Hello friends,

Today is April 21st 2026 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌

In today’s news:

• 🎮 New Don’t Starve Game Announced

• 🎮 Valor Mortis Gets A Release Window

• 🎮 Alkahest Gameplay Reveal

• 🎮 A Free DLC For Cairn Announced

• 🎮 Long Gone Revealed

• 🎮 No Zombie Animals in State Of Decay 3

• 🎮 Plants vs Zombies 3 Tries To Release For Almost A Decade

• 🫡 True Tribute!

• 😄 Personal Update

All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️

Let’s dig in!

Another showcase has taken place recently, and it’s the Triple-i Initiative. A lot of new things were announced, and today I wanted to cover as much of it as I can. Here’s my personal Top 5:

🎮 New Don’t Starve Game Announced

Triple-i Initiative brought a lot of interesting things this year, and one of them is the announcement of Don’t Starve Elsewhere!

The newest entry in the Don’t Starve lineup maintains the beloved survival-crafting loop, but with a bunch of new twists. According to the official description, the game will have all-new biomes, rife with danger, precious resources, and various climates in a procedurally-generated world. Also, it will introduce a new hazard system called the Fog that curses all it touches, but apparently contains its own secrets to explore. This game also seems to have improved visuals while still maintaining the signature art style as well as familiar heroes. And it will also have a full-fledged multiplayer, just like Don’t Starve Together.

The only downside is that there is no official release date yet and no pricing details.

And this is huge! So far, the track record of Klei Entertainment is absolutely impeccable with Don’t Starve. Both the original game and the multiplayer sequel still have Overwhelmingly Positive reviews and strong commercial numbers. And since the studio is not trying to reinvent the wheel here, just building and improving on the solid foundation they already have, there is no reason to believe that this game will be anything but another success. The only thing that could go wrong is the fact that the market is a little oversaturated with survival and sandbox games right now, but since this game is a bit unique, I don’t think it poses too big a threat.

Are you excited about the new Don’t Starve game?

🎮 Valor Mortis Gets A Release Window

Another thing that was announced during the Triple-i Initiative recently is a release window for this Napoleon first-person souls-like. The game is set to be released in Fall 2026.

If you missed it, Valor Mortis is set in an alternate 19th-century Europe shaped by Napoleon’s wars and a supernatural plague. And along with the release window, One More Level also showed a bunch of new interesting gameplay. Along with that, some outlets had a bunch of interviews with the developers, like Insider Gaming, for example. And according to them, one hour with Valor Mortis felt like seconds, so they even think that it might be a sleeper Game Of The Year contender.

Personally, I don’t know about that, but looking at the trailers, the game looks incredibly polished indeed. What I think is more likely is that it will become a very respected mid-tier action game. After all, it’s a new IP with gameplay that might not be for everyone. First-person melee combat is harder to tune for broad appeal than conventional third-person action, as animation readability, spacing clarity, and perceived fairness become more fragile in this perspective. And since this game doesn’t have the pull of a big franchise, an overwhelmingly positive review consensus or unusually strong attention from content creators, I think this game might have a ceiling.

Still, if it’s at least mildly successful, it could pave the way for a new generation of souls-likes centred around the first-person perspective and then the next game will definitely be a Game Of The Year.

🎮 Alkahest Gameplay Reveal

Medieval action RPG from Push On also got a fresh trailer with its first gameplay reveal.

If you don’t know what it is, Alkahest is a game where satisfying melee combat with highly interactive environments takes centre stage, and you explore realistic locations, learn alchemy and make a name for your family. And the footage shows us as much. There is quite a lot of combat, environmental interactions, encounters with different goblins and quite a lot of alchemy. The studio also firmly believes in quality over quantity. So, the world won’t be a massive open world. Instead, it will be smaller, but completely packed with secrets and reactive systems to keep players entertained. Also, they cited titles like Dishonored and Dark Messiah as their primary inspirations, and those are great games to aim for.

Unfortunately, the game still doesn’t have a release date.

And this is yet another strong AA game. Those kicks, finishers, reactive environments, alchemy, and weapons look absolutely amazing. Which is already enough to attract not huge, but a very selective and dedicated audience if the game ends up being polished enough. Since it’s a project from a recently formed small indie studio, it’s unlikely to outspend competitors on sheer content volume or cinematic density. But the depth is already there.

So, while it’s almost impossible for a title like this to earn billions of dollars, I think it should perform strongly enough to sustain the new studio and also open up opportunities for new games moving forward. So, I’ll definitely keep an eye on it.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this button is just for you ⤵️

Let Me In 📩

🎮 A Free DLC For Cairn Announced

Cairn has already earned a lot of attention from players around the world, and what better way to keep that attention than a free DLC?

On the Trail: Deep Water is the first free DLC in a planned “On the Trail” series and will introduce three new climbing areas, each with its own set of challenges. Also, it looks like this expansion will add the ability to climb over water if falling is a concern for you. And this DLC launches in Summer 2026, so you won’t have to wait too long.

And for what was supposed to be a small indie launch, this game is sure making a big splash. Aside from some impressive milestones, like reaching 200,000 copies sold in just 4 days, Cairn also earned almost universal praise from both fans and critics, with Steam reviews stably sitting at Very Positive. But kudos to The Game Bakers as they clearly saw the opportunity here to transform this title into a long-tail premium brand instead of a one-off release.

With a strong reception and numbers like that, it’s definitely a smart move. And honestly, I think even if they charged money for this DLC, I think a lot of players still bought it. But it looks like retention and reputation are more valuable for them than money, which is also always a smart place to invest.

🎮 Long Gone Revealed

If you enjoy pixel graphics and stories similar to The Last of Us, this game will be just for you.

Long Gone is a 3D pixel narrative adventure where you explore an abandoned suburban neighbourhood decades after the outbreak. The main goal is to solve environmental puzzles with your cat companion and uncover the secret lives of the people long gone through the belongings they left behind. Oh, and of course, to watch out for zombies. The game is set to release in 2027.

What’s curious about this game is that, according to the website, it’s a solo-developed project and it has already passed 250,000 wishlists even before it was featured during Triple-i Initiative. So, the interest is definitely already there, and it’s usually the hardest part for an indie game, getting the word out. Now the biggest concern is the actual delivery, especially since it’s a solo development effort.

And even though I’m not a huge fan of pixel graphics, the game looks and sounds fantastic. With such a presentation, the features and non-combat zombie tension, all it needs is a compelling story, and we are going to have a very solid game.

Now, of course, there was a lot more stuff announced during Triple-i. So, if you want to check out the rest of the announcements, here’s a good breakdown from Insider Gaming.

And in the meantime, let’s move on to the rest of the industry

🎮 No Zombie Animals in State Of Decay 3

And the developers also admit that they announced the game waaay too early.

According to an interview with Sunny Games, Head of Undead Labs, Philip Holt said that when State of Decay 3 was announced back in 2020, the game was still just a Word document and the team had only four or five people at the time. So, the trailer that we all saw was basically just a concept showcasing the initial ideas that Undead Labs wanted to explore. But as the development ramped up, some of those ideas didn’t work out that well. Which is why Holt also officially confirmed that there will be no undead animals in the game, despite the absolutely terrifying zombie deer we all saw in the trailer. Unfortunately, he decided not to reveal anything else, like whether we will see a snow biome or if the game is going to have some sort of camping feature.

I guess we’ll have to see what is or isn’t there when the alpha playtest starts.

And I think now is the perfect time to start aligning the expectations. It’s not uncommon for game developers to share things prematurely. I mean, we just heard Todd Howard say the same thing about The Elder Scrolls 6. Since this game is just getting back into the public eye, they definitely don’t want the community asking all those uncomfortable questions. The studio might suffer a minor reputational hit right now, but it builds a stronger foundation of transparency going forward. And the bottom line is that these situations are normal in game development. You throw a bunch of ideas at the wall and see what sticks. If it doesn’t, it’s actually a good idea to cut it out. Even if you previously advertised it. Of course, it’s not your best and unique selling point 😅

It’s definitely a smart way for Undead Labs to get ahead and improve how the market reads future footage, as I’m sure once the playtest starts, we are going to see a lot of it, as well as people comparing what they play vs what we all saw in the trailers.

🎮 Plants vs Zombies 3 Tries To Release For Almost A Decade

While we are on the subject of Zombies, some of you should probably remember this highly addictive game that rocked the world back in the day. And now, almost 20 years later, the company still struggles to produce the third part in this franchise.

Since the initial development started almost ten years ago, Plants vs. Zombies 3: Evolved is in soft launch again on iPhone and Android devices in Ireland and the Philippines, before a wider rollout beginning in the UK and Singapore over the next couple of months. And it’s the third time this game has tried to launch. The company announced soft launches before, specifically in 2020 and then a second one in 2021, with a broader soft launch in 2024. After that, the game was removed from all stores for a major overhaul, and now they are back at it.

With that said, PopCap said in a recent blog post that the current Early Access is as early as it gets. Meaning that the features in the game are still under review and are subject to change. So, the game is still growing, so to speak 😅

We don’t talk about mobile games too much, but the struggle is real. Whether it’s a AAA blockbuster or a mobile free-to-play game, it takes a lot to succeed right now, which is why it’s understandable why it takes so long for these guys to come up with the concept that works. And this game is honestly not in the worst possible state. This IP is still widely recognisable and has a decent fan base, so the opportunities to test are definitely there. The only concern is the internal pressure. I doubt that EA is too happy about the fact that their next prime game is still not producing any revenue after 10 years of development.

So, let’s hope they eventually rescue this franchise before the publisher pulls the plug.

🫡 True Tribute!

Today I wanted to salute and !

Amazing Gaming Productions

Going Indie? Join a Community!

This time a year ago, I stopped being a lone wolf indie creative…

Read more

a month ago · 2 likes · Mark from AGP

I absolutely admire people who build communities. In fact, some of you might remember some futile attempts from yours truly to do the same 😅 But it didn’t work as I bit more than I could chew. With that said, I absolutely agree with that community is very important, especially if you are trying to build something. Great points all around.

And I’m glad to be part of our whole Substack community with people like that! 😉

😄 Personal Update

Another huge thing happened recently. I finally received my PR card 🍁🎉

So, this means that I can start planning some trips to visit my family and friends in Europe after the long 3 years of being away from them. And I can’t express how excited I’m about this 😁

The only downside is that the flights are really not cheap, but oh well. Also, if you are planning to visit Europe sometime during September this year and want to grab some coffee or something and talk shop about game development, give me a nudge 😉

This is all the news I have for you folks today.

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great week!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

Hello friends,

Today is April 16th 2026 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌

In today’s news:

• 🎮 Most People Don’t Want DLSS 5

• 🎮 Take-Two Lays Off Head Of AI

• 🎮 Dead By Daylight 2 Is Not Happening

• 🎮 Star Wars Eclipse Development Is Very Slow

• 🎮 Jason Blundell Forms A New Studio, Again

• 🎮 Mass Effect TV Show Aims To Be Mass Market

• 🎮 Blizzard Changes Controversial Character

• 🫡 True Tribute!

• 😄 Personal Update

All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️

Let’s dig in!

🎮 Most People Don’t Want DLSS 5

While Nvidia still tries to convince gamers worldwide that DLSS 5 is a good thing and one of the biggest visual innovations in recent history, the majority of people seem to be against it.

The news about this new technology spread like a plague, and the reception remains mixed. So mixed, in fact, that according to some internal polling from PC Gamer, 71% of people say they would never use it. What’s even more interesting is that 37% of them say that they are refusing it out of principle, and even if a game has it, they would never enable it.

In the meantime, Nvidia’s CEO says that people are completely wrong to judge DLSS 5 so harshly. He emphasises that it’s not pure Gen AI and it won’t interfere with the artistic control or art direction of a game, as all aspects of this tech are in direct control of the game developer. But everything he says does nothing to calm the majority of players.

But the harsh reality is that widespread adoption does not require universal emotional approval. Nvidia has a lot of pull already by itself and quite a bit of support from partner companies to continue moving forward with this. So, while this technology is probably not going to be beloved by everyone, there is a good chance that major AAA titles and studios will eventually adopt it to appeal to their player base with more premium hardware.

Also, it’s worth noting that while this feature is still widely disapproved, we still haven’t really touched it or played any games that use it. So it’s easy to throw stones at it now, since it’s just a small demo video.

The big question is how many people change their minds after we finally get our hands on it?

🎮 Take-Two Lays Off Head Of AI

While major corporations are still learning how to navigate such a sensitive topic as AI, Take-Two Interactive decided to shake things up by laying off its Head of AI as well as its entire AI team.

Luke Dicken, who was heading the AI department, announced his departure on LinkedIn recently and said that his time and that of his team had ended at Take Two. Dicken shared that he and his team have been developing cutting-edge technology to support game development for 7 years now, and asked everybody to help in finding these awesome, talented folks new positions. With that, it’s still unclear how many people were affected.

Unfortunately, Take-Two refused to comment on why the entire team was let go and what the future holds for this specific department.

And that is a bit weird. Just recently, the CEO of Take-Two shared that while AI is not necessarily crucial for game development, it could be quite useful. The company also made statements that they will continue to “explore and invest in new technologies, particularly AI”, to find efficiencies during game development. And now it looks like they are shifting gears entirely. Maybe not abandoning the entire direction, but at least drastically deprioritising it. Or at least that’s what it looks like. This could also mean that the industry is slowly moving into a post-hype phase, when this direction doesn’t need a huge team and, just like every other department, has to prove that it has some value first.

But then again, it’s all pure speculation at this point.

Is it possible that the AI bubble is beginning to slowly burst? What do you think?

🎮 Dead By Daylight 2 Is Not Happening

For those of you who have been enjoying this serial killer simulator, the developers have some bad news, as it looks like the sequel is not in the cards.

During the recent GDC, IGN talked with the developers of Dead by Daylight from Behaviour Interactive, and they basically shut down any possibilities of a sequel. They said that they thought about it numerous times, as well as about making some sort of remake, but from their perspective, it doesn’t make sense for their players. The developers don’t want their fans to repurchase a sequel and lose the value and the time they are spending in the current ecosystem.

Instead, they want to focus more on the existing game, make it feel more current, and carry it “into the next decade.”

And that kind of makes sense. According to their hiring ads, the game has 70+ million players, 5+ million monthly active users, more than $1 billion in lifetime revenue, and over $200 million in annual revenue. Those are not weak numbers, especially because the game is quite niche. Also, according to Steam Charts at least, the number of people playing Dead by Daylight has been growing year over year, and the game sits comfortably in Steam’s top 20 when it comes to concurrent players.

That’s not something you see every day, especially with a game that’s approaching its 10th anniversary. By the looks of it, Behavioural Interactive would actually be shooting themselves in the foot if they decided to do a sequel. The only concern is that games as old as this usually struggle a lot to be current. Not because the game mechanics are outdated, but because the technology moves very fast when it comes to game engines and graphics.

Sooner or later, the moment will come, and either the devs will need to do a massive top-to-bottom update or rethink this “no sequel” approach. At least that’s what I think 🤷

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this button is just for you ⤵️

Let Me In 📩

🎮 Star Wars Eclipse Development Is Very Slow

After the initial announcement in 2021 during The Game Awards, Star Wars Eclipse was very quiet, but now, we have a small and somewhat troubling update.

