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Nintendo shared a wealth of information during their fiscal year 2023/2024 report, giving us all sorts of sales updates, install base figures, revenue data and more. Turns out they also have some plans to expand their board of directors with 4 new members, 3 of them being women.

Nintendo has said multiple times in the past that they’re looking to bring more women into the fold, and they’ve slowly but surely been doing that. In the latest example of Nintendo staying true to their word, the company has nominated 3 women to join their board of directors. If all is approved, the trio will join on June 27th, 2024.

The lineup of new board members includes Miyoko Demay, Eiko Osawa and Keiko Akashi. You can see their professional/corporate history in the breakdown below.

UPDATE: Miyoko Demay, Eiko Osawa and Keiko Akashi have all been approved to join Nintendo’s Board of Directors. Other members have been named and approved as well, and you can find the complete breakdown here.

Games for Change, the leading global advocate for the power of games and immersive media as drivers of social impact, has unveiled the winners for the 2024 Games for Change Awards. Winners were announced at a special Awards Ceremony hosted by actress Anjali Bhimani, well known for her roles in Overwatch, Apex, and Critical Role’s Candela Obscura.

This year, The Games for Change Awards received 44% more submissions than last year from developers in more than 50 countries. With 37% of submissions coming from the United States and 63% from international developers, the 2024 Games for Change Awards showcase the global impact of games as a force for good, educating, inspiring, and driving positive change worldwide.

The winners for this year’s awards are as follows:

• Game of the Year: Stay Alive, My Son–Chapter 1 & 2 (UME Studios)
• Best in Impact: Stay Alive, My Son–Chapter 1 & 2 (UME Studios)
• Best Narrative: Stay Alive, My Son–Chapter 1 & 2 (UME Studios)
• Best in Innovation: Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Summerfall Studios)
• Best Gameplay: A Highland Song (Inkle)
• Best in Civics: Headlines and High Water (Field Day Lab)
• Best in Learning: Headlines and High Water (Field Day Lab)
• Best in Environmental Impact: The Plastic Pipeline (FableVision)
• Best in Health & Wellness: Soul Paint (Hatsumi & Monobanda)
• Best in XR: MLK: Now Is The Time (Flight School Studio, TIME Studios, Meta VR For Good)
• Best Student Project: Stop and Breathe (One Must Imagine Games)
• Best Board or Tabletop Game for Impact: Daybreak (CMYK)
• Industry Leadership Award: Minecraft (Mojang Studios)
• G4C Giving Award: Twitch
• G4C Indie Breakout Award: Venba (Visai Games)
• Vanguard Award: Alyssa Sweetman

It looks like today is once again the perfect time for developers and publishers to share updates on how well their games are doing, and June 28th has brought us sales data for another wave of titles! Thankfully, all of them appear to be doing quite well.

Suika Game

• over 10 million units sold worldwide since launch across all platforms combined

DAVE THE DIVER

• over 4 million units sold worldwide since launch across all platforms combined
• this figure includes retail copies sold in Japan and South Korea

ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights

• over 1.5 million units sold worldwide since launch across all platforms combined

The amount of NieR:Automata merch is absolutely wild. There have been so many tie-in products launched for the game since its release 2017 that it can make your head spin. Food items, jewelry, plush dolls, blankets, artwork, you name it. The deluge has been fast and furious, and there haven’t been any signs of things letting up. As a matter of fact, yet another new line has been announced as of today.

This time, Square Enix and Medicos are teaming for a fresh line of NieR:Automata merchandise to be sold at Don Quijote locations in Japan, and the line launches mid-July 2024. This wave of goodies features the anime versions of A2, 2B, and 9S in more traditional clothing instead of what they wear in the game/anime.

