Though No More Room In Hell 2 has been playable via Steam and Epic's early-access programs for a while now, the 1.0 build is finally on the way, and it'll coincide with the game's launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. All of this arrives on August 11.

The first-person zombie game is played on large, semi-open maps and built for teams of up to eight players. If you never played the original, think Left 4 Dead, but slower and much harder. It's also less of a shooter than that genre titan, because making noise is sure to attract trouble you're better off avoiding with the use of the game's many melee weapons.

Each round plays like a run with your chosen character, and you'll progress as you survive round after round--or you'll die mid-round (and permanently) and turn into a fast-moving zombie that chases down the team you left behind. The stakes are high.

The game has seen its ups and downs so far on PC, as the team at Torn Banner (Chivalry 2) has tried to strike a balance in the game's difficulty while adding polish. This has resulted in only a "Mixed" rating from Steam users right now, but a lot of those issues have always seemed like growing pains to me, and hopefully these wrinkles are ironed out for the 1.0 release. 

For what it may be worth, I love zombie games as much as anyone, and I've had a lot of fun with this one. I've only not sunk many more hours into it yet because I've been waiting for this 1.0 version. Based on what I've played in the past, I already count No More Room In Hell 2 as one of the best zombie games, and I'm hoping the 1.0 build further cements it in that conversation.

New with this upcoming build is a risk-free solo mode, which doesn't apply the game's permadeath system you'll have to contend with otherwise, as well as a training ground so you can learn the game before you put your character on the line. There's also a new wave-based Survival mode that some players tried out during a free weekend preview earlier this year.  Several maps have been expanded, and character customization will be deeper than you're used to if you've played any of the game's earlier versions.

No More Room In Hell 2 will feature cross-play for all systems, and the team has addressed "over 8,000 bugs" for the 1.0 launch. It'll go for $30 with preorders and "launch" period sale pricing on offer for those who jump in early. 

Best Zombie Games Of All Time View Images

This week got off to a rocky start for Xbox, as a server outage saw players across the world unable to sign in, make purchases, or access their games for several hours. Those issues have since been fixed, and in a candid post online, Xbox Chief Technology Officer Scott Van Vliet spoke about what exactly happened to the Xbox network, how it was fixed, and what Microsoft will be doing to enhance its response times in the future.

As Vliet explained, a licensing service that operates outside of Xbox began to fail, leading to the various problems that impacted not only the console's user base, but also publishing and store partners who rely on the same services. To fix this, Microsoft's engineers isolated the failing infrastructure, redirected traffic, and continued to work toward discovering the root cause behind the incident. Because service was restored "unevenly" across regions, this resulted in several territories having their full online functionality restored later than others.

"We're running a full post-incident review," Vliet wrote online. "I care less about the one-line root cause and more about the real questions: Why a failure in one service was able to take down this much, why recovery took as long as it did, and what we change so a single point of failure can't ruin your night again."

Vliet added that Microsoft will work toward "hardening the dependencies underneath sign-in and game launch," as well as improve the systems in place for detecting these problems sooner, which should allow for a quicker response when something breaks in the future.

The outage was short-lived, but the incident has been a sobering reminder of the inherent risks in an all-digital gaming future. With Sony planning to kill game discs in 2028--while also suffering a network outage last week--and more recent releases having minimal data written onto physical media, this could be a glimpse at just how fragile these systems will be in the future.

Meccha Chameleon--a multiplayer prop-hunt game that's been blowing up on Steam lately--seems to have hit its first real road bump since it launched in early June. As pointed out by a player who goes by Feint, some of the game's player-made maps are basically just Trojan horses containing malware. One of Feint's friends had mentioned briefly seeing a command prompt appear while they were downloading the map. Curious, Feint dug into the files and concluded that the map known as Lazer Tag Zero contained a "malware dropper."

The map was quickly pulled from Meccha Chameleon's Steam Workshop page after Feint published their findings in a Medium article. But the chaos was just beginning. Other malware-filled maps started appearing, and then the game's official Discord server was hacked.

"Security was completely breached, the server creator's account was hijacked, and all admins were banned, so we can't take action from our side," Meccha Chameleon creator Lemorion_1224 shared in an auto-translated X post over the weekend. 

The news was also shared via an update on the game's Steam page, clarifying that the game itself wasn't a security risk, and could still be played safely as long as user-made maps weren't used. Still, things were looking rough--the hackers even put up a fake listing for a Meta Quest-compatible version of the game, which doesn't exist. 

