In a games industry that is increasingly shifting to digital, amplified by PlayStation phasing out physical game discs starting in 2028, where does a brick-and-mortar chain like GameStop fit into this future? GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen appears to have no concern for this monumental shift whatsoever.

When asked by Bloomberg about how Sony's digital policy would affect GameStop's business, Cohen responded: "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter at all."

While his answer appears flippant and preposterous on the surface (the word "game" is in the company's name, after all), the company's financial reporting appears to support his stance that the potential decline of physical games, new and used, would impact GameStop.

"Software--it mattered in the past. Software today makes up less than 12% of the business, and collectibles make up over half the business. So it's totally, totally irrelevant," Cohen said.

https://youtu.be/G3fCkeo2kY8?si=0cZ6O9FzWL9o_ER1&t=983

GameStop's stock price was largely unaffected by Sony's bombshell announcement about its plans to abandon physical media--in fact, the company's share price jumped up.

According to GameStop's financial reports for the first quarter of 2026, collectibles, such as Pokemon cards, made up 41.8% of the company's total revenue, with hardware and accessories making up nearly 40% of its revenue. Gaming software is by far the smallest portion of GameStop's business today.

Bloomberg also brought up Rockstar Games' plan for Grand Theft Auto 6's discless release having no resale value for a retailer like GameStop. Cohen pivoted the conversation hard, saying he wanted to "go back and talk about eBay," referring to his ongoing push to acquire the famous online marketplace and turn a combined eBay-GameStop entity into a "$1 trillion business."

How Cohen hopes to achieve such a feat is unclear. What is clear, however, is Cohen's apathy toward the medium that built GameStop's business in the first place.

The post-apocalyptic world of Fallout expanded a few years ago with the release of a TV series on Prime Video, but anyone expecting a new Fallout game to release in time with the show was out of luck. Two seasons have already aired--and a third is on the way--but the gap between new Fallout video games continues to widen. Bethesda Game Studios boss Todd Howard has a different viewpoint on the MIA status of the games, and as he explained to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier on his YouTube channel, it all comes down to timing.

"I look at it from what does the franchise look like to the audience? I view TV as one chapter, and I view when is a franchise really, really healthy, and when can we execute whatever we're doing, whether it's a mobile game or a TV show or remasters, making sure that we execute those at the highest level," Howard said to Schreier (who was relaying the quotes back to his YouTube audience).

https://youtu.be/j3vP8EOmtRk

Howard also added that Bethesda was looking for the right "pocket-timing" (synchronizing a rhythm perfectly with a band's groove) for the Fallout franchise.

Bethesda also spoke about its future plans for the Fallout franchise today, confirming that remasters for Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are on the way. As reported last week, Obsidian Entertainment will be teaming up with Bethesda to work on a new Fallout project, and Fallout 76 will receive a major new update later this year, Raven Rock, that serves as a prequel to Fallout 3.

Bethesda says that Fallout 5 remains the "long-term destination" for the company, and it is currently in pre-production.

Fallout’s Weirdest Vaults Ever: Human Sacrifices, Too Many Puppets, And More View Images

EA Sports has officially announced NHL 27, with 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini gracing the cover. The new entry in the pro ice hockey series includes all the stuff fans would expect, including better graphics, rebuilt team playbooks, and updated camera work, but there were also a few reveals fans might not have seen coming.

One of the marquee new additions to NHL 27 is Connected Franchise, a feature fans have requested for years. It hasn't been in an NHL game since 2013's NHL 14. People were initially excited about the mode coming back, but the hype didn't last long for some, after key detail about the mode was uncovered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkz-p4wYegU

The NHL 27 website confirms that Connected Franchise only supports human-controlled teams, and a screenshot from the announcement trailer states, "Teams without a human user cannot be controlled, traded with, or played against." Given that, players will need to have 32 real human people in a league. This is upsetting some fans, who are asking EA to add in AI teams.

There was also some confusion about if Connected Franchise would be limited to a single season, but that is not the case.

"Want to clear up one misconception: NHL 27 Connected Franchise is not limited to one season. Your league does not end after Year 1," NHL 27's franchise strategy and marketing manager said. "You can continue the same league, and roster moves like trades and free agent claims will carry forward. But for this year, aspects like player aging, retirement, season stats, do not carry over. We know those features matter, and the upcoming blog and Feedback Portal will give the community a place to share what they want prioritized next as we continue to build on the mode. More to share soon!"

NHL 27 also features a new broadcast commentary team with John Buccigross and Darren Pang. The game launches on September 11 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

In a statement today, Bethesda re-confirmed that Fallout 5 is in the works, along with officially confirming remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. These projects are in the works alongside Obsidian's new Fallout game, so there are a lot of Fallout games coming. Bethesda has been talking about Fallout 5 for years already, but Bethesda today also confirmed the game is now in pre-production.

"Fallout is one of our biggest priorities today. Fallout 5 remains our long-range destination, and we have multiple Fallout projects in active development right now," the developer said. "We also know many players want to revisit previous Fallout experiences. While we're not announcing any dates today, we have been working on remasters for both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas."

A scene from Fallout 76.

Fallout 5 is now in pre-production, Bethesda confirmed. But the company's current focus is The Elder Scrolls 6. "We know it’s been a very long wait for the sequel," the developer said. "The next chapter is on the way. We’re where we planned to be, loving how it looks, and playing it every day."

Beyond Fallout 5 and the remasters, Bethesda confirmed the reports that New Vegas developer Obsidian is making a new Fallout game. "The wasteland continues to expand as we team up once again with our longtime friends at Obsidian Entertainment. We're happy to confirm they're working with us on a new Fallout project. We'll have more to share in the future," the developer said.

