Category Archives: Video Games

SDCC 2026: Kevin Smith’s “Jay and Silent Bob’s Joint Venture” is coming from Nitrate Games

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Independent video game company Nitrate Games enters the realm of digital publishing and niche IP development with the announcement of Jay and Silent Bob’s Joint Venture, an adult cozy farm sim that offers fans an opportunity to engage with and play as filmmaker Kevin Smith’s beloved cult classic characters within the digital realm. The announcement was made during Smith’s annual Saturday night Hall H panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego.

The game provides a raunchy new take on a cozy farming game – if those crops were akin to Jay and Silent Bob’s specific cultural tastes. Heading toward its beta testing phase of production, the game is expected to be released in late Spring 2027 on Steam/PC. Players will build, cultivate, and expand their operation, interact with familiar faces, and experience an original story featuring Kevin Smith’s iconic characters.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s “Confrontation Update” is Out Now

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Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive have announced the release of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2‘s free “Confrontation Update,” the final major update of the game’s action-packed second year of ongoing content. Available now for free for all PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC players, “Confrontation” brings a host of free content alongside two new DLCs for the Salamanders and Raptors.

Patch 14 features new Eternal War arenas, a new enemy and more!

Space Marine 2’s PvP modes are the focal point of today’s Confrontation Update, but Patch 14 also comes with a number of new additions for all available game modes:

  • Two New PvP Arenas: Sanctum and Facility, Eternal War’s sixth and seventh playable maps.
  • New Weekly PvP Rewards & Ordeals: Earn Accolades and cosmetic rewards by playing Eternal War matches and completing Datavault challenges.
  • New Terminus Enemy: The Thousand Sons’ Scarab Occult Terminator Sorcerer joins the fray! You may encounter him in every Operation involving Chaos and throughout Siege waves.
  • Six Heroic Weapon Variants: Spend Accolades to unlock a new Melta Rifle variant, Chainsword, Bolt Carbine Combi-Flamer, Power Fist with integrated Meltagun, Deathwatch-inspired Stalker Bolt Rifle, and Executioner’s Axe variant for the Thunder Hammer.
  • Three Heroic Armor Pieces: Earn a new Ultramarines pauldron and new Deathwatch breastplate and gauntlet.

New Cosmetics Await for Season Pass 2 Owners

The Confrontation Update also comes with two cosmetic DLCs for all Season Pass 2 owners. Set your enemies ablaze with the Salamanders Champion Pack 2, featuring a new champion skin for the Heavy class and a Multi-Melta skin, or strike them by surprise with the Raptors Cosmetic Pack and its five unique armor pieces honoring their signature combat doctrine.

But the battle isn’t over yet. A third year of additional content for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 will kick off this September!

Celebrate the Friendly Neighborhood Battlerealm in Marvel Contest of Champions

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In celebration for the summer of Spider-Man, Kabam has released an all-new celebratory trailer, “Friendly Neighborhood Battlerealm,” showcasing the multiverse of favorite wall-crawlers that can be found in super hero fighting game Marvel Contest of Champions.

Not every neighborhood is friendly, but all of them could use a friend! Watch as the celebratory trailer swings through the multiverse to show some of our favorite wall-crawlers help out their pals and frustrate their foes.

Players of Marvel Contest of Champions can also take advantage of a web of brand-new content arriving in game — including the new Web of Curruption saga (ongoing saga), Symbiote Squad Builder event (through August 5), Alliance Quest Raids update (enlist now; season and raid event live July 27), newly released Champions Black Tarantula and Hobgoblin, many additional web-tastic events, new player bundle giveaways, and much more! The Contest now has over 350 Champions released in game to date!

SDCC 2026: Stage Tour turns the page with a Dark Horse Comic, Hands on Gameplay, and more!

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RedOctane Games has unveiled a host of Stage Tour announcements, following their recent debut at IGN Live 2026. Inspired by the energy of live performance, music culture, and the community that continues to fuel the genre, Stage Tour is set to reignite the rhythm game genre when it launches later this year.

Headlining the announcement is an exclusive partnership with Dark Horse Comics, bringing the world of Stage Tour to comics for the first time through a special one-shot issue debuting at San Diego Comic-Con 2026. Expanding the lore of the Stage Tour universe, the comic offers fans a new way to experience the bandmates that help shape the world behind the game, featuring cover art by Kim Hu, script by Zoe Tunnell, art by Liana Kangas, colors by Diana Sousa, and lettering by Comicraft’s Tyler Smith.

The limited-edition comic will be available exclusively to SDCC attendees while supplies last and will also be included as a free bonus collectible with future Stage Tour hardware bundle pre-orders.