"Currently, a product called 'Meccha Chameleon VR' is available for preorder on the Meta Quest store, but we have not granted any production permission for it," Lemorion_1224 explained in an X post shared early this morning. "We are currently submitting a request for removal, so please refrain from purchasing it. We will not handle any monetary issues arising from counterfeit products."

But after a weekend of abject chaos, it seems things are finally stabilizing. A few hours after the announcement about the fake Meta Quest product listing, Lemorion_1224 revealed that a new update is now live for the game.

https://twitter.com/lemorion1224/status/2081710107214426595

Mini-update 3.3.1 replaces the Discord link on the game's title screen with a link to the correct server (which is now back in the possession of Mecca Chameleon creators Lemorion_1224 and Haganiero), fixes a physical collision issue, and perhaps most importantly, strengthens virus protection, though it's not clear if the issue with player-made map malware has been fully resolved for good.

For now, the safest bet is probably sticking to the game's default maps.

Pokemon card scalpers are generally regarded as the worst part of the hobby, and in Japan, The Pokemon Company is taking steps to address the problem. As part of its crackdown to create a safe shopping environment, The Pokemon Company is introducing a facial recognition system for adult shoppers and children of a certain age.

According to its website, this will be a mandatory measure for gaining access to a Pokemon Card Store, and customers may only enter a shop once per day. Preschoolers are not required to undergo a facial scan, but they do need to be accompanied by a guardian to gain entry.

"If the system detects that the same person has entered the store more than once in one day or received more than one entry ticket--and a notification (alert) to that effect is displayed on the screen--entry will be denied to that person based on the system's judgment," the new guidelines read. For now, this system will only be in place for Japanese Pokemon card shops.

Scalping Pokemon cards has become a lucrative side-hustle over the last couple of years, as the trading card game has grown in popularity throughout the 2010s. At the same time, this has made the hobby hard to break into for regular players, as new stock is often pounced upon the second store doors open, as scalpers rush to grab as much inventory as possible.

This has also led to a surge in burglaries across the globe, as numerous stories have surfaced lately of thieves targeting collectibles shops specifically for their Pokemon cards. In January, thieves armed with guns and hammers stormed a newly opened Pokemon store and stole over $100,000 worth of collectibles.

Even trying to get rare Pokemon cards legitimately can be a headache, as chaos erupted during a Pokemon promotion at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam when scalpers attempted to snatch up all the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat cards.

With the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy reaching its conclusion next year, franchise fans are already asking which game will be next for a modern-day glow-up. The subject was brought up during the Final Fantasy Fan Festival in Berlin on the weekend, and Final Fantasy 14's Naoki Yoshida said that some of the most-requested titles for a remake would need multiple games to pull off successfully.

Final Fantasy 6 appears to be at the top of the list--with Final Fantasy 8 and 9 also in contention--but Yoshida said that this would be a mammoth undertaking. "Of course I understand the feelings of the players, but you've got to think about it," Yoshida (via a translator and GamesRadar). "Look at Final Fantasy 6, it's such an incredibly huge game. The scale is just immense. So, of course, now because you are working on the Final Fantasy 7 series, I do get that people would be asking for remakes of other titles. But if we did remake those other titles, we'd probably end up having to release them in four or maybe even five installments."

Yoshida isn't joking, as Final Fantasy 6 on its own is a massive title. With over a dozen protagonists, several major battles, and some of the best worldbuilding in the series, it's a miracle that it even managed to squeeze onto an SNES cartridge back in the day. Final Fantasy 8 and 9 are also incredibly massive games, combining a huge scope with distinct gameplay systems and stories. They might look primitive by today's standards, but in terms of content, they are considerable timesinks.

https://youtu.be/R6Yb4ZS3rLo

Compare that to today, and creating a game of similar size has become even more complex as hardware--and audience tastes--have become more advanced. The other challenge is that creating a game on that scale requires a talented team, one that you'd want to keep around for sequels down the line, as that would make the process easier. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a prime example of this, as the majority of developers who worked on the first chapter in the trilogy have stuck around for the two sequels, Rebirth and Revelation.

It's safe to say that a Final Fantasy 6, 8, or 9 remake probably won't be happening anytime soon, but if Square Enix did decide to remake its beloved SNES classic, it has the perfect format for it: HD-2D. Square Enix has produced multiple games in this style, which merges retro-inspired two-dimensional pixel-art with modern 3D environments, lighting, and effects. Games like Octopath Traveler and The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales scratch that itch for a nostalgic adventure that also looks modern, and at long last, a Final Fantasy game featuring this eye-catching art direction will be out soon.

