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Phil Spencer and Samantha Bond are departing their roles at Xbox, according to reporting by IGN, marking a major change in leadership and potentially direction at one of the industry’s most significant publishers. Read more View the full article

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer is retiring, and Xbox president Sarah Bond, long considered the person to one day hold Spencer's job, has resigned from the company, as reported by IGN. Microsoft's AI lead, the president of the company's CoreAI product, Asha Sharma, will now also work in Spencer's former position as the new Microsoft Gaming CEO. As part of this massive shake-up, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty has been promoted to Chief Content Officer and will work closely with Sharma within Microsoft Gaming. "I want to thank Phil for his extraordinary leadership and partnership," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote in an email sent to company staff, according to IGN. "Over 38 years at Microsoft, including 12 years leading Gaming, Phil helped transform what we do and how we do it." Transcriptions of the emails Spencer, Booty, Sharma, and Nadella sent to staff can be read below, courtesy of IGN's report. Phil Spencer's Email To Microsoft StaffWhen I walked through Microsoft’s doors as an intern in June of 1988, I could never have imagined the products I’d help build, the players and customers we’d serve, or the extraordinary teams I’d be lucky enough to join. It’s been an epic ride and truly the privilege of a lifetime. Last fall, I shared with Satya that I was thinking about stepping back and starting the next chapter of my life. From that moment, we aligned on approaching this transition with intention, ensuring stability, and strengthening the foundation we’ve built. Xbox has always been more than a business. It’s a vibrant community of players, creators, and teams who care deeply about what we build and how we build it. And it deserves a thoughtful, deliberate plan for the road ahead. Today marks an exciting new chapter for Microsoft Gaming as Asha Sharma steps into the role of CEO, and I want to be the first to welcome her to this incredible team. Working with her over the past several months has given me tremendous confidence. She brings genuine curiosity, clarity and a deep commitment to understanding players, creators, and the decisions that shape our future. We know this is an important moment for our fans, partners, and team, and we’re committed to getting it right. I’ll remain in an advisory role through the summer to support a smooth handoff. I’m also grateful for the strength of our studios organization. Matt Booty and our studios teams continue to build an incredible portfolio, and I have full confidence in the leadership and creative momentum across our global studios. I want to congratulate Matt on his promotion to EVP and Chief Content Officer. As part of this transition, Sarah Bond has decided to leave Microsoft to begin a new chapter. Sarah has been instrumental during a defining period for Xbox, shaping our platform strategy, expanding Game Pass and cloud gaming, supporting new hardware launches, and guiding some of the most significant moments in our history. I’m grateful for her partnership and the impact she’s had, and I wish her the very best in what comes next. Most of all, to everyone in Microsoft Gaming, I want to say “thank you”. I’ve learned so much from this team and community, grown alongside you, and been continually inspired by the creativity, courage, and care you bring to players, creators, and to one another every day. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together over the last 25 years, and I have complete confidence in all of you and in the opportunities ahead. I’ll be cheering you on in this next chapter as Xbox’s proudest fan and player. Matt Booty's Email To Microsoft StaffI read Phil’s note with much gratitude. He has been a steady champion for game creators and our studio teams, and I’ve learned so much from his leadership over the years. All our games have benefited from his foundational support. I’m also grateful to Satya for his ongoing commitment to gaming and holding a vision of how it can connect back to the larger company. Looking forward, I’m excited to partner with Asha as our next CEO. Our first conversations centered on her commitment to making great games and the role that plays in our overall success. She asks questions, pushes for clarity, and wants our choices grounded in player and developer needs. That mindset matters as the industry around us is changing quickly: how players engage, how games are made, and how business models and platforms evolve. We have good reasons to believe in what’s ahead. This organization and its franchises have navigated change for decades, and our strength comes from teams who know how to adapt and keep delivering. That confidence is grounded in a strong pipeline of established franchises, new bets we believe in, and clear player demand for what we are building. My focus is on supporting the teams and leaders we have in place and creating the conditions for them to do their best work. To be clear, there are no organizational changes underway for our studios. Thanks for everything you do for players and for each other. Asha Sharma's Email To Microsoft StaffToday I begin my role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming. I feel two things at once: humility and urgency. Humility because this team has built something extraordinary over decades. Urgency because gaming is in a period of rapid change, and we need to move with clarity and conviction. I am stepping into work shaped by generations of artists, engineers, designers, writers, musicians, operators and more who create worlds that have brought joy and deep personal meaning to hundreds of millions of players. The level of craft here is exceptional, and it is amplified by Xbox, which was founded in the belief that the