On July 31, 2024, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons announced layoffs occurred at the studio responsible for Destiny, Destiny 2, and the upcoming Marathon extraction shooter. Roughly 220 roles, accounting for 17% of the workforce, will be eliminated.

The full statement, released on the official company news site, detailed that Bungie will shift the remaining work force entirely to focus on Destiny 2 and Marathon development. In addition, Parsons stated that a sizable portion of the team would be more deeply integrated into Sony Interactive Entertainment. Approximately 155 Bungie roles will be moved to Sony Interactive Entertainment directly over the next few quarters.

These new layoffs hit members of Bungie staff both in upper levels and lower levels of the company. Robert Brookes, a senior narrative designer who worked on Destiny 2 for five years and covered releases from 2020's Season of the Hunt to 2024's The Final Shape is one of the 220 individuals affected. The reason for the dismissals, according to Parsons, is that the company overstretched financial safety margins associated with spreading talent too thin and the "quality miss" of Destiny 2: Lightfall.

This announcement arrived midway through the newest Destiny 2 story chapter called Echoes, which followed The Final Shape. Parsons noted in the statement that 850 team members remain. This is the second round of layoffs in recent memory at Bungie, with the other occurring in October of 2023.

No statements were made as to what this means for the current plans for Destiny 2's future content. Parsons said, "There will be a time to talk about our goals and projects, but today is not that day."

Destiny 2 is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.

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While the 2024 Paris Olympics are still ongoing, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario and their friends will not be participating. The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series no longer continue, as the International Olympic Committee (or IOC) has elected to pursue other partnerships. (Thanks, Eurogamer!)

This is the first time in almost twenty years that a Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games title will not be released to coincide with the Olympic Games. Instead, the IOC has elected to partner with Esports and NFTs.

The license for the Mario & Sonic games expired in 2020, with the IOC electing not to renew it. According to the Eurogamer interview with Lee Cocker, who worked on most of the Mario & Sonic entries, the decision was made to bring the interactive tie-ins more in control by the IOC.

The official tie-in game this year is a smartphone and PC exclusive called Olympics Go! Paris 2024, developed by nWay. The free to play title features 12 Olympic Sports and advertise NFTs for the Paris Olympics.

The last Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games title released in 2019 to coincide with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The first entry in the series appeared in 2007.

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During San Diego Comic Con 2024, Bandai Namco Entertainment announced the new Netflix Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance movie will inspire its own tie-in Fortnite game mode. There’s no release date for it yet, but it will be developed in the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) and bring the movie's Universal Century battles to Fortnite.

Developed by the studio Look North World, the developers behind ARK: Survival Evolved and numerous games developed within Fortnite, the new Gundam-themed game mode will be a Team Deathmatch mode. It will be free for all players to access.

In addition, a new trailer for the movie that revealed the October 17, 2024 release date appeared. It showcased the new designs of classic mobile suits, like the Zaku II and the Gundam, as well as gave a sense of the story. You can watch it here:

This is not the first multiplayer shooter to get a Mobile Suit Gundam crossover. Earlier this 2024, Call of Duty received a Gundam crossover. It resulted in skins based on the RX-78 Gundam, Char's red Zaku II, and the Gundam Aerial from Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury. This year also marks the 45th anniversary of the original Mobile Suit Gundam.

Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance will be released on Netflix on October 17, 2024. The Fortnite game mode by Look North World will be releasing shortly after the film on the PC, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and mobile devices.

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Arc System Works announced the full lineup and upcoming content for Guilty Gear Strive Season Pass 4, adding Dizzy, Venom, the anime adaptation character Unika, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners heroine Lucy as DLC. There will also be new stages, new colors for every character, a new character, and, for the first time in Guilty Gear history, a guest character. Team of 3 mode is also available.

