Patch Notes #52 - weekly gaming digest

Welcome to the 52nd edition of Patch Notes. Let’s get this bad boy going.

This edition will cover the week from 1 December to 7 December.

What caught my attention this week

World of Warcraft housing is finally here, and it’s AMAZING !

TLDR

• Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert cancels 2D pixel art Zelda-like RPG after struggling to secure funding

• Execs pushing AI are “not the most humane or creative people,” says Rockstar co-founder, comparing the tech to “mad cow disease”

• Metal Gear Solid series producer undecided on more remakes, but admits Metal Gear Solid 4 would be “pretty hard”

• The Game Awards’ Geoff Keighley teases announcement by placing a whopping demon-covered statue in the desert

• James Bond is the “only” external IP that IO would consider working on

• Team Cherry says it’s “unfortunate” that Silksong's launch disrupted other indies

• EA claims 98% of Battlefield 6 matches were cheater-free during launch week

• Code Vein II Prologue trailer and MagMell Base screenshots published

• A Rockstar animator has seemingly included GTA 6 animations in their demo reel

• GTA’s success ‘brought the US government down on us’, ex-Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says

• LCS 2026 roster tracker: big upgrades across the board?

• Emmy-winning Shōgun director joins Amazon’s live-action God of War series

• Another fan-favourite Pokémon gets a new Mega Evolution in Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s DLC, as Mewtwo strikes back

• Development of Sonic the Hedgehog was “terribly controversial”, says PlayStation’s Mark Cerny, describing his time at Sega as “brutal”

• Blizzard will expand WoW player housing in every patch and in future expansions to come

• Japanese devs face font licensing dilemma as leading provider increases annual plan price from $380 to $20,000+

• Valorant Mobile is China’s biggest mobile launch of 2025 | News-in-Brief

• Outright Games lays off 27 staff

• Splinter Cell Remake has a new director, and it’s the same one who left three years ago

• Tencent’s alleged Horizon rip-off is ironically back in the news as company agrees to halt promotion amid Sony lawsuit

• Shovel Knight developer at a “make-or-break” moment as all eyes focus on its brilliant upcoming release, Mina the Hollower

• Pikmin Bloom has topped $100 million in lifetime player spend since launch

• British retro gaming journalist Nick Thorpe has died unexpectedly aged 38

• UK Games Industry Shadow Council forms to address “good and poor practices” in sector

• Hideo Kojima will keynote next year’s revamped GDC and share ‘personal insights into building a studio’

• A Japanese game studio now asks art applicants to draw a picture during their interview, to prove they don’t use GenAI

• The artist whose designs were used in Bungie’s Marathon without permission says the dispute ‘has been resolved to my satisfaction’

• VCT 2026 updates; season schedule, Masters Santiago tickets, and Path to Champions

• Avowed is getting a major update in February 2026 adding new game plus, photo mode, and more

• Elden Ring Nightreign version 1.03 is now available, patch notes revealed

• Splitgate 2 relaunches as SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded on December 17

• Marvel Rivals opens caster applications, hinting at 2026 esports plans

• Total War: Medieval 3 announced, bringing series back to its historical roots for 25th anniversary

• New Dawn of War 4 story trailer reveals surprise inclusion of Dark Angels sub-faction and everyone’s favourite 10,000+ year-old grandpa

• After being delayed, delayed, and then delayed again, Cyberpunk platformer Replaced finally gets a release date

• Hi–Fi Rush is losing Denuvo anti-tamper next year, in service of “a more stable and efficient service environment”

• Saudi Arabia’s PIF will own over 93.4% of EA if the deal completes

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes 2025’s top third-party release on Xbox Game Pass

• PlayStation is publishing the first game by JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot Games, a co-op shooter directed by Left 4 Dead’s creator

• Embracer-owned Eidos-Montréal reportedly hit with more layoffs

• Shuten Order Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Switch physical release announced for Spring 2026

• Octopath Traveler 0 is now available worldwide and it is Steam Deck Verified

• Elden Ring Nightreign The Forsaken Hollows DLC is now available worldwide

• Fallout’s creator has re-joined Xbox’s Obsidian, says ‘you won’t guess’ what he’s working on

• Mortal Kombat movie and game star Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has died

• Path of Exile 2’s 1.0 release has been delayed, dev hopes it won’t slip to 2027

• Disney working on a “groundbreaking game experience” for Star Wars

• Netflix to buy Warner Bros, including games division, for $82.7bn

• Report: Meta planning massive cuts to Reality Labs metaverse division

• Real or AI fake? Suspicious off-screen Shenmue 4 trailer sparks excited debate

• Banjo-Kazooie is now playable on PlayStation via Dreams, and even Rare is impressed

• BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 reportedly generates $102m in economic impact

Biggest news of the week

Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert cancels 2D pixel art Zelda-like RPG after struggling to secure funding. EuroGamer

Ron Gilbert has cancelled his previously teased 2D pixel art RPG that was described as “classic Zelda meets Diablo meets Thimbleweed Park” due to inability to secure adequate funding. Gilbert stated that publishers offered “horrible” deals and weren’t willing to invest significantly in a pixelated old-school style game, as they didn’t see it as a potential $100 million earner. He explained that today’s big publishers are very analytics-driven and use formulas to predict profits, which results in games that look the same as previous years rather than encouraging experimentation. Some artwork from the cancelled project has been repurposed for Gilbert’s new game “Death by Scrolling,” a rogue-like vertically scrolling RPG.

