Pokémon & Nintendo

• In a massive twist, legal experts are suggesting that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's highly publicized lawsuit against Palworld looks like a "massive dud," reportedly having almost zero chance of winning in court.
• If you're craving that classic Black & White-era Pokémon vibe, you need to check out the new Switch eShop review for LumenTale: Memories Of Trey, which is being praised as a refreshing, albeit jarring, nostalgic trip.
• Over in the TCG space, veteran artist Yuka Morii has a gorgeous new Pokémon card debuting in the upcoming Pitch Black set. Also, Nintendo dropped a lovely surprise confirming that the mainline Xenoblade Chronicles series is getting Switch 2 Editions, and a new video compares the epic RPG across Wii, 3DS, Switch, and Switch 2.
• Finally, The Walking Dead is somehow getting a brand-new 2D beat 'em up for Switch 1 & 2, and fans are already deeply debating what exactly needs to change—and what must stay the same—in the rumored The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake.

Fortnite

• If you're grinding the battle pass in Fortnite Chapter 7, Season 3, you'll definitely want to knock out the new Lost and Found quests, alongside farming the newly added Nova Crystals in the wildly popular Droid Tycoon mode.
• Best of all, Epic Games is currently offering a massive haul of free cosmetics! You can completely freshen up your locker without spending a single V-Buck if you know where to look.

Call of Duty

• It’s no secret that the mega-franchise has seen better days, with industry analysts noting that Call of Duty recently suffered through one of its worst years in recent history.
• Despite the slump, there are some solid weekend discounts to grab on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. However, the broader future of the franchise feels uncertain as new reports suggest Microsoft is considering spinning off the entire Xbox brand into a separate company.

Indie Games

• Titanfall fans, it is time to get hyped! Splitgate developer 1047 Games is back with Empulse, a new competitive shooter that plays like an absolute spiritual successor to Titanfall 2's lightning-fast movement.
• In a massive win for indie devs, 33 Immortals has officially launched its 1.0 version out of early access on Steam, bringing four distinct classes to the chaotic 33-player roguelike.
• Over at the Tribeca Games Festival, the genre-blending "musical Lovecraftian renovation" game There Are No Ghosts at the Grand took home the top award and announced Tony-nominated Broadway actor Alex Brightman as its lead voice actor!

Steam & PC

• PC gamers, buckle up: a Dutch non-profit is actively preparing to take Valve to court, alleging that the platform's business practices are artificially keeping game prices high.
• On a lighter note, racing fans are burning rubber in Forza Horizon 6, which just dropped the final week of its Welcome to Japan festival featuring a highly sought-after Treasure Hunt chest hidden in Tokyo City.

Gaming Roundup

• In a wild and somewhat concerning industry move, activist investors are aggressively trying to pressure Elden Ring developer FromSoftware into divorcing itself from publisher Bandai Namco.
• Outside of the gaming sphere, filming has officially begun for The Batman Part 2, and preorders for the highly anticipated Project Hail Mary 4K and Blu-ray are finally live on Amazon!