According to Insider Gaming, the progress with this title has been very slow, and it is still at the stage where we are looking at years before the game is actually completed. Which is ok in itself, but sources close to the game also say that Eclipse might also be in financial jeopardy. According to them, both Quantic Dream and NetEase are relying heavily on Spellcasters Chronicles, a new MOBA recently released in Early Access. Essentially, the studio is running out of money, and the goal is to take the revenue from Spellcasters and funnel it into Eclipse.

The most troubling thing is that these sources say that if this MOBA fails, NetEase is expected to reevaluate its commitment to the studio and could opt to discontinue further investment.

To be honest, I wasn’t even aware of Spellcasters, and I’m the person who a) plays MOBA games and b) follows the industry very closely. Based on the Mixed reviews and fewer than 100 people playing it, at least based on Steam numbers, it doesn’t look like the future of this title is too bright. To be fair, it’s in Early Access, so everything is not completely lost, but definitely not the reception NetEase wanted.

And I find it horrible! Specifically because of two things.

First of all, what genius decided that it’s a good idea for Quantic Dream to make a live service title? Especially in a niche already occupied by Dota 2 and League of Legends. I mean, this is a studio responsible for Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human, absolutely amazing narrative games. None of their previous titles has anything to do with either free-to-play, MOBA or live-service operations.

Secondly, I understand that everybody is disgustingly greedy and wants to scratch that live-service itch by any means necessary, but are they really going to scrap the entire studio with so much experience in a different genre just because they couldn’t produce a MOBA that tops all the charts? It’s like hiring a top-tier football player as your Formula 1 driver and then firing him because he could win the trophy. Why not give him something he could actually handle and that he is good at? Absolutely mindblowing logic. I guess it’s more like one big point, but you get what I mean.

My rant aside, it looks like we shouldn’t hold our breath for Eclipse, unfortunately…

🎮 Jason Blundell Forms A New Studio, Again

Jason Blundell, who’s most famous for pioneering Call of Duty Zombies and 2 failed projects with Sony, is ready for a hat trick after all.

With Dark Outlaw Games being history, in a recent stream with JCbackfire, Blundell announced that he had already formed a new studio, MagicFractal. Of course, the first question on everybody’s mind is why would he do this again. And according to him, it’s because “third time’s the charm and if not, it’s the fourth time”.

Since the studio was literally just formed, there are no details as to what they are going to work on, as well as who’s backing them. The website is also empty, with the exception of a mailing list signup form.

But I have to say, I admire his optimism and his love for the craft. While it’s not a comeback story just yet, it’s a story about how to get back up again after the world knocks you down time after time. So, I am genuinely happy for him and wish him all the luck in the world. Hopefully, I won’t have to write about another closed studio next year 😅

🎮 Mass Effect TV Show Aims To Be Mass Market

If you are as big a fan of Mass Effect as I am, you would be pleased to know that the Mass Effect TV show is still happening, and today we have an update on how it’s going.

According to IGN, the development of the script was well underway, but a recently appointed Head of Global TV at Amazon requested to rewrite it to make Mass Effect more appealing to non-gamers. Obviously, nobody has any ideas as to what it actually means. Maybe it’s about explaining certain concepts or removing references from the Mass Effect trilogy for people who haven’t played the games. Who knows?

The only thing we do know so far about this show is that it’s going to be completely standalone, meaning there will be no Commander Shepard. Which is a shame, but oh well.

My only concern is the direction of this show. I understand that it’s important for this project to appeal to everyone, not just hardcore fans of the franchise. But I think this might actually be a very slippery slope. First of all, you can’t ever please everyone, so the studio will have to pick and choose very carefully. Secondly, we all saw the consequences of game adaptations deviating from the source material. You don’t have to look too far. The Last of Us Season 2 was released not so long ago, and it tanked so hard that a lot of fans completely dismissed it, and even the creator of the entire franchise abandoned the project.

What I’m trying to say is that every entertainment company, whether it’s movies, TV shows or video games, should tread lightly with this approach, or they end up sacrificing their target audience.

🎮 Blizzard Changes Controversial Character

While Overwatch continues its comeback, Season 1 is almost over, and one of the first things Blizzard wanted to address with Season 2 is the controversy surrounding one of the new characters, Anran.

It became a whole thing, but TL;DR the character model in the game was too different from the original design and triggered a lot of backlash from the community. And recently, the Game Director of Overwatch shared an update on X, showcasing how the character was changed before the start of Season 2.

Blizzard acknowledged that the character didn’t fully land, and this time it’s back with a more fiery and fierce vibe. They also said that the company has five more heroes to release this year, so they encourage the community to share their feedback, as it really helps them to make the characters feel true to who they are.

Which is all well and good, but I bet there are other ways to narrow down the look and feel of new heroes instead of just waiting for a backlash to reach critical mass… But what do I know, right? 😅

🫡 True Tribute!

Today I wanted to salute and !

oya’s game hub

Co-op Days: PEAK

Co-op Days is a series where I write about the multiplayer/co-op games I’ve played with my friends and let you know my unfiltered thoughts. While I usually play games with my brother and our childhood friends every Sunday, I may also talk about games that I’ve played with my partner or with my other friends…

Read more

21 days ago · 17 likes · 10 comments · Oya

Great review, as always! My friends and I were thinking about giving this game a try. We’ve had a blast with Overcooked, especially because of the same chaotic factor, but it’s been a challenge. Small games like this are usually very tricky when it comes to serve-side issues, specifically because I’m playing from North America and my friends are in various regions of Europe. And since we are waiting for a new season of Diablo, maybe this one would be a good distraction for a couple of days 😁

😄 Personal Update

While I still haven’t decided what to do with this category, I wanted to share a rant from a person who just got into editing, as I just can’t take it anymore.

So, I’ve been using CapCut ever since I started making videos because every other creator recommends it as the simplest and most intuitive video editing software for beginners like me. And it’s true. But it is also one of the buggiest pieces of software I’ve ever encountered.

At first, it was small things, not applying specific properties, not saving certain tweaks I’m making or constantly requiring a reset because specific parts stopped working. But the more I use it, the more annoying it becomes. And it’s considering that I pay for the pro subscription, which costs almost as much as Adobe Premiere. And I’m almost at my limit with this. It’s like they don’t even test their own software or don’t care that they keep introducing more and more issues with every update.

The bottom line is that I’m looking for a new editing software, and since there are a lot of them, I wanted to ask you guys if you have ever used anything or could recommend something? So far, my top contenders are Premiere Pro and Resolve 😅

This is all the news I have for you folks today.

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great week!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

Hello friends,

Today is April 14th 2026 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌

In today’s news:

• 🎮 Steam Deck 2 Rumours

• 🎮 PS6 Handheld Could Be More Powerful Than Xbox

• 🎮 New Lord Of The Rings Game

• 🎮 The First Descendant Might Be Living On Borrowed Time

• 🎮 Stellar Blade Publisher Acquires Unbound Studio

• 🎮 Sony Buys Cinemersive Labs

• 🎮 State Of Decay 3 Alpha Playtest Starts Soon

• 🫡 True Tribute!

• 😄 Personal Update

All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️

Let’s dig in!

🎮 Steam Deck 2 Rumours

With a lot of console manufacturers beginning to talk about next-gen, it was only a matter of time before we started hearing rumours from Valve, and today is that day.

Some time ago, a rumour started spreading around that the company plans to release Steam Deck 2 in 2028, provided the current RAM and SSD shortages don’t get worse. The whole thing began when a notable hardware leaker KeplerL2 shared it on NeoGAF while denying a potential release in 2029. He also shared that even if this new hardware is delayed, it might not be a big deal. Unlike Project Helix from Xbox or PlayStation 6 Handheld, Steam Deck could be upgraded as time goes on, and Valve could use a delay to boost the specs even further.

But then again, this is not yet confirmed by the company, so treat it with a grain of salt. So far, there is no strong evidence that supports that claim.

Still, it kind of aligns with previous statements from Valve, as they were saying multiple times that they are pursuing more substantial generational leaps in performance and framing the Steam Deck as a multi-generational product. And it’s already been almost 4 years since the initial release. I’d say that a 6-year window is quite a lot of time for a generation leap.

And personally, I’m just glad that they are working on it after all. With the hardware situation, I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to pull back from console manufacturing altogether. Or at least until the dust settles.

This is also significant in the sense that Microsoft and Sony are also talking about a new handheld. And with all the delays and shortages, we might end up having 3 big product launches at around the same time. If that’s the case, Valve clearly has at least a small advantage. Again, if this rumour about them upgrading parts is to be believed.

So, if you have to choose one of them, what would you buy? A Steam Deck 2, a new Xbox handheld or a PS6?

🎮 PS6 Handheld Could Be More Powerful Than Xbox

While we are on the subject of hardware and handhelds, more rumours were shared recently about a PS6 from Sony.

The company still hasn’t made any official announcements, but some insiders have already got their hands on the specs and, in a recent post on NeoGAF, compared it to the Switch 2 and the Series S. And according to it, a supposed PS6 handheld GPU is “a bit ahead” of Xbox Series S in rasterization (high-speed rendering process of converting 3D vector graphics into 2D pixel grids for display) and “massively ahead” in ray tracing/path tracing. And it makes sense, it’s a next-gen for a reason after all.

But then again, we are talking about a rumour, so it’s hard to judge it, especially since it’s not even confirmed that PlayStation 6 is going to be a standalone handheld.

And I think the specs almost don’t matter. I mean, for people who want the most powerful piece of hardware possible, it is definitely important, but this particular handheld will matter more as an ecosystem retention device. With Microsoft and other console manufacturers trying to monopolise their customers' attention by being an “everything platform”, it is important for Sony not to fall behind. The decisive variable is whether the device keeps PlayStation users inside Sony’s software, subscription, and account ecosystem across more hours, locations, and contexts.

So, even if these specs are wrong, the strategic pressure on Sony is real. Even if it can give Xbox a run for its money in terms of raw power, PS6 will only be successful in case it’s a unified ecosystem with a lot of compatibility.

What do you think? Is the performance a defining factor for you?

🎮 New Lord Of The Rings Game

It’s been a while since we had a good Lord Of The Rings game, and a new claim surfaced recently, suggesting that Crystal Dynamics is currently working on a new unannounced project in this universe.

Exclusively reported by Insider Gaming, this new game seems to be a part of a deal with Abu Dhabi Investment Office with roughly $100 million in funding. The outlet confirmed this rumour with people close to the game’s development, and according to them, Crystal Dynamics is working on this project alongside Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst. Those sources also said that this title was in development for some time, but it’s still a bit away from release.

But officially, both Crystal Dynamics and Embracer Group declined to comment on this rumour.

And while I’m excited about a potential Lord Of The Rings game, I find it quite troubling that it’s this particular studio that’s working on it. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Crystal Dynamics; they are a good developer when they want to be. But they recently suffered 4 rounds of layoffs in a row. Honestly, I find it hard to believe that a studio constantly being pushed to the limit like this can even work on one title adequately, let alone three different ones. And with the franchise still stained by the Gollum game and a TV show struggling to get universal acclaim, it doesn’t need another mediocre project.

Of course, with already announced Tomb Raider games, it means that it will be more than a bit till we see anything specific with this project. And it makes sense for Embracer to start using the IP, since they likely spent a hefty sum on it. And the demand is there, I think. I doubt that I’m the only one who loves this franchise and would like nothing more than to see a new game.

Call me crazy, but maybe a studio that’s already stretched too thin is not the best choice to start developing it? 🤔

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this button is just for you ⤵️

Let Me In 📩

🎮 The First Descendant Might Be Living On Borrowed Time

With the second anniversary of The First Descendant slowly approaching, it looks like even the developers no longer think that this game can last.

At least that’s what the CEO of Nexon thinks about their own game, according to a recently released briefing. While he acknowledges a meteoric rise of the game as it reached 10 million players in seven days, as well as more than 250,000 concurrent players according to Steam Charts, he also says the game lost its way after that. The retention mechanics weren’t strong enough to hold players long-term, and there are a lot of design issues that developers simply can’t fix with a patch. They require fundamental changes to the game mechanics. So, in his own words, the game has no staying power.

And while it’s sad to see him saying that about his own game, he might be right. Concurrence is hitting rock bottom with only a little over 5,000 players in the last 24 hours, and reviews are still mixed after almost two years. For a free-to-play title, those are not great numbers. At least the company did their best with what they have. Curiously, this best included some of the most audacious and very revealing outfits that were almost bordering on being not safe for work. But it wasn’t enough.

Of course, the game is not shutting down just yet, but when even a CEO says things like that, how long will it take them to pull the plug completely?

🎮 Stellar Blade Publisher Acquires Unbound Studio

Remember how we talked about Shinji Mikami and his new studio a few weeks ago? Shift Up, the developers behind Stellar Blade, recently announced they are buying it.

According to a recent press release, both Shift Up and Shinji Mikami are very pleased with this acquisition and excited to work together. Curiously, Mikami described this as a newly emerged partnership with a strong synergy between him and the CEO of the new parent company, as well as promised that both of them would work as one and do their best to create fun games that would meet the expectations of their fans.

And it’s quite a notable acquisition these days. While Unbound has Mikami, right now he is just a name. His studio doesn’t have a released franchise, a shipped roadmap, or a monetisation engine yet. The only thing it has is a team that’s still being formed, a big name, and AAA ambitions. But with Stellar Blade being quite a big success and the company even announcing a follow-up, I guess they have enough cash to gamble a little bit.

And for Mikami, it’s definitely a big win. Having a big publisher like this behind them substantially raises the chances of their debut project seeing the light of day.

🎮 Sony Buys Cinemersive Labs

Meanwhile, Sony also continues to buy other studios and companies, and this time, it acquired Cinemersive Labs.

While this acquisition is less about games themselves, according to a recent blog post, it will contribute its part. Cinemersive Labs was founded back in 2022 as a specialised team with deep expertise in computer vision and machine learning. Its site describes technology that turns a single photo into a volumetric 3D immersive experience and references apps for Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro, plus immersive VR video work. And Sony specifically wanted their expertise to “explore new ways to push the boundaries of visual computing and deliver richer, more immersive gameplay experiences”.

And here I thought that nobody is interested in VR anymore 😅

To be fair, Sony didn’t specify whether they plan more VR or AR projects, so maybe this new subsidiary will now focus on just developing the technology for regular premium games. Or maybe it’s a strategic move to boost the development of their next gen.

Either way, it looks like everybody is looking for ways to bring next-gen graphics forward sooner and define what they are.

🎮 State Of Decay 3 Alpha Playtest Starts Soon

Finally, some news on the long-awaited sequel for the State of Decay franchise 😁

According to a recently released video with the co-creator of the State of Decay franchise, while there was not a lot of news about it, the team was hard at work. They analysed a lot of player feedback on what worked and what didn’t with the previous entry, implemented it in State of Decay 3 and now are inviting people to sign up for the playtest.

Of course, he didn’t want to spoil anything, so there are no new details about this game. The only thing he mentioned is that the alpha playtest will feature 4-player co-op, some new base building and resource strategies, and a whole lot of combat.

