Japanese developer Game Freak is best known for a little franchise called Pokémon, but throughout the years it has dabbled in other genres, like the strategy title Little Town Hero and the rhythm-based platformer HarmoKnight. Now, the company is betting big on a brand-new action adventure IP codenamed Project Bloom.

Game Freak is teaming up with a Take-Two Interactive publishing label called Private Division. You may not recognize the company by name, but it’s been behind a slew of well-regarded titles throughout the years, like Outer Worlds, Kerbal Space Program, Rollerdrome and OlliOlli World, among others. As for Game Freak, last year’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus proved it could handle open worlds and action-heavy gameplay. The company says Project Bloom is a “bold and tonally different” IP from its prior work.

Not much is known about the game, other than some concept art and a short video announcing the partnership between the two developers. Also, we won’t be playing this anytime soon, as the “sweeping new action-adventure game” isn’t slated for release until Take-Two's 2026 financial year, which runs from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.

It might be surprising to hear that Take-Two Interactive is publishing the game, and not Nintendo, which has been Game Freak's partner on Pokémon for over 25 years. While Pokémon is co-owned by Nintendo, Game Freak is an independent developer. To that end, no gaming console has been mentioned as a home for the forthcoming title. As the game won't be released for three years, the home console landscape is likely to look different than it does now. At the very least, the long-rumored followup to the Switch should be out by then.

A Pokémon-inspired art collection is visiting Los Angeles this summer. The Pokémon × Kogei craftwork exhibition is a collaboration between The Pokémon Company and LA’s Japan House, a space dedicated to spotlighting Japanese culture. The collection includes more than 70 pieces of art crafted by 20 artists, each piece filled to the brim with pocket monsters.

The exhibition focuses on crafts over drawings and paintings, as the art spans multiple mediums like lacquer, ceramics, textiles, metalwork and more. The artists involved with the collection include metalworks legend Morihito Katsura and sculptor Taiichiro Yoshida, among others. The collection is arranged into three sections.

The “Stories” section emphasizes franchise mascot Pikachu. A much-anticipated piece here is called “Pikachu Forest,” which is made from more than 900 strands of lace suspended from the ceiling to create, well, a forest populated by electrified yellow rodents. The “Appearance” section includes many pieces featuring Eevee and its various evolutions, like Jolteon, Vaporeon and Flareon. The final section, called “Life”, seems to be a hodge-podge affair with many different Pokémon.

The exhibition starts on July 25th and runs for five full months, all the way until January. Admission is free and the gallery is open seven days a week. Japan House also says they'll be hosting events related to the exhibition but has not announced any details. In any case, this seems like a great place to meet friends for some Pokémon Go action.

The Chase Bliss MOOD MK1 micro-looper and delay pedal is now available for $245, which is a 30 percent cut from the original price of $350. The deal is available through music retail giant Reverb and directly from Chase Bliss and is only active “while supplies last." New Chase Bliss pedals and musical doodads rarely go on sale, and Reverb is offering free shipping, so this is a big one.

For the uninitiated, the MOOD MK1 has been one of the most popular delay pedals since originally launching in 2019, though it was discontinued after this year's launch of the MK2. The MK1, however, is no slouch, with two channels of granular delay along with the ability to bounce audio back and forth between each channel to create unique and evolving soundscapes.

You can also run loops through delay-powered effects and overdub additional content whenever you want. This is a modern pedal, so expect full MIDI implementation, dip-switches and the ability to both create and recall presets. The MK2 tidies up the sound a bit and implements some unique customization options, but it also costs $400, which likely accounts for the MK1 still sitting at number four on Reverb’s top seller’s list for pedals.

Chase Bliss specializes in delay-adjacent pedals with similar design layouts and plenty of bells and whistles. We reviewed the Chase Bliss Habit last year and called the hardware a “step ahead of the competition." The Mood MK1 is similarly well-regarded, so if you’ve been on the fence about picking one up, head on down to Reverb and take a gander.

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NYC’s Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA) has returned to Twitter after leaving the platform last month. Real-time status updates are once again available across the organization’s multiple accounts. This is good news for commuters, as MTA’s social media accounts are a reliable way to suss out any issues with the city’s subways, buses and trains.

The MTA originally left Twitter the decision to start charging for API access, a move that would’ve cost the organization $50,000 each month, according to Bloomberg. That’s a whole lot of subway tokens. It went on to say that Twitter “is no longer reliable for providing the consistent updates riders expect.”

So what changed? Twitter did. The social network reversed course on charging exorbitant API fees to verified government and publicly-owned services that use the tool for "critical purposes" like emergency notifications, transportation updates and weather alerts. Being as how the MTA is all about transportation updates, it made the cut.

