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Articles by Alex Turner
GTA 6 Skips PC on November 19, but WoW: Forever and Warhammer Survivors Arrive This Month
Your console mates will be driving around Leonida on November 19. If you game on PC, you won’t be. Grand Theft Auto VI comes out on November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S only, and neither Rockstar nor Take-Two has announced a PC version. So PC players’ November belongs to two other games: Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Forever, live since this morning in Australia, and Auroch Digital’s Warhammer Survivors, out on November 10.
Worlds Prize Pool: What League of Legends Champions Win
The League of Legends World Championship, universally shortened to “Worlds”, is the most watched event in esports and the richest annual payday in competitive League of Legends. The headline prize pool now sits at $5 million, with the winning team taking home roughly $1 million, after Riot Games more than doubled the fund from the $2.25 million figure it had held for years.
Fortnite’s Pirate Shop Makes the Item Shop Free for 14 Days as Players Near 5 Million
You open a chest on Crossbones Isle and get the whole Item Shop instead of a shotgun. That’s the new Pirate Shop in Fortnite. It’s a rare chest reward in the Treasure Hunters mini-season, which went live on November 1. Once activated, everything sold for V-Bucks in the Item Shop can be claimed for free for 14 days. And if your squadmate finds it, you get it too. Players went chasing it right away.
Valheim Only Went Into Early Access Because Its Creator “Couldn’t Afford to Keep Working on It”
February 2021. A Viking survival game built by a tiny Swedish team turns up in Steam Early Access, and within weeks it’s selling copies faster than its developers can believe. Now Iron Gate’s boss has said why it launched unfinished in the first place. He was running out of money.
Chests of Cai Shen Infinity Is Out: Pragmatic’s Third Chest Slot Lists a 15,000x Max Win
News Alex Turner·27/10/2026·3 min read Status: live. Release date was 26 October 2026. Specs last checked 27 October 2026 against several listings. Gambling content, 18+ only. Chests of Cai Shen Infinity: the specs at a glance Pragmatic Play’s new Chests of Cai Shen slot is out. Bigwinboard’s new-releases tracker lists Chests Of Cai Shen – Infinity from Pragmatic Play with a release date of Oct 26, 2026, a max win of 15,000x and an RTP of 96.50%.
Sodapoppin’s Net Worth: A Twitch Veteran’s Fortune
Chance “Sodapoppin” Morris is one of the longest-serving and most influential personalities in the history of Twitch, a World of Warcraft pioneer turned variety streamer whose career now spans more than a decade. Most independent trackers and profile databases place his estimated net worth in a broad band of roughly $6 million to $10 million, a figure built not from a single viral moment but from years of subscriptions, ad revenue, sponsorships and equity in gaming businesses.
Sweet Bonanza POP: Pragmatic’s 3×5 Candy Slot Lands Today With a 25,000x Top Prize
News Alex Turner·20/10/2026·4 min read Status: release date 20 October 2026 Sweet Bonanza POP is dated for today. Pragmatic Play’s fourth-quarter roadmap has “Sweet Bonanza POP” launching Oct. 20 with a three-reel format and instant prizes up to 25,000x. Review sites that got early builds list the same release date. They also agree on the main numbers: a 97.05% RTP, with stakes of $/€0.10 to $/€250 in this medium volatility game.
Valkyrae’s Net Worth: YouTube’s Queen of Gaming
Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter is one of the most influential figures in the modern gaming creator economy, a streamer turned media executive whose fortune spans a landmark YouTube exclusivity deal, co-ownership of 100 Thieves and a growing roster of business ventures.
Epic’s Marvel x Star Wars Shooter Delayed as Team Is Told to Go “AI First”
Imagine a squad shooter where Marvel heroes and Star Wars characters share a map, and a lot of what’s on screen came out of an AI pipeline. That’s where Epic Games’ unannounced Disney project is reportedly heading. Epic has delayed the shooter, which is being built using AI tools like Claude, sources told Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. According to Bloomberg, staff were told about the pivot last week, and the project has been delayed indefinitely from its unannounced March 2027 release.
FLING UP TOGETHER Ties Two Players to One Rope in New Co-op Platformer
News Alex Turner·08/10/2026·4 min readPress release One rope. Two players. One bad pull and you’re both back at the bottom. That’s the pitch for FLING UP TOGETHER, a 2-player co-op physics platformer from OFF BOX Studios, and it just got a new gameplay trailer alongside a free demo you can play on Steam right now. The PR pitch compares it to Fireboy and Watergirl crossed with Chained Together, and that’s a fair shorthand.
