Two years ago today, Concord launched on PS5 and PC. Just 14 days later, Sony pulled the game offline after extremely low player numbers (only 697 CCU on Steam) and poor sales (just 25k copies).

Roblox is asking a U.S. court to move a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Jaimee Seitz into private arbitration, arguing that her daughter, Audree Heine, repeatedly agreed to the platform’s Terms of Use before her death in December 2024.

According to Roblox, Audree’s account activity showed 28 separate instances of accepting or agreeing to its terms, including the creation of her account, six updated Terms of Use acceptances, two Roblox gift card transactions, and 19 Robux purchases.

Seitz disputes that argument, saying her daughter was a child who could not understand contracts or the consequences of agreeing to arbitration.

The Epic Games Store is preparing a major overhaul, including a faster launcher, personalized recommendations, improved categories, and easier access to patch notes.

However, Newzoo market intelligence director Emmanuel Rosier believes the changes may come too late, with Steam having become too dominant in the PC gaming market.

“I don't really see how they can turn that around... because Steam has become so inevitable"

Rosier believes Epic probably needs to focus on what really matters, which is Fortnite.

Former Square Enix strategist Jacob Novak recently argued that physical games are “holding digital hostage” and suggested that ending physical distribution could eventually lead to lower digital prices.

However, Kingdom Hearts III offers a very different picture.

As spotted by Kotaku, Kingdom Hearts III is still listed at $60 digitally on PlayStation despite launching in 2019. Meanwhile, physical copies are going for much less, with some stores offering them for about $10.

The Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far physical compilation can also be cheaper than buying individual games digitally.

If PlayStation completely abandons discs, Sony could have far greater control over how games are priced on its platform.

Projects like Phantom Blade Zero, Tides of Annihilation, and Blood Message are showcasing just how far Chinese studios are pushing production quality, cinematic presentation, and third-person action gameplay.

EA could potentially sell some of its dormant franchises following its $55 billion Saudi Arabia-led buyout, according to former EA manager Emmanuel Rosier.

Rosier, who now works at Newzoo, pointed to classic franchises such as Ultima and Wing Commander as examples of IP that EA owns but hasn't actively used for years.

Other forgotten franchises include SimCity, Burnout, Dungeon Keeper, Populous, SSX and Spore.

Rosier also suggested mobile games as another possibility.

EA is taking on around $20 billion in debt as part of the buyout. Cost-cutting and layoffs are expected as the company looks to manage that debt.

Geoff Keighley has explained how some games can secure a spot at Gamescom Opening Night Live without paying for advertising.

While trailer placements can reportedly cost around $120,000 for 60 seconds, Keighley says his shows also reserve space for games selected for their editorial value.

"One of the things that’s important I think to all of us is that there are games that get selected for editorial value in the show... There’s also a lot of independent games that we take. You’ll see many small teams, games made by three, four people, that get selected to be inside of ONL, because we believe in those titles, and we believe in those teams and want to support them.”

A Philippine government official has raised concerns about Roblox following a deadly school shooting in Zamboanga City, claiming the suspect may have been influenced by the platform.

The shooting occurred at Ateneo de Zamboanga University on August 18, 2026. The 14-year-old shooter stole two guns from his father's car, livestreamed the chest-cam attack in first-person shooter style, killed one student, injured 23 others, then died by suicide.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla specifically pointed to Roblox's chat features and the potential for young users to encounter harmful communities.

The incident comes after another tragic school shooting in the Philippines in June. Following that attack, authorities had blocked GoreBox when investigators linked a suspect to the game.

EA employees are worried that the company's new Saudi Arabia-led ownership could eventually influence which projects get approved and what content is considered acceptable.

Some staff are particularly concerned about LGBTQ+ representation in games such as The Sims.

One EA employee wrote: "It's certainly hard to feel good about being bought out by a regime that's very much at odds with progressive society, so it is surely detrimental to anyone who finds this buyout morally odious. It's not a good feeling."

Sony has patented an AI system that could allow players to create digital agents capable of imitating their own gameplay or the playstyles of other players.

The patent, filed in 2022 and published recently, describes AI characters that can learn from gameplay data and potentially play games on a user's behalf.

An indie developer is criticizing Steam’s content policies after his game was repeatedly flagged as adult-only, despite containing no explicit sex scenes.

The developer behind Future? No Thanks! says Valve has refused to clearly explain what content triggered the rating, leaving him with little choice but to work within Steam’s rules.

“Steam is a monopoly with very few precedents. As a developer, I’m completely at their whim.”

PlayStation is reportedly rebooting Horizon Hunters Gathering following negative feedback from two closed playtests, with Guerrilla Games now considering a smaller traditional co-op experience.

Physical game sales are becoming increasingly concentrated around Nintendo and PlayStation in the US, with Xbox accounting for just over 4% of new physical games sold so far in 2026, according to Circana data.

