|
← Previous Week (May 3 - May 9) |
This Week (May 10 - May 16) |
This week kept the gaming industry moving up and down with studios dropping announcements, updates, and surprises across the board. Nintendo bid a quiet farewell to one of its beloved veterans, while Overwatch's 10th-anniversary celebration arrived with both freebies and frustration. The fighting game community got one of its biggest shake-ups in years with Katsuhiro Harada's move to SNK's newly formed VS Studio, and Ubisoft announced a real-life treasure hunt tied to the release of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced.
On the review side, it's a good week with something for just about everyone. Forza Horizon 6 brings the Horizon Festival to Japan, showcasing the series’ best, while Gamble With Your Friends turns dubious debt and questionable decisions into fun. Everything is Crab, meanwhile, spins the internet's crustacean meme into a small roguelite. Subnautica 2 also surfaces in Early Access, returning to waters, base building, and extraterrestrial sea life.
Here’s a quick look at some of the week’s biggest gaming headlines.
Gaming News At A Glance
Mario and Zelda Veteran Takashi Tezuka Retires After Four Decades at Nintendo
Overwatch’s 10th Anniversary Celebration Comes With Freebies and Fan Backlash
Marvel Rivals Season 8 Adds Devil Dinosaur, Cyclops, and New Hero Updates
Assassin’s Creed’s Treasure Hunt Reward Amounts to $500,000
Tekken’s Previous Director Katsuhiro Harada Moves to VS Studio Under SNK
Other News and Developments This Week
Review Roundup: May 10th to May 16th
Return to Crab, Race Across Japan, Roll That Dice!
⚫︎ Forza Horizon 6
⚫︎ Gamble With Your Friends
⚫︎ Everything is Crab
Other Reviews This Week
A Deep Dive Into Alien Oceans and the Unknown
⚫︎ Subnautica 2 [Early Access]
Gaming News At A Glance: Assassin’s Creed’s $500k Reward, Overwatch Hits 10 Years, Marvel Rivals S8 New Heroes, Nintendo’s Tezuka Retires & Tekken’s Harada Moves
Mario and Zelda Veteran Takashi Tezuka Retires After Four Decades at Nintendo
Nintendo is officially losing one of the key architects behind the Mario and Zelda franchises, as longtime designer Takashi Tezuka retires after 42 years with the company this June. While never as publicly recognizable as figures like Shigeru Miyamoto, Tezuka played a major role in shaping Nintendo’s early classics, working on titles such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, Super Mario Bros. 3, and The Lost Levels after first joining the company in 1984.
True to form, news of Tezuka’s retirement surfaced quietly through a Nintendo financial document rather than a major public announcement. Still, fans and industry figures alike have been paying tribute to the veteran developer, whose decades-long career and famously warm demeanor helped cement him as one of Nintendo’s most respected creative voices.
Overwatch’s 10th Anniversary Celebration Comes With Freebies and Fan Backlash
Overwatch kicked off its 10th anniversary event with a wave of free cosmetics, new skins, and new Mythic-tier rewards running from May 12 to June 1. Players can earn up to 21 skins for members of the game’s original 2016 roster through unlockable loot boxes and weekly challenges, while Ana is also receiving her second Mythic skin inspired by the Egyptian god Ra. The event additionally brings fan-designed cosmetics for newer heroes like Ramattra and Wuyang, based on a NetEase-backed skin contest held in China last year.
Despite the celebratory mood, the anniversary event has already sparked frustration among international players over the major differences between the global and Chinese versions of the rewards. While Blizzard’s worldwide event largely focuses on unlockable cosmetics and recolors, players on China’s NetEase-operated servers can reportedly claim multiple free Mythic skins and bonus Mythic Prisms simply by logging in. The disparity has fueled criticism across social media and Reddit, with many fans questioning why the two anniversary events offer drastically different rewards.
Marvel Rivals Season 8 Adds Devil Dinosaur, Cyclops, and New Hero Updates
Marvel Rivals has officially unveiled Season 8, "Sins of Alchemax," introducing Devil Dinosaur as a new Vanguard hero when the update launches on May 15, while Cyclops is set to arrive later in the season. Devil Dinosaur’s kit focuses on aggressive frontline pressure, self-healing, shields, and bleed damage, alongside a standout team-up mechanic that lets The Punisher ride the dinosaur into battle. Cyclops was also teased in an animated trailer that leans into the long-debated "punch dimension" explanation for his optic blasts, nodding to a well-known corner of Marvel lore.