I Am Plague Revealed With Open Steam Playtest Running Until 20 October
News Alex Turner·07/10/2026·4 min read One rat is a joke. A few thousand of them sharing one brain is a problem for everybody upstairs. That’s the pitch behind I Am Plague, a dark incremental roguelite from developer Greedy Games and publisher Digital Vortex Entertainment, and you can play it right now. The game was revealed today alongside an open playtest on Steam that runs from 6 October to 20 October. You don’t play a hero here.
Out of Bounds Showcase 2026 Features 16 Indie Games, Midgardr Dated for January 2027
News Alex Turner·07/10/2026·3 min read Sixteen indie games just went out of bounds. Spanish publisher Entalto Publishing premiered the digital Out of Bounds Showcase 2026 today, October 6, and it packed two world premieres, three demo launches, a fresh playtest, two release date reveals and three new gameplay trailers into one stream. This is the second edition of the event. Entalto, based in northern Spain, says the 2025 show got picked up by more than 200 outlets in 30 countries.
GTA 6 Will Reportedly Stream Only on Xbox Cloud Gaming at Launch, Opening a Door for PC
Picture this: it’s 19 November, you’ve got a gaming laptop, no console, and Vice City is running in a browser window. According to a scoop from The Verge’s Tom Warren, Microsoft has secured the exclusive rights to stream GTA 6 at launch, which would make Xbox Cloud Gaming the only service allowed to stream the game when it releases. None of the companies has confirmed it yet, but Xbox’s own boss has already hinted at it. Microsoft, Rockstar Games and Take-Two have not confirmed it publicly.
Gates of Olympus 2500: Pragmatic’s Zeus Sequel Is Live With 25,000x Max Win
News Alex Turner·06/10/2026·4 min read Status: live. Gates of Olympus 2500 went live on 28 September 2026. Release details checked 6 October 2026. Zeus is back. Pragmatic Play’s newest entry in its biggest slot series launched on 28 September, and the headline numbers have gone up again. The studio brings Zeus back with multiplier symbols worth up to 2,500x on any spin or tumble, including bonus rounds, and the maximum win potential is 25,000x. Here are the stats before anything else.
Pokimane’s Net Worth: Twitch, YouTube and Brand Deals
Imane “Pokimane” Anys is one of the most-recognised figures in livestreaming, and the question of her net worth is a perennial search magnet, yet the honest answer is that public estimates vary enormously because her finances are private.
Farever Call to Glory Update Is Out Now With Heroic Mode, Epic Gear and Weekly Boss Unlocks
Heroic Mode is open in Farever. Shiro Games pushed the Call to Glory update live on 30 September, and its second major Early Access update is now available to every player with the new endgame difficulty, Epic-tier gear, infusions and a long list of social features. We covered the announcement back in September. Now that it’s out, there are a few details that weren’t in the original reveal, including a weekly boss rollout, a new reputation system and a big performance pass.
The Jackbox Party Pack 12 Gameplay Trailer Tours All Five New Games
Jackbox just dropped a proper look at all five games in The Jackbox Party Pack 12. The new gameplay trailer runs through every title in the pack ahead of launch on October 15, and it’s the first time we’ve seen them all moving side by side. The pack lands on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Apple TV, iPad and the Mac App Store. It costs US$29.99, and every one of the five games supports 2 to 8 players.
Muchi Muchi Pork! & PinkSweets Boosted Is Out Now on PS5 and Switch
Bullets are turning into bacon on PS5 and Switch. Clear River Games and City Connection released Muchi Muchi Pork! & PinkSweets Boosted, a double pack of two CAVE vertical shooters, as a digital download on both consoles on October 1. Digital copies cost $39.99 or €34.99. If you’d rather have it on the shelf, a physical edition for PS5 and Switch follows on October 29 at $54.99 or €49.99.
FF7 Revelation Director Hamaguchi Says He Fought Square Enix to Keep a Physical Edition
Picture it: you rip the shrink-wrap off Final Fantasy VII Revelation on April 8, slide the disc in, and get through the opening. Then the game asks you to download the rest. Director Naoki Hamaguchi says even that half-physical copy took a fight. In a new interview with Radio Times, he said he pushed Square Enix for a physical release. He also admitted the final call was never his to make. His line on the publisher talks is blunt.
Moonfrost Launches in Steam Early Access on October 12
News Alex Turner·01/10/2026·4 min read Most cozy games hand you a tidy plot of land and a watering can. Moonfrost hands you a village flattened by meteor storms and asks you to fix it. Oxalis Games has confirmed its narrative life-sim hits Steam Early Access on October 12 at 6 PM UK time, and it’ll cost $14.99, £12.99 or €14.99. The pitch from the studio is Stardew Valley’s warmth mixed with the building depth of Dragon Quest Builders. That’s a big comparison to throw around.
