Ustwo layoffs 🎮 Scopely AI ads 🔧 immigration impact 💼
February 9, 2026 | Subscribe | Read On Web
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Top Stories
Ustwo Games makes layoffs to facilitate 'PC-first' pivot (3 min read)
Ustwo Games laid off staff to support a shift toward PC-first development. The studio is repositioning its focus and resource allocation to prioritize PC platforms going forward. (Game Developer)
Scopely confirms it used generative AI to advertise Star Trek Fleet Command (3 min read)
Scopely confirmed it used generative AI to create advertisements for Star Trek Fleet Command. The move highlights growing adoption of AI tools in game marketing, though it also underscores ongoing concerns about disclosure and authenticity in AI-generated content used for player-facing campaigns. (Game Developer)
Tightening immigration rules will impact the games industry in 2026 (7 min read)
The US and UK are tightening immigration rules in 2026, directly affecting studios' ability to hire overseas talent. Expect stricter visa reviews for H-1B, L-1, and O-1 categories, expanded social media vetting for employment-based visas, and longer processing delays. For developers reliant on global talent pipelines, this means more complex hiring strategies and extended onboarding timelines. (Gamesindustry)
Business & Finance
Santa Ragione accused Epic Games Store of making "provably incorrect statements" about its horror game Horses and ghosting the studio after an eleventh-hour ban. The developer disputed Epic VP Steve Allison's claim that Epic "loves" the studio, citing lack of transparency around content violations and refusal to share the AO IARC certificate normally required for appeals. Epic maintains the ban stands based on content policy violations. (Eurogamer)
Nintendo president says a long-term memory shortage 'may put pressure on profitability' (4 min read)
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa warned that prolonged memory component shortages—driven by AI sector demand—could pressure Switch 2 hardware profitability beyond the current fiscal year. The company is working to secure stable memory supplies and hasn't ruled out price increases, but remains focused on long-term install base growth over short-term margins. (Game Developer)
Games & Releases
Indiana Jones developer MachineGames still plans to finish its Wolfenstein trilogy (3 min read)
MachineGames director Jerk Gustafsson confirmed the studio plans to finish its Wolfenstein trilogy, though he declined to specify timing. "Our intention has always been to go back to Wolfenstein," he said. With modern game development taking roughly four years per title, Gustafsson estimates he may have two to three more projects left in his career before retirement. (Eurogamer)
Switch 2 Owners Are Drowning In JRPGs (4 min read)
A Nintendo Direct revealed nine JRPGs coming to Switch 2 by summer, including ports like Granblue Fantasy: Relink with new DLC, deep cuts like Culdcept Begins, and Another Eden Begins (featuring Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda). Combined with recent releases like Dragon Quest VII Reimagined and Final Fantasy VII Remake, Switch 2 is shaping up as a strong platform for the genre in 2026. (Kotaku)
Ubisoft allegedly stops production on Assassin's Creed multiplayer (1 min read)
Ubisoft has cancelled AC League, a co-op multiplayer Assassin's Creed project developed by Ubisoft Annecy that was planned as DLC for Assassin's Creed Shadows. The four-player title was deemed too ambitious and time-consuming to complete. The cancellation is part of Ubisoft's broader restructuring that has cut multiple projects; a handful of Annecy staff will transfer technical work to the Anvil engine, leaving over a quarter of the studio's 270 employees without assignments. (Gamesindustry)
Drugs, Magic, Guns, And The Egyptian God Of Death Make For One Hell Of A Great Game (4 min read)
Jackal, a new top-down indie shooter on Steam, combines Hotline Miami-style fast-paced action with 3D visuals, psychedelic art, and Egyptian mythology. Players work alongside Anubis, the god of death, who provides one-use spells per mission. Combat emphasizes smart weapon juggling and environmental interaction, with visual cues keeping chaos readable. The game offers multiple difficulty modes and randomized level layouts for replayability. (Kotaku)
Hytale modders have created over 4,000 mods on CurseForge, including complex projects like Runeteria's MMO-style dungeon with custom boss fights and legendary weapons. Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme praised the community's work, calling them "absolutely crazy talented." Mods range from HUD tweaks to Half-Life gravity guns to bridging gaps in incomplete vanilla features. (PC Gamer)