power of games connect people and push the industry forward. Thank you to Phil for his leadership, and to every studio, platform, and operations team that built this foundation. We are stewards of some of the most loved stories and characters in entertainment and bring players and creators together around the fun and community of gaming in entirely new ways. My first job is simple: understand what makes this work and protect it. That starts with three commitments. First, great games. Everything begins here. We must have great games beloved by players before we do anything. Unforgettable characters, stories that make us feel, innovative game play, and creative excellence. We will empower our studios, invest in iconic franchises, and back bold new ideas. We will take risks. We will enter new categories and markets where we can add real value, grounded in what players care about most. I promoted Matt Booty in honor of this commitment. He understands the craft and the challenges of building great games, has led teams that deliver award-winning work, and has earned the trust of game developers across the industry. Second, the return of Xbox. We will recommit to our core Xbox fans and players, those who have invested with us for the past 25 years, and to the developers who build the expansive universes and experiences that are embraced by players across the world. We will celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console which has shaped who we are. It connects us to the players and fans who invest in Xbox, and to the developers who build ambitious experiences for it. Gaming now lives across devices, not within the limits of any single piece of hardware. As we expand across PC, mobile, and cloud, Xbox should feel seamless, instant, and worthy of the communities we serve. We will break down barriers so developers can build once and reach players everywhere without compromise. Third, future of play. We are witnessing the reinvention of play. To meet the moment, we will invent new business models and new ways to play by leaning into what we already have: iconic teams, characters, and worlds that people love. But we will not treat those worlds as static IP to milk and monetize. We will build a shared platform and tools that empower developers and players to create and share their own stories. As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us. The next 25 years belong to the teams who dare to build something surprising, something no one else is willing to try, and have the patience to see it through. We have done this before, and I am here to help us do it again. I want to return to the renegade spirit that built Xbox in the first place. It will require us to relentlessly question everything, revisit processes, protect what works, and be brave enough to change what does not. Thank you for welcoming me into this journey. Satya Nadella's Email To Microsoft StaffGaming has been part of Microsoft from the start. Flight Simulator shipped before Windows, and you can practically ray‑trace a line from DirectX in the ’90s to the accelerated‑compute era we’re in today. As we celebrate Xbox’s 25th year, the opportunity and innovation agenda in front of us is expansive. Today we reach over 500 million monthly active users, are a top publisher across all platforms, and continue to innovate across gaming hardware, content and community, in service of creators and players everywhere. I am long on gaming and its role at the center of our consumer ambition, and as we look ahead, I’m excited to share that Asha Sharma will become Executive Vice President and CEO, Microsoft Gaming, reporting to me. Over the last two years at Microsoft, and previously as Chief Operating Officer at Instacart and a Vice President at Meta, Asha has helped build and scale services that reach billions of people and support thriving consumer and developer ecosystems. She brings deep experience building and growing platforms, aligning business models to long-term value, and operating at global scale, which will be critical in leading our gaming business into its next era of growth. Matt Booty will become Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, reporting to Asha. Matt’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to games and to the people who make them. Under his leadership, Microsoft Gaming has grown to span nearly 40 studios across Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and King, which are home to beloved franchises including Halo, The Elder Scrolls, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Candy Crush, and Fallout. Together, Asha and Matt have the right combination of consumer product leadership and gaming depth to push our platform innovation and content pipeline forward. Last year, Phil Spencer made the decision to retire from the company, and since then we’ve been talking about succession planning. I want to thank Phil for his extraordinary leadership and partnership. Over 38 years at Microsoft, including 12 years leading Gaming, Phil helped transform what we do and how we do it. He expanded our reach across PC, mobile, and cloud; nearly tripled the size of the business; helped shape our strategy through the acquisitions of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and Minecraft; and strengthened our culture across our studios and platforms. I’ve long admired Phil’s unwavering commitment to players, creators, and his team, and I am personally grateful for his leadership and counsel. He will continue working closely with Asha to ensure a smooth transition. We have extraordinary creative talent across our studios and a global platform that is second to none. I’m excited for how we will capture the opportunity ahead and define what comes next, while staying grounded in what players and creators value. Please join me in congratulating Asha and Matt on their new roles, and in thanking Phil for everything he has done for Microsoft and for our industry. This story is in development... [Source: IGN] View the full article

