The Epic Games Store is not very good. This is not a controversial thing to say, I’m fairly certain, as the lack of features available within it feels a bit odd also eight years into the thing existing. Sure, there’s some free games every now and then (like Citizen Sleeper, right now), but there’s a lot of basic things missing. But it seems much of that, including simple things like patch notes, will be coming within the next 12 months.

Over on the EpicGamesPC subreddit, a series of photos from a talk Epic held regarding the storefront’s future shows off the kinds of things you can expect from it over the next year. A roadmap of sorts outlines what you can expect when, with smaller things like pre-registration for free-to-play games, patch notes, a private beta for the next version of the launcher, improved storefront navigation, and whatever the hell “Fortnite Chunked Installation” is (I’m assuming that it lets you download only certain parts of the battle royale) coming up first.

Epic Games Store roadmap for 2026 and more screenshots of launcher rebuild
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Speaking of that revamped storefront, a couple images of that were shown off, with some captions explaining that home pages will be personalised per user, highlighting games that match an individual’s “interests and playstyle.” Sounds pretty basic! Game pages will apparently be more detailed too, with again some tailoring done for each user to “show what’s relevant to them based on where they are in the game.”

In the up next section of the roadmap, there’s also a mention of user written reviews, the absence of which is a commonly levied criticism against the storefront, alongside supposed discovery improvements, and the launch of the next version of the storefront. A look at user profiles was also shown off, which shows things like games a person owns, what they’ve been playing recently, achievements. Once again, literally nothing unique to be found here.

It is quite odd that Epic have been taking so long to add such basic elements of a digital storefront. But then, they did lay off over 1000 employees earlier this year, so, it doesn’t really seem like they know how to run a team very well. At least Unreal Engine 6 will incorporate generative AI! I definitely feel good about that! Please, oh god please, read the sarcasm here.

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Kalshi is attracting increasingly more volume in its esports markets, with Counter-Strike 2 the dominant force. States are attempting to rein in the markets; however. A total of 39 states, plus the District of Colombia filed a brief against the company in its legal battle in Ohio this week. 

Kalshi’s esports markets generated a total of $36.18 million in total contract volume across 408 matches in the first week of June. The majority of that was in CS2 matches, which accounted for 65.6% of the total, according to data detailed by Esports Insider. 

League of Legends Also Popular

League of Legends was the second-most traded game, with $8.7 million in volume (24%), followed by Valorant (5.86%) and Dota 2 (4.23%). Other games had nominal volume amounts.

Volume on prediction markets is not the same as betting handle at sportsbooks. It relates to the number of $1 contracts traded, but those contracts could be traded at very low prices, meaning the amount of money users are actually risking is far less than $36 million. 

Rival platform Polymarket has also accused Kalshi of inflating its volume, saying the company double-counts esports categories. Analyzing the data, it appears that esports now have daily trading volume of around $6 million, a big increase from less than $1 million at the start of the year. 

A partnership with Sportradar could allow Kalshi to further expand its esports offerings and integrate live streams. 

39 States Plus DC Oppose Kalshi In Court

The markets can only expand if the company wins its court battles, however. This week, 39 states and DC filed amicus briefs in support of Ohio in its legal fight against Kalshi. 

Kalshi filed a lawsuit against the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) in July last year. A judge denied the company’s motion for a preliminary injunction in March, but Kalshi has appealed the decision to the Sixth Circuit. 

In addition to the states, tribal groups, the American Gaming Association (AGA), former CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler, and Better Markets, a nonprofit advocating for financial regulation, also filed briefs in support of the OCCC. 

The Third Circuit has already ruled in Kalshi’s favor. Seven of the 16 judges in the Sixth Circuit are Trump appointees, while three more were appointed by George W. Bush. That makes it likely the Sixth Circuit may also rule against Ohio in the case. 

CFTC Backs Kalshi and Moves To Make Sports Markets Legal

The CFTC also filed a brief in support of Kalshi. The organization has Trump’s support and has moved to formally allow sports event contracts this week. 

There has been much debate over whether Kalshi’s sports markets should be classified as gaming, which the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) prohibits if they are contrary to the public interest. 

