Splash Damage’s Transformers: Reactivate has had quite a journey since its original announcement at The Game Awards 2022. The game was revealed with a cinematic trailer set to Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” generating excitement among fans.
It promised a 1-4 player online co-op action game featuring beloved characters like Ironhide, Hot Rod, Starscream, and Soundwave.
However, the development faced numerous challenges over the next two years. Despite initial plans for a closed beta in 2023, updates on the game’s progress were scarce. The studio’s focus shifted to other projects, including an open-world survival game called Project Astrid, developed in collaboration with streamers Shroud and Sacriel.
Today, Splash Damage announced the cancellation of Transformers: Reactivate.
The studio claims that the decision was not easy and unfortunately, will results in layoffs across the studio as some jobs will become redundant after the cancellation of the project.
Yet, The studio expressed gratitude to the team for their dedication and to Hasbro for their support. They also mentioned that they are now focusing on supporting affected employees and refocusing their efforts on other projects.
Here is the original trailer refereed at the beginning of this article:
Hi-Rez Studios has announced that SMITE 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the popular third-person MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game, will transition to a free-to-play model starting January 14, 2025. This move marks a significant milestone for the franchise, as it opens up the game to a broader audience.
The Backstory of SMITE
SMITE first launched in 2014, introducing players to a unique third-person perspective that set it apart from traditional top-down MOBAs. Players could choose from a variety of gods and goddesses from different mythologies, each with unique abilities. Over the years, Hi-Rez Studios has consistently updated the game, introducing new gods, maps, and game modes to keep the experience fresh and engaging.
The franchise has also made a name for itself in the competitive gaming scene, with the launch of the SMITE World Championship in 2015. This annual event showcases the best teams from around the world and has helped solidify SMITE’s place in the esports community.
What’s New in SMITE 2?
With the transition to a free-to-play model, SMITE 2 will introduce several new features and improvements. Players can look forward to:
45 Gods: Including new additions like Aladdin, who brings a fresh playstyle inspired by the Disney movie.
New Game Modes: Joust and Duel modes, with an alpha version of Assault mode also being tested.
Enhanced Graphics and Mechanics: Improved visuals and smoother gameplay mechanics.
Community Engagement: Hi-Rez Studios continues to seek player feedback and foster a sense of community through events and updates.
As SMITE 2 enters its open beta phase, the future looks bright for this beloved franchise. The transition to free-to-play is expected to attract both veteran players and newcomers, ensuring that the game remains a staple in the world of MOBAs.
Xbox has just announced its latest wave of games coming to Game Pass for January 2025, and it’s an exciting mix of new titles and returning favorites. Here’s the full list of what’s coming and going:
New Additions:
Diablo (PC) – January 14
The classic action-RPG that defined the genre returns to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
EA Sports UFC 5 (Cloud and Xbox Series X|S) – January 14
Available through EA Play, this game brings the thrill of mixed martial arts to Game Pass Ultimate.
Road 96 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 7
A beautiful road-trip adventure where your choices shape the story.
Lightyear Frontier (Game Preview) (Xbox Series X|S) – January 8
Start your interstellar homestead in this peaceful open-world farming adventure.
My Time at Sandrock (Console) – January 8
A wholesome post-apocalyptic world where you gather resources and defend the town.
Robin Hood – Sherwood Builders (Xbox Series X|S) – January 8
Join Robin Hood and his band of outlaws in 12th-century England.
Rolling Hills (Console) – January 8
Serve sushi as a robot chef in this cozy village life sim.
Unfortunately, nothing last forever or at least if we can say a temporary “good-bye” there will be a selection of games that will leave the service while of course, there is hope of them returning later this year or a little more.
Games Leaving:
Common’hood
Escape Academy
Exoprimal
Figment: Journey in the Mind
Insurgency: Sandstorm
Those Who Remain
These changes will take effect on January 15, 2025. If you want to keep playing any of the departing titles, consider purchasing them at a discount while they’re still available on Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate continues to offer an outstanding value proposition with over 100 game titles available for a single subscription. Whether you’re a fan of action-RPGs, fighting games, or life sims, there’s something for everyone in this latest lineup.
Tencent, the Chinese tech and gaming giant, has recently been blacklisted by the United States Department of Defense. The DoD added Tencent to its list of “Chinese Military Companies” due to alleged ties to the Chinese military. This move is part of the broader U.S. government effort to restrict business with companies linked to the Chinese military.
In response, Tencent has stated that its inclusion on the list is a “misunderstanding”. The company emphasized that it is neither a military company nor a military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base. Tencent’s spokesperson told The Verge mentioned that the listing has no impact on their business but that they will work with the Department of Defense to address any misunderstandings.
Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business. We will nonetheless work with the Department of Defense to address any misunderstanding.
It’s definitely a significant development, especially considering Tencent’s vast influence in the gaming industry, owning stakes in companies like Riot Games (League of Legends), Epic Games (Fortnite), and many others.
Electronic Arts (EA) recently announced plans to sunset several games by 2025, which has sparked a debate about the challenges of video game preservation. This move is part of a broader strategy to focus on fewer, more profitable titles and franchises.
However, it raises concerns about the loss of cultural and historical artifacts within the gaming community.
The sunsetting of games like Madden NFL 23 and F1 22 from platforms like Xbox Game Pass and EA Play highlights the impact on accessibility for players. Additionally, the shutdown of several mobile games, including The Simpsons: Tapped Out and Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, further emphasizes the growing trend of game discontinuation.
Here is the complete list:
Console and PC Games:
Madden NFL 23
F1 22
Battlefield 2042
Apex Legends
Dragon Age 3
Skate
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Mobile Games:
The Simpsons: Tapped Out (January 24, 2025)
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (January 16, 2025)
Blood & Glory: Immortals (January 29, 2025)
Contract Killer: Sniper (January 29, 2025)
Deer Hunter Classic (January 29, 2025)
Dino Hunter: Deadly Shores (January 29, 2025)
Eternity Warriors 4 (January 29, 2025)
Frontline Commando 2 (January 29, 2025)
Frontline Commando: D-Day (January 29, 2025)
This situation underscores the importance of efforts to preserve digital games, as they are an integral part of our cultural heritage. Organizations and communities dedicated to game preservation face an uphill battle in ensuring that these digital experiences remain accessible for future generations.
Beside the proper offering in base of the recent announcements of both AMD and Nvidia, Lenovo did wanted to also use CS 2025 as a platform to announce what is next in their effort for portable PC Gaming with its Lenovo Go brand and we got not one, but two devices.
First, Lenovo confirmed the Lenovo Go S, a entry-level variant of the Lenovo Go original and will have the exclusive Go variant of the recently announced AMD Ryzen Z2 as part of your consideration.
Processor: AMD Ryzen Z2 Go or Z1 Extreme processors.
RAM: Up to 32GB of 7500Mhz LPDDR5X RAM.
Battery: 55.5Whr battery.
Operating System: Runs Windows 11.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6e support, two USB 4 ports, microSD card reader.
Despite not being a powerhouse in comparison with the original Legion Go, the Lenovo Legion Go S will actually be one of the few handhelds on the market to offer a 120Hz variable refresh rate screen, physically possible due the screen being with a 1920 x 1200 resolution.
The Legion Go S is expected to launch this month at a $499 price that includes 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage and with $100 more, you get 32GB RAM.
But wait… there’s more with SteamOS
A surprising note is that Lenovo and Valve are in a partnership which will bring a “Powered by SteamOs” variant of the Lenovo Go S with Valve adding:
With Lenovo’s announcement at CES 2025 of the Lenovo Legion Go S, we are pleased to share that their “Powered by SteamOS” model is the first handheld officially licensed to ship with Valve’s SteamOS. We built this operating system to provide a seamless user experience optimized for gaming, while retaining access to the power and flexibility of a PC. SteamOS is the same operating system we run on Steam Deck, and the team is making updates to ensure it fully supports the Lenovo Legion Go S and provides the same seamless experience customers expect.
In addition, the same work that we are doing to support the Lenovo Legion Go S will improve compatibility with other handhelds. Ahead of Legion Go S shipping, we will be shipping a beta of SteamOS which should improve the experience on other handhelds, and users can download and test this themselves. And of course we’ll continue adding support and improving the experience with future releases.
Despite sharing the same tech spec, the SteamOs variant of the Lenovo Go S will not lauch along the regular Windows 11 based device, but will do so by May at a $499 cost for a model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
About the Legion Go 2
Lenovo of course showed the Legion Go S as a proper “follow-up” for the Legion Go, but the true successor is officially in development and slated to be launch this very 2025.
Also, the company said that we should expect its specs to include the Ryzen Z2 Extreme with a 8.8-inch 144Hz OLED screen with VRR ready, and a big 74Wh battery.
Known to be one of the original gaming peripherals and PC gaming accessories even before PC gaming became a big thing it is today, Razer hasn’t been shy to use events like CES 2025 to not only announced official products and their follow-ups, but also concepts that might or not end being official products and this year wasn’t the exception.
The announcement about an official product is the Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop, which is thinner than ever at just 0.59 inches.
This model features AMD Ryzen AI processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs, along with a 240Hz display and needless to say that the Razer he Blade 16 is designed for gamers who demand high performance in a sleek, portable form factor.
