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• Counter-Strike short news — Week 29

  HLTV presents a short, bite-sized roundup of Counter-Strike news for week 29. The brief compiles recent updates and developments from the scene. It is designed for quick catch-ups.

• Falcons eliminate 100 Thieves after 9-3 Anubis collapse at BLAST Bounty S2

  Falcons knocked out 100 Thieves on day two of BLAST Bounty S2. The Cologne Major champions fumbled a 9-3 lead on the Anubis decider and suffered an early exit in their first tournament back.

• South Korea names Faker honorary officer to help curb youth online gambling

  South Korea has appointed League of Legends star Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok as an honorary senior police officer to support efforts against youth online gambling. He will produce public service announcements and promote the Youth Cyber Gambling Voluntary Reporting System. The program includes incentives, such as Faker’s autographed uniform for young people who complete treatment programs.

• Miyamoto defends remakes ahead of Ocarina of Time on Switch 2

  Shigeru Miyamoto said remakes help new players access older games and that their commercial success can fund future projects. He told Famitsu remaking titles makes them more playable for people who missed them and can spur further development. Nintendo’s Ocarina of Time remake is due on Switch 2 this year, while remakes remain common across the industry.

• Blizzard sells BlizzCon 2026 digital bundles; Ultimate Collection $50

  Blizzard has put digital BlizzCon bundles for five live-service games on sale now. Individual bundles cost $25–$30 each; the BlizzCon Ultimate Collection, which contains every bundle plus extras, is $50. Ticket holders receive all bundles for free, and BlizzCon will be free to watch from home. Bundles are available through Sept. 28; Blizzard is also giving a 15-day StarCraft II co-op boost and a new Heroes of the Storm Thrall skin to all players.

• Play Halo: Campaign Evolved Cross-Platform — Steps, Early Access, Pricing

  Halo: Campaign Evolved supports cross-play between PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with early access beginning July 23 and full launch on July 28. To play with friends, add their Gamertag/Username to your Xbox friends list via the Xbox site, Game Bar, or mobile app, then invite them from the in-game "Cross-Platform Friends" list in Play Co-op. Early access requires the $70 Premium Edition preorder; the game is day-one on Xbox Game Pass.

• Xbox launches Backward Compatibility on PC; Blinx and Conker lead first wave

  Xbox has announced a Backward Compatibility on PC program, with Blinx and Conker among the first titles. The announcement comes after Microsoft cut about 3,200 jobs and closed four studios. The program will bring older Xbox games to PC as part of a broader Xbox strategy update.

• Valorant streamer and ex-pro ardiis apologizes over comments about trans players

  Streamer and former Valorant pro ardiis apologized after making remarks about transgender players. Many viewers described the comments as transphobic. The remarks referenced trans players in VCT Game Changers.

• Betclic signs KOLESIE quartet, to debut at Stake Pulse Beat I

  Betclic has signed the four-player KOLESIE lineup. The new roster will make its debut at Stake Pulse Beat I at the end of July.

• JT named Liquid in-game leader after siuhy is benched

  Team Liquid has promoted South African player JT to in-game leader, taking over calling duties. The change follows the benching of siuhy. The organisation announced the roster role update officially.

• CDL weighs careful expansion to 16 teams as monetization interest rises

  At CDL Champs 2026, Call of Duty esports GM Daniel Tsay said rising viewership has boosted interest from potential franchise buyers and monetization opportunities. The league remains a 12‑team closed franchise, and Tsay said he hopes to grow to 16 teams. He emphasized the need for internal 'housekeeping' and a measured approach rather than rushing expansion.

• Universes Beyond is a commercial hit, but some Magic fans dislike non-fantasy IPs

  Magic: The Gathering’s Universes Beyond crossovers have proven commercially successful, but player opinion is split. Some fans welcome the wider range of intellectual properties, while others say those universes clash with Magic’s established fantasy aesthetic. Critics often point to examples like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Marvel characters as feeling out of place.

• Google AI cites Reddit fan content as official for FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods

  A public playtest for The Duskbloods is due next month, likely the first time outsiders will play the Switch 2 exclusive. Google's AI-driven search has begun presenting posts from subreddit r/TheDuskbloods as if they were official sources, producing invented character details. The subreddit mainly hosts fan speculation, so the AI outputs amount to hallucinations ahead of the game's release.

• Forza Horizon 6 Series 3 Week 1 Trial: Modern Muscle Cars

  Series 3 of the Festival Playlist is live, themed around Italian Exotics. This week’s Week 1 Trial requires you to complete the challenge using a modern muscle car. Players can select from a relatively wide list of eligible vehicles to finish the Trial.

• The Incident at Galley House centers on a tactile, puzzle-driven machine

  The game places a single, tactile machine at the centre of its gameplay. It looks and feels like a mixing desk with clicky dials, chunky buttons and a large lever. Players use deductive reasoning to manipulate the device and unlock psychic visions that form the core puzzles.

• Mortal Shell 2 PS5 Revered Edition physical pre-orders sell out

  Physical pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 Revered Edition of Mortal Shell 2 have sold out, publisher Playstack announced. The edition was priced at £55 ($70). The game's launch is just under one month away.

