Software & Gaming

If you were only vaguely aware of Lord of the Rings: War in the North prior to this week's re-release, it turns out there is probably a good reason for that. A former WB Games employee has recently shed light on why the game didn't get any time in the spotlight when it first came out - it launched right next to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Typically, when a Call of Duty beta lands, players are only given access to a limited number of multiplayer maps and modes, with no testing for the campaign or Warzone. That won't be the case this year, with Modern Warfare 4 set to have the most expansive beta test in the franchise's history.

Insomniac has confirmed that Marvel’s Wolverine will feature just one playable character, putting the full focus on Wolverine himself rather than introducing any side‑character gameplay sections. This clarification arrives after fans speculated that Jean Grey’s appearance in the recent story trailer might hint at a playable sequence.

This month’s free‑to‑claim games for Amazon Prime subscribers have been revealed, headlined by Steelrising. The August lineup includes a mix of action titles, indie releases and narrative adventures, all available to claim across GOG, the Epic Games Store and the Amazon Games App.

The excellent ‘System Shock Remake’ and the comedic FPS ‘High on Life’ are set to be ported to VR thanks to studio Flat2VR.

4 years on and Sonic Frontiers continues to be a success, with SEGA confirming that the latest mainline entry has sold over 5 million copies.

Pokémon Pokopia is officially Koei Tecmo’s best-selling game of all time, with the spin-off surpassing 5 million copies in 4 months.

Upending its gaming ambitions once again, Netflix is now shutting down two of its studios: Night School and Moonloot Games.

Microsoft has announced two new Gears of War: E-Day Xbox Wireless Controllers, alongside an officially licensed 8BitDo charging dock, to celebrate the launch of the next entry in the series. Available for preorder starting today, the Gears of War: E-Day Limited Edition Xbox Wireless Controller features a 3D-moulded, laser-etched exterior …

2K Games is revisiting the Mafia series once again. After releasing the Mafia Definitive Edition trilogy back in 2020, the publisher is now preparing a new bundle for modern consoles. Mafia: The Omerta Collection has been announced, bringing upgraded versions of the Definitive Edition titles to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Bethesda and Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma, have begun teasing the title for the next Elder Scrolls game. Fans were given just one clue this week, the number of characters in the game’s subtitle. With just that information, fans appear to have quickly sussed out what the true title for The Elder Scrolls VI is. 

It looks like the next Kingdom Come game will be arriving sooner than expected. Embracer has confirmed a release window during its latest earnings report, while also revealing that Darksiders is finally making its long‑awaited return with Darksiders 4 planned for the same period. In the Interim Report, Embracer states that …

Nintendo has finally announced that Super Mario Sunshine is joining the Nintendo Switch Online GameCube Classics collection on Switch 2. The title was originally confirmed for the service well over a year ago, making this one of the slowest additions from the first wave of announced GameCube games.

Nvidia is adding nine more games to GeForce Now this week, including several new releases. The standout addition is Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, a major new entry in the tactical shooter series arriving day‑and‑date on Steam and now playable via the cloud. Hell Let Loose: Vietnam brings a new theatre …

Hogwarts Legacy went on to become one of the best-selling titles of 2023, so it should come as no surprise that Warner Bros. is keen to get a sequel out the door. In a recent letter to shareholders, WB reaffirmed its commitment to gaming, while also confirming that Hogwarts Legacy 2 is in development. 

Following the success of Phasmophobia, Kinetic Games have announced 5 new indies set to launch under their ‘Kinetic Publishing’ label.

ARC Raiders’ Frozen Trail update is set to bring with it plenty of exciting additions and welcome changes, including a new map; a new base and more.

Sony has officially announced its PlayStation Plus Extra line-up for August, including the likes of Helldivers 2 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.

Sucker Punch Productions found a strong formula with the release of 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, updating the title with new, free content and eventually a paid expansion. Following in its footsteps, the team have now announced that 2025’s Ghost of Yotei will be getting its own dedicated expansion – with ‘Echoes of Sekigahara’ arriving in just a few weeks’ time.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV now has an official release date. KING Art Games has confirmed that the game will launch on the 3rd of December, with Commander Edition players gaining early access from the 30th of November.

Nintendo may be preparing to bring more classic Pokémon games to the Switch and Switch 2 later this year. A new rumour claims that the original versions of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald could be next in line for re‑release.

Disney has now confirmed more of its plans for Kingdom Hearts at D23 this year. Following the panel announcement last month, we now know exactly who will be participating in the panel, and the guest list strongly suggests that Kingdom Hearts 4 news will be part of the event. 

After previously teasing plans for a Switch 2 version, Pearl Abyss has now confirmed that the Switch 2 port of Crimson Desert is well into development. At this stage, the game is running on Switch 2 hardware, but the studio still needs to do plenty of optimisation work before it can release. 

CD Projekt Red is making further changes to its multiplayer Witcher project, known internally as Project Sirius. According to a new report, the studio has shifted resources once again, resulting in a fresh round of layoffs for the team working on the game.

Aspyr’s surprise remaster of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North appears to be just the beginning. In its press release announcing the newly released Legacy Edition, which arrived earlier this week, the studio confirmed that more classic LOTR titles are now in the pipeline for modern platforms.

Bulkhead and Team17 have announced that tactical 100-player FPS Wardogs will enter Steam Early Access on September 10th. Pre-orders are available now and grant access to an upcoming closed beta weekend running from August 21st to August 23rd. The game splits 100 players across three competing teams fighting for control …

Sony has officially unveiled its limited-edition Wolverine-themed PlayStation 5 / Pro consoles and DualSense controllers.

Following plenty of rumours, images for the limited edition Legend of Zelda Switch 2 console / Pro Controller have now leaked online.

Pre-orders for Phantom Blade Zero have now gone live, with S-GAME / PlayStation announcing a dedicated State of Play for next week.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has claimed that The Elder Scrolls VI features “incredible” grandeur and scale with its story being “even greater.”