The War Z renamed Infestation: Survivor Stories due to 'trademark issues'

We all expect the zombie apocalypse to be difficult, but The War Z has found the real world just as trying. Between being pulled from Steam, responding rudely to players, a forum hack, and, well, being widely slated, it's had a tough old time. Add another problem to the list: following "trademark issues", developer Hammerpoint Interactive has renamed the survive 'em up Infestation: Survivor Stories. I'd expect that's something to do with World War Z.

Read more: That aside, all continuing as before »

Microsoft has heard the cries of frustrated fans about the mandatory 24-hour check-in and used game restrictions for Xbox One, announcing today that it was reversing those policies to reflect its current stance for the Xbox 360.

Read more: Developers being informed »

With XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Firaxis and 2K Games were faced with a challenge greater than an alien invasion: taking a blockbuster AAA game and converting it to an iPad. I loved the idea, but wasn't sure if such a thing could be done. After playing through the iOS version for myself, I can say that the essence of the original is fully intact.

Read more: A faithful translation

Sony has apologized for last night's firmware update issue, and says it is currently investigating the cause. A new version of firmware 4.45 update will be made available once the problem has been rooted out.

Read more: 'We apologize for the inconvenience' »

Even among the most ardent fans of Goichi Suda (aka "Suda 51"), I don't think it would be controversial to say that he specializes in style. Most of his major releases are marked by high-concept ideas and identifiable art styles, but the mechanics don't always match the ambition. Killer is Dead certainly has its own splashy stylistic identity, but as usual, some hands-on time made it hard to tell if the game would keep up.

Read more: The leering mini-game »

Sam Fisher is pretty iconic and all, but the real star of Splinter Cell Blacklist are the tiny mechanical spiders. Skittering about, stealing intelligence and such. Ubisoft has given spider-bot his day in the sun today, with an iOS game devoted to the automaton arachnid.

Read more: Does whatever a spider can »

Following a leak about a cancelled Legacy of Kain game, Square Enix has stepped in to explain a few details about it and why it was canned. The game was titled Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun, and community manager George Kelion says it simply "wasn't the right game, at the right time."

Read more: Nosgoth has 'grown in size and scope' »

Gosh, what a big happy family everyone is on PC. Hello Games today announced that it's buddying up with Team Fortress 2 and Minecraft for the PC editions of its Joe Danger games. You'll be able to be blockmen and make blocky levels in Joe Danger 2, and play as TF2 characters in both.

Watch: A cute chibi Heavy, Scout a »

An pleasing pay-what-you-want Humble Bundle launched yesterday, this time of the variety which includes versions for your Android doodad as well as the usual PC, Mac, and Linux. Games up for grab include Aquaria, Frozen Synapse, and Stealth Bastard Deluxe.

Read more: And more, of course »

The open beta for Company of Heroes 2 is getting an extension, having originally been set to end yesterday. Now you've got until the end of the week to try the game before its impending launch.

Read more: Double XP this weekend »

Indie developer Nicalis (Cave Story, Nightsky) has set their sights on pure masochism. They make no secret that they have likely created "the most challenging game to come to the Vita this year" with 1001 Spikes, a 2D pixelated platformer that draws inspiration from 8-bit classics like Spelunker.

Read more: Six worlds to explore »

We described Skulls of the Shogun as "a deceptively brilliant strategy game" in our review but you probably never found that out for yourself, as the PC edition launched exclusive to Windows 8. Good news! That's apparently over, as developer 17-Bit Studios has announced it's giving its turn-based strategy proper Windows release through Steam in "late July".

Watch: As the jazzed-up Bone-A-Fide Edition

Ubisoft's decision to delay Rayman Legends to September and release on other platforms was simple, according to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. The Wii U version alone wasn't going to sell enough copies. The reasoning isn't surprising, but hearing such candid confirmation is a bit more unusual.