The lineup of items in this wave of merch is as follows:

• Big acrylic stand: ¥1,650
• B2-sized tapestry: ¥3,850
• Acrylic keychain: ¥880
• Tin badge set: ¥1,320 for all three badges
• Acrylic diorama set: ¥3,850
• Life-sized character tapestry: ¥7,700
• T-shirt: ¥2,750
• Clear file set: ¥990 for all three files

Customers can also get a random illustration card for every ¥2,000 spent on a single receipt. These cards feature A2, 2B, 9S, or all three. To get a look at the entire merch line, check out this link.

Metal Gear Solid fans have been eating good lately, as a number of re-releases, revamps and remakes have been announced. Turns out Konami has interest in keeping the MGS train going, as they’ve just revealed yet another product fans will be dying to get their hands on.

Konami has pulled back the curtain on Metal Gear Solid: The Vinyl Collection, which they’ve teamed with Laced Records to make happen. This 6-LP set includes 53 songs from the Metal Gear Solid series, along with a collection of official arrangements. Fans can look forward to hearing tracks from the original Metal Gear all the way up to MGSV.

Metal Gear Solid: The Vinyl Collection is priced at $140, but sadly it’s only available in Japan right now. Even worse, there’s no word on whether or not this collection will launch worldwide. Hopefully Konami shares some news on that in the near future.

Along with this behemoth of a soundtrack collection, Konami has also revealed Metal Gear Solid: Vinyl Selections, which is a 2-LP set with 18 tracks. This album release is priced at $50.

Last but not least, Konami has also revealed some other Metal Gear Solid merch set to release in Japan. These items will be available in Japanese arcades and the lineup is as follows:

• Cushions and floor mats in the shape of the FOX and FOXHOUND insignias.
• Tumblers featuring designs of the TX-55 Metal Gear, Metal Gear REX, Metal Gear RAY and the Shagohod, accompanied by designs of Snake and Raiden from their respective games.
• A Buruburu Sneaking Plushie featuring two designs of the iconic cardboard box, featuring a drawstring that causes it to jiggle forwards.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed – Ecto Edition has been updated to Ver. 1.9.0. You can find the patch notes for this update below.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, with all of its intricate gameplay systems and mechanics, would be downright impossible on the Game Boy. There might be some way that a talented developer could capture the spirit of the game’s many features and translate them to the Game Boy, but the end result would no doubt be considerably different from what we can now enjoy on Switch.

While Tears of the Kingdom might be unachievable on the Game Boy, that doesn’t mean some aspects of the game wouldn’t translate over well. Case in point, a very talented artist has taken some of the cut-scenes from Tears of the Kingdom and given them a Game Boy makeover, and the results are absolutely stunning.

The video above shows off all sorts of pivotal moments from Tears of the Kingdom, but captured in a Game Boy aesthetic. It does seem like most of this work would be possible on the Game Boy itself, as it’s mostly still shots with some limited animation. Those limitations don’t make the animation any gorgeous though, and just goes to show that a strong art style can sing in any medium.

Another day, another round of Pokémon news! There’s always something going on in the world of Pokémon, and we’ve got the details on merch and more to share.

First up, Pokémon Café locations are set to get a menu revamp on August 3rd, 2024. Those who stop in for a snack starting that date will be able to enjoy some new Pawmi-themed menu items, with the options as follows:

• Omelet Rice set featuring Pawmi
• Pineapple Peach Parfaits
• orange smoothies
• latte drinks with Pawmi, Pawmo, and Pawmot artwork
• random cup coaster (1 out of 8 designs)
• special Pawmi drinking glass and spoon

Next up, the Pokémon Co. has revealed a new line of “PAMO NO MURE” merchandise that will launch at Pokémon Center locations in Japan come August 3rd, 2024. This line spotlights Pawmi, Pawmo, and Pawmot, and offers a variety of different items. You can get a look at the complete line of merch here.

Next, a new wave of Pokémon Scarlet/Violet plush dolls are on the way. The next wave of plushies includes Bloodmoon Ursaluna, Dipplin, and Pecharunt, and they’ll be available at Pokémon Center locations starting July 6th, 2024. There’s no word on a release outside of Japan at this time, but there’s little doubt they’ll eventually arrive worldwide.

