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.

While Sony gets ready to kill its disc production of PlayStation games in 2028, there are still plenty of games launching on physical media before disc-ageddon happens. One of those games is Mortal Shell 2, but unless you got your preorder in before its August 20 release, you'll have to wait if you want a specific physical version of the upcoming souls-like for PS5.

Developer Cold Symmetry and publisher Playstack took to X on July 16 to share the unfortunate news. In revealing that the demand for the game's physical PlayStation 5 release "exceeded expectations," the studio confirmed that the supply just couldn't keep up.

"We sincerely apologize if you were planning on preordering the Revered Edition and it is no longer available in your territory," Cold Symmetry wrote. "Due to Mortal Shell II’s release date of August 20, and the manufacturing time required to replenish stock, there is a very low chance of additional physical copies becoming available before the game’s release."

https://twitter.com/MortalShellGame/status/2077713025247613325

"We are working with our distribution partner to review ongoing demand, and we'll update as soon as we hear their decision on next steps," the studio said. "To be clear, there is no guarantee of a stock replenishment plan after launch as this decision is not ours to make."

It's worth mentioning that this supply-and-demand issue is specific to Mortal Shell 2's $70 Revered Edition for PS5, which comes with some extra goodies alongside the game, such as a collector’s tuck-in box, a steelbook case, fine art prints, and a physical artbook. Checking places like Best Buy and GameStop bears this out, too, as this edition is either "coming soon" or outright unavailable. You can still preorder the base game for $50 if you'd prefer a physical copy, but you won't get the aforementioned accoutrements.

Mortal Shell 2 is a standalone sequel to the studio's 2020 outing, Mortal Shell. It's a somewhat novel souls-like in that you outfit your character with "shells" that change your playstyle while providing you with distinct interactions in combat. While the game launches on August 20, there's an open beta (read: demo) you can check out on Steam right now that, should you finish it, unlocks a very bloody Flayed Harbinger skin and the option to skip the prologue when the full game launches.

God of War Laufey was the big highlight of Sony's recent State of Play livestream, as plenty of gameplay was shown off for the first game in the series not to feature Kratos in a lead role. Naturally, the announcement of Kratos' late wife, Faye, as the protagonist didn't sit well with a small part of the internet, and since then, the game has received some oddly placed hate. Most of this has been directed at its star, Deborah Ann Woll, who provides the likeness and voice of Faye in God of War Laufey. Fortunately, the actress has adopted a very sound strategy for dealing with online hate.

"Genuinely, I thought I was going to be much more affected by it. But one, I'm like not on social media so that helps, and two, I don't know, I feel totally unbothered because I just know it's great," Woll said to TikTokker Quinnphobic at Florida SuperCon. "Like, it's okay if it's just not your cup of tea, but in no universe is it bad."

https://www.tiktok.com/@quinnphobic/video/7662451619644181774

Woll has been involved in the development of the game for several years, as developer Sony Santa Monica has been building up to its release for almost a decade. Contrary to what the rage-bait machine on YouTube says, Woll said that the game features story elements that don't have anything to do with gender or sex. "This is a story about a parent. This is a story about regret. This is about being a better person than who you were before," Woll said in a previous interview.

In addition to Faye, God of War Laufey also features The Boys star Jack Quaid as a gelatinous cube character named Phranque, who might be the breakout star of the game. God of War Laufey is coming to PS5, and since it is confirmed to have a physical release, it will likely land sometime in 2027, before Sony stops producing game discs in January 2028.

Everyone knows that Rockstar's GTA 6 is going to be an enormous hit upon launch in November this year, but just how big are we talking? A new report from research firm Newzoo makes several stratospheric predictions, led by an estimation that it could earn between $3.3 billion - $5.2 billion in global sales after just its first week. That is a big band, of course, but even on the low end, that would bigger than GTA 5, which made $1 billion after 72 hours back in 2013.

Newzoo said it's basing this on its proprietary Newzoo Game Performance Monitor. The bullish outlook is based in part on strong preorder numbers, with Newzoo estimating that GTA 6 digital spending came to $180 million in the final week of June in the US and the five largest European markets (England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain).

"To convert that into a global estimate, we can use GTA 5's lifetime console player distribution: around 69% of GTA 5's lifetime console players sit within those six markets," it said. "Applying that ratio bumps the $180 million regional figure to a global estimate of approximately $260 million for the first week."

GTA 6 arrives in November behind massive sales projections.

Newzoo said GTA 6 falls within the definition of a "Proven Sequel," and those kinds of games have stronger sales curves, historical data shows--and it's expected to be no different for GTA 6. A "Proven Sequel" kind of game is a "massively anticipated" entry in an established series, based on a "tried and tested formula," with a dedicated audience who aren't going to wait for reviews or a price drop to buy in, Newzoo said.

The firm estimated that preorder numbers for GTA 6 amount to about 5.8% of cumulative sales during launch week. So if first-week preorder numbers reached $260 million, that implies $4.5 billion in sales by launch week, Newzoo said. This works out to 51 million copies sold at an "assumed" $88 average selling point.

Even if GTA 6 were to fall into Newzoo's "Sequel with Performance Uncertainty" bucket for sales projections, the game would still have an exceptional launch with $3.3 billion in sales volume during its first week and 37 million units sold.