Dovetail Games announced Thomas & Friends: Wonders of Sodor, a train sim powered by Train Sim World's engine. The game features explorable Sodor island with playable characters, story modes, mini-games, timetable mode, and free roam. Built on Unreal Engine and Simugraph with accessible controls. (PC Gamer)
AI/Tech & Tools
Steam now lets developers display the exact date of when their game leaves Early Access (1 min read)
Steam now lets developers optionally display an official 1.0 launch date on Early Access game store pages, with the option to show a specific date or broader timeframe like year-only. The feature addresses developer requests for transparency and lets players know when to expect the full release. Steam notes devs should only commit to concrete dates with high confidence. (Engadget)
tModLoader, Terraria's primary mod manager, will need months to achieve full compatibility with the 1.4.5 patch released in January. The developers expect the update to take less time than the nine months required for 1.4.4, since fewer architectural changes are needed this time around. (PC Gamer)
Policy & Labor
Games Workshop issued a DMCA takedown against indie game Void War over a single trailer image, specifically citing "oversized convex shoulder pads with a metallic rim" as trademark/IP infringement. Developer Tundra Interactive removed the trailer to get the game back on Steam rather than fight the notice. The takedown was filed under the name "Mal Reynolds" (a Firefly character), which initially suggested a troll—but Games Workshop confirmed it was legitimate. (IGN)
Culture & Community
Danganronpa Lead Says The Best Way To Get Good Games Made Is To Lie To Your Bosses (3 min read)
Kazutaka Kodaka, lead creator of Danganronpa and The Hundred Line, advised during an X AMA that developers need to deceive their companies to get unconventional projects greenlit. He stated that pursuing creative work while strictly following corporate directives is impossible, recommending developers pretend to obey while pursuing their vision. Kodaka cited his own experience getting controversial titles like Danganronpa V3—which contains anticapitalist messaging—approved by Spike Chunsoft. (Kotaku)
Sandfall Interactive, developer of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, received France's Order of Arts and Letters from the Ministry of Culture—a rare honor recognizing distinguished artistic contributions. The decoration, established in 1957, acknowledges the studio's work and signals institutional validation of video games as a major art form and essential industry. (PC Gamer)
Counter-Strike 2 Joins the Esports Nations Cup 2026 Lineup (4 min read)
Counter-Strike 2 is now an official title at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026, a nations vs. nation competition running Nov. 10-15 in Riyadh. The event will feature 24 national teams competing in group stages and playoffs, with qualification occurring July 6-19 across 96 countries and territories using a new CS2 National Team Ranking system. (The Esports Advocate)
HBO’s Baldur’s Gate Show Wants To Be a Sequel to BG3. That’s Impossible. (6 min read)
HBO's Baldur's Gate TV show will serve as a sequel to BG3, but faces a structural problem: the game has ~17,000 variations of its ending and hundreds of branching story paths. Showrunner Craig Mazin must declare certain events "canon," potentially alienating players whose experiences differed. The article argues the Fallout TV series avoided this by setting its story 15 years after the game, leaving the intervening period undefined. (IGN)
Yakuza 3 Kiwami director Ryo Ga Gotoku defended casting actor Teruyuki Kagawa—who has admitted to sexual assault—saying the studio chose him because he'd make audiences think "this guy's a creep." Fans have responded with anger, trending #REMOVEKAGAWA and launching a petition with nearly 10,000 signatures. Sega previously recast actors for drug offenses but has offered no comment on Kagawa's accusations. (IGN)
MindsEye co-CEO Mark Gerhard allegedly claimed in a leaked internal meeting that a UK-based YouTube management agency and influencers orchestrated a $1 million campaign to damage the game's reputation. Gerhard named YouTuber Cyber Boi as involved and threatened legal action for espionage and sabotage. The agency denied involvement. Build a Rocket Boy stands by its allegations as the failed 2025 game attempts a reboot with minimal player engagement. (Kotaku)
gg! see you in game!