Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! It looks like Riot might be adding public voice chat to League of Legends, and as a recovering jungler, I'd like to say publicly that I think that's a very bad idea. I quit playing League of Legends years ago for my mental health. In my many years playing League of Legends and Dota 2, I've found MOBAs to be particularly toxic among online multiplayer games, and League to be especially toxic among MOBAs. I primarily jungled, but I also hopped between roles depending on team needs, and it seemed like no matter how well I was doing, the shit talking was out of control. I remember seeing some of the most vile, unrestrained vitriol being spewed to and from all directions seemingly regardless of my team's progress, and junglers always got it the worst. They're the easiest and first to blame when things start going sideways in lanes. League of Legends is getting a new client, overhauled visuals, and new gameplay elements in a massive 2027 update The Best MOBAs to play in 2026 League of Legends was down yesterday unless you reset your system clock, because Riot forgot to update a certificate I genuinely shudder to imagine what playing a game of League with public voice chat switched on would be like, but I bet it would be 45 minutes of increasingly frequent slurs being shouted directly into your ear drums by four middle-aged white men simultaneously. Basically, what I imagine the ninth circle of hell being like, minus the literal fire. But it seems this may soon be a reality, as files have been unearthed on the public build environment (PBE) by SkinSpotlights on Twitter. These files seem to reference a reporting system that includes an option for "VOICE COMMS ABUSE", which I'm sure would be 100% effective, alongside apparent toggles for party and team-based voice chat. League players have been able to use voice chat in parties for a while now, but if the above files indicate full-on public voice chat is coming, you'd be able to talk to, shout at, and be shouted at, by complete randoms should you have the misfortunate of having that option toggled on. Thankfully, it would almost certainly be an option you could turn on and off, but still, I can't imagine that would do anything but stoke the flames of an already dangerously toxic environment. I honestly don't see a reason, or even much of a demand, for this sort of thing to be added to a game like League, but until it's confirmed to be true, I suppose there's no use getting all worked up ahead of time. I just worry about my fellow junglers, probably still taking mountains of shit from teammates who can't hold their lanes all these years later. If you are going to play one, here are the best MOBAs in 2026.

Indie publisher and developer Finji has accused TikTok of using generative AI to alter the ads for its games on the platform without its knowledge or permission. Finji, which published indie darlings like Night in the Woods and Tunic, said it only became aware of the seemingly modified ads after being alerted to them by followers of its official TikTok account. As reported by IGN, Finji alleges that one ad that went out on the platform was modified so it displayed a "racist, sexualized" representation of a character from one of its games. While it does advertise on TikTok, it told IGN that it has AI "turned all the way off," but after CEO and co-founder Rebekah Saltsman received screenshots of the ads in question from fans, she approached TikTok to investigate. A number of Finji ads have appeared on TikTok, some that include montages of the company’s games, and others that are game-specific like this one for Usual June. According to IGN, the offending AI-modified ads (which are still posted as if they’re coming directly from Finji) appeared as slideshows. Some images don’t appear to be that different from the source, but one possibly AI-generated example seen by IGN depicts Usual June’s titular protagonist with "a bikini bottom, impossibly large hips and thighs, and boots that rise up over her knees." Needless to say (and obvious from the official screenshot used as the lead image for this article), this is not how the character appears in the game. As for TikTok’s response, IGN printed a number of the platform’s replies to Finji’s complaints, in which it initially said, in part, that it could find no evidence that "AI-generated assets or slideshow formats are being used." This was despite Finji sending the customer support page a screenshot of the clearly edited image mentioned above. In a subsequent exchange, TikTok appeared to acknowledge the evidence and assured the publisher it was "no longer disputing whether this occurred." It added that it has escalated the issue internally and was investigating it thoroughly. TikTok does have a "Smart Creative" option on its ad platform, which essentially uses generative AI to modify user-created ads so that multiple versions are pushed