Welcome to another edition of our weekly newsletter-turned-blog post, where we bring you major announcements and insights from the past week. If you appreciate concise, curated content without the hype, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into the most critical developments in the gaming world.
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Major Announcements and Updates
This week has been monumental for the gaming industry, with significant events and updates from major platforms:
- The Biggest Announcements from Nintendo Direct: Catch up on the major reveals and updates from Nintendo’s latest Direct presentation. Read more
- Helldivers 2 Studio CEO: Explains why the game won’t have a story mode, comparing it to building an entirely new game. Read more
- Everywhere Closed Beta: The game creation project by ex-GTA producer will enter closed beta next week. Read more
- Epic Games Store and Fortnite: Both are coming to iOS in Japan next year. Read more
- World of Warcraft: Might introduce a story mode for legacy raids. Read more
- Embracer Shuts Down Developer: The developer of the new Alone in the Dark game has been closed by Embracer Group. Read more
- New Game by Assassin’s Creed Creator: Rumors suggest a new project in collaboration with Xbox Game Studios. Read more
- Valorant Console Bans: Players are getting banned for using mouse and keyboard on consoles. Read more
- Lords of the Fallen Sequel: Coming in 2026 with Epic Games securing PC exclusive rights. Read more
- Call of Duty: Adding Fallout skins, following Fortnite’s lead. Read more
- Monster Hunter: Wilds: Capcom details how open world and creature population will change player strategy. Read more
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: New details revealed on the official Xbox Podcast. Read more
- The Veilguard Comparisons: Dragon Age co-creator responds to comparisons with Baldur’s Gate 3. Read more
- The Rogue Prince of Persia: Developer reveals the secret behind the game’s visual style. Read more
This is just a subset of the headlines – read the full edition of #32 Weekly Gaming News Industry Trends Round Up
Game Launches and Updates
This week also brought several game launches and updates:
- Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree: Launch times revealed. Read more
- F1 24 Review: The game narrowly misses pole position. Read more
- Marvel vs. Capcom Collection: Features 7 classic games. Read more
- Final Fantasy XIV on Nintendo: Square Enix expresses interest in bringing the game to a Nintendo platform. Read more
- Matchbox Driving Adventures: Launching on PC and consoles on September 20. Read more
- The Road Ahead: Coming to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox this year. Read more
- The Lollipop Chainsaw Remaster: Set for release on September 25. Read more
- Survival Adventure Serum: Early access launch announced by Toplitz Productions. Read more
- Throne and Liberty: Amazon’s free-to-play fantasy MMO releasing in September. Read more
- Pokémon Go: Director discusses avatar backlash and new species rollout. Read more
- Life by You: The Sims competitor abruptly canceled by Paradox. Read more
- Helldivers 2: Latest major update details. Read more
- Astro Bot: Beats Doom as the No.1 wishlisted game of the summer games showcases. Read more
Trends and Insights
Here are some noteworthy trends and insights shaping the gaming landscape:
- Web3 Gaming: 72.5% of major video game studios are embracing Web3 gaming. Read more
- Arcane Season 2: Riot’s animation push continues, with fans theorizing the next setting in the League of Legends universe. Read more
- Highrise: Passes $250M revenue milestone by empowering player creation. Read more
- Live-Action Lilo & Stitch: Movie arriving later this year. Read more
- GTA Trilogy: Reaches 30 million downloads on Netflix. Read more
- Helldivers 2 Developer: Donates to Save the Children as players saved children in-game. Read more
- Mental Salvo: An “infinite open world” art game full of procedurally generated surprises. Read more
Web3 Games
Web3 gaming continues to grow with several key developments:
- Parallel Digital Trading Card Game: Debuts on Epic Games Store. Read more
- MetalCore: Unveils Barony guild system for mech warfare shooter. Read more
- 7 Play-to-Earn Games: Must-try games for 2024. Read more
- Web3 Gaming on TON: Driving mass adoption? Read more
- Heroes of Mavia: Soon allowing players to earn Ethereum tokens on iOS and Android. Read more
- Blockchain Game Investments: Mirror World raises $12 million for Solana gaming L2 Sonic. Read more
- Ronin: Scales with zkEVM chains powered by Polygon. Read more
- Pixels: Grows beyond 1 million DAUWs. Read more
- Second World Games: Raises $3 million in token presale for Fantasy Troop. Read more
Industry News
Important updates from the industry this week:
- $843 Million Lawsuit Against Valve: Accuses the biggest PC gaming store of overcharging players. Read more
- PlayStation: Skipping Gamescom again this year. Read more
- Todd Howard: Bethesda doesn’t need to rush new RPGs due to Fallout TV show’s success. Read more
- Another Game Studio Shutting Down: Despite making a good game. Read more
- New Co-Development Studio: The Unreal Guys open their doors. Read more
- Game Layoffs in 2024: Already exceed all cuts in 2023. Read more
- Evercoast Acquires Depthkit: To advance GenAI for spatial video. Read more
- EA Execs: Earned $60M last fiscal year despite company layoffs. Read more
- League of Geeks: Studio going into “hibernation” after layoffs. Read more
- John Hight: Head of Warcraft leaving Blizzard after 13 years. Read more
- Olympic Esports Games: IOC to vote on adding them to the portfolio. Read more
Esports Players & Teams News
Key news from the esports arena:
- IEM Cologne 2024: What you need to know. Read more
- Team Falcons: Wins MPL MENA Season 5 championship trophy. Read more
- Olympic Esports Games: Set to be introduced in the IOC portfolio. Read more
- Team Spirit: Defeats Na’Vi to win BLAST Premier Spring Finals 2024. Read more
- Virtus.pro: Misses out on TI13. Read more
- LCS Changes in 2025: Updates on Americas League, split changes, and rosters. Read more
- DreamHack Summer 2024: Highlights of the esports event. Read more
- BLAST and British Esports: New partnership announced. Read more
- HEROIC and Thunderpick: Launch Counter-Strike 2 tournament. Read more
- GCS MLBB PH Cup: New format for June 2024 iteration. Read more
- Eden Esports: Introducing new broadcasting solutions for female esports events. Read more
- BIG Selecta Talent Program: Launches in Germany. Read more
Guides, Tips, and Tricks
Stay ahead in your favorite games with these tips and tricks:
- Destiny 2: The Illusion Ghost Mission Guide: Learn how to locate the elusive ghost in Savathun’s Throne World. Read more
- Destiny 2: The Final Shape Exotic Armor: Step-by-step guide on how to obtain the new exotic armor. Read more
Don’t forget to subscribe to get all this content and more directly to your inbox. Stay connected, stay informed, and let us guide you through the complex world of gaming.