19th – 20th February 2026
🎮 UBISOFT HIT WITH LAYOFFS — SPLINTER CELL REMAKE LIVES ON
Ubisoft has laid off 40 employees (about 8% of staff) at its Toronto studio, the team behind the Splinter Cell Remake .
Despite the cuts, Ubisoft confirms the remake is still in active development — no cancellation
Part of Ubisoft’s wider restructuring following recent game cancellations and studio closures .
🚨 RDR3 IS INEVITABLE — HERE’S WHY IT’S BASICALLY CONFIRMED
Red Dead Redemption 3 being Rockstar’s next big project.
🔍 The evidence stack:
▪️ Dan Houser (co-founder) said last year the 3rd installment “will probably happen” — despite his departure .
▪️ Permanent franchise status — Take-Two classifies Red Dead as a permanent pillar, just like GTA .
▪️ RDR2 sales: 80M+ copies — impossible for Rockstar to ignore.
▪️ Mike York (ex-Rockstar animator): “I would be shocked if they hadn’t already started working on RDR3” .
📅 Expected release: End of PS5 gen or PS6 launch title — delivering realism beyond anything we’ve seen. 🔥
🪟 XBOX MAGUS OS CONFIRMED — WINDOWS “CONSOLIZATION” HAS BEGUN
Microsoft just dropped an update that confirms the master plan: they’re building Xbox Magnus OS — a “consolized” Windows 11 with the desktop hidden.
What this means:
▪️ Next-gen Xbox = full Windows PC under the hood
▪️ Boots into console UI by default (controller-friendly)
▪️ Desktop access optional — but Steam, Epic, etc. are coming
▪️ “Xbox Everywhere” strategy now in motion 🌍
The era of closed consoles is ending.
🗡️ SONY SHUTS DOWN BLUEPOINT GAMES — LESS THAN 5 YEARS AFTER ACQUISITION
The acclaimed studio behind Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus remakes is closing in March 2026 .
🔍 The timeline:
▪️ Acquired by Sony in September 2021
▪️ Assisted on God of War Ragnarok
▪️ Spent years developing a live-service God of War game
▪️ Project canceled in January 2025
▪️ Spent last year pitching new projects — none greenlit
▪️ Closure affects ~70 employees
📜 Official statement: “Bluepoint Games is an incredibly talented team…
We thank them for their passion, creativity and craftmanship” .
One of PlayStation’s most respected technical studios — gone.
📨 HERMEN HULST’S INTERNAL MEMO LEAKS — STUDIO CLOSURES & CONFIDENCE
PlayStation’s head addressed staff on recent moves and the road ahead:
✅ Wins celebrated:
▪️ Ghost of Yotei — critical/commercial success
▪️ Death Stranding 2 — reinforced narrative reputation
▪️ Helldivers 2 & MLB The Show — strong returns/engagement
⚠️ Challenges cited:
▪️ Rising dev costs | Slowing market growth
▪️ Changing player behavior | Economic pressures
→ Led to Bluepoint closure & strategy shifts
🔮 Future: “Strong roadmap for 2026” — confidence remains.
💸 MICROSOFT REWARDS JUST GOT NERFED — QUIETLY
Without announcement, Microsoft increased the points needed for Xbox gift cards in US, UK, Canada, and Europe.
The new math:
▪️ US: $10 card = 9,500 ➡️ 10,000 points (+5.3%)
▪️ UK: £10 card = 11,780 ➡️ 12,400 points (+5.3%)
Seems small, but for those grinding points for free games or Game Pass, this means more time, more effort, less value.
📊 PLAYSTATION’S ACQUISITION WOES: NEARLY 50% CLOSED
Since 2020, Sony spent ~$4B buying 8 studios — but nearly half are already shut down .
🎮 The carnage:
▪️ Bluepoint Games — closed after 2020 acquisition (remake legends)
▪️ Neon Koi — shuttered before releasing anything
▪️ Firewalk Studios — closed months after Concord bombed
▪️ London Studio — shut down in 2024 restructuring
▪️ Firesprite — suffered major layoffs
😬 What went wrong: Live-service pivot failed (Concord), management instability, and integration struggles.
🎮 KENA STUDIO: “PLAYSTATION PARTNERSHIP CHANGED EVERYTHING”
Ember Lab confirms Sony is expanding investment in the PS5 sequel — treated like a first-party title.
Bigger world, new combat. More support than ever.
🗣️ CHRISTOPHER JUDGE ON GOD OF WAR TRILOGY REMAKES
The actor confirms he won’t voice Kratos in the upcoming remakes —
Remake details:
▪️ “Not a reboot” — but with new technology & content ▪️ Features a new combat system built with modern mechanics
👀 What’s next: Judge teases fans will hear about what he & Santa Monica are working on “probably late Summer” 2026 .
