The launch of Assassin's Creed Black Flag: Resynced, the highly anticipated (and high-scoring) remaster of one of the best games in the Assassin's Creed series, has been followed by 51 of its game designers from Ubisoft Barcelona being laid off, according to an exclusive report by Tom Henderson at Insider Gaming.
The report states that Ubisoft tends to assign teams to new projects long before they finish their current project (sometimes up to a year in advance, at least). The developers tried to raise their concerns with Ubisoft's higher-ups about not being given a new project back in 2025, yet in this case, they were never given a new assignment to work on before being laid off.
In fact, one employee who was affected by these layoffs (who wishes to remain anonymous) informed Insider Gaming:
"These layoffs coincide with the broader context of ongoing workplace issues. This is not an isolated event; it reflects a pattern of constant mistreatment, loss of talent, forced departures resulting from the erosion of workers’ rights, and an increasingly top-down management culture that leaves employees with little voice in decisions affecting their work.”
The report then states that, in response to this, Ubisoft Barcelona's staff will go on strike every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from June 30, 2026, to July 16, 2026.
Windows Central's take
To compound the severity of this depressing situation, these layoffs were announced shortly after Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced had a successful launch. It is currently enjoying a high overall Metacritic score of 84 — based on 84 critics — and fans are leaving mostly positive reviews on its Steam Page.
We even gave Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced a near-perfect 4.5 review score for improving upon the original Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's already stellar naval combat, beautiful graphics redone from the ground up, and new content along with story-rewrites that has made the story more compelling (the fact they got rid of the modern-day segments from the original game already makes this remake superior in my book).
This will no doubt degrade the morale of Ubisoft's developers, knowing that even if a game launches to critical and fan acclaim, they will still be laid off before the official sales numbers even start to come in.
Will the strike at Ubisoft Barcelona convince Ubisoft to improve working conditions? Will we see more layoffs at Ubisoft on the level of Xbox's massive 'Reset' that has laid off over 3,200 people? We'll watch for further developments.
Relive the tales of Edward Kenway as he sails the seven seas for treasure while unraveling a dark conspiracy of the evil Templars in Assassin's Creed Black Flag, remade for the modern era with new graphics, improved combat, and more.
We could all use some levity after this string of bad news, so we're going to do that by marveling at the creative ingenuity of YouTuber 'Game of Tobi'.
For you see, this clever tinkerer has managed to get a version of the legendary Minecraft running on two iconic portable consoles that helped pave the way for gaming handhelds as we know them today: the Game Boy Color from 1998 and the original Game Boy from 1989.
This fan-made game "3D Minecraft" isn't a lower-resolution port of Minecraft. It's a unique creation where the player can play on a flat map or a full 3D-generated world. Like in regular Minecraft, you can place blocks, explore the world, and even build.
Granted, the graphics, frame rate, and gameplay are limited compared to the real thing, especially when running on the original Game Boy, as it has no colors other than black and white. Yet the fact that this creator managed to get Minecraft working on a 1998 gaming handheld and an even older one from 1989 is nothing short of technical wizardry.
This isn't the first time 'Game of Tobi' got a modern game to work on retro hardware, as they made working versions of Minecraft on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS in the past that more closely resemble and play like regular Minecraft (complete with Survival Mode!).
In addition, they also made a Nintendo DS version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a Nintendo 3DS version of Super Mario Odyssey, and more.
Personally, I like seeing people using their technical know-how to make games we love playable on platforms we wouldn't expect (look no further than DOOM being playable on Notepad.exe or even a pregnancy test), and these Game Boy ports of Minecraft are no exception.
It just makes you wonder what the gaming world would've looked like if Minecraft had been made in the 1990s instead of 2011, and whether it would've been as successful back then, when gaming was still niche.
Plus, having a physical, offline version of Minecraft that isn't beholden to online servers to keep it running sounds like a pretty good idea, especially in this day and age, when online games can be delisted at any time, at the whim of a corporation, for whatever reason.
Either way, Game of Tobi has my YouTube subscription for this invention, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they make next (here's hoping they make Minecraft playable on the Nintendo Virtual Boy just for the sheer, eye-bleeding hilarity of seeing the Nether rendered entirely in the system's Red and Black color scheme).
What do you think of 'Game of Tobi's' Game Boy Color and Game Boy versions of Minecraft? Would you like to play an offline version of Minecraft on older hardware for the nostalgic novelty?
If you have any thoughts, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit page.
Embark on a journey of wonder and creativity with your friends in the world-famous crafting survival game, Minecraft.View Deal
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Xbox's cuts over the past week have been brutal; let's not mince words here.
Four studios divested with a possible fifth in progress, over a thousand jobs removed already, with a further 2000 planned. The atmosphere within Xbox right now is dire — a total 180 following the wave of optimism from new CEO Asha Sharma's appointment in spring.
As a result, there are tons of stories coming out about what the fate of Xbox's remaining studios might be. A lot of the discourse has fallen on id Software right now, the beloved maker of DOOM. The studio is an industry staple, and arguably one of the most important and influential brands in the modern gaming canon.
What's the truth here? I've been investigating Microsoft's plans for id. Despite the callousness of Microsoft's bean counters, I'm confident the studio will endure.
Microsoft has no plans to shelve id Tech
id's OG engineers popularized the first-person genre, which now generates billions of dollars.
DOOM and other id Software games have long been powered by the id Tech engine. The engine was designed originally for Quake back in the 90s, and has since powered a huge variety of titles, including open-world games like RAGE, horror games like The Evil Within, Wolfenstein shooters, and, of course, the modern DOOM games. More recently, Machine Games' Indiana Jones and DOOM: The Dark Ages were built on the latest versions of id Tech.
It has a very different feel to Unreal Engine, particularly for first-person games. It's been lauded for its optimization on lower-end hardware stacks, as well as its general versatility.
The cuts to id Software have hit the teams that develop id Tech hard, with decades of expertise wiped out over night. But rumors that there's now virtually nobody working on the engine are false. Sources tell me that there remains a solid stack of expertise for id Tech across id Software itself, and Machine Games. I'm told Microsoft also has no plans to shift either studio forcibly to Unreal Engine, which seems to have become the default for Microsoft and many other core game makers.
Microsoft provided us this statement on the topic: "There are dozens of people working on id Tech across multiple locations. Reports that there’s only one person left in Texas are inaccurate."
In my view, Microsoft would have to be miserably short-sighted to deprecate id Tech. Handing even more power to Unreal Engine opens them up to monopolistic price increases down the line, which would be fiscally irresponsible. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma herself said in her memo to staff that she wants Microsoft to rely less on vendors for things like this. As such, I would argue that Microsoft should invest more in id Tech, not less.
But hey, quarterly thinking is Microsoft's M.O. these days. And it is true that generational talent and knowledge has been carelessly cast aside.
id Software's headcount is now similar to what it was for DOOM (2016)
DOOM (2016) is, in my view, id Software's best ever game.
The other rumor flying around is that id Software has shrunk to a headcount that is untenable for future self-made products, relegating them to "support studio" status. This too, is false.
