Title: Fake Eyelashes And Street-Walking: How The Cast Of You And I Are Polar Opposites Got Into Character Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 21:00:13 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/fake-eyelashes-and-street-walking-how-the-cast-of-you-and-i-are-polar-opposites-got-into-character-2000712972 The voice cast of the popular anime found their characters in the recording booth

Title: Game Collectors Mourn The Death Of The PlayStation Disc: ‘It Will Feel Like I’m Starting Over From Scratch’ Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:46:32 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/playstation-physical-discs-media-collections-collector-digital-2000713020 The end of physical games is affecting every side of the community differently

Title: Overwatch Finally Achieves Mixed Reviews Three Years After Being Steam’s Lowest-Rated Game Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:27:51 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/overwatch-2-steam-reviews-negative-rating-good-bad-2000713017 Hey, it’s better than when it was the lowest-rated game on the platform

Title: The State Of Xbox’s 25+ Game Studios And What They’re Up To In 2026 Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:45:28 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/xbox-game-studios-full-list-next-games-halo-blizzard-call-of-duty-arkane-fallout-layoffs-2000712917 Xbox owns a lot of studios across the globe; here's which ones are still active and which are not as of July 2026

Title: Nintendo Will Stop Selling The Original Switch In Europe Next Year Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:30:38 +0000 Link: https://kotaku.com/nintendo-will-stop-selling-the-original-switch-in-europe-next-year-2000712973 New regulations regarding replaceable batteries mean the OG Switch will be discontinued while a compliant Switch 2 model will be available later this year

