This Week in Gaming
A weekly digest of what actually mattered in gaming.
We read everything — the earnings calls, the patch notes, the LinkedIn posts, the Reddit threads — so you don't have to. No filler, no fluff, just the stories and trends worth your time this week.
Hunger: The Extraction RPG That Might Finally Get It Right
The team that built Hell Let Loose is back with something completely different. Hunger is an extraction RPG set in Napoleonic Europe and from everything I've seen in the playtest it already looks ready for early access.
Mistfall Hunter Feels Great to Play. The Monetization Framework Should Worry You.
The combat is improved. The world is immersive. The classes are distinct. But behind the Norse veneer is a monetization framework that should give everyone pause. And the studio's real ownership is something they've tried very hard to keep quiet.
Wardogs Just Did Something Almost Nobody in Gaming Does Anymore. They Moved the Release Up.
Every game gets delayed. BULKHEAD is so confident from playtests that they moved the release UP. 100 players, no battle pass, 500K wishlists. This is the Battlefield game DICE stopped making.
Gothic 1 Remake Launched at $50 and the RPG Community Is Losing Its Mind
A 2001 cult classic rebuilt by a completely different studio. $50. No marketing blitz. No pre-release reviews. The fans showed up anyway. Over 6,000 Steam reviews in 24 hours and climbing.
Summer Game Fest 2026 Was Actually Good. Like, Really Good.
After last year's Highguard disaster, most of us expected to get burned again. This time Geoff delivered. Hitter after hitter. Something for everyone. Even the jaded PvP player got fed.
PlayStation State of Play June 2026: Sony Can't Afford to Phone This In
Two price hikes. Studios closed. Sales cratering. Tomorrow Sony gets 60 to 90 minutes to convince everyone the PS5 is still worth buying. Wolverine headlines but one game isn't enough.
Hell Let Loose Vietnam Open Beta Is Live. And War Is Hell!
The open beta is live. But this isn't Black Matter's game anymore. The team that took over gets their shot at proving they can build something new, not just maintain what somebody else made.
007 First Light: IO Interactive Bet Everything on Themselves and Just Won
The last Bond game killed the studio that made it. IO Interactive just broke the 14-year curse.
LEGO Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight Is the Arkham Game We Deserved
Gotham Knights couldn't do it. Suicide Squad couldn't do it. A LEGO game just showed up and delivered the Arkham experience everyone's been waiting for. 97.2% positive on Steam.
Zero Parades Launches Without Disco Elysium's Creators. Can ZA/UM Survive That?
The studio kept the name. They kept the IP. They kept the marketing. But most of the people who made Disco Elysium what it was are gone. May 21 answers whether that matters.
Summer Game Fest 2026: 10 Games Players Want to See the Most
Summer Game Fest runs June 5 to 8. GTA 6 gameplay. Wolverine's four year silence. A rumored pirate Souls game. Here are the 10 games players are watching for and why this summer feels different.
Subnautica 2: The Game That Almost Didn't Exist Launches Tomorrow
The CEO used ChatGPT to dodge a $250M payout. The founders got fired. A judge reversed it. Tomorrow they launch the game.
Directive 8020: Should You Play Supermassive's Boldest Dark Pictures Game Yet?
Reviews are split. Most say best Dark Pictures ever. GameSpot says the opposite. Here's what you need to know.
Alabaster Dawn: The CrossCode Devs Are Back and They Listened to Everything
The CrossCode devs heard every complaint. They came back with something better. Alabaster Dawn is live.
Gaming's $195 Billion Problem: Record Revenue, 44,000 Jobs Lost, and an Industry at War With Itself
$195.6 billion in revenue. 44,000 jobs lost. Those two numbers tell you everything.
Heroes of Might and Magic Olden Era: #1 on Steam After a Decade of Ubisoft Neglect
A franchise left for dead just hit #1 on Steam. The audience never left. It just needed someone who cared.
Scars of Honor Playtest: Can the MMO Genre Earn Trust Again After Ashes of Creation?
After Ashes of Creation, the MMO genre has a trust problem. At least this one isn't charging you to find out.
Pragmata and Capcom's 2026: How One Company Is Embarrassing the Entire Western AAA Industry
Three games. Four months. All 85+ on Metacritic. And they say they're not done yet.
