DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations Review round-up — This DLC recaptures the speed and challenge of DOOM: Eternal, making the game more awesome than ever

windowscentral.com Jul 13, 2026

DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations Review round-up — This DLC recaptures the speed and challenge of DOOM: Eternal, making the game more awesome than ever

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Jul 13, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

id Software released the "Revelations" DLC for DOOM: The Dark Ages amidst Microsoft’s layoffs of 3,200 Xbox Game Studios employees, including staff at id Software. The expansion received critical acclaim, scoring 90/100 on OpenCritic and earning positive reviews from over 86% of Steam players. Critics praised the addition of the Chain Spear, dash ability, and Ripatorium 3.0 challenge mode for restoring the fast-paced combat of DOOM: Eternal while maintaining the base game’s weight. IGN and other outlets highlighted the steep difficulty curve and exhilarating combat rooms. Despite some criticism regarding backtracking, the DLC is viewed as a successful evolution that enhances the original’s mechanics. It stands as a significant creative achievement for the studio during a period of organizational uncertainty, demonstrating technical prowess and delivering substantial new content, including puzzles, enemies, and deeper customization options for fans of the franchise.

💡 Why It Matters

· The expansion’s success proves id Software can refine its formula under pressure, directly countering narratives of creative decline following the layoffs.
· By reintroducing high-speed mechanics, it validates player demand for aggressive gameplay over slower, exploration-heavy designs.

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New Look at Kingdom Hearts 4 May Be Coming Next Month

Disney has confirmed an hour-long panel celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts franchise at its upcoming D23 convention. The event will feature insights from creative minds and character voices, commemorating the saga’s history involving Disney, Pixar, and Square Enix. While Disney did not explicitly promise new footage for Kingdom Hearts 4, the timing suggests a potential reveal. The game recently received its first trailer in four years during a Nintendo Direct broadcast, indicating increased marketing efforts. Fans anticipate that the anniversary celebration may include a glimpse of new content or a specific release window, possibly in 2027. Although Square Enix has a history of cautious promotion, the proximity to the convention raises expectations for significant updates. The panel aims to unite fans through a journey of light and darkness, highlighting the collaborative nature of the long-running series. Attendees will likely seek concrete details regarding the highly anticipated sequel’s development status and future plans.

💡 The 25th-anniversary milestone provides a strategic platform for Square Enix to finally address the franchise's prolonged silence. Delivering concrete release information now would stabilize fan expectations after years of minimal communication.

ign.com · Jul 14

Hallmark Debuts New PlayStation Console Ornament That Plays the Original Startup Sound

Hallmark has unveiled its first wave of 2026 Keepsake Ornaments, headlined by a detailed recreation of the original PlayStation console. Priced at $28.99 and available exclusively through Hallmark, the four-inch ornament features accurate physical details, including Power, Reset, and Open buttons, alongside a disc drive and controller. Pressing the Power button triggers a green light and plays the iconic startup sound, powered by three LR44 batteries. This marks the first time Hallmark has adapted a PlayStation console for its collection. The broader 2026 premiere includes over 250 new items, with a second batch of 150 ornaments scheduled for September. While the PlayStation ornament is Hallmark-exclusive, most other decorations are available on Amazon. The collection heavily features Nintendo, including a motion-enabled Yoshi ornament and a light-up Pikachu tree topper. Notably, Xbox is absent from this year’s reveals, despite previous releases featuring the original console and Halo theme music. The event underscores Hallmark’s expanding focus on interactive, licensed gaming merchandise for the holiday season.

💡 The ornament’s physical disc drive serves as a nostalgic counterpoint to Sony’s shift toward digital-only gaming, appealing to collectors who value tangible hardware history. By prioritizing Nintendo and PlayStation while omitting Xbox, Hallmark signals a strategic focus on franchises with strong legacy hardware appeal rather than current market dominance.

windowscentral.com · Jul 14

“The business side … always gets the last remark”: Warframe director says…

Warframe creative director Rebecca Ford described the abrupt end of Destiny 2 as "existentially threatening" for game developers, emphasizing that business decisions often override creative intent. Bungie concluded support for the franchise in June following Sony’s decision to end development, laying off most of the team despite player pleas. Ford, speaking at TennoCon 2026, noted that while her studio Digital Extremes operates independently, the incident highlights a pervasive industry fear. This concern is amplified by recent massive layoffs at Xbox, where Microsoft cut 3,200 jobs and divested studios. The closures at id Software and ZeniMax Online Studios further illustrate the instability facing publisher-backed teams. Ford argues that developers rarely control their projects' final chapters, a reality exacerbated by post-pandemic overinvestment and economic pressures. The situation underscores a grim trend where financial metrics dictate the survival of major IPs, leaving creators vulnerable to sudden corporate restructuring and project cancellations regardless of their dedication or community support.

