The best and worst (July 11 - 16): Weekly video game news including God of War Ragnarok, Bungie, and Sony

It has certainly been a pretty big video game news week for PlayStation fans over the past week, with more news about God of War Ragnarok, Sony acquiring Bungie Studios, and much more. On the flip side, though, there has been bad news as well. Scalpers seem to have scooped up the Jotnar Edition of God of War Ragnarok as an example.

Another bit of news worth mentioning briefly is that it was revealed that Unity had a merger with Ironsource, a company that has created a malware installer in the past. The company said that the people who did that were bad-faith actors, but this obviously has fans worried. However, these are just some of the major stories of the week, and is a sampling of what Sportskeeda has covered this week.

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What was the best video game news of the past week?

1) God of War pre-order details: Which comes with the Mjolnir replica?

The highly anticipated God of War Ragnarok drops later this year, with fans foaming at the mouth, unable to wait until the the game hits shelves. This means that there will be several editions of the game to buy. There are, of course, the standard and digital deluxe editions, but there are also two editions with an actual replica of Mjolnir that fans can get their hands on for the right price.

Both the Collector’s Edition and the Jotnar Edition will give buyers a number of different physical items, for $200 and $260 respectively, but both feature an incredible 16” Mjolnir replica. They come with a wide assortment of physical and digital items, details which can be found on Sportskeeda.

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2) World of Warcraft: Dragonflight’s Alpha has begun

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight has begun its Alpha phase of the hit video game, and a select number of players were able to take part in the early access. Instead of featuring lengthier test phases, there will be shorter (one week or so) periods, where the developers will focus on different aspects of the game.

Right now, Azure Span, the home of the Blue Dragons, is the focal point of the test, granting participating players access to the Dracthyr and the new Evoker class, as well as the entirety of the first area. Other areas will be included at later dates, and a preview of this phase of the Alpha will be available for the community soon.

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3) PlayStation Stars revealed as new incentive program by Sony

Sony has announced a new incentive program for fans of the video game platforms, appropriately named PlayStation Stars. By completing challenges and playing games, fans will gain loyalty points, which can be used for different purposes. One major point mentioned was that players could use these points to add to their PSN Wallet Balance, which means potentially cheaper games.

Although there were fears that it could turn into an NFT system, by the way Sony has described the loyalty program, it seems that it is not something people can buy or sell, but will have to earn by playing video games. The program is expected to be out later in 2022.

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4) Sony finally acquires Haven Media and Bungie

Not one to rest on their laurels, Sony did not let Microsoft continue to scoop up all of the great developers. Finally, Bungie and Haven Media were both recently acquired by Sony. The move is sure to help Bungie financially and allow them to create a higher level of content for popular titles like Destiny 2.

There have also been rumors that Bungie is working on a new competitive game, and having the backing of Sony will only make that more feasible. However, it’s important to note that this will not make Destiny 2 a PlayStation-exclusive video game as it will still be available on both Xbox consoles and PCs.

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The worst video game news of the past week

1) God of War Ragnarok’s Jotnar Edition has already sold out

One of the best things about the past week or so was the reveal that the God of War Ragnarok that is coming this November. Sportskeeda showed off the various editions of the game earlier in the week, including the two editions with an actual Mjolnir: the Collector and Jotnar editions.

As expected, the Collector’s Editions are limited, and people have immediately resorted to scalping the game. Within the span of a few minutes, the Australian and United Kingdom editions of the game were sold out. On top of that, they were being resold on the internet for at least three times the price. It has fans furious, and while it’s not illegal, it is something that ruins moments like this for fans.

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Video games released in the past week

It hasn't been a massive game release week, but there are a few worthwhile titles that deserve to be picked up. Next week, however, Stray releases, which will have a review right here on Sportskeeda.

Video game releases

• Time on Frog Island: July 12
• Garden Story: July 12
• Escape Academy: July 14
• PowerWash Simulator: July 14
• Rune Factory 5: July 15

This is not all gaming news this week, and it is just a sampling of what has gone on this week. Make sure to stay tuned to Sportskeeda for the biggest and best stories in the world of video games and more.