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

Final Fantasy XIV Online officially has a Switch 2 release date: August 4th, 2026, with pre-orders live right now. Square Enix also dropped an extended teaser for the game's sixth expansion, Evercold, which is launching January 2027 and brings a new job and a crossover raid series.

In a story that feels almost too wild to be real, Japan's patent office has reportedly rejected Nintendo's attempted defense of a Pokémon-related patent, with officials apparently unimpressed by what one outlet called an "absurd" argument. It's a rare and genuinely surprising stumble for a company that typically gets what it wants in the IP space.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse from Konami is confirmed to run at 30fps on the original Switch when it arrives this October alongside other platforms. Meanwhile, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO showed off its "Super Limit-Breaking NEO" DLC, adding 33 new fighters plus a free update.

The Pokémon community is absolutely thriving creatively today — shoutout to the artist doing an incredible Charizard vs. Mewtwo mixed-media piece combining graphite and watercolor, a gorgeous Phanpy forest scene, and a Blender-rendered Squirtle ready for a swim. The Pokémon TCG community is also sharing custom deck box designs, and one trainer celebrated finishing their very first complete Pokédex in Let's Go Pikachu. Also, someone created the Mini-Champion Challenge, a fan ruleset where you build your team one Gym at a time — exactly the kind of player-driven creativity that keeps this franchise alive.

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

No direct Fortnite news today, but the battle royale's dominance remains the benchmark: industry analysts report that Meccha Chameleon pulled in June revenue on PC second only to Fortnite — a staggering achievement for a newcomer.

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

The big one: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's beta will include low-SBMM playlists, as Activision says it continues to "learn a lot about multiplayer matchmaking." For a community that has been vocal about skill-based matchmaking for years, this is a genuinely exciting signal — even if it's just a beta test.

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

Meccha Chameleon is the breakout story of the day, generating revenue on PC behind only Fortnite — but it hasn't been a smooth ride. Multiple Steam Workshop maps were infected with malware, and the game's official Discord server was hacked. The developers have already pushed a fix, though the Discord is reportedly still compromised. A reminder that even overnight sensations face serious growing pains.

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

Steam's Train Fest is currently celebrating the railway experience — and PC Gamer is leaning into the chaos by highlighting Train Sim World DLC to remind us all how painfully authentic (and rough) a typical train journey can be.

Pre-orders for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls are live with a solid Steam key discount ahead of its full release. Early hands-on impressions are overwhelmingly positive, with one writer admitting they "suck at fighting games, but Marvel Tōkon has the sauce."

Gaming Roundup — other notable news, trailers, industry moves

Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser weighed in on the physical media debate, saying plainly: "if people want" physical game releases, "companies should provide it." A refreshing stance from someone who helped build one of the biggest digital-first franchises in history.

Marvel Studios dropped a massive San Diego Comic-Con panel, headlined by a Ghost Rider movie starring Ryan Gosling — expect gaming tie-in speculation to ramp up fast.

The Astartes 2 Warhammer 40,000 animated series finally has a release date after years of anticipation from fans.

Happy 25th anniversary to Max Payne, which launched exactly a quarter-century ago today and kicked off one of gaming's most iconic noir sagas.

World of Warcraft is adding Jimothy, the viral, perfectly round, stumpy Seattle raccoon, as an in-game pet — because sometimes the internet wins.