[PATREON UNLOCK] Update Patch - September 2025

[PATREON UNLOCK] Update Patch - September 2025

Branford Hubbard
News

Update Patch News Roundup (08/09/25)

This week in gaming brings a classic rivalry back to life, shows game platforms and publishers they may not be ready to have a 100 million playerbase game despite bellyaching for one, and James Bond apparently showed up yet no one talked about it? Welcome to the Update Patch.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Broke The (Gaming) Internet

Hollow Knight: Silksong has been long awaited, to the point that when it announced its September 4, 2025 release date, other indie games like Demonschool shifted their releases to avoid crossing paths with Team Cherry’s magnum opus. The apparent frenzy didn’t end there, as even trying to purchase the most wishlisted game on Steam turned into a Sisyphean task with Xbox, Steam, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch storefronts becoming nigh unusable. Nintendo’s eshop was even taken offline as a result. While it’s not a surprise that the bestselling search action game would cause a bit of a stir upon releasing, it does make me wonder if the industry and its publishers would actually be ready if they somehow got the playerbase around a mega-hit their projections call for, such as Battlefield 6’s ask of 100 million players. 

Mortal Kombat Goes Head To Head With Street Fighter NEXT YEAR… At The Box Office

We've all imagined what it would be like for Street Fighter’s Ryu to square off against the likes of Mortal Kombat’s Johnny Cage, and they finally will in 2026. At the box office. The Mortal Kombat II movie arrives on May 15, 2026, pushed back from its initial October 24, 2025 release date after releasing the excellent fake “Uncaged Fury” trailer and an actual Mortal Kombat II trailer soon after. Deadline speculates that Warner Bros. wants to avoid the crowded Halloween release period, especially after test screenings were extremely positive. 

While the last movie saw us following Cole Young, a strange new addition to the franchise who was seemingly a stand-in for Scorpion, Mortal Kombat II seems a bit more confident in being centered around the egomaniac Johnny Cage, portrayed by Karl Urban. The Earthrealm warriors are called to take on Shao Kahn, with plenty of bloody (and silly) antics sure to be a part of the film.

For its part, Street Fighter will premiere on October 16, 2026 through Paramount as a result of a three-year deal. Directed by Kitao Sakurai (Aardvark, Bad Trip, Twisted Metal) the currently untitled Street Fighter movie is set in 1993, the same year Street Fighter II premiered in arcades. Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken (Noah Centineo) are recruited by the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) for the next World Warrior Tournament, but something more sinister is taking place behind the scenes. The Street Fighter movie has quite the interesting cast featuring comedian Eric André, rapper and infamous Black capitalist 50 Cent, country musician Orville Peck, and wrestler Cody Rhodes, among others. While there is a chance this film can channel the 1994 Street Fighter’s camp a la the late Raul Julia’s M. Bison and be a fun ride, I’m not sure casting the Samoan Roman Reigns as the Japanese Akuma and Hawaiian/Samoan Jason Momoa as the technically-white-but-granted-Brazilian-status Blanka are going to do so. This is especially frustrating to me as Street Fighter 6 and the Shadaloo Activity Reports released over the period of Street Fighter V’s lifetime have done such a good job reducing conflicting lore, and most importantly, moving Street Fighter’s glacially-paced story ever-so-slowly forward.

Overall this direction is not surprising considering the previously attached directors dropped out of contention to focus on Bring Her Back (2025), though their Real Life Street Fighter short showed great potential.

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls’ Closed Beta May Be Too “Closed”

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, the hotly anticipated 4v4 tag fighter from acclaimed fighting game developer Arc System Works and publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment, may be taking its closed beta a bit too literally. As the first beta done through PlayStation’s Beta Program, though not the first public hands-on experience for the game, some friction was to be expected as player invites are often limited. As more news was revealed about the beta, potential players became more confused and frustrated with seemingly how few people were actually being invited to the beta. While multiple waves of invites were sent out with the most recent seeming to be the biggest, but oddities continued to reveal themselves. Scheduled for September 5 at 9 p.m. PT and ending at September 7 at 8 a.m. PT, the beta was actually split into four sessions, with only certain periods of time available to actually play. An additional six hour segment between sessions three and four to give players more time in the beta, but there’s more to discuss. 