🎮 GAME PASS IS NOW A FULL BENEFITS ECOSYSTEM
Xbox just launched the new Benefits Hub — one place to access ALL your subscription perks.
🎁 What’s inside:
▪️ Discounts & sweeps — extra savings on games/add-ons
▪️ In-game gifts — skins, currencies, free packs
▪️ Partner perks — free entertainment subscriptions (varies)
Your sub is literally a treasure chest now. Go claim your stuff. 🔥
💰 SONY: SOFTWARE & SERVICES CARRY THE DAY
Despite rising memory costs, Sony says the PS5’s lifecycle stage means hardware sales are no longer the main revenue driver.
Why they’re not worried:
▪️ Majority of sales now from software & network services.
▪️ These segments are not impacted by memory prices.
Hardware impact = limited.
https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/er/pdf/25q3_qa.pdf
🎮 REPLACED DELAYED TO APRIL 14 FOR EXTRA POLISH
The retro-futuristic action game needs more time to ensure stability and quality.
Key details:
▪️ Xbox Series X|S & PC exclusive
▪️ Arabic support (menus & text) ✅
▪️ Day one on Game Pass
▪️ Xbox Play Anywhere support
💰 SONY EYES PRICE HIKES ON GAMES & PS PLUS
To offset rising RAM/component costs, Sony plans to offset the impact by monetizing existing PS5 users rather than raising console price .
Likely impacts:
▪️ Higher game prices over time
▪️ Fewer major discounts in sales
▪️ Possible PS Plus subscription adjustments
▪️ More focus on microtransactions & DLC
Strategy confirmed by Sony’s CFO Lin Tao .
🚫 TODD HOWARD: STARFIELD 2.0 UPDATE IS NOT HAPPENING
Bethesda’s director debunks recent rumors:
❌ No “2.0” update — not real, never planned.
🛠️ Reality: Small updates/additions coming, but no radical overhaul that transforms the game from its original form.
Past rumors promised a massive revamp — Todd says that’s pure fiction.
🎮 007 FIRST LIGHT: “FASTER THAN HITMAN”
The Lead Gameplay Designer confirms a paced, linear experience — designed to keep players constantly moving forward.
No standing around overthinking. Events push you to keep advancing.
🎮 TODD HOWARD BREAKS SILENCE ON ELDER SCROLLS 6
The Bethesda director opened up:
🗣️ On the early announcement: “Everyone knows why we announced it that way. That’s not my preferred choice… It’s going to take some time. I feel bad because everyone wants information.”
📊 Development update:
*Approaching a “major internal milestone”
*Most of the studio (250+ people) now working on it + partners
*Built on Creation Engine 3 (evolved from Starfield’s CE2)
🔄 Creative shift: Moving back to “classic style” after Starfield/76 detour.
17th – 18th February 2026
SKYRIM SWITCH 2 UPDATE 1.2 IS HERE!
Bethesda has rolled out a massive patch finally fixing the game’s troubled Switch 2 port .
Key features:
▪️ Added Performance Mode (targeting 60fps) and Quality Mode (locked 30fps) toggle
▪️ Frame rate now locked at 30fps in Quality Mode
▪️ Fixed FPS drops in Kynesgrove, Secunda’s Kiss, Drelas’ Cottage, and giant camps
▪️ Extensive fixes to graphics, controls, audio, UI, and overall performance
The Dragonborn finally soars properly on Switch 2! 🐉✨
🐺 THE WITCHER 3 COMES TO GAME PASS TOMORROW!
February 19 — Geralt officially joins the Game Pass family.
🎮 Includes:
✅ Complete Edition — base game + all expansions
✅ Next-gen upgrades (ray tracing, faster loading, 60fps)
SAUDI PIF EXITS TAKE-TWO AHEAD OF GTA 6
The Public Investment Fund has sold its entire stake in Take-Two Interactive, just before the GTA 6 launch, according to Reuters.
📊 The details:
▪️ Was Take-Two’s second-largest shareholder — 11 million shares worth ~$3 billion.
▪️ Position now held by Savvy Games Group (PIF subsidiary) .
▪️ Move consolidates Saudi gaming investments under Savvy.
🏎️ Broader context:
▪️ PIF still owns ~$5 billion in EA (Take-Two rival).
▪️ Part of massive gaming push — Savvy now holds stakes in Nintendo, Bandai Namco, Koei Tecmo, Nexon, Square Enix .
🚨 GTA 6 TAX CONTROVERSY ERUPTS IN THE UK
Rockstar Games received £70 million+ in UK tax relief in 2024/25 through the Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) scheme
📊 The numbers:
▪️ Revenue: £508 million
▪️ Profits: £87 million
▪️ Dividends: £85 million
🇬🇧 The backlash:
Politicians and unions are fuming — calling it the “Grand Theft Tax” . Critics argue it’s wrong for a profitable multinational to claim huge public subsidies while workers allege unfair treatment.
