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Microsoft planning ‘major’ Xbox layoffs next week
Gaming Gear

Microsoft planning ‘major’ Xbox layoffs next week

by admin June 24, 2025


Microsoft is planning to cut jobs in the company’s Xbox gaming business, as early as next week. I first reported in Notepad earlier this month that Microsoft was planning Xbox layoffs “potentially by the end of the month,” and now Bloomberg says a round of “major layoffs” is due next week.

I understand managers at Microsoft have been briefed about Xbox cuts and wider layoffs in other parts of Microsoft’s businesses. The upcoming cuts are also expected to hit Microsoft’s sales organization, just at the start of a new financial year.

Microsoft is planning to restructure parts of its Xbox business as it looks ahead to its next generation of consoles. One source tells me Microsoft is restructuring Xbox distribution across central Europe, resulting in some Xbox operations ceasing in some regions.



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June 24, 2025 0 comments
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This week in PC games: System Shock 2 remastered, multiple Warhammer 40,000 dogs, and an unexpected continuation of toilet theming
Game Updates

This week in PC games: System Shock 2 remastered, multiple Warhammer 40,000 dogs, and an unexpected continuation of toilet theming

by admin June 23, 2025


“Experts urge UK households follow tips to beat heatwave, Dread Spider Tide” screech the inter-tabloids. Sparkling pig-grade hogwash, I say. I’ve recently discovered that the only things you need to defeat the sun are a cheap space heater set to fan mode and a PC overworked to boiling point, the combination of which creates some sort of mysteriously blissful temperature vacuum. Also, I refuse to open my curtains. For those also working on their attractive monitor-glow sallow tan, here are this week’s new PC game releases.

Monday 23rd June

  • Today sees the release of real estate roguelike and Balatro for landlords (Bastardlatro? Fix your own latrino?) Rentlord. “Maximize rent, while avoiding taxes!”, it urges. I’m reverting to default leftist fist shaking here but the one landlord I’ve ever had was actually a really nice bloke who once took it upon himself to unblock a sink I’d clogged up with rice. Also, he reminded me strongly of Ian Holm’s Bilbo Baggins. Darktide’s Arbites class is also out. Ah, Games Workshop. The company who only take time off from plagiarising Judge Dredd (and Dune, and Moorcock) to sue individual Etsy users for selling dice with ork faces on them.

Tuesday 24th June

  • Tuesday brings tactical RPG Shuffle Tactics, which features both nicely minimal pixel sprites and very good fantasy mammals. It’s got deckbuilding too, listing both Final Fantasy Tactics and Slay The Spire as inspirations. There’s also more Warty Thou in the form of the Lex Imperialis story expansion for Owlcat’s Rogue Trader. It’s also got Arbites in it. Nanomon Virtual Pet looks cute, if you’re bored of all the grimdark cyberdogs.

Wednesday 25th June

  • Free walking sim Condo is about exploring an apartment complex in a bout of insomnia and meeting its inhabitants. It’s got a slightly noirish, slightly windowless whiskey bar from Yakuza vibe I’m fond of. Dungeon Mori is a fetching crawler, although perhaps not fetching enough to overcome my inherent racism against fantasy catgirls.

Thursday 26th June

Friday 27th June

  • Friday has Antro inside of it – a rhythmic 2.5d platformer from Barcelona where you’re a courier who’s also out to overthrow a totalitarian regime. There’s also “Untitled Shoes Game” Bambas. Good one, Edwin.

This week the Treehouse is mostly melting. Not me though. I am a very good temperature. Let me know if I’ve missed any good’uns.



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June 23, 2025 0 comments
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donkey kong bananza hub
Esports

New Game of the Week! Bad Cheese is far deeper than a mere 1920s-style nightmare

by admin June 23, 2025



Bad Cheese may look fairly straightforward on the surface with its horrific twist on the Steamboat Willie aesthetic, but in speaking with its creator, we learned just how deep the rabbit hole truly is.

On January 1, 2024, one of the most iconic characters in human history entered the public domain. One of the original versions of Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Willie, became free property for all creators to use as they desire.

Much like we saw with other similar IPs such as Winnie-the-Pooh, it wasn’t long before poor old Mickey was the subject of vile torment. Adopting a child-like creation and morphing it to suit a horror experience quickly became a popular trend, and that’s where Bad Cheese comes into the mix.

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On the surface, you’re getting a creepy, body-horror-infused tale with a character eerily similar to Steamboat Willie. But as we learned, that really is just the beginning. There’s a deeper meaning to this fascinating indie project, one you wouldn’t suspect just from looking at it.

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What is Bad Cheese?

BAD CHEESE – RELEASE WINDOW TRAILER is here!

Step into the tiny paws of a mouse spending the weekend at home with a dysfunctional Dad while Mom’s away.

KEEP DADDY HAPPY and WISHLIST now! 🧀 pic.twitter.com/J8CWvkV3Sf

— Bad Cheese 🧀 DEMO AVAILABLE NOW! (@BadCheeseGame) May 24, 2025

At a glance, Bad Cheese is a first-person horror game leveraging the visual style of 1920s animation, and of course, Steamboat Willie in particular. Playing as a troubled mouse, you need to be on your best behavior when cleaning up the house, so as not to make your father mad.

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From a pure gameplay perspective, this involves first-person shooting mechanics, plenty of jump scares, and a bit of exploration as you unravel the mystery at the heart of it all.

