Patch Notes #59 - weekly gaming digest
Welcome to the 59th edition of Patch Notes. Let’s get this bad boy going.
This edition will cover the week from 9 February to 15 February.
What caught my attention?
Blizzard just dropped a new expansion for Diablo II. A game from 2000. Twenty-five years later, not only do they add a brand new class - the Warlock - they cross-launch it across D2R, Diablo IV, and Diablo Immortal.
Respect where it's due - Blizzard has been on a different level lately. Excited for BlizzCon 2026 - maybe my first one, since I managed to snag tickets!
TLDR
The Forsaken Hollows soundtrack for Elden Ring Nightreign is now available on streaming platforms. (Eurogamer)
Activision is shutting down Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile after ending support in May 2025. (Game Developer)
Rockstar celebrates official GTA mod support by shutting down a non-official mod platform. (PC Gamer)
Bloober Team announced Layer of Fear 3 as its next game alongside Silent Hill 1 Remake. (GamesRadar)
Solid Snake is coming to Rainbow Six Siege in March with David Hayter reprising the role and a trailer showing Snake and Sam Fisher. (PC Gamer)
Hideki Sato, designer of most Sega home consoles, has reportedly died. (Eurogamer)
Bethesda Game Studios realized being realistic sometimes isn’t fun while making Fallout. (GamesRadar)
Doom co-creator John Romero adores Ghost Recon and has over 3,000 hours in World of Warcraft. (PC Gamer)
Rainbow Six Siege nearly added Metal Gear Solid’s cardboard box item alongside Solid Snake but dismissed it. (IGN)
Braid Anniversary Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is now available via Nintendo eShop. (Gematsu)
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 1 updated for Switch 2 with higher resolution and 60fps. (Vooks)
Gothic pixel-art action RPG Hunt the Night launches February 26 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch after PC release in April 2023. (RPG Site)
Genshin Impact Luna 5 update titled Song of the Welkin Moon: Variation - Homeward, He Who Caught the Wind arrives February 25 returning to Mondstadt and making Varka playable. (VG247)
Blizzard states Diablo 3 has millions of players. (Eurogamer)
Warhorse Studios released next-gen update for Kingdom Come: Deliverance bringing it to PC Ultra standards with massively improved performance. (GamesRadar)
Saber Interactive debuted John Wick game during February 2026 PlayStation State of Play. (GameSpot)
Nintendo’s Virtual Boy accessory compatible with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Super Mario Odyssey, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild VR modes. (IGN)
Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year, Role-Playing Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction, Art Direction, and Story at DICE Awards. (Polygon)
Sega wrote off $200 million of its $776 million Rovio acquisition due to mobile business profitability falling below forecast. (IGN)
Thai esports player Naphat ‘Tokyogurl’ Warasin arrested for cheating at 33rd SEA Games Arena of Valor tournament by having partner play remotely. (Esports Insider)
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 includes Metal Gear Solid 4 and a bonus Game Boy Color game. (Nintendo Life)
Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo released patch for Nioh 3 on Steam and PS5 fixing crashing and progression issues. (Eurogamer)
Ubisoft’s first Creative House leadership appointment included Charlie Guillemot, son of Yves Guillemot, with future hires being external. (Game Developer)
League of Legends Riftbound: Spiritforged Expansion introduces equipment mechanics. (IGN)
T1 signed Memorandum of Understanding with South Korea’s Navy Power Analysis and Evaluation Team to integrate gaming technology. (Esports Insider)
DRX Esports Academy received South Korea’s Ministry of Education Award on December 31, 2025. (Esports Insider)
Embark Studios CEO revealed a neurology professor encouraged submitting Arc Raiders for scientific testing on player behavior. (PC Gamer)
Ubisoft Q3 net bookings rose 12% to €338m for nine months ending December 31, 2025, driven by Assassin’s Creed franchise to €1.1 billion total. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Former Wildlight developer stated Highguard became a joke due to false assumptions from Game Awards trailer. (Eurogamer)
A new trailer showcased the arcade racer Screamer outside Sony State of Play. (Eurogamer)
Capcom dropped PPV price for Street Fighter 6 tournament stream from $40 to $10 and allowed unrestricted co-streaming for group stages. (VGC)
Konami states Dead Cells devs’ Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is the beginning of numerous new products for 40th anniversary. (GamesRadar)
Housemarque’s Saros releases April 30, 2026 as spiritual sequel to Returnal. (GameSpot)
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker's co-op, inspired by Monster Hunter, lives on in Master Collection Volume 2. (GamesRadar)
Monster Hunter Stories 3’s turn-based combat is inspired by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Metaphor ReFantazio. (GamesRadar)
Shovel Knight developer’s Mina the Hollower took over 6 years and will be larger than Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. (GamesRadar)
Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition arrives on Switch this week. (Nintendo Life)
Game Freak’s relatively small internal team for Beast of Reincarnation supported by several dozen development partners. (Eurogamer)
Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation themes loneliness with warmth, reliability, and dog pal. (Eurogamer)
Capcom released fourth major trailer for Resident Evil Requiem during State of Play featuring Leon S. Kennedy, Grace Ashcroft, third-person and first-person modes. (Nintendo Life)
Capcom shared Pragmata trailer during State of Play showing lunar station area resembling New York City’s Times Square. (RPG Site)
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties released worldwide on PC and consoles by RGG Studio and Sega. (RPG Site)
