Category: Video Games

‘The Plan’s the Plan Until It’s Not the Plan’ — Will the New Xbox Boss Reverse Recent Strategic Decisions, Including Ditching Exclusive Games?

Now Xbox has a new boss, what happens next? In a new interview, Asha Sharma, a Microsoft executive who previously oversaw some of the firm’s AI initiatives, kept things frustratingly vague, but did indicate that nothing is off the table when it comes to big decisions about recent controversial policies.

Last week, Microsoft sent shockwaves throughout the video game industry when it confirmed Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond were leaving Xbox, with Sharma in place as new CEO of its gaming business. Fans are split, with some choosing to believe in the promised “return to Xbox,” others expressing concern about the future of Microsoft’s gaming business. Even the ‘father of Xbox’ is worried about what happens next.

One of the big questions fans have for Sharma is whether Microsoft will reverse some of its recent policies, many of which have alienated the core Xbox fanbase. Fans have criticized Microsoft for leaving Xbox game exclusivity behind in favor of a multiplatform approach that has seen the company’s biggest brands — including Halo — make the jump to PlayStation. Why buy an Xbox now, when all Xbox games come out on everything?

In a new interview with Windows Central, Sharma avoided specifics when asked about the future and recent strategic decisions, only offering the cryptic “the plan’s the plan until it’s not the plan.”

Here’s the quote in full:

“Right now, I need to learn, candidly. About the ‘why’ of these decisions, what we were optimizing for, and what the data says about the Xbox strategy today. That’s the honest answer. I’m looking at lifetime value, not just what happened in a previous moment, or in short term efficiencies and things like that. The plan’s the plan until it’s not the plan.”

What does that mean? It’s hard to tell. It feels like a holding statement, the kind of thing you might say when you don’t want to commit to anything either way. But it’s hard to see Microsoft all of a sudden pulling out of multiplatform game releases, especially when its studios have put so much effort into making Microsoft’s policy a reality, and in some cases seen great success on the likes of PlayStation. Halo is coming to PlayStation this year, and that’s unlikely to change.

Will things change further down the line? Could Microsoft start releasing exclusives again, particularly in the context of the upcoming next Xbox? All eyes are now on Asha Sharma to find out. A 2027 launch for the next Xbox was recently described as the best case scenario. There isn’t a great deal of time to sort everything out before the next crucial juncture in Xbox history.

In the shorter term, Sharma has been responding to further scrutiny of her Xbox play history, explaining that her account had been shared among others at home.

IGN has much more on Sharma’s arrival and the departure of Spencer, including the many farewells to him from veteran developers, Spencer’s personal words to the Xbox community following his departure, and Sharma’s own responses to initial concerns around her recent AI work and lack of gaming industry job experience.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Bandai Namco Might Have Accidentally Revealed Its New Dragon Ball Game

You guessed it…

Last month, Bandai Namco announced a new Dragon Ball project titled “Age 1000” which is currently set to arrive in 2027.

Fans already had multiple theories about what this new project might actually be, and in an update, it seems it’s arguably the most obvious one! Bandai Namco’s official Southeast Asia YouTube channel recently added the Age 1000 trailer to a new playlist titled… “Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3“.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Kirby Air Riders Gets A New Update Today, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

New amiibo support and more!

Alongside an update to Donkey Kong Bananza, a new update for Kirby Air Riders has also been released this week.

This particular update adds support for three more amiibo. This includes the Meta Knight, King Dedede and Chef Kawasaki figures. Apart from this, Version 1.3.1 also includes multiple balance adjustments, and a bunch of bug fixes.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Watch: Nintendo Treehouse February 2026 – Live!

80 minutes of Mario Wonder and Pokopia.

You might think that we’ve already seen all there is to see about upcoming Switch 2 titles Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup In Bellabel Park and Pokémon Pokopia, but you’d be mistaken. Here to show even more in the gameplay department for both games is a brand new Nintendo Treehouse presentation.

