Quick Hits

• Valve has finally given Deadlock a proper ranked mode, though the developer warns that initial matchmaking will be "very rocky" to start.
• Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive Pokémon Pokopia is diving into its first post-launch content drop next week with the Bubbly Basin DLC.
• The newly launched PS5 port of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is under siege, with a notorious hacker seemingly running rampant and resetting player accounts.
• Ron Gilbert, creator of Monkey Island, has officially announced Thimbleweed Park 2 for PC, Mac, and Linux.
• A long-lost, self-deleting 2005 Nintendo DS game, Pokémon PokePark Fishing Tournament DS, has supposedly been found and listed on eBay 21 years later.

Pokémon & Nintendo

It is a fantastic day to be a Nintendo fan. Splatoon Raiders is dominating the Japanese physical sales charts, putting up some absolutely huge week-one numbers. For Pokémon trainers, Pokémon Pokopia players are just days away from the game's first Expansion Pass content drop. The Bubbly Basin DLC launches next week, bringing a wet and wild new experience to the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive.

In Pokémon preservation news, a copy of Pokémon PokePark Fishing Tournament DS has seemingly surfaced on eBay 21 years after its limited 2005 release. The game was famously download-only and would delete itself if the Nintendo DS was shut off, making this a monumental find for game preservationists! Over in the TCG community, chaos reigns supreme as one player actually won a local card shop's "anything but a deck box" tournament by storing their deck in a literal loaf of bread.

On the eShop front, this week's Nintendo Download brings heavy hitters like Lies of P, Big Walk, and Bokura to North America. In retro news, Argonaut Games confirmed that Croc 2 is officially getting the remaster treatment later this year, following the warm reception of last year's Croc: Legend of the Gobbos re-release.

Fortnite

The rumors were true: the John Wick Sprite has officially arrived in Fortnite Chapter 7, Season 3. Brought into the game as part of the Springfield Reloaded update, players can now track down this elusive item on the map to gain a legendary edge in their matches.

Call of Duty

Nostalgia has turned into a nightmare for PlayStation players. The recently launched PS5 and PS4 ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 are currently plagued by a notorious hacker who is running rampant on the servers. This isn't just your standard aimbotting or wall-hacking; players are reporting that the hacker is actively resetting accounts, terrifying the community and putting the highly successful classic port in serious jeopardy. If you're booting up Black Ops 2 on PlayStation this weekend, you might want to tread carefully.

Indie Games

If you're looking for fresh indie experiences, there is plenty to dive into today. The 100 men versus one gorilla internet debate is finally being settled in How Many Dudes?, a chaotic new deckbuilder roguelike that acts as a brilliant experimentation knockout. If you prefer intense action, top-down shooter Kusan: City of Wolves launches on Switch today, bringing some incredibly stylish Hotline Miami vibes to the handheld. Meanwhile, Turnip Mountain arrives as a surprise spiritual successor to the Game Boy Advance's Donkey Kong's King Of Swing, offering a delightfully charming swing-style climbing puzzler.

Steam & PC

PC gamers are eating incredibly well today. Valve has finally injected a proper ranked mode into Deadlock, though they are setting expectations early by warning players that matches will be "very rocky" to start. In hardware news, Dbrand unveiled a Steam Machine customization "backup plan" after its original Companion Cube design was confined to the test chamber.

For simulation fans, an upcoming Steam game is pioneering the bizarrely awesome "accursed trucking genre"—a concept that has former delivery drivers absolutely thrilled. Finally, legendary designer Ron Gilbert has announced Thimbleweed Park 2, and a supposed "new version" of the iconic horror game Amnesia: The Dark Descent is reportedly launching by the end of this year.

Gaming Roundup

• PlayStation Physical Media: Sony has acknowledged the "strong views" from the gaming community regarding their decision to kill PlayStation physical discs by 2028, but the company insisted they are going to "cautiously move this forward" anyway.
• Dead by Daylight: Behaviour Interactive is giving out free codes for its next chapter, Chorus of Sin. Kicking off at the end of August, the "community-driven" event allows players to jump in up to a month early.
• Elder Scrolls Online: Despite suffering a staggering amount of staff in recent layoffs, ZeniMax Online Studios reiterated that The Elder Scrolls Online is "here to stay," though new content has officially been delayed.
• FGC Hollywood Cameos: Fighting game community legends Justin Wong, IFC Yipes, and Maximillian Dood all appear in the newly released trailer for Legendary's upcoming Street Fighter movie!
• Celebrity Gaming: On PC Gamer, acclaimed film director Guillermo del Toro publicly asked for a slightly more forgiving version of Dead Cells—checkpoints and all—"for the elderly players."