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: Get Discounts On 300+ Items During Minecraft Marketplace’s Summer Sale Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:23:13 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-marketplace-summer-sale-2026/ We're in the thick of Minecraft Marketplace's Summer Sale, which includes more than 300 Marketplace items for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition discounted up to 33%. The retailer is also offering a daily Doorbuster sale featuring two deals per day through July 14, and these will be discounted by 75%. The sale lasts through July 28 at 10 PM PT, and you can use either IRL money or Minecoins to make your purchases. See at Minecraft Marketplace While there are many options to choose from, here are a few we recommend checking out. RealismCraft 2.4 $7 (was $10) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dv82R-ZuBk RealismCraft 2.4 is a content pack that lets players experience the world of Minecraft in a whole new way. You'll have access to new companions, animals, monsters, and a new boss, as well as new weapons, tools, ores, and armor. If you've enjoyed everything vanilla Minecraft has to offer, RealismCraft can make the game new again -- and it's on sale for $7 (was $10), or 1,132 Minecoins (was 1,690). See at Minecraft Marketplace Huggy & Friends Add-On $4 (was $6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s_ohhKwM5g Horror fans will love this add-on, which introduces the characters of Poppy Playtime into Minecraft. Called the Huggy & Friends Add-On, it adds Huggy Wuggy, Mommy Long Legs, CatNap, The Doctor, and Doey and the Smiling Critters to your game. Expect chaos as your new pals stalk you, turning your life into a living hell. Not bad for $4 (was $6), or 663 Minecoins (was 990). Like RealismCraft, this pack comes from SparkUniverse, a team that has made lots of fun Minecraft content. See at Minecraft Marketplace Biomes O'Plenty $4 (was $6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEKjg8BCAr8 If you feel like you've explored every Minecraft biome a hundred times over, the Biomes O'Plenty pack might be for you. This is an official port of the popular Minecraft: Java Edition mod by Glitchfiend and adds more than 50 new biomes for you to explore, as well as new plants, flowers, trees, and building blocks. These settings are vast and lovely, and should open the door for many new adventures. It's on sale for $4 (was $6), or 663 Minecoins (was 990). See at Minecraft Marketplace Naturalist Add-On 26.1 $6 (was $8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS06MS8D65E Make new friends in the Minecraft animal kingdom with the Naturalist 26.1 Add-On, which adds more than 200 new animals that naturally spawn in every biome (including underwater). You can interact with them, tame them, and even ride them in both single-player and multiplayer mode. This is the official Bedrock Edition of the Naturalist Java Mod, and you can own it for $6 (was $8), or 897 Minecoins (was 1,340). See at Minecraft Marketplace Dogs Add-On $4 (was $6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE8UYjG60MM Dogs make everything better, and that's why this Minecraft Add-On exists. You get more than 16 dog breeds and over 80 colors to customize them. The Add-On also comes with more than 30 cute pet costumes and collars, as well as furniture, toys, and food. You'll forget that mobs even exist when you're playing with your pups. This Add-On is on sale for $4 (was $6), or 663 Minecoins (was 990). See at Minecraft Marketplace Minecraft Marketplace Summer Sale 3D Weapons Texture Pack -- $3 ($4) Backpack Add-On -- $3 ($4) Better Structures 2.0 -- $4 ($6) Biomes O'Plenty -- $4 ($6) Bob's Farming -- $4 ($6) Combat Expansion -- $3 ($4) Craftable Mob Houses Add-On -- $3 ($4) Dark Fantasy Visuals 2.0 -- $4 ($6) Dinosaur Biomes -- $4 ($6) Dogs Add-On -- $4 ($6) Eternal End 1.1 Add-On -- $6 ($8) Fairy Tales 3.0 -- $3 ($4) Fur Craft Add-On 3.0 -- $4 ($6) HorrorCraft Add-On 1.1 -- $6 ($8) Huggy & Friends Add-On -- $4 ($6) More Tools -- $3 ($4) Naturalist Add-On 26.1 -- $6 ($8) Nomad -- $3 ($4) Parasite Outbreak - $4 ($6) Planes Pro 2.0 Add-On -- $5 ($7) RealismCraft 2.4 -- $7 ($10) Scary Mobs Add-On 1.0 -- $4 ($6) Ultimate Trading -- $4 ($5) Vanilla Biomes + 1.1 Add-On -- $4 ($6) Weapons Fusion 1.5 Add-On -- $4 ($5) More Deals And Preorders Hundreds Of 4K Blu-Rays Are On Sale For Prime Day, Some Up To 60% Off Save Up To 70% Off Video Games And Hardware In Woot’s Summer of Gaming Sale Meta Quest 3S Drops To Its Lowest Prince In Months Thanks To Pime Day This Deals Returns To A Simpler Time When The Xbox Series X Was Less Than $600 This PlayStation Portal Deal Bundles Accessories And Free Cash (Sort Of) Snag The First Six Dune Books For Over 50% Off Before Dune: Part Three Hits Theaters mClassic Graphics Upscaler For Retro Game Consoles Is Over 60% Off For Amazon Prime Day This Prime Day Deal Is For Anyone Traveling With A Switch 2 This Summer Prime Day PS5 Deals Include Big Discounts On Elden Ring, Dragon Quest, And More Best Buy’s Tech Fest Discounts Rival Amazon’s Prime Day Amazon Prime Day 2026: The Best Elgato Deals For Streamers, Gamers, And Podcasters Amazon Prime Day: Nintendo Switch 2 Games Are Up To 60% Off For A Limited Time If You Act Fast, You Can Grab Pokemon Legends: Z-A On Switch 2 For $45 The Best (And Most Affordable) Family Gaming Console Is Now Even Cheaper One Of Our Favorite Switch 2 Controllers Is 31% Off For Prime Day More Deals And Preorders Links (10)