While the cuts have been alarmingly callous, my understanding is that the remaining id Software core team is roughly the same as it was when DOOM (2016) shipped. DOOM (2016) is arguably the studio's best-ever game in my view, despite the comparatively smaller headcount that produced it. That's not too suggest in any capacity that we should expect the same quality bar without proof ... Microsoft removed mountains of incredible talent from the pool.
Still, I'm not sure exactly what id Software could be making next. There have been reports that id Software had a variety of pitches in the pipeline, including a Perfect Dark reboot and a Western-styled shooter dubbed Ironwood. It's unclear if any of these will be greenlit.
id Software just shipped DOOM: The Dark Ages Revelations, a sizeable story expansion for last year's DOOM prequel. What the studio builds next remains to be seen, but Xbox CEO Asha Sharma specifically called out DOOM and Quake as franchises to invest in.
Microsoft wants to grow its most staple and recognizable IP, which at least in the near term, likely excludes "new" franchise ideas. I'd still like to see what a modern Hexen would look like ... perhaps we'll learn more at Quakecon, which is still going ahead.
It's still been a needlessly brutal exercise
DOOM will outlive Microsoft's bean counters. (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)
While rumors of id Software's demise have been greatly exaggerated, the layoffs have still been callous and brutal. Staffers with decades of expertise and tenure were let go, despite the success of the modern DOOM trilogy.
Microsoft's gaming aspirations have been heavily reduced over the past week, in what CEO Asha Sharma has been describing as a "reset." This has led to sizeable reductions in teams working on a variety of projects, from The Elder Scrolls to Xbox's social media delivery and platform features. Other studios, like Blizzard, seem to have emerged largely unscathed so far. And Xbox's hardware team building Helix has also been left intact.
Xbox has worked hard to save studios like Undead Labs from outright closure. But, it hasn't prevented Microsoft from expunging hundreds of jobs in other areas, inside Xbox and beyond. Microsoft's huge bets on artificial intelligence haven't really delivered meaningful returns, and the vast capital expenditure on data center buildouts is spooking investors.
At Xbox, the layoffs reflect a challenging time in traditional gaming. Core gaming has seen a contraction owing to increased costs and lack of investment in younger cohorts, which dropped consoles in favor of Roblox on mobile devices, alongside non-gaming activities. Microsoft's lack of investment in Xbox's platform and social features have prevented it from finding new users out of the Gen-X and Gen-Y cohorts, many of whom are starting to age out.
Where Xbox goes from here wholly remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: DOOM is eternal, and it will outlive Microsoft's bad decision-making.
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Though it launched to scathing criticism and widespread controversy in late 2018 due to lackluster content offerings and severe technical issues, Fallout 76 — Bethesda Game Studios' multiplayer-focused MMO-lite take on the post-apocalyptic RPG series — grew to become fairly popular over time, with the title still enjoying regular content updates and a healthy community eight years later.
It's been reported that over 50 staffers have been cut from Bethesda across its headquarters in Rockville, Maryland and its office in Dallas, Texas — a reduction in force that has The Elder Scrolls 6 devs fearing crunch on and delays of the long-awaited RPG moving forward. Some also worry that a significant amount of time will have to be spent training contractors to use Bethesda's proprietary tools like the Creation Engine.
Notably, though, one Bethesda developer commented to IGN that they "have no idea how they'll continue updating Fallout 76 without hiring an external studio," which suggests development of the experimental Fallout title could end at some point in the near future.
Fallout 76 has enjoyed eight years of steady patches and content updates, but support for the game may now be at risk after Microsoft's Xbox layoffs hit Bethesda.
We may also see external support for Fallout 76 come, as in a letter sent to staff, Bethesda president Jill Braff emphasized the need for the studio to better support its "strongest franchises" — echoing recent sentiment from Xbox's CEO Asha Sharma that it needs to "move faster" with core IPs like Fallout.
Ending support for the most recent game in the series would arguably go against that goal — especially while the extremely popular Fallout TV show is bringing countless new eyes to the property. With that said, Fallout 76 is now eight years old and isn't massively popular, and with Obsidian now making a new Fallout game, Microsoft may not see much value in continuing to invest resources in the title.
In the end, it's impossible to say what will happen with Fallout 76 moving forward until we hear something official from Microsoft, Xbox, or Bethesda. Based on the aforementioned comment from a developer, though, I do think it's likely that the game's live-service development will change in some way.
Whether it ends up stopping completely or just slowing down remains to be seen, but I can't imagine that this week's cuts won't be reflected in Fallout 76's update cadence somehow.
In the wake of Microsoft's Xbox layoffs, should support for Fallout 76 continue? Or do you think Bethesda should move on from the game? Let me know in the comments, and in the above poll.
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Bethesda Game Studios — the team behind Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starfield, and the upcoming The Elder Scrolls 6, among other titles — has also been hit, with reports of over 50 of its developers being let go. And according to a new report from IGN, that loss of talent will have a "substantial and cascading effect" on development of the next The Elder Scrolls RPG.
"Their loss will have a substantial and cascading effect on the game and morale of this studio," lamented one Bethesda staffer. "It's been a mix of every discipline: programmers, artists, and designers. One person who's been at the company since Morrowind [the third The Elder Scrolls game released in 2002] was cut," added another.
Those impacted by the layoffs include "key, high-performing people in the trenches" — and those who remain at Bethesda fear that their dismissal will lead to significant complications for The Elder Scrolls 6, including an extensive amount of time spent training contractors, unhealthy amounts of crunch and overtime, and delays for a title that's already reportedly two years away as it is.
Several ZeniMax and Bethesda studios, including id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, and Bethesda Game Studios, have experienced significant cuts as a result of Microsoft's mass Xbox layoffs. (Image credit: Bethesda)
"There is a fear that we are going to be replaced by cheaper, contracted labor, or we will hire folks to replace them that will need to be onboarded [due to proprietary tools] resulting in more delays, and we'll need to crunch to make up the time," one Bethesda employee told IGN. Another noted they've heard colleagues have been asked to train new contractors already.
"We've all been very excited and hyped for TES 6 and this has had a crushing effect on morale," said another worker. "We were already running a tight ship and are worried about this delaying the game."
Reportedly, the team working on the RPG will receive support from ZeniMax Online Studios, though it's unclear how extensive of a role the The Elder Scrolls Online studio will play. I can't help but think it will be minor, given the fact that that team just suffered over 200 cuts.
Developers still at Bethesda have been assured they're safe from the 1,600 layoffs of the 3,200 that are coming throughout the next 12 months, though team members worry they'll eventually be let go as well. It's a rational fear, given Microsoft and Xbox's layoff history.
"The 'survivors' were told they're safe from those next 1,600 but it's not entirely reassuring," one asserted. "Even if that's true, who's to say there's not another 1,600 next year after that? It's had the chilling effect of realizing you don't get to retire off your work at Xbox. Your time ends when you quit or are laid off, that's it."
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When Palworld first launched in early 2024, skeptics labeled it simply as"Pokémon with guns" that would surely fold the moment Nintendo's legal team caught wind of it.