But as we’ve mentioned, that barely scratches the surface. The visual style is enough to draw you in, but the narrative is what will leave a lasting impression.

Bad Cheese is a deeply personal game, as solo creator Simon Lukasik told us. It tells the story of a “disturbed child in a household with an abusive father.”

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Stemming from Lukasik’s experiences growing up with an alcoholic parent, the game reflects much of his personal trauma. In a sense, portraying his own story has been a form of “game dev therapy.”

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What the solo dev says about it

A horror game in the “clothes” of Steamboat Willie

“I think with Mickey Mouse – in my game we refer to him as Keymick – He’s overweight, has eating disorders, he’s coping. These were excellent clothes to put on this idea because they create a contradiction. On one side, you’ve got innocent children; on the other, you have this abusive household drama.

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“His childhood doesn’t allow him to become the lighthearted guy that we expect. That’s the trauma of children in abusive households.”

FeardemicMickey, or Keymick here, isn’t quite the same cheery mouse we all know.

“The most common issue of going with this style is that people see it as a cheap cash grab. Something is released into the public IP, let’s make a horror game!”

“We were aware of this issue and discussed it from the very beginning.”

Working through childhood trauma

“There are three layers to the story. The first, it’s a horror in the style of Steamboat Willie. We hope that can draw someone’s attention. Then you go to the second layer, it’s a story about an alcoholic, abusive household. Then the third layer, the deepest layer, it’s a depiction of my personal story.

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“It’s all very personal. It’s the story of a disturbed child in a household with an abusive father. Trying to navigate his life, trying to survive in an alcoholic household.

“You never know what condition your [parent] might be in on a given day. In some cases, you need to become invisible. To basically not provoke them. This is important drama that many can relate to.

“I don’t think many games touch upon this topic. It’s a very dark story, and very weird, but eventually, it’s about hope.”

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FeardemicBad Cheese pulls no punches with its demonic enemy designs.

Disney meets body horror

“I went crazy with it. Making ‘Daddy’ change his appearance every level. I didn’t want anything to hold me back with crazy ideas. I really got a free hand, no one was interfering with the vision.

“At one point, there is a Binding of Isaac reference where you cry. You can use your tears to attack, but ‘Daddy’ feeds on your fears and your pain.”

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“It’s a little bit BioShock-y. There’s a sock cannon, a potato gun where you’re creating French fries to fire at enemies. Each section has its own unique tool and set of activities. 10 different sections in the game to play around with.”

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FeardemicEach level brings new mechanics into the fold.

Bad Cheese is set to release this Summer across both PC and PlayStation. You can wishlist the game here and play an early demo.





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June 23, 2025 0 comments
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Squid Game Is Taking Over Fortnite Reload Next Week With A New Map
Game Updates

Squid Game Is Taking Over Fortnite Reload Next Week With A New Map

by admin June 23, 2025


Fortnite and Netflix are celebrating the launch of the final season of Squid Game next week by taking over Reload and dropping a pile of Squid Game-themed skins in the item shop. The new island, dubbed Squid Grounds, will be the fourth map for Reload, Fortnite’s smaller battle royale mode with automatic respawns. It’ll be the first time for any of Fortnite’s battle royale modes that an entire map is the product of a collaboration. The Fortnite x Squid Game party kicks off Friday, June 27, which is also when Season 3 of Squid Game drops on Netflix.

We don’t have any specifics about whether the Squid Game island will change up how the mode works–that tweet announcing it is the first official details we’ve gotten about Fortnite’s team-up with Squid Game. It’s probable that the new map will be based on locations from the series and will introduce Squid Game-themed weapons, but we really don’t know much.

We do, however, know what the map will look like, because the mini-map view has already leaked. But since it doesn’t have labels for its places of interest, it’s not very easy to parse what’s on it, or whether any of the locations are familiar. We’ll have to wait a little longer to find out what’s up, apparently.

But one other detail we do already have is that we’ll be getting Squid Game skins, presumably in the item shop. It appears right now as though we’ll get five male and five female Fortnite default characters wearing contestant track suits, with two of them being new faces–and you’ll be able to choose the number on the jacket. There will also be a red guard skin and a black guard skin, which will let you choose which icon is on their mask. And as you can see in the key art above, there also appears to be a skin based on the gigantic Red Light/Green Light animatronic doll.

When the new Squid Game map launches in Fortnite Reload on June 27 it’ll be the last of Fortnite’s core game modes to get major love this month. June has already given us new seasons of Battle Royale, Fortnite Festival, Lego Fortnite and Fortnite OG, a whole new mode in Blitz Royale, and a new map for Ballistic.



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June 23, 2025 0 comments
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Decrypt logo
GameFi Guides

This Week in Crypto Games: B3’s Self-Destruct PC, Avalanche Battle Pass

by admin June 22, 2025



It’s tough to keep tabs on the ever-changing crypto gaming space, thanks to the constant flow of news: everything from big game launches and fun degen experiments to token price swings and occasional project collapses. It’s a lot to follow.

Luckily, we’re plugged in at Decrypt’s GG. We cover the biggest happenings throughout the week, and then this weekly roundup provides a quick way to catch up, as well as find a bunch of other little bits of news from throughout the week.

