CD Projekt, the parent company of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher studio CD Projekt Red, has a new name that it hopes will unify its businesses. Unfortunately, that name is CD Projekt Red, which is perplexing because CD Projekt Red already exists. So now, there are two CD Projekt Reds.

In a June 23 news post (via Eurogamer), CD Projekt's new name is CD Projekt Red Spółka Akcyjna, with the tacked-on bit at the end being a Polish term for joint-stock company. The company voted on this name to consolidate the operations of its broader businesses, which include OG CD Projekt Red and all of its subsidiaries.

In a statement on the news, CDPR said the intention was to create one main company that does everything CDPR has already been doing. That way, there's no confusion between CDPR the publisher and CDPR the developer ... except there's a lot of confusion between the two with this move.

"The studio's activities currently correspond to the Company's core operational activity, which consists of producing and publishing video games and managing the Company's brands, including through the creation and licensing of accompanying products," CDPR wrote. "In the opinion of the Management Board, the new company name will ensure consistency in the communication of the CD Projekt Red brand, which will, among other things, facilitate the identification of the company with its products on the global market and support recruitment processes."

It may become difficult to differentiate official news from CDPR the publisher and CDPR the developer now. So, when there's an announcement or a press release, it'll be tough to ascertain which is which and what it means for your favorite games like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher.

Speaking of Cyberpunk 2077, CDPR is working on a sequel, though information about the project is scarce. Although the studio recently said its reputation hasn't fully healed following the game's disastrous launch, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 drops this fall--and a new trailer is out now.

On The Witcher front, there's been no substantive news about The Witcher 4. But to tide us all over, while "most" of the staff works on the upcoming sequel and new IP, The Witcher 3 is getting an expansion that may bridge the gap between the two games. More news about this DLC, titled Songs of the Past, will be revealed at Gamescom, which will be held in Cologne, Germany, from August 26 to August 30.

Paramount Pictures has released the first trailer for The Angry Birds Movie 3, and this is sure to remind people that, yes, the movie series is still going.

The third movie follows Red (Jason Sudeikis) as faces his "greatest challenge yet," which is being a dad ... and also saving the world. Releasing December 23, The Angry Birds Movie 3 features a big cast of celebrities in addition to Sudeikis, including Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Tim Robinson, Sam Richardson, Keke Palmer, Nikki Glaser, Lily James, and even Mr. Beast.

The trailer has a number of standout scenes, including a memorable sequence where the baby bird continuously pees through a colander, prompting Bomb (McBride) to remark, "It's like the Bellagio fountain!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9DB_aUMzME

The original Angry Birds Movie came out in 2016, with the sequel arriving in 2019, so this is a film franchise that's been running for a decade now. The original movie made $352 million worldwide, but the sequel made less than half ($148 million globally).

As for the Angry Birds game series, Sega acquired the Rovio franchise in 2023 for $776 million. It hasn't been such a successful acquisition for Sega, at least not yet. Sega CEO Haruki Satomi said, "We have unfortunately not achieved the level of results that had been expected prior to the acquisition," according to GI.biz.

Paramount is also behind the upcoming Call of Duty movie from Taylor Sheridan and Peter Berg and the next Sonic the Hedgehog movie. The company is about to take ownership of numerous more popular franchises by way of its $111 billion buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The current generation of gaming has only gotten more expensive lately, and it looks like the next generation of PlayStation consoles will also be a pricy purchase. With concern growing about the yet-to-be-revealed PS6 possibly selling for $1,000 or more when it launches, Sony confirmed that it's not prepared to take a "significant" hit on absorbing some of the costs for its next-gen hardware.

When quizzed about hardware pricing and profitability for the "next-generation platform" during a Q&A session at Sony's Game & Network Services division, Sony executives said that they recognize that hardware is ultimately the most important part of a gaming experience, and they want consumers to recognize this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrvZEiWD7ZM

"As for pricing, it is not realistic for us to absorb all component cost increases, and we have already implemented some price increases outside Japan," Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Hideaki Nishino said. "At present, however, sales are proceeding as planned, and we do not believe this has led to a decline in customer demand. "As a principle, we do not intend to sell hardware at significant losses. At the same time, we are carefully monitoring the market and continuing to evaluate our approach. We believe it is important for us to make every effort to ensure that customers fully understand the value we provide in relation to pricing."

One thing worth noting from Nishino's comments is that sales are still within Sony's projections, even though PS5 consoles have only gotten more expensive with time. Despite that, May was a dismal month for PlayStation in the United States. Spending on PS5 consoles dropped 43% year-on-year, and overall unit sales fell dramatically by 58%, making May the lowest month for PlayStation sales in 26 years. It was also a bad month for Microsoft, as it suffered the worst May performance since the Xbox console first debuted in November 2001. 

The ongoing shortage of memory chips and rising costs have also reportedly thrown Sony's PS6 plans into disarray, with some experts believing that it will only launch toward the end of the decade. Earlier this year, Sony increased the price of the PS5, and the company also said that it has yet to determine pricing or a launch date for its next-gen console.

Meanwhile, things aren't looking too good at Microsoft either. The Xbox Series X|S consoles are also more expensive than ever, and Microsoft hasn't ruled out the possibility of another price hike in 2027.

The Best PS5 Games In 2026 View Images

Microsoft has responded to a report regarding GTA 6 preorders and the apparent gulf between Xbox and PlayStation numbers, saying this early, unofficial third-party information "doesn't represent preorder data."

"We’ve had record orders. People should wait for real data and not clicks on affiliate links," Microsoft said.

This came in response to a data from IGN that said its own internal information from affiliate links from its userbase found that GTA 6 preorders were outperforming Xbox by a rate of 8 to 1. This is not official preorder data from Rockstar or Take-Two, but rather early results from IGN's own userbase. As such, it doesn't represent the full picture of preorders--it was never meant to or billed as such. Still, the story took off, prompting Microsoft to issue a statement.

