Quick Hits

• Electronic Arts has officially been acquired by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund in what is reportedly the biggest leveraged buyout in corporate history, with GameSpot warning that what comes next could be painful.
• Pokémon Pokopia's Version 2.0.0 update is officially live on Switch 2, bringing the first paid "Bubbly Basin" DLC, a new underwater town for Ditto to renovate, and the free Dive move.
• An 18-year-old developer nearly struck it rich on Steam, as their $200 joke game, This Game Costs 200 Dollars, generated nearly $1.4 million before a massive wave of player refunds.
• Master Chief is ruling the UK charts, with Halo: Campaign Evolved successfully knocking Splatoon Raiders off the number-one physical sales spot.

Pokémon & Nintendo

It’s a massive day for Pokémon fans! The highly anticipated Version 2.0.0 update for Pokémon Pokopia has dropped on the Switch 2, unleashing the first of three paid expansions: the Bubbly Basin DLC. Players can now venture underwater to a brand-new town that you can help a Ditto renovate. To explore these depths, you'll need to learn the Dive move, which is thankfully available entirely for free without needing to purchase the DLC.

Over in Nintendo news, a recent Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Nintendo Direct dropped over 20 minutes of new details ahead of the game's September 17th launch. Meanwhile, Square Enix is already testing an update for Final Fantasy XIV Online on Switch 2 to address prolonged loading times. In a wild piece of gaming history, it was revealed that a Capcom producer once threatened Shigeru Miyamoto to successfully negotiate the development of classic Zelda games under the now-defunct Flagship division. Finally, while Halo: Campaign Evolved took the top UK physical chart spot from Splatoon Raiders, Nintendo still holds an impressive 15 spots in the Top 40.

Call of Duty

If you're booting up the newly released PlayStation 4 and 5 ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, don't panic if you suddenly receive an "account banned" message. Eurogamer reports that this is a known false alarm tied to ongoing updates for the massively popular port, meaning your account is likely perfectly safe.

Indie Games

The PC gaming space is delivering some incredible drama today. The teenage developer behind This Game Costs 200 Dollars—a literal joke game priced exactly as its title suggests—raked in roughly $1.4 million before thousands of players inevitably refunded the title. In lighter indie news, a developer is currently working on a hilarious new mechanic designed to creatively punish and soften the blow of rage quitters who tilt and disconnect during online matches.

Steam & PC

Valve has actually fixed Steam's local game transfer problem, finally making it seamless to move massive game files between your personal rigs. If you're hunting for deals, Steam's Cyberpunk Fest is live right now, offering big savings on all your favorite high-tech, lowlife digital adventures. On the hardware front, Rock Paper Shotgun asks if 8GB of VRAM is still enough for a 2026 graphics card. They conclude that while it's technically viable, GPU makers really need to stop relying on it and strive for better baseline specs.

Gaming Roundup

Beyond the headlines, the industry is moving fast. Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced drops Update 1.0.6 later today across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, bringing a host of changes—most importantly, the ability to finally hide Edward Kenway's unsightly blowpipe! Over at GameSpot, the team is buzzing about Mistfall Hunter, a dark fantasy PvEvP extraction game that successfully blends deep class-building with light souls-like mechanics.

If you're a card collector, the upcoming TCG Riftbound apparently used to play a lot like Magic: The Gathering before playtesters firmly rejected those initial mechanics. Meanwhile, horror fans are proving their appetite for remakes, as Resident Evil Veronica has officially hit 2 million wishlists—which shouldn't surprise anyone considering the incredible Resident Evil 2 and 4 remake team is at the helm. Finally, Big Walk, the highly anticipated co-op follow-up to Untitled Goose Game from House House, has officially hit a major player milestone on PS Plus!