The Treehouse is set to kick off shortly, promising 80 minutes of gameplay between the two titles. Remember, both Mario Wonder and Pokopia have already received overview trailers of their own, so we expect today’s presentation to be more about the vibe of playing, hopefully giving us an even closer look at what’s in store.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Discord concede they mucked up their age verification system rollout, delays it, will still make some of you do it

Earlier this month, Discord said that they’d be rolling out a global age verification system to which everyone and their mother responded by saying “thank you,” except they didn’t say thank. A little bit later on, they also shared word of an experiment being run in relation to this new system and policy that involved an identity detection firm backed by a fund directed by Palantir chairman Peter Thiel called Persona, which apparently potentially stored any ID documentation you submitted to them for up to seven days. Now, after more and more pushback, Discord have put out a statement that still probably doesn’t say what you wish it would.

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Embark Just Nerfed One of the Best Grenades for PvE in Arc Raiders, and Players Aren’t Happy

The Arc Raiders Shrouded Sky update is here, but instead of Hurricanes and new cosmetics, all players can talk about are how it nerfs one of the best grenades for PvE.

Fans expected to see details about all of the new content when developer Embark Studios published lengthy patch notes for update version 1.17.0 earlier today. Information about playable pianos and beard cosmetics was all there, but what they also found was that the studio behind the massively popular multiplayer game had upped the crafting requirements for one of its most iconic tools: the Wolfpack.

As outlined in Shrouded Sky’s accompanying patch notes, the Wolfpack, a throwable equipment that showers Arc enemies with homing explosives, now requires one Rocketeer Driver to craft. Now, players will need the component, as well as two Arc motion cores and an explosive compound, to make just one Wolfpack.

The changes fall in line with a series of new adjustments to resource requirements, which see Arc components also added to the recipes for the Deadline mine, Trailblazer, Showstopper, and Vita Spray. It’s the Wolfpack tweak that has Raiders up in arms, though, mostly because Rocketeer Drivers are infamously rare and hard to collect. The most consistent way to find one of these epic items is to kill a Rocketeer – a task that currently takes two Wolfpacks to accomplish.

Although some believe the change is understandable considering the previous recipe asked relatively little from players, much of the community online has already started voicing their concerns.

“Let me just kill a rocketeer to get 1 wolfpack that can half kill another rocketeer,” one Reddit user teased.

“I don’t even want the blueprint anymore,” another player replied.

“First time I’ve said this but if they keep going in this direction people will stop playing,” a X/Twitter user added. “It’s hard enough to gather some of these resources.”

The grenade can’t lock on to other players but can tear through hordes of small Arc, making it one of the best PvE tools Raiders have at their disposal. It can also quickly dismantle the armor featured on large Arc, such as the Matriarch, Queen, Leaper, and Bastion, but it’s the math asking players for two Wolfpacks to kill one Rocketeer that has fans questioning Embark’s judgement. While showing concern about how update 1.17.0 asks players to work harder for crafting materials, some have started chiming in with their own recommendations for how to fix the issue.

“If rocketeers start consistently dropping more than 1x driver, we can talk,” one player suggested.

“They need to up the drop odds on drivers,” another added. “Right now you’re lucky if you get two. Make two the base with higher odds of 3+. Otherwise wolfpacks will basically just be used when looted on the map.”

Some players are asking for more rewarding Rocketeer loot and reduced requirements for the Wolfpack, but others are still exploring all Shrouded Sky has to offer. The February update launched today, focusing on map changes for Dam Battlegrounds and the new Firefly and Comet Arc threats as its latest additions.

Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund shared more about how the studio plans to continue building on Arc Raiders in the months ahead during an interview with IGN earlier this month. While sharing information about how its recent success has allowed the team to feel secure about their future, he also discussed how Embark reacts to player feedback.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Looking for Fael is The Witness for people who need more Tetris in their life, and you can try it for yourself now

I think on the offset, Looking for Fael isn’t a difficult game to pitch, but perhaps one that takes a second to get to grips with. You play as, well, not Fael, but his roommate, who, as you may have guessed, is looking for Fael after receiving a strange voicemail message where he says he is somehow lost in your apartment. What follows is then a reality bending puzzle game where the world itself is a puzzle, but also you have to play a spin (pun intended) on the objectively best game ever made, Tetris.

