GamesBeat weekly roundup: Pokémon Go takes over, and Nintendo makes a new NES

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

Above: Ana is Overwatch’s first new hero.

Image Credit: GameSpot

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

Above: Batman Arkham Underworld is a new mobile game.

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

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

• Pokémon Go is a solid starting point but still has a long way to, well, go
• Ana’s got a gun. Overwatch’s world looks undone (impressions)