Circana's latest monthly sales report revealed that not only was spending on software up year-over-year, but spending on hardware grew as well.

Sales of gaming hardware in the US during March 2026 rose by 69% compared to March 2025, reaching $500 million. Circana said the Switch 2 "drove the overall gain" for March 2026, with spending on PlayStation 5 increasing by 3% compared to March 2025. The report had no data about Xbox.

The Switch 2 was the best-selling console platform in the US for units sold and dollars for March 2026 and the year so far, with the PS5 coming in second for March 2026 and year-to-date.

The big Xbox Game Pass announcement this week was a price cut for the subscription and a major shakeup that sees new Call of Duty games no longer coming to the service at launch.

Curiously, Microsoft's blog post announcing the changes did not say all of Xbox's other first-party games will launch on day one into Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The blog post said only that Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers will get "major day-one releases."

Given that language, many are wondering if other games beyond new Call of Duty releases could be stripped out of Game Pass for day-one launches, or "windowed," to use an industry term. That remains to be seen, but it's a possibility that analyst Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis believes could happen.

Prolific and veteran gaming voice actor Troy Baker has teased that fans have not "seen the last of Joel," the popular character from Naughty Dog's The Last of Us series, and a character who is dead.

Baker said in an interview with Eurogamer, "I definitely know we've not seen the last of Joel, whether that be Naughty Dog or somebody else."

Baker did not elaborate on this intriguing comment, but some are taking it to mean Joel could show up in a future game or other project in the future.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is now the No. 1 movie globally after surpassing a giant movie from China. Nintendo's animated movie has now grossed $752 million globally, which puts it ahead of the previous No. 1 movie, Pegasus 3 ($641 million).

The Chinese movie was released in February in China, and if you've never heard of it, that makes sense. It's made 99.8% of its money from the Chinese market, with only $1.37 million from the US.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, meanwhile, has made money in most major markets globally, including $358.7 million from North America alone. Some of the movie's top international markets include Mexico ($49.6 million), the United Kingdom ($38 million), Germany ($30 million), Spain ($17.4 million), and France ($12.7 million).

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has reacted to the critical reception to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, saying the negative opinions of the movie from critics were "truly baffling."

As translated by Nintendo Patents Watch, Miyamoto told NDW that critics were "even harsher" on The Super Mario Galaxy Movie than they were for 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie. He laughed and said he found this to be "rather odd."

"We stepped in from another medium and did our best to help energize the film industry. And yet the very people who are supposed to champion the film industry are the ones being so negative; it's truly baffling," he said.

A new report claims that one of the ideas Microsoft is considering for Xbox Game Pass is a new "pick-your-own" plan that would allow players to create their own specific version of Game Pass featuring content and services they are interested in.

Windows Central reported that the long-term goal for Microsoft is to make Game Pass "more flexible," and that lines up with what Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma previously said. In a memo to staff, Sharma said her long term goal was to "evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system." In her memo, she said this will take time, as Microsoft conducts tests to find out what works best.

How a potential "pick-your-own" plan might work in practice, including limitations and prices, remains to be seen. And there is no guarantee that such a program would ever be released. It could be something Microsoft is only experimenting with, or intentionally leaking to gauge interest.

YouTube star Markiplier's video game movie, Iron Lung, was a smash hit at the box office, bringing in more than $50 million on a relatively minuscule budget. But when is it coming to home video? It's been out of theaters for some time already, prompting fans to wonder about the long wait.

Markiplier, whose real name is Mark Fischbach, said in a newly released video (via Bloody-Disgusting) that the digital release of Iron Lung has been "taking so long" because he's been at work trying to make a deal "so that other people can benefit from it."

From the start, Markiplier said he viewed Iron Lung as a sidequest and not something he was doing for money. When the film became a success at the box office, he promised to distribute the profits to the crew, and now he's hoping to make the film's digital release something other people benefit from instead of himself first and foremost.

An Xbox higher-up has responded to a rumor regarding the next-generation platform Project Helix, clarifying a key detail about the machine, which can play both console and PC games. But his answer didn't clear everything up.

A claim by leaker KelperL2 said Microsoft would sell Project Helix chips to companies like ASUS and MSI, thereby allowing people to buy a version of the system that runs on the Helix guts. This led to speculation that Project Helix was not in fact a first-party Xbox console and might be more akin to a third-party device like the Rog Ally X from Asus.

