Genesis Ascended Part 1 went live on July 3, 2026 in ARK: Survival Ascended. It brings the Genesis Part 1-exclusive X-Creatures back to the Genesis Part 1 map and adds five new variants on top of that.

This is a remake of the original Genesis Part 1, rebuilt with updated tech and new features, and it drops those distinctive color-patterned creatures into the Bog, Snow, Ocean biomes. The lineup includes X-Rex, X-Allosaurus, X-Ankylosaurus, X-Rock Elemental, X-Yutyrannus, X-Sabertooth, X-Otter, X-Spino, X-Raptor, X-Megalodon, X-Mosasaurus, and X-Basilosaurus.

And they aren’t there just for looks. Wild X-Creatures hit for roughly 250% more damage, take about 60% less damage from you and your tames, and need around 2.5 times more tranquilizers before you can tame them. Once they’re tamed, they deal about 5% more damage and come with roughly 3% less health. Killing one also gives about 2.5 times the usual XP.

The five new variants are X-Acro, X-Deinosuchus, X-Archelon, X-Xiphactinus, and X-Cryolophosaurus. Exact spawn locations still seem like something the community will have to pin down through reports, especially in Lunar.

If you’re jumping back into Genesis Part 1, this update is worth grabbing. Just expect a tougher fight, a longer tame, and a better reward.

You can play Genesis Ascended Part 1 now in ARK: Survival Ascended on the Genesis Part 1 map.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is now out in the open ahead of its July 9, 2026 release. Ubisoft says its new take on 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is a full remake built from the ground up, with no reused code, keeping what players loved while updating the systems and the game’s overall presentation.

Ubisoft says the naval side has been expanded in a big way: new secondary weapons, broadside exchanges and open-water battles, enemy factions that feel more distinct and carry different loadouts, plus fort assaults that have been reworked around a dynamic morale system. Life aboard Edward Kenway’s ship, the Jackdaw, is getting more going on as well, with crew chatter, shanties, a Follow Sea autopilot, and a shanty wheel that includes all 35 original songs along with 10 new tracks. You’ll also be able to recruit three officers, including shipwright Lucy Baldwin, whose Perfect Brace ability can completely nullify incoming damage.

The remake is also running on Ubisoft’s Anvil engine, which means ray-traced lighting, micropolygon rendering, better water physics, and dynamic weather. Early previews have singled out the visual overhaul and the naval systems for praise, though reactions to the on-foot combat have been more mixed.

If Black Flag was the kind of game you loved mainly for the time spent at sea, this remake sounds like one to pick up. Ubisoft says Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will be available to download on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Console versions unlock at midnight local time, while the PC release goes live worldwide at that same moment.

Google is changing how Android backups are counted. Starting July 7, 2026, SMS messages, call history, device settings, and other parts of your Android backup will start using space from your Google storage limit.

Google One Download

That data will now sit alongside the stuff that already counted against your quota, including Google Photos and MMS. If you’re on the free 15GB plan, you might notice a small dip in available space. Google says the average increase should be around 40MB, so for most people this will be pretty minor. It matters more if you’re already close to the limit, or if you keep huge message archives, long call logs, or a lot of backed-up apps and settings.

Google says new Android users will see the change first, then existing accounts will be moved over in the months after that. If your storage is already running tight, this is something to keep an eye on now, before it turns into failed backups or interrupted uploads in Gmail and Google Drive later.

The company is also adding more detailed Android backup controls. You can still keep a full-device backup if that’s what you want, or switch off SMS, call history, device settings, or individual apps you don’t want taking up storage.

It’s a smaller change, but it lines up with Google’s recent 5GB test for some unverified new accounts and the broader adjustments it’s been making to Google One. Those new options are rolling out through Android backup settings.

Obsidian Entertainment has reportedly taken a heavy hit in Microsoft’s latest round of Xbox layoffs this fiscal year. By current accounts, the studio behind The Outer Worlds, Pentiment, and Grounded has lost roughly a quarter of its staff, making this one of the biggest reported hits any Xbox studio has taken so far.

Reports put the number at 60 to 70 employees, or around 25% of Obsidian Entertainment. Production, art, design, programming, and QA were all affected, and the cuts reportedly reached into nearly every discipline instead of staying contained to one team.

Some of the people reportedly let go had been with the studio for years. That list reportedly includes The Outer Worlds art director and Obsidian Entertainment’s only recruiter, which leaves new questions about how Grounded 2 early access and the planned The Outer Worlds 2 DLC will be supported while the staff who remain wait for some clarity.

By these reports, the cuts at Obsidian are part of a much broader Xbox restructuring that has removed about 3,200 roles this fiscal year. That figure includes an initial 1,600 layoffs on July 6, 2026, after heavy spending on Game Pass, acquisitions, and content reportedly fell short of expectations. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma reportedly told staff the business is “not healthy.”

For people who follow Xbox and Obsidian Entertainment closely, the wider picture is hard to ignore. Reports say Double Fine and Compulsion Games could be spun off, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs may be sold, all during an industry slump that has dragged on since 2022 and, by some estimates, accounted for 14,600 layoffs in 2024.

The reported fallout is likely to hit Xbox and PC projects.