out, with the ones its audience responds more positively to used more often. Another option is the “Automate Creative” features, which use AI to automatically optimize things like music, audio effects and general visual "quality" to "enhance the user’s viewing experience." Saltsman showed IGN evidence that Finji has both of these options turned off, which was also confirmed by a TikTok agent for the ad in question. After a number of increasingly frustrated exchanges in which TikTok eventually admitted to Saltsman that the ad "raises significant issues, including the unauthorized use of AI, the sexualization and misrepresentation of your characters, and the resulting commercial and reputational harm to your studio," the Finji co-founder was offered something of an explanation. TikTok said that Finji’s campaign used a "catalog ads format" designed to "demonstrate the performance benefits of combining carousel and video assets in Sales campaigns." It said that this "initiative" helped advertisers "achieve better results with less effort," but did not address the harmful content directly. Finji seemingly also opted into this ad format without knowing it had done so. TikTok declined to comment on the matter when approached by IGN. Saltsman was told the issue could not be escalated any higher, with communication not resolved at the time of IGN publishing its report. In a statement to the outlet, Saltsman said she was "a bit shocked by TikTok’s complete lack of appropriate response to the mess they made." She went on to say that she expected both an apology and clear reassurance of how a similar issue would not reoccur, but was "obviously not holding my breath for any of the above."

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! EA has revealed a big Season 3 roadmap for Skate, but the promising addition of a new map area has been buried in yet more monetization mud. Skate has not only broken its promise of not putting map areas behind a paywall, it's also simultaneously injected a new strain of poison into the economy in the form of rentable areas. Season 3 of Skate, per EA's blog post, will introduce the Isle of Grom, an expanded area that essentially adds new attractions and environments to the classic tutorial zone. "ALL players will have the opportunity to explore Grom during Season 3," EA proudly announced. But then the caveats come in. If you buy the new Skate Pass Premium – which, EA boasts, has received more options so you can "choose what works best for you" – you'll get early access to the Isle of Grom from March 10 through April 14. Fortnite now allows in-game purchases in user-generated Creative maps, including for randomized items Embark makes free-to-play Arc Raiders sound like a nightmare, says its $40 price let it cut a lot of un-fun crap: "Crafting no longer has timers on it that you have to wait out" Skate Story review: "A beautiful and unique skateboarding game with great, stylized visuals set in a grungy underworld" Following this period, all players can skate Grom from April 14 through May 5. But then, from May 5 through June 2, you'll need to either buy Skate Pass Premium to enter Grom, or gain access by turning in 500 earnable Rip Chips for a 24-hour ticket that lets you skate in this area temporarily. "The day pass will be 500 Rip Chips, is valid for 24-hours from the moment you get it, and can be used an unlimited number of times within that 24-hour window," EA explains. It's one thing to saddle a new area with a tiresome, easily misconstrued, multi-stage rollout that breaks a key promise on monetization – which you really wouldn't expect from EA. But it's another to bookend that rollout with a way to rent a map. Pressed for an explanation on X/Twitter, the Skate account suggests the game simply had to charge for areas to keep the lights on. "Launching in Early Access meant we were going to work on the game in public while players played," a response reads. "We want to build this game to last, and it means we will need to make changes as we go sometimes. It also allows us to make improvements like updating our characters, lighting, adding tricks and other things we've changed since September. This change was made to ensure this game sticks around for the long haul." Separately, the account reiterates: "Yes, sometimes plans have to change. That’s part of the deal when you’re building in public. We're here, we’re listening, and we’re going to keep shaping skate. together." In a new blog post which attempts to clear the air on what's in development and what's been scrapped, the Skate team outlines other Season 3 additions including tattoos, a new Speedline game mode, cosmetic loadouts, branded Skate Pass content including Vans and adidas, and seasonal events. Yay? 15 years and a nasty IP war with EA can no longer hold back my favorite game after creator decides to turn characters into bunnies for spiritual successor: "Very happy with this development."

