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Brazil Games Heads to gamescom 2026 with Expanded Presence Across Business and Indie Areas
Brazil Games, in partnership with Abragames and ApexBrasil, will have an expanded presence at gamescom 2026, showcasing Brazilian game development talent and business opportunities. The initiative will feature a dedicated pavilion in the Indie Area for emerging studios and a strong B2B presence to connect companies with international publishers and investors. The event aims to highlight Brazil's growing role in the global games industry, featuring original IPs and specialized development services.
Quiz: Klassiker du borde ha spelat
This article presents a quiz challenging readers' knowledge of classic video games. It encourages a look back at influential titles that have shaped genres or were perhaps missed by many. The piece also touches upon various other gaming news and community discussions.
Evening Reading - July 15, 2026
This edition of Evening Reading covers various gaming news items, including the release of Dispatch on Xbox, updates on Two Point Studios' games, and the upcoming launch of Once Upon a Katamari. It also touches on the inclusion of Michael Myers driving in HALLOWEEN: THE GAME and Pokemon Unite's removal from the 2027 Championship Series.
Games Inbox: Is Halo: Combat Evolved worth pre-ordering on PS5?
A PlayStation-only gamer expresses excitement for Halo: Combat Evolved but is hesitant to pre-order due to Xbox's shifting multi-platform strategy. The reader questions the long-term viability of Halo on PlayStation and draws parallels to Gears of War. Other readers discuss analyst predictions for Grand Theft Auto 6 sales, the risks of digital game ownership, and the historical performance of consoles like the Master System and NES in the UK.
Evening Consolidation
The game Dispatch is set to release on Xbox this month, featuring uncensored scenes. Additionally, Katamari Damacy is receiving a "Rolling LIVE" highlight on Nintendo Switch, and a new visitor has arrived on Xbox.
Crimson Desert Finally Gets Cross-Save Progression With Latest Update
Crimson Desert has received update 1.14.00, which primarily adds a cross-save feature across PlayStation, Xbox, PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), allowing players to continue their progress on any linked platform. The update also includes various bug fixes and gameplay improvements, with Pearl Abyss planning more substantial content and DLC in the coming months.
Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains Review | TheXboxHub
Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains reimagines the classic board game with a team-based structure and faster matches, focusing on earning Influence Points and engaging in frequent battles. While purists may find the rule changes drastic, the game offers a fun party experience for Star Wars fans, featuring iconic characters and locations presented in a holographic style, though the music is noted as a weakness.
Beyond the Review Score: The Invisible Grind For Our Collective Attention Span
Modern game reviews increasingly prioritize user experience factors like onboarding, UI design, and customer support over traditional metrics. Factors such as time-to-play, seamless signup processes, and mobile optimization are now critical for player retention and overall game success. Companies like Microsoft are actively refining their platforms, such as the Xbox home screen, to reduce friction and improve user engagement.
Taival Is an Open World Co-Op Adventure RPG, Out Now on Steam
Taival, a co-op open-world adventure RPG developed by Bonobo Software and published by Level Up Gaming, has launched on Steam Early Access for PC. Players explore a handcrafted world with a shapeshifting companion called Henki, recovering lost fragments to restore balance. The game supports up to four players online or in split-screen and will later be released on Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch 2.
EA finally admits adding autosaves to The Sims 4 is a good idea after 12 years, slapping a band-aid on over a decade of heartbreak from crashes and lost progress
Electronic Arts is finally introducing an autosave feature to The Sims 4 on July 21, over a decade after the game's initial launch. This update also includes a Memory Boost to improve performance on Mac and console versions, aiming to reduce crashes and lost progress. Players will have customization options for how and when the autosave occurs.
Hit Superhero Comedy Game Dispatch Finally Lands on Xbox This Month, Uncensored Scenes and All
AdHoc Studio has announced that the superhero comedy game Dispatch will be released on Xbox this month. The game will feature uncensored scenes and is described as a workplace comedy.
