// GAMINGARTICLES
Release news, guides, opinion, and deep dives from the CriticalPixel community.
Sony Is Ending Physical Disc Production for New PlayStation Games in January 2028
Sony has officially confirmed that physical disc production for all new PlayStation games will end in January 2028, meaning future releases go digital-only.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-01
Xbox Is Closing at Least Five Studios Starting Next Week, and Marvel's Blade Could Be Dead
Microsoft's Xbox is preparing major layoffs starting July 6 with five studio closures planned. Arkane Lyon and Marvel's Blade may be cancelled.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-01
Godot Officially Bans AI-Generated Code and Vibe Coding From All Future Contributions
The Godot Foundation has updated its contribution policy to ban AI-authored code, vibe coding, and AI-generated text in maintainer communications.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-01
Splatoon Raiders Gets Its Own Direct and Nintendo Has Packed It With Gadgets, Loot, and Salmonid Chaos
Nintendo's Splatoon Raiders Direct revealed 100+ weapons, three tank types, gadget builds, and a Monster Hunter SOS system. Launches July 23 on Switch 2.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-30
GTA 6 Developers File for Union Recognition at Rockstar Ahead of Fall 2026 Launch
Rockstar workers filed for voluntary union recognition through the IWGB ahead of GTA VI's fall 2026 launch, citing pay disparities and crunch.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-30
Activision Is Running Modern Warfare 4 Ads That Say 'Not on Xbox Game Pass' and Players Are Baffled
MW4 pre-order ads explicitly state the game won't be on Xbox Game Pass, marking a reversal after two years of day-one CoD launches on the subscription service.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-30
Undead Labs Is at Risk of Closure and State of Decay 3 Could Be Cancelled Weeks After Its Xbox Showcase Reveal
Microsoft may close Undead Labs if no buyer steps up, potentially scrapping State of Decay 3 weeks after its Xbox Games Showcase 2026 gameplay reveal.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-30
Netflix Is Developing a Live-Action Persona Series With the Showrunner Behind Star Trek: Picard
Netflix is developing a live-action Persona TV series with Shawn Levy's 21 Laps producing and the Star Trek: Picard showrunner attached to write it.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-29
Sony Says PS6 Won't Sell at Significant Losses as the RAMpocalypse Threatens to Push the Price Past $900
Sony confirmed PS6 won't sell at significant losses. With components hitting $900+ to build, the next PlayStation price tag is heading somewhere painful.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-29
Xbox Has Quietly Paused Third-Party Game Pass Deals as New Boss Asha Sharma Resets Strategy
Microsoft has reportedly put all third-party Game Pass negotiations on hold while new Xbox boss Asha Sharma restructures the platform's strategy.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-29
Tekken 8 Reveals Bob at EVO 2026 With an August Release and Roger Jr. Teased for EVO France
Bob joins Tekken 8 Season 3 on August 24, 2026 after his EVO 2026 reveal, with Early Access August 19 and a Roger Jr. trailer teased for EVO France in October.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-28
PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino Says Sony Is Not Done With Live Service After Concord and Bungie
Sony's CEO told Famitsu that PlayStation will keep investing in live service games, just weeks after Concord flopped and Bungie gutted its Destiny team.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-28
Phasmophobia's 1.0 Launch Slips to 2027 as Kinetic Games Rebuilds After a Botched Character Update
Phasmophobia 1.0 has been pushed to 2027 as Kinetic Games rebuilds the game after a player character update that badly missed the mark with the community.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-28
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Reveals New Key Visual and Cast, Confirms Fall 2026 Exclusively on Netflix
TRIGGER and CDPR reveal the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 key visual and confirm Fall 2026 on Netflix, introducing a fresh crew and new director Kai Ikarashi.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-28
Rockstar Has No Plans for a GTA 6 Physical Disc and That Retail Box Is Just a Download Code
Rockstar has no plans for a GTA 6 disc release now or later. Retail boxes will only contain a download code, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-28
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising Lands on Switch 2 September 17, Id Joins the Roster at EVO 2026
Cygames revealed at EVO 2026 that GBVSR is coming to Switch 2 on September 17, alongside new DLC fighter Id and the massive Ver 2.60 update.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-27
Quantic Dream Workers Go on Strike to Save Star Wars Eclipse as 115 Layoffs Threaten the Project
Quantic Dream employees are on strike to block 115 planned layoffs, warning that Star Wars Eclipse cannot be completed without the affected developers.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-27
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game Year 1 Pass Confirms Bolin, Ty Lee, Lin Beifong, and Uncle Iroh
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game Year 1 Pass adds Uncle Iroh, Bolin, Ty Lee, and Lin Beifong, plus a fan-voted fifth character for its July 23 launch.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-27
Games Workshop Sends Cease and Desist to Warhammer 40K Tabletop Simulator Mods During 11th Edition Launch
Games Workshop issued cease and desist requests to popular Warhammer 40K Tabletop Simulator mods, targeting community tools right as 11th Edition hits shelves.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-27
PlayStation Is Wiping 551 Purchased Movies From Libraries on September 1, and There Are No Refunds
Sony will delete 551 StudioCanal films and TV shows from PlayStation customer libraries on September 1, 2026. No refunds or compensation have been offered.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-27
Switch 2 Is Now the Second Fastest-Selling Console in US History as Xbox Logs Its Worst May on Record
Circana's May 2026 report puts Switch 2 at 5.9 million units in 12 months, while PS5 hits its worst May since 2000 and Xbox records its worst month ever.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-26
Sega's Sonic 35th Anniversary ARG Quietly Lets a Marketing Vendor Train AI on Your Phone Number and ZIP Code
Sega's Sonic 35th anniversary Chaos Hunt ARG forces fans to submit personal data so a marketing vendor can train AI on it. Fans are furious.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-26
Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Expansion Lands October 9 With Norgan and 12 Lost Rites
Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen expansion lands October 9 with the Norgan region, 12 Lost Rites dungeons, a Relic Expedition loot loop, and a free update.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-25
Valve Walks Back Steam Machine 4K 60 FPS Claim to 'Up to 4K' on the $1,049 Mini PC
Valve dropped the 4K 60 FPS claim from the Steam Machine page, swapping it for 'up to 4K with FSR 4.1' amid backlash over the $1,049 mini PC's specs and price.
CriticalPixel · 2026-06-25