Bethesda also provided updates on other Fallout projects, saying Fallout 4 has hit 35 million copies sold and that the mobile game Fallout Shelter reached 250 million players. The Fallout Shelter franchise is growing with a new reality TV show.

Fallout 76, meanwhile, is getting a "major" expansion in 2027 called Raven Rock, which is a prequel story to Fallout 3.

"And while we won't host a traditional Fallout Day broadcast this year, we're already planning something special for Fallout's 30th anniversary in 2027, when Fallout Day will be celebrated live in Washington, D.C.," the developer said.

.

As part of Netflix's latest earnings report, the streamer gave an update on its growing video game efforts, which include cloud-based TV games and mobile games. In short, the business is growing and showing positive signs, but it's still early days.

June 2026 saw the release of Netflix's two "most successful" launches ever for cloud games on TV with FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition and the horror game Unhinged, though Netflix did not share any specific datapoints about them.

The Netflix Playground app, designed for kids, saw 3x growth in daily players since it debuted in April this year. This new app has helped "engagement" for kids' mobile games from Netflix to surge 600% year-over-year, Netflix said.

"While off a small base, these early signals give us increasing confidence that we are building a foundation with exciting future growth potential," Netflix said.

The Netflix Games business is growing.

During an earnings call, Netflix co-CEO Gregory Peters said Netflix continues to be in the building stage for its video game efforts. “We’ve been building some solid foundations, and now we’re seeing exciting positive signals that help inform and give us increased conviction in our future growth and the nature of that growth here,” he said.

Peters went on to say that another “big positive sign” for Netflix Games has been its cloud-based TV games, which began to scale in earnest in October 2025. Since that time, “monthly active players for cloud games have increased 11x, and adoption is significantly ahead of that curve that we had for mobile games with even higher retention value,” he said. “So we’re definitely excited about that and focused on scaling up cloud games.”

Peters said the gaming market is massive, and Netflix is taking it slow as it defines a strategy and determines its investment levels.

"We're just getting started here. We're scratching the surface in terms of what we think the total potential of the space offers for us," he said. "You're going to see us continue to calibrate and refine our level of investment here, which is still very small relative to our overall content spend based on demonstrated performance based on what is working for our members and what's delivering returns to our business."

The next big Netflix game, Netflix Minigolf, launches on July 28, bringing together franchises like Squid Game, Bridgerton, and Stranger Things.

Netflix Games has endured a rocky road in recent years as it set out to establish a strategy. At one point, Netflix invested in AAA games, and hired big names, but those plans fell apart. Today, Netflix is more focused on social and party games that people can play quickly and easily. Netflix Games' narrative executive Sean Krankel told The Game Business that, in the next couple of years, he wants people to see Netflix as "natural" destination to play games, as opposed to it being perceived like it is today, as "experimental."

"I would love, in a year or two, for people to be going: ‘This is naturally the place that I would go to play a story’. And that ‘playing a story’ doesn’t sound weird," he said. "The ambitious thing here is that we create a new way of interacting with story and character that doesn’t feel like you have to be trepidatious or worried about trying it, or, ‘Am I going to be good at this?’"

"The same way that somebody’ll go to Disneyland and jump on a ride or go into an escape room, and it just becomes a new form of entertainment. That’s where I’d love to see this go," he added.

Creators of Backrooms-inspired liminal horror have been exposed to something far more terrifying than creepypasta fiction: takedown notices from their work. Users online are reporting that copyright claims have been issued against them by "A24 Films LLC," the production company behind one of this year's biggest movies.

On the r/backrooms subreddit, user GnarlyNet detailed their experience, saying that their Backrooms-inspired artwork received a copyright strike on the commerce site Redbubble. GnarlyNet's image design was derived from the original 2019 Backrooms image, not the movie, and other creatives are also feeling the brunt of A24's enforcement. Indie team Davilkus Games (via Kotaku) says that it was hit with three copyright strikes this month over its own liminal horror game project, resulting in its Google Play developer account being banned from the platform.

https://twitter.com/maywrence/status/2077507230631338424

In response to these complaints, Backrooms director Kane Parsons has said that he's investigating the issue. "I'm looking into this. Should not be happening," Parsons wrote on the subreddit.

So what's happening here? A24 is likely using an automated system that has resulted in mass copyright strikes being issued against users. While it's within its legal right to protect the Backrooms movie, the genre itself does not belong to any one person, as there have been numerous fan projects, artwork, and video games inspired by this particular brand of creepypasta content.

A24 hasn't won any fans either for its decision to sign a $75 million AI research partnership with Google's DeepMind, with many film buffs and fans blasting the deal. Parsons also weighed in on the drama, explaining on his Discord server that "those resources" would not be spent on Backrooms or any potential sequels. In case you missed it, Backrooms launched earlier this year and was a box office smash, making almost $375 million off of its $10 million budget. For his next project, Parsons is aiming to make a movie based on Valve's Portal game.

30 Best Horror Games To Play In The Dark In 2026 View Images

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 lead studio Infinity Ward has addressed claims that the game features an AI assistant. After retired Call of Duty leaker TheGhostOfHope labeled the Gunsmith assistant "Gunny" as an AI chatbot, Infinity Ward responded by saying that the virtual helper is a "hand-crafted" creation by the studio.

