Gaming

PUBG shut down in China

Replaced by battle royale without violence

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Throughout the history of battle royale games, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has consistently kept its strong performance. Despite the numerous competitors, PUBG is still a reliable player in the industry. Much of the industry’s players are variations of the same tired formula. As such, PUBG’s simple system is one of the favorites.

Despite the game’s popularity, PUBG has fallen into disarray. Tencent, the game’s publisher, has reportedly shut down the game in China. Through Weibo, the publisher has declared the game’s end of testing. PUBG is officially gone.

Instead, Tencent has launched the more peaceful Game for Peace. The newly launched game shares the same mechanic as PUBG. However, it doesn’t feature violence at all. It doesn’t have blood or gore. When a player dies, they merely wave goodbye. Definitely, the game is an exercise in Chinese censorship.

Otherwise, Game for Peace is still a survival of the toughest. Dead players still leave loot boxes after death. “It’s almost exactly the same. The game play, the background, the graphic design and the characters, they’re almost the same,” Cui Chenyu, a Chinese games analyst said.

To more Western sensibilities, the game’s lack of violence is humorously surreal. However, the game is a sign of China’s patriotism. It “pays tribute to the blue sky warriors that guard [China’s] airspace,” Tencent said.

After the launch, Tencent expects “CNY 8 billion to CNY 10 billion in annual revenue.” Of course, a region-exclusive launch does not mean much. PUBG remains one of Steam’s top games. However, things might soon change if Game for Peace launches in other regions.

SEE ALSO: Another country is banning PUBG because it’s too addictive

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Gaming

The Switch 2 is getting more expensive this year

The price increases will start this month.

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May 11, 2026

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Gone are the days when consoles get cheaper as time goes by. These days, especially because of the RAM crisis, gaming consoles are getting more expensive. Joining this worrying trend, the Nintendo Switch 2 is getting a price hike.

Even upon launch, the Switch 2 was already pricier than its original counterpart. Currently, without the incoming price hikes, the console retails for US$ 449.99. It’s a lot but not completely out of reach.

Last week, Nintendo announced a price hike that might push the console to less than attainable levels. Starting May 25, the Switch 2 will cost JPY 59,980 (up from JPY 49,980) in Japan. The original generation is also getting a hike: JPY 47,980 for the Switch OLED, JPY 43,980 for the base Switch, and JPY 29,980 for the Switch Lite.

Abroad, you can expect price hikes on September 1. The Switch 2 will jump to US$ 499.99, CAN 679.99, or EUR 499.99, depending on where you live. These are the only official hikes announced right now, but Nintendo has confirmed that price revisions will be implemented in other regions, too.

As you might expect, the price increases are due to the ongoing RAM crisis. Though the console is an undeniable hit, the Switch 2 can’t hide behind its popularity against the price shortage dealt by unnecessary data centers. At the very least, users worldwide have time to grab the console in its original pricing before the hikes.

SEE ALSO: Switch 2 now lets you play old games in 1080p

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Gaming

Call of Duty drops the PlayStation 4 starting with its next game

Is this the beginning of the end for the PlayStation 4?

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May 8, 2026

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When can we declare that a console is officially dead? Is it as soon as the launch of the next generation? Is it when games no longer come out on the console? Recently, Call of Duty has confirmed that the next game will not be available anymore on the PlayStation 4, which presents an important question: Is the PlayStation 4 officially dead?

Call of Duty is one of the most persistent gaming franchises today. The last entry, Black Ops 7, is still available for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Both consoles were launched over twelve years ago. (If that doesn’t make you old, the current generation was launched almost six years ago.)

As such, the franchise is one of the last stalwarts keeping the past generation alive. This week, Call of Duty, via a post on X, confirmed that the next game will not arrive on the PlayStation 4. Presumably, this also means the Xbox One.

Currently, we don’t have details about the upcoming game yet. But a new entry is confirmed to arrive later this year.

With the departure of the Call of Duty franchise, it’s fair to ask what will become of the old generation moving forward. Over the years, developers have started shying away from the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Since the franchise still maintains a steady fan base today, a lot of PlayStation 4 users might be forced to make an upgrade to play the latest entry.

SEE ALSO: PC Game Pass gets cheaper, but Call of Duty delays are coming

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Gaming

Stranger Than Heaven is a Yakuza prequel with Snoop Dogg

The story spans different eras and regions across half a century in Japan.

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May 7, 2026

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In my review of Yakuza Kiwami 3, I groaned about how every new entry in the Yakuza and Like a Dragon franchise — original and remake — looked identical with each other. I ended that playthrough hoping desperately for a new era. Thankfully, those hopes did not fall on deaf ears. In its first trailer, the upcoming Stranger Than Heaven showed off an interesting reimagining of the Yakuza universe. Oh, and Snoop Dogg is in it.

First announced back in late 2024 as Project Century, Stranger Than Heaven has now confirmed itself as a prequel to the prequel to the Yakuza games. It didn’t start that way, though. When it was announced, there was hope that the then-untitled game featured a new story disconnected from Yakuza. It looks like the final game is making the best of both worlds.

Stranger Than Heaven chronicles the rise of the infamous Tojo Clan. Unless this is decidedly different from the Tojo Clan in the Yakuza series, this is the clearest sign that this is, in fact, a prequel.

Makoto Daito, a Japanese boy living in Chicago, escapes America to forge a new life in Japan. Along the way, he meets Orpheus, a smuggler played by Snoop Dogg, who drags Makoto into the criminal underworld. Eventually, Makoto decides to do things his own way by creating a new crime family called the Tojo Clan.

Unlike other games in the series, Stranger Than Heaven spans different eras and regions in Japan, starting with Fukuoka in 1915 and ending with Kamurocho in 1965. It will also have different fighting mechanics by mapping the left and right bumpers/triggers to left and right attacks.

Off the bat, Stranger Than Heaven looks like a new era for the series. It launches winter this year for all major platforms.

SEE ALSO: Now Playing: Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties

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