Phil Spencer has officially retired from Microsoft, ending a 38-year career that included 12 years leading Xbox through an incredibly transformative period; overseeing the acquisitions of Mojang, ZeniMax and Activision Blizzard. Asha Sharma has been appointed CEO of Microsoft Gaming, with Matt Booty elevated to Chief Content Officer. Xbox President Sarah Bond, long considered Spencer’s heir apparent, has also resigned - her departure buried several paragraphs into Spencer’s own statement and notably unmentioned by anyone else at Microsoft. End of an era.

Slay the Spire 2 has locked in a March 5 early access launch on Steam after a short delay out of 2025. The new trailer revealed four-player co-op with its own dedicated cards and team synergies. Mega Crit expects a similar timeline to the original, roughly one to two years before a full 1.0 release. Hard to overstate the impact of the original, so this is absolutely a day one situation.

PlayStation has closed Bluepoint Games, the studio behind acclaimed remakes including Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls. Around 70 staff have been laid off. The closure follows the cancellation of a God of War live service project - one of several live service bets PlayStation has quietly walked back in recent years. Bluepoint was one of the best in the business at what they did - a brutal loss. Without taking focus away from the people affected… I guess we’re never getting that Bloodborne remake.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer got its first proper gameplay showing, revealing a runs-based racing format set across the Outer Rim. Multiple planets, vehicles and characters were on display, all framed around an unsanctioned racing circuit. As I’ve said before, I loved the original podracing game, and this looks fun as hell.

Housemarque showed more of Saros ahead of its April 30 launch on PS5. The update detailed armour upgrades, an interesting modifier system for adjusting difficulty, and world-altering eclipse events that corrupt enemies, weapons and artifacts. Looks Returnal-ly chaotic. Keen.

Neva: Prologue is a prequel DLC telling the story of how Alba and the wolf cub first met, launching February 19. New enemies, mechanics and locations are promised. Neva was ‘fine’, so a tighter, more focused prologue could work.

Kena returns with Scars of Kosmora, a follow-up set on the island of Kosmora with an older, more experienced protagonist. Spirit companions now grow and unlock powers over time, and new elemental systems expand combat depth. The first game punched well above its weight visually, and this looks even better - keen.

Saber Interactive revealed a John Wick game that lets you play as the Baba Yaga himself in an original story chapter. The footage leaned hard into the franchise’s gun-fu combat and cinematic camerawork, and it’s giving Sifu but John Wick. And of course Keanu is there. No release date yet, but one to watch.

Sucker Punch confirmed Ghost of Yōtei Legends launches March 10 as a free update for all Yōtei players. It’s a cooperative multiplayer mode with distinct character classes, three mission types, earnable cosmetics and a Raid coming later. If it’s anything like what Tsushima’s Legends mode became, I’m sure there’s fun to be had.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is coming to PC on March 19 via Steam and Epic, with new features and modes arriving on PS5 the same day as a free update. Obviously loved DS2, so glad PC players get to experience it.