Some people get very excited for our annual non-E3 blast of games news in June. Others await the Q3-Q4 release window rush of games with glee (although, this year, I find it a bit more scary than I do exciting). My favourite time of the gaming calendar, though, is split between two six-month blocks: I celebrate the arrival of Summer Games Done Quick and Awesome Games Done Quick like the passing of Halley's Comet.
Valve has rolled out a change to SteamOS that should help devices using a WiFi antenna get better download speeds. This latest version, 3.8.14, was released over the weekend. The change-log only lists two changes, and one of them is pretty consequential. The new version fixes an issue that caused WiFi speeds to be limited on routers that incorrectly advertise their MCS requirements.
Last week brought us the stunning first proper trailer for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2, which is introducing and following an all-new cast of characters and storyline (even if we're not leaving Night City). Soon after, some lucky fans and members of the press were able to watch its first episode before the season premieres on Netflix in fall 2026.
There's a whole world of shockingly creative YouTube channels out there, but it's not often we come across something as surprising as Atlas Arcade's playable Mario Kart video..png?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp)
July may be a quiet month when it comes to new game releases, but one of the biggest games of 2024 is graduating out of Early Access during the month. Palworld, the survival and creature-collecting hybrid whose characters look similar to Pokemon - but are legally distinct, will roll out its 1.0 update this Friday, 10th July.
In a move that's been brewing for a while now after Europe announced the Right to Repair directive and new battery regulations, Nintendo committed in early June to Switch revisions. Now, the hardware giant has detailed its rollout plans for Switch 2 products.
Psychonauts and Keeper developer Double Fine Productions, and South of Midnight and We Happy Few developer Compulsion Games, have reacted to their new futures as it's confirmed they will become independent developers again.
Following weeks of rumours and speculation, Microsoft and Xbox have announced today around 3200 jobs are being cut before financial year 2027 ends, with a number of studios being let go to find new owners or go independent. As more details pour out, we've also learned ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks are facing cuts - even if no studios are closing. Moreover, there are new plans for their key properties moving forward.
Good Smile Company has announced Hatsune Miku: Starry Party, a new "party action" game with chibi character designs coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam.
Tweet
Last week was a disruptive time in the video game industry, as Sony announced it would no longer be creating video game discs starting January 2028. For many, that was the ring-side bell for the death of the physical games industry.
The Steam Machine that suffered a "red line of death" last week that was thought to indicate a serious graphics card issue has miraculously sprung back to life.
The news is finally out. Microsoft is laying off thousands of people from its Xbox division and losing four game studios from its roster.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has expressed hopes that Xbox can be a company that "entertains more than a billion people each day" amidst drastic change at the company.
Saros, the latest game from the arcade-loving game creators at Housemarque, is getting a new two-and-half hour trial for anyone interested in trying it.
A second wave of massive Microsoft layoffs has reportedly hit Zenimax Online Studios, with some sources claiming "up to half" of the studio has been cut.
Comment