In this edition of Gaming World News: Highlights from the Last 48 Hours, we look at four stories attracting attention across the industry. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has delivered encouraging early beta numbers, although it has not reached the heights of a previous Modern Warfare release. Elsewhere, Twitch and Amazon are facing legal action over AI training, while questions continue to surround the future of the Epic Games Store.
Finally, Arc Raiders developer Embark Studios is preparing to pause its Expedition system after its fifth outing.
Modern Warfare 4 Beta Delivers Strong Steam Numbers
The first weekend of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta has given Activision and Infinity Ward an early indication of player interest.
The early access beta launched on 21st August for eligible players, with the first weekend running until 25th August. A second, fully open beta weekend is scheduled to begin on 28th August and run until 1st September.
On Steam, the beta reached a peak of approximately 115,000 concurrent players during its opening period. That puts Modern Warfare 4 ahead of some recent Call of Duty releases on the platform and represents an encouraging start.
However, the figures reportedly remain below the enormous interest generated around Modern Warfare 2. Therefore, while the numbers are certainly positive, there is still room for the audience to grow.
Importantly, these figures only represent Steam players. They do not include those playing across PlayStation, Xbox, Battle.net or other supported platforms.
The second weekend could provide a much clearer picture. Unlike the first period, the upcoming open beta does not require a pre-order and will be available to all players across supported platforms.
Modern Warfare 4 is currently scheduled for a worldwide launch in October. Consequently, feedback and engagement during these beta weekends could prove crucial as Infinity Ward prepares for release.
Gaming World News: Twitch and Amazon Face Lawsuit Over AI Training
Artificial intelligence continues to create difficult questions across entertainment, and the latest dispute involves Twitch creators.
A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against Twitch and parent company Amazon, alleging that streamer content has been used to train Amazon’s generative AI systems without adequate consent or compensation.
The case was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California on 20th August. The complaint alleges that Twitch broadcasts, images and recorded videos were used as training material for Amazon’s generative AI models.
The legal challenge arrives shortly after Twitch introduced an option allowing creators to opt out of having channel content used for generative AI training across Amazon. However, creators are included by default unless they actively change the setting.
That distinction has become a major point of contention.
The dispute also highlights a much wider issue facing the creative industries. As generative AI becomes more powerful, questions surrounding ownership, permission and compensation are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
For streamers, their voice, personality and video output are central parts of their work. Therefore, how platforms use that material could become an increasingly important part of creator agreements.
The case remains at an early stage. Nevertheless, its progress could be watched closely throughout gaming, streaming and the wider creator economy.
Epic Games Store Overhaul Faces Questions
Meanwhile, the long-running battle between PC gaming storefronts continues.
The Epic Games Store is undergoing significant changes as Epic attempts to improve the user experience and compete more effectively with Steam. Planned improvements include faster launcher performance, personalised game recommendations, easier access to categories and additional information directly within the storefront.
However, the question is whether those improvements are arriving too late.
Comments attributed to Newzoo market intelligence director Emmanuel Rosier suggested the store could struggle to recover its position against Steam. However, Newzoo subsequently clarified that the comments were not supported by its own data or analysis and should not be treated as an official Newzoo market assessment.
Epic has also pushed back against the pessimistic assessment.
According to Epic Games Store vice president and general manager Martin Keely, players spent a record 2.78 billion hours playing third-party games through the store during 2025. Epic also says spending on third-party PC games increased by 57 per cent to $400 million.
That paints a more complicated picture.
Steam remains an incredibly powerful force in PC gaming. However, Epic clearly believes improvements to its launcher can help build on recent growth.
Ultimately, the overhaul needs to offer more than visual changes. Speed, usability, discovery and convenience will all matter if Epic wants players to use its storefront more frequently.
Gaming World News: Arc Raiders Pauses Expeditions Until 2027
Finally, Arc Raiders developer Embark Studios is preparing to make significant changes to its Expedition system.
The game’s fifth Expedition will begin its departure window on 8th September, with the window remaining open until 29 September. Afterwards, Embark plans to pause Expeditions until early 2027 while it works on broader improvements.
Expeditions allow players to reset elements of their progression in exchange for longer-term benefits. However, community feedback has highlighted concerns surrounding areas including departure windows, rewards and accessibility.
Embark has acknowledged that improving the system requires more substantial work.
Several changes are already planned for the fifth Expedition. Players will be able to opt out of resetting quest progress, while the departure window will be extended by an additional week. The usual “last call” feature will also be removed.
Existing Expedition buffs will remain in place during the pause. Additionally, incomplete Caravans are expected to be converted into equivalent Ermal Vouchers.
Taking a feature offline for several months is a significant decision. However, it also demonstrates that Embark is prepared to reconsider systems rather than repeatedly applying smaller fixes.
More information about the future of Expeditions is expected as development continues.
Gaming World News Final Thoughts
These stories show just how broad modern gaming news has become.
Modern Warfare 4’s beta is putting one of the industry’s biggest franchises back under the spotlight. At the same time, Twitch’s AI dispute demonstrates how technology is creating entirely new challenges for creators.
Elsewhere, Epic continues its battle for a stronger position in PC gaming, while Embark is responding directly to feedback from the Arc Raiders community.
The next few days could be equally significant. Modern Warfare 4 still has its open beta ahead, while further responses surrounding Twitch’s AI policies could keep the debate moving.
For now, these are the biggest stories shaping our latest Gaming World News: Highlights from the Last 48 Hours.
