GameHub has announced its latest update on X, which includes enhanced graphics, improved user interface, and additional game options for players to enjoy.
CCMC Corporation's holo Indie label has launched a Steam page for the action-adventure game, An Automaton's Journey, developed by Xyros Games, set to release on PC worldwide on June 4 (June 3 for CDT time zone and westward). Players will control Cecilia Immergreen, a Hololive English -Justice- Vtuber, exploring an expansive open world with a 2D Zelda-esque gameplay system across eight distinct dungeons. The game features appearances from at least 18 Hololive members, including Ninomae Ina'nis, Shiranui Flare, Usada Pekora, and Ceres Fauna, as allies and bosses. Gameplay includes exploration, dungeons with puzzles, side quests leading to boss battles, and item collection with 15 unique items. Players will face 13 bosses and over 40 fan mascot enemies affected by a mysterious curse.
Amazon is enhancing its gaming offerings in May 2026 with new titles for its Luna cloud gaming service and a selection of free PC games for Prime members.
Games Coming to Luna in May 2026 (Included with Prime):
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Resident Evil 2
- Alien: Isolation
- Middle-earth: Shadow of War
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
- LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Free PC Games – May 2026:
- May 7:
- Mafia II: Definitive Edition – GOG code
- Fruitbus – GOG code
- May 14:
- Survival: Fountain of Youth – Amazon Games code
- 60 Minutes to Extinction: Escape Room – GOG code
- Lethal Honor: Order of the Apocalypse – Epic Games Store Code
- May 21:
- Space Grunts – GOG Code
- Palindrome Syndrome: Escape Room – GOG Code
- Hot Brass – GOG Code
- May 28:
- Nordic Storm Solitaire – Legacy Games Code
- Moon Mystery – Epic Games Store Code
- Pro Basketball Manager 2026 – Amazon Games Code
- ScarCruft, also known as APT37 or Reaper, is a North Korean espionage group targeting government, military organizations, and companies in Asia.
- BirdCall is a Windows backdoor attributed to ScarCruft, with spying capabilities such as taking screenshots and logging keystrokes.
- The Android version of BirdCall collects contacts, SMS messages, call logs, and media files, and was actively developed over several months.
- The BirdCall backdoor was discovered in a trojanized card game on a gaming platform tailored for ethnic Koreans living in Yanbian, China.
- The attack was likely aimed at collecting information on individuals from the Yanbian region deemed of interest to the North Korean regime, such as refugees or defectors.
ScarCruft compromised a video game platform in a supply chain attack, trojanizing its components with a backdoor called BirdCall to target ethnic Koreans residing in China. The attack enabled the threat actors to target both Windows and Android devices, turning it into a multi-platform threat. The campaign targeted sqgame[.]net, a gaming platform used by ethnic Koreans in China, known as a transit point for North Korean defectors. BirdCall has features like screenshot capture, keystroke logging, and data gathering, and relies on legitimate cloud services for command-and-control. The Android variant collects various data and has seen active development.
A North Korean hacking group has targeted a digital gaming platform popular among the Korean ethnic enclave in China, using a sophisticated strategy to infiltrate Android applications. Researchers from Eset discovered that an app on the platform contained a backdoor known as BirdCall, linked to North Korea. The official website for the gaming platform hosted the same suspicious APK file. A second Android file associated with another game on the same site was also found to contain the BirdCall backdoor. This supply-chain attack was attributed to the threat actor ScarCruft (APT37), active in Asia and extending into Europe and the Middle East since late 2024. The hackers likely compromised the web server to recompile original APKs with the backdoor, which can collect sensitive information such as contacts, SMS messages, call logs, documents, media files, and private keys, and can take screenshots and record audio. The malware disguises its command and control traffic among regular internet traffic, primarily using Zoho WorkDrive for operations.
A new course at the University of Texas at Dallas, titled Experiential Medical Reasoning, immerses premed students in a virtual hospital environment using Minecraft. The course, developed by IvyBee, Inc., allows students to engage with fictional patients and make medical decisions based on symptoms and charts. The digital replica of Parkland Memorial Hospital enables students to experience various medical roles while preparing for the MCAT. Students have reported improvements in their MCAT practice scores and gained insights into hospital operations. The course is part of a broader initiative led by Dr. Walter Voit, who aims to enhance student engagement through innovative educational tools.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella discussed the company's strategic direction for consumer platforms, focusing on improving user engagement and satisfaction for Windows and Xbox during the FY23 Q3 earnings call. He highlighted efforts to enhance the user experience and strengthen customer relationships across key products, including Windows, Xbox, Bing, and Edge. Windows plans to address significant issues within Windows 11 to improve its competitiveness against macOS and steamOS. The Xbox team is working to rejuvenate the brand by reassessing Game Pass and exclusive titles to reinforce its position in the gaming market. Nadella emphasized a commitment to delivering customer value through innovation and quality, signaling a transformative moment for the company.
Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve, integrated Steam with Half-Life 2, significantly influencing PC gaming despite initial skepticism about digital platforms. In a 2011 interview, he warned that the gaming industry is ever-changing and emphasized the need for continuous innovation to provide value to partners like EA, Ubisoft, and Take-Two. At that time, EA's withdrawal of titles from Steam raised concerns about the platform's future, prompting Newell to stress the importance of demonstrating value to developers.
Currently, Steam remains a dominant force in digital distribution, maintaining a large user base and benefiting from seasonal sales. Publishers such as EA, Activision, Ubisoft, and Take-Two have returned to Steam after testing their own storefronts and the Epic Games Store, recognizing its extensive reach and user engagement. Steam has recently surpassed 42 million concurrent users and continues to expand its library, all while keeping its revenue-sharing model at a 70/30 split. Despite developer concerns, the return of partners indicates that Steam's value proposition is still strong.
Microsoft is retiring the term "Microsoft Gaming," which was introduced in 2022, and will revert to using the Xbox brand as the primary identifier for all gaming-related endeavors. A memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and chief content officer Matt Booty, released on April 23, acknowledges that the company's presence in the PC gaming market is lacking. The memo outlines a strategy focused on "flexible pricing," being "open to all creators," and increasing "daily active players," but lacks specific commitments or timelines. It highlights Windows as a crucial battleground for gaming, noting that it now represents more players and hours, amidst competition from platforms like Steam. The memo also reflects on Microsoft's historical challenges in executing a competitive PC gaming ecosystem and coincides with an announcement of an early-retirement buyout program for employees as the company reallocates resources toward AI initiatives.