Torpor Games Announces Two New Suzerain DLCs and Standalone War Strategy Game Wars of Suzerain
Torpor Games has announced three new additions to the Suzerain Universe: the narrative DLC Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens, the country DLC Suzerain: Socialist Republic of Galmland, and the standalone turn-based strategy game Wars of Suzerain. These titles will expand the franchise into new genres, including media influence, socialist state management, and military conflict, all while maintaining the series' signature political storytelling. All three are planned for release in 2026 and will be available on PC, consoles, and mobile platforms.
Xbox owner loses decades of digital games after Microsoft deletes account
An Xbox player, Joshua Khane, lost 25 years of digital games and personal data after Microsoft permanently suspended his account due to a hack. Microsoft stated the account deletion was irreversible to protect personal data, even refusing to recover Minecraft purchases. This incident highlights growing concerns about digital ownership and account security in an increasingly digital-only gaming future.
As GTA 6's PC portless launch looms, ex-Rockstar producer says prioritising consoles first is primarily about being "better off starting with the constraints"
Former Rockstar Games producer John Ricchio explained that prioritizing console development first for titles like Grand Theft Auto 6 is a strategic choice to manage complexity. He stated that it's easier to scale up a game from hardware with stricter limitations than to scale down a PC version for consoles, a philosophy applied to Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption.
FATE: Reawakened’s Prometheus DLC Launches on Mobile with Controller Support
Publisher gamigo and developer Tableflip have released the Prometheus DLC for FATE: Reawakened on mobile platforms including Google Play and the App Store. This new content adds controller support for mobile play and introduces a new adventure set in the city of Prometheus, where players must recover the stolen Golden Flame. FATE: Reawakened, a modern reimagining of the classic FATE series, is also available on PC and consoles.
My favorite Razer Kraken Kitty headset has never been this cheap, but there's less than 50% left of this…
The Razer Kraken Kitty V3 Pro wireless gaming headset is currently available at a discounted price of $104.99 on Amazon, its lowest price to date. This deal offers a significant reduction from its $179.99 MSRP, making its triple connectivity options (2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, USB wired) more appealing. The headset is compatible with PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox (wired).
God of War Laufey will have a physical disc on release
Santa Monica Studio has confirmed that God of War Laufey will include a physical disc, potentially marking the last physical release for the series due to Sony's planned phase-out of disc production by January 2028. This announcement follows similar confirmations for Grand Theft Auto VI and Marvel's Wolverine, and comes after Sony revealed its intention to cease disc manufacturing entirely, citing a shift towards digital sales. Other studios like Halo Studios are also ensuring disc options for their upcoming titles, though some may still require day-one downloads.
As a Spyro fan from the '90s, here's what Spyro: A Realm Beyond needs to get right
A long-time fan of the original Spyro games discusses expectations for the upcoming title, Spyro: A Realm Beyond, developed by Toys for Bob. The article highlights the importance of balancing nostalgic elements with modern game design to appeal to both older and newer generations of players, emphasizing the potential of free flight mechanics and the need to retain the series' core charm.
Palworld 1.0's first update stops teleporting from temporarily freezing your game and save data being "unintentionally discarded after certain operations"
Palworld 1.0's first patch, version 1.0.1, addresses several critical bugs across all platforms. The update fixes issues with burning status after touching campfires, prevents save data from being unintentionally discarded, resolves a save error on PlayStation 5, and eliminates game freezes that occurred after teleporting on Xbox.
Evening Reading - July 14, 2026
This edition of Evening Reading from Shacknews covers various gaming industry updates, including pre-order guides for Halo: Campaign Evolved and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves DLC. It also reports on Ubisoft Barcelona developer strikes over layoffs, a delay for the PlayStation FlexStrike Fight Stick, and the retirement of Dead Space creator Glen Schofield. Additionally, the article touches on non-gaming news regarding data centers and healthcare.