How many guns will be in the Palworld collectible card game? Will Call of Duty on Switch 2 even have been worth the wait? And are there any PC gaming components that aren’t going to get way more expensive this year? It’s the latest edition of Morning Checkpoint, Kotaku‘s daily roundup of gaming news, rumors, and culture.
I’m still nursing a hangover from the Birds blowing it against the 49ers in what felt like the inevitable conclusion to a humiliating season cemented in stone back during week one’s spit-gate. Fortunately, the Neo-Hyrule Milk Bar Concert on Instagram is giving me life. That’s where you’ll find me until fall 2026. In better news, Awesome Games Done Quick 2026 just raised $2.44 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation after a week of excellent speedrunning performances.
Palworld is getting an official card game spin-off
The survival crafting game currently locked in a legal dispute with Nintendo over Pokémon game design patent infringement is thumbing its nose at the house of Pikachu with another brazen tribute: a card game. Publisher Pocketpair teased the upcoming release slated for July 30, 2026 in a brief trailer. Here’s how it will work, according to the official description:
This game is a 2-player competitive card game where you can enjoy strategic and tactical battles through deploying various unique Pals. Players fight alongside their Pal companions, gathering resources, and building bases as they aim for victory. These adorable and dependable Pals will utilize their own unique traits to lead you to victory. Team up with your trusty Pals and experience the thrill of overcoming formidable enemies through this exciting trading card game.
Switch 2 references discovered in Call of Duty files
Dataminers say the latest version of the Call of Duty HQ launcher contains references to Nintendo’s latest console. That’s after a recent report that the Switch 2 port of Call of Duty would arrive sometime in 2026, though it’s not yet clear if it will be a port of Black Ops 7 or something unique to the platform.
RAM chips aren’t the only part of PC gaming getting more expensive
A reported letter from Guangzhou Xinhongzheng Electronic Technology Co. to its customers shared by Videocardz details a potential 6- to 10-percent hike in prices for components as simple as power supply and cooling units. The supplier lists rising prices for basic materials like copper, tin, and silver as part of the issue.
System Shock 2 on Switch 2 should be fixed soon
“We already have a number of fixes pending [so] we’re very excited [for] the next patch out because it’s just going to make the experience that much more stable,” technical producer Justin Khan told FRVR. “Why there wasn’t a [30fps] cap or why we’re targeting 60 frames-per-second is because we saw that the Switch 2 hardware was capable of it.” The dev is promising a smoother 60fps experience in the future.
No gen AI in Code Vein 2
Its producer explains why. “We have not used generative AI for Code Vein 2,” Keita Iizuka told PCGamesN. “Largely because we do value art style and how it looks, the aesthetic elements of it. Especially because we are creating a very original world – we do value the logic behind [that world], but also the cohesiveness of everything, as well as creating the total world-view experience for the players.”
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