Steam’s Discounts & Events Page Goes Algorithmic, Valve Cites “10x More Games” Shown Daily
Valve is tearing up the hand-scheduled calendar behind one of Steam’s busiest homepage sections. Valve is replacing Steam’s manually curated Discounts and Events calendar with a fully algorithm-driven, personalized system, with the change expected to fully take effect in early 2027, according to Game Developer. Curated slots are already frozen, and Valve says testing on the new system pushed noticeably more titles in front of shoppers each day.
Cards After Midnight Is a Werewolf Roguelike Deckbuilder Coming in 2027
News Alex Turner·30/09/2026·3 min read Midnight hits, your skin splits, and the whole village comes after you with torches. That’s the pitch for Cards After Midnight, a dark roguelike card adventure announced today by Barcelona publisher JanduSoft and Córdoba-based developer Boomfire Games. The game is coming to all platforms next year, and its Steam page lists a 2027 release. If you want a taste sooner, a demo is already live on Steam as of today.
Waltz and Jam Gets New Trailer at Game Devs of Color Expo Direct
News Alex Turner·29/09/2026·3 min read A little ghost and his glowing-eyed puppy just walked back onto our radar. Korean studio Flyway Games debuted a brand-new trailer for Waltz and Jam during the Game Devs of Color Expo Direct on 25 September 2026, and it’s easily one of the most charming things I’ve seen from the show. Waltz and Jam is a hand-drawn action-adventure platformer headed to PC via Steam.
Keep Her Safe Hits 1.0 on Steam 12 October With Three New Seaside Maps
News Alex Turner·29/09/2026·3 min read An evolved chicken in a suit, a minigun and a world full of zombies. Keep Her Safe leaves Early Access and hits 1.0 on PC via Steam on Monday, 12 October 2026. Gugu Studio’s isometric mix of extraction shooter and tower defense is bringing new maps, new towers and proper online co-op with it. The setup is gloriously silly. An acid rain carrying an unknown virus wiped out humanity and turned people into zombies, but some animals survived and evolved.
How Many People Play Minecraft? The Real Numbers
Minecraft is the most-played and best-selling premium video game on the planet, and its audience has kept growing well into its second decade. Depending on which metric and source you trust, the game commands somewhere between roughly 170 million and 220 million monthly active players and has passed 350 million lifetime copies sold, a scale that dwarfs almost every rival title.
ELA Games Drops Odysseus Wild Journey Slot, Caps Max Win At 840x
ELA Games has a new title on the shelf, and it’s built for players who like their Greek epics with a bit of stacking wild action. The Cyprus studio pushed out Odysseus Wild Journey this week, a mythology-themed slot that trades spectacle for a tighter, mid-volatility math model. What’s actually in the game The mythology-themed title adds respins, win-doubling stacks and a 3x Super Free Spins mode, with the max win cap set at 840x.
Pragmatic Play’s Freya 1000 Slot Goes Live With a 10,000x Cap
Pragmatic Play dropped a new one today. Freya 1000 is live as of September 21, and it swaps the studio’s usual fast-scatter chaos for something closer to a classic cabinet, dressed up in Norse mythology. What you’re actually spinning Freya 1000 arrives combining Money symbols, reel nudges, Wheel prizes, free spins and multipliers reaching 1000x in a wintry Norse-themed slot adventure.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Debuts at 89 on Metacritic, Ties Three Houses on Switch 2
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is out, and it’s already sitting alongside Three Houses as one of the best-reviewed entries the series has ever had. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave first released on 17th September 2026, developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo exclusively on Switch 2. Four days later, the aggregate scores and the fan chatter both point the same way: this is a big one.
FF7 Revelation: ‘Revelation’ Beat Two Other Finalists, Says Director Hamaguchi
There were three names on the shortlist for the last game in the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, and ‘Revelation’ beat the other two. Director Naoki Hamaguchi confirmed the detail in a new interview with IGN, adding that he isn’t ready to say what the runners-up were. Hamaguchi told IGN that before the team settled on Revelation, there were actually three final contenders, and he had a discussion with the creative director of the series, Tetsuya Nomura.
Sniper Dan Brings Family-Friendly Hidden-Object Fun to PC and Consoles
Not every launch this week is a blockbuster, and that is fine. Sniper Dan is out now on PC and consoles, a family-friendly 3D hidden-object game from developer Denki and publisher PQube that is happy to just be funny and relaxing. It is the kind of palate cleanser a busy release slate needs. What Sniper Dan actually is Despite the name, this is not a shooter.
