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Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Microsoft continue to collaborate in a bid to "improve player safety across [all three] platforms," Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles. Read more View the full article

India-based development and live services company, Liquidnitro Games, has completed its $19.1 million Series A funding round. Read more View the full article

Two labor complaints have been filed against Nintendo with the US' National Labor Relations Board. Read more View the full article

Ubisoft has confirmed the loss of 29 roles at its Abu Dhabi office in the United Arab Emirates, after affected staff posted on LinkedIn. Read more View the full article

Meta has shut down its Twisted Pixel, Sanzaru Games, and Armature Studio as part of its massive job cuts to its virtual reality division, Reality Labs. These three studios, which Meta acquired over the last five years, had developed VR games for the studio. As reported by Bloomberg, Meta has begun cutting over 1,000 jobs across the Reality Labs division, which oversees the company’s VR hardware (such as its Meta Quest headsets) and software. Reality Labs consists of roughly 15,000 employees, meaning about 10 percent of workers will be impacted. The layoffs began Tuesday, with employees from Twisted Pixel, Sanzaru, and Armature taking to social media to confirm their respective studio closures. The cuts are a result of Meta shifting resources from its VR and metaverse products to its AI wearables and phone features, which a Meta spokesperson confirmed to Engadget. "We said last month that we were shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward Wearables," said the spokesperson. "This is part of that effort, and we plan to reinvest the savings to support the growth of wearables this year." Asgard's Wrath 2 Sanzaru Games was founded in 2006 and was acquired by Meta in 2020. It released the Asgard’s Wrath series for Meta Quest, including the critically-acclaimed Asgard’s Wrath 2 in 2023. Before Meta, Sanzaru may be best known for working on the Sly Cooper series. It developed The Sly Collection in 2010, which led to the studio creating 2013’s Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. Sanzaru’s other developer credits include the PS2 port of Secret Agent Clank, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal, and Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice. Twisted Pixel formed in 2009 and found success during the Xbox 360 Live Arcade era with well-received games such as The Maw, ‘Splosion Man, Mrs. ‘Splosion Man, Comic Jumper, and The Gunstringer. Twisted Pixel was acquired by Meta in 2022, where it developed VR titles including Wilson’s Heart and, most recently, Marvel’s Deadpool VR. Founded in 2008, Armature Studio initially worked on ports of titles such as Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and Injustice: Gods Among Us for Vita. Its first original title was Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate in 2013, but it would become best known for its 2016 title, ReCore. After being acquired by Meta in October 2022, Armature created titles such as Resident Evil 4 VR for Quest headsets in 2021. Resident Evil 4 VR These studios are the latest to be purchased and later shuttered by Meta. The same fate befell Ready At Dawn, developer of The Order: 1886 and the Lone Echo games, in 2024. The layoffs raise questions about the future of Meta's VR business, but the company states it remains committed to video games. Oculus Studios director Tamara Sciamanna wrote in a memo obtained by Bloomberg that "With this change we are shifting our investment to focus on our third-party developers and partners to ensure long-term sustainability.” View the full article

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a massive hit when it launched just over six years ago (man, time flies!), but it seemed like Nintendo's support for the game had come to an end. Then, the company surprised us all when it unveiled the game wouldn't just be getting a performance-enhanced Switch 2 version, but there would be a huge, completely free, content update for all players. Both the update and Switch 2 version were set to drop tomorrow, January 15, but Nintendo had one last surprise in store for us – the 3.0 update is available now. After seeing commotion about it online, we at Game Informer have personally verified that the update is available now, and based on similar reports from the fine folks at Eurogamer, this early launch does not seem to be isolated to the US. There's no special trick to acquiring it either – 3.0 started downloading on my console as soon as I woke it up this morning. If it doesn't download for you right away, hover over the application on your Switch's home screen, press the plus button on the right side of your controller, and head to the "Software Update" portion of the menu, and select "Via the Internet." While the 3.0 update is live, the Switch 2 Upgrade is not live. It's a purchase in the Switch 2 eShop ($4.99 in the US) set to go live tomorrow, and at the time of writing, Nintendo hasn't pulled the trigger on launching it quite yet. That said, if I could only pick one of the two updates to launch early, this would be the one. Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 3.0 update has the bulk of new content, including the hotel on Kapp'n's pier, the addition of Slumber Islands, and several new lines of crossover furniture. By contrast, the Switch 2 upgrade provides a performance boost, allows you to play with more people online, and integrates some of the Switch 2's new features (like mouse controls and GameChat) into regular gameplay. For more on the new content, check out my impressions from a hands-off preview from last month. Will you be jumping back into Animal Crossing with the new update? Let us know in the comments! View the full article

Meta has shuttered three VR studios following a 10% cut to its Reality Labs metaverse arm. Read more View the full article

Arc Raiders was the best-selling game across all platforms over the holiday period. Read more View the full article