Nier: Automata launched in 2017, and now developer PlatinumGames has revealed that the game has sold 10 million copies. To celebrate this achievement, PlatinumGames and publisher Square Enix have released a commemorative video that includes a mysterious "To Be Continued" tease. Though Game Informer gave Nier: Automata a 7.75 back in 2017 – still a good review score – the game has taken on a life of its own post-launch, in part due to the game's many fascinating endings and fan reception to them, conspiracy-laden discoveries, and more, including a remake of its predecessor, Nier Replicant ver. 1.22474487139 (giving Kingdom Hearts a run for its money with that title, PlatinumGames), and a kinda-sequel in the form of the mobile game Nier Reincarnation. Now, it's time for fans to get back to theorycrafting once more as the commemorative video, which you can watch here, ends with the screen below: Does this mean the studio is developing a sequel to Nier: Automata? Does it mean more concerts? More merch? Another mobile game? An Octopath Traveler 0-style remake of the now-defunct mobile-only Nier Reincarnation? Your guess is as good as mine, and if you know PlatinumGames, there's a good chance you won't guess correctly. For now, that screenshot above is all we have to go on, so here's hoping the studio doesn't keep its audience in the dark for too long. In the meantime, read Game Informer's reviews for Nier Replicant ver. 1.22474487139 and Nier: Automata, and then read about why we love Nier Reincarnation so much. What do you think this Nier: Automata tease means? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

Game Informer recently visited IO Interactive at its company headquarters in Copenhagen to learn about the making of 007 First Light. The upcoming title depicts a young James Bond at the start of his journey, before he becomes the seasoned agent depicted in the iconic spy films. In this exclusive cover story interview, 007 First Light gameplay director Andreas Krogh details how IO Interactive designed a new stealth-action game and, importantly, how it differs from the company's award-winning Hitman games. We learn about the game developer's approach to level design, bold action sequences, and stunt driving. How IO Interactive Designed a New Stealth-Action Game: View the full article

Indie publisher Finji has accused TikTok of modifying its game ads with generative AI without its knowledge or permission. Read more View the full article

The Pokémon Company has announced that it will hold a Pokémon Presents next week on Friday, February 27, at 6 a.m. PT/9 a.m. ET. As in prior years, a Pokémon Presents is happening on the specific day of February 27 because it's Pokémon Day, which marks the release of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green in Japan. This year's Pokémon Day marks 30 years of Pokémon, a big milestone for the series that The Pokémon Company is celebrating with Super Bowl ads, merchandise, and the release of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 consoles next week. The Pokémon Company says this year's Pokémon Presents video presentation will feature "exciting updates and announcements across the Pokémon franchise." Previous Pokémon Presents have included updates to mobile games, reveals of spinoffs, and even the announcement of brand new generations (here's hoping we see Gen 10). The Pokémon Presents will air next week on Friday, February 27, at 6 a.m. PT/9 a.m. ET. In the meantime, check out the new trailer for Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch and Switch 2: For more, read Game Informer's Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review, and then read Game Informer's Pokémon Legends: Z-A review after that. What do you hope to see during the presentation next week? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

