Steam
Heart Machine Lays Off Nearly All Staff After Publisher Withdraws Funding
Indie studio Heart Machine has laid off nearly all its developers after a publisher withdrew funding for its unannounced next project, leaving the studio's future uncertain. Founder Alx Preston called the decision 'devastating' and acknowledged the studio may not survive.
3 outletsGamesTrails in the Sky 2nd Chapter Remake Released, Focuses on Localization Fixes and World-Building
Nihon Falcom's Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter Remake, released on September 17, 2026, addresses localization issues from its predecessor while maintaining the series' signature world-building and character-driven storytelling. The game improves on the first remake's flaws but retains its nostalgic charm and quest-based gameplay.
2 outletsHardwareValve Launches Steam Frame VR Headset with High Price and Limited Availability
Valve has announced the Steam Frame VR headset, priced at $1,059 for the 256GB model and $1,299 for the 1TB version, with preorders starting Sept. 14. The device features a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, eye-tracking, and compatibility with Steam library streaming, but availability is managed via a randomized reservation system.
3 outletsBusinessUbisoft Reportedly Testing End to Mandatory Connect Launcher on Steam
An unverified but widely reported Steam post suggests Ubisoft is testing a way to let Steam players use Ubisoft Connect features like cross-play and cross-progression without installing or launching the separate Connect client, starting with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
5 outletsBusinessSteam's New Age Verification in Australia Requires a Credit Card, Excluding Many Adults
Valve has rolled out mandatory 18+ age verification for Australian Steam users, but unlike PlayStation and Xbox, it currently accepts only one method: owning a credit card, leaving some adults unable to access R18+ content.
2 outletsGamesSteam Achievement Database Exposes Suspected Details for Persona 6, Kingdom Hearts IV, and Dozens of Unannounced Games
Achievement-tracking site Exophase briefly displayed what appear to be achievement lists for numerous unreleased and unannounced games, including Persona 6 and Kingdom Hearts IV, in what the site's owner says may have been a Valve-side error rather than an intentional leak.
2 outletsGamesThe Blood of Dawnwalker Tops 1 Million Sales Within Days of Launch
Rebel Wolves' vampire RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker has surpassed one million copies sold shortly after release, drawing praise for its time-limited quest design and reaching strong concurrent player numbers on Steam.
3 outletsGamesThe Blood of Dawnwalker: A Vampire RPG Draws Comparisons, Mods, and Deep Dives Across Gaming Outlets
Rebel Wolves' new vampire RPG, from developers who previously worked on The Witcher 3, has prompted a wave of coverage—from satirical takes and modding trends to detailed ending guides, romance walkthroughs, and a running community readthrough.
4 outletsBusinessNexus Mods Acquires SteamDB After 13 Years of Solo Development
Nexus Mods has acquired SteamDB, the popular Steam tracking database run single-handedly for 13 years by developer Pavel "xPaw" Djundik, promising to keep the site free of ads and paywalls while adding new features.
2 outletsBusinessSteamDB Acquired by Nexus Mods Owners After Founder Cites Burnout
SteamDB, the long-running, donation-funded Steam data tracking site, has been acquired by Chosen, the company behind Nexus Mods, after founder xPaw stepped away citing burnout and the changing internet.
3 outletsGamesUbisoft Announces Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Remake, But Bungles Steam Re-Release of the Original
Ubisoft revealed a full remake of the beloved 1999 strategy game at Gamescom, and shadowdropped the original Complete Edition on Steam alongside it — only for players to discover the download didn't actually contain the game.
6 outletsGamesDeveloper's 5-Million-Piece Haystack Game Goes Viral Before It Even Has a Name
A minimalist pitch — find one needle among five million pieces of hay — has racked up tens of millions of views on X, even though the game has no title, no Steam page yet, and no release date.
