While many antagonists in anime stand in the way of our hero’s goal or journey, that doesn’t necessarily make them all evil. In fact, a lot of characters that start off as villains never had bad intentions, eventually joining or aiding the good guys in the fight.

We’ve put together a list of the best of those foreboding foes that actually turned out not to be so bad after all. Here are the seven best anime antagonists that weren’t actually villains.

***Minor story and character spoilers for the anime below***

The latest trailer for Gotham Knights shows off Batgirl, and unsurprisingly, Batman's protege is pretty adept at mopping the floor with criminals. Like the (very dead, at least in this timeline) dark knight, Batgirl uses a combination of martial arts, acrobatics, and gadgets to fight crime, and also wields tonfa clubs to help even the odds.

Batgirl's tonfa weapons look downright brutal, as not only can she smash in a few faces with them, but she can also convert them into a set of nunchucks or into a grappling hook device for added mobility. Beyond gameplay that makes Batgirl look like a flexible character to play as, the trailer also showed off her motorcycle that she uses for getting around Gotham City and some of the gear that can be equipped to customize her appearance.

From her base outfit that's probably not too good at concealing her identity to more rugged armor that looks like it can help her shrug off high-impact blows, Batgirl will have a wide range of outfits to experiment with. While this is one of the most prominent appearances of Batgirl in a video game, it's not the first time that she has been a playable character. She was the second DLC character in the first Injustice game and in Batman: Arkham Knight she starred in her own DLC episode.

Stranger Things has always been spooky, but season four takes the horror elements of the show to new heights. Indeed, the evil antagonist Vecna’s gruesome killing spree around Hawkins is reminiscent of a quintessential slasher flick, and his appearance is a Freddy Krueger easter egg that isn’t likely to have been lost on many fans of the genre. One reference that might have been, though, is a nod of the hat to one of video gaming’s most celebrated horror franchises: Resident Evil.

Now, if you haven’t finished Stranger Things Season 4 and are sensitive to spoilers, now is the time to leave!

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords is a horror story. What happens when the Force no longer favors you? Can you survive when you walk away from being the chosen one? KotOR 2 shows you the dead, unbeating heart of an endlessly vast and uncaring galaxy. Instead of fully committing itself to…

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A social media post believed to mock Chinese president Xi Jinping was behind the last-minute delay to Diablo Immortal in China, a report has suggested.

This contrasts with the official reasoning given by Chinese developer and publisher NetEase in June, which said it was holding back the game's launch for "content enhancement".

NetEase declined to comment when contacted by Eurogamer.

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My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia takes place in a world where almost everyone has a special ability called a “quirk.” With these new superpowers becoming the norm, anyone without one of these “quirks” is left feeling like the odd one out. Such was the case for My Hero Academia protagonist Izuku Midoriya.

As fate would have it, however, Izuku eventually ends up with his own quirk with the aid of his personal idol All Might. He then enrolls in a school that caters to gifted students with quirks and begins training to be a true hero as the threat of a dangerous villain organization begins to loom over the horizon.

Even if you haven’t seen this anime before, you’re probably already imagining the similarities this anime has with Naruto. Even as a newbie to the community of quirk-having heroes, Izuku has a level of determination that can only be matched by Naruto. If you find yourself enjoying anime where the main character is constantly screaming “I can do it,” “I will succeed,” “You won’t stop me,” or any other phrase of this nature, then both Naruto and My Hero Academia will be your cup of tea.

Nintendo has detailed its incoming update for Switch Sports, which will be available from 26th July.

This update will bring several new additions to the game, including leg strap accessory support and fresh volleyball moves.

Firstly, once this update goes live, you will be able to use the game's leg strap accessory in both four-on-four and one-on-one football matches. For those yet to get their hands on this bit of kit, you can purchase one through the My Nintendo Store.

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Guerrilla will switch off the online servers for some of its Killzone games next month.

On 12th August, online features for Killzone: Mercenary, Killzone Shadow Fall (including Intercept Mode) and RIGS: Mechanised Combat League will be shut down.