• X-Men '97 Season 2 revives obscure 21-year-old villain during villain-of-the-week run

  X-Men '97 season 2 has returned a little-known villain who was created 21 years ago by a writer who has drawn controversy. The show is currently following a villain-of-the-week format similar to the original Animated Series. Producers say the main Apocalypse storyline will resume later in the season.

• Strange New Worlds Season 4 leans on gimmicks, stalls character arcs

  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds launched in 2022 as an episodic, character-driven spin-off. While showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have delivered standout episodes, recent seasons prioritize gimmick plots over steady character growth. The scattered approach that surfaced in Season 3 continues into Season 4, leaving several core cast arcs feeling rushed or stagnant.

• Mammoth LMG in Black Ops 7 & Warzone unlocked via Machine of War

  The Mammoth LMG arrives in Black Ops 7 and Warzone in Season 5. It is not included in the Battle Pass and must be obtained through the limited-time Machine of War event. The event is the primary way to unlock the weapon quickly. The article also includes a comparison of the Mammoth to other LMGs.

• Counters and tactics for Cyclops in Marvel Rivals

  Cyclops is a recent addition to Marvel Rivals whose optic blasts provide both offensive and defensive options. His kit makes him a challenging opponent in the current meta. Effective counters focus on evasion, closing distance, disrupting his beam, and exploiting positional play.

• Players summon ~2,000 skeletons in Path of Exile 2, causing severe framerate drop

  Streamer Empyriangaming and five friends min-maxed minion builds and summoned roughly 2,000 skeletons in Path of Exile 2. They reduced minion costs, used multiple characters to bypass the 255-per-type limit, and activated Trial of the Sekhemas bonuses. The large number of minions caused major framerate degradation and stuttering, making play effectively unresponsive.

• Alan Ritchson's 106-minute sci-fi thriller is Netflix's top 2026 hit

  Netflix reports that the 106-minute sci-fi action thriller starring Alan Ritchson is its biggest streaming hit of 2026. Ritchson, known for Reacher and a returning Prime Video series with a spinoff, has multiple projects this year. The film’s streaming performance marks his most-watched release on Netflix so far in 2026.

• Xbox engineering VP Jared Palmer departs after two months for AI firm

  Jared Palmer left his role as Xbox vice president of engineering and technical advisor to CEO Asha Sharma two months after his appointment. He updated LinkedIn saying he has joined AI company Cognition as its vice president of engineering. Cognition develops "Devin," an autonomous software engineer; Microsoft and Sharma have not publicly commented.

• Fortnite and Blumhouse release Obsession tie‑in ad drawing mixed reactions

  Epic Games and Blumhouse published a one‑minute ad linking Fortnite to Curry Barker's film Obsession. The spot swaps the movie's female lead for Fortnite's rare Galaxy Zero Point Sprite and reenacts several jump‑scare moments. Viewers say the clip reads as a playful nod if you haven't seen the film, but is baffling or offensive to those familiar with the movie's sensitive plot elements.

• Bungie launches Marathon 1.1.5 with Vault Breaker PvE; concurrent players triple

  Bungie released Marathon update 1.1.5, introducing the experimental Vault Breaker PvE mode on the Cryo Archive map for a two-week trial without PvP. SteamDB reported concurrent players rose to over 14,800, roughly triple recent levels. The patch includes a roguelite progression system, a Cradle "evolve" prestige option, and new voice moderation and reporting tools.

• Hasbro records $56M impairment after multiple game cancellations

  Hasbro reported a $56 million non‑cash impairment in Q2 tied to the cancellation of several games that were expected to release in 2028 and beyond. The charge reflects a write-down in asset value, not an immediate cash loss. Hasbro previously invested heavily in videogames—citing over $1 billion in development after Baldur's Gate 3's success—but did not name which projects were written down. Several high‑profile projects have been reported as canceled or troubled, and no Baldur's Gate 3 follow-up has been announced.

• Employees say Sam's Club mishandled Ascended Heroes Pokémon TCG release

  Sam's Club opened a scheduled drop of Ascended Heroes Pokémon TCG packs amid high demand. Fans expected long lines, but employees report purchasing limits were widely ignored. Some locations apparently failed to enforce limits, leading to uneven availability and customer frustration.

• MOUZ win on PR debut as BLAST Bounty Season 2 begins

  MOUZ secured a victory in PR's debut match as BLAST Bounty Season 2 kicked off. The event has brought the world's top teams back into competition. Early-stage matches are now underway.

• Disney lays off hundreds across divisions; Pixar among hardest hit

  Disney laid off hundreds of employees across multiple divisions, including National Geographic and ESPN. Animation studio Pixar was hit notably hard, with outlets estimating roughly 100 to 150 roles cut. Deadline described the Pixar reductions as a "high single percentile" of its roughly 1,100 staff; exact figures vary by source.

• Two standout Stardew-like farm sims: Fields of Mistria and Roots of Pacha

  PC Gamer highlights Fields of Mistria and Roots of Pacha as notable games similar to Stardew Valley. Fields of Mistria, nearing 1.0 after early access, is praised for detailed character dialogue, anime-style visuals, and adds combat and romance but no co-op. Roots of Pacha closely follows Stardew’s formula in a Stone Age setting, offers 4-player co-op, a tech tree and minigames, and has no combat.