The Week in Gaming - Issue #10

Highlights of the Week

• Battlefield 6’s early access beta period has kicked off this week, with close to 250k players waiting in queue for access before the servers opened. With the start of this beta, players have discovered that Windows’s Secure Boot is required as a part of EA’s anticheat protocols. However, this is not stopping day 1 cheaters utilizing wallhacks. Eurogamer, PC Gamer, GamesRadar

• This month’s Nintendo Direct was an Indie World Showcase, featuring over 18 titles from developers for Switch 1 and 2. For the full list, which includes Mina the Hollower, UFO 50, and Is This Seat Taken, hit the link. Nintendo Life

• Hoyoverse is ending support for Genshin Impact on the PS4. The version of the game will be removed from the PlayStation Store on September 10, in-game purchases will be removed from sale on February 25, 2026, and the version will be officially shut down on April 8, 2026. ComicBook Gaming

• Ludocene, the kickstarted search tool for video games, has officially launched. The tool allows users to swipe on a stream of Game cards to build suggested matches to pin. The tool is free and ad-free to use, with a subscription tier that grants Discord access, more experts, and monthly digest emails. Nintendo Life, Ludocene

Game News

• Atmospheric slasher Hell is Us is getting a demo on Xbox, PlayStation and PC. The demo launches on August 12. Eurogamer

• Signups for the PS5 closed beta for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls have started. The beta will run from September 5-7 and will include access to six playable fighters and three areas in Marvel’s New York City stage. Eurogamer

• Horror game Vile: Exhumed has launched for free via vileisbanned.com. The developers (DreadXP, Cara Cadaver) have stated that the game was “wrongly banned” from Steam over sexual content rules. However, a Valve spokesperson has responded that “Steam has never allowed games with sexual depictions/images of real people”. Rock Paper Shotgun

Upcoming

• Blumhouse’s co-op horror game, Eyes of Hellfire, will be launching in Steam Early Access on August 27. ComicBook Gaming

• NHL 26 now has a reveal trailer and a release date of September 12. The title, similar to its franchise predecessor, is exclusive to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. ComicBook Gaming

• Black & White and Populous inspired god game, Fata Deum, will be launching in Early Access (Steam) on September 15. PC Gamer

• Mario-party like title, LEGO Party, is confirmed to be arriving on September 30 for PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Life

• Mattel has announced that it is developing a new Barbie game with Outright Games, called Barbie Horse Trails. The title is a single player adventure for PC, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch with a launch date of October 10. GamesBeat

New Releases

• Outfit7 has launched Talking Tom & Friends: World, a sandbox sim for kids featuring its popular franchise. Players will have customizable avatars and interactive scenes to explore their creativity and create own stories. Pocket Gamer

• Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley has launched on iOS and Android. The title originally released on PC and Nintendo Switch earlier this year. Pocket Gamer

• CLUB - Football Manager Game has released on iOS and Android ahead of the 2025/26 season. The title features soccer club management and ownership gameplay and co-op features are in the roadmap post launch. Pocket Gamer

• id Software and Nightdive have joined together and launched re-releases of Heretic and Hexen (in a bundle called Heretic + Hexen) for the PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Switch. PC Gamer

Game Updates

• Battle royale hero shooter, Farlight 84, has returned with a full relaunch on iOS and Android. The shooter has had a complete graphic/visual revamp, new characters, a new map, and a host of quality-of-life improvements added for players. Pocket Gamer

• EA Sports College Football 26 has received its first major update since its July release. The update features adjustments to gameplay, blocking, playbooks, dynasty mode, Road to Glory, game presentation, and more. ComicBook Gaming

• Pokémon TCG Pocket has completed replacement of plagiarized card art for its Ho-Oh EX and Lagia EX cards. Eurogamer

• Fallout 4 is reportedly getting paid mod support for the game, similar to the Creations update that was added for Skyrim. ComicBook Gaming

• NetEase’s 1v4 asymmetrical survival horror game Identity V will be getting a crossover with fantasy anime series, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. Pocket Gamer