Top stories

Self-destruct crypto PC: B3, a layer-3 gaming protocol built on Ethereum’s Base network by former Coinbase employees, has acquired gaming PC manufacturer Andromeda Insights to expand into hardware. The acquisition enables B3 to control the entire gaming stack—protocol, games, and hardware—while giving Andromeda additional resources.

Their first joint product, the B3PC, is a crypto-focused gaming PC featuring unique security capabilities. Most notably, it includes a self-destruct storage drive that can be instantly wiped via secure digital deletion or physical destruction of NAND flash chips through a high-voltage shock. The PC also integrates a hardware wallet, encryption, on-chain game support, and offline transaction modes.

B3 co-founder Daryl Xu emphasized that high-performance gaming increasingly demands real-time rendering and AI integration, positioning the hardware as purpose-built for crypto and AI gaming futures. The B3PC is available for preorder with a $200 deposit and expected Q1 2026 delivery. B3’s protocol supports 80+ games, and launched its native token in February.



Avalanche battle pass: Avalanche has launched a free-to-mint NFT called the Avalanche Battle Pass to unite its gaming ecosystem and reward cross-game participation. Created by Ava Labs and Playfull, the pass is available through Magic Eden marketplace and follows the popular “battle pass” format pioneered by games like Fortnite. (Solana launched its own similar Game Pass in April.)

Players mint the NFT, register it on Playfull’s website, and then earn rewards like in-game NFTs and AVAX tokens by playing partnered games. The pass supports over a dozen games including Off the Grid, MapleStory N, Spellborne, and DeFi Kingdoms.

Ava Labs Gaming Lead Parker Heath describes it as an “on-chain watering hole” that connects fragmented gaming communities across Avalanche L1 chains. Despite broader blockchain gaming challenges of late, Heath highlighted strong user numbers, with Off the Grid attracting 300,000+ daily users and MapleStory N reaching 770,000+ users since its May launch.

ICYMI

  • Pudgy Penguins game Pengu Clash launched on Telegram last week.
  • Avalanche game Forgotten Playland implemented in-game NFT support last week as part of its biggest update yet.

◤ ◢◤ ◢◤ ◢◤ ◢◤ ◢◤ ◢#SYMBIOGENESIS
FINAL SEASON – Chapter 6 –
Begins Now!
◤ ◢◤ ◢◤ ◢◤ ◢◤ ◢◤ ◢

The Final Season Chapter 6 has finally begun…!
🔗 https://t.co/YDJF9aVDjC

“The world ends… and everything begins anew.”
Witness the conclusion of the story—… pic.twitter.com/d6Ks4Hkv9Y

— 【EN_Official】SYMBIOGENESIS | SQUARE ENIX (@symbiogenesisEN) June 20, 2025

We are entering into a strategic partnership with @CrossTheAges, a fantasy and sci-fi based transmedia ecosystem leveraging blockchain technology.

Through this partnership, we will support Cross the Ages’ ecosystem and its upcoming official launch of Arise, a free-to-play… pic.twitter.com/uZtoaqTTEU

— Animoca Brands (@animocabrands) June 20, 2025

Open Beta Season 3 Preview Trailer: a look at what’s coming in our biggest TMA update yet.

We’ve been quiet. That’s on us. Time to change that. pic.twitter.com/7KITE3NXKM

— The Machines Arena (@themachinesgame) June 18, 2025

Weekend reads

GG Newsletter

Get the latest web3 gaming news, hear directly from gaming studios and influencers covering the space, and receive power-ups from our partners.





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June 22, 2025 0 comments
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Why is Pi Network token down today?
GameFi Guides

Top cryptocurrencies to watch this week: Axelar, Solana, PI

by admin June 22, 2025



Cryptocurrencies are extra volatile as geopolitical risks rise and the Federal Reserve leaves interest rates unchanged for the sixth consecutive month,

Bitcoin’s (BTC) price went from an all-time high of $111,695 in May to below $102,000 on Sunday, June 22, sparking sell-offs among investors.

Top altcoins plunged, as well: AB (AB), SPX6900 (SPX), Fartcoin (FARTCOIN), Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL), Sonic (S), and Story (IP) dropped by over 20%.

Top altcoins crashed last week | Source: CMC

Top cryptocurrencies to watch

Solana (SOL), Axelar (AXL), and Pi Network (PI) are in focus this week as major token unlocks and key technical setups create both risks and opportunities for traders.

A bullish flag pattern hints at a potential rebound for Solana while Axelar could see further downside as it trades below key technical support.

Meanwhile, Pi Network’s Pi Day 2 event on June 28—with anticipated developer announcements and the conclusion of a widely followed domain auction—could spark renewed bullish momentum. Read on for more info.

Solana

SOL price chart | Source: crypto.news

Solana will be in the spotlight this week as it unlocks tokens worth over $255 million on Monday. A token unlock is seen as being more bearish because it introduces more tokens in the market.

Solana price will also be in the spotlight as most meme coins in the ecosystem plunged. The market capitalization of all of these tokens plunged from over $12 billion earlier this month to below $10 billion. 

The daily chart shows that SOL price has formed a bullish flag pattern, a popular continuation sign. This pattern comprises of a vertical line and a descending channel. 

Therefore, the token will likely bounce back and possibly retest the upper side of the flag at $187.30, which is about 40% above the current level. 

Anatoly Yakovenko, a former Qualcomm engineer, created Solana. He also co-founded Solana Labs in 2017 along with Greg Fitzgerald and Raj Gokal.