The Pokémon Company has announced that Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen will launch on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 next week. More specifically, these Kanto remakes will hit Switch and Switch 2 consoles on February 27, which is Pokémon Day, after a special Pokémon Presents presentation set to air that morning. They will cost $19.99 each and will be available as download-only titles, meaning there won't be a physical release at this time. The impending release of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch and Switch 2 isn't necessarily a surprise – rumors of this have been swirling for some time – but The Pokémon Company and Nintendo announcing this an entire week early is a Sandy Shock(er)s. You would assume an announcement like this would be saved for the Pokémon Presents happening next Friday as a shadow-drop that fans who watch these kinds of showcases enjoy, but alas, maybe The Pokémon Company needs more time for something else (maybe a Gen 10 reveal?) during the presentation. Check out the Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen announcement trailer for Switch and Switch 2 below: "Originally launched on the Game Boy Advance system in 2004, Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version will be coming to the Nintendo Switch system as download-exclusive titles to celebrate 30 years of Pokémon," a press release reads. "These titles will be available to play after the conclusion of the Pokémon Presents presentation and can be played on both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 systems." That Pokémon Presents presentation will air on Friday, February 27, at 6 a.m. PT/9 a.m. ET. In the meantime, check out some additional images from the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 versions of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen below: For more, read Game Informer's Pokémon Scarlet and Violet review, and then read Game Informer's Pokémon Legends: Z-A review after that. Are you going to hop back into the Kanto region next week? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

Ubisoft Toronto has reduced its workforce by 40 roles as part of Ubisoft's global cost-saving initiative. Read more View the full article

Midsummer Studios, co-founded by former XCOM designer Jake Solomon, is set to close its doors. Read more View the full article

Slay the Spire is a fantastic game, ushering the rise in popularity of both roguelikes and deckbuilders, so it's always exciting to get more news about what developer Mega Crit plans to do with the sequel. While we knew Slay The Spire 2 was slated to release in Early Access sometime next month, a new trailer revealed Mega Crit's plans to drop it on March 5, just two weeks from today. You can take a look at the trailer, which includes animation and new gameplay footage, below. In addition to the release date, Mega Crit also announced Slay the Spire 2 will have a massive feature not included in the predecessor: co-op play. Up to four people will be able to play alongside one another in a new dedicated mode, which features "multiplayer-specific cards" and "powerful team synergies," according to a recent update to the game's Steam page. The trailer also shows off two new characters coming to the Early Access launch (the Necrobinder and the Regent), and reveals that the Defect, one of the playable characters from the first game, is returning. This means the game's playable roster, which has five characters when you include the Ironclad and the Silent, only excludes the Watcher. That said, given that this is still the Early Access period, there's plenty of time for them to reappear. Slay the Spire 2 launches into Early Access on March 5. We recently included it in our massive feature on our most anticipated games of 2026, so it's safe to say we're excited about it. View the full article

Sony is shutting down Bluepoint Games, the studio that delivered a number of cherished reissues of games like Demon's Souls, Shadow of the Colossus and Uncharted. The studio will close its doors next month with the loss of 70 jobs, as first reported by Bloomberg. Read more View the full article

Bluepoint Games, one of several studios under PlayStation's umbrella of developers, is being shut down by its parent company, according to a report from Bloomberg. The closure means roughly 70 employees will lose their jobs. The studio was best known for remaking games like Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus, and supporting work at other PlayStation studios. "Bluepoint Games is an incredibly talented team and their technical expertise has delivered exceptional experiences for the PlayStation community," a PlayStation spokesperson said in a statement received by Bloomberg. “We thank them for their passion, creativity and craftmanship." Bloomberg writes that the spokesperson also said the closure was due to "a recent business review." The most recent news out of the studio was that it was working on a live-service game in the God of War universe, but that it was canceled before ever being revealed publicly. The news is shocking, largely due to Bluepoint's high-quality track record. The studio was founded in 2006, but wasn't acquired by PlayStation until 2021. Demon's Souls, the studio's most recent project, is a remake of the game of the same name that launched alongside the PS5. We gave it a 9.25 at the time, calling it a "delightful treat." Bluepoint also assisted in the development of God of War Ragnarök, which we gave a 9.5 and lauded as our second favorite game of 2022. [Source: Bloomberg] View the full article