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! The Trails series has been running for decades, and over the course of 13 meaty JRPGs newcomers are now looking at an investment of around 1,000 hours to see the full story. Toshihiro Kondo, Trails producer and president of developer Nihon Falcom, believes players can start pretty much wherever they want, which I guess is technically true if, say, you're also willing to start One Piece when the series is 1,155 episodes deep. Where to start with Trails is "one of the top five questions I get asked when I go on overseas business trips," Kondo said in an official interview with publisher GungHo. "I think it's fine to just start with whichever title catches your interest," he said before immediately adding something more reasonable. "That said, each game focuses on a different region," Kondo explained. "The protagonist also changes, causing the content of the game to change drastically. So it's probably best to start with the first title in a given arc." The Trails series is "close to its conclusion," which is why the studio "needed to properly remake" the original JRPGs A JRPG series that's been running for 21 years is going back to remakes because "the player base was shrinking" Trails Beyond the Horizon review: "This JRPG's thrilling real-time and turn-based hybrid combat is finely balanced" A core part of the appeal of the Trails series is the intricacy of its lore and world-building, which grows deeper with each successive entry. While the individual arcs do mark reasonable jumping-on points for curious newcomers, it's often the very time investment in learning about this world that makes the series so beloved by its adherents. And admirably, while many other long-running game franchises grow obsessed with reboots to invite new players in and simultaneously alienate existing fans, Trails has committed to telling the same story for years – a story that is now nearing its conclusion. Still, Kondo has a vested interest in making sure new players keep coming to the Trails series. A years-old comment that you can just start with Trails of Cold Steel 3, specifically, is now a running joke with fans, but again, it's technically true. I somehow became a Metal Gear fan by playing the subversive sequel Metal Gear Solid 2, then the prequel Snake Eater, before ever touching the original game, so you can learn to love a series in pretty much any order you want. I still wouldn't recommend it, though. This time, however, Kondo has a much more reasonable take for newcomers. We've prepared Trails in the Sky from the very beginning," he said, referring to the acclaimed 2025 remake of the 2004 game that kicked off the series in the first place, "so we hope you can pick up the series from 1st Chapter." These are the best JRPGs you can play today.

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! To mark the 30th anniversary of the series, and 35th anniversary of the company, Blizzard's put out a new expansion for Diablo 2, called Reign of the Warlock. The central feature is a fresh character class - the first in 25 years - the Warlock, who deals in summoning magic, and a huge exploit using it has been uncovered. He explains that he "initially theorycrafted some wild ways" to test just how much pain a Warlock could tolerate and absorb under the right circumstances, he "was way overthinking it." It starts with Bind Demon, where you can capture almost any enemy and make them your personal meatsack to do whatever you say. The Warlock is Diablo 2's first new class in 25 years, it's playable right now, and, oh, it's coming to Diablo 4 too Diablo 2 players can't decide if the new Warlock class needs nerfing: "A cheap trick to get us to spend our money" Diablo 2 could get more new content, but Blizzard has to "nail that otherwise we kill the game in trying to progress it" Then comes Blood Oath, which turns a pet demon into a sponge for damage inflicted upon you. Essentially, they let you make your own living armor, and the key to maximizing this lies in Blood Oath's stats. At first, the percentage of how much of your HP your demon can take is miniscule, but you can buff it up to 99%. Ergo, your puppet will take almost all of the suffering meant for you. There are caveats, in that Coooley found 89% of Blood Oath to be a sweet spot, complemented by certain equipment to handle the 11% you wind up taking. Then, you have the question of what demon to enslave. Your instinct might be to go for something like an Oblivion Knight, but Coooley finds it's even simpler: anything that's immune to most types of damage. He literally captures a Champion Pit Lord in the Furnace of Pain who does nicely. It makes the endgame battles using the Warlock slower, but still wholly satisfying. Since it took less than a fortnight to get here, who knows where we'll end up next. Blizzard made "a strategic mistake" releasing Diablo 2's Reign of the Warlock without "substantial new exploration content," Path of Exile co-creator says