Single player modes will still be available.

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Opera and YoYo Games, the company behind the popular GameMaker engine, have launched a new platform that enables developers to release games on mobile for free.

The two companies have added new functionality to GX.games, their platform for distributing titles to the games-centric Opera GX browser, to ensure titles work on both the iOS and Android versions of the app.

The mobile version of GX.games enters beta today, with the first games expected to be released after the upcoming GX.games mobile game jam.

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The past two days have been absolutely brutal when it comes to Wordle. Yesterday's word was something that mostly Animal Crossing fans and insect enthusiasts would have gotten reliably. However, the Wordle on July 22 is a word that many players likely didn't know existed. If you want some help getting through this Wordle, then use one of our best starting words, and read below for a couple of hints and even the full answer.

I managed to get this answer by sheer luck. I had every letter I needed, but that didn't occur to me until after I plugged in random letters to form a word that I didn't think would even be accepted. When the guess was accepted and turned out to be the right answer, I rushed to Google to see exactly what it meant. I have a feeling most players who got the answer out of luck did the exact same thing. That's exactly why we have laid out some tips and the full answer to make sure players continue their Wordle streak on July 22.

Today's Wordle Answer - July 22, 2022

We'll kick things off with two hints that might make guessing the answer a little easier. However, if players don't know the word exists, then a couple of hints likely won't help things too much.

• Hint 1: This word's only vowel is "y" and it has a repeating letter
• Hint 2: This word is mainly used to describe a romantic meeting that's kept a secret

Those hints might be able to get some players to the right answer, and others will still be stumped. If you fall into the latter crowd, then don't fret, as we have the full answer right here... "tryst." It's certainly not a word you hear often, but it's a word nonetheless. Hopefully, everyone's Wordle streak was kept intact despite a series of tough answers.

In a lengthy behind-the-scenes video, Naughty Dog's development team walks through the changes players can expect from The Last of Us Part I, a high-end PlayStation 5 remake that should look just as good as its sequel. While the story beats will be mostly the same, Naughty Dog has reworked most of the gameplay and visuals.

Along with increased realism in the character models, players can expect seamless transitions between sequences, enhanced enemy and buddy A.I., more breakable objects in combat, accessibility features galore, and even a few new ways to play the game.

If you want to see how far you make it before dying, you can play a new permadeath mode. Naughty Dog has also added a speed run mode to see how quickly players get through the story.

Your time revisiting this amazing game is rewarded with new unlockables, like outfits for Ellie and Joel and a model viewer. The Last of Us Part 1 is slated to release on PlayStation 5 and PC on September 2.

Are you excited to revisit this classic? If so, will you play The Last of Us Part II right after you finish it?

Nintendo has added three new games to its Nintendo Switch Online classic lineup, including Kirby's Avalanche for the SNES and Daiva Story 6: Imperial of Nirsartia for the NES. Fighter's History for the SNES is also available. All three games are available for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.

Kirby's Avalanche is a puzzle game released back in 1995 for the SNES. The game is known as Kirby's Ghost Trap in Europe and is a puzzle game featuring Puyo Puyo mechanics. In fact, the game is a western adaptation of Japan's Super Puyo Puyo, with the game's Puyo Puyo characters replaced with characters from Kirby. Notably, it is the only game in the Kirby series not to receive a Japanese release.

Fighter's History was originally an arcade fighting game, which later received a port to the SNES in 1994. Data East developed the game as well as the sequels that followed. Capcom later sued Data East for infringing on its copyright of Street Fighter II, due to its similarities. The court ruled in favor of Data East, noting that Capcom's copyright did not apply to martial stances, kicks, or punches.

Eyes in the Dark on PC

Billed as a roguelight, Eyes in the Dark: The Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom is one of the most unique side-scrolling rogue-lite games you’ll play this year. “Roguelight” is a clever little play on words, and a reference to the fact that protagonist Victoria Bloom only has a flashlight at her disposal as she tries to fend off the creepy-crawlies in the dark.