Final Fantasy Resonance reimagines the original free-to-play mobile game as a dedicated single-player adventure, and so far, it looks like a clever way to recycle an adventure that many Final Fantasy fans might have missed out on or dismissed due to its gacha gameplay elements. While a project like this isn't any less complex than a full-fledged 3D remake, the consistent pace at which Square Enix publishes its HD-2D games suggests that development is quicker and smoother in comparison to something like Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

There might even be a push for this project to happen inside of Square Enix, as Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake producer Masaaki Hayasaka mentioned that Final Fantasy 6 would be at the top of his list for his next HD-2D game project. Final Fantasy 6 is also beloved for just how far it pushed the SNES to create its world of steampunk and magic, and seeing those nostalgic visuals reimagined in HD-2D could make it an easy sell. It'd be the best of both worlds, as fans of the original could experience a revitalized version of the classic game, while newcomers could find out why Final Fantasy 6 is still considered to be one of the best games in the franchise.  

Final Fantasy Games, Ranked – Where Does Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Land? View Images

Stalker 2 has been out for nearly two years, and if you've been itching to jump back into the post-apocalyptic hellscape, you'll have a great reason to do so. The game's first expansion, Stalker 2: Cost of Hope, releases in just a few weeks across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Cost of Hope puts you back in control of Stalker 2 protagonist Skif, with the character following a "mysterious PDA signal" as the dangerous Zone's Duty and Freedom factions come into conflict. GSC Game World promises "dozens of hours of content" along with new allies and enemies, weapons, and locations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5BwA-OUyNY

The expansion will launch alongside the base game's Update 2.0, which will include "a new version of Unreal Engine 5" alongside "a variety of new content and improvements." Unlike the expansion itself, this update will be free.

Stalker 2: Cost of Hope arrives on August 20. You can watch the release-date trailer above. The game originally launched on PC before coming to Xbox Series X|S and later to PS5. In our Stalker 2 review, Richard Wakeling said, "It doesn't reinvent the wheel, and at times it feels like you're playing a game straight out of 2010, but that's part of the charm and feeds into what makes Stalker 2 the quintessential Stalker experience."

It's not just you; the Xbox network--or parts of it, depending on when you read this--is down. After users across the globe began reporting issues with the Xbox Network, Xbox identified several issues affecting its online services today. At the time of writing, the following functions are still experiencing "major issues" on the Xbox network:

• Account and profile
• Store and subscriptions
• Games and gaming
• Apps and mobile

These problems are widespread, and include an inability to sign into network services, disconnections, and missing games from the storefront. Xbox says that the problems have been identified, and it is working on a solution, but there's no ETA for when these fixes will be applied. "We are aware that some users are encountering errors when attempting to sign in, see your game library, or launch games," Xbox's official support account posted online. "Our engineers are actively working to mitigate the issue."

Console gamers also had to contend with an outage on the PlayStation Network last week, which saw account management, gaming and social, PlayStation Video, the PlayStation Store, and PlayStation Direct go down for several hours--bad timing for anyone looking to jump into the Marvel Tokon open beta, and more fuel for the fire that PlayStation's social media has become as users demand that Sony reverse its decision to kill discs in 2028.

Outages like these have also brought into question the decision for companies to embrace a digital-only future, as they effectively prevent users from accessing their game libraries.

Kratos' story isn't over yet, as God of War developer Sony Santa Monica announced that the main face of the franchise will lead a new game, following the launch of God of War Laufey in February 2027. Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, Santa Monica Studio head of creative Cory Barlog briefly announced a new Kratos-led game that will connect directly to next year's new God of War adventure that stars his deceased wife, Faye.

"Everything we are doing in the Faye game is a continuation of what came before and to set up and expand what comes next," Barlog said (via IGN). "Faye is--while it's a different thing--it's still part of the larger tapestry of what we truly really want to explore, all of these different characters in there. But there's always going to be Kratos games, like, throughout the whole history. We're super excited about that."

Beyond that, Barlog and the rest of the studio are keeping details on the next God of War game tightly under wraps, with no mention of when it's expected to arrive, when it's set, and its lead platform. It's a busy time right now for the franchise, as in addition to the release of the metroidvania-inspired spin-off Sons of Sparta earlier this year, God of War fans can expect to see what Faye got up to in the afterlife when God of War Laufey launches next year, and a remake of the original God of War trilogy is also in development.

For now, the focus is on God of War Laufey, which was officially revealed during the State of Play livestream in June with a dedicated 20-minute gameplay preview.