PlayStation’s Beta Program operates under an NDA, which became a big question for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, as many who didn’t get into the closed beta might want to watch their favorite streamer play the game, which of course was also shown off publicly at EVO 2025. PlayStation did respond and removed the streaming restriction for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls. While the game is sure to have a public beta and more appearances at FGC events, I can only hope they run more smoothly than this initial one. With Sega’s closed beta test for Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. as well as 2XKO’s closed beta scheduled for this week, competition is fierce to say the least.

A James Bond State Of Play Happened That I’ve Barely Heard Anyone Talk About

While it was known IO Interactive was slipping into the shaken, not stirred world of James Bond with 007 First Light, PlayStation’s State of Play on the game may have just been overshadowed by Hollow Knight: Silksong. The game, as expected, focuses on a younger James Bond in MI6. This allows the previous Hitman experience IO has to be present in both how your Bond approaches situations, and the possible kerfluffles you get into when you accidentally tranq dart a high society lady when you meant to check your “Apple” Watch instead. You can look forward to being in the field alongside familiar codenames like Q, M, and Moneypenny, and there’s even a $299.99 Collector’s Edition with a Replica Golden Gun. With gadgets, cars, and a Licence to Kill, the game finds itself somewhere between Hitman and Uncharted, which feels reminiscent of older games in the Bond franchise such as James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing. 007 First Light releases on March 27, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

Update Patch News Roundup (15/09/25)

Don’t Call It A Comeback — Wolfenstein Sequel Possible

Not satisfied with dealing with Nazis in the last century under the brim of Indiana Jones, MachineGames studio head says the company’s not done with Wolfenstein after Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. In the latest installment of a Noclip documentary series, MachineGames co-founder Jerk Gustafsson has reaffirmed that the studio had always planned to make a trilogy of games. 

“I think that’s important to say because, at least I hope, that we’re not done with Wolfenstein yet. We have a story to tell.”

Though Gustafsson seems to have something in mind for this third entry in the Wolfenstein series, not much was said about it beyond “what will happen in the third one.” Wolfenstein: Youngblood, a spinoff developed by both MachineGames and Arkane Lyon, released in 2019 to mixed critical reception, so giving the groundbreaking series a rousing finale would only be right.

Mario Kart World Returns to the Top of the UK Physical Charts, NBA 2K26 Absent

So much for dining on tree frogs and having to snuff out your former mentor, as Mario Kart World blue shells its way back to the top of the charts in UK physical sales. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater dropped from first to third place on the charts, with EA Sports FC 25 securing possession at second. Star Wars Outlaws, like any good scoundrel, can’t be counted out just yet, climbing out of the proverbial Sarlacc pit to seventh place. The word of mouth about its recently released, and very impressive, Switch 2 version is sure to have played a factor. 

  1. Mario Kart World

  2. EA Sports FC 25

  3. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

  4. Cronos: The New Dawn

  5. Donkey Kong Bananza

  6. Hell is Us

  7. Star Wars Outlaws

  8. Minecraft

  9. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

  10. Gears of War: Reloaded

  11. Assassin’s Creed Shadows

  12. Sonic X Shadow Generations

  13. Mafia: The Old Country

  14. NBA 2K26

  15. Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots

  16. Grand Theft Auto 5

  17. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt GOTY Edition

  18. Super Mario Party Jamboree

  19. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

  20. Nintendo Switch Sports

Via Nintendo Life

As for new challengers, Cronos: The New Dawn manages to survive at fourth, with Hell is Us’ protagonist Rémi not too far behind at sixth. Where there are winners, there are also losers: NBA 2K26 only managed a paltry 14th place, with Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots hitting par right behind it.

Sales numbers only include physical UK sales, though I’m sure no one will be surprised to hear Hollow Knight: Silksong has charted highly since release. It will be interesting to see how long this lasts, and what effects it has on the industry.

