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• Best crosshair settings for every Overwatch hero, organized by role

  Dot Esports presents recommended crosshair settings tailored to each Overwatch hero and grouped by role (Damage, Tank, Support). The guide matches crosshairs to heroes’ different abilities and weapon types to improve targeting. It targets the current Overwatch roster after the sequel expanded the number of characters and notes that optimal crosshairs can make a difference in clutch moments.

• Konami to remove Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls from Apple Arcade; will shut Sept 3

  Konami will remove Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls from Apple Arcade on August 20 and permanently shut the game so it is unplayable after September 3. The game, originally released in 2019, was re-released as an Apple Arcade exclusive in September 2021 with microtransactions removed. Konami gave no reason for the decision. The shutdown removes access to a modern 2D Castlevania entry that features series staples and multiplayer co-op, prompting fan interest in potential console or PC ports.

• Argentinian AWPer joins Legacy, calls it his first tier-1 chance

  An Argentinian AWPer has joined Legacy and views the move as his first genuine opportunity to compete at tier 1 after a difficult few years. He is enjoying life with the team's roster. This matters because the signing gives him a platform to try to re-establish himself at top-level events and changes Legacy's composition ahead of competitive play.

• Ten of 12 teams confirmed for $100K Logitech G Play Connect LAN in Warsaw

  Organizers confirmed 10 of the 12 teams that will compete at the Logitech G Play Connect LAN in Warsaw this September. Confirmed entrants include Team Liquid, B8 and GamerLegion. The event carries a $100,000 prize pool and two tournament slots remain unfilled. The announcement sets the majority of the participant field ahead of the LAN.

• Warner Bros. Discovery notes second Hogwarts Legacy in shareholder letter

  Warner Bros. Discovery briefly acknowledged in a recent shareholder letter that a second installment of Hogwarts Legacy exists. The company linked the sequel to an expanding games pipeline and to future Games-segment profitability. The original 2023 Hogwarts Legacy was a major commercial success, and J.K. Rowling's continued anti-trans political activism and financial stake in the Potter IP have affected public perception of Potter projects.

• Modern Warfare 4 beta unveils single-player mission and modular 'Kill Block' map

  Activision released a teaser for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s beta, confirming an April preorder-only weekend that includes the single-player mission Entrenched and the new modular multiplayer map Kill Block. Kill Block is set at the West Bridge Advanced Military Training Facility and reconfigures before matches to produce hundreds of layout combinations. A second, open beta runs August 28–31 with additional multiplayer maps, Ground War, and the first chance to play Warzone’s Resurgence Zodiac; the game launches October 23 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2. The release marks the first Call of Duty on a Nintendo platform since 2013, skips PS4 and Xbox One, and will not debut on Xbox Game Pass at launch.

• Kingdom Hearts 4 Reveals Playable Donald Duck, Who Once Cast the Zettaflare

  An extended D23 trailer shows Kingdom Hearts 4 letting players control Donald Duck and Goofy in Underworld (Hercules) platforming and combat sequences, including a new duo combo attack. Donald previously unleashed the Zettaflare spell in Kingdom Hearts 3 — a massive beam of fire whose 'zetta' prefix denotes 10^21 — and a fan calculation estimated that instance dealt over 5.5 million hit points. Making Donald playable gives players direct access to a character who demonstrated one of the franchise's most powerful magical attacks and brings a rare Final Fantasy‑scale spell into KH4 gameplay.

• Mattel launches game studio to build Roblox, Fortnite and mobile games

  Mattel has launched Mattel Game Studios to develop, publish and operate digital games and interactive experiences based on its toy brands. The studio grew out of Mattel163, a joint venture founded in 2019 with NetEase that Mattel took full control of earlier this year, and will continue mobile releases while expanding into creator platforms. Projects announced include Uno Wild in soft launch on mobile and a new Hot Wheels game, and the studio will release original experiences on Roblox and Fortnite, platforms with massive user engagement.

• Passion UA heads for liquidation; players and staff left unpaid after signing Complexity core

  Ukrainian esports organization Passion UA is entering liquidation and currently owes significant sums to players and staff. The organization signed Complexity's core roster one year ago, and that same roster and supporting employees are among those with unpaid wages. The financial collapse leaves contracted players and staff unpaid and disrupts the roster assembled last year.

• Hyperdrop: Devolver-published pachinko roguelite for Peggle fans

  Hyperdrop is an upcoming PC game from developer Dark Dark Goose and publisher Devolver Digital that combines pachinko-style physics with roguelite progression. Players upgrade pegs and balls to create combos and scoring synergies, face boss battles, and advance through increasingly difficult stages. A playable demo is available on Steam and the game is featured in the Steam Pins and Pegs Fest, which runs through August 20.

