EU approves EA buyout and Xbox trials ad-supported game streaming

No gods. No kings. Only Poinpy.

That’s the word on the street this week, and doesn’t it just roll off the tongue like honey? Say it with me now.

P O I N P Y.

Truly, one of the all-time video game names. A sublime semantic sojourn worthy of immortality. What does it mean? Interpretations abound, I’ve no doubt. Could it be a verb, perhaps? To poinp is to… well, I’m not sure. An adjective then—but what on this curdling mortal coil is deserving of such a messianic moniker?

No. We must not attempt to decipher the divine. To bask in its radiance is gift enough. All hail, Poinpy.

via Variety // Xbox Insiders are being invited to trial an ad-supported game streaming experience that will require them to watch a two-minute long block of adverts before queuing to play their selected title. They will then be permitted to play for an hour before being required to watch another sequence of advertisements. The trial will only support a small number of games already owned by players, including Forza Horizon 6 and 007 First Light. Xbox hasn’t confirmed whether the test will lead to the release of an official product offering.

Related:Black Flag Resynced beats annual sales expectations in two weeks

via VGHF // I’m one of those poor (or perhaps fortunate?) souls who never experienced an E3 in person before the once-unmissable event faded into obsolescence. Thankfully, the Video Game History Foundation has launched a series of collections celebrating the history of the fabled Electronic Entertainment Expo that will either provide a massive nostalgia hit or allow those who never stepped foot into the LA Convention Center to experience the buzz for the very first time.

via Kotaku // A newly-publicized documentary covering the development of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl has surfaced a bunch of scrapped Pokemon designs including what appears to be a rotund Delibird evolution that has yet to see the light of day. The doc was produced by Pokemon developer Game Freak and recovered by archivist and historian, Lewtwo.

via Game File // Nintendo is being sued by consumers for allegedly double dipping after increasing the price of some hardware and accessories in the United States in response to tariffs, only to seek refunds when the Supreme Court deemed those tariffs illegal. This week, the company moved to dismiss that lawsuit and argued customers “received exactly what they bargained and paid for […] at a price to which both parties agreed.”

Related:How Jackbox Games navigated the post-pandemic sales slump ft. Mike Bilder

via Game Developer // EA’s proposed take-private at the hands of an investor consortium that includes Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners is inching towards the finish line. This week, the European Commission approved the $55 billion deal after concluding it will not “raise competition concerns.”

via Game Developer // OneBGS, a labor union representing Bethesda employees, has called out Microsoft for allegedly offering laid off workers in Canada the “smallest severance legally possible without bargaining with the union.” In a statement posted online, OneBGS also accused the Xbox maker of immediately cutting off access to group benefits health insurance.

via Game Developer // I suspect there’s only a handful of people desperate to play a motion-controlled racer about thrill-seeking flying squirrels, but if you’re a member of that impossibly exclusive club it is time to rejoice. Freefall Racers, a Kinect title from the Xbox 360 era, has returned from the abyss to make its debut on Nex Playground more than a decade after it launched. A gift from the heavens.

Related:Vermila Studios lays off its staff, studio closure a ‘feasible possibility’ in coming months

via Devolver Digital // Back in 2022, Netflix Games somehow managed to bag an all-timer in Poinpy, a sublime mobile platformer from the mind of Downwell creator Ojiro Fumoto. Unfortunately, the sumptuously named title was removed from Netflix last year. A terrible day for the human race, but not the end of this story. Yes, fellow believer, Poinpy has returned and is currently available on iOS and Android for FREE. We’re eating good tonight, Poinpheads.

via Game Developer // Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog Games is back in business. The studio was shuttered by Xbox in 2024 alongside Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks (which was later salvaged by Krafton), but was this week reborn as an independent outfit. “We’re grateful to Microsoft for working with us through the transition and enabling Alpha Dog Games to return to independent ownership,” said founder Shawn Woods.