GTA 6 releases in November.

GTA 6 undoubtedly has a high number of preorders, and it makes sense that PS5 numbers would track ahead of Xbox given the higher install base of consoles and the Rockstar-PlayStation marketing deal for GTA 6. In any event, GTA 6 is expected to have the biggest launch of all time, so preorders setting an Xbox record--whatever record that might be--is no surprise, either.

For now, we'll just have to wait for Rockstar or Take-Two to announce preorder data, should they choose to. Preorders opened on June 25 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and as a digital-exclusive game, stock is not going to sell out. Despite that, people are already trying to flip their preorders on eBay for big premiums.

GTA 6 is scheduled for a November 19 launch. It “features a single-player experience,” leading many to wonder what the game’s online plans will be.

GTA 6 is priced at $80 for its standard edition and $100 for the ultimate edition that locks away lots of exciting content behind that $20 extra paywall.

Even though Rockstar and Take-Two have already said GTA 6 is a digital-only game, some have held out hope for a disc-based version. A new report says GTA 6 will not have a disc-based version at launch or months after, as some have speculated.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "There are no plans for Grand Theft Auto VI discs to be printed--not at launch, and not months after."

This came after a fan posted a screenshot of a conversation they said they had with a Rockstar Support agent who informed them, "You will be able to acquire a physical copy during the following months."

GTA 6 won't be on a disc at launch or months after, apparently.

This email was indeed real, THR said, but it's being misinterpreted. The report said the "physical copy" wording was in reference to the physical copies of GTA 6 that will be sold at retailers with a code in the box, not a disc.

The line from the Rockstar Support agent about being able to get a physical copy "during the following months" was described as a "clunky" reference to months after preorders going live on June 25, not the game's November 19 release date.

Why is GTA 6 not releasing on a disc?

There are a number of reasons, experts have said, and many of them come down to Rockstar making more money. No discs also helps mitigate the possibility of the game leaking early. The codes that come in the physical copies do not unlock until November 19 (though preloading begins November 12).

A lot of people love physical media and want to own GTA 6 on a disc, but shipping as a digital-exclusive game won't have any impact on sales overall, experts say. Still, it's a major bummer for people looking to own the game on a disc, even if that disc is merely provides a license that can be revoked at any time.

GTA 6 is releasing with an $80 standard edition and a $100 ultimate edition, the latter of which locks away lots of cool content behind that extra paywall.

The Steam Machine isn't even out yet, though Valve has begun sending out confusing emails about whether people are in the "queue" or on the "waitlist" for the device. That hasn't stopped netizens from doing the inevitable, though: listing their reservations on eBay to make a quick buck.

If you head over to eBay—or GameBay (?), since GameStop really wants to buy the online marketplace—and search for the Steam Machine, you'll see a handful of postings for Valve's upcoming living room PC. The system is already expensive, running between $1050 and $1430 depending on the model, but these listings go for about double the regular price.

The Steam Machine listings GameSpot has viewed so far are all for "confirmed reservations." This means that the eBay seller received one of those perplexing emails from Valve securing their spot in the "queue"—not the "waitlist," which is an important distinction we just broke down. Some of the sellers even state that they'll ship the not-a-console console to you as soon as it ships to them, which could be sometime in early July. It's at a markup, though, with the cheapest going for $1363.70 (now sold) and the most expensive running your wallet a cool $3200.

This isn't all that surprising to see, since this tends to happen with most in-demand or sold-out hardware from the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X to the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Steam Deck. Still, it is kind of curious, particularly since one listing called the Steam Machine "a piece of gaming history." There's no doubt that Valve's upcoming device is fascinating, with early impressions calling it a tiny but mighty piece of gaming hardware. Maybe the hyperbole will help the seller sell their reservation, which is listed for $2600.

With Valve's Steam Machine releasing on June 29, you may be confused as to when you'll be able to actually purchase the not-a-console console. It's a little perplexing, so let us help you make sense of the email you might've just gotten in your inbox.

Valve has begun sending out preorder emails notifying you about the outcome of the randomized drawing you were able to sign up for recently. That email, though, isn't the actual one that allows you to buy the device. Instead, it's a notification telling you whether you'll soon be sent a second email to place an order, or if you'll have to wait for more supply to become available at some point in the future.

What's confusing is the terminology the company's using. If you're in the "queue," you can buy the specific model of Steam Machine within three days of your email. If you landed on the "waitlist," you'll have to wait until more supply becomes available.

This is the email sent to those in the queue, who can place an order soon: "When your Steam Machine 512GB becomes available, we will send you a separate email with the option to purchase. You'll then have 3 days to complete the purchase before we cancel your reservation and move on to the next person in the queue. This is the only email you will receive about the results of the randomization. If you ended up with a reservation queue spot for more than one model, you were allocated a reservation for the highest-end model, and were removed from all the others."

And this is the email sent to those placed on the waitlist: "When we did the one-time randomization of the list, your place in line ended up beyond the number of units we'll have in this production run. As we work our way through the reservation queue, some customers may cancel their reservations. If that happens, you may be moved into the reservation queue, and you'll be notified via email that you have a reservation after all. This is the only email you will receive about the results of the randomization. If you ended up with a waitlist spot for one or more models, you'll be placed on the waitlist for the model that you were closest to the front of."

Early impressions of the Steam Machine sound promising, as it operates as a living room PC that appears to be a novel way into PC gaming. It runs well, runs quiet, and runs small. It also runs your wallet, with prices as low as $1050 and as high as $1430. I hope you have half of a month's rent just lying around somewhere.