WK42: Call of Duty Fights Familiarity as Nintendo Backs Physical Games

1. Call of Duty Has a Familiarity Problem. Activision says Call of Duty now suffers from a “Call of Duty tax”, where its enormous scale and regular release cycle make each new game feel routine. With Modern Warfare 4 arriving next week, awareness is not the challenge. Giving players a reason to care again is.

2. Nintendo Still Wants Physical Games. Nintendo says it has no plans to abandon physical releases, contrasting with Sony’s move toward ending new PlayStation disc production in 2028. For Nintendo, physical games still support collecting, gifting, retail visibility and consumer choice.

3. Epic Rebuilt Its Launcher With AI. Epic has previewed a rebuilt Games Launcher created with extensive AI coding assistance, targeting its long standing reputation for slow startup and sluggish navigation. If the rebuild genuinely makes the launcher faster and less cumbersome, that is a much more useful AI story than another productivity claim.

4. Shogun 2 Got Modernisation Wrong. Sega pulled Total War: Shogun 2 Complete Edition only days after launch following complaints about bugs, performance and AI artwork, while restoring access to the original release. The problem is bigger than AI. If a remaster replaces a trusted game with an inferior version, nostalgia quickly turns into damage control.

5. GTA 6 PC Could Arrive Quickly. A report claims Grand Theft Auto 6 could reach PC in early 2027, potentially only months after the console release. Rockstar has not confirmed it. If accurate, it would reflect just how commercially important the PC audience has become.

RELEASED THIS WEEK

• Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen | Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Switch | AU$77.95 / AU$44.95 DLC only | 9 Oct 2026

• Valor Mortis | Xbox, PlayStation, PC | AU$58.95 | 13 Oct 2026

• Planet Zoo 2 | Xbox, PlayStation, PC | AU$69.95 | 13 Oct 2026

• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 | Xbox, PlayStation, PC | AU$37.45 | 14 Oct 2026

• Bluey’s Happy Snaps | Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Switch | AU$54.95 Digital / AU$69.95 Deluxe | 15 Oct 2026

• Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse | Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Switch | AU$39.95 | 15 Oct 2026

• Tales of Eternia Remastered | Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Switch | AU$39.95 | 16 Oct 2026