š® Project Helix Might Have A Problem, AC: Hexe Shake Up And The Blood of Dawnwalker Announces Release Date
Also, Is Venom Game Still Happening, ME: Andromeda Actor Blames EA, GreedFall Studio Might Be Closing Soon.
Hello friends,
Today is May 7th 2026 and I hope youāve had a great week š
In todayās news:
š® Project Helix Might Have A Problem
š® Assassinās Creed Hexe Shake Up
š® The Blood of Dawnwalker Announces Release Date
š® Is Venom Game Still Happening?
š® ME: Andromeda Actor Blames EA
š® GreedFall Studio Might Be Closing Soon
š«” True Tribute!
š Personal Update
All of this is brought to you in a 5 min format ā²ļø
Letās dig in!
š® Project Helix Might Have A Problem
While we still donāt know what exactly the next-gen console is for Xbox, the CEO is already saying that it might have some real problems.
After all the bold announcements from Asha Sharma regarding the next Xbox, which should be able to play both PC and Xbox games, she now says in a recent interview withĀ Game FileĀ that a persistent memory shortage will have a big impact on this console. Specifically, memory costs will impact pricing, availability and launch dates. So, with that in mind, the company is still not ready to share any timelines, as the world is pretty dynamic right now and the hardware landscape is changing every day. But they try to focus on stuff that they can control, which is building a great device to play great games. Also, she confirmed that they are going to start shipping development kits next year. So, it looks like the project is at least moving along.
Which is kind of ironic, since Sharma used to lead the AI department at Microsoft, and now she is blaming shortages and prices on them. But oh well. At least the company tries to manage the expectations early and not to overpromise anything. Which means that when this console is finally revealed, itās probably going to cost an arm and a leg and will be very hard to come by.
Also, while stocks and prices are important, we still havenāt heard anything about what kind of next-gen it is going to be. Is it going to be something like a Steam Machine or a handheld, like Xbox Ally? Is it going to have enough juice to run modern AAA games without compromising the quality? Why would people choose it compared to both gaming PCs and traditional consoles? But I guess weāll just have to wait and see the answers for ourselves once the company is finally ready to reveal Project Helix.
Regardless, it sounds like we should brace ourselves for an even more premium device than a simple successor to Series X|S.
š® Assassinās Creed Hexe Shake Up
Yet another game in the franchise seems to be suffering from Ubisoft's internal restructuring.
And there are two big pieces on that. First is that, according to Insider Gaming, the Game Director of Hexe is no longer with Ubisoft and has decided to leave the company to join a small indie studio called Servo Games. And the second is that a separate report suggests Ubisoft decided to move around 50 developers off the project, which sounds concerning to say the least, since it is still targeting a June 2027 release date. However, it might be subject to change with all these changes.
Of course, none of it was confirmed by Ubisoft yet, but it sounds like either the project is in such a great shape that it doesnāt need any extra hands or the company decided to shift their priorities yet again.
For those of you who donāt know what it is, Hexe was announced back in 2022 as a separate mainline project in the Assassinās Creed franchise, along with RED, which we now know as Shadows. With this one, Ubisoft wanted to take a different approach from a usual RPG setup in order for it to feel fresh and different. Of course, so many things have changed since then, and we all know how much publishers āloveā to experiment these days. So, I wouldnāt be surprised if all these staff changes are the result of them reverting some of these decisions.
Of course, it could also mean that Ubisoft internally tries to trim the scope of the project and reduce the headcount to focus on quality. But with the latest track record, I honestly donāt think this is likely. On the other hand, this project is still kind of a dark horse in the franchise, and we still donāt know anything substantial about it.
I have to say this thought, losing a Game Director and 50 developers this close to a potential release window is not great, and it has the potential to cause some real damage for the project if the company donāt prioritise quality early enough.
š® The Blood of Dawnwalker Announces Release Date
Finally, a studio formed by the former CD Projekt Red developers announced the release of The Blood of Dawnwalker, and itās coming on September 3rd, 2026.
Rebel Wolves and Bandai Namco recently shared a big deep dive in a Road to Launch video where, aside from the release date, they also shared a bunch of interesting information on the gameplay, system requirements for the game, details about the open-world, inspirations for the game, and a whole lot of everything else.
As a fresh reminder, we are talking about 14th-century Europe. Bloody conflicts sweep the lands, and the Black Death comes for the survivors. Vampires seize their opportunity to walk out of the shadows and claim what theyāve been denied for centuries: freedom, and the power that comes with it. And you play as Coen, a young man turned into a Dawnwalker. You need to choose whether to fight for your humanity or embrace the cursed powers to save your family.
And based on this new IP, you can really tell that the team behind it worked on The Witcher 3. You have a similar style, a somewhat similar dark fantasy story and a passion with which the team shares the details about this brand new world. Which I think is their biggest asset. I really donāt think that people are interested in this game because the gameplay is distinct or the story sounds compelling. I think itās all because, at least so far, the team managed to make a game that feels similar to The Witcher 3. Of course, a lot of this trust and credibility will be tested once this game is actually shipped, but from what Iāve seen, I canāt help but feel like a Leshen or a Griphon is hiding somewhere around the corner whenever I look at this game. Also, the studio managed to secure the backing of a large publisher, which significantly boosts their chances for success.
All in all, it looks like itās the start of something really good, so I hope a team like this will not disappoint us.
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š® Is Venom Game Still Happening?
For a while now, weāve heard rumours about an upcoming Venom game, but it looks like Insomniac may have already changed directions. Or have they?
