#42 Weekly Gaming News Industry Trends Round Up

Web3 gaming mints are evolving; the playbook is revealed. Sony launching its own blockchain for NFTs and play to earn games. Forgotten Runes unveils new foundations for its future. Esports team Complexity to build fan app on Fantom's Sonic Layer1 in sponsorship deal. TODAY The Game pioneers exclusive closed playtest this week. SHADOW WAR is also gearing up for an intense playtest with the unveiling of new content. Gamescom 2024: was a record-breaking year for the world's largest games event. Phil Spencer speaks on changes for Microsoft and Xbox exclusives admits Xbox needs revenue from PlayStation. Steam achieves 37.2M concurrent players, breaking all previous records. Black Myth: Wukong sales top 10M just three days after release. Deadlock's existence finally acknowledged by Valve. Amazon Games coming to Switch 2. PlayStation MENA Hero project announced for Middle East and North Africa devs. Concord's launch is worse than expected for fans hoping for more.

Also in our weekly round-up:

• Stream Xbox games on Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Cube

• Nintendo Direct August 2024: everything announced

• Apex Legends has banned over 200k accounts since June

• Datamining has changed the landscape of video games

• Retail games can help drive digital sales

• Devcom Developer Conference 2024 attendance up 45% from 2023

Gaming News 🕹️

• Gamescom 2024: was a record-breaking year for the world's largest games event and the award winners are revealed

• Black Myth: Wukong sales top 10 million just three days after release but indefinitely delayed on Xbox due to 'memory leak' claims insider

• Deadlock's existence finally acknowledged by Valve with a store page and official announcement

• All games with drops as part of Twitch's Summer of rewards

• PlayStation MENA Hero project announced for Middle East and North Africa devs

• Capcom Fighting Collection 2 includes everything from Capcom vs SNK to PowerStone, out 2025

• Concord's launch is worse than expected for fans hoping for more

• You can now stream Xbox games on Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Cube

• Steam achieves 37.2 million concurrent players, breaking all previous records

• Amazon Games boss says label will put games on Nintendo Switch 2

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 beta and early access, we have all the dates

• Dune: Awakening coming early 2025, but there's bad news for console gamers

• Xbox Game Pass confirms another day-one game for September 17

• Hands-on: Marvel Rivals does right by Captain America and Winter Soldier

• Ubisoft announce new back-to-roots Heroes of Might & Magic game with the Iratus devs in charge

• Nintendo Direct August 2024: everything announced

• Xbox-exclusive Avowed is like Skyrim plus one of the last decade's best sci-fi movies

• Square Enix makes 'PlayStation Splatoon' shooter Foamstars free-to-play, 8 months after launch

• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 customization details released

• Starfield: Shattered Space DLC is said to be a more 'classic' Bethesda experience

• Former Arrowhead CEO has an impromptu Discord Q&A about Helldivers 2 and beyond

Web3 Games 🎯

• Sony launching its own blockchain for NFTs and play to earn games

• Forgotten Runes unveils exciting new foundations for its future

• TODAY The Game pioneers exclusive closed playtest this week

• SHADOW WAR gears up for intense August playtest featuring new content

• Variance Poker launches revolutionary on-chain poker game across Arbitrum, Base & Mantle

• Zeeverse the mythical monster-tamer RPG rolls out a Telegram mini-game

• D'islands soft launches on-chain Dapp on Telegram for players

• Soulbound drops August release: Discord open beta now live for players!

• Aavegotchi kicks off Rarity Farming Season 9 with over 1.2M $GHST up for grabs

• Burn Ghost Games teases upcoming 2.0 release with exciting new features

• Karnak Legacy prepares for launch of S1: The Awakening of Karnak on Sphere Marketplace

• PlayFi reveals roadmap to token launch, we are not far off

• Revolving Games hits major Node WL pre-sale targets: momentum is building

• OVI Live partners up with Dynamic to offer developer tooling for inclusive onchain sign-up experiences and profile integrations

• Trial Xtreme announces much-anticipated soft launch with new gameplay updates

• Gameplay Galaxy raises $24M to build Web3 competitive ecosystem for gamers

• Saga Origins unveils slate of indie blockchain games during major announcement

• Xsolla and Savvy Games Group sign deal to further game development in the Middle East

• The BGA State of the Industry Survey 2024, now in its 4th year is is now live - the report will provide Industry key insights into the State of the Web3 Gaming ecosystem

