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• Omertà Collection bundles all four Mafia Definitive Editions in limited-time sale

  The Omertà Collection packages every major Mafia entry — four Definitive Editions — into a single bundle that is currently on sale for a limited time. The pack includes Mafia: The Old Country Definitive Edition with the Man of Honor DLC and deluxe bonuses, and Mafia: Definitive Edition now has a native PS5 and Xbox Series X/S build running at 60 FPS. Mafia II and Mafia III Definitive Editions include all their DLC, letting players buy the full franchise and expansions together.

• Early League investor pitch reveals Onslaught's city map, realm allegiances, and altered champions

  YouTuber Necrit published an investor pitch for Riot’s original prototype, Onslaught: War of the Immortals, with materials shared by Riot developer Paul "Pabro" Bellezza. The pitch package includes video footage, champion design documents, lore notes, and screenshots that depict a cartoony city split into "order" and "chaos" realms rather than Summoner's Rift. It shows major gameplay and identity differences: players would field customizable immortals summoned for climactic moments, some heroes were locked to one realm, and many champions appear with markedly different names and looks.

• Saber adds AI disclaimer to Rideshare Stimulator Steam page after CEO remark

  Saber Interactive has added an AI usage disclaimer to the Steam store page for Rideshare Stimulator; the page lacked such a notice when the game went up for wishlisting on 30 July. The change follows a public dispute after CEO Matthew Karch said he would "have been happy to replace" former writer Stella Sacco with AI. The disclaimer makes the game's use of AI explicit on its storefront and follows criticism about transparency and the treatment of staff.

• Magic eliminate in-form 9z to reach EWC playoffs

  Magic defeated 9z to secure a place in the EWC playoffs, ending 9z’s run in the event. 9z entered the match in strong form, making the result a notable reversal. The win continues Magic’s recent rise and guarantees them a spot in the tournament’s playoff stage.

• Diablo creator David Brevik on his career and playing his own Marvel Heroes

  David Brevik sat for PC Gamer's Disk Cleanup feature and discussed his gaming roots on the Apple II, his role in creating Diablo, and his current habit of playing Marvel Heroes — an ARPG he helped develop in the early 2010s. Brevik co-founded Condor, pitched Diablo to Blizzard, and stayed through the studio's acquisition and rebrand as Blizzard North before leaving in 2003. He later designed It Lurks Below, worked on Marvel Heroes, and now serves as President of Skystone Games, publisher of Tiny Bookshop and Mistfall Hunter.

• PC Gamer column: videogame music shows up in TV, pubs and everyday life

  PC Gamer's Critical Hit column describes videogame music appearing in unexpected real-world settings. The writer notes The Sims 2 tracks popping up on TV — from America's Next Top Model to German home-improvement and kids' baking shows — and personally heard the L.A. Noire main theme playing in a local pub. The examples illustrate videogame soundtracks crossing into mainstream media and everyday environments.

• McConaughey explains declining Joel in HBO's The Last of Us; Pedro Pascal cast

  Matthew McConaughey explained why he declined the role of Joel in HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us. He ultimately passed on the part, which was given to Pedro Pascal. Pascal now leads the series as Joel, making McConaughey’s decision a key moment in the show’s casting.

• Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura teases role in new anime but gives no details

  Tetsuya Nomura, creator of Kingdom Hearts, made his first direct comment about the newly announced Kingdom Hearts anime series. He said he will have a role but provided no specifics and encouraged fans to 'let your imagination run wild.' His brief remarks confirm involvement from the franchise's original creator, a factor that could influence how the game is adapted for anime.

• Shooters: CoD's campaign-in-beta and Warzone tweaks dominate a busy week

  This week was all about Call of Duty — Modern Warfare 4's unprecedented beta (campaign + Warzone) and mid‑season Warzone changes — while Halo's remake struggles and Overwatch ramps up with Busan events. Helldivers 2, Wardogs, and Remedy's design choices round out a week of divergent shooter visions.

• Counter-Strike: EWC playoff shakeup and coaching under pressure

  The Esports World Cup in Paris produced a flurry of clinches, deciders and surprising exits — from NAVI and Falcons locking spots to upsets that exposed gaps at the top. Off-server storylines also dominated: coaching stability, public player backing and fresh branding moves are shaping team narratives heading into the knockout phase.

