Key Note Gaming

The layoffs Bungie announced yesterday hit nearly 300 staff who worked at the developer’s Bellevue, Washington office, official records have revealed. A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice issued by Sony to the Washington State Employment Security Department, reported by Game File , reveals 292 staff have been let go with a formal separation date set for July 9. This number does not account for Bungie staff outside Washington state. It is unknown how many staff remain at Bungie following the cuts, although the studio was reported to have employed 850 staff as of 2024. It is Bungie's third round of layoffs in three years. According to The Seattle Times , Bungie once had 1,000 employees in Bellevue, according to a 2023 annual financial report from the city. Between October 2023 and July 2024, Bungie laid off around 320 staff. Local press have called the cuts a "bloodbath." In its statement yesterday, Hermen Hulst, CEO, Studio Business Group, Sony I...

The Kingdom Hearts games have amassed one of the most loyal fandoms in gaming. Square Enix really tapped into something special when it combined classic Disney characters with a totally unique RPG. Unfortunately for Kingdom Hearts fans, none of the Prime Day Square Enix deals this year include any of the actual games. There is, however, a 3-foot stainless steel Keyblade that just dropped to its lowest price ever on Amazon. Look, nobody actually needs a sword. But we only recently got Kingdom Hearts 4 gameplay footage for the first time earlier this month and there's absolutely no release date attached. Waiting forever for the next entry in the series is inevitable, but whether or not you own a replica of Sora's iconic blade is entirely in your control. This Keyblade is normally priced at $59.99, but a very recent price cut shaves off a few dollars during Amazon's Prime Day sale. It's not all that much of a discount, but it's still a surprisingly good price for w...

If you're looking to upgrade your Pokémon TCG deck or hunt down some of the rarest pulls of the 2026 Mega Evolution series, you need to act fast if you want to get in on Amazon Prime Day deals for them. This sale only lasts from June 23–26, and Pokémon TCG products are notorious for selling out quickly, either to fans or to resellers looking to make a quick buck . Luckily for you, we’ve scoured the web to bring you the best Pokémon TCG deals we’ve found. Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box The first deal we’ve spotted is 20% off a Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box. This expansion was released in May, so it’s a tidy discount on a relatively new expansion, which is especially good for your wallet in the current 2026 secondary market. Fans have been hunting down that gorgeous, multi-hundred-dollar Mega Greninja ex Special Illustration Rare , with resellers pushing Elite Trainer Boxes (ETBs) well past their street price on resale sites. ...

Grand Theft Auto 6 could be taking a major mechanic from Red Dead Redemption 2, which might bother some GTA fans. Today, Rockstar Games revealed the Ultimate Edition for GTA 6, which includes a bunch of goodies, some of which have been creating controversy . One of these perks is free access to a garage, which will boast a weapons locker where you can "customize your loadout for any occasion." This makes it sound like players may have to be more intentional with the weapons they take with them. In Red Dead Redemption 2, you can only have two large weapons (rifles, shotguns, etc.) and two handguns. If there isn't a physical way for your character to hold the weapon, it stays on your horse. It's more realistic and forces the player to be more conscious of their loadout, something that has been divisive with players over the years. This is also radically different from the way GTA handles it, as GTA 5 allows you to carry dozens of weapons in your pocket. However, fans h...

We're halfway through Prime Day , but the deals keep coming. With The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake on the horizon, it's a great time to highlight one of the coolest collectibles themed around the game. The Legend of Zelda Collector's Chess set is a custom-sculpted chess board featuring classic Zelda characters. It's currently down to $42.74, which is 5% off the sticker price and technically the lowest price it's ever been on Amazon. There are better Prime Day board game deals if that's what you're after, but this is the only Legend of Zelda chess set. This 32-piece set is hand-crafted using high quality plastic for its pieces. The hero/white side includes Link, Zelda, Navi, and Impa pieces, while the villain/black half features Ganondorf, Twinrova, Deku Scrubs, and more. Each piece is designed around their respective appearance in the original Ocarina of Time for the N64. The foldable board itself measures in at 10.5in long, 10.5in. wide, and 0...

Marathon has set a release date for its upcoming PvE mode, Vault Breaker, as well as the start of Season 3. Marathon will release its new "experimental" PvE mode on July 21st as part of the next mid-season update. This new mode will allow players to venture into Cryo Archive, the map used for the game's endgame raid-like content, to take on a series of challenging vaults. You'll be able to do this on your own or with allies, with a unique progression system that lets you grow more powerful ahead of the final vault. Bungie also revealed that Vault Breaker will have some specific requirements to participate. "Vault Breaker requires a special Sponsored Kit to queue up, and any gear or items you find stay behind when you exfil," says Bungie . "The exception to this is Vault Data. This new currency is found within vaults, and when extracted, can be exchanged for upgrades to your Vault Breaker Sponsored Kits as well as gear that can be used in other modes. T...

