Amazon Game Studios looks to be getting out of the MMO business entirely, handing Western operations of Throne and Liberty and Lost Ark back to their respective developers. 

In two blog posts, Amazon Game Studios outlined its plans to transition both games to their South Korean creators in the coming months. For Throne and Liberty, that transition will happen in Q4 2026 as NC (formerly NCSoft) takes over, while Lost Ark's transition will happen in early 2027 and see Smilegate fully take the reins. 

While Amazon didn't develop the two games directly, it did publish both titles and handled live-service operations and customer support in the West. Both free-to-play games found success at launch (Lost Ark in particular saw huge numbers on Steam), but have seen player counts dwindle over time.

It doesn't sound like much will change in the near term. Both games will likely experience some downtime as Amazon hands over the keys, but the two games will each continue to operate in the West. Most player data and character progress made in the two games will also carry forward. In the case of Throne and Liberty, cross-progression will no longer work between Steam and consoles after the transition. 

For those who don't want to hand over all of their data, there will be an option to opt out of the transition. Doing so naturally means characters, items, and other progress won't be transferred, and players will essentially need to start again from scratch. For everyone else, the data transfer will essentially be seamless, with no action needed on the part of players aside from needing to accept a new terms of service upon logging in for the first time.

Amazon just a few years ago looked to be establishing itself as a major player in the MMO space. It released its own MMO, New World, in 2021 to huge initial numbers on Steam, even if it didn't hold on to that momentum for long. It then followed up that success in 2022 by publishing and operating Lost Ark in the West, with Throne and Liberty following a similar playbook in 2024. There were also plans for Amazon to publish the anime MMO Blue Protocol, though the game's Western release was instead canceled entirely.

Flash forward to now and the house of Bezos has completely washed its hands of the genre. Amazon announced earlier this year that New World's servers will go offline in early 2027, following a console release in 2024 and a string of well-received updates that had players optimistic for the future prior to the shutdown announcement. The creators of New World were also working on a Lord of the Rings MMO, only for that to be reportedly canceled amidst layoffs at Amazon Game Studios.

The live-action adaptation of God of War is on the way, but the voice of the iconic god-killer Kratos, Christopher Judge, has a bone to pick with the people behind game adaptations. As the actor explained, he's annoyed that these projects fail to hire anyone from the source material to work on them, as they tend to ignore the talent behind the success of those games.

"My problem with all game adaptations is you have this pre-existing, successful property, and the first thing you do is not hire anyone associated with it," Judge said during a Fan Expo panel (via Reddit), using HBO's The Last of Us as an example. "The Last of Us--loved Pedro [Pascal]--were they better than the game cast? I saw a stage reading they did. It was unreal. I have no idea why you don't just take that cast, those writers, especially when you're going to do [episodes] that are shot-for-shot remakes of the game!"

God of War Ragnarok

The voice actors of The Last of Us have often been praised for elevating the story with their performances, and it's not too much of a stretch to imagine Baker playing the live-action version of Joel Miller. Of course, it's not that easy, as you have various factors to consider, like availability for a shoot and contract negotiations, as well as the fact that Pascal is a bigger star in comparison to Baker--Pascal is a household name who can draw audiences to watch the series based on the recognition factor alone. Baker did appear in the series, making a cameo as a villain named James.

Writing for video games and TV are also two vastly different things, but it wouldn't hurt to have some of those creatives around to assist with an adaptation in the writer's room. As Judge explained, if you're going to adapt games and do "shot-for-shot" remakes of them, hiring the writers behind them would be a smart move. "What are you thinking? These guys have been immersed in this world for 20 years, but someone's gonna know better?" Judge said about Amazon's God of War project.

That show ran into trouble recently, as the original actor cast to play Kratos, Ryan Hurst, suffered a bicep tear during filming. Forced to vacate the role, former WWE star Dave Bautista is now rumored to be in talks to replace Hurst, who showed off just how shredded he got to play Kratos.

Pearl Abyss has announced that Crimson Desert is planned to come out on Switch 2 in 2027. In fact, the developer behind the huge hit--which has sold over 4 million copies on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S--has a rough release window sometime between January and June. 