Snap Specs Hands-On: The $2,195 AR Glasses Play Games With Eye Contact
You put on a pair of glasses, make eye contact with a stranger also wearing them, and a set of dominoes appears floating on the table between you. That’s the moment from Snap’s first public hands-on with Specs, the company’s standalone AR glasses that went up for pre-order in June and start shipping to the US, UK and France this fall for $2,195, with a refundable $200 deposit.
Valheim 1.0 Launches With Deep North Biome, Debuts on PS5 and Switch 2
Five and a half years after players first crawled out of a starter meadow with nothing but a stone axe, Valheim finally has an ending. Iron Gate’s Viking survival game left Early Access on September 9, closing out with the Deep North, its eighth and final biome, and shipping on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 for the first time. Valheim is developed by a five-person team, building on development work which studio co-founder Richard Svensson had undertaken as a side project in his spare time.
World of Warcraft Expansions Statistics (2026)
Two decades after launch, World of Warcraft entered 2026 in the middle of its Worldsoul Saga trilogy, with the eleventh expansion, Midnight, going live in March. Across eleven expansions the game still tops every subscription MMORPG on Earth, generating hundreds of millions of dollars a year even as Blizzard keeps its exact figures behind closed doors. This reference page compiles the verifiable launch, sales, review and revenue data for every WoW expansion, clearly flagging the many estimates.
Deified Is a Tactical Roguelite With No Mana, Action Points or Cooldowns, Out September 21
Here’s a roguelite with a genuinely fresh idea: throw out the resource economy entirely. Deified, a dark, turn-based tactical roguelite from French studio Unexpected and publisher Goblinz, lands on Steam on September 21 for $14.99, with a 20% launch discount for the first two weeks. There’s no mana, no action points and no cooldowns anywhere in it. That “no resources” hook is the whole pitch.
SoulQuest Hits Nintendo Switch September 3, Steam’s Celtic Hack-and-Slash Arrives
A widow takes up a sword against the goddess of death, and Nintendo Switch owners get their shot at the fight this week. SoulQuest, the side-scrolling hack-and-slash from Argentine studio SoulBlade, lands on the Switch eShop on September 3, 2026, according to its official Nintendo store listing. The port follows the game’s Steam launch back on May 1.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s Siege of Castle Doom DLC Adds Doctor Doom Mode, Two Heroes
Dotemu and Tribute Games have confirmed a second paid expansion for their retro-styled brawler Marvel Cosmic Invasion, titled The Siege of Castle Doom. Dotemu’s official press release confirms the DLC will centre on Doctor Doom and add two new playable characters alongside a brand-new game mode, with the expansion set to launch across PC and consoles this Fall. The announcement, made on August 17, arrives as anticipation builds for Doctor Doom’s live-action debut in Avengers: Doomsday.
2K Unveils Small Axe Studios in Vancouver, Stacked With Ex-EA Sports FC Talent
2K has officially unveiled Small Axe Studios, a brand-new AAA team based in Burnaby, in the heart of Metro Vancouver, tasked with building what the Take-Two-owned publisher is calling its “next blockbuster sports franchise.” The studio is led by Aaron McHardy, a near two-decade EA Sports veteran, and its early roster reads like a who’s-who of former FIFA, Madden and NBA Live developers.
TMNT: Splintered Fate’s Switch 2 Legendary Edition Launches Oct. 27 With New DLC Hero
Super Evil Megacorp has confirmed that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is finally getting a proper physical release on Nintendo Switch 2, with the retail “Legendary Edition” locked in for October 27. Gematsu reports the developer will release a physical edition of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate for Switch 2 on October 27, as well as a new downloadable content character to be revealed soon. Pre-orders for the boxed copy went live the same day the announcement dropped.
Xbox Begins Testing Free, Ad-Supported Cloud Streaming for Insiders
Microsoft has begun testing a free, ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming, letting a select group of Xbox Insiders stream games they already own without paying for Game Pass. According to an official post on Xbox Wire, participants will watch an advertisement before a session starts and then get up to an hour of streaming, a trial the company says is meant to widen access to cloud play on devices people already own.
EU Commissioner: Bloc Can’t Stop Sony Ending Disc-Based Games
Brussels will not be riding in to save PlayStation discs. Michael McGrath, the European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, has confirmed the European Union has no legal mechanism to stop Sony from ending physical disc production for new PS5 games from January 2028, framing it squarely as a matter of corporate freedom rather than a consumer rights breach.