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! After releasing in April last year, Blue Prince made rounds as one of the best games of 2025, winning various awards and catching the attention of fellow indie gems' developers, including that of Balatro – but its creator's next game likely won't be as ambitious. Tonda Ros, the mastermind behind developer name Dogubomb and, of course, Blue Prince, reveals as much in a recent interview with Aftermath. First explaining that he's still working to iron out some things in the smash-hit puzzle game – "mostly just polish details" and "a couple more cinematics," as he puts it – Ros says he really wants "to put everything I wanted into the game." He wasn't able to before launch, because, well, he was overwhelmed. "I was working, I think, 80 hours a week for eight years straight," Ros admits. That's a lot of hours, and I'm in disbelief he's still got a bit more up his sleeve – but whatever comes after Blue Prince probably won't be as massive an undertaking… understandably, if you ask me. "Blue Prince will likely be the most ambitious game I ever make, because I don't think I physically can do this again," the mind-bogglingly committed dev states. Blue Prince is a "true hybrid" of video and boardgame genius, and its creator thought it'd be "niche of niche" "We are buying into your vision": Blue Prince publisher Raw Fury reflects on 10 years of indie game magic Nier creator Yoko Taro says he isn't prioritizing a new game, pleads for updates from people who are He continues: "It was an incredibly long journey, so it might take as much time [to make my next game], but I certainly won't be working as hard… That's just not sustainable now. It's a young man's game." Although his last comment is amusing, I doubt anyone would be able to stomach 80-hour weeks for another near-decade. Thankfully, however, Ros isn't totally burnt out from developing video games at all. "The recognition [Blue Prince has received] certainly helps the decision, but I think I did fall in love with game development," as he concludes. "I come from a filmmaking background, but game development just suits me really well. It's fun to take your time and to be able to fulfill your vision without the stress of running a set. I just kind of love it right now, so I'll continue doing it as long as I find it enjoyable." Here's hoping he finds it enjoyable for a long time – as long as that time is marked by both work and decent breaks to ensure he's not overdoing it again. I'm certain that anything else he creates in the future will prove well-received, regardless. Blue Prince is a "true hybrid" of video and boardgame genius – the fact that it's an award-winning roguelike was never part of the plan: "Things spiraled way out of control"

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! World of Warcraft developer Blizzard wants to simplify its classes ahead of the giant Midnight expansion's launch on March 2, but some of the MMO's players have already made it clear, that's not going to work. Associate game director Paul Kubit suggests to PC Gamer that many of World of Warcraft's class abilities – like Rogue mercenaries' Roll the Bones spell – were historically "very complicated" because Blizzard assumed they'd be paired with addons. "We settled into an expectation that at competitive high end-play, players who really wanted to maximize their characters were going to use some computational addons" that would more help optimize decisions, Kubit says. Now, Blizzard wants players to be able to take full advantage of their class's capabilities without extra help. But it won't be easy upending a system dedicated WoW players have known for years. Blizzard isn't "walking back" axing of World of Warcraft add-ons: "Our goal was never to stamp out the addon ecosystem" World of Warcraft director says the MMO's addon changes have been a long time coming, but better late than never Blizzard pleads with WoW fans not to judge removal of combat mods too early, as Midnight was designed with it in mind "The only really all-encompassing word to describe [player feedback] is 'passionate,'" Kubit says politely. "When things change, then there's always a little bit of figuring out time." In the spirit of change, Blizzard has already reverted some of its tweaks to Paladin after it "heard loud and clear from players that it was not what they were looking for." Kubit says, "I would expect that back-and-forth feedback to continue when it comes to class design." He continues, "The rest is really just based on listening to feedback, and nothing specific is planned at this time, other than – there's one really big thing coming, and that is on the 2nd of March, people start leveling to 90." Blizzard "looking at" giving World of Warcraft's older races the customization overhauls they deserve, but it's not happening "soon."

