Title: Fed Up Destiny 2 Fans Make A Game To Throw Tomatoes At Ex-Bungie CEO Pete Parsons Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:45:02 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/destiny-2-3-bungie-day-pete-parsons-cars-game-browser-2000713705 Parsons left the company in 2025 after spending millions on classic cars

Title: Subnautica 2′s First Major Update Finally Lets Players Fight Back Against The Fish Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:30:49 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/subnautica-2-patch-update-adaptive-measures-unknown-worlds-2000713698 Adaptive Measures, releasing July 8, will also add a sprint, better docking, and more Biomod slots

Title: Mario Kart Tour Will Be Gone Forever September 29 Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:07:04 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/mario-kart-tour-service-ending-september-nintendo-mobile-2000713693 The game will switch off permanently just after its seventh birthday

Title: Star Fox Rule Of Cools Its Way To Becoming A Switch 2 Must-Have Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:14 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/star-fox-review-nintendo-switch-2-2000713408 Nintendo's remake of the N64 classic is an improvement on nostalgic perfection

Title: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced: The Kotaku Review Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:00:49 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-the-kotaku-review-2000713389 Ubisoft’s remake is a very good game and a sad reminder of the state of industry

Title: Monopoly Go x The Simpsons crossover is almost here Date: Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:41:21 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/monopoly-go-the-simpsons-crossover-details Monopoly Go players have been looking forward to a major crossover event for what felt like months, and though most of the details ended up leaking, nothing actually beats official information. Read more

Title: Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.3 will take us deeper into the World in Canvas and make Mortenax Blade playable Date: Fri, 22 May 2026 13:43:44 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/honkai-star-rail-version-4-3-all-details HoYoverse has today delivered full details on the next major update for Honkai: Star Rail. Version 4.3, dubbed The Lethe Below the Living, will be available for all players on June 1. The upcoming update adds a new chapter to the Planarcadia arc, and introduce a new playable character. Read more

Title: Forza Horizon 6 explodes on Steam even before it's officially out Date: Fri, 15 May 2026 11:00:02 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/forza-horizon-6-steam-numbers-big-launch Steam is abuzz this week with a couple of long-anticipated launches, but in Forza Horizon 6’s case, at least, the game isn’t even out for what will be most of its players. The anticipated sequel in the open-world driving game series doesn’t officially launch until May 19, but owners of its most expensive version - the Premium Edition - can play it right now. Read more

Title: Mystic Messenger's most loyal players are getting banned in droves for seemingly playing the game too much Date: Fri, 15 May 2026 10:02:10 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/mystic-messenger-ban-wave-thousands-of-hourglasses-anniversary Mystic Messenger, arguably one of the best dating sims around, has been dormant for about seven years. Despite not receiving new content or any meaningful updates in all that time, the game remains popular with its core fans, many of whom just woke up to some shocking news about their accounts. Read more

Title: Forza Horizon 6 review - The driving game for everyone still can’t seem to escape its car-collecting legacy Date: Thu, 14 May 2026 12:00:03 +0000 Link: https://www.vg247.com/forza-horizon-6-review There is this idea that, for a long-running series to remain as consistently popular as Forza Horizon has been, it needs to diminish itself somewhat with each new entry, gradually losing more and more of its edge in a bid to appeal to the widest possible audience. Read more

Title: Pokemon Winds And Waves Could Have 300 New Pokemon, But Don’t Get Too Excited Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:19:05 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-winds-and-waves-could-have-300-new-pokemon-but-dont-get-too-excited/ Pokemon Winds and Waves won't be out until 2027, but it looks like a few Poke-leaks are already surfacing. The Switch 2 exclusive is the next mainline entry in the series, and like previous games before it, it'll introduce a whole new region populated with unique Pokemon. Just how many new Pokemon will there be? According to one report, we could be looking at hundreds of new critters to collect. Traditionally, each new mainline Pokemon game introduces around 100 new Pokemon--Generations 6-9 were the exception here--and we've already seen the starter Pokemon for Generation 10--Browt, Pombon, and Gecqua. According to the usually reliable Centro Leaks, Pokemon Winds and Waves will have around 300 new Pokemon and forms in the game, and that's an important distinction. If the trio of starter Pokemon follows the usual pattern of having two evolutionary forms, then that's nine Pokemon right off the Zubat. Throw in brand-new pocket monsters--including challenging Legendary Pokemon--and the number climbs even further. https://twitter.com/CentroLeaks/status/2074524693269266509 But as mentioned above, this number also includes Pokemon forms. That's a broad term, but usually, it includes regional variants of existing Pokemon, transformed versions based on a game-exclusive gimmick like the Gigantimax gameplay mechanic, and new evolutions for older Pokemon. Combine all that, and it's not unfeasible for Pokemon Wind and Waves to reach that reported number of 300 new Pokemon. "An important note is that the only aspect we've been able to verify that multiple sources have heard independently is about the number of 300 new Pokemon placeholders," Centro Leaks added. Currently, the record for new additions to a Pokemon game belongs to Pokemon Black and White, which saw 156 new Pokemon added to the franchise. Other rumors circulating around Pokemon Winds and Waves claim that MMOs will inspire the game and will have a deep focus on communication. Post-launch DLC for the game is also said to be in development already, and one of the new battle gimmicks is reportedly based around the concept of weather, with Pokemon like Arcanine, Pikachu, and Kecleon getting special forms based on the conditions around them. In case you missed the initial reveal for it, you can check out an orchestral behind-the-scenes video for Pokemon Winds and Waves' first reveal trailer. Pokemon’s Most Disturbing Pokedex Entries View Images

Title: Was This Duck Trying To Get Secrets About The Witcher 4? Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:51:07 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/was-this-duck-trying-to-get-secrets-about-the-witcher-4/ It's nesting season for ducks in Poland, and one mallard mom chose CD Projekt Red's office in Warsaw to lay its eggs, the studio recently shared. For anyone scared that this story does not have a happy ending, fear not. It's safe to read on. The Polish developer said the duck laid eight eggs at an open-air part of the impressive-looking modern office. The momma duck "cared for them attentively throughout the nesting period," and CD Projekt Red staff gave her plenty of room to sit on the eggs in peace as she waited for them to hatch. https://twitter.com/CDPROJEKTRED/status/2074811707763880017 They hatched in June, as you can see in the adorable photos shared by CD Projekt Red. The entire family was relocated to one of Warsaw's parks in cooperation with Warsaw's Municipal Guard Eco Patrol. In their new home outside the CD Projekt campus, they can "continue their journey in a more natural setting," the developer said. But why did the mother duck choose to lay her eggs there in the first place? Only she knows, but the office has a nice rooftop space with plenty of greenery; in fact, the office has the "largest green wall in Poland," featuring 40,000 plants. CD Projekt Red's new office space in Warsaw was nominated for an architecture award this year, and while it did not win the top prize, it did win the "residents' award." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEEdC9j9TEA CD Projekt also has offices in the Polish cities Krakow and Wroclaw, along with international outfits in Vancouver and Boston. The Witcher 4 is one of multiple upcoming projects at CD Projekt. The studio is also making Cyberpunk 2, a game made in partnership with Saudi Arabia, a Witcher 1 remake, and a multiplayer Witcher game.