Right off the bat, Eyes in the Dark is immediately captivating with its Tim Burton-esque cartoonish visuals. The entire game is in black and white, and even reminiscent of silent movies where placards with character dialogue pop onscreen in between shots of characters gesturing towards each other. The game begins proper when we arrive at Bloom Manor, and Victoria is forced to explore the large creepy house in an effort to save her grandfather from what lurks within.

Along the way, she’ll uncover secrets about the Bloom family, as well as fancy upgrades for her flashlight, allowing her to dispatch her foes more easily.

After the short tutorial sequence introducing the game’s basic mechanics, Eyes in the Dark leaves everything open for the player to discover. Each run always starts off in the main hall, where you can pick up items or upgrades to prepare for the journey ahead, then go forth and see how far you can make it in the Manor.

If one Soul Hackers 2 trailer a day wasn’t enough for you, today Atlus released an extra video for its upcoming Shin Megami Tensei spin-off JRPG.

The trailer focuses on illustrating the world of the game, in which technology has reached consciousness and predicted the end of the world. In order to prevent it, “Aion” sends its agents Ringo and Figue to establish the first contact with the humans who are most crucial for the mission.

You can check it out below. Unfortunately this one is only in Japanese, and while it has a variety of subtitles, English is missing.

Soul Hackers 2 launches for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC ( both on Steam and on the Windows Store) on August 26, just one day after the Japanese release on August 25.

HoYoVerse, the Chinese developer behind the free-to-play action-RPG Genshin Impact, has announced that Tuning Tests for its upcoming game, Zenless Zone Zero, will begin on August 5.

Sharing the news today, it was confirmed that the "small-scale" Tuning Test will start on 10AM CST / 2AM GMT / 3AM BST. For players in America, the noted time translates to August 4 at 7PM PT / 10PM ET. HoYoVerse has yet to clarify when the testing times will end, saying it will be announced later on. The developer is currently looking for players to test Zenless Zone Zero and is allowing them to sign up on its official website.

Recruitment for Zenless Zone Zero's Tuning Test will end on July 27 at 8:59AM PT /11:59AM ET / 4:59PM BST / 11:59PM CST. It's notable that the tests will only be available on PC and iOS, similar to Genshin Impact's original testing phase. Additionally, no payment options will be available and all data and progression will be deleted after the test ends.

One of the longest-serving vendors in Destiny 2 is getting a tune-up, as gunsmith Banshee-44 will be handing out rewards more quickly from Season 18. Like other vendors in the game, completing bounties will earn players reputation with the weapons and mod dealer, although doing so can be excruciatingly slow. Players can also disassemble weapons to earn more reputation, but that usually results in a trickle of experience filtering through.

According to Bungie, completing daily Gunsmith bounties will now grant 50 Gunsmith reputation each (double the current amount) and can be maxed out for a total of 200 reputation every day. Gunsmith reputation gained from dismantling Legendary or Exotic weapons and armor will be increased as well, boosting the reward from three to five.

"These changes coming in Season 18 will allow players to rank up with the Exo more efficiently, we will continue to monitor and evaluate progression over the course of the coming Seasons," economy feature lead Joshua Kulinski explained. "We hope these changes make the Gunsmith reputation system feel more rewarding in Season 18."

For a deeper dive into the future of Destiny, players can tune in to see a new showcase on August 23. Coinciding with the start of Season 18, the brief teaser showed snippets of the current storyline, the arrival of the Witness, and other major events of Destiny 2. In other Destiny 2 news, the Solstice event is now live and has brought with it broken weapons and plenty of challenges to complete.

The Blue Lock anime adaptation is only a few short months away from release, and we’ve gotten yet another trailer showing off two other characters that will appear in the first season. You can check out the trailer down below:

The trailer finally gives us our first look at fan-favorite Nagi Seishiro and Reo Mikage, two key players from Team V. Both players entered Blue Lock together, with Reo being the one to first identify Nagi’s soccer skills and convincing him to join a team with him. Nagi is known for being extremely lackadaisical and carefree, and he doesn’t take soccer all that seriously.