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot says that the company anticipated "sustained demand that didn’t fully materialize" post-Covid, which motivated the launch of "too many projects and increased complexity." This news comes less than 24 hours after 40 people were laid off at Ubisoft Toronto. In an interview with Variety, where Guillemot is asked if Ubisoft would be "undergoing layoffs, beyond the 200 proposed reductions with the voluntary departure plan," he begins his response with, "as we announced, the €200 million in additional cost reductions will include selective restructuring across the company." The 200 proposed reductions refer to a "voluntary mutual termination," which was offered to workers at Ubisoft Paris last month. This is where staff are asked to willingly leave their jobs. "That said, our primary focus for aligning the organization with our long-term goals remains disciplined workforce management," Guillemot continues. "Meaning prioritizing voluntary departures while carefully controlling recruitment for replacements and new roles." "Several" Assassin's Creed games to come, Ubisoft promises, plus more Far Cry amid "restructuring across the company" Ubisoft returns with more bad news, proposing "voluntary" layoffs that could cut up to 200 people at its France location Splinter Cell remake still happening, Ubisoft insists as it lays off 40 developers at the studio developing it As for Ubisoft's plans for after profits have stabilized post-layoffs, he says, "we are also taking a range of measures to optimize the business: reducing certain expenses, adjusting or stopping projects where necessary, improving production processes, and making more effective use of our tools." So, not only more layoffs, but potentially more canceled games as well. Getting down to why the company has laid off so many staff despite the release of popular games like Assassin's Creed Shadows, Guillemot blames the company's misplaced belief that the gaming boom that flourished during Covid, when everyone was stuck inside, would continue in a post-Covid world. "Following the post-Covid period, the industry grew very quickly, anticipating sustained demand that didn’t fully materialize," he says. "On our part, this led to too many projects and increased complexity. Our priority today is to build a more focused, agile company, with stronger teams that strike the right balance between senior expertise and young talent and who are well positioned to deliver the highest quality games." Splinter Cell remake still happening, Ubisoft insists as it lays off 40 developers at the studio developing it

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Now that Sony's announced the closure of Bluepoint Games, the studio behind the Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls remakes, the dream of a Bloodborne redux seems that much further away. A solo dev, who was purportedly told to stop working on his own take on FromSoftware's horror action RPG by Sony, has expressed his frustration and bemusement at the move. "Sony sent me a cease and desist letter regarding my second Bloodborne remake project that I posted about in November 2024," Maxime Foulquier says on Twitter, with an image of the mail in question. "I told myself, 'OK… I expected this might happen. Maybe it's because a real Bloodborne remake is actually in development, with Bluepoint leading it for the PS6 launch?'" This happened in March 2025, and he went on to repurpose the work he'd done for a new game influenced by Yharnam. The hope was to discuss it when this project was ready to be revealed, contextualizing its roots. Recent events make it more pertinent, though. Sony shuts down Demon's Souls remake dev Bluepoint after cancelling its God of War multiplayer project Bloodborne "is a special game for me" says Hidetaka Miyazaki: It's "the strongest reflection of my type of flavoring" "Devastating": Game devs send an outpouring of love to Sony's latest closed studio Bluepoint With the closure of Bluepoint Studio, now feels like the right time to share something.Sony sent me a cease and desist letter regarding my second Bloodborne remake project that I posted about in November 2024.I was incredibly excited about this project and worked on it a lot… pic.twitter.com/E1U12fxaWKFebruary 19, 2026 With the closure of Bluepoint Studio, now feels like the right time to share something.Sony sent me a cease and desist letter regarding my second Bloodborne remake project that I posted about in November 2024.I was incredibly excited about this project and worked on it a lot… pic.twitter.com/E1U12fxaWKFebruary 19, 2026 With the closure of Bluepoint Studio, now feels like the right time to share something.Sony sent me a cease and desist letter regarding my second Bloodborne remake project that I posted about in November 