The Fallout franchise saw a substantial increase in sales during the holiday period following the season two premiere of Amazon's adaptation. Read more View the full article

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has claimed a lawsuit filed by a Swedish pension fund was made to help Embracer in gaining a "foothold in the California market at the expense of Activision." Read more View the full article

Rockstar has launched an official marketplace for "every server and every player" to buy mods: Cfx Marketplace. Read more View the full article

It's no surprise that Deadpool is coming to Marvel Rivals. Even before his official reveal at the Game Awards this year, it was only a matter of time before one of Marvel's most popular characters made his way to massive hero shooter. The question lied in how the developers at NetEase would adapt the character's signature swords, pistols, and meta humor into a game setting. And once that's done, which of the game's three roles the developers they assign him? According to today's reveal trailer, it'll actually be all of them. That's right – Deadpool can be a Duelist, Strategist, or Vanguard depending on the player's choice. His appearance remains unchanged, but his max health and moveset will fit the role. Duelist Deadpool can throw his sword to rotate like a razor blade, Vanguard Deadpool gets a deployable, spherical shield, and Strategist Deadpool heals allies by shooting them or slashing them with his katanas. It wouldn't make sense for any other character, but for Deadpool, it just feels right. Even outside of the role-swapping, the merc with a mouth's abilities are unique, to say the least. As he fights his foes, he'll be able to level up his skills, opening up an in-game book-like menu to select what to unlock. He also has a move that deal damage to enemy players when they miss shots, as well as the ability to take photos with people he defeats. In the reveal trailer, we even see Deadpool using that photo mode to become invincible, absorbing Magneto's Ultimate Ability with his butt. Deadpool's level up screen in Marvel Rivals As per usual, season six also brings other improvements to Marvel Rivals. A new map, Museum of Contemplation, frops January 29. Times Square, the combat-free lobby, is adding a photo mode and The Clobberin' Club, where players can duel and broadcast their match on one of the street's giant screens. Hero proficiency is also getting an overhaul. The small handful of tiers has been fully revamped to include more hero-specific rewards, including in-game currency and animated character avatars. Finally, more team-ups are coming, while others are phased out. Peni will lose her team-up with Rocket, and Spider-Man will lose his team-up with Human Torch. However, Peni and Spider-Man are getting a new team-up (which grants Spider-Man a web bomb), and Jeff is getting a team-up with Deadpool, which creates a spinning toy that heals allies and covers enemies' screens with animated Deadpools. You can see the full list of updates in the video below. For more Marvel Rivals, check out the limited-time Lady Loki skin and our review from last year. View the full article

The CEO of Shift Up, the studio behind Stellar Blade and Goddess of Victory: Nikke, believes countries like South Korea have no choice but to adopt AI technology if they wish to remain competitive with larger nations such as China and the US. Read more View the full article

Your drifting career starts now. Download Initial Drift Online free on Steam. Initial Drift Online is a multiplayer racing game ... View the full article

Josef Fares, the CEO and founder of developer Hazelight, has said that he will never take his company public. Read more View the full article

A new report from investment bank Aream & Co shows that there was just $500 million in video games M&A activity in the final quarter of 2025, an 89% drop year-on-year. Read more View the full article

Last week, Ubisoft made headlines when it shut down its Halifax studio, which not only put 71 developers out of a job, but those developers had just unionized two days prior. Today, Ubisoft is continuing this trend by proposing to lay off even more people, this time at its subsidiaries Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Stockholm. According to a statement provided to IGN, the restructuring would impact "approximately" 55 workers at the two Swedish studios, but the timeline of this restructuring is unclear. Ubisoft also claims that "the long-term direction for the studios remains unchanged," and doesn't suggest that any ongoing projects, such as the development of The Division 3, will be impacted. You can read the full statement provided to IGN below. Earlier today, we informed all employees in our Swedish studios (Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Stockholm) about a proposed organizational restructure that may affect approximately 55 roles across Malmö and Stockholm," Ubisoft said in a statement passed to IGN today. This restructure follows the completion of the Voluntary Leave Program launched during the fall of 2025, a finalized long-term roadmap, and a completed staffing and appointment process, which together have provided clearer visibility into the structure and capacity required to support the two studios’ work and sustainably over time. These proposed changes are forward-looking and structural, they are not related to individual performance, recent deliveries, or the quality of the work produced by the teams. The long-term direction for the studios remains unchanged, and we will continue to serve as the global home and lead for to The Division franchise, move forward with an unannounced innovative tech project with a refined team setup, and play a central role in the development of Snowdrop and Ubisoft Connect. The proposed restructuring will begin with a focus on individual agreements and impacted employees are being informed directly and supported with care and respect inline with local regulations. As noted in the statement, this news follows a voluntary leave program at Massive that began last October, allowing employees that might potentially be laid off to do so on their own terms. The announcement of further layoffs suggests Ubisoft wasn't satisfied with the number of people, if any, who took the offer. Known for developing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora in 2023 and Star Wars: Outlaws in 2024, Massive has been one of Ubisoft's most prolific subsidiaries in recent years. All of this is on top of Massive's work developing and maintaining The Division 2, which had an expansion as recently as last year. Massive is currently in the midst of developing The Division 2: Survivors (an added survival extraction mode), The Division Resurgence (a mobile entry in the series), and The Division 3. Last year, Ubisoft announced a similar layoff proposal at its subsidiary RedLynx, known for the Trials series. Last March, it founded a new subsidiary in partnership with Tencent, who owns a minority stake in the new company, to manage Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. [Source: IGN] View the full article