💡 The shutdown of Destiny 2 validates developer fears that corporate restructuring prioritizes financial metrics over creative longevity. This precedent intensifies anxiety among studio employees regarding job security and project continuity in an era of routine industry-wide layoffs.

ign.com · Jul 14

Thousands of Xbox Players Demand an End to Layoffs, Studio Closures on…

Xbox players have mobilized on Microsoft’s official Xbox Player Voice forum to demand an end to ongoing layoffs and studio closures. A trending post by user Witt Yao highlighted the unacceptable nature of 3,200 recent job cuts across major subsidiaries like Activision, Bethesda, and Blizzard. Yao noted that over 10,000 Xbox employees have been laid off in just two years, alongside the closure or jeopardy of studios including Compulsion Games and Arkane Austin. The petition urges Microsoft to halt the announcement of unreleased titles, stop executive bonuses following layoffs, and prioritize developer stability over rapid profit growth. With over 3,000 votes, the post has sparked widespread community frustration regarding leadership accountability and creative risk-taking. Users argue that focusing solely on sequels constitutes a slow death for the brand. This grassroots movement reflects broader industry concerns as Microsoft continues to restructure its gaming division, offloading recently acquired studios while planning further workforce reductions over the next year.

💡 The viral nature of this feedback thread exposes a critical disconnect between Microsoft’s corporate restructuring strategy and its core community’s values. By publicly rejecting executive bonuses and demanding creative freedom, players are challenging the traditional power dynamic where fan input rarely influences high-level financial decisions.

windowscentral.com · Jul 14

“We are expanding opportunities to collaborate”: Former Xbox studio Compulsion Games hopes…

Compulsion Games, formerly an Xbox studio, announced its transition to an independent developer following Microsoft’s recent divestment and significant layoffs. The studio, known for award-winning titles like South of Midnight and We Happy Few, stated it is expanding collaboration opportunities with other companies in the gaming and entertainment sectors. This move occurs shortly after Microsoft laid off 3,200 employees and split four studios to refocus on major franchises like Halo and Fallout. Compulsion highlighted its technical expertise and creative talent, inviting partners to leverage its experience in developing acclaimed original intellectual property. The studio previously contributed to projects such as Darksiders before establishing its own identity. By returning to its independent roots, Compulsion aims to support the creation of memorable experiences while navigating the volatile industry landscape. The announcement underscores the studio’s commitment to continuing development despite the restructuring that removed it from Microsoft’s portfolio.

💡 The shift demonstrates how mid-tier studios adapt to corporate consolidation by leveraging their creative capital for external partnerships. It highlights a strategic pivot from internal franchise support to collaborative independence in a tightening market.

windowscentral.com · Jul 14

The Call of Duty Black Ops ports on PS4 and PS5 are…

The recent ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 have been widely criticized for their poor technical execution, mirroring the severe issues previously experienced by Xbox players. Critics describe the console versions as a significant mess, plagued by performance problems and stability concerns that detract from the gaming experience. This negative reception highlights a broader trend of subpar optimization in recent Call of Duty releases across multiple platforms. Players on Sony’s hardware are encountering similar frustrations to those on Microsoft’s systems, indicating a lack of rigorous quality control during the porting process. The backlash underscores growing dissatisfaction among the gaming community regarding the state of modern game ports. Despite the franchise's popularity, these technical shortcomings are damaging player trust and satisfaction. The situation reflects a wider industry challenge where rapid release schedules often compromise final product quality. Gamers are calling for improved standards and better post-launch support to address these persistent issues. The controversy continues to escalate as more users share their negative experiences online.

💡 The consistent failure to deliver stable ports across competing consoles suggests a systemic issue in development practices rather than isolated platform-specific bugs. This pattern erodes consumer confidence in major franchise releases, potentially shifting player loyalty toward competitors with more reliable technical foundations.