And it’s the first tangible evidence that both Xbox and Undead Labs are starting to treat this game as a shippable product instead of a distant prospect. Announced in July 2020, lightly resurfaced in June 2024, then mostly discussed through broad assurances until now. At least now we have an option to see what exactly they’ve been cooking for this long. Also, an alpha playtest is a great idea. The studio clearly doesn’t want to repeat the same mistakes it made with the previous games. So, third time’s a charm, I guess.

I’m already signed up for it. Are you?

🫡 True Tribute!

Today I wanted to salute and !

The KATacombs

For the Love of Goth and Cats

Walk into any goth domain, and chances are a cat is already there. Watching and silently judging you as you walk through those doors…

Read more

a month ago · 15 likes · 4 comments · Kathy Enriquez

My partner and I both like these pieces very much. And, as a person who almost became a goth during my teen years, I can very much relate to everything said around the culture. Weirdly enough, I’m also noticing that it’s sort of coming back to some degree, but for whatever reason, it became oversexualized to the point of absurdity. But regardless, amazing exploration on both fronts 😁

😄 Personal Update

I’m thinking about changing this section of my newsletter to something a little bit more interesting and useful 😅

Since I can’t really talk about my job all that much and my personal life is not that exciting, I’ve been thinking of maybe changing this section of my newsletter to maybe an interesting game that I found, as it best aligns with what I am writing about.

Again, maybe I’m overthinking it, and maybe you do like reading about what’s going on with me, so I’ll leave this poll right here to be the final judge 😁

This is all the news I have for you folks today.

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great week!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

Hello friends,

Today is April 9th 2026 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌

In today’s news:

• 🎮 Layoffs And Project Cancellations At Eidos

• 🎮 Disney Considered Buying Epic

• 🎮 Road Ahead For TLOU

• 🎮 Pocketpair Announces A Palworld Dating Sim

• 🎮 Bungie Reconfirms Commitment To Marathon

• 🎮 Konami Raises Dev Salaries, Again

• 🎮 PUBG: Blindspot Is Shutting Down

• 🫡 True Tribute!

• 😄 Personal Update

All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️

Let’s dig in!

🎮 Layoffs And Project Cancellations At Eidos

And the layoff train continues, this time it’s about Eidos-Montreal and Embracer Group.

The company recently announced a big reduction in its workforce and the departure of the Head of Studio, affecting 124 employees in total. The studio said the cuts reflect “changing project needs” across production and support teams, and that a leadership transition is underway. But according to an exclusive report from Insider Gaming, the “project needs” in question are actually about the cancellation of a game that’s been in development for the last 7+ years.

P11, or Wildlands, was supposed to be an open-world third-person action-adventure game in which players would take control of a character named River. The character was meant to be a part of a group of teenagers called Spiritbounds, who ward off bad spirits with magical staffs and ride mythical creatures. River’s companion was a giant-moose-looking animal called Redheart, which he could ride to navigate around the map. But that’s not all. Apparently, the game was already in an almost complete state and was going though the bug fixing and polishing state. The outlet also mentions that the company pencilled the release date for later this year. And then, apparently out of the blue, Embracer Group pulled the plug on the whole thing.

And it’s all very alarming. Not only because it’s now a third consecutive year of layoffs and project cancellations for Eidos, but because the studio is no longer treated like a AAA flagship creator. For some context, Eidos-Montréal hasn’t shipped a single title since the release of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in 2021. Since then, we saw the cancellation of a Deus Ex game in 2024, with layoffs, of course, then another round of layoffs in 2025 and now this.

This is not how you treat a valuable studio. And I feel like a broader reset or even a shutdown is incoming. If there’s anything we’ve learned about studios during recent years, it is that if you are not invaluable to the parent company, you are in a very risky category and sooner or later you will be found redundant. Of course, I might be wrong, and Embracer would just repurpose this studio for more of a support role.

But overall, it doesn’t look like Eidos will be given another crack at experimental AAA development, not with a track record like this.

🎮 Disney Considered Buying Epic

Disney is already pretty invested in Epic Games and Fortnite, but it almost became more than that.

According to a recent podcast episode of The Town, some senior Disney Executives wanted the company to buy the company altogether. Others disagreed, which is why it eventually didn’t happen, and it’s unclear when this conversation was happening. It’s still unclear whether this was a recent conversation or happened a while back, but back in 2024, Disney invested a hefty 1.5 billion for an equity stake in Epic Games as part of a multiyear plan to build Disney-connected games, so it’s quite probable that the company decided to go with a 9% stake instead of buying the whole company.

The podcast also mentions that if Epic decided to sell, Disney would be the most natural home for it. Which is true to an extent when it comes to the Fortnite ecosystem, but not really for the rest of the company.

As Epic Games is not only Fortnite, which is enormous in itself, but it’s also one of the most commonly used game engines on the planet and an Epic Game Store. So, this is not something to be treated lightly, as early reports also suggest that the company's valuation sits at around 22 billion.

But, at the end of the day, this is just an unconfirmed rumour, and it shouldn’t be treated as anything but. Still, I wonder what kind of changes would’ve happened if Disney had decided to go all in with this decision.

🎮 Road Ahead For TLOU

For those of us who are fans of the games, we are all still waiting for Naughty Dog and Neil Druckmann to return to it and finish the story, and looking for any indication that this might happen. And today brings us yet another vague comment from the studio.

Neil Druckmann recently shared a cryptic Instagram post where he found some of his original sketches from 2003 for a game pitch about a man, his surrogate daughter and a trek across a broken America. It’s neat to see that this game was indeed a dream come true for him. But he also said that he is grateful for every part of it, especially the few stops that remain on the road ahead. Of course, every fan jumped on it right away.

It’s still not a confirmation of anything, and he could just be referring to a new season for the TV show. But we do know that Naughty Dog is working on something, some secret game that they didn’t announce yet. It’s a long shot, and maybe I’m grasping at straws here (literally!), but it could be a very obscure way to tease us that something is coming.

Obviously, this is not something that’s a priority for the studio right now, as they said multiple times that their only priority at the moment is their new IP, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. But if they are at least tinkering with this idea, that would be great. Despite all the shortcomings of the franchise, it still remains commercially and culturally significant. And personally, I don’t see a reason to send mixed signals like that unless they are either promoting a show or making a game. And it’s too early to promote a show at this point, especially since Druckmann decided to leave the production.

What do you think about the possibility of The Last of Us Part 3?

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this button is just for you ⤵️

Let Me In 📩

🎮 Pocketpair Announces A Palworld Dating Sim

While Palworld is not going anywhere, Pocketpair decided to give the franchise a hot and steamy twist. And yes, this is not a joke.

The company announced their new game on X, and it’s set to be a school-life dating sim / visual novel setup at “Palpagos Private Academy,” where players can build friendships or romances with characters from the Palworld universe. It’s still unclear whether it will be a full NSFW game, but the Steam page already has a “Sexual Content” tag 😅

While there is no specific release date, the

And this is a bit weird… I mean, I understand the strategy and the goal, brand retention and all that. But the company could’ve gone to so many other genres. It’s like watching Blizzard release an Overwatch dating game. Clearly, there is an audience for that, but is it really what their hardcore fans want? Oversexualization? To be clear, visual novels could be successful, with or without sexual content. Look at Dispatch, for example. It has plenty. But it is also a very deep, story-rich game that’s exciting to play and see how the story unfolds. Also, it doesn’t broadcast the fact that it has any steamy content at all. This one, on the other hand, puts an accent on it.

All in all, I feel like a move like this would harm their brand very severely, and instead of making it a big competitor of Pokémon, it would just be yet another furry fantasy, and the internet is full of them already.

🎮 Bungie Reconfirms Commitment To Marathon

With Marathon clearly resonating with some, but not everyone, Bungie decided to reconfirm one more time that they are in it for the long haul.

According to a recent blog post, among other things, Bungie discussed what lies ahead and said it looks forward to “many years of steady improvements to every aspect of the game.” This is definitely a good sign for everyone playing this one.

The game launched with a somewhat mixed reception and not incredibly strong online. While the reviews are sitting at “Very Positive”, the all-time peak was only at a little bit over 88,000 players according to Steam charts, and the overall online player count has been slowly declining ever since. To be clear, it’s not a small number, but the future of this game heavily depends on whether the people in charge at Bungie decided that it’s an investment worth continuing.

In comparison, a recently closed Highguard also had strong initial numbers, but after a while, everybody left, and the game was done for, even after developers pledged to address all the issues. This game has a different set of issues, but studios, and especially publishers, are not really lining up to sponsor the development of games that didn’t become a smashing hit overnight. So, we’ll see, I guess.

The next few months will be absolutely crucial to see whether “many years” will turn into a pumpkin or not 😅

🎮 Konami Raises Dev Salaries, Again

While other companies are laying people off, Konami continues to invest in its talent. For the fifth consecutive fiscal year, mind you.

According to a press release, the company announced yet another base-salary increase for its employees to offer competitive compensation for new recruits and create an environment where talented people can thrive with a sense of satisfaction. Which is absolutely amazing if you are a game developer.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that the company is doing it out of the pure generosity of their hearts. But it shows that Konami values its talent and has enough franchise momentum to afford it. And this is the most notable part.

The fact that a company could do this consistently year after year in this economy is absolutely massive. And surprising. I honestly didn’t know that Japanese games remain on such a different cycle from the Western ones. While the latter spent the last two years dominated by restructurings and layoffs, large Japanese entertainment companies with a stable catalogue of IPs and healthier balance sheets have had more room to compete on compensation.

Go figure…

🎮 PUBG: Blindspot Is Shutting Down

This new twist on the familiar franchise entered Steam Early Access on February 5, 2026, and after less than 2 months, Krafton announced that the game is shutting down.

This news was announced on Steam with heartfelt thanks from the development team, saying that after careful consideration, they have come to the conclusion that we are no longer able to sustainably provide the level of experience we set out to deliver through Early Access.

And I’m personally not surprised at all. First of all, team-based PvP is one of the least forgiving segments in the market because quality depends heavily on concurrent population, not just total downloads or review sentiment. And this game peaked at 3,251 concurrents and fell rapidly after launch. And second of all, this game was just too niche to attract a big audience. A top-down tactical shooter with verticality is definitely not a mass market idea. While the idea to diversify the PUBG IP is a good one, this is definitely not the way to do this. This is the proof.

And with the studio no longer willing to let these kinds of experiments play out, I’m kind of shocked that it took them this long to shut it down 😅

But Krafton still has a new extraction shooter to unveil to a large crowd. Maybe it’s their way to reprioritise resources toward Black Budget? 🤔

🫡 True Tribute!

Today I wanted to salute and !

Reconnect Recap

Reconnect Recap - w/e 22nd March

G’day team…

Read more

a month ago · 23 likes · 1 comment · Alex Antra

First of all, congratulations on a big move! You are a braver person than I am, deciding to live in Australia, and I wish you all the best with the process of finding a decent apartment and a good job 😅

Second of all, great recap, as always! It was very funny to read about PS3 and Wii U being historic artefacts at this point 🤣 Also, a great find about the concept of “perfect” in video games. Definitely worth reading!

😄 Personal Update

So, my Diablo 4 escapades continue, and the game actually feels fun again, but mostly because I’ve been playing the new class.

I have one thing to say, though, and this is something our team experienced as well when we were making Bounce. Whenever Blizzard makes a new class, it almost always looks better than all the previous ones. Like with Paladin, for example. Like, you can literally transform into an angel, with those light things that look like tentacles that just roam around the battlefield and damage everything. It looks absolutely fantastic, the effects, the sound, the sparkles everywhere. And then you have a Rogue that…Throws daggers. That’s it. Or a Necro who raises skeletons… They are going out of their way to sell the new classes, but they are not doing anything for the old ones to make them feel exciting to play.

And it’s kind of disappointing for a person who wants to play them all.

This is all the news I have for you folks today.

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great week!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

Hello friends,

Today is April 7th 2026 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌

In today’s news:

• 🎮 Xbox Partner Preview Announcements

• 🎮 Pearl Abyss Moves On To The Next Game

• 🎮 Legend Of Zelda Remake Allegedly In Development

• 🎮 How Much Does It Cost To Make AAA Games

• 🎮 Jason Blundell Talks About Dark Outlaw Games Closure

• 🎮 Metacritic Names The Best Publisher In 2025

• 🫡 True Tribute!

• 😄 Personal Update

All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️

Let’s dig in!

🎮 Xbox Partner Preview Announcements

Xbox recently held yet another Partner Preview event and shared several upcoming game updates and reveals. It was a lot, so I’ll try to fit as much of it as I can 😁

So, here’s my personal top 5:

1️⃣ Hunter: The Reckoning – Deathwish Revealed

An upcoming first-person action game set in the World of Darkness universe, set to arrive in summer 2027.

According to the developer interview, as a player, you will be playing in the real world of New York, and the whole thing is that you’ve been living in a lie. You discover that there is a second world you never knew about, that has monsters lurking in the shadows. Some situations in the story lead you to a point of no return, where you need to pick up the fight and become the hunter or be prey. If you’ve watched the Supernatural TV show, it’s kind of close to that fantasy.

2️⃣ The Expanse: Osiris Reborn - New Trailer

The newest third-person RPG set in the The Expanse universe from Owlcat Games got a fresh gameplay review, a beta announcement, and a release window.

While the game looks a little bit stiff, this is probably the biggest game in a lineup with AA quality and AAA ambition. And, if you are not that familiar with the franchise, this is a story about the conflict in the Solar System between several human factions that settled different regions and are now at odds with each other. The game promised to feature a new story in the familiar setting, where you can manage your crew, build relationships, battle your enemies and make choices that may entail large, long-lasting consequences.

3️⃣ Alien Deathstorm - Reveal

A brand new first-person action horror from Rebellion, the studio behind Atomfall and Sniper Elite Series.

First things first, this is not about Aliens. Well, it is, but not about the face-hugging xenomorphs. This is a game where you explore a devastated off-world colony that is ravaged by a cataclysmic mega-storm and overrun by bloodthirsty… Aliens 😅 I know, not confusing at all. But extraterrestrial organisms are promised to be the least of your problems, as devastating weather conditions are key elements of the game, and we will have to learn how and when to seek shelter. And this title is probably the one that overshadowed most of the rest for me, as even though it positions itself as nothing more than a mid-tier project, it definitely looks a lot better than that.

4️⃣ Forever Ago - Re-Announcement

If you are looking for something a little bit more cosy and calm, the debut title from a recently formed indie studio, Third Shift, will have you covered this Fall.

Forever Ago is an upcoming narrative adventure where you play as Alfred on a journey north in search of redemption, where you’ll travel to beautiful places, capture memories with your camera, meet interesting characters, and even make some new friends. The game promises a nuanced and heartfelt story about broken dreams, loss, and regret—but also courage, hope, and true friendship.

5️⃣ Serious Sam: Shatterverse - Reveal

And the last on my list is a surprising new addition to the Serious Sam franchise, scheduled to be released this year.