"Wrong (again.) Gunny is hand-crafted by our developers, not AI. It recommends builds based on the attachments you've unlocked for each weapon. It helps make quick loadout changes between matches," Infinity Ward wrote online. Like previous games, the Gunsmith mode in this year's Call of Duty is designed to help players fine-tune their loadouts for various combat scenarios, whether that be equipping a weapon with quick-snap optics for close-quarters or outfitting a sniper rifle for maximum accuracy over extreme distances.

In an online post, one user showed off some footage of Gunny in action, and how it provided recommendations to the player while reminding them to keep grinding so that they could unlock more attachments. As you might surmise from Infinity Ward's response to TheGhostOfHope, there's no love lost between the studio and the leaker, who has prompted several Call of Duty studios to respond to their reports and dismiss them for being inaccurate.

This all came to a head in March this year, when Activision demanded that TheGhostOfHope stop leaking information, as they were causing problems even when they were proven to be inaccurate. TheGhostOfHope agreed and now keeps a watchful eye on Call of Duty with their comments. While Gunny doesn't appear to be an AI creation, Call of Duty has experimented with generative AI in the past. Last year, Activision admitted to using AI as a means to "help develop some in-game assets," and the controversial technology has been used in Modern Warfare 3's Yokai's Wrath DLC and holiday-themed content for Black Ops 6.

Activision claims that while AI tools were also used in the development of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, humans handle the creative process, and that none of that content made it into the game.

This week, Fortnite is adding multiple skins based on Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey film, including one of Matt Damon as Odysseus. While this is the first time the actor's likeness has been in a video game, that was nearly not the case. Way back in 2008, a little game called The Bourne Conspiracy released, and the plan was originally for Damon to reprise his role of Jason Bourne for the project.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nb97lgpung

We heard rumors over the years, but it was a 2021 interview Matt Damon gave with Sean Evans' Hot Ones that gave us concrete details. Damon was interested in the project and said he was offered a bunch of money to make it happen, but he didn't want the game to be "just a first-person shooter" and hoped for something a little more cerebral. His point of reference for this was the puzzle-adventure game Myst, which famously has no gunfire, car chases, stealth, or fisticuffs.

Despite the star power that Damon would bring to the project, the development team at High Moon Studios evidently thought his idea was a bit of a non-starter. The game was developed without his involvement, nor the involvement of Chris Cooper, who played Alexander Conklin in The Bourne Identity. Franka Potente, who played Marie in the first two Bourne films, did reprise her role.

All in all, Damon didn't end up missing out on that much. While The Bourne Conspiracy wasn't a bad game, its mix of brawling, stealth, shooting, and driving made it a jack of all trades and master of none. The Bourne movie franchise has been on ice for years at this point, with the stinker sequel Jason Bourne releasing back in 2016. Really, as someone who loves the first three movies, you do not need to watch it. Just pretend it all ended with Ultimatum.

French metal band Gojira has confirmed that its drummer, Mario Duplantier, will not be able to perform on some upcoming shows, and he's being temporarily replaced by Luigi Paraventi. That's right, Luigi is stepping in for Mario.

In its announcement, Gojira played up the gaming angle, writing, "Player 2 has entered game. RESPECT!" The band also included an image of Mario and Luigi from the Mushroom Kingdom in its post.

Gojira's US tour kicks off today, July 16, at Rock Fest in Wisconsin, continuing with a string of summer festival shows that wrap up in September.

Mario Duplantier could not make it due to an "immigration issue that has made it impossible for him to travel to the US" in time for the shows, the band wrote. "Mario is heartbroken not to be here with us and has fought hard every step of the way to find a solution."

No further details on the immigration issue were provided.

His replacement, Luigi Paraventi, plays with the band Paleface Swiss and is known for his covers that he posts across social media, like the Gojira video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfLejFcr69c

There's a new Street Fighter 6 collaboration about to drop in mid-October that comes with three scents inspired by the "signature moves" of three brawlers from Capcom's fighting game, which, of course, includes Juri--in case you wanted your room to smell like her.

The Japanese fragrance company CODE Meee revealed on July 16 that it will produce three scents through its perfume brand Gaming Fragrance based on three Street Fighter 6 characters: Ingrid, Ed, and Juri. All three fragrance oils are unique to the characters they represent, with Ingrid's evoking her "optimal stock management," Ed's inducing his "pokes that can't be whiff-punished," and Juri's conjuring her "precise hit confirms." CODE Meee made it clear that these scents aren't just translations of the character's image, but representations of what it's like playing them and using their signature moves.

Both Ed and Ingrid's fragrances are "citrus woody scent[s]." Designed to "enhance clarity in stock accumulation and release timing," Ingrid's oil smells like grapefruit, leafy green, rose, jasmine, cedarwood, amber, and musk. Meanwhile, Ed's has hints of bergamot, clove, spearmint, rosemary, vetiver, and amber, and is created to "let you throw out counter pokes without getting whiff-punished."

Juri's is perhaps the star of the show--and not just because you can imagine the scent emanating off her feet as she shoves her toes in your face during her long combos. With notes of raspberry, passionfruit, violet, blueberry, strawberry, and musk, the brutal South Korean taekwondo martial artist's fragrance was "crafted to make your hit-confirm feels razor-sharp."

Game director Takayuki Nakayama commented on the collaboration, expressing his excitement for the scents and how they'll help you focus on Juri's Foothajin--I mean, Fuhajin and nailing her level 2 super, Feng Shui Engine, perfectly.

"This is an item that dramatically deepens your sense of unity with the characters you love," Nakayama said. "The fragrances deliver both the focus essential for long gaming sessions and a refreshing sensation that gently soothes a mind heated by intense matches. Perfect for switching between on and off, it will make your time in battle feel even more special. The beautiful package art, which expresses each character's charm to the fullest, is also a must-see. Thank you for creating such a wonderful product."

