Top Stories

Slay the Spire 2 is one of the year's biggest hits, which is a good time to remember it abandoned Unity because of the dev fee debacle: 'That is how badly you f****d up' (6 min read)

Slay the Spire 2 sold 3 million copies in its first week — built on Godot after Mega Crit abandoned two years of Unity development over the 2023 runtime fee controversy. A concrete reminder that Unity's policy reversal didn't win back every studio it lost. (PC Gamer)

Control Developer Remedy Releases Final Update for Beleaguered Multiplayer Spinoff FBC: Firebreak, Lowers Price and Launches Friend Pass (4 min read)

Remedy has shipped the final content update for FBC: Firebreak, its struggling Control multiplayer spinoff, dropping the price to $19.99 and adding a Friend Pass for up to three players. Servers will stay online but no new content is planned. (IGN)

Boss of GTA 6 Owner Take-Two Says the Idea That AI Tools Will Mean Everyone Can Create Video Game Hits 'Doesn’t Stand to Reason' (3 min read)

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick dismissed fears that AI tools will democratize hit game creation, calling the idea "laughable." He argues AI can generate assets but not the human creativity required to build and market successful games. (IGN)

Business & Finance

Sony Reportedly Issuing Automatic Refunds For Additional Content Bought For Short-Lived Live Service, Highguard (3 min read)

Sony is automatically refunding players who purchased additional content for Highguard, which shut down March 12 after a failed launch. The proactive move mirrors Sony's handling of Concord, setting a precedent for platform-holder responsibility when live service games fail quickly. (IGN)

Cyberpunk TCG Is Raising So Much Money So Fast on Kickstarter Its Designer Can't Keep Up With the Stretch Goals (2 min read)

WeirdCo's official Cyberpunk TCG Kickstarter raised $7.5M and became the most-funded trading card game in Kickstarter history, hitting its $100K goal in five minutes. The physical card game is developed in partnership with CD Projekt Red. (IGN)

Studios & People

Arc Raiders studio splits with co-founder over 'unsustainable' situation involving streamer allegations (6 min read)

Embark Studios (Arc Raiders, The Finals) has parted ways with co-founder and CCO Rob Runesson following sexual misconduct allegations involving a streamer. Embark's investigation didn't substantiate the claims but called the situation "unsustainable." (PC Gamer)

Games & Releases

Pre-Release Version of Death Stranding 2 on PC Leaks Online, Seemingly via Steam (2 min read)

An unencrypted Steam pre-load build of Death Stranding 2's PC version was briefly accessible before its March 19 launch, allowing the full 113GB game to be ripped and uploaded to piracy sites. A cautionary reminder for devs shipping on Steam to verify pre-load encryption settings. (IGN)

Subnautica 2 Will Finally Enter Early Access in May Following Year of Delays and Legal Drama (2 min read)

Subnautica 2 will enter Early Access in May on Xbox and PC, Unknown Worlds and Krafton confirmed. The announcement follows a court ruling that reinstated fired CEO Ted Gill and extended the deadline on a $250 million team bonus. (IGN)

AI/Tech & Tools

'Bad ending: now every game is slop': Game developers share mixed reactions to DLSS 5 (18 min read)

Nvidia's DLSS 5 is drawing divided responses from game developers, with some praising its upscaling gains and others warning that AI-altered visuals — including overwritten character faces — undermine artistic intent. (PC Gamer)

"First of All, They're Wrong" – Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Responds to DLSS 5 Backlash (1 min read)

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang pushed back on DLSS 5 criticism at GTC 2026, calling detractors "completely wrong" and emphasizing that developers retain control over its geometry-level generative AI. The technology is slated to launch this fall. (IGN)

Intel must also hate waiting for shaders to compile as it begins bundling pre-compiled code into Arc drivers for faster load times (5 min read)

Intel's Arc drivers now bundle precompiled shaders via its Graphics Shader Distribution Service, cutting first-load times up to 2x. Part of Microsoft's broader Advanced Shader Delivery initiative, with Nvidia also committing support for RTX users later this year. (PC Gamer)

Switch 2 Update Allows Switch Games To Run In TV Mode While In Handheld Mode (2 min read)

Nintendo's Switch 2 firmware 22.0.0 introduces "Handheld Boost Mode," letting original Switch games render at 1080p (TV mode resolution) while playing handheld. Developers should note the mode disables touchscreen support and may cause some game instructions to fail. (GameInformer)

A PlayStation Portal update is adding a 1080p High Quality mode (2 min read)

Sony's PlayStation Portal firmware update adds a 1080p High Quality mode with higher bitrate streaming for both Remote Play and Cloud Streaming. The update also includes Cloud Streaming UX refinements and improved trophy/invite notifications. (Engadget)

Culture & Community

"Our engineers are quite for it… Artists are much more emotive." When it comes to AI, HR is on the front line between management and employees (11 min read)

HR professionals at game studios are caught between management pushing AI adoption and artists who fear job displacement, while engineers largely embrace it. AI-generated employee grievances — padded with outdated legalese — are also creating new headaches for HR teams. (Gamesindustry)

Games for Change research director unveils training program for community-facing professionals (4 min read)

Games for Change research director Rachel Kowert is launching an evidence-based leadership certification program aimed at community-facing gaming professionals. The program focuses on applying research-backed practices to community management roles. (Game Developer)

gg! see you in game!

-james