The Week in Gaming - Issue #3

Highlights of the Week

• You might have heard about a 16-billion password mega hack. This is not a new breach, but rather a collection of data from past breaches. If you got anxious, make sure you are not reusing passwords or using easily guessable ones! PC Gamer

• Capcom Spotlight has been scheduled for Thursday, June 26. The broadcast will be including news about upcoming Capcom titles and DLC. Nintendo Life

• The Dune: Awakening team, having recently patched in fixes for overpowered ornithopters, has announced the title will be getting a big update in early July focused on quality-of-life improvements and PvP. Rock Paper Shotgun

• Red Dead Redemption actor Rob Wiethoff attempted to save his bacon and rein in an excited fanbase, clarifying that he does not make announcements on behalf of Rockstar. The statement was in response to a RDR stream earlier in the week, where he had teased “exciting news” to share soon. What news was it actually? A meet and greet with the cast of RDR 2. GamesRadar

Game News

• Following the court decision in Korea between Nexon and Ironmace (tldr: Ironmace did not infringe on Nexon copyright, Ironmace has to pay $6.18M USD in damage), Epic is delisting Dark and Darker from the Epic Games Store on November 1, 2025. Players who purchased the Legendary Status upgrade will be refunded. Rock Paper Shotgun

• FF14 'stalker plugin' PlayerScope has been shut down after the creator was sent a cease & desist. The plugin addressed a critical vulnerability in the game’s blacklist system where modders could obtain detailed character and account information, making players vulnerable to theft. PC Gamer

• Fake Minecraft mods that steal all your personal data including crypto wallets are being distributed via GitHub accounts. Be careful with mods you choose to install! PC Gamer

• Stellar Blade’s director responds to the influx of “steamy” mod creation for the title, saying that he does not see the need to interfere other than encouraging players to be careful. Modders, pay special attention to the above bullet and only install from “trustworthy” sources. Rock Paper Shotgun

Upcoming

• A London Underground poster claimed Metroid Prime 4 is “Out Now”, but Nintendo has confirmed the ad is incorrect. The title does not yet have a release date. Nintendo Life

• Borderlands 4 edition pricing has been confirmed and will range from $69.99 USD to $129.99 USD. Eurogamer

• Architectural roguelike Blue Prince is coming to Mac (via Steam) later this year. I’ll still never get the sledgehammer, battery pack, and lever in the same run. The Verge Games

• Klei Interactive has announced their latest title, Away Team, a side-scrolling survival game from the same universe as Oxygen Not Included. Rock Paper Shotgun

• Skate will be releasing by the end of September 2025. EA and Full Circle are inviting all playtest signups for playtests prior to its Early Access launch. ComicBook Gaming

• Donkey Kong Bananza was revealed during Nintendo Direct this week, with a detailed first look at the storyline and gameplay. Hit the link for all the details if you missed the absolute bananas amount of news articles on this reveal. Video Games Chronicle

• House of the Dead 2: Remake will be releasing on Steam, GOG, and Nintendo Switch on August 7. Eurogamer

• Netease has announced a new title in development with 24 Entertainment (Naraka: Bladepoint). The title is a single player narrative action game with stealth and survival mechanics, called Blood Message. Eurogamer

• A dataminer has shown evidence that Battlefield 6 may be bringing a back dam-busting campaign mission and a battle royale mode. GamesRadar

• Immersive sim Militsioner, where you try to escape a town with a kaiju-sized, temperamental policeman, is getting a public playtest soon with signups available on Steam. Rock Paper Shotgun

• BitCraft Online’s Early Access has been delayed by one week, as devs are still waiting on the completion of Steam’s approval process to launch on the platform. Their new release date has been tentatively scheduled for June 27. MMORPG.com

• A console and Steam version of Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home will be launching later this year and will be including quality of life changes for the release. ComicBook Gaming

• The multiplayer beta for Gears of War: Reloaded is being extended until June 22 after constant server instability and technical issues caused a rocky start to the test. Video Games Chronicle

New Releases

• Remedy Entertainment’s three-player cooperative shooter FBC: Firebreak launched this week. The dev team posted a post-launch roadmap on social media this week and said that all playable post launch content will be free for players. Rock Paper Shotgun

• Stray Kite Studios has launched Wartorn, a real-time tactics fantasy title, into early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store. GamesBeat

• Rightsoft Labs has launched Mech vs. Aliens, a free to play multiplayer sci-fi battler on iOS and Android. Pocket Gamer

• Interactive story game Climate Station launched on Playstation 5 and PS VR2. The title is part of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s collaboration with the United Nations Playing for the Planet Alliance. PlayStation Blog

• Fast-paced action rogue-like, Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, is now out on Switch and Switch 2. Nintendo Life

• Ultra-realistic tycoon sim TrainStation 3 is now out on iOS and Android. Pocket Gamer

• Slocap launched soccer (football) action game Rematch this week. However, cross play has not been included due to “unforeseen technical difficulties”. The team states that the feature is the “absolute highest priority” in their roadmap alongside bug fixes for the title. Eurogamer

• Empire of Sin launched a surprise DLC, Hunt for Aurora. The expansion introduces a new class, side character Sylvia Taylor, and new mission (and storyline) content. Rock Paper Shotgun

Game Updates

• Minecraft’s “Vibrant Visuals” update has launched and introduces improvements in directional lighting, volumetric fog, and other overhauls to make each biome feel distinct. Eurogamer

• Pokemon TCG Pocket has revealed the next mini booster set, which is centered on Eevee and its Evolutions. The set will be releasing on June 26. ComicBook Gaming