Title: Mario Kart Tour Will Be Unplayable After Nintendo Shuts It Down In September Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:09:21 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mario-kart-tour-will-be-unplayable-after-nintendo-shuts-it-down-in-september/ Nintendo has announced that it will shut down Mario Kart Tour on September 29, ending its seven-year run on mobile devices. Originally launching in September 2019, Mario Kart Tour was one of several games released for mobile devices as Nintendo made a push into that space. Most of those games have since been shut down, but Mario Kart Tour proved to be a lucrative spin-off of the main series, employing controversial gacha game mechanics to keep players invested the racer. "We sincerely thank the many players who have loved and supported the game since service began so long ago," Nintendo wrote in an update. "Thank you for playing Mario Kart Tour." With its shutdown looming, Nintendo has now suspended the sale of the premium Ruby in-game currency, and subscription perks will be made freely available to players in the remaining months of Mario Kart Tour. Once the servers are turned off, Mario Kart Tour will be unplayable as Nintendo has no plans to offer an offline version of the game. In comparison, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp's final update made the game playable offline after its online service ended.  This leaves only a handful of mobile Nintendo games still in service, as Pikmin Bloom--which is run by Pokemon Go developer Niantic--Super Mario Run, and Fire Emblem Heroes still remain active. While it's the end of the road for Mario Kart on mobile, the main series is still in action. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still Nintendo's best-selling game of all time, and last year saw the release of Mario Kart World, currently the best-selling Switch 2 game with 14.7 million sales as of March 31, 2026. Following a drought of content after it launched alongside the Switch 2 last year, it looks like fans can hop back into their karts to burn some rubber as two Knockout Tour routes were recently added. The 26 Best Mobile Games Available For iOS And Android View Images

Title: Black Flag Resynced Is A Bad Remake Of Peak Assassin’s Creed Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/black-flag-resynced-is-a-bad-remake-of-peak-assassins-creed/ I've been conflicted about Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced since it was announced. The original 2013 pirate action-adventure is one of my favorite games ever, so my immediate reaction to hearing it was getting a remake for current-era consoles was excitement. In that very first announcement video, Ubisoft said that Resynced would not reinvent protagonist Edward Kenway's tale, but that there would be large changes to combat, parkour, stealth, and the structure of the overall story. And while changes like that fall within the framework of what a remake is, I couldn't tell if these adjustments would mean Resynced still felt faithful to the original game. And regardless of whether or not it was, there was also the bigger question of if this remake would be better than Black Flag. Having now played Resynced, I don't think it is better. That still means Resynced is pretty good. Black Flag is one of the best games in the Assassin's Creed series, and Resynced doesn't change so much that that's no longer the case. The issue is that for every positive change that Resynced makes to Black Flag, it stumbles into creating a new problem. If you asked me what Black Flag is, I'd tell you it was a treasure hunt. You play as a normal employee of an entertainment company in the 21st century who is scrubbing through the memories of Edward Kenway, a Welsh privateer-turned-pirate trying to make his fortune in the 18th century, via a machine called an Animus. Your mission is initially just to capture footage of Edward's life to make a new media project. However, your research into Edward's memories draws the attention of your bosses. Turns out, Edward stumbled across someone who knew of a site called the Observatory during this period of his life, and your bosses want to know whether Edward ever found it himself. They task you with spending more and more time reliving Edward's life in hopes of finding where it's hidden in the past, so that they can rediscover it for themselves in the modern day.  You don't know what the Observatory really is or why you're looking for it, and your efforts slowly pull you into a shadow war between freedom-protecting Assassins and order-oriented Templars--and at the same time, you see Edward similarly get pulled into that same conflict 300 years earlier. Mirroring your character's life to Edward's is straightforward but effective narrative framing, and it adds this incredible science-fiction flavoring to what's an already terrific historical fantasy adventure. To date, it's one of the best intertwined present-and-past stories in the series--only the first two Assassin's Creed games do it better. Resynced gets rid of pretty much all of that. The intro does establish that you're experiencing a simulation of Edward's life via the Animus but doesn't provide any reasoning up front as to why you're doing it. The original game's modern-day missions have been completely stripped away, reframing the entire adventure. It no longer feels like a sci-fi treasure hunt. Instead, Resynced is a sci-fi rebellion. But you won't get this framing if you just play Resynced's story, as the modern-day missions that provide this framing are all optional. Resynced is actually a sequel to Assassin's Creed Shadows, not Assassin's Creed III like the original Black Flag. It continues the story of Animus users who have awakened as Travelers to fight against Ego, an artificial intelligence created by the Templars that is now training itself to become the perfect overlord of the human race. If you go out of your way to find them (like really out of your way--the game does not make it easy for you), you can find rifts that allow you to temporarily enter what I can only surmise is the Black Room, where Ego shows you how it would use details of Edward, Blackbeard, and Mary Read's lives to generate what it thinks is a better version of historical events.  Ego theorizes that if these three pirates' stories were that of a man who returned to his wife, a pirate captain who took the king's pardon, and an Assassin who left the Brotherhood, and all three were ultimately rewarded with wealth and happiness for choosing to live as good little sheep, then perhaps more Animus users like you would be inspired to fall in line rather than embrace a chaotic life and seek out personal fame, fortune, and freedom. In Ego's eyes, the best way to guide humanity into a better future is if the ugliness of the past is erased and replaced with something that is safe and sober, but robbed of all reason and sapped of all spirit. This. Is. Fascinating! However, this weird-as-hell (in a cool way) sci-fi story is frustratingly tucked away in optional side content that's not easy to find because it's not even marked on the in-game map. You just have to know where to look for these four rifts or spend hours scouring every corner of the Caribbean. And hopefully you've also done all the rifts in Shadows so that you have the context for who Ego is, why the Guide and Eagle are fighting Ego, who the Guide and Eagle even are (it is a whole thing, let me tell you), and what it means for you to be one of the Travelers.  This bizarre mishandling of the framing device for Resynced's story encapsulates the remake's failings. It does a lot of cool stuff, but it also doesn't use that cool stuff very effectively. It's so bewildering to play this game and see moments of brilliance continuously mishandled.  I adore what Resynced does for Anne Bonny, for example, a character who takes on an important role in the final chapters of Black Flag but is largely absent for most of the story. Resynced has Anne introduced as soon as Edward returns to Nassau at the very beginning of the game, and she regularly pops up in the story after that in reimagined cutscenes and brand-new missions that further flesh out her importance to Edward. It makes all of the already-great scenes involving her in the later chapters hit even harder. The same is true for Ed Thatch and Stede Bonnet, both of whom also get more screen time and brand-new missions that continue their storylines after their departure from Black Flag's story and give them a more fulfilling end. So why then does Resynced bother to add brand-new characters who have very little screentime and unrewarding finales to their arcs that leaves them feeling separated from Edward's tale? The remake is fixing the problem of Black Flag's old characters and then adding new characters who have the flaws that were just fixed in the original characters, preserving one of the original problems of Black Flag. Resynced's other issues aren't nearly as severe, but they all add up and needle at you throughout the experience. Most are a result of trying to fit Black Flag into a new game engine. What the various teams across Ubisoft have been able to accomplish with Ubisoft Anvil is to be commended (Mirage and Resynced feel so much better to play than Origins), but it's still clearly an engine designed for an action-RPG, not a stealth-driven action-adventure. Edward's freerunning is better than the likes of Origins' Bayek or Odyssey's Kassandra, but both the mechanical depth and the feeling of his freerunning still fall behind Unity's Arno and the protagonists who preceded him.  And while combat does at times feel like a modern take on the counter-heavy combat of Black Flag, the use of pistols, the rope dart, the sweeping kick, and the forward kick is clearly just a cleverly hidden version of the battle abilities from the RPG-style Assassin's Creed games--there's a bit more strategy to using these equipment and skills in Resynced, but not enough to keep combat exciting across a 30-hour story given the poor enemy variety.  The new animations and voicelines are hit-or-miss too. Many of Edward's new lines add excellent insight to his character during scenes where there previously was none, while some of the new lines--especially his extremely pro-Assassin, anti-Templar one-liners that he spouts with every Assassin Contract--feel like a mischaracterization that makes him oddly heroic during a portion of the game where he has to be a scumbag for the story to work. Brand-new cutscenes add more story, but at the cost of poor facial animations that look like wooden puppets talking to each other. Some of the cutscenes that were in the original game are also somehow worse, with strange facial hiccups (at least on Xbox Series X) distorting the longing glances, winks, smirks, scowls, and contemplative sighs that carried so much narrative weight in the original Black Flag. Resynced also gives Edward the ability to quietly crouch walk and slink behind cover anywhere, not just stalker zones, and incorporates some of Shadows' uses of weather and darkness to add new considerations to stealth, but the remake's outright removal of all tailing missions (which, admittedly were a pain point in the original game) means these improvements don't have much use. Social stealth is also back in Resynced (great!) but almost every mission that relied on those mechanics has been removed or changed, meaning there's little chance to engage with it (bad!).  In fact, when it comes to the mass deletion of all mandatory tailing missions and changing almost every social stealth mission so that they no longer rely on stealth mechanics, Resynced feels like too big of a swing in the other direction, recreating Black Flag into a game like the action-packed adventures of Kassandra or Eivor. And that makes sense--all of these games are made in the same engine. The issue is that, unlike those games, Resynced isn't an RPG--there are no ways for Edward to talk his way through problems, disguise himself, or create clever opportunities. He can only engage through the action part of the action-RPG formula. So instead of having missions with a wide variety and breadth of structure, you're still mostly doing the same thing over and over. Resynced might have been a stronger experience if only half of the social stealth-driven tailing missions were removed, as changing pretty much all of them and moving Edward's story in a more action-oriented direction simply shifts one problem into another.  Weird camera cuts and dramatic perspective shifts during assassination takedowns and chain kills also make it irritatingly tricky to keep track of enemies in enclosed spaces, like caves or the decks of smaller ships--it's totally fine to have this in the wide-open locales of Origins' Egypt or Odyssey's Greece, but it clashes with Black Flag's structure. The game hasn't changed enough to fit the new game engine, which leads me to wonder why this wasn't just a brand-new pirate adventure during this time period that followed a new protagonist. Edward meets so many other Assassins! We didn't need to stick to the rigidity of his story again if it doesn't really fit the mechanics of this new game engine. I could go on but the point remains: There are plenty of great changes in Resynced, but equally a ton of pain points in trying to force the Black Flag structure to fit into an engine designed for a very different type of Assassin's Creed. This makes Resynced less of a new gold standard for Edward's adventure, and more of a bizzaro-world variation of the original Black Flag. If you haven't played Black Flag (or at least don't revisit it often), you should play Resynced, because even though it doesn't feel like a faithful remake to me, it is still remaking a game that's already critically acclaimed. But if you have played Black Flag, I'm not sure if Resynced will hit you as hard emotionally as you're hoping for. All said, I regard Resynced with the exact same sentiments as Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Resynced goes beyond the scope of a traditional remaster and adjusts the content of Black Flag to make improvements to the experience (what you'd expect for a remake). But the downside to these fixes is that it highlights problems that weren't fixed or, even worse, new problems that didn't even exist in the original game. Resynced is a half-step toward something truly fantastic. If you play it, you will see the strengths of Black Flag. You will see why the original game was the de facto pirate video game for years. But you will also find a remake that doesn't manage to take the crown from the very game that it's remaking.

