Xbox Price Hikes, EA Goes Private, Xbox 360 Games on PC
Microsoft’s Xbox strategy dominates the week as steep console price increases arrive in Europe, hardware losses mount, and leaked plans point toward a broader cross-platform future. Electronic Arts also completes one of the largest deals in gaming history, while Sony and Nintendo reinforce sharply different visions for physical media and hardware growth.
Xbox Series X Price Hikes Put Microsoft’s Hardware Strategy Under Pressure
Microsoft implements substantial Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S price increases across the UK and Europe, with some models rising by as much as 50 percent and the Xbox Series S becoming more expensive than Nintendo Switch 2 in European markets . The 1TB Xbox Series X reaches £669.99 in the UK and €799.99 in Europe, while the 512GB Xbox Series S rises to £429.99 and €499.99
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The increases arrive as Xbox content and services revenue falls 10 percent and hardware revenue declines 13 percent, with Microsoft reportedly losing about $150 on every Xbox Series X and Series S sold . The planned US price for the 1TB Xbox Series X also reaches $800 in August, placing additional pressure on Microsoft’s traditional console business
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Xbox CEO Asha Sharma says the company expects to return to growth by summer 2027 and outlines a four-year recovery plan built around Core, Content, Creation, and Connection +1. That plan increasingly looks less dependent on selling consoles, particularly after a leaked document reportedly reveals Xbox 360 games are being prepared for PC, Xbox handhelds, and the next-generation Project Helix system
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The contrast between Xbox’s hardware struggles and its software ambitions is especially clear in this week’s Gears of War: E-Day multiplayer reveal. The Coalition showcases Horde Siege, a 12-player expansion of the series’ co-op survival mode, alongside redesigned movement and classic cover-based combat, although some previews question whether the larger scale loses the intimacy of traditional Gears multiplayer .
Halo: Campaign Evolved offers another striking example of Microsoft’s platform shift. The remake launches on PlayStation 5 and PC as well as Xbox, marking the first same-day PlayStation debut for a mainline Halo game, while Digital Foundry finds that the PlayStation 5 Pro delivers the strongest console performance .
Electronic Arts Becomes Private as Gaming Restructuring Accelerates
Electronic Arts becomes a private company after an investor group led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners completes its $55 billion take-private deal on August 4 . The transaction includes $20 billion in debt financing and is described as the largest leveraged buyout in history, with the Public Investment Fund reportedly owning 93.4 percent of the new company
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The deal reshapes the market for major publishers at a time when live-service revenue dominates EA’s final fiscal report before the merger . It also lands during a broader wave of layoffs and studio retrenchment affecting developers across the industry.
Double Fine Productions cuts 23 employees, roughly one-quarter of its staff, only three weeks after separating from Xbox Game Studios and becoming independent . Studio head Tim Schafer says the layoffs are intended to protect the studio’s short-term survival, following Microsoft’s wider restructuring and the loss of 3,200 Xbox jobs
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Refractor Games, the developer behind Netflix’s FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition, reportedly loses about 85 percent of its staff less than two months after launch . Staff members say Delphi Interactive effectively pulls the plug after release, illustrating how quickly projects can lose financial support when launch performance fails to meet expectations
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The restructuring also affects games that remain active. ZeniMax Online Studios delays several major The Elder Scrolls Online updates, including its next trial and combat refresh, into 2027, while assuring players that Bethesda’s MMORPG remains a priority .
Sony Commits to Digital PlayStation While Final Fantasy VII Keeps Physical Media Alive
Sony confirms that it will continue phasing out physical PlayStation discs by January 2028, arguing that the transition has had “zero effect” on its business despite sustained player backlash . The company is discussing alternatives with retailers, including physical boxes containing digital download codes
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That confidence is backed by PlayStation 5 shipments reaching 95.3 million units worldwide, while PlayStation Plus revenue and monthly active users both grow year over year to 125 million users by the end of June 2026 . Sony also says it has stockpiled enough RAM to maintain console production through early 2027 amid concerns about component shortages
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Square Enix is pursuing a different answer for Final Fantasy VII Revelation. Director Naoki Hamaguchi says he is actively trying to arrange a physical PlayStation 5 release for the third game in the remake trilogy, although no final decision has been made .
Final Fantasy VII Revelation is scheduled for spring 2027 and is positioned as the definitive conclusion to the remake trilogy, with Hamaguchi saying the team is focused on delivering a complete ending rather than leaving the door open for future DLC . Interest in the finale is already lifting sales of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which Square Enix says are selling several times better than expected after the latest reveal
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Nintendo Switch 2 Builds Momentum With RPG Upgrades and New Releases
Nintendo Switch 2’s expanding software lineup receives several notable updates this week, led by Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Switch 2 Edition. Technical testing finds that the upgraded RPG delivers a locked 4K resolution at 60 frames per second while docked, addressing the image-quality and performance problems of the original Switch version .
Square Enix also presents more than two hours of Final Fantasy XIV Online gameplay running on Nintendo Switch 2 ahead of the MMORPG’s scheduled August 4 release on the platform . Nintendo gives Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave its first major showcase through a dedicated Direct, detailing its characters, Heroic Games, classes, combat systems, and the kingdom of Dagdan before its worldwide launch on September 17
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Nintendo’s retro strategy continues alongside the new hardware push. Super Mario Sunshine joins the Nintendo Classics library on August 13, while the service adds the previously unreleased Virtual Boy games Zero Racers and D-Hopper on August 4 .
Fans are also speculating that a The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Nintendo Switch 2 could target November 2026 after the discovery of two new amiibo figures . The rumored timing would place the remake near Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI, although Nintendo has not confirmed the project or its release date
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Strong Early Sales and Mixed Reviews Define the Week’s Game Releases
Krafton’s Subnautica 2 becomes one of the week’s clearest commercial successes, surpassing five million sales only 22 days after entering early access . The result drives record half-year revenue and profit for Krafton, which now intends to develop the ocean-survival series into a major franchise alongside PUBG
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Pocketpair also expands its hit survival brand beyond PC and console. Garena is developing and publishing Palworld Online, an open-world mobile MMORPG for iOS and Android that adapts Palworld’s crafting, multiplayer survival, and creature-collecting systems, with launch planned for later this year .
House House’s Big Walk earns strong early reviews for its communication-focused co-op design and open-world puzzle solving, with critics calling it one of the best co-op games available despite performance problems on Nintendo Switch 2 . The game is already standing out on PlayStation Plus and PC, where its quiet tone and inventive multiplayer mechanics receive the strongest response
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Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation has a more divided launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, where it is also available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass . Reviews praise its combat and characters but criticize the pacing, surrounding adventure, and uneven follow-through on its cinematic ambitions
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The week ends with both failed experiments and second chances. Ubisoft schedules the shutdown of Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles for October after removing its controversial blockchain and NFT features , while Wuchang: Fallen Feathers director Xia Siyuan forms Indolphinity to develop a sequel with publisher 505 Games after the original developer, Leenzee, dissolves
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