Axelar 

AXL price chart | Source: crypto.news

Axelar token has been in a strong bearish downtrend in the past few weeks, moving from a high of $0.6291 to a low of $0.3464, its lowest point since June 10. 

Axelar’s price may be at risk of more downside ahead of a big token unlock on Friday. The network will unlock tokens worth over $5.4 million, equivalent to 1.57% of the float. 

Technicals suggest that the AXL price may continue falling now that it has dropped below the 50-day moving average. If this happens, the next point to watch will be $0.2740, its lowest point in April this year.

Sergey Gorbunov and Georgios Vlachos co-founded Axelar and AXL in 2020. Both founders previously worked on the Algorand blockchain. Axelar’s focus is on building a decentralized network that enables secure and reliable cross-chain communication.

AXL is the token that powers and secures the Axelar network

Pi Network

PI price chart | Source: crypto.news

The Pi Network price will be in the spotlight because of the upcoming 80.9 million token unlock. Most importantly, it will be in focus because of Pi Day 2 on June 28. 

Pi Network’s developers normally make major announcements on the first and second Pi Days. A major announcement on this Pi Day may help to boost the token.

The commemoration coincides with the end of .pi domain auction, which has attracted millions of bids in the past few months. 

Pi Network price may bounce back this week as it has formed a falling wedge pattern, a popular bullish reversal sign. 



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June 22, 2025 0 comments
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Animated Lord Of The Rings Movie Gets New Blu-Ray Edition Next Week
Game Updates

Animated Lord Of The Rings Movie Gets New Blu-Ray Edition Next Week

by admin June 21, 2025



The Lord of the Rings: Animated has received a fresh Blu-ray reprint 15 years after the classic adaptation first arrived on Blu-ray. The Remastered Deluxe Edition displays in 1080p resolution and is accompanied by an interview series with the director about the creation of the film. You can preorder The Lord of the Rings: Animated Remastered Deluxe Edition for $22.49 at Amazon ahead of its June 24 release. Prior to this new printing, the Blu-ray was only available for a reasonable price if you opted for a region-free imported edition. Amazon also has the movie on DVD for only five bucks.

$22.49 | Releases June 24

The Remastered Deluxe Edition of The Lord of the Rings: Animated originally released on Blu-ray in 2010. Though a DVD edition of the remaster is still in print in North America, the Blu-ray edition, which will look significantly better on modern widescreen TVs, has been out of print locally for a number of years. Here are the key technical features found on the Blu-ray edition:

  • 1080p HD resolution
  • 16 x 9 aspect ratio (1.85:1)
  • Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 Surround Sound
  • Dolby Digital English 5.1
  • French 1.0 / Spanish 2.0
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

The remaster also includes a series of interviews with director Ralph Bakshi titled: Forging Through the Darkness: The Ralph Bakshi Vision for The Lord of the Rings.

The animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings released in theaters in 1978. It became a massive box office success, pulling in north of $32 million–roughly eight times the production cost. Critical reception was mixed, and many LOTR fans were displeased to learn the 133-minute film only covered The Fellowship of the Ring and a portion of The Two Towers.

Over the years, however, the film has earned a legion of fans, and it is now generally regarded as a cult classic. The film has some incredible sequences and some rather bizarre moments. In some ways, it reminds me of the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. movie. Both films take admirable risks that make it hard not to appreciate the ambition. But LOTR is certainly more faithful to the source material, and the writing is much better. The first couple of drafts were written by Chris Conkling, but later drafts were penned by The Last Unicorn author Peter S. Beagle and revised by director Ralph Bakshi.

Bakshi made some interesting choices with regards to the animation. The end result was a mix of cel animation and rotoscoping. Many scenes in the movie were first filmed live and then traced to make it look realistic in motion. For an animated film made in 1978, The Lord of the Rings looks pretty great.

Peter Jackson has stated that the animated adaptation was a huge inspiration for his live-action version of The Lord of the Rings.

The Hobbit and The Return of the King animated musicals

Unfortunately, the animated film didn’t receive a sequel. Animated films of The Hobbit and The Return of the King were produced around the same time, but both of these were made-for-TV musicals. Both musicals are appropriate for young audiences, and they are actually better than you’d probably expect. That said, the musicals weren’t made by the same team, so the animation is quite different and not as effective. Remastered Deluxe Editions of both musicals are available on DVD. The latest printing of The Hobbit Remastered Deluxe Edition launched last year and is $22.49. The Return of the King’s Remastered Deluxe Edition is discounted to $12.40 at Amazon.

More than 40 years passed before the franchise returned to animation with The War of the Rohirrim. Set centuries before Jackson’s films and based on a section in The Lord of the Rings’ appendices, the anime released in theaters last December. It earned mixed reviews and was a box office flop. The story and characters are forgettable, but it’s still worth watching for its stylish and often beautiful animated sequences. The War of the Rohirrim is up for grabs for $13 on Blu-ray and $20 on 4K Blu-ray.

Check out all of the animated movies set in Middle-earth below.

For the live-action adaptations, including the recent 4K Limited Edition Steelbook releases of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, check out our roundup of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Blu-rays and box sets below. For display-worthy editions of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit that are also very reasonably priced, check out the 2024 hardcover Collector’s Editions and the Tolkien Illustrated Edition Series.



