Games news

• After Xbox Pulls Funding, Hitman Dev Is Closing A Studio And Laying People Off

  07-07-2026 20:45 via gamespot.com
  
  Hitman and 007: First Light developer IO Interactive has confirmed that it is closing its Istanbul office, laying off staff in the process as part of cuts that the studio said were "necessary" to help the company stay afloat in the future.IO said it made these cuts after Xbox dropped out of funding Project Fantasy, the company's mysterious upcoming RPG. IO has now "regained full ownership of the project and our IP" related to Project Fantasy, and IO will now fund it independently. However, this
  
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• Arc Raiders’ Matchmaking Update Gives Players What They’ve Always Wanted

  07-07-2026 22:58 via gamespot.com
  
  The latest Arc Raiders update is out now, and alongside the opening of the Expedition 4 window and an upcoming crossover event with Embark's first-person shooter The Finals, the extraction game is getting a matchmaking overhaul that fulfills one of players' biggest wishlist items.Starting today, Arc Raiders offers separate matchmaking buckets for solo, duo, and trio queues. This means that players who may prefer to express different playstyles depending on their team size can now find lobbies th
  
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• College Football 27 Is Pissing Everyone Off

  07-07-2026 22:00 via gamespot.com
  
  Ask players what their favorite mode is in EA's revitalized College Football series, and most will tell you it's Dynasty or Road To Glory, which give players control of an entire school football program or a created player, respectively. Unlike Ultimate Team, EA's long-standing pay-to-win mode seen in all of its sports games, these modes have largely been untouched by microtransactions. But College Football 27 has crossed a line, according to many players who have voiced their frustrations onlin
  
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• Yes, PlayStation Is Making A Gaming Monitor–And You Can Preorder It Now

  07-07-2026 21:55 via gamespot.com
  
  PlayStation 27-inch Gaming Monitor with DualSense Charging Hook$349 | Releases August 27Preorder at Best BuyPreorder at PlayStation Direct
  As PC gamers will tell you: The living room isn't the only place you can play games. But for consoles, most peripherals are designed with a non-desk setup in mind. Until now! PlayStation's new gaming monitor--designed specifically for enjoying a PS5 in a desk-bound context--is available for preorder. The 27-inch gaming monitor even features a DualSense chargi
  
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• Some Of The Most Impressive Gaming Tech Ever Wasn’t Enough To Save Devs From Xbox Cuts

  07-07-2026 21:49 via gamespot.com
  
  This week, id Software and Microsoft are launching Doom: The Dark Ages Revelations, an expansion to the latest critically-acclaimed entry in the enduring first-person shooter franchise. It's just the second game to make use of id Tech 8, the latest iteration of the engine with its own storied history and influence on the games industry. It could, potentially, also be one of the last, in the wake of Microsoft's brutal gutting of id Software as part of its thousands of announced layoffs.The scale
  
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• Microsoft Spent $80 Billion On Its Bet For Xbox Game Pass. It Did Not Work.

  07-07-2026 21:20 via gamespot.com
  A new report sheds more light on the situation at Xbox that led to the big news this week that Microsoft was cutting 3,200 jobs at the gaming company, divesting from studios, and making other cutbacks to "reset" the business.
  Bloomberg reported that Microsoft spent"nearly $80 billion" in the past 10 years on deals to help revitalize Xbox and realize its dream for Xbox Game Pass, but those plans did not pan out the way Microsoft envisioned.
  Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said this week that the big bets ma
  
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• The Barbie Rewind Deluxe Edition Is Available For Preorder (And Comes With An Atari Barbie)

  07-07-2026 21:18 via gamespot.com
  
  Barbie Rewind Deluxe Edition (Switch)$60 | Launches November 12Preorder at Best BuyView at other storesPreorder at TargetPreorder at GameStop Barbie Rewind Standard Edition$30 | Launches November 12Preorder at Best Buy (Switch)View at other storesPreorder at Best Buy (PS5)Preorder at Target (PS5)Preorder at GameStop (Switch)If you're in the market for a hit of nostalgia, Mattel and Atari have you covered with the new Barbie Rewind Deluxe Edition for Nintendo Switch--which is available to preorde
  