However, just because the MTA is back on Twitter doesn’t mean it changed its tune regarding the social network’s reliability. The organization used today’s announcement to encourage followers to sign up for email/SMS alerts and to download official apps.

Twitter shut down its free API earlier this year, instituting a $100-per-month tier for regular folks and a much higher tier for enterprise customers. Originally, Twitter grouped together institutions that provide a public service (like the MTA) with any other business. This forced many companies and organizations to leave the platform entirely and others (like Microsoft) to drop Twitter from advertising platforms.

As with all things related to modern Twitter, the API access change could flip back tomorrow, so get your real-time subway alerts while you can. In the meantime, the MTA’s various accounts are staffed by actual people, so you can chat with customer service “to get help with trip planning, info on delayed trains, and other issues.”

Hulu is adding a full spate of PBS channels to its Live TV subscription service. This includes a wide variety of local PBS affiliates and PBS Kids offerings, giving viewers the chance to watch stuff like Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Masterpiece and a whole lot of Ken Burns documentaries.

This is live TV so you’ll be tied to your local affiliate and will have to (gasp) sit down and watch something at the appointed time. Some titles are available on-demand, however, and Hulu+ Live TV offers cloud storage DVR recording options. PBS Kids is also part of this deal, so you can park the little ones in front of the screen to watch Curious George, Arthur, Clifford the Big Red Dog and other anthropomorphic animals. Sesame Street airs on PBS Kids, but only after first running on Warner’s confusingly-named streaming serviceHBO GoHBO Max Max.

Beyond PBS, Hulu+ Live TV is adding the Magnolia Network, a destination for thousands of hours of home improvement and cooking shows like Fixer Upper and Family Restaurant. Additionally, many programs will be available for on-demand viewing, such as Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines, Maine Cabin Masters, Silos Baking Competition and many more.

PBS arrives on the service “in the coming months," but Magnolia Network shows up on May 25th. Hulu+ Live TV subscriptions start at $65 each month for an ad-based tier, ballooning up to $80 per month for an ad-free experience with plenty of cloud storage and access to premium channels like ESPN.

Waymo is doubling the operational area for its fleet of self-driving taxis, making what the company calls “the largest fully autonomous service area in the world.” The rapid growth is limited to Phoenix and San Francisco, but Waymo has big plans for both territories.

In Phoenix, for instance, self-driving cars are no longer limited to just the metro area and will travel to nearby communities like Chandler, Tempe and Mesa. This totals 180 square miles of territory and is four times larger than the initial service area back when it launched in 2020. Phoenix also hosts a true open beta of the service, as anyone in the area with the Waymo One app can order up a piping hot robo-car. Waymo opened up a second physical ride-hailing station in the city to help shuttle folks to and from the airport.

The company has only been in San Francisco for several months, so don’t expect the same kind of growth as seen in Phoenix. Still, Waymo says the service is expanding to new parts of the city, like North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf. You must be enrolled in the company’s Trusted Tester program to hail a self-driving car in the city for now, as the company’s still waiting for a final permit to open up the program to the general public. To that end, Waymo says there are currently “tens of thousands” of San Francisco residents on the waitlist.

“Waymo One remains the only and largest 24/7 fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the world — serving thousands of rides in multiple key markets — and we’re scaling quickly,” said Saswat Panigrahi, Waymo Chief Product Officer.

The company touts more than ten thousand trips per week with a proposed increase to 100,000 trips by next summer. To get there, Waymo says it’s implementing software updates to increase reliability, with improved hand gesture detection, more versatile multi-point maneuvers and new tools to deal with inclement weather. The Alphabet-owned brand is also converting to an all-electric fleet. Finally, Waymo hasn’t forgotten about Los Angeles, its newest trial city, saying it continues to “grow rider-only testing operations” in the area.

We’ve known there was a reboot coming of 1990s sci-fi cult hit Babylon 5 for a while now, but we didn’t have any concrete details until today. Original series creator J. Michael Straczynski just announced that it’s an animated feature length film developed by Warner Bros. Animation.

Straczynski is quiet regarding plot details but did say that the movie is “classic B5” with a “raucous, heartfelt” story, going on to suggest that the cartoon feature is “the most B5-ish” project since the original series bowed out in 1998. He also said that the movie is completely finished and just awaiting release. In other words, it’ll likely be a matter of months, not years, before mega-fans get their eyeballs on this one.

To that end, the writer said that the official movie title, release date and other details will drop next week. If the film is “in the can”, as Straczynski says, here’s hoping we also get a trailer or at least some animation stills with that release date announcement. It’s still unknown which original series actors, if any, will reprise their roles for the film.