The God of War Laufey release date has been announced and, much like we anticipated, you won't have to wait too long before you can play Faye's story.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Sony Santa Monica Studios officially announced that the God of War Laufey release date will be 16 February, 2027.

https://twitter.com/SonySantaMonica/status/2080831512820519253

Game director Cory Barlog also announced that the game will ship with physical discs. That announcement comes just weeks after Sony announced that it would be halting the production of physical discs entirely from 2028.

The release date announcement wasn't the only surprise, as Barlog also confirmed that the next God of War game will put players back in the boots of Kratos.

According to IGN, he said, "Everything we are doing in the Faye game is a continuation of what came before and to set up and expand what comes next. Phranque has been around since the beginning. It's interesting to see how to build this world out. Everything in the game is setting up for something so amazing."

While there are many theories about what, or who, Phranque could be, it sounds like we'll have plenty of time to get familiar with him throughout the future of God of War.

God of War Laufey was originally revealed with 20 minutes of gameplay during a Sony State of Play broadcast in June 2026. The game looked pretty polished then, so it's unsurprising that its release date is just seven short months away.

It also means that February 2027 is looking pretty stacked now, with God of War Laufey, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Persona 4 Revival, Fable, and Metro 2039 all slated to release within two weeks of one another.

Jimothy, the short-spined raccoon who has captured the hearts of the internet, is coming to World of Warcraft.

Over the past few weeks, Jimothy the raccoon has gone absolutely viral, as Seattle locals share images and videos of the animal celebrity going about his daily life. He's hard to miss, as his unique spinal condition gives him a noticeably shortened torso and neck that makes him look like a goblin in raccoon form. 

Naturally, as Jimothy's popularity skyrocketed, so too did the brands begin to take notice, World of Warcraft included. Blizzard was quick to post a mock-up showing what Jimothy might look like in WoW, and the response was "overwhelming," according to Blizzard. Players desperately wanted Jimothy to be a real in-game companion. Now, that's becoming a reality.

https://twitter.com/Warcraft/status/2078495010475966556?s=20

Blizzard has now announced it managed  to "squeeze in" a functional version of the real-life cryptid as part of the MMO's upcoming 12.1 Curse of Ula'tek update. Jimothy will be an earnable pet companion players can acquire in-game, though Blizzard hasn't yet detailed what players will need to do to call Jimothy their own.

"Currently, Jimothy is being tested for visual and functional effects and is targeted to go live when Curse of Ula'tek launches," Blizzard said. "As always with in-development content, that may shift, but the team is excited to share their own version with the intention of making him an earnable companion pet for the community."

https://bsky.app/profile/worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/post/3mreamx2rw223

That's great timing, because patch 12.1 is the same patch that will see Blizzard add the ability for players to place pets from their collection in their virtual homes. By placing down a pet bed decor item, players can then assign a pet to that pet, with the system allowing for up to 10 pets inside and five pets outside. Indoor pets can be set to remain stationary or allowed to roam, while outdoor pets can only be set to stationary. 

While most pets will work with this new system, there are a few that can't. It seems safe to assume Jimothy will work with housing, though Blizzard has not explicitly confirmed it.

WoW's Curse of Ula'tek update still doesn't have an exact release date, but it's expected to be in the next few weeks. In addition to Jimothy, the update will introduce a whole host of new content, including a new zone, raid, dungeon, and delves. It will also add new housing features like blueprints as well as Discord and guild chat integration, and improvements to the game's ping system and cooldown manager. If a recent datamine is to be believed, the epilogue for the update may even reveal villain Xal'atath's true plans.

The newest trailer for the upcoming Resident Evil movie from Weapons director Zach Cregger has arrived, and the version of the trailer posted on the PlayStation YouTube page is full of jokes and references to Sony's controversial decision to end support for physical game discs in 2028.

The movie, which hails from Sony Pictures, doesn't have a heck of a lot to do with the PlayStation brand outside of the Sony connection, but since it was posted on PlayStation's YouTube page, people took the opportunity, and creatively, to boot, to voice their displeasure about the discs situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7SwoJsSb7w&rco=1

The video has nearly 2,000 comments at press time. Some of the top-ranked comments read, "He's transporting the last physical game copy in existence" and "I cannot wait to get the physical version of this." Other top comments say, "Luckily, there was an old typewriter upstairs, and he was able to save" and "Leon... where are the physical discs?"

Another comment reads, "I love using my PlayStation 5 as a Blu-ray player," while another states, "This movie looks like it's going to get physical."

Sony's decision to end support for physical PlayStation game discs might make business sense, but it's not sitting well with fans. Hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition calling on Sony to change course, but experts believe Sony will no go back on its decision.

