Patch Notes #54 - weekly gaming digest
Welcome to the 54th edition of Patch Notes. Let’s get this bad boy going.
This edition will cover the week from 28 December to January 3.
I hope you had a wonderful break filled with good food, warmth, and happiness.
As mentioned before the holidays, I will be making some changes to the newsletter format. It will now focus on providing a TLDR along with the latest releases. Rest assured, I will still include links so you can easily access the news that interests you directly.
What caught my attention?
The Ubisoft hack was notable. I feel bad for my ex-colleagues. See below:
Hackers distributed millions of credits to Rainbow Six Siege players before Ubisoft pulled servers and rolled back transactions. [Polygon]
TLDR
Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund confirmed that Arc Raiders uses an aggression-based matchmaking system. [PCGamesN]
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Yakuza Kiwami 3 remake promises to appeal to newcomers and veterans alike. [VGC - Features]
HoYoVerse teased Sparxie and Yao Guang as two five-star characters for Honkai: Star Rail version 4.0, arriving on February 14, 2026. [Siliconera]
The Pokémon Company shared an animated logo to kick off 30th anniversary celebrations on February 27, 2026. [Nintendo Life]
The first Persona 30th anniversary announcement is Fitness Boxing Persona 5. [Push Square]
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book features hidden depth despite its familiar appearance. [VGC - Features]
Blue Prince is described as more than a brilliant puzzler. [Eurogamer]
The MongolZ signed Anarbileg ‘cobrazera’ Uuganbayar to complete its Counter-Strike 2 roster for 2026, replacing Azbayar ‘Senzu’ Munkhbold. [Esports Insider]
PlayerUnknown Productions announced Prologue, a survival game with machine learning-generated maps. [PCGamesN]
Polygon listed 20 most anticipated anime of 2026 including Steel Ball Run and Hana-Kimi. [Polygon]
Arc Raiders was Steam’s best-selling game over the holiday period. [Eurogamer]
Nintendo announced Devon Pritchard as the next NOA president succeeding Doug Bowser. [Nintendo Life]
Stardew Valley Nintendo Switch 2 Edition received an update and European release is on the way after US launch on Christmas Day. [Nintendo Life]
ATLUS launched the Persona series 30th anniversary website. [Gematsu]
Pokémon Pokopia aims to merge Pokémon with Animal Crossing elements. [VGC - Features]
Phantom Blade Zero amassed over 1 million wishlists in two weeks after confirming September 2026 release date. [Eurogamer]
Rhythm Heaven Groove faces potential input lag issues on TV after 15 years. [VGC - Features]
ESL increased Club Rewards for IEM China 2026 to $250,000 by reallocating from IEM Major Cologne. [Esports Insider]
Brenda Romero stated that Romero Games’ canceled Xbox title had no priest and was nothing like Hotline Miami. [PCGamesN]
Nintendo commented on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s placement in the Metroid timeline. [Nintendo Life]
GOG co-founder Michal Kicinski acquired the platform from CD Projekt. [Game Developer]
BioWare’s Anthem servers will shut down on January 12, 2026. [Polygon]
Polygon examined the history of darts video games. [Polygon]
Astralis parted ways with Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz and Emil ‘Magisk’ Reif for a new international direction in Counter-Strike 2. [Esports Insider]
Dispatch features visible penises in gameplay encounters. [Eurogamer]
Veteran jungler Hung ‘Karsa’ Hao-Hsuan announced retirement from professional League of Legends after 11 years. [Hotspawn]
Henk Rogers, Founder of The Tetris Company, stated esports got off on the wrong foot. [Esports Insider]
Housemarque’s Saros includes concessions in its upgrade system compared to Returnal. [VGC - Features]
Japanese RPG creators shared aspirations including Level-5 focusing on DecaPolice and Rabbit & Bear Studios preparing a new game. [RPG Site]
Square Enix producer Yosuke Saito teased more for Dragon Quest, NieR, and Final Fantasy in 2026 ahead of Dragon Quest’s 40th anniversary. [Nintendo Life]
Tokimeki Memorial: Forever with You releases on Switch next month for 30th anniversary. [Nintendo Life]
Overwatch 2 experienced its best year in 2025 with new perks and modes emphasizing player choice. [Polygon]
Gen.G CEO Arnold Hur discussed League of Legends esports issues in interview with Trayton. [Hotspawn]
Granblue Fantasy will launch worldwide on PC via Steam on March 10 with English and Japanese support, excluding Japan and existing players. [RPG Site]
Esports Insider listed 5 things League of Legends could improve in 2025 including matchmaking and autofill. [Esports Insider]
Biggest releases of the week?
None, devs were taking a well-deserved break.
The shift to TLDR-first format makes alot of sense given how fragmented gaming news cycles have become. Most folks just need the quick hit to stay informed, then can dig deeper on specific topics that matter to tehm. The Rainbow Six hack timing was brutal for Ubisoft tho, especially during holidays when response teams are thin. Distribution of millions of credits isn't just a tech issue but also messes with the in-game economy balance for weeks after rollback.