Sharma echoed this sentiment in an interview with Game File’s Stephen Totilo and added that nothing has been decided. Referring to the same as “long-swinging decisions that have decade-long impact,” she said the company will take “a data-driven approach and a strategic-driven approach, and then we’ll look at our principles, and we’ll make some calls. So we’ll share more when we’re ready.”

Regarding a time frame, Sharma replied, “Nothing we’re ready to commit to.” “I want to make the right decision, not the fastest decision.” Which is understandable. It has been two months after all. But you have to wonder if the decision may hinge on how heavy-hitters like Halo: Campaign Evolved, Fable and Forza Horizon 6 will perform on PS5.

And while Project Helix is clearly a priority, especially with the goal being to “lead in performance,” the Xbox Series X/S is also getting some love. “I think that the Gen 9 is a great piece of hardware, and we want to make sure that gameplay and the platform experience is excellent. We know we just haven’t invested as much there, and so we’re getting back to that.” The recent changes to Achievements and toggles to Quick Resume are a few standout examples.

Of course, there’s also the price drop to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, coinciding with the announcement that new Call of Duty titles would no longer be available on day one. They’ll still arrive roughly a year later, though, and there are rumors of older titles eventually being added to the service.

As noted by the Reddit community’s tracker, there are issues like the pause menu being too bright and seed gathering becoming more tedious. It’s not all bad, though. Apparently, bandits and other enemies have been dropping more loot and currency while the Duo mini-game is much faster. In fact, the quest that requires three wins has been changed so that it’s no longer in a row, which is nice.

Then there’s Focus recharging faster than before, seemingly at double the usual rate, and teleporting becoming much faster. It also seems that vines are burning much quicker with Focused Light, which might not be super realistic.

Given Pearl Abyss’s reputation for turning unintentional bugs into actual features (see: Focused Aerial Roll), it might just keep several of the changes that players enjoy. Regardless, expect a hotfix at some point to fix some of the more annoying issues, and for the more far-reaching content additions, check out the developer’s blog post for more details.

But in a world where a lot of big releases demand a lot of time and patience from their players, we think Pragmata’s focus on a tight, filler-free experience deserves a look. Is it a facet of the experience that has been a refreshing change of pace for gamers who may not have the time that most modern releases ask of them? Has it been designed to refresh its players with its brevity rather than drain them with needless tedium?

We’re going to answer those questions as we examine how Pragmata’s appeal could be psychological, giving it an edge long before you start a playthrough and join Hugh and Diana on their trip through The Cradle. Let’s get right to it.

The Burden of Expectations

It’s a good idea to look at a few aspects of modern blockbusters before we get into our examination of why Pragmata has bucked the trends that they bring. They bring design habits that seem to want to pad out games with bloated content maps and repetitive progression loops that often feel like they’re there to inflate a game’s runtime.

It’s an effective way to improve a game’s shelf life, no arguments there, but they also come with the expectation that you should “main” the game in question for weeks on end. Unless you’re playing games for a living, that makes playing through these titles a sort of daily habit that you then balance against everything else going on in your life. It’s quite easy for a great game to feel like a chore once the novelty wears off, and you’re forced to sit through hours of content before you get to roll the credits and close out the loop on a title that you were enjoying when you first picked it up.

Value often becomes synonymous with volume, and while that has worked in many cases, it’s proven ineffective in titles that simply don’t have enough meat on them to keep players hooked. Pragmata has now come along to show that games don’t need to be big in scale, but can be big in scope with a core experience that’s just cleaner and tighter. The absence of bloat becomes a calling card in such cases, and Pragmata brings quite an impressive one.

We’d argue that the gaming industry as a whole has created the very conditions that are allowing Pragmata to thrive in the days since its release. It might be a shorter experience than its peers, but that doesn’t mean that it’s light on all the elements that make a modern blockbuster appealing. It’s substantial without being exhausting, the gameplay loop and character-driven narrative working in tandem to have you invested in the adventure.

It’s polished and clean, with enough reason to go off the beaten track while it isn’t overstuffed. Your path to progress in both the story and gameplay is focused, paced with intent to make everything you do feel like a natural extension of its systems. You’re nudged along to new discoveries without the need to forget about the main story, but you’re never obligated to engage with side content in a manner that can often feel forced in other titles.

These sentiments have been common factors in the discourse about the game, showcasing that a formula that goes for spectacle and substance without bloat has all the potential to succeed as another title that’s perhaps a bit more longer with more to do in the world it presents. But as a major release that doesn’t need players to clear their calendars for a few weeks, Pragmata is refreshingly free of the mental load that usually comes with a big release.