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• Best Playbooks In College Football 27 For Offense And Defense

  07-07-2026 20:24 via gamespot.com
  
  Your playbook serves as the heart and soul of both your offense and defense in College Football 27. While your players ultimately have to execute the plays you call, it's much easier for them to do so when you have an expansive playbook with the right schemes.
  You can always make any playbook work on either offense or defense in College Football 27, but some simply have better plays than others. If you want to find the right playbook for you, then you've come to the right place. Below, you'll fi
  
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• Best Passing Settings To Use In College Football 27

  07-07-2026 20:16 via gamespot.com
  
  Passing the ball is one of the most important elements of College Football 27. While you might want to operate a run-first offense in whatever game mode you're playing, you'll still have to throw passes at some point. If you're a College Football veteran, then you likely already have a solid idea of how you like to adjust your passing settings.However, if you're a new player or just need a slight refresher, then you absolutely want to look at your settings as soon as you boot up College Football
  
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• All Celebrations In College Football 27 And How To Do Them

  07-07-2026 20:09 via gamespot.com
  
  While a majority of your time in College Football 27 will be spent picking plays and executing them on the field, there's still some time for a little showboating in between downs, and there's no better way to take a break from the action than performing a celebration.To see a list of every possible celebration in CFB 27 and the buttons required to perform them, keep reading the guide below.
  How to do all celebrations in College Football 27Like the two previous games in the franchise, College Fo
  
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• There Is No Reason To Buy Another PlayStation Or Xbox

  07-07-2026 20:07 via gamespot.com
  
  With confirmation that Sony will no longer make discs for the PlayStation as of 2028, an ugly picture of the next generation of consoles is coming into shape. Not only will the next PlayStation system–projected to launch by the same year–embrace the all-digital future, but the next Xbox, dubbed Project Helix, is likely to as well. Both systems are also facing a series of uphill battles, like memory shortages due to the increased demand of the AI tech bubble, which are likely to
  
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• Bethesda Tells Workers The Company Needs To “Change Course” And Focus On Games With “Greatest Potential”

  07-07-2026 18:43 via gamespot.com
  
  Microsoft recently announced sweeping layoffs affecting 4,800 people, including 3,200 at Xbox alone. This is happening as part of a "reset" of Xbox, and this includes changes to the company's various subsidiaries, including Bethesda.Bethesda boss Jill Braff said the cuts at Xbox "reflect the realities of our industry and business." She said Bethesda has a responsibility to ensure it is "operating from a more stable foundation." In addition to layoffs across the organization--Betheda's id Softwar
  
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• In The Blood of Dawnwalker’s Vampire Story, Death Is Not Always The End | Preview

  07-07-2026 18:00 via gamespot.com
  
  Rebel Wolves' action-RPG balances different quest approaches and tons of consequences to create a story in which you might murder your best friend, and that's okay.
  
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• In The Blood of Dawnwalker’s Vampire Story, Death Is Not Always The End

  07-07-2026 18:00 via gamespot.com
  
  The Blood of Dawnwalker's best feature might be that it sometimes takes choices away from you.In this story-driven action-RPG, you play a vampire, but even the most good-guy vampire ever still has an insatiable hunger for human blood. Sometimes in Dawnwalker, that hunger can get the best of you, even if you're actively trying to resist it. Whether you're talking to your best friend, working to bandage an injured comrade, or battling opponents to save your father's life, when the hunger takes hol
  
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• The Barbarian Limited Edition 4K Steelbook Is Available To Preorder Now

  07-07-2026 17:35 via gamespot.com
  
  Barbarian 4K Steelbook$45 | Releases August 11Preorder at AmazonPreorder at Walmart
  Zach Cregger's Barbarian has been available to watch for a couple years, having released in Fall 2022. But for fans of physical media, it's finally coming to 4K Blu-ray for the first time. You can preorder the Barbarian Limited Edition 4K Steelbook from Amazon or Walmart before it drops August 11. It comes with a nice selection of bonus features to get insight into the horror comedy's process, including director
  