RedOctane Games also confirmed today that Stage Tour is confirmed for release on PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch™2, and PC. Steam wishlists are available now, with PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S wishlists and pre-orders to follow.

Experience Stage Tour at SDCC 

Attendees visiting San Diego Comic-Con will have the opportunity to experience Stage Tour for themselves, heading over to Booth #2834 to be one of the first to go hands-on with the latest closed alpha build, playable on custom-built arcade cabinets developed in partnership with Paradox Arcades.

The playable demo will feature a selection of previously announced songs, while showcasing the latest gameplay refinements shaped by feedback from IGN Live attendees and the growing community of closed alpha testers.

In addition to the game, attendees will be among the first to experience the official Kramer Guitar Controller for Stage Tour. Pre-production demo units of the officially licensed controller-featuring the classic design of Kramer guitars-will be available throughout the event, giving fans an exclusive early look at the hardware ahead of its planned release and securing their own controller for themselves ahead of launch.

Fans can also pick up the exclusive Stage Tour comic at both the Stage Tour booth #2834 and the Dark Horse Comics booth #2615 while supplies last.

Explore an Expanded Soundtrack

Since its reveal earlier this year, Stage Tour has continued to unveil songs from its officially licensed soundtrack, bringing the total number of confirmed tracks to sixteen. 

The currently announced lineup includes:

• “RATATATA” — BABYMETAL & Electric Callboy
• “Get The Funk Out” — Extreme
• “Square Hammer” — Ghost
• “Mimi’s Delivery Service” — Good Kid
• “Dani California” — Red Hot Chili Peppers
• “Terminator Oscillator” — Static-X
• “Island In The Sun” — Weezer
• “Bite Me” — Avril Lavigne
• “Airhead” — Honey Revenge
• “For a Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic” — Paramore
• “The Unknowing” — Jfarrari
• “Jane!” — The Long Faces
• “Do Me Like That” — The Paradox
• “Siren” — Castle Rat
• “Broken Dreams Inc.” — Rise Against
• “Psychosocial” — Slipknot

Spanning rock, metal, alternative, pop-punk, and emerging artists, the soundtrack reflects Stage Tour’s mission to celebrate multiple generations of music fans while introducing players to both iconic favorites and exciting new discoveries.

The sixteen songs revealed so far represent a small preview of the soundtrack planned for launch. Fans can expect additional song reveals, gameplay updates, and major announcements throughout the summer as Stage Tour builds toward pre-orders and its release later this year.

Built for the Stage 

Built around the fantasy of forming a band and becoming a rockstar, Stage Tour combines classic 5-fret rhythm gameplay with modern progression, customization, and replayability. Players can form a band, take the stage on guitar, bass, drums, or vocals using a compatible guitar controller, drum kit controller, microphone, standard gamepad, or keyboard, and jump into a variety of game modes designed to get them rocking from the very first note.

Developed by a team that includes veteran creators from Guitar Hero® and DJ Hero®, alongside respected members of the rhythm gaming community, Stage Tour is built with a simple goal: to bring rhythm gaming back to the living room for a new generation of players. Whether reliving the golden era of rhythm games or discovering the genre for the first time, players can form a band, hit the stage, and go on tour together through a modern rhythm game built around the universal language of music. 

Backed by a multi-year partnership with Gibson–the iconic and leading global instrument brand, Stage Tour features officially licensed Gibson, Epiphone, and Kramer instruments, bringing some of the most iconic names in music directly into the Stage Tour experience. 

Stage Tour is currently in development for PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC, with a planned release for Holiday 2026. Additional announcements, including the official release date, pre-orders, soundtrack reveals, and community initiatives, will be shared throughout the coming months. 

Fans can wishlist Stage Tour on Steam today and follow along as RedOctane Games continues revealing new music, gameplay, hardware, and partnerships on the road to launch. 

SDCC 2026: Conan the Barbarian Comes to UnGodly in Major New Partnership with Azra Games

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Azra Games has announced a new partnership with Heroic Signatures to bring the iconic Conan the Barbarian to its upcoming 4th-generation dark fantasy RPG, UnGodly. Additional details about the partnership and Conan’s appearance in UnGodly are coming soon.

Conan the Barbarian is one of the most iconic characters in fantasy. Created by Robert E. Howard, Conan represents strength, survival, and an unbreakable will. His story of conquest and resilience has defined the sword-and-sorcery genre for generations, making him a natural fit alongside UnGodly’s scarred, Primal heroes and its unforgiving dark fantasy world.