Execs pushing AI are “not the most humane or creative people,” says Rockstar co-founder, comparing the tech to “mad cow disease”. EuroGamer

Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser has criticized AI technology and the executives promoting it, comparing AI to “mad cow disease” and stating that those pushing AI are “not the most humane or creative people.” In an interview on Virgin Radio UK, Houser predicted AI will “eventually eat itself” because AI models scrape the internet for information, but the internet is becoming increasingly filled with AI-generated content—likening this to feeding cows with cows, which caused mad cow disease. He acknowledged AI can perform some tasks brilliantly but won’t excel at every task, and criticized AI companies for claiming the technology can solve every problem when it cannot yet. Houser, who left Rockstar in 2020, is currently promoting his forthcoming novel that explores AI and is set in the same world as his new studio’s upcoming game.

Metal Gear Solid series producer undecided on more remakes, but admits Metal Gear Solid 4 would be “pretty hard”. EuroGamer

Metal Gear Solid Delta producer Noriaki Okamura stated the team has not yet decided on their next project, which could be either another remake or an entirely new work in the series. Okamura explained that each Metal Gear game would require different remake methodologies since the series spans from pixel art to cinematic expressions, and they won’t simply apply the Delta approach to all titles. A remake of Metal Gear Solid 4 would be particularly challenging due to the game’s “pretty special code” and construction required for PS3 hardware at the time. While Metal Gear Solid 4 is likely to appear in the anticipated Master Collection Vol. 2 (which Konami teased fans to “stay tuned” for last year), a full remake similar to Delta seems less probable in the near future.

The Game Awards’ Geoff Keighley teases announcement by placing a whopping demon-covered statue in the desert. EuroGamer

The Game Awards organizer Geoff Keighley teased an announcement by posting three words—”regal.inspiring.thickness”—which correspond to a What3Words location near Joshua Tree, California, where a large demon-covered statue has been erected in the Mojave Desert. The statue depicts demonic creatures surrounding a hellish portal that glows with fiery light at night, leading to speculation it’s teasing an announcement for The Game Awards 2025 on December 11th. The most popular theory is that it relates to Blizzard’s Diablo series due to the hellish iconography, though others have speculated it could be connected to God of War, Housemarque’s Saros, Elder Scrolls 6, Doom, or even Half Life 3.

James Bond is the “only” external IP that IO would consider working on. GamesIndustry

IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak stated that James Bond is the only external intellectual property the studio would consider working on, calling it “a match made in heaven” after 25 years of developing the agent fantasy with their Hitman franchise. Abrak confirmed another Hitman game is planned but will come after the launch of the co-op mode Stone & Knight, and revealed that Hitman: World of Assassination has attracted over 85 million players with more than 25 million copies sold, maintaining over a million monthly active players. IO Interactive’s James Bond game, 007: First Light, is scheduled to launch on March 27, 2026.

Team Cherry says it’s “unfortunate” that Silksong launch disrupted other indies. GamesIndustry

Team Cherry’s Ari Gibson acknowledged it was “unfortunate” that Hollow Knight: Silksong’s release disrupted other indie game launches, explaining the studio had little control over the timing because they were rushing to finish and only knew the release date a week or two before announcing it. The game’s announcement came just two weeks before launch, causing other indie developers to move their release dates, with some describing the move as “callous” and stating “Silksong really did take over.” The game’s popularity was so intense that it briefly crashed multiple digital storefronts including Steam, Nintendo eShop, Xbox and PlayStation platforms, which surprised co-developer William Pellen who “didn’t even know that could happen,” and the game went on to achieve over half a million peak concurrent users on Steam.

EA claims 98% of Battlefield 6 matches were cheater-free during launch week. GamesIndustry

Electronic Arts claims that 98% of Battlefield 6 matches were cheater-free during launch week, with its Javelin anticheat system blocking over 2.39 million cheating attempts since the game’s release. The company states that during the open beta, the cheater-free match rate improved from 93.1% to 98%, and EA is aware of 190 cheat-related programs, with 96.3% of them announcing feature failures, detection notices, or going offline entirely since launch. EA attributes part of its success to requiring PC users to enable Secure Boot, which only 1.5% of players were unable to activate, and the company plans to explore additional security features and crack down on cheating hardware like Cronus Zen and XIM. Battlefield 6 sold over seven million copies within three days of its October 10th launch.

Code Vein II Prologue trailer and MagMell Base screenshots published. RPG Site

Bandai Namco has released new information for Code Vein II, including screenshots of the MagMell Base and its facilities, along with a Prologue Trailer showing events leading to the sequel’s storyline. The update reveals two new key characters: Iris MagMell (voiced by Ai Kakuma), who focuses on research and development of equipment to expand Revenant abilities, and Jadwiga (voiced by Sayaka Oohara), who runs the base’s smithy and item shops with help from retainers. The MagMell base features a training area for testing character builds, a mixed Hot Spring area, and a dressing room for character customization including body type changes. Code Vein II launches worldwide on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam on January 30, 2026, with Japan’s console release coming a day earlier on January 29.

