Patch Notes #73 - weekly gaming digest

Welcome to the 73rd edition of Patch Notes.

Jun 22, 2026

This edition will cover the week from 15 June to 21 June.

Let’s get this bad boy going.

What caught my attention

NiKo finally won a Major. Seventeen attempts and eleven years in the making. Falcons didn’t sneak through a weak bracket either: they cleared three former Major champions in NAVI, Vitality, and Spirit, then swept FURIA 3-0 in the final. karrigan was on that same FaZe roster when Boston 2018 fell apart against Cloud9. Eight years later, they finished it at the LANXESS, in the best possible way.

TLDR

Microsoft is reportedly closing Compulsion, Double Fine, and Ninja Theory while Xbox Game Studios boss Craig Duncan steps down and Satya Nadella says Xbox must become financially sustainable with a spinoff reportedly on the table. (Eurogamer)
Epic unveiled Unreal Engine 6, merging UE5 and UEFN into a single engine with cross-game Fortnite skins, $1B already paid to UEFN creators, and Sweeney warning of a “tidal wave sweeping over AAA.” (GamesIndustry.biz)
Black Myth: Wukong passed 30 million sales in under two years, faster than Elden Ring, with more than half of sales coming from outside China. (Eurogamer)
Rockstar revealed the official GTA 6 cover art and a visual overview of Vice City, with pre-orders opening June 25 and a November 19 release date confirmed. (Polygon)
Xbox is reportedly pressuring Bethesda to release The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 as soon as possible. (Polygon)