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The Original Final Fantasy 7 Gets a New Re-release for PC on Steam

The original Final Fantasy VII is getting a makeover on Steam. No, not the remake. I mean the actual, original game.

Announced last month and released today, this updated version of Final Fantasy VII comes with a handful of new features as seen on the storefront. According to an official post, this new version of the old game will include a 3x speed mode, the ability to turn off random encounters, a “battle enhancement” mode that will max out Limit gauge and let players recover HP/MP during battles, and an autosave feature.

The new version of the game will replace the 2013 edition on the Steam store, and the 2013 edition will no longer be available to buy. However, those who already own the 2013 version will receive the new version free of charge, and will still have access to the 2013 version in their libraries simultaneously with this new version. Critically, though, save files are not compatible between the two versions, so you will have to start a new game to enjoy the re-release.

This update effectively brings the game up to parity with the other modern console ports of Final Fantasy 7. For years, the 2013 edition on Steam had been behind the times, effectively just an old (and often buggy) PC port.

It’s still worth checking out the original Final Fantasy VII if you missed it back in the day, or even if you just want a walk down memory lane ahead of the conclusion to the Final Fantasy VII Remake Trilogy. It’s been teased that we’re getting “more updates than ever before” on the trilogy this year, leading fans to hope that the announcement of Part 3 is imminent. Meanwhile, Part 2, Rebirth, is coming to Switch 2 and Xbox later this year. FF7 for everyone!

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Sony Plans to Reboot Wider Spider-Man Universe After Kraven, Madame Web, and Morbius Failures

Sony Film CEO Tom Rothman has confirmed the company has plans to reboot Sony’s broader Spider-Man Universe after a series of high-profile flops in films like Kraven, Madame Web, and Morbius.

This comes from a conversation with Matt Belloni on The Town, in which Rothman answered a series of questions with fairly short, yes or no responses. When asked, “is the larger Spider-verse dead?” he said “No.” He then confirmed Sony would go back to those films “at some point.” And also affirmed it would be a “fresh reboot” with “new people.” Rothman did not provide any further details.

Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) has struggled ever since it first kicked off in 2018 with Venom. Though Venom and its follow-ups, Let There Be Carnage (2021) and The Last Dance (2024) did quite well at the box office, all three were critically panned and generally received poorly by wider audiences as well. Even worse was Morbius (2022), which was regarded as such a poor movie it became a meme, and which was followed by similar box office disasters in Madame Web (2024) and Kraven the Hunter (2024). At the time, outgoing Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra described Kraven the Hunter as “probably the worst launch we had in the seven-and-a-half years” since he first stepped into his role. He also blamed all the SSU failures on the press, for criticizing them.

If you’re curious, these are the reviews for every SSU film, with the score we gave them at the time: Venom (4/10), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (7/10), Morbius (5/10), Madame Web (5/10), Venom: The Last Dance (4/10), and Kraven the Hunter (3/10).

As for what this reboot will entail, Rothman is keeping that under his mask for now, though whatever it is will likely take some time to spin up. At least we still have regular ol’ Spider-Man, who will be in theaters July 31 for Brand New Day.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

The devs behind The Simpsons: Hit & Run and Prototype are back as a sort-of new, just as radical studio

The time is upon us! The time to once again become radical, as from the ashes of developers Radical Entertainment and Hothead Games a sort of but not really new studio has been born: New Radical Games. It does seem like Hothead drew the short straw here name wise. But given that Radical were known for the likes of The Simpsons: Hit & Run and the Prototype games, and Hothead made, uh, The Baconing, the choice feels apt.

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