#Industry

Micron warns memory shortages will worsen in 2027 as CEO cites much higher prices

On its FY 2026 earnings call, Micron said memory demand will exceed supply in 2027 and 2028, with industry tightness greater than in 2026 and no line of sight to when supply and demand will rebalance. The company said it has already sold most of the memory it expects to produce next year at much higher prices than in 2026, and that new factories coming online in 2028 will not immediately improve availability or lower prices. Rising memory and storage costs have pushed Microsoft, Apple, Valve, Sony and Nintendo to raise hardware prices, while Micron and two other major RAM makers face a class action alleging they fixed supply and prices.

Reigns developer Nerial closes following "significant trading losses" over past two years

Total War: Warhammer III modder deliberately corrupts own popular mod in protest over AI reuploads

Venris, creator of the popular Total War: Warhammer III mod SFO: Grimhammer III, deliberately corrupted the mod so it no longer works with unauthorized reuploads, after people used AI to release sub mods without permission. Venris said he will make SFO: Grimhammer III private if the situation escalates, calling the mod the result of nearly 10 years of work. The dispute comes amid a surge of AI-generated mods, and this week the creator of a viral AI-generated Fallout: New York took it offline after a cease and desist from Bethesda.

Riot exec says 2XKO needed hundreds of thousands to millions of MAU to sustain itself

Riot Games CPO Marc Merrill said 2XKO would have needed a monthly active user base "in the high hundreds of thousands, if not millions" to support its live-service model, and its actual audience was "not nearly enough." 2XKO ended active development in August because it cost substantially more to operate than it brought in and engagement stayed flat despite larger updates; it remains free to play on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S with servers online "beyond 2026." Merrill also cited Street Fighter 6's release as a factor and said leadership changes led to a lack of alignment on strategy and managerial fracturing.

Riot Games' 2XKO would have had to attract a base of monthly active users "in the high hundreds of thousands, if not millions" to be sust...

Fuse Games CEO to Discuss Star Wars: Galactic Racer at UK Games Conference

Fuse Games CEO Matt Webster will be interviewed by VGC's Andy Robinson about the development of Star Wars: Galactic Racer at the UK event Game Republic New Horizons. The game, published by Secret Mode and due out on October 6, is the debut title from Fuse Games, a studio founded in 2023 by former Criterion Games leads. The conference's main day takes place on October 15 at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough.

Astralis Ownership Gains Courtois Backing Amid Liquidity Concerns

AI-generated Fallout: New York taken offline after creator says Bethesda issued cease and desist

The creator behind the AI-generated Fallout: New York has pulled the game offline, saying they received a cease and desist from Bethesda parent ZeniMax Media citing trademark infringement over the fallout.nyc domain and use of copyrighted material. Built with Claude Opus 5.5 and playable in a browser, the game included quests, companions, dialogue trees, V.A.T.S. and a working Pip-Boy, and its demo video drew 3.5 million views on X. IGN has asked Microsoft for comment, as a wave of AI-generated game-merging mods this week fuels debate over the legality of such clones.

Steam Hardware Survey: Intel CPU Share Drops To Lowest Figure, Nvidia GPUs See Bump, Octa-Core CPUs Hit 30% https://www.digitalfoundry.ne...

Krafton shuts down PUBG spin-off Black Budget nine months after closed alpha test

Krafton is ending development on PUBG spin-off Black Budget nine months after its closed alpha test on Steam. The studio said on Steam that after reviewing the project's development status and future direction, it concluded the current direction would not deliver an experience players could enjoy over the long term. Black Budget was an extraction shooter built around a time loop, and it is the second PUBG spin-off cancelled this year after Blindspot was shut down in March following two months in Early Access.

Krafton is ending development on PUBG spin-off Black Budget nine months after its closed alpha test on Steam

Surreal Narrative Adventure Game [AFANTASIA] to Be Published by Studio Sasanqua

Studio Sasanqua will publish Brazilian solo developer noidnoidnoid's surreal narrative point-and-click adventure game [AFANTASIA] for PC via Steam, with English, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese support. A release date was not announced. The game will be exhibited at Brazil Game Show 2026 from October 9 to 12, the studio's first event appearance as a publisher.