The trailer, showcasing the new additions, was posted to the Arc System Works official YouTube channel on July 21, 2024. You can watch that trailer below:

The trailer dropped during the Evo 2024 Grand Finals of Guilty Gear Strive and listed out everything that would be coming in the fourth Season Pass. There will be brand new stages for players to fight on, an exclusive new color for every character, redesigns for the returning characters of Venom and Queen Dizzy, and Guilty Gear -Strive- Dual Rulers' Unika, and Lucy from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners as the first guest character to ever enter a Guilty Gear game. Beyond the characters, a new fighting format will also be added to the game: three-on-three battles, much like Marvel Vs Capcom.

Here's how Lucy looks in the game. However, she won't arrive until 2025.

While the Season 4 Pass for Guilty Gear Strive will be available on July 22, 2024, new DLC will start appearing in a few months. Here are the tentative release windows for each one:

• October 2024: Dizzy
• Early 2025: Venom
• Spring 2025: Unika
• Summer 2025: Lucy

Guilty Gear -Strive- and its previous three seasons of characters and stages are available now on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and PC

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On July 19, 2024, FromSoftware announced that an update would be implemented to the Elden Ring end credits to add the names of missing translators that had been left out of the list.

The Tweet announcing this, posted by the official Elden Ring Twitter account, stated that the fix would arrive in an upcoming patch. They do not state exactly who was left out, but the statement says that the exclusion was unintentional.

FromSoftware and Bandai Namco, earlier this year, announced that Elden Ring had sold over 25 million copies. With the addition of these names to the registry, more individuals who worked on Elden Ring will be able to prove their contributions.

Recently, the DLC expansion: Shadow of the Erdtree released on June 21, 2024. This is the only major content update planned for Elden Ring and it, along with the main game, has received a series of patches and fixes to address bugs and issues, including one doing a large rebalancing of the DLC's core mechanic. This update to the credits will arrive alongside a later content patch, but the exact timing is currently unknown.

Elden Ring and the DLC Expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, are available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and PC.

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Fishing for cats, a new game by the indie developer xigehong, will make its way to Steam on July 25, 2024. The game is described as "a third person casual game where players fish in the park and attract stray cats," will be a realistic fishing sim set in a park full of cats.

The title, Fishing for cats, also describes the core gameplay loop. Players will be angling for fish and feeding it to the local cats in the park, building a relationship with the many cats they will encounter. You will also be able swim in the lake, go for pleasant jogs around the park, and roast fish to entice the many felines that will be roaming about.

You can take a look at screenshots from the game below:

For those looking for other cat-centric games, Little Kitty, Big City released in 2024. One of several titles featuring cats as a key fixture, this title will have you playing as a cat, instead of trying to curry their favor with fish.

Fishing for cats will release for PC through Steam on July 25, 2024.

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VShojo announced on its official social media account that English auditions are now open for the independent Vtuber Agency. They will only be open until August 6, 2024, and people can apply at the official site.

The official VShojo Twitter account announced that candidates will who apply will be contacted one month after auditions close in August. It follows a similar announcement for auditions for new Japanese member from earlier in July 2024.

Those who audition must be over 18 years of age, provide their country of origin, and come up with a stage name. Applicants will need to provide contact information so that the company can get in touch with applicants should they make the cut. Candidates must prepare a two minute long audition video for VShojo as part of the audition process. The notice also stated that, while the company will contact and notify those candidates who make it past the initial round, passing the recruitment does not guarantee that the applicant will become a part of the company.

VShojo features Vtubers from multiple regions. Some of the most prominent members include Ironmouse and Zentreya. The Japanese branch includes Kson and Henya the Genius. Meanwhile, Kuro and Michi Mochievee also represent the Asian branch. In addition, a number of independent Vtubers are also aided by the agency at times, such as Mint Fantome.

VShojo English Vtuber auditions are now open until August 6, 2024.

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FromSoftware and Bandai Namco released the new 1.12.3 patch for Elden Ring, and with it come buffs and nerfs to some weapons and underused skills. The latest patch notes specifically reference the Swift Slash skill, Rolling Sparks skill, and Bloodfiend's Arm weapon.