Title: Where To Find Monkey And Cat Pets In Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-pets-cats-monkeys/ Are you eager to tame monkey and cat pets in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced? These cute critters can be found in certain locations in the Caribbean. Once you've obtained at least one, you can choose them as a mascot for your ship, the Jackdaw, where the creature will lounge next to you on the wheel. Cats and monkeys in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced As of the time of this writing, we've found two of each type of pet in Assassin's Creed Black Flag: Soot the Cat Albert the Monkey Dark Animus Familiar Gold Tom, Ship's Pet Pets can be selected via your inventory menu. Simply choose one to have them appear aboard the Jackdaw once it's unlocked. Soot the Cat location You can obtain a cat pet in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced by checking your hideout in Great Inagua. The hub itself becomes available after Sequence 04: This Old Cove. Shortly thereafter, you should see an icon on your map for a local event called Cat Distribution System. Make your way to the marked location at coordinates 819,441 and climb onto the rooftops. There, you'll spot Soot the Cat. Pet the fella to unlock him as a permanent pet. Soot the Cat's location Albert the Monkey location Albert the Monkey, meanwhile, comes from a local event in Havana. The quest is called Monkey Business, and it's in coordinates 225,568. Go to the docks to the southeast and infiltrate the Spanish ship. Eliminate the sailors who are mistreating the small monkey and rescue the creature. Albert the Monkey's location How to get the Dark Animus Familiar The Dark Animus Familiar can be yours via the Animus menu. It's the first reward in the Eye in the Dark project and they cost 600 Data Fragments. Simply complete the Anomaly side missions that you see on the world map to amass enough of the currency. The Dark Animus Familiar from the Animus Projects menu How to get Gold Tom, Ship's Pet Last but not least, you can acquire another cat pet in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced if you purchase the Deluxe Edition. It contains various weapons and cosmetics, including the Master Assassin Naval Pack. Gold Tom happens to be one of the legendary-tier goodies included in the pack, along with a ship wheel and figurehead. Gold Tom from the Deluxe Edition That does it for our guide on how to get all pets in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. As you take to the high seas, don't forget to look for collectibles and secrets, including Mayan Stelae, Treasure Maps, and "What If" Rifts.

Title: Brigandine Abyss preview: A cult-classic series returns with Fire Emblem flavor Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:01:19 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/brigandine-abyss-preview/ Slated to release on Aug. 26 on Windows PC and Aug. 27 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, Brigandine Abyss is the fourth title in the strategy RPG series. The first one, Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena, was released in 1998 for the PlayStation. Since then, we've seen only a remake of that game in 2000 and Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia, which came out 20 years later. After having played the Brigandine Abyss demo on Windows PC, I had the chance to participate in an online preview event held by NIS America to learn more about specific features that were not available in the demo.

Title: Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced review roundup: Remake fatigue has set in Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:07:40 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-review-roundup/ Critics are unanimous: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, first released in 2013, is a great game, one of the very best in Ubisoft's massively popular series. And most of them are happy to have it back in a new remake, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. But they're divided on the quality of the remake, and increasingly questioning why release schedules are dominated by so many remakes in the first place.

Title: New Dragonlance novel from Weis and Hickman gives us a first look at Huma and Magius Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:21 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/dragonlance-new-novel-war-wizard-excerpt/ Dungeons & Dragons has always been an excellent way of bringing people together. For authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, the tabletop role-playing game inspired them to create their own setting of Dragonlance, which ultimately evolved into game modules and later into a best-selling literary saga. The first novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, debuted in 1984, introducing readers and players to the fantasy world of Krynn.

