Top Stories

Riot Games Lays Off Dozens From 2XKO's Development Team Less Than a Month After Launch (2 min read)

Riot Games laid off roughly 80 roles from 2XKO's development team less than a month after the free-to-play fighting game's launch. Producer Tom Cannon cited insufficient player engagement to sustain the current team size, but confirmed the 2026 Competitive Series remains on track. Impacted staff will receive a minimum of six months severance and notice pay. (IGN)

Update: Ashes of Creation developer Intrepid Studios shuts down (3 min read)

Intrepid Studios, developer of Kickstarter-funded MMORPG Ashes of Creation, has permanently shut down, resulting in 123 job losses per a California WARN notice. Co-founder Steven Sharif cited an internal conflict with the board, stating he resigned after leadership began making decisions he "could not ethically agree with or carry out." Multiple senior staff followed his departure before the board issued mass layoff notices. (Game Developer)

Discord announces age verification will be required for all users from March (3 min read)

Discord will require all users to complete age verification starting March, with unverified accounts limited to "teen-appropriate" features. Verification uses facial age estimation or ID submission. Unverified users lose access to age-restricted channels, content filters, direct messages, and stage speaking. The move follows similar rollouts in the UK and Australia and prior security breaches affecting user data. (Gamesindustry)

Business & Finance

The biggest Roblox creators earned an average of $1.3 million in 2025 (3 min read)

Roblox's top 1,000 creators earned an average of $1.3 million in 2025, according to the company's fiscal report. Q4 revenue jumped 43% year-on-year to $1.41 billion, with 144 million daily active users. Roblox also revealed it's deploying 400+ AI models to help creators build photo-realistic multiplayer experiences at scale. (Game Developer)

Supercell revenue declines 4% to €2.65bn in 2025 (2 min read)

Supercell's 2025 revenue dropped 4% to €2.65 billion, but profits grew 6% to €932 million. The studio expanded headcount 30% to 890 employees and doubled investment in new game development, planning to double it again. Clash Royale drove growth with record engagement and 500% new player increase. (Gamesindustry)

Remedy revenues continue to rise in 2025, reaching €59.5m (2 min read)

Remedy reported €59.5m in FY 2025 revenue, up 17%, with Q4 hitting €17m (up 46.3%). Alan Wake 2 royalties and Control sales drove Q4 growth, offset by a €14.9m operating loss tied to FBC: Firebreak's underperformance. Control: Resonant's December announcement generated strong wishlist momentum. New CEO Jean-Charles Gaudechon (ex-EA) takes over March 1, 2026. (Gamesindustry)

Krafton delivers record annual revenue (and says its AI tech could birth humanoid robots) (5 min read)

Krafton reported record annual revenue, driven by continued success across its gaming portfolio. The company also highlighted its AI technology capabilities, suggesting potential applications beyond gaming including humanoid robotics development. (Game Developer)

Square Enix revenues continue to decline over past nine months to $1.3bn (2 min read)

Square Enix reported net sales of $1.3 billion for the nine months ending December 31, 2025—down 13.3% year-over-year—attributed to a lack of new title revenue. Operating income rose 39% to $295.7 million thanks to strong catalog title sales. The company revised its annual profit forecast upward to $351 million from $261.7 million. (Gamesindustry)

Studios & People

Remedy Finds New CEO in Former EA Exec Jean-Charles Gaudechon (2 min read)

Remedy Entertainment appointed Jean-Charles Gaudechon as its new CEO, effective March 1, 2026. The former EA studio head and CCP Games executive replaces interim CEO Markus Mäki, who stepped in after Tero Virtala's October 2025 resignation following FBC: Firebreak's commercial underperformance. Gaudechon pledged to protect Remedy's creative identity while scaling the studio and strengthening its independence in publishing. (IGN)

Jobs Roundup: February 2026 | Testronic appoints Mike Wallen as president and main board director (5 min read)

Five major leadership appointments across the games industry: Testronic named Mike Wallen (ex-Keywords CCO) as president, Fandom appointed Jay Sullivan as CEO, Shiro Games hired Julien Wera as COO, NC America brought on Mervin Lee Kwai as VP of operations, and Ubisoft Montréal promoted Joshua Mills to creative director of Rainbow Six Siege, succeeding Alexander Karpazis. (Gamesindustry)

Games & Releases

Dispatch Developers Reveal How Aaron Paul's Performance Changed the Game (3 min read)

AdHoc Studio's Creative Director Nick Herman credits Aaron Paul's casting as Dispatch's protagonist with bringing gravitas and depth to the character, allowing the narrative-focused game to take itself more seriously. Herman and CEO Michael Choung discuss how bold design decisions—removing exploration, focusing on core mechanics, and assembling an all-star voice cast—contributed to the game's critical and commercial success despite industry skepticism about narrative experiences. (IGN)

Until Dawn studio looks to recover from layoffs, a 7-month delay, and 4 so-so Dark Pictures games with a new online co-op multiplayer game launching in May (4 min read)