The open-world action game heading to Switch 2 had previously been discussed by Pearl Abyss, but the company's latest earnings letter confirms Crimson Desert for the hybrid system. "In the case of Switch 2, the game has reached a playable baseline, and we are currently conducting technical reviews regarding performance optimization and quality standard compliance, targeting a release in the first half of next year," the financial briefing states. 

Switch 2 is the only system listed for platform expansion of Crimson Desert, with Pearl Abyss adding that no mobile version is currently planned. How the game translates to the hybrid system will be fascinating, since it offers such a ridiculous sandbox to play with. The developer is also "currently conducting extensive research from both technical and gameplay perspectives" regarding multiplayer for the game. However, the company is clear that introducing multiplayer is a "complex" endeavor.

Crimson Desert made over $180 million for Pearl Abyss earlier this year, and it's been one of the best-selling games in the US for 2026. The game also has one of the best companions for your character: a fat, lazy cat. For more, check out GameSpot's Crimson Desert review. 

Crimson Desert Tips And Beginner’s Guide View Images

Project Sirius, the upcoming The Witcher project rumored to be a multiplayer game, is undergoing its latest chapter of upheaval.

According to Kotaku, nine people were laid off from Project Sirius developer The Molasses Flood, which is now part of CD Projekt Red. An additional nine people were shifted to other projects within the organization, the report said, adding that this was done as part of a "broader shift in development strategy."

In 2023, CD Projekt Red confirmed that more than 25 people working on Project Sirius were laid off as part of the developers implementing a "new framework" for the game. "We are excited with the updated direction, but we are not ready to talk about details just yet," the developer said at the time.

Project Sirius was announced in October 2022 under that codename, with CD Projekt billing it as an innovative take on The Witcher series aimed at veterans and newcomers alike.

The Molasses Flood previously developed The Flame in the Flood, a survival game featuring original music from Chuck Ragan.

Project Sirius is one of multiple upcoming games in the works at CD Projekt Red. Some of the others include Cyberpunk 2, The Witcher 4, 5, and 6, and a game made in partnership with Scopely.

Developer Sucker Punch has made several announcements about Ghost of Yotei, including a new expansion, a new combat survival mode, and a complete edition.

The new narrative expansion is called Echoes of Sekigahara, and it's split between the present day and flashbacks. Players will meet a new character, Nagato, who is "a figure from Atsu's past." The expansion also takes players to new places. In the present, they'll visit a valley once inhabited by The Snake and his followers, the Vipers. In the past, players will take part in the Battle of Sekigahara. New enemies, weapons, armor sets, and dyes are also included in the expansion.

The new combat survival mode, meanwhile, is called Most Wanted. The single-player mode is "our spin on a roguelike," Sucker Punch said.

"You’ll accept bounties in order to start new runs, where taking down enemies will earn you perks, as well as unlock additional characters to play as," the studio said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bQrrWCRkMY

More details are coming later, but for now, the announcement trailer shows that Atsu will fight with her dual katana setup, while Oyuki battles with the kusarigama and Nagata does damage with a yari.

Finally, the developer announced a $70 Complete Edition of Ghost of Yotei. In addition to the base game and everything mentioned above, players get the the online co-op mode Ghost of Yotei Legends. The bundle also includes all of the content from the game's digital deluxe edition.

The Complete Edition is available now, but Echoes of Skigahara and Most Wanted don't launch until October 1. Anyone who buys the Complete Edition by September 30 will also get the Sakai armor on October 1--this armor is based on the family armor of Jin from Ghost of Tsushima.

Anyone who already owns Ghost of Yotei can get Echoes of Skigahara and Most Wanted by purchasing the Complete Edition upgrade for $15.

Additionally, a new patch coming October 1 adds the Beauty of Yotei mode, which is a screensaver-type experience that shows off stunning environments from the game that players can display on their TV. The October 1 patch also adds new quality-of-life updates, including the ability to keep an armor set's appearance while using a different set's stats. A high-contrast accessibility option is being added as well.