Instead, over the proceeding 2 and half years, Pocketpair have built a legitimate survival-crafting funfest that has more than carved it's own path in the gaming industry.
To give you an idea of the sheer scale of this launch, Pocketpair’s Community Manager, Bucky, has been teasing that he's nearly losing his mind trying to format the patch notes.
The update boasts 27 PDF pages totaling over 66,000 characters of changes and additions, so massive it actually broke Steam's standard 32,000-character post limit.
Ok...hmm...How to fit...patch note...on Steam... pic.twitter.com/BsYD488IChJuly 9, 2026
Palworld's rocky road to 1.0
(Image credit: Pocketpair)
Palworld's success is nothing short of legendary at this point. Launching into Early Access in January 2024, it became a viral hit and secured it's place as Xbox's biggest third party Game Pass launch in history by drawing in over 7 million players. Fast forward to today, and Pocketpair has just announced a mind boggling 40 million total players across all platforms. With 1.0 finally here, I'm hoping that number rises exponentially.
Pocketpair have also confirmed that despite the industry standard of Early Access games to bump up their price for a retail launch, Palworld will remain at $29.99.
"We are incredibly proud of how far Palworld has come. Thanks to the amazing support of our players, it has become a success beyond our wildest dreams."
Is Palworld worth a revist if I played at launch?
PocketpairPocketpairPocketpairPocketpair
Palworld is absolutely worth going back to whether you haven't played since 2024, or even the most recent update.
While Pocketpair has confirmed that your old Early Access save files will still work, Bucky and the dev team strongly recommend starting entirely fresh. The early-to-mid-game progression has been completely overhauled to create a seamless, rewarding experience from the ground up.
Here is a breakdown of the biggest changes you can look forward to at launch:
Biome and world changes
The Sky Island biome: A massive, beautiful floating island region suspended high above the Palpagos archipelago, serving as the focal point for endgame exploration.
A new Sky Village: A friendly, inhabited settlement tucked away in the clouds of the new biome.
Revamped map & story: Vast new areas have been stitched into the world, while older regions have received visual reworks and structural improvements.
Pal & System reworks
Tower boss overhaul: The game's marquee boss encounters have been entirely redesigned with new mechanics and scaling.
Wildlife Sanctuary remodel: Sanctuaries are now encased in massive, glowing shield bubbles. They are heavily guarded by flying drone-type defenders and prowled by dangerous, powerful bosses.
Early-game progression: Brand-new Pals have been strategically distributed into the early stages of the game to make the initial leveling journey feel entirely fresh.
Base building upgrades
Floating foundations: Say goodbye to land constraints; you can now build your structural foundations directly out onto the water.
Expanded architecture: New roof variants and decorative statues allow for highly customized aesthetic designs.
Streamlined expedition stations: The station has received a sleek visual redesign to look much less obtrusive when blending it into your custom bases.
New mechanics & gear
The Wing pack: A traversal tool described as a "jetpack with wings," custom-built to help you navigate the vertical gaps of the Sky Islands.
The Fish Sword: A hilarious and powerful new combat mechanic where you unsheathe the literal spine of a fish Pal to use as a sword, mirroring Foxparks' famous flamethrower ability.
Advanced weaponry: A suite of un-named, high-tier weapons for players to craft.
And don't forget the new Pals!
PocketpairPocketpairPocketpairPocketpair
Pocketpair is dropping more new Pals in this single update than in every prior patch combined. Here are the standout creatures and variants confirmed by trailers and community teasers.
Ahri & The Crazy Dragon Serpent - The newest Sky Island Tower Boss, heavily tied to a massive, serpentine dragon seen in the cinematic trailers.
Seekmet - Affectionately dubbed "Catgirl Anubis" by the community; a powerful addition to the roster.
Soul Mora - A sleek fish Pal first teased in a comic strip. It is an exceptionally rapid swimmer that can curiously be ridden at high speeds on dry land.
Lefan - A martial-arts-themed panda who serves as a direct counterpart to Mossanda.
Hoodle & The Sleepy Pal - Hoodle looks like a hoodie possessed by a ghost child, and is constantly accompanied by a guardian Pal that looks like it desperately wants to go to sleep at 6:00 PM.
Venusa - A wonderfully derpy, happy Gorgon/Medusa-themed snake lady.
Tropica - A flightless, comical raptor-bird hybrid sporting a giant, floppy flower on its head.
Dupin - A mischievous, rabbit-jester magician creature.
Puff & Pikmi - Puff is a yappy, electric-type puppy, while Pikmi is a tiny ghost child Pal that lives to jump-scare players.
Snock - An electric snail Pal, making its official debut after being hidden away as an official comic-strip exclusive.
Other notable additions to watch out for include: a Beetle-themed Egyptian warrior with arm-whips, and a mysterious silhouette waiting at the very top of the World Tree, and I'm sure many more that I've missed..
What time does Palworld 1.0 go live?
The launch drops simultaneously worldwide. Depending on where you live, you'll be jumping in either late tonight or early tomorrow morning. Here are the approximate global release times:
Los Angeles: 8:30 PM PT (Thursday, July 9)
New York: 11:30 PM ET (Thursday, July 9)
London: 4:30 AM BST (Friday, July 10)
Tokyo: 12:30 PM JST (Friday, July 10)
Sydney: 1:30 PM AEST (Friday, July 10)
Get your Pal Spheres ready and clear your weekend schedule.
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This update, titled Preview 26.40.30, is bringing with it a slew of gameplay changes, bug fixes, and a couple of new in-game items that felt like they should've been in Minecraft from the beginning: Cushions and a Straw Bed.
Cushions allow players to sit and rest after a long day's adventuring and crafting. They don't offer any statistical gameplay benefits but can make for fun roleplay toys when sitting by campfires or having sleepovers with your friends in co-op.
The Straw Beds are a new type of bed which players can sleep on to recover health without creating a new spawn point that overrides a previous one. This can be handy if you plan on adventuring but don't want to respawn in the middle of a Creeper-infested cave and want to go back home when you die.
