Nintendo Patent Revoked, Crimson Desert Hits 4M, Xbox Showcase Set

The gaming industry delivered a week of staggering contrasts, balancing massive breakout successes and exciting studio acquisitions against a relentless wave of corporate downsizing. While summer showcase schedules are finally taking shape, the volatile reality of modern game development continues to claim veteran studios and decade-old live-service platforms.

Crimson Desert Reaches Four Million Sales Following Massive Update

IGNPush SquarePush Square Pearl Abyss is celebrating a massive commercial milestone as its open-world action RPG Crimson Desert crossed four million copies sold just two weeks after launch . The sales surge follows a transformative patch that removed controversial AI-generated placeholder art, overhauled the game's stealing mechanics, and introduced FSR 3 upscaling for the base PlayStation 5 version . While base console performance remains a mixed bag, players utilizing the PlayStation 5 Pro are reporting a massive leap in visual fidelity and frame rates thanks to PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution .

US Patent Office Revokes Nintendo Character Summoning Patent

Rock Paper ShotgunThis Week in Video GamesPC Gamer Nintendo has suffered a major setback in its ongoing legal battle against Palworld developer Pocketpair after the United States Patent and Trademark Office revoked its controversial character-summoning patent . The USPTO rejected all 26 claims regarding the mechanics of throwing an item to summon a fighting character, ruling that the gameplay inventions were entirely "obvious" . Nintendo now has a two-month window to respond to the non-final decision and argue its case before the ruling becomes permanent .

Stellar Blade Developer Shift Up Acquires Shinji Mikami Studio

TechRaptorEurogamerRock Paper Shotgun South Korean developer Shift Up has officially acquired Unbound, the new Tokyo-based studio founded by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami . The Stellar Blade team will now publish and support all future titles from the horror veteran, who established Unbound in 2022 after departing Tango Gameworks . Mikami confirmed he will be fully involved on-site to direct a large-scale flagship game for PC and consoles alongside smaller experimental projects .

Xbox Games Showcase and Gears of War E-Day Direct Set for June

EurogamerIGNEurogamer Microsoft is officially locking in its summer gaming calendar, announcing that the annual Xbox Games Showcase will broadcast on June 7, 2026 . The presentation will be immediately followed by a dedicated Direct deep dive for Gears of War: E-Day, offering the first substantial look at the highly anticipated prequel . In a major shift for the brand's identity, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has also scrapped the controversial "This is an Xbox" marketing campaign, reportedly stating that the messaging did not fit the platform's identity .

Eidos Montreal Suffers Mass Layoffs as Industry Contraction Continues

Push SquareTechRaptorPush Square The brutal economic reality of modern game development claimed more jobs this week, with Deus Ex developer Eidos-Montréal laying off 124 employees following the cancellation of an unannounced project . The cuts coincide with the departure of veteran studio head David Anfossi, marking the third consecutive year of workforce reductions for the Embracer-owned company . The indie sector is facing similar devastation, with Wanderstop developer Ivy Road permanently shutting down after failing to secure publishing funding for its proposed second game .

Rec Room and Elder Scrolls Blades Shut Down as Ubisoft Faces Lawsuit

Push SquareNintendo LifeRock Paper Shotgun Several long-running live-service titles are closing their doors, including the virtual reality social club Rec Room, which will shut down its servers on June 1 after ten years and 150 million players . Bethesda is also pulling the plug on its mobile and Nintendo Switch RPG The Elder Scrolls: Blades this June, while Krafton abruptly canceled its early access shooter PUBG: Blindspot after just 53 days . Meanwhile, French consumer rights group UFC-Que Choisir is actively suing Ubisoft over its decision to shut down servers for the 2014 racing game The Crew, arguing against publishers rendering purchased games unplayable .

MindsEye Adding In-Game Mission to Expose Alleged Studio Sabotage

EurogamerGamesIndustry.bizVGC Build A Rocket Boy CEO Mark Gerhard is taking an unprecedented approach to addressing the disastrous launch of the multiplayer shooter MindsEye . Following the end of its publishing agreement with IO Interactive, the independent developer plans to release a new content update containing an in-game mission with "evidence" of alleged corporate espionage and sabotage . Gerhard claims that malevolent third parties intentionally ruined the game's release, and an investigation is currently in the hands of authorities in the UK and the US .