In addition to these new Ghost of Yotei updates, a Ghost of Tsushima movie is in the works with John Wick's director attached.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick unexpectedly appeared in WWE 2K26 as a playable character, and now the executive has explained how that came to be while also confirming that you won't see him in GTA 6.

Zelnick told IGN that his appearance in WWE 2K26 came about simply by asking the team to do it for him, and not because there was a big internal or external demand for him to be added to the game.

"I asked, and then I went on the soundstage, and I did motion capture and we all had fun with it. But no, this was a rare moment where I said, ‘I think this would be fun. Let's do this.’ And everyone's like, ‘Okay,'" he said.

GTA 6 releases in November, and Zelnick won't be in it.

Zelnick said he loves WWE and "thought it would be funny for insiders and maybe fun for some consumers."

"By the way, a lot of people played it, as it turns out, it did very well. But the online response was sort of like, ‘Huh?’ Which I think I deserved," he said.

After his appearance in WWE 2K26, many--including us here at GameSpot--wondered if Zelnick may appear in GTA 6 in some capacity. Will we see him in the open-world crime game? "You will not," Zelnick said.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game will be shown off in detail on August 27 via Netflix, and a lot of people are upset about Rockstar effectively paywalling the game's latest trailer.

Nothing beats the satisfying feeling of successfully parrying an attack, but don't expect to rely on that counter in Control Resonant. In fact, the game features no parry gameplay mechanic at all, as developer Remedy Entertainment wants players to get into the thick of things and chase enemies down in the follow-up to Control.

Speaking to IGN, game director Mikael Kasurinen confirmed that players won't be able to deflect any attacks in the upcoming action-RPG. Remedy did experiment with using that mechanic in the game, but it ultimately didn't fit their vision for a fast-paced action game. "The idea behind the combat system of Control Resonant is that offense is the best defense," Remedy said.

The studio added that when it prototyped a parry in the game, action slowed down as players waited for enemies to make the first move, instead of initiating an attack and pushing forward. Players will have plenty of options available to them with the Aberrant--a Swiss-army knife of offensive potential--as they can deal out quick attacks with dual blades or smash through defenses by transforming the tool into a cartoonishly massive hammer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLr0QNBx87o&pp=ygUZZ2FtZXNwb3QgY29udHJvbCByZXNvbmFudA%3D%3D

Not having any options to parry is something of a rarity in modern-day action games. Dark Souls developer From Software created one of the best-feeling versions of the mechanic in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Doom: The Dark Ages had first-person deflections with the brutal Shield Saw, and the recent release Beast of Reincarnation also has a gratifying option for bouncing attacks back at enemies. Parrying has become very commonplace in modern action games, so not including it is somewhat unusual.

Control Resonant launches on September 24, but if you're planning to get the game for PlayStation 5, preordering the $70 digital deluxe edition will unlock 48 hours of early access to the game. For more on the next title from Remedy Entertainment, you can explore how Control Resonant deals with heavy themes of trauma and redemption.

Aspyr Media shadowdropped a new "Legacy Edition" of the 2011 The Lord of the Rings game, War in the North, earlier this week. It won't be the last The Lord of the Rings re-release from Aspyr, as the company has confirmed "even more classic releases" from The Lord of the Rings series are coming "in the future."

That's all Aspyr had to say, so it's anyone's guess as to the other "classic" The Lord of the Rings games that could make a return.

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

War in the North's Legacy Edition was released under a licensing deal with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and marks Aspyr's first The Lord of the Rings release.

Other LOTR games released around the same time as War in the North from WBIE included Aragorn's Quest (2010), Guardians of Middle-earth (2012), Lego The Lord of the Rings (2012), and Lego The Hobbit (2014).

Going back earlier, when EA held the license for the fantasy IP, there were titles like The Lord of the Rings: Conquest (2009), The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth (2004), and its 2006 sequel. EA also developed and published games based on Peter Jackson's LOTR film trilogy.

In addition to the re-releases of older games, brand-new The Lord of the Rings games are coming, including a "deeply immersive" RPG from Kingdom Come developer Warhorse.  Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics is said to be developing one as well.

Sony is set to reveal the next batch of games coming to the Game Catalog for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium in August, but we already know of one of them: Helldivers 2.