Krafton Montreal announced Project Windless open-world action RPG inspired by Black Myth: Wukong meets Dynasty Warriors for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S. (GamesRadar)
Control Resonant gameplay reveal trailer shows Dylan Faden’s playstyle differing from Jesse. (RPG Site)
Konami revealed action RPG Rev. NOiR for PS5 to stop lightfall phenomenon. (RPG Site)
Sega plans four major new titles for mainstay IPs by end of March 2027 and transmedia expansion. (VGC)
Scopely removed Pokemon Go Pokestop from Little Saint James, Jeffrey Epstein’s island, added between 2020-2021. (GameSpot)
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma released on PS5 and Xbox Series after Switch 2 launch last year. (RPG Site)
Pearl Abyss released Crimson Desert Features Overview #3 video on gathering, cooking, and customization a month before launch. (RPG Site)
Santa Monica Studio revealed 2D side-scroller God of War: Sons of Sparta out now with PS2 trilogy remake in development. (Polygon)
Sony State of Play Feb. 2026 featured announcements including Beast of Reincarnation, Silent Hill: Townfall, God of War: Sons of Sparta, John Wick game. (Polygon)
Housemarque debuted Saros gameplay trailer with permanent progression system. (VGC)
Happinet and NIS America revealed Brigandine Abyss for PS5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, PC Steam in 2026 at State of Play. (RPG Site)
IO Interactive’s 007: First Light features Uncharted-like action with Hitman-style stealth. (GamesRadar)
Konami showed Silent Hill: Townfall first-person gameplay and combat with new protagonist. (Polygon)
Arc System Works announced Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls release August 6 for PS5, PC with Unbreakable X-Men: Wolverine, Storm, Magik, Danger. (IGN)
Remedy’s Control: Resonant revealed weird new outdoors world at State of Play. (PC Gamer)
Crystal Dynamics announced Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered and Legacy of Kain: Ascendance retro 2D side-scroller for March 2026. (Polygon)
Crystal Dynamics Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remaster uses files found in closet and includes restored demo for cancelled sequel. (GamesRadar)
Nomada Studio announced Neva prequel prologue coming sooner. (Eurogamer)
Team Ninja working on new Dead or Alive fighting game with Dead or Alive 6 big update. (PC Gamer)
Kojima confirmed Death Stranding 2 PC port with widescreen, unlocked framerate, frame generation coming soon. (PC Gamer)
Mina the Hollower 8-bit action adventure launches spring for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch with PS5 demo February 13. (Gematsu)
Kena: Bridge of Spirits sequel Kena: Scars of Kosmora comes to PS5, PC in 2026. (Eurogamer)
Digital Eclipse’s Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition includes five versions of original Rayman and interactive documentary available February 13. (GameSpot)
Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation creator states every aspect of development challenged. (GameSpot)
Capcom trailer for Resident Evil Requiem shows Raccoon City Police Department decades after RE2 ahead of February 27 release. (GameSpot)
Fictions & Game Freak announced Beast of Reincarnation full release August 4 at State of Play. (RPG Site)
Zelda: Breath of the Wild devs confirmed open-world direction after player contraptions. (GamesRadar)
Peter Molyneux states Lionhead had pitch document for Fable 4 involving time movement possibly steampunk. (GamesRadar)
Industry leaders honoured Vince Zampella at DICE Summit. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Diablo 2 Resurrected adds Warlock, the first new class in 25 years; Diablo 4 and Immortal also get Warlock. (VGC)
Kadokawa’s Q3 2025/26 report confirms Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition and The Duskbloods for Switch 2 in 2026. (Nintendo Life)
Marc Robert ‘Caedrel’ Lamont announced Los Ratones shutdown after ERL elimination from LEC 2026 Versus. (Esports Insider)
Capcom’s team discussed Monster Hunter Stories 3 JRPG elements in developer interview. (Siliconera)
Riot Games layoffs affected 2XKO team. (Esports Insider)
FIFAe 2026 season features over 120 nations in Rocket League and eFootball events. (Esports Insider)
CD Projekt raised profit goals to 5 billion złoty ($1.4 billion USD) for 2026-2029 with Witcher 4, 5, and 6. (GameSpot)
No Rest for the Wicked director vows no battle pass or microtransactions in Moon Studios games. (GamesRadar)
At least 1,200 Ubisoft workers struck three days from February 10 against restructure including studio closures and six cancellations. (Nintendo Life)
Cloud9 New York signed Jacob ‘Hide’ Bustillos, Jordan ‘Encourage’ Byrd for CDL Major 2 qualifiers from Challengers. (Esports Insider)
Blizzard may add more content to Diablo 2 if Warlock class succeeds. (GamesRadar)
The International 2026 at Oriental Sports Center Shanghai with 16 teams format and schedule revealed. (Esports Insider)
Nexon states Arc Raiders exceeded expectations with 6 million weekly players and 14 million copies sold since October. (GameSpot)
Hideo Kojima had discussions with Vince Zampella about a first-person Metal Gear Solid. (GameSpot)
Brawl Stars offers rewards for predicting esports matches during livestreams. (Esports Insider)
Capcom released Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection ‘Welcome to Monster Hunter Stories’ trailer. (Gematsu)
Overwatch Jetpack Cat hero features hideous combos dividing players. (PC Gamer)
Nexon 2025 revenue rose 6.5% to $3.1bn driven by Arc Raiders. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Mewgenics will get DLC but not soon. (Eurogamer)
Diablo Immortal 2026 roadmap includes Andariel return, Warlock class, events, collaborations. (RPG Site)
Analysts discussed Ubisoft cost-cutting amid sustainable growth focus. (Game Developer)
Prince William visited Esports World Cup Foundation in Riyadh discussing esports impact. (Esports Insider)
Gothic 1 Remake launches June 5 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, 25 years after original and seven years after prologue demo. (RPG Site)
Marathon leaks show 28 guns with skins, charm slot, three sticker slots at launch. (GameSpot)
Biggest releases of the week?