The newest Disney Lorcana expansion set, Attack of the Vine!, is set to have an early release on July 17 at local games stores with a wide release on July 24th. With that said, we’re exclusively revealing six new cards showcasing the set’s new team up theme, Woody & Buzzlightyear, Pocahontas & Meeko, Darkwing Duck & Launchpad, Sulley & Boo, Peter Pan & Tinker Bell, and of course the famous Disney duo themselves, Mickey & Minnie Mouse. Disney Lorcana continues to feature Pixar characters from their introduction last set, but we’re also seeing familiar faces with these new powerful Team cards. Alongside some high ink costs, these team cards are also dual ink which means they can only be added to certain decks. On top of this limitation, the cards can shift from specific characters and there’s only so many characters in certain ink colors. Considering all these factors, these Team cards have to be very strong to warrant using. For instance, the Woody & Buzz Lig...

Hori's The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Adventure Pack is on sale for Amazon's Prime Day sale this week. This crossbody bag, which is big enough to hold either the Nintendo Switch or Switch 2, is down to $19.49 from its original $29.99 sticker price, the lowest price we've seen for it. Hori's Adventure Pack is an adjustable cross-body bag intended to carry your Nintendo Switch console, with extra zip-up pockets for games, Joy-Con , and charging cables. But it's also large enough to fit the Switch 2 if you have one, so there's no need to purchase a new bag for this generation's console. The mesh material on the backside of the bag makes wearing it for extended periods of time more comfortable. More Nintendo Deals for Prime Day If you're on the hunt for even more Nintendo sales during Prime Day , we've got you covered. The Nintendo Switch version of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is currently down to $29.99 , 50% off the list price, but as a Light...

Naughty Dog may have canceled its The Last of Us Part 2 multiplayer project , but Factions fans can now at least have a new PvP mode to look forward to… if they're on PC. Modder Speclizer uploaded 25 minutes of early gameplay for a mod they're working on that will let players go head-to-head as Abby, Ellie, and potentially other characters from the PlayStation video game series. The video kicks off with the news that, after starting development in January 2026, it's expected to launch this September. It's admittedly a bit rough around the edges in its current state but, so far, this The Last of Us Part 2 multiplayer mod seems to feature a relatively fleshed-out PvP mode. The earliest moments of the gameplay video are the most telling, highlighting a matchmaking system, maps, and loadout selections. Is it exactly what Naughty Dog may have had planned for The Last of Us Online? Probably not, and it's only coming to PC for now, but it might just help fill the hole in ...

A handful of actors have started confirming they have roles in Grand Theft Auto , including one of the stars of Marvel's Wolverine. Actor Brett Gipson, who plays Sabretooth in Marvel's Wolverine, has added GTA 6 to his resume . The resume notes that he will be playing a character named Ellis, but no other details have been confirmed. It's unclear how big his role will be but, for what it's worth, there's no indication that we've even seen Ellis in any of the trailers or screenshots thus far. Although the focus has been primarily on the game's two protagonists, Jason and Lucia, Rockstar has shone a light on a few supporting characters, including Jason's friend, Cal Hampton, and his boss, Brian Heder. Gipson isn't the only actor to reveal their in GTA 6. Actors like Katie Burke, Ignacio Navarro, and Massi Furlan have all disclosed that they're in the highly anticipated game. Some of these appear to be background characters like random NPCs, while o...

Last updated on June 22, 2026: Added 3 new Evomon codes! Evomon codes will give you free rewards, including EXP Fruit and Coins, which you're going to need in this creature-catcher adventure game inspired by Pokémon. You'll awaken in a strange world, where Mentor Ben explains you'll need to fight wild Evomon. You can then choose from three starter Evomon, Leafbu, Blazpu, or Bubble (yes, I was expecting it to be something like Waterlu). From there, you'll jump through a portal into Verdant Valley and be able to fight and collect other Evomon to build your team. To help you get started, we've rounded up all of the working Evomon codes in one place and tested them to make sure you can redeem them. Working Evomon Codes (June 2026) Here are the currently active codes for Evomon: 10kthx - 10x Advanced Ball (NEW!) 12klikeS - 5x Medium EXP Fruits (NEW!) 10KCCU_ - 4,000 Coins (NEW!) 5000DC - 5x Advanced Ball THXFOR5K - 5x Medium EXP Fruits 2K-LIKES - 5x Medium EXP...

