A Deep Dive on the Xbox Reset

Control Resonant is a game that I cannot wait to play this year. The world of the Remedyverse is so strange yet lovely and now we get to explore Manhattan through the eyes of Dylan Faden. I got to preview Control Resonant and speak with Dylan's actor, Sean Durrie, about how he gets into the character, what he's most excited for players to see in his story, and how much of the game he's played!

Xbox made headlines this week when news broke about three Xbox Studios potentially being shuttered. Asha Sharma had sent an internal memo to employees last week about Xbox's 3% profit loss and how the company would be changing its strategies to focus on consoles and exclusives. Here's a deep dive on why this is happening, what could be the result of the changes, and what the future might look like for Xbox.

Mixtape is a unique coming-of-age narrative driven game where you follow three friends coming to a huge turning point in their lives. Mixtape combines music, visual art, and real life experiences all into one to really engage players in its story. I was able to talk to Johnny Galvatron, the creative director, and Woody Woodward, producer about the process behind even creating a game like Mixtape, how they were able to get huge artists like Devo involved, and what they brought from their own teen years into the game.

Subnautica 2 is being developed by studio Unknown Worlds and was expected to have an early access release date sometime in 2025. However, Krafton Inc., Unknown Worlds' parent company, seized control of Subnautica 2's development and cast out the former founders out of leadership positions. Since then, the two parties have been in a legal battle for restitution, creative and operational control of Unknown Worlds, and the proper release of Subnautica 2's early access. Here is the complete timeline of events that covers Krafton's initial acquisition of Unknown Worlds, the controversy, and the lawsuit.

Epic Games released a statement this week about laying off more than 1,000 employees and shutting down a few Fortnite game modes. Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, released his own response to the layoffs he initiated and garnered mixed responses. Here's what you need to know about the Epic Games layoffs and Fortnite closures.

Maverick Games found its independence after Amazon Game Studios backed out of its publishing deal with the developer. Maverick seems to be doing just fine on their own and is going to be showcasing their new open-world, narrative driven, racing game sometime this year. Here's the full breakdown on what happened with Amazon and the history of where Maverick Games came from and what they aim to achieve.

Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, and Sarah Bond, President of Xbox, have both resigned today February 20th, and new leadership is now in place. Asha Sharma, former President of Microsoft's CoreAI Products, is now the head of Xbox. Stella dives into all the implications this leadership change brings and what the future of Xbox may be.

Ashes of Creation was an upcoming MMORPG set to "rebirth" the genre created by the San Diego based developer, Intrepid Studios. Unfortunately, a few days after the official public early access dropped, Steam removed Ashes of Creation from the store and Intrepid Studios seems to have been dismantled completely. Here's the full breakdown on what we know so far.

Ubisoft Halifax has shut down only two days after forming a Union.

Arc Raiders is a PvPvE third-person extraction shooter that’s been developed and published by Embark Studios that released October 30 2025. The game has come under scrutiny after Eurogamer released their review of Arc Raiders and criticized the use of AI voice actors. Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, responded to this review with AI positive sentiments and avoiding any conversations about the ethical impact of AI usage. Here's the full breakdown on what you need to know.