A Rockstar animator has seemingly included GTA 6 animations in their demo reel. VG Chronicles

A video game animator’s demo reel, apparently from Rockstar animator Benjamin Chue, seemingly included animations from the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 before being taken offline from Vimeo. The video showed two clips described as being from GTA 6: one featuring a male character renting and returning a bike labeled “LomBike” (suggesting rental bikes funded by in-game banking company Lombank), and another showing a female character, likely protagonist Lucia, getting off a pickup truck in two different ways. The video has since been re-uploaded and shared on social media by users who downloaded it before removal, and while these animations may appear in the game, they could potentially be limited to cutscenes rather than actual gameplay. GTA 6 was originally scheduled for Fall 2025, then delayed to May 26, 2026, and has now been pushed back again to November 19, 2026.

GTA’s success ‘brought the US government down on us’, ex-Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says. VG Chronicles

Former Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser claims the success of Grand Theft Auto 3 and its sequels led to the US government using it as a scapegoat, stating “success created loads of problems” including government scrutiny that “nearly shut us down” with huge fines and team members quitting. In an interview with Virgin Radio’s Chris Evans, Houser said the government accused Rockstar of being “the only people on the internet peddling pornography” and claimed the backlash was “mostly led by centrist democrats” who “wanted a media bogeyman” but “couldn’t go after Hollywood or rap music,” making video games an easy target. While Houser didn’t specify which incident he was referring to, he was likely discussing the ‘Hot Coffee’ controversy involving GTA San Andreas, where a hidden sex mini-game found by modders led to the ESRB re-classifying the game and a Federal Trade Commission consent order that cost Rockstar and Take-Two around $50 million.

LCS 2026 roster tracker: big upgrades across the board? Hotspawn

Multiple LCS teams are making significant roster changes for the 2026 season, with four squads making major moves. Cloud9 is replacing mid laner Loki with former Team Liquid’s APA, while FlyQuest is undergoing a complete rebuild after Bwipo, Inspired, and Busio’s departure, bringing in young talents Gagkos, Gryffinn, and Cryogen. LYON Gaming is upgrading significantly with rumored additions of Inspired in jungle and Berserker at ADC alongside support Isles, while newcomer Sentinels is building a Korean-heavy roster rumored to include Impact, HamBak, DARKWINGS, Rahel, and huhi. Team Liquid is making major changes after failing to qualify for Worlds, reportedly bringing in Morgan, Josedeodo, and Quid while keeping Yeon and CoreJJ, and other teams like Dignitas, Disguised, and Shopify Rebellion are also implementing roster changes with mixes of veterans and new talents.

Emmy winning Shōgun director joins Amazon’s live-action God of War series. EuroGamer

Emmy-winning director Frederick E.O. Toye has joined Amazon’s live-action God of War series and will direct the first two episodes. Toye, who won an Emmy for outstanding directing for Shōgun’s ninth episode “Crimson Sky,” has previously worked on acclaimed shows including Westworld, The Boys, The Walking Dead, and Amazon’s Fallout series. He joins showrunner Ronald D. Moore, who came onto the project late last year after the original team’s departure, while PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, Sony’s Hermen Hulst, and Sony Santa Monica head Cory Barlog remain involved. Pre-production is currently underway in Vancouver with casting beginning, and Amazon has already greenlit a second season despite not yet having a release window for the first season.

Another fan-favourite Pokémon gets a new Mega Evolution in Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s DLC, as Mewtwo strikes back. EuroGamer

The Mega Dimension DLC for Pokémon Legends: Z-A, releasing December 10th, will introduce Mega Lucario Z, a new variant of Lucario’s existing Mega Evolution featuring a new fringe and color scheme that requires less time to initiate moves but uses more power for quick battles. The DLC also includes a side mission where players can receive Mewtwonite X and Y stones as mystery gifts to Mega Evolve the legendary Mewtwo. The expansion builds on the story of spatial distortions across Lumiose City causing more Mega Evolutions, and will mark the first time in Pokémon series history that Pokémon can reach beyond level 100.Claude is AI and can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.

Development of Sonic the Hedgehog was “terribly controversial”, says PlayStation’s Mark Cerny, describing his time at Sega as “brutal”. EuroGamer

PlayStation’s Mark Cerny, who founded Sega Technical Institute in America, revealed that the original Sonic the Hedgehog was “terribly controversial” at Sega due to its increased resource allocation, with the project originally planned for three people over ten months but ultimately requiring four and a half people for 14 months. Despite the game’s success paying off “fantastically well for Sega,” co-creator Yuji Naka was “getting yelled at” for the budget overruns and quit the company, reportedly earning only $60,000 in his best year while being a “top level creator.” Cerny described his overall time at Sega as “brutal” under hard-driving president Nakayama, stating that “nobody realized how big Sonic was going to be” initially, with Sega of America initially rejecting a sequel as “much too soon” before sales over Christmas quickly changed their minds. After leaving Sega in 2006, Naka later developed the critically panned Balan Wonderworld for Square Enix and was arrested for insider trading in 2022, receiving a suspended prison sentence.