Azra Games will celebrate the partnership at San Diego Comic-Con with exclusive UnGodly x Conan the Barbarian items, including an SDCC-only limited edition crossover comic book (limited to 1,000 copies), collectible pins, and T-shirts. By Mel Rubi, you can find it at the Titan Entertainment booth #5537, near Lobby C.

Konami and Mad Cave Studios team for comics based on Contra

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Contra Comic

Konami Cross Media NY, Inc. has announced a new licensing agreement with Mad Cave Studios to develop and publish an expansive comic book series based on KONAMI’s legendary action video game franchise, Contra.

The new partnership will launch a comprehensive line of storytelling, including a 12-issue comic run, multiple trade paperback volumes, and a prestigious Deluxe Edition. The deal covers major global territories including the United States, Canada, Latin America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Fans can look forward to the first issue’s arrival in January 2027 at local comic shops and major book retailers.

SDCC 2026: Bit Bot Partners with Tyler Kirkham for a Final Boss Video Game!

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In advance of Comic-Con International 2026 in San Diego, CA, Bit Bot and renowned comic writer and artist Tyler Kirkham are partnering to develop an official video game adaptation of Final Boss, Kirkham’s hit comic book series. Published by Image Comics, Final Boss quickly emerged as one of comics’ breakout successes, with its debut issue selling out at the distributor level and earning an immediate second printing following strong demand from retailers and readers. Now as the ongoing series continues to take the comic reading world by storm, Kirkham and Bit Bot will bring the hard-hitting, non-stop comic-inspired action to gamers around the world with a one-of-a-kind new video game, available to wishlist on Steam today.

Created, written, and illustrated by Tyler Kirkham — known for his work on Amazing Spider-Man, Green Lantern, X-Men, and numerous other bestselling titles — Final Boss follows Tommy Brazen, an ex-street brawler and powered-up mercenary who discovers that the secrets of his past are connected to something far larger than he ever imagined. The series blends the energy of classic arcade beat ’em ups, fighting games, and action entertainment into a high-octane comic experience. Now, Bit Bot is bringing that vision to life in interactive form. Developed by Bit Bot alongside its in-house game studio, Mecanimal Games, Final Boss is a faithful adaptation of the comic series, with Kirkham serving as a key creative collaborator throughout development. Leading the project alongside Kirkham are Bit Bot Creative Director Frank O’Connor, the former Franchise Creative Director behind Halo and Perfect Dark, and Bit Bot co-owner Joshua Viola. The game’s original score will be composed by acclaimed musician and Bit Bot co-owner Celldweller.

Designed for one to four players in local couch co-op, Final Boss begins as a pixel-art side-scrolling brawler inspired by arcade classics. Players battle through waves of enemies and progress through increasingly dangerous stages before each level culminates in a dramatic transformation. Animated comic-book panels introduce the boss, the action tightens, and the game shifts into a focused one-on-one 3D fighting experience inspired by modern fighting games.

Marvel Contest of Champions Celebrates the Summer of Spider-Man, Adds All-New Motion Comic, Events, New Player Bundle, and More!

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Kabam is swinging into the summer of Spider-Man this month for their popular mobile fighter Marvel Contest of Champions with an exciting lineup of foes, all-new Motion Comic, Squad Builder event, new player bundles, events, and more.

WEB-TASTIC FOES INFILTRATE THE CONTEST

The dastardly HOBGOBLIN (PHIL URICH) and crimelord BLACK TARANTULA drop into The Contest this month! Players can add Hobgoblin (Phil Urich) on July 16, while Black Tarantula will arrive on July 30. With over 350 Champions in The Contest, players can also add other classic Marvel Super Heroes and Villains such as Doctor Octopus, Scorpion, Shocker, Green Goblin, and more.

HOBGOBLIN (PHIL URICH)

After discovering his uncle Roderick Kingsley’s Goblin legacy, Phil Urich became Hobgoblin, tearing through New York on a screaming glider, his pumpkin bombs and razor bats fueled by rage rather than control.

BLACK TARANTULA

Carlos LaMuerte is not the first Black Tarantula, and he won’t be the last. After his wife fled to New York with their son and his heir, Carlos followed, bringing his strength to a world of Super Heroes, Super Villains, and ninjas!

★EVENT QUEST: Last Laughs [July 8 – August 5]: Black Tarantula brings the Summoner into a strange case where lethal laughs are spreading through The Contest. The Summoner faces many mysteries. The first of them is who to trust, as crime boss Black Tarantula approaches them for help. It seems lethal laughter is taking over heroes and they have been sent to trash Tarantula’s corner of town. Signs point to friends, foes, and a fire-covered HOBGOBLIN (PHIL URICH)! Will this setup have a punchline, or a flatline?

