Top Stories

The PS6 Launch Could Be Delayed Multiple Years By AI Hyperscalers (3 min read)

Sony is considering delaying the PS6 launch from late 2027 to 2028 or 2029 due to rising memory chip costs driven by AI hyperscaler demand, according to Bloomberg sources. The shortage could force console makers to either raise prices or delay releases. Nintendo may similarly raise Switch 2 pricing if conditions persist.

(Kotaku)

Yet another NetEase studio is going independent (3 min read)

Anchor Point Studios is transitioning to independence after being founded by NetEase in April 2023. CEO Paul Ehreth, formerly lead designer on Control, says the studio is seeking investor partnerships to fund its debut action-adventure title. The move marks another western studio departure from NetEase, which has shuttered or severed ties with multiple overseas studios despite pledging support in February 2025.

(Game Developer)

Saudi Arabia Looks To Extend Death Grip Over Game Industry With New $6 Billion Acquisition (4 min read)

Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group is in advanced talks to acquire ByteDance's gaming subsidiary Moonton for $6-7 billion, with a deal announcement potentially coming in March. The acquisition would rank among the top 10 largest gaming deals in history and extends Saudi Arabia's mobile gaming consolidation strategy, which already includes purchases of Scopely ($4.9B in 2023) and Niantic ($3.5B in 2025).

(Kotaku)

Business & Finance

Report: Saudi Arabia eyeing $7 billion purchase of mobile studio Moonton (4 min read)

Saudi Arabia is reportedly seeking to acquire mobile game studio Moonton for approximately $7 billion. The deal would represent a major foreign investment in the gaming industry and bring the developer under state backing.

(Game Developer)

Why Hiro is bullish on UK and EU game dev funding after helping The Chinese Room and Bulkhead go independent (6 min read)

Hiro Capital's advisory division has helped The Chinese Room and Bulkhead return to independence, signaling a shift from industry consolidation to fragmentation. The VC firm sees strong opportunities in UK and EU game dev funding due to world-class talent, lower costs, and regulatory barriers limiting Asian investment in North America. However, the funding landscape has become more challenging—it's now a "buyer's market" requiring developers to demonstrate unique IP, technology, or expertise to attract capital.

(Gamesindustry)

Embracer sales decline 26% to $1.3bn during first nine months of fiscal year (3 min read)

Embracer Group reported net sales of $1.3 billion for the nine months ending December 31, 2025, down 26% year-on-year. PC/console sales fell 22% while mobile dropped 63%, partly due to the Easybrain divestiture. CEO Phil Rogers cited strong performance from core IPs like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (5M copies sold) and Dead Island as a "clear improvement" over prior quarters. The company expects a major in-house title and mid-sized releases in FY 2026/27 to drive profitability.

(Gamesindustry)

ByteDance reportedly in "advanced talks" to sell Mobile Legends dev Moonton Technology to Savvy Games for over $6bn (2 min read)

ByteDance is in advanced talks to sell Mobile Legends developer Moonton Technology to Savvy Games Group (owned by Saudi Arabia's PIF) for $6-7 billion, with the deal potentially closing by end of Q1. If completed, it would mark ByteDance's major retreat from online games after acquiring Moonton in 2021.

(Gamesindustry)

Sega records $200m impairment write-down for Rovio during Q3 (2 min read)

Sega took a $198.6 million impairment write-down on Rovio in Q3, citing the Angry Birds studio's underperformance against initial forecasts. New game releases underperformed while legacy free-to-play titles held steady. Sega revised full-year operating income guidance down to $261.5 million from $346.6 million, citing increased mobile competition and market shifts since Rovio's 2023 acquisition.

(Gamesindustry)

NetEase revenue grows 6.9% to $16.1bn in 2025 (3 min read)

NetEase reported 6.9% overall revenue growth to $16.1 billion in 2025, with its gaming segment up 10.1% to $13.2 billion. Online games drove 97.3% of gaming revenue, led by Fantasy Westward Journey Online, Marvel Rivals, and Where Winds Meet. The publisher emphasized AI integration across development, claiming it has achieved "comprehensive integration" in art, design, programming, and QA to improve production efficiency and enable new gameplay features.

