Patch Notes #67 - weekly gaming digest

Welcome to the 67th edition of Patch Notes.

This edition will cover the week from 20 April to 26 April.

Let’s get this bad boy going.

What caught my attention

Lord of Hatred drops this week, and I’m genuinely excited. The original Diablo 4 campaign was something special - the lead-up to Inarius vs Lilith, the music, the cinematics, the buildup. One of the best slices of storytelling I’ve played in years. Vessel of Hatred kept the thread going. People can say what they want about Blizzard’s handling of live service and seasons, but they always deliver on cinematics.

Since launch, they’ve been quietly grinding the rest into shape too: the endgame is in a good place, Season of Loot was actually fun, and the overall direction finally feels like they know what they’re building toward. Lord of Hatred adds a Warlock and a Paladin… But I’ll play Mage. Always mage.

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TLDR

1. Xbox's new leadership mission statement — Asha Sharma and Matt Booty officially reevaluate exclusivity, rebrand Microsoft Gaming back to Xbox, and admit PC presence isn’t good enough. New era or new PR? (IGN)

2. Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred — Launches April 28 with a Korn collab, new classes, and new end-game systems. Most anticipated expansion of the year. (GameSpot)

3. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hits 8 million sales — One year in, it’s still the benchmark. Anniversary update live, Steam sale running. (Game Developer)

4. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced revealed — Full remake by Ubisoft Singapore, the studio that spent a decade on Skull and Bones, launching July 2026. (Polygon)

5. Pragmata hits 1 million copies in two days — Resident Evil Requiem at 7 million, now this. Capcom is on a generational run and doesn’t look like slowing down. (RPG Site)

Biggest releases of the week

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Rest of the news

• At North American Fan Fest 2026, Naoki Yoshida announced FFXIV 8.0 Evercold with character creation overhaul, a seasons system and weekly content shift, a 24-person Evangelion raid series Ghosts of Desire, Switch 2 performance targeting stable 30fps, and half-jokingly requested pitches for a single-player spinoff. (Siliconera) (GameSpot) (RPG Site) (PC Gamer)

• Square Enix shut down a Japanese content creator for the second month running for harassing Final Fantasy 14 staff, with compensation agreed. (VGC)

• New Xbox leadership (Asha Sharma, Matt Booty) reevaluates exclusivity, affordability, and third-party partnerships, reverts Microsoft Gaming name back to Xbox, and unveils a new logo as part of a ‘we can change’ mission statement. ID@Xbox 2026 Showcase also announced with reveals including Vaporworld, Mistfall Hunter, Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions, and Solo Leveling Arise Overdrive. (IGN) (Eurogamer) (IGN)

• Assassin’s Creed Hexe game director Benoit Richer announced his departure from Ubisoft via LinkedIn post. (IGN)

• Ubisoft reportedly canceled social-sim game Alterra after nearly three years at Ubisoft Montreal. (Game Developer)

• Sandfall Interactive released a new update for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s one-year anniversary adding cosmetics with a Steam sale. (Polygon)

• Capcom held a Resident Evil party featuring Geoff Keighley as Resident Evil Requiem reached 7 million sales. (VGC)

• Capcom thanked Shoji Kawamori for helping with Pragmata world-building and anime-style sci-fi feel. (VGC)

• Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred gameplay deep dive released alongside Korn collaboration song ‘Reward The Scars’. (RPG Site)

• Overwatch crossover with Diablo 4 for 30th anniversary and Lord of Hatred brings back four skins and adds five new ones plus two free Twitch Drop charms starting April 28. (GameSpot)

• World of Warcraft’s latest patch contains numerous bugs prompting player concerns about Blizzard’s stability. (PC Gamer)

• Sega launched Sega Universe project to revive older IP with film, music, fashion, and entertainment under ‘No old, stay gold’ theme. (VGC)

• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie earned $747M at global box office, pushing the franchise past $2 billion with two films. (Game Developer)