WEB OF CORRUPTION MOTION COMIC

Something slithers from the shadows of The Contest and it looks to make The Battlerealm into its newest host. Symbiote menaces, Chronoserpent echoes, and masked menaces are in abundance as The Summoner tries to keep their Champions from being the next ones trapped in this wicked web!

★Spider-Man Noir is already on the scene and is investigating the many multiversal mysteries that have been baffling The Battlerealm! Symbiotes, crime bosses, Chronoserpent Champions, shadowy spells, and secrets abound as players enter into this Noir mystery.

SYMBIOTIC BONDS SQUAD BUILDER EVENT

The SQUAD BUILDER returns! The battle between Spider-Man and Symbiotes rages on as players try to finish each match with the most valuable Squad composition possible. Now better than ever, Squad sizes have improved. From July 15 through August 5, players can gather the Symbiotes from across the realm and assemble the PERFECT Squad to maximize rewards. Participating Champions include Spider-Verse Champions, Symbiotes and a mix of Spidey’s Friends and Foes.

★After assembling the best squad, players can choose a regular opponent or directly challenge the final boss. They’ll have five opportunities to improve their squad before being forced to take on the final boss.

★After the final boss has been eliminated, players will earn points based on their final Squad score.

★Claim rewards from Milestones in Weekly Clash Realm Events. The top 50% of Summoners will also earn points in a special Alliance Web-Spinner Event where they’ll claim the best prizes.

★Squads scoring will be returning to poker style hands similar to the first iteration of Squad Builder. For lucky players, two NEW [Multiversal] Champions may join the fight to help build Squad compositions. Getting a Multiversal Champion in a Squad all but guarantees an increased Squad score. The higher/harder the hand, the more points the Squad will be worth!

DAILY BUGLE HEADLINERS BUNDLE GIVEAWAY

MCoC continues its Spidey festivities with a themed new player bundle giveaway! New players can add 10 Champions inspired by Spider-Man, along with his allies and menaces. *New players will have the opportunity to add these Champions to their roster starting July 6 at 5PM PT.

What players can expect each day during the 14-day supply drop:

Day 1 – All 10 Champions + 5x 3-Star Crystals

Day 2 – Level-Up & Rank-Up Material

Day 3 – Potions & Energy

Day 4 – Rank-Up Material (Catalyst)

Day 5 – ISO-8 & Gold

Day 6 – 3-Star Awakening Gem

Day 7 – Nexus 4-Star Hero Crystal (Select 1x of the 10 Champions as a 4-Star)

Day 8 – Level-Up & Rank-Up Material (Catalyst, ISO-8, Gold)

Day 9 – Signature Stones + Potions

Day 10 – Rank-Up Material (Catalyst)

Day 11 – ISO-8 & Gold

Day 12 – Potions & Revives

Day 13 – Rank-Up Material (Catalyst)

Day 14 – 4-Star Awakening Gem

Who’s included in the bundle? 10x Champions and rank-material to power them up!

★Spider-Man (Classic)

★Spider-Man (Miles Morales)

★Black Cat

★Doctor Octopus

★Silk

★Green Goblin

★Sandman

★Shocker

★J. Jonah Jameson (Spider Slayer)

★Peni Parker

*First time players are eligible to access the New Player Bundle Giveaways and must create a new account between July 6th @ 5pm PT – July 27th @ 5pm PT.

MORE FROM THE BATTLEREALM

★BLACK TARANTULA’S SECRET STASH EVENT [July 29 – August 12]: Looking to overtake the underworld? Black Tarantula’s Secret Stash may contain the rewards and supplies that players’ crews need! Players will need to “leverage” special Pry Bars that can be earned by completing Daily Super Event milestones and special Secret Stash Solo Objectives.

★EPILOGUE PART 1: VENGEANCE ASSEMBLED [July 15]: A New Challenge Awaits For End Game Players! Carina sacrificed herself to destroy The Chronoserpent. Her protector and partner Ægon will not rest while his heart has been shattered. This first Champion of The Contest has a plan to strike across the loop of time that the Chronoserpent exists in and free Carina while banishing the Serpent once and for all.

○UNLOCK THE EPILOGUE: A challenge for those who have become ELDER, this multi-month conclusion to the epic story of Acts 8 and 9 kicks off July 15 as the Battlerealm rushes to face corrupted Bosses in an attempt to piece together a 7-STAR CARINA TIVAN and banish the last shadows of the Chronoserpent once and for all. To unlock the Epilogue, Summoners must complete Act 9.4 and fully explore every story quest leading up to this point.

