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Welcome to another GamesBeat weekly roundup! We have plenty of stories covering Pokémon Go as it continues to become a phenomenon. Also, the PlayStation 4 was the best-selling system in June, and Overwatch gets its first new hero.
Enjoy, and have a great weekend!
Pieces of flair and opinion
- The DeanBeat: Pokémon Go has a chance to change the world
- ‘Women in game development book’ shows how to break into the industry
- Analytics firms show how Pokémon Go became a phenomenon
- Why virtual, augmented, and mixed reality are the 4th wave of tech
- 10 ways Pokémon Go is one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters
- Pokémon Go creator John Hanke of Niantic to speak at GamesBeat 2016
- 5 features Pokémon Go needs
- Pokémon Go proves investors were clueless about augmented reality
- Every skin revealed for Overwatch’s new character, Ana
- Pornhub ‘Pokémon’ searches spike 136% following release of Pokémon Go
- Dronémon is the best Pokémon Go cheat we’ve seen yet
- The Pokémon Go sensation dances its way to Spotify
- How Plantronics engineered an audio headset for PlayStation VR
- ReCore’s director details the Microsoft exclusive’s ties to Metroid and Mega Man
- How Scalebound’s action master Hideki Kamiya views partnership with Microsoft
News
- FaceIt’s Counter-Strike Esports Championship Series returns in October
- Telltale’s Batman series gets a retail release date
- Pokémon Go’s launch has a thorn
- June 2016 NPD: PlayStation 4 was the top-selling gaming console in June
- Twitch readies its long-awaited HTML5 video player
- After feedback from indies, Google announces Indie Games Festival for September
- Razer reveals ‘ultra-low-profile’ mechanical keyboard for iPad
- Nintendo doubles down on nostalgia with the $60 mini NES Classic Edition console
- Nvidia boosts virtual reality with its physics-based VR Funhouse minigames
- China’s ad-tech firm Mobvista buys Denmark’s GameAnalytics
- Xsplit company acquires social service Player.me and tournament platform Challonge
- PewDiePie denies wrongdoing in Warner Bros.-YouTube game scandal
- Valve requests Counter-Strike gambling sites to ‘cease operations’
- Unity’s $181M Series C will push its game-design tools further into AR and VR
- HTC’s SVP of virtual reality explores the VR mass market at AR/VR day at GamesBeat 2016
- PlayStation Network is down for many
- Naruto Online is coming to the West on July 20
- Minecraft: Story Mode dominates YouTube game videos for June
- Twitch’s research shows that livestreaming leads to better game sales
- Wish Pokémon Go would go away? New PokeGone Chrome extension blocks Pokémon content for you
- Hearthstone entices players to recruit friends with card packs and a new hero skin
- Pokémon Go iOS update fixes ‘full access’ to your Google email account
- Overwatch gets its first new hero: Ana the healing sniper
- All Oculus Rift preorders have shipped — nearly 4 months after release date
- Epic Games gives out $75,000 in Unreal Dev Grants to European indies
- Gartner: Global PC shipments fell 5.2% in Q2 2016, seventh quarter of decline in a row
- Paramount bags Battlefield TV series rights from EA
- Research firm NPD brings digital Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox sales to its gaming report
- Anki introduces tool that allows developers to hack its Cozmo A.I. robot
- Warner Brothers settles FTC charges over promotional payments to livestreamers like PewDiePie
- Machine Zone commands TVs in June as Overwatch, Xbox, and Lego march on
Mobile and social
- Pokémon Go developer aiming for rollout to 200 markets
- PokéPresident: Hillary Clinton plans campaign event at Pokémon Go PokéStop
- T-Mobile gives Pokémon Go fans free unlimited data for the popular app
- The Dark Knight and Turbine go free-to-play mobile with Batman: Arkham Underworld
- California rivals for state Senate seat plan to battle in epic Pokémon Go duel
- Zombie Castaways passes 2 million downloads
- Outfit7, celebrating 4.5 billion downloads for Talking Tom, launches a runner game
- Netmarble’s hit Soul King mobile game goes global
- Pokémon Go outpaces Clash Royale as the fastest game ever to No. 1 on the mobile revenue charts
- You can play Pokémon Go on a Chromebook
- Pokémon Go’s revenues are ‘unprecedented’ and show Nintendo’s brand power
- Pokémon Go creators urge players after muggings: ‘Be safe and alert at all times’
- Facebook: 43% of mobile gamers are parents
- About 7.5M people have downloaded Pokémon Go in the U.S. since launch
- Nintendo’s stock price is up 25% thanks to Pokémon Go
Previews, reviews, and interviews