Gaming News — Week of 2026-06-27 to 2026-07-03#

Story of the Week#

PlayStation’s aggressive assault on physical and digital media ownership is easily the most staggering and offensive industry shift of the week. After stripping over 550 purchased Studio Canal movies from user accounts without offering refunds, Sony dropped a bombshell: physical disc production for all new PlayStation games will end in January 2028. The move has sparked massive backlash from preservationists and gamers alike, with 90% of our audience rejecting the all-digital future and Xbox already seizing the opportunity to tout physical media for its upcoming titles like Halo: Campaign Evolved.

Top Stories#

[Xbox Braces for Layoffs While CoD Skips Game Pass Day One] · IGN Microsoft’s gaming division is reportedly undergoing a massive corporate “reset” that threatens studios like Arkane and Undead Labs, though Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment is thankfully safe from the chopping block. Adding insult to injury for the ecosystem, Microsoft is also pulling day-one Game Pass access for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, forcing subscribers to pay $70 to maximize Activision’s launch revenue.

[ESA Claims Private Minecraft Servers Are ‘Piracy’] · IGN In a baffling defense against California’s “Stop Killing Games” bill, the Entertainment Software Association claimed that private servers for games like Minecraft are illegal piracy. Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson quickly slammed the organization as “borderline evil” for the blatant lie, exposing the ridiculous lengths lobbyists will go to avoid preserving dead video games.

[Cyberpunk 2077 Hits 40 Million as Edgerunners 2 Announced] · IGN CD Projekt Red’s redemption arc is officially complete, with Cyberpunk 2077 crossing an astonishing 40 million copies sold and its sequel actively in the works for a ruined Chicago setting. Fans also have a reason to return to Night City much sooner, as Netflix and CDPR announced a 10-episode standalone season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 arriving with a new crew in Fall 2026.

[GTA 6 Confirms Digital-Only Launch as Devs Unionize] · IGN Rockstar is ditching physical discs for Grand Theft Auto 6, offering only digital codes in boxes at launch, which hilariously hasn’t stopped eBay scalpers from successfully ripping off uninformed buyers. Behind the scenes, Rockstar’s UK developers have formally requested union recognition to fight for pay transparency and combat crunch ahead of the game’s monolithic release.

[Metroid Ravenous Leaked Following Prime 4 Preorders] · IGN A Brazilian age rating board has leaked “Metroid Ravenous” for a 2026 release on the Switch 2, igniting theories of a highly anticipated 2D sequel to Metroid Dread. If true, it’s an incredible one-two punch for Nintendo fans, arriving right as pre-orders go live for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

Free Games & Deals#

The Epic Games Store is blessing us this week with two excellent freebies to claim until July 9, 2026: the classic point-and-click horror I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream and the stellar co-op beat-’em-up River City Girls 2. If you’re looking to stretch your dollar, snag Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for an absolute steal at $20 on PS5 or $30 on Switch 2 via Amazon. RPG fans should also pounce on the critically acclaimed Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake down to $38.99 and pre-order Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for a rare first-party discount at just $44.99. Finally, UK gamers can exploit a brilliant EA Play conversion trick to secure 10 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for £72.82, bringing the monthly cost down to about £7.28.

Also Worth Knowing#

Hollywood is rapidly pivoting to gaming, with The Batman 2 co-writer Mattson Tomlin noting he receives five times more offers for video game adaptations than comic book ones.
Capcom has bumped up the release date for Onimusha: Way of the Sword to September 4, 2026, dropping a playable demo that unlocks a special charm in the full game.
An Oregon card shop had to suspend its Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments for a week to deal with players’ terrible hygiene violating Konami’s official cleanliness rules.
Level-5 is offering its employees significant pay raises if they can successfully pass trivia quizzes about the Professor Layton developer’s own catalog of games.
NetEase broke the internet by releasing a revealing, 100% official “Seaside Sentinel” mankini swimsuit skin for Captain America in Marvel Rivals.