Last but not least, a new line of Kitakami Village-inspired merch has been revealed, and it’ll launch via Pokémon Center Online and Pokémon Center locations in Japan between July 4th and 6th, 2024. This line spotlights 5 Pokémon in particular: Poliwag, Vulpix, Dipplin, Pecharunt, and Ogerpon. The full list of merch to be sold is as follows:

• Set of yukata and obi sash – ¥15,400
• Aloha shirt – ¥4,950 (available in 2 design types and 2 sizes)
• Broad-brimmed hat – ¥3,300
• Baseball cap – ¥2,750
• One-handed bag – ¥3,080
• Body bag – ¥3,080
• Attachable glasses case – ¥1,980 (available in 2 design types)
• Ogerpon hairpin – ¥3,300
• Earrings – ¥1,210 (available in 5 design types and 2 variants – regular or pierced)
• Ribbon scrunchie – ¥1,320 (available in 2 design types)
• Glass cup – ¥1,430
• Glass bowl – ¥2,860
• Mamesara plate – ¥3,300 for a set of 4
• Teacup – ¥1,650
• A4-sized clear file – ¥451 (available in 2 design types)
• B6-sized ringed notebook – ¥880 (available in 2 design types)
• Transparent sticky note – ¥660 (available in 2 design types)
• Gift envelope – ¥440 for a set of 3 (available in 2 design types)
• Assorted stickers – ¥550 (available in 2 design types)
• Masking tape – ¥660 for a set of 2
• Ogerpon paper clip – ¥990
• Hand towel – ¥660
• Snack can – ¥1,296 (available in 2 design types)

Gori: Cuddly Carnage is coming to Switch on Aug. 29th, 2024, which isn’t all that far off. Ahead of the game’s arrival, a new video has been released that shows off a hands-on session with Gori that took place at a cat café!

Humanity has been destroyed - and it’s up to Gori, along with his deadly but wise-cracking sentient hoverboard, F.R.A.N.K, and morose A.I companion, CH1-P, to slay the evil Adorable Army with lethal combos.

Fuelled by insatiable demand, ‘Cool-Toys Inc.’ created ‘Ultra Pets’. The ultimate companions that never hunger, never require bathroom breaks and are impervious to the ravages of time. Little did anyone expect the mutation that transformed these perfect pets into twisted toys straight from your nightmares, hell-bent on wiping out humanity.

Master explosive weaponry and devastating combos in an epic battle to prevent the Adorable Army from conquering the galaxy, and rescue Professor Y, their missing creator and only human who showed Gori and his friends love. Push your combat and platforming skills to the limits as you fight your way through twisted landscapes filled with environmental hazards, razor-sharp adult humour and a bone-crunching, pulse-pounding soundtrack.

You may not know the name Mari Shimazaki but you definitely know her work. Shimazaki is a character designer/illustrator and she’s working on some major franchises. Shimazaki was behind many of the characters you’ll find in Bayonetta and Okami, and now she’s added the Pokémon franchise to her resume.

Mari took to X to share the artwork above alongside the reveal that she created some character designs for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. In particular, Shimazaki worked on Fidough/Dachsbun, along with the professors, Raifort and Miriam.

Along with that reveal, Mari mentioned that she just completed her playtime with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet as well. Mari stated that she took quite a lot of detours along the way, which is why it took her so long to see the game through to the end. While her journey was a long one, Mari said she loved filling in the map and found the entire experience to be quite relaxing.

KLabGames has announced that the 2015 free-to-play 3D action game BLEACH: Brave Souls is coming to Switch on July 11th, 2024. Since its initial release, BLEACH: Brave Souls has been downloaded 90 million times across the world.

The world of mega-hit manga and anime Bleach comes to Steam in this exciting 3D action game! Build a team using your favorite characters from the Bleach universe!

EXCITING 3D ACTION

3D graphics and simple controls make for free-flowing and fast-paced hack-and-slash action. Play in single-player mode or team up with three other players for online co-op!