Gaming Industry Talent Exodus: 44% of Developers Want Out
The industry isn't losing jobs anymore. It's losing the people who want to make games.
Mortal Shell 2 Looks Incredible. And It's Being Made by 30 People.
Cold Symmetry left AAA in 2017 with four developers. Mortal Shell sold 2 million copies. Now Mortal Shell 2 has 60+ handcrafted dungeons, an open world, firearms, and a team of 30. This is how indie gets it right.
"It Was Just a Placeholder." The Gaming Industry's Favorite AI Excuse Has Become a Script.
Three studios. Three apologies. The same sentence. The problem isn't AI in development. It's that nobody disclosed it until players caught them. The pattern is undeniable.
While Everyone Else Squeezes You for More, Valve Just Quietly Made Gaming Cheaper for Half the Planet
Sony raises console prices. Publishers push $70 as the new normal. Valve responds by building tools to make games more affordable in 35 currencies. The contrast tells you everything about where the industry is right now.
Crimson Desert Is Already Breaking Records and It Hasn't Even Launched Yet
Crimson Desert Is Already Breaking Records and It Hasn't Even Launched YetThree million wishlists. Four hundred thousand pre-launch copies sold on Steam alone. Over $20 million in revenue before a...
Everwind Just Launched on Steam With Nearly 1 Million Wishlists. Hytale Skipped Steam Entirely. That Might Be the Whole Story.
Everwind Just Launched on Steam With Nearly 1 Million Wishlists. Hytale Skipped Steam Entirely. That Might Be the Whole Story.A 20-person Polish studio just walked through the biggest front door i...
Nakwon: Last Paradise Is Genuinely Impressive. But It's Made by Nexon. So Now What?
Nakwon: Last Paradise Is Genuinely Impressive. But It's Made by Nexon. So Now What?I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Nexon might be cooking.Nakwon: Last Paradise just dropped its Closed...
Marathon's First Week Tells a Story Bungie Doesn't Want You to Read Yet
Marathon's First Week Tells a Story Bungie Doesn't Want You to Read YetFive days. That's how long Marathon has been out. And somehow, in those five days, we've gotten delayed reviews, a battle pas...
Marathon's Server Slam Is Over. Now the Real Test Begins.
Marathon peaked at 143K players and lost half in two days. Can Bungie's extraction shooter survive a 50/50 reception and find its place alongside Arc Raiders?
Resident Evil Requiem Is the Best RE Since 4. And It's Not Even Close.
Resident Evil Requiem is a masterclass in survival horror. Two protagonists, jaw-dropping visuals, real scares, and Leon at his absolute best. This is it.
20 Things You Need to Know Before Playing Marathon
Marathon launches March 5 and Bungie is not holding your hand. Here are 20 essential tips, tricks, and pro strategies every Runner needs before dropping into Tau Ceti IV.
ARC Raiders vs Marathon: The Extraction Shooter War Nobody's Talking About
ARC Raiders dropped Shrouded Sky two days before Marathon's Server Slam. Same price. Same genre. Completely different philosophies. The extraction shooter war is here, and someone's going to blink first.
Phil Spencer Is Out and Xbox Just Handed the Keys to an AI Executive
Phil Spencer is out after 38 years. Sarah Bond walked away the same day. And the person Microsoft chose to replace them has never worked a single day in the gaming industry. This is either the boldest move in Xbox history or the beginning of the end.
Sony Just Shut Down The Best Remake Studio In Gaming. One Week After Announcing A Remake.
Sony bought Bluepoint Games. Forced them off remakes. Put them on a live-service God of War game nobody asked for. Cancelled that game. Left them in limbo for a year. Shut them down today.
Marathon Is About to Surpass Everyone's Expectations
Bungie took the L. Then they cooked. Marathon is about to surprise everyone.
Ashes of Creation Collapse: How 200+ Devs Got Shafted by Private Equity
52 days from Steam launch to total collapse. $100+ million raised. 200+ developers allegedly left without paychecks. And a private equity takeover nobody saw coming. The Ashes of Creation disaster is worse than you think.
This Week in Gaming: Palworld Drama, Nintendo Direct Leaks, More
Everything that actually mattered this week in gaming. Palworld's legal battles, the biggest Nintendo Direct leaks, and why that AAA announcement flopped.