2025. The new trailer revealed four-player co-op with its own dedicated cards and team synergies. Mega Crit expects a similar timeline to the original, roughly one to two years before a full 1.0 release. Hard to overstate the impact of the original, so this is absolutely a day one situation.
PlayStation has closed Bluepoint Games, the studio behind acclaimed remakes including Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls. Around 70 staff have been laid off. The closure follows the cancellation of a God of War live service project - one of several live service bets PlayStation has quietly walked back in recent years. Bluepoint was one of the best in the business at what they did - a brutal loss. Without taking focus away from the people affected… I guess we’re never getting that Bloodborne remake.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer got its first proper gameplay showing, revealing a runs-based racing format set across the Outer Rim. Multiple planets, vehicles and characters were on display, all framed around an unsanctioned racing circuit. As I’ve said before, I loved the original podracing game, and this looks fun as hell.
Neva: Prologue is a prequel DLC telling the story of how Alba and the wolf cub first met, launching February 19. New enemies, mechanics and locations are promised. Neva was ‘fine’, so a tighter, more focused prologue could work.
Kena returns with Scars of Kosmora, a follow-up set on the island of Kosmora with an older, more experienced protagonist. Spirit companions now grow and unlock powers over time, and new elemental systems expand combat depth. The first game punched well above its weight visually, and this looks even better - keen.
Saber Interactive revealed a John Wick game that lets you play as the Baba Yaga himself in an original story chapter. The footage leaned hard into the franchise’s gun-fu combat and cinematic camerawork, and it’s giving Sifu but John Wick. And of course Keanu is there. No release date yet, but one to watch.