No, Blizzard and Google aren’t required to keep their services online. No, this isn’t the first time a major corporation has opened a trap door under a game and made it disappear forever. And, yes, Google refunding people is a pleasant surprise. But in both cases, these are broken promises to fans who paid for something. Overwatch was hugely successful. Stadia was made by a company so large it’s nearly impossible to not use their services in one form or another. These aren’t broke kids - they’re not even Square Enix spinning out because one of their Best Lucio Stadium Build-written, critically-acclaimed games didn’t do Final Fantasy numbers .

Recent job listings indicate that WBIE is working on a variety of new games, so it's possible we haven't seen the end of the Nemesis System entirely. Whether the mechanic shows up in another Middle-Earth sequel or perhaps in the upcoming Harry Potter game is unknown, but what is known is that few, if any, developers will get the chance to use the Nemesis System in other games — at least until the patent expi

Last week, a YouTuber called Graslu00 uploaded footage from a canceled GoldenEye 007 remaster on the Xbox 360. The game was developed in 2007, but according to the Xbox boss Phil Spencer, became locked in a complicated legal limbo over the rights to James Bond. Between Microsoft, Nintendo, and EON (the owners of the James Bond license), it was simply too difficult to come to an agreement on business terms, and the game was eventually shelved. Graslu00, whose video shows the game in its entirety, was cagey on where the new footage came from, saying only "patience is k

It's been a strange week of ups and downs for Sonic. Netflix announced that its upcoming 3D animated series will be called Sonic Prime and is coming to the streaming service in 2022. Meanwhile, several long-time voice actors from the series revealed that they won't be returning to their signature roles. Roger Craig Smith , Colleen O’Shaughnessey , and Cindy Robinson have revealed that they won't be returning to voice Sonic, Tails, and Amy in Sonic Prime. Luckily, Eggman voice actor Mike Pollock has confirmed that he will continue to voice the villain in video games but did not confirm whether he would perform Robotnik in the Netflix Ser

Losing a tank opened the door for major, much needed reworks to a lot of heroes. Tanks like Reinhardt and Orisa now have more utility and survivability since they have to tank for the entire team, while shield breakers like Bastion get to take a step back and fill a different role. I’m not suggesting that every character is perfectly balanced now, but I see so many improvements already. It’s hard not to be excited about the new Overwatch meta. A shakeup like this was never going to happen without a title cha

Riot went from dominators of one side of gaming with League of Legends and hopped over to another with Valorant . It is a Counter Strike-like hero shooter that gives you those different personalities with abilities and fast pacing action that will get your heart rate

Here at TheGamer, we've been celebrating Mass Effect all week with tons of exclusive interviews with the cast , a preview of the Legendary Edition , and tons of behind-the-scenes info about the making of the trilogy . Check out our Mass Effect page to catch up on all the awesome stories and details about the ser

I am not thrilled about the new monetization, and I think at the very least there needs to be more ways to earn Overwatch Coins. That being said, we all know how free-to-play games work. If Blizzard makes a bunch of $20 skins, people will buy them. The hope is that Blizzard will reinvest that revenue back into the game so that we don’t have to replay Lucioball or Mei’s Snowball Offensive for the umpteenth time. We’re going to get five or six heroes a year instead of two or three. We’re going to get new maps, new game modes, and a whole new PvE story experience. Overwatch needs to change and grow all the time to keep people playing. The original wasn’t built to be that game, but hopefully Overwatch 2

The grim reality is that the entire reason Overwatch 2 exists is to change the way Blizzard makes money. All of the meta changes, like the battle pass, Coin system, and locking new players out of content until they grind enough, are designed to increase revenue and engagement metrics. I don’t think we should ignore that or give Blizzard a pass, and if that’s enough to get you to give up on Overwatch 2 I don’t blame you. As someone who still loves the game, I’m willing to accept fewer free rewards if it means more frequent updates and better events. It’s simply too soon to write it off for me. I need to see how the devs respond to feedback and how much the game changes over the next year. None of this is ideal, but in the long run, it could end up being exactly what Overwatch nee

Overwatch 2 might be the first sequel in history that players of the original begged the developers not to make. Through a small handful of gameplay changes and minor visual updates, it just barely manages to justify its own existence. It feels like it’s Blizzard’s attempt to restructure the monetization into a more profitable, industry-standard model, which people have rightly pointed out benefits the publisher, but doesn’t actually provide any value to the players. At first blush, Overwatch 2 comes across like a dark tulpa of the original - a product designed to increase profits and engagement without offering anything that meaningfully increases enjoyment. Within the broader context, Overwatch 2 follows this year’s Diablo: Immortal as just another anti-consumer title from a mega corp that used to actually care about its fans and reputation. There’s never been a particularly good answer to the question "Why does Overwatch 2 exist?", and I don’t anticipate there ever will