Key Note Gaming

Staff at Obsidian Entertainment are reportedly concerned about the studio’s future projects after it was hit hard by Microsoft’s Xbox layoffs. Yesterday, Microsoft gaming boss Asha Sharma announced the most “significant” restructure in Xbox history , with 1,600 staff let go immediately, and another 1,600 staff to follow over the course of the current financial year. As part of the restructure, four studios are leaving Xbox to new management, and one is now in consultation over its future. According to Kotaku , around 60-70 people were cut from Obsidian, which is the first-person role-playing game specialist behind Avowed, The Outer Worlds, Grounded, Pentiment, and, most famously, Fallout: New Vegas . Some of the staff who are leaving were Obsidian veterans. Kotaku quotes one person who said they were unsure how Obsidian’s “huge list of projects” could continue following the cuts to the business. Obsidian has yet to announce a new game following the commercial failure of both Avowed and...

We’re halfway through the year, so that means a new booster set for the beloved Disney Lorcana card game. Attack of the Vine! is the thirteenth set since the TCG was released three years ago, with pre-release events starting July 17th and the wide release on July 24th. Time flies, and now the game is digging deep into the Pixar library and bringing back dual-color cards in a big way. In addition, the set focuses less on introducing new keywords and more on further supporting some classifications and varying the kinds of shifts or upgrades that characters can do based on the cards I’ve seen so far. As mentioned in IGN’s Attack of the Vine! exclusive reveals , Pixar continues to be featured in Lorcana, with characters from Monsters, Inc., Turning Red, and Up making their debut in the Disney card game. Alongside these popular Pixar characters is the introduction of the Team classification, which emphasizes the joining of two separate characters into a powerful duo. For instance, we reveal...

A pair of Pokémon card thieves have been caught after their getaway van broke down and they were found holding £71,000 of stolen stock (around $95,000). The two brothers, Keith and Shane Johnson, pled guilty to burglary at a court in Birmingham, UK last week, with the former sentenced to 29 months in jail. His brother will be sentenced later this month, Cheshire Police stated . Neither man appears to be a criminal mastermind. The Johnsons first targeted Celestial Collectibles, a store that specializes in rare Pokémon cards and merchandise in Warrington. Police were alerted after the break-in was spotted. Escaping in a Ford transit van, the duo's scheme was halted after the vehicle broke down — leaving the brothers to get out and push it to where a second getaway van was waiting. This second vehicle was then found parked outside their house. Despite this, the brothers went on to target a second business, The Graded Gallery in Rugby. Again, more Pokémon card stock was stolen and the...

Academic researchers investigating how people use ChatGPT to generate fiction accidentally stumbled upon a super user repeatedly requesting stories featuring pregnant characters from Doki Doki Literature Club (as spotted by Automaton and reported on by ITMedia ). In Walsh et al’s “ AI Fiction in the Wild ” study, University of Washington and University of Colorado Boulder researchers analyzed the WildChat dataset. It should be noted that WildChat is a set of over half a million anonymous English language conversations between users and ChatGPT, compiled with consent for use in research. “The most prolific user in the WildChat fiction dataset and the clearest example of an infinite story demander began a fanfiction narrative in the Doki Doki Literature Club! Universe,” observed the researchers on page 10 of their paper . This super user prompted stories featuring various high school girls from Doki Doki Literature Club being pregnant. Natsuki unexpectedly going into labor was a common...

A new weekend has arrived, and today, you can save on iPad Air, Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, the Criterion Collection Blu-ray Sale, and more. Check out our top picks for Sunday, July 5, below. M2 iPad Air for $487 iPads are not getting cheaper anytime soon, but older M-series models are still holding up well today. This weekend, you can pick up an 11-inch M2 iPad Air for $487, which saves you 35% off the usual price. If you're looking for a new drawing tablet, a device to jot down notes during class, or even just a bigger screen to watch YouTube or Netflix, this is a fantastic option. 50% Off Criterion Collection Sale Barnes & Noble is having its 50% Criterion Collection sale right now, so this weekend is one of the best times of the year to pick up some new 4K Blu-rays. Oftentimes, these 4K transfers are overseen by the original Director, and there's always plenty of great extras included. I personally picked up The Pr...

PlayStation and Arc System Works' Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has been blocked in 132 countries in what appears to be another example of Sony's PSN requirements barring players from access on Steam. Fans of the upcoming tag-team comic book fighting game have prepared to skip out on its August 2026 launch after it was revealed that a long list of regions will be blocked (via SteamDB ). The full list of 132 countries includes Afghanistan, Haiti, Serbia, Zimbabwe, Egypt, and more. Why Marvel Tokon has been blocked in these areas has not been explicitly stated, but fans think they've figured out the cause. It just so happens that the PlayStation Network is unavailable to access in any of the countries on the list. It's a situation that should feel familiar to PlayStation fans. In 2024, developer Arrowhead Studios confirmed that a lack of PSN access would block Helldivers 2 across a similar list of territories with an update. Thankfully, Sony eventually reversed course o...

Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima has warned of a "frightening" digital future just days after Sony announced it would soon end production for physical PlayStation discs. Kojima shared his feelings about the shift away from physical media during a conversation at the Il Cinema in Piazza film festival in Rome (according to a translation by Genki ). His comments follow the news that production of new PlayStation discs would come to an end in January 2028 , and although he doesn't seem to directly reference Sony by name, it seems pretty clear what's on his mind. "Since production is ending in 2028, this is about video games, but I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad," Kojima said. "Currently, I’ve been buying up a lot of Blu-rays, such as various movies, and CDs too." Those who have followed Kojima's love for video games, movies, and music shouldn't be surprised to hear he's not thrilled with the ...