2024.I was incredibly excited about this project and worked on it a lot… pic.twitter.com/E1U12fxaWKFebruary 19, 2026 "Unfortunately, plans have changed. I'd rather speak about it now, as my disappointment is immense," he states. "The disappearance of Bluepoint is a tremendous loss for the industry and for the dream of a Bloodborne remake." To be clear, there was no confirmation Bluepoint had anything to do with a Bloodborne re-release, but given the studio's success with Demon's Souls, it seemed somewhat probable. I mean, Sony bought the outfit after Demon's Souls came out – as a launch game for the PlayStation 5, no less. "Why are you making such absurd decisions, Sony?" Foulquier asks, saying what I suspect many are thinking. "Shutting down such a talented studio while you're not even making a Bloodborne remake and on top of that, sending cease and desist letters to small fan projects? Are you serious?" He's since shared a clip of his Bloodborne-inspired game, involving the player wielding a blade and a gun, taking out demonic entities in a gothic take on Paris. It's looking good, and definitely worth keeping an eye on, regardless of anything Bloodborne-related we see in the future. Bloodborne "is a special game for me" says Hidetaka Miyazaki, and it's "the strongest reflection of my type of flavoring of a game that one can experience"

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Blizzard has made waves in the World of Warcraft community after its decision to remove combat mods, a plan that started to roll into action with the recent release of pre-Midnight patch 12.0 – an update that prepares the MMO for its upcoming expansion pack. It does so by smoothing things out across the board – but the most significant change is undeniably the restriction of access to user interface add-ons, which folks used during more challenging content like raids to help with cues and combat information. For many, it's come as quite a blow, but Blizzard thinks folks should wait until they actually get to experience the rest of the changes that Midnight has in store before casting their final judgment. Speaking to Polygon, associate game director Paul Kubit defends the studio's decision to axe add-ons, explaining that the new expansion's content and tweaks will make it far less painful for players, as Midnight was crafted with the removal of mods in mind. One of the big things, for instance, is "that apex talents unlock for classes, and so classes are going to have a little bit more structure to how they play out," as he describes. "And then also all the new content comes, all the new dungeons, all the new raids, and whatnot." Blizzard isn't "walking back" axing of World of Warcraft add-ons: "Our goal was never to stamp out the addon ecosystem" World of Warcraft director says the MMO's addon changes have been a long time coming, but better late than never World of Warcraft lead sometimes wishes Blizzard "hadn't called it Warcraft" because "it sounds intimidating" Lead encounter designer Dylan Barker agrees – fans should feel the difference post-Midnight. "We changed some of how we build encounters to suit this new environment," as the dev puts it. "We want to be able to provide clarity on what players are meant to do to succeed more through our own means." This applies to more than just the user interface, too. "And that's not just in the UI – that's doing extra levels of presentation on the creatures, in the world, and getting players to really look at the creatures that are trying to kill them, so that they can play better in that way," Barker states. "It's been a fun period for our team, because we've been focused on how to up that level of our game." As for Blizzard's reasoning behind doing away with add-ons, Kubit reiterates that it's about keeping things fair – something the team has now stated multiple times, that it's to "level the playing field" overall. The devs felt it's important they're "not giving players tools that shortchange the work that class design or encounter design does to provide challenges for players." It's all too reminiscent of Final Fantasy 14 and the topic of third-party tools, if you ask me. Blizzard wants "to make sure that you don't feel compelled to have" combat mods, hence their removal and Midnight's rework of, well, a lot. Kubit and Barker acknowledge that World of Warcraft's encounters and their design were a large reason why the add-ons have been so popular, as they "were able to basically solve a number of problems that were intended to be solved by players." For now, Kubit states they're "anxiously awaiting to see players' feedback" on how Midnight feels without any combat mods – but the work won't be over for the devs. "This is not going to be a '12.0.1 and done' initiative to make sure that players have all the tools that they need to be able to represent everything they want to see in combat," as he concludes. Blizzard is going to continue "to find issues" and address any room for improvement. Blizzard "looking at" giving World of Warcraft's older races the customization overhauls they deserve, but it's not happening "soon"

