Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will launch June 3 on Switch 2. The release date for the second part of the remake RPG trilogy, which will also apply to the Xbox version, came during today's Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase.

Originally released in 2024, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was a PS5 exclusive initially. However, the full trilogy for Final Fantasy VII will come to Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S, too. The first part landed last month on both systems with Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, which included a ridiculously easy mode for the first time.

Preorders begin today for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Switch 2. That's not the only thing dropping for the system either, as a Switch 2 edition of Hollow Knight has arrived today, too. Looking ahead, the title for the third part in the Final Fantasy VII trilogy remake has been decided, but Square Enix hasn't officially revealed it yet.

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The Walt Disney Company's new CEO, Josh D'Amaro, spearheaded the effort to invest $1.5 billion into Epic Games to create a new Fortnite experience. He's a big fan of games and reportedly wants to invest more in gaming and now he's drawn the praise of billionaire Epic co-founder Tim Sweeney.

Sweeney told The Hollywood Reporter that D'Amaro is a "great leader and a genuinely nice guy, too."

Sweeney and D'Amaro have been working "closely" over the years to bring Disney characters to Fortnite and on "bigger plans" for the upcoming Fortnite project. This project remains largely a mystery, but Sweeney said it will be an "open game and entertainment universe."

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To kick off the latest Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, we got a deep dive into the absolutely beautiful-looking Switch 2 exclusive Orbitals. It looks like Split Fiction with an '80s anime aesthetic, and everyone here at GameSpot is raving about it.

Orbitals was announced by Shapefarm and Kepler Interactive at The Game Awards 2025. The game's retro-anime aesthetic stood out then, but its Direct-opening featured segment delved into what we can expect from the game, moment to moment.

Help Maki and Omura save their home! Use your wits in this 2-player co-op adventure to overcome the odds in a retro anime-inspired galaxy. @OrbitalsGame is coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch 2 this summer! #NintendoDirect pic.twitter.com/uFClReKRVI

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 5, 2026

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Super Bowl LX is coming up this Sunday, and if all the excitement and hype for football has you interested in picking up the newest Madden game, there are some nice discounts right now.

In this post we're breaking down how you can save the most money on Madden NFL 26, or get it without paying anything extra through Xbox Game Pass and EA Play.

Madden NFL 26 deals

EA is keeping historical trends alive this year by once again offering a hefty discount on Madden NFL 26. The game is marked down by as much as 70% right now on console and PC, but only through February 11.

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A Switch 2 exclusive will include a strange and questionable use of the system's GameShare feature, allowing up to four players to share control of the same character. Tokyo Scramble, a survival puzzle game about avoiding dinosaurs in an urban setting, was announced at the February Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, and it launches next week on February 11.

Published by Binary Haze Interactive, Tokyo Scramble has players control Anne as she attempts to survive an underground labyrinth beneath Tokyo after disaster strikes. It's populated with deadly creatures called Zino, which are really just dinosaurs. Gameplay footage shows a third-person perspective with no combat, with the action focusing on stealth and setting traps to incapacitate these stalking beasts.

But the gimmick showcased in the Direct is the option to share controls with other players through GameShare. Through wireless play, players can choose to control Anne's movement, actions, and even the camera. Traditionally a feature reserved for multiplayer titles, incorporating GameShare for a single-player game is a highly unusual use case.

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Grand Theft Auto VI is set for release this November, and Rockstar's marketing efforts for the game will begin in earnest this summer. Now, the boss of Rockstar's owner has commented on what to expect from the marketing for GTA 6, and he said it's going to be a "challenge."

Speaking to CNBC, Strauss Zelnick of Take-Two said marketing a game like GTA 6--which already has enormous hype behind it--is a "challenge" because Rockstar and Take-Two want to be "delicate" with how they push the game.

"It has to feel like, you know, this is real. We're not selling hamburgers. We're selling this unique art form," he said, as reported by IGN.

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After a leak, today's Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase revealed that a Switch 2 edition of the original Hollow Knight is launching today as a shadow-drop. The Switch 2 edition has enhanced visuals and improved frame rates. People who already own Hollow Knight for Switch 1 can upgrade to the Switch 2 version for free.

Developer Team Cherry had previously mentioned that a Switch 2 edition of Hollow Knight was in development, with high frame rate modes, options for higher resolutions, and other graphical upgrades. As an added bonus, the studio confirmed that players who already own the Nintendo Switch version of Hollow Knight will get the Switch 2 Edition for free when it launches.

Hollow Knight is also being updated across all platforms, with new features added and any lingering bugs squashed. PC players have already had a chance to preview these changes through a new public beta branch of Hollow Knight, available for testing on Steam and GOG.

