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.

Another year, another Call of Duty, with this year's entry featuring Infinity Ward as the lead developer. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will once again be available across a wide variety of platforms, and Sony has dropped a few details about how the Microsoft-owned game will probably look best on its expensive PS5 Pro console.

In a new look at the game, Sony briefly confirmed that Modern Warfare 4 will benefit visually from the recently upgraded PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), and the game will support "increased graphics quality" from 120Hz and 60Hz, as well as an  unlocked framerate when VRR and 120Hz are enabled together. Both the PS5 Pro and the base PS5 will run the game at 4K, but Sony didn't mention if the games will be upscaled from a lower resolution, as is the case with most new releases on the consoles.

While it looks like the PS5 Pro may offer the best visual experience for this year's Call of Duty, that graphical bump isn't cheap. After Sony hiked console prices earlier this year, the PS5 Pro MSRP rose to $900, making it the most expensive home console of the current generation. While the hardware has become a lot more expensive, recent months have seen more games take advantage of the PS5 Pro and PSSR 2.0 to give their games a graphical bump. Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth are some of the notable examples, and Ubisoft also outlined the extra features that players could expect if they play Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced on the console.

Ahead of its launch on October 23, Activision also showed off Modern Warfare 4's ambitious new Kill Block map, which looks like someone kit-bashed together several popular Call of Duty maps to create a unique arena. With only a few months left to go before it arrives, more details on Modern Warfare 4 will be revealed at the Fanatics Fest this weekend. Infinity Ward studio head Mark Grigsby and Activision marketing executive Tyler Bahl will join a panel on the game alongside Obsession star Inde Navarrette and NBA player Kevin Durant.

From Software's upcoming game The Duskbloods looks be quite the departure from the studio's previous work, and if you want a chance to play it ahead of its official launch, you'll soon have your chance. The game will be running a closed network test in August, with registration for a chance to participate starting very soon.

The Duskbloods' closed network test will run from August 21-23, and will feature support for eight-player multiplayer sessions. An application period will run from July 22-28, and participation requires a Nintendo Switch 2 system and an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0ij2uQ87nc

From Software says the closed network test will be focused on a few key areas: server load, multiplayer problem-solving, and game balance. It's not clear exactly how much of the game will be available during this test, but given how different The Duskbloods looks compared to From Software's traditional single-player RPGs, it's a great opportunity to see if you want to buy the full version later.

The Duskbloods is planned to launch in 2026 exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. Though looking at screenshots may have you convinced it's a similar game to something like Bloodborne, the focus on multiplayer should make it quite different.

If you watch anime regularly, you are certainly aware of Crunchyroll, a subscription streaming service owned by Sony that delivers many new and classic anime series to audiences across the globe. It's the biggest name in that space, regularly beating out Netflix and Amazon for rights to stream the medium's biggest hits. It's also got an online store where you can buy your favorite anime on physical media--which many devoted fans do, since streaming rights to shows can and do frequently expire. However, in a move that has familiar echoes to Sony's decision to end production of PlayStation game discs, the Crunchyroll store is being severely scaled back--and fans of anime on disc are very unhappy.

Some background: In 2023, Crunchyroll purchased The Right Stuf International, an Iowa-based online retailer of anime DVDs, Blu-rays, manga, and merchandise, to bolster their sales and merchandising presence. Right Stuf was folded into the Crunchyroll store, where it continued to be a source of physical anime media, offering discs of not just Crunchyroll-licensed anime but also shows and films from a wide variety of licensors.

Unfortunately, it seems that the time of the Crunchyroll store being a massive anime retail store with a broad selection open to all is coming to a close. According to a recent statement and FAQ posted online, the store will be dropping much of its current stock and transitioning to "a brand-new shopping experience that will be available exclusively for Mega and Ultimate Fans (subscription tiers)." Instead of physical discs, the Crunchyroll store will focus on "collectibles, curated drops, and limited-release products inspired by the anime series you love."

Reactions online to the announcement have been swift and angry, with longtime customers going back to the Right Stuf days particularly upset. Besides culling their product offerings and limiting the store to higher-paid subscription tiers, many have pointed out that Crunchyroll has dropped the ball on supporting popular series that Right Stuf initially licensed and distributed after the purchase, leaving physical releases of Gundam and Macross shows in the lurch and mishandling an ongoing Kickstarter to release the classic Dirty Pair anime on Blu-ray. Other fans had noticed that Crunchyroll was already severely cutting down on stocking releases from boutique licensors recently.

The transition leaves many anime fans without their go-to disc shop, and calls into question whether or not Crunchyroll-licensed shows will even see a physical release in the future. Taken with Sony's sudden decision to kill off PlayStation discs by early 2028, it's hard for many fans not to see this as another act of hostility towards the physical medium they love.

Yet another game is closing up shop. The developers of Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem have confirmed that the mobile game is shutting down, and soon.

The game is developed by juggernaut Scopely (Monopoly Go, Pokemon Go). The studio said in a blog post that it made the decision to cease operations for the game and close it down on October 15. The developers also said they arrived at this decision "after a great deal of thought."

World of Mayhem will completely close on October 15, 2026, after which it will not be playable at all. Players can continue to spend any in-game currency until August 16, and the game will be delisted for digital stores on August 23. The game's social channels will be disabled on August 16.

World of Mayhem is coming to an end.

"This isn’t an easy goodbye. For years, this community has built alliances that turned into real friendships, fought through wars together, and enjoyed plenty of laughs along the way," the developers said. "We’ve watched Toonsters grow from strangers into teammates, and from teammates into true friends. We don’t take that lightly, and it’s with real sadness that we say goodbye to this wonderful community."

Between now and when the game shuts down on October 15, the developers are planning to celebrate the game and the community with the following (as written by Scopely):

• Farewell Giveaways: Starting today, July 15th, we’re rolling out a calendar of daily giveaways, including toons, WB Charms, and other resources, as our way of saying thank you for every moment you’ve given this game.
• Free Toon Pieces: Alongside our regular weekly events, you’ll be able to claim free Toon Pieces for newly released Toons from the Store, a small thank-you for the unwavering support you’ve shown this community from day one.

Launched in 2018, World of Mayhem has players collecting famous Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck as they assemble a team and then go to battle against other people.

The impending shutdown of World of Mayhem comes at the same time that Warner Bros. Discovery is being acquired by Paramount. Attempts are being made to block the purchase, but experts believe the deal will go through.