An Epic Redesign
Plus at least three Xbox studios are fighting for their lives
Epic held an event last week to discuss the next version of their Unreal game engine and changes to the Epic Game Store. We have the details. Also, an imminent “bloodbath” is coming for Xbox game studios. We have the latest, along with all the news of the week. Let’s go!
An Unreal Event
Epic Games held Unreal Fest, an event where the company discussed upcoming changes to their Unreal game engine and their digital storefront.
First up was the Unreal Engine 6, which the company says will make game development quicker by using integrated generative AI models. The latest engine will also merge Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) and Unreal Engine for Fortnite (UEFN), making it easier for developers to roll their content into Fortnite, if they so desire. Epic also announced an update to UE5 that will allow it to run “twice as fast” on the Nintendo Switch 2. GameIndustry.biz has a great breakdown of the Unreal Engine announcements.
Epic also provided an update on their improvement plans for their digital storefront and launcher. The software is getting a “ground-up rebuild” that Epic says will make it boot five times faster. Updated player profile pages, patch notes and a store redesign are in the first wave of changes expected to happen over the next year.
Wario64
Xbox's Imminent "Bloodbath"
We recently mentioned big changes were coming for Xbox. More details started to emerge last week, including some studios that could possibly be shut down or sold for just following Microsoft’s orders.
Layoffs and closures haven’t started yet, as Microsoft is planning to time these with the end of its financial year on June 30. However, industry journalist Jason Schreier of Bloomberg said the result will be a “bloodbath.” Here are some of the reports that surfaced last week:
- Compulsion Games, makers of South of Midnight will reportedly be shut down unless they can find a buyer or go independent.
- Double Fine, makers of Psychonauts and Kiln, are also negotiating with Xbox and other companies to avoid being shut down.
- Ninja Theory, which just showed off Senua, the latest game in the Hellblade series at the Xbox Game Showcase two weeks ago, could also be shut down if they do not find a buyer. Microsoft allegedly had already planned to either cut loose or close the studio when they announced the game.
More to come on this story as it develops.
Side Quests (more stories worth reading)
🆓 Free RPG Day is this Saturday! Find a participating game store near you.
🚓 Rockstar revealed the cover art for Grand Theft Auto 6, and said preorders will begin June 25.
🗓️ Demand for Steam Controllers is so high that people who register for one now likely won’t receive theirs until 2027.
🖥️ Sony stopped releasing their games on PC due to the fact they weren’t generating enough revenue.
🐶 Final Fantasy 14 players in Japan can get an in-game dog for paying their taxes.
⚽ EA is launching an in-game advertising platform with partners that include Visa, Red Bull, Xfinity, Lowe's, Peacock, and Mountain Dew.
🎞️ The director of the Sharknado movies created a Dave the Diver live-action short film.
💰 The video game industry surpassed $200 billion in revenue in 2025, the largest amount ever.
😢 Claude Guillemot, co-founder of Ubisoft died in a plane crash.
📱 Former computer maker Commodore has returned, and is making an expensive “distraction-free” cell phone.
🪦 It appears the studio behind Gang of Dragon has closed and the game has been cancelled.
👎🏽 The studio behind the recently-released game Luna Abyss has also shut down.
⚖️ The creator of the Ultima franchise is getting the rights to the game back from EA by using a copyright quirk.
🫢 SanDisk’s new 8TB PlayStation 5 SSD hard drive is on sale for nearly $3,000.
🧑🏽⚖️ Obsidian, the studio behind Avowed and The Outer Worlds, is being sued for violations of state wage law.
🎩 Legendary sitcom family The Simpsons are in another video game: Monopoly Go.
😢 Bobby Prince, the composer behind the original Doom and Wolfenstein 3D, has passed away.
📈 Round numbers: Crimson Desert sold 6 million copies, Meccha Chameleon sold 2 million copies and Grow a Garden 2 hit 300 million Roblox visits in the first week.
New Releases this week:
Check out our article on 8 games to play in June.
6/23: Deer and Boy (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
6/25: Star Fox (Switch)
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