Title: Diablo 4’s Massive Mythic Item Changes Aren’t Finding Many Fans Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:08:35 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-4s-massive-mythic-item-changes-arent-finding-many-fans/ Diablo 4 Season 14 dramatically reworked Mythic items in Blizzard's ARPG going forward, and judging from early feedback, it's a change that isn't going over well. Season of Death Awakening launched on June 30 and introduced what Blizzard coined Mythic Uniques 3.0, a new system where any of the game's hundreds of Unique items could be found (or turned into) even stronger Mythic versions. In theory, it would open up the game's endgame build options and give players more choices when it comes to outfitting their characters. Far from just a temporary seasonal change, Blizzard stated it intended for Mythic Uniques 3.0 to be a permanent part of the game going forward. The downside of the new system is that it also added more randomness to Mythics, making it so even formerly best-in-slot Mythic Uniques (now called Iconic Mythics) like The Grandfather or Heir of Perdition are now, more often than not, significantly worse than before and usually not worth using. Equally annoying, crafting a Unique into a Mythic Unique using the Horadric Cube is largely random, rewarding a different item than the one originally put in the cube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nuu7aOAw0is Mythics additionally seem to be more rare than before, with lower drop rates and the removal of the ability to craft specific Mythics. Taken all together, acquiring usable Mythics now feels almost entirely out of players' control.  Blizzard knew the Mythic item changes would be controversial. In an interview with GameSpot ahead of Season 14's launch, Blizzard said it was trying to "split the difference" between its goals for the game's "long-term health" and feedback from the community it received on the Season 14 public-test-realm. It seems that approach isn't going particularly well, because one look at places like the Diablo 4 Reddit or at videos from various Diablo content creators paints a picture of a largely unhappy playerbase frustrated by the season's unpopular Mythic changes. In a widely upvoted post, Reddit user Oct_ showed a screenshot of having achieved rank 1 on the Hardcore, Solo-Self Found Diablo 4 leaderboard. However, they lamented the fact that they'd played for nearly 50 hours and had not found or been able to craft a single usable Mythic yet.  "The mechanic makes it impossible for normal people to get that chase item," Oct_ wrote. Another Reddit user, Thirteenera, provided some data on Mythic Unique drop rates and revealed that after "days" of farming 1,400 lair boss runs, they received a total of 50 Mythic items. Of those 50 drops, none were useful for their build. While many Iconic Mythics were once universally useful across most builds, most Mythic Uniques are now niche in their purpose, meaning finding one that is useful for a given build is now far less likely. https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo4/comments/1unouef/upgrading_to_mythic_seems_pointless_if_its_not/ Others have called out how bad and misleading it feels to put a Unique item into the cube, use the "upgrade" feature (which implies the item is being improved), and then receive a completely different, and likely useless item in exchange. Many players state the phrasing needs to be rewritten to let players know they aren't really crafting an upgrade but gambling. It's not just on places like Reddit that players are complaining. Diablo content creators like Rhykker also don't seem happy with the changes. Rhykker said they are having fun with the new seasonal events, but that "everything I loved about Mythics is gone." "Mythics are harder to get and weaker than they were," Rhykker said in a recent video. "I'm okay with harder to get, but it doesn't feel exciting to work harder to get something crappier than we used to have."  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEtj56ctcMI Another content creator, Rob2628, stated in their most recent video that Season 14 is a "big step backwards," lamenting the fact players can only wear one crafted Mythic item, how difficult it is to find Iconic Mythics, and the sheer amount of RNG involved along the way.  "I think the general consensus is that the new changes to the Mythics, especially with the crafted tag, have been very negatively received in the community, and I agree, rightfully so," Rob2628 said. "It is very, very hard to get Mythics, even for players that play a ton." That's not to say everyone dislikes Mythics 3.0. Another popular Diablo content creator, Raxxanterax, said in their recent "The State of Diablo 4 Season 14" video that they are a fan of Uniques being able to drop as Mythic quality, even if he is largely unimpressed with the season overall and thinks Blizzard needs to change its approach to seasons. "I think it adds dopamine," Raxxanterax said. Season 14 is still in its early stages, so it's possible Blizzard could adjust drop rates or make changes to Mythic crafting to elminate some of the pain points players have complained about before the end of the season. Even if the new season isn't being received well overall, there have been some universally good changes, like fixes to make Diablo 4's worst grind a lot easier.