Blizzard will expand WoW player housing in every patch and in future expansions to come. EuroGamer

Blizzard has promised that World of Warcraft’s player housing feature, which launches in limited form today for pre-order customers, will be expanded in every patch and future expansions as a long-running commitment. Housing lead Jesse Kurlancheek and senior UX designer Joanna Giannullis revealed the most requested feature is co-ownership or temporary edit access, which could create a cottage industry of players specializing in house decoration, with potential for communal building projects like town decorations, mount racetracks, or prop hunts. However, Blizzard has drawn “a fairly hard line” against any housing features that could increase character power, ensuring players never feel forced to engage with housing for raid access or DPS boosts. The full player housing release comes with the Midnight expansion on March 2nd, and while alpha reactions are favorable, there’s concern about the new Hearthsteel real-money currency being introduced for housing cosmetics—the first such currency in the game’s 20-year history.

Japanese devs face font licensing dilemma as leading provider increases annual plan price from $380 to $20,000+. GamesIndustry

Japanese game developers are facing a crisis after Fontworks LETS discontinued its game license plan, with the replacement from parent company Monotype increasing annual costs from $380 to $20,500 while imposing a 25,000 user-cap. The problem is particularly severe due to difficulties securing fonts that accurately transcribe Kanji and Katakana characters, and live service games will need to re-test and re-validate all existing content if they switch fonts. Some Japanese studios may even be forced to rebrand if their corporate identity is tied to commercial fonts they can no longer afford.

Valorant Mobile is China’s biggest mobile launch of 2025 | News-in-Brief. GamesIndustry

Tencent has revealed that Valorant Mobile, which released in August, is China’s most successful mobile game launch of 2025 based on first-month daily active users (DAUs).

Outright Games lays off 27 staff. GamesIndustry

UK-based publisher Outright Games has laid off 27 staff across its UK and Spanish teams, affecting marketing, production, creative, quality assurance, and OG Labs departments, stating the cuts are to ensure the company is “aligned with market conditions.” The layoffs come four months after 28 workers at Outright-owned developer Aheartfulofgames were made redundant, with that studio citing a change in leadership at Outright prioritizing “low-cost, fast-turnaround projects.” Outright Games, known for licensed children’s titles based on properties like Barbie, Paw Patrol, and NBA, recently became part of new holding company Roundtable Interactive Group alongside Auroch Digital, GameMill Entertainment, and Coherence, backed by investment group EMK Capital.

Splinter Cell Remake has a new director, and it’s the same one who left three years ago. VG Chronicles

David Grivel has returned to Ubisoft Toronto as game director for the Splinter Cell remake, resuming the same role he held from November 2021 to October 2022 before leaving to “go on a new adventure.” In a LinkedIn post, Grivel stated he is “very, VERY happy” to rejoin what he called “a very special team and project,” having previously worked on Ghost Recon Future Soldier, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Assassin’s Creed Unity, and Far Cry 4, 5, and 6 at Ubisoft. The remake, officially confirmed in December 2021, is being rebuilt with the Snowdrop engine to deliver new-generation visuals and gameplay, though aside from concept art shared in November 2022 during the series’ 20th anniversary, little has been shown of the game since.

Tencent’s alleged Horizon rip-off is ironically back in the news as company agrees to halt promotion amid Sony lawsuit. EuroGamer

Tencent has agreed to halt all promotion and public testing of Light of Motiram—the post-apocalyptic survival game Sony accused of being a “slavish clone” of its Horizon series—while the two companies battle in court. The game, developed by Tencent’s Polaris Quest studio, drew immediate comparisons to Horizon when it emerged last year due to its mechanized animal-like creatures and Aloy-like character art, prompting Sony to file a lawsuit for copyright and trademark infringement. As part of a deal giving Tencent more time to respond to Sony’s injunction motion, Tencent agreed the game’s release won’t be moved up before Q4 2027 and there will be no new promotion or public testing during the injunction proceedings, with court hearings for both Sony’s injunction request and Tencent’s dismissal motion scheduled for January.

Shovel Knight developer at a “make-or-break” moment as all eyes focus on its brilliant upcoming release, Mina the Hollower. EuroGamer

Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games is at a “make-or-break” moment with its upcoming game Mina the Hollower, needing strong sales after years without a release. Studio founder Sean Velasco stated selling 500,000 copies would make them “golden,” while only 100,000 would be “not so good” and require a fast cash injection. After pandemic delays slowed development, Yacht Club laid off staff in 2024, merged back into one team, paused an unannounced 3D Shovel Knight sequel to focus solely on Mina the Hollower, and will move to fully remote work while shifting to release games every couple years instead of every five or six.

Pikmin Bloom has topped $100 million in lifetime player spend since launch. GamesIndustry

Pikmin Bloom has surpassed $100 million in lifetime player spending since its launch four years ago, with 2025 being its most successful year, generating $34.8 million. The mobile AR game’s revenue grew from $8.4 million in its first year to $20.9 million in 2023 (a 148% increase) and $33.4 million in 2024, with growth reportedly boosted by Pikmin 4’s 2023 Switch release which doubled monthly installs. Earlier this year, Savvy Games Group subsidiary Scopely closed its $3.5 billion acquisition of Niantic’s game business, including Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now.

British retro gaming journalist Nick Thorpe has died unexpectedly aged 38. GamesIndustry

British retro gaming journalist Nick Thorpe has died unexpectedly at age 38 on Monday, December 1st. Thorpe, who worked as features editor at Future-owned Retro Gamer magazine since 2013, was described by his editor Darran Jones as “an incredibly lovely person, a talented writer and an essential part of the magazine.” Dozens of journalists and game developers from around the world shared their sadness at his unexpected passing, with veteran journalist Damien McFerran writing that “the world of video games journalism is undeniably poorer for his passing.”