The materials needed to craft these items, along with the rest of this update's gameplay changes, can be found in the patch notes below:
Click here to expand the full list ↴
Drop 3 Experimental Features
Cushion
The Cushion is an item that the player can place in the world and interact with to sit on
Can be crafted in 16 colored variants
Cushions are crafted using 3 Wool Slabs of the same color
Known Issue: Cushions aren't currently generating in the Abandoned Camps, but can be found in the creative inventory
Cushion Placement Rules
A cushion can be placed on any flat surface
Cushions always align horizontally to the grid, but vertically sit on top of the supporting surface
Cushions cannot move
Cushions break if the supporting block is removed
Cushions do not have collision and can overlap with other objects (except other cushions)
Straw Bed
Straw Bed is a new type of bed which can be used to sleep through the night without setting your spawn point
It can only be used once and will be destroyed after use
It can not be used in the Nether or The End and will be destroyed if you try to sleep on it there
It is crafted using 3 Hay Bales and will give you 4 Straw Beds
Abandoned Camp
Abandoned camp now generates in Pale Garden and Flower Forest biomes (MCPE-230024) (MCPE-240045)
Straw Beds can now be found in Abandoned Camps
Updated Abandoned Camps to place procedural trees
Fixed wrong potion names in the loot tables for the Abandoned Camp
Dappled Forest
Changed biome fog settings to match other forest biomes
Updated Orange, Red & Yellow Poplar Leaves MERS textures
Sounds
Updated ambient sounds for Poplar leaf blocks
Added custom sound events for Red Shrubs and Poplar leaf blocks
Graphical
Added opaque versions to the Poplar leaves to fix black background issue (MCPE-240020)
Added hinges to Poplar door icon. Also removed 3 pixels from top door texture that didn't match the palette
Fixed Poplar sign texture to follow other sign assets
Gameplay
Added missing recipes for Wool Stairs and Wool Slabs (MCPE-240040)
Features and Bug Fixes
Accessibility
Fixed the focus indicator on the "More options" button on the start screen so it no longer relies on color alone, adding an underline when the button is focused
Blocks
Azalea and Flowering Azalea are no longer see-through when viewed from below (MCPE-217896)
Brown and Red Mushrooms can no longer be placed under the sky when it is dark
With the Minecraft Education features toggle enabled, it is possible to place charcoal again in the Lab Table (MCPE-240097)
Fixed a miscolored pixel in one of the Sulfur Spike textures
Gameplay
Fixed an issue where structure loot would differ on the same seed (MCPE-239951)
General
Brown and Red Mushrooms now generate on Crimson Nylium and Warped Nylium no matter the brightness
Graphical
Fixed a rendering issue with Vibrant Visuals where some items and text could be invisible on certain Android GPUs
Updated supported devices for Vibrant Visuals on Android
Items
Fixed issue where book and quill from pre-26.30 worlds freezes the game (MCPE-239753)
Arrows of Harming no longer bounce off entities and are now correctly removed on hit (MCPE-239756)
Character Creator
Exiting the dressing room no longer automatically saves your character if you have an unequipped color change.
Stability and Performance
Fixed a crash that could occur when spawning more than one Iron Golem
Game servers now attempt to self-repair some player connection issues
Fixed a crash that could occur during world generation when placing structures containing double chests
Fixed a potential crash issue related to Concrete Powder blocks converting into Concrete.
User Interface
Fixed a bug where text formatting codes in a resource pack's name carried over into the rest of the toast notification when the pack was activated or deactivated (MCPE-182130)
Add missing preview image for the Desert flatworld preset (MCPE-194395)
Updated the network disconnection message to direct players to enable 'Use Mobile Data' in general settings instead of profile settings
Fixed a bug where button touch areas did not align with the buttons in windowed Android modes with a title bar, such as Samsung DeX and pop up view.
The Pause Game setting is now rendered in the Main Menu (MCPE-237101)
Show "Game unpaused" notification over all screens when the pause screen is open (MCPE-229796)
Fixed a soft-lock that prevented further join attempts after a party leader's Experience join was blocked by the party eligibility check
Fixed the "How to Play" button being missing from the Settings menu in Minecraft Education
Fixed Cloud sync storage banner to not show redundant information that storage is both full and almost full when cloud storage is full (MCPE-240036)
Fixed the Beacon screen displaying a duplicated header in the Pocket UI
Create New World list is loaded correctly after deleting world data through the "Manage Worlds" button (MCPE-239804)
Updated Nintendo Switch terminology for local wireless multiplayer
Fixed a problem that caused touch scrolling to be unresponsive in creative inventory. (MCPE-236783)
Fixed an issue that prevented splitscreen players from interacting with Game Settings. (MCPE-237830)
Updated Marketplace badges to use semantic Tag styling for bordered and spacious variants, with refreshed Tag documentation and tests
Fixed skin info button not working on expanded skin pack page
After entering the sidebar while spinning the character, it will no longer continue to spin by itself
Players with multiplayer-restricted skins can now enter worlds with multiplayer disabled
Removed space appearing between the chat tab and the social drawer (MCPE-239456)
Marketplace
Updated Marketplace content cards with new pass and rating iconography, refreshed Minecoin visuals, and a notice badge treatment for surfaced states
Storage
Updated old world conversion flows in the Storage Settings tab.
Technical Updates
Commands
Allow self selection expansion when using commands (i.e. /tell) for non-operator players.
Fixed clone command cloning partial beds, both parts must be fully inside cloning volume
Fixed the /fill command from improperly placing blocks defined with the minecraft:multi_block trait
Graphical
Tightened the anti-x-ray trigger box to avoid false-positive cases when riding a mob
Fixed custom blocks rendering a stray solid face that could bleed through textures when a model face was hidden by setting one of its UV size dimensions to zero
Fixed texture bleeding on custom blocks using automatic block face UV assignment with undersized textures
Actor Components
Made schemas for the following components stricter when parsing and will fail to load an entity json that has invalid data in versions 1.26.40 and newer.
minecraft:cannot_be_attacked
minecraft:ignore_cannot_be_attacked
minecraft:floats_in_liquid
minecraft:wants_jockey
AI Goals
Fixed a bug where the on_kill event in the following behavior components was incorrectly mapped to the on_attack field, causing the event to never fire when an entity killed its target. The fix applies to entity definitions with format version 1.26.40 and above.
minecraft:behavior.melee_attack
minecraft:behavior.melee_box_attack
minecraft:behavior.delayed_attack
minecraft:behavior.stomp_attack
minecraft:behavior.use_kinetic_weapon
API
Fixed minecraft:hopper_minecart to fire EntityItemPickupAfterEvent and EntityItemPickupBeforeEvent for items above the cart.
Released LootItem.conditions in @minecraft/server v2.4.0 (moved from beta to stable)
DDUI
Fixed Images in CustomForms not being centered in the form.
Added ImageOptions.onClick and ImageOptions.tooltip which allow for a callback on click of an image and a tooltip on images, for use with CustomForm.image.
Blocks
N-way rotation on geometry components no longer requires upcoming creator features experiment
minecraft:sixteen_way_rotation state on placement direction block trait no longer requires upcoming creator features experiment
Align brightness sampling strategies between custom and vanilla blocks (MCPE-237493)
Jigsaw Block replacement will now log when an invalid final_state is encountered
Added new biome decoration feature "minecraft:multi_block_feature", which can be used exclusively to place blocks defined with the "minecraft:multi_block" trait
Released the minecraft:instrument_sound component from experimental.
