Gears of War: E-Day bets on no-frills multiplayer; ESO delays after layoffs

The Coalition is taking a deliberately stripped-back approach to Gears of War: E-Day's multiplayer, promising no battle pass, no tour of duty, and no gimmicks when the game arrives in 2026. It's a pointed stance at a moment when live-service scaffolding has become the default for most major shooters, and it signals the studio is leaning hard into what the series was before monetization became the conversation.

The Elder Scrolls Online is feeling the aftershocks of recent layoffs, with ZeniMax Online Studios confirming that major content features are being delayed — though the team says more is still coming. Players have already reacted with frustration at what sounds like a slow drip of updates. Separately, Blizzard is giving Diablo 4 Season 15 a nostalgia boost by reintroducing the Stone of Jordan and other iconic items from the franchise's past, while Overwatch is pushing sweeping Tank changes through a new update as part of ongoing 6-vs-6 testing.

Konami has signalled it wants to move toward annual releases for its biggest franchises, following a similar line of thinking to Capcom. Over on the modding side, a fan-made The Last of Us Part 2 multiplayer mod — picking up where Naughty Dog left the cancelled factions project — has hit a milestone with support for 4v4 matches. And Control Resonant, the follow-up to Remedy's original, is reported to run more than double the length of its predecessor.