Other announcement for an official product is the new Razer Aether Standing Light Bars feature Chroma RGB lighting and can be used to light up both the player and the surroundings. These lights are smart-home compatible and offer reversible front-and-back dual lighting.
And if you are considering the Aether, I guess it won’t hurt you consider the Razer Monitor Stand Chroma and have Aether to complement it, as it provides additional desk space and includes RGB lighting and multiple USB ports. It is designed to help gamers create a more ergonomic and organized workspace.
Finally, the Handheld Dock Chroma is a “6-in-1” docking station that transforms phones, tablets, or handheld gaming devices “into powerful gaming consoles” with 100W power passthrough support for charging.
The Handheld Dock Chroma uses a USB-C cable to connect supported devices, including Android phones and tablets, iPads and iPhones with USB-C ports, Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and Razer’s own Edge Android gaming handheld.
The 2025 Razer Blade 16 is due out in the first quarter of this year, while the Razer Aether Standing Light Bars is scheduled to be launch on Q1 2025 at a $99 MSRP, the Monitor Stand Chrome will be priced at $199 but no release date was chares and finally, the Handheld Dock Chroma will be the earliest product to be launch with a January 30th release date, targeting the S79.99 price.
And now… the concepts that are labeled as “Projects”
Project Arielle
Razer introduced Project Arielle, the world’s first mesh gaming chair with integrated heating and cooling using bladeless fan technology and Razer used its other chair, the Fujin Pro, as a base for the designing of Arielle.
One of the features of the chair is that it can reduce the perceived temperature by 2°C to 5°C and provide up to 30°C of warm air. This innovative chair aims to enhance comfort for gamers in various climates.
Project Ava
And finally, Razer showcased Project Ava, an AI-powered tech that serves as an esports coach. Ava provides real-time feedback and coaching to help players improve their skills and optimize their gaming setups for better performance.
This AI coach can also ensure that players are always up-to-date with hardware, software, and firmware updates.
While again, conceptual products showcased on CES 2025 by Razer might or not being launched as official products, this wasn’t the exception that Razer didn’t make promises and it is around from Spring to Summer that concepts evolving to future products are announced, so if you are interested, stay tuned!
Sony Pictures has revealed plans to adapt two of its popular video game franchises into feature films: Helldivers 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn. The announcements were made during Sony’s press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on January 7, 2025, which means that Playstation Productions will stop being AFK.
It was confirmed that works will begin for a Helldivers, Horizon Zero Dawn, both as movies and an anime adaptiation based on Ghost of Tsushima.
The Helldivers 2 movie will be produced by Sony Pictures. The game, developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, is a squad-based co-op shooter set in a dystopian sci-fi universe. Players take on the role of elite soldiers known as Helldivers, tasked with liberating planets across the galaxy from extraterrestrial threats.
The movie is expected to capture the game’s fast-paced, action-packed battles and dark humor.
The Horizon Zero Dawn movie will be a collaboration between Columbia Pictures and PlayStation Productions. The game, developed by Guerrilla Games, is an open-world action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by robotic creatures. The story follows Aloy, a young hunter seeking to uncover the mysteries of her past and the collapse of an advanced civilization. The film adaptation aims to bring Aloy’s journey and the game’s stunning visuals to the big screen.
While it was already suggeestd a few years ago that Playstation Productions was having Horizon on the pipeline, but it was rumored to be a series to be showcased on Netflix.
In addition to the film adaptations, Sony also announced an anime series based on Ghost of Tsushima. The series will be produced by Crunchyroll and Aniplex and is set to air in 2027. The anime will be inspired by both the game’s campaign and its multiplayer Legends mode, featuring a supernatural storyline.
This appears to be unrelated to the already announced Ghost Of Tsushima movie that has Chad Stahelski (John Wick movie series) as Director.
Other Announcements
Sony also revealed that the second season of The Last of Us TV series will premiere in April 2025 on HBO and Max. Additionally, a film adaptation of Until Dawn is scheduled to be released in theaters the same month and finally, a reminder that the second season of Twisted Metal TV Series is in production and it is expected that the season will introduce Calypso and the proper Twisted Metal event.
Another important business for Nvidia after GPU and AI, is it cloud gaming service GeForce Now and also as part of its CEs 2025 announcements, expect to see an increase on device that would not needs computing trick to have the service wokrs and have the official app or the native app.
With this, Nivida a native GeForce Now app for the Steam Deck, which will replace the previous workaround of streaming via Google Chrome.
This app will offer up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second with high dynamic range when connected to a TV. The native app will be available later this year, providing a much smoother and efficient gaming experience.