Crafting
"minecraft:recipe_smithing_transform" now accepts items tagged with "minecraft:transform_materials" in its "addition" field
Editor
Fixed a bug where copying and pasting a double chest with the Paste Preview or Structure tool pasted it as two separate single chests instead of a single double chest
The Block Inspector tool now highlights the currently selected block with a bounding box, giving a clear visual indicator of which block is being inspected
Fixed the Primitives Tool preview and placement to follow the Fixed Distance cursor projection
The Flood Tool no longer errors when pressing Ctrl+D to remove a preview that has already been removed
Editor property pane items no longer display an empty tooltip when there is no tooltip text to show, such as the Flood Tool progress bar
The Dimensions tool now returns the player to their last-known position in the target dimension, or the origin on first visit
The Farm Generator tool now offers Pale Oak, Dark Oak, Nether Brick, and Mangrove fence options
Fixed a bug in the Biome Data Assignment tool where the Allow biome tag list was matched with a logical AND, so only biomes containing every allowed tag were eligible; allowed tags are now matched with a logical OR, so a biome is eligible if it has any of the allowed tags
Fixed a bug in the Vibrant Visuals color settings where dragging a timeline playhead no longer scrubbed the viewport time, so color and value keyframes could not be previewed across the day/night cycle
Fixed a bug that caused the sliders connected to any Vibrant Visuals "Enabled" checkbox to be manipulated with the checkbox toggled off
Fixed a bug that caused incorrect theme color to display for disabled text field
Added a Timeline panel to the Cinematic Tool for visualizing and editing keyframes along the camera path
Renamed "Control Points" to "Keyframes" throughout the Cinematic Tool to align with standard animation terminology
Removed all transaction recording and management functionality from the TransactionManager API and moved it to the PendingTransaction object. Transactions are now created through createPendingTransaction function, while staged changes are finalized using the submit and discard methods
Added pending transaction support for ClipboardItem.writeToWorld and BrushShapeManager APIs
Added a drag handle to the cinematics timeline so the timeline duration can be adjusted directly in the editor
Fixed a bug that caused placeholder string in text field to be incorrectly styled
The Navigation panel's minimap now uses the new minimap control
World locations are now stored per-dimension and shared across all clients
Lowered the Nether's minimap scan Y-level so the map skips the bedrock ceiling
Removed the "X" button from progress windows for the Custom Mesh, Primitive, and Flood tools
Fixed a bug that appears in Layout Template Manager during 'Copy Template' operation when copying a template with structures. The template is copied along with name and display name. The fix is that the name and display name metadata are set from the caller.
Fixed a bug where the custom cursor does not change from wait/load icon after canceling the flood operation
Fixed a bug that caused Collection Tree UI element width to be incorrect
Entity Components
Made the should_bounce boolean field of the minecraft:projectile component into an enum:
no: the projectile never bounces (default)
if_invulnerable: the projectile bounces only when the target is invulnerable to the damage source (e.g. creative mode, shield blocking)
if_no_damage_dealt: the projectile bounces whenever no damage was dealt, regardless of the reason (invulnerability, damage sensor, invulnerability frames)
Content authored against earlier format versions is automatically upgraded when loaded in 1.26.40 or later: true becomes if_invulnerable and false becomes no
Features
Fixed incorrect example json for Height Difference Filter documentation
Graphical
The MERS textures for following baby mobs and Rabbits are now visible
Baby Humanoid Chainmail Armor
Baby Dolphin
Baby Fox
Baby Goat
Baby Hoglin
Baby Panda
Baby Warm Pig
Baby Zombie Piglin
Rabbits
Snifflet
JSON Schema
Updated the generated Minecraft JSON Schema files to use a more granular schema layout instead of producing one self-contained schema file per registered type. This reduces duplicated schema content and makes the generated schemas easier to consume with external tools.
Added binary-protocol metadata to generated SharedTypes JSON Schemas, including ordinal index, control value type, underlying type, and serialization options. This gives tools more information about the binary layout of the objects described by the JSON Schemas.
Mobs
The tamed baby Wolf's collar now has a proper MERS texture
Sounds
Fixed the destroy block sound position to be at the center of the block instead of at the corner (MCPE-60799)
Experimental Technical Updates
API
Added getShapes method on PrimitiveShapesManager.
Added interface PrimitiveShapeQueryOptions for use with getShapes.
Added AllowListEntry to @minecraft/server-admin with optional name and xuid properties in beta
AllowList changes in @minecraft/server-admin all in beta
Added entries: AllowListEntry[] property
Changed add() to accept either a Player or AllowListEntry and removed accepting string as parameter. Adds InvalidArgumentError to this function when AllowListEntry has both name and xuid properties set to undefined.
Changed remove() to accept either a Player or AllowListEntry and removed accepting string as parameter. Adds InvalidArgumentError to this function when AllowListEntry has both name and xuid properties set to undefined.
Changed contains() to accept either a Player or AllowListEntry and removed accepting string as parameter. Adds InvalidArgumentError to this function when AllowListEntry has both name and xuid properties set to undefined.
Added new beta enum CloneMode with values Copy, ForceCopy, and Move that specifies how blocks are cloned between regions
Dimension
Added cloneBlocks method to beta that clones a region of blocks from one area of the dimension to another, with support for clone modes and an optional block filter
Sound Duration Info
The playback position now reflects calls to SoundInstance.seekTo
While a sound is paused via SoundInstance.pause, the playback position no longer advances; SoundInstance.resume continues from where it was paused
Editor
Removed and replaced uses of minecraft/server CompoundBlockVolume in the Experimental API with the beta minecraft/server-editor RelativeVolumeListBlockVolume
Graphical
Fixed a performance issue when in the Nether
Added a system to dynamically scale per-point-light shadow resources
Increased the maximum number of point lights
Fixed a bug where point light shadows would flicker during dynamic scaling
Sound
Added minecaft:sound block component
it requires format version 1.26.20 and Experimental Upcoming Creator Features
it can be used to assign a set of sounds to block and its permutations similar to sound field in blocks.json
blocks.json overrides values of minecraft:sound component, including values in all permutations
What do you think of Minecraft's latest patch and the new Cushion and Straw Bed items it's providing? Are you looking forward to the second Minecraft Movie and Minecraft Dungeons 2?
If you have any thoughts, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit page.
Embark on a journey of wonder and creativity with your friends in the world-famous crafting survival game, Minecraft.View Deal
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[Deal du jour] Super Mario Party Jamboree, version Switch 2, tombe à 68,86 € au lieu de 105,94 € chez E.Leclerc dans son pack avec la caméra pour la Switch 2. L'occasion de tester l'un des meilleurs party games de Nintendo.
I’m just so angry today. People will never know the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making ESO or how we basically funded other failing projects while never getting enough resources to really keep up with our release cadence. The team deserved much better.July 6, 2026
One of the game developers who previously worked at ZeniMax Online, Andrew Young, has reacted with anger and disappointment at this news, stating that "I’m just so angry today. People will never know the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making ESO or how we basically funded other failing projects while never getting enough resources to really keep up with our release cadence. The team deserved much better."
There's little doubt that more official reports of the exact damage done to Xbox's game studios will continue to be released as the company's restructuring goes on. So, we'll keep you posted on further developments regarding the ongoing situation at ZeniMax and Bethesda.
When do you think these mass layoffs will end? Do you think Xbox's game studios will be able to bounce back from these layoffs and continue making games? Do you think The Elder Scrolls Online will be able to survive now that ZeniMax Online has lost a considerable amount of manpower?
If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit community.