In its new rules proposed this week, the CFTC stated: “The Commission preliminarily believes that these categories of sports event contract markets may serve price discovery functions and provide meaningful information.”

This effectively means the CFTC considers sports contracts valid financial instruments, as Kalshi has argued in courts across the country. 

“The CFTC will protect the integrity of our regulated markets without standing in the way of responsible innovation,” said Chairman Michael Selig. “This proposal gives the Commission a durable, transparent framework to identify the contracts Congress directed us to scrutinize while letting legitimate markets move forward.”  

It draws the line at markets focusing on player injuries, officiating calls, or “Discrete-action contracts involving specific participants”. This could mean that micromarkets, such as the number of kills in the next map for a specific player, could be prohibited. 

The CFTC has now opened a public comment period on its rules, and we would expect considerable voices of dissent as states, tribal groups, and traditional gambling groups oppose its validation of sports prediction markets.

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Pennsylvania lawmakers are proposing blocking access to all sports betting and online casino platforms on school campuses. 

Representative Jason Ortitay said he intends to introduce the legislation in honor of Ray Mikesell, who killed himself after struggling with gambling addiction. 

The legislation would require igaming and sports betting operators to use geospatial technologies to prevent registered players from accessing their platforms while physically located on school property.

“This is a common-sense protection for our children, and it honors the memory of a young man whose loss should not be in vain,” Ortitay said in a press release, before using fellow lawmakers to co-spnsor the bill. 

Gambling Addiction Started In School

Ray Mikesell committed suicide in 2024 when faced with an eviction notice from his home in South Fayette. His financial problems had been mounting due to years of gambling, which began when he was a high school student. 

“That addiction followed him for years and ultimately cost him his life,” Ortitay stated. “His father has asked that we act so that no other family endures what his family has endured. As he told me, if this legislation helps even one person, it is worth it.”

A recent report said that as many as 1 in 3 American boys aged 11 to 17 years old are gambling, with video games acting as the top way youths encounter gambling-like activities.

Lawmakers Want Operators To Take Responsibility

Lawmakers have also demanded that betting companies detail what measures they are taking to address issues of problem and underage gambling.

Last month, a group of five Democrats sent a letter to the CEOs of 10 major betting and prediction market operators expressing their concerns about young Americans’ gambling.

The letter references multiple ads run by the companies, which the lawmakers see as problematic. For example, a Kalshi TikTok ad that included the tagline: “I was about to be unable to pay my rent, but I got two years of rent through Kalshi’s predictions. It’s amazing!”

Kalshi has stopped running this ad and has signed up to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), claiming it is committed to responsible practices. It does, however, continue to allow 18-year-olds to effectively gamble on sports in Pennsylvania, despite the legal betting age being 21. 

This ad is particularly poignant to Mikesell’s story as his death came at a time when he was unable to pay rent due to gambling problems. To suggest that gambling is a way out of financial difficulty, rather than the route towards it, is irresponsible, say the lawmakers. 

Gambling groups have invested heavily in supporting Pennsylvania politicians they believe would oppose additional restrictions on the industry.

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After rumors were swirling, Atlus has announced the English voice cast for Persona 4 Revival, their new remake of their beloved RPG classic Persona 4.

While the English voice cast for Persona 4 Revival is entirely new, the Japanese voice cast has remained the same since the original release. Here’s the cast:

• Protagonist (voice by Nazeeh Tarsha) – A second-year high school student, who, due to unfortunate circumstances with his parents, was sent to live in Inaba at the home of his uncle.
• Yosuke Hanamura (voice by Paul Castro Jr.) – Another local high schooler, Yosuke is the cheerful and caring strategist of the group, bringing together the deductions and opinions of team members.
• Chie Satonaka (voice by Anne Yatco) – A lively local girl who attends the town’s high school, Chie is a warm and empathetic person with a strong sense of justice.
• Yukiko Amagi (voice by Brianna Knickerbocker) – A popular student at school, Yukiko is the sole inheritor of one of the town’s long-established inns. She’s reliable and level-headed, albeit spacey.
• Marie (voice by Ari Thrash) – A mysterious girl to encounter in Inaba who occasionally stops through town, Marie comes across as aloof and unfriendly. However, she is also curious and proactive by nature.

