#41 Weekly Gaming News Industry Trends Round Up

Ragnarok: Monster World beta launches on Ronin. Off The Grid completes first playtest on PS5. Crypto startup acquires a Roblox stock trading game. Pixelcraft’s members-only L3 Gotchichain is renamed Geist. Dr Disrespect deletes his confession. GAMEE gets investment from TON. Myth Wukong sets new Steam record. Warzone being separated from Call of Duty games. Silent Hill at 2024 Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Forza Horizon 5 is coming to PS 5. Hitman VR: Reloaded is exclusive to Quest 3. GTA San Andreas VR delayed indefinitely as Meta focuses on other projects. Nintendo's creepy game is taking a neat approach to demos. Survey reveals devs consider genAI a double-edged sword in game development. Almost 90% of developers surveyed say premium games don't need microtransactions. BMW to bring Uno card game into its luxury cars. All this plus much more!

Also in our weekly round-up:

• Gamescom scraps Nintendo game award for 2024

• Blizzard forced to take action as major Diablo 4 duplication bug spreads

• New Lord of the Rings games being prototyped right now

• Kwalee releases Arabic version of mobile game platform for MENA devs

• You can play the OG Diablo in your browser for free

• Valve's secret game Deadlock is a bold experiment in soft-launching

• Fortnite is back on iPhone after 4 years

Gaming News 🕹️

• Myth Wukong sets new Steam record as fastest game to hit 1M concurrent players in 60 minutes

• Borderlands 4 officially announced with new teaser trailer, out in 2025

• The 5 biggest announcements from Gamescom Opening Night Live

• Batman: Arkham Shadow launches in October

• BMW to bring Uno card game into its luxury cars

• Warzone being separated from premium Call of Duty games

• Fortnite is back on iPhone after 4 years, depending on where you live

• Indiana Jones won't be an Xbox exclusive for long, coming to PS5 shortly after

• Silent Hill: Ascension wins at 2024 Creative Arts Emmy Awards

• What Black Myth: Wukong does differently from other action RPGs

• GTA San Andreas VR delayed 'indefinitely' as Meta focuses on other projects

• Forza Horizon 5 is coming to PlayStation 5 soon; no active plans for Starfield yet

• Hitman VR: Reloaded gameplay, coming exclusively to Quest 3

• Final Fantasy 16 on PC gets September release date

• Splitgate 2 is a solid sequel but with a big esports influence

• A "high number" of Destiny 2 players have had their usernames reset

• Time loop adventure Rue Valley looks tantalizing in its first trailer

• Delta Force pay-to-win elements will 'absolutely not' be a thing

• Virtual reality first-person shooter Vendetta Forever announced for PS VR2, Quest 2 and 3

• Blizzard forced to take action as major Diablo 4 duplication bug spreads

• New Lord of the Rings games being prototyped right now

• 'Open universe' sandbox survival game For the Stars announced for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC

• Activision are finally cutting down Call of Duty's horrendous install sizes for Black Ops 6's release

• Minecraft Realms servers have struggled with being down for almost a week

• PS Plus player count is up in August 2024

Web3 Games 🎯

• Off The Grid completes first playtest on PS5

• Immutable integrates Fireblocks to harden security for its devs

• Dr Disrespect deleted his confession post from X

• 'Ragnarok: Monster World' beta launches on Ethereum network Ronin

• Why a crypto startup acquired a popular 'Roblox' stock trading game

• Nexus raises $2 million for Everdawn Champions and NXI token launch

• Pixelcraft’s members-only L3 Gotchichain renamed as Geist

• Soulbound raises $4M for Web3 social gaming ecosystem

• Gate Ventures and The Blockchain Center in Abu Dhabi launch $100M Falcon Gate Ventures

• Gamee gets investment from TON Ventures to make Telegram mini-apps

• Project Kyzen launches on August 22 with custom Bruce Lee avatar

• PlaysOut will take thousands of Web3 mini-games to Telegram via TON blockchain

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Trends 📈

• SteamWorld Heist 2 is a multi-classing masterwork of strategy

• Kwalee releases Arabic version of mobile game platform for MENA devs

• Nintendo's creepy game is taking a neat approach to demos

• Valve's not-so-secret game Deadlock is a bold experiment in soft-launching 

• Valve cracking down on joke reviews flooding Steam with unhelpful content

• Film and TV production firm Phipen Studios launches games publisher

• Pantaloon helps out indie devs with free resource hub

• You can play the OG Diablo in your browser for free

• Tactical Breach Wizards shows how strategy games can tickle the funny bone

• Survey reveals devs consider genAI a double-edged sword in game development

• Almost 90% of developers surveyed say premium games don't need microtransactions