All three scents cost 6,850 yen (roughly $43), ship in mid-October, and come with the wood diffuser and the fragrance oil.

Battlefield 6's next big update, 1.4.1.0, is launching on July 21, introducing Season 4 : Pacific Front and a naval warfare system. The update also brings back a feature that Battlefield hasn't had since 2005's Battlefield 2, and it looks like a Top Gun crossover is coming as well.

The old feature that's coming back is two-seater, fixed-wing jets. No Battlefield game since Battlefield 2 has had those, according to Eurogamer, but they are finally coming back, or at least that's what fans are surmising based on the Season 4 announcement trailer.

As for the Top Gun crossover, at the end of the trailer, it's plainly obvious that EA is teasing this with Harold Faltermeyer's Top Gun music and general Top Gun imagery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc3cxBPwaLU

As for what is explicitly confirmed for Season 4, players can expect a new map, Tsuru Reef, which takes place in a massive Pacific archipelago with land, naval, and air warfare possibilities. That's fitting because Season 4 introduces naval combat to the game, along with a wave system that makes your boat rock up and down to alter sightlines and make combat more challenging.

Another map, the fan-favorite Wake Island, is making a return in Battlefield 6's new Season 4 as well, but not at launch.

The new vehicles in Season 4 are the four-seat RCV-90 patrol boat and the 7.7m NSW RHIB: a fast, four-seat boat featuring a mounted machine gun. There are new weapons as well, including the BROD 3, EF88, and VSMM, along with more attachments.

Season 4 launches on July 21. You can see the full patch notes below.

Battlefield 6 Season 4 patch notes

PLAYER:

• Slide activation now requires a slightly higher movement speed, reducing cases where sliding could trigger without sprinting first or while crouch-sprinting.
• Sliding no longer retriggers when the crouch hold input remains held after an initial slide.
• Sliding no longer triggers when landing from a fall or jump if the crouch hold input was released before touching the ground.
• Soldier visual effects while swimming and resurfacing have been updated
• Spawning on a squad mate in crouch stance now deploys you in crouch stance as well.
• The soldier no longer slowly blends into position after mounting an object in the world.
• Weapon attachments are now less likely to appear floating when using soldier skins.
• Zipline and flash effect animations now behave as intended while spectated in first-person.

Swimming has been revamped for Season 4, with reworked animations, updated physics, improved wave behaviour, and support for Drag and Revive in water.

• Aim assist now fully supports enemy targets while they are swimming.
• Fall damage is now slightly reduced when falling into shallow water.
• Parachutes now deploy as expected when nearing the water surface.
• Players can now drag and revive squad mates in water.
• Players can now spawn on squad mates who are swimming in deep water.

VEHICLES:

• Helicopter rotor wash now affects vegetation more realistically.
• Tank driver aiming now behaves more consistently between third-person view and first-person scoped view when aiming upwards on steep slopes.
• The visual effects of Boats, Amphibious-, and Ground vehicles interacting with water have been improved.
• Vehicle zoom behaviour now correctly follows the player’s “Toggle Zoom” setting after spawning.

GADGETS:

• Aiming with the Incendiary Airburst Launcher in third-person no longer causes the launcher’s optic to disappear.
• Launchers that discard their tubes now continue to reload even if they are no longer the active weapon.
• RPG detonations underwater no longer create dirt impact effects.
• The EOD Bot Arm and the Sledgehammer can no longer be used while swimming.
• The MAS 148 Glaive can no longer lock on to vehicles through rocks or cliffs.
• The Sledgehammer can no longer be used for quick swings while swimming.

WEAPONS:

• Muzzle visual effects now align correctly when using the Compensator attachment on the UMG-40, SCW-10, and PW5A3.
• Projectile behaviour when interacting with water has been updated. Bullets now lose damage while travelling through water, and may deal no damage after travelling far enough underwater.
• SS26 Incendiary Rounds no longer ignite the ocean floor when fired underwater.

MAPS & MODES:

• Adjusted objects near Objectives B, C, and E on Railway to Golmud to prevent players from getting stuck.
• Commander Tactical Advice has returned to Obliteration and Tactical Obliteration and now works alongside Player-Placed Tactical Advice. Commander attack markers now only appear on M-COMs while your team is carrying the bomb.
• Operation Firestorm Team Death Match spawn points have been adjusted to prevent players from spawning inside objects.

UI & HUD:

