News Roundup - April 14, 2026
And Now For Some News
Newsletter
First of all, let me apologize for the way April has been going. Work has been super busy, and I’ve found myself doing some home projects that, quite frankly, were much needed. I still have a long way to go with those projects, but I don’t think they’ll have the same effect on my ability to write. With all that being said, it was nice to have a bit of a rest because sometimes I do feel forced to get an article out, and I don’t want this newsletter to feel like a chore, especially considering it’s nothing more than a hobby at the current moment. I’m ready to get this month going, and I think it’s going to be a heck of a month for gaming. I’m still cycling through three games, and I sort of regret making that decision as all three are long RPGs, but I’m sticking with it and hope to finish one or two by the end of the month.
Nintendo
Nintendo’s main focus has been the Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which sparked a lot of polarizing conversations when it came out with a bad Rotten Tomatoes score, although it had a great audience reception. I’ve experienced this a fan before with the 2019 Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and I was pretty angry about that movie getting killed by the critics, but luckily it has a much better legacy today, especially with Godzilla fans. So, I expect the same to happen with the Galaxy film. I don’t have time to talk about it here, but I wasn’t surprised, as I’m known to be pretty critical of movie critics, and I much prefer video game critics over them, but in the end, the movie is going to do big bucks, and audiences loved it, specifically kids, and that’s all that matters.
As for me, we went to see it, and it was the first time I'd taken my daughter to a theater. The dine-in theater we went to was disappointing, but my family and I enjoyed the movie. It does have the same weakness as the first one, it’s pacing is too fast for it’s own good, and I would even argue it’s a tad bit worse in Galaxy, but once you understand it’s a very surface level story, it’s like a fun junior coaster in a movie form, similar to my feelings with Kong: Skull Island, although that’s a big boy coaster. I was happy with it and liked it a tad bit more than the first, even though I do think the first one’s story is easier to follow. Basically, however you felt about the first film, you'll most likely feel the same about the sequel.
One major surprise from the film is the appearance of Star Fox! I was also surprised that he ended up being in the film longer and wasn’t just a cameo. This would feel out of nowhere, but there’s now reporting from insiders like Nate the Hate that a new Star Fox game is due out this year for Switch 2. We have been waiting for a new Star Fox for a while, so that’s pretty exciting. Along with that, there is a report that the next mainline open 3D Mario title has been internally delayed to 2027, BUT fear not, as apparently Nintendo’s big holiday 2026 game is none other than the Ocarina of Time remake people have been asking for. I always expected Ocarina of Time to come to Switch 2, but I thought it would be a small 4K remaster of the 3DS version. But no, this is a full-blown, from-the-ground-up remake. Switch 2 needs all the hype it could get, especially since I do expect the price to go up, so these are going to be games that help the system keep selling.
Here’s an interesting piece of news for those who don’t keep up with theme park news. Universal has begun the process of demolishing Islands of Adventure’s Lost Continent land. Why is this news on here? Well, the industry's best insiders are all pointing to this as the future home of a Pokémon land as part of Nintendo and Universal’s growing theme park partnership. Originally, The Legend of Zelda was set to replace The Lost Continent, but rumors now have it as a future Epic Universe expansion in the Super Nintendo World area. So, unfortunately, we’ll have to wait longer for a Zelda theme park, but we are getting Pokémon sooner rather than later.
Sony / PlayStation
PlayStation news was brutal in March and early April, with announcements of more layoffs and studio closures, along with a big price increase. The PS5 now starts at $599 for the digital edition, and $649 for the disc edition, with the Pro at a staggering $899 (and remember, that’s without a disc drive). I think there are several reasons Sony did this. First and foremost, the memory and storage price increases that have hit the tech industry, second, the tariffs, and lastly, one reason I don’t think enough people are bringing up. My belief is that Sony realizes they’ve sold over 90 million consoles, which is the users that will make up most of their recurring revenue. So any new potential customers were going to come in late and are more likely to be more casual. So, I think Sony held off on raising prices until they couldn’t hold off anymore, and now their focus will be on the current user base, so they won't worry about those new owners. So, expect price increases on PlayStation Plus sooner or later.