But that isn't necessarily completely true, according to Xbox next-gen VP Jason Ronald. He said on social media, "Project Helix will be available as a 1st party Xbox console."

Microsoft is once again shaking up its Xbox Game Pass service, with drastic changes announced in April 2026 that included a price decrease and the confirmation that new Call of Duty games will no longer launch into the service. If you're looking to join the service or upgrade your current membership, here's everything you need to know about what each Game Pass tier gets you.

What is Xbox Game Pass?

Introduced several years ago, Game Pass is a subscription service that offers access to a library of first-party games from Microsoft and even more third-party titles. This a comprehensive collection of games across a wide selection of genres, and it can be accessed on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and through the cloud on compatible devices like phones and tablets.

Games come and go on the service--with additions and removals normally happening twice per month--but the key draw to Game Pass is that you'll get access to the biggest Xbox games on launch day. Or at least that was one of the key selling points. One of Microsoft's biggest franchises, Call of Duty, is no longer going to have its new releases launch into the service (more on that later).

It hasn't been announced yet, but a new Call of Duty game is expected to release later this year, and the latest rumors suggest it will be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Whatever it is, Activision is surely hoping the game performs better than 2025's Black Ops 7, which had the series' worst sales year ranking since 2008.

It's still early days, but there have been leaks, rumors, and reports about the game, and in this post, we're rounding up everything we've heard so far. This post will continue to be updated as more information about the new Call of Duty is divulged. One of the newest developments came this April, when Microsoft confirmed that Game Pass will no longer get new Call of Duty games at launch, meaning the 2026 game won't be there on day one.

When will Call of Duty 2026 be released?

Call of Duty 2026 AKA Modern Warfare 4 has not been announced, so there is no official release date. However, Activsion historically releases new entries in the annual series in October or November. That's around the time that Rockstar Games is planning to release GTA 6, prompting some to theorize that an October release may be more likely than November.

After cancelling multiple titles earlier this year, Ubisoft has reportedly scrapped yet another game. Insider Gaming reported that Ubisoft has elected to can the upcoming Animal Crossing-inspired game Alterra.

The company reportedly informed staff at the developer, Ubisoft Montreal, of the cancellation today. No layoffs were mentioned in the report, which added that staff working on Alterra were shifted to other projects inside Ubisoft. Alterra had been in development for three years, apparently.

The report said Alterra was going to feature a voxel-art presentation with gameplay mechanics "similar to Minecraft" in that players could find resources in the world and build things. The game's NPCs, which were called Matterlings, were said to look similar to Funko Pop characters. Players would have moved through environments of different biomes to encounter creatures and fight, the report said.

Xbox Game Pass is now less expensive. In response to lots of negative feedback, Microsoft has cut the price of Xbox Game Pass and announced that Call of Duty titles will no longer be included with the service at launch going forward. Lowering the price of Game Pass and removing new Call of Duty releases were two of the dramatic changes that Microsoft was reported to have been mulling.

Effective immediately, Game Pass Ultimate is now $23/month (down from $30/month), while PC Game Pass is now $14/month (down from $16.50/month). Existing members will see the new rates applied to their accounts starting April 22, but anyone who signs up today will get in for the lower prices.

Game Pass Essential ($10/month) and Game Pass Premium ($15/month) are staying the same price going forward. These tiers do not include day-one new releases.

Naughty Dog's Uncharted series sold millions of copies, got solid reviews, and was spun off into a movie starring Spider-Man actor Tom Holland--however, the game franchise has been dormant for years. Fans are wondering if Naughty Dog will return to its Indiana Jones-style action-adventure series, and while that remains to be seen, there have been clues about the future of the Uncharted series.

There are no guarantees that Uncharted 5 will ever happen, but there is a chance. Here is everything we've heard so far about the next Uncharted game.

"Never say never"

In 2022, Shaun Escayg, a Naughty Dog veteran who worked on Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy, said in an interview with GamesRadar that the team has a "never say never" attitude about making Uncharted 5. Uncharted 4 may have wrapped up series hero Nathan Drake's story, but that doesn't necessarily put a cap on where the franchise could go.