2 outletsGamesHow to Fish: Viral Co-op Game Explodes on Steam as Devs Rush to Balance Boss Fights
Indie co-op fishing game How to Fish has become a surprise Steam hit, drawing hundreds of thousands of concurrent players and over a million sales in two days, while developer Dazed Games patches bugs and nerfs tough boss encounters like the Pufferfish.
3 outletsBusinessNewzoo Analyst Says Epic Games Store Can't Catch Steam — Epic and Newzoo Push Back
A Newzoo director of market intelligence told PC Gamer he doesn't see how the Epic Games Store can recover against Steam's dominance, even as he praised Epic's renewed focus on Fortnite. Epic Games and Newzoo itself have since disputed the assessment.
2 outletsGamesInfinity Ward Rolls Out First Modern Warfare 4 Beta Update as It Competes for Attention With Wardogs
Following day one feedback, Infinity Ward pushed changes to footstep audio, weapon lethality, and map voting in the Modern Warfare 4 beta, which is running alongside a separate, server-strained beta for the military shooter Wardogs.
2 outletsGamesIndie Soulslike 'Stray Dog: nobody cares' Casts a Sword-Wielding Canine as Hero, Draws Comparisons to Dark Souls' Sif
A newly announced Steam game from Parry Frames Studio puts players in the paws of a stray dog wielding a knight's sword, drawing enthusiastic online comparisons to both Sekiro and Dark Souls' iconic wolf boss Sif.
3 outletsGamesArc Raiders Pauses Expeditions Until Early 2027 for Major Overhaul
Embark Studios will halt Arc Raiders' Expeditions system after the upcoming fifth Expedition, pausing it until early 2027 to address player complaints about departure windows, reward structure, and new-player accessibility.
3 outletsGamesArc Raiders to Pause Expeditions Until Early 2027 for Major Overhaul
Embark Studios says the upcoming fifth Expedition in Arc Raiders will be the last for a while, as the developer plans to rework the system's departure windows, reward structure, and accessibility before bringing it back in early 2027.
3 outletsBusinessSaber Interactive Denies Replacing Writer With ChatGPT on Rideshare "Stimulator," Confirms AI Use for Passengers
Former lead writer Stella Sacco says she was replaced by ChatGPT midway through development on Saber Interactive's upcoming driving game Rideshare "Stimulator." Saber denies replacing any writers with AI but confirms the game will use AI for its free-ride mode.
2 outletsBusinessValve Warns European Steam Hardware Customers After Shipping Partner CEVA Logistics Suffers Cyberattack
Valve has emailed European customers who ordered Steam hardware, warning that its shipping partner CEVA Logistics was hit by a cyberattack that exposed delivery-related personal data, though account credentials and payment details were not affected.
2 outletsHardwareModders Exploit GeForce NOW File-Swap Trick to Unlock Full Windows Desktop on Nvidia's Cloud GPUs
A modder known as Zortos, working with developer dpadGuy, found a way to escape GeForce NOW's game-streaming interface and access a full Windows desktop on Nvidia's cloud hardware, effectively turning a paid subscription into a rentable cloud PC.
2 outletsGamesBattlefield 6 Player Claims Steam Refunded Purchase After 470 Hours Over Removed Game Modes
A Reddit user says Steam support refunded their $109.24 purchase of Battlefield 6's Phantom Edition after playing 470 hours, citing the surprise removal of modes including Rush. Steam's refund window is normally two hours within two weeks, and outlets note the claim has not been independently verified.
3 outletsGamesMarvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Gets PC Patch After Rocky Launch Week
Arc System Works' new tag fighter ran smoothly on PS5 but stumbled badly on PC at launch, prompting community workarounds and a fix-it patch that many players say has resolved most of their issues.
4 outletsBusinessValve Warns European Steam Hardware Buyers of Data Breach at Shipping Partner CEVA Logistics
Valve is emailing Steam Machine and Steam Controller customers in Europe after a cyberattack on shipping partner CEVA Logistics exposed personal information, though payment data and passwords appear safe.
