Video game retailer GameStop has reportedly closed hundreds of stores across the United States as the company continues to scale back its physical store presence.

According to social media posts tracking store shutdowns — first highlighted by Polygon — GameStop locations in numerous states have recently closed. The GS Closing blog, which independently monitors closures, currently lists 390 confirmed store shutdowns in the U.S., with an additional 10 locations reported but not yet verified.

The reported closures are consistent with GameStop’s previously disclosed plans. In its most recent filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission for the financial year ending, the company confirmed that it shut down 590 U.S. stores during fiscal year 2024. In the same filing, GameStop told investors it expected to close “a significant number of additional stores” during fiscal year 2025.

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The retailer’s contraction is not limited to the United States, either. RNZ reports (h/t GamesInudstry) that GameStop has proposed closing its EB Games subsidiary in New Zealand. EB Games Managing Director Shane Stockwell reportedly sent an email to staff stating that the proposal is not final and that no decision will be made until a full consultation process has been completed with affected employees. According to GameStop’s filing, the company operates 38 stores in New Zealand.

GameStop has also continued to wind down its international operations. In recent years, the company has exited markets including Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. It has sold its Italian subsidiary and is currently seeking buyers for its French and Canadian businesses.

While store closures continue, GameStop recently announced a new long-term performance award for CEO Ryan Cohen worth up to $35 million. To earn the reward, Cohen must increase the company’s market capitalization to $100 billion. As of this writing, GameStop’s market cap stands at approximately $9.52 billion, according to GamesIndustry.

Once one of the most dominant video game retailers out there, GameStop’s reputation has shifted significantly over the past decade. As the market moved toward digital distribution, the company has struggled to adapt its traditional retail model. GameStop has also faced long-standing criticism over its trade-in practices, which have often been viewed unfavorably by consumers.

GameStop’s long-term viability has been debated for years, but the company has managed to remain afloat to this point. In 2021, the company experienced a widely publicized stock surge driven by Reddit users on r/wallstreetbets, briefly pushing the company’s market value sharply higher as part of an effort to counter heavy short interest.

As store closures continue, GameStop remains in the midst of a broader effort to stabilize its business amid declining sales and a rapidly changing retail landscape.

Skate‘s Season 2 update is meant to push the free-to-play title toward a grittier, more realistic visual identity. But players say the game’s new character models have landed somewhere far stranger. After checking in with their in-game avatars following Thursday’s patch, many fans are claiming their skaters look dramatically worse, with harsher skin textures, darker tones, and mismatched hair, among other things. Personally, my player is looking a bit worse for wear as well.

A Reddit thread published on Tuesday quickly became the hub of complaints, gathering hundreds of comments from frustrated players sharing before-and-after screenshots and commiserating over the overhaul. The OP’s comparison image shows softer, stylized faces replaced by characters with heavily shadowed eyes, harsher wrinkles, and darker, blotchy skin. Honestly, it’s a bit uncanny and doesn’t seem to be what Full Circle foresaw when planning on updating Skate‘s visuals.

Across the thread, players describe an inconsistent, sometimes severe shift in appearance depending on complexion and gender. The issues seem to disproportionately affect female avatars as well, with one user writing, “Girl characters look like they have really bad hangovers,” while another harshly joked that their skater “became addicted to meth in a matter of an hour.” It seems that during development, Full Circle eliminated paler tones when it came to character creation.

Not all feedback is negative. A handful of users said their characters look “more realistic,” and some who already had darker complexions reported smaller differences. But even supportive comments generally acknowledge that the new models still have mismatched or outdated hair textures, harsher shading around the nose and eyes, and a style that clashes with the rest of the game.

The debate speaks to a broader tension in Skate‘s art direction. Some players previously criticized the game’s original “cartoonish” look, while others felt the series’ goofy, physics-driven identity didn’t need realism at all. The Season 2 update seems to satisfy neither camp. In my review of Skate, I noted that the Fortnite-like visuals quickly faded into the background after a short time. And because the game is overtly over-the-top and goofy, it’s really not a big deal. That said, I have no earthly idea what the devs were thinking with this new look.

Will the complaints be enough to force yet another change? I’m not sure, but it’s certainly funny to read!

Electronic Arts is expanding its long-running Accessibility First Patent Pledge once again, making eight additional patents freely available to any developer or publisher looking to build more accessible games. The new batch includes technologies ranging from grapple assist systems to advanced speech generation tools, as well as key improvements to EA’s text-size and contrast solution, Fonttik.

The headline addition is “Intent-based Models for Use in Selecting Actions in Video Games” — better known internally as “Grapple Assist.” Already used in the company’s UFC series, the tool streamlines complex grappling inputs by automatically determining the optimal transition from a single player command. EA says the system is designed to reduce both cognitive load and fine-motor demands, opening the door for more players to enjoy games with intricate control schemes (per GamesIndustry).

Several of the new patents focus on speech, audio generation, and communication. These include “Expressive Speech Audio Generation”, “Robust Speech Audio Generation”, and “Speech Prosody Prediction.” According to EA, the technologies help players with speech disorders — or those who simply prefer audio assistance — communicate more effectively. They also allow developers to add voice to experiences that may not otherwise include narration, making feedback and in-game guidance easier to understand.