Also GeForce Now is expanding its support to include Apple Vision Pro spatial computers, Meta Quest 3 and 3S, and Pico mixed-reality devices. This expansion means that more users will be able to enjoy cloud gaming with NVIDIA’s advanced technologies, including ray tracing and NVIDIA DLSS.
Two highly anticipated games, “DOOM: The Dark Ages” and “Avowed,” will be available on GeForce Now when they launch on PC later in 2025. This addition will significantly enhance the library of over 2,100 supported titles.
Related to the back-end of GeForceNow, Nvidia announced that is launching its first GeForce RTX-powered data center in India. This initiative aims to make gaming more accessible around the world, especially in regions where high-performance gaming hardware may not be readily available.
Despite already announcing the Blackwell generation for GeForce RTX 50 in a previous announcement, Nvidia didn’t revealed when the edge nodes of GeForce Now will be based on the new generation of GPU like GeForce RTX 5080
The rumors are now over at Nvidia side and we are in the new generation of GeForce RTX with GeForce RTX 50 family and debuting are the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, GeForce RTX 5080, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and the GeForce RTX 5070 which were presented at Nvidia’s turn at the main stage of CES 2025.
Lets start with the GeForce RTX 5090 and this of course and for yet another generation without Blackwell architecture being a difference, the flagship.
The GeForce RTX 5090 includes 32GB of GDDR7, a memory bandwidth of 1,792GB/sec, and a massive 21,760 CUDA cores and the bad news is that the GPU card will consume up to 575 watts and Nvidia recommends using PSU with 1000 watts as minimum.
That’s 125 watts more than the RTX 4090, but Nvidia justifies it as precisely, the 5090 doubles its predecessor’s performance.
The GeForce RTX 5090 will have a Founder Edition or the reference that Nvidia sells directly to customer.
Next, the GeForce RTX 5080 which will be aimed directly to consumer 4K gaming resolution, include 16GB of GDDR7 memory, a memory bandwidth of 960GB/sec, and 10,752 CUDA cores. The RTX 5080 will have a total graphics power of 360 watts and Nvidia is recommending a 850-watt power supply.
As the situation for the 5090, Nvidia claims that it doubles the performance of GeForce RTX 4080 of 2022.
In my opinion, the surprise of the keynote was the announcement of both the GeForce RTX 5070 and the RTX 5070 Ti, normally a model serving as a refresher of the base model.
Nevertheless, the RTX 5070 has 12GB of GDDR7, a memory bandwidth of 672 GB/sec, and 6,144 CUDA cores and meanwhile, the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti includes 16GB of GDDR7 memory, a memory bandwidth of 896GB/s, and 8,960 CUDA cores.
Being already a repetitive claim, Nvidia says that both RTX 5070 and the Ti will be 2x faster than their respective predecessors and yes, lest talk about power consumption with the RTX 5070 Ti will have a total graphics power of 300 watts and require a 750-watt PSU, while the RTX 5070 has a total graphics power of 250 watts and only needs a 650-watt PSU.
All mentioned GPU cards will have a Founders Edition and expect Nvidia’s partner to have their own designs.
MSRP prices for the Founder editions goes as follow:
RTX GeForce 5090 – $1999
RTX GeForce 5080 – $999
RTX GeForce 5070 Ti – $759
RTX GeForce 5070 – $549
Nvidia confirmed a January 30th release for each individual Founders Edition, meanwhile partner’s variants availability were not immediately shared.
About the novelties of Blackwell architecture
The Blackwell architecture enabled Nvidia to have the hardware foundation for the next generation of it solution for AI based graphical upscaler, the DLSS 4, improving massively on ray tracing processing and Multi Frame Generation, which generates up to three additional frames per traditional frame and can multiply frame rates.
DLSS 4 also includes a real-time application of transformers to improve image quality, reduce ghosting, and add higher detail in motion a big differential with today’s AMD announcement on FSR 4, Nvidia opted to have DLSS 4 available for 2022’s Lovelace architecture.
Also, Nvidia demoed what they call RTX Neural Shaders, RTX Neural Faces, text to animation and starting with the first one, the job of the RTX Neural Shaders is to compress textures in games, while RTX Neural Faces aim to improve face quality using generative AI.
RTX 50 for gaming Laptops
Nvidia also confirmed that the mobile version of the RTX GeForce 50 family are coming this year for gaming laptop and includes the the RTX 5090 laptop GPU debuting with 24GB of GDDR7 memory. The RTX 5080 laptop GPU will ship with 16GB of GDDR7 memory, the RTX 5070 Ti with 12GB of GDDR7 memory, and the RTX 5070 with just 8GB of GDDR7 memory.
We should be hearing announcement soon and releases as early as March 2025.
