The Rundown #3

Knoebel

Knoebel

— 10 min read
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A huge crowd in the alleys of Gamescom 2025 surounded by impressive decorated booth.
Photo: Koelnmesse / gamescom / © Koelnmesse GmbH, Harald Fleissner

Hey everyone,

Welcome back to videogame news! It's the weekend before Gamescom! I'm leaving for Cologne tomorrow and can't wait to see all the cool people and games this year.

There will be "some coverage" on this Blog so keep your eyes out!

Between posting gaming news and irl work, it was a kinda quiet week. It's my birthday and it's pretty weird to say that because I have the feeling in the EU it's not so common to tell people that it's your birthday? I believe we keep that to ourself so we don't get any attention but maybe it's just a German thing.

Stories of the week:

A plane flying over some Florida landscape in a video game
© Rockstar

GTA VI Gameplay leaks before GTA VI?

In the middle of this week a leaker called Cyberleeks posted multiple gameplay leaks of Rockstar's upcoming game 'GTA VI'. Details are not 100% clear but it seems like the build they're leaking is from 2025. They sprayed their name at a wall with a gun so people believe they have access to a build. The leaker also posted a manifest and a crypto coin.
▸source: Kotaku

I nearly cried.

On August 18th at 4PM my time the indie publisher Clear River Games posted a video with a blurry trademark at the bottom. A song played in the background and it was a new version of Elle's Theme a song from Quintet's cult classic Terranigma for the SNES which was never released in North America.

It's time to wake up. Watch Pixel Arcadia on August 24th!

[image or embed]

— Clear River Games (@clearrivergames.bsky.social) August 18, 2026 at 4:01 PM

Remaster or rerelease are nothing special but Terranigma and Quintet are special. Tomoyoshi Miyazaki the head of Quintet disappeared years ago and nobody knew who owned the rights to all of Quintets fantastic games. The trademark might be blurry but if you look exactly you can read:

© SQUARE ENIX / QUINTET / Kamui Fujiwara
Published by Clear River Games.

Kamui Fujiwara was the Quintet's composer and so there is reason to be hyped. Terranigma might be back.

Listen to the Terranigma Original Soundtrack while reading:

Horizon Forbidden Reboot.

It's not looking good for Sony's Live Service Initiative. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported this week that 'Horizon Hunters Gathering' is getting rebooted after bad player feedback. Sony's Live Service Initiative hit some pretty significant road blocks with multiple games, The Last of Us Online, Bluepoint's game, etc, cancelled. Developer Guerilla Games has now until December to strip out the live-service component and turn it into more of a traditional cooperative multiplayer game with a story.
▸source: Bloomberg

©SONY

Gaming News Recap

Week 34 | August 14 - 21, 2026 | Edition 188

'GTA VI' kinda leaked (second look soon on Netflix), 'Horizon Hunters Gathering' gets rebooted, '2XKO' found dead at a christmas party and 'Terranigma' is coming back (maybe)!. This week's news categories: Xbox [04], PlayStation [03], Nintendo [03], Other News [17], Numbers [04], TV & Cinema [04], Releases Infos [56].

Xbox

  1. Xbox Insider update: Hide the UI on the home screen (You can also remove any item on the home screen), manage local game saves, profile badges refresh and purchased games will be removed from your wishlist automatically.
  2. Mattel announced a 1:1 Xbox Collector Building Kit for $324.99.
  3. Game Pass 2nd wave August 2026.
    • Aug. 19th: 'Vapor World: Over the Mind'
    • Aug. 25th: 'Blood Dungeona'
    • Aug. 27th: 'Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy'
    • Sep. 1st: 'Shelldiver'
    • Premium: 'BlazBlue Entropy Effect X', 'Starsand Island', 'Relooted', 'Aerial_Knight’s DropShot', and 'Young Suns'
  4. Acc to Billbil_kun, the 25th Anniversary Xbox Series X launches Nov. 27th for $899/899€.

PlayStation

  1. PlayStation is rebooting 'Horizon Hunters Gathering' into a co-op game instead of a live service game following negative player feedback.
  2. The Sony Puise Elevate wireless speakers launc November 12th for of $219.99 USD | €219.99 EURO | £199.99 GBP | ¥37,980 JPY.
  3. Sony CEO Hiroko Totoki says Sony has not decided internally the PlayStation 6 launch date yet.

Nintendo

  1. Nintendo has added new songs from Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario 3D Land from the 'Mario Kart World' free roam track list to Nintendo Music.
  2. If you complete the 'DK Challenges' by September 1st on NSO you can get physical card set with 39 cards and a custom card case.
  3. 'Sim City' OST now available on Nintendo Music.