Arguably, the more front-loaded curve is likelier. But whichever you find more persuasive, it doesn t change
the core conclusion: GTA 6 is on pace to outperform forecasts. As a conservative check, the Sequel
with Performance Uncertainty curve books about 3.8% of revenue in week one, versus ~5.8% for the Proven
Sequel curve. If we instead assume GTA 6 front-loads far harder at ~8%, that produces $3.3 billion in
cumulative sales by week one (around 37 million units)… an exceptional result.

Newzoo also pushed back against the unconfirmed reports that GTA 6 drove more than $1 billion in preorder revenue over its first three weeks after preorders opened on June 25. "This is absurd," the company said.

Rockstar owner Take-Two has not announced any preorder sales data for GTA 6, but it's possible the company provides an update in August at its next earnings briefing.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game is selling for $80 for its standard edition or $100 for a premium edition that also comes with numerous other digital extras, while all preorders include an auto-renewing membership to something you might not want. The game is a digital-exclusive, with no discs available, not even with the physical copies being sold at retailers.

Earlier this week, Twitch streamer and gamer Joshua Khane went viral with a post calling out Microsoft for deleting his account and OneDrive. Khane noted that Microsoft acknowledged that the account had been compromised, but it declined to help him recover "25 f***ing years of data, thousands of Euros [spent] on games" and his "son's baby pictures." Now, after a massive outcry, Xbox Support has changed course and reached out to Khane to help him regain access to his account.

In a message posted on X, a Microsoft representative apologized to Khane and stated that its team has "been working to restore access to your purchases and reached out with the next steps."

https://twitter.com/XBOXSupport/status/2077401588394529030

While Khane acknowledged the reply, other users have come forward to state that they've received the same form statement from Microsoft in the past. And unlike Khane, the company apparently didn't respond to their requests about restoring their accounts.

https://twitter.com/ThatHyperZack/status/2077533019783516214 https://twitter.com/Helpma2/status/2077463287969542652 https://twitter.com/DeadpoolCentral/status/2077441981710565689 https://twitter.com/Obaid_Ghubash/status/2077491908440740286 https://twitter.com/AsmadiGames/status/2077501079319674971

Microsoft was already suffering a public relations beating this month after another round of mass layoffs in the gaming division that affected 1,600 workers, with more to follow. The planned cuts will affect roughly 20% of Microsoft's Xbox workforce. Two of Microsoft's studios, Double Fine and Compulsion Games, are going independent as a result of the cutbacks. Ninja Theory and Undead Labs are being sold to new buyers, while the fate of Arkane remains up in the air.

Senator Bernie Sanders slammed Microsoft for the layoffs in the wake of the company posting $100 billion in profit in 2025. He also called the company out for its plans to hike the price of Xbox consoles again later this summer.

Id Software was hard hit by the Xbox "reset" this month that saw scores of developers laid off--with more retrenchments on the way--and there's a big fear that the Doom developer could be reduced to a smaller role within the gaming division. Fans of the studio are also concerned with the future of idTech, id Software's proprietary engine that has powered its games through multiple gaming generations, with it possibly being binned in favor of Unreal Engine 5.

Officially, Microsoft's company line is that everything is just fine at id Software even after it lost 136 employees--around half the studio--while the developer also posted a statement online where it said that it has all the staff it needs to continue building games and working on id Tech. These statements have been cast into doubt by a new report, where one of the affected id Software employees has spoken out.

"They've just gotten rid of all the people who could ever fix or change [id Tech], so it's most likely going to end up in the trash can. That's where I just come back to: It completely feels like success is detached from your ability to keep a job, and I think that's basically provable," the anonymous former staffer said to The Game Developer. They added that five members of the VFX team were among the layoffs, leading to an "immense" loss of institutional knowledge.

So what's going on here? It's not hard to imagine that Microsoft is looking to do some damage control after sacking 1,600 people this month, and has roped in id Software to help strengthen that message. With another 1,600 layoffs on the horizon, the remaining developers likely don't want to rock the boat in case they're put at risk of losing their jobs. The anonymous source can cut loose with their statements, and the real proof will be seen when--and if--id Software announces a new game. 

If id Tech is on the chopping block, then that will be a major blow for gaming. The engine is known for being hyper-focused on creating fast-paced first-person shooter experiences, allowing it to be optimized for a specific purpose, render high-level graphics, and run games at a blisteringly fast framerate on a variety of platforms.

While Unreal Engine 5 is no slouch, the industry's continuing reliance on it also carries certain risks. CD Projekt Red has ditched its proprietary Red Engine for Unreal 5 to continue work on The Witcher 4, and the next Halo project is also being developed in it, but some of its technical limitations include hidden performance drains, demanding features that require the latest--and very expensive--hardware, and poor optimization.

Other concerns include games adopting a more homogenized design that some have dubbed "the Unreal look," and there's also a concern that the rapid adoption of Unreal Engine 5 could lead to the loss of in-house artistry. The other big concern is that Epic Games could be creating a monopoly. While its current licensing deals are fairly generous, there's no guarantee that the company won't change things in the future, which could leave many game studios in the lurch with no viable backup plan.