UK Games Industry Shadow Council forms to address “good and poor practices” in sector. GamesIndustry

A temporary independent body called the UK Games Industry Shadow Council (UKGISC) has launched to address “transparency, accountability, and ethical reform” in the UK games sector, created by games veteran Kim MacAskill with Phil Harris as chair and over 30 members. The council aims to provide a platform to identify “good and poor practices” in the industry following recent events like the Build a Rocket Boy and Rockstar North layoffs, operating through seven committees covering areas from transparency to EDI & safeguarding to technology and innovation. While not a union, the UKGISC will handle concerns with “discretion, dignity and respect” and operate until the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) extends focus to the games sector, with some members concerned about announcing involvement due to fears of retribution. The council hopes to work with existing trade bodies and the UK Video Games Council “to make employment in the sector secure for the employed and employers alike.”

Hideo Kojima will keynote next year’s revamped GDC and share ‘personal insights into building a studio’. VG Chronicles

Hideo Kojima will headline GDC’s first keynote address in five years at the revamped 2026 event, now rebranded as a “Festival of Gaming,” taking place in San Francisco on March 12. The keynote, titled “Restarting from Zero: A Message to Creators Considering Independence,” will reflect on the creation of Kojima Productions with “personal insights into building a studio, developing projects, establishing a brand, and connecting with fans.” Kojima will share his journey from early creative concept development to finding office space and recruiting talent, including “the pitfalls and the creative fulfillment of starting all over again.”

A Japanese game studio now asks art applicants to draw a picture during their interview, to prove they don’t use GenAI. VG Chronicles

An unnamed mid-sized Japanese game studio now requires art job applicants to draw something during interviews to verify their skills aren’t AI-generated, according to the studio’s chief graphic designer “Mr B.” The studio changed its hiring process after discovering they had hired people who claimed AI-generated artwork as their own, resulting in unproductive employees and multiple problems. While Mr B acknowledges using generative AI as a “supplementary tool” and believes “only human creators can produce compelling characters and graphics from scratch,” he feels his position weakening as upper management increasingly questions whether they need human creators at all or should hire “masters at using generative AI” instead.

The artist whose designs were used in Bungie’s Marathon without permission says the dispute ‘has been resolved to my satisfaction’. VG Chronicles

Artist Fern ‘4nt1r34l’ Hook, whose designs were used in Bungie’s Marathon without permission, has announced that “the Marathon art issue has been resolved with Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment to my satisfaction,” though no details of the agreement were disclosed. The dispute began in May when Hook accused Bungie of taking assets from her work for the Marathon alpha, which Bungie acknowledged was accurate, blaming a former staff member for “inappropriately sourcing” the art. Bungie subsequently pulled gameplay footage from its livestream, conducted a thorough review to remove any inappropriately sourced art, and art director Joseph Cross apologized, stating “there’s absolutely no excuse for this oversight” and promising to implement a review process to prevent future incidents.

VCT 2026 updates; season schedule, Masters Santiago tickets, and Path to Champions. Hotspawn

The 2026 VALORANT Champions Tour has been overhauled with a refreshed structure, introducing a triple-elimination Kickoff format where top three teams from each league advance to the expanded 12-team Masters Santiago (February 28-March 15), with tickets going on sale December 10th at puntoticket.com ranging from ~$11-$30. Six new teams have joined the international leagues including ENVY, PCIFIC, ULF, and SLT Seongnam, while the traditional Ascension system has been removed and replaced with a “Path to Champions” allowing four Challenger teams per region to qualify directly for Stage 2 Playoffs with $75,000 in travel and visa support. The season runs from January 15 through Champions Shanghai (September 24-October 18), with two teams qualifying through Stage 2 Playoffs and two through Championship Points, and Stage 2 Playoffs will be hosted as live events in each region for the first time.

Avowed is getting a major update in February 2026 adding new game plus, photo mode, and more. RPG Site

Obsidian Entertainment has announced that Avowed will receive a major update in February 2026, timed with the game’s anniversary, which was originally planned for fall but has been delayed to deliver a larger content package. The update will include new game plus mode, photo mode, a new weapon type, new character presets, the ability to change appearance in-world, and additional features beyond what was originally planned. Obsidian stated this will be the game’s biggest update yet, with more details to be revealed heading into the new year.Claude is AI and can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.

Elden Ring Nightreign version 1.03 is now available, patch notes revealed. RPG Site

Bandai Namco Entertainment and FromSoftware have released Elden Ring Nightreign version 1.03, adding support for The Forsaken Hollows DLC launching tomorrow, which introduces two new classes, new bosses, and a new Shifting Earth Environment. The update includes new features such as relic displays in character selection, preset naming and reordering in the Relic Rites menu, improved UI elements for flask counts and compass rune icons, and adjusted shop inventories. Balance adjustments broadened trigger conditions for low HP effects, added new passive effects for melee attacks and specific attack types, and increased effectiveness of various attack power bonuses while reducing some damage negation effects. The patch also fixes numerous bugs including issues with teleportation during the Augur invasion event, Sites of Grace activation problems, character-specific skill glitches, and various UI display errors.