While Sony itself will stop supporting game discs in 2028, other companies are getting started sooner. Rockstar Games, for example, is charging $80 for GTA 6 and not releasing it on a disc. There will be physical boxes of the game sold at retail, but they only include a code, not a game disc. Even that code may not be worth anything forever, as people in Japan need to redeem it within 170 days.

As for the Resident Evil movie, the film arrives in theaters on September 18. It's coming to market behind a lot of hype, considering Cregger's last two movies, Barbarian and Weapons, were big hits.

A Blizzard employee who used developer tools to allegedly help a group of friends complete a challenging Mythic+ dungeon in World of Warcraft is no longer with the company, Blizzard has confirmed.

Earlier this week, a thread on Reddit called attention to a suspicious Mythic+ 23 dungeon run. A simple look at the key in question on Warcraftlogs, a site players use to track dungeon and raid performance, showed the dungeon shouldn't have been completed in time, as after the final boss the group still needed to kill more enemies from earlier in the dungeon.

However, by some miracle, the key was cleared in its final moments with a spell titled "Area Death (TEST)" that instantly killed all the remaining enemies.

https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/1v2xfpr/blizzard_gm_death_touching_mobs_in_m23_for_their/

As you can probably assume, that's not a spell players have access to. It immediately became clear that if the log was legitimate and not edited in any way, a Blizzard employee, possibly a gamemaster (or GM for short), helped this particular Mythic+ dungeon group. Since high-level Mythic+ is competitive, with special titles, rewards, and bragging rights reserved for the highest-rated players, a major cheating scandal like this was rightfully cause for concern among the WoW community. 

Word quickly spread about the incident, and it wasn't long before a streamer by the name Yumytv aired an interview in which they reportedly talked to one member of the nefarious dungeon group in question. One of the group members claimed they called upon a GM friend who they were in voice chat with as an act of desperation upon realizing they weren't going to clear the key in time.

"I go to my GM friend and say 'can you do me a solid bro, can you please just one shot?" he said.

They continued by stating they "meant no harm" from it and if Blizzard wanted to revoke anything earned from the key, they were completely fine with it.

"I didn't expect him to do it," he said of their Blizzard employee friend. "In hindsight, he shouldn't have done it. He was just doing me a solid."

Blizzard, however, did find harm in it. After stating earlier in the week it was investigating the incident, it has now announced the Blizzard employee in question is no longer with the company and that it is taking action against the players involved as well.

"It has always been the case that a small number of Blizzard employees can use developer tools and spells on live servers: This lets us test and make urgent fixes to the live game when they're needed," Blizzard stated in a forum post. "Every use of these internal spells and commands on live realms is logged and shared with our Platform Security team to help ensure that the occasional use of this access is warranted. The use of development tools for anything other than development work is against company policy. It's because of the process we have in place around use of these tools that we're confident this incident was isolated to one individual."

Blizzard went on to thank the WoW community for their concern and response when it came to ensuring WoW's competitive integrity.

"We're grateful for the way we work alongside you all to protect the game and each other," Blizzard said.

The original Halo might not be the only entry in the series to get a full redo, with the secret ending of Halo: Campaign Evolved giving a wink and a nod to fans by hinting at a Halo 2 remake.

Spoilers for Halo: Campaign Evolved (and the 2001 original) follow.

Completing the campaign on Legendary difficulty adds a light-hearted sequence featuring Sergeant Johnson, who is relaxing on a makeshift beach chair on the shore while somehow viewing the original Legendary joke ending from Halo: Combat Evolved.

After realizing that the eponymous Halo is exploding (spoilers for the 2001 original, I guess), Johnson gets picked up by a Pelican, but not before turning to the camera, breaking the fourth wall, and declaring: "See you in the sequel." I don't know exactly why, but that final shot made it seem like "Don't You (Forget About Me)" was about to blare in the background to cap off the scene.

https://youtu.be/vbk_a53lAZo?si=sDO0jjJZBHrvmw77&t=158

Leakers have previously claimed that remakes of Halo 2 and 3--albeit, without multiplayer--are in active development. A report in May from Rebs Gaming purported that the two remakes are moving forward "regardless of how well Campaign Evolved does." Halo 2 got a remaster in the form of Halo 2 Anniversary, which was part of 2014's Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Campaign Evolved is the first title from the rebranded Halo Studios. It's also believed by Rebs Gaming that the studio is building a Halo live-service game. It's easy to imagine Halo Studios working on a model similar to Capcom and the Resident Evil series, alternating between remakes and new titles.

