Metroid movie not in production
Nintendo claims that "misleading" reports prior to E3 painted completely the wrong picture of the project, although John Woo is still attached to some degree.
Nintendo producer Yoshio Sakamoto has denied that the film adaptation of Metroid has moved into production in the latest issue of Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream, describing reports to that effect as "misleading".
A month prior to the Electronic Entertainment Expo, The Hollywood Reporter said that John Woo planned to co-produce the movie with an option to direct. "This type of story has a proven track record of success with film audiences," the report quoted him as saying, adding that the finished product could be on the silver screen by Christmas 2005. However, according to Sakamoto, "There's been no progress."
"There were some misleading reports before the E3 that Metroid's production was confirmed," he said. "But to be accurate, it's that the company that John Woo works for has gained the rights to negotiate with Nintendo of America to make Metroid into a movie. Metroid's production hasn't been officially decided yet, and there's no release plans for it," he said in clarification.
GTA 6 developer Rockstar Games hacked once again but insists this time only a "limited amount of non-material company information" was compromised
"FINAL WARNING PAY OR LEAK."
GTA 6 developer Rockstar has confirmed it's been hacked by a third party after a hacking group issued a ransom demand.
The CybersecGuru reported earlier today (11th April) that a hacker group had claimed to have breached the studio via Anodot, a SaaS (software-as-a-service) monitoring tool and set a ransom deadline of 14th April. It's thought the group didn't breach encryption itself but instead successfully pulled authentication tokens that let it bypass the usual security protocols.
"Rockstar Games. Your Snowflake instances were compromised thanks to Anodot.com. Pay or leak," the hacking group demanded. "This is a final warning to reach out by 14 Apr 2026 before we leak along with several annoying (digital) problems that'll come your way. Make the right decision. Don't be the next headline. FINAL WARNING PAY OR LEAK."
Though the hacker group claims to have gained financial, player, and marketing data and compromised its Snowflake platform, the studio says that a "limited amount of non-material" data was collated, and will have "no impact" on the studio, its staff, or its players.
Now, in a statement to IGN, Rockstar said: "We can confirm that a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach. This incident has no impact on our organisation or our players."
Of course, this isn't the first time the company has been breached. Arion Kurtaj, the teenager charged with hacking and then blackmailing a string of companies, including Uber, Nvidia, and Rockstar, similarly used a third-party app to hack and then leak dozens of assets taken from the then-unannounced Grand Theft Auto 6 back in 2022. He was ultimately deemed unfit to stand trial.
At the time, Rockstar acknowledged the enormous leak of work-in-progress GTA 6 development materials came via a "network intrusion".
PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Epic set to release Arc Raiders-like extraction shooter with Disney characters by the end of the year
Internal reviewers are reportedly concerned that the mechanics are not original.
Epic Games will allegedly release an Arc Raiders-like shooter later this year.
As reported by Bloomberg (thanks, Game File), the Fortnite maker is working with Disney to develop a "shooting game along the lines of Embark Studios' hit Arc Raiders, but with Disney characters battling enemies until they can reach an extraction point".
Bloomberg claims that sources close to the development believe the gameplay mechanics lack originality, but "some of the employees are optimistic that Epic will get it right by the launch date".
The Walt Disney Company acquired a $1.5bn USD stake in Epic Games back in 2024, launching a multi-year partnership to create an "expansive and open games and entertainment universe connected to Fortnite". Explicit mention was made of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and Avatar, with users able to "create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love".
Bloomberg adds that it's thought this Disney deal will result in "at least" two more games, although the second game has had "middling" early internal reviews. The team working on a third game were reportedly reallocated to speed up production, although Epic's senior director of global communications, Liz Markham, disputed Bloomberg's reporting, claiming it is "not reflective of the ambitions of the Disney collaboration. We are building a new games and entertainment universe of Disney experiences".
"Epic's timelines are aggressive and always have been. We've heavily moved developers onto projects with releases approaching, while smaller prototyping teams are working on further-off projects," Markham added.
A Disney spokesperson said: "We remain focused on our long-term collaboration with Epic which continues to have strong momentum, and our work to build a transformational games and entertainment universe remains unchanged".