• Gaming: AI backlash and franchise expansion steer this week

  This week the conversation in games centered on AI — both corporate use and the PR fallout around it — while big franchises continued their media expansion and live services pushed iterative updates. Fan creativity and modding also stood out as counterpoints to top-down change, offering new ways to play older favorites.

• Kingdom Hearts anime announced for Disney Channel and Disney+, Nomura involved

  Disney announced at D23 that an anime adaptation of Kingdom Hearts will air on the Disney Channel and Disney+. Series creator Tetsuya Nomura is involved and Disney describes the show as a reimagining with a "brand-new story." The adaptation matters because Kingdom Hearts' decades-spanning, complex canon across many main games and spinoffs presents substantial storytelling challenges, and the release coincides with calls by BDS to boycott Disney+.

• Iron Nest turns a giant 1920s artillery into a tactile, Battleship-style puzzle

  Iron Nest puts the player alone in a one-man gun emplacement operating a city‑levelling artillery battery in an alternate‑history 1920s Spain controlled by the Kingdom of Castille. Gameplay requires manual triangulation of degrees and distances using tactile instruments and a map table while enemy gunners zero in under time pressure. The experience blends puzzle‑style target finding with tense combat and a choice to obey or ignore firing orders. Landing direct hits after careful calculation delivers strong, addictive payoff.

• Halloween: The Game cleared for digital release in New Zealand despite Australia's refusal

  Halloween: The Game will receive a digital release in New Zealand after being initially grouped with Australia’s classification refusal. Australia refused classification of the title, preventing sale there, while New Zealand’s decision permits digital purchase. The divergence lets New Zealand players legally access the game digitally despite Australia continuing to block it.

• MOUZ beat PARIVISION; denied Inferno comeback to clinch EWC playoff spot

  MOUZ defeated Russian squad PARIVISION to secure a playoff berth at the EWC. On the series' second map, Inferno, PARIVISION rallied from a 10-2 deficit to threaten a comeback. MOUZ stopped the run by winning the 23rd round, preserving their series win and advancing to the playoffs.

• Saber CEO apologises to Stella Sacco over 'replace with AI' remark on Rideshare Stimulator

  Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive, apologised to writer Stella Sacco after publicly saying he would have been "happy to replace her with AI". Sacco is the writer at the centre of the Rideshare Stimulator AI controversy. The exchange highlights tensions around studios using AI in place of human writers and has drawn attention to Saber's handling of the project.

• Playing Capitalism (1995): testing its claim to 'convert Karl Marx'

  A writer replayed the 1995 economic simulator Capitalism, developed by Enlight Software, to test an old promotional claim that it could "make a convert out of Karl Marx." The game generates procedurally created, Earth-like regions with cities placed arbitrarily and lets players pursue unconventional business strategies. The writer attempted to build an empire from a single department store and a silica mine, faced in-game opposition from advisors, and ended the run bankrupt. The experiment shows Capitalism remains a complex, unpredictable business sandbox rather than a tidy proof of ideological superiority.

• Marvel Tōkon's 'Level-Up Missions' turn combo trials into active combo-building lessons

  Marvel Tōkon keeps traditional combo trials but adds five 'Level-Up Missions' per character that give objective conditions instead of step-by-step inputs. The missions require meeting specific constraints—such as starting or ending with a given string, including a particular move, or reaching a damage threshold—so players must build combos themselves. This design pushes players toward experimentation and practical understanding of a character's tools, improving retention compared with passive input memorization.

• Quake community drops 22-map Q30 Deathmatch Jam for classic Quake

  Quake mappers released Q30 Deathmatch Jam, a 22-map pack of arenas built for the original Quake and launched to mark the game's 30th anniversary. The pack was organized by community mappers Annihilazor and Infiniti and includes themed levels from gothic castles to an industrial sewer called The Filth Pit. Notable contributors include Mazu and Makkon, who collaborated on the map Overflow. The pack runs as a standalone mod in modern sourceports (Ironwail, Netquake, Nightdive's Kex) and can be installed for local or online play.