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It stated, "Yesterday's layoffs at Bethesda Game Studios were not a cut of '14 layers of management. We lost dozens of programmers, artists, designers, and testers. Many of whom worked at BGS for decades. If Bethesda fans are worried this will harm the quality of our future games, like The Elder Scrolls VI, let Microsoft know!"
One way you can show Microsoft your concern is here through the XBOX Player Voice feedback platform: feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/ide...
Upon hearing this, players flocked to the platform in droves and unleashed all their pent-up frustrations and criticisms at Microsoft.
Comments ranged from scathing doomsaying, like "If Microsoft does not reverse course they will be destroyed." by Percy Hartley to constructive feedback, like the most upvoted comment (at over 2,500 votes) by Witt Yao, stating, "The layoff of 3,200 workers at XBOX (across Activision, Bethesda/ZeniMax, Blizzard, King, Mojang, Obsidian, id Software, and XBOX Game Studios) is unacceptable. This continues a pattern that has led to 10,000+ layoffs at XBOX in as little as two years."
Witt Yao continues, "Multiple studios have been closed or had their futures jeopardized (Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios) and numerous games have been cancelled. The developers and players agree that This Can Not Continue. A true reset that meets the needs of the XBOX community looks like the following:"
He then advises on how Microsoft could potentially improve the Xbox brand with the following suggestions:
Transparency for Players - Showcasing games from studios they intend to sell or close weeks later feels bad for players.
Keep Teams Together - No layoffs for the next 2 years and end studio closures. Studio closures hurt the fans of that studio.
XBOX is already profitable without reaching a billion people every day - Stop constraining XBOX by the unrealistic profit expectations of the Microsoft Accountability Margin.
Trust the Developers - Negotiate in good faith with unions and developers, so they can better represent the needs of both developers and gamers.
Layoffs are a Failure of Leadership - No executive bonuses when there is a layoff.
Invest in the Future of Gaming - Invest in the future generation of video game developers instead of unpopular technologies like AI that players don’t want. Game development expertise is the biggest asset of a video game company.
Stay tuned for more info, as we can keep an eye out for developments and reactions regarding the biggest shake-up within the Xbox brand's history.
Have you voiced your opinions to Microsoft through the Xbox Player Voice Feedback? Do you have destructive or constructive criticisms regarding the Xbox brand's "reset" that has seen over 3,200 jobs terminated across many of Xbox's game studios?
If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit community.
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The second gameplay demonstration kicks off with a look at the Adeptus Mechanicus (Admech for short), a faction of tech-worshipping cyborg cultists who are making their debut in the Dawn of War series in this game.
What makes this faction unique is that the buildings they use to produce combat units can be linked together with a Noosphere Network. The more buildings that are linked together within an Admech player's network, the cheaper the cost of creating combat units will be, and the stronger the turrets they make will be.
In addition, the Admech faction features a wide variety of combat units, from fast Skitarii Rangers who can run around the map to steal Control Points while sniping enemies to heavily armored tanks and walking mechs that bring the hammer down on even the most heavily armored enemy units.
Don't underestimate the Adeptus Mechanicus' military might lest you wish to face the wrath of the Omnissiah. (Image credit: Deep Silver)
After the Admech player establishes a base of operations, we cut to the Necron player. Necrons are an ancient alien race of robot mummies that are nearly impossible to kill due to their extremely tough metallic bodies, their ability to regenerate wounds, and being able to resurrect upon destruction if they're not destroyed completely.
In Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, those abilities are faithfully represented with the Necron faction, as they can build buildings that will revive fallen combat units for free so the Necron player can divert resources towards producing endless hordes of Necron Warriors, advanced combat units like giant robotic insects called Canoptek Wraiths, or mobile flying fortresses called Monoliths, just to name a few.
A horde of Necron Warriors obliterating an enemy outpost (Image credit: Deep Silver)
Another unique aspect of the Necrons in this game is that they don't have to take and hold Control Points for resources. Instead, they draw resources by covering the map in a Power Matrix, which is spread by constructing Necron buildings.
On top of that, the Power Matrix can buff a Necron player's combat units with passive health regeneration and faster squad member replenishment, and allow the player to teleport defensive turrets where they want after they're built so they can defend any position at a moment's notice.
Speaking of teleportation, the Necron faction has access to buildings that can hold combat units in reserve and then deploy from their Headquarters to any Necron Tomb Pylon on the map. This tactic can help you deploy reinforcements in dire situations or simply help the Necron combat units move faster, as most of them are slower than a snail.
A Necron Monolith destroying an enemy squad. (Image credit: Deep Silver)
After both players have established footholds, the rest of the video becomes a mechanical bloodbath as the Admech players fights desperately to fight back the Necron forces who just simply refused to die.
However, after careful management of resources, strategic plays, and amassing an small army of tanks lead by giant mechs called the Knight Castellans, the Admech player was able to overcome the Necrons and achieve victory.
Windows Central's take
A Knight Castellan emerging from a drop pod to help turn the tide of battle in the Admech's favor. (Image credit: Deep Silver)
So seeing them in action in Dawn of War is a pretty cool sight to see, as they have access to some of the advanced weapons in the setting that would even give Space Marines a run for their money if pushed too far, which look so much fun to use in this game.
The Necrons also look pretty neat and somewhat nostalgic in this game, as their gameplay tactic of generating Power Matrix on the map to build buildings feels inspired by the Zerg's Creep mechanic from StarCraft.
Although I wouldn't expect any Zerg Rush tactics from the slow-moving Necrons any time soon unless a player masters their teleporting gimmick to deploy dozens of Necron Warriors behind enemy lines.
Either way, this game continues to impress me with every new extended gameplay showcase for its multiplayer skirmish mode, and I can't wait to see what the developers have cooking for its other modes, like the single-player campaign.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV launches on September 16, 2026, for PC via Steam. Are you looking forward to this game? Have you played any of the earlier Dawn of War games?
If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit community.
Take control of the Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, or Adeptus Mechanicus factions and wage a bloody war for domination in epic single-player campaigns or chaotic multiplayer modes in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV.View Deal
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[Deal du jour] Si vous n'avez pas encore fait le dernier titre de la licence Doom, l'arrivée du nouveau -- et dernier -- DLC est la bonne occasion. Surtout que le jeu se trouve désormais à moins de 15 €.
Microsoft misait gros sur Game Pass, un "Netflix du jeu vidéo" censé révolutionner l’industrie. Mais après plus de 80 milliards de dollars engloutis en acquisitions et en partenariats, les chiffres sont sans appel : les abonnés se font plus rares, les studios ferment, et la stratégie montre ses limites.
While the ZeniMax and Bethesda studio id Software is best known for its DOOM games — including both the classic titles as well as the modern installments DOOM 2016, DOOM Eternal, and DOOM: The Dark Ages — it's explored other properties and ideas in the past, and has reportedly been "toying around" with doing so again.
Described as a "bloodbath" by one former dev, the cuts have seemingly made it extremely unlikely that id's ideas for non-DOOM projects will ever be developed (especially with Xbox directing ZeniMax/Bethesda to focus on core IPs). A new report from GamesBeat, though, gives some insight into what those concepts were.