Title: “Catastrophic Mismanagement” And AI Gambits Led To Mass Xbox Layoffs, Expert Says Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:00:56 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/catastrophic-mismanagement-and-ai-gambits-led-to-mass-xbox-layoffs-expert-says/ Microsoft has announced sweeping layoffs and other dramatic changes resulting in 4,800 layoffs across the company, including 3,200 at Xbox specifically. What's led to this? According to one expert, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and his "catastrophic mismanagement" of the company is to blame. Ed Zitron, an author who specializes in covering the technology space and is the CEO of EZ Primary Research, offered a blistering take on Microsoft's management in response to the mass layoffs. "Catastrophic mismanagement by a company run by a sub-McKinsean imbecile that hires other losers to move money around to hide how bad his AI plays are. Microsoft is a disgrace to the software industry," he said. Zitron has been an outspoken critic of elements of AI in particular, recently appearing on CNBC to offer the bear case against generative AI. "One of the biggest lies of the AI bubble is that Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta are 'growing because of AI,'" he said recently. "In reality, they're using the continued growth of their other business units to cover the meager returns from AI, and the massive waste of their trillion+ in capex." Microsoft, of course, is massively invested in AI, and Zitron appears to be suggesting here that some of the issues that led to these dramatic cuts at Xbox are in some ways tied to Microsoft's AI plays. In its statement today addressing the cuts, Microsoft said it is laying off thousands of people because the world is changing and Microsoft is attempting to adapt. Microsoft also pushed back against the theory that the roles eliminated today are being replaced by AI, though the company did admit that, "AI is changing how work gets done." Investors tend to reward companies that cut costs, but that doesn't appear to be the case this time with Microsoft, as the company's stock price is down today. That continues a trend for Microsoft, as shares are down 18% year-to-date and 22% in the past year. The cuts to Xbox include not just staff layoffs, but also Microsoft divesting of five development studios. Double Fine and Compulsion are regaining their independence, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs are being sold. Arkane Lyon, meanwhile, is in the "consultation" process to determine its fate and the fate of Marvel's Blade.

Title: If Persona 3 Gave Me The Ick, What Does That Mean For Persona 6? Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:43:01 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/if-persona-3-gave-me-the-ick-what-does-that-mean-for-persona-6/ Recently, I bowed to pressure and finally booted up Persona 3 Reload. Given the announcement of Persona 6 at Summer Game Fest 2026, and the vast amount of time between that game's inevitable release and the time I played Persona 5--nine years and counting--I thought I'd dip my toes back in the series. Unfortunately, I could only make it so far, because Persona 3 Reload, I'm sorry to say, gave me the ick.  All of the charming -isms I once loved about the Persona games seemed to dissipate upon booting Persona 3 Reload up. The expository writing in the game's opening, wherein an authority figure literally explains the game's gimmick to a room of characters who already understand what's going on, made my eyes roll to the back of my head. But this is just kind of how these games have been for a long while, and though I understand the need to explain things to audiences, I would rather the game I'm playing treat me like I can read and comprehend plots higher than a grade-school level.  Persona is a verbose series, one that smashes the sheer density of writing found in visual novels into a turn-based RPG, which often means there can be long stretches of very little action and a lot of reading. At times, these sections are a welcome opportunity to catch my breath between major plot points, especially when blended with Persona's hallmark life-sim elements. However, other times, I just want to play the stylish and tactical combat that these games are known for, not sit through trivial dialogue encounters.  Persona 3's gameplay allows you to traverse the town and talk to locals. This frustration crept in while playing P3R's opening chapter and trying to get to the action, only to instead be hit by scene after scene of having to navigate the halls of a high school, answer questions in class, walk back to my dorm room, and constantly be intercepted with asides from classmates like Junpei and Takeba.  When I was last fully immersed in  Persona, I had an unspoken proximity to the series and the stories that the games told. By the time I played Persona 5 in Spring 2017, I was only a few years out of high school--I could easily relate to its teenage cast. I played a huge chunk of the game out of a friend's college dorm during a particularly aimless chunk of my early 20s. I lusted for adventure, structure, and direction, all of which Persona 5 provided by dropping me into its stunning vision of Tokyo and tasking me with stealing the hearts of abusive members of society while balancing a social life greater than anything I had going at the time.  Persona 4 Golden was much the same. I played it right before Persona 5, during the summer between high school and college, and the domesticity and tranquility of Inaba and its townies resonated with me a great deal. I saw my own indecisiveness, anxieties, and even uglier qualities in the cast, and as a result, think I had a patience for them that I now find myself in short supply of.  By comparison, I won't be able to play P6 until I'm at least 30, and if playing P3R was any indication, my tolerance for moonlighting as a teenager and relitigating that time in my life is at an all-time low. Suffice to say, I’m not totally jazzed on the idea of P6 so far, especially if it's anything like the current crop of Persona titles! And there's little reason to believe it shouldn't be.  Persona 5's central cast sure do look cozy in Cafe Leblanc. For one, as I noted at AV Club, it feels like Persona has been trending in a pretty uniform direction for some time now. Since the release (and universal acclaim) for Persona 5, Atlus has made no secret of its desire to bring older entries in line with the standards that that game set. P3R, unsurprisingly, looks and feels a whole lot like Persona 5. Persona 4 Revival, from its looks alone, also owes a great deal to the series' breakout hit. Even Atlus' Metaphor: Refantazio, a medieval fantasy RPG completely unconnected to the Persona franchise, is reminiscent of Persona 5 in how it looks and plays.  And look I get it, Persona 5 was pretty great at the time, but a decade on--obviously discounting the series' many spinoffs in different genres--it increasingly feels like the only kind of RPG Atlus is interested in making.  Persona 6's Steam page offers very little in the way of concrete details about the forthcoming RPG, and Atlus has outright said that fans shouldn't expect to hear anything about the game until after the release of Persona 4 Revival in February 2027. But the game's Steam page does have crumbs that give some indication as to what to expect, and most of them lead me to believe that it's just business as usual. There are mentions of leading a double life as a student, as well as callbacks to urban myths and the occult that have many thinking P6 will harken back to the original pair of Persona titles. As expected, the listing also calls out some of the series' hallmark social features, like friendship and romance, which were added with Persona 3 back in 2006 and have become defining elements of the franchise alongside the high school setting.  Persona 6's teaser provides the briefest glimpse of what to expect. On one hand, I know it's way too early to count P6 out. I'm sure that over the years of making and remaking countless titles, P-Studio has fresh ideas for the next big installment in the franchise. And when it is ready to talk about them, I'm sure many of those ideas will dazzle and awe. But there's also something to be said about Persona's incredibly rigid formula, how little the series has really evolved in the last 20 years, and how same-y the mainline installments have become in the last decade alone.  You see, it isn't Persona's setting, infantilizing writing, and teenage protagonists alone that I'm chafing against. It's perfectly normal to drift away from things you once adored as you grow and change, and maybe I'm just more ready to drop the high school framing of it all more than others. Even a move to young adulthood and college or a foreign school--two very unlikely moves for the series--would mix things up enough for me. That right there is my real issue: I just believe Persona might suffer from a lack of vision. If Metaphor: Refantazio (developed by an offshoot of Persona 5 developers that adapted the series' qualities, not P-Studio precisely) was especially good for anything, it was showing that moving away from Persona's typical haunts could in fact bolster the material of these games. Ditching elements that simply wouldn't work, like romance, and adding brand-new mechanics and features, like a job system, felt like a revelation. Adapting Persona's social links and life-sim elements to an election and tournament in a rich and mature fantasy world felt like a marvelous evolution of the Persona series' tenets. Not to mention, Refantazio served as proof that the Persona formula could be adjusted and still spit out something worthwhile.  If the morsels of information we know about P6 are to be believed, its return to the hallways of another school in Japan and familiar struggles read like a step backwards. Or, if we're just talking about the Persona series, like standing still. I worry that Persona's sameness--there always has to be a school, teen protagonists, and a Social Link system that has largely stood the same for twenty years--might just be the greatest limiting factor the series faces. And that hasn't always been the case. The first two Persona games might take place in the same setting, but from P3 onwards, a huge stylistic and mechanical shift overtook the series and made it what it is now. Is it too much to hope for yet another as we stare down the barrel of another major Persona title? It's beginning to feel like it in fact is too much. As we gear up for a new installment and era in the franchise’s history, I can certainly say that what I want most is for the series to break out of this phase it's been caught in and bloom once again. But maybe I've simply outgrown it all. And if that’s the case, I fear the ick might be here to stay.