BROTHER!!! Save him! - Hardcore Platformer is free on Steam! BROTHER!!! Save him! - Hardcore Platformer is a 2D retro-style ... View the full article

Platform: PC Publisher: Bonfire Studios, Drimage Developer: Bonfire Studios Rating: Teen Arkheron is a battle royale – stay with me – but that’s the least interesting aspect of it. It is also an isometric PvP action game that feels like a shooter with Hades-like elements. I know this is a barrage of fancy keywords and descriptors, and the honest truth is that Arkheron is such a unique mix of mechanics that it feels easiest to introduce it like that. Developed by Bonfire Studios and set to launch this year, Arkheron puts 15 teams of three players against each other in a dark fantasy tower. The winner is the last team standing on the top floor of this foreboding tower, and though I struggled to even reach that final floor in my two-hour hands-on digital preview, I’m looking forward to hopping into the game’s demo (that goes live tomorrow as part of the February Steam Next Fest). There is a lore to the world of Arkheron, but admittedly, it’s not what you should play the game for – you just need to know that you control a mystical avatar (that can be customized with various options) who uses the weapons and gear of Eternals, god-like beings whose loot you have access to as you climb the aforementioned tower. Though Bonfire Studios’ leadership remained mum when asked about post-launch progression, seasonal updates, and the like during a Q/A roundtable, Arkheron will feature a rotating 10 Eternals out of the 12 in the game when it launches later this year. That’s important because each of the Eternals utilizes different types of weapons, from ranged to mid-range to up-close melee, and other pieces of gear like amulets and crowns that feature stat-boosting benefits (and when you use two or more pieces of loot from the same Eternal, you receive a game-changing set bonus, encouraging you to seek out matching gear). As different Eternal gear sets rotate in and out of Arkheron’s live mix of loot, which is found within chests scattered throughout the tower’s various dungeon-esque floors and dropped by the AI-controlled mob enemies you encounter, so, too, will your tactics to come out on top. I like that this rotation of gear means no meta will last forever, and that experimentation is somewhat forcefully encouraged. While set bonuses don’t extend or expand beyond what you receive when equipping two pieces of Eternal-specific loot, kitting out your avatar with a complete Eternals set – so four pieces – will allow you to unleash an ultimate-like ability that transforms you into that Eternal with increased damage, health, and more. Arkheron does a great job of encouraging you and your teammates to look out for each other, as marking beneficial gear someone else in your trio needs is easy. Plus, if a teammate stumbles upon a piece of equipment someone on their team already has, they can interact with it to upgrade that teammate’s item, like a sword, to the next tier of rarity and power. It’s a nice step beyond the typical battle royale formula, where you simply call out enticing loot, yielding to everyone in the trio the ability to enhance a teammate’s prowess in combat. Though the viewpoint is isometric, the camera actually rotates around your character, meaning your on-screen reticle feels less like targeting an enemy in Diablo and more like a third-person shooter. Your attacks go where the reticle is, though you’ll need to account for the range of your attacks and abilities. I thoroughly enjoyed this approach to combat, as it turns what appears to be bog-standard PvP action combat into something a bit sweatier, like a third- or first-person shooter. Once the action against another player begins, mashing buttons will likely get you nowhere, especially when it’s time to move up to the next floor. To do this, you must enter a circular room of sorts and survive until it teleports you up; however, only one team gets to advance per circular room, so moving to the next floor up means a chaotic but strategic dance against another trio. With the walls closing in on you via a magical storm of sorts, and environmental hazards including giant worm-like demon beings, what starts as a 3v3 fight quickly grows into something that requires immense teamwork. The winning trio is the one that uses all abilities, attacks, and positioning to their best advantage, ignoring the instinctive urge to mash buttons when things get hectic. Two hours is not enough time to gauge the impact that yet another battle royale, however unique, will make in an already crowded genre. But, it is enough to tell you that, as someone who can easily blow off new entries to the overstuffed field, I will not be doing that with Arkheron. It feels different in a sea of battle royales (usually shooters), taking the aesthetics of something like Diablo, mixing it with the run-based looting of Hades, and adding in 44 other players to create an explosive spin on PvP. View the full article

