// GAMINGARTICLES
Release news, guides, opinion, and deep dives from the CriticalPixel community.
Hasbro and Nintendo Reveal First 6-Inch Legend of Zelda Figure Line at SDCC 2026 With Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf
Hasbro and Nintendo just dropped a 6-inch Legend of Zelda figure line at SDCC 2026. Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf up for preorder at $27.99 and $42.99.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-23
Blizzard Probes a WoW Game Master Who 'Death Touched' a Mythic+23 Boss for a Twitch Streamer's Group
Blizzard says it is reviewing a World of Warcraft cheating scandal after a Mythic+23 boss was wiped by a game master on request from a Twitch streamer friend.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-22
Former Burnout Boss Fiona Sperry Opens When Tides Turn Studio to Ship Wreckreation 2 on PS5, Xbox, and PC
Fiona Sperry launches When Tides Turn to develop Wreckreation 2 for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam. Open-world arcade racing, real Takedowns.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-22
Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC Lands Today With 4 OG Xbox Games, and Achievements Are Coming Later in 2026
Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC launches today with BLiNX, Conker, Crimson Skies, and Fuzion Frenzy. Achievements for OG Xbox games are coming later in 2026.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-22
Steam Deck Sales Reportedly Collapse 80 Percent After Valve's Price Hikes, and Handhelds Look Niche Now
Boiling Steam estimates Steam Deck sales fell from 11-18k units weekly to 1.4-3k after the May 2026 price hike, an 82 percent revenue collapse.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-22
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past Expansion Heads to Gamescom ONL With 2027 Release Window
CD Projekt RED confirms the Witcher 3 expansion Songs of the Past will fully reveal at Gamescom ONL on August 25, with a 2027 release on PS5, Xbox, PC.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-22
Xbox VP of Engineering Jared Palmer Leaves for AI Startup Cognition After Two Months
Xbox VP of engineering Jared Palmer is out after just two months, leaving for AI company Cognition. The hire was a key part of CEO Asha Sharma's Xbox reshuffle.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-22
Kylian Mbappe Lands the EA Sports FC 27 Ultimate Edition Cover, Four Years After His Last FIFA Box
EA names Kylian Mbappe as the EA Sports FC 27 Ultimate Edition cover athlete, his first franchise cover since FIFA 23 and his first under the post-FIFA brand.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-21
Unity Renders a Fantasy Kingdom Game Inside Unreal Engine, and Tim Sweeney Says Connect ALL the Engines
Unity demoed a Unity-built Fantasy Kingdom game running natively inside Unreal Engine at Unite Seoul. Sweeney says connect ALL the engines; Unity 7 beta in Dec.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-21
Hasbro Cancels Multiple In-House Video Games After $56 Million Write-Down and Quietly Backs Off Its AAA Push
Hasbro's $1B push on internal game studios just produced a $56M impairment charge and several canceled projects. The premium single-player era is over.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-21
Darkest Dungeon Gets First Paid DLC Since 2020 With The Fire's Edge on August 18
Darkest Dungeon: The Fire's Edge DLC lands August 18 with Duelist and Runaway from DD2, a new burn system, reworked trinkets, and three new Hamlet districts.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-21
Marathon's Vault Breaker PvE Mode Goes Live Today in Cryo Archive, and a Bigger Version Is Coming in Season 3
Bungie's Marathon launches Vault Breaker, a roguelite PvE mode in Cryo Archive, running July 21 to August 4, with full PvE mode coming in Season 3.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-21
Ghost Recon Drops a 25th Anniversary Tease for August 6, and Wildlands Definitive Edition Rumors Are Suddenly Loud
Ubisoft broke a five month Ghost Recon silence to lock in a 25th anniversary reveal for August 6, with Wildlands remaster leaks dominating the rumor mill.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-21
UK Retailer GAME Enters Administration Owing 16 Million as Reports Cite Brexit, Digital Shift, and GTA 6 Going Disc-Less
Game Retail Limited collapsed in February 2026 owing 15.8M pounds, with KR8 Advisory citing digital downloads, Brexit, and GTA 6 going disc-less.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-20
Former Forza Horizon 5 Creative Director Calls Game Pass a Good Idea That Did Not Work, and Studios Will Pay the Price
Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown said Xbox Game Pass was a good idea that did not work. Here is what he said and what it means for studios.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-20
Modern Warfare 4 Beta Hits August 21 With Two Weekends, Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Orders Open August 26
Activision locks in two Modern Warfare 4 beta weekends starting August 21, full launch October 23, Switch 2 pre-orders August 26. Full schedule inside.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-20
Game of Thrones: War for Westeros Delayed to Early 2027 as PlaySide Adds More Polish Time
PlaySide delayed Game of Thrones: War for Westeros to early 2027, with new hero details for Jon Snow and Tywin Lannister and the first look at the Ashemark map.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-20
FF14 Mobile Is Done in China on September 30, and the Global Version Is Quietly Dead With It
Square Enix and Tencent are killing Final Fantasy 14 Mobile in China on September 30 and the global version is dead with it. Here is what was actually lost.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-20
GameStop Now Owns 10 Percent of eBay, and Ryan Cohen Says He Is Coming for the Rest
GameStop crossed the 10 percent SEC disclosure threshold on eBay this week, with Ryan Cohen openly calling a takeover inevitable. Here is what the filings say.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-20
Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link Cinematic Allegedly Leaks Online, and Fans Are Losing It Over Astronaut Keyblade Wielders
A leaked opening cinematic for Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link shows astronaut keyblade wielders with KH4 ties as the community splits and Square Enix stays quiet.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-20
Jennifer English Leaves Tides of Annihilation, and Eclipse Glow Has Already Recast Gwendolyn
Shadowheart voice actress Jennifer English exits Tides of Annihilation, citing health reasons, as Eclipse Glow Games recasts the lead ahead of Gamescom.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-19
Emberville Pixel RPG Lands Steam Early Access October 27 With a Stacked Voice Cast
Emberville, the pixel-art action RPG from Cygnus Cross, lands on Steam Early Access October 27 with a stacked voice cast led by Ben Starr and Jennifer English.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-18
Dead Space Creator Glen Schofield Retires After 35 Years, and His Goodbye Is Quietly Devastating
Glen Schofield, the producer who brought Dead Space to life, has retired after 35 years in games. We trace his career and the industry he left.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-18
Battlefield 6 Season 4 Sends the Fight to the Pacific With Tsuru Reef on July 21 and a Top Gun Crossover on August 18
EA returns Battlefield 6 to the Pacific with Tsuru Reef opening July 21, Wake Island on August 18, plus a full Top Gun crossover built around Rooster and Bob.
CriticalPixel · 2026-07-18