Other News

  1. SNK Entertainment a subsidiary of SNK has been dissolved after 10 years. Most of its businesses transferred to parent company SNK.
  2. Seems like Clear River Games, Square Enix and Quintet (yes I know) are bringing back 'Terranigma'.
  3. 'Tekken 8' game director Kohei Ikeda has joined Harada's new VS Studio.
  4. Tatsuya Nomura promised 'Kingdom Hearts 4' will not be delayed. 'Kingdom Hearts 4' is planned for late 2027.
  5. ICYMI FromSoftware's 'The Duskblood' Network Test ended earlier this friday after game server issues.
  6. Triple-A veterans and accessibility experts established the new Raze and Rebuild Studio.
  7. Arkane veterans Harvey Smith and Ben Horne established the new studio Black Pony Immersive with a focus on immersive sim games.
  8. Former 'Human: Fall Flat' devs launch new UK based studio Pretty Cool Games.
  9. Warren Spector (Deus Ex) announced his retirement from game development. But the game business has changed and it’s just not as much fun for me anymore. Plus there’s a new generation of developers coming up who deserve their time in the sun.
  10. Epic is reportedly working on a Linux version of the Epic Games Store.
  11. Supreme × Analogue Pocket announced.
  12. Mattel launches Mattel Game Studios.
  13. 'STONKS-9800' will not come to PS5 because Sony terminated the dev developer and publisher agreement. The developers other games will be removed on August 23rd.
  14. Simpsons creator Matt Groening got asked about another 'The Simpsons: Hit & Run' game says: I think the original game is coming back in some form…, …or not, says current showrunner Matt Selman.
  15. Compulsion Games has pulled off a management buyout and is now separated from Xbox.
  16. Tim Schafer talk about whats next for Double Fine at Kinda Funny this Friday.
  17. Akupara Direct set for September 6th at 12pm PT.
  18. Take-Two subpoenas Microsoft and Discord in federal district court as they're still trying to find the person who leaked multiple 'GTA VI' clips.
  19. Hayden Panettiere known for her role as Kairi in Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 has passed away at 36.

Numbers

  1. '007: First Light' has sold 4M copies.
  2. 'Little Witch in the Woods' has sold 500K copies.
  3. 'Arco' has sold 100K copies after 2 years and managed to break even.
  4. 'Dinoblade' has sold 100K copies.

TV & Cinema

  1. A 'Kingdom Hearts' animated series is coming soon to Disney+.
  2. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 launches October 20th on Netflix.
  3. Dave Bautista officially set as Kratos for Prime's 'God of War' serie.
  4. 'Golden Axe' animated serie is coming to Paramount on September 16th.