EA is also expanding its open-source text-accessibility toolkit. New updates to Fonttik introduce color-blindness simulation filters and further refinements for evaluating readability, text size, and contrast, all of which can be applied across genres and platforms.

Here is EA SVP Kerry Hopkins’ official statement on the new technologies, per GamesIndustry’s original report:

For players with speech disorders or who prefer or need assistance with verbally expressing themselves, these technologies provide more control and creativity over the way they communicate, including through speech that is clearer and more authentic.

These technologies also increase game accessibility by making it possible to add speech to experiences that would otherwise have no voice at all, creating narration and feedback that is more personalized, engaging, and easier for players to understand.

First launched in 2021, the Accessibility First Patent Pledge began with five patents and has grown steadily every year. EA added six more in 2022, four in early 2024, and a massive drop of 23 additional patents that December. With today’s announcement, EA has now opened 46 patents for free use across the games industry.

Football Manager 26 has pushed out another significant update for its Console editions, with the most recent patch now live on PlayStation and Xbox and set to arrive on FM Touch for Apple Arcade in the coming days.

This latest build focuses heavily on stability, UI refinement, and a long list of quality-of-life improvements across tactics, navigation, and squad management. From controller-specific fixes to revamped wage-demand logic and several long-standing visual bugs being addressed, Update 26.0.6 is one of the broader maintenance drops of the cycle. Sports Interactive has also provided a non-exhaustive changelist and continues to encourage players to submit any new issues via the official Bug Tracker.

Below are the listed changes in the latest patch. To read the source for yourself, check it out here.

Football Manager 26 Update 26.0.6 (PlayStation and Xbox) – Patch Notes

• The latest update for FM26 Console is now available on PlayStation and Xbox, with a rollout for FM Touch on Apple Arcade to follow in the coming days.  
• The update includes further improvements to game stability and performance, as well as a wealth of gameplay fixes. A non-exhaustive changelist is provided below.  
• For queries about how to update on your respective platform, please review this FAQ.  
• As always, please continue to make use of our Bug Tracker for any new issues you encounter, and our dedicated team will be on hand for support. 
• 26.0.6 Changelist 
• Further extensive polish and refinement done to the User Interface. 
• Further extensive crash and stability fixes.  
• Further fixes to freezes at Half-Time during Human vs. Human Online Matches. (PS/XB Only) 
• Further improvements made to in game translations.  
• Adds Substitutes to the iOS Tactics Planner  
• Improvements to controller navigation in dashboards 
• Adds the ability to view Condition and Match Rating via a toggle in the Tactics Planner  
• Fixes an issue where mouse emulation was active when trying to use the Radial wheel 
• Fixed soft lock while trying to view a past match. 
• Added button to view match stats, match momentum, and xG story during highlights. 
• Tweaks made to the general screen flow. 
• Improved logic behind youth player wage demands.   
• Improved logic behind player wage demands in the lower leagues. 
• Fixed issue where player condition would always display full. 
• Tweaked frequency of rain occurring during matches. 
• Fixed crash when continuing with club from United Arab Emirates (UAE) during Advanced Game Setup.  
• Loading a tactic within a match now functions as intended.  
• Fixed issue preventing user from assigning shirt number to players out on loan.  
• Fixed issue where home shirt icon would always display in the in-match Tactics Planner, regardless of the kit worn on the day.  
• Data Hub > Last Match > Summary will now display data from the correct match.  
• Fixed Place of Birth functionality within Manager Creation.  
• Clicking ‘Apply’ when selecting which attributes to filter between on the Player Search now takes you back to the correct landing page.  
• Fixed issue where all subs would display as “S1” on team talks.  
• Fixed issue where Ligue 1 trophy image would display regardless of the competition.  
• Fixed an issue where the Prize Money portal message would incorrectly state that the user had drawn.  
• Added a Recruitment Budgets tile to the Finance Summary.  
• Fixed an issue allowing the user to create a Recruitment Focus for a Women’s competition despite managing a Men’s team, and vice versa.  
• Refined AI logic of Saudi based clubs when it comes to buying players.  
• Passing Risk player instruction will now display correctly locked as “Take More Risks” for a Midfield Playmaker role. 
• Fixed issue where the sub keeper would display in an outfield kit in the in-match Tactics Planner.  
• Fixed an issue allowing user to renegotiate transfer/loan fee despite contract terms already being agreed.  
• Improved squad building logic of top clubs.  
• Players will more appropriately decline entering contract negotiations upfront if there is a large discrepancy between the desired wage and the max wage the club can offer. 
• Fixed issue where Finance Graph would always display in USD.  
• Club > Finances will now display the correct data for Income and Expenditure.  
• In match Opposition Instructions will now correctly reflect any substitutions that have been made.  
• Fixed issue preventing the Sponsorships card in Finances from being opened.  
• Fixed issue where sponsorship end date would display as 1/1/1900.  
• First team players no longer wear a substitutes bib during pre-match team talk. 
• Tweaks to how a player’s current reputation is processed following a match.  
• Fixed issue preventing user from leading of all required team talks if they are in charge of multiple teams. 
• Player Comparison polygon graph will now display the correct attribute points. 
• Fixed an issue where the Squad Bar could not be expanded after being collapsed. 
• Added ability to add columns to tables and autosize them.