• FURIA fe quits Counter-Strike to compete in VALORANT

  FURIA fe, the women's roster of esports organisation FURIA, has left Counter-Strike to compete in VALORANT. The move removes an established female CS team from the Counter-Strike competitive pool and is being described as another setback for the women's Counter-Strike scene. The switch shifts the players' competitive focus and reduces the number of active women's CS teams.

• Three of four Challenger teams reach VCT EMEA Stage 2 Playoffs; Play-Ins end Aug. 16

  The VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins concluded on Aug. 16, with three of the four Challenger-region teams advancing into the Stage 2 Playoffs. Major organizations Fnatic and Team Heretics exited their 2026 campaigns early. Allowing the top four Challenger teams into Play-Ins this year gives those squads a direct path to qualify for VALORANT Champions 2026.

• Mistfall Hunter players demand duos mode; Bellring Games refuses to add it

  Mistfall Hunter launched July 29 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, and players have been requesting a dedicated duos mode since the game's open beta. Community posts on the game's subreddit cite problems with trio-only matchmaking: random third players often lack communication, abandon fights, or steal loot, and some players report regional lag. Multiple Reddit users posted explicit requests in August, and developer Bellring Games has declined to implement a duos mode.

• PC Gamer writer mods GTA V daily, begins by adding HQ-16 missile vehicle

  A PC Gamer writer started a project to add a new mod to Grand Theft Auto V every day until the game either resembles GTA VI or breaks. On day one they installed a drivable vehicle mod based on the HQ-16 Chinese medium-range surface-to-air missile system. The writer assembled multiple unofficial .asi files and hacky tools to install mods, noting many mod instructions simply read 'put mods.' The project is framed as a way for players to alter GTA V heavily rather than wait for a potentially console-limited GTA VI.

• Sony PS5 ad shows minor visual changes to GTA 6 clip

  Sony's one‑minute "It Happens On PS5" commercial includes a fullscreen clip of a convertible scene from Grand Theft Auto VI that previously appeared in the game's Trailer 2. The promo removes letterboxing and shows slightly brighter lighting plus small changes to Lucia's appearance. GTA VI is scheduled to launch November 19, an "Extended Look" trailer will run on Netflix on August 27, and the game will be distributed digitally without a disc option as Sony phases out discs by 2028.

• VALORANT Aeris bundle adds magical-fantasy skins and a transforming melee

  The Aeris bundle for VALORANT introduces a modern magical-fantasy skin line with enchanted-card visuals and bespoke cardistry animations. It includes four weapon skins, a transforming melee called the Suit of Aeris that turns cards into daggers, swords and a greatsword, plus a finisher, a Flex, a player card and a Gun Buddy. The bundle expands in-game cosmetic options by adding animated effects and a unique melee transformation for players.

• jL to debut as Vitality stand-in vs Inner Circle in BLAST Open Porto Group B

  jL will make his first appearance as a stand-in for Vitality in their opening Group B match at BLAST Open Porto. Vitality will face Inner Circle in that matchup. The result will directly affect early Group B standings in the tournament.

• Diablo 4 'Age of Hatred Collection' lands on Switch 2 on Sept 15

  Diablo 4 is launching on Nintendo Switch 2 as the Age of Hatred Collection on 15 September. The Switch 2 package includes both expansions, Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred. The release arrives days after BlizzCon, bringing the game's expansion content to Switch 2 owners shortly after the event.

• Sledgehammer prototyped Halo multiplayer for Microsoft, then canceled it

  Microsoft had Sledgehammer Games build a prototype for a Halo multiplayer game in June, but that prototype was canceled in July after only basic gameplay elements like player movement were tested. Microsoft is still exploring using Activision-era Call of Duty studios on Halo projects but has not greenlit any permanent transfers. The move comes as Halo Studios faces criticism after Halo Infinite and the recent Halo: Campaign Evolved remaster underperformed, and as Halo Studios develops a live-service multiplayer title described as "like Fortnite."

• Top Gun joins Battlefield 6 as Season 4 adds naval combat and biggest map

  Battlefield 6’s fourth season introduced naval combat and the franchise’s largest map, expanding play beyond traditional land and air battles. The game now features a Top Gun crossover that goes beyond a simple cameo and includes a naval-focused Carrier Strike mode. The crossover’s deeper integration highlights a shift toward large-scale sea operations. The author argues Carrier Strike’s scale and gameplay merit making it a permanent mode.

