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FromSoftware has officially lifted the curtain on The Duskbloods, their highly ambitious, multiplayer-only PvPvE action game heading exclusively to the Nintendo Switch 2. Helmed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, this board game-influenced title trades the traditional single-player focus for intense phase-based, 8-player matches featuring quadruple-jumps, customizable companion mechanics, and a thrilling final 3-player arena showdown.

News & Reviews

Game Science Unveils Stunning 15-Minute Gameplay for Black Myth: Zhong Kui · IGN Game Science has shared an impressive, uninterrupted look at combat, bosses, and exploration in Black Myth: Zhong Kui, the official action-RPG follow-up to their 2024 mega-hit, Black Myth: Wukong. The video features fluid parry mechanics, elemental swords (fire and lightning), and a massive boss encounter against a terrifying winged humanoid where players are joined by a mysterious, foliage-transforming ally. While platforms and release windows remain unannounced, the sequel’s grounded swordplay and striking environmental visuals prove that Game Science is looking to outdo themselves.

Riot Games Sunsets Active Development on League of Legends Fighter 2XKO · IGN In a devastating development for the fighting game community, Riot Games announced that active development on 2XKO will officially cease this December due to unsustainable player retention numbers. Although servers will stay online for the foreseeable future and the game will receive champions Lux and Samira alongside refunds for purchases made before August 20, the competitive series will permanently shut down after 2026. This abrupt cancellation has sparked intense fan backlash, with players criticizing Riot for abandoning high-quality, passion-driven projects that fail to immediately reach gargantuan League of Legends-level metrics.

US Physical Video Game Sales Plunge to Historic All-Time July Low · IGN Physical game sales in the US crashed to a shocking, record July low of just $85 million, marking the worst month of retail software performance since tracking began in 1995. This retail collapse coincides with mounting gamer backlash over Sony’s recent decision to entirely discontinue physical disc manufacturing for PlayStation games starting in 2028. Hardware sales also tanked 29% year-on-year, hammered by high component costs and a tough cyclical comparison against last summer’s massive Nintendo Switch 2 launch.

Infinity Ward Pulls Back the Curtain on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Beta and Matchmaking · IGN Multiplayer directors Joe Cecot and Jacky Reynolds have detailed Modern Warfare 4’s massive upcoming beta, revealing it will feature a single-player campaign mission alongside its multiplayer component to set a unified narrative tone. Crucially, the developers confirmed they are utilizing the controversial and aggressive new matchmaking system introduced in Black Ops 7, promising that they will analyze real-time data to adjust things post-beta. After an overly slow and cumbersome tactical experience in Modern Warfare 2, the team is striving to merge realistic weapon feedback with fluid, lightning-fast mobility, such as a new mantle momentum system and supine sliding.

007 First Light Sells 4 Million Copies as sequel Uncertainties Loom · IGN The critically acclaimed James Bond action game 007 First Light has cleared a whopping 4 million units in just three months, with developer IO Interactive celebrating the milestone by promising a robust roadmap including New Game+ and a photo mode. Despite this undeniable success and a spectacular 9/10 review from IGN, the future of the franchise is highly uncertain as all subsequent sequels will fall under the publication and control of Amazon Games. This corporate transition raises questions about whether IO Interactive can maintain their creative freedom, especially as the studio recently suffered layoffs and lost Xbox co-funding for its fantasy RPG, Project Dragon.

Mass Effect 5 and BioWare’s Future Cast in Doubt Following EA’s Private Buyout · IGN A former EA manager has raised major concerns that Mass Effect 5 could easily be canceled following the publisher’s recent $55 billion leveraged buyout, which transitioned the company to private ownership backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. With new investors expected to ruthlessly maximize returns on cash cows like EA Sports FC and Battlefield, underperforming and historically slow-developing studios like BioWare are under intense scrutiny. While the team has spent years crafting the narrative setup for a post-Mass Effect 3 era, its habit of ballooning development timelines may lead its new profit-driven owners to pull the plug to make a “financially sound” decision.

Free Games & Deals

This week, PC players can head to the Epic Games Store to claim the Standard Edition of the adorable retro card-battler Cardpocalypse and grab Albion Online’s massive Epic Mage Bundle (a $55 value) absolutely free until August 27. On the retail side, Best Buy’s 60th Anniversary Sale is serving up spectacular tech deals, including a whopping $18 off the 732-piece LEGO Technic Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (bringing it down to an all-time low of $41.99) and a generous trade-in offer that can shave up to $205 off a brand-new Nintendo Switch 2 before its impending September 1 price hike. If you’re hunting for a high-end screen, you can also game Samsung’s store to snag the 27" Samsung Odyssey OLED G5 Monitor for a ridiculously cheap $264.59 using code L8AS4HAL4O.

Also Worth Knowing

• Dave Bautista Officially Replaces Ryan Hurst as Kratos in Amazon’s God of War Show (IGN): Former WWE superstar Dave Bautista has officially stepped into Kratos’ boots for Prime Video’s live-action adaptation after Ryan Hurst was forced to drop out due to a severe bicep tear suffered during stunt filming.
• Tekken 8 Producers Detail the Struggle of Balancing the Strongest Creature on Earth (IGN): Tekken series chief producer Naoya Yasuda revealed the massive design challenge of bringing Baki’s Yujiro Hanma to Tekken 8 as a guest character next year, humorously noting that if players lose with him, it’s their own defeat rather than Yujiro’s.
• Former Tekken 8 Director Kohei Ikeda Re-teams With Katsuhiro Harada at VS Studio (IGN): Having recently left Bandai Namco, veteran director Kohei Ikeda has announced he is joining the SNK-owned VS Studio, reuniting with fighting game icon Katsuhiro Harada to develop something entirely new.
• Halo Co-Creator Marcus Lehto Dreams of a Much Darker, Grounded Military Return for the Franchise (IGN): Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto shared his “fanciful” vision of a darker, more grounded military Halo game that would “bench” current lore, while also advising Microsoft that the franchise must be built by a dedicated local team rather than being globally outsourced.
• Charles Melton in Final Negotiations to Play Kakashi in Live-Action Naruto Movie (IGN): Riverdale and Beef actor Charles Melton is reportedly in final talks to portray the legendary masked shinobi Kakashi Hatake in Destin Daniel Cretton’s highly anticipated live-action Naruto film.

🎮 There are some highly interesting industry developments in these articles, particularly around physical media—we could look closer at the community’s reaction to Sony phasing out game discs if you want to explore that topic.