Gaming News Digest — July 11, 2026
Published:
Top news
Call of Duty: Black Ops I and II — The classic shooters have been released on modern PlayStation with campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies mode, priced at $19.99 each. However, prices will double on August 6. The ports were handled by Iron Galaxy, and the next Call of Duty arrives October 23 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2 with Russian subtitles.
Physical disc protests — Players are turning PlayStation posts into protests after Sony announced it will end physical media by 2028. The move has sparked widespread outrage among fans.
No Harem in Echoes of Aincrad — Producer Yosuke Futami confirmed there will be no romance system in the game, as it only covers two floors. However, the developers might reconsider if players demand it.
Morale on The Elder Scrolls 6 team — Anonymous Bethesda staff told IGN that recent Xbox layoffs will substantially impact the game. Active development only started in 2023, and the team fears delays, with some employees being asked to train replacements.
Honkai: Nexus Anima — HoYoverse released trailers for Nanafei and cutscenes alongside the closed beta launch. Nanafei is a class president obsessed with Anima but struggles with basics, and the videos showcase new battle modes.
Arknights — The tactical RPG/Tower Defense game is officially coming to PC on August 13 as a native version, not an emulator. Recommended specs are modest: GTX 1060, 8 GB RAM, and 30 GB storage.
Going Medieval — The medieval simulator reworked settler psychology so relationships depend on traits and compatibility, not RNG. The update also adds a planning mode and building part swaps.
Fright Train — A survival horror featuring an anthropomorphic dog in Antarctica launches September 15 on PC via Steam. Players control Dag Barker investigating a distress signal, and the train must keep moving to survive.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced — The remaster has terrible optimization, with only an RTX 5090 achieving 60 FPS at 4K, and even that drops in busy areas. Graphics look worse than the poorly optimized Shadows.
David Gaider says Dragon Age has no future under EA — The series suffered three commercial flops, and EA has written it off. Gaider notes that BioWare always teetered on cancellation, but each game sold better than expected.
THE FINALS — Season 11 is live with the Galaxy Estates arena, featuring high-speed tubes, anti-gravity columns, and destructible towers. The new Battle Pass includes 100+ rewards, and there are melee reworks and bot matches.
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era — Patch 0.80.34 fixes crashes, timer desyncs, and tournament map glitches. Mages got their damage buffed back, and "Stables" were removed from Sprint.
Patch 1.08 for Of Ash and Steel — The RPG received a major update with optimization, immersive first-person view, and Steam Deck support. It also adds a Crypt altar that tweaks difficulty.
Feminists get a taste of their own medicine — China's Ministry slammed Valko in Love and Deepspace for romanticizing criminal offenses, leading to the character being removed. The same tactic feminists used against Snowbreak has now backfired.
Path of Exile 2 — Devs showcased a build that freezes enemies into living statues using Auspic and charge stacking. The build highlights the system's flexibility, with enemies becoming stationary targets.
War Thunder — The third stage of infantry battle ZBT starts in July with a new map "Kivu" four times larger than previous ones, supporting up to 128 players. New vehicles include M1A2 SEP V2, T-90M, and modern small arms.
Palworld — The game officially launched after 2.5 years in Early Access, surpassing 40 million players across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. New endgame content at the World Tree, offshore base building, and reworked boss towers are included.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake — The remake launched with 99,451 concurrent Steam players, a series record, but reviews are mixed at 67% positive. Issues include stutters, 30 FPS cutscenes, cut content, and microtransactions.
Apex Legends — The game declared war on cheaters, considering any hardware or software that removes recoil on controllers as cheating. A new detection system is live, handing out automatic bans.
id Tech engine — Microsoft confirmed the engine is still alive with dozens of developers across offices, despite losing 136 staff in Texas. John Carmack understands the business side but is saddened.
Once Human — The post-apocalyptic survival game hits PS5 and Xbox Series on August 25 with crossplay and cross-progress. Console versions offer 4K/60 fps and 120 fps modes.
Palworld full release — The game launched version 1.0 with a massive content drop, including a new biome, 72 new Pals, max level raised to 80, and new gear. Despite Nintendo's efforts, the game reached 500K concurrent players on Steam.
Valor Mortis — The game launches with only one difficulty level, as the developers believe the genre's magic lies in uncompromising challenge. Victory depends solely on skill and persistence.
Square Enix shuttering label — The publisher is closing the label that brought Call of Duty to Japan as part of a global restructuring.
The Guild - Europa 1410 — The game is delayed to September 2026 after feedback, with developers adding features originally planned for post-launch. The demo will receive upgrades before early access.
Toys for Bob wants to revive Banjo-Kazooie — The studio behind the new Spyro expressed interest in bringing back the iconic bear and bird. Fans are hyped, but no official announcement has been made.
Tempest Rising — A massive paid DLC, The Veti's Wrath, finishes the saga with 11 new missions, air units, and super-weapons. Multiplayer access for Veti is free for base-game owners.
Marvel Rivals — A new season begins with Apocalypse dead before Chapter One ends. An unknown assassin kills the villain, and heroes investigate in Thebes. Jubilee joins the roster.