The game shifts to a roguelite shooter with up to five players coop, where you play as one of the five alternate-universe Sams that must come together, work together and save the Shatterverse from the antics of the series’ god-like antagonist, Mental. It looks a bit odd, but if you are a person who’s very nostalgic about Sam, this game could satisfy that craving to some degree.

Of course, there was more stuff announced, and if you want to know more, check out the video above 😉

💬 What was your top pick from this showcase?

🎮 Pearl Abyss Moves On To The Next Game

It looks like the developers behind a successful, but highly divisive, Crimson Desert are already moving on to the next big thing.

According to Insider Gaming, during a recent stakeholder meeting, the CEO of Pearl Abyss shared that the main development team is already moving on to the next project, DokeV. He explained that they were back in 2019, they were planning to work on three main titles, one of them being Crimson Desert and the other one is mysterious DokeV. Both games were set to use the same engine, and while Crimson Desert was in development, the other team was working on asset production and other tasks in parallel. But now that the first one is released, the core team can safely refocus on the next one.

He also mentioned that it will take about two to three years from now actually, to finish this game and start sharing anything specific.

Which means a couple of things. First, it looks like the game is unlikely to get any big content expansions, as you don’t refocus the majority of your team if you are planning something substantial. And the other is that Pearl Abyss is trying to transition to a pipeline studio. With one large premium game under their belts, they have all the proof of concept they need. Clearly, they can do a decent game that could also sell well. After all, they’ve recently celebrated 3 million copies sold.

But Crimson Desert was far from perfect. It didn’t earn universal acclaim and exposed a lot of holes in their processes with the whole AI assets debate, hardware support issues and narrative criticism. Those issues are not small and definitely contributed to the performance of the game. So, the question is whether the studio learned its lessons.

I guess we will see with DokeV…

🎮 Legend Of Zelda Remake Allegedly In Development

If you enjoyed all the recent Zelda games but still miss the old games, don’t fret, as Nintendo might be working on a new remake.

Or at least that’s the story that a notable Nintendo leaker told Insider Gaming. According to them, a major remake from this franchise is coming to the platform sometime soon, and it’s none other than The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The leaker said that since the anniversary of the series is happening this year, in the second half of 2026, approaching the holidays, we are going to receive an Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2.

Of course, it’s not an official reveal, and Nintendo hasn’t confirmed anything yet, so treat it with a pinch of salt.

Still, if this is true, this is a big strategic step for Nintendo toward a Switch 2 growth. Ocarina of Time remains one of the biggest and most recognisable Zelda games of all time, especially with veteran players. And it could give newer players an accessible on-ramp to the franchise’s most historically important entry. Also, since I’m sure that hardware sales started to dwindle with all the RAM shortages, a release of such a significant title might give the publisher a much needed boost.

The only thing that’s unclear is whether this is going to be a full remake or just an HD remaster, as I’m sure that most Zelda fans are looking forward to the former.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this button is just for you ⤵️

Let Me In 📩

🎮 How Much Does It Cost To Make AAA Games

The short answer is “a lot” 😁

The long one was recently shared by Jason Schreier from Bloomberg. According to him and conversations he overheard in the game development world, the exact number varies, but the approximate costs are $300 million or more. He noted that those numbers are for the US and Canada, and these budgets are almost entirely dev salaries and have nothing to do with executive compensation (which is mostly stock).

Of course, that’s hard to verify since not a lot of companies actually disclose the development costs. Sometimes we do hear some numbers, like in earlier reports from Bloomberg about Black Ops or The Last of Us 2, but it’s not a universal rule.

As you can see, this is definitely a lot of money and one of the reasons why so many projects are being cancelled across the board. Budgets at this scale force publishers to think like portfolio managers. Every project is not just competing for player attention; it is competing internally against other uses of capital. Even after a publisher had already spent $50 million, they would think twice about spending another 50. Add to this the fact that every other company is reporting declining revenue, having unrealistic expectations with their games and mismanagement, you get a pretty potent mixture.

With numbers like this, we probably should expect that cost scrutiny becomes a new normal for game development.

🎮 Jason Blundell Talks About Dark Outlaw Games Closure

Last week, we talked about Sony shutting down Dark Outlaw Games out of the blue, and the studio leader recently shared his side of the story.

During a stream appearance with JCBackfire, who was also a designer at the studio, Blundell discussed the whole situation and shared that there is no hard feelings between him and Sony. Of course, there is a lot of disappointment because of this decision from the company to change focus, but there is understanding, too. All the parties involved seem to understand the tricky state of game development right now, priorities change all the time.

And while they couldn’t share a lot about the project they were working on, they told the viewers that it was, surprisingly, not a live-service game, and they think that the players would’ve really liked and been excited about. Which is a little surprising, as Sony has been trying to scratch that live-service itch for some time. Right, Concord?

I got to say, though, they are both taking it really well, especially since it’s the second time Sony has done it to Blundell. But I guess there is no point in throwing a tantrum over the decision that’s already been made, right? Still, it would’ve been interesting to know more about this mysterious project. And now I’m wondering if Sony will go for a hat trick…😅

🎮 Metacritic Names The Best Publisher In 2025

One of the biggest review aggregators recently posted its take on who was the best when it comes to game publishers, and the results are quite surprising.

The first thing that stands out is the fact that Microsoft beat both Nintendo and Sony. The company’s success is mostly attributed to titles like Forza Horizon 5 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Ironically, both of these instances were ports. But, to be fair, the best game for PlayStation was a PC port of The Last of Us 2, so I guess it kind of makes them even.

The first place went to Square Enix, for the first time in 16 years that the website has been publishing these rankings. With a variety of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest titles getting incredibly high scores, it’s probably not surprising.

Again, this is a very niche ranking, so it’s not a universal praise by any stretch, but still quite an admirable accomplishment as the platform still attracts a lot of attention.

🫡 True Tribute!

Today I wanted to salute and !

Infinite Lives

Infinite Lives turns three, as I pack my bags

Like the best birthday speeches, I’m going to try and keep this one brief. And by the end of it, you’ll know why. Though I will say now, it’s not bad news…

Read more

a month ago · 21 likes · 1 comment · Harrison Polites

Congratulations on everything across the board ! Digital nomad fit is impressive by itself, as well as the rest of it. I hope the next year will bring even more amazing milestones and exciting events, my friend! I’m also planning a trip to Europe later this year, so maybe we’ll meet up there for a cup of coffee or something 😉

😄 Personal Update

As YouTube starts to take more and more of my time, I wanted to take a small break from my QA writing at least until I can book some vacation time and maybe focus on something else for the time being.

In the meantime, I discovered a very interesting game scheduled to be released later this year.

I was a little bit disappointed when I learned that the developers of Dredge have no plans to do a sequel. I started looking for more similar games. And that’s when I discovered this little gem. As you can see, it’s VERY similar to Dredge, just with a different perspective. Clearly, the developers were inspired by it and decided to do something like it. I have some reservations about this game, but if these guys could replicate what Black Salt Games did with a vibe and general tone of the game, it might be a winner!

This is all the news I have for you folks today.

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great week!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

Hello friends,

Today is April 2nd 2026 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌

In today’s news:

• 🎮 Xbox Is Flirting With Netflix

• 🎮 Layoffs At Epic Games

• 🎮 Pearl Abyss Addresses Crimson Desert AI Issues

• 🎮 Capcom Comments On AI Usage

• 🎮 Post-Game Depression Is Real

• 🎮 PlayStation Shuts Down Dark Outlaw Games

• 🎮 Red Storm Was Working On A Lot Of Stuff Before Shut Down

• 🫡 True Tribute!

• 😄 Personal Update

All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️

Let’s dig in!

🎮 Xbox Is Flirting With Netflix

The new CEO of Xbox continues to explore different avenues for the company, and recent reports suggest that they’ve “kicked around ideas” with Netflix about combining services into a single big subscription bundle.

According to GameSpot and earlier reports, as the cost of Xbox Game Pass rose, the company began looking for ways to make this service more appealing to a broader range of customers. And one of the options on the table, it looks like, is a potential partnership with Netflix, as the outlet reports that Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said he and Sharma have “kicked around ideas” for how Netflix and Xbox could work together on subscription bundles. Of course, the streaming giant is not the only option, and Xbox has been looking for other third-party services to bolster its value for some time already.

However, those are only ideas at the moment. Peters said that the companies are still trying to figure out how to make this idea work for both the companies and consumers. So, nothing is set in stone yet.

But it all begs the question, who would benefit more from it? Netflix reported earlier this year that its service has a staggering 325 million paid subscribers. We don’t know the precise number of people subscribed to Game Pass. In 2024, the service had 34 million subscribers, but since then, the industry and the prices have changed; for the sake of argument, let’s say it’s 40. This means that by any estimation, Netflix doesn’t need Game Pass to improve its subscription model. Xbox, however, needs this quite a bit. Bundling with a service consumers already understand could reduce cancellation pressure and improve the optics of paying for a premium tier subscription service.

Personally, I think there are only two things that the companies still haven’t agreed on and that’s why we don’t hear any specific announcements. First is the revenue share on this new bundle, as clearly Netflix will be pushing for a bigger slice of the pie. And the other, what’s in it for Netflix? Unless Xbox decides to somehow integrate games directly into the streaming platform, I don’t see any immediate benefit for them…

What do you think about this kind of package deal?

🎮 Layoffs At Epic Games

While Fortnite could be an evergreen franchise, it looks like the engagement is going down or at least that’s what Tim Sweeney said recently after announcing that the company laid off over a 1000 of employees.

According to the official message from the company’s CEO, there are a number of reasons for these cuts. Some of them are industry-wide, like slower growth, weaker spending, and tougher cost economics. And some are uniquely related to Fortnite and Epic Games. Specifically, he said that they had challenges delivering consistent Fortnite magic with every season and taking a lot of bullets in a battle, which is only in the early days of paying off for ourselves and all developers. Also, Sweeney decided to additionaly highlight that none of these layoffs and spending cuts are AI related, as it is a thing right now.

To that end, this layoff, together with over $500 million of identified cost savings in contracting, marketing, and closing some open roles, should put the company in a more stable place, according to the CEO.

All in all, it looks like the limitless expansion era for Fortnite is officially over. The game is ageing and entering a mature live-service phase where it has to be more conscious about durability, monetisation efficiency, retention quality, and cost control. So, it should serve as a warning for all publishers. Because when even titans like Fortnine are experiencing a downturn in engagement, it means the room for error is shrinking across the board, and the war for attention is as harsh as ever.

🎮 Pearl Abyss Addresses Crimson Desert AI Issues

Not a lot of games launch as divisively and loudly as Crimson Desert, and it looks like the controversy didn’t end with the controls or the story.

Shortly after launch, some attentive fans noticed some suspicious imagery throughout the game and quickly concluded that it was AI-generated. This quickly turned into a big deal since Pearl Abyss never disclosed the use of AI according to Steam guidelines. And after some time, the company decided to respond with a lengthy statement on X.

The devs acknowledged that during the development, some 2D visual props were created as part of early-stage iteration using experimental AI generative tools. These assets were used to help them rapidly explore tone and atmosphere in the earlier phases of production, and unfortunately, some of them found their way into the final version of the game. Of course, the company apologised and said that they should’ve disclosed the use of AI earlier and promised to replace any affected content. But, curiously, didn’t say anything about the usage of AI going forward.

As it usually goes with this topic, some people said that those assets should be removed immediately as they completely break immersion, and some said that the company has nothing to apologise for as AI will be in every video game soon, in one form or another.

So, disclosure aside, we are back to the debate of whether AI usage is a deal-breaker, especially when it comes to big premium releases like Crimson Desert. What do you think?

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this button is just for you ⤵️

Let Me In 📩

🎮 Capcom Comments On AI Usage

Speaking of AI, while a lot of companies are still on the fence or are very secretive about it, Capcom still wants to use it during development, but won’t use it for in-game content.

According to Insider Gaming, the company recently released a briefing for individual investors, and during Q&A, the question of AI came up, specifically the use of gen-AI in game development. The company's stance was quite firm, and Capcom said that they don’t implement generative AI in game content. But they plan to actively utilise technologies that contribute to improving efficiency and productivity in the game development process, and this is something that they are currently looking into.

And it’s yet another major company that doesn’t reject AI as a phenomenon, but doesn’t want to deal with all the controversy and backlash of AI that could actually be seen. Also, their statement doesn’t explicitly say that they are not planning to use gen AI during ideation or concepting, as Larian’s CEO did some time ago. Either way, this kind of selective adoption is nothing new, and Capcom just joins the growing club of companies that want to utilise the tools, but don’t want to dilute their premium titles with subpar graphics.

But the company better be careful, as one asset could cause quite a bit of fuss these days, as we can see from Crimson Desert’s example 😅

🎮 Post-Game Depression Is Real

Have you ever felt kind of empty and sad after finishing a very deep RPG like Baldur’s Gate 3 or The Witcher? Apparently, there is a whole phenomenon called “post-game depression”, and it’s real.

According to a recent study from the Warsaw School of Social Psychology, there is even a whole scale to measure it. The paper was built from two studies with 373 players who were playing very frequently, with daily or near-daily play common, and it frames the phenomenon as a sense of emptiness after finishing an especially immersive game. And, unsurprisingly, it determined that RPGs evoked stronger post-game depression than other games in this dataset. ]

Of course, the whole thing is more useful to premium single-player titles than to purely competitive or endlessly replayable live-service ones. And all this means that people who are working on big projects with high immersion should think quite a bit about the ending of a game. What people think about when they finish a game could influence a lot of things, from interest in a sequel to the rate of word-of-mouth spreading and overall franchise stickiness. So, the end should never be an afterthought.

What about you? Have you ever experienced post-game depression? As I sure have 😅

🎮 PlayStation Shuts Down Dark Outlaw Games

And we are back to Sony shutting down studios. This time on the chopping block is Dark Outlaw Games.

According to Jason Schreier from Bloomberg, the studio that was formed just last year by a former Call of Duty Zombies lead, Jason Blundell, is no more. Along with it, PlayStation is also making other cuts in mobile development, with around 50 people being affected. The company confirmed it with a statement shared with PC Gamer, referring to the usual “strategic adjustments to support long-term sustainability” without any additional details. And it’s a second studio closed by Sony in so many months.

It’s also unknown what the studio was working on before being shut down, but this is the second time Blundell’s project was killed by Sony. In 2024, he was working on a separate project with Deviation Games for PlayStation that met the same fate.

Again, so confusing. What did Sony expect? That in a year, he would make a game that would bring them billions? Or they didn’t like his idea so badly that they decided to shut the studio completely? Is that what our industry succumbed to?

🎮 Red Storm Was Working On A Lot Of Stuff Before Shut Down

Earlier this week, we talked about Ubisoft shutting down Red Storm Entertainment, and it looks like the studio was hard at work before the parent company shut it down.

According to Insider Gaming, the studio founded by Tom Clancy was busy with at least 10 different projects, which included seasonal content for Siege, Beyond Good & Evil 2, a smaller-scale Rainbow Six game called Slice & Dice, concepts for The Division 3, another unannounced project that’s currently in the conception stage and a bunch of other stuff. So, it looks like this particular case is not about the value of the studio, but more about them not having a top-priority project in the works.