• Shigeru Miyamoto expressed surprise at harsh reviews for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie which he helped make. (Eurogamer)

• Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed Princess Peach’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie lineage as canon in Mario games. (GameSpot)

• A24 and Alex Garland’s Elden Ring movie stars Kit Connor, Ben Whishaw, Cailee Spaeny, Tom Burke releasing March 3, 2028 in IMAX. (Polygon)

• Larian publishing chief Michael Douse aims to demolish Steam records more than Baldur’s Gate 3 with the studio’s next release. (PC Gamer)

• Windrose sold 1 million copies and reached 222,134 peak concurrent Steam users on April 19 also topping Steam charts. (GameSpot)

• Forza Horizon 6 reportedly pre-sold 500,000 copies on Steam a month before launch. (GamesIndustry.biz)

• South Korean prime minister celebrated Crimson Desert stating K-games can shine as a pillar of K-content. (PC Gamer)

• Crimson Desert update adds boss changes, easy and hard difficulty options, more storage, control tweaks, and new cats. (Eurogamer)

• Genshin Impact’s next major region Snezhnaya launches August 12 as announced by miHoYo. (Gematsu)

• Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.8 introduces a new team comp mechanic and launches on Steam as announced in a Special Program by HoYoverse. (VG247)

• Housemarque improved its narrative process for Saros focusing on pacing, production, and performances. (Game Developer)

• Enter the Gungeon creators marked its 10th anniversary by commenting on the modern roguelike genre’s evolution after selling over 14 million copies. (PC Gamer)

• Dragon Ball New Game Project “AGE 1000” revealed as Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 for 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series, PC Steam. (RPG Site)

• Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Super Limit Breaking NEO expansion DLC announced for summer. (Eurogamer)

• SonicFox and GO1 rematch in Dragon Ball FighterZ at Battle Hour 2026 resembled an anime fight. (Polygon)

• Dragon Ball FighterZ Update 1.50 released on Switch adding Goku (SS4, Daima) DLC and balance adjustments. (Nintendo Life)

• Toei forming gaming division starting with original IP as Kamen Rider and Power Rangers owner. (VGC)

• Koei Tecmo predicts 50% higher profit for FY2026 than forecast due to strong game sales and investments. (VGC)

• Behaviour Interactive laid off staff due to declined demand for mobile and casual external development projects. (PC Gamer)

• Iron Galaxy Studios announced more layoffs after early 2025 cuts while working on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4. (Eurogamer)

• Fired Unknown Worlds executives withdrew their claim that Krafton violated a court order by announcing Subnautica 2 release date. (Game Developer)

• Nagoshi Studio deleted its YouTube channel and all Gang of Dragon videos leaving only the Game Awards 2025 trailer. (GameSpot)

• Jolina Gisèle owns a Pokémon card collection spanning over 60,000 rare cards including multiples of Pikachu Illustrator and shadowless base set Charizard. (Polygon)

• RuneScape emergency patch rollback addressed bug giving players trillions of runes causing economic damage risk. (PC Gamer)

• Fortnite star David “D4vd” Burke charged with first-degree murder of Celeste Rivas by LA District Attorney. (Polygon)

• Clash of Clans added “Foot Tribute” bundle featuring Archer Queen. (GameSpot)

• Masters of Albion early access review notes it resurrects elements from Fable, Dungeon Keeper, and Black & White by 22Cans. (VGC)

• NTE: Neverness to Everness announced Persona 5 music crossover post-launch during Launch Preview Special Program. (Siliconera)

• Wistoria: Wand and Sword creators joined season 2 director Hideaki Nakano for a behind-the-scenes interview on the anime. (Polygon)

• Annapurna revealed Switch 2 titles including Sayonara Wild Hearts, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Stray, to a T, and Wanderstop with two out now. (Vooks)

• Yacht Club Games announced Mina the Hollower has gone gold ahead of its spring 2026 launch. (Nintendo Life)

• Heart Machine’s Possessor(s) launches on Switch 2 on April 29 published by Devolver Digital. (Nintendo Life)