According to an interview surfaced by Insider Gaming, an actor who voiced Miles Morales recently shared that the studio was planning to do two big things with this character: a DLC and a full-fledged game. But, unfortunately, after Tony Todd, who voiced Venom, passed away, Insomniac allegedly scrapped all these plans. At the same time, while people were discussing whether this is indeed the case or not on forums, Jason Schreier decided to step in and say that none of this is true and the game is still happening. This was also kind of corroborated by a verified developer, who said that the project was discussed at GDC 2026.
Of course, itās all kinds of divination at this point, as Insomniac still hasnāt officially announced or cancelled anything. But I incline to believe that the project is alive a little bit. The passing of Tony Todd is tragic, of course, but there are quite a few precedents of how studios can still deliver their next project even without the actor. The game will potentially have to be rewritten, the actor recast, and it will face significant delays. But I donāt think Sony will scrap this character, no way, especially with such a high-value franchise. Which may sound a little bit insensitive, but it isnāt. If anything, I think they should still do this game as a tribute of gratitude for Todd and his amazing performances in both games and movies.
Also, the studio can afford not to react to anything at the moment. After all, they are all too busy with Wolverine for now, and since we donāt know what will happen, itās hard to predict the next step for the studio. Maybe they will tie both characters together, maybe theyāll continue doing solo projects, who knows? But Iām a bit of an optimist, so Iām thinking that the Venom game will happen; itās just a matter of time.
š® ME: Andromeda Actor Blames EA
Arguably, ever since Andromeda, the studio just wasnāt the same and delivered one controversial game after another. And according to one of the actors, EA is to blame for this.
According to a recent interview with IGN, Tom Taylorson, who played Scott Ryder, said that the game was ādone dirtyā by EA. Specifically, the actor mentioned the absurdly high expectations from the publisher, the fact that the game was basically pushed out in an unpolished state with numerous bugs and the use of a shiny new Frostbite engine that was heavily pushed inside the company, even though the team didnāt know how to work with it. All of these things turned this game into a punching bag for people online, who, according to the actor, in an attempt to hype the views and the clicks, didnāt hesitate to keep kicking it even after it was already down.
I know, I know, itās been almost 10 years already, but as a person who deeply cares about this franchise, Iām always interested to hear what people have to say, especially if they were part of the development team and with the next part of the franchise being in development. That said, I think most of the stuff that Taylorson is saying is true.
What I really hope for is that after all the mistakes that EA made with this game, they at least learned something. This is not a franchise like FIFA, the NFL, or any other series that acts as a content pipeline, and they canāt treat it like this. The games like this could be huge, but only as long as the quality is there when it comes to narrative, gameplay and technical side of things. None of which were there for the Andromeda, unfortunately. And to a degree, not all of these aspects were there for Veilguard either. It doesnāt mean that people donāt want more Mass Effect or Dragon Age games; they absolutely do. But EA now has to show they are stabilising and becoming trustworthy again. Otherwise, whatās the point? They might as well put the whole BioWare on ice if we are going to do the same old dance weāve been doing for the past 10 years.
But I guess weāll find out if they really learned something when Mass Effect 5 lands.
š® GreedFall Studio Might Be Closing Soon
And of course, more on the topic of layoffs at Spiders and a few other studios might be shutting down soon.
A little while ago, we talked about Nacon filing for insolvency, but it looks like the troubles didnāt end there. According to a recent report from Origami, Spiders, one of Nacon's subsidiaries and the developers behind GreedFall, is moving toward liquidation and is going to announce it soon. The outlet shares that the studio is currently wrapping up the transition activities, employees are updating their resumes and reflecting on the 18 years of the studioās existence before the judge ruling finally puts it in the ground. After Nacon announced its insolvency, it tried to sell this studio, but it looks like nobody was willing to buy it despite all their years of experience and good AA projects under its belt.
Which, I have to say, is very sad. And it highlights quite a weird situation in game development right now. All their games were not bad. GreedFall, for example, managed to sell more than 2 million copies and even justify a sequel. But none of them was cult classics or AAA blockbusters, which means that they were the first on the chopping block. When we live in a world where there is even a very small margin for error for the biggest games, AA game development doesnāt even stand a chance to survive, unless it blows up immediately after launch and earns ten times what was spent on development.
Or at least thatās how it looks to me. So, press F for Spiders!
š«” True Tribute!
Today I wanted to salute Savvy and Savvy Gaming Network!
Great reviews, as usual! Iām still looking forward to sales for Resident Evil Requiem, but a lot of people have been recommending it recently! Of course, as a Resident Evil 4 fan, Iām looking forward to Leonās sections of the game mostly, but it looks like Graceās parts are just as entertaining, just in a different way. Also, I tried to read and watch the reviews carefully, but it sounds like the epilogue of the story is great. Iāll definitely give it a try someday, perhaps even on my newly acquired handheld š
š Personal Update
Well, you can congratulate me, after saving up scratch for the last few years, I finally bought myself a handheld! š
And it is wonderful! (Thank God, as this crap costs a freaking fortune!)
I wanted to opt for a Steam Deck as itās cheaper and gets the job done anyway, but unfortunately, itās still out of stock for North America, and since there is an 8-hour flight in a few weeks, I decided to go for it and buy Asus ROG Ally X (what a mouthful). So far, so good, but I have to say, those people who said in the online reviews about this thing getting annoying with countless Windows / Bios / ArmoryCrate updates were 100% right š
This is all the news I have for you folks today.
Thanks for making it this far! š
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Have a great week!
Alex from Gamedev Relay.
A handheld Xbox... ugh...
Thanks for the tribute! I 100% recommend RE Requiem! I'm excited to jump back into it now that the first DLC is out