Industry News: July Edition
Another month went by and we hoped you enjoyed all kinds of adventures, both in your favorite virtual universes and out there, in the real world! Since July is over, let’s review the roundup of the month, including game releases, news from the industry and updates from current and future games.
July game releases: Zombies, gorillas, pirate warriors and… hobbits?
☑️Starting the month strong with some giant robot action, the free to play third person shooter Mecha Break was launched on July 1. The game offers both grounded and aerial combat in 3v3 and 6v6 arenas.
☑️For fans of classic gaming, Nightdive released System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster on July 10, bringing this retro-flavored title to current gaming platforms. Another remastered classic, Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition is out since July 15. Both games offer enhanced performance and graphics, while keeping true to the original experience.
☑️Destiny 2 received more content on July 15 with the new expansion Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate, and the battle for world first in the The Desert Perpetual raid has already concluded.
☑️Apart from the titles made available so far, the new Nintendo Switch 2 had a major release this month with Donkey Kong Bananza on July 17. The unique gameplay makes use of the environment like never before, the players can break, destroy and reshape the surroundings in order to carve a path and solve puzzles. Both the design and the technical implementation makes it a strong contender for this year’s GOTY award.
☑️Moonshot Games, one of the two development teams of Dreamhaven Studios released their first game this month. Wildgate went live on July 22 and the reviews are very positive. Polished PVP battles, stunningly colorful space vistas and character-focused design are exactly what we would expect from ex-Blizzard veterans. The game offers tactical space battles with crew-vs-crew and ship-vs-ship combat, in which all characters have their own utility and opportunities to shine.
☑️Launched in July 23, Wheel World, an Annapurna Interactive indie game, found its way into players’ hearts. With good songs and a relaxed gameplay, this indie is all about exploring an open world on your bike.
☑️The date July 24 was rich in gaming news, with the launch of two highly-anticipated titles hitting the stores. Killing Floor 3 went live and rebels from the Nightfall group can now battle hordes of zeds through a new setting in Clamefield, Nevada. The long awaited Souls-like title WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers was also released and it brings mythical boss battles, precise combat mechanics, picturesque landscapes, and convoluted storytelling to the tumultuous late Ming dynasty era.
☑️Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game is out since July 29. Now we can live out our cozy Shire fantasies with this game set in the world of Tolkien, in which players can tend to their gardens, decorate, and explore in a true hobbit fashion.
☑️Speaking of small creatures, Grounded 2 is available in Steam Early Access, also since July 29. From Microsoft’s Obsidian studio, the game builds on the original, adding mounts, an Onmi-Tool and bigger maps to explore with your shrunken characters.
☑️Last but not least, a new title from the Ninja Gaiden series was released at the end of the month. Starting July 31, the new side-scrolling adventure NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound is available to play. The game takes inspiration from its classic 8-bit predecessors and brings it into the new 3D era.
Game updates and announcements: Ghost of Yotei, Price of Persia and more
Ghosts of Yotei: With their October 2 launch date quickly approaching, Sony and Sucker Punch Productions released a 20-min showcase for the fan favorite sequel. The State of Play goes in depth about Atsu’s journey and the design of the world, while also sharing a closer look at the upgraded combat style.
Here are some of the highlights:
➡️The game will feature three cinematic modes, the Kurosawa mode we’ve seen in Ghost of Tsushima, and two additional ones referencing directors Watanabe and Miike.
➡️Atsu’s Wolf Pack replaces the Journal tab from Ghost of Tsushima. A new system of resting at a campfire streamlines interactions as various Peddlers visit Atsu and provide benefits.
➡️Atsu will have a wolf companion who will also join combat. According to the game’s creators, it will have strong character and a mind of its own.
➡️Exquisite Ghost of Yotei PlayStation cases and controllers will be available. The special editions come in two versions, gold and ink.
Critical Role Game: Fans of TTRPGs will be happy to hear that Critical Role’s upcoming game project finally has a studio attached to it. AdHoc Studio was officially named the developer of their choice-based adventure game set in the rich fantasy world of Exandria.
Ubisoft games: After multiple delays, Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake finally gets an update. We don’t have an launch release date yet, but according to CFO Frederick Duguet, the game will be released „very soon.” Another Ubisoft game, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows received an update this month, increasing the level cap from 60 to 80. The new expansion Claws of Awaji is announced for September 16.
Elden Ring: On July 30 Elden Ring Nightreign duos went live, now two players can venture together in the Lands Between. From Software thanked the community for its major success of 5 million copies sold for Nightreign and 10 million for the Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree.
Console updates
Nintendo: Switch 2 library is continuously growing, and it includes titles from classic Nintendo franchises like The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros., as well as other AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring. One of the biggest additions of this month is Super Mario Party™ Jamboree Nintendo Switch™ 2 Edition together with Jamboree TV. Nintendo has also announced this month they will no longer be selling game vouchers starting 2026. Since July, the reimagined 8BitDO controller was made available for Switch 2, Switch, PC and Analogue 3D.
Xbox: Several games were added to the Xbox Game Pass in July, the list includes the newly release WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, Grounded 2, Abiotic Factor and RoboCop: Rogue City.
Difficult times for game industry professionals
Even though we work in entertainment, once in a while we are reminded that the game industry is a business and sometimes difficult decisions are made by stakeholders. Amidst many announcements of new releases, there were also unfortunate news of cancellations and studios closing down. In these difficult times, we’ve seen how the industry gathers together to support each other as messages of support and solidarity from both major and indie studios flooded social media channels.
We stand together with the professionals who are now looking for new roles and we are confident their talent and experience will find the right place!
Events in the industry: The sun shines in Brighton and San Diego
Develop: Brighton
This event has quickly become one of the most important destinations for gaming in Europe, bringing together creators from the game industry from all over the globe. This year’s edition celebrated Sam Lake from Remedy Entertainment, the creator (and face) of Max Payne and the popular narrative-drive Alan Wake franchise. He was awarded the Develop:Star Award for his career, acknowledging his major contributions to the industry.
The Indie Showcase shortlisted games like Bioframe Outpost by Omni Systems, Dayjob Daydreams by Canteen (PC), Grow Wild by SPECTRUM48 and The Void Between by Key Compass (PC, Steam).
San Diego Comic-Con
Each year San Diego Comic-Con is the place for huge reveals and important news about movies, TV shows, comic books and games. Many announcements made this year might be interesting to the gaming community, we could talk about the new Gen V season, the upcoming spin-off The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, or the many DC and Marvel updates. But for the purpose of this article, we will focus on three major announcements that relate directly to the world of gaming
Screenwriter and producer Ronald D. Moore talked in-depth about his plans for Amazon’s upcoming God of War TV show. The show will focus on Kratos’ relationship with his son and the idea of rebuilding a broken family, starting right with the Nordic saga storyline. But don’t worry, his past also plays a role in building his personality.
Producers of Five Nights at Freddy’s have already announced the sequel and showed a trailer, teasing the appearance of the frightful “Marionette” character, whose horrors the players have already experienced in-game, along with a new roster of animatronics.
Critical Role was once again in focus, this time for their TV endeavors. At SDCC they announced The Legend of Vox Machina was renewed for a fifth and final season, and the good news doesn’t end there. Critical Role’s second campaign, The Mighty Nein is also getting a brand-new show and a sneak peek trailer is already available online.