• The latest Sims 4 update pushed performance boosts and bug fixes for console players and includes bug fixes for players across all platforms. ComicBook Gaming

• Ubisoft is facing backlash with updates to its ‘XP’ and Renown gain in Rainbow Six Siege X. Renown gain, the title’s free currency, has been slashed dramatically. At the same time, the title introduced its most expensive skin ever launched, costing $50. PC Gamer

• Overwatch 2’s Season 17 update on June 24 is introducing map voting for quick play and competitive modes. PC Gamer

• The third and final planned major update for Hades 2, The Unseen Update, has launched this week with new hidden aspects, revamped umbral flames, new hex functionality, and new foes. ComicBook Gaming

• Disney Dreamlight Valley has launched its summer update with content for Skull Rock and Peter Pan. ComicBook Gaming

• Fortnite launched a mobile only battle royale mode with a rogue-like design, called Blitz Royale. The update also included the new mode, Lego Fortnite Expeditions. Gamespot

• The update to Fortnite also includes the start of Fortnite Festival Season 9 and Bruno Mars is ‘headlining’. GamesBeat

• Visual Concepts has announced that Shaquille O’Neal is coming to WWE 2K25 as a playable character. The content is a part of the wrestling title’s Dunk & Destruction Pack. ComicBook Gaming

• Version update notes confirm that Paimon and Keqing characters have been recast with new voice actors. HoYoverse has been recasting to provide VO for characters during the SAG-AFTRA strike. Many of the original actors were hoping for re-engagement and better AI protections from the company. ComicBook Gaming

• The Playstation VR and VR2 versions of Beat Saber will no longer get new content. The multiplayer mode for the title will also be dropped on the two VR platforms next year. Video Games Chronicle

• NetEase has launched Season 2 of NBA and NBPA licensed streetball game, Dunk City Dynasty. The Season 2 launch includes a community competition with a prize pool of $10,000. GamesBeat

• A new update for Elden Ring dropped this week, adding new challenge content and limited-time (weekly) versions of bosses. Eurogamer

• Crytek struggled with Hunt: Showdown 1896’s latest update. After eight hours and a rollback, the company failed to patch the game on Wednesday and caused players to redownload 26GB of files. The patch got back on track on Thursday. The studio announced a compensation of 10k Hunt dollars to players via a redeemable code on social media. PC Gamer

• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, will be receiving a free DLC, called Update the World, that includes a roguelike open world mode. The title recently sold over 1 million copies across all platforms. Nintendo Life

• Apex Legends adds 1v1 duels for its mid-season 25 update. ComicBook Gaming

Spotlight: Game Deals

• Amazon Prime Day (July 8-July 11) will have six PC games available for free via Prime Gaming: Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, Star Wars: Rebellion, Saints Row 2, TOEM, Dungeon of the Endless Definitive Edition and Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. GamesBeat

• Xbox Game Pass has been updated for June and includes FBC: Firebreak, Rematch, Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, Star Trucker, and Wildfrost. Hit the link for the full set of updates through July 1. Eurogamer

• Sega has removed in-app purchases and added offline playability for nine of its mobile retro re-releases prior to the apps getting delisted in shops. The apps include Crazy Taxi Classic, Golden Axe Classics, Shining Force Classics, Sonic CD Classic, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II, Streets of Rage Classic, Streets of Rage 2 Classic, Super Monkey Ball: Sakura, Virtua Tennis Challenge Video Games Chronicle

• PlayStation Store’s Mid-Year Deals promotion is now live through July 2. Hit the link for the full list of discounted titles. PlayStation Blog

• GOG has a limited time, 75% off deal for Mortal Kombat 1+2+3 on their platform. Snag these for just $1.49 USD. ComicBook Gaming

• For the next two weeks, Playstation owners can play GTA Online without an active PS Plus Subscription, as long as they own GTA5 or GTA Online as a standalone purchase. ComicBook Gaming

Game Tech

• Steam is adding screen reader support and other accessibility tools for Steam Big Picture Mode and SteamOS. The Verge Games

• Meanwhile, a new Steam Deck update fixes an issue for the OLED versions of the device where WiFi connections are randomly dropped during play. ComicBook Gaming

• 3,000 Nintendo Switch 2 consoles were stolen from a truck going to GameStop. This follows a 2,810 console theft in Grapevine, Texas. GamesRadar

• A new update is live for Switch 2 that fixes compatibility issues with some Switch 1 games. ComicBook Gaming

• Limited Run has asked Nintendo to pull Gex Trilogy from the eShop as it doesn’t work on Switch 2. Video Games Chronicle

• Nintendo reportedly banned players using MIG cartridges for pirated games on Switch 2. The MIG Switch is a flash cartridge that can store pirated game files. The makers of the cartridge recently updated its firmware so it could bypass the Switch 2’s preventions. GamesIndustry.biz

Social Impacts

• GOG now accepts donations when you buy a game. The donations support the GOG Preservation Program, which aims to keep old games running on new hardware, even when the games are no longer supported by their original developers. PC Gamer

• PlayStation’s concert series is coming to the US and pre-sales are available now. Concert goers can hear live performances of tracks from franchises like God of War, The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, and Horizon. The Verge Games

• The latest Silent Hill movie now has a release date, nearly 20 years after the first movie. Return to Silent Hill has been confirmed releasing in theatres on January 23, 2026. GamesRadar

• A Death Stranding animated film has been confirmed with a story in the works from Raised by Wolves writer Aaron Guzikowski. Video Games Chronicle

Till next week,

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