Gamereactor UK

Bus 666 is once again running all the way to Hel

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:51:17 +0200

For a long time, bus route 666 ran to the Polish seaside resort of Hel, often referred to colloquially as the "Highway to Hel," but religious groups were not particularly fond of the name, which was therefore changed to 669 in 2023 after years of pressure. Now, however, the BBC reports that the bus route is back.

The original route was operated by PKS Gdynia (local transport), while the newly reopened route is instead operated by the company FlixBus. The Highway to Hel runs from Kraków all the way to Hel, a journey that takes a total of 13 hours. In a statement to Polish TVN24, a representative for FlixBus said:

"The number 666 was deliberately chosen as a marketing communication element, intended to increase the visibility of the connection on the popular holiday route to Hel."

If you have a vacation in Poland planned, you can now combine it with sun and warmth in Hel, and to get there, you should hop on bus 666.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZCxfcaDHi5/

New EU requirements will make it easier to inspect electric vehicle batteries

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:46:42 +0200

When electric cars first began to gain widespread popularity, there were often issues with batteries that had a short lifespan, and many people worried about having to replace these expensive components. In modern electric cars, this problem is nowhere near as significant, and tests show that batteries last much longer than people think, but the EU wants everyone who buys an electric car to know what they're getting and feel confident about their purchase.

Therefore, a battery passport will be required starting February 18, 2027, for both pure electric vehicles and hybrids, which will make it easy to review both the battery's lifespan and its performance. The idea is that the battery's quality will be clearly stated as a percentage, so that even those without technical expertise can make comparisons.

Cars already on our roads will not be affected, but for all battery-powered cars, this requirement will take effect starting November 29 of this year (even though the passport itself will be introduced a few months later).

Sales for Gabriel Magalhães' Arsenal jersey skyrocket after missing key penalty in Champions League final

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:27:16 +0200

Gabriel Magalhães missed the final penalty in the shootout at the end of the PSG vs. Arsenal Champions League final, but despite the painful moment, Arsenal fans have shown their support to the defender in a very telling way: buying his jersey. According to The Athletic, sales for Arsenal shirts with Gabriel's name and his No. 6 on his back increased by 350% in the two days following the match.

In the hours after the match, Gabriel's name was the most popular in Arsenal shirt sales over the weekend, and at one point it was even double that of any other name in the squad. And in Sunday's victory parade, where Arsenal celebrated its Premier League title, Gabriel's shirts and scarves were also among the most popular wore by fans.

Right after missing the penalty, his rival at PSG but Brazilian teammate Marquinhos went straight to embrace and comfort him, knowing what it feels like to be the last one responsible for a team's defeat. "Gabriel has played an amazing season for Arsenal, proved he is one of the best defenders in the world and shown everyone he's a great player. He did not deserve to have all that weight, of that moment of defeat, on his shoulders. And in Brazil, we need him for the World Cup", said PSG's captain.

Expect a new Yooka-Laylee title to be revealed this week

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:19:00 +0200

It's going to be a week packed with announcements, kicking off late tomorrow when Sony launches its biggest gaming event of the year, followed by Summer Game Fest on Friday and the Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday. There are also several smaller shows where a number of surprises are expected.

One studio that clearly has something in the works is Playtonic, the British studio that launched Yooka-Replaylee last year. Through three posts on Bluesky, they are now openly hinting that something is in the works related to Yooka-Laylee, and one of the posts in particular seems to quite clearly indicate that it is some kind of racing game.

https://bsky.app/profile/playtonicgames.com/post/3mna562573x2j

Given the colourful characters and the lighter tone, one can surmise that it's a kart game of some sort. 2025 was an incredibly strong year for kart games thanks to Mario Kart World and Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, but titles like Garfield Kart 2 - All You Can Drift and Kirby Air Riders were also released, along with a few smaller ones.

Whether there's room for a kart game based on Yooka-Laylee remains to be seen but there's a good chance we'll get our first closer look at it soon.

https://bsky.app/profile/playtonicgames.com/post/3mmyoddaez22o

Malaysia bans social media for children under 16

marcus@gamereactor.eu (Marcus Persson) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:14:28 +0200

Like many other countries around the world, Malaysia has now had enough of social media and its negative impact on children, and is introducing a blanket ban to prevent people under the age of 16 from using or creating accounts on these platforms.

The new rules are justified by the need to protect young people from bullying and reduce their exposure to so-called harmful or misleading content. The platforms covered by the ban include Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, where the companies that own these services must implement age verification systems.

Companies that do not comply with the new rules risk fines of up to 10 million Malaysian ringgit. The country thus joins a growing group of nations seeking to limit children's access to social media while increasing their safety online.

Andrés Iniesta gets his first job as coach at Gulf United FC in Dubai

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:06:44 +0200

Former Spanish midfielder Andrés Iniesta, club legend for FC Barcelona where he played between 2002 and 2018, and for the Spanish national team, scorer of the goal in the 2010 final against the Netherlands, has been appointed head coach for the Emirati club Gulf United FC. This young club, founded in 2019, plays in second tier of the United Arab Emirates football league, the UAE First Division League (second to the UAE Pro-League), but has achieved back-to-back promotions from fourth and third divisions in 2022 and 2023.

https://x.com/GulfUnitedFC/status/2061432717984842236

Iniesta described this role as "an important step in continuing my development as a coach and putting my experience into practice at a professional club that truly believes in young talent". The team has the youngest squad of the division and is known for nurturing young talents.

Iniesta, who already lived in Dubai, recently achieved the A Licence for managers, and working at Gulf United will help him get his Pro Licence, the first step for his coaching aspirations. "Football has given me everything, and now I want to give something back through coaching, through learning, and through working every day with young players who have the hunger and the talent to go far.

"I believe in developing footballers the right way: with patience, with a clear idea of how the game should be played, and with genuine care for each individual. Gulf United shares that philosophy, and that is why I am here."

https://x.com/andresiniesta8/status/2061442217701458204

Iniesta retired from football in October 2024, and played his final season at Emirates Club, which was relegated during the year he played. Gulf United is Iniesta's first club as head coach. He was previously offered a key role in Morocco as sporting director, according to some reports, and he was also the co-founder of the cycling team NSN Cycling, built from the remnants of the Israeli Premier Tech team.

Serena Williams officially returning to professional tennis this month

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:39:16 +0200

Serena Williams is officially back as an active player. A video posted on social media revealed her much rumoured comeback, with the confirmation that she has received a wildcard for Queen's Club later this month, making it her first tournament in almost four years.

Serena Williams, 44 years old, will participate in the women's doubles competition, and it is expected that her partner will be the Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, one of the breakthroughs last year, only 19 years old.

https://x.com/serenawilliams/status/2061447936563638388

The younger of the Williams' sisters retired from tennis at the 2022 US Open, and has previously denied she was coming back despite evidence pointing to her comeback dating back from February, when she was included in the list of active players by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

"Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter", Williams said. "Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career and I'm excited to be back competing on one of the sport's most iconic stages." Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam titles, only one less than Margaret Court, who holds the record for most Grand Slams on of all-time.

Her older sister Venus Williams (45) last played at the Madrid Open on April and was scheduled for Roland Garros doubles until her partner Hailey Baptiste suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury. With both active again, it remains to be seen if they will team up again for doubles action: they won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together and three gold medals.

Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor return to a land before time in latest look at The End of Oak Street

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:35:00 +0200

This summer is chock-full of epic blockbuster films and this certainly isn't slowing down as we head into August, as Warner Bros. will be using the month as the place to premiere The End of Oak Street.

This is an action-packed film that follows a family as they adjust to a situation where they discover their neighborhood has been transported back in time to the prehistoric era all following a cosmic event ripping their slice of suburban heaven from its usual place in the timeline.

With a stacked cast headlined by Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, this flick is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, with J.J. Abrams attached as a producer. Set to premiere on August 14, you can see a new trailer for The End of Oak Street below, as well as its official synopsis.

"After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings."