This is Not a Drill: An Acclaim Direct Announces 9 New Games In 2025 

Acclaim — risen from its edgy 2004 grave — has graced the world with a Play Acclaim Showcase, revealing nine new titles by indie studios. CEO Alex Josef, formerly the CEO of Graffiti Games, stated these games would “capture [the] legacy of bold creativity and [deliver] fresh, unforgettable experiences”. Among the announced titles is Tossdown, an isometric package courier game that tasks you with meeting delivery deadlines while powering up — with Sega’s “Super Game” Crazy Taxi still an unknown and the Burnout and Twisted Metal series missing in action for the foreseeable future, this game may just scratch a very specific itch in gaming.

Other games include Ground Zero Hero, Basketball Classics, Pixel Washer, The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest, Gridbeat, Talaka, Katanaut, and Hyperyuki: Snowboard Syndicate. While many wondered what a modern Acclaim would be capable of, giving a platform to indie developers with fascinating concepts such as a roguelite inspired by Afro-Brazilian mythology or a snowboarding game full of color and character somewhere between Jet Set Radio, SSX Tricky, and Snowboard Kids seems like a surefire way to find an audience.

Both Katanaut and Basketball Classics were shadowdropped during the Acclaim Showcase.

September’s PlayStation Plus Games Tempt With WWE 2K25, Persona 5 Tactica, Legacy of Kain: Defiance Added To Classics

PlayStation has announced its latest crop of games for September’s PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium tiers:

  • Persona 5 Tactica (PS5/PS4)

  • WWE 2K25 (PS5/PS4)

  • Green Hell (PS5/PS4)

  • Fate/Samurai Remnant (PS5/PS4)

  • Crow Country (PS5/PS4)

  • The Invincible (PS5)

  • Conscript (PS5)

Additionally, Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PS2) will be added to the classic catalog. This month’s PlayStation Plus Essential games (Psychonauts 2 (PS4), Stardew Valley (PS4), and Viewfinder (PS5/PS4)) are already available. 

Savvy gamers may want to grab PS4 offerings such as Psychonauts 2 as PlayStation has stated it is moving away from PS4 games being part of the package as of January 2026.

These titles for the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium tiers will be available to play starting September 16.

A Nintendo Direct Full of Hype Despite Pricing Concerns

Rumours that Nintendo’s longest Direct ever would be full of the seventh games of certain franchises came true on September 12. The Direct had many announcements of games that have been rumoured like Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, long-awaited like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, or completely out of the blue like Pokémon Pokopia. Nintendo also took the time to debut the first look at the next Super Mario Bros. movie, which is not titled Super Mario World as speculated, but instead jumps a few decades in Mario’s future as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

Nintendo showed off first some first-party picks like Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2, Mario Tennis Fever, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, and Pokémon Legends Z-A (as well as paid DLC for the title). While the “seven” theme wasn’t a make or break rule for this showcase, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and the rest of the trilogy will be making its way to the Switch 2, joined by Disgaea 7 Complete, and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (as well as Resident Evil: Requiem and Resident Evil Village) as well.

Hades II also made itself known with timed Switch and Switch 2 Console exclusivity, and a September 25 release date.

It wouldn’t be Nintendo without some absolutely bizarre pulls, and I hope for everyone’s sake the company at least improved its Virtual Boy technology. You read that right — the Virtual Boy is back, and as much as this Direct is a celebration of some must-have Nintendo games, it may just as well be a tribute to Gunpei Yokoi. Some other oddities include Powerwash Simulator 2, Suika Game Planet, and Two Point Museum.

With the announcement of Virtual Boy Nintendo Classics, there is a much more sober discussion to be had about the pricing of some of Nintendo’s offerings. A new Virtual Boy accessory is required to delve into the red-tinted experiences, with a cardboard model for $25 and a plastic model for $100. New Amiibos appear to retail for $50 each, up from the $15.99 price point in 2020. For its part, Donkey Kong Bananza’s DK Island + Emerald Rush DLC is $20 when some are arguing it’s comparable to Super Mario Odyssey’s post-game, which was free. While many were unsurprised by the price hike on Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 compared to previous collections, advertising an expansion for a Pokémon game that isn’t even out yet is a daring choice when the beloved Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades II are primed for Nintendo's system at much more svelte price points.

