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Starfield Hits PS5, Mario Galaxy Movie Records, Forza 6 Japan Map

Apr 1, 2026 — Apr 8, 2026 · 1mo ago

The walls between platforms and mediums continue to crumble this week as Bethesda brings its biggest sci-fi universe to PlayStation and Nintendo shatters box office records. Meanwhile, the industry is facing a profound identity crisis over artificial intelligence, with major publishers taking drastically different approaches to the controversial technology.

Starfield Launches on PS5 as Forza Horizon 6 Reveals Japan Map

Here's What Starfield's New Update Looks Like On Xbox Series X|S & PS5Forza Horizon 6 Japan Map Revealed as New Gamplay DropsPure XboxPush Square Bethesda's massive sci-fi RPG Starfield has officially launched on the PlayStation 5, arriving alongside the paid Terran Armada DLC expansion and a major free content update Pure XboxPush SquareXbox Wire. Over in the Xbox ecosystem, Playground Games finally unveiled the complete Japan map and gameplay for Forza Horizon 6, showcasing the most vertical and dense open world in the racing franchise's history Push SquareIGNPush Square. Meanwhile, CD Projekt Red deployed a major free update for Cyberpunk 2077, utilizing PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution to add dedicated Ray Tracing and Performance modes for the PlayStation 5 Pro EurogamerGematsuIGN.

Super Mario Galaxy Movie Breaks Box Office Records

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Opening Day Breaks Multiple Records WorldwideThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie breaks records with $34m opening despite "unfavourable" reviewsNintendo LifeEurogamer Nintendo and Illumination are dominating theaters once again, with the Super Mario Galaxy Movie shattering records to pull in $68.4 million globally on its opening day Nintendo LifeNintendo Life. The massive commercial debut easily surpassed the original Super Mario Bros. Movie, though early critical review scores have been noticeably mixed Nintendo LifeEurogamer. In other live-action adaptation news, leaked set footage from director Alex Garland's upcoming Elden Ring movie has revealed a stunning real-life recreation of Limgrave Push SquarePC Gamer. Conversely, Amazon has reportedly ordered a major script rewrite for its Mass Effect television series to make the BioWare RPG adaptation more appealing to non-gamers EurogamerPC Gamer.

Gaming Industry Splinters Over Artificial Intelligence

Grand Theft Auto 6 publisher Take-Two have seemingly laid off their head of AI and several of the department's staffersNexon calls Arc Raiders a "Trojan Horse" for proving controversial AI tools can build triple-A hits with smaller teamsRock Paper ShotgunEurogamer The games industry is fracturing over the use of generative AI, highlighted by Grand Theft Auto VI publisher Take-Two Interactive quietly laying off its artificial intelligence division this week Rock Paper ShotgunPush SquareEurogamer. In stark contrast, publisher Nexon is aggressively pushing AI integration to cut development costs, using Embark Studios' upcoming shooter Arc Raiders as a testing ground following the live-service failure of The First Descendant EurogamerPC GamerPush Square. The looming threat of the technology is also impacting independent creators, with Papers, Please developer Lucas Pope stating he will no longer share early gameplay of unreleased projects out of fear that AI will steal his concepts PC GamerIGN.

Nintendo Loses Pokémon Patent as Shift Up Acquires Unbound

Nintendo's 'Summon Character To Fight' Patent Rejected By US Patent OfficeUS Patent Office Revokes Nintendo’s Character-Summoning PatentNintendo LifeThis Week in Video Games Nintendo suffered a massive legal blow in its lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair after the United States Patent and Trademark Office revoked its controversial character-summoning patent Nintendo LifeRock Paper Shotgun. The non-final ruling rejected all 26 claims, giving Nintendo a two-month window to appeal the decision before it becomes permanent This Week in Video GamesVGC. In studio acquisition news, Stellar Blade developer Shift Up has officially purchased Unbound, bringing Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami in-house to direct a new flagship blockbuster for PC and consoles TechRaptorPush SquareRock Paper Shotgun. The industry also mourned a tragic loss this week, as Double Dragon and Kunio-kun creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto passed away at 64, leaving behind a legendary legacy as the pioneer of the beat-'em-up genre Game DeveloperPC GamerVGC.

Hades 2 Hits Xbox Game Pass Alongside State of Decay 3 Updates

These 18 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (April 7-23)State of Decay 3 alpha tests to begin in MayPure XboxGematsu Microsoft is bolstering its subscription service this month, adding Supergiant Games' highly anticipated roguelike Hades 2 to the Xbox Game Pass lineup alongside the sci-fi platformer Replaced Pure XboxEurogamer. Xbox Game Studios also announced that State of Decay 3 will hold public alpha playtests in May, though Undead Labs admitted that the survival game's striking 2020 CGI reveal trailer was purely conceptual and will not reflect the final gameplay GematsuPC GamerPC Gamer. Meanwhile, Pearl Abyss's open-world RPG Crimson Desert has crossed 4 million copies sold, celebrating the milestone with a massive patch that adds a 4K upscaling mode for the Xbox Series X and native anti-aliasing for the PlayStation 5 Pro IGNIGNEurogamerDigital Foundry.