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales will take around 30 hours to complete

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:07:00 +0200

Square Enix has been offering all kinds of HD-2D games as of late and one area these games all seem to share a similarity is in their rather massive scale. These are RPGs that take tens and tens of hours to overcome just the storyline, with even more playtime available for those that want to see everything they have to offer.

With this being said, you might be curious about how the upcoming The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales stacks up and how much time you should be putting aside this summer to roll credits on the game? If so, we recently interviewed game director Shota Fukebara, where we asked about the length of the game and how it compares to Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler in this regard.

"I'd say it takes about 30 hours for a standard playthrough, and around 50 hours if you really dive in and explore every inch of the map across all the Era's. Throughout the maps and Era's there are plenty of optional activities, and as you unlock more of Faie's magic, you'll gain access to new mini games, so the total playtime ultimately depends on the player and how adventurous you are feeling.

"Our story takes place across multiple eras within the world of Philabieldia. As such, the setting is confined to the continent of Philabieldia, but this allows us to explore four distinct eras in depth, delivering a rich narrative that conveys a strong sense of scale and history. As a result, it may be difficult to make a direct comparison."

So needless to say, you'll be spending quite a lot of time in Philabieldia when The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales launches on June 18 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2. You can read the full interview with Fukebara here and get a taste of the game today, as a demo is available that offers hours and hours of content with progress able to be transferred to the full game come launch.

We speak to the sole developer behind the Alan Wake-esque game The Pines

magnus@gamereactor.eu (Magnus Groth-Andersen) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0200

It can be incredibly difficult to keep up with the barrage of game titles that are both announced and released on an almost daily basis. Modern development tools are readily available and easier to use than ever before, which is why more people than ever are keen to tell unique stories through unique gameplay systems.

Today we're spotlighting a game that, amidst the deluge of game announcements, still managed to catch our attention. The Pines comes from Dutch team Studio Abattoir, but more specifically, it's being developed by just one man, Kevin Jochems, and although he has plenty of experience in the film industry, this is his first game.

In The Pines, you play as Walker, who is sent to a remote therapeutic clinic to heal, but which quickly turns into a nightmare. What follows is what Jochems describes as a "proper RPG" with gear, skill trees, and dialogue choices that shape the landscape and the inhabitants of this small Twin Peaks-esque village community.

We spoke to the sole developer about the game and you can see the full interview below.

Gamereactor: Most people were very surprised by the production values in this trailer, and we certainly thought: "Where on earth did this come from?2

Jochems: "So it's just that I want to be immersed in a world, and I feel that if I went with an easier style, the world wouldn't be as interesting - at least for the story I'm trying to tell."

Gamereactor: The production values are certainly sky-high, no doubt about it. But perhaps more interesting is the level of ambition here. Can you tell us a bit about what sort of game we're dealing with here? And how did you arrive at this particular framework?

Jochems: "Pines is an RPG. I really want the player to become the Edward Walker they want to become. But very early in development, when I was still trying to understand the story, I toyed with the idea of an open-world game that was seriously dark. You have a character, and he's in a town, and he has to keep it secret that he is... well, that he is a serial killer - but that was really hard to pull off. So it evolved into this, but the RPG freedom is still there. The player can be a good detective, they can be more of a bad detective, but they can also be a complete psychopath."

Gamereactor: So what traditional RPG structures can be found here? You talk a lot about freedom, but how does that manifest itself? Do you shape your own narrative?

Jochems: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. For instance, there's a rumour in the game where you can explore a pig farm. This is what I would call 'side content', and for that encounter alone there are four different outcomes. And one of the outcomes is that it triggers the 'Stalker System', so to speak."

Selve byen lader til at være åben.

Gamereactor: Okay, so specific ways for the player to shape the narrative, check. How does that fit in with the open world? How much freedom does the player have, structurally speaking?

Jochems: "It's really open. The game begins with Edward Walker having a conversation with his therapist, which is also in the trailer. But it's also one of the early moments where players can make choices, like in Fallout 3 where you have the exam at the start. It's not entirely like that, but it's also a moment where you create your character. And you have a conversation with your therapist where they ask you questions, and your answers will influence what kind of character you are in the game.

"From there you go to Pines. And Pines isn't a massive world, but it's quite big - especially for a solo developer - to fill with content. And the game begins at the retreat, which serves as the 'normal stuff'. And at some point in the story, the gates in the town open, and then you have the area around the forest. And it's open to explore."

Gamereactor: This is really starting to sound like an open-world RPG. So let's take it to the absolute extreme - is there loot? Do you have an inventory?

Jochems: "Yeah, you have different weapons, clothes, and sets, all with different stats."

Gamereactor: So an RPG with a semi-open world, loot, dialogue choices - this is starting to sound massive. Could you perhaps elaborate a bit on this setting? Most people seem to be pointing to games like Alan Wake and stories like Twin Peaks.

Jochems:"Actually, it's not that it's derivative of Twin Peaks - it's just that it seems like a great framework: someone arrives in an unfamiliar, mysterious place and learns about all these intrigues alongside both the viewer and the player. It's such a good way to frame a narrative, right? It's just a classic 'fish out of water' story.

"I think in the world. And of course it's been done—maybe also BioShock—it's also a fish-out-of-water story. But the tone feels unique to me. For example, some of the small dialogue sequences in the trailer with the people in the house. Or a woman sitting in front of the door. It's a sinister mood that feels very new to me. I can't quite remember it being presented like this elsewhere. A big influence has been Alan Wake, and also the town. I remember in Alan Wake 1 I just walked around to find the little radio things and so on. So Alan Wake is a big influence. I think what's unique is the mix between genres: a real RPG with skills and... and horror."

Et stort fokus lader til at være de her efterforskninger, som du selv kan følge til dørs.

Gamereactor: When you describe it, it sounds like a massive project. Are you doing it all on your own?

Jochems: "Yeah - and what you said at the start, "where does this come from", that's really been me for three years in my basement just thinking about the game. And tonight before I made the trailer, I said to my girlfriend: "hopefully someone will even notice it", because I've put a lot of time into it. And I thought if only two people thought it could be fun, then maybe it wasn't worth it. But that ended up not being the case."

Gamereactor: If we go back to Twin Peaks as another example: if there's one thing I think many people associate with Twin Peaks, it's this very honest mix of elements - elements that are dramatic, scenes that are funny, and moments that are moving. It feels as though there's a beauty in the horror and the mystery. Is that what you're aiming for?

Jochems: "Yeah, absolutely. I've always made short films, and they were quite dark and humorous. I have to hold myself back so I don't go too far with humour, because it's also horror—so I don't want to undermine the horror. I really want to keep them separate."

Der er rigeligt at udforske, og efterforske.

Gamereactor: Are you going for a 'hard-hitting horror', or is it more of a simmering atmosphere?

Jochems: "There are definitely moments where you'll be scared, for sure, but in terms of the nature of the atmosphere, there won't be many cheap jump scares.

"So let's say you did a quest and you did it wrong or right, whatever - but then that man from the meeting becomes a stalker, and he's gone from the meeting point, and you know he's after you through the forest. And then it gets dark. You hear footsteps behind you. So, yeah - that's where the horror really lives, I think."

Gamereactor: So you've been tinkering with it for several years all on your own, and have now shown it to the world. Can you tell us a bit about how you intend to launch it? What's your strategy?

Jochems: "As of now, I won't do any early access. It will definitely have closed playtests but I would like to launch it as finished as possible. You pay once and you get the complete package. I also really like the things CDPR or Hello Games do for example with free content updates."

Gamereactor: So what if a platform owner reached out to you? Would you be interested in the support, even if you had to relinquish some control?

Jochems: "I am in talks with publishers but that's all very early. I don't think I would like to give up creative control on the game. Although I am certainly open to new ideas if they make the game better. But i'm not rushing any decisions at this point. But yes, support is certainly welcome if it helps me make the game better.