Splitgate 2 relaunches as SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded on December 17. Gematsu

Free-to-play portal-based arena shooter Splitgate 2 will relaunch as SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded on December 17 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store. Developer 1047 Games has rebuilt the game from the ground up, combining the best elements of Splitgate 1 and Splitgate 2 based on community feedback gathered through regular public playtests, with design director Josh Watson (previously Rocket League game director) stating they removed what didn’t work and refined what did. The relaunch removes factions and abilities in favor of classic arena shooter gameplay with customizable loadouts or even starts, features a rebuilt progression system and overhauled Ranked mode, and includes five new maps, six redesigned arenas, three new primary weapons, and a new Power Weapon.

Marvel Rivals opens caster applications, hinting at 2026 esports plans. Esports Insider

NetEase Games has opened applications for its 2026 Marvel Rivals esports caster programme, running from December 3rd-9th with screening until December 14th, interviews from December 15th-31st, and offers made before April 2026. The announcement hints at plans to continue Marvel Rivals’ esports scene in 2026 following the conclusion of this year’s Ignite series, which featured two offline tournaments in Guangzhou and Atlanta. The application mentions that Marvel Rivals Ignite broadcasts “will be available” on Twitch and YouTube, though the extent of 2026 plans—whether continuing seasonal open-bracket Championships or returning the full Ignite series—remains unconfirmed, and this comes as several organizations like ENVY and Sentinels have paused operations with some players hoping for stronger financial incentives for teams.

Total War: Medieval 3 announced, bringing series back to its historical roots for 25th anniversary. EuroGamer

Creative Assembly has announced Total War: Medieval 3, returning the series to its historical roots for its 25th anniversary, though the game is currently in pre-production with no release date yet. The developer promises it will be the “ultimate medieval strategy sandbox” with historical authenticity and “unprecedented player agency,” describing it as “the rebirth of historical Total War” rather than just a sequel. Additionally, Total War: Warhammer 3 will receive Lords of the End Times DLC next summer introducing four new Legendary Lords including Nagash, along with a free End Times Update, and Creative Assembly has developed a new engine evolution called Warcore that will enable future games to release on PlayStation and Xbox in addition to PC. The studio will also reveal another “ambitious” Total War game at The Game Awards next week, potentially the rumored Total War: Star Wars.

New Dawn of War 4 story trailer reveals surprise inclusion of Dark Angels sub-faction and everyone’s favourite 10,000+ year-old grandpa. EuroGamer

A new story trailer for Dawn of War 4 has revealed the Dark Angels as a playable sub-faction and teased the appearance of Lion El’Jonson, identifiable by his shield despite wearing his helmet. The trailer shows the four playable factions returning to Kronus with Blood Ravens and Orks clashing, Adeptus Mechanicus exploring Necron tombs, and various new units including a Chaplain on bike, Necron skorpekh destroyers, and an Ork Beastboss. The campaign, written by Black Library author John French, will feature non-linear missions allowing players to choose between Dark Angels and Blood Ravens missions, and confirms warboss Gorgutz is still alive following the Orks’ canonical victory in Dawn of War: Soulstorm. Dawn of War 4 is set to release sometime in 2026.

After being delayed, delayed, and then delayed again, Cyberpunk platformer Replaced finally gets a release date. EuroGamer

Cyberpunk action-platformer Replaced from Belarusian developer Sad Cat Studio has finally received a release date of March 12th, 2026 for PC and Xbox Series X/S, after multiple delays since 2022. The game is set in an alternate 1980s with a dystopian neon-lit cyberpunk setting presented in a unique 2.5D style blending pixel art with depth-filled environments. Game director Yura Zhdanovich acknowledged it took longer than initially expected and thanked fans for patience, with the game coming to multiple PC stores (Steam, Epic, GOG) and Xbox Game Pass.

Hi–Fi Rush is losing Denuvo anti-tamper next year, in service of “a more stable and efficient service environment”. EuroGamer

Hi-Fi Rush will remove Denuvo anti-tamper support on January 16th, 2026 via a mandatory patch, though the game’s own anti-tamper measures will remain in place. Developer Tango Gameworks stated the adjustment is “intended to provide a more stable and efficient service environment,” and the game will not launch until this patch is installed. The announcement has been largely celebrated by fans in Steam comments, as Denuvo has proven controversial over the years for various reasons including its online connection requirement.

Saudi Arabia’s PIF will own over 93.4% of EA if the deal completes. GamesIndustry

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will own over 93.4% of Electronic Arts if the $55 billion acquisition completes, with consortium partners Silver Lake and Affinity Partners owning 5.5% and 1.1% respectively, according to a filing with Brazil’s anti-trust regulator. The PIF is also a “significant investor” in both Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, meaning the Saudi Arabian fund will effectively own EA outright when the deal closes in the first quarter of EA’s 2027 financial year (ending June 30th, 2026). EA has stated the deal will not change how it operates, with CEO Andrew Wilson staying on and the company maintaining “creative control” and its “track record of creative freedom and player-first values,” while the New York Times reported in November that the PIF is allegedly running low on cash for new investments due to financial distress in some of its projects.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes 2025’s top third-party release on Xbox Game Pass. GamesIndustry

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 became 2025’s biggest third-party launch on Xbox Game Pass based on unique users in the first 30 days of availability. Creative director Guillaume Broche said Game Pass lowered the barrier of entry for the turn-based RPG, allowing curious players to try it and discover its appeal even if they weren’t initially expecting to enjoy the genre. The game, which launched in April 2025 from debut developer Sandfall Interactive, has sold five million copies worldwide as of October 8th and was recently nominated for 12 awards at The Game Awards while winning six accolades at the Golden Joystick Awards including Studio of the Year for Sandfall.