Title: Who is Rama-Tut? The Kang variant in X-Men '97 explained Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:00:36 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/x-men-97-kang-the-conqueror-season-2-storyline/ X-Men ‘97season 2 split the superhero team across time and space. The two-part episode “Rise of Apocalypse” takes place in Ancient Egypt as the X-Men help the first Mutant En Sabah Nur lead a slave rebellion against Pharaoh Rama-Tut. Magneto is hoping he can change the future by guiding Nur to become a hero rather than the genocidal villain Apocalypse, but Rama-Tut has his own world-shaping ambitions.

Title: Demon Slayer's producer Aniplex is open to the use of AI to contribute to the creative process Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:43:48 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/demon-slayer-producer-says-its-open-to-the-use-of-ai/ Aniplex, the anime-producing and distributing subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, is one of the driving forces in the anime industry. Over its 30-year history, Aniplex has been involved in the production or distribution of globally popular franchises such as Naruto, Bleach, Sword Art Online, Fate, Solo Leveling, and Demon Slayer. In a recent interview with Variety, Shu Nishimoto, who was appointed Aniplex president earlier this year, laid out the company's strategy and vision, which includes a controversial stance on the use of AI.

Title: Joyride Through July With 12 Games Coming to GeForce NOW Date: Thu, 02 Jul 2026 13:00:23 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-july-2026-games-list/ Summer is heating up — and GeForce NOW is taking players along for the ride. Start the month with Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains, bringing a galaxy far, far away to the iconic board-game franchise, alongside 12 new games joining the cloud this month.  Plus, don’t let the sun set on the biggest GeForce NOW savings of the year. Level up for less before the deals disappear. Light Side, Dark Side, Cloud Side  The Force is strong with this one. Rule the board, you must. Choose a side in Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains, the classic property-trading board game reimagined with legendary characters, locations and rivalries from across the Star Wars universe. Play as iconic heroes or infamous villains — each with unique abilities — to assemble a team and experience cinematic moments while competing with family and friends across locations from every era of the saga. Every roll of the dice brings new opportunities to build an empire and claim victory. GeForce NOW makes it easy to take the battle between the light and dark sides across nearly any device. Jump into a match on a low-powered PC, Mac, phone, TV, tablet or handheld device and keep the fun going across the galaxy. Check out what’s available this week: Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains (New release on Steam and Ubisoft, available June 30) Meccha Chameleon (Steam) And look forward to the games coming throughout the month: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced (New release on Steam and Ubisoft Connect, available July 9) Denshattack! (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass July 15) The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu (New release on Steam, available July 15) Heave Ho 2 (New release on Steam, available July 16) Fogpiercer (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass July 17) ZeroSpace (New release on Steam, available July 20) The Planet Crafter (New release on Xbox, Available on Game Pass July 21) Carnival Hunt (New release on Steam, available July 23) The Ranchers (New release on Steam, available July 30) Corsair Cove (New release on Steam and Xbox, available on Game Pass July 31) Juicy Extras From June In addition to the 18 games announced last month, 10 more came to the cloud.  Deer & Boy (Steam) DOOM Eternal (Epic Games Store) Embers of the Uncrowned Demo (Steam) EMPULSE (Steam) The Elder Scrolls Online (Xbox, available on Game Pass) NBA THE RUN (Steam) SAND: Raiders of Sophie (Steam) Voidling Bound (Steam) Witchspire (Steam) World of Tanks: HEAT (Wargaming) Last Call for Cloud Summer Savings The clock is ticking. Get gaming at the best price of the year. The final days of the GeForce NOW Summer Sale are here. Before the savings disappear, gamers can save $35 on a 12-month Performance membership or $70 on a 12-month Ultimate membership — unlocking GeForce RTX-powered gaming in the cloud across devices they already own. The Performance membership delivers smooth, high-quality gaming with RTX-powered servers, making it easy to jump into favorite titles across PCs, Macs, phones, handhelds and TVs. The Ultimate membership takes cloud gaming to the max with RTX 4080‑ or 5080‑class performance. Experience cinematic visuals, ultralow latency and responsive gameplay powered by technologies like NVIDIA DLSS, ray tracing and NVIDIA Reflex — all without the cost of a new gaming rig. Hear directly from the GeForce NOW Community. One GeForce NOW member recently called the Summer Sale “quite significant” after realizing the savings were even larger than expected in their local currency. By locking in a year of Ultimate, they calculated their monthly cost dropped from roughly 29 CAD to 17 CAD – showcasing how GeForce NOW continues to help gamers around the world enjoy the games they love, wherever they choose to play. Plus, check out this spreadsheet, made by a community member, featuring discounted games streaming on GeForce NOW  and build out a bigger library at the best bargains during the Steam Summer Sale. What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: The Ultimate Summer Sale Pairing: Steam Sale Meets GeForce NOW Discounts Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:00:34 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-steam-summer-sale-2026/ Summer savings are heating up. From the Steam Summer Sale to GeForce NOW membership discounts, this week’s GFN Thursday delivers double the deals and more ways to get the most value from cloud gaming. Plus, Dark Scrolls joins the growing Devolver lineup, alongside Square Enix’s The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. They lead the charge for six new games joining the GeForce NOW library this week. Steam Dreams Are Made of These Add to cart, not to storage. The Steam Summer Sale is here, bringing discounts across thousands of PC games as one of the year’s biggest opportunities to grow a gaming library. Supported Steam games can be streamed across devices with GeForce NOW, making it easy to buy a game once, keep progress synced and pick up where the gameplay left off on PCs, Macs, handheld devices, phones, TVs and more. In other words, the Steam Summer Sale brings the deals; GeForce NOW adds the flexibility.  As new titles expand collections, storage demands and hardware requirements expand with them. GeForce NOW helps remove those barriers by streaming supported games from powerful GeForce RTX servers in the cloud, allowing members to enjoy today’s biggest games on devices they already own. Since downloads and installs are handled in the cloud, games can be added to the cart without being added to storage. Check out the “Sales & Special Offers” row in the GeForce NOW app to discover the discounts today. The Ultimate Upgrade to Level Up for Less The upgrade every game deserves. The deals don’t stop there. Pair GeForce NOW’s summer sale with the Steam Summer Sale to spend less time waiting on downloads, managing storage or needing pricey hardware upgrades — and more time gaming. Get $70 off a 12-month Ultimate membership or $35 off a 12-month Performance membership and experience GeForce RTX-powered gaming in the cloud across devices. The Ultimate membership unlocks GeForce RTX 4080- and 5080-class performance in the cloud with up to 4K resolution, up to 120 frames per second (fps) and advanced technologies like NVIDIA DLSS, ray tracing and NVIDIA Reflex. Dig Into Devolver Written in chaos. Dark Scrolls, the kinetic action roguelite from Devolver Digital, arrives on GeForce NOW with its blend of fast combat, evolving builds and unapologetic chaos. Set in a warped fantasy world that doesn’t take itself too seriously, players battle through shifting arenas packed with enemies, hazards and power-ups that can turn a run from fragile to unstoppable in seconds. Stack abilities, experiment with wild combinations and adapt on the fly as the game constantly raises the stakes — rewarding bold play as much as careful movement. On GeForce NOW, Dark Scrolls is ready the moment players are, streaming across devices with no downloads or setup required. It joins a growing lineup of Devolver Digital titles on the service — Cult of the Lamb, Hotline Miami, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, Inscryption, Enter the Gungeon and Ball x Pit — each delivering that distinct mix of style, surprise and controlled chaos, and just a click away with GeForce NOW. A Storybook Across Centuries The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales arrives on GeForce NOW, delivering a charming, narrative-driven adventure filled with mystery and discovery. With a hand-crafted world and a focus on exploration, it blends classic adventure gameplay with modern, character-driven storytelling. Follow Elliot — a curious traveler bound to a mysterious Millennium Core — as he’s pulled across eras in a journey that spans neon skylines, forgotten ruins and quiet villages on the edge of legend. Each era has its own rules and rhythms, with Elliot’s reactions and scribbled journal notes giving the story a warm, personal touch. Stream the cinematic-quality visuals and responsive gameplay with GeForce RTX power in the cloud for Ultimate members. Experience Elliot’s time-twisting journey in sharp detail across supported devices — no high-end rig, patches or paradox prep required. Just jump in and pick up from wherever the last chapter left off. In addition, members can look for the following: Dark Scrolls (New release on Steam, available June 22) SAND: Raiders of Sophie (New release on Steam, available June 22) Deer & Boy (New release on Steam, available June 23) EMPULSE (New release on Steam, available June 24) The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (Steam) FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (Steam) Leaving the last word to the Community Corner, one GeForce NOW member recently shared being “so impressed” by GeForce NOW. They gave the service a spin because of affordable pricing and took a lower-end PC from 20-30 fps on low settings to 60+ fps with settings maxed out — really putting the WoW in their World of Warcraft.  What are you planning to play this weekend? Maybe even more importantly, what device are you planning to play on? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: Sync and Stream: GeForce NOW Connects to Members’ Game Libraries Across Devices Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:00:32 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-game-stores/ Play favorite titles from popular game libraries, keep progress synced and jump back into gaming sessions on virtually any device. That’s the power of GeForce NOW cloud gaming. From providing access to members’ favorite game libraries to offering some of the season’s best membership pricing, GeForce NOW is making it easier than ever to get more from the cloud this summer. Plus, check out the seven new games arriving in the GeForce NOW library this week. Hit Play Across Top Game Stores That’s a whole lotta ways to play. Whether it’s blockbuster franchises, competitive shooters, sprawling role-playing games (RPGs) or indie gems, GeForce NOW supports thousands of games from leading PC game stores, making it easy to bring existing game libraries to the cloud. Connect supported game store accounts and stream titles with GeForce RTX power. Games that include cloud-save functionality help keep progress intact across devices. Start a game on one screen, pick up where playtime left off on another and spend less time managing installs and storage space. Jump into fan favorites like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt streaming through GOG. These sci-fi and fantasy favorites support cloud saves, making it easy to continue where play left off. GOG single sign-on and game library syncing — coming this summer — will make that process even smoother. Explore ancient mysteries in the Assassin’s Creed franchise or team up for tactical action in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege through Ubisoft+, delivering iconic worlds and competitive experiences to the cloud.  Whether joining massive, all-in combat in Battlefield 6 or shaping the fate of Thedas with compelling companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the EA app offers action-packed experiences and beloved RPGs. Find them in the GeForce NOW app by simply searching and filtering by store. Choose the Screen, Keep the Adventure Gaming doesn’t always happen at a desk — community members are sharing how GeForce NOW lets them play across their favorite devices. GeForce NOW Ambassador and cloud gaming creator Anytime Anywhere Gaming recently showcased Dead as Disco — a PC title without a native mobile version — running on an iPhone through the cloud. As he put it: “One of the coolest benefits of GeForce NOW is I can take the same copy of the game I own on Steam and carry it to my iPhone … it’s super awesome being able to play a game on a multitude of devices without having to buy it again.” That flexibility extends beyond mobile. One GeForce NOW member on Reddit shared being “blown away” by the experience of playing on Mac through the cloud, highlighting how GeForce RTX-powered gaming can be enjoyed across devices, no upgrades required. Whether via phone on the go, on a MacBook between work meetings or on a TV in the living room, GeForce NOW helps make PC gaming accessible across nearly every screen. Upgrade and Unlock More This Summer Summer lovin’, havin’ a sale. For a limited time, annual memberships are available at the best prices of the year: $35 off a 12-month Performance membership $70 off a 12-month Ultimate membership Performance memberships deliver high-quality cloud gaming across devices, while Ultimate unlocks GeForce RTX 5080-class performance in the cloud with up to 5K resolution, up to 120 frames per second and advanced technologies like NVIDIA DLSS, ray tracing and NVIDIA Reflex. Pair these special prices with thousands of supported games across top PC game stores. Plus, with GeForce NOW, spend less time downloading, upgrading hardware and managing storage — and more time gaming. New on the Cloud  In addition, members can look for the following: Embers of the Uncrowned Demo (New release on Steam, available June 13) Pro Cycling Manager 26 (New release on Steam, available June 15) Aphelion (Steam) Citizen Sleeper (Epic Game Store, free from June 18-25) Megastore Simulator (Steam) OPERATOR (Steam) Super Meat Boy 3D (Xbox, available on Game Pass) What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: Save Big and Play Bigger: GeForce NOW Summer Sale Brings Major Membership Savings Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:00:17 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-summer-sale-2026/ The GeForce NOW summer sale kicked off today with limited-time savings of up to $70 off a 12-month membership, making now the perfect time to upgrade to get the best of the cloud and see just how far Ultimate gaming can go. PC gamers are driven by one thing: the love of the game. But getting there can be complicated — setups take space, hardware takes planning and downloads take time. GeForce NOW removes the barriers and delivers instant access to games, high-performance GeForce RTX power in the cloud and the ability to play across nearly any device — all with one membership. Regular upgrades and new features continue to expand the experience, building the value of that membership over time.  Plus, GeForce NOW is always delivering new games — including epic adventures across Tyria. Guild Wars 3 is coming to GeForce NOW, bringing its next-generation massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) experience to the cloud at launch. While awaiting its arrival, the journey begins today with Guild Wars 2 and Guild Wars Reforged, along with limited-time exclusive rewards. Instantly Elevate Every Device PC gaming demands more from players than ever. Bigger game files and more frequent updates can turn the urge to play into a long list of to-dos. GeForce NOW streamlines that experience. Installs, patches and updates are handled in the cloud, so games are ready to launch in just a click. Time that would’ve been spent waiting on progress bars can go back into playtime, making it easier to fit gaming into quick breaks on busy days. High-performance NVIDIA GPUs in the cloud means access to always-ready GeForce RTX performance without having to purchase new hardware. Members can tap into powerful servers that meet rising game requirements and keep pace with today’s games. And memberships continue to improve with platform upgrades — like the free Ultimate upgrade to the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture — extending their value, as well as the life of gamers’ devices, over time. All of the gaming. Laptops, phones, tablets and TVs — devices most gamers have at home and already use for school, work and everyday life — can all act as gaming screens. Streaming means not having to worry about hard drive space for installs and updates, or needing the latest devices.  Level up playing on Linux. These benefits are reinforced by continuous quality-of-life improvements like smoother sign-ins, new platforms — like Linux and Amazon Fire TV — and refinements that make it faster and easier to get into a gaming session. Together, these benefits make GeForce NOW the easiest way to enjoy PC gaming both instantly and over time, while keeping the focus on what matters most to gamers: getting into the game. The Biggest Gaming Upgrade, the Best Price of the Year Sale-ing into summer with huge savings. For a limited time this summer, GeForce NOW memberships are available at some of the year’s best pricing — with major savings on 12-month memberships: $35 off a 12-month Performance membership $70 off a 12-month Ultimate membership The Performance membership delivers smooth, high-quality cloud gaming across devices, with streaming up to 1080p at 60 frames per second (fps) and access to RTX-powered servers for supported games. The Ultimate membership steps things up with RTX 4080‑ or 5080‑class performance in the cloud, supporting up to 4K and beyond on ultrawide displays, up to 120 fps, and advanced features like ray tracing, NVIDIA DLSS and NVIDIA Reflex for a more responsive, visually rich experience. These limited-time discounts won’t last long — beat the heat and jump into GeForce NOW.  A New Legend Rises One of the best things about the cloud is that every week, new games become available to stream — including new AAA games at launch and the latest content and rewards.  The land of Orr awaits. Guild Wars 3 marks the next adventure in Tyria — an action-adventure MMORPG where fluid combat, deep character building and a living world of magic and mystery shape every journey. Alliances are forged, spirits awaken and every step forward leaves a lasting mark on an untamed frontier. Be among the first to raise the banner. Gamers can add Guild Wars 3 to their wishlist today and stay up to date on every reveal as it marches toward launch. While the next chapter in Tyria prepares to unfold, its legacy is ready to be played today. Return to adventure in Guild Wars 2 and Guild Wars Reforged, and unlock exclusive in-game rewards for a limited time — available for GeForce NOW Premium members today through Saturday, July 11, and free to all members beginning Friday, June 12. Be on the lookout for an email with codes to redeem.  In Guild Wars 2, the “Masterpiece Emote Tome” turns every victory into a moment of flair — a chef’s kiss to triumph. Start playing by applying the code through an ArenaNet account or during account creation, then log in to access the emote. In Guild Wars Reforged, the “Vision of Lyssa” costume brings elegance and illusion to life and includes an account upgrade. Inspired by the twin goddess, this striking ensemble can be worn over any armor. Redeem by adding the code in game, then visit a Costume Maker NPC to claim the reward. But Wait, There’s More Duet Night Abyss from Hero Games makes a splash on GeForce NOW, plunging players into a submerged world where survival is shared. Control a synchronized duo tethered by fragile oxygen lines, navigate glowing reefs, drowned ruins and shadowy chasms where every move demands trust and timing. The game’s moody visuals and tense, cooperative focus give each dive the feel of a playable deep-sea thriller. GeForce NOW is kicking off a new Community Corner for the summer, spotlighting stories and creations from members across the globe. This week, a community story takes the spotlight as a Linux gamer on Reddit shares how GFN has helped them with accessibility gaming, saving storage space on massive titles and minimizing upgrades. In addition, members can look for the following: NBA THE RUN (New release on Steam, available on June 9) Witchspire (New release on Steam, available on June 10) SpaceCraft (New release on Steam, available on June 11) Duet Night Abyss (Launcher) DOOM Eternal (Epic Games Store) The Elder Scrolls Online (Xbox, available on Game Pass) Farever (Steam) World of Tanks: HEAT (Wargaming) Finally, Pro Cycling Manager 26 is now scheduled to launch on Monday, June 15, and Denshattack! is now expected to launch on Wednesday, July 15.  What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below.

