Patch Notes #66 - weekly gaming digest
Welcome to the 66th edition of Patch Notes.
This edition will cover the week from 6 April to 12 April.
Let’s get this bad boy going.
What caught my attention
Team Liquid killed the final boss during the Race to World First. Celebrations started. Then L’ura came back. Secret phase. It had been datamined, but nobody expected it to look like this.
Liquid progressed on it, went to sleep, and assumed Echo would close the gap overnight. Echo got to sub 1% instead (again, after Dimensius). Then Liquid woke up, finished the job, 473 pulls deep into a two-week grind. Four wins in a row.
Nobody does this like Blizzard.
TLDR
A24’s Elden Ring movie, adapted by Alex Garland, is set for 2027. (Polygon)
Former Halo Studios art director and employees accuse the studio of harassment, bullying, and a cover-up of retaliation. (Game Developer)
Riot Games unveils a major overhaul for VCT 2027 with open Cups and new qualification paths — the biggest structural reset competitive VALORANT has seen. (Sheep Esports)
Super Mario becomes the only animated franchise to open above $350M globally twice, with Galaxy at $372.5M. (VGC)
Pete Hines says he left Bethesda because he didn’t want to watch it get damaged and abused after the Microsoft acquisition. (PC Gamer)
Biggest releases of the week
Full roundup
Wizards of the Coast is uploading the old Dungeons & Dragons cartoon, with the first 11 episodes now available to watch. (PC Gamer)
Doki Doki Literature Club has been pulled from Google Play Store for violating Terms of Service over its depiction of sensitive themes. (Eurogamer)
Blizzard wins injunction against vanilla WoW private server Turtle WoW following a cease and desist. (PC Gamer)
A24’s Elden Ring movie is being adapted by writer-director Alex Garland for a 2027 release. (Polygon)
Marvel Rivals creative director says the game is going to become a comprehensive Marvel “moving anime” experience. (PC Gamer)
Gine, Gevous and Vil named as League of Legends head coaches for Italy, Netherlands and Austria at Esports Nations Cup 2026. (Sheep Esports)
ESL FACEIT Group faces financial challenges despite Saudi involvement and backing. (Sheep Esports)
Hades II will receive bonus content in an update on April 14 alongside Xbox and PS5 releases. (Nintendo Life)
The Rogue Prince of Persia physical release is now available on Switch 1 and 2, standard edition at $34.99 and Immortal Edition at $49.99. (Nintendo Life)
FGC shocked at Capcom’s low prize pools for Street Fighter 6 CPT tournaments despite Capcom Cup 12’s large payout. (Esports Insider)
Epic Games will release an extraction shooter with Disney characters by end of year. (Eurogamer)
City Masterplan is a highly realistic city-builder positioned as the first real competition Cities: Skylines has seen in over a decade. (PC Gamer)
VALORANT esports is being affected by Patch 11.08, which reduced agent utility to rebalance gunplay and abilities. (Esports Insider)
Riot Phroxzon, League’s Lead Gameplay Designer, admits the volume of changes made in 2025 felt like too much for players. (Sheep Esports)
Arvindir set as Germany LoL coach and Kapio selected for VALORANT at Esports Nations Cup. (Sheep Esports)
Pete Hines says he left Bethesda because he did not want to watch it get damaged and abused after the Microsoft acquisition. (PC Gamer)
Capcom Pro Tour 2026 schedule updated with changes to regions and qualification processes. (Hotspawn)
Blizzard is reworking old Overwatch heroes starting in season 2, with Mercy, Pharah and Reaper all getting changes. (Polygon)
Twitch star calls out Mr. Beast over discomfort during his April 2025 Kick livestream to raise $5 million for clean water. (Polygon)
Funcom is pivoting Dune: Awakening to PvE-first after data showed 80% of players never engaged with PvP. (Polygon)
Amazon Luna no longer allows owners to buy games, access game stores, or third-party subscriptions. (IGN)
Riot Games Korea posted over $330 million in revenues with positive net income for FY 2025. (Hotspawn)