PlayStation is publishing the first game by JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot Games, a co-op shooter directed by Left 4 Dead’s creator. VG Chronicles

PlayStation will publish the first internally developed game from Bad Robot Games, JJ Abrams’ video game division, which is currently working on an unannounced four-player co-op shooter for PS5 and PC. The game is being directed by Mike Booth, Bad Robot Games’ chief creative officer who is best known as the creator and lead designer of Left 4 Dead and its sequel. Bad Robot Games CEO Anna Sweet stated the partnership allows them to bring their new IP to life with an “expansive vision” and deliver a “bold, innovative experience,” while PlayStation’s Christian Svensson praised the studio’s “unique creative voice and passion for innovating across all forms of interactive entertainment.”Claude is AI and can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.

Embracer-owned Eidos-Montréal reportedly hit with more layoffs. GamesIndustry

Embracer-owned Eidos-Montréal has reportedly laid off more than a dozen staff in recent weeks, affecting design, production, writing, 3D art, concept art, and animation teams, with potential further redundancies expected. Employees told Insider Gaming that most projects at the studio have been cancelled, with the company now focusing on co-development work such as contributions to Microsoft’s Grounded 2 and Fable. This marks the second round of layoffs in the past year for the Guardians of the Galaxy studio, following 75 staff cuts in March and 97 redundancies in early 2024, part of Embracer’s ongoing “restructuring program” after a $2 billion Saudi Arabian investment failed to materialize.

Shuten Order Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Switch physical release announced for Spring 2026. RPG Site

Spike Chunsoft is releasing physical versions of Shuten Order for both Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Switch in North America, and Switch 2 Edition only in Europe, with a Spring 2026 release window. The Switch 2 Edition is priced at $59.99 in North America (£54.99/€59.99 in Europe), which is $10 more than the Switch version, with PM Studios handling North American distribution and REEF Entertainment handling European distribution. Shuten Order originally launched as a digital-only release in the West for Switch and PC via Steam before recently receiving a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack and native release.

Octopath Traveler 0 is now available worldwide and it is Steam Deck Verified. RPG Site

Octopath Traveler 0 from Square Enix is now available worldwide and has been marked as Steam Deck Verified by Valve. Square Enix has released a live action launch trailer and behind the scenes video featuring Producer Hirohito Suzuki and Director Yasuhiro Kidera. The game is now available for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

Elden Ring Nightreign The Forsaken Hollows DLC is now available worldwide. RPG Site

Bandai Namco Entertainment has launched Elden Ring Nightreign’s The Forsaken Hollows DLC worldwide, available at no additional cost for Digital Deluxe Edition owners (though manual claiming may be required) or $15 for base game owners. The DLC introduces two new playable characters—Scholar (an academic spellcaster) and Undertaker (a monastery warrior with ruthless strength)—along with two new third day bosses, new field bosses, new points of interest in Limveld, and a new Shifting Earth condition that massively changes the map’s geography. The DLC is available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.

Fallout’s creator has re-joined Xbox’s Obsidian, says ‘you won’t guess’ what he’s working on. VG Chronicles

Tim Cain, the lead behind the original 1997 Fallout game and co-director of The Outer Worlds, has rejoined Xbox’s Obsidian Entertainment as a full-time, in-person employee after previously leaving in 2020 to work remotely on a contracted basis. In a YouTube video, Cain revealed he’s currently working on an unannounced project at Obsidian that he believes fans won’t guess, stating “I would probably say that I’m a lot less retired now.” Cain previously joined Obsidian in 2011 as a programmer, working on South Park, Pillars of Eternity, and co-directing The Outer Worlds before consulting on its recent sequel.

Mortal Kombat movie and game star Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has died. GameSpot

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the actor who portrayed Shang Tsung in the original Mortal Kombat movie, has died at age 75 on December 4 due to complications from a stroke. Tagawa’s nearly four-decade career included roles in Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Emperor, Licence to Kill, and The Man in the High Castle, but he was best known to video game fans for his sinister portrayal of Shang Tsung, reprising the role in Mortal Kombat: Legacy and lending his voice and likeness to Mortal Kombat 11 and Mortal Kombat: Onslaught. Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon paid tribute calling him “an amazing voice actor” who “combined danger, swagger and athleticism to his roles and will always be remembered as the man who first brought Shang Tsung to life on film,” with Tagawa’s final role being Master Eiji in the Netflix anime series Blue Eye Samurai.

Path of Exile 2’s 1.0 release has been delayed; dev hopes it won’t slip to 2027. GameSpot

Path of Exile 2’s 1.0 release has been delayed beyond the previously hinted March 2026 window, with Grinding Gear game director Jonathan Rogers stating he’s “fairly confident” it won’t slip past 2026 but doesn’t think it will be March, though he “certainly wouldn’t want to slip into 2027.” The Tencent-owned studio has no specific timeline for the full release, while Path of Exile 2 remains playable in early access after launching in December 2024 for $30 across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, and will transition to free-to-play at its 1.0 launch. A new update called “The Last of the Druids” is coming on December 12, allowing players to become a wolf, bear, or wyvern while including balance overhauls and performance optimisation, alongside a free weekend running December 12-15.

