Top Stories

UK social media ban could impact video game platforms (3 min read)

UK online safety minister Kanishka Narayan told The Sunday Times he will consider extending a potential social media ban for children to video game platforms if the government proceeds with restrictions. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has committed to introducing a policy that could mirror Australia's under-16s social media ban or take a looser approach limiting features like autoplay and location sharing. Platforms including Roblox and Fortnite allow anonymous chat between users; Roblox recently introduced age-based accounts restricting access to some experiences and communications features in response to scrutiny over child safety. (Game Developer)

Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda leaves Bandai Namco just months after Katsuhiro Harada's exit (2 min read)

Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda has left Bandai Namco after more than 20 years, following the December 2025 departure of Tekken director and executive producer Katsuhiro Harada. Ikeda directed Tekken 7 and Tekken 8 and said he will continue taking on new challenges as a game developer, though he did not reveal his next steps. Harada has since founded VS Studio with SNK investment to collaborate on game software development. (GamesIndustry.biz)

"These sports games that were loved and revered... just went away" – How a group of ex-EA devs are launching a new NBA game (8 min read)

Play By Play, a studio founded by EA veterans, secured an official NBA license for NBA: The Run, a three-vs-three arcade-style basketball game inspired by EA Sports Big titles like NBA Street. The studio announced the game on July 23, 2024, and the NBA approached CEO Scott Probst the same day. The game retains its core arcade DNA while now featuring official players and outfits. Probst cited the late-2000s economic downturn and EA's shift toward fewer, larger titles as reasons why arcade sports franchises like NBA Street disappeared after 2007. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Business & Finance

As Path of Exile 2 player numbers surge, Grinding Gear Games promises it won't forget about Path of Exile 1 (5 min read)

Grinding Gear Games pledges to support Path of Exile 1 indefinitely alongside Path of Exile 2, citing hundreds of thousands of concurrent players at each launch. Both games share the same microtransaction shop and cosmetic systems, though PoE 1 was negatively affected during early PoE 2 development. (Eurogamer)

New Zealand games sector hits $1bn revenue two years earlier than anticipated (2 min read)

New Zealand's game development sector hit $1 billion in revenue, two years ahead of its 2028 target, driven by the Game Development Sector Rebate introduced in 2023. The sector grew 29% in workforce size last year and now surpasses the wool industry in economic contribution. (GamesIndustry.biz)

European mobile games sector generates €7.53bn globally in 2025 (2 min read)

European mobile game studios generated €7.53 billion in global revenue in 2025, with forecasts exceeding €8 billion by 2028. The sector supports over 63,000 full-time jobs across 1,000+ dedicated studios, with Finland, UK, and Ireland leading revenue generation. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Games & Releases

Factorio Set for Its Last Major Update, a Decade After Launch (2 min read)

Factorio developer Wube Software announced version 2.1 will be its last major update. The patch focuses on quality-of-life improvements, small features, and modding enhancements rather than new content. Wube will shift to long-term support including bug fixes and platform compatibility after 2.1 releases experimentally at the end of June. (IGN)

Baldur's Gate 2 Is Reportedly Getting The Remake Treatment With One Of The Original BioWare Lead Designers Returning (3 min read)

Baldur's Gate 2 is reportedly in development as a remake with original BioWare lead designer Kevin Martens returning. Wizards of the Coast owns the IP, and Baldur's Gate 1 is also likely getting a remake. Martens is contributing while working on Exodus. (GameInformer)

Star Fox on Switch 2 is a gorgeous tech showcase from Nintendo (6 min read)

Nintendo's Star Fox remake for Switch 2 launches later this month as a technical showcase for the hardware, featuring Joy-Con 2 mouse controls and camera integration. The game includes new high-definition cutscenes and character interactions alongside gameplay largely unchanged from Star Fox 64. (Polygon)

SGF 2026 schedule: All Summer Game Fest event dates and times (8 min read)

Summer Game Fest 2026 runs June 5–7, with PlayStation State of Play on June 2 at 5 p.m. EDT. The lineup includes showcases from Sony, Xbox, Day of the Devs, Wholesome Direct, and others. Marvel's Wolverine from Insomniac Games will be a focus at State of Play, launching Sept. 15 on PS5. (Polygon)

AI/Tech & Tools

Asus Reveals ROG Xbox Ally X20 With OLED Screen, Upgraded Joysticks, And Transparent Shell (3 min read)

Asus announced the ROG Xbox Ally X20 with an OLED screen, TMR joysticks, and transparent shell, available only as a bundle with ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 AR glasses. The bundle is expected to cost over $2,000 with no confirmed release date yet. (GameInformer)

Policy & Labor

The California State Assembly passes AB 1921, Stop Killing Games' Protect Our Games Act (2 min read)

California's Assembly Bill 1921 passed 43-16, requiring game companies to notify players before shutting down server-dependent games and provide offline access or alternative options. The bill now moves to the California State Senate for further consideration. (GamesIndustry.biz)

Culture & Community

Streets of Rage movie moves forward with Sonic writers and the director behind one of Netflix's most underappreciated westerns (3 min read)

Streets of Rage movie adaptation moves forward with Sonic writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller penning the script and director Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall) attached. The project had been in development limbo before the recent crew announcement. (GamesRadar)

gg! see you in game!

— james