Money Monday Sept. 7th

Money Monday – September 7, 2026

We're back on time. No excuses, no delays — it's Monday and Money Monday is where it belongs. Last week was supposed to be a breather after the GTA 6 / Gamescom nuclear blast, and instead we got one of the biggest debut launches of the year, Rockstar confirming what we all hoped, Nintendo announcing back-to-back Directs, and Canada deciding that gaming hardware needs a 50% tax. Oh, and Valheim finally goes 1.0 on Tuesday. September isn't slowing down. It's accelerating.

🔥 The Big Story: Blood of Dawnwalker — 1 Million in 48 Hours

Rebel Wolves' debut title didn't just launch well — it launched like a studio that's been doing this for decades. The Blood of Dawnwalker sold 1 million copies in roughly 48 hours, with Rebel Wolves and Bandai Namco making the joint announcement on September 5. It hit #1 on Steam's best sellers list before it even officially dropped.

The reviews backed it up: 83 on Metacritic, 84-85 on OpenCritic with the "Mighty" label and around 90% of critics recommending it. That puts it in the top 7-9% of everything scored on OpenCritic. For a brand-new studio's first game? That's not just good — that's a statement.

Creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz — who was a lead on The Witcher 3 — took to social media to celebrate: "Waiting for the reviews to come in has been nerve wrecking to say the least, but they're finally here! Great relief." Humble words from a guy who just proved you can leave CD Projekt Red and still make magic. The medieval dark fantasy vampire-hunting RPG is the real deal, and if you haven't picked it up yet, stop reading this and go buy it. I'll wait.

🎮 Valheim 1.0 — Tuesday. Finally.

After five and a half years in Early Access, Valheim drops its 1.0 update on Tuesday, September 9. Iron Gate isn't just slapping a version number on it and calling it done — this is a legitimate milestone:

• Deep North biome — The eighth and final biome on the roadmap. New enemies, new weapons, new building materials. The frozen wasteland that's been an empty placeholder since 2021 is finally filled in.

• PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 — Valheim goes console for real. It was Xbox-only on the console side until now. PS5 and Switch 2 join the party on Tuesday.

• Full crossplay — PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Switch 2. All of them. Together. Your buddy who refused to play because he only has a PlayStation? No more excuses.

• Achievements — Landing for the first time, with a cheat detector to keep it honest.

• Price bump to $29.99 — If you've been waiting, today is literally the last day to grab it at the Early Access price.

I've been hyping this for weeks and I'm not stopping now. One of the best survival games ever made is about to be complete and playable everywhere. Skål, you beautiful Viking bastards.

🎮 Nintendo Goes Double or Nothing — Two Directs This Week

Nintendo is running back-to-back Directs and the timing couldn't be better:

• The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct — Tomorrow, September 8, 10 AM ET. Roughly 30 minutes focused entirely on the Zelda franchise. Expect anniversary merchandise, music, collectibles, and hopefully concrete software news. The big question: do we finally get an Ocarina of Time remake release date? It was announced for Switch 2 back in June but we've seen almost nothing since. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD re-releases are also on everyone's wish list.

• Nintendo Direct 9.9.2026 — Tuesday, September 9, 10 AM ET. A full 45-minute general Direct covering the broader Switch 2 lineup. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave launches September 17 so expect a final look. Xenoblade Genesis and Pokémon Winds & Waves are confirmed for 2027 — could get new trailers. Nintendo Treehouse: Live follows immediately after with extended gameplay.

Two Directs in two days during the most stacked release month of the year. Nintendo isn't messing around.

💣 GTA 6 Update: No Microtransactions. No AI. Just the Game.

Rockstar co-studio head Rob Nelson confirmed to Kinda Funny's Andy Cortez and Greg Miller — after they visited Rockstar North in Edinburgh — that GTA 6 will have no microtransactions in its single-player experience and that no generative AI was used during development.

