We here at Gamerbolt never tire of talking about the weather; it must be in our DNA, British as we are. As such, we’re pleased (or perhaps sad?) to report that it seems like the current crop of hot weather is over.
Of course, we also feel like we’ve typed those words before, so there’s every chance we’ll see another warm week wash over us in due time. For now, though, we’re free to enjoy our gloomy, overcast normality.
We’re not here to talk about the weather, though; we’re here to talk about gaming, and there’s lots to talk about, as always. Here’s what’s been going on in the gaming world this week!
Take-Two reckons Civilization VII can overcome its “slow start”
If you’ve been keeping up with Civilization VII, you probably know that it hasn’t exactly enjoyed an auspicious start to life, with players complaining about its UI, its gameplay changes, and more.
Well, in a recent interview with IGN, boss Strauss Zelnick says he’s not too worried about that “slow start”, and that Civilization has always “been a slow burn” as a series.
As such, Zelnick feels “really good” about Civ VII and thinks that “over time it’s going to take its place in its civilization pantheon in a very successful, credible way”. We sure hope he’s right!
FBC: Firebreak sales were unsatisfying for Remedy
This week, we learned that FBC: Firebreak developer Remedy Entertainment wasn’t satisfied with the sales of the game when it launched back in June.
According to Remedy’s latest financials, while revenue is up, the studio was “unsatisfied with the launch-phase consumer sales of FBC: Firebreak”, which it puts down to a poor tutorial experience and initial mission structure.
However, the studio says it’s devoted to updating and improving the game; it believes it has a “solid game to build on”. We suppose time will tell whether they’re right or not.
Football Manager 26 is official
In what might be the least surprising news of the season, it was confirmed this week that Football Manager 26 is definitely happening, although we don’t know when it will be coming out yet.
Sega and Sports Interactive say the series is “back, better, [and] building for the season ahead”, likely to address the fallout of Football Manager 25, which was cancelled after a difficult development cycle.
We’ll probably get to learn more about FM26 at some point in the near future, but for now, just know that it’s back (and, hopefully, actually going ahead this time!).
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has made some interesting changes
Patch 1.5 for Soulslike action RPG Wuchang: Fallen Feathers was released this week, and it’s made some…interesting changes to the way the game works.
Though these changes aren’t really present in the patch notes, fans have observed that the update has changed the way some bosses and NPCs work, largely to the story’s detriment, in their eyes.
It’s led to a surge in negative reviews for the game, with players decrying what they see as “censorship” designed to appease “Chinese nationalists”.
Lego Voyagers is coming in September
Cute co-op adventure Lego Voyagers got itself a release date this week, and you might want to make sure you’ve got a friend or partner on hand to play, because it’s not too far off at all.
Lego Voyagers will be hitting a PC or a console near you on September 15th, and it comes complete with both online co-op and a split-screen mode, so it doesn’t matter if you and your friend are in the same room or not.
Between this and Split Fiction, 2025 is turning out to be something of a bumper year for two-player adventures, eh?
PlayStation Plus’ August catalogue revealed
Sony revealed which games are coming to PlayStation Plus as part of its August lineup this week, and there’s plenty to sink your teeth into, especially if you’re an RPG fan.
Two huge RPGs, namely Vanillaware’s Unicorn Overlord and Koei Tecmo’s Atelier Ryza 3, are joining PS Plus this month, along with stalwarts like Spider-Man Remastered and Mortal Kombat 1.
Over on the Premium side, you’re getting two big survival horror adventures in the form of Resident Evil 2 and 3 (that’s the original versions, not the more recent remakes).
PUBG is ending PS4 and Xbox One support in November
Another major live-service game announced this week that it will be ending PS4 and Xbox One support in the not-too-distant future, namely battle royale originator PUBG.
In order to “provide our players with a more stable gameplay environment on console”, Krafton announced that it will end support for PUBG on both last-gen consoles on November 13th.
As a result, players on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S should see “improved visuals and more stable frame rates”, as well as fewer crashes through “memory-related optimisations”, Krafton says.
EA’s Skate will feature “over 100” licensed songs
If there’s one thing that’s important for a skateboarding game to have, it’s licensed music; after all, who can forget hitting the iconic maps of the Tony Hawk’s games to their unforgettable soundtracks?
Well, that’s something EA apparently understands as well, because the publisher confirmed this week that its upcoming Skate reboot would feature “over 100” licensed songs.
We don’t yet know who will be featured on the Skate soundtrack; UK rapper Little Simz and Aussie surf rock duo Skeggs have been confirmed, but other than that, the music is a mystery for now.
PETA wants Nintendo to remove Cow’s nose ring
If you keep up with the news in general, it’s unlikely that you’re a stranger to PETA’s antics, and this week, the animal rights organisation called on Nintendo to remove its cow character’s “cruel” nose ring.
PETA says that “no cow in the real world who is forced to wear a nose ring would ever sport Cow’s goofy grin in Nintendo’s game”, a statement with which we must say we agree.
Whether or not Nintendo takes notice of PETA’s demand and removes Cow’s nose ring remains to be seen; we think it’s unlikely, but hey, stranger things have happened!