Utility is great. But the reality is that if you don’t lead a major cash-generating frachise, don’t have an incredibly efficient production pipeline or don’t have a rola that cannot be shifted to somewhere else, you don’t have the prestige protecting you. And you don’t have that, you are at risk of being found redundant, no matter how useful you are.

🫡 True Tribute!

Today I wanted to salute and !

Good Game Lobby

Friday Follow-UP #12 2026

Welcome to this week’s Friday Follow-UP, covering games to wishlist, crowdfunding, merch, soundtracks, and more! Subscribe to get the weekly newsletter and reviews straight to your inbox…

Read more

a month ago · 12 likes · 2 comments · Sey

Oooh, I love to see Dredge again among the other games. Honestly, I wish so hard I could reset my memory and complete this game from scratch. Also, I wish we had more games like it. Every time I look for something similar, I can’t find anything. So, I envy you guys so much! Don’t forget to play all those amazing DLCs, and I hope we’ll have Dredge 2 at some point!

😄 Personal Update

So, I went on to play Diablo 4 and got really pissed off.

Apparently, an indie company called Blizzard couldn’t figure out how to merge save files between Steam and Battle.net. So, when I connected my Battle.net, all my saves were reset, and I lost all my characters, all my progression, everything. And now I have to start the whole thing from scratch…

And I honestly don’t understand why that is so complicated. But oh well, now I get to experience the whole game all over again. Yay, I guess 🙄 Unfortunately, it’s not one of the games I wish I could forget because of all the limitless grind in it.

This is all the news I have for you folks today.

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great week!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

Hello friends,

Today is March 31st 2026 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌

In today’s news:

• 🎮 Crimson Desert Launches With Mixed Reception

• 🎮 Ubisoft Closes Tom Clancy’s Studio

• 🎮 No More Content For FBC: Firebreak

• 🎮 Take-Two CEO On The Notion of AI Creating Full Games

• 🎮 New IP From CDPR Enters Concepting Phase

• 🎮 Crystal Dynamics Still Committed To Tomb Raider Despite Layoffs

• 🎮 Another Big Shakeup With Counter-Strike 2

• 🫡 True Tribute!

• 😄 Personal Update

All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️

Let’s dig in!

🎮 Crimson Desert Launches With Mixed Reception

So, the big single-player project from the developers of Black Desert Online is finally here, and the launch was anything but quiet.

While there is quite a lot of criticism going around, Crimson Desert released with a big splash. According to Steam Charts, the game attracted more than 200,000 players on the first day and became the third most-played game at the time, which is not bad for an MMO developer's first attempt.

But when it comes to reviews, this is where the lines get blurry. The game sits at Mostly Positive reviews at the time of writing, but both players and critics are divided. The first half says it’s a masterpiece when it comes to the level of detail, graphics in the game and combat. But the second one screams in agony over a weak narrative, overabundance of confusing systems and especially controlls. In fact, it was so bad during the initial launch that Pearl Abyss's stock took a dive, and the game started with a mixed reception that only later shifted into the positive.

With all that, it certainly looks like the game is not for everyone. And despite developers' attempts to justify the abysmal controls by saying “you just need to learn and get used to them,” onboarding friction is not something gamers can tolerate in a $100 premium game. Honestly, from people who specialise in MMOs, I expected more when it comes to such fundamental things. I mean, the onboarding is one of the most important parts of any game, and I get that you can’t please everyone. But making interactions with NPCs take more than 1 button? C’mon guys! That’s ridiculous.

But at least Pearl Abyss demonstrated they can build a premium-scale single-player game and attract a lot of attention. Now they just need to show that they can listen to what their community is telling them.

🎮 Ubisoft Closes Tom Clancy’s Studio

The company continues their long and painful path of restructuring by ordering Red Storm Entertainment to stop game development, resulting in the dismissal of 105 employees.

According to Insider Gaming, this news comes after an internal announcement as part of the ongoing cost-cutting measures. The studio was founded in 1996 by Tom Clancy, who helped establish the Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon lines, and was acquired by Ubisoft in 2000. But those brands have evolved away from the studio’s original role. Rainbow Six Siege remains one of Ubisoft’s major live-service pillars, but it is not Red Storm-led. Ghost Recon has not had a new mainline release in years, and Red Storm’s more recent visible profile shifted toward VR. And with the VR market being in a really bad shape right now, there is no clear reason to maintain a VR studio.

Still, Ubisoft could’ve picked a different project or refocused the studio. But, apparently, it’s easier to close things down and start over. Nobody is safe, especially if your studio is working on something that’s at least a little bit questionable in terms of potential success.

And now I’m wondering, how many more studios will Ubisoft close before they can no longer blame them for the shortcomings of their leadership? We will probably find out soon enough.

🎮 No More Content For FBC: Firebreak

The latest live service game from Remedy has apparently seen its last content update some time ago, and the company has no plans to produce more.

This news comes after the release of the Open House update via Steam. While Remedy has no plans to produce new content, it still wants the game to remain online and playable for years to come. The dev team have done engineering work to ensure they can sustain the upkeep of the relay servers when the player volume is lower. Also, with that, they are permanently lowering the price and introducing a Friends Pass, a feature that will allow you to invite a friend to play this game if you already have a copy.

The game has a troubled history, and it looks like it couldn’t maintain the level of interest for Remedy to continue investing in it. And I think there are two main reasons. First is the format. While they wanted to cannibalise on the people who liked Control, the format of Firebreak is drastically different from the original game. Too different for their existing audience. And the second point is that they kept changing stuff. Stuff like core loops, progression and weapon balance. Those are not minor changes. Which means that nobody actually had a chance to properly get into it.

So, the company is slowly pulling the plug. But, to be fair, this was their first attempt at a multiplayer project, a highly competitive and demanding market where only very few and select games could succeed. And since FBC: Firebreak didn’t get substantial momentum at launch, received mixed reception and overall struggled to find its audience, this kind of epilogue is not really a surprising one.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this button is just for you ⤵️

Let Me In 📩

🎮 Take-Two CEO On The Notion of AI Creating Full Games

While some companies started freaking out after the demo of Project Genie, the Take-Two CEO thinks that the idea of making a critically acclaimed game, like GTA, with the press of one button is laughable.

According to a recent interview with The Game Business, Strauss Zelnick was discussing the use and capabilities of AI tools in the gaming industry, and it looks like he was not concerned at all with tools such as Genie. While he agrees that AI can assist developers in creating assets and help them with ideation, it does not necessarily lead to the creation of successful games. But the idea of using such tools to create a full-fledged game is ridiculous.

Which is fair, I think. We are definitely not there yet and might not ever get to this point. And that’s exactly why I didn’t understand why everybody freaked out so much when Genie was announced. It’s a cute concept that will probably never work and a toy to showcase, nothing more. But the stance like this shows one more time that the industry is trying to sit on two chairs simultaneously. One is operational, with tools, ideation, coding support, and content-adjacent generation. This one is fine to associate with AI. The other is creative. And this is where most people draw the line.

Unless the AI bubble bursts, this looks more and more like a new norm.

🎮 New IP From CDPR Enters Concepting Phase

With so many different projects on the horizon, we’ve all forgotten that there is a new IP brewing inside CD Projekt RED, Project Hadar.

And according to the latest financial report from the company’s CFO, this new game has moved to the conceptual phase. As a reminder, this is the third big IP within CDPR besides Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher that appeared on the radar back in 2022, with a skeleton crew working on it through the years. Unfortunately, there is no new information about this project. And based on the priorities of the company, it’s unlikely we will hear about it in the foreseeable future.

Still, it’s something new to look forward to if CDPR could bring to life something new with the same level of depth and polish as The Witcher or Cyberpunk.

🎮 Crystal Dynamics Still Committed To Tomb Raider Despite Layoffs

The studio behind the upcoming Tomb Raider games continues to suffer more and more layoffs.

IGN recently confirmed that the 4th major round of cuts happened at Crystal Dynamics in the last year, affecting 20 employees across development and central operations roles. The company described the cuts as part of aligning team structure with “long-term studio goals” as projects move into new phases of development.

Of course, the company also went ahead and said that it’s still fully committed to the Tomb Raider franchise despite all the layoffs and restructuring. An interesting way of showing it…

The interesting part is that all these layoffs happened right after this studio was acquired by Embracer Group. Similarly to what I usually say about Ubisoft, how much restructuring do you guys actually need? Even if 20 roles do not sound catastrophic in isolation, four rounds in a year is A LOT. For a franchise attempting both a remake and a major forward entry on a relatively tight schedule…

That's bound to create a cascade of issues in my humble opinion.

🎮 Another Big Shakeup With Counter-Strike 2

Certain things are fundamental in games like Counter-Strike. Like shooting, running and reloading. And Valve just decided to change one of them in a major way.

When you reload a gun in Counter-Strike 2, as in most shooters, the remainder of the ammo is reserved in an endless supply. Or I should say used to be reserved, as in a recent update called Guns, Guides and Games, the company made it so that reloading now discards all remaining ammo in the current magazine. The developers said that the reason for such a drastic change is to introduce higher stakes when it comes to reloading.

And the community is furious. Thousands of chronic reloaders went to reviews and launched a slight review bombing over this update, demanding that Valve revert this update and bring back the system that everybody got used to over the years. But as the company has no intention to do that, people will have to get used to the new norm. And for the rest of the players, it is yet another indicator that any mechanic is a fair game when it comes to development decisions. Even such a fundamental one as reloading in a first-person shooter.

🫡 True Tribute!

Today I wanted to salute and !

The Solo Gamedev

It's dangerous to go alone, RAG this!

We broke down what we need…

Read more

a month ago · 7 likes · Maurice Klimek

As a person who knows very little about coding, it’s interesting to read stories like this when it comes to AI. Personally, my usage is quite different as I use it mostly for spreadsheeting stuff, ideation and research, but I was once setting things up to learn Python with AI. I built a whole program for myself, broke it down lesson by lesson. But after that, my ADHD brain decided to switch to something else, and I never got to it. And now I know there is a term for that, vibe coding.

I feel like I’m getting old every time I hear a new term like that 😅

😄 Personal Update

So, I decided to get back to my original plan of getting back to Diablo 4, although it may be a little bit too early, as the expansion release date is still a few weeks away.

In the meantime, I realised some time ago how much time I used to have when I wasn’t writing this newsletter or making videos 😅

Since I started, my free time has been cut to about 4-5 hours of pure gaming each week. The rest of my time is split between actually working, doing chores, going to the gym and doing all this creative stuff. Before all that, I could easily pour around 40 hours 😁 And while the biggest part of me enjoys all that very much, I miss this non-stop gaming time. But then I remember how bad I felt when I didn’t do anything of value during the day and regretted it.

At least now, when I play, I don’t hear a small voice at the back of my head saying that “you could’ve done something more productive, you lazy f**k” 😅

How much time do you usually spend on video games each week?

This is all the news I have for you folks today.

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great week!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

A few days ago, this newsletter celebrated its second anniversary!

That’s why today I wanted to take a small step back and talk about whys and hows and shed some light on where this whole thing is going.

Let’s dig in!

🛣️ The Road So Far

This past year has been full of new things!

While I couldn’t fulfill my initial goal of doing more collaboration projects, I did something I’ve been thinking about for the last few years (or even more). I started a YouTube channel 😅

And I’m even voicing over everything myself, which is a huge personal milestone for me in itself.

So, here are some numbers across my media presence (at the time of writing):

• ✉️ Substack - 802 Subscribers (Nuts!) - 1 Paid

• 🎥 YouTube - 52 Subscribers - 10.000 Monthly Views

• 📹 TikTok (yes, I have one of those as well) - 32 Subscribers - 27.000 Monthly Views

While some of these numbers are not at all impressive, I’m personally very proud of all of them and, honestly, surprised as hell. As I never imagined I would get this far in this exciting journey 😅

🎮 How’s it going

Which is why I want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who are reading it right now.

It is an honour and a privilege to write to you, read your reactions and have you as an audience! You guys are absolutely amazing, and I hope it brings you as much joy to read, watch and listen to this as it brings me to craft it!

👾 What’s next

Actually, I’m not sure yet, and I hope that’s ok 😅

With the introduction of video format, I have almost no time left in the week to do anything else. At least until I could start outsourcing the editing of the videos, which is unfortunately on a very distant horizon at the moment.

What I do want to do is to become a better editor, with both my writing and video content. So, this year I want to stop spreading myself too thin and focus on the quality of the content, as well as on maintaining the momentum. Which, I have to say, is very hard sometimes, especially after spending hours upon hours on editing one video 😁

So, the next year is all about quality and consistency, as experts suggest that these are the twin pillars that hold the entire creative world.

On that note, if you have any feedback or suggestions on any of the content that I publish, my door is always open, and I will appreciate any and all thoughts you guys have to share 🙏

🫡 Special Thanks!

All these publications and their authors are very dear to my heart, so I wanted to show some additional appreciation. Without a community like this, I wouldn’t be here today!

Nerd Central

A journal of my video game journey over the years. What I like, what I don't like and overall thoughts about the various games I play.

By John Murphy

The Solo Gamedev

Hacks for learning, productivity, having work-life-passion balance and finally game development!

By Maurice Klimek

Infinite Lives

Weekly analysis and reviews on the video games and the games industry from an Australian perspective. Written for gamers and those who are just curious about gaming.

By Harrison Polites

Push to Talk

A strategy guide for the games industry, delivered every Friday.

By Ryan K. Rigney

Feats N' Faults

We use arbitrary rules and stats to compare the impact of everyone's favorite heroes and villains. Will your favorites stand up to the test? Now with reviews!

By Shane Elliott

GameDev's Journey

Game development is tough. Let’s make it easier.

By Niki

The KATacombs

My cat runs half of this publication. Follow for her stories and historical facts! I'm here to sprinkle in WWE reviews and other random shit. For now, I'm taking a break from writing fiction on here. Loves: Video games, anime, soundtracks, metal, horror

By Kathy Enriquez

Good Game Lobby

Indie Game Reviews and a Weekly Newsletter covering the latest indie games to Wishlist, crowdfund, soundtracks, merch and more!

By Sey

Adventures in Indie Gaming

AIIG looks at upcoming indie and double-A games by writing about their demos. New posts every Wednesday.

By James Francis

Exploring The Games

Weekly gaming and games related newsletter. Come along and explore what gaming is about, have a conversation with like-minded people, and become an explorer!

By Kevin T.C.

oya’s game hub

Game tester, localization specialist & community manager. Talking about video games while going through my backlog. Get ready for millenial humor and overly emotional reviews.

By Oya

Nintendo is Great

a beautiful, trenchant journey through the depths of Nintendo's back catalog. We proceed (mostly) in chronological order.

By Dylan Cornelius

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great weekend!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

Hello friends,

Today is March 26th 2026 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌

In today’s news:

• 🎮 AI Graphics For Games

• 🎮 Krafton Ordered To Reinstate Subnautica CEO

• 🎮 Starfield Finally Unveiled A New Expansion

• 🎮 Jeff Kaplan Has One Message For People Who Complain About Games

• 🎮 More Layoffs At Warner Bros.

