3 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Games Archive

Archives for July 2026

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Turn Valve’s Steam Machine into a Companion Cube with your 3D printer.

Dbrand’s Companion Cube case is not going to happen, but you can 3D print a detailed replica of it for your Steam Machine using files shared by Printables user Jaron. A multicolor printer will make the process much easier, and they’ve shared a list of all the additional parts you’ll need like screws and magnets to assemble it.

Valve’s Steam Machine inside a 3D-printed case that looks like a Companion Cube from Portal.
Image: Printables
The future of physical games is not looking great

Players and game preservationists might need to prepare for a world without discs.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
ZA/UM is laying off staff.

“Up to” 32 staffers have been served redundancy or at-risk notices, ZA/UM says. The studio has been the subject of a lot of controversy following the launch of Disco Elysium, and it released a new game this year, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies. However, the Zero Parades’ “commercial performance has not enabled us to sustain a studio of our current size.“

A message from ZA/UM about layoffs. It reads: Today, we are sharing difficult news. While ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies was released to critical acclaim, its commercial performance has not enabled us to sustain a studio of our current size. We have served redundancy or at-risk notices impacting up to 32 of our colleagues across all departments at ZA/UM Studio. Their work has made a lasting difference and left its mark on ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies, and the studio as a whole. Throughout this difficult process, we have continued to consult and work with representatives of the ZA/UM Workers’ Alliance. This changes the shape of ZA/UM, but not its purpose. Our artistic standards remain unchanged: we will persist. To anyone currently hiring, please consider the colleagues leaving ZA/UM.
Image: ZA/UM
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
To GameStop, discs dying “doesn’t matter,” says CEO.

Software makes up “less than 12 percent of the business,” while collectibles are “over half,” Ryan Cohen said in a Bloomberg interview. “So it’s totally, totally irrelevant.”

The numbers differ a bit in GameStop’s latest quarterly report, where collectibles were 41.8 percent of sales in Q1 2026. But they’re a growing part of GameStop’s business — the Q1 collectibles figure was a jump from 28.9 percent in Q1 2025 — which could soften the blow from the dire future for discs.

Cameron Faulkner
Cameron Faulkner
Marathon’s game director is passing the baton.

Bungie’s online extraction shooter, Marathon, is having a leadership change as game director Joe Ziegler announced on X that today is his final day with the company. Ziegler, former game director of Valorant, took on the role following former Marathon director Chris Barrett’s firing in August 2024.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
It’s Ayaneo’s turn to resurrect and upgrade the Game Boy Advance.

Following the release of Anbernic’s RG34XX handheld last December, Ayaneo has revealed its own updated take on Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance. The company didn’t share any specs for its upcoming Konkr Pocket Advance, but like Anbernic’s it will include four action buttons and potentially rely on emulation instead of a cartridge slot.

The Ayaneo Konkr Pocket Advance cartridge in orange on a desk surrounded by other retro electronics.
Image: Ayaneo
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
The Game of Thrones RTS has been delayed.

Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, announced last year for a 2026 release, is now set to launch in early 2027.

“We remain unwavering in our mission to deliver a real-time strategy game set in the world of Westeros that meets the expectations of both RTS players and Game of Thrones fans,” says developer PlaySide. “This decision gives us the time needed to continue building towards that goal and ensure that the game reaches the high level of quality we are aiming for.”

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Jay Peters
Jay Peters
“You know who isn’t the hero? The killer of physical.”

PlayStation uploaded new trailers for Marvel’s Wolverine and Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls today, but the comment sections are pretty much all about PlayStation’s plan to kill discs. And this isn’t exactly a new phenomenon.

A screenshot of YouTube comments on a Marvel’s Wolverine trailer.
A screenshot of YouTube comments on a Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls trailer.
1/2Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge