Today's Gaming Pulse
Capcom rolls out free demo for blockbuster Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem, which has sold over 7 million copies, now offers a free demo across major platforms. Players can try early chapters on Steam, Epic, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2, though progress cannot be transferred to the full game.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Goldenpeak takes majority stake in Ampere Analysis
How to Complete A Royal Request in Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom added a new side quest called A Royal Request to Monster Hunter Wilds in the February 18 patch, celebrating the upcoming Monster Hunter Stories 3 release. Players must be Hunter Rank 9 or higher and head to the Scarlet Forest base camp to meet NPCs Sole and Rudy. The objective is to locate and deliver four Monstie Eggs, including optional Highly Potent variants, within a 50‑minute timer. Successful completion grants exclusive Palico gear such as the Rudy Alpha costume and Skyscale Ratha pendants.
AI Slop and the Unity & Godot Game Engines
Open‑source engine Godot is being swamped by LLM‑generated pull requests, forcing maintainers to scrutinize each contribution for authenticity and quality. This "AI slop" is draining volunteer capacity and threatens the project's health. Meanwhile, Unity, a publicly traded engine, is grappling...
Doom: The Dark Ages Switch 2 Port Possibly Hinted At In Nintendo Sale
A Bethesda Publisher Sale on Nintendo’s eShop displayed a Doomslayer render from the upcoming prequel *The Dark Ages*, a game not yet listed for the current Switch. The artwork has been interpreted as an accidental confirmation of a Switch 2 port,...
Annapurna Will Launch Musical RPG People of Note on April 7
Annapurna Interactive and Iridium Studios unveiled a new gameplay trailer and a Steam demo for People of Note, a turn‑based musical RPG. The title launches worldwide on April 7 across PC (Steam, Epic), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. The...
Battlefield 6 Season 2 Is the Foundation for Future Content, Says Producer
Battlefield 6’s Season 2 launched after a deliberate delay, allowing the team to polish new content and address pacing issues caused by the extended Season 1. Producer Phil Girette and associate producer Kit Eklof say the update introduces larger maps, the return...
Jacksepticeye Apologizes For Criticizing Life Is Strange 2’s Political Message: ‘I’ve Learned A Great Deal In The Last 8 Years’
Jacksepticeye, the popular YouTuber, apologized in February 2026 for his 2019 criticism of the political themes in Don’t Nod’s episodic game Life Is Strange 2. In his original Let’s Play, he claimed the narrative pushed a specific agenda and lacked depth, prompting backlash from...
Xbox RPG Avowed Snubs PS5 Pro Support
Xbox‑published RPG Avowed launched on PS5 and runs solidly, offering three visual modes—Quality (1440p/30 fps), Performance (1080p upscaled/60 fps), and Balanced (40 fps with 120 Hz support). The port mirrors the Xbox Series X experience but provides no PS5 Pro‑specific enhancements such as dedicated PSSR upscaling....
Remote Working Down, Mid-Level Contraction, and Eastern Migration: The Signals We're Seeing in Games Job Data
Sorcery.gg’s hiring data shows a modest 4% global contraction in games‑industry jobs in 2025, driven largely by a 25% drop in U.S. openings. Meanwhile, China posted a 25% increase, overtaking the U.S. as the top source of new roles. Mid‑level...
Former Capcom Developer Has Spent Over $500K On Microtransactions In His Own Gacha Game
Yoshiki Okamoto, the former Capcom producer behind Street Fighter II, disclosed on Japanese television that he has spent over ¥80 million (about $520 000) on microtransactions in his own gacha title, Monster Strike. The mobile RPG, which he launched after founding Game Republic, is...
Phasmophobia Development Preview 21 Outlines Upcoming Changes
Kinetic Games announced that the long‑awaited Player Character Update for Phasmophobia has been delayed to the first quarter of 2026. The patch will replace the game’s stiff early‑access avatars with lifelike models and introduce visual customization options. The studio also...
If You Can't Beat AI, Become One in Hooded Horse Strategy RPG Heart of the Machine, Which Hits 1.0 Release...
Arcen Games and Hooded Horse are set to launch the 1.0 version of Heart of the Machine in March 2026. The sci‑fi strategy RPG lets players assume the role of a super‑advanced AI tasked with reshaping a crumbling civilization, promising...
