Pokémon & Nintendo

• Koei Tecmo's Surprise Mega-Hit: The relaxing life-sim Pokémon Pokopia has been a massive, unexpected success on the Switch 2, already selling over four million copies. Koei Tecmo recently revealed they didn't even forecast the game to be as wildly successful as it has been!
• Pokémon Go Fest 2026 Goes Global: Pokémon Go is celebrating its 10th anniversary with Go Fest 2026, bringing Mega Mewtwo raids, rotating habitats, and Zeraora Special Research to all players logging in during the festivities. However, Niantic is facing heavy community criticism over an exclusive "hundo" Mewtwo NYC live event that has players feeling like a select few are prioritized over the global fanbase.
• A Decade of Catching 'Em All: Speaking of the 10th anniversary, developers at Scopely Explore reflected on how Pokémon Go changed the franchise forever. It's a nostalgic look back at the early days when the game successfully awakened childlike wanderlust in adults—though it was admittedly incompatible with actually doing your job!
• Ocarina of Time amiibo Pleas: With an Ocarina of Time remake coming later this year, fans are desperately hoping Nintendo produces new Zelda amiibo figures to celebrate. The community is officially declaring it "amiibocarina time" as we look toward the game's launch.
• Warframe Invades Switch 2: Warframe made its grand debut on the Switch 2 in March, and TennoCon 2026 brought the heat with reveals of a major new chapter, a playing card mini-game, and the new Sentient Warframe Brysko. Even crazier, the free-to-play looter shooter announced a wild Fortnite collaboration!
• Adventures of Elliot Update: Square Enix is bringing a highly requested patch to The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on Switch 2 soon, finally allowing players to remove the game's incessant voice support. The update first dropped on Steam to rave reviews from fans of the RPG.
• Rayman Gets His Pirate On: Ubisoft has confirmed that the Assassin's Creed Black Flag Edward Kenway skin will be revived for Rayman Legends Retold. It’s a fun crossover that lets our favorite limbless hero live out a pirate's life on the high seas.

Fortnite

• Chapter 7, Season 3 Goodies: Fortnite is introducing "Holofoil Hours" as the new Power Hour event, giving players the perfect window to grab the brand-new Holofoil Sprites. It's a flashy addition to Chapter 7, Season 3 that you won't want to miss when logging in this weekend!
• Crossover of the Year? In a genuinely surprising twist from TenNoCon 2026, Warframe officially announced a collaboration with Fortnite. It’s incredibly exciting to see the Tenno crossing over with the Island!
• Weekend Deals: If you're looking to snag some cheap games before dropping back into the Island, massive sales are leading today's best retail deals. You can currently save big on the LEGO Technic McLaren P1, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, and a huge Criterion Collection 4K Blu-ray sale.

Call of Duty

• Black Ops 2 Port Details: Fans diving into the new Call Duty: Black Ops 2 port were thrilled to discover it preserves the classic emblem editor, but entirely unsurprised to find players already using it to create inappropriate swastikas. It’s a nostalgic feature returning with all the expected, chaotic lobby antics intact.
• Physical Media Boycott Splinters: The PlayStation community's "No Disc, No Buy" boycott immediately fell apart the moment the new Black Ops ports dropped. Sony finally posted an announcement without getting ratio'd, proving that nostalgia ultimately overrides physical media principles!

Indie Games

• Palworld 1.0 Leaves the Clones Behind: Palworld’s massively popular 1.0 update has officially launched, and alongside leaving early access, several designs have been altered to make the "Pals" much less Pokémon-like. It's a huge step forward for the game's own unique identity and a massively popular update for the survival hit.
• Fighting Steam Censorship: Developer Robert Yang brought Radiator Forever, an ongoing re-mastered collection of experimental gay games, to Steam, but warns that "compliance-in-advance is never enough to appease a zealous censor." Another indie dev also recently slammed Valve, stating the platform isn't interested in a nuanced conversation regarding ongoing censorship issues.
• The Refund Abuse Problem: An indie developer is pushing back against review bombers and Steam refund abuse, stating that it is morally wrong to refund a game after completing it and having fun with it. It highlights a growing, frustrating pain point for smaller developers on the platform.
• Next Fest Heroes: An indie developer recently shared how Steam did them a massive solid by personally helping fix their unbootable game just in time to beat the Next Fest deadline. It's always great to see Valve stepping in to lend a technical hand to solo creators!

Steam & PC

• Steam's Record-Breaking 2026: Market analysts estimate that Steam has raked in an astonishing $11.1 billion gross revenue in the first half of 2026 alone. As Xbox and PlayStation seemingly flounder in the console space, Valve's PC storefront continues to post its biggest-ever six-month numbers.
• A Bomb-tastic CS2 Update: Valve has completely rewired the bomb in Counter-Strike 2 to make the explosion more visually spectacular, though the new geometry might actually make it slightly less deadly. It's a small but exciting tweak that will definitely change pro strategies.
• Black Flag Resynced DLC Clarified: Ubisoft is stepping in to clear the air amid a Steam DLC furore, insisting that the standard edition of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is the "full, complete experience." Players won't be forced to shell out for expensive editions to get the core pirate adventure.

Gaming Roundup

• Marvel Rivals Season 9: Marvel Rivals Season 9 is live, adding fan-favorites like Jubilee and The Hood, alongside a cool new event where players must solve the "Death of Apocalypse" mystery. However, critics are noting the game really needs to pick a lane and decide if it's balancing for long-term 'fun' or serious competitive play.
• TennoCon 2026 Massive Reveals: Beyond the Switch 2 news, TennoCon 2026 wrapped up with massive reveals for both Warframe and the upcoming Soulframe. Developer Digital Extremes delivered a staggering amount of content for two massive online action RPGs, keeping their dedicated communities well-fed.