G'day Gamers,

This has been a brutal week for the gaming industry with Playstation getting rid of physical media & Xbox expecting to close multiple studios. But hey at least Nintendo is looking after their workers with a 10% pay rise.

On a happier note the Steam summer sale is currently running and so far i’ve picked up 7 games for about $25 & I plan to buy more this evening. Have you bought anything? Let me know at [email protected]

But the highlight of my gaming week has been the

Anyway its a busy week.
Let's get into it,

On 1 July, Sony announced the end of physical disc production for all new PlayStation games from January 2028. From that date, new releases sell as digital only, through the PlayStation Store and through retailers as download codes. Discs released before January 2028 keep working, and existing libraries stay put.

Sony points to consumer preference as the driver, and its own data shows downloads as the default choice for most players. You can read the announcement here.

The announcement follows GTA 6's boxed edition shipping as a download code in place of a game. Ampere analyst Piers Harding-Rolls reads the 2028 date as a sign the base PS6 will launch built around downloads. Sony also plans to close the PS3 and Vita stores across the next year.

There are also rumours that Xbox will follow suit and also go 100% digital. I understand that this is strictly a financial decision and that there isn’t a meaningful amount of people who buy physical copies anymore but it does concern me that we no longer offer the media we pay for.

Reports from The Verge and Bloomberg place a major wave of Xbox layoffs and studio closures on Monday 6 July, with job losses that could pass a thousand.

As many as five studios face closure, sale, or a spin-off. Ninja Theory, the Hellblade team, learned on a call that it would close, and now hunts for a buyer, with its recent Senua reveal at Summer Game Fest serving in part to draw one in. Double Fine, home of Psychonauts, and Compulsion Games, behind South of Midnight, both sit in talks to spin off, while Microsoft looks to sell State of Decay studio Undead Labs. Arkane, the Dishonored studio, rounds out the list, with its Marvel's Blade facing cancellation after the game slipped to late 2027 and ran over budget.

The cuts follow a June 'reset' memo from Xbox leaders Asha Sharma and Matt Booty. A 3 per cent profit margin, a memory-price crunch from AI demand, and fresh console price rises sit behind the decision. George Broussard tips this as the largest single layoff event gaming has seen, I think there’s a fair chance we will be talking about this next week.

Marvel Tokon completes its roster at EVO Arc System Works revealed the final team, the Samurai Outriders, adding Blade, Loki, and Deadpool next to Ghost Rider, with an open beta on PS5 and PC from 24 to 26 July.

Mario Kart World adds two Knockout Tour routes The 1.7.0 update on Switch 2 brings Drill Rally and Boomerang Rally plus Photo Mode stickers, with six more routes confirmed to come.

Persona is heading to Netflix in live action Variety reports Star Trek: Picard writer Christopher Monfette will showrun, with Shawn Levy's 21 Laps producing, though the report leaves open which game it adapts.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 drops its first teaser Netflix, CD Projekt Red, and Studio Trigger set a standalone 10-episode return to Night City with a new cast, due later in 2026.

Game Pass loads up for July Palworld hits 1.0 on 10 July and the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake lands on 28 July, part of a stacked month for the service.

PS Plus Essential adds three from 7 July Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, For the King II, and CrossCode join the Essential tier, playable through 3 August.

Sony hints at more PS Plus price rises On an investor call, Sony said it balances value against cost and may lift prices again as PS5 hardware sales slow.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword lands three weeks early Capcom moved its samurai action revival forward to 4 September, the first new mainline Onimusha in over 20 years, on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, and PC.

Clive Barker's Hellraiser gets a game and a date Saber Interactive's first-person survival horror Hellraiser: Revival, written with Barker, arrives 8 October on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC, with a fresh IGN preview out now.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced (PS5/Xbox Series/PC) – July 9 A ground-up remake of the 2013 pirate classic, rebuilding Edward Kenway and the Jackdaw in the latest Anvil engine with new missions, reworked combat, and the returning cast. The pick of the week.

Palworld (PC/PS5/Xbox Series/Switch 2) – July 10 The creature-collecting survival shooter hits 1.0 with its biggest update yet, adding new story beats, a wing pack for flight, and a fresh batch of Pals.

EA Sports College Football 27 (PS5/Xbox Series/PC) – July 9 The annual college football sim returns with a new Dynasty Blueprint, deeper Road to Glory customisation, and a mascot-versus-mascot mode.

Moonlight Peaks (Switch/Switch 2/PC) – July 7 A cosy vampire life-sim in the Stardew mould, mixing farming, potion-crafting, and spellcasting.

Backyard Baseball (PC/Mac) – July 9 The first all-new entry in nearly 15 years brings back Pablo Sanchez and the backyard crew, with four modes, 11 remastered stadiums, 24 teams, and 30 characters.

Cat Mail Co. (PC) – July 9 A cosy post office sim on a cat-run island, sorting and delivering parcels at your own pace, with a day-night cycle that reveals hidden truths and up to four-player co-op.

Hotline Miami (90% off, about A$1.45). A fast top-down action game set to a standout synthwave soundtrack.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (90% off, about A$2.25). A randomised roguelike dungeon crawler with hundreds of items and endless run variety.
Dishonored (90% off, about A$3). A first-person immersive sim about a masked assassin with teleport and possession powers.
Grim Dawn (90% off, about A$3.50). A dark action RPG with dual-class builds and deep loot systems.
Watch Dogs 2 (95% off, about A$4.50). An open-world hacking game set across a playable San Francisco.

A Plague Tale: Innocence (90% off, about A$6). A story-driven stealth adventure set in plague-era France amid swarms of rats.
Far Cry 4 (90% off, about A$6). An open-world first-person shooter set in the fictional Himalayan region of Kyrat.
Titanfall 2 (85% off, about A$6.75). A first-person shooter with an acclaimed single-player campaign and pilot-and-mech combat.
Dead Space (90% off, about A$8.99). The 2023 remake of the survival-horror classic aboard the derelict Ishimura.
Ghostwire: Tokyo (90% off, about A$8.99). A first-person action-adventure through a supernatural, depopulated Tokyo.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (80% off, about A$11). An open-world fantasy RPG with two full-sized expansions included.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (80% off, about A$21). A third-person action-adventure following Jedi Cal Kestis across several worlds.
Hollow Knight: Silksong (25% off, about A$22.50). The metroidvania sequel starring Hornet, at its first discount since launch.
Red Dead Redemption 2 (75% off, about A$24.99). Rockstar's open-world western following outlaw Arthur Morgan.
Cyberpunk 2077 (70% off, about A$27). An open-world RPG set in Night City, at its first historical low.