"I could do with a bit of help, because I'm very new to making games. I've only played games my whole life; I've never made one, so I'm really new to it. But I don't think I need help to finish the game. I think I spent two years building the systems: a good inventory system, a combat system, all those kinds of things - dialogue, quest system - and now I can produce content pretty quickly. Yeah, so I make something, I test it, I ask a friend to come and test it, and they say this sucks, and then I take it out. Pretty simple."

Du har også mulighed for at infiltrere lokationer, der ikke ellers ville byde dig velkommen.

Gamereactor: Now that you're sitting here working on it over these long periods of time, what's your view on AI tools in game development? Is it something you've tried out? Are there strengths and weaknesses? Where are you with that in your process?

Jochems: "The only things I use AI for are learning and some testing. So if I - let's say I need to figure out how to model clothes? How can I rig it to a character? And then I ask AI to do a bit of research on that, and then AI finds all the links, and then I can watch the tutorials and see how everything works. So it's like a knowledge bank. It's mostly that I don't have to search for four hours to find what I'm looking for.

"In terms of generative AI, I don't really think about it. I think people can always tell. Personally, if I get an email from someone, I can immediately tell whether it's AI or not. So I think: "OK, why didn't you take the time to write me an email?"

"But then there's testing. When it comes to dialogue, having AI read my script aloud to me provides me with critical feedback. When something is read out loud, the tone is completely different. That's really the extent of it."

Gamereactor: So how long can we expect the game to last once it's finally finished?

Jochems: "It really depends on the player, of course. Because I still come up with fun ideas, and I think it could be a fun side story the player can do. I hope the main story is around eight hours, maybe? And, yeah, plus 20 hours of side stuff? Yeah, sure. I think maybe 25-30 hours if you do most of everything."

The Pines thus appears to be a unique, exciting and endlessly ambitious game project, and we can't wait to follow it all the way to launch.

ROG Xbox Ally with OLED screen announced

jonas@gamereactor.eu (Jonas Mäki) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:36:00 +0200

One of the absolute top-tier portable PCs is the ROG Xbox Ally X, which was released last autumn and can essentially be considered a portable Xbox. One of the few complaints, however, has been that the device lacks an OLED screen, likely to keep costs down.

But now, Asus and Microsoft has announced an updated model that offers just that. The device is called the ROG Xbox Ally X20, with the number in the title reflecting the fact that it's being released just in time for the company's 20th anniversary. In addition to the OLED screen (which is 12 percent larger at 7.4 inches), it also comes with ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 AR glasses.

The device has a slightly more luxurious design with a transparent chassis, gold accents, and a more stylish Xbox button, although the specs are unchanged. The price and release date are still unknown, but we're guessing we'll hear more during either the Summer Game Fest or the Xbox Games Showcase on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZCgSJiiQ0R/

Artist Liam Sharp talks about how Wonder Woman inspires generations and "will continue to do that"

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:15:00 +0200

While much of the conversation surrounding the world of DC often is levied at Superman and Batman these days, Wonder Woman is still one of the most important and impactful characters the comic world has to offer, not just because how she acts the third part of the trifecta of DC's leading figures, but because the character resonates with minority groups all over the world for her open stance on sexuality.

To this end, during our recent trip to Comicon Napoli, we had the luxury of speaking with artist Liam Sharp, all to pick his mind about his time creating Wonder Woman stories alongside writer Greg Rucka as part of the Rebirth series.

"Wonder Woman was fascinating for me, in that what I realised drawing her, was that of every character I've ever drawn, she's the one that touches people the most. So she has direct, lasting influence on people. At the time I was drawing her, we lived in America, and when I toured around America doing conventions, I would have people who were from... the LGBTQ community, who maybe lived in areas that were very hardcore Christian and not open to the whole spectrum of human sexuality. They would find themselves oppressed or kicked out or ostracised from their whole families and their whole communities. Sometimes the only thing that kept them alive, madly, was Wonder Woman. Well, understandably now. I understand it, but I didn't know that before. How strong and powerful she was as a sort of gay icon and a trans icon, and how much that character gave strength to people who felt alienated.

"So that was, I think that's fundamental to her, I think when Greg Rucka came out, and said no she's a queer character that was a big statement. It should be obvious, she's from the world of Amazons. Anyone who has this notion that they were waiting around for 2000 years for men to come along and save them from themselves is, I think, missing the point of those characters. I think that there was, deeply embedded in that, something pretty profound that people who needed an example, needed a heroic example, they could derive it from them."

Sharp also went on to explain that Conan the Barbarian acted similarly for him during his youth, as the character gave him strength and allowed him to grow and blossom as a person, an experience he attributes to comics as a whole and how are more than just an entertainment medium.

"I think comics have that power and it's really important that people realise that because I think that gets missed sometimes. It's not just entertainment. Characters live with us for our whole lives and affect us and continue to affect us, and continue to inspire us, and I think Wonder Woman will continue to do that, and right now it's probably more important than ever."

You can see the full interview with Sharp below, where we also touch upon Batman: Reptilian, Green Lantern, Starhenge, and more.

Meta seems to be working on an AI pendant and more smart glasses

markus@gamereactor.eu (Markus Hirsilä) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Meta is reportedly developing an AI pendant and will start testing it over the coming year, according to The Information, and reported by Engadget. There are also up to four more models of smart glasses coming before the end of this year.

Meta purchased Limitless in 2025, and Limitless was the maker of an AI device called "Pendant". This was a clip-on Bluetooth microphone that listens and records everything you say or hear throughout the day, and it can provide summaries, transcripts and a searchable database of conversations and things you record for yourself.

Meta is also planning to expand its AI glasses selection by launching a business-focused subscription service called "Wearables for Work". Smart glasses offerings are expanding beyond its collaborations with Ray-Ban and Oakley, because Meta is debuting a new pair of smart glasses codenamed "Modelo" in June. During this autumn, we are getting "Luna" and "RBM2 Refresh". The fourth pair is coming in December, and that is called "Mojito VIP".

Meta is reportedly testing models named "Artemis" and "SSG" for future smart glasses releases.

King president on if the Microsoft acquisition has brought about any changes

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:48:00 +0200

Todd Green, King's current president, has seen the mobile games giant through a lot of different phases. When he joined, it was a private company, which then went public. In 2016, it was bought by Activision, and then a couple of years back, officially joined the Microsoft family. At the time of the Activision Blizzard acquisition, a lot of people talked about World of Warcraft or Call of Duty being great buys, but with 200 million players a month at its fingertips, getting King could have been the biggest win for Microsoft.

Speaking with Gamereactor, Green explained that even if the leadership of King changes at times, the philosophy a the company remains the same, and it's to make great games. "We're continuing to contribute the best we can to the Xbox group. What King offers uniquely or very unusually, massive scale, 200 million players a month is a huge addition to Xbox's reach. We have the expertise, the kind of mobile mastery that we've developed over many, many years," Green said.

"We're totally obsessed with quality. And those things are foundations for the company that have lasted a very long time, and I believe will last for a very long time in the future. So, long story short, yes, we've changed ownership. Yes, some things are different on the top level. But in practice, the company continues to evolve on this firm foundation of stable values, stable practices, stable philosophy," Green explained.

Green highlighted the fact that around 50% of gaming revenue comes from the mobile space, which gives King and its employees "tremendous potential." Still, even with a firm grasp on the mobile space, there are things Green wants to learn from a major legacy company like Microsoft, and he's very excited about the directions King will head with it. He especially gave a nod to the new CEO Asha Sharma, which you can hear about in the full interview below:

US political commentators barred from UK visit

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:17:00 +0200

US political commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur have been barred from entering the UK, allegedly for the pair's criticisms of Israel. Both Uygur and Piker are known for their strong views on the state and other political matters, and they have each claimed they've had their visas revoked ahead of a visit to the UK's capital.

Uygur posted that he was set to appear at SXSW London, which is set to start this week. "I've been banned from the UK. I tried to get on a flight to London to attend SXSW London and give a speech at Oxford. I've been banned for criticizing Israel. Are we free anymore? This is oppression of Western citizens by our own governments on behalf of a different country!" Uygur wrote on Twitter/X (via TheGuardian).

