End of an Era at Unity, Resident Evil Survival Unit's Future and Pokémon's Super Bowl Appearance | Week in Views

Why It Matters

Unity’s leadership change and lingering runtime‑fee backlash could reshape the game‑engine landscape, while Resident Evil’s mobile success underscores both the opportunity and pitfalls of franchise‑driven monetization; Pokémon’s premium ad spend illustrates how legacy gaming IPs are leveraging high‑profile sports events to broaden audience reach.

Key Takeaways

• Unity loses co‑founder, adds Bernard Kim to board
• Resident Evil mobile reaches 5M downloads, criticized for monetization
• Pokémon launches $8M Super Bowl ad for 30th anniversary
• Unity's runtime fee controversy erodes developer goodwill
• Super Bowl ad aims to expand Pokémon into NFL fans

Pulse Analysis

Unity’s departure of David Helgason signals the end of an era for the company that pioneered democratized game development. Helgason’s exit, coupled with the earlier controversy over Unity’s runtime fee, has left developers wary of pricing volatility. Bernard Kim’s addition to the board brings fresh industry perspective and may help restore confidence, but the firm must balance revenue growth with the developer‑friendly ethos that originally fueled its market dominance.

Resident Evil Survival Unit’s rapid climb to five million downloads showcases the pull of established franchises in the mobile arena. However, the game’s pivot from classic survival‑horror exploration to base‑building and tower‑defence, paired with aggressive pay‑to‑win mechanics, has sparked mixed reviews. This tension reflects a broader industry challenge: translating beloved console IPs to mobile formats without alienating core fans, while still achieving sustainable monetization in a crowded app marketplace.

Pokémon’s $8 million Super Bowl spot underscores a strategic shift toward high‑impact, cross‑media advertising for legacy gaming brands. By celebrating its 30th anniversary with celebrity endorsements rather than product pushes, The Pokémon Company aims to deepen emotional resonance and attract non‑gamer demographics, including NFL viewers. The campaign signals a growing trend of gaming IPs investing in premium sports slots to drive year‑long engagement, leveraging the event’s massive reach to reinforce brand relevance and stimulate upcoming releases and merchandise sales.

End of an era at Unity, Resident Evil Survival Unit's future and Pokémon's Super Bowl appearance | Week in Views

Craig Chapple · Head of Content · Unity co‑founder and former CEO David Helgason has officially left as of February 5 2026.

The role he’s played in the games industry’s history, along with his Unity co‑founders, is substantial. Their chief slogan was to democratise game development – a goal they went on to achieve by becoming the leading game engine on the market.

Such was their success, others would also adopt that mantra for various other parts of the business – and still do.

It’s a shame what would happen to all that work later with the announcement of that Runtime Fee. Years of work building up a largely developer‑friendly reputation was lost overnight.

There’s a reason that particular announcement hit such a nerve – Unity built itself into a key position of importance. Unity has done a lot of work to recover its reputation, but it might never be the same.

The loss of Helgason is significant. Unity has lost another part of its past and a trusted partner.

The arrival of Bernard Kim as an independent director might soften the blow – he’s well liked in the sector and is himself a big gamer.

We’ll see what the future holds. As Helgason says though:

“It’s the end of an era.”

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Resident Evil Survival Unit surpasses 5 m downloads following global expansion

Paige Cook – Deputy Editor

Late last year, Resident Evil Survival Unit was released, and it recently hit a new milestone of 5 million downloads. However, I’m already unsure about the longevity of this game.

The game starts with interesting exploration sections that feel very reminiscent of older Resident Evil titles, and for me, those are the highlights of the game.

But it’s likely hard to build a viable live mobile game around just those sections. Soon you’re introduced to base‑building, resource management, and tower‑defence.

One of the big issues is the game’s aggressive monetisation. Certain characters are locked behind paywalls, some of the timers felt very long, again tipping me toward feeling like paying was necessary, and I think in‑game purchases need to maintain a good balance of enticing you enough to indulge in spending from time to time, without making you feel like it’s required.

I was curious about what other players thought, so I looked through some reviews, and there’s a mix of positives and negatives. Players praise the early sections, the atmosphere, visuals, and the game’s general concept.

But there were many negative reviews, all saying the same thing: the bait‑and‑switch of the intro, pulling you into what feels like a survival‑horror, only to turn into a base builder. The heavy monetisation was also frequently mentioned, with many saying it’s simply pay‑to‑win.

Essentially, many said it’s a generic mobile war game with a Resident Evil skin.

It’s still early days, so maybe it’ll get updates or changes, but if it’s just about fans’ nostalgia for the franchise, players will likely burn out. While it’s great to see more downloads, keeping those players is a whole different challenge.

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Pokémon and Mario splash the cash with Super Bowl LX ads

Aaron Astle – News Editor

Pokémon kicked off its 30th‑anniversary advertising campaign at the Super Bowl, promoting its game franchise at one of the biggest sporting events of the year.

The spot didn’t advertise any specific game or merchandise, but rather spent a full minute celebrating the brand. It’s worth bearing in mind that 30 seconds of Super Bowl screentime was reported to cost upwards of $8 million.

So, what did the ad contain? It featured various celebrities – from singer Lady Gaga to footballer Lamine Yamal – shouting out their favourite Pokémon and telling the world why that one creature beats all 1,024 others.

For some, Gen 1 classics came out on top; others celebrated Gen 4’s Luxray or Gen 6’s Zygarde, representing impressive diversity I didn’t particularly expect.

The advert marks something of a watershed moment for Pokémon’s year ahead, with The Pokémon Company already confirming that the Super Bowl ad is just the beginning of a “massive year‑long campaign”. The brand will be calling on fans to share their favourite Pokémon throughout 2026.

Now, fans like myself are even more eager to see what the 30th anniversary will bring – with just two weeks left to wait for the inevitable Pokémon Day presentation. And maybe, just maybe, some American‑football fans will check the franchise out too.