(Gamesindustry)

Ubisoft Q3 net bookings rise 12% to €338m, primarily driven by Assassin's Creed franchise (3 min read)

Ubisoft's Q3 net bookings reached €338 million, up 12% year-over-year and exceeding its €330 million guidance, driven primarily by Assassin's Creed franchise strength. For the nine-month period ending December 31, 2025, net bookings grew 18% to €1.1 billion. Back-catalogue sales jumped 11% to €297 million, boosted by Avatar and The Division. The company completed Tencent's €1.16 billion investment in Vantage Studios during the quarter.

(Gamesindustry)

Studios & People

Wild Cyberpunk Heist Shooter Where You Hack People’s Brains To Steal Data Faces Layoffs Before It’s Even Out (4 min read)

10 Chambers, the studio behind GTFO, laid off significant staff and restructured operations for its unreleased multiplayer shooter Den of Wolves. Co-founder Hjalmar Vikström departed after a decade, citing a desire to go indie and focus on health. The studio confirmed the cuts impact "a large number of roles, including several co-founders," though leaders Ulf Andersson and Simon Viklund remain committed to the project. The game still has no release date.

(Kotaku)

"We were turned into a joke from minute one" - fired Highguard developer reflects on game's ill-fated launch and "false assumptions" after Game Awards reveal (6 min read)

Wildlight laid off multiple developers weeks after Highguard's January launch, following its Game Awards reveal. Lead technical artist Josh Sobel attributed the failure to negative discourse and "false assumptions" about the game's $1M ad placement, which he says triggered immediate review bombing and meme culture backlash. A "core group" remains supporting the game.

(Eurogamer)

Games & Releases

Mewgenics’ Astonishing Success Means Its Kittens Are Going To Spread Far Further (3 min read)

Mewgenics hit #2 on Steam within days of launch, drawing 115,428 concurrent players for an offline roguelite—more than Overwatch at the time. The game recouped its seven-year development budget in three hours. With 650,000 players by Friday, developers Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel announced console ports, DLC, and an 82-track soundtrack now available on Steam.

(Kotaku)

Final Fantasy 7 Remake 3 will not "compromise on graphics whatsoever" despite move to multiplatform release (4 min read)

Director Naoki Hamaguchi confirmed Final Fantasy 7 Remake 3 will not compromise graphically despite expanding to multiplatform release. Square Enix builds assets at high-end PC specifications first, then scales down for consoles like PS5 and other platforms—a philosophy that won't change for the third installment.

(Eurogamer)

Stellar Blade on Xbox and Switch 2? Developer Shift Up's plan to "broaden audience reach" could see the game hit new platforms (4 min read)

Shift Up is exploring Xbox and Switch 2 ports for Stellar Blade as part of its "broaden audience reach" strategy, according to the developer's latest financial report. The action-adventure has sold over 3 million copies since launch. Platform expansion is expected to introduce the game to new players while building anticipation for the sequel, with announcements potentially coming later this year.

(Eurogamer)

Silent Hill 2 Remake Developer Bloober Team Announces Layers of Fear 3 (2 min read)

Bloober Team announced Layers of Fear 3 during a 10th-anniversary celebration of the franchise. The psychological horror sequel has no launch window or confirmed platforms yet. The studio, currently working on the Silent Hill 2 remake, released a creepy teaser featuring cryptic imagery tied to William Blake's poetry. Details remain sparse beyond the tagline: "Some Things Never Leave The Walls. They Only Learn To Wait."

(IGN)

Untitled Goose Game developer's next game, Big Walk, coming to PS Plus Essential (2 min read)

House House's next game Big Walk, a cooperative multiplayer adventure focused on teamwork and communication, launches later this year on PS5 and PC. The game will be available on PS Plus Essential from day one, giving the indie studio immediate broad distribution through Sony's subscription service.

(Eurogamer)

Hellscreen, the FPS with a rear-view mirror, has left Steam early access two episodes short of its original plan: 'This is a bittersweet experience for me' (5 min read)

Hellscreen, a Doom-like FPS featuring a rear-view mirror mechanic, launched version 1.0 after two years of silence in early access. Developer Jamie D cut the game from three planned episodes to one due to budget constraints and lack of external funding, but reframed it as a complete smaller experience. The game features exploration, soul-collecting progression, and unique backward-firing combat.