• Game performers demand more support from studios over 'graphic' scenes

• Rockstar Games: it's time to reignite forgotten franchises again

Industry News 🛡️

• Ubisoft cuts 45 jobs in its U.S. offices after recent changes

• Tim Sweeney says many Epic Games Store exclusivity deals "were not good" investments

• Riot Games shuffles leadership for esports and entertainment roles

• Blacknut partners with Ubisoft in cloud gaming deal announced

• Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024: Start time, how to watch and what to expect

• Gamescom scraps best Nintendo game award for 2024 due to 'too few submissions'

• ESL FACEIT Group announces partnership extension with DHL delivery

• How Midwest Games wants to spread the joy of game development

• Sporty Group moves into games as it acquires Sociable Soccer

• Devcom opens with indie game awards and survey results from 300 speakers

Level Up Your Hardware 🎧

• Let this tiny bean bag chair for your lap hold your heavy handhelds

• Best lighting kits for gaming setups are now available to purchase

• Valve's bespoke Steam Deck OS will be officially available on Asus' ROG Ally

• This head-tracking spinning chair could make VR less nauseating

• Steam Deck gets a huge (unofficial) quality-of-life upgrade for

• games access

• Turtle Beach's new Stealth 700 gaming headset has two USB dongles

• Full Intel Core Ultra 200 lineup leaks with October 10 launch

• Atari revives classic 7800 game console with modern upgrades

Events 🗓️

• BGA at Gamescom Cologne - Germany Aug 21 - Aug 21

• BGA at Token2049 Singapore Sept 18 -Sept 19

• PAX West 2024 Seattle USA Aug 30 - Sept 2

• GDN Virtual Networking Week Virtual Sept 2 - Sept 6

• Live Service Gaming Summit 2024 London UK Sept 9 - Sept 11

• Gaming Istanbul (GIST) 2024 Istanbul Turkey Sept 13 - Sept 15

• Indieway 2024 Istanbul Turkey Sept 13 - Sept 15

• TwitchCon North America 2024 San Diego USA Sept 20 - Sept 22

• Nexus Dublin Games Conference 2024 Dublin Ireland Sept 25 - Sept 26

• Tokyo Game Show 2024 Sept 26 - Sept 29

• FormatGG Liverpool 2024 Liverpool Uk Sept 26 - Sept 27

• Games Connect Asia Pacific 2024 Melbourne Australia Oct 7 - Oct 9

Esports Players & Teams News 🏆

• League of Legends patch 14.17 preview: Whopping 13 champions nerfed in preparation for Worlds

• Vitality overcome NAVI in thrilling finale to win IEM Cologne 2024

• ALGS Split 2 playoffs: Where to watch, full schedule and groups

• Leaked Riot video suggests where pro VALORANT events will be held in 2025—including Canada

• T1’s World’s 2023 winner skins can now be bought in League of Legends

• 100 Thieves open playoffs with sweep at LCS Summer Split

• Shanghai Major qualifier super-week set to start

• BOOM Esports drops entire Dota 2 roster after disappointing season results

• 8 large US universities create new collegiate esports conference

• All Valorant offseason tournaments (2024): Americas, EMEA, APAC & CN details revealed

• Esports World Cup final week schedule now available for all participants

• Former Counter-Strike pro S1mple breaks silence on his return to competing

• How Intel Extreme Master Cologne became the Cathedral of Counter-Strike

…Gaming News Continued 🕹️

• Silent Hill 2 remake will have a 'reworked' soundtrack

• NESMaker shows off version 5, is getting renamed, and announces SNES tools

• Black Myth: Wukong truly delivers a stunning high-end PC experience 

• Kong: Survivor Instinct announced for PC and consoles

• Kingdom Come Deliverance II showcases world in new trailer

• Sniper Elite: Resistance announced

• The sci-fi open universe AAA game "For The Stars" has just been announced for PC and consoles

• FC 25 devs on career mode, Football Manager, and 2K’s rumoured FIFA revival

• September is shaping up to be packed full of pleasant games

• Call of Duty is replacing its awful UI before Black Ops 6

Guides, Tips and Tricks 🗝️

• Halo Infinite maps Tier List: All maps ranked based on gameplay

• How to get the legendary weapon Shattered Grounds in Fallout 76

• How to find Monarch Pistol in Fortnite Chapter 5, Season 4

• How to level up fast in Black Myth: Wukong

• All bell locations in Black Myth: Wukong chapter 1

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