But how does a game with a short runtime manage to keep its players coming back for more?

Fast and Focused

Well, that’s quite easy to answer. Pragmata stands out thanks to its cool approach to combat, and it isn’t an easy game to pick up right off the bat. We’ve talked about how it can be a title that lets you show off your PS5 Pro thanks to the RE Engine’s penchant for incredible visuals and performance. But that won’t matter if you’re getting absolutely wrecked by The Cradle’s robot legions now, would it?

Pragmata’s a title that you’re going to want to learn quite well if you want to be good at it. We wouldn’t say it strays too far into ‘git gud’ territory, but managing enemy attacks while you try to sneak past their defenses with Diana’s hacks before you get to dish out some serious damage with Hugh’s guns isn’t a walk in the park. There’s an urgency to its combat that translates to an urgency to get into the groove of things sooner rather than later.

But once you do, it’s a game that you can finish with relative ease. It’s also a game that lets you tailor things to suit your playstyle, providing the scope to let you pad out Hugh and Diana’s loadouts with things that you like to use in the field. Get a build going, and you’re suddenly turning the tables against robots that had you on the backfoot a while ago. It’s approachable without being too easy, and there’s a certain satisfaction you get from making progress in it – a sentiment that’s reflected in user-generated reviews as well as critical insights into the gameplay loop.

Aside from approachability, there’s also the temptation to just keep going. The “just another hour” lie that we’ve trained ourselves to believe becomes a regular occurrence during your time with Pragmata not because you need to grind out upgrades or levels, but because you’re genuinely having a blast with its combat or story. It’s a different sort of addiction that doesn’t have daily things to do in the game for obligatory rewards, or a battle pass that quickly becomes akin to a treadmill that you don’t want to risk stepping away from.

It’s a game whose hook encourages curiosity, and choosing to stay in The Cradle for a while longer than you originally intended is just a natural extension of enjoying a game that gives it to you straight, and expects you to have a blast with it in return. It’s decidedly old-school in its approach, letting its quality and the need to continue playing because you want to become factors that keep you immersed in the experience, hanging out in The Shelter for far longer than you might have in a game that didn’t place a similar emphasis on natural continuation.

We believe that it’s what makes Pragmata a game that could be the beginning of a new approach to game design in a landscape where gamers are increasingly time-sensitive and discerning about the quality of their purchases.

A Refreshing Change From Stagnancy

Pragmata’s ability to keep its players hooked by simply doing what it does best deserves attention not just because it caters to players who want to have a good time without having to spend hours on end in a game. Rather, it has them doing that because they want to. For a modern playerbase that’s short on time and with a limited attention span, it’s a game that feels premium while also positioning itself as less demanding.

Its success since launch is an indicator that there might be more to its addictive potential than just a focused story and some tight gameplay. By daring to be complete, polished, and most importantly finite, Pragmata has demonstrated that there’s a hunger for games that resonate with players by meeting their expectations while limiting what’s expected of them.

You’re still expected to learn the ins and outs of its combat loop, but you don’t have to spend a chunk of your time grinding out upgrades once you do. You’re more than welcome to blaze a path through its story if that’s what you’re interested in, but its side content is compelling enough to get you making detours from time to time. It’s a game that has doubled down on a simple fact: players don’t just expect more content in a game, but want more rhythm from the ones that they’re playing.

In a world where many games can feel like they’re a full-time job, Pragmata has its players hooked because it doesn’t feel like work. It’s a title that’s the perfect way to cap off a long day, and is equally great for a quick session when you decide to take a break from your day job. It’s impossible to put down because it’s the perfect distraction, and one that can hold your attention with content that’s meaningful and executed well.

And that is perhaps its biggest strength. Time will tell if its potential turns out to be transformative enough to bring more games like it, but until then, The Cradle is going to be a place that keeps us all coming back for more for a while yet.

The trailer gives us a glimpse at some of the moments from the story in Invincible VS, kicking things off with a confrontation between Invincible and Omni-Man. While it does a good job of showcasing all the different characters that will be involved in the campaign, it is currently unknown whether the title will follow the footsteps of other fighting games in putting you in the shoes of different characters as part of the several fights that will take place over the course of the story.

The story will largely revolve around Omni-Man’s return to Earth to conquer it alongside his Viltrumite allies, and it will be up to Invincible and his friends to save the planet. This means that we will likely get to see several fan-favorite characters face off against each other, from Bulletproof to Anissa. The story will likely feature all 18 characters from the base game’s roster.