Paragnosia is free on Steam until February 23! Paragnosia is a first person mystery game. Check it out! View the full article

I have long been obsessed with the Virtual Boy. I have a vivid memory of seeing the device on display, which I believed was a portent of the future, at my local Sears when I was young. I was too short to see into the headset properly, but I desperately wanted to experience what could only be the future of video games. A few months later, it was as if it never existed. I never got to try it, and Nintendo, a company with an impressively short list of outright failures on its track record, was eager to pretend it never existed. The first hint that Nintendo was beginning to feel slightly less embarrassed about the Virtual Boy arrived in 2014’s Tomodachi Life for 3DS, where one of the game’s bizarre dream sequences featured Miis dancing around a Virtual Boy. It was the first sign since the Virtual Boy launch that Nintendo was, potentially, willing to acknowledge its most embarrassing product, but I never would have predicted it would lead to what is ostensibly a full re-release. Tomodachi Life (3DS, 2014) Every few years, I would look at the device’s eBay prices until my wonderful wife decided to save me the trouble of checking periodically and bought me one. I relished the experience of finally getting to play it, awkwardly craning my neck to see what the future of 1995 looked like. I played and beat Virtual Boy Wario Land (and wrote about my experience for Polygon) and put the device away grateful that I got to answer the question of what playing the Virtual Boy was like that had been plaguing me since I was a child. And for the record, the answer was… mostly terrible! I was flabbergasted when Nintendo announced its plans to not only release the Virtual Boy’s full library of games on Switch and Switch 2, but also release (admittedly overpriced) hardware that would allow you to play the games exactly as they were designed. It’s an insane proposition made exclusively for me, so I bought one the moment it was available. Nintendo also sent us one for review purposes, so now I have two in my house, plus my original eBay Virtual Boy, which means I don’t have a reasonable answer for when someone inevitably asks me, “What is wrong with you?” That’s All Great, But How Is It?Which is all an excessive amount of setup to actually talk about the new/old Virtual Boy for the Switch and Switch 2. The original Virtual Boy is a shockingly complicated piece of technology. I highly recommend YouTube channel The Slo Mo Guys’ video breaking down how it works. I promise it does not work how you think it does. But on Switch, it is a much more straightforward experience. It essentially works like a modern VR headset, displaying the game twice, once for each eye in a strange aspect ratio that the Virtual Boy headset’s lenses compensate for. Compared to playing on an actual Virtual Boy, the Switch version with the headset is much sharper and better. And the stereoscopic 3D works! These games were in 3D years before the short-lived trend of 3D TVs or the 3DS. The effect was impressive all those years ago and is still impressive today. This is the cleanest way to play Virtual Boy games in 2026, but it doesn’t change or fix the important and undeniable fact that Virtual Boy games are uncomfortable to play and overall are not very good. Virtual Boy Wario Land (Virtual Boy, 1995) Virtual Boy Wario Land stands out as the shining exception. It’s a great entry in the Wario Land series of games. A classic 2D Wario platformer that would function as a fun game even without the impressive stereoscopic bells and whistles. You jump between the foreground and background and it looks and feels cool. The whole game takes place in underground caves so the dark red lines make sense in context, and the final boss is the kind of nightmare fuel we all would be reminiscing about as adults today had anyone actually played the game in 1995. Teleroboxer is a functional, but not particularly good Punch-Out inspired fighter; Red Alarm is all wireframe and hard to parse; 3D Tetris is an interesting idea, but it gestures at the idea of a framerate instead of committing to one; and Golf and Galactic Pinball offer few surprises. The Mansion of Innsmouth stands out as a distant second behind Wario by being a weird horror game where you walk around hallways shooting scary monsters, but it is incredibly dated and doesn’t feel as three-dimensional as the other titles. Teleroboxer (Virtual Boy, 1995) Every time you start a game, it asks if you want it to automatically pause for you so you can take a break every ten minutes, which is frankly all you need to know about the experience of playing Virtual Boy. It’s uncomfortable, extended play hurts your eyes, and Nintendo knew this, which is why every game builds in that functionality. It’s a bad time. But, with all that said, and with my overt warnings about the anti-comfortability of playing any Virtual Boy game, I can’t help but be absolutely charmed by its existence. I am grateful that Nintendo is acknowledging what is inarguably its worst video game console, and putting in a substantial amount of effort toward making it playable exactly as it was in 1995 in the year 2026. I love video game history and especially Nintendo history, and I want Nintendo to embrace both its successes and failures just like this. Now, all Nintendo needs to do is release its handful of CD-i games into its Switch library – another aspect of Nintendo history I am absolutely obsessed with – and I will finally, truly be happy. View the full article