○THE CHASE FOR CARINA: Summoners must complete objectives within the Epilogue Chapters to get Carina. To unlock the final fight, Summoners must fully rank Carina up, defeating the Ouroborus Bosses at the end of each epilogue.

Other Marvel Contest of Champions updates and game modes, including bug fixes, collectibles, “Con-Crawlers Event Tower,” “Hobgoblin Double Track” event, “Green Goblin (Stellar-Forged)” chase event, and more can be found in the latest release notes HERE.

Marvel’s Wolverine: The Art of the Game delivers never-before-seen concept art, designs, and commentary

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Dark Horse Books, Marvel Games, and Insomniac Games team up to present Marvel’s Wolverine: The Art of the Game, a dynamically designed companion to the hotly anticipated game with all the incisive detail and stories on how the relentless berserker was brought forth, and how all the mayhem and Super Heroic antics make this game a brutally good time. Games historian and freelance journalist Alex Forbes-Calvin lends his knowledge and context to the examination of this fan-favorite, reluctant hero.

Logan steps into the spotlight in Marvel’s Wolverine, the new action-adventure video game from Insomniac Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment in collaboration with Marvel Games. Fans play as Wolverine in an original story, testing his mettle against familiar opponents like the mutant-hunting Sentinels, the vengeful Omega Red, and the shapeshifting Mystique. In his globetrotting escapades, enemies new and old will demand everything of his animalistic instincts, his healing factor, and his savage, formidable adamantium claws. In Marvel’s Wolverine: The Art of the Game, explore the making of concept art, designs, and locales from the frosted Canadian wilderness to the bustling city of Tokyo, the remote island of Madripoor, and beyond!

Slice and dice your way through never-before-seen details in Marvel’s Wolverine: The Art of the Game when the 208-page (9” x 12”) hardcover arrives in bookstores and comic shops on November 3, 2026, for $54.99. Pre-order now from Dark Horse Direct, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore or comic shops.

Marvel’s Wolverine: The Art of the Game

United Wizards of the Coast Votes to Unionize

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United Wizards of the Coast

In April, United Wizards of the Coast announced their intention to unionize. The developers behind Magic: The Gathering – Arena overwhelmingly voted their interest in forming a union, United Wizards of the Coast – CWA (UWOTC). Now, the staff have officially voted for the union.

The National Labor Relations Board website shows that, out of a total of 102 eligible voters, 79 votes were cast in favor of unionization, that leaves 16 against.

Today is a momentous day for the workers of Arena! After months of planning, waiting and organizing, our dream is finally a reality; the votes have been counted, and our union of UWOTC-CWA has been officially elected.

The USWOTC asked the Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro management to voluntarily recognize the union by International Workers Day (May Day) which took place on May 1, 2026. That did not happen, and instead there were regular reports of WotC discouraging the formation of the union.

In their announcement, the union said they are negotiating for:

Sustainable Workload: Employees’ experiences with “crunch” (intense, mandatory unpaid overtime) to meet deadlines vary widely by team and project, with some teams crunching on a regular basis just to get planned work out the door.

Layoff Protections: Employees currently live in fear of suddenly losing their jobs, with no warning and through no fault of their own.

Remote Work Protections: Leadership is instituting a mandatory RTO, forcing numerous remote employees to return to a physical office or be forced to resign. This painful choice is splitting our employees between their homes, communities, and the jobs they love.

Generative AI Protections: Pressure has ramped up from leadership to adopt LLMs and Gen AI tools in various aspects of our work. WOTC lacks a robust AI policy, leaving opportunities for abuse and communicating a level of disrespect for artists and other creatives.

On their site, the union wrote:

Today is a momentous day for the workers of Arena! After months of planning, waiting and organizing, our dream is finally a reality; the votes have been counted, and our union of UWOTC-CWA has been officially elected.

From this day forward, we have a union!

To the thousands who signed our petition letter, the journalists who let us tell our own story, every person who reached out with words of encouragement, our stewards at the CWA who helped guide us, we cannot thank you enough for your support.

We stand on the shoulders of giants, and we can only hope that our victory in turn inspires others to start unionizing at their own workplaces. Change is possible when workers stand together!

We hope to share good news of a ratified contract with all of you soon. 

It’s only recently that a momentum has been built and more staff in video games, comics, and more in the “geeks space” have come together for unionization. In early June, staff at Dark Horse had their union voluntarily recognized by management.

There are many more steps in the process to go but this vote is a major one for the staff. The next stage is for the union to establish a ratified contract with Wizards of the Coast. That can take quite a while.

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