5 outletsGamesMarvel Tokon's PC Launch Plagued by Performance Issues, Sparks Desperate Workarounds and Tournament Bans
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls' Windows PC port is suffering from severe stutters and frame drops, pushing players toward unconventional fixes, prompting a well-known streamer to abandon the platform mid-stream, and leading at least one tournament to ban PC competitors.
3 outletsGamesHalo: Campaign Evolved Launches With DLSS Support, but Draws Mixed Reviews and Modest Player Numbers
Halo: Campaign Evolved officially launched on July 28 with NVIDIA DLSS and Reflex support, part of a broader wave of RTX-enhanced game releases. Despite pre-launch hype, the remake peaked at just over 25,000 concurrent Steam players and received a Mixed user rating.
1 outletHardwareValve Says Steam Machine Reservation Queue Should Clear by End of 2026
Valve provided an update on Steam Machine sales, saying it is fulfilling orders daily and expects everyone in the reservation queue to get a purchase opportunity by the end of the year.
2 outletsGamesBeast of Reincarnation Leaks Ahead of Aug. 4 Release as Early Access Times Are Confirmed
Game Freak's upcoming action RPG Beast of Reincarnation is reportedly circulating among pirates days before its official Aug. 4 launch, even as publishers detail early access windows and pre-order bonuses for legitimate buyers.
2 outletsBusinessXbox Raises Console Prices in Europe and UK as Microsoft Pushes for Profitability by 2027
Microsoft has begun rolling out steep price increases on Xbox Series S and X consoles across Europe and the UK, part of a broader push by CEO Satya Nadella to return the Xbox division to growth after a quarter of declining revenue.
2 outletsGamesBig Walk: Reviews Praise House House's Co-op 'Friendslop' Puzzle Adventure Ahead of August 4 Launch
Critics at Kotaku, Polygon, PC Gamer, and Eurogamer have released their impressions of Big Walk, the new cooperative puzzle game from Untitled Goose Game developer House House, praising its communication-driven puzzles, emotional payoff, and warning against using Discord instead of in-game proximity chat. GamesRadar+ has also detailed the game's staggered global release times ahead of its August 4 launch.
5 outletsGamesJapanese Solo Developer Adds Czech Language Support for a Single Fan
Indie developer Eba Game is adding last-minute Czech localization to his upcoming Steam game Ball Boy Simulator after noticing just one Steam user from the Czech Republic had wishlisted it, citing the countries' shared baseball connection.
2 outletsGamesTeen's $200 Joke Game on Steam Nearly Made Him a Millionaire — Then the Refunds Hit
An 18-year-old developer's satirical $200 Steam game briefly generated over a million dollars in sales, mostly from Chinese buyers who refunded almost immediately without playing it, leaving him with just over $2,000.
5 outletsGamesSteam's Cyberpunk Fest Brings Neon-Lit Bargains Through August 10
Valve's latest themed sale discounts a wide range of cyberpunk-tagged games, headlined by an all-time low price for Cyberpunk 2077, running until 10 am on August 10.
2 outletsGamesGame Freak Promises 'Continuous Updates' for Beast of Reincarnation After Rocky Launch
A day after release, Game Freak says it's planning ongoing fixes for its new action RPG, starting with a patch due within a week that addresses camera issues, tiny text, default graphics settings, and story pacing.
5 outletsGamesBig Walk Launches to Strong Reviews, But Players Report Voice Chat Problems
House House's co-op-only adventure Big Walk has drawn praise for its collaborative puzzles and communication-focused design, but a quiet proximity voice chat has become the game's most common complaint. The developer says a fix is coming.
4 outletsGamesMoonlighter Goes Free on Steam Ahead of Sequel's Full Launch
Digital Sun and 11 bit Studios are giving away 2018's Moonlighter on Steam through Aug. 9 to mark the upcoming Sept. 2 launch of Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, which is leaving early access and expanding to new platforms.
2 outlets