The Pokemon Company wants to be a bit more adventurous with its eponymous franchise, starting with the Animal Crossing-like life sim Pokopia and, eventually, evolving beyond just monsters battling other monsters.

In a February 11 VGC interview, senior game director Shigeru Ohmori spoke about the future of Pokemon. With Pokopia looming on the Nintendo Switch 2 horizon, he said that this experience--as well as specific moments found in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire and Pokemon Diamond and Pearl--could lead the franchise toward a battle-less future. Or, at the very least, one where battles aren't the primary focus of the gameplay.

"When I've worked previously on a Pokemon project, yes, battles have been the focus," Ohmori said. "But there's also been other side content like the Secret Bases (Ruby and Sapphire) and The Grand Underground (Diamond and Pearl). I believe a lot of the fans enjoy these things as well. So, I would like to scale the Pokemon games in general, aside from battling. I will seek new possibilities to scale them."

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After a quick back-and-forth this week, Microsoft has withdrawn a copyright claim it filed against developer Unomelon for Allumeria--a game that the company initially claimed had infringed on Minecraft's IP.

Unomelon shared news of this update in a Discord post on February 11, according to PC Gamer. In the post, the team confirmed that the DMCA takedown was removed, which then restored Allumeria's Steam store page, too.

"Microsoft has withdrawn the copyright claim with no action needed on my part," Unomelon said. "This is the best-case scenario. I just woke up from a nap, so I am still not sure about the details, but whatever happened, it worked. The Steam page and game [have] been fully restored, and I did not need to file a counterclaim, meaning there will be no chance of a lawsuit!"

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Earlier this year, Ubisoft unions called for a strike against the video game publisher, and it's happening right now. Over 1,200 Ubisoft employees have walked out on their jobs in protest over the company's recent restructuring, its plans for future layoffs, and a recent return-to-office mandate.

Five Ubisoft unions--STJV, Solidaires Informatique, CGT, CFE-CGC, and Printemps Ecologique--are taking part in the strike, which is primarily taking place in France. However, the three-day strike is also impacting workers at Ubisoft Milan.

In January, the unions called for Yves Guillemot to resign from his position as Ubisoft's CEO.

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We're running through an abandoned room with a wheel we need to attach to a cart outside in order to escape. My co-op partner and I scream in unison as hollow, slimy ex-human skins slither quickly after us. One snap at our ankles and we'll be dead, forced to restart the encounter. It's almost needlessly tense--the respawn points are very forgiving, and there's nothing at risk here--but somehow these eerie undead creatures have my heart racing and palms sweating. I don't want to be caught by them, whatever they are, and however they came to exist.

Where Tarsier Studios faced criticism for muting the distorted and disturbing imagery of the original Little Nightmares game in its 2021 sequel, the developer has returned to its most outlandish in Reanimal. The gut-wrenching feeling of discovering a giant, mutated beast of an animal is strangely comforting in a nostalgic way, meaning that not only does Reanimal live up to the legacy of Little Nightmares, it surpasses it. Despite its haunting and unsettling atmosphere, Reanimal is thoroughly enjoyable. I find great delight in dragging my co-op partner toward what appears to be a dead end, only to find a narrow crack in the brickwork that we can squeeze through to uncover collectibles or other secrets. I'm not usually one to seek Trophies or Achievements, but Reanimal makes me want to uncover every corner of its sordid environment just to absorb more of its world.

Reanimal places you in the shoes of orphaned siblings trying to rescue some missing friends. As the game is the brainchild of former Little Nightmares creators, I already know to expect fragmented storytelling, uncovering lore as we go through the haunting experience--each secret adding more layers to the siblings' narrative. This leads to plenty of theorizing between my companion and I as we progress through the game, most of which turns out to be hilariously incorrect.

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Dwarf Fortress 20th Anniversary Archival Collector's Edition

$150 | Releases August 31

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It's hard to believe, but Dwarf Fortress burst onto the scene two decades ago. The original version of the game used chunky ASCII graphics--but when an updated version with improved graphics was launched in 2022, the management sim grew wildly popular, and it's now considered an iconic within the genre. To celebrate its legacy, the Dwarf Fortress 20th Anniversary Archival Collector's Edition is launching on August 31. Preorders are now open, and if you're a long-time fan, you'll probably want to take a peek at all the collectibles packed inside this premium bundle.

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Romeo Is a Dead Man just released, but that's not stopping Grasshopper Manufacture from talking about what's next. Goichi "Suda51" Suda made the surprise announcement that the studio is "almost 100% certain" it will launch another game this year.

During a Grasshopper Direct on YouTube, Suda noted that an official reveal should be soon. However, at this time, he wasn't going to give away what kind of game it is. Two games in the same year from Grasshopper is intriguing considering the developer has only released three titles over the past five years: No More Heroes 3 in 2021, Shadows of the Damned Hella Remastered in 2024, and now Romeo Is a Dead Man in 2026.

Speaking of which, Suda let Nintendo players know that Grasshopper is doing what it can to make a Switch 2 version of Romeo Is a Dead Man a reality. This follows up what Suda said in December when the action game got a release date. At that time, he mentioned that a Switch 2 edition for Romeo Is a Dead Man could come along after it launched on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. For more, check out GameSpot's Romeo Is a Dead Man review.

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No Man's Sky is almost a decade old, and developer Hello Games is still dropping free expansions for it every couple of months, including today's one, Update 6.2, AKA the Remnant update. The Remnant update is themed around interstellar environmentalism--and most importantly--harnessing the power of gravity to help you clean up your messes.