Developer Arrowhead announced that its hit action game about bringing Managed Democracy to other worlds will be available through the Game Catalog starting August 12. An influx of fresh recruits is perfect timing, as the Helldivers 2 community is being challenged to collectively eliminate 500 million enemies by August 18 to unlock four Helldiver PlayStation avatars. Today also marks the release of a new expansion within the co-op shooter, Devoid of Liberty.

This new content will see players venture into the haunted abyss of the Void to destroy Illuminate spires and gateways, exterminate new threats, and gain new ranks along the way.

As usual, the new titles will be added to the Game Catalog every few days throughout the month.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium Games for August 2026 Helldivers 2

• Helldivers 2 (PS5)
• More to be announced soon

PlayStation Plus Premium PS Classics

• To be announced soon

As a reminder, nine games will exit PlayStation Plus on August 18. Time is running out, so if you haven't checked out Dead Island 2, Harold Halibut, or Unicorn Overlord yet, you only have a few more days left to do so. You can also grab three games right now through any tier of PlayStation Plus--Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, For the King 2, and CrossCode.

Sony has announced a new State of Play broadcast for next week, and this time, the spotlight is on Phantom Blade Zero. Kicking off on August 17 at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET, Sony says that viewers can expect a deep dive into the game ahead of its release on October 29. To set the stage, a new preorder trailer for the game was shown off, revealing action movie legend Donnie Yen and the role he played behind the scenes of the game.

While Yen provided the likeness and motion capture for the character Mó Yuan, the father of Phantom Blade Zero's protagonist, he has also served as a creative consultant on the game since 2023, according to developer S-Game. If you're unfamiliar with him, Yen has cemented his status as an icon of cinema with his hard-hitting action movies and slick choreography in projects like Kill Zone, Iron Monkey, Blade 2, and the Ip Man series.

https://youtu.be/aOU7KOPGVYU

S-Game added that the State of Play livestream will introduce new characters from the game, as well as a closer look at the buildcrafting that players can utilize to fine-tune their approach to combat. If you're planning to watch, you'll probably want to switch the comments off, as virtually every Sony platform has been besieged by angry comments demanding that the company reverse its decision to end game disc production in 2028. While the backlash to the move has been mostly negative, Sony is still committed to an all-digital future for game releases on PlayStation hardware.

Originally scheduled to launch on September 9, Phantom Blade Zero was delayed to October instead--most likely a safer move, given the sheer number of high-profile games out next month. Inspired by Chinese Wuxia action movies, the game features fast-paced combat and an imaginative dark fantasy aesthetic.

The Elder Scrolls 6 is one of Microsoft's biggest upcoming games, but it remains largely a mystery, despite being announced more than eight years ago. Today, August 11, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma provided an update on it, saying she witnessed a "live playthrough" of the game. She also teased the game's subtitle, or at least that's what it seems like.

"The scale and grandeur are incredible. The story is even greater," she said.

Those are buzzwords that do not mean much of anything. More intriguingly, Sharma included asterisks in her post that suggest she's referring to the game's subtitle. Her post used eight characters, and people are theorizing as to what it could be, if that is indeed what she is teasing in the first place.

The Elder Scrolls 6 is indeed likely to have a subtitle, as all previous games in the main series also did. These include The Elder Scrolls: Arena, The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

https://twitter.com/asha_shar/status/2087258678000779664

In July, Bethesda provided an update on The Elder Scrolls 6, saying it understands "it's been a very long wait for the sequel."

"The next chapter is on the way. We’re where we planned to be, loving how it looks, and playing it every day," the studio explained.

This statement came after the mass layoffs and upheaval at Xbox related to the "reset" of the business. The layoffs hit Bethesda as well, and staff at the studio said they fear further delays for The Elder Scrolls 6 and have expressed concerns about the "crushing effect on morale" related to the layoffs.

The Elder Scrolls 6 is one of multiple new games in the works at Bethesda and its supporting teams. Some of the others include remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, while Obsidian is working on some other new Fallout game. Fallout 5 is also in the works.