• Battle Pass points and path text no longer overlap on the End of Round screen.
• Bomb Carriers in Obliteration no longer receive a “Bomb Dropped” notification instead of “Terminated” after being eliminated or when the bomb times out.
• Category icons now appear correctly in the Challenges menu during gameplay.
• Challenge reward icons now appear correctly when unlocked during gameplay.
• Corrected a typo in the description for the “Mercy Stroke” weapon package.
• Improved the readability of the Anti-cheat watermark.
• Incoming hit radial blur has been reduced near the screen centre and now attenuates more towards the screen edges, making damage feedback less intrusive.
• Increased the size of the bomb icon in the Obliteration game mode HUD.
• Interior map details now appear correctly on the minimap.
• Kill indicators now expand outwards and fade out faster, reducing how long they remain in view.
• Magazine attachment indicator alignment has been improved when customising the M/60.
• Magazine attachment indicator alignment has been improved when customising the SL9.
• Main menu tiles now remain visible as intended when returning to the menu after a match.
• Muzzle attachment indicator alignment has been improved when customising the DB-12 with no muzzle attachment equipped.
• Muzzle attachment UI alignment has been improved when customising the Vz.61.
• PP-19 weapon tags now appear correctly in the front end.
• Resolved an occasional client-side crash that could occur when the tutorial system updated.
• Responding to “Quick Message” notifications no longer also triggers in-game actions.
• Reward icons for Season 2 Hardware Assignments now appear correctly during gameplay.
• Reward icons for Season 3 Hardware Assignments now appear correctly across Challenges, the pause menu, and the End of Round screen.
• Reward icons now appear correctly in in-game challenge completion notifications.
• Selecting an empty statistics slot in the Player Profile now takes players to the intended location on the statistics page.
• Sight attachment indicator alignment has been improved when customising the RPK-74M and M39 EMR with Iron Sights.
• Spotting is now blocked while underwater: players can no longer spot enemies while deep underwater, and spotted players are cleared from the world and minimap when they dive into it.
• The “Backwoods Battler” character skin now displays the correct icon artwork.
• The “Chemical Agent” character skin now displays the correct icon artwork.
• The Bomb Timeout timer on the Bomb Carrier HUD in Obliteration now updates correctly and displays the correct remaining time.
• The Challenges button has been removed from the in-game attachment screen to prevent UI overlap.
• The crosshair now displays correctly when aiming the Defibrillator at a revivable teammate.
• The filter selection on the Season Stats page no longer resets when switching between seasons.
• The LTLM II Portable Laser Designator crosshair now appears correctly after redeploying.
• The pre-game lobby background video no longer gets stuck after opening and closing the pause menu from the class selection screen.
• Tutorial prompts no longer remain on screen after redeploying or being eliminated.

SETTINGS:

• Add support for NVIDIA DLSS Multi Frame Generation x5, x6.
• Add support for NVIDIA DLSS Dynamic Multi Frame Generation.
• Add support for Vsync with NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation and Multi Frame Generation.
• Corrected an issue where setting Primary Mouse Button to “Right” in Windows could cause the Right Mouse Button to fire and zoom at the same time in-game.
• The “Game Settings” page no longer appears blank when accessed through the “Voice Chat” section.

PORTAL:

• A “Default Combat Area” is no longer added automatically when a Spatial Editor experience already contains Sectors.
• Added a warning that “Players Required to Start Lobby Timer” is linked to “Max Player Count” for Battle Royale experiences.
• Added missing help text for Impulse blocks in the Rules Editor.
• Added support for the “IsClosed” property on Waypoint Paths.
• Added the “GetPlayer” and “GetVehicle” functions.
• Additional Season 3 weapons, attachments, and gadget have been added to Portal.
• Andy’s Custom Breakthrough Template has been added to the SDK.
• Corrected errors that could occur when publishing the Moving Platform Example.
• “Create Custom Mode” now generates the files needed for “Import from File”.
• “GetPlayerVehicleSeat” and “GetVehicleFromPlayer” now both return undefined when the player is not in a vehicle.
• HQ team colours now display correctly.
• “IsCurrentMap” now works correctly for remotely hosted games.
• Multiple mutators in the “Teams” tab now display their correct names, descriptions, and dropdown options.
• “SetUIWidgetAnchor” and “GetUIWidgetAnchor” now use the correct enums.
• The “ForceBombDrop” action can no longer be used when there is no bomb carrier.
• The “mod.GetSpawner” function now accepts arguments correctly.
• The M-COM “Requires Carriable to Arm” setting in the SDK now works correctly.
• The Railway to Golmud train capture point now follows the train correctly on the map.

AUDIO:

• Added Commander voice-over lines for arming and defusing M-COM bombs in Obliteration.
• Added female soldier voice-over lines for drowning and surfacing.
• Added new Commander voice lines for the Foxtrot, Golf, and Hotel M-COMs in Obliteration.
• Added new Season 4 Battle Pass radio station music.
• Added new soldier voice-over lines after breaching and resurfacing from underwater.
• Commander voice-over now plays as intended during Overtime in Obliteration.
• Corrected a phasing issue with stationary launcher audio while aiming down sights.
• Improved audio responsiveness for sea vehicles moving through waves.
• Improved audio responsiveness for stationary turret movement.
• Third-person death efforts from underwater soldiers can no longer be heard by other players.
• Vehicle audio now plays more reliably, resolving several causes of missing vehicle sounds.

AI:

With the arrival of naval warfare in Season 4, Bots have received a broader behaviour pass to better support combat and traversal around water. Bots can now swim to shore, use boats to reach objectives, respond to pick-up requests, leave beached boats behind, and cross shallow water more reliably with land vehicles.

• Bots can now swim and will move towards shore after ending up in water.
• Bots can now use boats to navigate to objectives.
• Bots can now use land vehicles to cross rivers and very shallow water.
• Bots no longer eliminate themselves after falling into certain pools on Eastwood.
• Bots no longer immediately drive boats away at the start of a round, giving players time to join as passengers.
• Bots no longer take all available boats at the start of new rounds, leaving boats available for players.
• Bots now abandon boats that become beached.
• Bots will now respond to “Request Pick-Up” requests while navigating boats.

REDSEC

PLAYER:

• Opening a tank container while parachuting in Gauntlet no longer prevents the tank from spawning.
• “Squad Wipe” score events now trigger correctly after eliminating an enemy squad.