The Gravitino Coil is a new anti-gravity module that can be slotted into your multi-tool, allowing you to grab chunks of stuff and responsibly deposit them in recycling receptacles--or yeet them into the horizon if you're feeling irresponsible. Other new additions to the game include Waste Processing Plants, where materials can be recycled into rare resources. Salvageable scrap and industrial waste can be found on several planets, and you'll need to gather the debris with your new Gravitino Coil so that you can earn rewards.

Of course, there's a limit to how much you can carry, so it's a good thing that aspiring scrap-hunters can install a tippable flatbed on the Colossus Exocraft. An electromagnetic containment field minimizes cargo loss, but you'll still need to be careful when you're driving on rough terrain or up steep slopes. New super-elastic wheels, tracked treads, and off-road running gear should help with navigation, and a time-limited expedition will start soon for the No Man's Sky community. Colossus vehicles can also be equipped with a furnace for immediate disposal of industrial waste, as well as a new obstacle-demolition attachment for collecting a small number of resources from minerals and vegetation.

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In addition to her role as Xbox President, Sarah Bond serves on the board of meat company Tyson. It's now been revealed that Bond was recently awarded 2,911.431 more shares of the company at a price of $65.26 each. That works out to about $190,000.

This new stock award adds on to Bond's previous allotment of shares, bringing her total to 4,606.008, according to a recent regulatory filing. Tyson also pays its directors an annual retainer of $125,000.

The value of Bond's shares depend on Tyson's stock price. The company is currently trading at around $64.74, which is up 11.5% so far this year, but down from an all-time high of close to $100 in 2022.

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Convicted sex criminal and alleged human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein had extensive reach in the worlds of politics and entertainment. As indicated in newly released portions of the millions of emails colloquially known as the Epstein files, his reach extended into the gaming realm as well.

Although associations with Epstein are not proof of criminal activity, they carry over to the court of public opinion, regardless of guilt or innocence.

According to the newly released files, Epstein's connection to the gaming industry allegedly begins in 2012. More than a dozen emails sent in 2012 and 2013, allegedly between Epstein and former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, suggest the two had a relationship. These show the former attempting to set up meetings, and inviting Kotick to his private island.

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The Super Bowl and The Game Awards are, quite obviously, very different events, but looking at the reported numbers for both side-by-side raises some curiosities, with Geoff Keighley's presentation last December appearing to trounce Sunday's showdown between the Patriots and Seahawks.

NBC Sports shared that the network's telecast of Super Bowl LX (or 60, for those innumerate with Roman digits) was the most-watched show in NBC's history, averaging 124.9 million viewers. That makes it the second-most-watched television program in United States history, behind last year's Super Bowl on Fox. Additionally, this year's big game reached a high of 137.8 million viewers during the second quarter, which is the highest viewership peak ever in American television.

Meanwhile, The Game Awards 2025, during which Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took the top prize, is said to have reached over 171 million global livestreams, an 11% increase from last year's ceremony/barrage of reveal trailers.

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The Walt Disney Company's incoming CEO, Josh D'Amaro, is reportedly planning to focus on "gaming and interactivity" as one of his top priorities when he takes over for Bob Iger in March.

Multiple sources told The Hollywood Reporter that gaming will be one of his "key strategic priorities" running the show at Disney, building on what the entertainment giant is already doing with its $1.5 billion deal with Fortnite maker Epic.

"He sees the digital realm--and Epic is a manifestation of that--as a very important place for fans to interact with their favorite characters, franchises, and brands in a comprehensive way that you can monetize and that will serve fan interest in a way that, other than a theme park, it's really impossible to do," former Disney executive Kevin Mayer said.

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It was a relatively safe bet that Marvel's Wolverine, the PlayStation 5-exclusive action game expected to launch this year, would make an appearance at this week's State of Play presentation, but developer Insomniac Games pumped the brakes on the hype.

Replying to an X post asking when more information for the game is coming, Insomniac tersely responded: "Spring 2026." February 12, the date of the next State of Play, is decidedly not in the spring, so unless Insomniac is straight-up lying, Logan might be a no-show this Thursday.

Spring 2026.

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) February 10, 2026

At the very least, Sony and Insomniac could show a glimpse of the bloody violence in Marvel's Wolverine while stopping short of sharing story or gameplay loop details and a release date. But should this be the case, it would be a frustrating affair for PlayStation fans who still know little about the upcoming game.

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A new report contains the first images of a reportedly canceled The Lord of the Rings game that was said to be in development at Eidos-Montreal. The game was apparently being designed to be a card-based title with a "Telltale story spin on it," according to Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson.

MP1st found images of the game, which reportedly did not get far into development before being axed. The images are from the portfolio of someone who used to work at Eidos-Montreal, and show off a variety of fantastical environments. The file names for the images contain references to "Umbar," which is a port city on the coast if Gondor. A video from the portfolio also shows the Bay of Umbar prior to the fall of the city and after the fall of the city.

The images and video do not reveal anything definitive, as video games--like all creative endeavors--go through phases of iteration and ideation before culminating in a finished product. There is no telling if the details in the images are representative of what Eidos-Montreal wanted to eventually release.

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Super bloody action, crazy twists and turns to blow players’ minds, and a whole mess of kinda-stereotypical gimmicks - all rolled into one wild ride. Our hero Romeo Stargazer is a man stuck between life and death. His own was saved mere seconds before the end by way of a time paradox that shattered the space-time continuum, which was created by a genius scientist screwing around. Now, Romeo is FBI Space-Time special agent "Dead Man", and sporting a rad mask called Dead Gear, must hunt space-time’s most wanted fugitives through multiple universes!