Surreal narrative adventure game [AFANTASIA] to be published by Studio Sasanqua https://www.gematsu.com/2026/10/surreal-narrative-adventu...

Alinea Analytics estimates Steam took $1.7B in September, on pace to pass $20B for the year

Alinea Analytics estimates Steam generated $1.7 billion in September 2026, up 13% year over year and its best September to date. The firm's head of market analysis, Rhys Elliott, said Steam's Q3 revenue reached $5.5 billion, up 12%, bringing the 2026 total to $16.5 billion so far versus $14.5 billion in the first nine months of 2025, with full-year revenue on track to pass $20 billion for the first time. Among September releases, Wardogs was estimated at $86.9 million on Steam, alongside Onimusha: Way of the Sword, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Bodycam and EA Sports FC27.

ININ 'Relaunches' R-Type Dimensions III With a Third Major Patch and a Free Digital Artbook

ININ has announced it has effectively "relaunched" R-Type Dimensions III with a third major patch, which mainly reworks boss fights in Advanced Mode to more closely match the original game. As an apology, a digital artbook previously only available in the Ultimate Edition on Steam has been added to all platforms. ININ calls this patch the final step in fixing the game and is treating it as a fresh relaunch.

Riot Games Co-Founder Says 2XKO Needed Hundreds of Thousands, if Not Millions, of Monthly Active Players to Survive

Riot Games co-founder, co-chairman and chief product officer Marc Merrill said on The Lemonade Stand podcast that 2XKO would have needed monthly active player numbers in the high hundreds of thousands, if not millions, to justify its cost structure. He said Street Fighter 6's 2023 release disrupted their plans and that a lack of internal alignment caused managerial fracturing, so Riot issued full refunds and canceled further content updates after player numbers fell short of supporting the live-service design. Riot had already announced it would end active development after December 2026 while keeping online play supported.

Magic: The Gathering's Disastrous Zeta Set Is Officially Coming Back

Wizards of the Coast announced Thursday that the sold-out Secret Lair x MSCHF: The Zeta Set will return after a disastrous September drop the company has since apologized for. Unlike the previous pre-order window, fans won't have to sit through queues or waiting rooms, as Wizards appears to be ensuring everyone who wants the collab can get one if they're patient enough.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma says Xbox is not for sale

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told The New York Times that Xbox is not for sale, saying the company will seek the right partnerships and operating model to succeed. A June report from The Information said Microsoft had no immediate plans to spin off Xbox but had not ruled out restructuring it as a wholly-owned subsidiary or forming a joint venture. Sharma, who replaced Phil Spencer in February, has overseen 1,600 layoffs at Xbox with 1,600 more expected later this year.

MinnMax removes YouTuber Jacob Geller after resurfaced sexual assault allegation

After a sexual assault allegation against Jacob Geller surfaced on September 30, gaming channel MinnMax announced on October 1 that Geller is no longer part of the channel and will not appear in future content, with this week's episode of The MinnMax Show not airing. The allegation first appeared on X claiming Geller was fired from a University of North Carolina college radio station in 2016, and records released by UNC in 2020 and archived on the Internet Archive list his name as violating the school's sexual assault policy with a one-semester suspension. Podcast Cane and Rinse also confirmed it will remove all episodes featuring Geller.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Puts Coveted Shield Behind a $6 Twitch Sub Paywall, and Fans Are Upset

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2's 15.0 update launched with a new set of Twitch drops, but claiming the Victrix Guard Shield requires buying one $6 recurring or gift subscription. Players have asked developer Saber to add the shield since the game launched two years ago, and it previously appeared only briefly in the campaign. Representatives confirmed the shield will come to the Accolades shop in a future update but gave no date, and complaints have filled the game's Discord and subreddit.

