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This week, July 14–20, 2025, was a whirlwind for gaming. The UploadVR Showcase dropped bombshell VR announcements like The Pirate: Republic of Nassau and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles VR, while Broken Arrow’s RTS revival kept dominating. Microsoft’s 9,000 Xbox layoffs and canceled titles like Perfect Dark stung hard, and Gamescom looms with big reveals. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ruled as GOTY, and Oblivion remake rumors fueled nostalgia. Here’s what defined the gaming pulse.VR Announcements and Releases: Pirates and Turtles LeadThe UploadVR Showcase (July 11) kept VR buzzing into mid-July, with new titles for Quest, PS VR2, and PC VR. Key highlights, per@UploadVRand@RuffTalkVRon X:
- The Pirate: Republic of Nassau (July 10, Quest, early access): Home Net Games’ open-world pirate adventure launched with ship battles and exploration. X posts, like@vrgamesshowcase, praised its “swashbuckling chaos,” though bugs sparked gripes.@UploadVRcalled it “promising.”
- COLD VR: SUB-ZERO Edition (July 10, Quest, Steam; PS VR2 soon): Perp Games revamped this frostbitten shooter with new levels and AI.@PerpGameson X hailed it as “game-changing.”
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles VR (TBC 2025, Quest, PS VR2, PC VR): A dev diary showed off this gritty brawler, with@vrgamesshowcasecalling it a “nostalgia bomb.”
- Table Troopers (TBC 2025, Quest, PC VR): A tactical tabletop-style strategy game, hyped by@RuffTalkVRfor its “miniature war vibe.”
- Forefront (early access, fall 2025, Quest, PC VR): Triangle Factory’s 32-player VR FPS revealed pre-alpha gameplay, per@UploadVR.
- Brazen Blaze (July 17, Quest, Steam): This melee-focused 3v3 brawler went free-to-play, per@UploadVR.
- The Warp: Cephisso (2025, PC VR, demo now): A sci-fi horror game with a Steam demo, per@UploadVR.
- Besiege VR (July 25, Quest): A war machine construction sandbox, per@UploadVR.
- Ascent Quest (early access, 2026, Quest, PC VR): A high-fantasy VR RPG, per@UploadVR.
@matteo311on X called VR “business as usual,” but delays like Slender: The Arrival VR (late 2025, per@mixed-news.com) frustrated fans. PS VR2’s push, per@ParadiseDecay, signals VR’s growing clout.Broken Arrow: RTS Keeps RisingBroken Arrow (June 19, PC) stayed hot, hitting 32,000 concurrent Steam players and a 75% “Mostly Positive” rating, per@NotebookCheck. Steel Balalaika’s modern warfare RTS, set in a U.S.-Russia Baltic conflict, blends Command & Conquer accessibility with 1,500+ unit combos.@SyphoticARTon X crowned it 2025’s RTS king, with@Jeffe73891152praising its fresh setting. A post-launch patch added 1v1 AI skirmishes, per@PCGamesN, boosting its 800,000 wishlists, per@dlcompare. RTS is back, and Broken Arrow’s leading the charge.Xbox Layoffs: A Gut PunchMicrosoft’s July 2 announcement of 9,000 layoffs (4% of its workforce) hit Xbox hard, per@ign. King lost 200 jobs, ZeniMax’s European offices were cut, and Halo Studios, Turn 10, and Raven Software suffered, per@bloomberg. The Initiative closed, axing Perfect Dark, and Rare’s Everwild and ZeniMax’s Blackbird MMO were canceled, per@eurogamer.@xboxeranoted King’s AI pivot as a factor, while@thegamerslammed Xbox’s “short-sighted” post-Activision strategy. @videogameschronicle quoted Arkane’s founder calling Game Pass “unsustainable.” With 1,900 cuts in January 2024 and 6,000 in May, per@apnews, X fears for State of Decay 3.Upcoming Announcements: Gamescom LoomsGamescom (August 20–24, Cologne) is set to deliver.@trixetton X teased Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s worldwide reveal, with a 2035 setting and Milo Ventimiglia, per@ign. Cyberpunk 2077 patch 2.3 drops July 15, adding new features, per@xboxera. Star Wars: Zero Company, a tactical strategy game, and Borderlands 4’s moved-up release are expected to shine, per@digitaltrends. X buzz, like@GamerGuildTV, hints at a Fable 2026 update and possible Halo news. Microsoft’s restructuring may temper its show, but indie VR titles and Nintendo’s Switch 2 lineup could steal it.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s ReignClair Obscur: Expedition 33 (April 24) kept its GOTY grip, with 3.3 million copies sold, per@NotebookCheck. Sandfall’s RPG, a Galaxies standout, blends haunting visuals and turn-based combat, earning a 92 Metascore, per@MortisWes.@IGN’s “masterpiece” label and NVIDIA’s DLSS support, per@NVIDIAGeForce, fueled its rise. Despite Oblivion Remastered’s shadow-drop, Kepler Interactive said the RPG hype boosted both, per@ign.@Misery_AZon X called it 2025’s peak.
Oblivion Remake Rumors PersistThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (April 22, PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5) hit 4 million players, per@ign, topping Game Pass charts, per@newgamenetwork.@Eurogamer’s 2027 remake leaks, promising 4K and mods, split X—@RinoTheBouncerhyped a reborn Cyrodiil, but some feared a Skyrim clone. The remaster’s Unreal Engine 5 visuals and 4K/60 FPS, per@JamieMoranUK, kept it trending, though Virtuos’ 300 layoffs (7% of staff) raised concerns, per@eurogamer.
Apple’s Epic Loss EchoesApple’s April 30 Epic Games lawsuit loss, banning its 27% commission, stayed relevant, per@Reuters. Epic’s Tim Sweeney eyed Fortnite’s App Store return, per@TechCrunch.@jason_kintcalled it a “sledgehammer,” but Apple’s $73.4M fee demand and appeal kept the fight alive. X sees it as a dev win, but the saga’s unresolved.Switch 2’s MomentumNintendo’s Switch 2 ($449.99, June 5) hit 3.5 million sales, per@variety, with Mario Kart World leading.@GamerGuildTVcalled it a “game-changer,” despite price gripes.The Wrap-UpJuly 14–20 was a VR and RTS feast: The Pirate and Turtles VR hyped Quest and PS VR2, Broken Arrow ruled with 32,000 players, and Xbox’s layoffs gutted Perfect Dark. Gamescom’s Black Ops 7 reveal looms, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reigned, and Oblivion kept nostalgia alive.@vrgamesshowcasenailed it—VR’s thriving. What’s your vibe—Brazen Blaze’s brawls, Expedition 33’s depth, or Xbox’s fallout? Drop it below—I’m listening.
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