A new weekend has arrived, and today, you can save on Tears of the Kingdom, Nioh 3, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, Splatoon Raiders, AirPods Pro 3, and more. Check out our top picks for Saturday, June 20, below. Save $20 Off The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 Edition Tears of the Kingdom is one of the best games on Nintendo Switch, and the same goes for Nintendo Switch 2. This weekend, you can pick up a physical Nintendo Switch 2 Edition for $59.99, which saves you $20 off the usual price. As a Switch 2 Edition, this copy includes the paid upgrade with performance enhancements and Zelda Notes, but you can play it on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 consoles. AirPods Pro 3 for $169 AirPods Pro 3 are a fantastic upgrade over the 2nd generation, bringing a built-in heart rate sensor, redesigned eartips for better noise cancellation, and improved sound quality. Right now, you can score a pair for only $169 at Amazon. This is a fantastic price, and it's the lowest...

PlayStation fans are fearing the worst after Microsoft set the price of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 at $40 without DLC. As reported by CharlieIntel , PC and Xbox marketplaces were recently updated with new DLC prices, while locking in the 2010 and 2012 Call of Duty games at $39.99 each. Black Ops 1 and 2 have been available on Xbox consoles for some time thanks to extensive backward compatibility support on Microsoft's consoles, with the real changes arriving in individual DLCs that now seem to be $10 instead of $15, and season passes now priced at $30 instead of $50. It's an update that follows news that Activision would launch ports – not remasters – for the two classic Treyarch games for PS4 and PS5 in July. However, without prices for the new releases officially announced, PlayStation fans are worried the Xbox listings suggest they'll soon need to fork over a hefty amount of cash for games that are more than a decade old. "Not including the DLC and charging...

There is just something about mascot characters and kart racers that makes them fit together like two peas in a pod. Ever since the first Mario Kart game was released on the Super Nintendo, it’s been a genre that continues to delight fans, even in the wild times we find ourselves in. Now, the lizard and bat combo of Yooka-Laylee is hopping into the driver's seat of Super Yooka-Laylee Kart, revealed during this year's Summer Game Fest, and IGN had a chance to get some time on the track with this upcoming racer from some of the same devs that worked on the much-loved Diddy Kong Racing! Yooka-Laylee Kart pits eight racers against each other in a heated race around courses themed after locales from the main games. In an attempt to adopt a look that is a bit of a blend of Nintendo’s 16- and 64-bit eras, Yooka-Laylee’s maps are colorful, flat tracks decorated with 3D assets outside of the tracks. The racers themselves, like my GOAT, Trowzer the Snake, appear as 3D models rendered wit...

Gundam is no stranger to video games, but the various pieces of the franchise have never started out with one. That’s all about to change with Gundam: Rogue Orbit. Following its reveal at Summer Games Fest, I spoke with main producer Yuya Tomiyama and chief producer Shinya Satake about starting a new era of Gundam as a video game first, what they’re hoping to accomplish with it, and how Rogue Orbit differs from what’s come before. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. IGN: Rogue Orbit is the first time y’all are launching a new Gundam thing through a game. A lot of people know what a Gundam is, but they may not be familiar with Gundam as a franchise or any particular series. What were the things that you knew you needed to have to make Gundam Gundam in Rogue Orbit? Yuya Tomiyama : There are lots of different Gundam universes out there, but Rogue Orbit is the first time we've introduced a new world through a video game. And because of this, we created the worldview ...

I’ve been a fan of the Yakuza or Like a Dragon series since the very beginning. As a magazine writer I was lucky enough to visit Sega’s headquarters in Tokyo during the development of the original PlayStation 2 title way back in 2005, and in my years at IGN I’ve reviewed a number of the remakes, sequels, and spin-offs of RGG Studio’s long-running crime series. At this point I’ve invested hundreds of hours into beating the absolute snot out of Japanese mobsters, either via the button-mashing combo-based style of the original adventures or the turn-based RPG form that’s become core to the most recent mainline entries. Thus I feel pretty well-equipped to handle anything that RGG Studio can throw my way at this point, which is why I was so shocked that the new combat system in upcoming series prequel Stranger Than Heaven so completely kicked my arse. At a recent BiliBili Game First Look event in Shanghai, I got some brief hands-on time with a brawling-based demo for Stranger Than Heaven. (...