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• Phasmophobia Twitch Drops: How to Earn In-Game Rewards

  07-07-2026 17:32 via gamespot.com
  
  Phasmophobia Twitch Drops are a great way to earn special in-game rewards that you can't obtain simply by playing. By linking your Twitch account with your Phasmophobia account and watching Kinetic Games partner streams for a set amount of time, you can unlock special ID cards and badges, with Kinetic promising future updates will offer cosmetics and other in-game items, too.However, these Twitch Drops aren’t available all the time. Instead, Kinetic Games launches limited-time Twitch Drop
  
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• State Of Decay 3 Might Not Come To Xbox Game Pass, After Being Promised Last Month

  07-07-2026 17:14 via gamespot.com
  
  Exactly a month ago, State of Decay 3 re-emerged at the Xbox Games Showcase with a new gameplay trailer promising a 2027 release window--plus the game's inclusion on Xbox Game Pass. But the open-world survival game might not arrive on Microsoft's subscription service after all. Game File reports the company acquiring developer Undead Labs is under no requirement to put State of Decay 3 on Xbox Game Pass. The deal between Microsoft and the unknown purchaser doesn't contain "any Xbox-controll
  
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• Resident Evil Meets FNAF In This Horror Game Arriving Before Halloween

  07-07-2026 17:00 via gamespot.com
  
  If you've already cleared Resident Evil Requiem several times over, Fright Train may be the next game to consume you, particularly if you're also a fan of Five Nights at Freddy's.
  Fright Train combines the third-person gunplay and inventory management of the former with the mascot-style characters of the latter, and wraps it all up in a roguelite structure aboard a doomed train crossing the Arctic.GameSpot can exclusively reveal Fright Train's release date: It's coming to PC on September 15, and
  
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• Fright Train Release Date Trailer

  07-07-2026 17:00 via gamespot.com
  
  Fright Train combines Resident Evil-style gameplay with visuals similar to Five Nights at Freddy's, creating an interesting horror mash-up, and it's coming this fall.
  
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• Own A 2026 Horror Favorite With The Obsession Collector’s Edition

  07-07-2026 16:55 via gamespot.com
  
  Obsession Collector's Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + DigitalPrice varies | Releases July 14Preorder at AmazonView at other storesPreorder at WalmartPreorder at Gruv Obsession Collector's Edition Blu-ray + DigitalPrice varies | Releases July 14Preorder at AmazonView at other storesPreorder at WalmartPreorder at GruvHorror fans have eaten well this year, with multiple breakout hits from young directors who got their start making short films on YouTube. One of them is 26-year-old Curry Barker, who
  
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• Xbox Layoffs Included 37-Year Veteran Who Designed One Of Xbox’s Best Features Ever

  07-07-2026 16:53 via gamespot.com
  
  The recent layoffs at Microsoft, including deep cuts at Xbox, impacted 4,800 people across the business. One of the staffers let go was Kevin LaChapelle, a 37-year Microsoft veteran who helped bring to market one of the best, most-beloved features in Xbox console history: backwards compatibility.LaChapelle, who was the vice president of the Xbox platform, confirmed on LinkedIn that he was part of the cuts. He started at Microsoft in 1989 as a software designer engineer, and moved to different pa
  
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• Xbox’s New Plan After Brutal Cuts: Focus On The Thing Called Xbox

  07-07-2026 16:52 via gamespot.com
  
  In the wake of mass layoffs at Xbox and several studios exiting the company, Microsoft's gaming division has outlined it plans for growth. Some of these plans include a focus on its biggest IP, investing more in games like Minecraft, and removing several layers of management to streamline its studio model. One other major area of focus will be on Xbox hardware itself, as the company says its flagship console represents 80% of its current business."In order to grow, we made a bunch of bets--and a
  
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• Obsidian Hit Hard By Xbox Layoffs, With 25% Of Devs Cut From Studio

