Gaming News Digest — July 12, 2026
Published:
Top news
- College Football 27 — The long-awaited sports return crashed hard under microtransaction fire, with players furious over aggressive monetization.
- id Software — Despite 136 layoffs, the DOOM developer says it's still alive and kicking, continuing to develop games and push id Tech. Microsoft denied rumors that the engine is dead, with dozens of engineers still working on it.
- Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced — The remaster is catching heat on Steam for extra paid content totaling over $90, more than the deluxe edition itself. Ubisoft claims the base game is complete and the rest is optional, but players aren't convinced.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops II — Activision silently removed the player count from PS4/PS5 ports, leading fans to believe they're hiding low numbers compared to Black Ops 7. The ports also lack Theater Mode, Wager Matches, 120 FPS, FOV, and graphical upgrades.
- Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced modder banned — A modder unlocked all DLCs for free and was instantly permabanned by Nexusmods admins. Players are furious over $100 worth of paid cosmetics, but the studio is cracking down.
- Of Ash and Steel — A massive update boosted engine performance, shrunk the game by 10 GB, and halved load times. Long-standing memory leaks and inventory bugs are fixed, and a new first-person immersive mode for Tristan was added.
- Cult of the Lamb — A premium collector's edition for PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 includes a 200-page artbook, comic, metal poster, Oracle Deck cards, and a vinyl soundtrack. It drops March 12, 2027, and pre-orders are live in the UK.
- Honkai: Star Rail — The game is teaming up with Rostiks fast food chain, as confirmed by VK admins. No details yet, so stay tuned.
- God of War Laufey — Sony Santa Monica confirmed a physical disc release for the prequel to Ragnarok, suggesting a 2027 launch before the industry goes fully digital.
- Reverse: 1999 × Atomic Heart crossover — The crossover is official, introducing two new Arcanists: 6★ ballerina twins (first dual-element unit) and the legendary fridge Eleanor. The event starts July 23, 2026, lasting 21 days, with Eleanor free for all participants.
- Borderlands 4 — Gearbox kicked off its weekly series This Week on Kairos, revealing the next Vault Hunter, hacker Lavless, coming in paid Story Pack 2 (early September). Bounty Pack 4 drops July 30.
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance board game — The devs teamed up with Czech Games Edition for a tabletop adaptation. A new video shows a session without saves, but with friends, capturing the same vibe and mechanics.
- SAND: Raiders of Sophie — The third major update punishes jump spammers with movement nerfs and unlocks Halbmond. Fixed dozens of bugs, improved graphics, and tweaked orbital strike.
- Manor Lords — The devs finished bug-hunting and promised new content. The latest beta is now the main build, with a major navigation overhaul, controller support, and dozens of fixes.
- Active Matter — The game brings back the "America" location as a full raid with tactical combat and city exploration. Cops and SWAT still patrol the streets, ready to tear operatives apart.
- MENACE — The biggest early-access update yet overhauls the progression system. The Impetus ship now has three upgrade branches, with basic upgrades unlocking instantly and advanced versions available as faction trust grows.
- Northgard Battlegrounds — The open beta is live until July 15, featuring two clans: Raven and Deer. It's a Viking autobattler strategy that screams mobile port energy.
- Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000 — New gameplay dropped at BiliBili World 2026, showing Astra Militarum vs Orks in the battle for Armageddon sector. Orks swarm while the Imperial Guard relies on brainpower and orbital strikes.
- Battlefield 6 — Starting from Season 4, missed cosmetics will hit the in-game store after a 3-month wait, but prestige-track rewards stay exclusive. The goal is to keep players hooked for a couple more years.
- Next DOOM — Rumors that id Software got demoted to Microsoft support are false. The studio is hard at work on a new entry despite layoffs, and id Tech is still being pushed by dozens of specialists.
- Monster Fantasy — The devs admit it looks like Monster Hunter but insist the real focus is village building and NPC relationships. They heard the criticism and will prove the game is not a mere clone.
Steam deals
- Steam Discounts — Today's deals include -90% Dead Island 2, -85% Devil May Cry 5, -75% Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition, Total War: WARHAMMER II, ARK: Survival Ascended, and -70% Against the Storm.
Epic — free & deals
- Epic Games Discounts — Today's deals include -100% Tattoo Tycoon, -95% Cyber Avenger, -92% Firelight Fantasy: Vengeance, -75% Kiki, -65% Empire of the Gods, and Demonheart.
Spotlight
- AltspaceVR — A leading platform for live virtual events, allowing users to attend or create immersive experiences. It features expressive avatars with spatial sound, live concerts, conferences, comedy shows, festivals, team meetings, and remote collaboration. Details
- TC2.Arcade mod for Territory Control 2 — This mod speeds up everything in the game, including mining, chopping, and crafting, with loot adjusted accordingly. The game is now perfectly playable in single-player. Details
- Venom Spider-Ham figure — A Venom Spider-Ham action figure was spotted on TikTok. Details
- Tales of the Elements — A blend of Hip Hop, JRPGs, and fast-paced action in 4-player couch co-op. Based on the album of the same name, it features storytelling like classic 90s JRPGs, true co-op battles, Hip Hop mechanics, high challenge, secret bosses, and a fourth-wall-breaking unlockable. Details
