Elden Ring meets Minecraft via AI, while Sony's disc exit hits 385K petition signatures

Gamers are using Claude AI agents to "vibe code" video game mod mashups that combine titles the public never expected to see together, including driving Mario Kart vehicles in Call of Duty Zombies, fighting Elden Ring bosses with Minecraft characters, and swinging through Batman's Gotham City as Spider-Man. The mashups rely on a "passthrough mod," according to a popular GitHub guide, which runs two games simultaneously, with one hosting the world while the other supplies gameplay, including movement and combat. The GitHub guide states it took three to four hours to merge Elden Ring and Spider-Man, while warning that first results are often rough around the edges. Vibe coding requires the user to tell the AI model what they want, test the outcomes, and provide feedback, leaving the AI model to do the coding itself.

One of the first mashups to go viral combined cult classic Skate with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, allowing gamers to skateboard across the game's maps. "Imagine hitting a trick shot with this. We will see clips soon, any moment now," one X user posted. "This is the greatest thing that will ever happen in Call of Duty," another said. Perhaps the most viral of the merges is Minecraft in Elden Ring, a mod created by Toby Jacobs that allows players to use Minecraft weapons, teleport with an Ender Pearl, access 1,600 Minecraft items, build functioning redstone contraptions, enter creative mode, and spawn mobs using eggs, meaning creepers can fight Elden Ring's iconic boss Malenia. The mod also allows users to add in Black Ops guns for quick switching between Minecraft and Call of Duty weapons. Jacobs has not released the mod publicly, saying he is open to the idea but would have to create a Windows port because it was developed for Mac.

The rise of AI modding has drawn enthusiasm from players, with some calling it "one of the coolest things I've seen in gaming in 10+ years" and the dawn of "the renaissance of gaming." At the same time, former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden has publicly questioned Sony's plan to stop producing physical discs for its game consoles as of 2028, calling it a "heavily spreadsheeted decision" and saying the move has damaged the company's reputation. Gamers have criticized Sony's decision to kill discs since the July announcement, with a physical gaming advocacy group calling for an organized boycott and a "Don't Kill the Disc" petition gaining over 385,000 signatures. Sony has not publicly reversed its disc production plans.