Minecraft Java Is Switching From OpenGL to Vulkan for the Vibrant Visuals Update
Mojang announced that Minecraft Java Edition will transition its rendering pipeline from OpenGL to Vulkan as part of the upcoming Vibrant Visuals update. The switch aims to unlock modern graphics features, boost frame rates, and extend visual fidelity across Windows,...
Dead by Daylight Horror Film Adaptation in the Works with Blumhouse and Atomic Monster
Blumhouse and Atomic Monster have revived the Dead by Daylight film adaptation, securing a writing team led by Alexandre Aja and David Leslie Johnston‑McGoldrick. James Wan joins Jason Blum as a producer, while the studios hunt for a director. The project aims...
Day One Xbox Game Pass Action-Platformer Replaced Delayed to April
Replaced, Sad Cat Studios' 2.5‑D action‑platformer, has been pushed from its March 12, 2026 launch to April 14, 2026. The title will still debut on day one of Xbox Game Pass across Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. The delay follows extensive community feedback on a...
Announcing A New 3D Mario Early Would Be “Dangerous” For Nintendo
Nintendo has not released a new 3D Super Mario game in over 3,000 days, the longest gap since Super Mario Odyssey. The studio’s 3D Mario team is currently occupied with Donkey Kong Bananza, leaving little progress on a potential Switch 2 Mario title....
These 4 Major PS5, PS4 Games Will Be Delisted in February and March
Sony will remove four high‑profile titles from the PlayStation Store between February and March, with Genshin Impact slated for delisting on February 25 and its online services ending April 8. The Finals, WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros, and WWE 2K24 will have online features...
Eternal Darkness Director Would Like to Work With Nintendo on Remaster or Remake
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, a 2002 GameCube horror classic, remains unreleased on modern platforms. Director Denis Dyack expressed interest in collaborating with Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto on a remaster or remake, noting the game’s cultural impact. Nintendo, however, has already turned...
How to Fix Iron Will Quest Not Working in NORSE Oath of Blood
The cooperative RPG *NORSE Oath of Blood* suffers a critical bug in the second phase of the Iron Will quest, where enemy units turn friendly and block mission completion. Players cannot advance without a workaround, prompting community‑driven fixes while awaiting...
![[Industry News] PQube Appoints Games Industry Veteran Dominic Wheatley as Chairman](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://mcvuk.com/wp-content/uploads/Dominic-Wheatley-PQube-1.jpg)
[Industry News] PQube Appoints Games Industry Veteran Dominic Wheatley as Chairman
PQube, a leading UK games publisher, has appointed industry veteran Dominic Wheatley as Chairman. Wheatley co‑founded Eidos and launched iconic franchises such as Tomb Raider and Championship Manager. He previously steered the growth of Catalis, Kuju, Curve Games, Testronic and Blaze...
Unity Says It Has a New Product That Cooks Up Entire Games Using AI
Unity announced a new AI-powered tool that can generate entire casual games from natural‑language prompts, aiming to eliminate traditional coding. The company will showcase a beta version at the Game Developers Conference in March. Unity frames the technology as a...
Everyone Has Echo Fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Thanks to the Efforts of Modders
After the DLC era, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s roster reached 86 fighters, including seven official Echo Fighters that share movesets with other characters. A group of modders has now produced Echo Fighter variants for every one of the 79 standard...
Where to Find the Municipal Muses Museum in The Sims 4
The Municipal Muses Museum is a community lot situated in Willow Creek’s Crawdad Quarter, near the southwest corner of The Sims 4 map. It appears in the Lost Legacies event, where players must visit the museum to interact with the Royal...
You Can Now Play Avowed as Small Person With Big Magic Stick
Obsidian’s Avowed anniversary update introduces three new playable races—dwarves, orlans, and aumaua—expanding the game’s character diversity. It also adds a quarterstaff weapon designed for mage builds, featuring bludgeoning damage and wand‑style stun finishers. The update brings stat bonuses tailored to...