UI & HUD:

• In-world icons no longer flicker on the Big Map when hovering over them in Battle Royale.
• Neutral vehicle map icons now remain visible as intended when entering a vehicle underground in Battle Royale.
• Selecting “Edit Favourite Weapons” in Battle Royale now opens the “Favourite Weapons” tab directly.
• Squad colours now display correctly on the Gauntlet End of Round screen.
• The Tactical Armory can now be pinged correctly in Battle Royale.

AUDIO:

• The Handler briefing now plays as intended during the Battle Royale insertion cinematic.
• The Handler no longer warns players who are underground about parachuting enemies nearby.

COMPETITIVE:

• “End of Round” now combines RP earned from confirmed kills and confirmed assists with their respective cap reductions for improved clarity.
• “End of Round” RP progress now displays correctly when a player’s RP value drops below zero.
• Improved the clarity of player Ranks and Class during the Pre-Round sequence in Ranked Battle Royale.
• Players now receive RP correctly when a downed enemy disconnects before the kill is confirmed.
• Updated “End of Round” RP tally animations to improve scoring clarity.
• Vehicle Keycards, Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), and Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) are now removed in Ranked Battle Royale.

VEHICLES:

• The Emergency Repair ability on APC vehicles has been replaced by the Smoke Generator ability in Battle Royale modes.

WEAPONS:

• M320A1
• Level 2 Grenadier Trait
  • Removed the bonus M320A1 HE ammunition previously granted immediately upon reaching Level 2.
  • Reduced the M320A1 HE maximum ammunition increase from 5 to 4.
• Level 3 Cluster Munitions Trait
  • Reduced the number of submunitions created from 6 to 3.
  • Reduced submunition maximum blast damage from 30 to 20.
  • Reduced submunition blast radius from 2m to 1.5m.
  • Reduced maximum damage distance from 0.6m to 0.3m.
  • Updated submunition dispersion so bomblets spread more effectively after impact, reducing the likelihood of multiple explosions occurring in the same location.
  • Adjusted submunition bounce behaviour to further reduce clustering after impact.

007 First Light strikes a key balance between keeping James Bond grounded while also placing him in believably outlandish sequences, but for longtime fans of the franchise, the lack of any over-the-top gadgets was sorely missed in the game. That's not to say that developer IO Interactive didn't consider giving Bond some extra black ops hardware during the development of the game, but these gadgets were cut back so that Bond's arsenal would more accurately reflect the world he was living in--which meant no alligator submarine, flamethrower bagpipes, or a boombox rocket launcher.

"We had things in it that we thought were going to be cool, but when you play it, it turns out it's not cool, it just looks silly," senior combat designer Tom Marcham said to GameSpot. "There was definitely a point where it felt like he'd become Mr. Gadget, and we had to tune it back."

Bond's gadgets in 007 First Light focus primarily on espionage and creating windows of opportunity, something Marcham said suited the close-quarters nature of the gameplay and Bond's character. "We didn't want to go into overly gamey stuff where he was always using tasers or sleep darts. It didn't seem to fit the character. So that led us down this route of having this close combat element," Marcham explained.

That's not to say that IO Interactive isn't considering expanding on Bond's field kit, as the studio is always experimenting with ways to add another layer of replayability to 007 First Light. "I think we'll continue to expand with ways you can replay encounters and play about with the ruleset so that we can get more out of the campaign that we have," Marcham said. "We're still messing around with the gadget side of stuff. I think there's a whole world that you can explore with who Bond is and why he uses gadgets."

One of the big hits of 2026, 007 First Light sold 1.5 million units in its first 24 hours. Similar to its work on the Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy, IO Interactive has a year's worth of post-launch content lined up, including new challenges and upgrades, photo mode, new game plus mode, and a story expansion featuring the game's worst character, Lenny Kravitz's pirate king Bawma. For more on the making of 007 First Light, you can read our in-depth interview with Marcham and explore how its soundtrack came together.

Amidst the hype around Christopher Nolan's new movie The Odyssey, a new TV show called Odysseus has been announced, with a Halo TV show director on board.

Karl Gajdusek (Stranger Things) is the showrunner for Odysseus, while Roel Reiné, who directed episodes of the Halo TV show, is directing. The pilot was written by Sean Finegan, Scott Windhauser, Noah Lang, and Blake Hoss, according to Deadline, which broke the news.

Odysseus is described as "visceral and muscular," featuring blood, ships, and betrayal based on Homer's epic poem.

"The emphasis on real history lets the story collide with the wider convulsions of the age leading up to the Bronze Age collapse breaking the known world apart into legend," reads a line from its description.

Filming is aiming to begin in early 2027 in Greece and Armenia. The hope is to create an "expanded series universe" that could spawn other creations. There is no word yet on when the TV series will debut or where it will be available. Also unknown is who may star in the series.

There was already a TV show called Odysseus, which ran for one season in 2013, but this new show is not connected to that one except by name and subject matter.

As for The Odyssey, the movie comes to theaters on July 17, but previews begin today, July 16, at many theaters. It stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, with Tom Holland playing Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, and Zendaya as Athena.

With Skate's fourth season approaching its midway point, developer Full Circle is pulling out all the stops for what's sure to be the skateboarding sim's biggest event thus far: bringing the iconic X Games to the shreddable world of San Vansterdam.

In a lengthy July 16 post on the game's Steam store page, Full Circle revealed that The Stadium--Skate's major dynamic location that dropped alongside Season 4--will get "transformed into the home of [the] X Games." It'll feature spots familiar to those who've watched X Games in the past, including the huge competition vert ramp, the street park, and the bowl section.