Whether that's the case or not, Halo: Campaign Evolved at least serves as proof of concept on what the franchise could look like going forward. GameSpot's Halo: Campaign Evolved review said that it "feels like the new gold standard for playing through the first Halo." The game releases on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC on July 28, but those who bought the premium edition were granted access starting yesterday (though Xbox and PC players ran into some snags).

Halo Games, Ranked – The Best Halo FPS Games View Images

We're about four months from the launch of the biggest game of the year: Grand Theft Auto 6. The hype is no doubt through the roof, but if you're in Japan, you'll need to turn that excitement into immediate action because you'll have a limited amount of time to redeem the code that comes in the game box.

As outlined in a June 24 FAQ on Rockstar Games' support page, Japanese gamers will have 170 days to use the code, or it'll expire. The official wording is as follows:

Product codes in Japan will expire 170 days after the issuance date, which is the launch date (November 19, 2026), due to regional regulations.

This means that, from the time you buy the game, you'll have just shy of six months to redeem the code if you live in Japan. Otherwise, like opened condiments and pantry-stored brown rice, your code will go bad and straight-up expire. It's not necessarily shocking, since most digital codes don't tend to be redeemable forever, but it is odd that Japan is the only region with this sort of stipulation thus far.

170 days isn't even that long, either! Here are some other things that are about as long as or last longer than six months:

• This Redditor's sobriety from three years ago. (Congratulations, BTW.)
• The tourist season, as seasonal resort locations tend to open their doors for about five or six months.
• Academic school years in certain parts of the United States.
• This random TikTok, which is apparently 170 days of Thanksgiving.
• Honey (because it outlasts everything).
• Cockroaches (because they can outlast just about everything).
• Welsh actor Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins' sanity after 170 days in quarantine.
• Renowned environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk stayed in Ladakh jail for only 170 days in 2025.
• If your passport has less than six months of validity, some foreign nations may deny your entry.
• Butter, which can last up to six months in the freezer.
• Bleach essentially becomes water if it sits in your home for six months. (Please don't drink it, I beg of you.)

I could go on. Again, this only applies to Japan (for now), but it's funny to think of GTA 6 as having a best-before date. We've reached out to Rockstar for clarification and will update this post if and when we get a response.

Anyway, Grand Theft Auto 6 may be just a code in a box, but you may have noticed that it isn't launching on PC. This is customary for Rockstar Games, and one former employee explained that the console-first approach allowed the team to produce a far better PC port. The lack of a PC release probably won't impact the sales of the game, as predictors suggest that the highly anticipated crime could generate between $3.3 billion and $5.2 billion in global sales after its first week.

No one really loves Sony's decision to kill physical PlayStation discs in January 2028, but there is data that backs up the company's plan. Sega's president understands the choice and the numbers, but he says the company remains committed to producing physical media despite the push to an all-digital future.

In a recent interview with Famitsu (that was translated by Eurogamer), Sega president Shuji Utsumi spoke about how the company needs to be "more digitally conscious and become more global." For Sega, "digitalization" is an important part of the company's business going forward.

"When it comes to titles we call 'full games' for consoles and PCs, we believe that a digital shift is crucial," Utsumi told Famitsu. "Of course, consoles are important, but the proportion of people who play on PCs is steadily increasing. Even in areas where consoles are not widely available, there are many people who say, 'I can play it on PC.' In order to cultivate that market, we believe it is important to strengthen our digitalization."

In admitting that an all-digital future is seemingly inevitable, Utsumi acknowledged that physical media is still a vital aspect of the games industry and something he hopes Sega can balance.

"We were originally a platform provider, and of course, we still value the culture of physical media," Utsumi continued. "Rather than completely abandoning that, we are currently challenging ourselves to shift so that we can think about and act on the important aspects of digital media in parallel."

This is a somewhat stark contrast to what Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot recently said about Sony's decision. In a recent VGC interview, Guillemot remarked that the end of PlayStation disc production won't "disturb" the industry too much.

The industry this decision will impact, though, is brick-and-mortar stores. Although GameStop's Ryan Cohen isn't concerned with the impact of Sony sunsetting physical PlayStation discs, an analyst believes game retail stores are doomed. The decision has riled up hundreds of thousands of people to sign a petition urging Sony to reverse course.

Out of nowhere, the second major Tomb Raider game, Catalyst from developer Crystal Dynamics, has been stealthily delayed by Amazon Game Studios.

In a lengthy interview with The Game Business on July 23, Amazon Games' boss Jeff Gattis sneakily mentioned that Tomb Raider Catalyst would duck its 2027 release window, instead releasing in 2028.