Replying to Uygur's tweet, Piker said: "The UK has revoked my visa as well. all at the behest of Israel. the west is betraying "liberal values" for a genocidal fascist foreign government. soon we will all become Israel."

https://x.com/hasanthehun/status/2061206542205198701

Uygur was also set to lead a talk at the Oxford Union, which will no longer be taking place. While this decision has been met with some cheers from Piker and Uygur's opponents in the political sphere, it seems that ideas of free speech have been trod on, which likely isn't a positive no matter what side you're on.

KSI is leaving the Sidemen after 13 years with the group

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:06:00 +0200

In a rather surprising turn of events, the Sidemen group has revealed that Olajide Olayinka Williams "JJ" Olatunji, known best by his influencer handle of KSI, is set to leave the organisation and explore opportunities elsewhere.

As confirmed in a statement on social media, we're told: "We're sad to share the news that JJ has decided not to continue as part of the Sidemen.

"We had an amazing time on this journey with him and we wish him all the best with his future endeavours.

"This doesn't change anything for the rest of us.

"We're still committed to creating the best content, events and shows that we can for you all.

"This came as a surprise to us and we know it will be an adjustment for you, but we've got lots of exciting stuff planned that we can't wait to share."

https://x.com/Sidemen/status/2061107967059955713

BBC News has confirmed this to be official and not just a stunt from the group, while KSI has published a video wherein he regards the situation as "honestly the hardest video I've ever had to make."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThypOdNNbao

Are you surprised by this development?

Clarkson's Farm: Season 5

magnus@gamereactor.eu (Magnus Groth-Andersen) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

You might think that the pedestal we're putting Clarkson's Farm on is undeserved. Perhaps you simply can't stand Jeremy Clarkson's persona, and for the rather obvious reason that you're completely turned off by a programme that's so tied up with who he is, what he thinks, and how he behaves around other people.

I'll admit that my connection to the programme is somewhat personal, and funnily enough, it exists relatively independently of my opinion of his time as a Top Gear and The Grand Tour presenter. I happened to watch it with my partner in the summer of 2021 on a laptop in our bed, whilst our little son, just one year old, had finally started sleeping regularly, and ever since then, new seasons every single summer have marked the passing of time, an opportunity to pause and say; "goodness, is it Clarkson's Farm time again"?

The connection runs deeper than that. Just as many have probably experienced before with reality documentaries, where something is built up and maintained, you become invested in the welfare of these people, and you start to feel a strange, comradely bond with them, because the insight into their lives, their comings and goings, and the crises that add spice to life, ends up being far more powerful than you might think.

Clarkson's Farm is a silly programme about a former TV presenter who suddenly realises that what he really wants to spend the rest of his life doing is growing crops, looking after animals, and enriching the surrounding village life (both culturally, but of course also economically). It's not just about Clarkson himself, but about the people who help him, and even here in the fifth series, the return is welcome, mostly because the passage of time hasn't fundamentally changed the programme's premise, or the way it's constructed.

Yes, Clarkson tries out self-driving tractors, farmers from all over England protest in London against new tax measures that will cost them dearly, and his relatively new pub runs into all sorts of problems. New, different things are happening, but the concept, the framework, remains unchanged. What we, once again, are allowed to do is sit like a fly on the wall whilst silly people try to do the best they can and maintain a semi-large English country house - that's it.

That's actually a compliment. I've written before that this premise seems, in a way, inexhaustible, because I'm so instinctively invested in how things turn out. Both myself, my better half, and even friends have been glued to the screen to see how Clarkson deals with a new disease among English sheep called "Bluetongue", or whether the pub's driveway has been badly hit by a storm. It sounds trivial, it is trivial, but it feels endlessly entertaining and meaningful.

At one point, The Corrs play a gig at Clarkson's pub, and my girlfriend said, surprised, that she felt moved by it. It's absolutely mad, and we laughed out loud at it, but that's what Clarkson's Farm, for some inexplicable reason, manages to do, and even now, after five seasons, I don't quite understand myself why the show has the power it does.

There are minor changes to the show's format, though. Clarkson and his assistant Kaleb pop over to the Netherlands to investigate whether farming can become more efficient and more sustainable in the future, and here the show shifts from its traditional framework to something of a commentary on the many struggles of the agricultural sector. It remains, however, anchored in their rather lovely personal dynamic, and is therefore entertaining regardless of context. As for whether it's actually genuine, well, that's the big question, and Clarkson's programmes have always presented themselves as authentic, even though heavy editing and staging lurk in the background. But then again; "if it ain't broke"... right?

There are minor issues here and there. Certain aspects no longer feel quite as authentic as they used to, and Clarkson's Farm may end up losing its authenticity as time goes on. It's no longer credible that Kaleb doesn't like travelling outside Chipping Norton when we know he has been on a national stand-up tour, for example. But then again, I have to say that Clarkson's Farm is brilliantly put together from start-to-finish, and I'm looking forward to seeing how my girlfriend and I've aged when season 6 comes out in a year's time - that is, if Clarkson himself fancies doing more.

Davide Ancelotti hired by Lille as head coach until 2028, first job as head coach in Europe

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:42:22 +0200

Davide Ancelotti, the 36-year-old son of Carlo Ancelotti, is making his debut in Europe as a manager without his father, and has just been appointed as Lille manager for two seasons. He succeeds Bruno Génésio, who left after completing his two-year contract, taking the team to third place in Ligue 1 and qualifying for Champions League.

"I am very proud and happy, and I thank President Olivier Létang for his trust and for this opportunity. We talked a lot, and I found a real connection, with shared ideas and values", said Ancelotti. "The LOSC project is a perfect fit for me, with its clear identity, high standards, and commitment to hard work. It's a serious, ambitious, competitive club that regularly competes in European competitions."

Davide started working as physical trainer for Paris Saint-Germain when it was coached by Carlo (2011-2013) and then followed his father's coaching staff at Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid, and currently works as assistant coach for the Brazil national team, alongside his father. After World Cup, Davide will move to Lille for his debut as a head coach in Europa, and only his second gig as head manager of a team after working at Botafogo between July and December 2025.

United Kingdom, Australia, and United States to develop underwater drones in new defence pact

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:40:00 +0200

There is a huge amount of infrastructure that lies at the bottom of the ocean, be these submerged cables or underwater pipelines, which connect and fuel nations around the world. As more and more realise how important these are becoming, the threat level against them has been elevating, which is why the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States have come together to form a defence pact to create underwater drones to help defend these important pieces of infrastructure.

The AUKUS nations (Australia-UK-US) have agreed upon this deal after meeting in Singapore on May 30, with plans to accelerate the development of such cutting-edge technology to help defend important locations in oceans and seas around the world, as per Sky News.

The deal will also see Australia acquiring a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines that will be tasked with patrolling the Pacific Ocean in a bid to counter and slow China's expansion into the area. The agreement will also see the trio collaborating on quantum computing, undersea, hypersonic, AI, and cyber technologies too.

Speaking about the deal, US Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth stated: "The signature project will deliver a suite of highly adaptable multi-mission UUV (uncrewed underwater vehicle) payloads designed to support undersea operations and maintain our collective advantage in the maritime domain."

The AUKUS collaboration was founded in 2021 in a bid to counter China's expansion, with the Asian nation regarding the pact as dangerous and capable of causing an arms race.

Surface Laptop Ultra is the first laptop to feature Nvidia RTX Spark

marcus@gamereactor.eu (Marcus Persson) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:28:53 +0200

A few days ago, both Microsoft and Nvidia began simultaneously hinting on social media that something "big" related to hardware was in the works. That something has now finally been revealed in the form of the Surface Laptop Ultra. A sleek little device that also becomes the first to feature Nvidia's new ARM-based RTX Spark.