All Weapon and Survival Skills in HumanitZ
The Destructoid guide catalogues every weapon and survival skill in HumanitZ, breaking them into melee, firearms, bows, explosives, and four survivor categories. Each entry lists the required player level, skill‑point (SP) cost, and the precise in‑game effect such as damage...
"Step Into the Shoes of NPC Man" With This Fallout New Vegas Mod that Lets You Get Faction Cronies to...
SkullzyRS’s new U_DO_IT – Faction Quest Assigner mod lets Fallout: New Vegas players delegate fetch‑type missions to NPCs from eight Mojave factions. A command device in the inventory launches off‑screen tasks ranging from scavenging to sabotage, with four difficulty tiers...
![[Industry News] Cat Lovers Rejoice – CatLands Demo Out Now](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://mcvuk.com/wp-content/uploads/CatLands_CapsuleMain_1920_wName.png)
[Industry News] Cat Lovers Rejoice – CatLands Demo Out Now
Indie developer releases the CatLands demo, a cozy landscape puzzle game that blends block‑matching challenges with village‑building mechanics and collectible cats. The demo features infinite puzzle levels, a relaxed aesthetic, and the ability to grow a small village, while promising...
‘Menacing’ Call of Duty TV Ad Gunned Down by Watchdog
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned the TV spot for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, deeming its aggressive tone and imagery as trivialising sexual violence. The ad, featuring comedian Nikki Glaser and actor Peter Stormare as “Replacer” security officers, showed...
Checkout Now Shows Prices in Your Local Currency
Starting February 18, our checkout page will display prices in students' local currency. Location is detected based on IP address, and prices are automatically converted using real-time exchange rates. 🙂 https://t.co/xCo69SeIx8
The Commentator Announced for Switch
Tebasaki Games has announced a new visual novel, The Commentator, for the Nintendo Switch, though a release window or localization details remain undisclosed. The game places players in the role of a prime‑time news anchor, forcing rapid editorial choices that...
Best Steam Exclusive Video Games
Steam remains the premier PC distribution platform, and its exclusive titles continue to define the ecosystem. The list highlights both Valve‑originated games—such as Garry’s Mod, Team Fortress 2, Counter‑Strike 2, and Half‑Life: Alyx—and standout indie or community projects like Project Zomboid and...
Wildlight Secured Multiple Funding Rounds, Stayed Silent
It is of course not at all surprising that Wildlight raised money through multiple rounds of investment. The unusual thing is that unlike many other studio startups in the last five years it never publicized the initial investment or subsequent funding...
I Am Airport Security Challenges You to Inspect Passengers and Keep Flights Safe, Now Live on Android
Estoty has released *I Am Airport Security*, an airport‑security management RPG, on Android. The title follows the studio’s successful *I Am Security* sim and adds quirky passengers, metal detectors, X‑ray scans, and even beard‑shaving mechanics. It joins a wave of...
3D Platformer Become Asks, What If Finding Nemo But The Fish Was A Sperm?
Indie developer Valentin Wirth announced *Become*, a 3D platformer that follows a sperm cell’s race to fertilize an egg. The game blends a bildungsroman narrative with whimsical visuals, featuring skill upgrades like “Busty Bouncer” and “Got Milk.” A provocative trailer has already sparked...
This New Overwatch Hero Has Become an Insta-Ban for Me
Overwatch’s Season 1 introduced five new heroes, reigniting player interest, but the newest addition, Domina, quickly became a point of contention. As a poke‑tank, she combines a half‑circle Barrier Array, a self‑repair Reconstruction passive, and a high‑damage Photon Magnum, making her...
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Updated to Ver. 1.4.3
Nintendo released version 1.4.3 for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on February 18, 2026. The patch resolves a bug that kept the Black Hinox in Hyrule Castle marked as undefeated, blocking the Hinox Monster Medal. Additional unspecified issues were also...
Star Trek Online Celebrates 16 Years with Major Update
Star Trek Online gets an update on its 16th anniversary. Our interview with the exec producer. https://t.co/0Lg3tamCs7
Zelda: Breath of the Wild Updated to Ver. 1.9.0
Nintendo released version 1.9.0 for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on 18 February 2026. The update’s sole addition is Thai language support, extending the game’s localization portfolio. The patch demonstrates Nintendo’s continued commitment to post‑launch content for its flagship title....