"We have announced the two Tomb Raider titles," Gattis said. "[Legacy of] Atlantis comes February 12 next year, and then we'll follow on in 2028 with the next one. We’re excited about those. There are some other AAA things that are in various stages of discussion right now."

It appears that the reason for this delay, at least according to Gattis, is to allow Amazon Games Studios to focus on bolstering its streaming service, Luna. That way, when Catalyst does come out, people will associate Luna with Tomb Raider.

"Ultimately, we want to build an identity with Luna, where we have a content portfolio that resonates with people, where they think, 'Oh gosh, that's the place that has Tomb Raider, and maybe Bond, and they have these other things,'" Gattis said. "And that takes time to go build. But, for us to be the platform we want to be, and the one we believe we can be, you very much have to have original content."

Catalyst's delay follows the recent news that the other major Tomb Raider game, Legacy of Atlantis (which is a remake of the OG Tomb Raider game), was pushed to 2027. Both projects are being developed by Crystal Dynamics, with Flying Wild Hog co-developing Legacy of Atlantis.

The fourteenth entry in the Tomb Raider franchise, Catalyst is a sequel to 2008's Tomb Raider: Underworld and follows Lara Croft as she navigates the aftermath of a mythical cataclysm. Again, Crystal Dynamics is developing the game, but the team suffered its fourth round of layoffs in the past year in March 2026.

Sony's PlaYStation Network is experiencing network issues currently. The official PlayStation Status page notes that, "All services are experiencing issues."

This includes account management, gaming and social, PlayStation Video, PlayStation Store, and PlayStation Direct.

The website Downdetector notes that the PSN issues have been ongoing for hours already. People are reporting issues with logging in, launching games, and connecting to servers.

Oof.

Whenever the PSN goes down, it's unfortunate, but the timing is especially tough for people wanting to try the Marvel Tokon multiplayer beta that started today, July 24.

"We're aware that some PlayStation players are experiencing login and network issues. Our team is actively investigating the problem and working to identify the cause. We'll share updates as soon as we have more information," the developers wrote.

On the PlayStation Status page, Sony wrote, "We're working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience."

There's undeniable hype and chatter for filmmaker Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie, but one talking point from fans concerns the evident differences in setting between the adaptation and the Resident Evil 2 game, despite the film "living in the world" of that game. But Cregger hasn't been shy to address these creative changes, and he candidly spoke about why his movie is set in the present day with a snowy backdrop.

Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con (per DiscussingFilm), Cregger reminded fans that he "took liberties to tell a story [he] wanted to tell and make a movie look the way [he] wanted to look." While the Raccoon City outbreak depicted in Resident Evil 2 and 3 takes place in September 1998, Cregger's film depicts characters using contemporary iPhones and sets the outbreak during wintry weather.

"I am not doing exactly a one-to-one Resident Evil 2 adaptation," Cregger said. "There are differences between the movie and the game." He added that the snow is an aesthetic choice, and he "looks really f**king cool to have a horror movie set in the snow."

https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/2080477872934854745?s=20

These statements are consistent with what Cregger has been saying about his film for the past couple of years--he's previously talked about how his film is "following the rules" of the Resident Evil world while wanting to create an original story in that universe. The latest Resident Evil trailer certainly shows the writer-director's love for the series, with numerous easter eggs and moments that tonally fit with the Resident Evil games.

The original Resident Evil 2 takes place in 1998 because, well, it released in 1998. It was a present-day setting at the time, and Cregger has chosen to set his film, which premieres September 18 this year, in our present day. Series purists might disagree, but Cregger is arguing that he'd rather capture the spirit of a Resident Evil game in a movie rather than creating a story completely subservient to lore.

"If the barrier of entry is whether I do a one-for-one port, then I guess in that regard, I have failed," Cregger said at San Diego Comic-Con. "But I think the movie is stronger for it."

Best Resident Evil Games, Ranked View Images

The launch of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has proven that there's still a strong appetite for video game remakes, and at 3.5 million sales and counting, Ubisoft's new game is off to a smashing start. That's not too bad, and if you look at the numbers, the Black Flag remake is already one of the best games in this category of the current generation. It still has a long, long way to go before it can dethrone the current king of remakes, as 2023's Resident Evil 4 is still a sales juggernaut.

According to new data by Alinea Analytics, the Resident Evil 4 remake has reached lifetime sales of 16.8 million units across PC and console so far. One thing to note is that the game has lifetime sales of 13.6 million units as of March 31, 2026, according to Capcom, and it hasn't updated those figures yet. If Resident Evil 4 has sold another 3 million units in the last couple of months, then that would make it the company's fifth-best-selling game of all time, leaping over the lifetime sales of Resident Evil Village (14.90 million) and Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (16 million). We've reached out to Alinea Analytics for clarification on the figure and will update as soon as we hear back.