Aside from a multiplayer-focused DOOM game with co-op, the studio was also considering a game heavily inspired by the John Wick films called Fury, a new entry in the Perfect Dark series, and a survival-focused Western game with robots called Ironwood.
The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot may have been canceled, but I would have loved to see id Software develop a new entry in the long-dormant franchise. Alas. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Fury was a new original property pitched by id Software's studio co-director and game director Hugo Martin, with "elements of sci-fi, noir, and Louisiana and Chicago gangsters" and "a modern, cyberpunk-like feel." Notably, it had a "Gun Fu" gameplay style that blended gunplay with martial arts melee combat, and was intended to feel like a playable John Wick movie. It was never greenlit.
Allegedly, id was also exploring the possibility of making a Perfect Dark game. The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot was canceled last year when Microsoft and Xbox shuttered the studio; with nobody else working on a new installment in the 2000s stealth-action shooter series, id considered doing so and reportedly even had concept art drafted.
Finally, there's Ironwood. Very little is known about it other than that it would be set in a Western environment with robots and survival gameplay, though it's been said it would be very similar to the popular HBO TV show Westworld.
Apparently, there were, and are, no plans for a new Quake — another iconic shooter series id created in the '90s.
Personally, I think the concept for Fury sounds incredibly cool, and I'd love to have seen the full id Software team make a Perfect Dark game. With over half the studio now gone, however, the chances of anything other than a DOOM title being made seem extremely slim.
Perhaps one day, several years into the future, id will be able to explore some of these concepts further. With Xbox CEO Asha Sharma aiming to "move faster" with its biggest franchises, though, I doubt that would happen anytime soon.
How are you feeling about Microsoft's mass Xbox layoffs, and the major impact they've had on id Software? I'm curious, so let me know in the comments below as well as in our poll.
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Though the redundancies have affected teams across all of Xbox, they've impacted certain game studios such as ZeniMax and Bethesda and Obsidian Entertainment quite disproportionately. Another developer that's experienced a severe reduction in force is id Software, the team that creates and oversees the modern DOOM games.
According to a new report, however, the total number of layoffs at the Texas-based developer is even larger. At first, it was believed that 96 roles were removed at id. Now, though, Game Developer writes that a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN) notice — obtained by the outlet from the Texas Workforce Commission upon request — has revealed that 40 remote workers at the studio have been let go as well.
Microsoft's mass Xbox layoffs hit id Software just one day before the release of its new Revelations DLC for DOOM: The Dark Ages. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
That brings the total number of id Software cuts up to 136, meaning that the studio's workforce has been hit significantly harder than early reports indicated. Notably, the WARN document also confirmed that 22 staffers have been affected at Bethesda Game Studios' office in Austin, Texas, with 158 Texas employees laid off across both teams.
With how concerning the news of the loss of half of id was, hearing that an additional 40 workers were laid off on top of that is extremely worrying. I can't help but be fearful about the studio's future, and that it no longer has a headcount sufficient for the efficient development of new DOOM games and other projects moving forward.
The painful irony of the situation is that these cuts have come at the same time id released its new Revelations DLC for its latest game, 2025's DOOM: The Dark Ages. So far, the new expansion has garnered strong reviews, and I'm glad to see it...but it's also heartbreaking to see that many of the creative minds responsible for it, The Dark Ages, and other modern DOOM titles are now gone.
Do you believe that Microsoft and Xbox went too far with the cuts made to id Software? Voice your feelings on the matter in the comments, and vote in our poll as well.
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I've managed to just about avoid the Steam sale relatively unscathed, but alas this insane deal from Green Man Gaming has just had me double dipping on some of my favorite family games. Right now, you can get 7 full Lego games and additional DLC for $9.00, and they are all Steam-verified.
If you paid full price for all of these games, it would cost $223. Now, of course, that's a little over the top, as most of these games are on sale at one stage or another, but it's hard to argue that getting 10 LEGO items for $9 isn't a fantastic deal.
If you want to grab it before the bundle expires, here is exactly what you get in the bundle:
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Galactic Edition) (Includes 13 DLC character packs)
- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Deluxe Edition)
- The LEGO Movie Videogame
- LEGO Movie 2 Videogame
- LEGO The Incredibles
- The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game
- LEGO Jurassic World (Plus 3 included DLC expansion packs)
Before you've even looked at the other games available here, it's worth noting that the Skywalker Saga alone is worth the $9 many times over. In fact, the Galactic Edition advertised here on Green Man Gaming is currently $11.99 on Steam. You get all nine movies in one collection, with over 380 characters to unlock and most importantly, Lego lightsaber battles...
All of the Lego games are some of the smoothest co-op experiences I've ever had with my kids and I credit Lego games for turning my youngest son into a bona fide gamer. They have kept him away from the lure of Roblox, but in reality I end up playing most of these games myself. I've just grabbed this bundle for my ROG Ally, since I already own most of them on Xbox, but they are simply perfect for handheld.
But there’s an even better reason to pick this up: Green Man Gaming is using this bundle to support Breakthrough T1D, an organization dedicated to accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat type 1 diabetes.
This hits incredibly close to home for me. I've previously worked for a diabetes charity in the UK, and have seen firsthand how terrifying it is for parents dealing with a young child who has Type 1 diabetes. It's easily diagnosable, yet it is so frequently missed in young kids because the symptoms are often written off as other conditions, sometimes with fatal consequences.
A portion of this $9 purchase goes directly toward preventing diabetes related illness and funding a cure.
If you want to grab it while supporting a vital cause, here is another reminder of exactly what you get in the bundle:
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Galactic Edition)(Includes 13 DLC character packs)
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Deluxe Edition)
The LEGO Movie Videogame
The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame
LEGO The Incredibles
The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game
LEGO Jurassic World(Plus 3 included DLC expansion packs)
Whether you're looking for a perfect couch co-op experience with your kids or just want some solo fun on your Steam Deck or ROG Ally, you won't find a better value than this right now.
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That news comes from a new Bloomberg report that Windows Central can corroborate with our own sources. According to those familiar with the situation at the storied Irvine-based studio, multiple planned projects — including a sequel to 2025's Pillars of Eternity action RPG Avowed — have been canceled to prioritize the Fallout title.
Notably, the team working on the new Fallout game will be led by Josh Sawyer, the game director of Obsidian's legendary 2010 title Fallout: New Vegas that was developed in partnership with Bethesda to fill the gap between 2008's Fallout 3 and 2011's The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. New Vegas is widely considered by many fans to be the series' best RPG, lauded for its writing quality, reactivity to player actions, and deep, systems-driven gameplay design.
Bloomberg reports that previously, Sawyer was working on an RPG that was "similar structurally and thematically to Fallout," but wasn't actually part of the iconic franchise.