Title: Xbox CEO Reflects On Massive Cuts: “We Simply Spread Ourselves Too Thin” Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:24:02 +0000 Link: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-ceo-reflects-on-massive-cuts-we-simply-spread-ourselves-too-thin/ Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has shared new details on the significant changes at Xbox, including mass layoffs, studio spinoffs, and more. In an interview with Fortune, Sharma said Microsoft undertook "a bunch of bets" years ago to help grow the business, including Game Pass, going multiplatform, and beefing up its studio base. These bets did not pay off, and in the process of pursuing these new ventures, "We inherently didn't focus on the core business," Sharma said. "The number one measure of your strategy is what you put your resources behind, and we simply spread ourselves too thin," she said. Asha Sharma is making major cuts to Xbox. In a memo to staff, Sharma said the Xbox business, as it stands today, is not in a healthy place. If it were, Sharma said the company would be able to "weather the shock of the hardware crisis" that Xbox is facing now due to the AI-fueled run on components and memory. "With an unhealthy Xbox, it becomes really challenging, and it accelerates a lot of the changes we need to make,” Sharma said. The restructuring of Xbox is part of a "reset," and a big part of that is downsizing. About 1,600 people at Xbox are losing their jobs today, with another 1,600 cuts to come throughout the next year. Additionally, Microsoft is spinning out Double Fine and Compulsion, and selling off Ninja Theory and Undead Labs, though the buyers for those companies have not been confirmed as of yet. Another studio, Arkane Lyon, is in the "consultation" process and that will seemingly determine the fate of the studio and its in-development project, Marvel's Blade. The layoffs didn't just hit Xbox, as Microsoft is laying off staff across the entire company, with some 4,800 positions (about 2% of the company's workforce) affected in the latest round of cuts.

Title: Xbox layoffs hit Bethesda: Elder Scrolls Online developer 'gutted' Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 21:05:34 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/xbox-bethesda-layoffs-elder-scrolls-online/ On Monday, Xbox announced it was laying off 1,600 employees, with 3,200 in total to be laid off by the end of its fiscal year. Xbox is divesting from four studios, with the future of a fifth, Dishonored developer Arkane Studios, still unknown.

Title: Kirby Air Riders' Summer Games Done Quick debut proves why it's the Switch 2's best game Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 21:00:20 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/kirby-air-riders-summer-games-done-quick-2026/ Summer Games Done Quick has begun, which means that we’re in for a full week of video game speedruns. This year’s charity livestream, which is raising money for Doctors Without Borders, features Hollow Knight: Silksong, Pragmata, Resident Evil Requiem, and more. It’s already delivered an all-time great GDQ moment, though, thanks to a record-breaking Kirby Air Riders run.

Title: Pokémon Pitch Black fan pulls world's first ever gold god pack Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:21:25 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/pokemon-tcg-pitch-black-mega-darkrai-ex-god-pack/ When a local card shop in Alberta, Canada shared a photo of a smiling young boy holding up 10 golden Pokémon cards, fans didn't want to believe it. Surely, many opined, it was an AI-generated image — or a Photoshopped one.

Title: Xbox Game Pass subscriber numbers have fallen massively short Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:58:38 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/xbox-game-pass-subscriber-numbers-30-million/ Xbox is not doing well, and following the announcement that the company will cut 3,200 jobs in the coming months, many are wondering what went wrong.In her memo detailing the scope of the layoffs, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma revealed at least one factor: Game Pass “did not grow at the pace we expected,” she wrote.

Title: Chainsaw Man creator's devastating 2024 film gets new 4K release Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:43:53 GMT Link: https://www.polygon.com/gkids-anime-blu-ray-4k-physical-release-look-back-angels-egg/ GKIDS has announced that animeLook Back is finally getting a physical release. The 2024 film adapts the 2021 manga of the same name by Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto. Pre-orders for the special collector's edition are now live and expected to ship this summer.

