Patch Notes #61 - weekly gaming digest

Welcome to the 61st edition of Patch Notes. Let’s get this bad boy going.

This edition will cover the week from 23 February to 1 March.

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What caught my attention

WoW Midnight dropped in early access this week. I’m stuck in Dubai for work, geopolitical situation doing its thing, collector’s edition lost somewhere in Amazon’s logistics void (heh.). Already bought the digital items separately weeks ago, just in case.

Still can’t play.

Classic.

TLDR

• Game Freak revealed Pokémon Winds & Waves, a new mainline Pokémon game coming in 2027 exclusively on Switch 2, featuring open world islands, underwater gameplay, and new starters. (IGN)

• Resident Evil Requiem peaked at 267,509 concurrent Steam players, breaking the series record over the previous 168,191 set by the Resident Evil 4 remake. (IGN)

• World of Warcraft Midnight features Leeroy Jenkins as the first called by the Light against the Void. (GamesRadar)

• Tencent pulled Highguard’s funding two weeks after launch, leading to mass layoffs at Wildlight with fewer than 20 developers remaining. (Eurogamer)

• Assassin’s Creed Hexe creative director Clint Hocking left Ubisoft following restructure, with former Black Flag director Jean Guesdon taking over. (PC Gamer)

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Rest of the news

• Sheep Esports published an in-depth article on Team Liquid exploring its financial growth, diversified revenue streams, global expansion, and strategies for sustainable success. (Sheep Esports)

• Capcom shared a video showing pro wrestler Kenny Omega’s involvement in motion capture for Street Fighter 6’s Alex fighter. (Nintendo Life)

• Warframe’s Nintendo Switch 2 version launches in March alongside its next major update introducing The Shadowgrapher. (Nintendo Life)

• Pokémon Go’s Sparkle and Shine Masterwork Research rewards shiny Diancie as part of the paid Pokémon Go Tour: Kalos ticket starting February 28. (Polygon)

• Markiplier stated Hollywood was willfully ignoring YouTubers’ potential before his film Iron Lung made $50 million at the box office. (PC Gamer)

• Eurogamer featured a long-form extract from ON Games Volume 2 on the story of searching for Mew in Pokémon. (Eurogamer)

• Overwatch added Nier Automata crossover skins after Persona, with fans unhappy about repeated heroes receiving skins. (GamesRadar)

• Tales of Berseria Remastered launched worldwide on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, and Steam, bringing the game to Xbox and Nintendo platforms for the first time. (RPG Site)

• Where Winds Meet’s first major expansion Hexi Chapter 1: Jade Gate Pass launches March 6 for PS5, mobile, and PC. (RPG Site)

• Owlcat teased a new Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader DLC focused on necron Trazyn the Infinite and a mysterious new companion. (PC Gamer)

• GamesRadar listed five Pokémon Gold, Silver & Crystal features that evolved the series into a worldwide megahit. (GamesRadar)

• World of Warcraft Midnight composer Leo Kaliski stated Blizzard feels lucky not to use generative AI and is making what devs think is cool. (GamesRadar)

• A speedrunner completed Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Switch releases in under 3 hours and found Legendary events included. (GamesRadar)

• World of Warcraft players are slaying hundreds of frogs to skin their hides before Blizzard catches them. (PC Gamer)

• Doom: The Dark Ages director stated the upcoming DLC is basically like a sequel and ginormous. (PC Gamer)

• An inaccessible zone in World of Warcraft: Midnight has players convinced it clues the next update. (PC Gamer)

• A wholesome platformer leading to Conker’s Bad Fur Day, locked for 27 years, releases on a $70 retro handheld with 13 other Rare games. (GamesRadar)

• Pokémon Legends: Z-A DLC adds Mega Garchomp Z via Mystery Gift Event for Mega Dimension DLC owners. (Nintendo Life)

• A new Pokémon TCG expansion celebrates 30 years but details remain unclear from the announcement. (GamesRadar)

• Pokémon Champions brings PvP to Switch in April 2026 with a live-action trailer confirming mobile later in 2026. (GamesRadar)