  07-07-2026 16:47 via gamespot.com
  
  Microsoft's mass layoffs had a heavy impact on the Xbox division, and Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind The Outer Worlds, is one of many Xbox-owned studios where cuts were deep. Kotaku reports that between 60 and 70 people--roughly a quarter of the studio's workforce--have been let go. The talent laid off includes producers, QA testers, artists, and many others spanning different disciplines.
  Senior talent was not spared in the cuts, with Kotaku saying that some laid off were with the st
  
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• Xbox Game Pass New Games For July Revealed

  07-07-2026 16:02 via gamespot.com
  
  Amidst a lot of bad news at Xbox this week, the company has also revealed the first wave of titles being added to the Game Pass library in July 2026. This month's new additions run across a wide variety of genres, and several day-one releases are also mixed among them. Here's a closer look at everything that's on the way, which platforms these games will be available for, and which tier of Game Pass you'll need to play them.Xbox Game Pass July Wave 1 AdditionsJuly 6Winds of Arcana: Ruinatio
  
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• Xbox Wants To Entertain 1 Billion People Every Day. It Can’t Even Explain How

  07-07-2026 15:04 via gamespot.com
  
  1 Billion DAU!Following the announcement that Xbox will cut its workforce by 20%--with 1,600 employees already laid off in the first wave of retrenchments--Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has detailed plans for the company to reach an absurd number of people every day."I want Xbox to be one of the few companies that entertains more than a billion people each day and gives everyone the opportunity to create and connect. I know we can achieve this goal. Xbox has many of the most beloved franchises in enterta
  
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• Orbitals Could Be Something Special

  07-07-2026 15:00 via gamespot.com
  
  Jake Dekker and Tom Caswell had the chance to play 30 minutes of Kepler's co-op space-faring game Orbitals at Summer Game Fest. Inspired by Studio Ghibli and the work of Akira Toriyama, this Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is one to keep an eye on.
  
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• How To Upgrade All Moonlight Peaks Tools

  07-07-2026 09:01 via gamespot.com
  
  When you begin your adventure in Moonlight Peaks, you'll have very basic tools with limited power. For instance, your pickaxe can only break small, standard rocks when you first set out, but after an upgrade, you'll be able to break up larger rocks that stand in your way. You'll need to upgrade all of your tools throughout your journey to continue progressing through the game's story and building bigger and better items. With that in mind, here's everything you need to know about upgrading your
  
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• Original Nintendo Switch Will Be Discontinued In Europe

  07-07-2026 02:18 via gamespot.com
  
  Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the original Nintendo Switch, which remains in active production despite the debut of Switch 2 in 2025. However, the Switch's time will be coming to a close in Europe just shy of a decade after its initial release.According to a notice on Nintendo's official site, the Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED will no longer be available to European retailers after mid-February 2027. Nintendo Store will also stop carrying the original Switch models for Europ
  
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• How To Use Discord On Your Steam Machine And Steam Deck

  07-07-2026 00:41 via gamespot.com
  
  If you're a PC gamer, you're probably accustomed to using Discord for voice and text chats during your games. Now that Valve has brought the Steam experience to TVs and handheld devices, you'll likely want to keep your usual gaming setup intact.
  Thankfully, Steam's devices are pretty much just PCs running on Linux, so they can do most anything you'd want a PC to do. Here's what you need to know to bring Discord to your Steam device. In This Article How to use Discord on Steam Machine or Steam De
  
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• Get Discounts On 300+ Items During Minecraft Marketplace’s Summer Sale

  06-07-2026 22:23 via gamespot.com
  
  We're in the thick of Minecraft Marketplace's Summer Sale, which includes more than 300 Marketplace items for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition discounted up to 33%. The retailer is also offering a daily Doorbuster sale featuring two deals per day through July 14, and these will be discounted by 75%. The sale lasts through July 28 at 10 PM PT, and you can use either IRL money or Minecoins to make your purchases.
  See at Minecraft Marketplace
  While there are many options to choose from, here are a few we
  
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