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: (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: What Dune: Awakening brings to PlayStation 5 Sept 22 Date: Thu, 02 Jul 2026 13:00:18 +0000 Link: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/02/what-dune-awakening-brings-to-playstation-5-sept-22/ On September 22, Dune: Awakening is coming to PlayStation 5. Dune: Awakening is an open world survival game set on the most legendary planet in the universe: Arrakis. Rise from survival to greatness, as you explore, build, craft, and unravel a cinematic Dune story that asks the mind-bending question: what if Paul Atreides was never born? Dune: Awakening has been available on PC since last year, and during that time we’ve added a ton of content and enhanced core gameplay systems. The game is better than ever, and with its debut on PlayStation 5, we’re adding even more including a full single-player mode. PlayStation gamers will be treated to the best version of Dune: Awakening yet. All the enhancements and additions that we’ve been working on for the past year will be on PlayStation day one. We’ve put together a Developer Deep Dive video exploring what’s coming in the PlayStation 5 version of the game. Check it out: Play Video Optimized for PlayStation 5 The team has spent a lot of time and effort making sure the experience on PlayStation 5 is the best it can be. UI and controls have been tailored to the console experience, and we’ve put a lot of focus on making sure the game is highly optimized for both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro. On the base PlayStation 5, Performance Mode will run at 60fps with frame-gen. On PlayStation 5 Pro, Performance Mode runs at 60fps without frame-gen. Quality Mode will run at 30fps on both systems. The game runs in upscaled 4K on both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro, in both Performance and Quality Mode. We’ll provide more specific technical details as we get closer to launch, including an overview of native resolutions. Survival games generally have a reputation for being complex and challenging to learn. With Dune: Awakening, our design philosophy from day one has been to make it a more accessible survival experience. Not less challenging, but less challenging to learn. We’ve implemented systems that teach you the game and ease you into its core elements, and there is also a strong narrative thread that guides you through the journey from survivalist to hero instead of just dropping you in the middle of a literal sandbox. To put it like this: if you’re skeptical about survival games, Dune: Awakening is a great portal for you into the genre! Single-player mode: a game changer The biggest new addition PlayStation 5 gamers can look forward to is the single-player mode. Right now, on PC, the game is exclusively multiplayer and single-player mode is by far one of the top-requested features. Making an inherently multiplayer game work in full single-player has not been an easy task. The team has spent months making sure the experience translates well. It’s not just removing multiplayer functionality; every aspect of the game needs to make sense in a single-player format. For example, in multiplayer, the endgame in Dune: Awakening is built around players competing over specific objectives to make sure their faction – House Atreides or House Harkonnen – gains control over the Landsraad. Controlling the Landsraad gives them the ability to make decisions that can impact gameplay for everyone across the server. In single-player, instead of removing or downscaling this part of the game, we’re instead simulating other players competing for these objectives, making sure it’s still a compelling and engrossing part of the experience. We’re also introducing a wide range of gameplay customization options, allowing you to scale the difficulty to your liking. Want to harvest resources faster or even disable the sandworm? That’s your choice. You can also customize all these options if you choose to rent a private server for you and your friends. The new single-player mode allows you to play the game the way you want to, at your own pace. Available in digital and physical format We’re also excited to share that we’ll be releasing a physical edition of Dune: Awakening. We’re teaming up with Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe who will put the game on shelves in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and with Solutions 2 GO for North and South America. It will also be released in retail in Japan, with a publisher to be announced later. In Japan, the game is expected to release in October, with pre-orders commencing soon. With the third installment in Denis Villeneuve’s and Legendary Entertainment’s epic Dune franchise coming to theatres in December, the physical edition can be a great holiday gift for Dune fans around the globe. Can you survive on Arrakis? Arrakis is a test that few will survive, and Dune: Awakening represents the ultimate survival fantasy. On September 22 it’s time to prove whether you can survive the most dangerous planet in the universe. Dune: Awakening can be wishlisted and pre-ordered today.