In order to prioritize and focus on its newly planned Fallout game, Obsidian is canceling a sequel to its 2025 Pillars of Eternity RPG Avowed. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
It's also been said that Bethesda Game Studios — the steward of the Fallout IP, and the developer behind the creation of Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and the Fallout Shelter spinoff — will work with Obsidian on the new game. At the moment, it's unclear if this means the two studios will directly co-develop it together, or if Bethesda will merely provide support.
Demand for a new mainline Fallout entry is very strong right now, what with Amazon's extremely popular Fallout TV show, now filming its third season, driving significant excitement for and interest in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi property.
With Bethesda largely focused on The Elder Scrolls 6 after Starfield and Fallout 5 a long way off, I'm not surprised to see Microsoft and Xbox direct Obsidian to pivot over to the series. After all, given its experience working on it with New Vegas, you could argue there's not a team better suited for the task...though, Obsidian losing a quarter of its staffers — many of whom are reported to have been senior devs — makes me wonder how many of New Vegas' creators are actually still there.
As for the canceled Avowed sequel? Development on it was reportedly progressing smoothly and Obsidian was planning to announce it in 2027, but in the end, it didn't fit in with Xbox's new "reset" and plans to double down on its largest franchises. Its CEO Asha Sharma recently stated she wants the brand to "move faster" with core IPs like Fallout.
It's been said that some Obsidian devs will continue to work on the sequel with hopes that it will one day be fully greenlit again. Additionally, the studio will continue to develop planned DLC expansions for 2025's The Outer Worlds 2 RPG, as well as content for the Early Access survival game Grounded 2.
Are you excited for Obsidian to make a new Fallout, or would you have preferred it to finish its Avowed sequel? Let me know in our poll above, and in the comments below.
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Workers have been affected throughout Xbox teams and its first-party game development studios, with some affected more severely than others. Since news of the cuts came on Monday morning, it's become clear that staffers under the ZeniMax and Bethesda umbrella and at DOOM dev id Software have been hit particularly hard, with the latter losing half of its entire workforce.
According to sources in contact with Kotaku, roughly 60-70 employees were laid off from Obsidian — a number that constitutes 25% of the developer's headcount. Affected roles are stated to include "producers, artists, designers, programmers, QA testers, writers, and others," including many senior staff members and the only recruiter at the studio.
It's been said that most of these discharges were a part of the 1,600 immediate cuts that Microsoft made on Monday, with "a few" coming later this year as the firm lays an additional 1,600 Xbox workers off in the next 12 months.
Obsidian Entertainment has developed several games under Microsoft and Xbox, the most recent of which is 2025's open-world sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds 2. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
One source told Kotaku that those who remain at Obsidian have concerns about how the studio will be able to proceed with further development on its "huge list of projects" after how steep these cuts have been. There's apparently been no guidance from Microsoft on the matter yet.
Reportedly, the developer plans to continue working on the Early Access survival game Grounded 2 and its two announced DLC story expansions for the open-world sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds 2. Beyond that, though, it's unclear what Obsidian will do moving forward.
Notably, with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma recently commenting that she wants the brand to "move faster" with its core IPs and directly mentioning Fallout by name alongside The Elder Scrolls and Halo, I can't help but wonder if we'll see Microsoft bring Obsidian back to the post-apocalyptic RPG series. I would be quite excited for that...but a major portion of the studio's senior devs that helped create New Vegas were just let go.
I'll also highlight that these layoffs have come months after Obsidian confirmed it was going through some internal reorganization after recent games like Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 failed to meet performance expectations. At the time, I hoped those changes would help the studio develop new games more efficiently. We can only hope that they will ultimately do so, and mitigate the impact of these redundancies.
How do you feel about Microsoft and Xbox reportedly laying off 25% of Obsidian's workforce? Did the firm go too far? Make your voice heard in the poll below, and drop me a comment with your thoughts, too.
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As the arcade racing video game genre is absolutely flying, EA, it seems, wants no part in it any longer. At least that's how it appears if you read between the lines of a recent report from IGN at the studio responsible for much of the series, Criterion.
UK-based Criterion is hitting a big milestone: its 30th birthday. While it hasn't just been responsible for Need for Speed over the years, racing is responsible for some of its biggest hits. Lest we also forget the monumentally fun Burnout series.
But as Criterion celebrates its birthday, there's a stark reminder that the future for these two beloved franchises looks as non-existent as it could be. It's now "Criterion: A Battlefield Studio."
When I ask whether the Burnout and Need For Speed developer’s newly established scope might include projects other than Battlefield, Coutaz is clear: “We are solely focused on Battlefield.”
Phil Iwaniuk, IGN
This is such a boneheaded move, but then, this is also EA we're talking about. Thanks in large part to XBOX's Forza Horizon franchise, the thirst for arcade racers has never been higher.
Ubisoft's The Crew is on its third outing, with Motorfest still going strong and getting plenty of fresh content. Forza Horizon 6 has just arrived on the scene and will continue to draw players for years to come. Ex-Playground Games wizards went off and did their own thing and are due to drop Clutch in 2027.
Whether you think the most recent Need for Speed games were any good or not isn't the point. EA is a steward to one of the most famous brands in the space and seems content to leave it on the shelf.
EA is committed to F1, at least, but it's not the same. (Image credit: EA)
I'm pretty mad, which doesn't usually take much doing from EA these days. I wasn't thrilled when the company gobbled up another British studio making racing games, Codemasters, which had itself previously acquired Project Cars maker Slightly Mad Studios.
EA has under its ownership the F1 franchise, Dirt's library of rally games alongside EA WRC, Need for Speed, Burnout, Project Cars, and Grid. Right now, only one of those is alive.
Development on any future rally titles is on hold; Project Cars is dead; Grid is soon to be dead, with the servers on Grid Legends being shut off later this year. Burnout hasn't seen any life since 2018, and now the studio that has most recently been looking after Need for Speed is all-in on Battlefield.
F1 25 is all that really remains with its live service platform in tow. All that greatness in the locker, and EA is chasing a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow it will never reach.
Battlefield 6 is fine, but it's never going to catch Call of Duty. (Image credit: Michael Hoglund)
Battlefield 6 is fine; I don't really enjoy it, but it's doing well, and it's a perfectly good game. But I feel like EA is sacrificing some much-loved franchises to help chase that Call of Duty money. Which just isn't going to happen.
Everything has to be live service from the biggest publishers with the biggest budgets these days, and that's fine, too. It's not going away, so we may as well accept it. But Forza Horizon 6 and The Crew Motorfest are living proof that the model works for arcade racers and that generally we're happy and enjoying it.
PlayStation players jumped on Forza Horizon 5 in massive numbers. A game that was, at the time, four years old. The newest one is flying on Xbox and PC right now, and we're looking forward to Clutch. But I don't understand why Need for Speed, especially, has been put on the shelf.
In the golden age of The Fast and the Furious, Need for Speed: Underground arrived, and it was all my friend group was talking about. My 180mph orange Corsa packed with a ludicrous body kit and neon lights was just pure joy. EA could do anything with this franchise.
We are lucky that there are still studios out there making amazing games we can enjoy, but all of this is just another notch on the belt of ongoing disappointment I'm feeling with gaming as a whole of late.
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Connexion