The best part? It's completely free to access. No need for Rip Chips or the Premium Pass to skate in the X Games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObTAG2kzGIU

Unfortunately, it's a limited-time event for now. You do get one full month to skate these various sections, as it runs from July 21 to August 25, but after that, something else may very well take over The Stadium.

That said, there are a plethora of activities for you to participate in before the X Games month wraps up. You've got 10 unique challenges to tackle, with six inside The Stadium and another four in the surrounding streets. And there are four sets of limited-time X Games Club Tasks, which challenge you to land iconic tricks inspired by famous pro skaters from Los Angeles, New York, São Paulo, and Tokyo.

On top of this, you can earn X Coins by completing various challenges and reaching high scores to buy exclusive X Games merch, from replica jerseys and shirts to boards and wheels.

This news comes five months after Full Circle laid off an unspecified number of employees to prepare the free-to-play skate sim for its "next chapter." Full Circle isn't the only studio that suffered layoffs recently, as Xbox laid off 1,600 developers across several of its studios, Sony shut down Bluepoint Games, Riot Games let go of about 80 2XKO staff, and more.

Netflix has announced its latest video game, and it brings together a number of the streaming giant's popular franchises into a crossover minigolf experience.

Netflix Minigolf, as it's called, is a couch co-op party game releasing on July 28 for all subscribers. The game combines elements of minigolf and pinball, with its 60+ levels taking place in settings from Netflix shows like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and Squid Game (via Variety). It's developed by Next Games, which is one of multiple gaming studios owned by Netflix. Next Games also developed Netflix Puzzled, Boggle Party, and Party Crashers, among others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9vtV3WZGhY

You play as characters from the TV shows, and one of the twists is that you can collect "Pranks" that can be used to disrupt opponents. Like other Netflix games, your phone is the controller, and the game supports up to four players locally.

The launch of Netflix Minigolf on July 28 is likely by design to help ride the golf wave on Netflix, as the streamer just launched a new golf show starring Will Ferrell called The Hawk on July 16.

Netflix Minigolf is just the latest big game release from Netflix this year, following a World Cup game and the horror game Unhinged from Fight Club director David Fincher and Weapons director Zach Cregger.

"Play a story"

Netflix Games has endured a rocky road in recent years as it set out to set a strategy. At one point, Netflix was invested in AAA games, and hired big names, but those plans fell apart. Today, Netflix is more focused on social and party games that people can play quickly and easily. Netflix Games' narrative executive Sean Krankel told The Game Business that, in the next couple of years, he wants people to see Netflix as "natural" destination to play games, as opposed to it being perceived like it is today, as "experimental."

"I would love, in a year or two, for people to be going: ‘This is naturally the place that I would go to play a story’. And that ‘playing a story’ doesn’t sound weird," he said. "The ambitious thing here is that we create a new way of interacting with story and character that doesn’t feel like you have to be trepidatious or worried about trying it, or, ‘Am I going to be good at this?’"

"The same way that somebody’ll go to Disneyland and jump on a ride or go into an escape room, and it just becomes a new form of entertainment. That’s where I’d love to see this go," he added.

Federal law enforcement has unmasked and arrested a 21-year-old Floridian who allegedly played a part in smuggling hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims' wallets by installing crypto-stealing malware into Steam games, according to a new report.

As reported by Decrypt (via Yahoo News), Zyaire Dontaevious Zamarion Wilkins was arrested on July 14 and charged with conspiracy to obtain information by computer for private financial gain. The games Wilkins reportedly used included BlockBlasters, Dashverse, Lunara, and PirateFi. The platform these games appeared on wasn't named, but it's believed to be Steam, as these games launched there in the past couple of years.

This racket occurred between May 2024 and February 2026. Wilkins, along with "others" who weren't named, allegedly infected roughly 8,000 people's devices with a few malware-laced games. Allegedly marketed on Discord, LinkedIn, Telegram, and X, these games harvested the victims' private data and login credentials, giving Wilkins and his group access to anything and everything that could unlock the victims' crypto wallets. The conspirators allegedly walked away with at least $220,000.

According to Decrypt, which was reporting on a 15-page federal complaint first covered by WPLG Local 10, investigators found Wilkins by his "Sibel.eth" handle. They said Wilkins used this handle to communicate with "an unidentified primary developer" on Signal about running "draining campaigns." Buying a "remote access trojan" for $10,000 that instantly emptied the victims' wallets, Wilkins had reportedly used the stolen funds to buy 150 gift cards primarily for Uber Eats. Investigators said they followed the Bitcoin transactions, and a subpoena to Uber linked those cards to an account that delivered to Wilkins' home and his University of West Florida addresses. Though uncooperative when his North Lauderdale home was searched, investigators seized several devices, with a review of his crypto history showing roughly $382,000 moving in and out.

Wilkins was scheduled to appear in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 15; however, it's currently unknown if he showed up. There's also no information on how long his transfer to Washington to face the charge will take, but if convicted, he could be in prison for up to 10 years.

Activision and iconic car company Aston Martin have teamed up to bring an all-new car to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.

The Aston Martin Dreadnought was designed exclusively for Modern Warfare 4, and it looks pretty slick. The SUV is described as an "uncompromising and deliberately extreme creation" featuring Aston Martin's "high-performance, luxury DNA."

https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/2077760024122634529

The name Dreadnought is inspired by the famous British warship, HMS Dreadnought. The car itself looks somewhat like Halo's iconic Warthog, but with a roof.

The Dreadnought will be available in MW4's DMZ and Warzone modes. Infinity Ward boss Jack O'Hara said collaborating with Aston Martin was an "incredible. journey," saying the vehicle is the "most aggressive all-wheel drive" in MW4.