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, which sold over 1.5 million copies, is coming to iOS and Android with cross-save. (Eurogamer)
WoW’s next patch drops in just over a week, bringing world content and a new gearing method from ally Decimus. (PC Gamer)
Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.2 anniversary update launches April 22 with limited 5-star characters Silver Wolf LV.999 and Evanescia. (RPG Site)
Mortal Kombat II movie trailer features a cameo by MK co-creator Ed Boon, releasing May 8, 2026. (Nintendo Life)
Mario Kart World updated to Version 1.6.1, fixing speed boost failures and game-ending bugs when switching between local and online play. (Nintendo Life)
Honor of Kings: World closed PC alpha test registration is now open in select countries across North America, Europe and Southeast Asia. (RPG Site)
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam release window pushed to late 2026 for Switch, Switch 2, PS5 and PC. (Siliconera)
Gunzilla CEO apologizes over contractor payment delays, attributing some to company cash flow scheduling. (VGC)
Nexon subsidiary Neople reorganized development teams as The First Berserker: Khazan enters its final stage, with no layoffs announced. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Esports still faces ongoing sexist situations despite increased diversity and willingness to speak up, per Ève “Colomblbl” Monvoisin. (Esports Insider)
DecaPolice platforms updated to Switch 2, PS5 and PC via Steam, dropping all previous-gen platforms. (RPG Site)
Crimson Desert dev update reveals plans for difficulty settings, boss rematches and additional content across platforms. (RPG Site)
WoW fans spot a hint suggesting Blizzard may revisit the game’s least popular expansion in Midnight via a purple character plot twist. (IGN)
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse developers are carefully positioning it as a metroidvania without using the word. (PC Gamer)
Nintendo released Hello Yoshi for Switch, Android and iOS, free of charge, reviving the face-pulling antics of Super Mario 64. (Polygon)
Of 500+ AI tools tested by Keywords Studios, only half a dozen proved genuinely useful, with AI still described as in a chaos phase. (VGC)
Triple-i Initiative Showcase featured 40 game announcements including Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, new Temtem and Don’t Starve installments. (Polygon)
Crema unveiled Temtem: Pioneers, a survival spin-off targeting the Palworld audience. (Eurogamer)
Arkane Lyon imsim veteran says Crimson Desert does what other games do backwards, calling it a beautiful freak of nature. (PC Gamer)
Ninjas in Pyjamas laid off Swedish staff and moved operations to Abu Dhabi. (Hotspawn)
Valor Mortis, a first-person soulslike from Lyrical Games and One More Level, launches Fall 2026. (RPG Site)
Nintendo confirms a summer release date for Rhythm Heaven / Paradise Groove on Switch. (VGC)
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition pre-orders on Amazon list the Switch 2 Game-Key Card at $79.99. (Nintendo Life)
Final Fantasy 14 patch 7.5 site teases a potential return to the void for the next expansion. (PC Gamer)
Xbox Achievements getting a major overhaul including the option to hide embarrassing games, pop-up customization and highlighting 100% completions. (Eurogamer)
Avalanche co-founder says Liquid Swords’ debut game Samson launched with unacceptable bugs. (VGC)
Three Namco NES games, including Game Freak’s first ever game, join Switch Online Nintendo Classics. (VGC)
Mortal Kombat 1 has surpassed eight million units sold since September 2023 across all platforms. (Nintendo Life)
Memento set to lead Morocco’s League of Legends team at Esports Nations Cup. (Sheep Esports)
Esports Nations Cup 2026 VALORANT rosters and coaches selection updated with confirmed names and reported leaks. (Sheep Esports)
FGC willing to gatekeep Evo against Tyler1 competing in Street Fighter 6. (Esports Insider)
A WoW player recreated Counter-Strike’s Dust 2 inside the game’s housing tools, including a car made of wood, doormats and fruit plates. (PC Gamer)