• Sony to remove Ternox Games' 13 PlayStation titles after Aug. 23

  Sony has terminated Ternox Games' PlayStation developer and publisher agreement and will remove the Ukrainian studio's games from the PlayStation Store after August 23. The decision cancels the planned PS5 release of Ternox's Stonks-9800 and prevents the studio from self-publishing on PlayStation; PlayStation Support has not responded to the studio's inquiries. Stonks-9800 has been in Steam Early Access since July 2023 with an "overwhelmingly positive" rating, and the takedown affects 13 titles amid Sony's recent tighter stance on shovelware.

• Ark: Survival Evolved Switch Official Servers to Close Aug. 31

  Studio Wildcard will shut down official Nintendo Switch servers for Ark: Survival Evolved and the Ultimate Survivor Edition on August 31. The Switch release has drawn over one million players since 2018; single-player modes and unofficial community servers will remain playable but online multiplayer will rely on those unofficial servers. Both Switch versions are discounted on the Nintendo eShop (Survival Evolved $5; Ultimate Survivor Edition $12.50) and are backward compatible with Nintendo Switch 2; the Ultimate Survivor Edition is a remaster by Grove Street Games and the newest Ark title, Survival Ascended, is not available on Switch.

• Esports Leaders Paris set for Aug. 21 with 90+ industry executives at Hôtel du Collectionneur

  Esports Leaders Paris 2026 will be held Friday, Aug. 21 at the 5-star Hôtel du Collectionneur in central Paris on the final day of the Esports World Cup. Organizers expect more than 90 senior executives and decision-makers from global esports and gaming companies and have extended capacity due to demand. Confirmed attendees include Team Liquid, ESL FACEIT Group, G2 Esports, HLTV, Havas Play, NiP Group, Embark Studios, Polymarket, IMG, ESIC and BetBoom, creating concentrated opportunities for networking, partnerships and industry discussions.

• Sony has not set a PlayStation 6 date as RAM and component shortages persist

  Sony has not chosen an internal release date for the PlayStation 6, the company’s CEO confirmed. A global component shortage — notably RAM — driven by rising AI datacenter demand, disruptions linked to the war in Iran, and accusations of memory-chip price fixing is heavily impacting console manufacturing. Those supply pressures are preventing manufacturers from committing to launch timelines.

• Canceled Star Wars RPG Magellan targeted playable Jedi and Mandalorians

  Magellan was an AAA third-person Star Wars action-RPG developed at Echtra Games beginning in 2021 with assistance from NaturalMotion. The game let players choose between Jedi (lightsabers and Force abilities) and Mandalorian classes (jetpacks, flamethrowers, ranged weapons) and centered on shoot-and-loot progression using Booster Gear drops, reward chests and gadgets. Echtra was shut down by owner Zynga last year and development on Magellan ceased; the project had been aimed at PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

• Spider-Man emerges as top pick after first Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls tournament

  Spider-Man produced standout results at the game's first major Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls tournament, positioning him among the strongest characters in the base roster. The title has drawn heavy player engagement since release, driving debate over tier lists. Spider-Man's performance at the event is shaping early competitive picks and raises questions about balance going forward.

• Kingdom Hearts 4 set for late 2027; Nomura says it will not be delayed

  Tetsuya Nomura, co-creator and co-director, confirmed at D23 that Kingdom Hearts 4 will launch in late 2027 and will not be pushed back. Disney's D23 revealed Pixar's Coco as a major world and showed Sora fighting alongside Hector in a new trailer. Donald and Goofy are confirmed playable for the first time, and the game will release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and has been announced for Nintendo's Switch 2.

• When players vanish, Big Walk's silence becomes unexpectedly profound

  A player in Big Walk went from surrounded by noisy, cartoonish avatars to sudden, complete solitude when the crowd disappeared. The visual scene shifted to a darkening forest and the only sound felt like the narrator's heartbeat. The contrast left the player uncomfortable and underlined how much the presence of others shapes the game's emotional atmosphere.

• Eurogamer launches 'Optimism Week' — week of features on gaming's brighter side

  Eurogamer has launched "Optimism Week," a week-long series of features dedicated to the brighter side of video games. The site will publish multiple pieces across the week that focus on uplifting stories, positive trends and community highlights in gaming. The series aims to present an alternative, upbeat perspective on the industry and its players.

• Fortnite links to Disney's Smugglers Run ride and adds Smugglers Gambit island

  Disney and Epic launched a live integration that ties Fortnite to the Smuggler's Run motion-simulator at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Crates collected during the ride now unlock in-game items, and Fortnite added a new island, Smugglers Gambit, set at Mersa Veta Station with co-op missions, pirate and Imperial-remnant encounters. Players must connect Epic Games and MyDisney accounts to receive perks; the integration went live on August 16 and includes the Forsworn Trooper Outfit. Disney invested more than $1.5 billion in Epic to create park-to-game synergies and is pursuing further Fortnite tie-ins.