• 🎮 Sandfall Interactive Refuses To Comment On Expedition 33 Future

• 🎮 Todd Howard On Elder Scrolls 6 Progress

• 🫡 True Tribute!

• 😄 Personal Update

All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️

Let’s dig in!

🎮 AI Graphics For Games

NVIDIA recently announced a new big thing in real-time rendering, DLSS 5, something that they claim is the most significant breakthrough since the debut of real-time ray tracing. And the reception was… Polarising, to say the least.

DLSS, as a technology, was released in 2018 to boost performance by upscaling resolution at first and then evolving to generating entirely new frames. And it has been integrated into over 750 games, becoming a gold standard for the industry. The 5th version is set to introduce a real-time neural rendering model that infuses pixels with photoreal lighting and materials. Bridging the divide between rendering and reality, DLSS 5 aims to empower game developers to deliver a new level of photoreal computer graphics previously only achieved in Hollywood visual effects.

According to the official announcement, this new feature is scheduled to be released this fall. And I don’t know about bridging reality, but there is a new divide growing on the topic of this new feature.

NVIDIA already announced that DLSS 5 will be supported by the industry’s biggest publishers and game developers, including Bethesda, CAPCOM, Hotta Studio, NetEase, NCSOFT, S-GAME, Tencent, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Games. And while a lot of them offered a lot of encouragement, a lot of people are very sceptical.

A lot of people have already gone on social media to criticise how this feature, while being optional, alters the characters in the game beyond recognition, in some cases, loses the original mood of the game, and in general, looks like an “AI filter”. Also, this feature requires quite a heavy setup to even run.

So, it looks like this feature will definitely not be a universally trusted new standard, especially for games that don’t want to be too realistic. But those that do, especially if they are backed by a big publisher, will definitely want to lean into this. But it is a big sign that companies like NVIDIA try to normalise the perception of AI-mediated graphics.

How well it is going to sit with everyone long-term remains to be seen, though…

🎮 Krafton Ordered To Reinstate Subnautica CEO

It’s been a while since we talked about the legal battle between Krafton and the co-founders of Unknown Worlds, the guys responsible for Subnautica. And now we have a surprising update.

TL;DR the suit was brought forward by the founders some time ago after they were dismissed from the company by Krafton over allegations that they abandoned their responsibilities instead of focusing on the development of their next game. While they are saying that Krafon fired them because the publisher didn’t want to pay a $250 million bonus after Subnautica 2 reached a certain milestone. Fast forward to today, according to Kotaku, the judge ordered Krafton to reinstate the fired CEO, Ted Grill, and give him full operational authority over the studio and the release of the game.

The court decided that Krafton’s reasons to fire the founder were just a pretext and that the publisher was effectively in breach of the contract signed during the acquisition of Unknown Worlds. This was also spiced up by the fact that Krafton’s CEO was deliberately looking for ways to avoid paying the conditional payout in a month-long plan called “Project X”, which included consulting ChatGPT multiple times for help with messaging the change in leadership to fans. What an interesting way to utilise AI, by the way 😅

That said, the court hasn’t decided yet on the monetary aspect of this lawsuit, but it doesn’t look great for Krafton.

The optics for a big publisher like that are terrible, especially since this is definitely not the first company they acquired. And for any future acquisition, this will become a big point of reference when negotiating autonomy clauses, publishing control and, of course, money. Also, it just shows once again how greedy some people actually are. I understand that business is business, but that’s not it. That’s just incredibly bad faith and greed. And while Krafton says that they put players at the heart of every decision, I just don’t see how that’s best for the players to screw over people from their money…

Also, I’m sure that the game, the team and the rest of the company will definitely pay the price because of all the reputational blowback.

🎮 Starfield Finally Unveiled A New Expansion

Bethesda has finally revealed a long-awaited second DLC for Starfield called Terran Armada that will arrive on April 7.

According to the official announcement, the expansion will feature a new questline, characters, locations, enemies and a lot of other stuff. Additionally, along with the paid DLC, the company will release a Free Lanes update that will be free and available for everyone. And it looks like it will add intra-system free flight between planets, more space encounters, new customisation resources, and expanded New Game+ options. Oh, and the company also announced the launch of PS5.

And a lot of people are already saying that this is the big second chance for this game. Which kind of makes sense, since Bethesda is doing a bunch of different things all together: platform expansion to PS5, a major free systems overhaul, and a new paid story DLC. They are definitely trying to widen the audience net and reduce the friction points. And it’s admirable. It could work, but repairing a mixed reception is never easy. My main concern with this is the earlier comment from Todd Howard, saying that this update is going to be just more of the same Starfield and if it didn’t work for you the first time, it’s not going to work for you this time either. Which adds a little bit of contradiction.

Clearly, the approach of the first time is not working. And personally, I’m just a little bit confused. If they are trying to give this project a second life, they clearly need to talk with Howard about positioning 😅

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this button is just for you ⤵️

Let Me In 📩

🎮 Jeff Kaplan Has One Message For People Who Complain About Games

The former Overwatch Director has one message for people who complain about games that they will never play, and it’s “shut the f*** up”.

According to IGN, during one of the recent livestreams with Kaplan, where he was showcasing his new project, The Legend of California, the topic of feedback came up, and Jeff Kaplan shared his frustration with those who complained about games they have no interest in playing. Which turned into a lengthy rant that contained stuff like this: “If a game comes out, and you don’t want to play it, and you’ve never played it? Shut the f*** up. No one cares.”

Clearly, Jeff hasn’t received any media training after he departed from Blizzard, as he would’ve thought twice before venting into an open mic if he had. And I get it, it’s very frustrating as a game developer to receive negative feedback when it comes to a game that you poured your heart and soul into.

But everyone is a potential customer. And I mean everyone. And Jeff just decided to insult everyone.

Even if a person doesn’t want to play a certain game at a specific time, it doesn’t mean there won’t be a time when this changes. I don’t know about you, but I have quite a lot of games that I thought I would “never play” in my library. Hell, I used to say that I would never play League of Legends back in the day and shortly after that, spent years playing it. And this happens all the time. Word of mouth gets around, your friends recommend something, and you think what the hell, I should give this one a try. But it looks like a game designer and studio founder with decades of experience is unfamiliar with this phenomenon. I agree that there is a thing called “target audience”, but it doesn’t mean that you can say a giant “f*** you” to everyone else.

The Internet could be a very toxic place, but saying things like that is not making it better; it’s just more of the same.

🎮 More Layoffs At Warner Bros.

With the acquisition of Warner Bros. still not finalised, it looks like the company is already trimming their game development ranks.

According to Insider Gaming, the Montréal studio is hit with yet another round of layoffs. So far, the outlet highlights 3 confirmed cases with the Associate Narrative Director, the Level Designer and the Associate Producer, who all announced their departures via social media. Each of them was with the company for 6+ years.

And there might be even more layoffs coming soon, before the wrap-up of the acquisition. The restructuring phase is still ongoing and will probably continue until the company’s fate is fully decided and new owners take charge. But with Warner Bros. still trying to make new games, with each departure, the execution risks are rising. Especially if we are talking about people who have been with the company for almost a decade.

🎮 Sandfall Interactive Refuses To Comment On Expedition 33 Future

After breaking all sorts of records with Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive are already busy with their next project, but they are just not sharing what it is.

GamesRadar+ tried to ask Sandfall’s Lead Writer during GDC where she wants to see the series go next, in case the next project is in the same universe. But she said that she can’t share things like that. If she did, she would have to kill them 😅

Which is totally fair. Every company has the right to maintain a veil of secrecy around its projects. It’s also curious that they are not saying “no” to the possibility of turning this into a franchise. And it’s not like they don’t have options. There are prequel options, sequels, spinoffs or even completely different stories similar to what Square Enix is doing with Final Fantasy. Either way, the expectations will be very high, so we’ll see if Sandfall Interactive can knock it out of the park two times in a row.

🎮 Todd Howard On Elder Scrolls 6 Progress

It looks like, after almost 10 years since the game was announced, Bethesda is finally ready to focus on The Elder Scrolls VI.

Or at least that’s what Todd Howard wants us to believe based on a recent interview with IGN. While he couldn’t share any concrete details about the game itself, he confirmed that the development is progressing and this project is now the focus of most of Bethesda Game Studios. And that he regrets how early the game was announced, as it clearly built a lot of expectations that the company just wasn’t ready for, relatively to the state of the game.

Based on this, at least it looks like the company is starting to learn from their mistakes made with this game as well as with Stafield. And this is more about restoring confidence that this project is still happening, as well as a little bit of damage control because of such an early announcement.

Speaking of which, aside from The Elder Scrolls, Howard had a lot to say about Starfield, Fallout 76 and other projects. So, if you want to know more, be sure to check out the full interview.

🫡 True Tribute!

Today I wanted to salute and !

GameDev's Journey

A game where dice rolls always succeed

It is fascinating to me that dice date back to 3000 BCE. Believed to have started as a tool for fortune-telling, these small cubes have survived through time in many forms and materials, from teeth to sheep bones…

Read more

2 months ago · 7 likes · Niki

Quite an interesting concept with this dice game. Dice rolls, however obscure they are, are the cornerstones of a lot of games, and they have been since the beginning. I still remember the systems from Neverwinter Nights, and that was before I knew what is DnD and dice rolls are. Also, I’m glad you are enjoying Cairn! This game is still on my to-do list, but it sounds like it’s living up to its reputation 😁

😄 Personal Update

While I still play Overwatch from time to time, it’s becoming more and more obvious that my nostalgia is running out.

Not sure if I’m the only one feeling that after returning to this game after a few years and after this glorified rebranding, but it’s still more of the same. Yes, it’s definitely better than it was with Overwatch 2 when it was first released, but the matchmaking is still terrible, the balance is not great, and after a while, you get tired of looking at the same games over and over again.

Oh well, at least it was fun while it’s lasted. Now I need to decide what to do next 😅

This is all the news I have for you folks today.

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great week!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

Hello friends,

Today is March 24th 2026 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌

In today’s news:

• 🎮 Xbox Mode On Windows

• 🎮 Valve Responds To Loot Boxes Lawsuit

• 🎮 New Cyberpunk Game Set To Be Published By Lineage 2 Devs

• 🎮 Decades Of Updates “Probably Not On The Cards” For Palworld

• 🎮 PC Gaming Is Dominating The Industry

• 🎮 Blizzard’s Former CCO Urges Executives To “Cool It With Layoffs”

• 🎮 Final Word On Cyberpunk 2077 DLC Debate

• 🫡 True Tribute!

• 😄 Personal Update

All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️

Let’s dig in!

🎮 Xbox Mode On Windows

Xbox continues with their strategy to transform itself into an “everything” platform, and the company recently announced an Xbox mode on Windows 11 in April 2026.

During the recent GDC, Microsoft announced this full-screen, controller-optimised Xbox experience for Windows 11 across laptops, desktops, and tablets, with the ability to switch back to the normal Windows desktop if you so choose. This new mode is set to exit beta in “select markets”, but the company hasn’t shared what those are yet. But this mode continues a push from the publisher to set up the groundwork for Project Helix, announced earlier, as well as to compete with SteamOS.

And this is something we haven’t seen before. There has always been this gap between a PC as a platform and consoles. If they successfully bridge it and bring what they learned from a “gaming OS” directly into Windows, it could reduce development friction and present a unified Xbox experience across devices. So, while others are doubling down on exclusivity, Microsoft is putting their chips on unification.

Whether or not this is the right choice is unclear, as there is a case to be made that with moves like this, Xbox is slowly losing its identity. Or altering it to something unrecognisable and becoming more of an addition to Windows than a standalone platform. But this also transforms Windows devices into high-retention Xbox endpoints. So, you know, pros and cons.

The new CEO surely is making a splash with all these new strategies and announcements, that’s for sure 😅

🎮 Valve Responds To Loot Boxes Lawsuit

It’s been some time since the Attorney General from New York initiated the legal battle with Valve, and now the latter has finally responded with a lengthy statement.

According to Valve’s blog post, the company obviously disagrees with everything and says that they’ve been working with the AG’s office since 2023 to “educate them” about how these loot boxes work. One of the main arguments from their side is that the items obtained from these boxes are like physical collectables from card packs, and part of a broader digital ownership model that they believe benefits consumers. Interestingly, the company was suggested to make the items non-transferable in the past or require additional information from players, but it has no plans of doing so.

With that, Valve said that they respect New York’s rights to determine its laws and that they will comply with any legislation that passes regarding those loot boxes, but they plan to contest the lawsuit on its merits.

And now the picture is a little clearer. The point of contention seems to be not the lootboxes themselves, but the fact that people could trade the items from them. Which I personally find a little weird. I understand the argument that prizes can be worth substantially more than the opening cost in that way, but this argument seems like an action against the marketplace other than loot boxes. Again, I’m not trying to defend or oppose anyone; I’m mostly trying to understand why now? And why not pass legislation to ban them altogether if they are so harmful, like Belgium or Japan?

Also, I’m sorry, but I agree with Valve on one thing. Adding a point about gun violence to this case is absolutely ridiculous. We are mixing apples and horses here, not even oranges. Plus, I thought we were way past the point of saying that playing video games causes people to become more violent in real life, especially since this claim was disproved by so many different studies. Which makes the whole argument sound even more ridiculous.

It would be interesting to see how this case progresses and who comes out on top after all.

🎮 New Cyberpunk Game Set To Be Published By Lineage 2 Devs

A legendary publisher behind Lineage 2, Blade & Soul and Aion recently decided to partner with EmptyVessel to publish a new cyberpunk game, Defect.

This is a relatively small, independent studio based in Austin that raised about $11 million for its debut project, featuring veterans from franchises such as DOOM, Quake, Call of Duty, and The Last of Us. And with NCSoft already investing in the company in 2025, it looks like they decided to go all in and provide further support for console development and single-player mode.

The game itself is described as a cyberpunk, SWAT sim set in a dystopian world ruled by an AI. Where you can play in single-player for a deeper offline experience, team up in Co-op, or face off in a new 4v4v4v4 PVP mode featuring dynamic multi-objective battles with advanced weapons and tech. And the footage looks quite impressive already. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t have a release date yet or a price tag.

But it is quite promising. And with EmptyVessel managing to secure the backing of such a big publisher, the game might turn out bigger than we think. With that said, NCSoft’s historic strength is overwhelmingly in MMORPG operations, not in establishing breakout premium or hybrid western shooter franchises from scratch. It doesn’t mean that it’s a bad thing and they’ve been trying to diversify their portfolio, but still. I wouldn’t say the market is very kind right now to newcomers, especially since the multiplayer shooter segment is saturated, retention-driven, and brutally competitive on acquisition costs.

So, while this deal makes this game more likely to be shipped eventually, there is no guarantee that it will be anything more than another AA shooter. But maybe that’s enough?

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this button is just for you ⤵️

Let Me In 📩

🎮 Decades Of Updates “Probably Not On The Cards” For Palworld

With Palworld finally leaving Early Access later this year, Pocketpair is already saying that we probably shouldn’t expect it to be anything like No Man’s Sky with decades of updates ahead.