Title: NVIDIA, KRAFTON, NC and Reigning ‘League of Legends’ Champions T1 Celebrate RTX Spark at Korea’s PC Bangs Date: Sun, 07 Jun 2026 07:00:15 +0000 Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/krafton-nc-t1-korea-gaming-pc-bang-rtx-spark/ At GTC Taipei at COMPUTEX last week, NVIDIA unveiled RTX Spark, the superchip that reinvents Windows PCs for the era of personal AI agents. On the heels of this announcement, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang headed to South Korea, where he introduced RTX Spark to the nation’s passionate gaming community. Leading game developers — including Korea’s KRAFTON and NC — are already working to bring their titles to RTX Spark-powered systems.  Designed for local AI, creating and gaming, RTX Spark brings together 30 years of NVIDIA innovation to slim Windows laptops with all-day battery life and small, ultraefficient desktop PCs.  With the superchip, gamers can play AAA games at 1440p resolution and over 100 frames per second with NVIDIA ray tracing, DLSS and Reflex technologies. In addition, RTX Spark supports all NVIDIA RTX technologies, including the recently announced DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction, which features a second-generation transformer model for realistic image quality.  RTX Spark Ignites Korea’s Gaming Community Korea has played a major role in spearheading esports and driving the boom in PC bangs, or internet and gaming cafes. With longstanding collaborations rooted in the country, NVIDIA in October celebrated 25 years of GeForce in Korea with a free festival for gamers, highlighting the rich gaming ecosystem that has been built over decades.    On Friday, Huang headed to T1 Base Camp — a PC bang owned by T1, one of Korea’s top esports teams. There, he met with T1’s reigning League of Legends World Champion team, including six-time World Champion Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok to unveil RTX Spark.  NVIDIA and Riot Games — developer of League of Legends — are collaborating to bring the title as well as VALORANT to RTX Spark, expanding gamers’ access to high-performance gaming on slim laptops.  To mark the occasion, T1 Base Camp attendees had the chance to win RTX Spark laptops, League of Legends and T1 merch signed by Huang and Faker, as well as GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs.  Surprising PC-Bang Gamers  Later, Huang headed to Seoul’s Gangnam district, where he surprised PC-bang gamers with a first look at RTX Spark with KRAFTON and NC.  At the first stop, Optimum Zone PC, Huang and KRAFTON Chairman Byung-gyu Chang showcased PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and Subnautica 2 on RTX Spark to a captivated crowd of gamers.  Gamers then got the surprise chance to play with the unreleased PUBG Ally, a co-playable character built with NVIDIA ACE technologies on RTX Spark laptops. PUBG Ally resulted from AI research and development at KRAFTON and NVIDIA, part of an initiative to create next-generation game characters that act like teammates and enable more meaningful, immersive engagements with players. Next, Huang stopped at another PC bang, Portal PC, where he showcased NC’s CINDER CITY and AION 2 on RTX Spark, with support from Taekjin Kim, co-CEO of NC.  NC and NVIDIA began working together in the early 2000s on the Lineage franchise and have since collaborated to integrate RTX technology into many of NC’s flagship games, including Lineage 2, AION, Blade & Soul, AION 2 and CINDER CITY.  Gamers at Portal PC were given the chance to play a demo of NC’s highly anticipated open-world massively multiplayer online tactical shooter CINDER CITY on GeForce RTX-powered PCs.   CINDER CITY will support the DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and Super Resolution features at launch. Plus, gamers will be able to experience the title on slim RTX Spark laptops and compact desktops when the game is released later this year.  In addition to KRAFTON, NC, and Riot Games, 100+ Windows software providers and game developers are embracing RTX Spark. These partners include NetEase, Remedy Entertainment and XBOX.  Learn more about RTX Spark and its launch partners.