Title: "It's much further along than we originally planned": Fallout: London modders say work on their next game is going "swimmingly", despite DLC delays Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:18:25 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/its-much-further-along-than-we-originally-planned-fallout-london-modders-say-work-on-their-next-game-is-going-swimmingly-despite-dlc-delays Though Last Orders, the second DLC for massive Fallout 4 mod Fallout: London, is taking longer than Team FOLON originally planned, the modders have revealed that their next game is running ahead of schedule. The two are being worked on at the time as the group use their ambitious building of a British apocalypse atop Bethesda's Boston as a springboard into establishing themselves as a professional indie studio. Read more

Title: ZeniMax's pivot to big series amid Xbox cuts reportedly isn't a death knell for Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:51:09 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/zenimaxs-pivot-to-big-series-amid-xbox-cuts-reportedly-isnt-a-death-knell-for-doom-quake-and-wolfenstein Xbox have officially announced the scale of the mass layoffs and rejigging of their studio lineup which have loomed on the horizon for the past couple of weeks. While Double Fine, Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, and Arkane all face futures outside of Xbox, the cuts and changes have also affected how a number of studios remaining under the Microsoft banner will operate going forwards. Read more

Title: Xbox are parting ways with Double Fine, Arkane, Undead Labs, Compulsion, and Ninja Theory in the course of thousands of layoffs Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:31:53 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/xbox-are-parting-ways-with-double-fine-arkane-undead-labs-compulsion-and-ninja-theory-in-the-course-of-thousands-of-layoffs After weeks of uncertainty, Microsoft have finally revealed what their big Xbox business "reset" involves. Spoilers: it's not great! Gaming division CEO Asha Sharma has announced that they will lay off 3200 people over their next financial year, beginning today with around 1600 redundancies. In addition, Microsoft are parting ways with five of their best-known studios: Psychonauts developers Double Fine, State of Decay developers Undead Labs, Senua developers Ninja Theory, South of Midnight developers Compulsion, and Dishonored developers Arkane. Further details are few, but here are the broad strokes: Compulsion and Double Fine are going indie again, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs have found unnamed new owners. Arkane's status is unclear: the studio's bosses are currently haggling with a works council of employees over various "strategic options". Read more

Title: Stop judging games by their sales figures, says Tekken's Katsuhiro Harada: “That’s exactly what you’d expect from someone who’s never actually developed games" Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 13:45:00 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/stop-judging-games-by-their-sales-figures-says-tekkens-katsuhiro-harada-thats-exactly-what-youd-expect-from-someone-whos-never-actually-developed-games I don't think anybody reading these hallowed pages really judges games by their sales figures, but it's nice to hear that perspective affirmed by no less a Legendary Fightguy than Katsuhiro Harada, the former face of Tekken. Out of the blue, Harada has posted some very nice words about Dark Souls kingpin and FromSoftware president Hidetaki Miyazaki, noting that Miyazaki came late to game development and worked on a bunch of less praised or successful games, before landing it big with Souls. Harada (who is currently CEO of SNK VS Studio) makes the obvious but eminently repeatable argument that these older, less celebrated projects paved the way for the Souls series. He accuses people who think disparagingly of them of being unable to "appreciate the journey or the growth of the developers themselves". It's not clear who these statements are aimed at, exactly, but Harada does add that he's "NOT talking about the fan community". The whole thing sounds like a rebuke to publisher moneymen who only think as far as the next earnings call. Read more

Title: This week in PC games: Stardew Valley plus vampires, a lavish gamebook RPG, and Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, finally Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2026 12:03:10 +0000 Link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/this-week-in-pc-games-stardew-valley-plus-vampires-a-lavish-gamebook-rpg-and-assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-finally Happy this week, all! Also: huge apologies to the World Cup organisers and teams for any matchside cosmic sabotage brought on by our struggle to feed the Maw. Truth be told, Mexico should have had last night's game in the bag, if only I'd topped up the Maw's feeding trough on Friday with another handful of Slay the Spire 2 stories. In its hunger, the creature broke containment, and fell upon the sacred realm of association football, kindling all manner of pandemonium. You may have noticed that half of Mexico's goal shots vanished in flight, for example, leaving behind a turquoise haze and the aroma of burning locusts. You may have noticed that Jude Bellingham had six more legs than is customary, for a champions league player. Or perhaps you didn't notice any of that because you were too busy thinking about this week's forthcoming PC game releases. Here are a few I've got my eye on. Read more