Elsewhere, the update has sparked mixed reactions around roster decisions, particularly Moon Girl’s absence from Devil Dinosaur’s kit, with reports pointing to concerns over character age and broader Marvel/NetEase considerations around Inhumans. Alongside the new heroes, Season 8 introduces PC optimization changes with optional HD texture downloads, balance buffs for underperforming characters, a new Alchemax-themed Doom Match map, and additional cosmetics for heroes, including Hulk, Deadpool, and Devil Dinosaur.
Assassin’s Creed’s Treasure Hunt Reward Amounts to $500,000
Ubisoft is leaning into the pirate fantasy ahead of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced's July 9 release with a real-world treasure hunt in partnership with French company Unsolved Hunts. Titled "Gold and Crystal – The Lost Treasure of Edward Kenway," the event has participants solving 15 riddles to locate an actual chest buried in the Caribbean that contains gold coins and a crystal skull worth a combined $500,000.
Unsolved Hunts estimates the hunt could take two to five years to complete, and the event doesn't even officially open until November 9, about four months after the game launches. Alongside the main announcement, a preview puzzle for solving was released; those who give the correct answer may receive complimentary access to the treasure hunt itself. Players may submit their answers up to May 23, 2026, and 10 winners will be chosen from this pool.
Tekken’s Previous Director Katsuhiro Harada Moves to VS Studio Under SNK
Longtime Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada has announced the formation of VS Studio, a new development house under SNK. He confirmed that he'll serve as both CEO and Representative Director for the team. Established in a press release on May 13, 2026, the Tokyo-based studio operates as a consolidated SNK subsidiary.
Harada left Bandai Namco at the end of 2025 after over 30 years with the company, and the VS Studio marks his first major move since then. No projects have been announced, yet Harada hasn't ruled out working on a fighting game IP, only wanting to pursue his craft and new ideas. Now that it’s been made public, the fighting game community watches closely with anticipation as the Tekken legend takes his next steps.
Other News and Developments This Week
⚫︎ Star Wars: Zero Company Could Appear at SGF 2026 Following Age Ratings in Brazil and South Korea
⚫︎ Light and Night SEA Closed Beta Test Starts May 20 With Registration Opening Soon
⚫︎ Slay the Spire 2 Replaces Doormaker With New Act 3 Boss, Adds Bestiary
⚫︎ Subnautica 2 Gameplay Trailer Reveals New Creatures and Co-Op Features Ahead of Early Access Launch
⚫︎ Persona 5 Royal Takes Over Heaven Burns Red With New Crossover Event on May 22
⚫︎ Morimens x Saya no Uta Collab Announced for 2.5th Anniversary This May
⚫︎ Game of Thrones: Kingsroad May 14 Asia Release Gets Rid of Gacha and Overhauls Combat
⚫︎ Helldivers 2 Devs Outline Content Overhaul After Steam Backlash
⚫︎ Lies of P Sequel Officially Begins Full-Scale Development, Dev NEOWIZ Reveals
⚫︎ Kingdom Hearts 4 Reveal Hopes Falter Amid Tokyo Game Show 2026 Announcements
⚫︎ Steins;Gate Re:Boot Devs Announce Full Ban on Streaming and Gameplay Uploads
⚫︎ Palworld Online Trademark Listing Appears Ahead of Version 1.0
⚫︎ Stellar Blade 2 Could be SHIFT UP's First Self-Published, Multi-Platform Global Release
⚫︎ Marvel Rivals Hints at Devil Dinosaur for Season 8 in New Teaser
⚫︎ Fortnite x Overwatch Collab Launches May 14 With D.Va Skins and More
⚫︎ Phasmophobia x Alan Wake 2 Event Now Live With New Maps, Ghosts, and Challenges
⚫︎ Switch 2 Choose Your Game
Bundle Features Mario Kart World, Pokémon Pokopia, and Donkey Kong: Bananza
⚫︎ Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic Secures 100M Funding, Still Targets Pre-2030 Release
⚫︎ Play V Rising for Free for a Limited Time This Weekend
⚫︎ Pokémon Winds and Waves Main Theme Video Gives Fans First Gen 10 Update Since Reveal
⚫︎ Marathon Season 2: Nightfall Begins June 2 With Seasonal Reset
⚫︎ Marvel Tōkon Story Mode Features 10-Hours of Hand-Drawn Motion Comics
⚫︎ Holoearth Announces End of Service on June 28
⚫︎ Azur Promilia Launches in Korea in 2026
⚫︎ Pokémon Astronomical Observatory Opens July 5 in Japan, Tickets Available Now
⚫︎ Gang of Dragon Development in Question After Nagoshi Studio Website Goes Offline
⚫︎ Forza Horizon 6 Giveaway Features Sung Kang Racing Jackets for Fans to Win
Review Roundup: May 10th to May 16th
Return to Crab, Race Across Japan, Roll That Dice!
