The Indiependent • 7th October 2025

GameStop to keep Xbox Game Pass at Original Lower Price

Microsoft raised Xbox Game Pass Ultimate prices on October 1, though one retailer is determined to keep the old rates.The increase sees prices rise from £14.99 to £22.99 in the UK and $19.99 to $29.99 in the U.S., a 53.33% jump in the UK, adding up to £96 more per year, just one year after the July 2024 hike.However, GameStop has committed to selling Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at the previous $19.99 monthly rate, both in-store and online, making it the best place to avoid the new price rise.The dea...

The Indiependent • 3rd October 2025

Controversial ‘Fortnite’ ‘Peacemaker’ Emote Pulled by Epic Games

The Fortnite Peacemaker emote was pulled by Epic Games on 28 September due to new context around the dance revealed in the show’s latest episode.The emote, called “Peaceful Hips,”  inspired by John Cena’s character, shows Peacemaker swinging his arms stiffly at right angles while thrusting his hips.In a statement posted on X, Fortnite said: “We’re disabling the Peaceful Hips Emote in Fortnite as we inquire into our partner’s creative intentions in this collab emote. Assuming it’s not coming back...

The Indiependent • 25th May 2024

EA Forms New ‘The Sims 4’ Team Dedicated To Improving The “Core Game Experience”

Electronic Arts (EA) has formed a team to invest in the The Sims 4 “core game experience” after years of reported technical difficulties from players.

The developers acknowledged players’ frustrations within the game and pledged to tackle the reported concerns by increasing the number and frequency of fixes.

Players can expect new patches every two months, starting with one at the end of this month.

The official announcement states that EA will optimise memory usage to minimise crashes, impro

The Indiependent • 12th March 2024

Former Activision Boss Bobby Kotick Expressed Interest In Buying TikTok

Former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is reportedly interested in buying TikTok if ByteDance decides to sell the social media platform.

TikTok is currently under scrutiny in the U.S. as lawmakers are worried that the Beijing-based company, ByteDance, might share users’ data with China and potentially spread propaganda and/or shape the political opinion of America, both at home and abroad.

However, due to the app’s popularity with 102.3 million monthly users, lawmakers are hesitant to upset the ma

The Indiependent • 8th March 2024

‘Pokémon Go’ Fest 2024 Heads To Madrid This June

Pokémon Go trainers should get their Pokéballs at the ready as Pokémon Go Fest 2024 heads to Madrid this June.

Niantic and Madrid welcome various Pokémon such as the Shiny Crabawler and trainers to the worldwide, two-day digital event from July 14-16 with events running from 10 am till 6 pm (CET).

Trainers can enjoy exclusive gameplay, special bonuses and more while taking on adventures with friends.

The event is split across two locations, Parque Juan Carlos I and the larger Madrid area. All

The Indiependent • 1st March 2024

Children Fear Being Bullied If They Do Not Buy Items In Free-to-Play Video Games

A study has found that children and teenagers can face bullying if they do not pay for items in free-to-play games such as Fortnite and Roblox.

The Norwegian-based study was conducted by OsloMet PhD student Clara Julia Reich, specialising in consumption research, alongside OsloMet behaviour analyst Kamilla Knutsen Steinns.

They found that in-app purchases such as weapons, skins, and gear are being treated as essentials for children as young as ten, to avoid being mocked by classmates or to gai

The Indiependent • 28th February 2024

‘Age of Empires Mobile’ Is Coming Later This Year

TiMi Studio Group and World’s Edge have announced details behind Age of Empires Mobile which is set to be released later this year.

Developed by TiMi Studio Group, the masterminds behind Call of Duty Mobile and Pokemon Unite, and Xbox Games Studio World’s Edge, the pair aim to bring the battlefield to players anytime and anywhere with optimised controls.

The game offers a blend of familiar elements from the classic PC series, such as fast-paced combat, base-building and real-time strategy game

The Indiependent • 22nd February 2024

‘Fortnite Festival Season 2: Unlock Your Talent’ Welcomes Lady Gaga To The Stage

Lady Gaga has announced that she will be headlining the Fortnite Festival Season 2: Unlock Your Talent, launching on 22 February.

The collaboration between Lady Gaga and Epic Games has fans going gaga as opportunities arise to unlock new instruments, songs and iconic outfits.

The Jam Track song bank includes 8 hits from the singer including ‘Applause’, ‘Poker Face’, ‘Born This Way’, ‘Rain On Me’, ‘Stupid Love’, ‘Just Dance’, ‘The Edge of Glory’ and ‘Bloody Mary.’ They will all be available to

The Indiependent • 9th February 2024

Disney Invests $1.5 Billion Into Creating An ‘Expansive’ Universe With Epic Games

Disney has announced its $1.5 billion equity stake in Epic Games as the pair team up to make an “expansive and open games and entertainment universe.’

Players can expect to see their favourite characters and content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and Avatar.

The pixie dust magic doesn’t stop there with players being able to shop, play, watch content and “create their own stories” within the franchises.

The companies have yet to disclose more details on how players will be able to watch

The Indiependent • 6th February 2024

Safe In Our World's Largest-Ever Charity Game Bundle Is Now Available To Download

Safe In Our World has launched its biggest-ever charity gaming bundle featuring over 20 PC games on Fanatical, all for just £15.

All sale proceeds will directly go towards supporting Safe In Our World’s future initiatives within the mental health sector. Customers can also opt to donate more if wanted.

The charity aims to create awareness, eliminate stigma and normalise mental health difficulties so that nobody is afraid to reach out for help when needed.

Alan Wild, Head of Business Developme

The Indiependent • 31st January 2024

Planet Zoo Is Finally Coming To Consoles This March

Frontier Development has announced that Planet Zoo is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 26 March.

Zoo Tycoon’s successor Planet Zoo lets players create, customise and manage zoos with intuitive console controls all from the comfort of your couch.

The zoo management simulator has been loved for many over the past four years on PC, which saw regular free updates with DLC packs of new animals to care for. Console players will get to jump into all these features straight away.

There

The Indiependent • 30th January 2024

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Pulled Offline Over Game Completing Glitch

Rocksteady Studios’ Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been pulled offline after just one hour of activity of the Deluxe Edition’s early access due to a bizarre glitch that automatically completes the game.

The Deluxe Edition, costing an extra £30 from the £69.99 price tag, enabled players to access the game early before its full release on 2 February.

Rocksteady issued a statement on X stating that they will be performing maintenance on the game servers and take several hours to updat

South West Londoner • 28th February 2023

Review: London’s F1 Arcade arrives just in time for the 2023 season

Ahead of the Formula 1 2023 season this weekend, the F1 Arcade near St Paul’s Cathedral is the place to be.

The arcade has 60 full motion car racing simulators, big screen TV’s show casting the races, mini reaction games and a cocktail bar and kitchen.

The simulators cost £15.75 which can be booked as a team racing experience or head to head battle for smaller groups.

One booking entails around 20-30 minutes worth of racing which gives players around 4 races including fan favourite tracks suc

North East Londoner • 3rd February 2023

Mario Kart tournament set to fundraise for youth homelessness

A Mario Kart Gaming Tournament will be taking place on 20 February from 6:30PM to 10:30PM at the Platform in Shoreditch to raise money for End Youth Homelessness (EYH).

EYH is a national movement of the leading youth homelessness charities that joined together to tackle the UK’s youth homelessness crisis.

They drive research, collaboration and funding to identify and scale interventions that transform the lives of those most vulnerable at the ages 16-to-25 years-old and in doing so support mor