Most notable of this was a large reduction in the damage and active animation of the Swift Slash weapon skill, exclusively in PVP, as well as a fix to a glitch involving the Rolling Spark Ash of War that had made the various Perfume Bottle weapons very strong contenders. In addition, the Smithscript Daggers and Smithscript Cirque weapons had their throwing attack range extended, giving them more use against players and enemies alike. Adjustments were also made to the Golden Hippopotamus and Commander Gaius boss fights to send them back to their original starting positions, if players need to try them again.

The biggest changes beyond the Swift Slash and Rolling Spark attacks were bug fixes centering on the scaling and outsize capabilities of weapons like the Fire Knight Greatsword and the Bloodfiend's Arm. The latter was noted by the community for it incredibly powerful bleed triggers and that has been subject to some of the edits made in this most recent patch.

This comes on the heels of an update that centered around buffing the earlier levels of the Shadow Realm Blessings players could acquire through the Scadutree Fragments and Ash Remnants.

Elden Ring is currently available on PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X. Shadow of the Erdtree released on June 21, 2024. This new update went live on July 4, 2023 for all platforms.

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On July 2, 2024, Bandai Namco announced the dates for the latest Gundam Breaker series game Gundam Breaker 4 Open Network Test. Starting on July 18, 2024, players will be able to test out the multiplayer modes. The beta will end on July 20, 2024.

The social media post announcing the Open Network Test included a brand new trailer showcasing customization and the combat options players will have as they control their specialized personal designs.

You can see what gameplay looks like in the post below:

Players engaging in the Open Network Test will be able to customize their own Gunpla creation out of a selection of over 20 Mobile suits. There will be over 250 that will be available in the game at launch. We will be able to take their creations into three-player co-op matches with friends and other players against waves of other custom Gunpla and giant mobile suits. In addition, this installment will all us to show off custom Gundam units in the multiplayer lobby, which is a first for the series.

Bandai Namco provided the following schedule and dates for the Gundam Breaker 4 Open Network Test:

• July 17, 2024 at 9pm PT (12am ET on July 18, 2024): Pre-loading for the Open Network Test will begin for the PS4, PS5, and Switch.
• July 18, 2024 at 5pm-10pm PT (8pm-1am ET): Open Network Test available
• July 18, 2024 at 10pm PT (1am ET on July 19, 2024): Four-hour maintenance starts; Open Network Test unavailable
• July 19, 2024 at 2am – 7am PT/5am - 10am ET: Open Network Test available
• July 19, 2024 at 7pm PT – 11pm PT (10pm-2am ET): Open Network Test available

Gundam Breaker 4 will be available for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC on August 29, 2024. Pre-orders are currently available.

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Yostar announced that the two physical volumes of the Arknights Rhodes Kitchen - Tidbits manga based on the tower-defense mobile game will be released worldwide, including comics gradually released online. At the moment the volumes cost $20 in a bundle together, before shipping, and are expected to release in August 2024.

The official social media account for the Yostar Official Store showcased the two volumes and their cover art. Each one features sketches of various Arknights characters, with Amiya in the center. It also included a link to the Yostar official store where you can buy them.

As for the manga volumes themselves, not only do they include a series of short comics featuring Arknights characters like Amiya, Matterhorn, Blaze, and Kroos, but they will come with recipes for readers to try out for themselves. Each recipe made in each chapter will be presented with every ingredient used and the process used to create them, similar to how Delicious in Dungeon displays its dishes, fictional ingredients and all.

The comics were available to read on the official Arknights website, on chapter by chapter basis, and they was released in physical manga volumes in Japan in March 2023. In other news related to the game, Yostar will be partnering with Sanrio for an in-game collaboration that includes Hello Kitty.

Arknights is currently available on mobile devices.

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Capcom announced that it released a limited-time free trial for Dragon's Dogma 2. Players interested in the new action-RPG from Hideaki Itsuno and crew will be able to experience up to two hours of the game for free.