The head of No Man's Sky developer Hello Games, Sean Murray, has said it would be a bad idea for his mental health to think about how much money the studio could have made by charging for the game's various expansions or by selling microtransactions.

"I'm sure somebody could take me aside, take me into a room and show me some PowerPoint and show me that we could have made more money if we had done in-app purchase or, you know, if we had done DLC or something like that," Murray told GamesRadar. "'And maybe that would be true. I never want to see that PowerPoint."

Murray and the team decided against this, though, because the studio wanted players to have access to all of the post-release content together.

"What I know is that I really, really enjoy--and I think the team really gets a kick out of--working on an update and knowing that what I'm working on, everyone is going to experience this," he explained. "Every player that we have is going to experience this. And I think we really enjoy the journey, and the journey is only possible because every update compounds."

He went on to say that a feature like the Xeno Arena, a turn-based creature-battle mode, would not work "if you're fragmenting your audience."

"It's a big part of our motivation, what gets us out of bed in the morning," Murray said. "So it doesn't matter if it's not the most commercially efficient thing that we can do. I think what matters is that it makes us still excited about working on it 10 years out."

No Man's Sky recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, and Murray separately said players have only discovered 1% of the game's world, even now.

Hello Games is now working on a new game called Light No Fire, an ambitious-looking game with dragons; it has no release date yet.

EA and Battlefield Studios have released a new trailer for Battlefield 6 that shows off the upcoming fan-favorite map Wake Island, which arrives on August 18 alongside a Top Gun-themed crossover event.

Wake Island, which first appeared in Battlefield 1942, is inspired by the real-life Wake Atoll in the Pacific ocean where a World War II battle took place, and it's among the most beloved Battlefield maps ever.

The newest version of the map for Battlefield 6 looks pretty incredible, at least based on the newly released gameplay footage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4tHPByfAZk

EA said Wake Island was "rebuilt" for Battlefield 6, and that includes a stronger focus on naval warfare, along with updates to the land- and air-based combat.

The new update for Battlefield 6 coming on August 18 also adds the F/A-81F Super Spectre and F-74A Seacat two-seat jets, bringing back a feature not seen since Battlefield 2 some 21 years ago.

Three characters from Top Gun are coming to Battlefield 6 in the update, and they are voiced by their original actors. These include Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), Lt. Robert “Bob” Floyd (Lewis Pullman), and Adm. Solomon “Warlock” Bates (Charles Parnell). The game will also get Top Gun-inspired cosmetics.

Battlefield 6 was also in the news recently after the game's successful launch helped EA CEO get a higher bonus. EA also laid off a number of developers who helped make Battlefield 6 a major success, and now the franchise is owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund by way of its buyout of EA.

Halo Campaign Evolved is a celebration of the franchise, but not many people are attending that party. New estimates peg sales at 1.2 million copies sold across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 so far, around $67 million in revenue, which isn't the best start for this remake of the original Halo campaign. Also available via Xbox Game Pass, the game is estimated to have 2.1 million players through the subscription service.

According to Alinea Analytics' head of market analysis, Rhys Elliott, there are several reasons for this. Sales are split almost down the middle between Xbox Series X|S and PS5 at 42% and 41%, respectively, while Steam accounts for 17% of sales. This is up from its launch-week sales, but not by much. So what's the reason behind the lukewarm sales of the classic first-person shooter, which has gotten a new coat of paint and some fine-tuning under the gameplay hood?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LimYD3Ycwo

As Elliott noted, Halo: Campaign Evolved's biggest competition on PC might be another Halo--specifically, Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The Halo game compilation offers better value for money and includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, a 2015 remake that's pretty solid in its own right. Throw in options for multiplayer and more Halo games to the mix, and the $40 price tag makes it a much more tempting offer compared to the $50 required for Halo: Campaign Evolved, which is more barebones in comparison. Shinier graphics, extra co-op missions, and the ability to sprint in that game just aren't enough, it seems.

"The price is too high for a port like this one, and the Halo brand--candidly--has lost a lot of cache, Elliot wrote. "A lot of Steam users already own Master Chief Collection--8.5 million copies sold on Steam, as per our estimates--which offers more content for less.