• MongolZ beat paiN 2-0 to reach EWC playoffs in Paris

  MongolZ defeated Brazilian team paiN 2-0 at the EWC group stage in Paris to secure a spot in the tournament playoffs. paiN's run in Paris ended with this group-stage elimination. MongolZ advance into the event's knockout bracket and remain in contention for the title and prize pool.

• Vitality dominate Chinese side Lynn Vision to clinch EWC playoff spot

  Vitality beat Chinese squad Lynn Vision in a win-or-go-home match to secure a place in the EWC playoffs. Lynn Vision was outclassed and eliminated from the tournament. The decisive win sends Vitality forward in the event’s knockout stage.

• CacaNito disappointed by Paris exit but sees positives for ranking climb

  CacaNito, a Macedonian player, said he was disappointed that his team did not fight until the end of their Paris run. He highlighted concrete positives from the event that the squad will use to continue climbing the world rankings. The remarks signal expectations of improvement despite an earlier-than-desired exit.

• Do you shut your PC down at night? Staff split over power, wear and dust

  PC Gamer ran a poll about whether people turn their PCs off at night and challenged the myth that powering a PC off and on uses more electricity than leaving it on. Modern PCs boot so quickly that startup time is negligible, but both frequent power cycles and long continuous uptime cause wear — and leaving a PC on increases power use and dust buildup. Staff take differing approaches: one turns machines off to limit dust, another leaves his on out of long-standing habit, and a third turned off a desktop because RGB lights were too bright while keeping a laptop running.

• Spirit star donk defends coach Hally amid backlash

  donk, Team Spirit's young standout, publicly defended coach Hally and called it 'stupid' to not rate him as a great coach. Hally has faced public criticism since rejoining Team Spirit, and donk's comments show clear player support. That backing could influence public perception of the team's leadership and cohesion going forward.

• Saber CEO privately apologizes to fired writer, then insults a critic

  Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch privately apologized unreservedly to writer Stella Sacco for his public remarks about her employment and capabilities after the Rideshare Simulator AI controversy. Sacco says she worked on the game, was later fired, and that a large language model took over some of her workload; Saber confirmed it used AI on the title but denied wholesale replacement of writers. After messaging Sacco, Karch posted on LinkedIn criticizing Portal writer Chet Faliszek and called him an "unsuccessful writer," despite earlier saying he would have been "happy to replace" Sacco with AI. The exchange has intensified scrutiny of AI use and executive behavior in the games industry.

• Spirit advance to EWC playoffs after unconvincing win over BIG

  Spirit beat BIG to reach the EWC playoff stage. The team’s performance was far from convincing, but the victory keeps their EWC campaign alive. The result secures Spirit a spot in the tournament’s playoffs despite struggles in the match.

• Snow's clutch gives biguzera momentum ahead of MongolZ playoff decider

  Snow pulled off a clutch for Brazilian side biguzera and said, "I think that's what a leader is there for." Biguzera will face The MongolZ on Sunday with a playoff spot at stake. The outcome will decide which team advances to the event's playoffs, making Snow's performance and leadership pivotal.

• McConaughey turned down Joel in HBO's The Last of Us, citing timing and TV commitment

  Matthew McConaughey was contacted about and seriously considered playing Joel in HBO's The Last of Us but ultimately declined the role. He discussed the negotiations with showrunner Craig Mazin on the Aug. 13 episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast and said he had stepped back from acting to focus on writing and leadership roles. He also cited concern about the long-term commitment of a successful TV series and referenced his prior TV lead in True Detective; Pedro Pascal was ultimately cast as Joel.

• Aurora, led by kyxsan, beat JiJieHao to reach EWC top-16

  Aurora defeated JiJieHao in a comfortable match to advance into the top-16 stage of the EWC playoffs. The win, guided by kyxsan, secures Aurora a spot in the tournament's playoff bracket. Advancement keeps Aurora in contention for the event title and ends their group-stage challenge.

• Matt Groening hints The Simpsons: Hit & Run is returning; showrunner disputes

  At Disney's D23 fan event, Simpsons creator Matt Groening said, "I think the original game is coming back in some form." Current showrunner Matt Selman immediately replied "Or not," creating a public contradiction. The exchange matters because Selman wrote the 2003 PS2-era, GTA-style tie-in and previously said "never say never" about the series returning, so the comments point to a possible remaster or remake of a cult-classic title.