At the end of the trailer, we also get a look at Quarter Up’s plans for post-launch content. With the title coming out on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on April 30th, the studio reaffirmed its plans to release two characters in Summer 2026 as part of the game’s Year One Character Pass—Universa and The Immortal. The trailer confirms that the third character is slated for release in Fall 2026, and the fourth one in Winter 2026.

Quarter Up had been revealing the roster of Invincible VS at a steady pace, wrapping things up back in March with a trailer confirming Conquest’s presence in the game. Described as the Empire’s “nuclear option”, Conquest’s moves will revolve around brutal strikes, complete with a punch that can be charged up for a more vicious hit.

More of Conquest’s moveset was showcased with a trailer earlier this month, giving us a glimpse at how he can take on characters like Nolan, Invincible, and Eve. Other characters confirmed for the base game’s roster include Allen the Alien, Dupli-Kate, Titan, and an original character designed especially for Invincible VS – Ella Mental.

This month also saw the game getting another trailer, giving us an action-packed look at how various characters can fight off against each other. Focusing largely on gameplay, the trailer showcased its various gameplay systems, as well as characters’ moves involving overheads, specials, juggles, and mix-ups.

For more details about Invincible VS, take a look at our feature explaining everything you need to know, from how its 3-on-3 fighting works, to its Heroic Boost system, and how teammates can be called in to assist your combos. Also, check out how the studio has been keen on responding to player feedback.

The last major milestone was in March, with over six million copies sold in less than three weeks. Circana’s Mat Piscatella also confirmed its success in the United States, revealing that it’s the fifth-best-selling game in the entire franchise. With this latest achievement, Requiem may be the fastest-selling as well.

Resident Evil Requiem is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, and if you haven’t played, it’s a treat, especially for those seeking closure on the Raccoon City saga. Alongside two protagonists with wildly different survival horror gameplay, you can swap freely between first and third person perspectives – a first for the franchise.

Of course, there’s plenty more to come, with a story expansion in the works (which allegedly focuses on Leon and may feature Ada Wong in some capacity). Nakanishi also confirmed plans to add a new mini-game, and based on some datamined tracks, we may very well see the return of Mercenaries.

Ubisoft has teased one of them, “Blackbeard’s Treasure,” in a new cinematic trailer and for those who played the original, it’s pretty emotional. As Anne Bonny sings outside, she views Edward from a distance. All by his lonesome, he’s suddenly engaged by Thatch before unfurling what seems to be a treasure map.

When he mockingly says that he thought Kenway would be done with “fairy stories,” Edward looks into the camera and replies: “Not yet.” Where this map will lead remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the development team isn’t simply tacking on this new content and calling it a day.

Launching on July 9th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced retails for $60. If you didn’t watch the worldwide reveal or check out our feature, it’s a ground-up remake of the 2013 classic, right down to the cinematics. Combat is revamped to focus more on parrying and taking down enemies (and don’t worry – the blood is very much present), while parkour embraces side ejects, free jumping, back ejects and more for improved traversal.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t include competitive multiplayer or DLC like Freedom Cry, and Ubisoft isn’t being completely up front about the removal of the modern-day segments. As usual, stay tuned for more updates and gameplay in the coming months.

To celebrate, the developer has released a new minor update which adds first anniversary haircuts for all party members. You can pick up Gustave’s at the Stone Wave Cliffs from the Gestral Merchant, while Verso, Maelle, Lune, Monoco and Sciel can find theirs at the merchant near Grosse Tête.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, and yes, it’s still playable on Game Pass, which is a fantastic deal. Check out our review, where we gave it a 9 out of 10 for its excellent combat, storytelling, presentation, exploration, the list goes on. Sandfall would release several updates, with the biggest being “Thank You,” which added a new region, end-game bosses, weapons, outfits and more.

As for the studio’s next project, it wants to focus on “what we think is cool” and trusting its instincts, per lead writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen.

The trailer itself can still be found on other YouTube channels, including the official one for The Game Awards, where it was first unveiled. The Nagoshi Studios X account also remains online, and the pinned post still links to the original reveal trailer for Gang of Dragon. However, the last post made on the account was all the way back in early February. Interestingly, even the Steam page remains online.

A spokesperson had said that the decision to cut funding for Gang of Dragon came from the fact that it was going to need ¥7 billion for development, which roughly translates to around $44.4 million. With the end of the partnership, Nagoshi Studios would need to pay NetEase Games for the IP and assets if it wanted to continue the game’s development. In the meantime, Nagoshi himself is noted to be in the hunt for “new sponsors.”