Spotlight: Game Offerings

• Over 1 million people have claimed freebies in support of GOG’s FreedomToBuy campaign. The limited-time offer features 13 NSFW games in protest of changes on Steam and itch.io. GamesIndustry.biz

• The first batch Xbox Games Pass games for August have been revealed. Rain World is available now, with Citizen Sleeper 2, Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders, MechWarrior 5: Clans, and Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap releasing on August 6. For the extended list, hit the link. Eurogamer

• Humble Bundle has launched a Warner Bros. collection of games for just $12. The collection consists of 15 games: Fear Ultimate Shooter Edition, Watchmen: The End is Night (Part 1 and Part 2), Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Definitive Edition, Mad Max, Injustice Gods Among Us Legendary Edition, and more. For the full list, check out the link. PC Gamer

• Bloober Team has discounted its horror game slate on Steam via a “From Poland with Love” sales event. The sale will last through August 11 and includes Blair Witch, Layers of Fear, The Medium, and Observer: System Redux. ComicBook Gaming

• Amazon’s Prime Gaming has revealed this month’s wave of free games. Included are Sid Meier’s Civilization 3 Complete and Thief: Definitive Edition. Video Games Chronicle

Spotlight: Birthdays

• Microsoft is celebrating Rare’s 40th birthday with an iam8bit’s Rare 40th Anniversary Box Set (39 tracks), a new cartridge collection with vintage Rare titles, free goodies in Sea of Thieves, and a plushie merchandise collection at Fangamer. Eurogamer

• Habbo is celebrating 25 years this August! Lies, this just launched a few years ago…right? The still-running virtual world has kicked off a month-long anniversary event for its players. MMORPG.com

Game Tech & Products

• The Xbox-branded ROG Ally is rumored to be launching in October, to make it in time for the promoted “holiday” window this year for US and UK. Eurogamer

• Meta shows off two next-gen VR headsets via their recent Reality Labs blog post. Tiramisu, an experimental “hyperrealistic VR” headset uses micro-OLED display panels and “specially designed refractive viewing optics”. The Boba is a VR headset with 180-degree horizontal FOV and 120-degree vertical FOV, lighter weight than the Tiramisu, and 4Kx4K panels for each eye. PC Gamer

• Nintendo is introducing a My Mario line of products in August. The items are targeted at children and include wooden block sets, board books, clothing, and animated short videos. Shacknews

Social Impacts

• The City of Liverpool College has teamed up with non-profit careers initiative GameChangers to introduce a free management diploma. The course is targeted at people leading developing teams and operational staff and offers a mix of online and on-campus learning. Applications are now open, with courses starting in September 2025. GamesIndustry.biz

• Roblox has introduced parental control descriptor, “sensitive issues” for games and experiences that evoke “polarized viewpoints” and/or a “strong emotional response” from players. “Issues such as immigration, capital punishment, gun control, marriage equality, pay equity in sports, prayer in schools, racial profiling, affirmative action, vaccination policies, and reproductive rights qualify as 'sensitive issues’", per the announcement. Game Developer

• Video Game History Foundation expands its preservation efforts with the addition of the full run of Computer Entertainer magazine now in its digital library. Eurogamer

• RTA, Japan's biggest charity speedrunning event, has confirmed that there will not be any Nintendo games in the event due to Nintendo’s rules around use of its products. Eurogamer

• League of Legends: Wild Rift exec producer, David Xu, has apologized for its anniversary video released on Chinese social media site Weibo this week. The video, “creator-made” according to Xu, appears to heavily use AI and has since been taken down from the official channel on Weibo. Rock Paper Shotgun

• Neon has acquired the North American rights to horror adventure game Exit 8. The film is directed by Genki Kawamura, was showcased at Cannes, and will be featured at the Toronto Film Festival. It is planned for release in early 2026. ComicBook Gaming

• The hit Romantasy book series Fourth Wing is getting a tabletop adaptation for Habro’s hit party game, Priorities. ComicBook Gaming

Till next week,

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