Persona 4 Revival is set to launch across Windows PC (via Steam and the Microsoft Store), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 on February 18th, 2027.

Atlus, Persona 4 Revival, Sega

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Although Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has been cruising along at a steady pace for many months now, Sega is apparently eager for feedback.

It’s released a new user survey this week, asking fans to help it improve the title. It’s also noted at the beginning how these responses will be used to assist the game’s development.

SEGA: “Thank you for playing Sonic Racing CrossWorlds. We’re conducting a survey to help us improve the game. We’d love to hear from you!”

Apart from the usual questions such as age and your playing habits, it also asks questions about the modes you play in CrossWorlds, how long you’ve played, and even your World Match Rank. To answer these questions, you can either pick a response or type your own response.

At the end of the survey, there’s also a section to leave “any other comments or feedback” about the title, and whatever else you may want to pass on to Sega. This survey is available until the end of June, so if you want to have your say about the game, fill out this form while you can.

This survey follows the recent announcement Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds would be getting a second year of content and updates. This will include Season Pass 2 and six new DLC packs starting with Godzilla and Evangelion.

Ahead of Sonic’s birthday celebrations later this month, a physical copy of Sonic Frontiers: Definitive Edition has been spotted.

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I’m going to go out on a limb and say that when you think of penguins and video games, Club Penguin is probably the one that comes to mind for you (or the Surf’s Up adaptation if you’re nasty). There aren’t really a lot of games about these flightless birds, and they’re normally on the sillier side when there are because penguins are funny little critters. Penguin Colony, the next game from the devs behind Umurangi Generation, doesn’t completely abandon that silliness, but it does throw in some cosmic horror and the hubris of man in for good measure. And its first demo certainly sets the stage for an old experience.

In Penguin Colony, you are a penguin. One of many, any penguins actually. You can slide on your belly, jump, and swim, a Shadow of the Colossus style stamina meter limiting your ability to walk up steep, icy cliffs and the like. But you do not have to stay as this penguin. The tuxedo wearing animals are found all over the game, of varying sizes and species and benefits and negatives. If you walk up to a baby penguin and switch to it, you can climb under a gap in a fence, but if you try to swim you die, whereas embodying a fully grown adult nets you more stamina.

Controlling the penguin(s) is admittedly a tad awkward, in a way that feels incidental over purposeful, and yet it still lends itself well to the experience. Waddling along feels stiff and unsatisfying, but when have you ever seen a penguin be graceful while moving on its two feet? This is why you must slide as much as you can, for that’s where things smoothen out.

And then there is the Lovecraftian madness. As you make your way forward, ever forward, at first towards the flare of a human stationed out there in the Antarctic, later towards an obelisk structure that the Nazis (the original ones) claim is linked to an ancient, Aryan race, the voice of Disco Elysium’s Lenval Brown warningly narrates at you his experience in this frozen tundra. It is disquieting and somehow isolating, and I look forward to more in the full game.

You can pick up glowing orbs along the way to restore some stamina, random words appearing as you collect them like indigenous and encyclopedia. They don’t just litter the land either. At one point I came across a man who fell to his knees, violently shaking his head before it exploded, producing an orb for me to add to my portfolio. The word it produced was “sex.”

Penguin Colony’s demo is short, but does at least set the groundwork for a unique critique of fascist ideology. Who could have thought you’d get something like that while playing as a penguin! Right now it doesn’t have a release date, but it is due out in 2026, and you can try out its demo on Steam for yourself right now.

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When Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair in September 2024, many expected a long legal battle with potentially serious consequences for one of gaming’s biggest hits. Nearly two years later, however, the situation looks very different.

The lawsuit centered on three Japanese patents related to monster capture/release and riding mechanics. Nintendo had sought both an injunction and damages, but setbacks like patent office rejections for lack of originality (citing prior art from games like ARK and others) have weakened their position significantly.

Recent court developments suggest Nintendo’s case has narrowed significantly, with the dispute now focused almost entirely on older versions of Palworld rather than the game players are experiencing today. While the lawsuit isn’t over, its ability to meaningfully impact Palworld’s future appears to be fading.