On PS5, Halo: Campaign Evolved is estimated to have sold 544,000 copies so far, neck and neck with Xbox despite the Sony platform having a larger userbase than its Microsoft rival. Elliot explained that while plenty of PS5 owners jumped in thanks to the nostalgia factor of Halo, sales were driven by an "older, nostalgia-driven crowd" that encompasses players who are roughly 32-40 years old. Many of these people were likely former Xbox 360 owners who had since moved to PlayStation hardware, but the game didn't make a big dent with a "fresh" PlayStation audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woUnTCVv9JU

Shooters, remakes, and legacy-leaning titles still sell well on the platform, as the audience overlap skews heavily toward the late PS2, Xbox 360, and early PS4 eras, Elliot explained. While Halo: Campaign Evolved didn't achieve the same velocity as several other Xbox ports did on PlayStation, bringing the Master Chief Collection with its multiplayer suite to that platform would have "certainly" done better, Elliot wrote. "At the very least, if the rumored Halo 2 remake ships with online multiplayer, it’ll sell a great deal more, assuming it comes to PlayStation at all."

The co-creator of Halo and designer of Master Chief, Marcus Lehto, also shared his opinion on the remake recently, saying that he has a few issues with it but is generally happy with how it came out. Following the final update for Halo: Infinite in November 2025, Halo Studios has now begun work on new Halo projects.

Out of nowhere, the Embracer-owned Aspyr Media announced and released a new edition of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North today across PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC.

The game was originally released in 2011 for PS3, Xbox 360, Switch 2, and PC, but now it's available on the latest generation of consoles for $20 (or $18 through August 25) as part of a "Legacy" edition. The new version features online or local split-screen co-op and "optimized" solo play, though further specifics about the updates and upgrades were not detailed.

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

War in the North was originally developed by Snowblind Studios, which closed in 2012. The game takes place in Middle-earth, but doesn't adapt the books or movies. It does, however, feature characters and story details from J.R.R. Tolkien's books and Peter Jackson's movie series, following EA's own games that only had the rights to elements of Jackson's movies specifically.

The game has three different playable characters: the ranger Eradan, the elf Andriel, and the dwarf Farin. Players can swap between each during battle. The characters have their own unique skills and abilities, and players can upgrade them over time with new weapons and powers. The game also incorporates the franchise's iconic eagles, with players able to call in Beleram to fight.

Some of the characters players will meet in the game include Aragon, Gandalf, and Elrond, while the game also takes players to famous Middle-earth locations like Rivendell, Lorien, The Lonely Mountain, and Mirkwood.

The Lord of the Rings might be set for a revival for video games, as Embacer--which now owns the rights to the series--has teased a renaissance for The Lord of the Rings games in the future. Kingdom Come developer Warhorse is making a new The Lord of the Rings RPG, while Crystal Dynamics is said to be developing one as well. Both studios are owned by Embracer.

Nintendo might be preparing for a 40th celebration of The Legend of Zelda series, with Switch 2 possibly getting its first special-edition system based on the beloved franchise. A new leak on social media shows a Triforce decked-out Switch 2 dock, with what appears to be black and green Joy-Con 2 controllers decorated with flourishes of gold. 

The Centro LEAKS account on X posted two purported pictures of the Zelda-themed Switch 2 and Switch 2 Pro Controllers. Nintendo hasn't released any official statements about a new system or controller--let alone anything about a Zelda 40th-anniversary event. However, it's been common in the past for the company to bring out special Zelda consoles for new games in the franchise, such as the Tears of the Kingdom OLED Switch and Hyrule Edition Switch Lite that launched alongside Echoes of Wisdom. 

https://twitter.com/CentroLeaks/status/2087196417433485448

In June, Nintendo did unveil a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that's set to come out later this year. That said, the leaked images above don't seem to tie into that upcoming game specifically. Instead, the supposed special-edition system and controller seem more similar to the gold Hyrule Edition Switch Lite. 

Switch 2 is still outpacing original Switch hardware sales, with over 23 million sold so far. That means Switch 2 has already passed lifetime sales of Wii U and Nintendo GameCube. A couple of months ago, Switch 2 celebrated its first birthday. 