Reviewed on: Switch Platform: Switch, PC Publisher: Raptor Claw Developer: Raptor Claw Release: February 18, 2026 (PC), February 25, 2026 (Switch) Rating: Everyone One thing that seems certain in video games is that if a legendary developer neglects a beloved franchise, an indie studio will pick up the ball and run with it through a spiritual successor. We've seen it in spades with Metroid and Castlevania, and with how long its been since we've received a Star Fox game, it was just a matter of time before something like Fur Squadron Phoenix came along. A prequel to 2023's Fur Squadron, Fur Squadron Phoenix brings more modern visuals and missions than its predecessor, and in the process, delivers the Star Fox 64 successor I've wanted for nearly three decades. Fur Squadron Phoenix places you in the cockpit of a Starfighter as part of Fur Squadron, an elite group of fighter pilots who serve the Federation. The on-rails gameplay immediately calls back to the best sequences in the Star Fox franchise. You fly through a diverse collection of planet-bound and space environments, blasting away at the many enemies who dare take you on. As you play, you encounter standard enemies flying in formation, shielded ships that require charge shots or special weapons to take out, mechanical worms that emerge from hiding spots to fly straight at you, and, of course, end-of-level bosses that task you with dodging their attacks and blasting their weak points. Thanks to its colorful neon glow, superb soundtrack, and masterful pacing, Fur Squadron Phoenix presents consistently exhilarating dogfights that are absolute treats for the senses. The waves of enemies that fly towards you often presented unique challenges that kept me on my toes, and truly made me feel the progression of not only my skills, but also my characters. Meanwhile, the boss battles are largely inventive, providing an exciting culmination of each stage; I just wish I could say the same about the final boss, which is an arduous, bullet-spongy practice in patience that did little to put an exclamation point at the end of the otherwise fun campaign. And despite how much I loved my time with Fur Squadron Phoenix, I was also left wishing there was more to it, as eight stages – even if they're lengthy – fly by quickly. Despite how short the campaign is, you'll still have thousands of enemies to blast. Thankfully, you have an ever-improving arsenal that is unlocked through roguelite-inspired mechanics. Rather than unlocking upgrades through in-level items, you instead earn upgrade points every time you play a level – win or lose. This makes it so even my bitter losses at the end of a long stage didn't feel like a complete waste of time. The majority of the game takes place within a training simulation, but bafflingly, you don't earn any skill points in the real in-universe missions; these stages should feel more impactful and memorable, but instead, because of this arbitrary system, I always opted to replay the simulation missions. Upgrades available include damage boosts (including a permanent double laser), improved shields, and increased mobility. Obviously, improving health and damage is always great, but I especially loved pumping points into the four distinct special weapons. The standard Star Fox-style bombs are your default, but I quickly gravitated to a power beam that increases in damage as you use it, or the extremely useful multi-missile special weapon. Then, there's the nuke, which is also extremely useful in situations with a ton of enemies. These specials, when fully upgraded, can decimate the opposing forces. And when combined with your Overdrive ultimate ability, which slows time and increases your damage, you have more ways than ever to satisfyingly take down incoming adversaries. Through most of the game, you play as Robin, a bird who was previously a part of Phoenix Squadron. When Robin's crew is decimated during a mission, he's rescued by Fur Squadron, which consists of a ferret named Blaze, a fruit bat named Kiro, and an Axolotl named Axel. Each of these characters fits into the archetypes established by Star Fox: Blaze is the brave and fearless leader, Kiro flies like he has something to prove, and Axel is a tech genius. As you play through levels, each teammate will give you side objectives to complete, such as saving them from enemies on their tails, clearing a path of all debris, or flying through rings. By completing these, you level up the character who issued the challenge, which improves your Overdrive. By the end of my playthrough, in addition to slowing down time, my Overdrive fully refilled my health and special weapon energy, plus gave my lasers a 260-percent damage buff. Additionally, each time you level your relationship with a specific character, you get a touching post-mission scene between Robin and that character. These scenes go a long way towards establishing personalities, connections, and narrative subplots, which is all extremely helpful since your squad mates' voices play as gibberish rather than real voice acting. This isn't a dealbreaker by any means, but when Star Fox 64 was able to have fully voiced characters in 1997, it's disappointing to have to take my eyes off the action to read what they're saying while in a mission. Though Fur Squadron Phoenix draws heavy inspiration from Star Fox, it leaves out smaller pieces of the formula. First, this a single-player title with no multiplayer, so if, like me, you have fond memories of competing in four-player dogfights, you won't find that within this package. Additionally, the levels are completely on rails, meaning that even in encounters that might make sense for it, there is no All-Range Mode to allow for free flight. Thankfully, for boss encounters that feel like they'd play better in something akin to All-Range Mode, Raptor Claw found creative ways for it to feel dynamic in a similar way. Despite those deviations from the series that inspired Raptor Claw to develop this game, Fur Squadron Phoenix is an excellent spiritual successor for those who remember that Fox and Falco exist outside of the Super Smash Bros. games. Nintendo may not know what to do with the Star Fox franchise, but Fur Squadron Phoenix makes a great case that the genre can still flourish in 2026. Score: 8.5 About Game Informer's review system View the full article