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June 21, 2025 0 comments
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Little Nightmares Showcase Announced For Next Week
Game Updates

Little Nightmares Showcase Announced For Next Week

by admin June 20, 2025


It’s summer gaming showcase season, and the minds behind Little Nightmares are getting in on the fun by announcing a dedicated presentation for the franchise. The Little Nightmares Showcase has been revealed for next week and will likely have an update on the upcoming third entry.

All we know about the showcase for now is that it airs on June 24 at 12 p.m. PT/3 p.m. ET. The news was shared by the Little Nightmares III X account, with a post stating,

Something unsettling is coming. It’s closer than you think.

Are you ready to face it, little ones? 

One would imagine the presentation will heavily revolve around Little Nightmares III, which was first announced at Gamescom 2023. Supermassive Games is developing the title, replacing the original creators, Tarsier Studios, which is currently working on a new horror platformer, Reanimal. Little Nightmares III was delayed to 2025 last year and has no concrete release date.

 

It’s also plausible we’ll learn concrete details for the long-rumored Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition. Though technically unannounced, the game’s existence first came to light in late 2023 after it received a rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) in South Africa. Much like the Enhanced Edition for Little Nightmares II that released in 2021 (also developed by Supermassive), this would presumably be a new-gen remaster of the 2017 original game.

Whether we get a Little Nightmares III release date or confirmation for the Enhanced Edition of the first title, we don’t have to wait long to find out either way.  Until then, you can brush up on Little Nightmares III by checking out 18 minutes of gameplay here. 

What do you hope or expect to see during the Little Nightmares Showcase? Let us know in the comments. 



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June 20, 2025 0 comments
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Capcom Spotlight Will Showcase New Monster Hunter Wilds Update, Resident Evil Requiem, And More Next Week
Game Updates

Capcom Spotlight Will Showcase New Monster Hunter Wilds Update, Resident Evil Requiem, And More Next Week

by admin June 20, 2025


The summer game showcase madness isn’t over yet! Resident Evil and Monster Hunter publisher-developer Capcom has announced it will hold a Capcom Spotlight next week to showcase several upcoming games and more, including the newest update for Monster Hunter Wilds. More specifically, it will air at 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 26, and run for approximately 40 minutes. 

“The Capcom Spotlight is a digital event that brings you the latest news from Capcom,” the show’s description reads. “We will be presenting the latest news on highly anticipated upcoming Capcom titles along with developer interviews. Please look forward to information regarding the newest update for Monster Hunter Wilds as well.” 

If this description and accompanying teaser video, which you can view below, are any indication, it seems the new update for Monster Hunter Wilds will be the big highlight of the show. But, considering Capcom pulled back the curtains on Pragmata gameplay at Summer Games Fest, and recently revealed Resident Evil Requiem, Street Fighter 6’s Year 3 fighters DLC, and more, there’s plenty of Capcom games to go around. 

 

The Capcom Spotlight showcase airs next week on Thursday, June 26. 

In the meantime, read Game Informer’s thoughts on Resident Evil Requiem after a behind-closed-doors preview, and then check out our hands-on preview thoughts of Pragmata. After that, read about how Capcom’s sleeper hit Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess runs on Switch 2, and then read Game Informer’s Monster Hunter Wilds review. 

What do you hope to see during next week’s Capcom Spotlight? Let us know in the comments below!



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June 20, 2025 0 comments
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MLB Power Rankings Week 12: Can anyone unseat Tigers at No. 1?
Esports

MLB Power Rankings Week 12: Can anyone unseat Tigers at No. 1?

by admin June 19, 2025



Jun 19, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

With a third week in a row atop our list, the Tigers become the team with the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 so far in our 2025 power rankings, passing the Dodgers, who have spent two consecutive weeks in the top spot twice this season.

Week 12 also saw a number of clubs continuing their rise up our rankings, including the Astros and Rays each moving up one spot, to eighth and ninth respectively, as well as the Brewers and Reds each rising three places.

The mid-June blockbuster trade of Rafael Devers from the Red Sox to the Giants didn’t affect either team’s outcome this week, with San Francisco at No. 7 for a second straight week and Boston going from 20th to 17th.

Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts Buster Olney, Jorge Castillo and Bradford Doolittle to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.

Week 11 | Preseason rankings

Record: 47-27
Previous ranking: 1

The Tigers’ poorest-performing position this season has been shortstop, the spot Detroit thought it solidified when it signed Javier Baez. Rather than becoming an obvious trade deadline need, the Tigers seem to have found an in-house solution: Baez. The return of center fielder Parker Meadows on June 2 allowed manager AJ Hinch the luxury of relocating Baez’s resurgent bat to his old position, which he had not started at since April 18. Good idea: Baez has a 1.017 OPS this season when playing at his old stomping grounds. — Doolittle

Record: 46-29
Previous ranking: 4

Underneath the shadow of the future Hall of Famers at the top of the Dodgers’ lineup, Andy Pages is emerging as one of the best young run producers in the sport. Manager Dave Roberts believes that Pages has greatly benefited from the mentorship of Teoscar Hernandez, who fosters a focus on driving in runs. Pages, said Roberts, “hunts RBI.” The 24-year-old is on pace to finish the year with 32 homers and drive in 106 runs; in his past 50 games, he’s batting over .330, with a slugging percentage close to .600. — Olney

Record: 45-29
Previous ranking: 2

The Mets’ rotation has been baseball’s best, but it’s entering a period of flux. Kodai Senga, having a Cy Young-caliber campaign, hit the shelf with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, and Tylor Megill is out for longer than Senga with an elbow sprain. Meanwhile, Sean Manaea, who is on a rehab assignment for Triple-A Syracuse, and Frankie Montas, who has yet to make his Mets debut because of a lat strain, should return soon. Montas is also on rehab, but over six outings has an ERA that looks like half a football score (12.05). What will this unit look like a month from now? — Doolittle

Record: 45-28
Previous ranking: 5

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

What has really caught the attention of rival evaluators is how versatile Chicago is in how it dominates.