Krafton Cancels Extraction Shooter Spin-Off PUBG: Black Budget

Krafton has ended development of its extraction shooter spin-off PUBG: Black Budget, less than a year after it was announced and following several closed alpha tests. In a Steam update, the publisher said the project's current direction would not deliver an experience players could enjoy over the long term. It is the second PUBG spin-off to be cancelled, after tactical shooter PUBG: Blindspot was shut down in March, while another spin-off, Ded.Net, remains in development.

Stone Kite Is a New Studio From Halo, Destiny Creator Jason Jones and Author Margaret Stohl, and Its First Project Is About Rogue AI Robots

Bungie co-founder Jason Jones, who helped create Halo and directed Destiny, has opened a new Los Angeles studio called Stone Kite with Beautiful Creatures author Margaret Stohl. Its first project, One Zero One, is set in a future where humanity faces rogue, AI-driven robotic soldiers, and launches with Part One of a four-part limited comic series. Issue #1 debuts today, with new issues running through early 2027 alongside prose, audio, and screen projects.

EU CPC Network launches coordinated actions against nine companies over in-game currency

On 30 September 2026, the EU's Consumer Protection Cooperation Network launched coordinated actions against nine games companies to enforce the EU's Key Principles on in-game virtual currencies, covering titles such as Hunt: Showdown 1896, Candy Crush Saga, Minecraft, Valorant, Clash of Clans and For Honor, alongside a parallel action with Activision Blizzard UK over Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile. The CPC Network argues that purchases made with in-game currency should also show real-world prices, while the author notes that bundle pricing and earnable currency make real value hard to assign and could create duplicate notices and a double right of withdrawal. The author also points to inconsistency with the EU Commission's EU KIDS Act draft and a Digital Fairness Act draft expected in November.

Bungie Co-Founder Jason Jones Announces New Studio Stone Kite

Jason Jones, co-founder of Bungie and co-creator of Halo and Destiny, announced his new Los Angeles studio Stone Kite in partnership with Bungie veteran Margaret Stohl, who serves as CEO. Its first release is One Zero One, a four-part limited comic series about a confrontation between humans and a rogue army of AI-driven robots, with Part 1 available now digitally on the Stone Kite website and physical copies available for preorder. Jones co-founded Bungie in 1991 and his Chief Vision Officer role was reportedly part of Sony's layoffs earlier this year.

Consumer Protection Cooperation Network launches coordinated actions against nine companies on in-game currency

Ace Combat 8 developer apologises for Belkan War pre-order backlash, explains why it happened and vows to explore possible solutions

Ubisoft Unites Splinter Cell, The Division and Ghost Recon Teams Under Star Wars Outlaws Studio Massive Entertainment

Ubisoft is renaming Creative House 2 as Massive Entertainment and placing its Paris, Montreal and Toronto studios along with Massive itself under that brand. The group will handle most Tom Clancy titles including The Division, Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell, plus the MOBA March of Giants bought from Amazon and unannounced new original IP, but not Rainbow Six. Ubisoft's remaining games are spread across five other creative houses, including the Ubisoft-Tencent joint venture Vantage Studios.

GTA 6 Lights Up Miami's Kaseya Center

Rockstar lit up the top of Miami's Kaseya Center with a sign reading Welcome to Vice City and the Roman numerals VI to promote GTA 6. The building appears in the game as the Sahara Arena, located in the same area of Miami and flanked by the same ferris wheel. The stunt reportedly cost close to $1 million, and local commissioners voted 4-3 to approve the marketing takeover after months of negotiations with Miami-Dade County officials. GTA 6 releases for PS5 and Xbox Series consoles on November 19.

Ubisoft Workers of Montreal Union petition to "preserve hybrid work" secures over 300 signatures

The Ubisoft Workers of Montreal Union has launched a petition to "preserve hybrid work," which has gathered more than 300 signatures. The campaign began on September 30, with most signatures collected in person, and the United Videogame Workers Union voiced its support. Earlier this year, Ubisoft implemented a return-to-office mandate as part of its restructuring into Creative Houses, requiring all staff in the office five days a week with an annual allowance of work-from-home days.

