Quick Hits

• Wardogs is the story of the day. The 100-player military shooter launched into Steam early access on September 10 and racked up over 266,000 concurrent players minutes after going live (Destructoid), with GameSpot reporting almost 350,000 people logging in — alongside hours-long queues, the WD-L014 error, and a parachute-unbinding bug.
• EA's next mega-move? Eurogamer and GameSpot report Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund — which acquired EA in a $55bn leveraged buyout earlier this year — is reportedly weighing a merger between EA and its Savvy Games Group, potentially putting Pokémon Go and EA FC "under one roof."
• The Nintendo Direct afterglow continues. Pre-orders are live for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 and its Zelda-themed console (Currys has stock in the UK), a Monster Hunter Wilds Switch 2 bundle launches in Japan this December, and Star Fox Adventures just joined Switch Online's GameCube lineup — with a widescreen toggle hiding in plain sight.
• Nightdive has officially confirmed Thief: The Dark Project Remastered's new campaign, The Tarnished Mirror, days after the name leaked via a mass Steam achievements leak — with a November reveal date on the calendar.

Pokémon & Nintendo

Nintendo squeezed two Directs into as many days, and the fallout keeps giving. Nintendo Life has a running pre-order guide for the "stunningly detailed" Ocarina of Time reimagining of the N64 classic and its accompanying Switch 2 console — Currys currently has the hardware in the UK — plus a feature unpacking 26 details you might have missed in the reveal.

Beyond Hyrule: the Monster Hunter Wilds Switch 2 bundle launches in Japan this December, marking the mainline series' debut on the platform. Rare's divisive 2002 adventure Star Fox Adventures joined the Switch Online GameCube line-up this week, and yes — you can play it in widescreen on Switch 2 right now. Meanwhile, Nintendo won a court case in the Netherlands ruling the sale of Switch "circumvention devices" unlawful, urging fans to avoid them entirely.

Kotaku flags the Direct's most overlooked gem: Torneko's Mystery Dungeon classic HD release — the game that pioneered the genre and led to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon — is available in English for the very first time. On the merch shelf, IGN went hands-on with The Pokémon Deluxe Character Book, essentially your own hardcover Pokédex amid the franchise's 30th anniversary celebrations.

Community corner: a six-year-old's increasingly ambitious Lego Pokémon builds (already on Pt. 3!), a genuinely adorable Mimikyu tattoo, Pokémon card painting as end-of-day stress relief, sunny Pelipper and Wingull fan art, and a new chapter of the Pokémon Red & Leaf fan comic.

Fortnite

GameSpot is asking the question on everyone's queue screen: why are Fortnite's player numbers falling so hard this season? The piece notes that ever since Fortnite began publicly posting player numbers back in 2023, any decline brings the doomsayers out in full force — and this season's dip is exactly the kind that gets people talking.

Indie Games

• Shroom and Gloom — PC Gamer declares this roguelike deckbuilder their "new obsession," citing fantastic fights, beautiful artwork, and (their words) tasty mushrooms.
• Castlevania: Belmont's Curse — Rock Paper Shotgun's verdict on Dead Cells developer Evil Empire's revival glows: a "blessing for the Belmonts," following Trevor and his daughter Rose as they sail into a Paris torn apart by monsters.

Steam & PC

Wardogs, wardogs, wardogs. Kotaku is hooked on Steam's latest super hit — a slower, bigger, "in many ways better" Battlefield-like they describe as a massive 100-player Warzone simulator fueled by cash, though they concede it won't appeal to everyone. Destructoid clocked those 266,000+ concurrents minutes after launch as the game openly guns for the FPS crown. If you're dropping in: GameSpot has you covered with an explainer on FOBs and why you need one, a fix for the WD-L014 error behind September 10's hours-long queues, a parachute troubleshooting guide (check that the keybind is still bound — and that you actually own one), and a rundown of the launch Twitch Drops.

Elsewhere on the platform: a meaty Steam client beta update adds a new Big Picture view, screensavers, and a little treat for desktop Steam Machines. And Nightdive's Thief: The Dark Project Remastered just got its new campaign, The Tarnished Mirror, officially confirmed with a November reveal.

Gaming Roundup

• Grand Theft Auto 6 lands in just over two months, and GameSpot's official position is: go ahead and take the vacation time. Less charming: IGN reports a real-life nudist resort is being bombarded with problematic reviews after fans drew comparisons to GTA 6 leaks.
• Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's director says shipping the full game on disc would compromise "the quality of the final chapter" — physical versions require a download anyway.
• Zach Cregger had to dial down the jokes in his upcoming Resident Evil film because test screeners thought it was "too funny." A genuinely rare problem!
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword is getting a free prequel webcomic diving into the past of two characters PC Gamer is especially fond of.
• IGN's Long Game column breaks down four tactics worth mastering early in Star Wars Zero Company — early investments that pay off long-term.