With Pete Crow-Armstrong leading the way, the Cubs have six players on pace to hit 20 or more homers this year. They field three players who could reach 30 bases, and they rank second in the majors in defensive runs saved. “That’s a team that could win the World Series,” an executive from another team told ESPN recently. — Olney

Record: 42-31
Previous ranking: 3

Aaron Judge is human after all. The two-time AL MVP — and near lock for another one this year — is 1-for-19 with 11 strikeouts and two intentional walks over the last five games to interrupt a historically unmatched start to the season and drop his batting average from .394 to .366. If he needed more evidence he’s again the MVP front-runner (he doesn’t), New York’s offense, which led the majors in wRC+ and OPS through last Thursday, crashed during his rut. The Yankees scored four runs in those five games and were shut out in three consecutive games for the seventh time in franchise history. The 29-inning skid was their longest since September 2016. The Yankees go as Judge goes. — Castillo

Record: 44-30
Previous ranking: 6

Nick Castellanos’ streak of 236 games started came to an abrupt halt Tuesday when Phillies manager Rob Thomson benched him for an “inappropriate comment” after Castellanos was removed from Monday’s game for defensive purposes. Truth is, he has little objective leverage working on his behalf. As tricky as public-facing defensive metrics can be in small sample sizes, they are convincing when it comes to Castellanos — and the sample is huge. Over 13 seasons at different positions, he’s minus-136 defensive runs saved, per Baseball Reference, and he has never broken even in any season, regardless of sample size. — Doolittle

Record: 41-33
Previous ranking: 7

In the first hours after Giants players learned that the team had traded for Rafael Devers, who is generally regarded as one of the better hitters in the game, they were careful to be respectful to the two big leaguers swapped to Boston in the deal, pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks. But it was easy to see in their faces how excited they are about the addition of Devers, who gives the Giants their best pure hitter since Buster Posey, the guy responsible for making the deal in his first season as San Francisco’s president of baseball operations . — Olney

Record: 43-31
Previous ranking: 9

The blows keep on coming for the Astros, but they keep on winning. The latest setback was Lance McCullers landing on the injured list when he sprained his right foot working out over the weekend. He’s the fourth Astros starter placed on the IL this season, including Yordan Alvarez, who remains out with a fractured hand. But the Astros continued to charge forward nonetheless, winning seven of eight games and 11 of their past 15 to take a commanding lead in the AL West. Hunter Brown (1.88 ERA in 14 starts), Josh Hader (1.45 ERA in 29 games) and Jeremy Pena (3.6 fWAR and 143 wRC+) have starred for a franchise that just won’t stop winning. — Castillo

Record: 41-33
Previous ranking: 10

Passan’s early MLB trade deadline preview

As trade season starts up, here are the biggest names who could move — and the teams that could deal for them.
Jeff Passan »

Here’s a fact not on most people’s bingo cards in 2025: The Rays, the organization once at the forefront of the opener craze, lead the majors in starter innings pitched. That’s despite not having ace Shane McClanahan throw a single pitch this season. Instead, right-handers Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot are leading the way. Rasmussen has a 2.55 ERA in 14 starts. Pepiot has a 3.11 ERA in 15 outings. Further illustrating Tampa Bay’s consistency in the rotation, Rasmussen, Pepiot, Zack Littell, Taj Bradley and Shane Baz have started 72 of the team’s 73 games this season. Joe Boyle got the other start. The formula is working, with the Rays surging to within 1½ games of the first-place Yankees in the AL East. — Castillo

Record: 39-34
Previous ranking: 8

Manny Machado is a big-stage performer, and the Padres have a couple of high-end starting pitchers. But in the eyes of some rival executives, the best part of the team is its bullpen. “That’s the group that got them as far as they got last year,” one club official said.

Moving forward, evaluators from other teams are very curious as to whether the Padres’ key relievers can continue to sustain the high volume of work. Jason Adam is tied for most appearances in the big leagues; Jeremiah Estrada was tied for the fifth-most outings; and Adrian Morejon was tied for 10th most. — Olney

Record: 39-35
Previous ranking: 14

In this era when relievers are absorbing more and more innings, Abner Uribe has emerged among the best setup men, with the sort of stuff that makes you wonder how anyone can hit him. Uribe is averaging 11.53 strikeouts per nine innings, but he also has generated an exceptional ground ball-fly ball rate of 2-to-1. Closer Trevor Megill, Nick Mears and Uribe have been the collective backbone for the Brewers’ bullpen this season. — Olney