On Capcom's official Twitter account, the company announced both that the free trial was live for those who would like to give Dragon's Dogma 2 a taste and that the game would be going on sale. It is 20% off on Steam, bringing the price down to $55.99.

The trial itself is also only available for a limited time. It will end on July 17, 2024 for PS5 users. Xbox Series X and PC players can take part until July 18, 2024.

Capcom also recommended that, for players to get the most out of their time, the company suggested getting the Dragon's Dogma 2 Character Creator & Storage app beforehand. This keeps the demo's playtime from being devoted to creating an Arisen and Pawn.

Capcom revealed that Dragon's Dogma 2 sold 2.5 million copies after launch earlier in 2024, bringing the series' lifetime sales to over 10 million copies. The success of it caused Capcom to favorably revise their earnings forecast.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is available on the PS5, Xbox and PC. The Free Trial lasts from until July 17, 2024 for the PS5 and until July 18, 2024 for the Xbox Series X and PC.

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For the newest expansion to FFXIV: Dawntrail, Square Enix has set up a new ad campaign, Tour Tural. A website, decorated like the official tourism sites of many countries around the world, showcases the new continent of Tural players will be visiting.

In addition to a video featuring Rhys Darby of Our Flag Means Death and Flight of the Conchords fame as the "Interim Deputy Director of Turalism", the Tour Tural campaign has gone on to create in-universe comedy advertising about the upcoming adventure to Tural FFXIV players will be able to enjoy when Dawntrail releases.

You can view the FFXIV: Dawntrail Tour Tural promotional video here:

The site features everything from recipes for Tural inspired tacos and drinks, advertising for the scenic locals and various activities present in the new expansion and in-universe advertising for everything from alpaca-petting to novelty postcards.

The site features everything from recipes for Tural inspired tacos and drinks, advertising for the scenic locals and various activities present in the new expansion and in-universe advertising for everything from alpaca-petting to novelty postcards. It even contains links to a Tural chatbot, and selected merch coming soon, including a "Keep Tural Weird" bag.

This is only the latest swing in the Dawntrail pre-release marketing. Earlier this year, Square Enix announced a collaboration with the Gong cha bubble tea chain. In addition a new Final Fantasy Uniqlo collaboration was announced, bringing new t-shirt designs to the international clothing store. The "Board of Turalism" campaign is the next step in Square Enix's attempts to spread the word and get people even more excited for the new expansion.

Final Fantasy XIV is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox, and PC. The newest expansion, Dawntrail, begins early access on June 28, 2024 and the full release will be on July 5, 2024.

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On August 1, 2024, Mandalorian Bounty Hunter Jango Fett will return in a full remaster of the 2002 PS2 and GameCube game starring him. The release date was confirmed for this updated version of Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, which will include textural overhauls and be playable on the PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

A trailer showcasing gameplay and the updated texture work debuted to show everyone what to expect. The game features mission-based gameplay, where you use all of Jango Fett's bounty hunting tools to accomplish jobs. Players will jetpack through areas, use Jango's twin blasters to fight off foes, and travel across famous Star Wars locales in pursuit of bounties. The game, focusing on the history of the famous Bounty Hunter and source of the Clone Troopers, shows the adventures he went on before becoming selected to be the Clone Trooper template.

The new Star Wars: Bounty Hunter release date trailer can be viewed here:

The rerelease is developed by Aspyr. Aspyr had a hand in Star Wars rereleases for a while now, porting the classic Star Wars: Battlefront games to modern consoles alongside the remasters of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. This game was also released exclusively for the PS4 in 2019, via a physical edition through Limited Run Games. It joins the new Star Wars: Hunters hero-shooter.

The Star Wars: Bounty Hunter rerelease release date is August 1, 2024. It will be available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.

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For the 20th Anniversary of the Monster Hunter Series, Capcom took fan votes on their favorite theme music from the series. A recent video showcased the top ten, and the Valstrax Monster Hunter song "Silver-Winged Scarlet Star" took first place.