Actor and musician Troy Baker--known for his work on The Last of Us and Uncharted franchises--has announced that he is exploring the possibility of opening his own game studio. Speaking to Kinda Funny Games, the veteran and prolific gaming actor said he wants to "tell my own stories" and take a stab at making games with his own team.

"I want to build a team. I am excited about building a studio with people that I've worked with, that I trust, and going, 'Here's my idea. How can you make it better?'" he said, as reported by GamesRadar.

Baker isn't planning to start a studio tomorrow, or next week. He said he wants to avoid doing something "rushed," in part because he's seen other people who have "rushed into opportunities." Baker said if he starts a studio, he wants to "do it right."

One of Xbox's most veteran developers, Kiki Wolfkill, has left the company. Wolfkill announced what she called a "difficult but exhilarating decision" on LinkedIn, confirming that April 17 was her last day at Microsoft after 28 years with the company.

"I'm so grateful for the opportunities that Microsoft has given me and the career that it let me build in an industry that I love. At the same time, there is a version of me outside of Microsoft that I'm excited to grow and evolve," Wolfkill said. "I have so many learnings to carry forward and more impact to be made and I couldn't be more inspired to climb the next mountain!"

Regarding what's next for Wolfkill, she didn't say, but said people should stay tuned. "More to come on that front," she wrote.

Steam's newest sale period, the Steam Medieval Fest, is going on now, offering discounts on games with medieval themes. One of the games on sale is Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and its developer, Warhorse, has announced a donation campaign to support the restoration of a Bohemian castle.

The Steam Medieval Fest runs through April 27, and during that time, Warhorse will donate $1 from each sale to support the reconstruction of the Pirkštejn castle.

The Pirkštejn castle was featured in the original Kingdom Come and served as your character's home in the city of Rattay.

An R-rated Bloodborne animated movie is in the works now at Sony Pictures, and YouTuber Seán McLoughlin AKA JackSepticEye is on board as a producer. The social media star isn't trying to make a quick buck with the Bloodborne movie, he said in an interview.

"I'm approaching it as a fan of it, not as like I want to make a thing to make money," he told IGN. "That's not my end goal at all. And I know the fans out there are very passionate about Bloodborne. It's one of those games that even if it's not your favorite game, if somebody else said it, you're like, 'Yeah, that makes sense.'"

As for what to expect from the Bloodborne movie, JackSepticEye said the aim will be to do "anything that gets us as close to the mood and feel of the game." He said he doesn't want to "change too many things or mess stuff up."

In a gaming landscape that feels like it's dominated by sequels, remakes, and remasters, Capcom's new original game, Pragmata, launched recently and got off to a very good start. Capcom said in a news release that the game sold more than 1 million units over its first 48 hours following its release on April 17.

Pragmata is a near-future-set sci-fi action-adventure game focusing on the character Hugh Williams and an robot girl, Diana. Capcom said in its announcement of the sales milestone that Pragmata was developed "by a team of younger Capcom developers" who brought new ideas into the mix.

Capcom said it promoted the game with a range of marketing pushes and offered a playable demo for players to try. Additionally, Capcom said it tried to reach a wider audience by bringing the game to the Switch 2 at launch (it's coming to Switch 2 in Japan and other parts of Asia on April 24). Capcom said its efforts "generated significant momentum" for Pragmata , which helped the game reach 1 million sales in 48 hours.

One of the worst kept secret's in gaming--according to Ubisoft's own admission--will be unveiled on April 23, with Ubisoft confirming that's the date for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's upcoming remake/remaster.

The "Worldwide Reveal Showcase" for the game, called Resynced, will debut on YouTube that day at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. Ubisoft's teaser video called Resynced "gaming's worst-kept secret."

Ubisoft confirmed Resynced back in March as part of a wider announcement about the franchise in general, showing off a piece of concept art depicting Edward Kenway standing on a ship's mast (see below).

The pirate game Windrose is off to a great start, as the game has sold 1 million copies and reached more than 220,000 peak concurrent users on Steam alone, the developer announced.

The early access game's all-time high for peak concurrent users on Steam was 222,134, and that record was achieved on Sunday, April 19. The game is also available on the Epic Games Store and Stove, so the Steam audience represents just a piece of the game's total audience.

Windrose is the No. 1 best-selling game on Steam in the US right now and ranks No. 2 globally.