Quick Hits

• Mark Your Calendars: The highly anticipated first major expansion for Pokémon Pokopia, titled Bubbly Basin, officially locks in its release date for August 5, 2026.
• Nostalgia Overload: Surprise PS5 ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and Black Ops 2 are racking up massive sales, though players are already exhausted by the relentless voting for classic maps like Nuketown, Hijacked, and Raid.
• Capcom Wins Big: Despite early skepticism, Capcom’s mysterious new IP Pragmata has defied expectations by selling a staggering 2.5 million copies in just three months.
• Marvel Domination: The Spider-Man: Brand New Day crossover has officially taken over Fortnite, bringing fresh Spider-Man, Hulk, and Punisher skins to the Item Shop alongside a massive new store update in Marvel Rivals.
• PC Power Moves: A newly tested Linux kernel patch might be a game-changer for handheld enthusiasts, potentially boosting the Steam Deck's 1% low frame rates by as much as 31%.

Pokémon & Nintendo

It’s a fantastic week to be a Nintendo fan. The spotlight belongs to Pokémon Pokopia, as Kotaku and Nintendo Life confirm that its first major DLC pack, Bubbly Basin, is set to drop on August 5, 2026. Interestingly, Eurogamer notes that this surprising collaboration with Koei Tecmo has been a massive success, helping the studio avoid "dependence on major titles" as they look toward high expectations for Wo Long 2 and Attack on Titan 3.

In other Nintendo news, Shigeru Miyamoto sat down for a rare interview with Famitsu, revealing that his current gaming habits are just as wholesome as you'd hope. If you're looking for something new to play on the Switch 2 right now, Nintendo Life's review of Truxton Extreme calls it a thrilling return for the classic shoot-'em-up series. Furthermore, the comedy adventure The Immortal John Triptych is officially bringing the laughs to both Switch 1 and 2 next month. Finally, with Nintendo serving up one of its most anticipated remakes ever with Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 (currently slated for "TBA 2026"), Nintendo Life has ranked the best Nintendo remakes and remasters of all time to help you pass the time.

On the bizarre side of Pokémon news, a Japanese TCG store owner is so fed up with theft that they’ve put out a $6,000 reward for a card thief’s capture—but with the strict caveat that they must be apprehended "alive" and "breathing" (Kotaku).

Fortnite

Epic Games is going all-in on the Marvel universe once again. IGN reports that a Spider-Man: Brand New Day crossover has officially hit Fortnite, introducing sleek new skins for Spider-Man, Hulk, and the Punisher. The comic-book madness doesn't stop there, as Destructoid highlights a massive new store update for Marvel Rivals featuring the "Brand New Day" theme—spotlighting just how financially successful the hero shooter has been since launching almost two years ago.

Call of Duty

The recent, shadow-dropped PS5 ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 are proving to be a massive financial success for Activision, according to Destructoid. However, the massive influx of returning players has quickly reignited a classic community headache. Eurogamer reports that players are desperately begging their lobbies to stop exclusively voting for Nuketown, Hijacked, and Raid every single match.

Indie Games

If you want a break from the blockbuster AAA noise, indie devs are delivering the goods. Rock Paper Shotgun highlights Kaschei, a marvelous, entirely free experimental visual novel that transforms your actual Windows Downloads folder into a creepy, meta labyrinth of mirrors. PC Gamer also points out a beautifully-drawn action RPG flying under the radar on Steam, which stars two girls trained in demanding Sekiro-style combat.

Steam & PC

PC gaming is seeing some incredibly exciting technical developments and ports. Early testing of a new Linux kernel patch shows it could be a massive win for handheld gamers, boosting the Steam Deck's 1% low frame rate by up to 31% (PC Gamer). In other impressive PC wizardry, modders have somehow made the classic Elder Scrolls RPG Morrowind fully playable right in your internet browser.

Looking for new releases? A The Martian-inspired survival game where you're stranded on Mars and forced to grow potatoes just hit Steam. Meanwhile, Sega fans have something to look forward to, as a closed network test for Crazy Taxi: World Tour was announced across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S to test out its new competitive multiplayer modes (Eurogamer). However, it's not all smooth sailing on the platform; PC Gamer reports that the developer of Marvel Tōkon has had to apologize to PC players for severe performance issues in the beta, a troubling sign with only a week until launch.

Gaming Roundup

The wider industry is moving fast. Following the massive success of Pragmata, IGN points out that the vast majority of Capcom's Q1 2026 game sales have been digital—a data point that is reportedly making some physical media collectors uneasy.

Over at Microsoft, PC Gamer reports that next year's major Fallout 76 expansion will explore a "prequel story to Fallout 3." In personnel news, Blizzard's former Battle.net lead has officially moved over to the Epic Games Store to help "elevate player, creator, and developer experiences." Finally, in a surprise turnaround, IGN reports that the action-RPG Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is getting a sequel with its original creator back on board, despite previous rumors that the entire development team had disbanded.