Release Infos

  1. 'Truck-kun is Supporting Me From Another World?!' is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on September 14th. Already on Xbox Series and PC.
  2. 'LumenTale: Memories of Trey' coming to Xbox Series and PS5. Already on PC.
  3. 'AKIBA LOST' Demo now available on PS5. Coming to Switch 1&2 on August 26th.
  4. 'Pokémon TCG Pocket' Booster Team Rocket's Ambition launches August 27th.
  5. 'FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time' now available for mobile. Professor Layton and Yokai Watch accessories now available on all systems.
  6. 'Mythmon: Mythic Monsters' launches September 7th on PC.
  7. 'Little Witch in the Woods' is coming to Switch on Sep. 16th. Already on XBO & PC
  8. 'Woodo' launches September 16th on Xbox Series, PS5, Nintendo Switch 1&2 and PC.
  9. 'Sucker for Love: Crush Landing' launches August 31st on PC.
  10. 'Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter' demo now available on PS5, Switch 1&2 and PC.
  11. 'RuneScape: Dragonwilds' is coming to Game Pass at launch.
  12. 'Car Park Capital' launches October 9th on Steam Early Access!
  13. 'Photo Roboto: A Timesnap Adventure' announced for PC.
  14. 'Kumarn : The Wandering Spirit' launches in 2027 on PC.
  15. 'The LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight' Mayhem Collection DLC launches September 18th.
  16. Boeseman's Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani) joins 'Planet Zoo 2'!
  17. 'iRacing Arcade' launches August 21st on Xbox Series and PS5. Already on PC.
  18. 'Twisted Tower' now available on PC.
  19. 'The Sky Project: Land of Noris' announced for PC.
  20. 'The Alighieri Circle: Dante's Bloodline' launches September 10th on Xbox Series, PS5 and PC. Nintendo Switch 2 at a later date.
  21. 'RetroSpace' launches October 1st on Xbox Series, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
  22. 'NightRunner' announced for PC.
  23. 'SiN: Reloaded' launches September 24th on XBO, XBS, PS4/5, Switch & PC.
  24. 'Ninja Baseball League-Man: Bases Loaded' launches December 10th on Xbox Series, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
  25. 'Arcade Archives CYBER CYCLES' is coming to XBS, PS4/5 and Switch 1&2 on Aug. 20th.
  26. 'Console Archives Rhapsody II: Ballad of the Little Princess' coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 on August 20th.
  27. 'Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo' is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on August 20th. Free upgrade path for Nintendo Switch owners.
  28. 'Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival' adds Nintendo Switch 2 alongside the previously announced Xbox Series, PS5 and PC versions. Launches October 8th.
  29. 'The Binding of Isaac: Repentance + Online' launches Nov. 19th on XBS, PS5 & Switch 2.
  30. 'Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days' 1.0 launches Mar, 2027 on XBS, PS5, Switch 2 & PC.
  31. 'Clipmatrix' announced for PC.
  32. 'Trainwatch' launches in 2027 on PC. Published by 11bit Studios.
  33. 'Order of the Sinking Star' launches October 8th on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
  34. 'Hubert' launches on PS5 and PC in October.
  35. 'Void Pachinko' now available on Steam.
  36. '1000xRESIST' coming to Switch 2 on Aug. 20th. Free upgrade for Switch version owners.
  37. 'Kernel Hearts' launches September 17th on Xbox Series, PS5, Switch 2 and PC.
    Buy the game on Epic and you get a Fortnite skin on top.
  38. 'Constance' physical PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 version announced.
  39. 'TCG Card Shop Simulator' leaves Early Access and launches on Xbox Series, PS5, Nintendo Switch 1&2 and PC on September 15th.
  40. 'MARVEL Cosmic Invasion' DLC The Siege of Castle Doom launches this fall.
  41. 'HYPERDROP: A Pachinko Roguelite' launches in 2027 on PC.
  42. 'Whisper of the House' is coming to XBS & PS5 on Aug. 27th. Already on Switch & PC.
  43. 'System Shock VR' announced for PSVR2, Meta Quest and Steam VR.
  44. 'Stick it to the Stickman' leaves Early Access and launches on PC on September 23rd.
  45. 'Kingdom Hearts 4' revealed its first World which is based on Pixar's Coco! Launches late 2027 on Xbox Series, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC!
  46. There is a game called 'S21' on Steam which is similar to Exit 8 but it's based on a decade-old construction site at the Stuttgarter central station. You're on the search for your train and the DB yells at you that your train is arriving late. Demo available.
  47. 'Moomin: Midsummer Madness' launches November 12th on Switch 1&2 and PC.
  48. 'Vampire Survivors: Legacy of the Bloodmoon' launches August 28th.
  49. 'Beyond These Stars' launches October 15th on Game Pass and PC.
  50. 'Kitaria Fables 2' launches Spring 2027 on Xbox Series, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
  51. 'Tails of Iron 2' Blood & Brine Free Expansion now available.
  52. 'Shroom and Gloom' launches September 10th on Steam Early Access.
  53. Physical 'Super Bomberman Collection' delayed to Sep. 25th in North America & Europe.
  54. 'CONTROL Resonant' has gone gold! Physical release delayed to October 15th.
  55. 'Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls' service will end on September 3rd. It's getting delisted from Apple Arcade on August 20th.
  56. '2XKO's active development will conclude at the end of 2026. Servers will remain on beyond 2026, and 2XKO will be playable on all platforms. They will refund all money spent before August 20th and unlocking all champs.

Opinion:

assorted-color toy lot
Photo by Hannah Rodrigo / Unsplash

Live, Death, Live, Death, Live!

In this week's opinion post, I want to talk about one of my theses I have had for a few years which is about the life and death of the micro genre.

First, what are micro genres? I would describe micro genres as small genres which are more located in the indie space with multiple game releases for a small price point either back to back or in short hype games. The more important part of these "hype games" is that they're not artistically bound to a strict formula and more of a mirror of the economic situation and shape of the dev and the industry.

For example Friendslop, Survivor-likes, "number go up" games like 'Balatro', or the newest trend games where you collect and organize things.

My take is, these micro genres only hold up for 2 maybe 3 years and it follows a simliar pattern and I call it the shot, the chaser and the finisher.

What does this mean? Let's take Friendslop as an example.

  1. The shot: 'Peak'
  2. The chaser: 'RV there Yet?', 'Meccha Chameleon' and 'Big Walk'.
  3. The finisher: 'Dear Passengers' (probably)

So let me explain, I believe 'Peak' was the game that created the Friendslop genre, one of many such in the trendy micro genre.

The chasers are games which are part of the genre but different enough to be their own thing and not a simple copy cat: 'RV There Yet?', 'Meccha Chameleon' and 'Guilty as Sock!'. 3 different games each with different styles and mechanics.

So we have the shot, the chaser, and then we have the finisher...

The Finisher: a few weeks ago a new Friendslop game got announced called 'Dear Passengers'. The game itself looks pretty similar to 'Peak', 'REPO' and other Friendslop games. I have the feeling it kinda lacks its own style. It's also made by a mid sized mobile game dev. I believe those facts alone kinda gives me a "moneygrab" vibe. I don't want to be too mean but the shot and chaser micro genre games feel like creations out of a limited amount of resources instead of what's popular and trendy, and how to copy it.

As game development gets more expensive, I believe we will see more micro genres and fresh ideas from indies in the coming years and I guess it's our duty that these games don't get swallowed by hypercapitalism.

That's all for this week! Kinda messy this week but Gamescom prep is eating my time. Can't wait for next week and hope you will enjoy the coverage.
If you want to read more from me follow me on my socials below!
See you next week!

Written by Knoebel & edited by viaz with the help of derpy and reksveks