According to GamesRadar+, while the company admits there are a lot of hardcore fans who would love nothing more than to have a stream of massive updates through the years, Publishing Head John Buckley says it might not be in the cards. And there are a few reasons. There are engine limitations, the size of the game, as you can add more stuff into the game only so many times before it becomes a bloated monstrosity. And since Palworld’s progression is a lot more linear, it would have to stop at some point, so that the studio could think about what comes after. Also, since the company tries to appeal to a casual audience, they are cautious about adding new stuff so that the game doesn’t become a chore.

But, they are not ruling out the possibility for Palword 2.0. But it all depends on how well the full launch will go.

It sounds like Pocketpair is preparing for the game to lose even more momentum with the 1.0 release, which is a little bit surprising. The game became quite a smash hit when it was released, and had some impressive milestones, like reaching 32 million players after one year. But maybe it’s just them being realistic. After all, their reasons are quite understandable.

And with them already thinking about what comes next, maybe it would be better to have a solid sequel than a decade-old game.

🎮 PC Gaming Is Dominating The Industry

It’s this time of the year again when big analytics companies publish their big reports, and according to one of them, the PC market is getting bigger and bigger.

According to Insider Gaming and a report from NewZoo, the combined PC and console market is expected to reach $103.7 billion by 2028, and the PC revenue will surpass the consoles in every way during the same time. It’s already bigger in terms of players, but the report suggests that in the following years, the difference will become even greater. With the PC player base growing to staggering 1 billion players, while consoles will be left behind at around 688 million.

The report is huge, and if you are wondering about the state of the industry, I definitely recommend reading it.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that PC is going to replace the consoles, but if this data is at least somewhat accurate, this platform is going to dictate how the rest of the industry is evolving. Consoles are typically more dependent on two things, I think. First is the evolution of actual hardware, and second is the premium exclusives. And that’s not something the PC market has to rely on. In fact, according to the report, more than half of all revenue on PC is attributed to games beyond the top 20 games on the platform. And we can all see it. More and more games that don’t position themselves as smash hit AAA blockbusters are soaring at launch, while others fail miserably.

Also, companies like Xbox are blurring the lines between consoles and PC even more. So, it looks like if a company is not trying to get into this market, it’s sort of shooting itself in the foot. Yes, Sony, I’m talking about you 😁

🎮 Blizzard’s Former CCO Urges Executives To “Cool It With Layoffs”

It looks like I’m not the only one who’s a little bit tired of all the layoffs in the industry. Former Blizzard Chief Creative Officer Rob Pardo recently urged the rest of the industry to take it down a notch.

During a keynote address at GDC, sharing some lessons learned from his journey from being a Lead Designer on Stracraft to founding his own studio, Pardo wanted to convey one simple message to industry executives. If your developers have already delivered a success, the best way to repeat it is by keeping those developers.

According to him, if a studio is ever fortunate enough to build a game that lasts, it means that you’ve also built an incredible team. In his opinion, in this case, the team is more valuable than the game itself.

And it makes sense, doesn’t it? If you were operating a, let’s say, bakery and hired a person who bakes amazing bread. You wouldn’t want to fire him after he baked all the bread required for the day, would you? This is quite similar. Game teams are not disposable; you can discard them whenever you are done with them. They are the most valuable assets, especially if they have already delivered a successful game. They possess an enormous amount of process knowledge required to potentially repeat that success.

And we are way past layoffs triggered by pandemic overexpansion. Yet layoffs continue and have even become a “normal” operational behaviour, even when we are talking about successful games.

With that said, I don’t think Pardo’s message is going to lead to any big decisions, and companies will stop laying people off all of a sudden, but maybe at least this would make them think twice.

🎮 Final Word On Cyberpunk 2077 DLC Debate

With a lot of rumours circling around a secret DLC for The Witcher 3, some fans started wondering if similar things may be happening to Cyberpunk, and CDPR recently decided to put this question to rest.

During one of the conversations on X, one of the fans asked point-blank if the company is working on another secret DLC, and the answer was a definitive “No”. CD Projekt said that they have no plans for additional content or expansions.

So, it looks like the next time we see anything new in this franchise will be when the sequel comes out. But with the next game being four to five years away, we’ll have to wait a while 😭

🫡 True Tribute!

Today I wanted to salute and !

Push to Talk

Are Old Games Killing New Games?

This week’s post is a two-part combo: a short essay about a concerning trend in the PC and console games market + an interview with one of the creators of Arco, who has something to say about the state of the industry for indies…

Read more

2 years ago · 74 likes · 9 comments · Ryan K. Rigney

While the publication is on a less regular cadence than it used to be, I still find myself going back and re-reading some of the amazing stuff there, like the above trend that still continues in our industry. Eagerly waiting for the new posts !

😄 Personal Update

So, I tried Overwatch, and it’s ridiculous, it’s almost exactly the same game it was on release 😅

And now I can see why everybody is back. The game plays heavily on nostalgia, and honestly, they should have let it be instead of doing this ridiculous Overwatch 2 thing. The feel is exactly the same, the gameplay is the same, minus some new stuff and new heroes, it’s basically back to the golden age. I don’t know how long it will last, though. I mean, it’s fun to play for a couple of weeks and remember the good ol’ days, but I personally don’t feel the same pull it had when it was brand new.

It’s like playing a remaster. It’s fun the first time, but then you remember you played this one a hundred times over, and it stops being fun. Maybe that’s just me, of course.

How do you feel about it?

This is all the news I have for you folks today.

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great week!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

Welcome to the next issue of this QA series, where I share the information that helped me become a QA and that I picked up over the years to climb from a Trainee QA to managing an entire department, and that I used to teach as a course on how to become a QA from scratch.

Now that we are done talking about general models of development, let’s talk about actual work. And to start things off, let’s talk about how deep your testing goes, how wide and how close to the real user experience.

Alright, let’s get into it.

🪜 What Are The Different Levels Of Testing

If you imagine an assembly line and how everything is manufactured these days, you know that to, say, build a car, you don’t start putting it all together all at once. You start by creating a part of a car, a tire, for example. To make a tire, you need several components. You make those individual components, assemble them, and then repeat the same process until you put together an entire car. The same principle applies to Testing Levels.

Before we start testing the entire system, we need to check that all individual components are up to requirements (that the rubber on the tire is up to standard, that the wheel is actually a square 😅 and so on), then we need to make sure that those components are working together (tire actually connects to wheel rim, steering wheel correctly controls the direction of the tires etc.) and only then you proceed to test the system as a whole.

In software testing, those organisational groups look like this:

• Unit Testing – Individual functions, methods, or classes.

• Integration Testing – Interactions between those individual functions or groups of functions.

• System Testing – The complete application as a whole.

• Acceptance Testing – The final experience, whether it matches user expectations and business goals

Read more

Hello friends,

Today is March 19th 2026 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌

In today’s news:

• 🎮 Microsoft “Will Always Invest” In Games

• 🎮 Layoffs At EA

• 🎮 A New Game From Shinji Mikami

• 🎮 Knights Of The Old Republic Is Still Alive

• 🎮 Valve Hints More Delays With The New Hardware Lineup

• 🎮 New Studio From Yakuza Creator Lost Funding

• 🎮 Resident Evil Requiem Director Confirms DLC

• 🫡 True Tribute!

• 😄 Personal Update

All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️

Let’s dig in!

🎮 Microsoft “Will Always Invest” In Games

Following recent changes at Xbox, the announcement of next-gen, and a lot of shots fired at the company, Microsoft's CEO and Xbox's CEO recently hosted an internal Q&A to address these issues and reassure everyone that the future is bright for video games, at least in their opinion.

According to a recent exclusive from Windows Central, the big boss of Microsoft said that the company is “long on gaming,” will “continue to invest” in it and will “always” do so, among other things. The general sentiment is that the long-term goals of the company are content, services, cross-device reach, and ecosystem leverage as opposed to consoles and hardware alone.

He also reportedly acknowledged the negative sentiment that has been building after the departures of Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond, which suggests Microsoft is at least aware that this transition has not inspired confidence for everyone.

All that suggests that the old ways are being replaced by new strategies with the new leadership, at least to some degree. The traditional console war matters less in this vision than building an ecosystem that can follow players across devices. And with financial results showing that their services, stores and subscriptions are on the rise, while hardware is diving off a cliff, it makes sense that they want to go where their customers are.

The challenge is that strategy alone does not win people over. Saying the right things about reach, services, and ecosystem is one thing. Proving that players should care is something else entirely. If Xbox is becoming less of a traditional console brand and more of a software and platform business, then it has to offer something substantial enough to make that change feel meaningful rather than hollow. At that point, the competition is no longer just about who sells the most hardware. It becomes a fight over who has the best games, the biggest audience, and the strongest overall ecosystem.

So the real question is not whether Microsoft has a strategy. It clearly does. The real question is whether Xbox can execute that strategy well enough to make players believe in what the brand is becoming.

🎮 Layoffs At EA

After Battlefield delivered the biggest launch in the franchise's history, EA is already letting people go across multiple studios.

IGN recently reported that an unspecified number of people were let go from DICE, Criterion, Ripple Effect and Motive studios as part of “select changes” within Battlefield to better align teams around “what matters most”. But the company assures everyone that the franchise remains a priority and it will continue investing in it going forward. A very funny way of showing it, in my opinion.

And this round of layoffs has probably something to do with how the post-launch is working out for them. Despite being a huge success on launch with 7 million copies sold in three days and bringing the franchise back from being relatively dead, the game has been taking on quite a bit of water since then. The player count has dropped by quite a bit, the game reviews dropped into Mixed, and the Battle Royale Battlefield REDSEC recent reviews are Mostly Negative. It’s expected that titles like this eventually start losing people after they go live, but it looks like the performance is dropping more than EA anticipated.

This is all yet another piece of evidence that even a strong launch such as this doesn’t protect AAA projects from restructuring. Publishers are increasingly separating launch performance and post-launch cost. And honestly, as a person who works in the industry, it’s quite depressing to admit. While companies are still backing the franchises, they are unwilling to treat even record launch results as reasons to keep staffing untouched.

The bar is constantly being raised, not only on initial execution, but for live-service follow-through as well. Not sure how much higher it could get, though 😅

🎮 A New Game From Shinji Mikami

The famous game designer who created the first Resident Evil, Devil May Cry and most recently, Hi-Fi Rush, is back with a new original AAA project called Unbound.

Mikami established Unbound Studio back in 2022 as an independent studio developing “original AAA titles” shortly before he departed from Tango Gameworks, which was acquired by Krafton. While the details about their debut project are a bit scarce, here’s what is known. This is an original IP built with Unreal Engine 5 and has a team of around 50 people working on it. The game’s Producer is Masato Kimura, who helped develop Ghostwire: Tokyo. They are aiming to release the new game across all major platforms, but interestingly, according to last year’s interview, the game is set to have “AAA quality, but AA content”.

And that says a lot, actually. Games that usually target both require a lot of development efforts, and I mean a lot. Hundreds of people working for years to make that happen, tens of millions of dollars, and even then, it might not amount to much, especially if it’s a new IP. This approach, however, shows that the studio understands that and is not trying to compete with behemoths of the industry. Instead, they are focusing on something in between. Premium presentation, original IP, controlled scope, and we saw that working before. In fact, we see that almost every year. There are a lot of projects and studios that fail trying to be the next huge AAA hit, while projects with a very focused, but polished experience disproportionally blow up.

Of course, it all depends on the game in question. And since we haven’t seen anything, it’s hard to say whether it will be the case here. Still, it’s great that the studio prioritises quality over ambition. It’s always a good sign.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this button is just for you ⤵️

Let Me In 📩

🎮 Knights Of The Old Republic Is Still Alive

This has become somewhat of a yearly tradition. Every year, an executive comes out and says that Knights Of The Old Republic is still happening, don’t worry, without providing any meaningful insights. And today is exactly a day like this.

During a recent interview with IGN, Tim Willits, Chief Creative Officer at Saber Interactive, confirmed that the project is still in development, but, unfortunately, refused to share anything more. All that after the announcement almost 5 years ago.

I mean, at least they are not ignoring its existence. The game is still happening, but it’s very hard to even speculate on the current state of the project, as there is virtually no information about it. I don’t even know if we could treat it as a meaningful sign of progress. But, as I’m one of the people who are waiting for this game, I can say this: at least it’s not cancelled.

🎮 Valve Hints More Delays With The New Hardware Lineup

RAM and SSD shortages continue to make impact on the global hardware situation, Valve’s new line of hardware in particular.

According to a recently posted review of 2025, the company reconfirmed that they will be shipping all three products this year: the new Steam Controller, Steam Machine and Steam Frame (VR headset). But they are basically saying that the storage shortages may impact the timing, stock and pricing.

While it’s reassuring, I think stock and pricing are probably the biggest questions that need to be addressed. By the looks of it, a lot of people are waiting for both Machine and Controller, but everything is astronomically expensive right now when it comes to hardware. Which means that more and more people will be selective with what they buy. Even a year ago, the situation was much better, even though companies like Xbox already started to increase prices.

While both devices seem to be very useful, and you can get a lot of bang for your buck, what if the majority decides not to upgrade?

🎮 New Studio From Yakuza Creator Lost Funding

Back to sad news. Nagoshi Studio, established by the creator of Yakuza, Toshihiro Nagoshi, recently lost funding, and now their first game might never come out.

Reported by Bloomberg, NetEase, a company that was financing this studio, told the developers that they are pulling their funding in May this year after learning that the debut project, Gang of Dragon, will need an additional 7 billion Yen (~$44.5 million) to be completed. The game itself was revealed during The Game Awards last year and looked a lot like Yakuza. Shocker, right?

And the decision is understandable on one hand. The game is a new IP relying mostly on Nagoshi’s personal brand and audience carryover from Yakuza. This is definitely not a guarantee of any financial success. Plus, the company already stated that they are tightening their belts, restructuring investments and closing idle studios.

On the other hand, for the company that has a cash flow of hundreds of billions, 44 million won’t even make a dent in it. But if the company is already trying to pull back from game development, a first project from a newly formed Japanese console studio is exactly the kind of investment that becomes vulnerable.

Nagoshi Studio is already trying to find new investors to stay alive, but the prospects are not looking good.

🎮 Resident Evil Requiem Director Confirms DLC

As Capcom celebrates the success of the newly released Requiem, there is already an announcement that extra story content is in development.

According to a message from a Game Director on X, they have already sold more than 5 million copies since launch, but it’s not the end of this game. The developers will continue addressing bugs and performance issues, add a new photo mode soon and a new expansion that will “delve deeper into the world of Requiem”. No timelines were shared, unfortunately, just that “it will take some time”.

Which is great. Another example of how premium single-player experiences could be profitable even post-launch without turning them into live-service machines. And with the game being such a smash hit, there is almost no reason to doubt that the expansion will be as well.

I just wish they had done something like this for Resident Evil 4 Remake😅

🫡 True Tribute!

Today I wanted to salute and Game (by Pad and Pixel)!

Game (by Pad and Pixel)

Horror, Homages, Hangouts and Horseriding

Good morning…

Read more

2 months ago · 5 likes · Dave Tach

A great collection of news! Honestly, a lot of the games on the list were on my radar at a certain point, and I’m quite amazed by how poorly they were released. Like High on Life 2, for example. I thought it would top the previous entry for sure, but the game is not doing well at all. Either way, a great collection to keep yourself up to date!