Id Software Says Xbox Layoffs Shrank Studio to DOOM 2016-Era Size
id Software has confirmed that this week’s Xbox layoffs have reduced its headcount to roughly the same level the studio had when it built DOOM (2016), a decade-old milestone the Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein developer used to reassure fans it can still ship games. The admission came in an official statement posted to the studio’s social media on July 10, after days of speculation about how badly id had been hit by Microsoft’s broader restructuring of its Xbox game studios.
PlayStation Faces Fresh Backlash After Breaking Social Media Silence Over Disc Exit
PlayStation’s official social media accounts broke a week-long silence on July 7 with a post about a wireless fight stick, only to be immediately swarmed by gamers still furious over Sony’s decision to end physical disc production for new PlayStation games from January 2028. The return did nothing to calm the backlash: within an hour the post had drawn thousands of replies, almost all about the disc cutoff rather than the product being advertised.
Contexto Answer Today: Hints and Solution for July 3, 2026
Another day, another tricky word to crack in Contexto, the browser-based guessing game that rewards players who think in themes rather than letters. If today’s puzzle has you stumped, we’ve got the hints and the full answer for July 3, 2026 right here. Unlike Wordle, Contexto doesn’t care about letters or spelling. Instead, players type guesses into a search bar, and an AI algorithm ranks each attempt based on how closely it relates to the secret word in meaning and context.
French Presidential Candidate Slams GTA 6, PS5’s Disc-Free Future Over Gamer Rights
French politics has collided with the video game industry’s disc-free future. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of the left-wing La France Insoumise party and a declared candidate for the 2027 French presidential election, used a post on X to attack both Rockstar’s decision to ship Grand Theft Auto 6 without a physical disc and Sony’s plan to end boxed PlayStation releases entirely from January 2028.
Best Online Ripple Casinos in Australia – XRP Gambling Sites 2026
The best Ripple casino Australia offers players lightning-fast, safe, and secure transactions, with generous bonuses and rewards. Ripple (XRP) is a popular payment method for gamblers, and after rating and reviewing the top crypto casinos offering the coin, we recommend BetPanda as the best place to play. BetPanda offers a 100% welcome bonus worth up to 1 BTC with 10% weekly cashback. There are no fees for deposits and withdrawals, and a focus on privacy and security that includes VPN support.
10+ Best Dogecoin Casinos (2026) Instant Withdrawals
Dogecoin casinos offer Aussies a way to enjoy their favorite games with added privacy and quicker payout speeds. Thanks to fast deposits and low fees, Dogecoin is one of cryptocurrency’s most popular coins. As it’s now offered at so many top online casinos, it can be hard to know which site to register with. Our current top pick is BetPanda. They offer over 6,000 games, including pokies, and crypto transactions are smooth and secure.
Litecoin Casino 2025: Best Online Casino with Litecoin in Australia
Bank delays, high transaction costs, and tricky bonus conditions are reasons why Australian players still hesitate to deposit online. The best Litecoin casinos in Australia address these pain points head-on, offering near-instant payouts, minimal deposit requirements, and clear, upfront terms. Among all the operators we’ve reviewed, BetPanda proved to be the most balanced option for Litecoin players.
Best Bitcoin Casinos in NZ 2025 | Top Crypto Casinos
The best crypto casinos in New Zealand offer players the perfect mix of safety, security, convenience, and fun. Indeed, it should come as no surprise that many Kiwi players are opting for offshore-based Bitcoin casinos more than ever before. Of all the sites we’ve reviewed, CoinCasino takes the cake thanks to its huge welcome bonus, multi-altcoin compatibility, and enhanced safety features.
10 Best Ethereum Casinos in Australia for Fast Withdrawals 2026
Ethereum casinos provide a secure and safe crypto gambling experience. They offer all of the advantages you’d expect from any top crypto casino, including provably fair games, quick withdrawals, and a focus on privacy. Our current top pick is BetPanda. They offer over 6,000 games, including pokies from top software providers, live casino games, an impressive sportsbook, and generous promotions. Learn more about BetPanda and our other top Ethereum casinos for Australians in our expert guide.
The Best Instant Withdrawal Casino Australia for 2025
Instant withdrawal casino sites in Australia offer you the fastest payout speeds around. Usually relying on modern payment options like cryptocurrency and e-wallets for their quick transfer times and high levels of data protection, they’re a great way to get your dollars fast. While most casinos claim to be instant, unfortunately, some aren’t. Our top pick, Mafia Casino, offers instant payouts, great games and promotions, and crypto and fiat payment options.
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