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K-Pop Demon Hunters was a surprise hit when it debuted on Netflix last year, and with toy companies rushing to catch up, Lego has announced that it'll be bringing the Huntrix team to life later this year. Lego K-Pop Demon Hunters sets are on the way, and it looks like the first kit will feature everyone's favorite blue-furred tiger from the demon realm, Derpy.

Lego's tease for the upcoming set consists solely of a fallen-over flower pot, with Derpy's paw hovering above it. Will it feature the hat-stealing magpie, Sussie, as well? Who knows, but Lego says that this kit is designed for both play and display.

Additional sets will roll out in 2027, but there's no word yet on what fans can expect. One possible clue could be the digital Huntrix minifigures that appeared in Lego Fortnite, which successfully captured the look and tone of Rumi, Zoe, and Mira.

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Nintendo has a busy 2026 ahead of it with upcoming exclusives for the Switch 2, but between those big releases, there'll be plenty of third-party games to keep an eye out for as well. Today's Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase is dedicated to those games from outside of Nintendo's studios, and you can tune in today to see what's headed to Switch consoles in the not-so-distant future. [Update: The show is now over, but you can catch the replay below or see all the Nintendo Direct February 2026 announcements in our recap.]

Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase February 2026: All The Biggest AnnouncementsSee More

Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase start time and runtime

The Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase will run for 30 minutes today, February 5, and you can tune in at the following times:

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Sony is the latest games company to release its earnings for Q3 2025, and unlike other players in the industry, the PlayStation manufacturer has come out surprisingly well. Where other companies are feeling the pressure from component shortages and dropping hardware sales, Sony's games segment results were lifted by strong first-party game sales and subscription revenue.

Sony isn't immune to the problems the rest of the industry have faced in the last year, reporting a 4% decrease in sales largely impacted by lower than expected console sales through the holiday season. This quarter was the first holiday period that didn't see console sales increase against the previous season, reporting the weakest holiday sales for PlayStation hardware in three years.

Notably, the PS5 received a price hike during 2025, implemented across the US, UK, Europe, and Australia prior to the holiday season. Sony still sold a total of 8 million consoles during the quarter, bringing the PlayStation 5's lifetime sales up to 92.1 million.

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Earlier this month, AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su said that Valve was on track to release its Steam Machine in the early part of 2026. That could still happen, but Valve has now confirmed that Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller have all been delayed.

In a post on Steam, Valve notes that it had originally planned to release pricing and launch dates for all three products by now. Those plans were scuttled because of "the memory and storage shortages you've likely heard about," wrote Valve. The company reiterated that it still plans to release these products in the first half of this year, but it hasn't been able to "land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce."

Valve also shared that it will be sharing faceplate CAD, specs, and details with fans and manufacturers so that they will be able to make their own. The company added that Steam Machine's SSD (NVMe 2230 or 2280) and memory (DDR5 SODIMMs) "are both accessible and upgradeable."

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For the better part of three decades, Charles Martinet was Nintendo's official voice for Mario. While Martinet has since stepped back from playing the iconic character, he has shared how his approach to the role helped him land the part of a lifetime.

While speaking with GamingBible, Martinet recalled that he crashed Nintendo's audition for Mario without knowing anything about the character or the Japanese video game publisher.

"I was simply told to start talking, and when you run out of things to say, that's your audition," said Martinet. "I didn't want to do an Italian plumber sounding gruff, mean and nasty or scary to children, like a Mafia member. I didn't know whether the audience would have children in it, but I have a principle of comedy of always being kind. I thought to myself that I'll do something much more silly and fun. I didn't know anything about video games, so I just made things up about food and started talking."

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Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist

$40 | Releases April 3

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Developer Binary Haze Interactive has made a name for itself with its elegantly gloomy games, and you won't have to wait too much longer for the physical edition of 2D action-RPG Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist. The standard edition launches for PS5 and Switch on April 3, and you can preorder it now on Amazon for $40.

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Overwatch game director Aaron Keller has stated that developer Blizzard has no intention of releasing AI-generated content in the game, with the company instead aiming for the hero shooter to have a "handcrafted" feel to it. At the same time, Blizzard president Johanna Faries outlined the company's overall approach to AI, saying the technology holds many possible benefits.

"We don't want to put AI-generated content out in front of players. That's just not something that we're comfortable doing. We want this to feel like a handcrafted universe, and it is a handcrafted universe," Keller told GameSpot.

Keller told Eurogamer that Blizzard does not use AI to "create characters or gameplay," at least not "right now," suggesting that could change in the future.