That being said, he shows tremendous skill even without trying, which makes him a very formidable opponent for Yoichi and Team Z.

There’s still no set release date for the Blue Lock anime adaptation apart from the October release window, but we’ll keep you updated as more details come our way.

Cloud Strife is the best-dressed person in Final Fantasy VII Remake, and that's about to translate to the real world. Square Enix announced a new Play Arts Kai Cloud Dress Version figure. It's based on Cloud's dolled-up look from Final Fantasy VII Remake's Wall Market segment.

In the segment, Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith infiltrate the lawless, decadent paradise of Midgar's Sector 6 Slums area. Their objective to interrogate local hedonist/crime boss Don Corneo is complicated by the Don's love of his "brides". Cloud is forced to dress the part, with the help of Aerith and the people of the Market, giving rise to the iconic Cloud Dress Version costume.

The Play Arts Kai Cloud Dress Version figure is patterned after a specific look Cloud adopts to get close to Don Corneo. In the game, Cloud's dress design is determined by the side quests the player completes while in the area. Completing no side quests puts Cloud in a basic black dress. Doing quests massage purveyor Madam M unlocks a lavender gown with white frills. However, Chocobo Sam's side quests unlock the dress the figure takes its inspiration from. The figure thus wears saloon girl outfit with a tight bodice and thin sleeves. The color scheme is more purple-and-blue than black-and-blue this time, though.

Check out some photos of the Cloud Dress Version Play Arts Kai figure in the gallery.

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As we reported earlier, Naughty Dog has unveiled a new trailer offering a closer look at The Last of Us Part 1 for the PlayStation 5 - and specifically showing a first official look at how the series' highly-praised accessibility features will be presented in the remake.

"We've really tried to push the frontier of accessibility on this game," stated game director Matthew Gallant, showcasing Part 1's new audio description setting - a first for a game on PlayStation. "Every single accessibility option we offer, that's a barrier removed for someone."

You can see the full breakdown for yourself below.

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Square Enix are releasing a new Cloud Strife action figure wearing one of the dresses from the Wall Market section of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

And this one doesn't come with an NFT.

Priced at $194.99 on the Square Enix store, it's available to pre-order now with a release date of July 2023.

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The Epic Game Store has no plans to change its current policy of allowing NFT games, company boss Tim Sweeney has said, in comments which follow Minecraft maker Mojang's anti-NFT statement earlier this week.

Speaking on Twitter, Sweeney re-iterated Epic's previous stance that the company would not block games that include NFTs based on that issue alone.

"Developers should be free to decide how to build their games, and you are free to decide whether to play them," Sweeney wrote, "I believe stores and operating system makers shouldn't interfere by forcing their views onto others. We definitely won't."

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X-COM creator Julian Gollop’s turn-based tactics sci-fi strategy Phoenix Point has seen its final official update on PC to coincide with the release of a complete edition of the game. Out now, Phoenix Point: Complete Edition includes all six DLC released to date. You can take a look at everything included in the package by watching the trailer below.

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The cat adventures of Stray allow you to interact and play with many things around the game’s world. By doing all these actions, you may stumble upon a few trophies that make the experience even more satisfying. However, if you have difficulty unlocking the Boom Chat Kalaka Trophy, we’ll tell you how to dunk the basketball in the game.

How to Dunk the Basketball in Stray

While exploring the lost-forgotten city, you’ll go through many areas filled with cyber beings and breathtaking visuals. One place, in particular, is a location called The Slums, where you’ll be able to unlock the Boom Chat Kalaka Trophy of Stray.

Once you reach this area, go through the alleyway and talk to “The Guardian,” a bodyguard for frightened robots stood near the elevator you see in the distance at the beginning of the game.

But fret not; it will see you as friendly and let you roam freely in The Slums, giving you the chance to interact with the basketball for this trophy.

If you look to the right of The Guardian, you should see the ball near the edge of a slide-like platform, which you can utilize to “dunk” it in the trash can below.