Meanwhile, Sony has officially announced a special-edition PS5 Marvel's Wolverine system, along with other products. 

Best Zelda Games, Ranked – Where Does Echoes of Wisdom Fall? View Images

Supermassive Games has announced job cuts for "up to 75" people--marking the third straight year of significant layoffs at the studio. This latest round of reductions comes almost three months after the release of Directive 8020, the newest entry in The Dark Pictures horror anthology.

In a statement on X, Supermassive noted the firings were "a necessary step to help ensure the sustainability of the company." That's not the first time the Until Dawn developer has cited "sustainability" after layoffs, either. In 2024, there were reportedly 90 employees let go, with up to 150 positions at risk. Supermassive pointed to "continued sustainability of the company" in regard to those cuts. Then, in 2025, there were around 36 people laid off at Supermassive.

Nordisk Games acquired Supermassive in 2022 and also owns Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios as well as Metroid Dread developer MercurySteam. In the past year, Avalanche has closed down its Liverpool location, and MercurySteam has enacted a round of job cuts, too, according to GameDeveloper. 

Supermassive is probably best known for 2015's Until Dawn, though it wasn't behind the Until Dawn remake. In fact, Sony revealed Until Dawn 2 back in June, developed by Firesprite. Meanwhile, Supermassive took over development duties for Little Nightmares 3, after Tarsier made the first two games in that series.  

Supermassive’s Best Movie-Style Horror Games Ranked View Images

Take-Two, which owns Rockstar and Grand Theft Auto, is not interested in selling. The company's top boss, Strauss Zelnick, appeared on CNBC recently where he was asked if Take-Two's partnership with Netflix for the next GTA 6 trailer might be the first step toward a buyout. It is not, he said, adding that Take-Two is not interested in selling to anyone at the moment.

Zelnick pointed out that Take-Two has already "made a bunch of deals" with Netflix for distributing some of its games via Netflix Games. While some GTA games have been pulled from the Netflix Games library, subscribers can still play Red Dead Redemption via Netflix. Zelnick said Netflix, as a company, is all about increasing subscribers and making more money by releasing entertaining titles, and this could include more output in games. "So, it stands to reason that they would make their way into the business of games," Zelnick said.

GTA 6 is launching this November.

Asked if Netflix might move things along faster by making a big purchase of a gaming company, Zelnick said that's a question for Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters. Zelnick said Netflix, historically, has not done many "big acquisitions," instead preferring to grow organically.

Netflix famously announced a buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery, but it fell apart after Paramount swooped in with more cash and better terms. In terms of gaming buyouts, Netflix has done this with acquisitions of companies like Night School Studio, Next Games, Boss Fight, and Spry Fox, to name a few.

Netflix's efforts in the gaming space have not been totally smooth, of course, as previous management invested in AAA games and hired big names, before the company changed course and shifted focus to smaller-scale games.

As for Take-Two possibly selling itself, Zelnick said that's unlikely right now.

"I think we're very proud of the way we've built this company independently and we're now the largest pure-play that's public in the space worldwide," he said. "We expect to have over $8 billion in revenue this year. We generate profits year in, year out. I don't mean to imply that's easy or even predictable. We have to get up every morning and do it. But I think if anyone deserves to be an independent company, we do."

Take-Two currently trades at more than $250/share with a market cap north of $47 billion. The company remains public after some of its peers went private, with Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard and Saudi Arabia's PIF recently closing its deal for Electronic Arts.

Take-Two is poised for a big year, with GTA 6 launching in November on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar will finally show more of the game on August 27 via Netflix.

Job Simulator has long been one of the best reasons to own a VR headset, and it might be bringing the glory days of working behind a counter--or cubicle hell--to a flat screen near you. Homeworld: Vast Reaches developer FarBridge has announced Job Simulator: Human Relations, which will see up to four players work together to complete tasks during their virtual eight-hour shift, like competing for resources or surviving natural disasters to appease their robot overlords. While you won't be playing as squishy humans in this co-op chaos game, you will be piloting several robots attempting to navigate the human workplace.