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Trends 📈

• Web3 gaming mints are evolving; this is the playbook that you need to be aware of

• How datamining has changed the landscape of video game puzzle and secret design

• Apex Legends has banned over 200k accounts since June in its anti-cheat efforts

• Interview: World of Warcraft: The War Within developers talk lore and quest design

• Retail games can help drive digital sales, says Maximum Entertainment CEO

• Esports team Complexity to build fan app on Fantom’s Sonic Layer1 in sponsorship deal

• Even if Black Myth: Wukong isn't a Soulslike, FromSoftware has changed action games forever

• Amazon Games CEO thinks genAI can help make better ideas for games

• Your Mii is your ticket to get into the Nintendo Museum

• Steam update lets patrons know if a game review has been played "primarily" on Steam Deck

• Sega wants Yakuza fans' opinions on putting stars like Keanu Reeves and The Rock in future games

• Sony is reportedly looking into the handheld gaming market after the success of PlayStation Portal

• How speed and brand partners are helping Riyadh grow games and esports -Brian Ward interview

Industry News 🛡️

• Devcom Developer Conference 2024 is its biggest yet, attendance up 45% from 2023

• Ubisoft acknowledges Ubisoft+ issue on Xbox platform amid ongoing concerns

• Phil Spencer speaks on changes for Microsoft and Xbox exclusives admits Xbox needs revenue from PlayStation

• Thunderful calls 2024 "a transitional year" as net revenue drops 14.5% YoY

• Visual Concepts lays off South studio behind Lego 2K Drive 

• Gearbox founder says Epic Games Store hopes were "misplaced or overly optimistic"

• INTERVIEW: Techland's Tymon Smektała on supporting Dying Light 2 until 2027

• Paizo backtracks on fan content policy, reinstates older community use policy

• Jason Blundell is heading a new studio at Sony to work on a new sci-fi action game with Bungie, it's claimed

• Spiders staff to go on strike, open letter released about studio issues

Events 🗓️

• 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 🏆

• Esports World Cup confirmed to return in 2025 after successful 2024 event

• PUBG Nations Cup 2024: prize pool, schedule and where to watch

• Samsung announces massive Dota 2 tournament with a focus on top teams

• Valorant's new agent Vyse can force you to use a worse gun

• Ulsan wins the Tekken 8 Esports World Cup grand final

• EDward Gaming make Valorant history as they lift VCT title thanks to KangKang’s player kill record

• Dota 2 the Ringmaster & 2024 Compendium update brings new features

• Team Liquid, Cloud9 and FlyQuest dominate LCS Summer 2024 All-Pro teams

• VALORANT, Team Liquid and Red Bull among Esports Awards 2024 winners

• 8600 teams register for Shanghai Major China open qualifier event

• FaZe & Team Falcons survive BLAST Fall Showdown after intense matches

• FaZe one game away from Fall Final: BLAST Premier Fall Showdown day four recap

• Official: PARIVISION's RMR disqualification overturned after detailed review by the organizers

• Tekken World Tour 2024: everything you need to know

• BLAST to host events in Singapore in 2024 and 2025

• New Global Sport Conference to host global leaders in esports

…Gaming News Continued 🕹️

• It will take "more than 20 hours" for Silent Hill 2 Remake completionists to find "everything hidden for you"

• Splitgate 2 preview gives a first look at new features

• Eternal Strands launches in early 2025 with a fresh concept

• Diablo 4's March of the Goblins event is back

• Civilization 7 is making bold changes to a familiar formula

• The Smurfs: Dreams 'gameplay' trailer gives a new look at the upcoming game

• Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater preview explores the remade classic

• Tetris Forever announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC

• Tails of Iron 2 is the Rrdent-positive action-RPG that will be  released in February

• Lego Horizon Adventures - rumored release date, platforms, story, and everything else we know

• Worms Armageddon: Anniversary edition announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch

• Europa launches October 11 and offers a unique sci-fi experience

• Spectre Divide launching on PC on September 3rd

• Yakuza Kiwami coming to Switch on October 24

• Return to Moria arrives on Steam with mining, crafting, and a "Golden Update"

Guides, Tips and Tricks 🗝️

• How to beat the early Wukong boss that's destroying everyone, the Wandering Wight

• Legendary parts are essential in 7 Days to Die, here's how to get them

• Every Kotaku Black Myth: Wukong guide from the game's first week

• FFXIV: The Rising 2024, how to get the Brushed-up Krile Minion

Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news and announcements!

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