EPIC SPECIAL MOVES

Unleash each Bleach character’s unique special moves to carve your way to victory. Special moves are fully voiced by the original Japanese anime voice actors.

THREE’S COMPANY

Combine your favorite characters into teams of three. You can even make combinations of characters you would never see in the original story. The possibilities are almost limitless!

RELIVE THE BLEACH STORY

Follow the Bleach story from the moment Rukia and Ichigo first meet. Develop your characters as you complete quests that recreate pivotal scenes from the story.

PLAY WITH & AGAINST OTHER PLAYERS

Pit your best warriors against other players’ teams and vie for the top spot in weekly PvP leagues, or go online and team up with other players in exciting PvE Co-Op Quests and Epic Raids!

DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTERS

Brave Souls features a highly flexible character improvement system that allows you to create exactly the warriors and the team you want. Enter battle and earn experience to level up characters and improve their base stats, Ascend them to increase their max level, train them on the Soul Tree to further improve specific stats, or link characters together to provide additional support. The choice is yours!

The Pokémon Co. has really been leaning into their Pokémon Kids TV YouTube Channel lately, adding all sorts of content for youngsters to enjoy. Today they’re back with yet another feature, and yes, it’s another music video!

Have you ever heard the well-known Japanese nursery rhyme ““Tanabata-sama””? If not, today’s video will be your introduction! Let’s follow the rhythm and dance to it with Pikachu.

Just in case you couldn’t tell from the Channel name, these videos are aimed at very young children. If you’re a parent looking to steal away just a few minutes of personal time, this video might be able to help!

Masahiro Sakurai is back with yet another installment in his long-running game development video series, and today brings us a user-interface related feature.

“Help text” refers to the descriptive text that explains how menu items function, and Sakurai highly recommends that budding devs use it! That said, Sakurai also says developers should try to be as clear and concise as possible when writing this text.

While there’s plenty of words and phrases longtime gamers will understand without issue, some gaming language can be near impossible for newcomers to understand. When creating in-game text, you always have to make sure you welcome players of all types with descriptions that make sense no matter what someone’s background knowledge is.

Congratulations, hotshot! You have the command of a top-secret Starfleet prototype vehicle! Now let’s see how you do in a very simple test that MIGHT involve an unknown number of huge, heavily armored foes, the discovery of a mysterious structure on the surface of an M-Class planet and LOTS of zero-gravity combat! On the other hand, there’s the Kobayashi Maru Test rewards, unique camos for your vehicle and cool modifications for your garage to make the training worth your while!

World of Tanks Blitz is a cross-platform, free-to-play, team-based MMO action game dedicated to fierce tank combat. Available on iOS, macOS, Android, Windows 10, Steam, and Nintendo Switch, the game lets players control over 370 legendary armored vehicles.

World of Tank Blitz is an action-packed tank game that lets players seamlessly enjoy the online real-time action anywhere. Fast paced and accessible, the game puts fun first, mixing the historical and lighthearted, the serious and the fantastic, offering a thrilling arcade-like experience.

A year after leaking and becoming available on PC for a very short time, Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition has finally made its way to the Switch eShop. Remember, a physical release has been confirmed, and it’s set to go up for pre-order on the Limited Run Games website July 12th, 2024.

Along with the revamped version of the game comes the Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition: Re-Orchestrated Soundtrack as well. We’ve already shared info on how to pick up a vinyl version, but it turns out you can also enjoy the same soundtrack digitally. We’ve shared a special feature on the soundtrack above, but you can find the full OST in the YouTube video below.

In Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition, swoop into the marvelous world of Hillys as action-reporter Jade to investigate the mysterious DomZ alien attacks alongside colorful characters, like her adoptive uncle Pey’j or the valiant Double H. Embark on this epic adventure in up to 60 frames per second with improved graphics, controls, and audio, along with brand-new autosave and cross-save features.