Pokémon & Nintendo — new reveals, game updates, Nintendo Direct news, Switch content, Pokémon announcements

The Pokémon story dominating today is genuinely unsettling: a report from Dutch outlet Trouw claimed that Pokémon Go location data captured by players was used to help train AI systems for military drones. Niantic Spatial has issued a firm denial, insisting they no longer receive data from the app following Niantic's acquisition by Scopely. Multiple outlets covered the fallout, with Destructoid pulling no punches: "Your happy Pokémon Go memories were probably used to train military drones."

In the ongoing Nintendo vs. Pocketpair legal battle over Palworld, an IP expert says Nintendo may only win a $30,000 payout even if they prevail — and it's looking increasingly likely Nintendo will lose. For a company legendary for fiercely protecting its IP, that would be a stunning outcome.

On a much brighter note, veteran Pokémon TCG artist Yuka Morii has a gorgeous new card debuting in Pokémon TCG: Pitch Black, now revealed in English. The artistry in this game never ceases to amaze.

Over in Nintendo land, Rhythm Paradise Groove is shaping up beautifully — previews confirm it's another Rhythm Heaven game with all the simple, addictive charm the series is known for. Sometimes you just want to tap a button to a beat, you know?

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis sees an "unfettered" Lara Croft putting the Survivor Era behind her with blue skies ahead. After the heaviness of the reboot trilogy, this revitalized direction sounds incredibly refreshing.

Japanese charts tell a worrying story: Switch 2 sales continue to slip post-price-hike, but Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is keeping Nintendo dominant on the software side. Hardware turbulence aside, Nintendo's first-party output remains almost untouchable.

Chained Echoes is finally getting its physical release through Super Rare Games after the previous attempt collapsed into a lawsuit against distributor First Press Games. A win for physical media collectors.

Date Everything kicked off its first anniversary with a "Self Care Update" on Switch today, bringing some much-needed bliss to players.

Fortnite — season updates, collabs, new skins, map changes, competitive scene

Fortnite Chapter 7, Season 3 is in full swing and the guide content is flowing. The Lost and Found quests are live as part of the battle pass, giving players a secondary set of objectives to chase down alongside their regular missions.

One of this week's trickier weekly quests asks you to take your car through the car wash to "make a good impression" — wonderfully absurd Fortnite nonsense that has players scrambling to find the right spot on the map.

Specialist NPCs remain some of the most useful yet overlooked allies you can recruit, and several missions specifically require teaming up with them. Knowing all their spawn locations is a genuine competitive advantage.

The Gummy Sprite variant is now available in Chapter 7, Season 3 — it's not a new Sprite type but a variant that can power you up when you find one. Worth keeping an eye out for during matches.

The Epic Games Store on mobile continues its weekly free game giveaways, extending the beloved PC tradition to the new mobile storefront. Free games on the go is a beautiful thing.

Call of Duty — Warzone/Black Ops updates, new seasons, weapons, competitive

The most revealing Call of Duty story today isn't about Call of Duty at all — Toys for Bob studio head Paul Yan explained that they bought their independence from Microsoft specifically to escape the "Call of Duty mines" and get back to making games they're known for. Spyro's big comeback wouldn't exist without that escape. It's a candid look at how the franchise's gravitational pull can consume entire studios.

Paramount Games declared that Yellowstone and Tulsa King video games are "priorities" for the newly formed division. Not CoD-related, but fascinating to see another entertainment giant pushing into the gaming space with major IP.

007 First Light previews are drawing comparisons to Batman: Arkham Knight's "Be the Batman" promise, with the surprising takeaway that the best part of being Bond might be the mundane spy work. That's an unexpectedly compelling design direction.

Arc Raiders — beta news, updates, community highlights, Embark Studios announcements

Extraction shooter Peak is finally returning, and PC Gamer specifically called out that Arc Raiders players should be paying close attention. The extraction shooter space is getting crowded, and healthy competition pushes every title forward.

A concerning Reddit thread on r/ArcRaiders titled "I Think Arc Raiders Has Run Out of Players (PvE)" is making the rounds. A dedicated player with 170+ hours topside reported only ever knocking out 9 raiders, and PS5 players without cross-play are feeling the pinch especially hard due to cheating concerns on PC. This is a genuine red flag for the game's PvE ecosystem — empty worlds defeat the entire premise.

Indie Games — notable releases, hidden gems, devlogs, Steam Next Fest picks

Steam Next Fest this month has an absolutely staggering number of demos — GameSpot's headline captures the collective feeling perfectly: "The Number Of Steam Next Fest Demos This Month Is Too Damn High." If your wishlist isn't overflowing yet, just wait until you start downloading.

Flip Flop Fury turns your mom's flying sandal into a weapon of mass destruction, channeling universal childhood trauma into gameplay. Every culture understands the threat of the airborne chancla, and turning it into a game mechanic is pure indie genius.

Steam & PC — top charts, big sales, Steam Deck compatibility, major PC releases

The Steam Frame VR headset is arriving in the US, strongly hinting that a full launch is imminent. Given Valve's hardware pedigree, this could be a serious contender in the VR space — worth watching closely.

The Latin American Games Showcase featured over 80 games during Summer Game Fest week, easily dwarfing the main event. From drums and cash grants to bubbling capybaras, the region's developers are outgrowing their outsourcing reputation and emerging as genuine creative powerhouses. This was one of the most exciting parts of the entire showcase season and way too many people missed it.

Bounce 2 claims to be a sequel to an Atari "PONG killer" that almost certainly never existed. There's something brilliantly mischievous about building a sequel on a foundation of pure fiction — exactly the kind of weird experiment that makes PC gaming special.

RuneScape: Dragonwilds has its 1.0 launch date confirmed and is squeezing in one more "scorching hot" update later this month before the big release. The survival game spinoff has been quietly building real momentum.

Halo: Campaign Evolved is a totally fresh spin on the original Halo: Combat Evolved, and everything we've learned suggests this is a full-scale reimagining rather than a simple remaster. For PC players who've been waiting for Halo to feel truly relevant again, this could be it.

Forza Horizon 6 has a save corruption issue on Xbox, and the support team is recommending players disable Quick Resume while they investigate. If you're deep into the newest Forza, protect those save files — nothing worse than losing hours of progress to a known bug.

Gaming Roundup — other notable news, trailers, industry moves

Amazon brought back its popular 3 for $33 4K Blu-ray sale just in time for Father's Day, stacked with classic dad films. Physical media lives on.

Amazon also has a Cloud Strife Buster Sword replica at a discount for Final Fantasy 7 fans — because sometimes you need an oversized meat cleaver on your wall.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Hamaguichi-san says gameplay streams pose a huge challenge to story-heavy RPGs, warning that viewers might be satisfied just watching someone else play through the entire game. It's a real tension in the modern era — streams sell copies, but they might also satisfy curiosity without a single sale.

Summer Game Fest 2026 had tons of games you probably missed amid the noise, and GameSpot rounded up the best of them. Worth a browse if you want to discover something unexpected before the holiday release crush begins.