Amazon May Have Simply Killed Its Massive Lord Of The Rings MMO

Is the Change 2 doomed to be a bodily graveyard of third-party recreation key playing cards? Why are so many new particular version controllers so ugly? And has Amazon actually pulled the plug on its fledgling Lord of the Rings MMO? It’s one other version of Morning Checkpoint, Kotaku‘s daily roundup of gaming news and culture.

I don’t want any extra gaming gadgets in my life however I’m obsessive about the latest batch of DS knock-offs out of China. Nintendo is admittedly leaving cash on the desk by not transport its personal legacy handhelds. I imply, individuals had been so determined for a brand new Recreation Boy they hacked the Lego one so it might run video games.

The Change 2 Resident Evil Requiem Professional controller seems dangerous

It’s the identical darkish shade as the traditional Professional controller however with graphics from an in-game newspaper over the entrance. The phrases Resident Evil are additionally there however largely interrupted by the central Change 2 emblem. Actually a bummer. In different dangerous information, the Change 2 model of Resident Evil Requiem has been confirmed to be a recreation key card. Rip.

Amazon Video games dev suggests its Lord of the Rings MMO has been canceled

As noticed by Rock, Paper, Shotgun, developer Ashleigh Amrine made a now-deleted submit on LinkedIn in regards to the layoffs that hinted on the recreation not being in manufacturing. “This morning I was part of the layoffs at Amazon Games, alongside my incredibly talented peers on New World and our fledgling Lord of the Rings game (y’all would have loved it),” she wrote.

Amazon didn’t reply to a request for remark about whether or not the venture has been killed. It’s at all times doable the corporate remains to be nonetheless trying to offload the venture or simply license it out to a different studio. If that recreation ever does come to market, nevertheless, it’ll most likely naked no relation to no matter early prototype the New World devs had been engaged on.

Xbox {hardware} income remains to be in freefall

Microsoft introduced its second quarter earnings yesterday. Whereas Azure cloud companies and its AI gambles proceed to repay, the gaming division really shrunk. Xbox gaming revenues had been down $113 million with already horrible {hardware} numbers down 29 % yr over yr.

It’s price noting that this was the identical quarter when Microsoft jacked up the Xbox Collection X/S consoles to $400 and $600 respectively as a consequence of Trump’s commerce battle. In some way I don’t suppose a more expensive PC-like next-gen console with no exclusives will flip that round.

Bloodlines 2 has extra hairstyles, fewer bugs due to Halloween replace

Comfortable Halloween! 🎃

Get pleasure from our free Halloween Replace with new customization choices and bug fixes. Future updates may embrace an FOV slider, save recreation choices, and customized problem settings.

Examine the web site for extra particulars: https://t.co/sMvXHoerxh pic.twitter.com/9T9PDRoeTG

— Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 (@VtM_Bloodlines) October 29, 2025

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2‘s latest free update adds 24 new style customizations for your sexy goth avatars. It also addresses a ton of crashes and bugs. Enough to turn around initially grim sentiments on the messy vampire RPG? Perhaps not. But bigger-ticket changes like FOV sliders and better saving options are on the docket for upcoming patches.

AI slop will not replace video games

That’s in line with Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick who occurs to supervise among the largest and most critically acclaimed franchises on the planet with Grand Theft Auto, Crimson Lifeless Redemption, and BioShock. He mentioned AI is at present incapable of constructing the GTA 6 advertising and marketing plan, not to mention a whole recreation. And even when it might, he doesn’t suppose it will be any good.

“Anything that involves backward-looking data compute, it’s really good for that and that applies to lots of things,” he told CNBC. “What we do at Take-Two, anything that isn’t attached to that, it’s going to be really, really bad at.” Plus, he admits, it’s a authorized minefield.

Hideo Kojima had no thought he had an opportunity to make a Matrix online game

Former Konami govt Christopher Bergstresser recently revealed that the Wachowskis had approached the Japanese writer about recruiting Hideo Kojima to make a Matrix online game again in 1999. “In all these 26 years, no one ever told me such a conversation had taken place,” Kojima shared on X in response.

I may very well be projecting however the admission appeared tinge with disappointment and a slight sense of betrayal. “At that time, I was already extremely busy with MGS2 and probably couldn’t have accepted the offer right away,” the Dying Stranding director concluded. “But if someone had told me, maybe there could’ve been a way to make it work.”