Record: 40-33
Previous ranking: 13

Max Scherzer completed his second and maybe final rehab start Wednesday and looked ready for the big leagues. Pitching for Triple-A Buffalo, the 40-year-old right-hander held Worcester to one hit and two walks with eight strikeouts over 4⅓ innings. He threw 75 pitches, the target number in preparation for possibly coming off the IL next. Scherzer landed on the IL with right thumb inflammation after logging just three innings in his season debut March 29. The Blue Jays have remained in the postseason picture without him, but the rotation, which ranks 26th in ERA, could use a healthy and effective Scherzer, who signed a one-year, $15.5 million contract in February. — Castillo

Record: 39-35
Previous ranking: 16

The history of manager Terry Francona’s teams, generally, is that they will get better over the course of the season, and Cincinnati has proved that anecdote to be true. The Reds have won 19 of their past 30 games, and they’ve got a run differential of plus-44 for the season. The surge coincides with the play of Elly De La Cruz, who is batting .333 with 15 runs and 10 RBIs in 15 games. Somebody get De La Cruz to the Home Run Derby. — Olney

Record: 37-36
Previous ranking: 15

ESPN ‘Sunday Night Baseball’

Catch the biggest names and the best teams in baseball on ESPN all season long.

Sunday, 7 p.m. ET: Mets-Phillies

Logan Gilbert was activated from the IL on Monday and looked sharp in his return from a right elbow flexor strain. The 2024 All-Star held the Red Sox to two runs with 10 strikeouts in his first start since April 25. Gilbert has a 2.55 ERA in seven outings this season. His strikeout rate has soared from 27.4% last season to 39.7% in this year’s small sample size. If he stays healthy, he’s a significant boost for a club that lost eight of nine games earlier this month and fell behind the Astros in the AL West. — Castillo

Record: 36-37
Previous ranking: 19

It’ll be interesting to see how deep Arizona delves into the free agent pitching market, since its recent forays there have been an abject disaster: Madison Bumgarner (five years, $85 million), Jordan Montgomery (two years, $47.5 million), Eduardo Rodriguez (four years, $80 million) and Corbin Burnes (six years, $210 million). Bumgarner was cut in the fourth year of his deal; Montgomery was terrible last year and had elbow surgery this year; Rodriguez has a 6.27 ERA in 2025; and Burnes is out for the season after Tommy John surgery. — Olney

Record: 38-35
Previous ranking: 12

When executives near the end of their contracts, the usual expectation is that those officials will make a big push at the deadline to give their respective teams the best possible chance to win — and maybe make a case for an extension. The read of St. Louis by other teams, conversely, is that the Cardinals won’t consider being aggressive at the trade deadline out of the desire for a more palatable finish for John Mozeliak, who is in his last year as the team’s head of baseball operations. — Olney

Record: 39-37
Previous ranking: 20

The decision to trade Rafael Devers might haunt the Red Sox for a long time. At the moment, questions still abound: Why now? Why for that package? Was there a mandate from ownership to unload the entirety of Devers’ contract? Lost in the outrage is another question: How is Boston going to replace Devers? Unearthing Devers’ production elsewhere is far-fetched.

As for the DH spot Devers left behind, the Red Sox will at least temporarily cycle various players. They used Kristian Campbell, Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez in the first three games of the post-Devers era. A more permanent solution could soon be Masataka Yoshida, who has been on the IL all season after undergoing shoulder surgery in October. — Castillo

Record: 36-37
Previous ranking: 11

It’s hard to believe, but, at 31 years old, Byron Buxton has played more than 102 games only once since reaching the majors in 2015. This season, he has been mostly healthy (now would be the time to knock on wood, Twins fans) and is playing as well as he ever has. Buxton has a career-best OBP, and, once on base, he’s 12-for-12 in stolen bases while scoring 41% of the time, tied for third best in the AL. His power numbers are good, and, according to BaseballMusings.com, he leads the AL in RBI percentage among qualifying batters. — Doolittle

Record: 36-38
Previous ranking: 22

The Rangers put up 16 runs twice in three games last week, giving fans hope that the team’s perplexing offensive struggles were in the past. But they have otherwise continued. Besides those two games, Texas has been held to five or fewer runs in its 12 games since June 1. Turns out the hitting coach wasn’t the problem. And yet the ineptitude has not cost the Rangers much lately; they’ve won seven of 10 games to squeeze back into the wild-card picture. — Castillo

Record: 37-35
Previous ranking: 18

MLB ballpark model of the future

The Battery Atlanta is an enticing blueprint for teams. But creating an entire neighborhood is a hard act to follow. Bradford Doolittle »

At 32 years old, Jose Ramirez is as good as ever and is a solid bet to land an eighth top-10 MVP finish of his eventual Hall of Fame career. He has been at it so long now that, at this point, he’s moving way up the list on a number of Cleveland franchise leaderboards. He should pass Tris Speaker for second in total bases in the next month, leaving only Earl Averill ahead of him. Ramirez also has a great shot at passing Hal Trosky, Nap Lajoie and Jim Thome this season to move in behind Averill in RBIs. Just an amazing career. — Doolittle

Record: 33-39
Previous ranking: 21

Matt Olson has probably been the Braves’ best position player this season, but that might say more about Ronald Acuna Jr.’s late start to the season and the club’s underachieving offense than about Olson. The lefty masher racked up 54 homers and 139 RBIs in 2023, but this season’s .251/.354/.479 showing is a dead ringer for his numbers in 2022 and 2024. In other words, 2023 looks like an outlier year, not a new, elite career level. Olson is a fine player as is, but this season’s Braves sure could use the 54-homer version of him. — Doolittle

