Patch Notes #64 - weekly gaming digest
Welcome to the 64th edition of Patch Notes. Let’s get this bad boy going.
This edition will cover the week from 16 March to 22 March.
What caught my attention
Jeff Kaplan revealed The Legend of California eleven days ago. Gold Rush survival shooter, new studio Kintsugiyama, published by Dreamhaven. There was a 5-hour Lex Fridman sit-down, a short trailer, and then a 10-hour dev stream where the team just played an early, openly buggy build and talked it through. No cinematic trailer event. No countdown clock.
It felt very chill/natural. It worked. But let’s be honest - it worked because it’s Jeff Kaplan and friends. Twenty years of community trust don’t come with a template. The candid approach is worth admiring. It’s not worth copying if you don’t have the audience to make silence feel like mystique.
TLDR
Crimson Desert launched to 2 million copies in 24 hours, Received Mixed Steam reviews, sparked an AI art scandal, faced controls backlash, and had an exec who compared learning the game to riding a bike. (PC Gamer)
Savvy Games Group agreed to acquire Moonton Games for $6 billion, five years after ByteDance paid $4 billion for it. (Game Developer)
NVIDIA announced DLSS 5 at GTC 2026 to strong backlash — some developers learned of it at the same time as the public, and Jensen Huang called the critics completely wrong. (GameSpot)
GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 attendance dropped 30% to 20,000 visitors. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Slay the Spire 2 players left over 9,000 negative Steam reviews in one day over a card nerf that had not even gone live yet. (PC Gamer)
Biggest releases of the week
Rest of the news
Crimson Desert launched to 2 million copies sold in under 24 hours across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with Pearl Abyss promising to work quickly on improvements. (PC Gamer)
Pearl Abyss launched a comprehensive audit of all in-game assets after admitting undisclosed AI-generated images were found in the final release. (IGN)
Crimson Desert players reported clunky controls and filed launch day refund requests. (Eurogamer)
Nvidia announced DLSS 5 at GTC 2026 with AI-powered per-pixel lighting and material properties, to strong backlash. (GameSpot)
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang responded to DLSS 5 backlash, stating critics are completely wrong. (IGN)
Capcom and Ubisoft developers said they found out about the DLSS 5 announcement at the same time as the public. (PC Gamer)
Former Overwatch boss Jeff Kaplan advised gamers who complain about games they’ll never play to shut the f*** up, saying no one cares. (IGN)
Jeff Kaplan revealed he warned Blizzard that the cancelled MMO Titan was heading for disaster before its shutdown. (Eurogamer)
Mojang announced Minecraft Dungeons 2, Minecraft World, Tiny Takeover and other titles at Minecraft Live March 2026. (IGN)
Minecraft Dungeons 2 is coming this fall. (GameSpot)
Slay the Spire 2’s first major post-launch patch includes a large balance pass, new art and VFX, and a Phobia Mode to make infinites harder. (IGN)
Slay the Spire 2 players left over 9,000 negative Steam reviews in one day over a card nerf that had not even gone live yet, with China’s Steam restrictions possibly a factor. (PC Gamer)
Nintendo is launching a Switch 2 revision in Europe with a user-replaceable battery to comply with EU consumer law. (Eurogamer)
Savvy Games Group agreed to acquire Moonton Games for $6 billion, after ByteDance paid $4 billion for the company in 2021. (Game Developer)
Saudi Arabia firm EGDC now holds a 5% stake in Capcom, with the Public Investment Fund holding another 5% since 2022. (Game Developer)
Capcom confirmed Resident Evil Requiem passed 6 million sales, making it the fastest-selling game in the series, with extra content planned. (VGC)
Ubisoft shifted Red Storm Entertainment to a tech support role and laid off 105 developers. (Eurogamer)
Crystal Dynamics eliminated another 20 roles including development and operations staff. (Game Developer)
Team Liquid was hit by new layoffs seven months after its previous wave, with staff departures confirmed via social media. (Sheep Esports)
GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 attendance dropped 30% to 20,000 visitors. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Bethesda boss Todd Howard said he was “really, really sorry” to see Phil Spencer retire and commented on incoming CEO Asha Sharma. (GameSpot)