"Silver-Winged Scarlet Star" is the theme song for Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate flagship monster Valstrax. Capcom released an entirely new arrangement of the track in honor of it taking first. The rocket-powered hawk-dragon also received a variant in Monster Hunter Rise. That is The Crimson Glow Valstrax.

The YouTube video of this new EDM version of the track can be listened to below:

The other big winners of the fan poll were a collection of classics from across various generations. A number of them happened to be updated renditions re-vamped for Monster Hunter World. Among the selected tracks were the Fatalis theme "The Legend Descends - World Version," and the Raging Brachydios song "Brutish Indigo Rages." Other appearances were "Moonquake," the music for Ceadeus from Monster Hunter Tri and 3 Ultimate, alongside "Spark of Blue," the theme of fan-favorite monster Zinogre. Another was "Splendiferous Silver Sovereign," the theme of the Velkhana from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. Not to be left out, the theme of the Lagiacrus called "Tremors on Land and Sea," secured a spot.

The full "Hunter's Choice: Top 10 Monster Themes" video from Capcom can be viewed here:

This is the most recent announcement tied to the 20th Anniversary of Monster Hunter. A website celebrating the series' history was set up in addition to the polls for this and other fan favorite topics. Earlier in 2024, Capcom held a similar poll determining what the fans' favorite Monster was. The winner of this poll was Zinogre.

Monster Hunter World and its expansion, Iceborne, are available on the PS4, PS5, PC and Xbox. Monster Hunter Rise, the newest entry, and its expansion Sunbreak, are available on the PS4, PS5, PC and Xbox. Monster Hunter Wilds will be arriving on the PS5, Xbox One X, and PC in 2025.

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In the latest 1.12.22 Elden Ring patch, a major shift to Shadow Realm Blessings in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC occurred. The Scadutree and Ash Remnant Blessings conferred by the key items dotted across the new areas tilted in favor of the earliest few levels.

Bandai Namco and FromSoftware released the Elden Ring patch on June 26, 2024. There are no major adjustments to weapons or stat balancing, but the big change is in how the Shadow Realm Blessings affect your character. Previously, they were much more gradual, incentivizing players to try and hunt down many of the Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ash pieces as possible to survive the damage of the new zones. Bosses and many stronger enemies could kill you in one or two hits without sufficient Blessings.

Now, with these changes, the Shadow Realm Blessings are weighted far heavier in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree to help players in the earlier levels. The first half of the 20 levels of the Shadow Realm Blessing now confer much more damage and damage negation, while the back half retain their more gradual increase. The idea is that these changes will make the game more accessible to people burned by the different leveling and scaling, as well as make repeat ventures through the Shadow Realm less taxing.

Here are the full patch notes for Elden Ring 1.12.22:

Calibration Update 1.12.2 change list

Attack and damage negation curve scaling of the Shadow Realm Blessings has been revised.

+ The attack and damage negation has been increased for the first half of the maximum amount of Blessing enhancements, and the second half will now be more gradual.

+The attack and damage negation granted by the final level of Blessing enhancements has been slightly increased.

The calibration update can be applied by logging into the multiplayer server.

If the Calibration Ver. listed at the bottom right of the title menu is not "1.12.2", then select LOGIN and apply the latest regulations before enjoying the game.

About graphics settings (PC version only)

We have confirmed a bug where the raytracing settings are automatically enabled if you have previously loaded saved data from previous game versions.

If your framerate is unstable, please check in the 'SYSTEM' > 'Graphics Settings' > 'Raytracing Quality' settings from the title menu or in-game menu to check if it has been unintentionally set to 'ON'. Once set to 'OFF', Ray Tracing will no longer be automatically enabled.

Bandai Namco and FromSoftware

Elden Ring is available on the PS4, PS5, PC, and Xbox. Shadow of the Erdtree is also available now,

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