Beloved actor Patrick Stewart has died at the age of 86. The veteran of stage and screen was best known for his many years as Star Trek's Jean-Luc Picard and X-Men's Charles Xavier, though he also had notable roles in video games, including The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

"We announce with grew sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dimentia" a statement on his official Instagram reads. "He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all. We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace."

Stewart's role as Picard made him a household name, and following the conclusion of Star Trek: The Next Generation, he reprised the role in several Star Trek films as well as the series Star Trek: Picard.

Though best known for his live-action roles like Picard and Xavier, Stewart was also known for his iconic voice. Alongside the aforementioned games like Oblivion and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (and its sequel), Stewart had voice roles in everything from American Dad to The Prince of Egypt. He also narrated the Ted movies, with his friend Ian McKellan taking over the role for the recent Ted series on Peacock.

As Xbox's execs continue to pine for game-related announcements to fill in the gaps between their rounds of mass layoffs, The Elder Scrolls 6 is reportedly set to gain the subtitle Sentinel soon. That's according to a report which also includes some details of where the game that's long been a twinkle in the eye of Skyrim's dad will be set and what its plot will involve.

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Sir Patrick Stewart, the star of Star Trek: The Next Generation, died yesterday at his home in Los Angeles following a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. He was 86. A statement from his rep confirmed the news. “We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home […]

When Electronic Arts decided to shutter legendary RPG studio BioWare on Oct. 21, Greg Zeschuk, one of BioWare's co-founders alongside Ray Muzyka and Augustine Yip, found out through a flurry of text messages. In an interview with 80 Level, Zeschuk revealed that shortly after the news broke and he went home, his feelings about the closure were fairly muted.

World of Warcraft: Forever will launch with full controller support, a first for the various versions of Blizzard's longrunning PC-exclusive MMORPG. According to Blizzard, the option to play on controller is the "first leg of a journey" to make WoW playable "on whatever you want." 

Speaking to GamesRadar, WoW executive producer and vice president Holly Longdale said Blizzard's goal is to eventually have WoW playable "wherever you want, and, at some point, on whatever you want."

The first step on that road, however, is ensuring controller support works really well. Blizzard is using the launch of Forever on November 4, the latest version of its MMO that reimagines the game's classic world and gameplay with new content and features, as a starting point.

"Looking at where things are going when we hear about Project Helix [the codename for Xbox's next console], et cetera, I think platforms will be a bit more ubiquitous," Longdale said. 

She continued: "I think just doing some of the work we're doing on gamepad [support] is going to give players a lot of flexibility that I think goes beyond consoles."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvueCoFTkCk

Having gone hands-on with Forever's controller support during BlizzCon 2026, I can say it works surprisingly well for a game that has been played almost exclusively with mouse and keyboard for 22 years. While modern WoW has added some barebones controller options in recent years, Forever's implementation is far superior, working seamlessly without the need for player-made addons like ConsolePort to make it usable. 

You have a surprisingly number of keybinds available at your fingertips (28, to be exact), making combat and interacting with quest NPCs a breeze. Inventory management and navigating menus is a little more cumbersome, but it does feel like a decent tradeoff for being able to play on a controller or a handheld, like the Xbox ROG Ally X. 

When WoW might be playable on something other than a PC remains to be seen, though Blizzard has made clear that if it were making a console version, it wouldn't exactly be a secret. 

But that doesn't mean WoW on consoles is still years away. Xbox's next console, Project Helix, is rumored to be a hybrid device capable of playing console and PC games, meaning WoW would likely be playable on it. According to a recent report, Project Helix is aiming for a 2028 release, may include a handheld component, and could possibly cost between $1,200 and $1,800 if Microsoft doesn't subsidize it.

In the meantime, Blizzard is plenty busy getting ready for Forever's launch, including reworking racial abilities and making improvements to the game's divisive layering system. If you bought the MMO's new optional playable race, the Skyborne, you can technically make your WoW: Forever character right now ahead of launch day. WoW: Forever launches November 4.

What's next for the Assassin's Creed franchise? Following the successful launch of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced earlier this--which sold very well--you'd imagine that Ubisoft would be looking to fast-track another remake while it continues work on future titles. That's not the case, as Ubisoft dropped a new update on all things Assassin's Creed, including confirmation that it's not currently working on any remakes.

"One thing we want to be transparent about today is that we currently have no other Assassin's Creed remake actively in development," Ubisoft wrote. "Our teams are already focused on the next chapter of Assassin's Creed titles, including projects you haven't heard about yet, featuring new settings and stories."

While you shouldn't expect another Assassin's Creed remake anytime soon, Ubisoft added that it will still keep "exploring opportunities" to bring older titles back. As for future projects, Ubisoft said that it's making "good progress" on its darker Assassin's Creed experience, Codename Hexe. An update on it will arrive in 2027, and Ubisoft added that the team remains focused on delivering a "unique vision" at the heart of this project. The other in-development title, Codename Invictus, is also taking shape behind the scenes. This will be a multiplayer Assassin's Creed game, and Ubisoft says hundreds of players recently got to go hands-on with an early prototype.

"One piece of feedback came through clearly though: Players saw great potential in the foundations but wanted more of the pillars that define Assassin's Creed. The team spent the past months acting on it, and Invictus is now evolving in an exciting direction that better reflects those pillars while staying true to its multiplayer ambitions," Ubisoft wrote.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHoZjka6h2U

For current games, Black Flag Resynced players can download one final major update. This adds New Game Plus, Nightmare Mode, new rewards, finishers, trinkets, and additional customization options to the Black Flag remake. Assassin's Creed Valhalla players aren't being left out in the cold either, as New Game Plus is being added to the Viking saga on November 5. A heavily requested feature for this particular Assassin's Creed game, the update will also add an optional progression mode where Gear, Runes, and Masteries all contribute to Eivor's overall power ranking. Players can also earn new gear and a Master Assassin outfit inspired by Naoe's look in Assassin's Creed Shadows; a new Mithril resource is being added, and you can upgrade your gear to a new "Divine" level.

While the news is good for Assassin's Creed fans, it comes amid restructuring at Ubisoft that has led to several canceled games, shut-down studios, and layoffs. Trials developer RedLynx is on the chopping block, while 72 people from Ubisoft Singapore--the studio behind Skull & Bones--were recently laid off.