Key Trends Shaping Gaming's Future From Ball's Deck
My take on Matthew Ball's slide deck on the state of gaming. On GB Max. https://t.co/anknONm1u2
Discord Rival Maxes Out Hosting Capacity As Players Flee Age-Verification Crackdown
Discord’s global rollout of stringent age‑verification checks has sparked a wave of user backlash, prompting many gamers to abandon the platform for alternatives. TeamSpeak, a long‑standing voice‑chat service, has seen a surge in traffic, maxing out its hosting capacity across...
How to Get Trade Tokens in Escape Tsunami for Brainrots
Roblox’s Escape Tsunami for Brainrots features Trade Tokens as a premium currency used to purchase high‑value items like Infinity Lucky Blocks and Divine Brainrots. The primary acquisition method is converting Arcade Tickets at a 1:1 rate, especially during Arcade Events,...
Star Citizen Celebrates Red Festival Year of the Rat 2956 Event
Star Citizen’s Red Festival celebrates the Year of the Rat 2956 with a series of in‑game events and cosmetics. Players can hunt gilded rat‑themed envelopes across Stanton’s landing zones to earn credits, while a community contest offers a Mirai Pulse...
Highguard Site Down, PR Refuses to Comment on Roadmap
The Highguard website has been down all day. I asked Wildlight why and when players might expect an update on the game's roadmap. PR declined to comment. https://t.co/y3MJDo1i6t
![Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story to Receive a Physical Edition in Japan [Update: Pre-Orders]](https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/c66def93dd34904c9992b1daf8c51cff.webp)
Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story to Receive a Physical Edition in Japan [Update: Pre-Orders]
Japanese developer Kairosoft announced that its Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story will receive a physical Nintendo Switch release in Japan on April 16, 2026. The game, originally launched digitally in 2024 after a Nintendo Direct spotlight, will now ship with an English-language guidebook...
Fields of Mistria Bee Apiaries, Terrariums, and Auto-Feeders Shown
NPC Studio revealed that the fourth major update for *Fields of Mistria* adds auto‑feeders, bee apiaries, and bug terrariums. Auto‑feeders become available at Ranching Level 45, cost 5,000 gold, and turn any edible item into animal feed. Bee apiaries let players...
AION Classic EU Update 4.5, 'Ignite' Announced, With Major Overhauls, New Phoenix Class, and New Progression Zone
AION Classic EU’s Ignite update (v4.5) introduces a sweeping redesign, removing the legacy base‑class system so players begin directly as an advanced class. The release adds the fire‑focused Phoenix class, a new open‑world progression zone called Teva, and a full...
Vertiqal Studios Is Staffing up in a Bid to Bring More Brands Into the Gaming Ecosystem
Vertiqal Studios, the Toronto‑based content and agency firm, is expanding its workforce to accelerate the integration of consumer brands into the gaming ecosystem. The company, formerly Wondr Gaming, rebranded in 2023 and now manages more than 350 owned properties that...
Pritto Prisoner Updated to Ver. 1.1.1.0
Pritto Prisoner has rolled out version 1.1.1.0, delivering a suite of bug fixes, balance tweaks, and visual enhancements. The update resolves missing Stray entries, Dorm gate button glitches, and errant mouse animations, while also standardizing hit effects for the Robot’s Lasso....
Clash Royale: What Is the Ironheart Lucky Chest and How to Unlock It
Supercell has introduced the Ironheart Lucky Chest, a new seasonal chest in Clash Royale that rewards players with Goblin‑themed cards, P.E.K.K.A evolution items, and exclusive cosmetics. The chest’s contents scale with Trophy Road progress, unlocking the full reward pool once...
LoL Patch 26.4 Notes: All Buffs, Nerfs, and More
League of Legends Patch 26.4 drops on Feb. 19, 2026, shifting the release day back to Thursday for one final cycle before returning to the regular schedule. The update targets crit‑based ADCs with a light Infinity Edge buff and price cut, while trimming...
NACE Heads to Full Sail University in April
The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) announced that the Spring 2026 Grand Finals will be held at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, from April 23‑26. Forty‑eight varsity teams from across North America will compete in six titles: League of...