Between the World Cup and the continuing hot weather, Brits have plenty to be excited (or grumble) about, but if you can find a little space in your schedule for some more excitement, we’ve got some gaming news to round up.
Here in the post-summer showcase slump (which we consider to run until basically August or so), you’re not going to find too many thrilling game announcements, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff to run through!
Grab a drink (preferably something iced) and join us as we run down what’s been happening in the gaming world this week!
Xbox could be considering more cuts
It hasn’t been that long since Xbox’s last reported round of cuts and cost-saving measures, but now, it looks like the beleaguered brand might be considering even more changes.
On a podcast this week, ex-Raw Fury exec Fernando Rizo claimed that third-party Game Pass deals were being shut down left, right, and centre behind the scenes, suggesting that Xbox is tightening its belt with regards to the subscription service.
Not only that, but GamesBeat’s Dean Takahashi also claimed this week that Xbox is considering shuttering State of Decay 3 developer Undead Labs. We can’t say we’re particularly surprised given the controversy around that game’s trailers, but still.
The next PlayStation could cost over $1,000
Yes, you read that right. According to a Sony Q&A session with investors this week, Sony declared that it no longer intends to sell its hardware at “significant losses”, and that could mean bad news for consumers.
You see, current estimates suggest that the PS6 could cost Sony somewhere in the region of $1000 to make, given the current component crisis that’s sweeping the industry, largely thanks to the ravages of AI. Thanks a lot, Gemini and ChatGPT.
If the console does cost that much, then you can bet your life Sony will be charging more than that for the machine on the street, so get ready to take out a loan, we guess. Either that or just stick with your PS5 until things blow over.
Sike! We’re not done with potential Xbox studio closures
You thought you’d seen the last of Xbox studio closures for another week, didn’t you? Not so, unfortunately, as it also emerged this week that Xbox could be considering closing down Dishonored and Prey developer Arkane.
The gaming giant is also potentially going to be shuttering Arkane’s Blade game, which, in fairness, we’ve seen hide nor hair of since it was first announced in late 2023.
We aren’t industry analysts by any measure, but it certainly seems to us that something has to give fairly soon given the amount of studios that are closing or downsizing.
007 First Light’s IO Interactive is laying off staff
You’d be forgiven for thinking that IO Interactive, the studio behind recent smash hit 007 First Light, is relaxing right now with a martini (and you know how it would be made as well) given the game’s strong sales performance, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
In fact, in a recent social media message, IO confirmed that it’s going to be laying off staff thanks to the cancellation of a long-running in-development project by the name of Project Fantasy. The game was to be an online fantasy RPG funded by a major industry partner.
Bloomberg subsequently reported that the partner funding Project Fantasy was none other than Xbox. That’s right – it’s another stealth Xbox story! We just can’t seem to get rid of them these days, can we? This is the last one, though, we promise.
There’s a live-action Persona TV series on the way
We might still have a ways to go before we learn more about Persona 6, but that hasn’t stopped the Persona train from continuing to chug along, as a live-action series based on the IP was announced this week.
Naturally, we don’t know too much about the show right now, but it’s being developed by Netflix and will be written by Christopher Monfette, whose work you might know from shows like Star Trek: Picard and 12 Monkeys (albeit as a producer).
Hopefully, Atlus and Netflix reveal more about this one in a slightly more timely fashion than the main Persona series itself. Just in case you need a refresher, Persona 6 was finally revealed back in June after years of speculation, although we didn’t get much more than a brief teaser trailer.
Physical PlayStation disc production is ending in 2028
If you’re the kind of person who likes to buy your PlayStation games in physical form (we see you, and we appreciate you), then this week, Sony dealt you a hammer blow by announcing that physical PlayStation disc production is ending.
In January 2028, Sony will no longer manufacture discs for PS5 games sold at retail, and that will presumably also be the case for the PS6 when it eventually sees the light of day. Sony says it’s in response to “shifting trends in consumer preference”.
Rather oddly, games will continue to be sold at retail, but they’ll simply be codes in boxes rather than actual, tangible discs you can keep on your shelf. We don’t need to tell you what a disaster this is for preservation, we’re sure.
The Subnautica 2 drama continues apace with bonus payments and a departure
If you’ve been keeping up with the Subnautica 2 drama, then you’ll know the game has been mired in a complex and difficult situation involving a dispute between its developer and publisher for quite some time now.
Well, this week saw another development in the drama as publisher Krafton finally agreed to pay its employees that much-talked-about $250 million bonus, which was famously tied to the game’s potential performance.
It’s not all good news, though, as CEO Ted Gill, who was only reinstated as Unknown Worlds head in March, has departed the studio once again. Hopefully, it’s smooth sailing to 1.0 from here on out, although we can’t imagine that’ll be the case.