Gang of Dragon is the first game by Nagoshi, who is known for his hand in creating the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise. He founded Nagoshi Studios back in 2022 after his departure from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios, and was said to have been working on the title since then.

When he first founded his studio, Nagoshi had said that he wanted to create an “open atmosphere” where developers would have a lot of freedom, since “even the most talented creators cannot fully unleash their abilities in isolation.” This means that the studio also has “open-ended discussions that ignore seniority and hierarchy” and “not fearing mistakes while also not being afraid to correct them, and treating failures as assets.”

The game was going to focus on Kabuchiko – the nightlife district of Shinjuku, Tokyo – and would star Ma Dong-seok as protagonist Shin Ji-seong. The character was described as a high-ranking member of a Korean crime syndicate based out of Kabukicho, with the game’s story revolving around a large conflict between various underworld factions. Interestingly, the real-world location of Kabukicho also serves as the inspiration behind the Yakuza franchise’s Kamurocho.

Gang of Dragon was going to feature real-time action combat with a third-person perspective. The core focus would have revolved around melee combat featuring brutal hand-to-hand strikes and blade attacks, along with some gunplay for the larger fights. It was also going to include driving sequences.

In an interview, Nagoshi had explained that everything in Gang of Dragon was “conceived and built from the ground up.” He also described its story as a “human drama centered on outcasts living in the real district of Kabukicho.”

“From the cityscape and world setting to the overall gameplay experience, every element has been conceived and built from the ground up as we move forward with planning and development,” he said. “Our team remains fully committed to creating a work that we can confidently deliver to players around the world.”

Gang of Dragon never got a release date.

The company unveiled this new logo with a social media post where it proudly proclaimed that “We Are Xbox”. While it might seem like a simple logo change to some, the fact that it is calling back to the original Xbox with its colors would indicate that the company is taking a hard look at its history to see what it can bring back to the modern age.

Xbox’s new logo has drawn plenty of comments in the replies to its social media post. While the CEO of now-Xbox, Asha Sharma, responded with a trio of green heart emojis, other companies, like Discord, Mountain Dew, and Razer, have all congratulated Xbox.

Sharma, along with chief content officer Matt Booty, had announced Microsoft Gaming’s conversion into Xbox earlier this week, noting that the previous name didn’t quite do a good enough job of describing the division’s ambition.

“‘Microsoft Gaming’ describes our structure, but it does not describe our ambition,” the two said in a joint statement. “So, we are going back to where we started and changing our team’s name. We are Xbox. We are a high agency culture where wild and wonderful ideas thrive. Our job is not to smooth over our differences, but to connect everyone into something greater than any one studio or product.”

In their announcement post, Booty and Sharma had discussed future plans for Xbox, noting that “Players are frustrated” thanks to the current state of the gaming industry.

“New feature drops on console have been less frequent. Our presence on PC isn’t strong enough. Pricing is getting harder for people to keep up with. And core experiences like search, discovery, social, and personalization still feel too fragmented. Developers and publishers are asking for more, too: better tools, better insights, and a platform that helps them grow faster.”

To deal with this, the duo wants to turn Xbox into a “global platform that connects players and creators everywhere.” The division will use daily active players as its main metric going into the future, and more concrete plans revolve around ensuring that Project Helix can “lead in performance”, while offering comfortable, personal, high-performance accessories and a strong ecosystem that provides plenty of choice. The company also plans to strengthen its partnerships and expand into more markets, including China, while also targeting mobile-first audiences.

“Over the last five years, Xbox and the industry have been through an unimaginable amount of change, and this team has continued to deliver through it for our community,” they said. “Thank you for staying focused on what matters. 62 days in, we’re proud of how we’ve honored our commitments of great games, return of Xbox, and future of play. We’re here to do the most creative and courageous work of our lives, and that’s what we’ll do together.”

Thankfully, it hasn’t been omitted from the remake. Producer Justin Ng clarified “without getting into trouble hopefully” that “There WILL be blood in the final game, and it will not be a paid DLC.” Furthermore, the development has heard feedback on “the VFX and audio cues” in fights and says it’s being toned down.

And just in case there was any doubt, since it wasn’t showcased during the reveal, social stealth is “still there.” Whether you’re sitting on benches to evade pursuit, blending into different groups, or hiring dancers to distract the opposition, it’s all here. Well, except for the DLC and multiplayer, since the team chose to focus more on Edward’s adventures.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on July 9th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC for $59.99, with the Deluxe Edition costing $69.99. You can check out the PC requirements here, with ray-traced lighting with global illumination and shadows baked in (which also applies to consoles, regardless of the mode). Check out our feature for everything you should know before pre-ordering.