Nintendo surprise‑dropped a short Direct on May 6, 2026 to reveal Star Fox, a ground‑up remake of the Nintendo 64 classic Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo Switch 2, scheduled to launch on June 25, 2026. The game retains original stage layouts but features a complete visual overhaul, new cinematic cutscenes (including a prologue with Fox’s father James McCloud), full voice acting, and redesigned character models. New gameplay additions include Challenge Mode, an online 4v4 Battle Mode, local and online GameShare, GameChat avatars that mirror player expressions, Switch 2 mouse aiming via Joy‑Con, co‑op pilot/gunner play, and support for the reissued N64 controller. The announcement follows Fox McCloud’s cameo in The Super Mario Galaxy movie and marks the franchise’s first major release in a decade. Reaction has been mixed, with praise for graphics and modes but debate over the realistic character redesigns; original series artist Takaya Imamura said he was not consulted and prefers the movie’s look.

Files for Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 6 briefly appeared online on May 11, 2026 after an unencrypted Steam preload was reportedly pushed to Valve’s backend, allowing users to download roughly 150–155GB of game data ahead of launch. The leak surfaced nine days before the game’s planned May 19 general release and four days before early access for Premium Edition buyers on May 15. Piracy sites and torrent forums circulated cracked copies and short gameplay clips; Reddit threads were moderated and takedown notices followed. Reports say the leaked build is unstable, missing online features and updates, and that some users who used leaked copies have been subject to account bans. Microsoft, Playground Games and Valve had not issued a full public explanation at the time of reporting. Forza Horizon 6 — a major title for Xbox Game Studios and Game Pass with over 500,000 Steam pre-orders reported — will also launch on PS5 later in the year.

Discord today launched Nitro Rewards, a new subscriber program that bundles third‑party perks and adds a free Xbox Game Pass “Starter Edition” to Discord Nitro at no extra cost. The Starter Edition provides access to a library of more than 50 console and PC titles — examples cited include Fallout 4, Stardew Valley, DayZ, Grounded and Doom Eternal — plus 10 hours of Xbox Cloud Gaming per month and the ability to earn up to $25 a year in Xbox Store rewards. Nitro members will also receive 250 monthly Discord Orbs, a 1.2x Orbs multiplier for Quests and shop discounts automatically applied. Hardware discounts are included via partners (up to 30% at Logitech G, 15% at SteelSeries and 20% at KontrolFreek). Discord says Nitro’s base features and current pricing (about $10/month or $100/year) remain in place; eligible Game Pass customers will receive select Nitro perks later this month. The rollout is available in multiple countries as part of a deeper Microsoft–Discord partnership announced on May 11, 2026.

Multiple outlets reported on May 9-10, 2026 that Sony has begun sending targeted emails and PlayStation notifications to PlayStation 4 users urging them to upgrade to a PlayStation 5 ahead of Grand Theft Auto VI’s launch. Messages reportedly targeted users who have wishlisted GTA 6 or are identified as “top Grand Theft Auto 5 players,” and some versions of the notices referenced a November 19, 2026 release date. Coverage from IGN, Kotaku, Destructoid and TheGamer links the outreach to an existing marketing partnership between Sony and Rockstar/Take-Two, and comes amid Take-Two’s stated plans to ramp up marketing this summer. Reports also note that one email batch may have revealed an ESRB age rating, though that detail remains unconfirmed. Industry watchers have speculated a trailer or further announcements could arrive soon, possibly ahead of Take-Two’s May 21 earnings call. The campaign arrives as Sony has recently raised PS5 prices, adding a commercial context to the push to convert PS4 owners.

Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii indicated a livestream to mark the franchise’s 40th anniversary is planned for May 27 and that it will include an announcement about the “next game,” raising hopes that long-awaited details for Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate could finally be revealed. Horii made the comments on the KosoKoso podcast; that episode has since been made private. Square Enix has not formally confirmed the stream. The publisher used a similar 35th‑anniversary broadcast in 2021 to unveil multiple projects, including the first glimpse of Dragon Quest XII, and has since released remakes and spin‑offs while providing few updates on the mainline title. Developers have also been repurposing older entries in HD‑2D and other formats, and fans are watching to see whether a full progress update, release window, trailers or new remakes will be shown. The May 27 date would come nearly five years after Dragon Quest XII was first teased in May 2021, fueling speculation and intense expectation among the series’ global fan base.

Employees at Double Fine Productions, the San Francisco studio behind Psychonauts, Kiln and other titles, filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board on May 7, 2026 to form a union with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The petition covers all 42 regular full- and part-time staff and requests both voluntary recognition from Microsoft and an NLRB election to secure representation. CWA said the move aims to preserve the studio’s commitments to creative excellence, diversity and inclusion, and worker quality of life. Microsoft, which acquired Double Fine in 2019, has signalled a neutral stance toward the drive. The filing is the latest in a wave of unionisation across Microsoft-owned game teams that has included Blizzard groups, id Software and QA teams at Raven and ZeniMax, reflecting broader organising activity in the U.S. games industry. Double Fine released multiplayer pottery game Kiln in April 2026; the petition comes amid recent restructuring and leadership changes across Xbox Game Studios.