Nintendo’s “One Last Thing” to my surprise more than anyone’s was a reveal of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, which will release in 2026. The game’s cinematic trailer seemed to be centered around Roman-styled Colosseum games where winning would award “whatever wish you may desire”, according to a self-proclaimed Divine Sovereign. The trailer doesn’t focus on any one character for too long, so it will be interesting to see if Nintendo will follow suit from Three Houses and offer multiple protagonists to follow. While not much was revealed, gameplay looked to contain similar elements to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, with a character performing a Gambit and a Hero’s Relic-like item included in the footage. At the end, we also see the very sleepy Sothis who appears to have had a growth spurt — whether this is a result of her godlike magic or to represent the passage of time is unknown. How connected Three Houses and Fortune’s Weave are is also unknown, though the last game took place specifically on the continent Fódlan and the mysterious “Divine Sovereign” may be connected to Sothis, especially with them sharing pointed ears. With many of the characters being very clearly people of color, the game could be centered in the battle-loving region of Almyra.

2XKO Reveals More Details About How Its Unlock System Works; Teemo Seemingly Leaked

2XKO, Riot’s new fighting game, is free to play, but the burning question was what if anything would actually be paid in the long-awaited game. As of September 9’s closed beta, we may have a better peek into how 2XKO plans to monetize. Much like League of Legends proper, six champions are available with three (possibly four) needing to be unlocked. If you planned on putting the newly-revealed grappler Blitzcrank, Jinx, or Vi in your duo, you’ll need to spend Champion Tokens or Credits. Credits are earnable through playing the game’s daily and weekly quests. The player is given two Champion Tokens after finishing a short tutorial, so that players can start out with two Champions they enjoy. There is also a “KO” currency, though it is unknown how often it is given out or what it will be used for. As for microtransactions, Riot’s 2XKO page says the following: “Unlock new champions, earn champion mastery, and unlock Battle Pass rewards for free. You can throw some coins in for extra loot, but you'll never have to pay to play 2XKO.” While it is good news that unlocking new Champions can be done for free, it is a common move for test periods such as betas to have a reasonable unlock schedule, only for the game’s 1.0 release to stagger it significantly. And if the rest of the 171 champions of League of Legends are going to take part in fisticuffs, that battlepass may take quite a while to complete. Closed Beta participants will be rewarded an exclusive Challenger player title at launch, though all progress made during the beta will be wiped.

In related news, “beloved” League of Legends Champion Teemo appears to be the final Champion in this version of 2XKO. Captain Teemo was one of the original Champions in League of Legends, and while we don’t know much about how he will play, his poison mushrooms, invisibility, and blinding attack are sure to at least be in contention to be put into his moveset. Teemo also marks the first Yordle to make it in game, a sometimes-fuzzy diminutive species many Champions belong to.

Update Patch News Roundup (24/09/25)

Kamiya Unblocks You: On Company Ownership And Approaching CLOVERS’ Upcoming Game

Hideki Kamiya and Kento Koyama, Executive Director and CEO respectively of the new CLOVERS studio, sat down with Andy Robinson at VGC to discuss the whirlwind of changes the pair have been through since Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards last year. Kamiya details how thankful he was to Keighley for not just showcasing the trailer announcing the sequel to Okami, but making it known that he and CLOVERS were here to make an impact. Robinson, Kamiya, and Koyama talk about some very interesting subjects as they unpack how this change has affected them, and their current thoughts on the industry.

Kamiya notes that CLOVERS is funded completely by personal resources, but expressed gratitude toward Capcom, his former company, for giving the studio the blessing to go independent. CLOVERS is of course working with Capcom on the untitled Okami sequel, so the company wasn’t just acting out of kindness, but Kamiya also shepherded some of Capcom’s franchises that are still talked about today, like Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. So while the industry veterans are happy to work with Capcom, Kamiya wanted to make clear there is no financial connection. This separates it from his previous studio Clover Studio Co., Ltd., which was under Capcom’s purview.