The project is seeking crowdfunding to help make it a reality, as FarBridge has launched a Kickstarter campaign for it. If the studio successfully raises $150,000, the funds will be used to support the game's development. Backers can expect invites to private playtests, exclusive development, and VIP Discord access as they contribute to the game. An "employment package" starts at $10, and higher tiers will include a Steam copy of the completed game, in-game recognition, and an opportunity to design a JobBot face or corporate motivational poster. If stretch goals are met, the game will expand with additional disasters, customization options, jobs, and more.

https://youtu.be/xu--JYZ6RIY?si=lDzCaaJ5htxPBkQL

"Job Simulator has always been good at finding the joke in the everyday nonsense of work," FarBridge CEO and founder Patrick Curry said in a press statement. "With Job Simulator: Human Relations, we started wondering what that would look like if you had to deal with all of it alongside your friends. That idea opened up a lot of possibilities, and we don’t want to figure them all out behind closed doors. Kickstarter gives us a way to keep building the game with players involved from the beginning."

Owlchemy Labs CEOwl--no, really, that's their title--Andrew Eiche added that with Job Simulator turning 10 this year, the studio wanted to grow the cult-classic. FarBridge was a natural fit, given that they had already worked alongside Owlchemy on several projects and gelled with the developer's vibe. "They get our sense of humor, they understand how we build playful systems, and we trust them to bring that spirit to a new kind of experience for fans new and old," Eiche said.

If you haven't played it yet, Job Simulator is set in 2050 and casts you as a living exhibit in the Museum of Human Employment. Aiming to recreate human working conditions, robots have gleaned information from social media posts, corporate training videos, and toxic productivity gurus, resulting in an inaccurate nine-to-five environment. Your role in all this? Do your job and hit production goals while avoiding the chaos erupting around you, all so that you can earn some sweet promotions and gameplay perks.

Marvel's Wolverine launches next month, and to celebrate, Sony has revealed a new limited-edition PS5 console and controller design inspired by the game. Dubbed the Marvel’s Wolverine Battle Yellow Limited Edition Bundle and priced at $650, fans of the Marvel mutant can choose between a PS5 Digital Edition that comes with both a matching DualSense wireless controller and a download code for the game, or they can pick up the $75 console covers for their base model PS5 and the PS5 Pro. Sony says that these will be available through the PlayStation Direct store, as well as through select retailers starting September 15, the same day that Marvel's Wolverine launches.

https://youtu.be/9KDStKJtMZY

The design includes a striking yellow finish, as well as an illustration of Wolverine by Jock, the graphic artist who has worked on numerous comic books over the years and film projects like 2012's Dredd. His design includes exposed claw marks that reveal the PS5 console chassis, and the overall look is inspired by the "Battle Reborn" costume that Wolverine wears in the field. The $85 DualSense controller also ties into that aesthetic, and it will be available as a standalone purchase.

"I wanted to show Wolverine at his fiercest for Marvel’s Wolverine Limited Edition PS5 Console bundle and accessories. I still draw all my artwork traditionally, so the opportunity to marry cutting-edge hardware with the energy and looseness of hand-drawn ink is incredibly exciting. I’m stunned by how well the console and accessories captured the raw energy of the drawing, bringing Wolverine to life in a completely unique way."

If that design is a little too yellow for you, there's an alternate PS5 Pro console cover and DualSense controller that features the same illustration on a silver background, emulating the unbreakable adamantium that coats Wolverine's bones. It won't make your PS5 unbreakable since it's made out of plastic, so try to avoid stress-testing the cover.

Compared to the PS4 generation, Sony has released far fewer limited-edition PS5 consoles. Most of these designs have also been very underwhelming, with the Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Ghost of Yotei editions being either very subtle with their designs or too flashy--with the sole exception being the classy PlayStation 30th anniversary PS5 consoles. In contrast, some of the limited-edition DualSense controllers featured incredible designs that perfectly balanced the unique identity of their video games with distinct designs. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Marathon, and Concord's DualSense controllers stood out from the pack, and it's a shame that those designs never made it to PS5 consoles.