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Rest of the news

Nintendo shared multiple screenshots of Nintendo Switch Sports Resort featuring 100 Pin Bowling returning in October on Switch 2 with 12 sports and motion controls. (Nintendo Life)
Stranger Than Heaven’s combat system was previewed as more challenging than standard Like a Dragon brawling in a second hands-on session. (IGN)
Mixtape and Subnautica 2 received strong reviews and attention while available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. (GameSpot)
Toy Story 5 grossed $160 million in its opening weekend in the United States, the largest of 2026. (Polygon)
STYKO stated at IEM Cologne Major 2026 that the skill gap between Tier 1 and Tier 2 teams is slowly diminishing. (Hotspawn)
The world’s only museum dedicated to The X-Files in Saratoga Springs, NY contains 10 notable props from the series. (Polygon)
Halo: Campaign Evolved on PS5 requires two PS Plus subscriptions for split-screen co-op. (Polygon)
Widow’s Bay director Hiro Murai discussed production challenges in a Polygon interview. (Polygon)
Richard Garriott is reportedly reclaiming Ultima series rights from EA, potentially as soon as next year. (PC Gamer)
Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene announced PlayerUnknown Productions is moving forward with a smaller team after funding issues for Prologue: Go Wayback!. (Eurogamer)
A Microsoft researcher built a goat-powered neural network in Age of Empires 2 to illustrate differences between LLMs and human behavior. (PC Gamer)
Where Winds Meet Version 1.8 ‘Companions Make Home’ launches June 25 with Homestead system and dynamic pets. (RPG Site)
LGD Gaming qualified for The International 15 by winning the South American closed qualifiers. (Hotspawn)
VALORANT esports fans engaged in parasocial behavior and death threats following FUT Esports vs EDward Gaming at Masters London. (Esports Insider)
CD Projekt Red co-CEO Michał Nowakowski hopes Witcher 4 helps complete the studio’s redemption after the Cyberpunk 2077 launch. (IGN)
Path of Exile 2 director stated players exploiting the system to become in-game millionaires ruined Christmas for him. (PC Gamer)
Path of Exile 2 features mysteries in the world after the campaign without requiring 100 hours of grinding. (PC Gamer)
Pokémon Pokopia was updated to Version 1.1.1 fixing Ditto’s facial expression during photos. (Nintendo Life)
EVE Frontier developers are working on Steam Deck support including gamepad compatibility and a dedicated launcher. (PC Gamer)
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment soundtrack with 69 tracks is now available on Nintendo Music. (RPG Site)
Persona 4 Revival broadcast showed story, characters, battle system, and new song rearrangements including Your Affection. (RPG Site)
LoL Esports Nations Cup 2026 qualifiers format, regions, and competing teams were detailed. (Sheep Esports)
Palworld studio stated gamers do not want generative AI in games. (PC Gamer)
Kabam is consolidating its LA office and making layoffs. (Game Developer)
Two Point Museum x DAVE THE DIVER collaboration update version 10.0 is now available. (Gematsu)
Garfield: Escape From Monday remains scheduled for September 24. (Polygon)
Take-Two’s former AI boss stated generative AI hype is poisoning the well for traditional AI use. (Eurogamer)
Call of Duty Zombies map Kowakujo honors Tom Kane with a dragon-laden Japanese setting. (Hotspawn)
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Season 2 DLC character Kenshiro launches in June. (Gematsu)
Steam Controller demand has caused Valve to change reservation estimates with some deliveries now projected for 2027. (Eurogamer)
Pragmata development included a group of women called the “Diana Police” to portray the character’s innocence. (Eurogamer)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 PlayStation re-releases are ports without remastering. (Eurogamer)
Slay the Spire 2 patch fixed an RNG bug and added a new Act 3 boss. (PC Gamer)
PlayStation changed its first-party single-player PC strategy due to inconsistent releases and lack of revenue. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Newzoo reported the global games market generated over $200 billion in revenue in 2025. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Riot Games updated VALORANT esports community competition guidelines removing caps and simplifying licensing. (Hotspawn)
Titan Quest II Chapter 4: Wild Lands update is now available as the largest content update so far. (RPG Site)
Adam, Isma, Saken, Jezu, and TraYtoN represented France in a showmatch versus Smeb and Korean streamers. (Sheep Esports)
World of Warcraft patch 12.1 adds Discord chat for guilds. (PC Gamer)
Esports payment delays affected multiple workers including artists on Dota 2 merchandise. (Esports Insider)
Riot Games revealed VCT 2027 structure with open pathways, guaranteed prize money, and 14 regional competitions. (Hotspawn)
Former PlayStation executive stated Xbox tactics show a basic misunderstanding of the interactive entertainment industry. (PC Gamer)
Unreal Engine 5.8 released with Lumen Lite mode running twice as fast on Switch 2. (Nintendo Life)
State of Unreal 2026 unveiled Unreal Engine 6, confirmed Unreal Engine 5.8 availability, and noted $1 billion paid to UEFN developers. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Crimson Moon preview at Summer Game Fest showed bright spots alongside lingering questions for the mid-sized action RPG. (RPG Site)
Grand Theft Auto 6 has a confirmed November 2026 release date. (Polygon)
Mega Rayquaza-themed sets Mega Evolution—Delta Reigns and Ruler of the Skies were announced for physical and digital Pokémon TCGs. (Polygon)
Amazon Games GM stated the company wants to win in gaming but will not become the next Xbox. (Polygon)
Rockstar quietly revealed a visual overview of GTA 6’s Vice City. (Eurogamer)
Riot Games is creating a Valorant pub in east London hosted by British takeaway personality Big John. (Eurogamer)
Rockstar is offering free upgrades to GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S for PS4 and Xbox One owners. (Eurogamer)
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave character Theodora uses Gambits as a polearm fighter. (Siliconera)
Final Fantasy 14 will give players in Japan a dog for paying their taxes. (PC Gamer)
Don’t Nod stated it has several levers to secure its financial position after auditors detailed cash concerns. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Jirachi is coming to Pokémon Pokopia next week for a limited time. (VGC)
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter details more characters, Orbal Arts, and cooking. (Gematsu)
Street Fighter 6 DLC character Yasmine launches August 3 with first-look gameplay trailer. (Nintendo Life)
Genshin Impact Version ‘Luna VIII’ launches July 1 with new character Sandrone and new region. (RPG Site)
R-Type Tactics I & II Cosmos is now available with free DLC announced. (RPG Site)
Demo for Granblue Fantasy: Relink - Endless Ragnarok is now available on PS5, PS4, Switch 2, and PC. (RPG Site)
Nagoshi Studios’ Gang of Dragon appears to have ceased development. (GameSpot)
Pokémon Champions launched on mobile today with a new game update adding more Pokémon. (Nintendo Life)
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles version 1.5.0 ‘Enhanced’ update adds New Game+ and more. (Gematsu)
Rocket League is receiving an early Unreal Engine 6 release. (Hotspawn)
Guild Wars 3 aims to solve issues that caused players to quit Guild Wars 2 after thousands of hours. (PC Gamer)
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney stated it feels like a tidal wave is sweeping over the AAA game business. (PC Gamer)