At time of writing, the World Cup is well and truly over, and England has suffered yet another defeat at the hands of long-time rival Argentina. Our commiserations go out to anyone who is mourning the nation’s loss at tournament level.
Of course, we still have plenty of gaming news to talk about here; there is, after all, no rest for the wicked, and you can be assured that the gaming world has not ground to a halt due to the World Cup.
Dry your tears, pull up your favourite comfy chair, and let’s take a look at what’s been happening in the world of gaming over the last week or so.
League of Legends Classic is official, and it has a release date
Are you yearning for the days when League of Legends was, erm, slightly less toxic and slightly more accommodating of different builds than it is today?
If you answered yes, then you’ll be thrilled to learn that League of Legends Classic is officially a thing. It’s coming at the end of the month, as Riot announced during last week’s MSI Finals.
As you can probably imagine, League of Legends Classic brings the MOBA back to a simpler time, when ADCs didn’t immediately melt in teamfights and Yuumi was but a glint in Riot’s eye.
An in-development Halo multiplayer game has been cancelled, apparently
This week, a report emerged that Project Ekur, an in-development Halo game that would have focused on multiplayer gameplay, was cancelled.
Following the initial report, Windows Central’s Jez Corden confirmed it to be true, with sources apparently hinting at dissent within the ranks at Halo Studios to Corden.
Things aren’t looking particularly great for the Halo franchise as a whole right now, so let’s hope the upcoming Campaign Evolved can inject some life into proceedings again.
The Switch 2 might be about to get an OLED screen upgrade
Did you, like many, think that the Switch 2’s screen was just a little bit lacklustre when the console launched last year? If you did, then there might be good news on the way for you.
According to Korean news platform ZDNet Korea, the Switch 2 might be about to get an OLED screen upgrade. If you don’t know what that means, imagine a brighter, more vibrant screen with better colour contrast.
This is, of course, not official Nintendo news, so it’s very much subject to change. Still, it would make sense given that the last Switch line also got itself an OLED boost.
A Resident Evil remake is reportedly in production
Following the announcement of the Resident Evil: Code Veronica remake during the Game Awards this year, a new rumour has emerged regarding another remake for a beloved game in the series.
According to fairly reliable Resident Evil leaker and rumourmonger Dusk Golem, a remake of the original Resident Evil (which is probably to say a remake of its 2002 remake) started pre-production last year.
This would make sense to us; the original Resident Evil is one of two mainline numbered entries that still doesn’t have a modern iteration, the other being the much less beloved Resident Evil 0.
Dead Space’s Glen Schofield is retiring from the gaming industry
Glen Schofield, best known as one of the co-creators of the original Dead Space (as well as the much less celebrated The Callisto Protocol), is retiring from the gaming industry.
As spotted by Eurogamer, Schofield published a video detailing his retirement this week, and he had some positive words to share as well, describing the future of the industry as “really, really bright”.
We’re not entirely sure about that one, Glen, but we’ll always be grateful to you for your work on one of the most celebrated horror franchises of recent decades.
The Duskbloods’ network test happens in late August
This week, FromSoftware finally revealed when you can expect to get a chance to playtest its latest title, The Duskbloods, so you’d better keep mid-to-late August free if you want to get stuck in.
The network test for the game will run between August 21st and August 24th, and signups will begin on July 22nd, so make sure you get yourself signed up to be in with a chance of playtesting this odd-looking experiment.
You will, of course, need a Switch 2 to participate, and you’re also going to need an active Switch Online membership. Do yourself a favour and don’t let that one catch you out!
Rockstar might not be bringing GTA 6 to PC for a technical reason
If you’re wondering why Grand Theft Auto 6 isn’t going to be launching on PC on day one, then you’re not the only one, but former Rockstar staffer John Ricchio might have an answer for you.
Speaking to KiwiTalkz (via IGN), Ricchio said that Rockstar’s decision not to bring GTA 6 to PC likely isn’t motivated by greed, but by a desire to get the game running on less powerful hardware before subsequently scaling up.
Honestly, we’re not sure we ever really bought the greed angle anyway. After all, it’d make a lot more sense to release your game on as many platforms as possible, and we’re sure there’s an audience on PC desperate for GTA 6.
Fallout’s future is looking bright
We end on a slightly more positive note, as Bethesda revealed this week that it’s investing a lot into the future of the Fallout franchise, despite recent layoffs that might have indicated the contrary.
Plans for the franchise include a fifth mainline game (although, if you know Bethesda, you’ll know that we’re not going to be getting a date for that one for quite some time), as well as remasters for Fallout 3 and Obsidian’s beloved New Vegas.
Bethesda has also teased “an unscripted Fallout Shelter television project”, a major new Fallout 76 expansion that will serve as a prequel to Fallout 3, and a big Fallout Day for 2027, although the event will be skipping out on 2026, sadly.