Title: The Blood of Dawnwalker: unique time-driven quest system and player choice detailed Date: Tue, 07 Jul 2026 16:01:28 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/07/the-blood-of-dawnwalker-unique-time-driven-quest-system-and-player-choice-detailed/ The world has gotten very small for you and your family, Coen. It was never a grand world to begin with, tied as you all were to your farm in the tiny village of Laslea, but with the arrival of the plague, your sister’s illness, and then the vampires, it has shrunk even further. When you wake up, it’s the day of the Blood Mass for Laslea. Tonight, the vampires, the vrakhiri, will arrive to collect the oblation of their livestock. Every adult in the village must attend and give of their blood to sustain their rulers, Brencis and his clique. It is known. It is normal. Shockingly, it’s becoming more normal every day as the hope of change or salvation withers among the people of Vale Sangora. Not everyone is cut out for this new normal. Your mother is barely able to hold herself upright under the weight of her fear. Your father, pulled in two directions by his family and his past, has become grim and hard. Your siblings are struggling to understand everything happening around them. And you, Coen, a young man in your prime, are stuck staring down a long future of being bled every fortnight, little hope for anything other than the life of cattle. Is it any wonder some say it’s the end of the world? And yet, the daily concerns of life must go on. Your mother is in no condition to attend the Blood Mass tonight and if she is not present, your family and maybe the entire village will suffer. The gates are guarded by Knyaz Brencis’s men – no one will be permitted to leave until the offering is extracted. Between dawn and sunset, the day is divided into 8 parts. You must use that time to find a solution. So, you wander the sunny dirt paths of Laslea. Somehow, in spite of the clamp of the vrakhiri around your neck, even in this tiny village, the possibilities are endless. You could decide to go directly to Anca, the local herbalist, and ask for medicine for your mother and wind up spending most of the day reading Latin, soaking up every moment you can in her presence. You could punch one of the Uriash, gigantic ram-like warriors occupying the village at Brencis’ command in an attempt to burst the boils of rage festering in your heart. You could go looking for an escaped pig or a lost neighbor, you could save the weaver by searching for a stolen tapestry commissioned by the vrakhiri, you could beat an upstart boy for insulting you, you could even uncover the start of a revolution against the vampires… but you may not be able to do it all. You see, as long as you are wandering, watching, listening, never intervening, the sun will stay high in the sky. The Blood Mass will not arrive. The day will never turn to night. To move time forward, you will have to choose. So you wander. You speak to an old woman weeping by an unearthed grave. You confront the man who lurks by the river. You ask your sister about the dark dreams that jolt you awake at night. You practice your sword skills on the animals in the woods. And, in your own time, you choose how your day unfolds. Yet it is quickly made clear to you that some choices are out of your hands. There is no combination of actions and words at Coen’s disposal that can stop the Blood Mass once the sun sets. Some events have their own tides that cannot be resisted. Everyone has their own free will and no matter how earnestly you try, you can’t control the power of grief, of fear, of revenge. The Blood Mass goes poorly. Decisions are made by you and your family that cannot be taken back, and deep in the night, you wake up in the bowels of Laslea’s silver mine with a strange new hunger. You are no longer fully human. The wrath of the vrakhiri at the defiance of Laslea has chosen you as its scion. Brencis picked you to turn into one of his own, a familiar face to destroy your friends and neighbors as one more twist of the knife. The surviving villagers, including your father, mother, and siblings, will be made a sacrifice to his coronation in 30 days. Your family has been crammed into the darkness of a cell, your existence squeezed down into the palm of Brencis’ hand. And yet. As the village burns, as the sun rises, you are given a new choice. All is not lost. The light of the sun does not burn you, sear your flesh. Not even the vrakhiri could control this. In that moment, the world opens up, the shackles fall away. For you now have all the power and ferocity of a vampire, but all the feelings and connections of a human. You have something denied to you for so long: the ability to choose. As you step out of the remains of your home, your village, the whole of Vale Sangora lays before you. There is a sword at your side. Your arm still aches from the magic runes Anca carved into your skin. The taste of copper lingers in the back of your throat. You realize that, with enough blood and rage, you could rip this valley from the vrakhiri’s claws and feast upon its riches yourself. You could join the revolution, save your family and dispose of the vrakhiri. You could wash your hands of the entire affair and pursue whatever pleasures the next moment offers you. You are a unique thing, Dawnwalker, and no one will ever write a future quite like yours. A new day is beginning; how will you spend it? The Blood of Dawnwalker rises on PlayStation 5 this September 3, 2026.

Title: (For Southeast Asia) PlayStation Store: June 2026’s top downloads Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 03:51:35 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/05/20260706-top/ It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. In June, Sports games (NBA 2k26 and EA SPORTS FC 26) and DAVE THE DIVER from South Korea studio topped Asia charts while creepy, empty spaces took over the charts as Escape the Backrooms topped the charts in US/Canada.   Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month? PS5 Games US/CanadaAsiaEscape the BackroomsNBA 2K26007 First LightEA SPORTS FC 26UFC 6DAVE THE DIVEREA SPORTS FC 26007 First LightNBA 2K26Resident Evil 4MinecraftForza Horizon 5NBA THE RUNFINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTHGrand Theft Auto VIt Takes TwoLEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark KnightThe Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium TalesMLB The Show 26Ghost of YōteiCall of Duty: Black Ops 7UFC 6Forza Horizon 5Grand Theft Auto VResident Evil 4The Witcher 3: Wild HuntGhost of YōteiTEKKEN 8Mortal Kombat 1FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice ChroniclesFINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTHMoving Out 2ARK: Survival AscendedSplit FictionStar Wars Jedi: SurvivorGran Turismo 7Ready or NotCONTROL Ultimate EditionPoppy Playtime: Chapter 5Hogwarts Legacy *Naming of products may differ between regions *Upgrades not included PS4 Games US/CanadaAsiaRed Dead Redemption 2Red Dead Redemption 2Gang BeastsBlasphemousBatman: Arkham KnightUNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake CollectionSTAR WARS Battlefront IICall of Duty: WWIICall of Duty: Black Ops IIIShadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive EditionNeed for Speed HeatEA SPORTS FC 26MinecraftWatch Dogs 2CupheadSEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICEUNCHARTED The Nathan Drake CollectionNeed for Speed HeatLEGO Marvel Super HeroesNBA 2K26The ForestGod of War III RemasteredEA SPORTS FC 26A Way OutResident Evil 6Resident Evil 6Call of Duty: WWIITomb Raider: Definitive EditionGod of WarRise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year CelebrationGrand Theft Auto VDying LightRESIDENT EVIL 5Minecraft DungeonsA Way OutDetroit: Become HumanNBA 2K26Grand Theft Auto VBlasphemousLEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 *Naming of products may differ between regions PS VR2 Games* US/CanadaAsiaI Am CatBeat SaberBeat SaberMoss II VRAmong Us 3D: VRArizona Sunshine VR 2Job SimulatorGun Club VRArizona Sunshine VR 2Angry Birds VR: Isle of PigsEscape – Backrooms Horror VRMetro AwakeningSynapseArizona Sunshine VR RemakeMetro AwakeningHorizon Call of the MountainArizona Sunshine VR RemakeCrossfire: Sierra SquadGORN 2Subside *PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included Free to Play (PS5 + PS4) US/CanadaAsiaFortniteeFootballRobloxNTE: Neverness to EvernessCall of Duty: WarzoneRobloxRocket LeagueWhere Winds Meet (F2P)Marvel RivalsDelta Force (F2P)Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Free AccessAsphalt LegendsApex LegendsPUBG: BATTLEGROUNDSFall GuysGenshin ImpactAsphalt LegendsWuthering Waves × CyberpunkeFootballFall Guys

