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• Find the free Windup Inkay in Pokémon Pokopia’s Bubbly Basin cave

  A free Windup Inkay collectible is hidden in Pokémon Pokopia’s Bubbly Basin. The doll floats inside a cave in a deep part of the ocean, so players can easily miss it without exploring the area. If players don’t find it there, Windup Inkay can also be obtained through the game’s daily shop rotation; the item is a required decorative piece for a specific habitat.

• Rockstar skipped GTA 6 early access; two paid editions set at $80 and $100

  Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says Rockstar chose not to offer paid early access for GTA 6, prioritizing perceived value rather than adding higher-priced launch perks. The game is available to preorder in two editions — a $80 Standard and a $100 Ultimate — and preorders are reportedly very high but remain cancellable before release. Take-Two expects GTA 6 to raise company revenue by about 20%; GTA 6 launches Nov. 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S and an extended preview will stream on Netflix on Aug. 27.

• Creator turns Wii Nunchuk into ergonomic PC macropad for video editing

  YouTuber John Dingley converted a Nintendo Wii Nunchuk into a PC macro controller for video editing using an Anavi Handle USB adapter and a Seeed Studio Xiao RP2040 microcontroller. He mapped the Nunchuk's controls for common editing shortcuts, prefers the upright lightweight grip to reduce wrist strain, and replaced his dedicated macropad while keeping a keyboard for typing. The Anavi Handle is open-source and inexpensive, but the setup requires custom coding to assign shortcuts.

• Devolver Digital seeks to go private after difficult spell as a public company

  Devolver Digital, the independent games publisher, is pursuing a return to private ownership following several difficult years as a publicly traded company. The company is moving to exit public markets, which would end its public financial reporting and change its shareholder structure. This shift removes routine scrutiny from public investors and alters how the company will be governed and financed.

• Take-Two CEO predicts game streaming will be mainstream in about three years

  In Take-Two’s latest financial report, CEO Strauss Zelnick said he expects players to be streaming games rather than using discs within about three years. He pointed to Sony’s decision to stop manufacturing physical discs and move to an all-digital model as part of the industry shift. Zelnick’s comments raise concrete questions about how major releases such as Grand Theft Auto 6 will be distributed and supported after launch.

• Selected players can check The Duskbloods network test status and get codes on Aug 18

  FromSoftware's closed network test for The Duskbloods is now viewable on the game's network test website—players must open the menu and check their Account page to see if they were chosen. Selected participants will be able to retrieve a download code on the site starting Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET. The playtest runs in five scheduled windows from Aug. 21–23. This test provides an early multiplayer preview for the Switch 2 title; no commercial release date has been announced.

• Take-Two CEO: Low-latency cloud streaming could 10x gaming's reach within three years

  Take-Two Interactive’s CEO Strauss Zelnick says rising console prices won’t slow the company and that lower-cost hardware would help by putting more devices in players’ hands. He notes PC sales grew from about 2% to roughly 50% of Take-Two’s business over two decades and predicts commercial, low-latency cloud streaming within three years. That streaming could increase the effective installed base by up to 10x, expanding reach beyond core markets even if it doesn’t scale revenue at the same rate.

• Gentle Mates exit CS; Spanish roster will compete as Iberian Soul in EWC qualifier

  Gentle Mates have left Counter-Strike and their Spanish roster has reverted to the Iberian Soul name. The squad will enter the EWC Open Qualifier under the Iberian Soul tag. The change removes Gentle Mates' representation from the event and registers the team under its former identity.

• Take-Two Says GTA 6 Preorders 'Unprecedented' After June Launch; Release Nov 19

  Take-Two reports that GTA 6 preorders opened in late June and have reached an industry‑leading level, which CEO Strauss Zelnick called 'unprecedented' and 'astonishing'. Zelnick warned that high preorder volume does not guarantee final sales and noted customers can cancel preorders. The publisher confirmed GTA 6 remains scheduled for release on November 19 and defended the $80 price as 'phenomenal value'. This matters because the unusually strong early demand could drive a major launch impact, but revenue depends on completed purchases.

• Take-Two ups 2027 net bookings to $8.2B; CEO says sales are over 90% digital

  Take-Two raised its 2027 net bookings guidance to $8.2 billion as part of its latest financial update. CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed on the company's earnings call that Take-Two's sales are "well over 90% digitally distributed," commenting in response to Sony's decision to stop manufacturing physical disc-based games. This confirms Take-Two already relies overwhelmingly on digital revenue and that physical discs are now a small share of its sales.

