NEW RELEASES: Among the newest titles rolling out this week is "Oninaki," a Japanese role-playing game published by "Final Fantasy" creator Square Enix. The game launches August 22 for PC, Nintendo Switch (NTDOY), and PlayStation 4 (SNE). Also out this week is Perfect World Entertainment's "Remnant: From The Ashes," a third-person action shooter out today on PS4, Xbox One (MSFT), and PC.

SONY BUY INSOMNIAC: Yesterday, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that it has agreed to acquire Insomniac Games, a game developer and long-time Sony partner, in its entirety. Insomniac is the developer behind PS4 game "Marvel's Spider-Man," which has sold over 13.2M copies worldwide as of July 28 of this year, and the "Ratchet & Clank" series. Upon completion of the acquisition, Insomniac Games will join the global development operation of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, Sony said. While Insomniac has mostly developed games exclusively for the PlayStation line of consoles, including the first three "Spyro the Dragon" games and the "Resistance: Fall of Man" franchise, the game maker has also released titles on other platforms in recent years, including 2014 Xbox One exclusive "Sunset Overdrive" and 2016 Oculus Rift (FB) title "Edge of Nowhere." Kotaku's Jason Schreier noted that Insomniac's virtual reality games have not been released on PlayStation VR and that its upcoming VR title "Stormland" was announced as an Oculus Rift exclusive.

PIPER ON HOLIDAY GAME SLATE: In a research note to investors from last Thursday, Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olsen said he expects a less crowded holiday video game slate this year compared to 2018. The analyst said that while there are actually more titles rolling out this coming holiday season, there are fewer "large" titles, suggesting gamer wallet share will be more concentrated. Olsen also said that Take-Two's (TTWO) "Borderlands 3" and Electronic Arts' (EA) "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," incremental titles that can expand an established player base, could be beneficiaries, while Activision Blizzard's (ATVI) "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" could draw in lapsed players, particularly with the inclusion of cross-play. The analyst noted that his survey of over 500 gamers showed that "Modern Warfare" and "Star Wars" are "top of mind." Olson, who has Overweight ratings on all three major U.S. publishers, said that Take-Two and EA have the most near-term upside potential but Activision may be the best longer-term bet with a "strong" 2020 slate.

OTHER STORIES TO WATCH:

• Google (GOOG) announced yesterday during Gamescom more titles coming to Stadia when it launches, including CD Projekt Red's upcoming role-playing game "Cyberpunk 2077" as well as Ubisoft's (UBSFY) "Gods and Monsters" and "Watch Dogs Legion."
• Ben Irving, lead producer for BioWare's action-RPG "Anthem," announced on Twitter last week that he will leave the EA-owned studio after eight years.
• In other departure news, Kotaku's Jason Schreier reported Friday that Tim Longo, creative director for the upcoming "Halo Infinite," has left developer 323 Industries. The game is scheduled for release in fall 2020.
• Last week, Super League Gaming (SLGG) announced a partnership with Tencent Games (TCEHY) to bring "PUBG Mobile" content and experiences to gamers throughout the U.S.
• Meanwhile, Variety reported recently that former CAA veteran David Messinger has been hired by Activision Blizzard as the company's first corporate-wide chief marketing officer.

"Game On" is The Fly's weekly recap of the stories powering up or beating down video game stocks.