The Week in Gaming - Issue 6

Highlights of the Week

• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 officially released today, with several fan created mods already available on NexusMods. Rock Paper Shotgun

• The PC version of Call of Duty: WW2 was pulled offline on Tuesday this week amid hacking claims, with some reports indicating a remote code execution exploit resulted in takeovers of player devices. A few days later, Activision also pulled ten other Call of Duty games down for a four-hour unspecified maintenance. As of Friday morning, the WW2 title is still unavailable. PCGames N

• This week’s amateur slap fight is brought to you by Krafton and the recently ousted ex-leadership of Unknown Worlds. You can find the breakdown of this incident in the Games News spotlight this week.

Game News

• Just three months after launching into Early Access, developer Wargaming has decided to sunset mech shooter Steel Hunters. Servers will be remaining open for players until October 8, with all hunters unlocked and a patch for custom game support incoming to help players set up matches. PC Gamer

• Naughty Dog has released a “Chronological” mode for The Last of Us Part 2. Eurogamer

• The dev group behind Grow a Garden, one of Roblox’s most popular experiences, has announced to its fans that it has increased its staffing and created two dedicated teams to handle event creation for Grow a Garden’s live content updates. PC Gamer

• Rockstar’s support website may be providing indirect evidence of a re-release for Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto 4. The website briefly included articles for online migration and a PS4 platform option when requesting help for GTA 4, which were removed from the site shortly after a Reddit thread was posted. GamesRadar

Upcoming

• Developers behind the sci-fi horror game Routine posted via social media and Steam that the game is still in active development and nearing completion. The game was originally part of Steam’s Greenlight voting system (circa 2012) and disappeared several times over the last 13 years. PC Gamer

• 2K has confirmed NBA 2K26 will launch on Sept 5 on all platforms (including Switch 1/2). Switch 2’s version will feature full Gen 9 support, though cross-play will not be available. Nintendo Life

• Opus Major announces debut title Majjam, a musical social multiplayer game. GamesBeat

• Capcom’s mobile survival game, Resident Evil Survival Unit, is now accepting pre-registration signups. Pocket Gamer

• Inti Creates has revealed their “paper craft” 2D action game, called Majogami, for the Switch 1/2. The title launches on October 30. Nintendo Life

• 'Azure Striker Gunvolt Trilogy Enhanced' has been announced for Switch and PS5 and will be launching on July 24. Nintendo Life

• Stalker 2 is coming to PS5 later this year and will support PS5 DualSense functionality and other PS5 Pro enhancements. Video Games Chronicle

• A Switch 2 demo for Koei Tecmo’s Wild Hearts S has been released. The official launch of this monster hunting title is set for July 25. Nintendo Life

• Horror roguelike Shark Dentist mashes up everything you love about The Meg, Shark Week, and the ol’ Operation board game. A release date hasn’t been announced but the title is available for wishlisting on Steam. PC Gamer

New Releases

• SNK has launched Samurai Shodown R on the Sui blockchain. The action RPG features real-time multiplayer, “onchain” progression, and arcade action combat. GamesBeat

• WB Games has launched mobile game DC Worlds Collide. The title is a free to play, squad-based collector game featuring over 70 DC comics characters. GamesBeat

• Packing puzzler, Perfect Packers, has launched on iOS this week and features a bunny delivery driver tasked with fitting items into grid-based puzzles. Pocket Gamer

• Every Day We Fight, a time loop tactical RPG from developer Signal Space Lab and publisher Hooded Horse, has been launched into early access on Steam. Rock Paper Shotgun

Game Updates

• Dead by Daylight’s Walking Dead collaboration has launched. The update includes new survivors Rick Grimes and Michonne Grimes. Eurogamer

• World of Warcraft’s (supposedly) last major patch for The War Within will be arriving on August 5. The update, Ghosts of K’aresh, features a new hub from Shadowlands and feature called “phase diving” that allows players to hunt down powerful creatures, complete bounties, discover hidden caches, and collect materials to upgrade their Reshii Wraps artifact. PC Gamer

• EVE Online’s Global PLEX Market launched this week, in effort to simplify and broaden opportunities to buy and sell PLEX (premium currency used to purchase game services, upgrade accounts to subscription status, or traded for ISK). MMORPG.com