Title: Share of the Week: Sparks Date: Fri, 03 Jul 2026 16:00:20 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/03/share-of-the-week-sparks/ Last week, we asked you to share sparks and fireworks using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: ​​ call_me_xavii shares Sam taking in spinning fireworks in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach JAA_PhMode_0510 shares some use of spark bokeh in Cyberpunk 2077 Couch_Gamer2k23 shares Arjun dodging blue orbs and sparks in Saros RhodWulfLeon shares Cal surrounded by sparks as he fights in Star Wars Jedi Survivor Taser9001 shares Cloud fighting a mech surrounded by sparks in Final Fantasy VII Remake ​​ 4mllr shares Stacy and the gang taking in fireworks in Mixtape Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: PortraitsSUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on July 8, 2026  Next week, zoom in on your favorite characters and share detailed portraits from the game of your choice. Use #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Title: PlayStation Store: June 2026’s top downloads Date: Fri, 03 Jul 2026 14:07:54 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/03/playstation-store-june-2026s-top-downloads/ It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. In June, creepy, empty spaces took over the charts as Escape the Backrooms topped the charts in both the US and EU, while other backroom-themed games appeared in the PS VR2 rankings. Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month? PS5 Games US/CanadaEUEscape the BackroomsEscape the Backrooms007 First Light007 First LightUFC 6EA Sports FC 26EA Sports FC 26UFC 6NBA 2K26NBA 2K26MinecraftMinecraftNBA The RunGrand Theft Auto VGrand Theft Auto VGothic 1 RemakeLEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark KnightResident Evil 4MLB The Show 26Forza Horizon 5Call of Duty: Black Ops 7The Witcher 3: Wild HuntForza Horizon 5LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark KnightResident Evil 4Resident Evil RequiemGhost of YōteiArk: Survival AscendedMortal Kombat 1Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5Final Fantasy VII RebirthIt Takes TwoARK: Survival AscendedGhost of YōteiStar Wars Jedi: SurvivorBackrooms: Escape TogetherReady or NotCall of Duty: Black Ops 7Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5Star Wars Jedi: Survivor *Naming of products may differ between regions *Upgrades not included PS4 Games US/CanadaEURed Dead Redemption 2Red Dead Redemption 2Gang BeastsEA Sports FC 26Batman: Arkham KnightUncharted The Nathan Drake CollectionStar Wars Battlefront IIThe ForestCall of Duty: Black Ops IIIGang BeastsNeed for Speed HeatNeed for Speed HeatMinecraftBatman: Arkham KnightCupheadA Way OutUncharted The Nathan Drake CollectionStar Wars Battlefront IILEGO Marvel Super HeroesFirewatchThe ForestGrand Theft Auto VEA Sports FC 26Unravel TwoResident Evil 6MinecraftCall of Duty: WWIILEGO Marvel Super HeroesGod of WarBlasphemousGrand Theft Auto VCupheadResident Evil 5Resident Evil 6A Way OutMafia: TrilogyNBA 2K26BlasphemousBlasphemousCuphead *Naming of products may differ between regions PS VR2 Games* US/CanadaEUI Am CatI Am CatBeat SaberJob SimulatorAmong Us 3D: VRBeat SaberJob SimulatorMetro AwakeningArizona Sunshine VR 2Among Us 3D: VREscape – Backrooms Horror VRSubsideSynapseArizona Sunshine VR 2Metro AwakeningArizona Sunshine VR RemakeArizona Sunshine VR RemakeSynapseGorn 2Escape – Backrooms Horror VR *PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included Free to Play (PS5 + PS4) US/CanadaEUFortniteGoalsRobloxFortniteCall of Duty: WarzoneRobloxRocket LeagueRocket LeagueMarvel RivalseFootballTom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Free AccessCall of Duty: WarzoneApex LegendsTom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Free AccessFall GuysAsphalt LegendsAsphalt LegendsFall GuyseFootballValorant

Title: Players’ Choice: Vote for June 2026’s best new game Date: Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:00:04 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/02/players-choice-vote-for-june-2026s-best-new-game/ Last month was filled with fighting, sports, and adventure! Some big new releases included The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, Dead or Alive 6 Last Round, and NBA The Run. Which game was your favorite?   How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. After the polls close we will tally your votes, and announce the winner on our social channels and PlayStation.Blog. What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? Note: re-released games don’t qualify, but remakes do. We define remakes as ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds such as Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Final Fantasy VII Remake. How are nominees decided? The PlayStation Blog editorial team will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll. View Poll

Title: Xbox boss Asha Sharma pins layoffs on Phil Spencer's regime spreading the company "too thin", while claiming a "a healthy Xbox" could weather the RAM storm Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:30:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/xbox-boss-asha-sharma-pins-layoffs-on-phil-spencers-regime-spreading-the-company-too-thin-while-claiming-a-a-healthy-xbox-could-weather-the-ram-storm Xbox laid off around 1600 people earlier this week, revealing plans to part ways with five studios at the same time. Naturally, boss Asha Sharma's been tasked with justifying it all, and she's now gotten as close as she likely ever will to pointing the finger directly at Phil Spencer's regime, while claming that if Xbox were doing well, the RAM crisis would've been something the company could just tank their way through. Read more

Title: Cat Mail Co. is a cosy game where you run a post office for cats, and I wish it let me snoop into their private lives Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:45:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/cat-mail-co-is-a-cosy-game-where-you-run-a-post-office-for-cats-and-i-wish-it-let-me-snoop-into-their-private-lives I love to hold a stranger's post. Letters are good. Though, those padded protective envelopes are better – what's inside that needs that extra level of protection?. But a box, especially one whose contents move a little inside when you tilt it. Oh, that mystery is the most marvelous. It could be anything in there. Stolen jewellery, returned love letters, coffee maker pods. Anything. Given the chance to run a post office, I'd like to think I would be a responsible guardian for everyone's mail, faithfully transiting it to its destination, but I know that I would be doing everything in my power to work out what was in the parcels, so long as I could do it in a way no one would ever know. So I am desperately sad to report that Cat Mail Co., a cosy game where you run a post office for cats, gives you very few opportunities to pry into the private lives of felines. Read more

Title: "A mentor and an inspiration to many": Skywind devs pay tribute to modder Kettlewitch, whose death has left another Skyrim mod's future up in the air Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:57:33 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-mentor-and-an-inspiration-to-many-skywind-devs-pay-tribute-to-modder-kettlewitch-whose-death-has-left-another-skyrim-mods-future-up-in-the-air The team behind Morrowind remake mod Skywind have paid tribute to modder Kettlewitch, a veteran of the Skyrim modding scene, following his death on June 15th. Kettlewitch, real name David Purcell, also worked on a number of other ambitious Skyrim modding projects over the years, including Oblivion remake Skyblivion and Thras: The Coral Kingdom, with the latter's future now looking uncertain. Read more

Title: Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced review - a great pirate game swaps the ups and downs of old Assassin’s Creed for the ups and downs of new Assassin’s Creed Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-review-a-great-pirate-game-swaps-the-ups-and-downs-of-old-assassins-creed-for-the-ups-and-downs-of-new-assassins-creed Frigate spotted off the starboard bow, Cap’n! Ready the mortars, me hearties! Fire! All sail! We’ll split her in twain with the ram! She’s not done, swing around and ready the cannons! Fire! She’s dead in the water, bring her in for a steely kiss! These are the sounds of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag at its best, and all these years on, they’re the sounds of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced at its best. Read more

Title: Get spirited away to a weird, scary version of a Japanese town and take pictures of the oddities you find in SOMBRAS: negative frames Date: Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:53:13 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/get-spirited-away-to-a-weird-scary-version-of-a-japanese-town-and-take-pictures-of-the-oddities-you-find-in-sombras-negative-frames About a year and a half ago I bought a point and shoot 35mm film camera because I was getting a bit bored of taking photos on my phone in the name of capturing a memory, only to literally never look at them again. Film just has a magic to it, a magic that's difficult to capture in a game for obvious technical reasons. But how about mechanical ones? Enter SOMBRAS: negative frames, a horror-lite photography game about a Japanese-Spanish photography student who gets spirited away. Read more