Reigns developer Nerial shuts down after 13 years

Nerial, the studio behind the Reigns series and Card Shark, announced it is shutting down after 13 years of operation. Acquired by Devolver Digital in 2021, it most recently released Reigns: The Witcher with CD Projekt RED on February 25. Founders Francois and Tamara Alliot said the decision to end development was made together with Devolver, and that while the studio's 11 published games come to an end, they personally plan to return to game development after a break.

Nerial shuts down after 13 years https://www.gematsu.com/2026/10/nerial-shuts-down-after-13-years

The Ubisoft Workers of Montreal Union have launched a petition to "preserve hybrid work", which has reached more than 300 signatures

Report: Gears of War: E-Day Developers Expect Layoffs After Crunching Through Final Months

According to a Eurogamer report, staff at The Coalition, Microsoft's Gears of War team, are bracing for layoffs after months of overtime finishing Gears of War: E-Day. Sources described a mood of not celebrating until three months after launch and expecting another wave of cuts or a reorganization under Activision later this year. The report also notes that E-Day story director Juan Vaca was laid off two weeks before release, which staff called very demoralizing; Microsoft declined to comment to Eurogamer but acknowledged the extra out-of-hours work will be repaid as additional holiday.

Take-Two Signs New Long-Term Xbox Publishing Agreement, But Debate Swirls Over How Important It Really Is

Take-Two and Microsoft have signed a new long-term Xbox Publisher License Agreement, effective September 17, 2026, replacing all of Take-Two's existing Xbox publisher license agreements. The deal lets Take-Two develop, publish, market, distribute and sell Xbox-compatible products across all Xbox devices, with Microsoft paying wholesale price or an agreed revenue share on digitally delivered content. The Verge editor Tom Warren argues it is not just a standard renewal, believing it is meant to cover the Xbox Project Helix era.

If the games industry moves to a more movie-style production process, Funcom's Joel Bylos warns that changes are needed. "The Hollywood m...

Report: Gears of War: E-Day Developers Fear Layoffs and Lost Bonuses After Launch

Eurogamer reports that developers at The Coalition, the studio behind Gears of War: E-Day, fear layoffs once the game launches on October 6. Story director Juan Vaca left two weeks ago, and Kotaku reported on September 22 that fewer than a handful of staff were cut. Staff also worry they could miss a Metacritic-based bonus if they are let go before the payout expected near the end of October.

Eurogamer: Gears of War: E-Day Developers Fear Post-Launch Layoffs and Activision Reorganisation

Eurogamer reports that multiple sources at The Coalition say staff increasingly fear another round of layoffs after Gears of War: E-Day, with some worried the studio could eventually be reorganised under Activision. The concerns grew after the recent departure of E-Day story director Juan Vaca and reports of other developers being quietly let go in recent weeks. Developers are also worried about timing, since E-Day's Metacritic bonus is expected to be paid around the end of October and eligibility requires employees to still be full-time at payment. Microsoft declined to comment on Eurogamer's report.

Kimiiro Patra IF delayed to January 28, 2027 in Japan

Entergram has delayed Kimiiro Patra IF, the romance visual novel starring Virtual YouTuber Patra Suou, from its planned November 26 release date to January 28, 2027 in Japan. The company cited "production circumstances" for the delay. The game will be available for PS5, Switch, and PC.

Sound System Early Access delayed to November 4

Echo Foundry Interactive has delayed the Early Access release of Sound System from October 16 to November 4. The rhythm game will launch in Early Access on PC via Steam, with a full release to follow on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, and PC. Early Access is planned to last about six months, adding music uploads, while online multiplayer for up to three players comes with the full release.

Massive becomes the global brand in charge of Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon, plus a new Ubisoft dieselpunk MOBA

Ubisoft announced that The Division studio Massive Entertainment is now the global brand for series including Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell, taking over the subsidiary previously known as creative house 2, with former Amazon and 2K executive Christoph Hartmann as general manager. Development teams for these franchises in Montreal, Paris, Sweden and Toronto will operate under the Massive Entertainment brand, though Ubisoft did not say what this means for developers on affected teams. The move continues Ubisoft's reorganisation into creative houses after Tencent's March 2025 investment, a restructuring that has brought layoffs, closures and cancellations.