When asked directly if players can spend real money in GTA 6, Nelson's answer was essentially "no monetization."

Let that sink in. The most expensive game ever made. The most hyped release in gaming history. And Rockstar is saying: just buy the game and play it. No shark cards. No battle pass. No "surprise mechanics." Just the game. In 2026, that's practically revolutionary. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick did note that the publisher is "actively embracing generative AI" for internal tools and efficiency — but none of it touched GTA 6's actual content. The game was made by humans, for humans. November 19 keeps looking better.

🛒 Deals & Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass — September Wave 1

The first batch of September Game Pass additions is... fine. Not great. Here's what's coming:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War — September 8 (tomorrow). A solid COD entry, but it's five years old.

• Dice a Million — September 4 (already live). Expanding from Premium to Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

• SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed — September 3 (already live). The only Ultimate-exclusive addition. Multiplayer 2D platforming racer.

• The Royal Writ — September 10.

• Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage — September 10.

• RuneScape: Dragonwilds — September 15 (1.0 launch).

Also coming: Mad King Redemption on September 23, and Hela: of Mice & Magic sometime in Q4 — both day-one Game Pass.

Leaving Game Pass — September 15

This is the painful part. 11 games are leaving, and some of them hurt:

• Cyberpunk 2077 — Console and Cloud. If you haven't finished it, you've got one week.

• Dead Cells — A masterpiece leaving the service.

• Frostpunk 2 — PC only, but still a loss.

• Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

• Commandos: Origins, Cricket 24, Mullet Madjack and more.

All departing titles have at least 20% off if you want to buy them before they go. Cyberpunk leaving is the headline — if you've been meaning to play it on Game Pass, this is your last call.

PlayStation Store

The Gamescom 2026 sale ends today (September 7). Last chance to grab Hogwarts Legacy for $10.49. If you miss it, I can't help you. PS Plus Essential September games are live — download them if you're a subscriber.

🆕 Releases This Week (Sept 8–14)

• Halloween: The Game (Sept 8) — Asymmetric multiplayer horror. Play as Michael Myers or try to survive in Haddonfield. Deluxe Edition early access started September 4.

• Honeycomb: The World Beyond (Sept 8) — Survival adventure on an alien world. Crafting, base building, exploration.

• Valheim 1.0 (Sept 9) — The big one. See above.

• The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero / Trails to Azure (Sept 10) — PS5 and Switch 2. Classic JRPGs finally on modern consoles.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War — Hits Game Pass tomorrow.

📅 Coming Up This Month

• BlizzCon — Starts Friday, September 12. Expect Diablo, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft news. Blizzard has been quiet — this is where they break the silence.

• TCG Card Shop Simulator 1.0 — September 15. Also hitting PlayStation and Switch for the first time.

• Aniimo — September 15. The Pokémon-like RPG that's already catching heat for questionable AI use in its art. Game Pass day one with a free reward pack for subscribers.

• RuneScape: Dragonwilds 1.0 — September 15.

• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave — September 17.

• Marvel's Wolverine — Later this month.

• Onimusha: Way of the Sword — Later this month.

• The Witcher 3: Remastered — September 29.

🌍 Canada's 50% Console Tariff — Effective Tomorrow

This one flew under the radar but it's a big deal for our Canadian readers. As of 12:01 AM tomorrow, September 8, Canada's counter-tariff on U.S.-origin video game consoles jumps from 25% to 50%. That covers PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck OLED, ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go — basically every gaming device you can buy.

This is part of Canada's "dollar for dollar" retaliation against U.S. tariffs, covering 874 product lines worth $27.6 billion in U.S. goods. The Switch 2 already went from CA$629.99 to CA$679.99 on September 1 before this even kicked in. Stack the tariff on top and Canadian gamers are looking at some brutal hardware prices heading into the holiday season.