Convergence, an indie game showcase hosted by indie game influencers and streamers, returns for its third outing today, showcasing 30 upcoming titles including an unspecified number of world premieres. A further 28 games will feature in the pre-show, according to show organiser Fourth Floor Creative. Read more View the full article

Xenoblade Chronicles X, like many games, was a good game stuck on the poorly selling Wii U. Last March, it was freed from those confines and ported to the Switch, but since it was only a few months before the launch of the Switch 2, some felt rightfully frustrated that it didn't get the performance boost from the newest console. Today, however, Nintendo not only announced that very upgrade, but you don't have to wait – it's out right now. The paid upgrade costs $4.99, and if you don't have a copy of the game yet, you can buy a Switch 2 version for $64.99, an appropriate $5 more than the Switch 1 release. This enhanced version of the game supports a 4K resolution when docked and "smoother framerates" that the above trailer says can go "up to 60 fps," which implies that actual fps values will vary in-game. The Xenoblade Chronicles games are a series of RPGs defined by their real-time combat, sci-fi fantasy setting, and massive open worlds. Xenoblade Chronicles X distinguishes itself from the series' other games due to its mechs, which players can use to fight and fly around the world. We gave the original a 7.25, saying, "Players with great patience for grinding are rewarded with intriguing places to discover and creatures to fight, but for me, only a handful of the 100 hours I spent wandering Mira felt like a true adventure." For more Xenoblade, check out our reviews of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. View the full article

Download Return To Ash for free via Epic Games Store! Return to Ash is a 2d narrative-driven visual novel with ... View the full article

Claim your free STALCRAFT: X Starter Edition Pack via Epic Games Store and unlock in-game items, including 7-day Premium, weapons, ... View the full article

Grab Voidtrain - Tour de Void (DLC) for free via Steam! Please note that the base game is required to ... View the full article

UK indie The Chinese Room, which divested from Tencent-owned Sumo Group last year, has announced a partnership with newly-mined publishing label Lyrical Games, which was itself launched last year by veterans of former Take-Two label Private Division. Read more View the full article

Scopely has acquired an undisclosed majority stake in Loom Games, the developer of mobile title Pixel Flow. Read more View the full article

Starbreeze Entertainment has released its 2025 financial results, with revenue rising from SEK 185.9 million ($20.5 million) to SEK 221 million ($24.5 million). Read more View the full article