The shift happened after Pocketpair proactively altered several gameplay mechanics that had become central to Nintendo’s patent claims.

You can no longer summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres in the way you could at launch, and gliding has been redesigned to rely on a dedicated glider rather than using Pals directly. Pocketpair has openly acknowledged these changes were made to avoid disruptions to development and distribution while the legal process continues.

That alone raises an interesting question: if the disputed features are already gone, what exactly is left to fight over? At this stage, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are primarily pursuing damages tied to earlier versions of the game.

Reports suggest the potential financial reward could be relatively small compared to the scale of the case itself. More importantly for players, there is currently no indication that Palworld’s upcoming 1.0 launch on July 10, 2026 is under threat.

For Pocketpair, that’s arguably the most important victory. The studio has spent the past two years transforming Palworld from an early-access phenomenon into one of the biggest success stories in recent gaming history.

What initially caught attention as “Pokémon with guns” quickly evolved into something broader: a survival-crafting game that combined creature collection, base building, exploration, and multiplayer systems in a way that resonated with millions of gamers. That popularity is a major reason the lawsuit generated so much discussion beyond legal circles.

Many argue the case represents a growing problem within the games industry, where broad gameplay concepts can become the subject of patent disputes. Supporters of Nintendo, meanwhile, maintain that companies have a right to defend intellectual property they believe is being infringed upon.

The reality likely sits somewhere in the middle. While Nintendo may have succeeded in forcing certain design compromises, the larger objective appears increasingly out of reach. The possibility of an injunction affecting Palworld’s current version has diminished considerably, and the game continues moving toward its full release with major updates still on the roadmap.

The optics have also become complicated for Nintendo. Online discussions increasingly frame Pocketpair as the underdog surviving against one of gaming’s largest corporations. Whether fair or not, many players view the lawsuit less as a defense of innovation and more as an attempt to limit a competitor that successfully tapped into a market Pokémon itself had struggled to satisfy in recent years.

What’s particularly notable is that Palworld’s success hasn’t slowed during the legal battle. If anything, the lawsuit may have increased public awareness of the title. With another court hearing expected in October, the case is not technically over.

Nintendo may still secure some form of financial compensation tied to earlier builds of the game, but the likelihood of significantly altering Palworld’s trajectory appears slim.

Palworld is hitting full release for all platforms next month, on July 10th globally. The game has been available for Windows PC (via Steam and the Microsoft Store), Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

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Vanillaware might not be a household name to some of you, but it’s got a library that hangs up there with the best of them. Odin Sphere, Dragon’s Crown, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, all games that I have seen their biggest supports plead for you to play them on sites like Dwitter and Bluesky. Only problem for us lot is that none of them are on PC. Well, most of them, as just this week it was announced that one of their earlier titles Muramasa: The Demon Blade will finally be coming to PC. And, as it seemingly turns out, Vanillaware would like more of their games to be made available on PC… it’s just not up to them.

Author and founder of indie game festival BitSummit James Mielke took to Bluesky to share word from Vanillaware founder George Kamitani about the studio’s interest in further PC ports. “Glad to see Muramasa coming to PC,” Mielke wrote, continuing, “I asked Vanillaware’s George Kamitani why he hasn’t put his other games on PC and he said he totally wants to, but it’s up to the publisher to finance the ports. So if you want 13 Sentinels, Dragon’s Crown, Unicorn Overlord, Odin Sphere etc. on PC, make some noise.”

This did cause some confusion for some, as Atlus, who published Unicorn Overlord, said that their agreement with Vanillaware meant that only a console release was planned. In turn, this led some to believe that Vanillaware didn’t want their games on PC. One user on Bluesky responded to Mielke regarding this, with Mielke explaining that “the reports were wrong,” about Vanillaware not wanting PC ports.

Whether any of the aforementioned games get a PC port in the future does now seemingly come down to enough people causing a bit of a fuss to make it happen. Maybe don’t tag the publishers in question on your social media of choice with expletives or anything, but a friendly email might do the trick. I know I’d certainly like to see 13 Sentinel’s gorgeous art in particular up on my monitor, so, hop to it you lot.

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