Here at Goonhammer, we know that it’s hard to keep track of all the news happening all the time in the games industry. So much is always going on with games of all sorts, and their related media, it can be a real blink-and-you’ll miss it situation.
That’s why every week, we round up five of the biggest stories in the gaming sphere from the past week in the Games Industry News Roundup. Our trusty news boy, Dan “Swiftblade” Richardson, is at the very real and cool Goonhammer newsdesk with the scoop.
US Xbox Console Prices Increase for Second Time in 2025
Well, bad news if you live in the U.S. of A. and were in the market for a new Xbox Series S/X. Again. For the second time this year, Microsoft is raising the price of their flagship consoles.
Microsoft went through their first round of price hikes on Xbox consoles only a few months ago, citing “market conditions and the rising cost of development”. The change went into effect the same day it was announced on May 1st, and included an $80 bump in price for Series S models and a $100 increase for the Series X.
This time, consumers do have some lead time to try and snag an Xbox before it gets more expensive, at least. According to the announcement from Microsoft, the price change is set to go live on October 3rd for the following items-
- Xbox Series S 512GB – $399.99 (previously $379.99)
- Xbox Series S 1TB – $449.99 (previously $429.99)
- Xbox Series X Digital – $599.99 (previously $549.99)
- Xbox Series X – $649.99 (previously $599.99)
- Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition – $799.99 (previously $729.99)
At the time of this writing, Microsoft’s reasoning for the change is vague at best, citing the “changes in the macroeconomic environment.” Since these price changes are only affecting the US market though, the ongoing import tariffs are likely a key reason for the extra cost.
Undertale Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Wild Charity Stream
One of the most popular indie games of all time, Undertale, turned ten years old this past week, and its creator Toby Fox decided to celebrate with a massive charity stream of the game that took some unexpected turns.
The charity stream was hosted by Fangamer, with the creator Toby Fox participating through text-to-speech and an onscreen avatar. The charity of choice for the 10th anniversary stream was Doctors without Borders, an international organization with the mission of providing medical care to those in need all over the globe. Viewers could donate to vote on decisions during the run, as well as bidding for unique Undertale memorabilia like a massive Toriel plushie.
Fans who tuned into the stream for a good cause were treated to a surprise by Fox, who had made changes to the version of the game used for the stream. These changes included easter eggs for longtime fans, new lines of dialogue, additional areas and even extra encounters. One of those encounters, a Pacifist version of the famous Sans showdown, is available for free on the Undertale website. This extra fight is the exception though, as the new content in the stream will not be added to Undertale according to Toby Fox.
“Every monster has to have friends; they have something to eat, somewhere to go hang out. The Underground is a wide place. The only limit to all of this is your imagination.” Fox told viewers at the end of the stream. “My goal is to remind you that you have always been able to go if you just hold the key of asking ‘what’s there, what’s under the bridge, what’s beyond the horizon?’ Maybe you guys feel only my answer to these questions counts or matters. But to me, I only feel the opposite. This is just one interpretation. The Underground is as big as you want it to be, and I invite you to come behind the wall with me.”
The stream went on for two days, and in the end raised a little over $360,400 for Doctors Without Borders.
GAMA Organizes Future with New COO and 10 Year Plan
The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) is taking a bold step forward for the trade organization, as it announced that it has appointed a Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the first time in its history, and is creating a 10 year plan.
The board selected Melinda Prickett to take on the role of COO. Prickett is no stranger to executive leadership, having previously worked for five years as the COO for the Girl Scouts of America Heartland. Her joining the company will allow for GAMA’s founder and executive director, John Stacy, to focus less on the day to day operations of the organization and instead put his time into grander plans for GAMA.
These big ideas are being coalesced into a 10 year plan, spearheaded by GAMA president Nicole Brady.
“With a 10-year plan, he was able to do a lot better planning, and I think moving forward, that’s really where we’re he’s going to be able to make better decisions for the organization, with the board focusing on that 10 years,” Brady told Boardgamewire in an interview. “And it’s not 10 years and we’re done – it’s a moving thing, that 10 years. ‘Oh, we achieved this already? What’s our next pie in the sky idea?’ And just keep that target a lot further away and moving towards it.”
GAMA released the details of its 10 year plan to GAMA members on September 18th, 2025, though details of what was precisely discussed in that meeting are not currently available to the public.
Games Workshop Posts Opening for Assistant Games Developer Role
Warhammer fans who swear that they could write the rules better than Games Workshop ever could might just have the chance to put their money where their mouth is, as the company posted a position earlier this week for an Assistant Games Developer Role for Warhammer 40,000.
According to the posting, the Assistant Games Developer will “support the design team to conduct playtesting, analyse rules changes, and gather feedback from the competitive player community.” This will be accomplished by collaborating with the design team and attending Warhammer 40,000 tournaments and events.
While it’s hard to say what precisely this means from just a job description, from what’s stated it appears that this position will be laser-focused on the wider balance of the Warhammer 40,000 metagame. It’s very likely that this is in preparation for the next edition of the game, which is probably on the horizon in 2026, but it could also be more about balancing the current metagame out with effective dataslates and points updates. It could even be both.
The position is a full time role with a 12 month contract based out of Nottingham. The description does not list any previous experience requirements, or any stated salary. Applications for the job close on September 28th.
Atomic Mass Games Releases Free Narrative Campaign Rules for Star Wars: Legion
Atomic Mass Games is giving a free treat to anyone drawn to the tantalizing idea of building exciting and new narratives around battles between fan favorite characters from a galaxy far, far away with its most recent update to Star Wars: Legion. This update, titled “Tours of Duty” is for building narrative campaigns between two or more players and released for free on the AMG website last week.
“Tours of Duty is an exciting addition to the various ways to play Star Wars: Legion,” AMG writes in the transmission announcing the new rules. “Whether you want to tell the story of a ragtag group of irregulars or add to the legend of an elite fighting force, Tours of Duty provides the framework to do so. It’s a vast galaxy out there, and we can’t wait to see what you come up with.”
In Tours of Duty, players create a roster of units to use during the campaign, referred to as a register, and select a non unique hero unit to lead their force. This model becomes your Paragon, and during the battles of the campaign they can gain new skills and earn Defining Traits when things go awry for them.
Tours of Duty campaigns are centered around story arcs for each register, which are composed of three special agendas players need to complete during missions in a Tour of Duty campaign. Once two of the three agendas are complete, that player can attempt a special Turning Point mission to conclude their registers current story arc. There’s no limit to how many story arcs a register is allowed to complete. After all, it’s a big galaxy, and there are plenty of tales to be told.
Currently there are four story arcs available, with AMG stating in the announcement for Tours of Duty that it plans to release additional story arcs and turning point missions at a later date.
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