Quick Hits

• Switch 2 Momentum Explodes: Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition looks incredibly slick in its new story trailer ahead of its August 28 launch, while leaked images reveal a gorgeous limited-edition Legend of Zelda Switch 2 console and Pro Controller.
• Blue Blur Hits the Island: Epic Games has officially confirmed that Sonic the Hedgehog is coming to Fortnite for the game's next season, titled "Override," which is heavily rumored to focus on massive video game crossovers.
• Halo vs. Call of Duty: Eurogamer reports that the PlayStation debut of Halo: Campaign Evolved is struggling to sell at the same levels as recent Call of Duty: Black Ops revivals, pointing to a lack of multiplayer as the probable culprit.
• Handheld Hardware on the Horizon: The SteamOS beta just added "preliminary support" for a wireless adapter, signaling that the release of the highly anticipated Steam Frame might genuinely be right around the corner.
• Somber Industry News: Supermassive Games, the studio behind the upcoming Little Nightmares III, has announced layoffs affecting up to 75 employees.

Pokémon & Nintendo

Switch 2 fans are eating incredibly well this August! First off, Bandai Namco dropped a fantastic new story trailer for Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, proving the ambitious port is shaping up nicely for its August 28 release. If you prefer rolling through Cyrodiil, Nintendo Life's review declares The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered a rock-solid update for the handheld. Beyond games, images have leaked of a stunning limited-edition Legend of Zelda Switch 2 console and Pro Controller that will likely have fans scrambling whenever pre-orders go live. For collectors, First 4 Figures revealed a sleek new Metroid PVC statue, with pre-orders opening on August 20.

On the Pokémon front, Kotaku published a fantastic retrospective on how Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire truly defined the modern era of the franchise. If you're diving into the spin-off Pokopia, Destructoid has a handy guide to completing the underwater Bubbly Basin Pokédex. Meanwhile, the Pokémon community is out in full force on Reddit, showing off a meticulously handmade Bulbasaur rug, an epic Invincible crossover drawing, and celebrating a monumental shiny hunt that took roughly 14,000 resets! Finally, in the UK boxed charts, Resident Evil Requiem has climbed back to the number one spot, holding off the PS5 and PC debut of Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls.

Fortnite

Fortnite Chapter 7, Season 3 is nearing its epic conclusion, and players are eagerly counting down to the "Unstable Story Moment" live event to see how the storyline wraps up. If you're still grinding through the current map, Batman's "Hot Bat Summer" event is pushing players to survive chaotic nighttime encounters. However, the biggest news is all about the future: Epic has officially confirmed that Sonic is speeding into the next season, "Override." Leakers have heavily suggested this upcoming season will be a massive celebration of video game crossovers, and getting the Blue Blur on the island is a fantastic start!

(Bonus Battle Royale Note: Over in Overwatch, Season 4 "Reign of Talon" just dropped, introducing D.Va's teammate D.Mon as a new hitscan tank wielding a plasma sword.)

Indie Games & Steam & PC

The PC gaming space is buzzing with fresh updates and hidden gems. In a heartwarming move, the classic indie exploration game Knytt just received a 20th-anniversary update for modern PCs and is entirely free to claim on Steam. If you're looking for bullet-hell thrills, Seven Suns of Orion is turning heads by blending Vampire Survivors gameplay with semi-Newtonian physics and railguns. Meanwhile, the ambitious 100-player shooter Wardogs (from Bulkhead Interactive) finally secured an early access release date, with the developer boldly promising refunds to anyone unhappy with the recent closed beta.

On the hardware front, the Steam Deck ecosystem is evolving, with the SteamOS beta now adding preliminary support for the upcoming Steam Frame's wireless adapter. In more controversial PC news, Saber Interactive has admitted that their upcoming Rideshare "Stimulator" utilizes generative AI writing, though they firmly denied rumors that they replaced the taxi game's lead writer with ChatGPT. Finally, EA FC 26 players have a new endgame grind with the 95+ FOF/FUTTIES T1-T3 Player Pick SBCs, and retro RPG fans were thrilled to see a long-lost Lord of the Rings action RPG make a surprise return to the Steam storefront.

Gaming Roundup

In a rare moment of transparency, No Man's Sky director Sean Murray admitted that Hello Games could have made an astronomical amount of money from DLC and microtransactions, but opted against it for the sake of his mental health and the game's ethos. Looking to the future, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma teased that The Elder Scrolls 6 might have an 8-letter subtitle, keeping the hype train rolling despite an eight-year wait.

Not everyone is eager to collaborate, however. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed that the publisher behind GTA 6 is entirely uninterested in selling to Netflix or anyone else right now. Finally, PlayStation fans should prepare their expectations: Sony announced an upcoming State of Play entirely dedicated to the stylish action game Phantom Blade Zero, though as IGN noted, the announcement chat is already bracing for an avalanche of angry comments.