Quick Hits

• Bad news for collectors: The Pokémon Company is cancelling 30th Anniversary card orders following a "cyber incident," warning that customer data may have been exposed. The Pokémon Center in the UK and Germany was hit via the same CEVA Logistics breach that affected Valve's Steam hardware customers (via IGN, Eurogamer, Kotaku).
• Switch 2's biggest week approaches: A new preview of Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition suggests performance concerns "are a thing of the past," and Nintendo of America has dropped a full gameplay showcase ahead of next week's launch (via Nintendo Life).
• Fortnite's next era has a name: Chapter 7, Season 4 — "Override" — is nearly here, and Destructoid calls it perhaps one of the most exciting seasonal themes yet.
• Shooter cold war heats up: Battlefield 6 launched a free trial timed exactly to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's beta, while CoD's own socials accidentally posted a placeholder MW4 marketing image that fans suspect is AI-generated.
• Arc Raiders goes global: The Phantom Targets update will shift map conditions to match specific regions' peak hours — a quietly big change for the extraction shooter (via PC Gamer).

Pokémon & Nintendo

Let's rip the band-aid off first: it's been a rough stretch for the Pokémon 30th celebration. IGN reports The Pokémon Company is cancelling orders of Pokémon 30th Anniversary Cards after a "cyber incident" potentially left customer details exposed, based on emails shared online by fans. Eurogamer notes the Pokémon Center in the UK and Germany was caught up in the wider CEVA Logistics breach — the same hack that hit Steam hardware customers in Europe — while Kotaku reports customer orders are being cancelled as a result. Ouch.

On happier note-card news, Nintendo Life has a gallery of the electrifying Pikachu cards coming to Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration, which arrives worldwide September 16th. And if you need a snack while opening packs, the Krispy Kreme x Pokémon doughnuts are here — GameSpot's review comes courtesy of a four-year-old superfan, while Kotaku's taste test found one of the hard-to-get treats "actually pretty good." Finally, Polaroid's latest Pokémon collab has Nintendo Life itching to replay Pokémon Snap on N64 via NSO — "watch the Delibirdie."

Over on Switch 2, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is shaping up beautifully. A Denfaminicogamer preview (spotted by Nintendo Life) indicates performance concerns are a thing of the past based on commentary and gameplay footage, and Nintendo of America has uploaded an official gameplay showcase ahead of next week's launch. Also new: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is out on Switch 2 with "absolutely no cut content," and Nintendo Life is polling readers on their review scores. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate got its Ver. 2.0 update, capping the main story with a new final boss plus new character DLC, and Nintendo Life's best Final Fantasy ranking has been updated with FFVII Rebirth and FF XIV Online. Shoutout to r/pokemon, where one crafter's handmade Pumpkin Togepi plushie keychain is spreading early Halloween cheer.

Fortnite

Countdown mode: engaged. Fortnite Chapter 7, Season 4 — officially titled "Override" — is nearly upon us, and Destructoid says the theme is shaping up to be perhaps one of the most exciting to date. Exact start times are in their countdown guide, so set your alarms and clear your evening.

Call of Duty

Timing is everything: Battlefield 6 kicked off a free trial today alongside Season 4's mid-season update — coinciding, very deliberately, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's beta (via Eurogamer). The shooter rivalry is very much alive. Meanwhile, IGN reports Call of Duty's social team accidentally posted an internal placeholder marketing image for Modern Warfare 4, and fans suspect the image may be AI-generated. Placeholder art, live on the official account — not a great look during beta season.

Arc Raiders

The Phantom Targets update isn't just adding event steps — PC Gamer reports Arc Raiders' map conditions "will shift to fit specific regions' peak hours," a smart move for a game with a global raider base. Need to upgrade your cargo elevators for the event? GameSpot has a guide, noting many Phantom Targets objectives require dealing substantial damage to ARC foes using some unexpected equipment.

Indie Games

A new UK studio to watch: Pretty Cool Games has been announced, led by former Human: Fall Flat developers and currently hiring for a remote team working on a double-A sandbox game (via VGC). And in delightful r/NintendoSwitch news, Battle Suit Aces added an expansion for "negative $5" — the update packs in new items and cards (including shiny versions), revamped VFX, updated mech illustrations, and a full roguelite deckbuilder mode.

Steam & PC

The next batch of Xbox and PC Game Pass games for the back half of August has been announced (via Eurogamer) — worth a look before the month slips away. Over on Steam, Kotaku reports the new factory sim Sandustry is exploding in popularity, calling it "the perfect mix of factory sim and incremental clicker." In less flattering PC news, Kotaku also reports pirated copies of Marvel Tōkon allegedly run much better than the retail version, with improvements attributed to the Steam release's anti-cheat. And if Steam ever seems down on a Tuesday, Kotaku's handy explainer says it's probably just maintenance day. Rounding things out, GameSpot has launched "Cheap Week" with a guide on how (and why) to finally tackle your backlog — gaming has never been more expensive, after all.

Gaming Roundup

Post Malone broke into his $2 million One Ring card, live in front of Magic: The Gathering players — with someone in the room reportedly stressing that "our insurance doesn't cover that card" (via PC Gamer). And keep an eye on Gamescom: insider NateTheHate says Microsoft is gearing up to announce a surprise Xbox game at the show, possibly from an established series (via GameSpot).