Console hardware sales have tumbled in Europe this year due to continuing stock shortages.

Just over 2m consoles have been sold across Europe this year (excluding major markets of the UK and Germany), which represents a 21 percent drop year-on-year, reports GamesIndustry.biz.

In particular, PS5 sales have dropped almost 44 percent for the first half of this year, although it remains the second most popular console across the region.

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Nintendo has added three more classic games to its ever-growing library accessible via Switch Online.

First up is Daiva Story 6: Imperial of Nirsartia on NES. The sixth out of seven games in the Daiva series, it was released in 1986. In the trailer for this Switch Online update, Nintendo shared that players can input the password たたかう to jetpack straight into a side-scrolling space shoot-out.

Next in the line-up is Fighter's History, an arcade fighting game released in 1993 which was then ported to SNES the next year.

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During a Q&A between the Persona 5 Royal team and Persona Channel, one of the answers revealed that owners of the PlayStation 4 version of the game will not be eligible for a free or discounted upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version. Even if you own the game on the PS4, you will have to purchase the PS5 version at full price. Other questions on the form are in regards to the game itself.

Those familiar with the game from when it initially came out in 2019 may already know these answers. You do not need to play other games in the Persona series or the original Persona 5 in order to play Persona 5 Royal. There is a new third-semester storyline after the main plot, as well as new characters Takuto Maruki and Kasumi Yoshizawa. There are also new mechanics such as the Thieves Den.

Naughty Dog has acknowledged the recent wave of The Last of Us Part 1 leaks, and branded them "disheartening and frustrating" to developers.

A series of leaks have spilled online this week, including gameplay footage, screenshots, plus details of the game's accessibility features and controller layout.

Today, Naughty Dog has now also debuted its own breakdown of what we can expect to see when the game releases for PlayStation 5, which you can watch below.

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Pre-orders are now live for the Resident Evil Village Gold Edition, with a new trailer showing fresh footage of Lady Dimitrescu in action.

The Winters Expansion DLC builds on the Mercenaries mode and gives players the chance to play as both the iconic Lady D and villainous Karl Heisenberg, as well as Chris Redfield.

That means swinging a giant hammer, manipulating metal, and throwing chairs - check it out in the trailer below.

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Following the Epic Games and Nvidia crossover, the GeForce Now members continue to witness amazing freebie offers based on Fortnite cosmetic items. This time around, Nvidia has announced that GeForce Now users can claim a new Fortnite item called “The Dish-stroyer Pickaxe” for free. With that said, we’ve provided a detailed breakdown of how to get GeForce Now items in Fortnite?

GeForce Now Fortnite Reward – How to Get The Dish-stroyer Pickaxe For Free

GeForce Now members who stream Fortnite from July 21 till Aug. 4, 11:59 p.m Eastern can claim “The Dish-stroyer Pickaxe” for free. The reward will be sent to the Fortnite account starting Thursday, Aug. 11.

As of writing, the GeForce Now cloud service is available across 81 countries, and any Fortnite player can use this service for free to obtain this reward. GeForce Now is compatible with various platforms, including Windows PC, macOS, iOS Safari, Android phones, and Android TV.

However, it’s essential to link your Epic Games account with Nvidia’s GeForce Now to claim this reward. Luckily, we’ve also got you covered with the complete instructions for the same.

How to Link Epic Games and GeForce Now Accounts

Here are the steps to link your Epic Games and NVIDIA accounts:

1. Open GeForce Now on Safari.
2. Go to the ‘settings’ menu.
3. Find the ‘connections’ tab.
4. Select ‘Epic Games’ from the list.
5. Log in with your Epic Games account.

Once your accounts are linked, you’ll automatically log into your Epic account when launching Fortnite on GeForce Now.

Say what you like about NFTs -- and with the market around most of them currently in what might charitably be described as a catastrophic collapse, everyone else is certainly saying what they like -- but the technology has, in its short and sordid time in the limelight, achieved at least one quite remarkable thing.

