Steam Weekly Sale Roundup: Moonlighter Free Until August 10
The roundup tracks Steam's high-discount PC games for the week, with free giveaways and deep price cuts on notable titles.
Automaton
Dress Craft Sim Dressmaker Sets September 22 Steam Launch
The wishlist count exceeding 200,000 signals strong early demand for a niche craft sim ahead of its September launch.
Game Spark
Nijisanji's Nes Sakaki Gets a Pachinko Date ASMR Voice That Refuses to Let You Sleep
The pachinko date scenario stands out in the ASMR series for its pure pachinko-user dialogue, offering a comedic twist on the usual soothing or flirty sleep-prevention setups.
Inside
Google's Lyria 3.5 Music AI Generates Japanese Vocal Songs Up to 3 Minutes
Lyria 3.5's free availability on Google Flow Music puts Japanese vocal song generation within reach of anyone with a Google account, as demonstrated by a hands-on test that produced usable idol-style tracks.
GIGAZINE
AI Data Center Boom Drives Surge in Skilled Trade Hiring
The AI buildout is creating a new employment wave in skilled trades, shifting hiring away from traditional tech hubs and into regional cities.
GIGAZINE
Big Walk Lands Third on Steam Global Sales Chart
The chart's top ten shows indie titles like 'Big Walk' and 'IRON NEST' competing directly with perennial live-service giants, while 'MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls' demonstrates that a high-profile licensed fighter can chart on sales yet still face a harsh Steam reception.
Game Spark, Automaton
Acosta Ikebukuro Cosplay Roundup Features Saber Alter, NIKKE, and VTubers
The roundup shows Acosta Ikebukuro as a recurring fixture for cosplay coverage, with Inside using it to highlight a mix of gacha game characters and VTuber personas that dominate current cosplay trends.
Inside
Villains Are Destined to Die Webtoon Ends Main Story, Gets TV Anime
The announcement confirms the popular reincarnated-villainess webtoon is getting an anime adaptation as its main story wraps up, with a spinoff already planned.
Anime News Network
Russia Charges Telegram CEO Pavel Durov With Aiding Terrorism
The charges escalate Russia's pressure on Telegram, which has already faced restrictions and regulation, while Durov openly defies Moscow with a middle-finger photo on the platform's official account.
GIGAZINE
Konami's BEMANI Channel Suddenly Posts Official Song Uploads
The sudden official uploads of high-fidelity BEMANI songs, including the president's own track, signal a new official channel for rhythm game fans and may be tied to the beatnation Records artist page launch.
Game Spark
Takaya Aoyagi Joins Kamen Rider Zetts Spinoff as Code Number Thirteen
The episode reveals the identity of a mystery man teased since Last Mission-1, casting Aoyagi in his first Toei tokusatsu role in two years since Star Shine Hoshino.
Dengeki Hobby Web
BeamNG.drive Version 0.39 Is the Game's Largest Update to Date
The update marks a major milestone for the long-running Early Access title, which is also preparing for its upcoming PS5 release.
Game Spark
Contra Comic Adaptation Deal Signed With Mad Cave Studios
The deal adds Contra to a growing wave of Japanese game IPs getting overseas comic adaptations, following similar moves for Street Fighter and Sonic the Hedgehog.
4Gamer.net
Yuki Sakuna Releases First Original Song Re,bloom* With Jin
The release marks Sakuna's first original song after about one year and nine months of activity, expanding her work beyond live streams into music with notable creators.
KAI-YOU
Star Detective Precure! Film Casts Akari Kito, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Koki Uchiyama
The cast reveal for the three original characters sets up the film's central mystery, with Karin as the story's key and the fairies Alan and Rain guiding the Detective Precures into the conflict.
Anime News Network
Nijisanji VTuber Sakyo Itsuki Apologizes for Inappropriate Emoji in Quake Post
The apology shows how VTuber posts made in the immediate aftermath of a disaster are being scrutinized for tone, with a single emoji in an otherwise neutral postponement notice drawing public criticism.
Inside
Evangelion Summer Event Runs at Small Worlds TOKYO From August 1
The event ties Evangelion's 30th anniversary merchandise and a new theatrical poster exhibition to a miniature museum experience, with a figure-making program that places visitors inside the series' hangar.
Inside
Google DeepMind Disbands AlphaFold Team to Focus on Gemini
The restructuring signals Google DeepMind's pivot from specialized scientific challenges to Gemini-based general-purpose systems, even as AlphaFold's achievements remain active.
GIGAZINE
Spanking Exorcist Clears Steam Review, Releases July 31
The release ends a week-long delay that had prompted two free spin-off apology games from the developer.
Game Spark
Lilian Weng Leaves Thinking Machines Lab, Rejoins OpenAI
Weng's return to OpenAI marks a notable reversal of the AI safety talent exodus that followed her 2024 departure, bringing a key safety voice back to the company.
GIGAZINE
MIYEON Drops First 'RUN AWAY' Teaser Ahead of Japan Digital Single Release
The teaser confirms MIYEON's first original Japanese song since her debut, with her own lyrics, set for release on August 10.
ASCII.jp
Kinki Reimu Kyoku Brings Japanese-Style Horror TPS to Switch 2
The Switch 2 release brings the indie horror TPS to a new platform with mouse-like aiming via Joy-Con 2, expanding its availability beyond PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Game Spark
Microsoft Confirms Copilot Super App Release Within 2026
The confirmation turns a previously reported project into a dated roadmap item, with Microsoft positioning the super app as the next step in Copilot's evolution from chat to a coworking space and then to autopilot.
GIGAZINE
Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL Vector Betrayal Scene Gets Official Short Video
The official channel is leaning into the fan-favorite meme status of Vector's betrayal, framing it as the worst in the character's history and drawing amused reactions from viewers.
Inside