• Take-Two Defends GTA 6’s $80 Price, Expects Major Revenue Boost as It Launches Nov. 19

  Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick defended Grand Theft Auto VI’s $80 MSRP, calling it "phenomenal value" and saying the publisher aims to "overdeliver" relative to the price. Zelnick argued that game pricing has not kept pace with inflation and that the real cost of AAA development is lower than 20 years ago, framing the price as fair rather than an attempt to maximize revenue. GTA 6 launches November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and Take-Two expects the release to significantly boost its revenue in the current financial year.

• Take-Two: GTA 6 six-hour Netflix exclusive, global social-media marketing

  Take-Two confirmed an extended GTA 6 reveal will stream exclusively on Netflix for a six-hour window. CEO Strauss Zelnick said Rockstar is coordinating marketing across virtually every social media outlet and called Netflix a close partner, while declining to disclose deal terms. The exclusivity has raised concerns about server strain, immediate reuploads, and criticism that the reveal is effectively paywalled.

• Gears of War: E-Day open beta breaks series Steam records in first stage

  The first stage of the Gears of War: E-Day open multiplayer beta launched on Steam and immediately exceeded the franchise's previous Steam records. The record-breaking player numbers occurred during the initial open-beta rollout on Steam. The strong early turnout demonstrates unusually high player engagement for the series ahead of its full release.

• Take-Two Forecasts $8.2B Fiscal Year, Citing GTA 6 November Launch

  Take-Two projects $8.2 billion in revenue and about 20% growth for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027, driven largely by GTA 6's scheduled November release. The company expects Rockstar to generate roughly 37% of revenue, Zynga 34%, and 2K 29%, with legacy Rockstar titles and microtransactions contributing significantly. Strong microtransaction performance from NBA 2K26 and the upcoming NBA 2K27 (Sept. 4) also factor into the profitable outlook.

• GiantX survive Eintracht Frankfurt in VCT EMEA Play-Ins; westside flags slow starts

  GiantX defeated Challenger side Eintracht Frankfurt in a three-map VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins series, moving the team closer to VALORANT Champions 2026. The match featured an early 0–6 deficit for GiantX in the opener, but they dominated on Lotus and recovered early deficits on the final two maps. GiantX rifler westside said the team must fix recurring poor starts and begin strong from the first round. The Play-Ins run Aug. 5–17 as a 12-team double-elimination bracket combining Group Stage teams and Regional Challenger qualifiers.

• Take-Two Confirms GTA 6 Still Set for November 19 Release on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S

  Take-Two Interactive confirmed Grand Theft Auto 6 remains on track to launch November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S and tied the release to its Fiscal 2027 Net Bookings outlook of $8–8.2 billion. The publisher made the confirmation during its quarterly briefing after Rockstar previously delayed the game first to May 2026 and then to November. Netflix will host an extended, subscriber-only look at GTA 6 on August 27. The launch matters because it is a major revenue driver for Take-Two’s fiscal projections and investor expectations.

• Tucker Bryant’s ChatTJB: one-man 'chatbot' answers 1,000+ queries daily

  Tucker Bryant runs ChatTJB, a service marketed as a chatbot but entirely operated by him. He writes more than 1,000 user responses a day, rents a $6,000 billboard that advertises the service as 'powered by AI'—with AI redefined as 'Average Individual'—and provides hand-drawn image sketches on request. Bryant, a Stanford graduate and former Google employee, created the project to challenge blind trust in automated chat systems and has handled both casual questions and serious personal inquiries.

• Sony includes warnings with PS5 disc-drive consoles that physical games end in 2028

  Sony is placing notices with new PS5 consoles that include disc drives to inform buyers that PlayStation will stop supporting physical game media at the beginning of 2028. The notice reiterates Sony’s prior decision to stop manufacturing disc-based games. This ensures consumers purchasing disc-capable PS5s are explicitly warned about the end of new physical releases and support.

• John Romero says id Software enlisted Taiwanese pirates to spread Doom

  John Romero, co-founder of id Software and creator of Doom and Quake, has recounted that the company worked with Taiwanese pirates to distribute Doom. He frames the use of unauthorized distributors as a deliberate channel to spread the game. The revelation shows piracy played a role in Doom’s early international reach and illustrates an unconventional distribution approach by a major developer.

