Top Stories

Report: Pokemon Go video scans may have been used for AI drone training (3 min read)

A report by Dutch outlet Trouw alleges that nearly 30 billion location scans made by Pokémon Go players have been sold to Vantor, a military drone technology company, for AI training. Niantic Spatial—a spinoff from Pokémon Go developer Niantic—owns the scans and has used them to train a 3D navigation model for military drones and robots. Vantor denied it will use Pokémon Go data but declined to confirm whether the model was already trained with it. Niantic previously stated players' personal data has not been sold, though the exact role of Pokémon Go scans in Vantor's system remains unclear. (Game Developer)

Fable Development Reportedly Slowed By Using ForzaTech Instead Of Unreal (3 min read)

Fable's development was extended by the decision to use ForzaTech instead of Unreal Engine, according to Windows Central reporter Jez Corden. Early in production, the team debated building on Unreal owing to mature tools and in-house expertise, but ForzaTech—the engine Playground Games uses for Forza titles—was chosen despite not being designed for open-world fantasy RPGs. The game launches February 23, 2027, seven years after its 2020 announcement. (The Gamer)

Business & Finance

Dead by Daylight the 'Most-Played Horror Game in History,' Its Developer Has Said (2 min read)

Dead by Daylight reached 70 million players over 10 years with 1+ million daily active players across all platforms. Behavior Interactive reported 50%+ revenue growth over the last 12 months and expanded its team to nearly 500 people, making it Canada's largest gaming studio. (IGN)

Playstack CEO: new owner will keep it separate from its games media brands including GamesSpot and Fandom (3 min read)

Playstack CEO Harvey Elliott confirmed IMC will operate the publisher separately from its media brands (Fandom, GameSpot), with no staff departures or operational integration. Playstack will continue its "eclectic" variety publishing strategy with confidence in its lineup through 2028. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Studios & People

Destiny 2 and Bungie as a whole were "very close" to closing before Sony buyout, according to ex-community lead: "It was an emergency acquisition" (3 min read)

Bungie was financially critical and near closure before Sony's $3.6 billion acquisition, according to ex-community manager Liana Ruppert. She described the buyout as an "emergency acquisition" that prevented the studio from shutting down. (GamesRadar)

Sega is beefing up the Sonic Team on its 35th anniversary, hiring across multiple key roles (3 min read)

Sega is hiring across multiple senior roles for Sonic Team, including producer, lead planner, lead graphics programmer, and technical art manager. The recruitment indicates a development ramp-up on an unannounced project at the studio's Shinigawa City office. (Eurogamer)

Games & Releases

Switch 2 Sparks AAA Wave as Nintendo Courts Global Publishers—But Where Are China's Game Studios? (13 min read) Switch 2掀3A狂潮！任天堂“全球摇人”，不喊中国游戏公司？

Nintendo's Switch 2 lineup at June 2026 Direct featured major third-party AAA titles from Capcom, Square Enix, FromSoftware, and Ubisoft. Third-party games generated $1 billion in cumulative revenue over nine months with 76% year-over-year growth, but Chinese publishers remain notably absent from the platform. (GameLook)

Destiny 2's final update causes the biggest jump in players in nearly two years, as Marathon numbers coincidentally drop to near their lowest (4 min read)

Destiny 2's final update Monument of Triumph drove peak concurrent players to 167,867 on Steam—the highest in nearly two years—after Bungie ended live-service support. The update restored vaulted content and reversed unpopular recent changes. (Eurogamer)

RGG Studio Head Talks Tupac's Controversial Stranger Than Heaven Inclusion (4 min read)

RGG Studio's Stranger Than Heaven features Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur in its cast, with Yokoyama explaining the casting was inspired by Snoop's real-world relationships and required approval from Tupac's family and estate. (GameInformer)

Everything We Know About Xbox’s Big Halo 1 Remake (5 min read)

Halo: Campaign Evolved, a full remake of the original Halo developed by Halo Studios using Unreal Engine 5, launches July 28 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The campaign-only remake includes new pre-game missions and co-op play, but no competitive multiplayer. (Kotaku)

AI/Tech & Tools

Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis Director Discusses Use of Generative AI In The Upcoming Unreal Engine 5 Remake (3 min read)

Crystal Dynamics' Jeff Adams explains using generative AI to visualize early-stage objects before committing dev time, then replacing AI assets with human-crafted content in the final pipeline. All finished assets in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis are human-made. (GameInformer)

Policy & Labor

Nintendo May Only Win $30,000 Payout in Pokémon Legal Battle With Palworld Developer Pocketpair, IP Expert Says (4 min read)

An IP expert estimates Nintendo may win only $30,000 if successful in its patent lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair, and the case appears increasingly likely to favor Pocketpair. The dispute centers on three Japanese patents covering creature-capture mechanics similar to Pokémon Legends: Arceus. (IGN)

Culture & Community

Maxis devs detail the operational challenges behind Spore’s nine-year development cycle (3 min read)

Maxis developers reflected on Spore's nine-year development, citing rapid team growth to 100+ people and lack of structured design process as core operational challenges. Chief designer Will Wright's part-time, non-hierarchical management style made unified decision-making difficult, resulting in disconnected gameplay systems. (GamesIndustry.biz)

gg! see you in game!

— james