😄 Personal Update

Well, I finally got my fill with Diablo 2, and now I’m back to not knowing what to play 😅

On the bright side, there are a lot of games on the market right now, and since there is a lot of positive sentiment around Overwatch, I’m thinking about checking it out as well. Honestly, I thought that this rebranding was not going to save anything, and this game was beyond salvation, but it’s crushing it out there.

It’s even beating Marvel Rivals in concurrent players! What a shocker!

This is all the news I have for you folks today.

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great week!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

Hello friends,

Today is Mar 17th 2026 and I hope you’ve had a great week 🙌

In today’s news:

• 🎮 Xbox Next Gen Announced

• 🎮 Surprise Revival Of SAO From Namco

• 🎮 Killing Floor Developer Announces Layoffs

• 🎮 More Layoffs And Espionage Drama At Build A Rocket Boy

• 🎮 The Work On Resident Evil 1 Remake Might’ve Just Begun

• 🎮 Another Assassin’s Creed Game Is In Development For Mobile

• 🎮 Nintendo Suing US Government Over Tariffs

• 🫡 True Tribute!

• 😄 Personal Update

All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ⏲️

Let’s dig in!

🎮 Xbox Next Gen Announced

With Sony delaying their next gen, Xbox and its newly elected CEO decided to use this moment to announce their next gen, Project Helix.

Ahead of GDC, Asha Sharma went on X to announce this new project say that Project Helix will “lead in performance and play our Xbox and (surprisingly) PC games”. While other details remain limited, it looks like the new CEO is trying to redefine what Xbox is as a console.

The wording indicates that Xbox is not trying to build just a new console; it will be a unified platform. Historically, one of Xbox’s structural disadvantages versus PlayStation has been software identity and exclusive pull. With a platform that can run both types of games, Xbox can compensate by competing on library access, backward compatibility potential and overall higher utility potential. That would be quite a huge step for the company.

But there is the other side of it. Traditional console buyers usually expect a clear value proposition and differentiation. While the possibility of running PC games is great, I don’t think it captures what every console player is looking for, which is more great exclusive titles. And it’s not something that Microsoft is really working on right now.

So, all in all, it looks like Microsoft is trying to pivot from the usual console strategy of just “sell the next box” and do something more strategic. But with those types of hybrid devices only starting to appear, it’s unclear whether the players will have an appetite for it. Of course, as a PC gamer, I’m all for it. Provided, of course, that this new console/PC has enough juice to compete with a real PC. Also, with the current hardware situation and prices, this is something else worth considering. Because if it’s going to be a 4000$ all-in-one box, nobody would buy it, no matter how good it is.

I think it’s a very smart move from Xbox, as we can already see that they are losing the traditional fight with Sony. So, when you are losing the fight, you need to change the rules.

🎮 Surprise Revival Of SAO From Namco

Bandai Namco has been teasing us recently about revealing a brand new RPG, and now it’s here. Who would’ve thought it’s going to be Sword Art Online?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that big of a surprise, considering that Namco is almost a synonym for anime adaptations at this point, and this is their 10th game in this particular series. But unlike other games meant for you to relive the journey of your beloved SAO characters, this is a completely new story set in a familiar world that we will be able to experience on July 10, 2026.

The game is set to be a single-player RPG where you create your own character and dive into the world of Aincrad with its own story, real-time combat, AI partner systems, stat and skill progression. IGN also recently released a big preview that shares some details on the combat and setting, but it’s quite limited based on the demo they played. And honestly, it looks much better than any of their previous games.

Personally, I’m cautiously optimistic about this game. While it looks better, other games based on this franchise failed to really sell it, at least based on Steam numbers. But the overall pull of the franchise is quite substantial, as earlier data says that all the games surpassed 5.6 million copies sold.

Historically, many anime adaptation games perform best when they either deliver strong fan service efficiently or successfully detach from canon enough to create player ownership. Echoes of Aincrad is clearly pursuing the second path. The whole premise lets Bandai Namco keep the most recognisable iconography of the franchise while reducing dependence on continuity. So this game might actually reach some of the new players if the story is compelling enough.

So, this might be a good mid-tier project to look forward to.

🎮 Killing Floor Developer Announces Layoffs

And now we are back to layoffs as Tripwire Interactive, known for the Killing Floor series, has revealed that 23 people have been laid off from the company.

The studio recently shared the official announcement on social media and said that this was an incredibly difficult decision, heavily deliberated inside the company. While no offical reasons were shared, the studio mostly talked about how this would help in their long-term strategy and aligning with business realities to stay focused on key objectives. What a mouthful, isn’t it?

But if I had to guess the real reason, it probably has something to do with the performance of Killing Floor 3 and the overall restructuring at Embracer Group. The latest game launched with mixed reception, and according to Steam Charts, it’s only slightly ahead of the original Killing Floor from 2009 and almost twice behind Killing Floor 2. Not a good sign at all. And with Embracer Group prioritising restructuring, debt reduction, and sharper capital allocation, it might be a big contributing factor.

The truth is that this franchise has always been a good AA coop shooter, but not much else. And our current state of the industry is not kind to mid-tier projects, especially if they launch without strong retention.

Still, hearing about layoffs never gets easier, especially if you are working in the same industry.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, this button is just for you ⤵️

Let Me In 📩

🎮 More Layoffs And Espionage Drama At Build A Rocket Boy

Speaking of layoffs, MindsEye developer is letting people go. Again. And they are blaming it all on espionage and sabotage. Again.

According to their latest post, one of the co-CEOs of the company shared that a number of roles were deemed redundant and people were let go to ensure the long-term survival of the company. In the same message, he also shared that the investigation into organised espionage and corporate espionage continues, but he couldn’t share any details as “matters are moving toward prosecution”. I don’t know about you, but this story is starting to get old. I’m still holding my breath in anticipation of more details, and either it’s going to be really great, and I’ll take everything I said back, or it’s going to be the most ridiculous conjecture ever, and the leadership just couldn’t deal with the reality that the game was not good enough.

Meanwhile, the game is surprisingly beginning to see some positive momentum, at least when it comes to reviews. After releasing multiple content and quality of life updates, the game is no longer overwhelmingly negative, and the recent reviews are quite positive. That being said, the total number of players is still not great, and it might never recover, but it’s better than it used to be. So, the developers are doing at least something right.

Either way, if this story continues and turns out to be nothing more than a bunch of BS, the studio will lose any and all credibility left. For their sake, they had better be right about that.

🎮 The Work On Resident Evil 1 Remake Might’ve Just Begun

And now, more leaked information about other projects in the works at Capcom.

According to Insider Gaming, a notable Resident Evil leaker recently shared that the remake of the game that started this whole series “has gone underway”. But they noted that it’s just started, so we are probably years from seeing it. Of course, provided the project won’t be cancelled sometime during the next few years. Again, this is just a rumour, so treat it as such.

According to Capcom, at least according to a 2024 report, their player base is open to and willing to invest in good remakes. And with previous titles achieving quite a big success, there is no reason to doubt that the publisher wants to continue the trend. In fact, even to this date, Resident Evil 2 Remake remains one of Capcom’s top-selling products.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that this remake is going to change that, but at least it’s a sign that the company follows a very specific structure and tries to maintain at least a resemblance of a flow with Resident Evil 😅

🎮 Another Assassin’s Creed Game Is In Development For Mobile

While Ubisoft is working on a lot of stuff, the company decided to share yet another update on the future of Assassin’s Creed. And surprisingly, Assassin’s Creed Jade surfaced.

This is a game that was revealed back in 2022, followed by a teaser in 2023, as a mobile game set in China. And then quickly went off the radar with only one update in 2024, saying that the game is delayed to 2025. Obviously, this didn’t happen. But according to the recent updates, this game is still alive.

Of course, it’s hard to call it an update, more like a brief mention. But in the absence of anything else, that will do.

To be clear, I don’t expect anything big from it, but at least we know that there is another game on the horizon.

🎮 Nintendo Suing US Government Over Tariffs

With the US tariffs being seemingly reversed recently by the US Supreme Court, Nintendo decided to sue the government, as they are the ones who paid them when they announced.

For those of you who don’t know the whole story, here’s the short version. Donald Trump decided to implement tariffs on imports from nearly all countries back in 2025. Last month US Supreme Court found the tariffs to be unconstitutional, cancelled them and said that everyone who paid them could present their cases for refunds. And that’s exactly what Nintendo is trying to do, as those tariffs clearly did some damage and delayed the preorders for Switch 2.

While the company didn’t specify the amount of damages, it just tries to recover lost margin, restore planning certainty, and keep the U.S. launch model commercially stable.

The claim seems quite reasonable, but with policy being as unstable as it is and the current US administration already saying that the tariffs will be back, and they will be even harsher, it’s really hard to predict what will happen with Nintendo on that front.

🫡 True Tribute!

Today I wanted to salute and !

Gamedev Pills – Learn Game Design Around Your Day Job

The Aim Of Playing: Why Do We Create Games

This time I don’t have a technical post for you, but more a reflection about the end aim behind playing videogames and actually the other side of the coin; why we create them? What is the intention behind a experience? I really want to invite you to this reflection journey…

Read more

3 months ago · 13 likes · 4 comments · José Pérez

A great post that got me thinking about this question. And whenever I ask myself this question, I keep getting back to a moment in the movie Ready Player One, about being a dreamer and building worlds. As ever since I was a child, I was fascinated by it, how many different “lives” you can live when you play games, how many things you can experience. I always wanted to contribute to something like this, to help build worlds that others can experience, get lost in them and tell a story nobody else told yet. Also, it’s fun as hell! Most of the time 😅

😄 Personal Update

Ok, I think my panic attack has passed again, and I stopped obsessing with the numbers again 😅

I’m not sure if you guys are watching the videos, but I actually keep iterating on those, and recently changed some of my approaches there. Also, since I’m already recording this stuff anyway, I’m thinking about uploading it as a part of the podcast.

I know it’s just me talking about this stuff outloud, but still. Or it wouldn’t be a podcast without another host, sort of live back-and-forth? What do you think?

This is all the news I have for you folks today.

Thanks for making it this far! 🙌

If you feel like supporting me and my work, consider Powering-Up GameDev Relay 🎮

Tip GameDev Relay with a Power-Up ⬆️

Have a great week!

Alex from Gamedev Relay.

Welcome to the next issue of this QA series, where I share the information that helped me become a QA and that I picked up over the years to climb from a Trainee QA to managing an entire department, and that I used to teach as a course on how to become a QA from scratch.

We briefly talked about some of the misconceptions that are out there when it comes to QA, and some of them I used to experience regularly. One of them was that “QA is easy, you just sit there and get paid by doing virtually nothing”, and to be honest with you, this is why I got into QA in the first place when I was looking for a job in the IT industry. Today, I wanted to talk a little bit about this and also other related stuff that might debunk some of the myths out there.

Alright, let’s get into it.

😌 “QA Is Easy And The Simplest Way To Get An IT Job”

First of all, sorry, no, it is not 😅

It’s definitely easier than learn a programming language, for example, or learn how to 3D Model (to a degree), but it’s still not that simple. In real life, good QA is structured, analytical work that involves:

• Comparing behaviour against requirements and expected outcomes, which involves a lot of analysis and work with documentation

• Designing ways to reliably trigger problems and knowing where to look for these problems in the first place

• Noticing patterns, edge cases, and inconsistencies

• Communicating your findings clearly and accurately, so others can act on them

• Documenting any and all of the above in a way that’s understandable for anyone on your team and organisation

And we are only scratching the surface.

The job getting part is also not that easy, especially if you are right out of college or haven’t worked in the industry before. Some people I know got lucky and got the job very fast, but the vast majority (including yours truly) had to go through hundreds of interviews to get their first job, and it involved a lot of talking, test tasks and learning what to answer during each question in the interview process.

The bottom line is that all jobs are hard, but it’s worth pursuing if you are ready to put in the work.

Read more

Welcome to the next issue of this QA series, where I share the information that helped me become a QA and that I picked up over the years to climb from a Trainee QA to managing an entire department, and that I used to teach as a course on how to become a QA from scratch.

Now that we’ve talked plenty about Software Development Life Cycles, let’s talk about STLC or Software Testing Life Cycle (don’t confuse the two). They are very similar in definition, but they talk about different things. Also, while we are doing that, we’ll talk about the overall process and what it looks like in practice.

Alright, let’s get into it.

🗒️ Software Testing Life Cycle

The test process is quite similar to the Waterfall model, but unlike the Waterfall, it’s almost universal to all companies and projects. At least that was the case for me so far 😅

It all starts with, of course, Requirement Analysis and understanding what exactly we are testing and what the expected behaviour of the system. Usually quite a boring process where you read a bunch of documentation (if there’s any) or talk with Developers, Designers, BAs (Business Analysts) and other people responsible for defining how a specific feature should work.

Followed by Planning, where you or your team talks about how this feature or project will be tested. This is the part where QAs define the documentation that will be developed, what types of tests they are going to perform, who’s doing what and similar planning topics.

And then the work begins with writing Test Cases or any other form of Test Documentation, your basis for all the tests to come.

There is a small caveat to this stage, as sometimes you simply don’t have time to document your tests, a quite common situation, especially if the development team is on a tight deadline or there is an unexpected change of priorities. But most of the time, you should have enough time to write down all the important tests at least in the form of a checklist.

Test Environment setup is usually done by Devs without direct QA involvement, but you should know it’s there.

Then it’s time to Execute the tests and Report all the findings. After all is said and done comes the most interesting part: we are assessing whether the project we are working on or a feature has a high enough degree of quality to release it to real users. If it’s good enough, then we are moving directly to Closing activities, which is a fancy name for a bunch of paperwork and reports for higher-level management.

However, if the quality is not high enough, it means that we will need to wait until the Development Team resolves all the issues QA has found so far, and then it’s a repeat of the Execution and Assessment stages.

Read more

Welcome to the next issue of this QA series, where I share the information that helped me become a QA and that I picked up over the years to climb from a Trainee QA to managing an entire department, and that I used to teach as a course on how to become a QA from scratch.

While we are still on the subject of development models, let’s shift our focus entirely to Game Development as its lifecycle, while incorporating a lot of stuff from other models, is still a little bit unique and even universal across all the projects I’ve worked on (so far).

Alright, let’s get into it.

💭 Concepting And Pre-Production

To paraphrase Alec Ryder from Mass Effect: Andromeda, every great game began with a dream. These are the defining stages of every game production cycle, setting up what the game is supposed to be and how it should behave before a single level or mechanic is built.

This phase includes early prototypes, narrative direction, core mechanics, engine selection, technical constraints, and defining requirements. QA involvement varies by studio, but from my experience, they don’t usually get involved at these stages (even though they should). This is all because these early prototypes are intentionally unstable; they’re meant to validate ideas, not meet final standards.

💡 Pro Tip: If you are involved in early prototyping or joining right after Pre-Production, be sure to check with the team what is and isn’t a placeholder or which ideas are final. It’s quite common for designers or devs to leave something not fully cooked to jump into something else.

Read more