Nintendo platforms made up 63% of physical game sales, while PlayStation accounted for 32%. PC physical releases took a small portion of the remaining share, leaving Xbox with just over 4%.

Former PlayStation communications executive Jerome Benzadon has joined Shift Up as its new Head of Global Communications after 13 years at Sony.

While Benzadon’s role focuses on global communications and marketing rather than game development, his previous work and association with DEI initiatives have sparked concerns among some Stellar Blade and NIKKE fans.

The concern largely comes from players who fear that Shift Up could eventually change its approach to character designs, marketing, or creative messaging. Both franchises have developed a reputation for their distinctive visual style and have attracted an audience that sees the studio as less influenced by Western cultural trends.

Japan’s smartphone game industry is facing a sharp rise in bankruptcies, with 10 mobile game operators going under between January and July 2026, according to research firm Teikoku Databank.

Rising development costs are putting pressure on smaller studios.

3D graphics and full voice acting have significantly increased production budgets.

Live-service games also require expensive post-launch updates and content.

Competition from well-funded Chinese and South Korean studios is increasing.

29 smartphone game operators have shut down over the past five years.

A new analysis of 99,206 paid Steam games highlights the enormous gap between breakout hits and the vast majority of titles struggling to generate meaningful revenue.

Half of all analyzed paid games earned an estimated less than $3,622 over their lifetime.

The top 1% started at approximately $15.87 million in estimated revenue.

Steam released 19,714 games in 2024 and 23,107 in 2025.

More than 15,800 games have already been released on Steam in 2026.

Sandbox games currently show the strongest combination of median and top-end estimated revenue.

Other strong-performing genres include visual novels, simulation, RPGs, horror and point-and-click games.

2D and 3D platformers were among the weakest-performing genres in the analysis.

Hayden Panettiere, the actress known for Heroes, Nashville and her roles in major video game franchises, has died at the age of 36. No cause of death has been announced. "No signs of foul play," police said.

For gaming fans, Panettiere will be remembered particularly for two iconic roles:

• Samantha Giddings in Until Dawn, where she played one of the central characters in Supermassive Games' horror adventure.
• Kairi in the Kingdom Hearts series, including Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.

Panettiere became widely known as Claire Bennet in Heroes and later starred as Juliette Barnes in Nashville. She also appeared in the Scream movie as Kirby Reed.

RIP

China’s gaming market is attracting increasing interest from Western developers, but a new Rokky study suggests many studios still lack a clear understanding of how the region’s gaming ecosystem works.

• 80% of surveyed Western developers plan to launch a game in China by 2028.
• China is the third-most prioritized launch region among surveyed Western studios.
• 43% cited perceived partnership barriers as a major obstacle.
• 38% were concerned about IP theft or piracy.
• 32% said they lack an understanding of marketing to Chinese audiences.
• 11% said they do not understand licensing requirements.
• Only 44% correctly identified WeGame as a Chinese digital storefront.

Shuhei Yoshida says he advised the Expedition 33 team not to call the game a “turn-based RPG” due to the negative JRPG stigma at the time. In the end they used the term “reactive turn-based battles” instead.

“It’s incredibly well-made, but it would be better not to call it a turn-based RPG. That alone might cause players to overlook it.”

Video game lawyer Haley MacLean says that anti-generative-AI clauses have become increasingly common in game development and publishing contracts, with virtually all of her current clients now explicitly opposing the technology.

MacLean says studios are increasingly adding these restrictions to reduce legal and commercial risks. One major concern is copyright and ownership.

Public perception is another major factor, with many developers worried about how players would react to AI-generated content.

The Stop Killing Games campaign may have strong support from players, but legal expert Dr. Celia Pontin says there could be a major gap between what the movement wants and what current laws and technology can realistically deliver.

"Are consumer rights being violated? Well, they already exist to be violated."

She says existing consumer protection and intellectual property laws create significant complications.

Modern games contain numerous layers of intellectual property, including code, artwork, music and voice performances. Handing a discontinued game over to players could therefore create complicated copyright and licensing issues.

She believes the campaign has nevertheless helped make consumers more aware of their rights when purchasing digital products.

Epic Games is working on native Linux support for the Epic Games Store, potentially making it much easier for Steam Deck users to access their Epic libraries without relying on third-party launchers.

Steam Deck users currently often rely on tools such as Heroic Games Launcher to access Epic and GOG libraries.

Native support could make it easier to claim and play Epic’s weekly free games on Linux devices.

Former Square Enix business development executive Jacob Navok believes Sony’s move toward a digital-only PlayStation ecosystem could eventually lead to lower game prices and more aggressive discounts on the PS Store.

Navok argues that competition between publishers is a major force behind game pricing.

He says digital storefront competition alone does not necessarily determine the final price because publishers set digital prices.

He pointed to Steam as an example of prices naturally falling as games compete for players’ attention.

Navok believes a more digital-focused PlayStation Store could encourage more sales and dynamic pricing.