Esports World Cup to Move From Saudi Arabia to France in 2026 (Gaming News Roundup)
The 2026 Esports World Cup will be held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time in the event’s history, taking place in Paris, France, from July 6 through August 23.The Esports Foundation made the announcement, stating that “following an extended evaluation process, and in light of the current regional situation, the Esports Foundation decided to accelerate that international rotation ambition for the 2026 edition, offering clarity and stability for players, Clubs, publishers, partners, and fans worldwide, while preserving the tournament’s scale, structure and competitive integrity.”“Riyadh helped turn the Esports World Cup into a global phenomenon,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports Foundation. “Riyadh is the home of EWC and one of the world’s leading hubs for esports, powered by an incredible community of fans and long-term ambition for the future of the sport. This year, we’re excited to bring EWC to Paris for its first edition outside Saudi Arabia. Paris has hosted some of the world’s biggest sporting events and is one of the great global capitals of sport, culture and entertainment. Together with the passion of French fans and the strong support we’ve received locally, we’re excited to bring the global esports community there for the next chapter of EWC. Paris now becomes the first international chapter in EWC history.” The 2026 edition of the EWC will welcome over 2,000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries, who will compete in 24 games across 25 tournaments for a share of the record-breaking $75 million+ prize pool.
See more gaming news from this week in the roundup below.
“Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight” debuts Friday across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam & Epic Games Store).
From Warner Bros. Games, TT Games and Lego, “Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight” is an open world action-adventure video game with an original story inspired by decades of Batman films, television shows, comic books, and games, combined with DC lore and fun-filled Lego humor.
Watch the launch trailer for “Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight” below.
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“Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes” launched May 11 for PC.
Per developer Dotemu, “The game is a strategy-focused adventure as you and your crew fight to make it to the flagship Battlestar Galactica ship itself, all the while being chased down by the Cylons. Throughout your adventure you’ll have to make a variety of decisions that will eventually lead to reaching salvation via the Battlestar Galactica, or losing your entire crew before your journey’s end.”
Watch the launch trailer for “Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes” below.
Twitch has introduced new features for growing creators to earn money on the platform. The new additions, including creator badge drops, custom power-ups and improved hype trains, are now expanding globally after an initial roll out in North America.
The new additions allow eligible monetizing streamers to “earn more from the collective energy of your community,” per the company.
With creator badge drops, you can not only design your own for big events but now “reward viewers who show up for your biggest moments, whether that’s an all-night subathon or a milestone months in the making,” per the company. “During testing, participants who set up custom badges for their events saw up to 50% more gift sub revenue on their first day of the event compared to their monthly average.”
Power-ups are “a way to support you and to influence what happens live,” and now, users can create custom ones with their own rewards. Community trains were tested by Twitch earlier this year, and it was found that these types of hype trains can earn more than 2x than typical hype trains. “Over the next few months, we’ll be testing new ways to improve Hype Trains including fine tuning how they get triggered and creating new types of rewards viewers can earn,” per the company.
Prime Video’s “The Boys” is coming to “Call of Duty: Mobile Season 5 – Revenge,” the company announced Thursday. The major collaboration will include the characters of Homelander, Starlight and Black Noir, as well as a themed event, new game modes and three operator draws timed to the show’s final season. “Call of Duty: Mobile Season 5 – Revenge” launches on May 27 at 5 pm PT.
The collaboration will introduce two new themed game modes. “In Multiplayer, Supe’d Up Attack of the Undead casts players as Homelander, Starlight, or Black Noir in a twist on the fan-favorite mode,” per the company. “In Battle Royale, Vought Royale scatters doses of Temp V across the Isolated map, granting players one of four random superpowers – Laser Vision, Electric Shockwave, Charge Jump, or Teleport – upon pickup.”
The game will also feature the new BAL-27, an assault rifle and premium pass holders can unlock new operator skins. In the “Call of Duty” store, “the long awaited Mythic Kui Ji – Viridescent Oath Mythic Drop arrives, featuring the notorious DMZ: Recon boss from Serpent Island reimagined with spiked armor and spectral energy.” Each of the three new “The Boys” inspired draws will feature one of the three supes “alongside a Legendary Weapon Blueprint with reactive kill-count elements.”
Fans can stay up to date on all things “Call of Duty: Mobile Season 5 – Revenge” on the “Call of Duty” blog here.
“Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5 – Broken Things” is set to launch on consoles on May 27.
“We’re excited to finally bring ‘Chapter 5’ to console players,” said George Krstic, Senior Director of Creative at Mob Entertainment. “This chapter pushed us creatively in a lot of ways, both narratively and atmospherically, and we can’t wait for a whole new audience to experience what’s waiting inside the factory.”
In “Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5 — Broken Things,” players will face off against the maniacal puppetmaster behind the events of Playtime Co’s dark past. Gamers will solve puzzles, survive deadly encounters, and overcome dangerous obstacles with Playtime’s security system, Huggy Wuggy, following closely behind.
Watch the trailer below.
See more gaming news from this week in the roundup below.
“Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight” debuts Friday across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam & Epic Games Store).
From Warner Bros. Games, TT Games and Lego, “Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight” is an open world action-adventure video game with an original story inspired by decades of Batman films, television shows, comic books, and games, combined with DC lore and fun-filled Lego humor.
Watch the launch trailer for “Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight” below.
*
“Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes” launched May 11 for PC.
Per developer Dotemu, “The game is a strategy-focused adventure as you and your crew fight to make it to the flagship Battlestar Galactica ship itself, all the while being chased down by the Cylons. Throughout your adventure you’ll have to make a variety of decisions that will eventually lead to reaching salvation via the Battlestar Galactica, or losing your entire crew before your journey’s end.”
Watch the launch trailer for “Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes” below.
Twitch has introduced new features for growing creators to earn money on the platform. The new additions, including creator badge drops, custom power-ups and improved hype trains, are now expanding globally after an initial roll out in North America.
The new additions allow eligible monetizing streamers to “earn more from the collective energy of your community,” per the company.
With creator badge drops, you can not only design your own for big events but now “reward viewers who show up for your biggest moments, whether that’s an all-night subathon or a milestone months in the making,” per the company. “During testing, participants who set up custom badges for their events saw up to 50% more gift sub revenue on their first day of the event compared to their monthly average.”
Power-ups are “a way to support you and to influence what happens live,” and now, users can create custom ones with their own rewards. Community trains were tested by Twitch earlier this year, and it was found that these types of hype trains can earn more than 2x than typical hype trains. “Over the next few months, we’ll be testing new ways to improve Hype Trains including fine tuning how they get triggered and creating new types of rewards viewers can earn,” per the company.
Prime Video’s “The Boys” is coming to “Call of Duty: Mobile Season 5 – Revenge,” the company announced Thursday. The major collaboration will include the characters of Homelander, Starlight and Black Noir, as well as a themed event, new game modes and three operator draws timed to the show’s final season. “Call of Duty: Mobile Season 5 – Revenge” launches on May 27 at 5 pm PT.
The collaboration will introduce two new themed game modes. “In Multiplayer, Supe’d Up Attack of the Undead casts players as Homelander, Starlight, or Black Noir in a twist on the fan-favorite mode,” per the company. “In Battle Royale, Vought Royale scatters doses of Temp V across the Isolated map, granting players one of four random superpowers – Laser Vision, Electric Shockwave, Charge Jump, or Teleport – upon pickup.”
The game will also feature the new BAL-27, an assault rifle and premium pass holders can unlock new operator skins. In the “Call of Duty” store, “the long awaited Mythic Kui Ji – Viridescent Oath Mythic Drop arrives, featuring the notorious DMZ: Recon boss from Serpent Island reimagined with spiked armor and spectral energy.” Each of the three new “The Boys” inspired draws will feature one of the three supes “alongside a Legendary Weapon Blueprint with reactive kill-count elements.”
Fans can stay up to date on all things “Call of Duty: Mobile Season 5 – Revenge” on the “Call of Duty” blog here.
“Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5 – Broken Things” is set to launch on consoles on May 27.
“We’re excited to finally bring ‘Chapter 5’ to console players,” said George Krstic, Senior Director of Creative at Mob Entertainment. “This chapter pushed us creatively in a lot of ways, both narratively and atmospherically, and we can’t wait for a whole new audience to experience what’s waiting inside the factory.”
In “Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5 — Broken Things,” players will face off against the maniacal puppetmaster behind the events of Playtime Co’s dark past. Gamers will solve puzzles, survive deadly encounters, and overcome dangerous obstacles with Playtime’s security system, Huggy Wuggy, following closely behind.
Watch the trailer below.