(PC Gamer)

Unreal Tournament 2004 is now available for free thanks to its fan community, and they've even updated the game for modern PCs: 'This is the first public patch for Unreal Tournament 2004 in over 20 years' (5 min read)

Unreal Tournament 2004 is now free to download via the Internet Archive with Epic's blessing, courtesy of the OldUnreal community project. The release includes the first public patch in over 20 years, updating the game for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Download the installer from OldUnreal's site, then grab the community patch from GitHub.

(PC Gamer)

As the Legacy of Kain remasters continue, a new game emerges—a 2D action-platformer (4 min read)

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance, a new 2D pixel-art action-platformer, launches March 31 across Steam, GOG, and Epic. The franchise shifts genres with combat and platforming mechanics tied to a stamina system. Three playable characters (Kain, Raziel, and new character Elaleth) each have unique combat styles. Original voice actors including Simon Templeman and Michael Bell return. Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered arrives March 3.

(PC Gamer)

The modder who saved Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 1 has been showing off a treasure trove of material from the canceled version of Bloodlines 2 (5 min read)

Wesp5, the modder behind Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines' essential Unofficial Patch, has released gameplay footage and assets from Hardsuit Labs' canceled Bloodlines 2 sequel, pulled by publisher Paradox in 2021. The videos include character models, locations, and two extended gameplay sequences from a hospital and warehouse level, showing a vision closer to the original game than The Chinese Room's eventual 2024 release.

(PC Gamer)

Policy & Labor

One Switch Emulation Dev Is Fighting Back Against Nintendo’s New Takedowns: ‘We Want To Keep Continuing The Work In The Preservation Of Video Games’ (3 min read)

Nintendo issued DMCA takedown notices against nearly a dozen Switch emulator GitHub pages over the weekend. Most complied, but the Eden emulator team—whose project is a Yuzu fork—refused and published a new v0.2.0 build days later. Eden's founder stated the team believes their page complies with GitHub's policies and plans to continue preservation efforts. The page remains live, suggesting a counter-notice was filed. This marks Nintendo's continued crackdown following 2024 takedowns against Yuzu and Ryujinx.

(Kotaku)

Culture & Community

Why is there such a bustling community around Marathon's soundtrack, when the game isn't even out yet? One producer tells us why (5 min read)

Marathon's soundtrack has spawned a thriving remix community months before the game's release, with producers like Datreya creating fan remixes that preserve the original's atmosphere while adding new elements. Bungie's emphasis on memorable leitmotifs in the score has resonated with musicians, demonstrating how bold artistic direction can magnetize creative engagement beyond the core game experience.

(Eurogamer)

PUBG: Battlegrounds Joins the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (3 min read)

PUBG: Battlegrounds has been added to the inaugural Esports Nations Cup, a nation-vs-nation competition launching in Riyadh in November 2026. The tournament will feature 24 nations competing across a group stage and 16-team finals, with qualification through regional online qualifiers, wildcard slots, and direct invitations based on KRAFTON's PUBG Power Rankings.

(The Esports Advocate)

Rainbow Six Siege Added to Esports Nations Cup 2026 (3 min read)

Rainbow Six Siege will compete at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup in November 2026 as one of 16 titles in the nation vs. nation competition. Twenty-four national teams will compete across a group stage and playoffs, with qualifiers running May 29-31 across six regions. The event takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, funded by the Saudi government's Public Investment Fund.

(The Esports Advocate)

Qualcomm Signs Strategic Partnership Deal With Hero Esports (2 min read)

Qualcomm expanded its partnership with Chinese esports operator Hero Esports, making Snapdragon 8 Series the official chip for four major mobile esports leagues: King Pro League (KPL), Peace Elite League (PEL), CrossFire Mobile League (CFML), and QQ Speed Mobile S League. The deal extends Qualcomm's footprint in China's Android ecosystem as the company diversifies away from declining Apple modem orders ahead of their 2027 licensing agreement expiration.

(The Esports Advocate)

*gg! see you in game!

-james*