• Malaysia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports works with Digital Ministry on esports guidelines addressing online behavior and youth content exposure. (Esports Insider)

• GamesIndustry.biz opined Xbox’s new boss could herald changes after Phil Spencer’s tenure. (GamesIndustry.biz)

• Brawl Stars unveiled club cosmetics for nine partnered esports teams including profile icons, sprays, and pins available in-game. (Esports Insider)

• MOUZ extended its partnership with Razer for two more years after signing in 2019. (Esports Insider)

• Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Nintendo Online versions support Pokémon Home transfers to modern games. (Eurogamer)

• Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness launches March 2026 for Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics on Switch 2. (RPG Site)

• Valve stated Marathon’s Server Slam is the biggest Steam Next Fest demo. (GamesRadar)

• Bloomberg reported Bluepoint Games pitched a Bloodborne remake but was turned down by FromSoftware. (Gematsu)

• Pokémon Pokopia Switch 2 preloads are now live ahead of its exclusive release next week for the 30th anniversary. (Nintendo Life)

• Pokémon Winds and Waves features an open-world region of islands and ocean. (GamesRadar)

• The Pokémon Company is releasing a mini Game Boy that plays Pokémon music by swapping 45 cartridges. (VGC)

• Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is now Steam Deck Verified ahead of March 13 launch. (RPG Site)

• World of Warcraft Midnight features Leeroy Jenkins as the first called by the Light against the Void. (GamesRadar)

• Capcom’s RE Engine enables Resident Evil Requiem to run surprisingly well on Steam Deck. (PC Gamer)

• After 25 hours, Resident Evil Requiem features eight elements keeping players replaying. (GamesRadar)

• God of War: Sons of Sparta’s two-player roguelike mode now accessible from start after fan backlash. (Eurogamer)

• Stardew Valley celebrated 10th birthday with a video on the 1.7 update. (Eurogamer)

• Street Fighter 6 contender Punk dropped from Capcom Cup 12 due to passport issues with Tokido replacing him. (Esports Insider)

• Warner Bros. Games teases return to biggest franchises in the next 2 years after a string of flops. (GamesRadar)

• All Nippon Airways announced three new Pokémon Jet planes for the 30th anniversary including Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 themed after first-generation games. (Siliconera)

• Grim Dawn marks 10 years with over 87,000 glowing Steam reviews, with final expansion Fangs of Asterkarn cementing it as a cornerstone of the ARPG genre. (GamesRadar)

• Nvidia expects supply constraints as a headwind for gaming in Q1 and beyond despite healthy demand and inventory. (PC Gamer)

• Game devs reflected on Pokémon’s 30th anniversary impact generating 1.4 billion Twitch/YouTube hours since 2018. (Polygon)

• NIS America announced Disgaea Mayhem action RPG spin-off for Summer 2026 on Switch 2, PS5, Switch, PC Steam. (RPG Site)

• Guitar Hero vets announced Stage Tour rhythm game for 2026 with a closed alpha playtest launching soon. (GamesRadar)

• Capcom ran a Resident Evil promotional stunt of a fictional Umbrella Corporation lawsuit against the makers of Cup Noodles. (PC Gamer)

• Alan Wake Remastered received an out-of-the-blue patch adding HDR and intro skip. (PC Gamer)

• He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction launches April 28 as a side-scrolling beat ‘em up. (Gematsu)

• Ecco The Dolphin remaster of the first game and Tides of Time announced with more details revealed. (Nintendo Life)

• Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy launches in March for iOS as a three-versus-three team boss battle arena. (Gematsu)

• Neverness to Everness launches April 23 in China and April 29 worldwide for PS5 and PC as a free-to-play supernatural urban open-world action RPG. (Gematsu)

• Former Microsoft Game Studios head called Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 the best of the gaming medium as art and human. (GamesRadar)

• F1 Esports champion Brendon Leigh became a real-world instructor at Silverstone’s Drive Silverstone programme. (Esports Insider)

• Overwatch’s second Conquest weekend had a higher daily player count than its opening weekend. (PC Gamer)

• Riot Games laid off around 12 publishing staff weeks after cutting 80 jobs tied to 2XKO. (Sheep Esports)

• Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition on Switch 2 will add DLSS in a future update with stability improvements. (Vooks)

• Path of Exile’s next expansion overhauls an endgame system unchanged for 10 years. (PC Gamer)

• Former Ubisoft exec Patrik Méthé adapts a Korean fantasy franchise as an open-world action RPG with a hulking bird warrior. (IGN)

• IGN argued AI will change games but not in the way CEOs like EA’s Andrew Wilson predict post-layoffs. (IGN)

• Genshin Impact’s privacy policy indicated players’ voice comms data may be used to train AI models until quietly updated in January. (Eurogamer)

• Assassin’s Creed Hexe creative director Clint Hocking left Ubisoft following restructure, with former Black Flag director Jean Guesdon taking over. (PC Gamer)

• Sensor Tower State of Gaming 2026 reported flat mobile revenue in 2025, record PC sales on Steam, and double-digit PC/console growth. (GamesIndustry.biz)

• Monster Hunter Stories 3 developers discussed new locales for Azuria, Sheparden, and Galyad cities at IGN FanFest 2026. (IGN)

• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Tangle & Whisper DLC pack launches free this week. (Nintendo Life)

• Square Enix patched Final Fantasy 7’s Steam version for battle speed and technical issues after framerate changes. (GamesRadar)

• The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin mobile action RPG trailer hints at Ghibli style. (VG247)

• Sony CEO confirmed Spider-Man spin-off universe reboot with a positive Marvel partnership. (GamesRadar)

• Pokémon high-fashion ROAM collection by JimmyPaul now available from Difuzed on Pokémon Center after London Fashion Week. (Nintendo Life)

• New Xbox CEO stated continued meeting players on PS5/Switch 2 with plan intact until changed. (GamesRadar)

• Nacon, publisher of Lord of the Rings: Gollum and RoboCop: Rogue City, filed for insolvency requiring rapid financial restructuring. (GamesRadar)

• Genshin Impact PS4 support ends after Version Luna 5 with six weeks for players to migrate. (VG247)

• Reboot Develop organizer Digitalna avantura received a bankruptcy order for €520,000 in unpaid debts. (GamesIndustry.biz)

• The Sims 4 developer updated 2026 quality of life roadmap amid ongoing technical issues. (VG247)

• 3DMAX signed Kévin misutaaa Rabier to CS2 roster replacing Alexandre bodyy Pianaro. (Esports Insider)

• Discord delayed global age verification rollout to second half of 2026 after missing the mark with initial rollout. (IGN)

• Asha Sharma paid tribute to Phil Spencer as a remarkable leader pushing backward compatibility upon replacing him as Microsoft Gaming CEO. (VGC)

• Industry figures praised Phil Spencer’s 38 years at Microsoft and 25 at Xbox after his retirement on February 23. (GamesIndustry.biz)

• Resident Evil Requiem day one patch released with amiibo launching later this year on Switch 2. (Nintendo Life)

• Pokémon 30th anniversary merch including SS Anne Pikachu plush caused multi-hour queues at Pokémon Centers. (Polygon)

• Final Fantasy 14 unofficial census shows 110,000 player increase in 3 months with returners and new players. (GamesRadar)

• New Intel graphics driver claims a 35% performance boost for Panther Lake’s iGPU in Witcher 3 at 1080p. (PC Gamer)

• GameSquare partnered with Capcom for the Resident Evil Requiem launch campaign including creator activations and fan experiences. (Esports Insider)

• Former Cloud9 mid laner Loki signed a two-year contract with LCK team Hanjin BRION until 2027. (Esports Insider)

• Zelda voice actor Patricia Summersett expressed curiosity about the live-action Legend of Zelda movie. (GameSpot)

• Pokémon Red & Blue Game Music Collection: Game Boy Jukebox launches from Pokémon Center in US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. (RPG Site)

• The Pokémon Company revealed Beginning Pikachu monochromatic plushies and keychains modelled after the 1996 Red and Green sprite. (Siliconera)

Biggest releases of the week

Thank you for reading!

See you next week :)