The pair seem to revel in their decision to go independent and start a studio with private funds, with Kamiya calling CLOVERS’ first year “a lot of fun” and stating that building a team and developing a game at the same time is the “ideal situation”.

With how The Game Awards announcement played out, it seems CLOVERS and Capcom are in sync regarding expectations for a new Okami game. Kamiya also remarks that the ability to use Capcom’s RE Engine has been a great help, and landing the Okami sequel took them from being in a temp office to being able to get CLOVERS really off the ground. Koyama states CLOVERS does plan on being a multiple project studio, as I’d expect, though the Okami sequel is the only game it’s working on currently. 

The Six One Indie Showcase Has Forty-Seven Reasons For You To Forget About Hollow Knight: Silksong And Hades II

Six One Indie is a grassroots collective that looks to give more visibility to indie developers. On September 19th, the organization did just that through its second Six One Indie Showcase this year. While I definitely recommend checking out the showcase, here are a few of the standouts:

  • Funded via a kickstarter campaign, Lucid by Matte Black Studio claims to be the first “Celestetoidvania”, combining aspects from both Celeste and Castlevania. In order to keep your momentum going, you’ll need to take advantage of enemies and their placement, reminding me of the Sonic the Hedgehog or Metroid games. You also have a “weapon wheel” of movement abilities, in which time slows down as you choose whether a grappling hook, protective shield, or another movement ability will be able to stop you from plummeting to your doom. The developer is already highlighting speedrun scores, so I can imagine a very specific audience will be tuning in to see how this game fares. Lucid also will have the venerable David Wise doing music for the game, which I can see producing a similar effect to Lena Raine’s music in the aforementioned Celeste. A demo on Steam is available as of the showcase.

  • Brian Oh’s Chop Chop tasks you with completing $40 worth of orders, but everyone in your two-to-five player group will be creating a chaotic environment within your restaurant. The card game pre-orders for $30 and will ship in October 2025.

  • If Hypnospace Outlaw was your game of the year for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, you may want to look into the upcoming Desktop Explorer. Developer Recurring Dream asks you to delve into a relatively ancient computer and figure out what secrets can be uncovered. Don’t despair if things get too scary — your buddy Pizarro is here to help in this completely normal point and click adventure! Desktop Explorer is set to launch in Q2 2026.

  • Lil’ Gator Game returns with some DLC, with players confronting The Darklord. This fiend’s pièce de résistance will be destroying the playground, and Lil’ Gator won’t stand for it. While it might be DLC, don’t assume that means it is a slight experience as the developers cite it will double the game’s size. A demo is available if you want to confront The evil Darklord now, with release planned for early 2026.

Xbox Price Increases For Second Time in Five Months

Microsoft, currently a target of the BDS boycott, has decided its Xbox consoles were not expensive enough already. Unlike the global price increases instated earlier this year, the price hikes this time around are only for the United States. The Series S models will receive a $20 increase, with the Series X models increasing by $50. This brings the Xbox Series X to a whopping $649.99, and Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black to $799.99, which makes it $50 more expensive than the $749.99 PS5 Pro, which comes with 2TB of storage as well. 

The Holiday Layoffs Have Begun: Nintendo Trims Down US Customer Support, Outsources Labour

Nintendo has the fastest selling console ever and at least six titles in the top twenty of the UK physical charts — as well as much success with its theme park, museum, and movie offerings — but it still isn’t enough. As the Switch 2 enters its first holiday season, it will do so with a majority South American employee base. While anonymous, multiple sources have spoken with IGN about the changes to come, and how they will be sweeping: “essentially, it’s all going away.” The anonymous sources claim that numerous services teams that were previously filled by two US-based agencies began to see contracts phased out and cut as early as March of this year. While an exact number is unknown, the number of employees this is said to affect is around 200. 