• Escape from Tarkov got a controversial new wipe to start out the patch season. The wipe removed a majority of quests and disabled maps, greatly limiting options for progression. PC Gamer

• Rare has announced a new season structure for Sea of Thieves, along with a slew of features aimed towards sandbox improvements and customized play. Custom servers will be launching sometime next year as a subscription-based feature. MMORPG.com

• The latest DLC for ARK: Survival Evolved, will be launching on July 15 and includes the first-ever submerged ARK, an underwater biome, new creatures, and underwater survival mechanics. MMORPG.com

• MLB The Show 25 has been updated with content for 2025 MLB All Star Week. The content includes a rogue-like mode called All-Star Game Diamond Quest, an All-Star Game Showdown, the Moonshot: Home Run Derby Event, and a Midsummer Classic Mini Seasons Challenge. PlayStation Blog

• Cross-platform play has been added Company of Heroes Collection for Switch Nintendo Life

• The Sims 4 team patched the game this week to glitches introduced with their latest patch and confirmed one fix is still remaining (and incoming) for missing actions (and baby bumps) related to pregnancy. ComicBook Gaming

• PocketPair has deployed a patch for Palworld to address save file issues and crashing on PS5. ComicBook Gaming

Spotlight: Water War

It was announced late last week that Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, game director/co-founder Charlie Cleveland, and tech director Max McGuire had departed the company. In the news this week:

• Krafton delayed the release of Subnautica 2 to 2026, just months before it was due to pay a $250M bonus to the development team. The delay was against the wishes of the studio’s former leadership, who publicly claimed that the title is ready for Early Access and implying the delay is not justified. The bonus in question was to be rewarded upon reaching certain revenue milestones by 2025, with 90% of the payout going to the former leadership. Jason Schreier (Bloomberg)

• Shortly after the announcement on the delay, Krafton released a teaser video for Subnautica 2, which features a one-minute gameplay demonstration. ComicBook Gaming

• Facing fury from fans and across the industry, Krafton decided to fight back against the claim that the game is “ready”, with a public declaration that the former leadership had “abandoned the responsibilities entrusted to them” and that the publisher feels “a profound sense of betrayal by their failure to honor the trust placed in them”. Krafton called out Charlie Cleveland specifically for focusing on a personal film project instead of Subnautica 2. GamesBeat

• Cleveland has announced (on Reddit) that a lawsuit has been filed against Krafton, although details about the lawsuit (including jurisdiction, named parties, and causes of action) remain unclear. PC Gamer

Game Tech

• Nintendo addressed Switch 2 price and supply concerns in its annual shareholders meeting, telling investors that the console’s price is “appropriate for the gaming experience that it offers” and that the company is “closely monitoring to what degree the price of the system might become a barrier”. GamesIndustry.biz

• Switch Game Vouchers, a system that allowed players to purchase two first-party eShop titles at a discounted price, will be discontinued on Jan 30, 2026. Any game vouchers bought will remain valid for 12 months after purchase and Switch titles will continue to be added to the Voucher catalog. Nintendo Life

Social Impacts

• Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya addressed the voice actor controversy with Hellena Taylor nearly three years after Taylor took to social media, accusing PlatinumGames of low payment to reprise her role in Bayonetta 3. According to Kamiya, PlatinumGames attempted to meet Taylor’s demands, but Taylor balked at the final offer (of $15,000). ComicBook Gaming

• Insurance firm, The General, has launched a custom game in Fortnite. The game experience helps players tackle road test challenges, navigate obstacles, adn practice safe driving in Miami, New York City, and San Francisco. GamesBeat

• The Interactive Media Agreement (IMA) has been officially ratified. Game Developer

• GameStop is auctioning off the staple and stapler that damaged a customer’s Nintendo Switch 2. The proceeds will go to the Children’s Miracle Network. As of 12PM PT Friday, the bidding is up to $249,700. Video Games Chronicle

• Take a walk in their shoes. “I Don’t Want to be a Good Woman”, launched on Jul 3 and is an interactive, abstract walking simulator that aims to help players understand the real lives of women living in Iran under Islamic law. Rock Paper Shotgun, Steam

Till next week,

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