• Splatoon Raiders Switch 2 physical edition priced at $59.99 releasing July 23 with box art revealed. (Nintendo Life)

• New Shiver, Frye, and Big Man Splatoon Raiders Edition amiibo launch July 23 alongside the game. (Nintendo Life)

• Disgaea Mayhem launches July 23 for PS5, Switch 2, Switch, and Steam. (RPG Site)

• Valve confirmed CS2 Cache map release for next week after teases including an X header change. (Hotspawn)

• Blizzard patched Overwatch on Switch 2 fixing FPS cap issue after poor launch performance. (Eurogamer)

• Street Fighter 6 DLC character Ingrid received gameplay trailer and release date. (Eurogamer)

• Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves ‘Wolves’ Destiny’ update detailed with new trailers by SNK. (Gematsu)

• Nioh 3 free update on April 27 adds Battle Scrolls side missions and rewards enhancing endgame. (Siliconera)

• Stardust: Wish of Witch pixel art strategy RPG launches on Steam May 28. (RPG Site)

• Brigandine Abyss launches August 26 for PC and August 27 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2. (RPG Site)

• Aion 2 global version releases 2026 for PC via Steam with servers in North America, South America, Europe, and Japan, set 200 years after the 2008 original. (RPG Site)

• Beast of Reincarnation physical releases revealed for PS5 and Xbox Series X with pre-orders live. (RPG Site)

• Manafinder II pixel-art RPG set for PC release in 2027 as standalone sequel. (RPG Site)

• Wuchang: Fallen Feathers vinyl soundtrack available for pre-order in two variants shipping September 2026. (RPG Site)

• IO Interactive released trailer for 007 First Light highlighting Q Branch, Tactical Simulation Mode, outfits, and spycraft rules ahead of Switch 2 summer release. (Nintendo Life)

• Ecco the Dolphin Complete announced containing the first two games and a new contemporary game led by original creator Ed Annunziata. (VGC)

• Okami director Hideki Kamiya shared 20th anniversary message as sequel development continues. (Eurogamer)

• Supergiant Games announced a hotfix update for Hades II soon after a Switch update adding bonus content and fixes. (Nintendo Life)

• Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream received Version 1.0.1 update addressing several issues. (Nintendo Life)

• Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream topped physical sales in France ahead of Resident Evil: Requiem. (Eurogamer)

• Mario Tennis Fever received Version 1.0.3 update on Switch 2. (Nintendo Life)

• Pokemon Pokopia patch 1.0.4 addresses Pokemon Center relocation and event-related issues. (Siliconera)

• Yoshi and the Mysterious Book introduces systemic gameplay unique among Nintendo platformers in hands-on preview. (VGC)

• Bubsy 4D demo released for consoles after prior PC availability. (Gematsu)

• T1 support Keria re-signed with the organization until 2029. (Sheep Esports)

• Solary won their first EMEA Masters title defeating Galions in the final. (Sheep Esports)

• Royal Never Give Up (RNG) left LPL after rumors confirming its collapse as one of China’s greatest esports teams. (Hotspawn)

• FlyQuest criticized co-streaming amid a T1 loss, missing English broadcast, and other chaotic developments in League of Legends esports including G2 HEL revival. (Esports Insider)

• Esports Nations Cup 2026 League of Legends rosters and coaches listed for event in Saudi Arabia from November 21 to 29 after Worlds 2026. (Hotspawn)

• Dplus Kia reported $18 million capital deficit with 2025 revenues dropping 26% year-on-year. (Hotspawn)

• Fnatic CGO cArn stated the LEC team’s internal situation is healthier than perceived externally ahead of KC Roadtrip. (Sheep Esports)

• Former Dota 2 pro Tommy “Taiga” Le received a lifetime ban from Esports Integrity Commission. (Hotspawn)

• Esports hype is declining but events like Evo provide an answer by avoiding mainstream pursuits according to Esports Insider. (Esports Insider)

Thank you for reading, until next time!

Rachid