Papers, Please and Obra Dinn developer Lucas Pope won’t talk about his current project for fear it gets scraped by AI. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Overwatch’s new hero Sierra revealed with a grappling hook ability and strong lore hooks in her trailer. (GameSpot)
Sierra’s new ability could dethrone Jetpack Cat as the most banned hero in Overwatch ranked. (PC Gamer)
Hazelight Studios has passed 50 million units sold across A Way Out, It Takes Two and Split Fiction. (Eurogamer)
Landfall’s new publishing label Evil Landfall will finance short-cycle, silly indie titles. (Game Developer)
James Bond game 007 First Light delayed on Switch 2, still on track for May 27 on PS5, PC and Xbox Series X. (Polygon)
Previously unseen early Tomb Raider: Legend gameplay footage has surfaced as the game turns 20. (Eurogamer)
Pokémon Champions launched to mixed reception due to performance issues and competitive changes. (Eurogamer)
No Man’s Sky Xeno Arena update adds a full Pokemon-style creature-collection and battle system as a standalone multiplayer mode. (PC Gamer)
Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined updated to Version 1.2.0 on Switch 1 and 2, fixing progression issues. (Nintendo Life)
F-Zero 99 updated to Version 1.7.1, addressing multiple issues. (Nintendo Life)
Forza Horizon 6 is reportedly getting a limited edition Xbox wireless controller and headset. (VGC)
Assassin’s Creed Shadows update adds PSSR 2 upscaling for PS5 Pro and keyboard/mouse support on Switch 2. (VGC)
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen will receive the BAFTA Fellowship at this year’s BAFTA Game Awards. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Spain selects mithy for LoL, thinkii for VALORANT and MusambaN1 for CS2 at ENC 2026. (Sheep Esports)
French Flair eliminated from EMEA Masters, ending the project before reaching top 4. (Sheep Esports)
Riot Games unveils a major overhaul for VALORANT Champions Tour 2027 with open Cups, new qualification paths and expanded global tournaments. (Sheep Esports)
Capcom teases Okami 20th anniversary celebrations later this month. (Nintendo Life)
Bungie is strengthening its zero-tolerance cheating policy in Marathon amid growing player frustration, also addressing toxicity and stream sniping. (PC Gamer)
Cyberpunk 2077’s new PS5 Pro update with enhanced support rolls out Thursday. (Polygon)
A dataminer discovered an unused Elden Ring cutscene in Malenia’s boss map involving Miquella. (Polygon)
A Pokopia player spent 260 hours over 22 days recreating an underground Cyberpunk city. (PC Gamer)
Team Liquid becomes 4-peat WoW Race to World First champions after 473 pulls and a dramatic secret final phase. (PC Gamer)
WoW’s Race to World First featured an ultra-secret final raid phase on March on Quel’Danas that blindsided the entire field. (IGN)
Raven Software co-founder Brian Raffel retires after 36 years in the games industry. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Sea of Stars is now available on iOS and Android with a 10% launch discount until April 14. (RPG Site)
Nintendo Switch 2 System Update 22.1.0 is now live with stability improvements. (Nintendo Life)
France manager YellOwStaR addresses the Caliste/Hans Sama debate and CS2 constraints for ZywOo and apEX at Esports Nations Cup. (Sheep Esports)
Riftbound French release set for May 29 with an accelerated roadmap targeting global sync by Radiance in October 2026. (Sheep Esports)
Former Halo Studios art director and employees accuse the studio of harassment, bullying and retaliation cover-up. (Game Developer)
Magic: The Gathering’s TMNT Universes Beyond set includes the Big Apple, 3 a.m. card. (GameSpot)
Pragmata features a mysterious lunar setting and puzzle-action combat blend. (GameSpot)
Monolith Soft talks up Ganondorf’s design in a new Tears of the Kingdom development interview. (Nintendo Life)
Super Mario becomes the only animated movie series to open globally above $350M twice, with Galaxy at $372.5M. (VGC)