Gamescom ticks ever closer, and as it does, news slightly dries up, as is always the case when a major calendar event nears. After all, if developers have anything special to show, they’re probably saving it for Gamescom.
As always, however, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to talk about. There’s plenty happening, and some of it’s not related to Grand Theft Auto VI leaks, if you can believe such a thing!
As usual, then, grab your favourite drink and your most comfortable chair and join us as we take a look at what’s been happening in the gaming world this week.
There still isn’t a PS6 release date on the horizon
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal this week (as spotted by the folks at VGC), Sony CEO Hiroko Totoki confirmed that the company still hasn’t decided when the PS6 will be launching.
That might seem unusual given the fact that we’re six years into the PS5’s life cycle, but there’s a serious hardware crisis going on that’s still massively affecting RAM prices, and as such, we’re likely still years away from the PS6.
When it does come out, it’s unclear exactly what direction Sony is intending to take with the machine, but it’s probably best not to expect it to be cheap, at the very least.
Deus Ex’s Warren Spector is resigning from game development
It’s not the first time he’s made this announcement, but this week, Deus Ex and Ultima developer Warren Spector announced that he’s retiring from game development, and this time, he says he (probably) means it.
Spector said that game development is “just not as much fun” for him anymore, and that there’s a new cadre of young developers rising up who “deserve their time in the sun”.
However, Spector says he’s leaving some unfinished business behind in the form of “three games in particular [he’d] still like to make”, so we may not have seen the last of him yet.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is going to have RPG elements
If you thought you were rid of RPG elements in Tomb Raider games following the controversial Survivor trilogy, think again, because the upcoming remake of the first game will come complete with a skill tree and XP gains.
In a new behind-the-scenes video, developer Flying Wild Hog confirms that you’ll gain XP from finding artefacts in the world, and you can use that XP to level Lara up and gain new skills.
Flying Wild Hog’s design director Jason Epps says he felt “much more engaged” when he played the 2013 reboot and realised he could “suddenly affect and increase Lara’s power”. We wonder what’s wrong with, y’know, just enjoying the game.
Xbox Game Pass’ next haul has been revealed
Xbox Game Pass’ lineup for the back half of August has been revealed, and there’s plenty on offer, although once again, the waters are somewhat muddied thanks to the various tiers on offer.
Ultimate subscribers can look forward to curios like Soulslike platformer Vapor World and adventurous departure Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy this month.
Meanwhile, if you’re a Premium subscriber, you’re getting games like Relooted, Starsand Island, and BlazBlue Entropy Effect X, so there’s arguably never been a better time to be a Game Pass member.
PlayStation’s Horizon Hunters Gathering is reportedly being significantly retooled
If, like many, you were completely unimpressed by the reveal of the distinctly Fortnite-looking (in art style, not gameplay) Horizon Hunters Gathering earlier in 2026, you’ll be pleased to know a rework appears to be in the cards.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reveals that Guerrilla Games is currently in the process of retooling the negatively-received title to strip out its live-service elements, seemingly amid a wider retreat from the strategy for Sony.
As such, what’s left will probably be a more conventional multiplayer experience with no extra progression tracks, but whether that wows audiences remains to be seen (assuming the game even gets made).
007 First Light has now hit 4 million sales
IO Interactive revealed this week that its spy sandbox-slash-adventure game 007 First Light has managed to reach a new sales milestone, so things are looking up for everyone’s favourite suave agent.
According to IO, the game is now sitting at a cosy 4 million sales, which isn’t too bad given that it launched back in late May. That figure means the game has picked up just over a million sales a month for itself.
We can naturally expect those sales to slow down a little now that the game is further away from release, but it’s getting plenty of new stuff in the coming months, so if you’ve been on the fence, it might be time to climb down.
2XKO development is officially ending less than a year after release
Riot Games has revealed that its League of Legends-adjacent fighting game 2XKO will be ending development in December, so don’t expect to be checking out any new champions after that.
Two more characters, Lux and Samira, are due for release sometime between now and then, and there’ll be a final bug fix update just before development ends.
Servers will also remain active for the game, so you’ll still be able to play it online for the time being, and Riot is unlocking all champions for anyone who wants to check out 2XKO before the lights are proverbially turned off.
GTA 6 is getting leaked all over the shop
Plenty of people were clamouring for GTA 6 gameplay to be revealed prior to the game’s release in November, but we’re not sure they would have wanted it to be revealed like this.
Grand Theft Auto VI leaks have been happening all over the shop this week, with everything from on-foot gameplay to vehicular sequences being revealed by a mysterious group that appears to have been linked to a Seychelles-based crypto exchange.
We still don’t know exactly who’s behind the leak or when it will stop, but one thing’s a safe bet: Rockstar and Take-Two are almost certainly furious.