I’ve seen a lot of people talk about what this means for PS6 pricing, but I do think we need to calm down for now. We still don’t know what prices will be and where the AI bubble will be by 2027 and 2028. I’m not saying consoles aren’t going to be expensive, I think it is a new normal unfortunately, but let’s pump the brakes on the $1000 PS6 at the moment. As for the near future, gamers can look forward to titles like Saros and Wolverine. Hopefully, we get updates on rumored games like a God of War prequel/spinoff, and there are starting to be murmurs of an Uncharted 5. The next State of Play could be interesting.
Microsoft / Xbox
We are officially in the Asha Sharma era of Xbox. After the surprise retirement of Phil Spencer and Sarah Bonds, who were apparently passed over to run Xbox, stepping down, it’s been a crazy few weeks for the green brand. There’s been some criticism coming out that placed a lot of the blame for Xbox’s rough recent years on Sarah Bond, and I think it’s a case of two things being true. I think Sarah did have ideas that many inside Xbox reluctantly agreed to, and they were bad bets, and I think there’s too much blame being put on her as well. Phil was still the man the buck stopped with, and, quite frankly, I am starting to wonder if many of the worst decisions Xbox made were Phil and Sarah's rather than orders forced on them by Satya Nadella.
The “This is an Xbox” campaign was killed, much to the delight of many. I was personally a fan of the campaign because I understood what Microsoft was trying to say, but I get that many, especially older gamers who refuse to accept platform-agnostic ideas, were confused by it. If the people at Xbox really did hate that slogan and it was the main thing that made many turn on Sarah and Phil, as some reports claimed, then Asha did the right thing in getting rid of it.
Talking about Asha, she has been moving fast. While she did start off with some cringey posts on X that had a “hey look how hip I can be, kids” feel to them, she has been listening to a lot of feedback. There’s a new look for Xbox Achievements, and now there are rumors of changes coming to Game Pass, including a potential price drop. Asha’s background is in getting more users to use a platform, and she seems to be taking the state of Xbox seriously and wants to build some momentum. We’re still very early, but I like what I’m seeing from her, and it’s going to make the next few months interesting.
Other
Rockstar Games got hit with a major data breach that threatened to expose financial information unless they paid. Like many other companies in the past, they didn’t try to prevent rewarding the group, and we basically learned that Rockstar makes a boatload of money off GTA Online, especially on the PlayStation ecosystem. They don’t make much money from the PC version, which explains why Rockstar doesn’t prioritize it.
Crimson Desert was a game I kept an eye on as a potential “event” title. Well, the game received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, which killed that talk. However, it does have very good user scores, and I think it’s going to end up with a loyal following of fans that will help give it a legacy. I haven’t played it, but from everything I’ve read and seen on YouTube, it has a very weak story, confusing controls, and mixed reviews in many areas. But if the world and exploration hook you, you are hooked for a long time. Will I ever get to play it? Not anytime soon, but I’m open to it in the future.
Recommendations
Like I said, I’ve been pretty busy so I didn’t get a lot of time to read, but I do have some recommendations. I’m hoping to have a bigger list next time around.
Bird Nerd Gaming’s Crimson Desert Impressions - Westen is one of the best in the video game blogging space, specifically known for his lists. If you want a good explanation of Crimson Desert’s mixed results and want to go down a bit of a rabbit hole on the question of what keeps you playing, this one’s a great read.
Reconnect Recap / 4-12-26 - Alex is doing God’s work as he compiles a lot of great creators and bloggers, mostly about video games. The recap articles are packed with recommendations and numerous great articles and works to check out.
Infinite Lives / Gaming’s Greatest Moments - Another great newsletter to follow, and in this one, we get a community compilation of gaming’s greatest moments. I’m a sucker for these types of lists over rankings of the greatest games.
Podcast / Stuff You Should Know - Something a little different, but using this time to recommend what’s become my favorite podcast over the last year. Josh and Chuck take us through numerous topics and discuss the history and meaning behind companies, moments, slogans, products, and true crime, among so much more. For people like me who randomly look up the history of anything I can get my hands on, it’s a dream. Plus, both Josh and Chuck are solid hosts with a conversational style. Apparently, this has been around for a long time, but I just recently found it, and it’s been a joy to listen to.