Console Creatures

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies and Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM has been hit with layoffs after the studio's latest game failed to make a commercial splash. pic.twitter.com/h1JqIYywR5 - ZA/UM Studio (@studiozaum) July 17, 2026 In a post on Twitter, ZA/UM confirmed the layoffs and revealed it served notices this week, impacting up to 32 employees across all departments.

Bethesda Game Studios is on the defensive after a brutal layoff rolled through Microsoft's Xbox division earlier this month. In a post, Bethesda's Todd Howard detailed the future of Fallout to distract from the savage and deplorable layoffs at Xbox. And it is working. Mostly, though. Revealed today, the future of Fallout is packed with remakes, sequels, and expansions. "Fallout is one of our biggest priorities today.

Where Winds Meet is about to go through the winds of change. In what developer Everstone has described as "Wuxia new era" and "Where Winds Meet 2.0," the free-to-play game will launch its "Hidden Mountain" expansion on July 23. A striking new "Eastern Steampunk" aesthetic, full of machines and automatons, will grace this new world.

In keeping with my recent beat of Pokémon collaboration news, here's some from a frequent collaborator. Razer has once again partnered with the Tokyo-based multi-disciplinary manager of all things Pokémon, The Pokémon Company, for a line of the latest models of some of their most-loved computer peripherals adorned with two of the most popular Pokémon. Sadly for us Canadians, the Razer X Pokémon Pikachu & Eevee Collection appears to be available today, but not yet in Canada.

Here's a partnership that is sure to be treasured. Fellow Californians, GUNNAR and Crystal Dynamics are teaming up to bring a frame that is all about adventure, and handling whatever comes your way. Their new Tomb Raider Croft frame celebrates the adventures Laura Croft has gotten into in video games from over the past 30 years - often while wearing sunglasses very similar to these. This new frame uses GUNNAR 's lightweight stainless-steel frame in a medium-size profile.

I was lucky enough to attend a preview event earlier this week for , and as with most yearly sports titles, I expect minor changes. I do feel that, over the years, the team over at EA SPORTS has done a decent job of listening to the community and delivering a major change each year. Last year, they overhauled Be A Pro in NHL 26 after years of community requests, and this year, we see them introducing what is probably the most requested feature: Connected Franchise.

PlayStation is back with another month of games for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers. It's a solid line-up, with the likes of Rise of the Ronin and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora headlining this month's offerings. Rise of the Ronin hits the service on July 15th, with other titles hitting July 21st and July 28th.

FromSoftware's Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive game, The Duskbloods, is set to receive a closed beta test next month. You can head to The Duskblood's website, which shows that developer FromSoftware is set to host a Network Test for the upcoming exclusive title, taking place from Aug 21 to Aug 23, 2026. Applications for the Network Test on July 22, 2026, at 10 AM EST will close on July 28 at 9:59 EST.

It's rare that we get something that's genuinely new in video games nowadays, but from developer Undercoders is unlike anything else. You can obviously feel and see the games and anime it takes inspiration from, but it makes it all its own with unending maximalist energy that never loses its heart. It's endlessly creative, with each new level unlike what came before, and unafraid to go so off the rails that you can never predict where a level will go when it starts.

Game Freak and Frictions released a new combat overview for Beast of Reincarnation to showcase the real-time action and tactical elements. The five-minute video prominently features the protagonist, Emma, and her companion, Koo. In the video, we see how each enemy has a health bar and a down bar, with the latter indicating when you can unleash powerful attacks once the gauge is depleted. There's also a parrying mechanic where, if timed right, you don't take any damage.