The remake gold rush has a clear champion.

As for the rest of the list, the other entrants all boast impressive numbers of their own. Alinea counted games released for the current console generation--starting on November 10--and its data covers overall estimates of copies sold across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. In the number two spot is Ark: Survival Ascended, the 2023 remake of 2015's Ark: Survival Evolved, with 7 million units sold so far. Steam is where the lion's share of the sales came from (3.9 million), followed by PlayStation (2.1 million) and Xbox (1 million).

The Last of Us Part 1 took third place with 6.3 million lifetime sales, which is pretty high considering that it was only available on PS5 and PC. Oblivion Remastered generated 4.5 million lifetime sales, Dead Space reached 4.3 million units sold, and Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth sits at 4.2 million units sold since it launched in early 2024. Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake rounds out the list at 3.2 million lifetime sales, but since Ubisoft revealed the Black Flag remake sales numbers this week, it looks like the Ubisoft game has already outperformed it and in record time.

Not even sales chart success could save Dead Space  Dead Space

Sadly, while Dead Space occupies a prime spot on the list, it wasn't enough to save the franchise from going on hiatus. The sci-fi horror series is reportedly on ice at EA, and there are no plans for a new sequel, remake, or even reboot of the IP in the future. Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield revealed last year that he's attempted to revive the series at EA with pitches that he claimed would save the company tens of millions if they greenlit it, but so far, there has been nothing but radio silence regarding its future. Schofield also recently announced that he is retiring from day-to-day game development.

Remakes are more valuable than you think Silent Hill 2

Alinea noted that while remakes have been around for decades, in recent years, they've become a vital part of the video game industry for many publishers. "The way I see it, it's a direct response to the AAA market's woes," Alinea's Rhys Elliott wrote. "A brand-new IP is a six-to-eight-year gamble with no guaranteed audience, the riskiest bet on the board at the worst possible time to be making those bets. A high-fidelity remake is different, with a proven design blueprint, a built-in fanbase, and a much shorter, cheaper production cycle. So the budget gatekeepers aren't gambling on whether people want the thing--the demand’s proven. AKA, less risk."

As Elliot noted, constantly remaking games is not a sound business strategy. Capcom appears to have cracked the right approach, as it uses remakes to help make the production of new games less risky, resulting in critically acclaimed titles like Pragmata. A remake is seen as a dependable source of revenue that also keeps an IP relevant, giving a publisher the space it needs to work on a new project. 

Mario and The Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto has also spoken about remakes, defending them as a way to connect with new audiences.

Meanwhile, last year saw dozens of familiar IP dominate the JRPG genre. The top-rated games--according to GameSpot's sister site Metacritic--were remakes and remasters, with only a handful of original IP like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker emerging to earn critical acclaim.

The 30 Best Video Game Remakes View Images

Alan Ritchson, known for his role as Aquaman on Smallville and Jack Reacher on Reacher, has revealed that Call of Duty is his favorite video game and that he would be interested in appearing in the upcoming Call of Duty movie.

Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Richtson said video game adaptations "scare me a little bit" because "so few work." He's right that video game movies have a spotty track record when it comes to critical and commercial success, with many notable flops, like 2024's Borderlands. There have been huge hits, too, including The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Five Nights at Freddy's, and Minecraft.

"I think the ones that work are the ones that are made directly for kids. Minecraft is a good example. If you make it for kids first, or it's fun... or self-aware, they tend to work. But ones that take themselves too seriously ... [shrugs]. It has to know what it is and it has to be ready to have a good time," he explained.

Alan Ritchson and his muscles in a scene from Reacher.

Asked if he would be up for a role in the Call of Duty movie, he said, "I do love Call of Duty, man... if the story is right."

He also advocated for the Call of Duty movie to feature Zombies, which he said are the best part of the Call of Duty series.

The Call of Duty movie is set in the Modern Warfare universe, which is not normally associated with the franchise's Zombies mode. But in Hollywood, anything is possible.

https://twitter.com/Logan_Taaffe_/status/2080401000675029023

The Call of Duty movie has no confirmed casting yet, but we do know it's going to be directed by Lone Survivor's Peter Berg, with Sicario's Taylor Sheridan writing. Paramount is producing the movie.

As for the Call of Duty game series, Modern Warfare 4 is the next entry in the series and it's coming this October. A free multiplayer beta takes place in August.