The Surface Laptop Ultra is equipped with a 15-inch mini-LED display with a resolution of 262 pixels per inch and a peak brightness of a whopping 2,000 nits, something Microsoft itself describes as the brightest Surface display ever. The laptop will also come equipped with a haptic touchpad (finally!).

The RTX Spark is based on Nvidia's Blackwell architecture and can be configured with up to 20 CPU cores, 6,144 GPU cores, and 128 GB of unified memory. It's also claimed that the chip is powerful enough to deliver a petaflop of graphics and AI performance, on par with certain laptops equipped with an RTX 5070.

No price has been revealed yet, but given the current market conditions and the performance and build quality that the Surface Laptop Ultra appears to be aiming for, we should probably expect a rather hefty price tag.

However, Microsoft isn't the only one experimenting with the new RTX Spark platform, and several other manufacturers are expected to unveil their own laptops this year featuring Nvidia's new chip under the hood, including ASUS, Dell, HP, and MSI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1Oj792qc80

FIFA sells World Cup broadcast rights to India a week before competition starts

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:19:18 +0200

Barely a week before the start of World Cup 2026, FIFA has finally secured the broadcast rights in India, in a package that includes World Cup 2030, Women's World Cup 2027 and other competitions until 2034 (but not including men's World Cup 2034). FIFA reached an agreement with Zee Entertainment Enterprises, or simply 'Z'.

In total, 39 FIFA events between 2026 and 2034, including U-17 and U-20 men's and women's competitions, the Futsal World Cups and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, that will be seen in Z's linear TV channels (United8 Sports) and its digital platform Zee 5. "The Indian market is of strategic importance for FIFA as it displays immense potential driven by a young and passionate audience", said FIFA's Chief Business Officer, Romy Gai in a statement.

It was revealed weeks ago that FIFA had failed to secure broadcast rights for World Cup 2026 in China and India, despite their huge football fanbases, because of a combination of factors (the lack of their football teams and timetable of matches played in North America in Asia). In the end, FIFA sold the broadcast rights to China Media Group, parent of China's national broadcaster, for a reported number of only $60 million, with FIFA originally asking $300 million.

India was one of the largest markets for World Cup 2022, with 83.3 million viewers on TV, ahead of Germany, France, or United Kingdom (a list topped by China with 509.8 million viewers, twice as the Middle East (288.2 millions) and more than Brazil, Indonesia, United States, and Japan combined, according to Al Jazeera.

BioWare veteran reveals money-making strategy video games should steal from movies

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:17:00 +0200

BioWare veteran Mark Darrah, who worked heavily with the Dragon Age series, believes that to avoid all AAA games soon becoming live-service, developers and publishers should steal a money-making idea from the movie industry. Particularly, gaming should borrow the concept of product placement.

"Product placement is a really small part of video games right now, compared to movies and television," Darrah explains in a video on his YouTube channel (via GamesRadar+). He believes that it could establish relationships between game companies and wider products, potentially leading to strong revenue streams without relying solely on charging the player extra for cosmetics or DLCs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyf7ErwlNUY

"I think that the over reliance on microtransactions is overemphasizing certain genres and preventing other genres from flourishing. So is it worth a think? I think that it is. Do I have a great model? I don't. Not yet. But it's something the industry should be considering because everything can't be a live service as we've, I hope, proven quite definitively over the last year and a half. And if our monetization is coming primarily from live services, we run the risk of ending up in a world where there are no AAA games that aren't live services," Darrah said.

It may still feel like right now we get a lot of AAA live-service games shoved at us, but recent flops have hopefully shown a lot of big publishers they can't just make millions by throwing a bunch of keywords together and releasing it as the latest hero shooter of the month. Product placement does sound like one way to make a good bit of cash, but we do see deals with games and products already, just usually outside of the gaming space.

What do you think of Darrah's plan?

A Minecraft Movie sequel's gets official subtitle, now known as Squared

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:16:00 +0200

While this summer is absolutely stacked with epic options for cinemagoers and movie-lovers, already production companies around the world are preparing for a busy summer of 2027 too.

Just recently, Lionsgate revealed that the John Rambo prequel flick would be arriving in June 2027, and this will be before the anticipated follow-up to A Minecraft Movie in July 2027. Speaking about that sequel, the official title for the movie was revealed recently during the latest Minecraft Live show.

Set to premiere on July 23, 2027, A Minecraft Movie Squared is the official name of the sequel flick, which will bring back Jack Black and Jason Momoa, amid other cast members, all while Kirsten Dunst joins the crew too as Steve's female opposite, Alex.

Are you excited for A Minecraft Movie Squared?

https://x.com/Minecraft/status/2060751341824479452

An explosion at a rocket fuel factory in South Korea has left five people dead and two injured

alberto@gamereactor.eu (Alberto Garrido) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:51:07 +0200

An explosion at a Hanwha Aerospace fuel processing plant in Daejeon, South Korea, has left five people dead and two others seriously injured. The cause of the massive explosion and the subsequent fire at the plant is still unknown, although, according to a Hanwha official speaking at a company briefing (via Reuters), the explosion appears to have occurred whilst water was being used to clean explosive material from the tools used to manufacture rocket propellant.

Due to the nature of the company's operations, which involve the production of rocket fuel, fire-fighting efforts and the search of the facility for further potential victims are being hampered, as the site plans are protected under the National Security Act, given that Hanwha Aerospace is a subcontractor to the Ministry of Defence and Aerospace.

The country's president, Lee Jae Myung, has called for the mobilisation of all available resources to respond to the accident and for an investigation to be carried out, a move which the company's director, Son Jae-il, fully supported, whilst sending his condolences to the families. According to a health department official, "the authorities have not yet identified the victims because their bodies were severely damaged."

More than 30 horses bolted in panic through the streets of Rome following a fireworks test

alberto@gamereactor.eu (Alberto Garrido) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:39:25 +0200

Last Friday night, at around 11.30 pm local time, a fireworks explosion during rehearsals for the Republic Day parade caused around 35 horses taking part in the parade to bolt in terror along Via Cristoforo Colombo in Rome, injuring some passers-by, as well as some riders who were mounted on some of the horses. The chase to recapture the animals lasted all night, with the last one being caught some 14 kilometres from the starting point at around 7 am, according to Reuters.

Mario De Sclavis, Rome's police commander, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper on Sunday that the incident "discredits the image of the force and its officers", after one of them set off the fireworks just 200 metres from where mounted units of the police, army and Carabinieri were stationed.

Among the injured is a 22-year-old soldier with fractured ribs and a punctured lung, but his prognosis is good and his life is not in danger. Fifteen animals were also injured, but none of them will need to be put down.

Flight to Mallorca diverted over alarming Bluetooth device name

marcus@gamereactor.eu (Marcus Persson) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:39:00 +0200

A flight between Newark and Mallorca took an unexpected turn over the weekend after the name of a Bluetooth device on board caused concern, leading the United Airlines plane to turn back just one hour after take-off.

According to reports from passengers on board, they were asked several times to turn off Bluetooth on their phones and devices, but when the signal in question remained active, the situation escalated and the pilot decided to return to Newark.

Once the plane landed again, a thorough inspection was conducted, and all passengers were required to go through an additional security check. Reports indicate that the suspected signal came from a fitness tracker, smartwatch, or other wearable device that had been labelled "bomb."

After the passengers and the plane were checked, the aircraft was able to continue its journey to Spain and Mallorca. The incident has not yet led to any reported charges, but the matter is currently being investigated by local authorities.

The Witcher 4 unlikely to get any expansions, says CD Projekt Red

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:37:00 +0200

Unlike The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which will by this time next year have its third expansion, we won't be seeing any major DLC released for The Witcher 4. At least, that appears to be the case with developer CD Projekt Red's plans, as the company is just too busy.