It is not a foreign concept for Nintendo to have outsourced contractors working in countries like Brazil, though previously this was only limited to first-line employees who would touch base with other departments as necessary to hand off cases. Now, it seems Nintendo would have the South American contractors handle cases themselves, with only cases deemed too hard being passed to US-based employees when necessary. The anonymous sources say this transition isn’t going smoothly, with concerns that customer service quality will be lost in the process.

Sources also state that with this transition, less stringent standards are being used to bring new agents on board, and even more bizarrely, feedback being presented for those new hires is not reaching supervisors. Another sticking point of this process is a language barrier. While the new employees speak English, as someone who is a CELTA-licensed English as an alternate language teacher, I can say confidently there is a difference between native English speakers and those who speak English as a second (or third, etc.) language. The anonymous sources have noted an increase in customers “becoming irate, belligerent, and even racially abusive towards agents.”

Nintendo provided comment to IGN, stating it had “nothing to announce” regarding the issue, though the company did also say “the claims shared with IGN include inaccurate information.” Nintendo also stated they are supporting the Americas and “growing Latin American markets”. IGN’s Rebekah Valentine looked to clarify which claims weren’t accurate only to receive no response from Nintendo or the two contract agencies cited by sources. 

Sony Fires Ghost Of Yotei artist, Allegedly Over Charlie Kirk Joke

Speaking of a volatile political environment, artist Drew Harrison was fired by Sony and Sucker Punch, allegedly for her comment on Charlie Kirk’s murder. While unclear at first, Sucker Punch addressed the issue in full in an interview with Game File. Brian Fleming, co-founder of Sucker Punch, stated making light of someone’s murder is a “deal-breaker” and that the studio was “aligned” behind this decision. With Jimmy Kimmel also taking a hit for his commentary on the hot-button news story, which has caused ABC parent company Disney to allegedly lose billions amid mounting calls to boycott the company, it is hard to say what the United States’ first amendment actually stands for when it only appears to apply to some.

Harrison herself seems to be unshaken, stating in a post on Bluesky: “If standing up against fascism is what cost me my dream job I held for 10 years, I would do it again 100x stronger”. 

Update Patch News Roundup (30/09/25)

Lasers And Blood Splatter, Bub: PlayStation’s Latest State of Play Makes You Think “2026”

Not content with the impending launch of Ghost of Yōtei, PlayStation held a State of Play featuring many games that players can look forward to next year. Saros, Housemarque’s next project — which will launch on March 20, 2026 — opened the show with plenty of lasers, and a look at the game’s second-chance and revenge mechanics. Nioh 3 will launch on February 6, 2026, telling a story of jealousy and a dark power.

Anniversaries seemed to be a theme of this State of Play, exemplified by Deus Ex’s 25th anniversary and God of War’s 20th anniversary. A remastered edition of Deus Ex developed by Aspyr will be available on February 5, 2025. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is making its way to PlayStation 5 on December 8, 2025. The game will support the PS5’s adaptive triggers, and may even have PSVR 2 support planned in the future. The State of Play had more goodies like a Dynasty Warriors 3 Remaster for PlayStation 5, Crimson Desert, Mega Man and Proto Man revealed as the final DLC characters for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, and the slightly-redundantly-named and hand-drawn Chronoscript: The Endless End.

With a new month around the corner, PlayStation also announced a new batch of PlayStation Plus games. Alan Wake 2, Cocoon, and Goat Simulator 3 will be added to the service on October 7, 2025. The Last of Us Part 2 (as well as its remastered version) arrives on PS5 on September 26, which PlayStation has dubbed “The Last of Us Day”.

PlayStation Plus Classics will also be getting a boost from Bandai Namco’s reserves in the form of Tekken 3 and Soulcalibur III, flanked by Tomb Raider: Anniversary. This is particularly noteworthy as many fighting games have seen rereleases with better netcode and modern features in the current day, with the exception of Bandai Namco’s roster of fighters including the Soul Calibur and Tekken series other than the Nintendo Classics version of Soul Calibur II. It should also be noted Soulcalibur III has a gamebreaking bug that can delete your save, which as of writing, has not been fixed. It is unknown if the new version of Soulcalibur III will rectify this issue. 