New French mobile studio One Rule Games has successfully closed its seed funding round. Read more View the full article

Resident Evil Requiem is easily one of the most anticipated video games of the year, and luckily, its February release is right around the corner. While a big Game Awards trailer finally confirmed the rumors that Leon S. Kennedy would be playable, there's still plenty fans don't know about this game. We'll be getting some more news soon, however, as Capcom has just announced a Resident Evil showcase for later this week, January 15, at 2 PM PT/ 5 PM ET. The stream will be available on Capcom's Twitch channel. You can also view a short teaser for the event below. "Tune in on January 15 at 2pm PT / 10pm GMT for the Resident Evil Showcase and be one of the first to see brand new gameplay and news for Resident Evil Requiem," the YouTube description for the trailer reads. Capcom's website also reveals that the stream will be 12 minutes long. The event is technically just called "Resident Evil Showcase," implying there might be room for non-Requiem related announcements, but 12 minutes doesn't quite feel like enough time to cover multiple games. We'll know for sure when the showcase airs this Thursday. For more Requiem, read about how protagonists Leon and Grace share the spotlight, check out our interview with the developers at Gamescom, and then see what we thought about how the game feels to play. View the full article

The Glasgow Employment Tribunal has rejected a request for interim relief filed for staff fired by Rockstar. Read more View the full article

Extraction shooter Arc Raiders has sold over 2.4 million copies in 2026 to date. Read more View the full article

Ubisoft has announced staff cuts at its Swedish studios, with 55 jobs expected to be lost at Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Stockholm. Read more View the full article

Facebook parent company Meta is reportedly planning to lay off around 10% of staff in its metaverse, VR and AR-focused Reality Labs division. Read more View the full article

Peter Molyneux, the mind behind the Fable series, Populous, and Black & White, announced his next game, Masters of Albion, during Gamescom 2024. His next – and final – game is coming to PC on April 22. Masters of Albion comes from Molyneux’s studio, 22 Cans, and blends elements of real-time strategy, town management, and simulation to an experience Molyneux describes as “the culmination of my life’s work,” in a press release. Players take on the role of a powerful god possessing a “god hand” capable of designing and building entire villages from the ground-up. Buildings can be customized, and different types of structures can be combined to form new building types. As you lord over your human citizens, you can manipulate them via possession, inspire them with divine acts, or punish them using abilities such as weather manipulation and more. Masters of Albion does not feature timers or waiting, allowing players to rule their worlds at their own pace. You can explore Albion from the heavens, control humans or animals such as dogs and chickens to take in the sights on foot. Players can complete quests to unlock treasures and secrets, or explore hidden areas to uncover the secret history of Albion. When night falls, the gameplay of Masters of Albion shifts into more of an RTS as players defend villages against evil creatures that appear in the dark. Fighting back involves building and placing defensive weapons, such as turrets, constructing walls and other structures to funnel enemies where needed, and hiring heroes to protect the populace. You can also possess heroes to fight monsters directly in real-time combat. Masters of Albion is 22 Cans’ first game since launching The Trail: Frontier Challenge in 2017. In October 2025, Molyneux told Video Games Chronicle that the game serves as a form of “redemption” following 22 Cans’ previous projects in which he overpromised and underdelivered, such as 2012's Curiosity: What's Inside the Cube and 2014’s Godus. He also stated that Masters of Albion would be the final game of his 43-year career. “I admit now that I did overpromise on things, and said things that I shouldn’t have said about Curiosity,” Molyneux told VGC last October. “But I only ever did that because I thought it was the right thing to do at the time. And so, Masters of Albion is a redemption title for me. But also, it’s my last game. It just is.” It makes sense, then, why Molyneux bills Masters of Albion as the nexus of every game he’s worked on, from Dungeon Keeper to Fable. “It’s a totally unique game that we hope will delight players, a game that brings God Games into the modern gaming landscape and puts the genre firmly back on the map,” says Molyneux in today’s announcement. Masters of Albion will be available exclusively on PC via Steam. View the full article

Detroit: Become Human surpasses 15 million units sold worldwide | News-in-BriefView the full article