Disney working on a “groundbreaking game experience” for Star Wars. GameSpot

Disney is hiring an Associate Art Director to work on an upcoming Star Wars game described as a “groundbreaking game experience that will herald the next generation of Disney to the world,” with the job listing calling for someone to work on an “ambitious and exciting new project” with top-class industry talent. The role requires someone with at least seven years of experience in gaming, film, or TV, extensive AAA game development experience on console and mobile, and a “broad and deep” understanding of Star Wars lore to shape visual direction, safeguard IP integrity, and collaborate with Lucasfilm and global partners. While the job listing provides extensive details about qualifications and responsibilities, it reveals little about what the actual game is, though it suggests the project will be developed externally since Disney licenses its brands to external teams rather than doing internal game development.

Netflix to buy Warner Bros, including games division, for $82.7bn. GamesIndustry

Netflix is acquiring Warner Bros from Warner Bros Discovery in a deal valued at approximately $82.7 billion, which will give the streaming giant ownership of game developers Rocksteady, NetherRealm, Avalanche, and TT Games as part of the company’s games division. The deal, which beat out bids from Comcast and Paramount Skydance, is expected to close in Q3 2026 after Warner Bros Discovery spins off Discovery Global into a new publicly-traded company. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos stated the acquisition will combine Warner Bros’ library including Harry Potter and Friends with Netflix titles like Stranger Things and Squid Game to “give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling.” Warner Bros’ games business has struggled recently, with the company closing developers Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and Warner Bros San Diego earlier this year, while long-time president David Haddad stepped down in January 2025 after the division was labeled “substantially underperforming.”

Report: Meta planning massive cuts to Reality Labs metaverse division. GamesIndustry

Meta is reportedly planning to cut up to 30% of its Reality Labs metaverse division’s budget in 2026, with layoffs potentially beginning as early as January, according to Bloomberg. The company plans to redirect saved money toward augmented reality glasses produced in partnership with Ray-Ban, with a Meta spokesperson confirming they are “shifting some of our investment from Metaverse towards AI glasses and wearables, given the momentum there.” Reality Labs has been heavily loss-making throughout its existence, losing over $70 billion since Meta’s metaverse pivot, including a $4.97 billion loss in February 2025 despite $1.08 billion in Quest hardware revenue and a $13.2 billion operational loss for the nine months ending September 30, 2025. Meta’s stock rose 3.4% following the Bloomberg report, suggesting investor approval, and these cuts would add to previous significant layoffs including approximately 3,600 staff in January 2025 and 10,000 workers plus 5,000 retired roles in 2023.Claude is AI and can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.

Real or AI fake? Suspicious off-screen Shenmue 4 trailer sparks excited debate. EuroGamer

A suspicious, off-screen, low-resolution trailer claiming to show Shenmue 4 with a 2026 release date for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X has sparked debate about whether it’s real or an AI fake, possibly timed for a Game Awards announcement next week. The four-minute trailer shows protagonist Ryo doing various jobs like washing dishes and arm wrestling while learning kung fu styles, and appears visually consistent with Shenmue 3, though it originated from an unknown YouTube account with only six followers and no track record of accurate leaks. While the trailer’s length and lack of obvious AI slip-ups (like extra limbs) suggest it could be legitimate, viewers are scrutinizing elements like a Street Fighter-style fighting game cabinet called “Shenmue Fighters” for potential AI generation. There has been strong demand for another Shenmue game, with fans last year renting a Times Square billboard to petition creator Yu Suzuki to “complete his life’s work” following Shenmue 3’s 2019 release.

Banjo-Kazooie is now playable on PlayStation via Dreams, and even Rare is impressed. EuroGamer

A fan-made Banjo-Kazooie level called “Mumbomania” has been created in PlayStation’s Dreams by William Butkevicius, a level designer at Moon Studios, taking around 14 months and over 800 hours to complete. The single level is a “labour of love” reminiscent of Treasure Trove Cove featuring 30 jiggies, musical notes, platforming challenges, new transformations including a rock golem and skeletal fish, and improvements addressing issues from the original like making transformations more fun to use. The project has impressed even Rare, who shared Butkevicius’ post saying they “put our fanciest hat on just so we could tip it to this,” while original director Gregg Mayles (who recently left Rare) called it “splendid” and composer Grant Kirkhope shared it with approval. Butkevicius stated he doesn’t plan to add more to the project unless given “the opportunity to work on an official Banjo-Threeie,” though composer Kirkhope previously told Eurogamer there’s “better than zero but not much” chance of the series returning, especially following Mayles’ departure from Rare.

BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 reportedly generates $102m in economic impact. Esports Insider

The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 reportedly generated over $102 million in economic impact, according to a report by Angelou Economics, making it one of the most impactful esports tournaments in North America. The Counter-Strike 2 Major set multiple records including a new viewership peak of 1.7 million viewers during the Grand Final between Team Vitality and The MongolZ, surpassing the previous record held by 2023’s Paris Major, and generated $46 million in media value for BLAST’s commercial partners. The event attracted fans from 37 countries and all 50 US states to the Moody Center, and follows BLAST’s September BLAST Open London event which reportedly generated £30 million in economic impact, with the tournament organizer set to continue its North American presence by hosting the BLAST Premier Rivals tournament in Fort Worth next April.

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