• WoW will make world bosses queueable lairs with scaling up to 15–25 players in patch 12.1

  World of Warcraft will convert open-world bosses into "lair" encounters in patch 12.1, Curse of Ula'tek. Lair bosses will act like one-boss delves, support scaling difficulties up to 15–25 player Mythic, and be queueable like dungeons. The change targets longstanding problems—frequent zerg kills and server-hopping—and aims to restore more tactical, coordinated boss mechanics.

• Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls launches; PC players hit by stutter and netcode issues

  Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls released on PC and consoles as a 4v4 tag fighting game. Console versions are generally running smoothly while the PC release is experiencing significant stuttering and netcode problems. Those technical issues are degrading online play at launch and affecting the player experience.

• Week 3 Season 5 challenges in Black Ops 7 and Warzone award EAM IR‑VIZ Reflex

  Week 3 challenges for Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 5 are live and can be completed by players to earn in-game rewards. Completing the set of Week 3 tasks grants the EAM IR‑VIZ Reflex optic and a 10,000 XP payout. Finishing these challenges also advances progress toward the Season 5 Murder and Nectar weapon camo unlocks.

• Northern Kentucky family rejects $26M offer to sell 600 acres for AI data center

  A farming family in Northern Kentucky turned down a $26 million bid to buy half of their 1,200-acre property for an AI data center. Landowners Ida Huddleston and her daughter Delsia Bare refused the sale to preserve family farmland, local food production and because of environmental and community concerns. The buyer is anonymous but represents a major AI company; the offer highlights growing local resistance to AI infrastructure projects and disputes over economic and environmental impacts.

• Barney's 1990s 'I Love You' and 'Clean Up' songs still lodge in adult memories

  Barney & Friends was a popular early-to-mid 1990s children's show starring a talking purple T. rex that taught life lessons. Its simple songs — particularly "I Love You" and "Clean Up" — continue to resurface as earworms for people who grew up with the show. A writer recounts a younger brother watching it daily and says those tunes still pop into their head decades later, producing mixed nostalgia and irritation.

• AMD Install Manager failing — use manual 8.07.16.1035 chipset installer to fix

  The AMD Install Manager is failing to install recent chipset drivers and returns a generic error on many systems. A standalone chipset installer for version 8.07.16.1035 is available at the bottom of AMD's release notes page; downloading, running it and rebooting completes the update. The failure has been reproduced by multiple users on different CPUs and motherboards (examples include a Ryzen 7 7700X on Gigabyte X670 and a Ryzen 7 7800X3D on Asus B650EM Max Gaming), indicating the problem is not limited to one chipset or board. Keeping chipset drivers up to date is important for system stability, so affected users should use the manual package if the automatic installer fails.

• Shueisha launches Manga Million — 1M+ pages in 100 languages worldwide

  Shueisha launched Manga Million last Thursday, a digital repository that makes more than one million pages of its manga available in 100 languages. The project was launched to mark Shueisha’s 100th anniversary and is accessible worldwide except in Japan. The initiative expands direct global access to the publisher behind franchises like One Piece, Dragon Ball and Naruto.

• New free expansion for original Quake launches at QuakeCon for 30th anniversary

  A brand-new, free expansion for the original Quake was announced and released during QuakeCon's opening ceremony to celebrate the game's 30th birthday. The expansion is available immediately across PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. The surprise release delivers new content to a decades-old title and drew loud applause from the event audience.

• EA CEO Andrew Wilson's fiscal 2026 pay package now appears larger than disclosed

  EA CEO Andrew Wilson's fiscal 2026 compensation, which drew scrutiny earlier this month for its size, now appears to exceed initial disclosures. The updated view indicates Wilson may have received more total pay for FY2026 than investors were first told. This changes the scale of executive compensation at Electronic Arts and has implications for shareholder assessment and corporate governance.

• Kingston University opens free retro gaming archive with 65+ vintage systems

  The Archive of Retro Computing (ARC) at Kingston University in south London is staging a free public exhibition next week that displays more than 65 retro personal computers and gaming consoles. The collection spans from the mid-1970s cartridge era through three decades of personal computing, presenting original hardware and play experiences from gaming's early years. The exhibit provides hands-on public access to historical platforms and documents the technological evolution of home computing.

• 64 teams compete in Esports World Cup LCQ for four final spots; Striker and MIRAA on site

  Sixty-four teams competed in the Esports World Cup Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) to claim four remaining berths at the EWC main event. Striker and MIRAA provided on-the-ground coverage of the LCQ. The results determine which four teams will join the Esports World Cup field.