Todd Howard said The Elder Scrolls 6 announcement has made him rethink what he publicly commits to, suggesting players should “pretend we didn’t announce it.” (IGN)
Starfield is coming to PS5 on April 7 alongside the Free Lanes update and story DLC Terran Armada. (Gematsu)
Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick dismissed the idea that AI can generate hit games at the push of a button as laughable. (GameSpot)
Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said he is not interested in putting ads into premium games, calling it unfair to paying players. (PC Gamer)
Delaware Court of Chancery ruled Krafton breached its transaction agreement and ordered the reinstatement of the ousted Unknown Worlds CEO. (Game Developer)
Subnautica 2 is approved for early access release in May following the latest court ruling, with more story chapters, creatures, and biomes. (GameSpot)
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney purchased 50,000 acres of forest in North Carolina and donated it, making it the largest private land donation in the state’s history. (PC Gamer)
Epic and Google settled their legal dispute, with Fortnite returning to Google Play worldwide. (Game Developer)
IO Interactive canceled a planned Hitman crossover mission for MindsEye after concluding its publishing deal with Build A Rocket Boy. (GameSpot)
Balatro publisher Playstack reported a hit ratio of over 85%, with its portfolio including Abiotic Factor and VOID/BREAKER. (Game Developer)
Finji CEO Rebekah Saltsman said indies are in a survival era, with funding partners treating $250,000 game budgets as insufficiently profitable. (PC Gamer)
CD Projekt Red confirmed it has established the foundations of a new franchise codenamed Hadar after years of exploratory development. (Eurogamer)
Pragmata hands-on preview after nearly three hours confirmed the full gameplay loop as part of Capcom’s 2026 slate. (RPG Site)
Pragmata features giant robot kaiju boss battles where the player hacks, then shoots. (PC Gamer)
Resident Evil series executive producer Jun Takeuchi marked the franchise’s 30th anniversary by thanking fans and promising more to come. (Eurogamer)
Toby Fox confirmed Deltarune Chapter 5 development is mostly complete, outside bugs and translation, with professional testing starting April 1. (Nintendo Life)
CyberConnect2 Vice President Taichiro Miyazaki described .hack//Z.E.R.O. as a brand new entry designed to be the studio’s defining game, discussed at GDC 2026. (RPG Site)
Neowiz confirmed the Lies of P franchise has surpassed 4 million units sold globally. (RPG Site)
Blizzard acknowledged that Diablo 4’s constant changes make it hard for players to keep up, and said obsolete systems will be reworked or fixed. (GameSpot)
World of Warcraft: Midnight’s class balancing approach risks repeating a long-running mistake from Final Fantasy XIV. (PC Gamer)
Half Sword developer addressed the gap between the early access game and its tech demo, saying the final version will differ from what has been shown previously, amid Mixed Steam reviews. (PC Gamer)
Sandfall Interactive developers admitted no one on the team believed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would reach a 92 Metacritic score when they made bets on the outcome. (Polygon)
Actor Charlie Cox said Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 opened new professional avenues and confirmed another video game project is in the works. (Eurogamer)
Counter-Strike 2 changed gun reload mechanics to add more risk to the process. (Polygon)
Helldivers 2’s first content roadmap for its 6.1 update includes new Illuminate enemies, a new mission type, and the Entrenched Division Warbond. (GameSpot)
Death Stranding 2 is getting a major update for PC and PS5 including a new difficulty mode and live-action cutscenes timed to the PC release. (VGC)
Super Mario Bros. Wonder updated to Version 1.1.0 with amiibo support, Polish language, and readiness for the Switch 2 Edition and DLC launching March 26. (Nintendo Life)
Peglin added a fourth act and a final boss nearly two years after hitting 1.0. (PC Gamer)
Bungie built a literal maths test to help players understand Marathon’s complicated competitive mode. (PC Gamer)
Marathon’s fourth map Cryo Archive was released as a limited weekend unlock following a puzzle ARG. (Eurogamer)
Fortnite Unreal Editor received Star Wars assets including Luke Skywalker and Tatooine locations for UEFN creators. (Polygon)
Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness arrived on Switch 2 via Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. (GameSpot)
A Pokémon FireRed save file was lost on Switch 2. (Polygon)
Game Boy Advance turns 25, with 81.5 million units sold and its library now available on Switch. (Eurogamer)
Marvel Heroes has player-run servers more than 8 years after its November 2017 shutdown. (PC Gamer)
A silksong player discovered a hidden version of act 1 boss The Last Judge and immediately identified why Team Cherry likely cut it: Hornet is too short for one of the new attacks to connect. (PC Gamer)
Persona 5: The Phantom X version 3.4 adds a Persona 5 Royal crossover featuring Kasumi Yoshizawa and Jose in a new mini-game event. (RPG Site)
Solo dev behind Tangy TD earned over $250,000 in a week following its early March Steam launch after four years of development. (PC Gamer)
Street Fighter 6 added free collab DLC with Mega Man Star Force and Battle Network alongside returning character Alex. (Nintendo Life)
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves DLC character Blue Mary launches March 26. (Gematsu)
Niantic Spatial is using Pokémon Go movement data to train delivery robots, noting that getting Pikachu to run realistically is structurally the same problem. (IGN)
Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks believes the video game industry needs to rethink its approach. (GamesIndustry.biz)
ESRB confirmed US game age ratings will not change to factor in paid random items the way PEGI has in Europe, citing potential confusion. (Eurogamer)
Generative AI in game development, navigating IP, regulation, and reputational risk, is discussed by Perkins Coie attorney Ali Mirsaidi at GDC. (GamesIndustry.biz)
G2 Esports swept BNK FearX 3-0 to reach the First Stand 2026 semifinals, ending a 1,979-day title drought. (Sheep Esports)
Riot’s Global Head of LoL Esports Chris Greeley discussed First Stand learnings, US Worlds visa issues, and giving CBLOL an additional Worlds slot. (Sheep Esports)
Riot denied reports that the LEC Berlin studio could shut down in 2027 in favor of fully online production, confirming it will remain in Berlin while exploring limited remote play. (Sheep Esports)
Esports World Cup Club Championship 2026 announced a $30 million prize pool with a cap on solo competitions and a new protest system. (Hotspawn)
DRX announced a strategic naming partnership with Kiwoom Securities via MOU signed at DRX Seoul Tower. (Hotspawn)
ZYB Esport remains in the LFL as a guest taking over the BK ROG Esports slot, with TLN Pirates securing a permanent spot. (Sheep Esports)
Riot detailed new Legends, mechanics, and other features for Riftbound’s third set Unleashed, launching April 10 in China and May 8 in English. (IGN)
Digimon Story: Time Stranger expansion DLC is planned for 2027. (RPG Site)
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising version 2.60 update was announced, including a new DLC character. (Gematsu)
Vampire Survivors deck-building spin-off Vampire Crawlers has a release date next month. (Eurogamer)
Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, a three-versus-three team boss battle arena game, launches March 24 for iOS. (Gematsu)
Lords of the Fallen 2023 surpassed 2.5 million units sold. (Gematsu)
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is releasing on Switch 2 this month. (Eurogamer)
Shenmue III Enhanced is coming to Switch 2 with a physical release. (Vooks)
THQ Nordic announced Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, Destroy All Humans!, and Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed for Switch 2. (Nintendo Life)
Splatoon 3 updated to Version 11.1.0 with balance and matchmaking adjustments. (Nintendo Life)
Pokémon TCG Pocket’s Mega Shine expansion features shiny Pokémon including Mega Gengar ex and Mega Charizard ex. (Nintendo Life)
New Cyberpunk TCG became the most-funded TCG game in Kickstarter history. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Amazon laid off more employees in a broader organizational restructuring affecting the Lost Ark team. (PC Gamer)
Bandai Namco released a two-minute gameplay trailer for Echoes of Aincrad: Sword Art Online. (Gematsu)
River City Saga: Journey to the West official website opened, detailing story, systems, and characters. (Gematsu)
PICROSS S KONAMI ANTIQUES edition was announced for Switch. (Gematsu)
Dragon Quest X is getting a Gemini-powered AI slime companion called Chatty Slimey. (PC Gamer)
Thanks for reading, until next time :)