Read more: 'The Wii U was not going to sell enough' »

The baton for the Need For Speed series has been handed off to Ghost Games, however Criterion hasn't walked away from the racing franchise entirely. Between 60 and 65 Criterion coders and artists are said to be working on Need For Speed: Rivals, which comprises roughly 40 to 45 percent of the project's total staff.

Read more: Lots of 'Criterion DNA' »

With only two months to go until the launch of The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, you may have been concerned about publisher 2K's silence on the subject of downloadable content. Relax! The tactical shooter will indeed receive DLC, 2K announced today, and you'll surely be thrilled to hear the first is exclusive to Xbox 360.

Read more: Bonus side-mission on offer for pre-ordering »

All good things must come to an end. That's the essence of the story behind Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, the follow-up to their acclaimed original from Dennaton Games and Devolver Digital. It contains the same 2D top-down action of the first game, but the story treads into darker territory and brings with it a sense of closure, as seen in a private demo at E3.

Read more: Time to say goodbye

Update: Sony has pulled the firmware update for now.

Sony has pushed out a new PS3 firmware update. System software 4.45 was supposed to add trophy notification options and improve overall system stability.

Unfortunately, it did quite the opposite.

Read more: Do NOT download the update! »

Sony Online Entertainment may be known for their internally-developed MMOs: Planetside 2 and DC Universe Online. However, there they're also publishing a new MMO--one that sticks close to classic fantasy tropes. Dragon's Prophet, a free-to-play fantasy title from Runewaker Entertainment, delivers what it promises--dragons and lots of them.

Read more: Gotta catch 'em all »

When Jason West and Vince Zampella struck out on their own with Respawn Entertainment, the pair seemed primed to capitalize on their identities as the minds behind one of the most successful video game franchises to date. But in March, well before Respawn announced its first game Titanfall, co-founder West left the company. A new report claims that the departure was partly fueled by conflict with partner Zampella.

Read more: 'Vince felt that Jason was sabotaging the company' »

Oculus Rift has not only caught the eyes of gamers, but the interest of investors. The new funding will allow for more prototypes and experiments, and the eventual release of a consumer version of the much buzzed-about VR headset.

Read more: Planning to double staff, build new prototypes »

Max Payne 3 is making a surprise appearance on OS X this week. Rockstar Games has announced that the game will jump and slo-mo dive into the Mac App Store on June 20th. Like its PC counterpart, the Mac version will feature higher-resolution textures and character models and "advanced graphics" over the console iterations.

Read more: Mac min-specs »

Starting with Battlefield 4, all games using Frostbite 3 will be "optimized exclusively" for AMD cards, IGN reports. Given that Frostbite 3 has become EA's engine of choice for its upcoming slate of games, this could be a significant blow to rival graphics card manufacturer Nvidia.

According to their report, "while Nvidia-based systems will be supported, the company won't be able to develop and distribute updated drivers until after each game is released."

Read more: 'Very true to the original game and very modern' »

If there's one thing people love more than social games, it's investing in social game companies. Capitalizing on the runaway success of Candy Crush Saga, Midasplayer (aka King) is looking into going public and launching an IPO.

If you've logged into Facebook any time in the past few months, it's likely you've received an invitation to play Candy Crush Saga, currently the most popular game on the social network. The match-three game locks progression behind walls that can be bypassed through money or hassling friends.

Read more: But what about Zynga? »

Mickey Mouse was once a video game celebrity, thanks largely to a handful of beloved platformers starring the Disney mascot. Castle of Illusion was among the most fondly remembered, and in the era of HD remakes, another visit to the castle was inevitable. Judging by hands-on time at E3, Sega is striking a delicate balance between nostalgia and revisionism.

Read more: 'Very true to the original game and very modern' »

Nintendo announced last week that it would be trying its hand at a free-to-play game sometime this fiscal year. We expected the company to bank on one of its franchises, but we didn't see this coming: it will be a sequel to Steel Diver, the 3DS launch game.

Read more: Four-player battle mode »