Key Note Gaming

Subnautica 2 finally has a concrete release date for its early access, and it’s very soon. Subnautica 2 will enter early access on PC and Xbox Series X|S on May 14, 2026, at 8am PT. The game will cost $29.99, making for a very accessible price point in a crowded month for games. The deep-sea game will be released right before the highly anticipated releases of LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight and 007 First Light, but each game targets different audiences. “We’re excited for players to experience Subnautica 2, beginning May 14!” said Ted Gill, CEO of Unknown Worlds, in a press release about the date reveal. “Our team cannot wait to hear your feedback as the game evolves throughout Early Access.” Subnautica 2 has had a long and bumpy road to release. The first game was a surprise hit that inspired the team to take a lot of the core ideas and expand upon them for a sequel that also features co-op multiplayer. It has been in the works since 2022 and was targeting a 2025 release date...

The CEO of Monument Valley developer Ustwo Games, Maria Sayans, has outlined the studio needs to lower development costs, and to do so it will rely on contractors in the future rather than hiring full-time staff. Sayans explained the plan in an interview with Game Developer at London Games Fest. In the wake of Netflix dropping the Monument Valley games from its service and deals with major companies drying up, Ustwo has a plan to focus on building “meaningful single player experiences” for PC and consoles. It’s a plan already in motion, with Ustwo recently porting several of its games to platforms like Steam and Switch without publisher support. However, Sayans explained that they’ve subsequently learned that lower development budgets are going to be crucial. “We saw a lot of potential for the Monument Valley IP to be maybe reset and reinvented for PC and consoles, but what became clear was that our development budgets were too high for us to achieve a safer break even if we wer...

Tony Hawk once modded his friend’s PlayStation 1 in order to get feedback on early builds of the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. This is according to the Birdman himself, who told the story during a panel at iicon (a new conference for video game industry professionals) about the lasting legacy of the THPS series. Back in 1998, Hawk was working with Neversoft on early versions of the soon-to-be legendary skateboarding game, which at the time was borne out of a modified version of the failed Bruce Willis-branded game Apocalypse. “Every week they would burn a CD for me, and I played it on my modified PlayStation 1,” Hawk said. “I would make comments, and then the next week I get a disc in the mail with all the updates.” “I was really excited about it, but I was also kind of isolated in my excitement because I was the only real skater working on it, and so – I hope I don’t get in trouble for this, 20 plus years later – but I started making copies of the burns and sending them to ska...

Steel City Interactive, the team behind Undisputed , has announced that it will be ceasing support for the boxing game ahead of a sequel. Undisputed was released back in 2024 after spending nearly two years in early access. It was the first licensed boxing game since EA’s Fight Night, and was an earnest attempt to make something from next to nothing. The team was eventually able to attract real boxers and major boxing organizations to help make the game more authentic. Undisputed received mixed reviews from critics, including IGN ( we gave it a 6 ), but many see the potential in Steel City’s vision. As a result, the studio has announced via a YouTube video that it will be ending post-launch support for Undisputed to focus its efforts on a sequel. Not much has been revealed about the sequel, but Steel City’s CEO, Ash Habib, stated the developer has recruited renowned talent from Rockstar Games, 2K, and EA Sports. Ultimately, the decision to end support for the first game came dow...

Invincible VS , the superhero 3v3 tag fighting game set in the Invincible universe, is coming to PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 5 on April 30. Developer Quarter Up has now confirmed the exact global release times, so you know when Invincible VS goes live in your timezone. The fighting game sees you battle to the death as a team of fan-favorite characters from the hugely popular Prime Video animated series, including Mark Grayson (Invincible), Thula, Bulletproof, Atom Eve, Rex Splode, and Omni-Man. Those who participated in the beta received the Coalition of Planets Omni-Man skin as a thank you for taking part. There's a story mode, too, that acts as a bonus, playable episode of the animated series set between later episodes of Season 3. Here's the official blurb: Designed to match the length and quality of a full Invincible episode, players will have the chance to dive deeper into the entire character roster, and completing the Story Mode will reward them with a variety of exc...

Colourful, quirky, and completely chaotic, Above Land: Rhapsody basically takes the three-player co-op carnage of Elden Ring Nightreign and injects it with some hilariously over-the-top weapons and special moves that seem straight out of a Yakuza street brawl. At a recent BiliBili: First Look event in Shanghai, I spent a few hours hacking and slashing away at monsters in a land above the clouds, in this frenetic roguelite that marries breathtaking bursts of action and tower defense elements with a deep sense of combat customisation. Yet what really stood out for me was the creative combination of weaponry at my disposal. I mean, when was the last time you played an action RPG that allowed you to cut down goblins with a giant broadsword in one hand, and perform slam-dunking finishing moves with a basketball dribbled with the other? Just why do you have access to an eclectic arsenal of weapons that seem to be stripped out of the pages of a tweenager’s sketchbook? Well, that probably h...

Introducing Above Land: Rhapsody, an absolutely wild sci-fi fantasy action-RPG roguelite with tower defense elements set above the clouds that you can play in three-player co-op where weapons include bows and arrows, swords, and chairs. Yes, chairs. And basketballs. You'll see what we mean in the trailer, which you can watch above. Above Land: Rhapsody is being developed by Flying Amateurs and puts you into a cloud-based civilization on floating islands on the backs of giant mythical creatures known as Kun. The team describes Above Land's setup as such: "Players enter chapters from a comic book left behind by the player's mother, complete each map's challenge, bring back Stars, repair the stranded Invincible Bebe, and unlock later chapters. The journey moves between a ruined present and a lost "Yesterday" when humans and ancient giant Kun lived in harmony." Each chapter is a different, visually unique map. You'll be able to dual-wield weapon...