On 24th March, Fortnite developer Epic Games announced mass layoffs that affected over 1,000 workers, including key veterans behind the hit online game. A few days later, it was revealed that Mike Prinke, a programmer with seven years of experience a the company, was among the cuts. Sweeney has since confirmed Epic is in contact with the family and will handle the insurance for them.
Android, iOS, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch
Federal Aviation Administration targets gamers in this bespoke and not at all cringeworthy recruitment ad
"They're coming in with a skill set. But it doesn't replace aptitude, or discipline, or decision making under pressure."
The US Federal Aviation Administration is turning to gamers to plug a gap in a national shortage of air traffic controllers.
A teaser, which kicks off with the Xbox One logo for some reason, opens with a number of victorious esports gamer clips, and then invites anyone who wants to "keep millions of people safe everyday" while "mak[ing] a lot a money" to get in touch.
You can see the full ad in its glory, complete with its tagline "It's not a game, it's a career" and obnoxious musical accompaniment, below:
"Are you up for the challenge?" the description says. "Start your career as an Air Traffic Controller and help keep millions of people safe every day." Players are invited to "level up" on 17th April.
"To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement, as reported by the NYT, adding that the department hopes to "tap into a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller".
Aerospace consultant Michael O’Donnell, who previously worked as a senior F.A.A. official, was less enthused, adding: "When you bring on someone who has gaming experience, particularly with air traffic control, they have an edge up. They're coming in with a skill set. But it doesn't replace aptitude, or discipline, or decision making under pressure."
Amazon shakes up Luna streaming service, removing access to individual games, third-party subscriptions, and its "Bring Your Own Library" feature
There will be no refunds for any prior "a-la-carte" purchases or subscriptions.
Amazon has announced wholesale changes to its streaming cloud service Luna, giving just two months' notice that games and third-party subscriptions purchased before 10th April will be removed from players' libraries by 10th June, 2026.
Up until now, players could link their Luna accounts to a number of subscription services, including EA and Ubisoft, as well as individual stores like GOG, and access them via Luna. However, Amazon is now removing this functionality entirely to focus on its own subscription services.
There will be no refunds for any "a-la-carte" purchases as "all purchases are final".
Amazon says the change comes as it's "always looking for ways to better serve our players", and claimed "your feedback has been clear" in asking for "easy access to great games, more social experiences, and a steady flow of new content from developers you know and love", which is why it's now focusing its "future" on the content that is "available to Prime members". As a consequence, the following is now in effect:
- A-la-carte game purchases are no longer available. Previously purchased titles will remain playable through June 10, 2026, after which they will be removed from Luna.
- Bring Your Own Library will no longer be supported. Games previously played in this manner will no longer be playable on Luna after June 10, 2026.
- Ubisoft+ and Jackbox Games subscriptions sold through Luna are discontinued. New subscriptions are no longer available for purchase, and any active subscriptions purchased from Luna will be cancelled at the end of your next billing cycle.
- Third-party game stores (EA, Ubisoft, and GOG) are being removed from the Luna platform.
To be clear, you don't lose complete access to any of the games you've previously purchased through GOG or the EA App, but it does mean you'll no longer be able to stream them via your Luna account, even if you've only played those games on Luna.
If you have signed up for a Ubisoft+ or Jackbox Games sub via Luna, it will renew "one final time after your current billing cycle ends" - presumably even if you can't access the subscription on Luna - so Amazon warns that "if you do not wish for it to renew one final time", you should manage the subscription through Your Memberships and Subscriptions. All existing subscriptions will be "honoured" up until 10th June.
Similarly, the Bring Your Own Library benefit has also been nuked, so you'll only be able to access that until 3rd June, but you can download your save data for 90 days from 10th June.
"Save data compatibility varies by game and platform, and is determined by the game publisher," Amazon explained. "We cannot guarantee that save data downloaded from Luna will work on other gaming services. We recommend downloading your save data as soon as possible and testing compatibility with your intended platform."
Amazon launched a "completely redesigned and reimagined" version of its Luna game streaming service last year, too. It launched in the UK back in 2023.