Never before have I seen a technology inspire game companies to scramble to announce that they will absolutely not be using it; this industry is usually relentlessly neophiliac and willing to give a shot to just about every idea that comes down the technological pike, be it good, bad, or indifferent, which makes the growing roster of companies who have made statements publicly distancing themselves from NFTs into an especially unusual occurrence.

At a glance, the statement from Minecraft creator and Microsoft subsidiary Mojang this week belongs broadly in that category. It is, however, a bit more firmly-worded than many other companies' statements, taking the time to make specific arguments against the use of NFTs in Minecraft rather than just briefly reassuring players that there are no plans to implement them, as other companies have done.

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While Steam is filled to the brim with big blockbuster AAA titles, it also has its fair share of smaller-scale curios. One such indie hit has come out of nowhere today and has managed to sneak all the way to the top of Steam’s most followed upcoming games.

Specifically, the title in question is the casual physics-based brawler, Party Animals, which pits up to eight players against each other in a no holds barred battle to the, well… TKO. Yes, while the game is centered around duking it out with one another, its lighthearted and whimsical tone is one of its most eye-catchingly unique selling points.

You see, players assume the roles of a bunch of cutesy animals like dogs, cats, bunnies, and even unicorns, so it’s fair to say that the title will likely resonate well with younger audiences. This is likely why it’s managed to creep all the way to the top of Steam’s most followed upcoming games with an impressive 334,240 followers.

Gotham Knights really does kill off Batman, its developer has told fans at San Diego Comic-Con.

Some fans had suspected the game - which sees you playing as Bat sidekicks Robin, Red Hood, Nightwing and Batgirl following the apparent demise of the Dark Knight - would somehow fake Bat's death so he could return later.

But that won't be the case, creative director Patrick Redding said during a Q&A attended by IGN. And when Gotham Knights rolls its credits, Batman is... still dead. Huh!

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A Blu-ray box, including the soundtrack, of Fate/Extra Last Encore will come out on December 14, 2022. It will include both the Japanese and English audio tracks, as well as English subtitles. This is a separate release from the existing Blu-ray box set, which does not come with the soundtrack. It will cost 27,500 JPY, which is approximately $199.35. [Thanks, Comic Natalie!]

Wada Arco, who provided the original character designs for the Fate/Extra continuity of works, drew the illustration for the box. There will also be two CDs in the soundtrack, with artwork from SHAFT, which is the animation studio behind Fate/Extra Last Encore. It will also include new remixes that were not in the original show. Additionally, Aniplex released two commercials – one for the Blu-ray box and one for the soundtrack – though you can only view them if you are in Japan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF8uQSxlWJ0&t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-iKEfziQyI&t

Hello! Welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've found ourselves playing over the last few days. This time: Klonoa, shmups, and Mario at his oddest.

If you fancy catching up on some of the older editions of What We've Been Playing, here's our archive.

My first memories of playing Klonoa: Door to Phantomile take place in the early 2000s, when I had a pirated version of the game in Japanese with no manual, and no knowledge of the Japanese language. Despite this, I often booted it up to see if I could figure out how to play through trial and error because I loved the charming music. Spoiler alert – I did not figure it out. I never even made it past the first level, never to discover the rest of that beautiful soundtrack...

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A new video revealing more details about what to expect from The Last Of Us Part 1 remake has been shared by developers Naughty Dog following what some of their senior staff call “disheartening and frustrating” leaks. The video shows off new modes coming with the remake, such as speedrun mode and the brutal permadeath, along with more sophisticated AI for NPCs. You can watch the ten-minute video for yourself below.

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The Entertainment Software Association saw a big drop in revenue when the coronavirus pandemic cancelled E3 2020.

Axios has published a review of the trade body's tax filings for the year ended March 31, 2021, which shows the organisation's revenues reached $40 million. That's a year-on-year decline of $10 million or 25%.

The ESA is funded by membership fees -- with 30 members, including giants such as Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, Tencent and Electronic Arts -- as well as charges for game ratings by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, which the trade body operates.

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