MP Tracy Gilbert: “When a company benefits from millions in tax relief, it’s reasonable to expect basic fairness and respect for workers’ rights.”
Rockstar defends itself, citing 1,000+ UK jobs created and massive
⚔️ AVOWED IS NOW ON PS5 — WITH HUGE 1ST ANNIVERSARY UPDATE!
The critically acclaimed RPG finally lands on PlayStation, alongside a massive free update for all platforms
What’s new in the update:
🔸 3 new playable races: Dwarves, Orlans, and Omeau 🔸 Magic Mirror in camp — edit your appearance anytime 🔸 New Game+ and Photo Mode 🔸 Custom difficulty modifiers + expanded skill trees 🔸 Tons of QoL improvements
🎮 LAYDEN: PS6 WILL KEEP THE DISC DRIVE
Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden confirms Sony won’t go 100% digital with PS6
🔍 Why? PlayStation dominates 170 countries — unlike Xbox’s ~7 key markets. Many regions lack reliable high-speed internet, making physical media essential.
📀 PS6 will definitely include a disc drive to serve global players where digital-only isn’t practical
🧧 XBOX LUNAR NEW YEAR SALE 2026 IS LIVE!
Save up to 35% and 80% on thousands of games . This is one of the biggest Xbox sales of the year, featuring recent AAA titles and fan favorites .
⏳ Hurry — sale ends February 25
PLAYSTATION PLUS PREMIUM 35% OFF
Sony has launched a Lunar New Year sale
New members: Get 12 months PS Plus Premium for €99.99 (was €151.99) — approx 34% off .
Existing members: Upgrade from Essential/Extra to Premium with up to 34% off the remainder of your sub.
📅 Deadline: February 26, 2026 .
⚠️ Note: Discount applies to new members & upgrades only — regular renewals not included .
🎮 VALVE CONFIRMS STEAM DECK OLED SHORTAGES
Official statement: Memory & storage component shortages are impacting Steam Deck OLED availability — intermittent stock expected in some regions
📅 New device plans: Still targeting H1 2026 launch, but timing & pricing under review due to global supply volatility.
🛑 LCD model discontinued: 256GB LCD edition officially ends production — remaining stock only.
💰 No price changes announced (yet).
🤯 DEVS ARE SPEECHLESS: CRIMSON DESERT MIGHT BE THE REAL DEAL
Mike York (former RDR2 animator) just dropped a massive take:
🎙️ “If GTA 6 didn’t exist, Crimson Desert would be the undisputed GOTY.”
He claims the level of detail, physics, and world density is absolutely beastly — calling it the perfect game for those still chasing that RDR2 magic.
🧨 “It’s made for people who want to play something like Red Dead Redemption 2.”
✅ CRIMSON DESERT OFFICIAL DETAILS DROPPED
🎮 PURE SINGLE-PLAYER EXPERIENCE
▪️ No microtransactions — premium content for everyone
▪️ No difficulty settings — not Souls-like, but not easy. ▪️Side activities, camp food buffs, gear upgrades.
📖 STORY & PROGRESSION
▪️ One ending — no dialogue choices or branching paths.
▪️ Character grows via equipment upgrades + side content.
▪️ No weapon durability (except situational tool breaks).
🚫 NO DEMO planned
🗓️ LAUNCH: March 19, 2026 — PS5, Xbox Series, PC.
📅 PS6 DELAY TO 2029: BLESSING IN DISGUISE?
Industry chatter suggests the PS6 might slip to 2029 — and honestly, that might be a good thing.
🎮 PS5 is still a beast: The real bottleneck in games right now is development time, not console horsepower.
⚡ Pro fills the gap: For those chasing peak performance + AI upscaling, the PS5 Pro is here now.
💰 Avoiding price insanity: With memory shortages and the AI boom, a new console in 2026-2027 would be eye-wateringly expensive. Delay = protects our wallets.
🎮 DUNCAN CONFIRMS: FH6 PS5 DELAY = TECHNICAL, NOT EXCLUSIVITY
Xbox Game Studios President Craig Duncan addressed the Forza Horizon 6 PS5 delay:
“The PS5 port simply “wasn’t ready” — purely a technical/logistical challenge, not a strategic exclusivity hold.”
⚔️ GOD OF WAR FANS FURIOUS OVER LOCKED CO-OP MODE
Players are demanding refunds after discovering the new game’s co-op mode is locked behind a full playthrough.
🎮 The issue:
▪️ Must complete the game at least once to unlock co-op.
▪️ Game description advertised “co-op for two players” — with no mention of the requirement.
▪️ Some feel misled and are requesting refunds.
💬 Fan reaction: “I feel like I was scammed and I want my money back.”