Arknights: Endfield — The "Returning Home" update drops July 16 with a new story chapter, two maps, playable operators, and rewards. A Fortnite collab is teased.
The Blood of Dawnwalker — The vampiric RPG reached 2 million wishlists two months before its September 3 launch. Despite some criticism, the game is highly anticipated.
Palworld player count — After the 1.0 launch, Steam player count jumped to 500K, a tenfold increase from pre-release numbers. The game is building a franchise.
Destiny 2 support ends — Development has officially wrapped after mass layoffs at Bungie. The team released a farewell emblem and additional freebies, but servers remain in maintenance mode.
Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy — A new psyker, Saro, is introduced as a sanctioned pyromancer who risks the Warp daily. Despite the danger, he is one of the oldest psykers in Bastion Serpentis.
Bethesda's union protests — Staff under the Save Our Devs banner are rallying July 15 outside ZeniMax offices after Xbox laid off over 440 people. Devs called it "a real fucking massacre."
The Necromancy of Thay — The Baldur's Gate 3 expansion finally has a release date. The ancient tome is central to a multi-act quest involving forbidden pages and dark magic.
Subnautica 2 early access stats — Players logged 58 million hours, with 192 clones dying per minute. Only 17% finished Act 1, and the game sold 5 million copies.
XBOX CEO joins Federal Reserve advisory group — Asha Sharma is the only sitting CEO among five members studying AI's impact on the economy. Meanwhile, Xbox is undergoing massive cuts.
Helldivers 2 — Devs deployed a tracking system for suspicious Super Credit farming. Legit players have nothing to fear, and future updates will monitor other resources.
Subnautica 2 player stats — 58 million hours and 545 million km traveled, with oxygen being the top killer. Only 17.2% finished the first chapter.
Marvel Tokon unlocked in CIS countries — Sony lifted purchase restrictions in 15 CIS countries including Kazakhstan after community backlash. It remains locked in 117 regions.
Steam Next Fest — Valve manually saved an indie demo by fixing a Visual C++ library issue hours before the fest. The game RED FLAG doubled wishlists on day one.
Neverness to Everness — Update 1.2 "999 Nights" adds a board game inside the game with three difficulty modes, loot-driven gear, and a party of four characters.
ARK: Survival Ascended — New tameable dragon Lumina is added, a light counterpart to Umbra with sky-powered combat. A bug-fix patch for Genesis Ascended Part 1 is also released.
The Blood of Dawnwalker — The game crossed 2 million wishlists before its September 3 release. It's an action RPG about a half-vampire in the Carpathian valley.
League of Legends — Riot scrapped Brand's buff in patch 26.14 to prevent mages from overrunning the bot lane. Designer Phroxzon says mages are needed for meta diversity.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced record launch — The remaster sold 2 million copies in 24 hours, topping Twitch and setting a Steam record. Reviews are mixed due to microtransactions.
Deadlock — Valve tweaked objectives and hero balance, making the Urn transport harder and buffing Graves while nerfing Shiv and Drifter. Bigger changes are coming.
Doom: The Dark Ages — Removing Denuvo did not improve FPS; tests on RTX 5090 showed average 30 FPS at 4K Ultra. The engine's optimization and path tracing are the bottlenecks.
PS5 physical games cheaper than digital — Research shows retail prices drop over time, while PlayStation Store keeps launch prices. Sony is killing discs from 2028.
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced sold 2 million — The game sold 2 million copies in its first day, but Steam rating is mixed at 68% positive. Players await a patch for stutters.
New Donkey Kong LEGO Set — LEGO released a set dedicated to the original 1981 arcade cabinet, recreating the classic game itself. It's a meta-concept gift for nostalgic fans.
Atomic Heart crossover — A time-travel tactics RPG received an Atomic Heart crossover, surprising fans with the unexpected collaboration.
Steam deals
Steam Discounts — Today's deals include -75% on American Truck Simulator, Euro Truck Simulator 2, Total War: WARHAMMER II, and BioShock Infinite, -72% on Wartales, and -70% on Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition.
Epic — free & deals
Epic Games Discounts — Today's deals include -90% on Shadow of the Matrix: Protocol, -85% on Family Man THE IMPOSSIBLE, -80% on Play with Me - Escape Room, and discounts on Fell in love with coser 2 and Hero of the Kingdom II.
Spotlight
Fight Crab 2 — Epic crab battles in a combat sport where armor-clad humans ride immortal crabs. Features 20+ crabs, 70+ weapons, and 40+ abilities. Details
Ninja Master's PS4 DS buttons mod — Install PS4 DS button prompts to replace incorrect Xbox icons on PC. Perfect for PlayStation fans. Details
Pokemon Classic Series Vol.02 — Snap-build Pokémon model kit mini figures from Gen 2, no glue or paint needed. Details
Fish Fillets 2 — Underwater agents Max and Tina investigate a mystery with allies like crabs and snails. Features 100+ levels and a funny story. Details
Urban Rivals — A collectible card game where you build a gang and challenge rivals. Includes 2000+ cards, fast duels, and PvP modes. Details