It's a strong week on the review front, with a wide variety of games, each making a case for your time and money. Forza Horizon 6 brings the Horizon Festival to Japan in what feels like the series at its most confident, delivering a gorgeous open world that's as fun to cruise through as it is to race in.
On a comedic note, Gamble With Your Friends turns debt, bad decisions, and shared bank accounts into one of the more genuinely funny co-op experiences in recent memory. Rounding things out, Everything is Crab goes into the internet's favorite evolutionary meme to deliver a bite-sized roguelite that's a tad bit addictive, even if it hasn't quite reached its full potential yet.
Forza Horizon 6
Forza Horizon 6 takes the series' open-world racing festival to Japan, and it's hard to imagine a better fit. The setting shifts naturally between cramped city streets, mountain passes, snowy roads, and open highways, making even the drives between events feel worthwhile. Vehicle variety caters to different playstyles, and the range of race types keeps things from settling into one rhythm for too long.
Progression is flexible enough that it rarely feels forced when going down on a single path, and multiplayer goes well beyond standard competitive racing. A couple of audio bugs and two crashes are the only real blemishes on an otherwise confident, content-rich package that feels like the best the series has ever been.
Gamble With Your Friends
Gamble With Your Friends is a co-op casino game for up to six players, where everyone shares a bank account and five frantic minutes per day to hit an ever-rising quota or get buried in the cornfields. The gameplay loop is short, chaotic, and completely on brand: progressing lives and dies by luck, which fits the theme perfectly, even if a string of bad beats can feel frustrating.
What sets it apart from similar titles is its commitment to immersion: selling body parts for extra cash, losing an eye and having part of your screen blacked out, and using a baseball bat to ragdoll a friend who just cost everyone the run. The experience is a ridiculous yet charming and overall good time that's best enjoyed with a full group willing to lose everything together.
Everything is Crab
Everything is Crab is a slightly chaotic roguelite where players evolve from a small blob into a creature of their own making, with over 100 evolutions across runs that never quite play out the same way twice. The core gameplay loop is genuinely addictive, as it builds toward an apex creature through branching evolutionary paths, keeping things engaging, and the Pressure Levels and Challenge modes add replay value on top of an already replayable base.
The presentation holds it back though, with pixel art and variety that limit just how wild your creature can look and music that grows repetitive fast. At $10, its shortcomings are easy to forgive since it's a fun and affordable package that's well worth picking up even mid-evolution.
Other Reviews This Week
⚫︎ Directive 8020 Review | Supermassive's Super-Mid So Far
⚫︎ Dread Neighbor Review | Dreadfully Terrifying, Dreadfully Okay
⚫︎ Outbound Review | Beautiful but Aimless
⚫︎ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
⚫︎ MOTORSLICE Review | A Great Slice of P
⚫︎ Game of Thrones Kingsroad Review [First Impressions] | It Looks Good, At Least
⚫︎ Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes [First Impressions] | Pretty Frakking Intense
A Deep Dive Into Alien Oceans and the Unknown
Subnautica 2 surfaces on a brand-new alien world that's just as terrifying and beautiful as the one that made the original a classic, now with co-op and a living ecosystem unlike anything the series has shown before.
Subnautica 2 [Early Access]
Subnautica 2 drops players onto Proteus, in a different alien ocean world that's just as large-scale as the original's planet, now with a more story-driven structure guided by an AI companion named NoA. The living ecosystem is a big highlight, with creatures hunting, hiding, and interacting with each other in ways that make the world feel organic and alive. The new gene modification adds a fresh layer to the game’s system, letting players harvest DNA from creatures to unlock useful biological upgrades.
Base building, survival, and exploration all carry over from the first game in stronger form, though the more linear pacing and Early Access limitations like map borders and clipping issues are a bit hard to ignore. Unknown Worlds has built a foundation on Proteus that's arguably stronger than where the first game started, but there's still a long dive ahead before it reaches those same legendary heights.