As confirmed in the full call revealing its latest financial earnings (via GamesRadar+), CEO Michał Nowakowski said "it would be difficult, to be very honest, for us to add an expansion to the upcoming trilogy." He also noted the "ambitious" plans for the company to release the second and third games in Ciri's Witcher trilogy within six years of the first game coming out. We're also expected to get a new Cyberpunk game within that timeframe, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_fnAhZZBg4

The first three Witcher games came out within eight years of the first game's release, but by the time the third game rolled around it seemed like CD Projekt Red had found its ultimate footing with the franchise. Now, it not only has to build on what a fair amount of gamers would call one of the best titles ever released, but it also wants to drop the next two follow-up games in an even shorter time frame than its first Witcher trilogy.

CD Projekt Red has a lot more money and manpower these days, but it's also splitting its resources between The Witcher and Cyberpunk. We'll have to see how its ambitions play out, but right now we're just hoping The Witcher 4 lives up to lofty expectations, with or without an expansion.

Paraguayan player Daniel Vallejo fined 65,000 euros, half his prize money, for sexist comments at Roland Garros

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:11:42 +0200

Paraguayan tennis player Daniel Vallejo, 22, ranked 71st in the world, made headlines when he said that his match "should have been refereed by a man", instead of a woman, because "it's very demanding and you need a lot of strength". Days after his sexist comments, he has been fined 65,000 euros by Roland Garros, which is about half of his prize money from the tournament.

Vallejo lost in a five-set epic match on Thursday May 28 to 17-year-old French player Moïse Kouamé (the match ended in a super tie-break ended 8-10), and the crowds were, naturally, crazy about their local player, who went on to lose in the following round but made a huge impact as a potential new star (the youngest player since 1991 to win a main-draw match in the French Open). Vallejo complained that the chair umpire Ana Carvalho did little to control the crowds, who cheered for too long between points.

https://x.com/ABCDeportes/status/2060428045614297258

"This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man; it's very difficult for a woman to do it", Vallejo said in an interview with CLAY. "It has to be refereed by a man, because it's a very demanding crowd and you need a lot of strength to go against the crowd".

After the backlash, Vallejo posted a tweet that was later deleted as it did little to fix things. "I never spoke about women in general, I spoke about the referee specifically, who didn't handle the crowd at any point during the match. That said, I also didn't say that I lost because of her. I congratulated the opponent and it's normal for the crowd to cheer for the home player."

On Monday, the tournament director Amélie Mauresmo, confirmed that the French Tennis Federation has fined Vallejo around 65,000 euros, which is nearly half of what he earned after reaching the second round of the tournament, 130,000 euros. "As far as we're concerned, the situation is very clear: this kind of remark is unacceptable. Neither for the tournament nor for the Federation".

Call of Duty is taking inspiration from Battlefield 6 with Modern Warfare 4: "We got the feedback. No BS"

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:08:00 +0200

Activision and the Call of Duty franchise was made to look mortal for the first time in a long while in 2025, when Battlefield 6 arrived and outperformed Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in a lot of metrics. DICE's more grounded game drew in millions and millions of players, received glowing reviews, and seemed to be well-liked among fans, all while Black Ops 7 had a much different experience in the eyes of fans and reviewers...

It seems like this experience has put a bit of fear back into Activision, as the incoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will be a more authentic and focussed mil-sim experience, as has been confirmed by the series' social media account.

In a reply to a fan who teased Call of Duty about its quirky and bizarre crossovers that often smother the identity of the series, the account explicitly explained that it "got the feedback. No BS. This is all about staying true to Modern Warfare. No clowny skins for launch and seasons beyond."

https://x.com/CallofDuty/status/2061114869437624737

Now that is certainly good news, especially for the fans who are tired of being killed by Godzilla, Ghostface, anime guns, Homelander, the list goes on.

Are you excited for Modern Warfare 4? The game will be coming to Switch 2 at launch and we've already had a chance to play a portion of it.

Call of Duty Black Ops and Black Ops 2 ratings spark remaster hopes

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:08:00 +0200

After giving us a fresh take on Modern Warfare, it seems that Call of Duty could be revisiting another major label within its franchise, as rumours have sparked of the first two Black Ops games getting some new attention. Call of Duty: Black Ops first released back in 2010, with a sequel arriving in 2012. Now, well over a decade later, it seems it could be time for a remaster.

The speculation has been sparked by both Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 receiving ratings by the South Korean ratings board GRAC. The ratings themselves don't actually give us too much information, outside of plot synopses and the fact that they're intended for mature audiences. However, the ratings appearing now has caused interest from fans, as it seems a bit out of nowhere.

As far as we can tell, the theories are split into two camps. One believes the games are getting remasters, which are likely set to just cover the iconic campaigns and zombies modes so there's not a clash with any main release multiplayer. The other thinks we could just be getting some fresh Nintendo ports for old Call of Duty games, and that the first two Black Ops titles are going to kick things off in that regard.

The Emperor's Champions - Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun II Interview with Auroch Digital

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0200

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is already one of the best games we've seen from the plethora of titles released related to the grimdark 41st millennium, and one of the best boomer shooters emerging from recent years. There's a bit of pressure, then, for Auroch Digital in creating the sequel, as well as a lot of excitement. We spoke with Senior Audio Designer Matthew Walker and Principal Designer Matthew Bone about how they've balanced keeping what worked in the original game with making sure there's plenty of new stuff for players to enjoy. Check it out below, and check out our demo impressions of the game here.

Q: One of my favourite things about the first game was the sound design. The noises for the guns, the visceral blood splattering to the ground; it was all great. How do you go about bringing that into a sequel and improving it without stepping on what worked before?

Walker: "Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 offers a playground within which to break some theory rules. The mix of the most prominent audio features (weapons, enemies, gore etc.) need not adhere to "realistic' standards when placed in the space. This is an over-the-top soundscape that leans even harder into the genre and era with the sequel.

It's [the soundscape's] self-aware and wants the player to 100% feel and believe in the power-fantasy that comes with stepping into the armour of these characters - the mix hierarchy was refined for the follow-up, allowing for elements to punch through a little more."

Q: The level design has been improved for the sequel, and the maps are much easier to follow now. How do you go about upgrading that without just slapping the classic yellow paint as a guide?

Bone: "Thank you! We're glad to hear that you think the demo levels are an improvement on the original Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun; this is something we've worked hard on for the sequel as it was an area where we received a lot of feedback from players.

A lot of it comes from iteration and playtesting the original "blockout" prototype of a level, where we really refine how players are navigating the levels, and try to smooth out any problem areas. Then in the art pass we lean on aspects like lighting, using prominent landmarks, and making specific areas catch the player's eye or look particularly enticing. I'll usually say something unhelpfully vague to the artist working on a level like "can you make this bit really stand out, as the player needs to go this way" - and they'll work their magic into something that works.

It's always challenging, especially as in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 we're also really pushing the variety and inventiveness of levels in terms of their layouts and mechanics, which means we need to come up with equally inventive ways of guiding players. Beyond that, we've also brought across the Navigation Guide feature, which was introduced alongside the DLC for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. That should help a player if they get stuck anywhere."

Q: How have you evolved the narrative for Boltgun 2?

Bone: "In general we try to keep the narrative aspects lighter for Boltgun games or at least make sure they don't get in the player's way. That said, we have an incredible universe of lore to draw upon when it comes to Warhammer 40,000, and we make the most of that in terms of the environmental storytelling, the enemies and factions you fight, and the flavour and tone of the game.

One of the most important things for us when it came to Boltgun 2 was making sure the narrative supported our goal of gameplay variety: getting the player to visit loads of totally different environments and getting to fight all four Chaos factions. I'm pleased we achieved that, with a very cool story, and a central antagonist I can't wait for people to see. I'm also happy to say we'll have more cutscenes in the pixel-art style that players loved from Boltgun 1. They're looking incredible."

Q: Was there ever the idea to keep Malum as the sole protagonist but give him a different class, or did you always have a Sister of Battle in mind for Boltgun 2?

Bone: "Adding a second playable character to the game was one of the most requested features from fans of the original Boltgun. It also aligned neatly with one of our main goals for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, which was to add more variety to the game.