Supermassive Games announced Directive 8020, a sci-fi survival horror narrative adventure, launches May 12, 2026 with single-player and up to 5-player couch co-op. Online multiplayer arrives post-launch as a free update. The game features paranoia-driven decision-making and a new "Turning Points" rewind mechanic. (GamesRadar)

Highly anticipated cyberpunk platformer Replaced gets demo, and you can play it this week (2 min read)

Sad Cat Studios' cyberpunk platformer Replaced is launching a playable demo on February 11 ahead of its March 12 release. The 2.5D narrative platformer, which follows an AI trapped in a human body, launches on Steam, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass, Epic, and GOG after multiple delays dating back to 2022. (Eurogamer)

ZA/UM’s New RPG Is Similar To Disco Elysium Because ‘We're Still the Same People’ (3 min read)

ZA/UM's upcoming RPG Zero Parades shares design DNA with Disco Elysium—isometric perspective, vertical dialogue displays, a "Conditioning" system, and sentient skill commentary. About 35% of the 90-person studio worked on Disco Elysium. Writer Jim Ashilevi said the team didn't pivot direction because "we're still the same people" with the same creative interests. The espionage RPG launches this year. (IGN)

Blizzard's Latest Attempt at a StarCraft Shooter Reportedly in Development at Nexon (2 min read)

Blizzard has reportedly partnered with Nexon to develop another StarCraft shooter, according to The Korea Economic Daily. The project sits within Nexon's shooter division with a StarCraft modder as project lead. This marks Blizzard's third known attempt at a StarCraft shooter spin-off—following the canceled Ghost (2002-2006) and Ares (canceled 2019). Unclear if this is the same project led by ex-Far Cry producer Dan Hay announced in 2024. (IGN)

AI/Tech & Tools

Control Resonant won't use generative AI, but there is 'varied interest' in the tech within Remedy (4 min read)

Remedy confirmed Control Resonant won't use generative AI, but acknowledged "varied interest" in the technology across the studio. The decision reflects ongoing developer debate over AI integration in game production. (Game Developer)

Toyota has just announced a proprietary game engine, but that doesn't mean it's targeting PC and consoles (3 min read)

Toyota subsidiary Toyota Connected North America unveiled Fluorite, an open-source game engine optimized for lower-end and embedded hardware like in-vehicle systems. The engine uses Dart for game logic, features an ECS core written in C++, and leverages Google's Filament for console-grade 3D rendering. Toyota built it after finding established engines too expensive or resource-intensive. Despite its automotive focus, Fluorite is available to indie developers. (Eurogamer)

Policy & Labor

'This is untenable:' Australian minister questions Roblox's PG rating over child grooming concerns (3 min read)

Australian communications minister Anika Wells called on Roblox Corp to explain its child protection measures, citing alarming reports of children exposed to explicit content and grooming on the platform. Wells asked the Australian Classification Board to review Roblox's PG rating and requested the eSafety Commissioner test the platform's safeguards. Roblox faces ongoing legal pressure over child safety, including lawsuits from Louisiana and Texas. (Game Developer)

How the Employment Rights Act 2025 empowers unions and employees, and how the games business must prepare (8 min read)

The UK's Employment Rights Act 2025 will substantially lower barriers for union recognition and strike action starting February 2026. Key changes include simplified balloting for strikes, extended 12-month strike mandates, and removal of the 40% workforce approval threshold for unionization—requiring only majority support from voting members. The 10% membership requirement may drop to 2%. Games studios should prepare for accelerated unionization efforts as these provisions phase in through 2027. (Gamesindustry)

Culture & Community

No ICE in Minnesota bundle launches on itch.io (3 min read)

A "No ICE in Minnesota" bundle launched on itch.io, featuring games from independent developers. The bundle supports advocacy around immigration enforcement policy in Minnesota. Itch.io has become a platform for socially conscious game bundles and developer activism. (Game Developer)

Arcane studio lead denounces “soulless and deeply disrespectful” AI-generated fanart: "If you truly want to pay homage to the show, don’t be afraid to pick up a pencil" (5 min read)

An Arcane production assistant called out AI-generated fanart using Seedance 2, labeling it "soulless and deeply disrespectful" to the show's artists. The tool combines existing images and audio to create video content with minimal human effort. Community members echoed the criticism, noting inconsistencies and lack of artistry. This follows Netflix's removal of an AI-generated Arcane season 2 poster in late 2024. (GamesRadar)

EA Sports FC 26 Joins the Esports Nations Cup 2026 Lineup (3 min read)

EA Sports FC 26 has been added to the Esports Nations Cup 2026 lineup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November. The tournament will feature 128 players representing their nations, with 64 direct invites based on EA Sports FC Pro World Rankings and 56 qualifying through regional events. Group stage matches begin Nov. 27 with a grand final on Nov. 22. (The Esports Advocate)

gg! see you in game!

-james