If you're in Canada and you've been thinking about buying a console — the math just got a lot worse. This is a trade war problem, not a gaming problem, but gaming is eating the collateral damage.

📱 Social Media Buzz

Blood of Dawnwalker Hype Train

The internet spent last week celebrating Rebel Wolves' debut. "The Witcher 3 spiritual successor we deserved" was the prevailing take across Twitter and Reddit. The 1-million-in-48-hours announcement only added fuel. Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz's heartfelt tweet thanking his team went viral — a refreshing change from the usual corporate PR speak.

GTA 6 No Microtransactions Reaction

When the no-monetization confirmation dropped, the reaction was a mix of genuine excitement and "I'll believe it when I see it." The cynics pointed out that GTA Online printed money with Shark Cards, so Rockstar saying "no microtransactions" for single-player doesn't mean GTA Online 2 won't be a cash machine. Fair point — but for now, the single-player promise is exactly what people wanted to hear.

Nintendo Direct Speculation

The announcement of back-to-back Directs sent the speculation machine into overdrive. Zelda fans are losing their minds over potential Ocarina of Time remake details, Wind Waker HD, and Twilight Princess HD. The general Direct has people hoping for Metroid Prime 2 Remaster and surprise announcements. It's going to be a loud 48 hours on gaming Twitter.

💥 Fail of the Week

Game Pass September Wave 1

Look — I'm not going to sugarcoat it. The first wave of September Game Pass additions is weak. Your headliner is a five-year-old Call of Duty. Meanwhile, you're losing Cyberpunk 2077, Dead Cells, and Frostpunk 2 on September 15. That's a net loss in quality no matter how you spin it. Kotaku called it a "slow start" and they're being generous. Xbox Game Pass has been the best deal in gaming for years, but months like this make it harder to defend the price hike. Do better, Microsoft.

🏢 Industry Moves

14,666 — The Number That Should Scare Everyone

GamesIndustry.biz published a devastating report this week calling 2026 "the reset" — and the numbers back it up. Independent tracker Satvat has revised its full-year 2026 layoff forecast from 7,500 to 14,666 jobs. That's nearly double what anyone predicted in January and sits just below 2024's peak of 15,631. A separate tracker projects 14,259 — up 78% from its own January estimate.

Xbox's 3,200-role cut is one of the single largest contributors. A Washington state WARN notice went into effect September 4 confirming 605 jobs cut at Microsoft's Redmond campus — proof that these aren't just announcements that fade from the news cycle. Real people are losing real jobs, months after the headlines.

Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams said it best at Gamescom: "They're trying to have a CEO press a button that makes a game, and then everyone else somehow buys it without a job. I don't see that going anywhere sustainable." The industry is bleeding talent while executives chase AI dreams. Something's got to give.

🃏 Card Game & TCG Corner

Magic Spotlight: The Hobbit wrapped up in Dallas with Roy Varney (Izzet Prowess) facing Liam Kane (Tameshi Belcher) in the finals. The Hobbit Universes Beyond set continues to be one of the hottest MTG products of the year — collector boosters still above MSRP on the secondary market.

TCG Card Shop Simulator hits 1.0 on September 15 with a playable in-game card game, PlayStation and Switch versions launching simultaneously. If you've been running your virtual card shop on Game Pass Early Access, the full release is one week out.

Pokémon 30th Anniversary hype continues to build. eBay reported that "Pokémon" was searched over 6 million times on eBay.co.uk in July alone. A 2000 Gym Challenge 1st Edition Booster Box sold for £37,000 in April. The hobby is booming.

That's your Money Monday — on time and loaded. Blood of Dawnwalker proved the doubters wrong, Valheim finally goes gold on Tuesday, Nintendo's about to drop two Directs in 48 hours, and Rockstar told us GTA 6 won't nickel-and-dime us. Meanwhile, the industry keeps bleeding jobs and Canada just made consoles 50% more expensive. September is chaos. I love it. See you next Monday.