When it came to implementing that character, we looked at several factors, including player requests, their popularity in the wider Warhammer space, the difference in gameplay we could create, and ultimately what we thought we could execute the best. Plus, Sisters of Battle are just incredibly cool."

Q: Playing as Nyra definitely feels like a different experience from Malum with her speed being quite game-changing. Is it difficult to balance the campaign around the strengths of different playable characters, and how do you make sure both are satisfying to play?

Bone: "It was definitely trickier than creating a level for one character. Jumps were a challenge - Nyra is able to travel much further than Malum, which is both an issue for Malum not reaching platforms, but also Nyra reaching platforms we didn't think she'd be able to, and thus breaking levels.

Our QA team is particularly skilled at finding level exploits with Nyra that would not have been possible with Malum, which is both infuriating and incredibly useful. In general though I do like how the characters have different strengths and will result in different challenges in gameplay: Nyra may be able to leap further, making some jumps easier, but Malum has his chainsword lunge at enemies that gives him great mobility in a different way."

Q: I noticed that the invulnerability accessibility option is back. What's the decision-making process behind adding an option like that for players?

Walker: "Accessibility is very important for our team at Auroch Digital. We strongly believe that games are for everyone, so we always try to include various accessibility options when we are able to do so.

You may have noticed that in addition to the Invulnerability mode that existed in the original Boltgun, we've also added an Undying mode to the sequel. With this new mode, when you reach 0 health, you get a second wind in the form of some additional health. This offset something we felt with the Invulnerability mode, where health essentially became inconsequential."

Q: With a new protagonist and improved level design, strangely Boltgun 2 feels to me a bit like how Arkane evolved Dishonored for its sequel. Were there any sequels you looked at when making Boltgun 2 you were inspired by or wanted to emulate?

Bone: "I wouldn't say that there were any specific sequels that we looked at when developing Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2. Rather, it was a combination of both feedback from players and replaying other Boomer Shooters from that era. There's also an experience element to it, like in your example with Arkane. After making the first game, we're in a much better position to figure out what makes a good Boltgun level, then improve upon that."

Q: How wild are you allowed to go with the lore, as both Malum and Nyra take down foes that are typically too tough for just one Space Marine or Sororitas?

Walker: "Because of the tone of the game, we do step a little outside of the realities of the Warhammer 40,000 universe with Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun and its sequel. Things are pushed a little further to make them more enjoyable and to let players live in that power fantasy of being a powerful Space Marine or, in the case of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, a veteran Sister of Battle."

Q: We've fought a lot of Chaos. Would you consider having a DLC or full game where we go up against Xenos instead?

Bone: "Maybe! It's not something that's currently planned for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 though."

Q: What's your favourite new enemy introduced in Boltgun 2?

Bone: "I have a soft spot for Daemonettes. Once we decided we were going to incorporate all four Chaos factions in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, I knew we had to get them in. They were one of the trickier enemies to get right, with their huge leaping ability and a zigzagging phase attack, but the team have done a great job bringing them to (terrifying) life."

Walker: "For me, I'd have to say any of the Nurgle faction. They're associated with disease and decay, so it was a lot of fun making particularly disgusting wet SFX for their units. I had a lot of fun with the Poxwalkers especially. They're lumbering zombie-like enemies, with mutations, boils, and gaping wounds, who can reanimate if not overkilled, and I tried to incorporate all of that when creating their SFX."

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun II releases for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.

Marquinhos explains what he told Gabriel Magalhães, who missed the last penalty in the PSG-Arsenal final

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:53:17 +0200

Gabriel Magalhães was behind the last penalty shot in the Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal on Saturday, and his miss, following Eberechi Eze's miss, meant that the English team lost the final and PSG won a consecutive title, despite David Raya stopping Nuno Mendes' shot. And an embrace between him and PSG's captain Marquinhos became one of the most iconic and emotional images of the match.

Instead of joining his teammates in celebration, Marquinhos went straight to embrace his compatriot, friend and teammate at the national team: a long embrace when Gabriel was disconsolate after his mistake.

https://x.com/Only1tommo/status/2060854486793408704

https://x.com/ChampionsLeague/status/2060856235306504289

The reaction was so raw (and rare) that even a linesman made a gesture towards the PSG captain as he saw him approaching his rival player, perhaps fearing he was going to mock him. Other Arsenal players joined in their embrace to the defender.

What Marquinhos said to Gabriel after missing last penalty

Marquinhos later revealed what he told Gabriel in the moment, as he knows exactly what it feels like: Marquinhos missed the last penalty against Croatia that kicked them out of World Cup 2022. "I told him that I've been through this moment and I know how difficult it is but that he can bounce back from it."

"Gabriel really wanted to win this title and had all that pressure on him, knowing that if he missed, that dream had gone for him and we would be the champions", Marquinhos explained. "So I just wanted to take a few minutes out of my celebrations to reserve this time for him, to hug him, to wish him to get better quickly."

"Gabriel has played an amazing season for Arsenal, proved he is one of the best defenders in the world and shown everyone he's a great player. He did not deserve to have all that weight, of that moment of defeat, on his shoulders. And in Brazil, we need him for the World Cup."

Hot sauce could be the latest item to face shortages, warn producers

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:35:00 +0200

Flavourless food could soon be on the menu, as Caribbean hot sauce producers are warning of shortages thanks to extreme weather. Climate change may have crossed the line for those enjoying a little bit of extra spice in their food, or wanting to make Caribbean dishes with a more traditional flavour.

As per the BBC, there's a shortage of Scotch bonnet peppers or Jamaican yellow peppers, a small yellow fruit which gives Caribbean hot sauce its signature kick. This has been caused by extreme weather in the region where the peppers are grown, leading to higher prices, especially for those across the world wanting a bit of Caribbean spice in their life.

Associated Manufacturers, which makes the incredibly popular Walkerswood sauces and seasonings, says that it has been limited since last October's hurricane Melissa did immense damage to the country's agriculture. It doesn't help that the Jamaican yellow pepper is a tough fruit to grow, and its flavour can change if it's exposed to too much rainwater.

The Jamaican government is helping to get farmers back on their feet, but so long as climate change produces extreme weather, the Caribbean is set to get hit hard, and we may soon start to expect a higher price for our spicy sauces.

Warhammer 40,000 hails its new edition with our first official look at the Emperor in ages

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:31:00 +0200

Take one look at the biggest, shiniest lad humanity has ever conjured in Warhammer 40,000's Emperor, and you might scratch your head wondering how mankind is in such a rough spot in Games Workshop's grimdark version of the future. Unfortunately, that Emperor is no longer with us, as he got battered by his favourite son, and so now he sits as the Carrion Lord of the Golden Throne, almost a corpse but not quite, feeding on the souls of 1000 psykers each day to keep him going.

It's a brutal but honest truth that humanity isn't doing great in the 41st millennium. It might sound like heresy, but as the kickass cinematic trailer below will tell you, being anyone but an Ork in the grim darkness of the far future isn't really fun. We get glimpses of humans fighting on various battlefields, against all manners of horror from Tyranids to Necrons to the archenemy of man in Chaos.

The trailer heralds a new edition of Warhammer 40,000, and it seems Games Workshop is well aware this is going to bring in a massive new audience of players. This cinematic trailer doesn't just give us some cool action, making us want to buy a few miniatures here and there. It serves as a proper introduction to the setting, and even gives old-school fans new things to look out for.

Next week, the new Armageddon launch box goes up for pre-order. It'll find its way in stores on the 20th of June, where you can be sure there will be a huge rush of people kickstarting their wars in the 41st millennium.

New referee rules announced for World Cup: Goalkeepers faking injuries and fouls before free-kicks

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:18:56 +0200

World Cup 2026 will feature a large number of rule changes for referees, studied and approved in the previous months, and confirmed by FIFA's chief of referees Pierluigi Collina on Sunday. The latest of those rules allows the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for clear offences committed by the attacking team (not the defender team) in corners or free kicks before the ball is set in motion.