Babylon 5 was originally on the air for five seasons, which was followed up by five made-for-TV movies (the last one aired in 2002). The show has long-been praised for its commitment to hard sci-fi and revolving crew of motley characters, netting two Hugo Awards and a Saturn Award during its run. It’s primarily set on the titular space station, calling to mind rival sci-fi epic Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. There’s some discussion as to which series came first, as DS9 aired a full year before Babylon 5, but B5 was first to production. In recent years, series creator Straczynski has been heavily involved with shows like Sense8 and plenty of high-profile comic books.

The original Double Dragon basically invented co-op beat-em-up action in 1987, and now modern players are about to get a dose of nostalgic side-scrolling goodness thanks to a new franchise installment. Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons launches this fall for every major platform, including PC, Xbox consoles, PlayStation 4 and 5 and the Nintendo Switch.

What to expect from this installment? The trailer suggests a return to the tried-and-true beat-em-up formula. There’s a nice retro pixelated art style, 13 playable characters to choose from and, of course, two-player local co-op. The new title also includes a tag-team ability, so you actually play as two characters at once.

Developer Modus Games is teasing some roguelite elements, like a dynamic mission select feature that randomizes stage length, enemy number and difficulty. This is also a 2023 console game and not an arcade machine from the 1980s, so expect purchasable upgrades and some light RPG mechanics.

As for the plot, the years haven’t been kind to series protagonists Jimmy and Billy Lee. The sequel finds New York City devastated by nuclear war, which leads to gangs of hooligans roaming the radioactive streets. You know what happens next (you beat them up). It remains to be seen if your avatars can beat up that long nuclear winter.

Modus Games isn't a well-known developer but it has plenty of well-regarded indie titles under its belt, like Afterimage and Teslagrad 2. The trailer looks cool, so this is worth keeping an eye on, especially given that there hasn’t been a Double Dragon game since the long ago days of 2016.

Xbox has officially confirmed a summer games showcase for June 11th. The event will be livestreamed at 1:00PM Eastern and will feature “some new surprises” and “first-looks” from internal development studios. Expect to see plenty of reveals for upcoming Xbox, PC and Game Pass titles.

This is a double feature, however, so grab the popcorn and stick around after the first showcase for a deep dive into the forthcoming sci-fi epic Starfield. The Bethesda-developed RPG was delayed from last year until September, so the gameplay footage should be polished to perfection. The officially-named Starfield Direct (don’t tell Nintendo) promises “tons of new gameplay, developer interviews and behind-the-scenes insider information.”

There’s also a follow-up stream, like last year, called Xbox Games Showcase Extended. Tune in on June 13th at 1:00PM Eastern for more game updates, interviews and news. All of these streams are available via Xbox’s official social media accounts, like Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. Xbox says all content will be presented in over 30 languages, including American Sign Language.

The console manufacturer is also organizing a number of in-person FanFest events to watch the streams with other people. These little soirees are set for Los Angeles, Mexico City, São Paulo, Melbourne and Warsaw.

E3 was canceled this year so here’s to hoping we get some big juicy reveals to take the sting out. Xbox needs some major buzz to offset a recent decline in console sales and it looks like the lukewarm reception to vampire shooter Redfall isn’t gonna do it.

Ever since taking the pandemic-soaked world by storm in 2020, the unique battle royale platformer Fall Guyshas added new gameplay elements and released on new platforms. Now, the developers are throwing a full-blown level editor into the mix.

Fall Guys Creativelaunches on May 10th and is part of Season 4 of the viral multiplayer title. The level editor lets you create legitimate multiplayer courses (called Rounds) using a wide variety of iconic items, enemies and obstacles. Developer Mediatonic encourages players to use the tools to “finally design the Round of your dreams”.

Once you make a level and test it out, you can share it with friends via a private lobby or share it on a larger scale with the entire community. The developer says they will also curate lists of its favorite player-designed levels to boost their popularity, housing them in a Playlists tab within the Show Selector.

To show off what’s possible with these creation tools, Mediatonic is dropping over 50 new Rounds designed by professional creators but using the toolkit available to regular players. This seems similar to how Super Mario Maker 2 handled things with all of its many tutorial levels. You’ll get 20 levels on May 10th, with the remainder releasing at various points throughout the season.

Season 4 is not just about the level editor, though that’s the primary new feature. Players will also find plenty of new costumes, like a neat-looking low polygon outfit, and new items at the store. Mediatonic is also teasing future collaborations, but has not offered any details. This likely refers to new branded costumes. The title has already featured costumes inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog, Doom, Ghost of Tsushima and other iconic titles.