Professional esports organization competing in World of Warcraft
Valve's massive Deadlock update has driven the in-development MOBA hero shooter to a record 220,000 concurrent players, making it the sixth most-played game on Steam despite invite-only access. The patch overhauls the map, adds six heroes, and upgrades the engine to the latest Source 2 build.
Amazon Prime Video loads October with major franchise drops including every James Bond film, all four John Wick movies, and four Indiana Jones titles starting October 1. New originals like the Mike Flanagan-led Carrie miniseries and Scream 7 join a packed sports slate featuring Thursday Night Football, NWSL, NBA, and ONE Championship events throughout the month.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve launches Thursday with a pre-order bonus that has drawn nearly 1,000 negative Steam reviews. Players who bought the game for the included Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War say the store page originally advertised it as a standalone application, but it now requires the full 140 GB install to play the 3.2 GB classic.
Infinity Festival is set for its 9th edition at the Audrey Irmas Pavilion from November 12-15, bringing four days of panels, screenings, and demonstrations centered on AI's expanding role across animation, gaming, filmmaking, and live entertainment. Presenting sponsors NVIDIA, HP, and Intel return alongside expected appearances from directors the Russo Brothers, Phil Lord, and Chris Miller.
Gears of War: E-Day launches a collaboration with Liquid Death offering players a Legendary Chainsaw Flex animated pose, branded cosmetics, and a limited-edition chainsaw pint glass. The promotion runs from September 25 through November 30, 2026, and requires purchasing Liquid Death Energy at participating U.S. retailers. Pre-order bonuses including an Xbox gift card and exclusive skins are available until October 6.
The Season 4 finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds delivers a time-travel story centered on Uhura that teases the show's eventual end while introducing a future romance with Scotty. Despite strong character work from Celia Rose Gooding, the episode resolves its central mystery with a deus ex machina that undercuts the tension built over the hour.
Microsoft has confirmed Activision will develop the next mainline Halo game as part of a sweeping Xbox Studios restructure that includes 268 layoffs. The move effectively guts Halo Studios, formerly 343 Industries, while folding Rare and World's Edge under the Call of Duty publisher's umbrella.
Bungie leadership has acknowledged Marathon's struggling player counts and pledged to reshape the extraction shooter into a deeper survival experience with greater player agency. Studio Head Poria Torkan and Marathon GM Josh Dean also confirmed that Destiny will continue with new stories and a return to the series' original promise, following May's controversial decision to shutter Destiny 2 content updates.
Netflix's fourth Monster season stitches together Lizzie Borden, Aileen Wuornos, and Countess Elizabeth Báthory into a tonal disaster. The series invents most of its narrative while struggling to reconcile campy excess with serious drama. Sarah Paulson's Wuornos nearly saves the show, but the damage is done.
Former Naughty Dog director Bruce Straley criticized the AAA industry as "boring" in an Edge magazine interview, specifically naming God of War Laufey as an example of technically impressive but unexciting gameplay. Straley apologized to the Santa Monica Studio team on X/Twitter for dragging them into negative attention, while expanding on his concerns about innovation stagnation and live-service chasing in big-budget development.
PlayStation Plus is running a Tokyo Game Show promotion across Southeast Asia from 17 to 30 September, offering new members up to 25% off a 12-month subscription. Existing subscribers can also save when upgrading to PlayStation Plus Extra or Deluxe tiers during the same window.
Blizzard revealed World of Warcraft: Forever at BlizzCon, confirming the long-rumored Classic+ mode set in the game's original timeline. The expansion launches November 4, 2026, with a level 60 cap, three new zones, nine dungeons, and the new Skyborne Elves race.