While Marvel’s Wolverine’s original introduction may have been a bit more revealing than Insomniac would have liked, people were still excited to see the game’s first official reveal. Insomniac’s new trailer featured an amnesiac Canadian mutant who is willing to climb, cut, and stab with his adamantium claws through the lawless land of Madripoor, and he’ll even run into some familiar faces like Omega Red and Mystique. Cutting to the chase, Insomniac also revealed Marvel’s Wolverine would be ready to slice through the competition in Fall 2026.

PlayStation also showed off a couple of accessories: a controller in celebration of God of War’s 20th anniversary, and wireless Pulse Elevate speakers for desktop computer. Part of me can only think of how tariff pricing is affecting other hardware even with the excitement of a slick new controller. It makes sense for PlayStation to want to capitalize on its newly captured PC market, but especially in the United States, income can only stretch so far.

Kojima Created The “Strand” Genre. What’s Next? A Credit Card

Paying respect to Hideo Kojima in the video game industry is nothing new, but the latest event celebrating the Kojima Productions visionary, “Beyond the Strand”, may have gone too far even for the most devoted fan. 

The newly announced Kojima credit card will be issued by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, the same bank that gave Kojima a loan when he started Kojima Productions. Users collect points that can pay for purchases, but they can also be redeemed for Kojima Productions items. It is unknown how much it would be to redeem “put the actual ending to Metal Gear Solid V in the game” as an award, but startmenu will keep you updated. Another caveat to this card is that it will only be available in Japan. Footage of Kojima’s upcoming horror game OD, and a poster and cast list for Physint were teased; if the live action adaptation of Death Stranding wasn’t enough, the animated film Death Stranding: Mosquito was made known; and it was revealed Kojima’s machinations don’t stop there, with an announced project in partnership with Pokémon Go developer Niantic. 

Microsoft’s Tokyo Game Show Announcements May Be Overshadowed By New Prices And Removal From Retailer Costco

Microsoft recently announced the prices of its consoles would be going up despite this resulting in its Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black becoming $50 more expensive than the $749.99 PS5 Pro, but the BDS boycott target doesn’t plan on stopping there. While its Tokyo Game Show presence had some cool reveals, including the Japan-based Forza Horizon 6 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 adding more detail around Japan as well as a paid vehicle, the Japan connections became increasingly tenuous. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 showcased multiplayer maps set in Japan, Ninja Gaiden 4 revealed the Master Ninja Difficulty and Training Mode, and an announced Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover for Terminull Brigade didn’t actually show anything related to Evangelion.

Preorders for the ROG Xbox Ally are live, and prices are now known: The lower-end Ally model will retail for $599.99, and the Ally X model will retail for $999.99. Much like Xbox’s recent price increase for its home consoles, this decision is a bit puzzling but probably a result of tariffs. How Xbox plans to position its home and mobile consoles in an economy like this, with great competition including the Switch 2 at $449.99 and the aggressively priced Steam Deck — as well as previous ad campaigns that downplayed the importance of having a console at all — is a mystery.

You may have to consider a different retailer than Costco if you planned on grabbing one of Xbox’s new mobile consoles as the store appears to be shifting away from the console manufacturer entirely. Earlier this week, some noticed Costco’s website had wiped its Xbox section completely, and ex-IGN employee Destin Legarie reached out to Costco himself to discover not carrying the Xbox brand is a “business decision”.

Doug Bowser To Retire At End Of Year, Welcomes Nintendo of America’s First Female President Devon Pritchard

Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America president since April 2019 after succeeding Reggie Fils-Aimé, will be retiring at the end of 2025. Stepping into his role will be Devon Pritchard. Pritchard has had a 19 year tenure with the Nintendo of America and is currently the executive vice president of revenue, marketing, and consumer experience. This makes Pritchard the first woman President of Nintendo of America. Additionally, Satoru Shibata — former Nintendo of Europe president — will join Nintendo of America as its CEO. Both Bowser and Shuntaro Furukawa (current president of Nintendo of Japan) were complimentary of Devon’s track record and contributions to the company. 

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