Record: 36-38
Previous ranking: 17

The Royals’ clutch-hitting-based offense of 2024 has devolved into the AL’s lowest-scoring attack in 2025. The bats were particularly miserable during a 3-10 start to June, when Kansas City scored three or fewer runs eight times, losing all eight of those games. Injuries dinged the pitching staff, affecting the run prevention, and the bats have not picked up the slack. Even Bobby Witt Jr. has struggled. Over his first 12 games this month, Witt hit .234 with a .677 OPS. As the offense flailed, the Royals’ postseason odds dwindled to the point that the club’s trade deadline direction is no longer fixed. — Doolittle

Record: 36-37
Previous ranking: 24

The Angels’ aggressive handling of top prospects continued last week when they called up second baseman Christian Moore, their first-round pick from Tennessee last June. Moore is the third straight first-round pick the Angels fast-tracked to the majors within the first half of their first full professional season, joining shortstop Zach Neto and first baseman Nolan Schanuel. A Yankees fan from Brooklyn, Moore went hitless in his first two starts before lining a triple past a diving Aaron Judge at Yankee Stadium on Monday for his first career hit. — Castillo

Record: 31-42
Previous ranking: 25

Boston’s AL East rivals were surely pleased to see Rafael Devers shipped off to San Francisco, but perhaps nobody was happier than the Orioles’ Ryan O’Hearn. With Devers in the NL, O’Hearn moved to first place among AL designated hitters in All-Star fan voting. The slugger is deserving of the honor. In a lineup featuring Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, O’Hearn has been the club’s best hitter with a .302 batting average, 10 home runs and an OPS of .869 in 61 games. Astonishingly, he could end up being Baltimore’s lone representative. — Castillo

Record: 30-44
Previous ranking: 23

Top 10 prospect lists for every MLB team

Who is rising and falling in every major league farm system? Kiley McDaniel digs in.
Updated top rankings for all 30 teams »

Welcome to The Show, Brady House. The Nationals’ first pick (No. 11) from the 2021 draft made his MLB debut last week against Colorado. He collected his first two hits and first RBI in his second game (also against the Rockies). When Dylan Crews returns from the IL, he will join House, CJ Abrams and Robert Hassell III on an active roster with four top-11 picks taken since 2019 — and that doesn’t include budding star James Wood, a second-round pick in 2021. The Nationals are flailing on the field lately, but their talent level keeps rising. — Doolittle

Record: 29-45
Previous ranking: 26

David Bednar has had some ups and downs in his time as the Pirates’ closer, but with the trade deadline 42 days away, he is drawing the attention of some rival evaluators with his recent performances. Pitching for a team that isn’t going to provide many save chances, Bednar has six walks and 34 strikeouts in 24 innings. Left-handed hitters have an OPS of just .548 against Bednar, and he has given up only one extra-base hit (a double) in 41 at-bats. — Olney

Record: 30-46
Previous ranking: 28

The Athletics have been a better club on the road than at Sutter Health Park, their temporary, minor league digs, and nobody embodies the contrast more than Luis Severino. The veteran right-hander has a 6.79 ERA in 10 home starts and a 0.93 ERA in six road outings. Combine the outputs and you get a 4.42 ERA — not what the Athletics envisioned when they gave Severino the largest guaranteed contract in franchise history. If only he could pitch anywhere but West Sacramento. — Castillo

Record: 29-43
Previous ranking: 27

If you created a Sandy Alcantara trade barometer, the arrow would be pointing upward, meaning things are looking up. After bottoming out at an 8.47 ERA at the end of May, Alcantara has displayed sharper command this month, and the results have followed. In three starts — which includes outings against the woeful offenses of Colorado and Pittsburgh — Alcantara has a 2.12 ERA over 17 innings with 15 strikeouts and only three walks. Suitors are probably already knocking on the proverbial door of Marlins GM Peter Bendix regarding the former Cy Young winner, but if Alcantara keeps this up, they’ll be pounding on it. — Doolittle

Record: 23-50
Previous ranking: 29

If you’re going to stink, you might as well do it with young players so that your fans can dream of a day when things don’t stink so bad. Here’s a fun fact: The White Sox lead the majors in rookie WAR, ranking sixth among hitters and tops on the pitching side. Chicago is still headed for another 100-loss season, but things could be worse: Colorado, which looks to be bidding to break the loss record set by last year’s ChiSox, ranks last in rookie WAR. South Side denizens would be more than happy to let the Rox take on that malodorous crown of worst team in history. — Doolittle

Record: 17-57
Previous ranking: 30

ESPN Draft Coverage

Stay up to date with the latest intel from ESPN’s experts.
MLB: McDaniel’s latest mock draft »
NBA: Top 100 prospects » | Mock drafts »
NFL: Early 2026 first-round predictions »
NHL: Big board: Top 64 draft prospects »
WNBA: Top 15 prospects for 2026 draft »

Given the struggles of the Rockies this season, they are likely to glean only one spot on the NL’s All-Star team, and perhaps that’ll be Hunter Goodman, the 25-year-old who leads Colorado in all of the Triple Crown categories. So much has gone wrong for the Rockies, but the emergence of Goodman has been perhaps the team’s best story. Over 70 games in 2024, Goodman hit .190 with a .417 slugging percentage. This year, he has improved his OPS by more than 200 points. — Olney



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