Gaming News — 2026-07-12#

Top Story#

Obsidian Entertainment’s director is firing back at critics spreading misinformation about the studio’s talent pool following recent, massive Xbox layoffs. Amidst the restructuring, reports indicate that the studio has also pivoted from an Avowed sequel to focus on a brand-new Fallout project.

News & Reviews#

Obsidian Defends Its DNA After Xbox Restructure · IGN Following Microsoft’s sweeping cuts of 1,600 Xbox employees, Obsidian director Brandon Adler took to LinkedIn to slam “cold take artists” claiming the studio has lost its touch. Adler insists the core DNA of the team remains intact, noting that the leads behind classics like New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity are still driving the ship. Interestingly, reports suggest the studio has canceled Avowed 2 to shift focus toward a new Fallout game led by Josh Sawyer.

Gaming News — Week of 2026-05-16 to 2026-05-22#

Story of the Week#

Take-Two Interactive has officially ended all delay rumors, confirming that Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch on November 19, 2026. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick’s confidence makes sense considering the sequel boasts a mind-boggling estimated budget of $1 to $1.5 billion, dwarfing virtually every other game development cost in history. This sets the stage for what is locked in to be the biggest entertainment launch ever, promising billions in revenue for the publisher during a massive breakout year.

Gaming News — Week of 2026-05-22 to 2026-05-29#

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Bungie has shocked the gaming community by officially winding down live-service support for Destiny 2 this June, effectively bringing a 12-year era to a close as the studio pours all remaining resources into its upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon. Reports indicate Bungie even considered a massive “Destiny Infinity” franchise relaunch before pulling the plug due to the high risks following underperforming expansions like Edge of Fate. Devastated and disgruntled fans are now organizing mass server-crashing protests on June 9, desperate to prove to Sony that the franchise still has a dedicated player base worth saving.

Gaming News — Week of 2026-05-29 to 2026-06-05#

Story of the Week#

Square Enix dropped an absolute bombshell at Summer Game Fest, revealing Final Fantasy VII Revelation as the epic conclusion to the remake trilogy launching in Spring 2027. Players can expect a massive open world complete with skydiving from the Highwind, a new FITS outfit-based job system, and fully playable Vincent Valentine and Cid Highwind. This promises to be a monumental RPG finale that seamlessly expands on its predecessors.

Gaming News — Week of 2026-06-06 to 2026-06-12#

Story of the Week#

Microsoft’s Xbox division is facing a massive existential crisis and corporate reset under newly installed CEO Asha Sharma. Internal memos revealed a brutal 3% profit margin, impending “significant” layoffs, and potential studio closures as the company struggles to manufacture its next-generation Project Helix consoles amid severe component shortages. To balance the budget after losing millions of subscribers following a massive price hike last year, players should brace for ad-supported Game Pass tiers and a doubling down on core franchises like Halo and Gears of War.

Gaming News — Week of 2026-06-13 to 2026-06-19#

Story of the Week#

The most massive ongoing saga this week is the existential crisis and turbulent restructuring rocking Microsoft’s Xbox division. Amidst CEO Satya Nadella candidly admitting that YouTube currently generates more monetization from Xbox games than Microsoft does, the company is facing a potential “bloodbath” of studio closures that threatens beloved developers like Double Fine and Ninja Theory. While attempting to fast-track heavy-hitters like Halo and Fallout, Microsoft has resorted to adding an “EXCLUSIVE” label to its console dashboard to clarify its increasingly muddy multiplatform strategy.

Gaming News — Week of 2026-06-20 to 2026-06-26#

Story of the Week#

The gaming hardware market is currently in a state of absolute chaos, defined by skyrocketing component costs and a dramatic shift in console dominance. Microsoft is jacking up the Xbox Series X to an eye-watering $799.99 in August, which has contributed to catastrophic sales lows for both Xbox and PlayStation. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch 2 is completely obliterating the competition, capping off a historic first year with 5.9 million US units sold as gamers flock to more affordable hardware.

Gaming News — 2026-07-08#

Top Story#

Obsidian Entertainment is reportedly canceling Avowed 2 to shift its focus entirely onto a brand-new Fallout game led by Josh Sawyer. This shocking pivot follows a massive corporate reset at Xbox and thousands of internal layoffs, but it finally gives diehard fans hope for the first mainline, single-player Fallout title in over a decade.

News & Reviews#

[Microsoft Reportedly Pivoting Back to Xbox Exclusivity] · IGN After admitting its multiplatform video game strategy has failed to work out, Microsoft is reportedly planning to make more of its best games console-exclusive again to give gamers a tangible reason to buy an Xbox. It’s a massive shift from their recent release strategy, begging the question of whether major heavy-hitters like The Elder Scrolls 6 or the next mainline Halo will skip the PlayStation 5 entirely.

Gaming News — 2026-07-06#

Top Story#

Microsoft is initiating the most significant restructure in Xbox history, laying off 3,200 employees and spinning off major studios like Double Fine and Compulsion Games. This desperate “reset” from CEO Asha Sharma reflects an incredibly unhealthy gaming business that’s lost its way and is abandoning its diverse studio portfolio to double down on massive, established franchises.

News & Reviews#

The Xbox Restructuring Bloodbath · IGN Microsoft is shedding one-fifth of its gaming workforce and drastically changing the fate of multiple first-party studios to stop its financial bleeding. While Double Fine and Compulsion Games will regain their independence, Undead Labs and Ninja Theory are being sold to undisclosed buyers to finish State of Decay 3 and Senua. Sadly, Arkane Lyon’s future is in severe jeopardy, leaving Marvel’s Blade in limbo, and Bethesda is narrowing its focus almost entirely to mega-franchises like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, effectively putting Starfield on ice.

Gaming News — 2026-05-06#

Top Story#

Nintendo shadow-dropped a dedicated Direct to announce a gorgeous ground-up remake of Star Fox 64 for the Switch 2, simply titled Star Fox. The game retains its beloved on-rails action while adding Switch 2 mouse controls, two-player co-op, new story cutscenes, and an AR-filtered online Battle mode ahead of its June 25, 2026 launch.

News & Reviews#

GTA 6 Estimated to Have Cost Take-Two $1 Billion to $1.5 Billion So Far Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick admitted that the upcoming GTA 6 was “expensive,” with industry analysts estimating its development budget has already hit an eye-watering $1 billion to $1.5 billion mark. With staff grinding on the title for over a decade, this staggering cost dwarfs other record-breaking AAA budgets like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, positioning it as potentially the most expensive entertainment product ever made.