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Earlier this week, pre-release copies of Resident Evil Requiem made it into players' hands and spoilers began to leak out. Now, those leaks have become a flood, with full-game spoilers breaking down every element of the story and gameplay from beginning to end. The situation has gotten bad enough that Capcom has issued a statement, promising that its lawyers are on the case as the publisher begs players to stop sharing spoilers. "Please don't post or share pre-release leaks and spoilers for Resident Evil Requiem," Capcom says in a tweet. "We really want everyone to enjoy the game's story and experience as much as possible. Our legal department will continue to issue takedowns and deletion notices for leaks in order to preserve your day-one experience." A message to the Resident Evil community pic.twitter.com/kACITMlHqjFebruary 20, 2026 A message to the Resident Evil community pic.twitter.com/kACITMlHqjFebruary 20, 2026 A message to the Resident Evil community pic.twitter.com/kACITMlHqjFebruary 20, 2026 Resident Evil community manager Kristina 'Katastrophe' Markez has a more personal message to fans: "Please be kind and considerate to your fellow RE enjoyers," she says on Twitter. "Feel free to forward any leaks or spoilers to me privately!" Generally I'd say narcing out fellow social media users to a corporation is bad form, but anybody dropping unmarked spoilers for an unreleased game probably deserves whatever Capcom has in store for them. Resident Evil Requiem spoilers are apparently here 10 days ahead of launch, so prepare accordingly Capcom reveals Resident Evil Requiem Leon Kennedy gameplay trailer, confirming what we all knew already Please act surprised: Resident Evil Requiem stars Leon Kennedy, and I can't imagine Capcom is too pleased about PlayStation leaking that fact Resident Evil Requiem officially launches on February 27, so there's a week left before you can just play the upcoming horror game for yourself. That's a substantial amount of time for members of the RE fandom to keep dodging spoilers, and some are begging Capcom to 'just' release the game early, but I wouldn't hold your breath for that to actually happen. Resident Evil Requiem's 'Terrifying Nightmare Set' sells out in under 5 hours and includes every gamer's biggest fear: exercise equipment.

Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Surrounded by the ruins of its studio closures and game cancellations, Ubisoft does not appear to be doing well. So it's time to start pumping out Assassin's Creed games. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot discusses Ubisoft's plan to become more reliable in a new interview with Variety – not long after union leaders have demanded he stop "screwing everything up." The way through it, Guillemot seems to have decided, is with more Assassin's Creed. The executive says, "Under the 'Assassin's Creed' brand, several titles are in development, spanning both single-player and multiplayer experiences, with the ambition to further grow a community that exceeded 30 million players last year." In the midst of Ubisoft's grand restructuring, the future of Assassin's Creed has never felt so uncertain Ubisoft hits "major reset" button, cancels 6 games, delays 7 more, and confirms 4 new IP Former Assassin's Creed director says AAA studios "mistakenly" throw people at development problems Ubisoft is also hoping to dip deeper into its successful Far Cry and Rainbow Six franchises. Guillemot adds that, "On 'Far Cry,' anticipation is high, and we currently have two very promising projects in development." He'll be relying on Ubisoft's new, franchise-focused Vantage Studios, which has his son Charlie as co-CEO, to make the magic happen. "With Vantage Studios established," Guillemot explains, "we have early evidence that our new operating model better empowers our teams to be fully focused on their franchises, which, over time, will translate into both greater predictability in our pipeline and stronger engagement from our players." It might also be easier for Ubisoft developers to be fully focused on their franchises if the company wasn't also, in Guillemot's words, undergoing "€200 million in additional cost reductions" – including the creeping threat of "selective restructuring across the company." But more Assassin's Creed is good, too. Ubisoft fires 13-year Assassin's Creed veteran just days after suspending him for speaking out against the company's return-to-office mandate: "This was not my decision."