G'day Gamers,

Been sinking way too many hours into Meccha Chameleon this week. You know the hide and seek/painting game that has taken over the internet? Turns out I suck. I spent one round pretending to be testicles on a statue of a horse, I didn’t last long.

Still, a million copies sold in four days, so clearly I'm not the only one losing my evenings to it.

Anyway, loads going on this week. GTA finally gave us a date, Xbox is having a proper moment, and someone in Japan is handing out dog mounts for paying their tax.

Let's get into it,

After about seven months of silence, broken only by the usual GTA Online drip, Rockstar finally gave us something this week. Pre-orders for GTA 6 open on June 25, one week away, and the November 19 release date is now locked in. They dropped the official cover art at the same time as seen above.

Here's the thing though. The number everyone actually cares about, the price, is still a mystery. Pre-orders opening usually means pricing and editions land at the same time, so June 25 is when we find out if they go for the throat, unfortunately I’ll pay whatever they ask.

For a bit of context, GTA 5 shifted 230 million copies and sits as the second best-selling game ever, all off the back of two trailers and a decade of patience. GTA 6 has had two trailers as well, 446 million combined views, and a fanbase that's been frothing since 2013.

Another trailer is tipped to drop around the pre-order date.

Are you pre-ordering day one, or holding out to see the price first? Hit reply and let me know.

Microsoft is weighing closures across several of its Xbox studios. On June 15, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported that a number of Microsoft-owned teams are in active negotiations to spin off and go independent to avoid being shut down. The studios named include Compulsion Games (South of Midnight), the 25-year-old Double Fine (Psychonauts), and Ninja Theory (Hellblade), which had revealed a new Senua game at the Xbox Showcase barely a week earlier. Other studios across the portfolio are reportedly at risk, and some staff have already been told they can look for work elsewhere. Ninja Theory is since reported to be heading for closure.

It follows a June 10 memo from Xbox boss Asha Sharma and content chief Matt Booty calling for a business "reset." The bulk of the cuts are expected after Microsoft's fiscal year ends on June 30, with decisions reportedly due by the end of the month.

The rest of the week's Xbox news sat against that backdrop. Game Pass added its second June wave, led by EA Sports FC 26 on June 18 and Call of Duty: Vanguard on the 17th, after Microsoft restored Ultimate to $22.99 a month following last year's hike to $29.99. New Call of Duty games will stay off day-one Game Pass for at least a year. And Treyarch confirmed Black Ops 1 and 2 are being ported to PS4 and PS5 in July, with no Xbox version announced (more on that below).

Black Ops 1 and 2 are finally coming to PS5 Treyarch's putting both on PlayStation in July via Iron Galaxy, the first time they've run natively on a Sony box since the PS3 era. No Xbox version though, which is a wild look given Microsoft owns the franchise.

Dead by Daylight turned 10 and finally handed over Jason Behaviour mapped out a massive year on the anniversary stream, but the big one is Jason landing June 16 after years stuck in licensing limbo. Art the Clown from Terrifier follows in November.

Marathon players reckon Bungie is trying to kill its own game Season 2 nerfed XP and loot drops, the servers wobbled, and a shrinking player base is not having it. Rough timing, with Destiny 2 only just wound down.

Vampire Survivors' studio is already reviewing its Fortnite deal over AI Hours after Epic announced the crossover, Poncle clocked Epic showing off generative AI building Fortnite characters and hit the brakes. Good on them.

The EU basically admitted it can't stop publishers killing your games The Stop Killing Games crowd wanted Brussels to force the issue, and the answer landed near a shrug. Buy a game, own a countdown timer.

Mina the Hollower cracked half a million copies Yacht Club's haughty little mouse shifted 500k in about ten days, full price, no live service. The make-or-break game made it.

Final Fantasy 14 will give you a giant dog for paying your taxes Tokyo's Shibuya Ward is handing out FFXIV cosmetics, including a building-sized Shiba mount, through Japan's hometown-tax system. Only in Japan, sadly.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (Switch 2/PS5/Xbox/PC) – June 18 A brand new HD-2D action RPG from Team Asano, the Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default crew. Elliot and his fairy mate Faie travel across four ages on a thousand-year mission, and the reviews are landing strong. The pick of the week.

EA Sports UFC 6 (PS5/Xbox) – June 19 EA Vancouver's MMA series swings back with a new Flow State momentum system, ragdoll physics, and a story-led prologue. Alex Pereira's on the cover, and there's no PC version at launch.

R-Type Tactics I・II Cosmos (Switch/Switch 2/PS4/PS5/Xbox/PC) – June 18 Two cult turn-based strategy spin-offs from the R-Type shooters, with the second getting its first ever Western release. Command the Space Corps, or play as the Bydo.

COPA CITY (PC/PS5/Xbox) – June 16 Football's first proper tycoon game, where you run the matchday around the stadium instead of the team on the pitch. Transport, security, fan zones, the lot. Reviews are mixed, but the idea's a cracker, and it landed right as the World Cup kicked off.