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Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club: Deluxe Edition (Switch 2)

$40 | Releases March 17

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Snoopy and the gang set out on a new adventure last year with the release of Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club. The family-friendly game earned solid reviews from fans, who praised it for its fun minigames, colorful art style, and a fresh perspective on the beloved Peanuts series. And on March 17, you'll be able to pick up a physical copy of Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club: Deluxe Edition for Switch 2. Along with some enhancements for Switch 2, the Deluxe Edition also comes with a few bonus items and exclusive minigames.

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Less than four years after its release, Overwatch 2 is dead.

Well. Kind of.

In all actuality, it's far more accurate and exciting to say that Overwatch--as both a title and promise--has been resurrected.

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As Overwatch 2 continues to evolve--even dropping the "2" entirely and just going as "Overwatch" from here on out--there's the question of what happens to its characters. Going forward, Overwatch plans on putting story first and foremost, and a big part of heroic fantasy is the conflicts between good and evil and how those conflicts lead to losses or setbacks on both sides. And while storylines like that may be in Overwatch's future, these developments won't ever reflect in the playable roster.

"There [are] no plans to remove any characters from the roster depending on what may happen to them," associate game director Alec Dawson told GameSpot. "But, I think, one thing that's really important to us is to be in lockstep with what's going on with the story throughout the year, whether it be our maps, whether it be events going on, whether it be our heroes, to make sure that they are reflected in what's happening there too."

This sounds in line with what we've seen in other hero shooters that have stories going on in the background of the matches--Rainbow Six Siege has gone through several large shifts, for example, moving away from its counter-terrorism narrative in February 2019 to tell a military simulation sport fantasy, and then returning to the original counter-terrorism throughline several years later. The playable roster of the tactical shooter only grew during those developments, but the framing of matches and the types of new Operators, maps, and skins added in each season dramatically transformed to reflect a new narrative direction.

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Several big changes are coming to Overwatch in what is easily the game's most substantial update so far. On top of a name change, an unexpected pivot to a narrative-driven format, a seriously adorable collaboration, major UI updates, and more, five new characters are coming to Overwatch to help kick off The Reign of Talon, Season 1 on February 10. That's right: Five.

Fortunately, this new lineup includes a tank, two support characters, and two damage characters, meaning every player will get the chance to test out a new hero (or nefarious Talon agent) if they so choose. That said, even game director Aaron Keller told GameSpot this large influx of characters will inevitably lead to balance issues--and that's without considering how overwhelming it can be to to play a new character you're unfamiliar with. With that in mind, here's a quick rundown of Overwatch's new characters--Emre, Domina, Mizuki, Anran, and Jetpack Cat--to help you familiarize yourself with them ahead of their debut.

Emre - Damage

Let's kick things off with the most beginner-friendly hero of the group, Emre. Those of you who are tuned into Overwatch have probably been expecting Emre, as this Overwatch-turned-Talon agent has been teased and alluded to for literal years. After playing a match as him last week, I'm happy to report that he was well-worth the wait.

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If you've noticed Overwatch's characters getting progressively sexier over the years, you're not alone, though Blizzard said there is an explanation for it aside from thirsty gamers.

When Overwatch first launched in 2016, part of its appeal was its wide-ranging roster of characters of all shapes and sizes, ranging from a talking gorilla to a robotic monk. Characters like Zarya and Mei broke the mold of what many players were accustomed to seeing from female characters.

In 2026, while there is still the occasional oddball character (like Venture or the upcoming Jetpack Cat), many of Overwatch's newer heroes, like Freja, Vendetta, Wuyang, and Juno, as well as many of the new heroes coming in Overwatch 2026 Season 1, are all what society would label as more conventionally attractive. Usually, they are tall, skinny, and fit.

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Overwatch 2, now renamed simply Overwatch, is undergoing some big changes, with a new seasonal model focused on telling continuous year-long stories. As part of the soft relaunch, Blizzard is coming out strong with five new playable characters, substantially increasing the roster much more than usual at one time. That is bound to have an impact on the meta-game, and Blizzard is well aware.

"It's going to upset the balance of the game. There's no getting around that. There's something very exciting about it though," Blizzard's Aaron Keller told GameSpot. "I think what we see with Overwatch is that our players do acclimate to change into new heroes fairly quickly. At the highest levels, it might just be a few days. They could have a handle on these new heroes that quickly and start developing metas for them."

Those five new characters include one new Tank (Domina), two DPS (Emre, Anran), and two Support (Mizuki, Jetpack Cat). That reflects the team-comp requirements in Overwatch 2, which is a major way that it differentiated itself from the looser restrictions of the first game.

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