If VAR finds out that a foul was committed by an attacking player that had direct impact on a goal, penalty kick or disciplinary action, before the ball was put in motion, they will recommend the on-field referee to review the action on the monitors, and it could result on the corner or free kick being retaken.

"We think this is very unfair that the goal is given when the defender is prevented from being able to defend," Collina explained. "A clear, illegal block made by an attacker. The only objective was to prevent the defender from being able to defend on his opponent."

Another new change is that players won't be allowed to leave the pitch to go to the technical area to talk to coaches when a goalkeepers is injured (or as it often happens, "fakes" an injury to give time to their players to have an improvised timeout moment with the coach).

During World Cup (and after a revision, maybe in other tournaments), players will be forced to stay on the pitch, although players will have this "free" timeout moment with two mandatory hydration breaks on every match, two for each half.

Other changes previously reported include sanctions (red cards) when a player covers his mouth, countdowns for substitutions (10 seconds for players to leave the field at the nearest point, five seconds for throw-ins or goal-kicks), and extending VAR's rights to review corners and second yellow cards.

Overwatch World Cup 2026: Denmark, UK, and France among countries leading their groups

ben@gamereactor.eu (Ben Lyons) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:05:02 +0200

As we touched upon ahead of the weekend, the Overwatch World Cup has begun its respective regional qualifiers, with many countries now locked into battle and hoping to snag one of a handful of spots at the actual Main Event that commences later in the summer. To this end, this phase of play will conclude this coming weekend, but already we know some key results that effectively confirm which teams will advance and which have been eliminated.

From Group A, Denmark seems like a surefire qualified team, as the country has won both of its first matches, meaning while it isn't mathematically thorough, it's right on the cusp. Likewise, Austria has been eliminated after losing its first two games 0-3. Sweden seems like the best bet to be Group A's other qualified team, but Finland is in close pursuit.

As for Group B, both the United Kingdom and Germany have won their first match, with Norway and Portugal stumbling. This group is still wide open, but both the UK and Germany won their first games without dropping a map, suggesting both teams will advance from the group.

Lastly, for Group C, France and Poland won their opening matches, while Ireland lost both of its games. Spain is still alive with a 1-1 record, but it does seem likely that France and Poland will be the ones to advance from this group, even if it is worth noting that Ireland hasn't yet been mathematically eliminated, even if it's on the cusp...

As for this coming weekend, you can see the fixtures planned below.

Group A

Finland vs. Sweden at 13:00 BST/14:00 CEST on June 6

Finland vs. Austria at 10:00 BST/11:00 CEST on June 7

Sweden vs. Denmark at 13:00 BST/14:00 CEST on June 7

Group B

Norway vs. Germany at 14:30 BST/15:30 CEST on June 6

United Kingdom vs. Portugal at 17:30 BST/18:30 CEST on June 6

Norway vs. Portugal at 16:00 BST/17:00 CEST on June 7

United Kingdom vs. Germany at 17:30 BST/18:30 CEST on June 7

Group C

France vs. Poland at 16:00 BST/17:00 CEST on June 6

Spain vs. Poland at 11:30 BST/12:30 CEST on June 7

France vs. Ireland at 14:30 BST/15:30 CEST on June 7

Who do you think will advance from each group?

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II confirms new class to be added next year

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:03:00 +0200

Among recaps of former patches and some details of what's to come in the next updates, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II has teased some of the content coming in Year 3. With September a few months away now, the game will soon be entering its third year of additional content, and like the years before Saber Interactive is promising lots of freebies, paid cosmetics, and more.

Particularly, as the one major spoiler we do get for Year 3, we're told that it'll include a new class. The new class for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II arrives in the first half of 2027, and it has "been highly requested by the community." We don't get any additional details beyond that in the May Community Update, but already speculation is running wild online.

Like any online game, the ecosystem of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II is a delicate thing, which is why it can take so long to add in a new class. The Techmarine was only added in this year, for example.

There are a multitude of new class options for Saber Interactive to choose from. But, the most popular options seem to be an Apothecary Biologis, which could be a new Space Marine class focused on healing, a Chaplain which is a very zealous Space Marine focused on ensuring everyone is playing by the rules of the Codex Astartes. There's also the option for a Judiciar, which could be a great melee-focused Marine. Essentially, no matter what Saber announces, we're sure there will be plenty of fans who requested it.

Marco Bezzecchi fulfills dream of winning the Italian GP, extends leadership in MotoGP

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:00:11 +0200

Marco Bezzecchi continues to lead the MotoGP Championship with a first ever victory at the Italian Grand Prix. The Aprilia rider achieved his fourth victory in the MotoGP World Championship this season, beating his own teammate Jorge Martín by 3.5 seconds, and extending the lead in the standings to 173 points. For Bezzecchi, winning in Italy was a dream come true.

Pecco Bagnaia, winner of three editions of the Italian GP (2022-24), who hasn't won a Grand Prix since Japanese Grand Prix in September 2025, achieved a second third place in a row after the Catalan Grand Prix, and prevented an Aprilia hat trick after beating Japan's Oi Ogura on the last lap.

Marc Márquez, returning from injury, finished fifth in the sprint race and seventh in Sunday's race, confirming he's recovering well even if he may have given up any chances of fighting to retain his championship from last year.

The MotoGP championship continues without rest, with the Hungary GP on June 5-7.

McLaren Formula 1 team will celebrate 1,000 race starts this weekend in Monaco

javier@gamereactor.eu (Javier Escribano) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:14:46 +0200

This weekend, the famous Monaco Grand Prix will take place as the sixth race in the 2026 Formula 1 season, and it will be very special for McLaren as they will celebrate their 1,000th Formula 1 start. They are only the second team to reach that number of F1 races, after Ferrari, who reached the 1,000 starts milestone in 2020, and now are have had 1,127 race starts.

Ferrari also remain the most successful Formula 1 team, with 840 podium finishes, 248 wins, 16 Constructor's Championships (the last one in 2008) and Drivers' Championships (the last one in 2007), but McLaren has been more successful lately: 561 podium finishes, 203 wins, 10 Constructors' Championships (including 2024 and 2025) and 13 Drivers' Championships (including 2025).

McLaren is also the second oldest active F1 team, founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren in 1963, who died at the age of 32 in a car test. They have employed F1 champions like Emerson Fittipaldi (1974), James Hunt (1976), Niki Lauda (1984), Alain Prost (1985, 1986, 1989), Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990, 1991), Mika Hakkinen (1998, 1991) and Lewis Hamilton (2008), and most recently Lando Norris, who won last year.

This season Mercedes owns the championship, having won all five races so far and amassing 219 points, followed by Ferrari with 147 points. Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the unexpected leader with 131 points, followed by George Russell with 88 points. Defending champion Lando Norris is fifth with 58 points, after only achieving one podium finish.

HBO officially confirms Euphoria's Season 3 finale is actually the series finale

alex@gamereactor.eu (Alex Hopley) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:11:00 +0200

Last night's finale for Euphoria Season 3 was also the series finale, HBO has confirmed, as Sam Levinson's drug and sex-filled drama comes to a defining conclusion. The official announcement comes from Levinson himself, and was later reiterated by the television network.

As Variety notes, this shouldn't come as a surprise to many. After two strong seasons coming out in 2019 and 2022, the road to Season 3 seemed longer than ever. The show's stars grew far beyond its bubble, with the likes of Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi being called for movies and other projects every other day, it seemed. Zendaya too, remained an incredibly busy bee, remarking in interviews that she believed the third season would be the last.

Compared to the wait between Seasons 1 and 2, the time between Seasons 2 and 3 wasn't that much longer, but it felt very much like the world had begun to move on from Euphoria. At least, its cast had. The final season's return was almost like a one-off reunion, but at least it gave Levinson the chance to leave his story where he wants it. There are no plans for a fourth season currently, but Levinson has said he writes every season like it's the last one, so perhaps he'll find a way to bring us back to the world of Euphoria, one day.