The Dreadnought in MW4.

Aston Martin created a full-size model of the Dreadnought, which will be on display at Fanatics Fest this weekend in New York City. MW4's multiplayer is available at the event, allowing attendees to be among the first to play it. A free public multiplayer beta will be held later that you can play from home.

MW4 launches on October 23 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC.

GTA 6 is shaping up to be the hottest console game launch of the year, but PC gamers won't be sharing in that fun. This is par for the course with developer Rockstar Games, as it has typically prioritized console versions of its games before porting them to PC, a strategy that one former employee says will result in a better port.

Former Rockstar Games producer John Ricchio explained to KiwiTalkz that while Rockstar had experimented with developing its games for PC, this ultimately caused problems down the line. "It's always better to start with the constraints and then extend," Ricchio said. "Because shrinking is a lot harder than extending. It's way harder to make your game performant than it is to just be like 'Oh, we've got extra room? Cool, we can deoptimize or make things more shiny.'"

Ricchio explained that Rockstar in the 2010s would often discuss where to focus its resources, as the studio had to deal with hardware limitations and other platform-specific issues. This approach wasn't the result of Rockstar having a platform bias, but a business decision that would make sense at the end of the day. Even with thousands of employees spread across the globe, Rockstar still has to likely prioritize where to utilize that talent in a game as ambitious as GTA 6, Ricchio added. 

https://youtu.be/IK39id7-opI?t=4170

Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick also spoke about the lack of GTA 6 on PC recently, pushing back against the theory that Sony's co-marketing deal with Rockstar Games is the reason why it'll launch on consoles first. In 2025, Zelnick said PC had become a more important platform than before, and a few years earlier, former Rockstar developer Mike York said Rockstar wants to "prioritize what sells."

Even without PC sales, GTA 6 is expected to sell 40 million copies and drive more than $3 billion in revenue during its first year. A new report from research firm Newzoo is making the bold claim that the game could reach between $3.3 billion and $5.2 billion in global sales in just its first week. For now, GTA 6 is still locked in for a November 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and if you'd like to see how close it is, you can check out GameSpot's GTA 6 countdown clock to watch the seconds tick by.

GTA 6: 241 Screenshots To Ease The Wait View Images

Fortnite is never without its summer event, but this year's sunny celebration has a special focus: DC Comics. Hot Bat Summer is the official name of the weeks-long event, which runs for five weeks starting on July 16. It includes a new Batman Sprite, the return of the grapnel gun, new Shiny Hours, and lots of free cosmetics. 

Perhaps the highlight, however, is the foursome of new swimsuit skins for the DC Comics lineup. Mirroring Marvel Rivals' penchant for nearly naked superheroes and villains, Fortnite is introducing swimsuit versions of Catwoman, Batman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy, all of whom you can see below. 

They follow a recent trend of Epic being comfortable with putting out skins with more revealing features than it once would. It started when Kim Kardashian's skin was the first to introduce cleavage. Soon after, Homer Simpson became the first Fortnite skin to feature nipples. Just recently, the Chapter 7 Season 3 battle pass included its horniest skin ever.

Well, until today, because I think the new Poison Ivy skin probably has that one beat. This better not awaken anything in me.*

The event also includes tons of quests that will periodically dole out free items, with the highlight being a really cool glider styled like comic-book pages.

During matches, players will also see things like an unvaulted grapnel gun, a Batman Beach Buggy vehicle, and the addition of the Bat Cave being a temporary location you can visit on the island.

On July 18, battle royale will feature Shiny Hours from 2 PM ET to 4 PM ET, as well as 9 PM ET to 11 PM ET. During these blocks, all players will start rounds with a grapnel gun, while self-revive devices, Batman Sprites, and Batman Beach Buggies will spawn more frequently.

Rare Sprites will also appear more often. If you're curious, the Batman Sprite lets you deploy your cape midair, as well as find rare Sprites in chests more often.

Hot Bat Summer runs for the next five weeks, which means it'll disappear with about two weeks left in the season, as the next Fortnite season is expected to start around August 20.

*Just kidding; my wife already knows about my Harley Quinn thing.

Hasbro has announced a multiyear licensing partnership with Nintendo to create products based on The Legend of Zelda franchise. The deal kicks off in 2027, but you won't have to wait that long to see what Hasbro is cooking up.

Hasbro will reveal three six-inch-scale figures at San Diego Comic Con this month. Hasbro has not revealed any images or details about these, however.

The 2027 timing for the deal, and the tie-in with Comic-Con, is leading some to believe that Hasbro's toyline will be focused on the upcoming live-action The Legend of Zelda movie.

Some are hoping to see the first trailer for the film at Comic-Con, but Nintendo has not confirmed any plans yet for that. What Nintendo has shared, however, is that it's partnering with The Rizzler once again for a gaming event at Comic-Con.

Hasbro executive Billy Lagor said, "By combining Nintendo’s iconic storytelling with Hasbro’s leadership in action and role-play, we’re delivering toys that invite fans to play, explore and forge their own epic adventures."

Specific terms of the Hasbro-Nintendo partnership, including financial considerations, were not disclosed.

The live-action The Legend of Zelda movie is a joint production between Sony Pictures and Nintendo. Benjamin Evan Ainsworth plays Link, with Bo Bragason portraying Zelda. Wes Ball (The Maze Runner, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) is directing, and the film shot at the same locations in New Zealand where Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings franchise also filmed.

As for the game series, the next entry in the franchise is a new remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which is coming to Switch 2 this year.