Kotaku Thursday, February 12, 2026 1:56 PM  'There are things more important than medals. I stood up for what I believe in.' |
Kotaku Thursday, February 12, 2026 1:02 PM  As attacks and robberies targeting the wealthy become more common, the elite are building massive compounds |
Kotaku Thursday, February 12, 2026 12:17 PM  Blackfrost: The Long Dark was supposed to enter early access this year, but will no longer |
Kotaku Thursday, February 12, 2026 12:00 PM  Most games like Highguard don't get second chances |
Kotaku Thursday, February 12, 2026 11:52 AM  Cage's Spider-Verse role was so good he's getting his own show in Spider-Noir |
Kotaku Thursday, February 12, 2026 10:56 AM  More games should include fast-paced montages at the start and stop wasting my time |
Kotaku Thursday, February 12, 2026 10:44 AM  Rumors are swirling ahead of the series' 30th anniversary |
Kotaku Thursday, February 12, 2026 10:22 AM  Performance has taken a hit after switching from Denuvo |
Kotaku Thursday, February 12, 2026 10:00 AM  Steven, a boss from The Binding of Isaac, takes control from players who repeatedly try to cheat |
Kotaku Thursday, February 12, 2026 9:20 AM  Olivia Rodrigo's 'Traitor' plays through Winston's headphones |
Kotaku Thursday, February 12, 2026 8:00 AM Crisol: Theater of Idols Is A Tremendously Spanish Affair, and A Halfway Decent Survival Horror Game  The horror shooter is more than just the sum of its middling parts |
PCGamesN Thursday, February 12, 2026 1:00 PM High on Life 2's gunplay is absolutely stellar, but its humor is grating, unfunny, and honestly, a bad distraction from the actual shooting. |
PCGamesN Thursday, February 12, 2026 12:56 PM Stream your PC games to any Amazon Fire TV device and enjoy up to RTX 5080 performance, with only a Bluetooth controller needed to play. |
PCGamesN Thursday, February 12, 2026 12:48 PM The first Cities Skylines 2 update under new developer Iceflake Studios includes a new UI, improved terraforming tools, and fewer bicycles. |
PCGamesN Thursday, February 12, 2026 12:39 PM All of Battlefield 6 and Redsec's Season 2 content has been revealed, but with no massive surprises, I'm finding it hard to get excited. |
PCGamesN Thursday, February 12, 2026 12:00 PM Choosing to wear both chaotic and strategic hats, Rogue Point is the co-op shooter from the team behind Half-Life's Black Mesa remake. |
PCGamesN Thursday, February 12, 2026 10:56 AM The Epic Games Store is giving away Nobody Wants to Die, a neo-dystopian detective game that blends Cyberpunk 2077 with Rockstar's LA Noire. |
PCGamesN Thursday, February 12, 2026 10:20 AM Weighing in at just 36g, the Sabre V2 Pro Ultralight Wireless is Corsair's lightest mouse yet, and nearly the one of the best around. |
PCGamesN Thursday, February 12, 2026 9:28 AM A new Crimson Desert teaser showing life in Pywel demonstrates the RPG's camp upgrades, house building, and character customization tools. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Thursday, February 12, 2026 1:03 PM  This is probably a sentence that could be said literally any day of the week, but a new cosy farming sim is on the block, this time taking the form of Starsand Island. The flavour on this occasion is of the anime variety, with some slightly goofier farming mechanics (i.e. turning your watermelon patch into one singular, 10 foot tall watermelon), some very Pokemon Legends: Arceus looking combat, and some appropriately cute animals to hang out with. And there's skateboarding! But never do launches go all that smoothly, as developer Seed Sparkle Lab have had to do a dash of damage control regarding some concerns over the game. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Thursday, February 12, 2026 11:56 AM  The fine frigate which serves as the featured image for this article is called the Stately Gunwale. That's not a name I, the boat's creator, gave it. It's a name ShipShaper's demo automatically assigned my vessel when I picked the set of colours I wished it to be painted. Quite frankly, I doubt I could have dreamed up a more fitting moniker for my deliberate attempt to fling something funky onto the high seas. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Thursday, February 12, 2026 11:31 AM  I'm planning to better balance the recent glut of high-end hardware reviews with some genuinely affordable stuff, but in the meantime, here's something that's a little of both. The Epomaker G84 HE is another Hall effect keyboard, meaning its magnetically operated switches can be adjusted for actuation height, and/or set up for strafey-strafey, shooty-shooty rapid trigger/Snap Tap shenanigans in compatible games. Both are features you'd normally expect to run pricing up into the triple figures, and yet at £80/$85, the G84 HE costs more like a lower-mid-range, traditionally mechanical 'board. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Thursday, February 12, 2026 10:00 AM  WARNING: Major story spoliers for Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, as well as the original Yakuza 3, lie ahead. It's natural to spend a lot of time thinking about what games could have been, had different decisions been made. Whether the change is preferable to the reality often doesn't come into it, the fantasy of another possible world is the draw. Despite that, few studios choose to make major shifts - at least as far as the main stories of those games go - when they remake their previous games. This won't necessarily be a philosophical decision: the remaster or remake has to sell. Games which get revisited are ones players deeply love, and the suits will inevitably see tweaks to their fundamentals as an unnecessary risk. Old Oblivion is loved, so Bethesda adopted a rubber glove approach to the Oblivion remaster. They limited changes to modernising visuals and snipping away some annoying features. It's akin to polishing up a holy relic, rather than replacing the gemstones or changing the engravings. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Thursday, February 12, 2026 9:24 AM  Like all white, middle-class Londoners, I subsist on a diet comprised mainly of salted caramel and katsu curry. It appears Grasshopper Manufacture, makers of maximalist action adventure Romeo is a Dead Man, appreciate that delightful marriage of rice, breadcrumbs, and carroty sauce as well. Our lad Romeo can gather up katsu ingredients before delivering them to his waiting mum, who'll turn them into one of ten mouth-watering, buff-applying curries. But can those recipes nourish us, fleshy humans of IRL make, with the same benefits? To find out, I prepped, cooked, and taste-tested all ten of Romeo's mum's katsu creations in my own kitchen. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Thursday, February 12, 2026 7:51 AM  I hope you like warlocks. Well, if you're someone who regularly delves into Diablo, I hope you at the very least don't detest warlocks with all of your hellish heart. Because yesterday evening's Diablo 30th anniversary shindig was rather heavy on warlocks, with the class coming to not just Diablo 4's next expansion, but also Diablo 2 and Diablo Immortal. Meanwhile, Diablo 2: Resurrected has moseyed on over to Steam. |
Twinfinite Thursday, February 12, 2026 7:08 AM  |
Siliconera Thursday, February 12, 2026 2:00 PM
HoYoVerse confirmed that yes, the third member of the in-game idol group Angels of Delusion Nangong Yu will be a playable character when Zenless Zone Zero version 2.7 appears. This also comes as the in-game cutscene from 2.6 with yet another track by the group from a major moment in the story appeared online and a short video that further shared some details about the unit appeared on the official YouTube channel for the game.
Here's the full Nangong Yu YouTube Short. Thanks to the icons that appear there, we know two things about her moveset. One is that she will be an Agent who deals Ether damage in the game. (Her groupmate Aria does too.) The other is that she will be a Stun-type character designed to daze enemies. Given the nature of the group and the fact that we get bonuses from using three characters of the same faction at once, she'll likely support Aria and Sunna's movesets.
As for the cutscene, here's "Hit the Play Button on My New Year," which features the Angels of Delusion singing.
We can actually get the first playable Angels of Delusion character in-game now. The Sunna banner is live until March 4, 2026. After that, the Aria banner will run between March 4-23, 2026.
Zenless Zone Zero is available for the PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices, and we'll see Nangong Yu as a playable Angels of Delusion character after the 2.7 patch launches on March 24, 2026.
The post Angels of Delusion Nangong Yu Playable in Zenless Zone Zero 2.7 appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Thursday, February 12, 2026 1:00 PM
Bandai Namco confirmed that the PlayStation Game Package Miniature Charm 2 collection that features keychains designed to look like Naughty Dog The Last of Us and Uncharted PS3 and PS4 games will finally appear in North America. The Gashapon capsule machines in North America and Canada will start carrying the items. These first appeared in Japan in October 2025.
This set is completely unchanged from the Japanese release. This means that all of the box art features the cases and designs from that region, rather than the English ones. Seven of the eight titles are revealed on the site, with the eighth one being a "secret." However, since this has been around in Japan for a while and people have been selling it on eBay, we know the secret is The Ghost of Tsushima. All boxes can be opened, and inside is a replica of the PS3 or PS4 disc.
Here's a list of all the revealed Naughty Dog The Last of Us and Uncharted PS3 and PS4 games featured in the PlayStation Game Package Miniature Charm 2 keychain collection.
And here are all the images showing how each one looks. There's no official image for The Ghost of Tsushima replica.
This is a rather common Gashapon capsule toy line for Bandai Namco and Sony as of late. We also saw the first run of this line feature PS1 and PS2 games. And at the end of 2025, the company announced a series that features Tales of JRPG boxes from the PS1 to PS5.
The PlayStation Game Package Miniature Charm 2 keychains based on Naughty Dog PS3 and PS4 boxes will begin showing up in the US and Canada in February 2026.
The post Naughty Dog PS3 and PS4 Games Keychains Head to North America appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Thursday, February 12, 2026 12:00 PM
On February 12, 2026, Intention announced that veteran voice actor Kenichi Suzumura will take a break from work after being diagnosed with adjustment disorder. There is no information on when he will come back, as his recovery is the priority, and Intention will make further announcements when Suzumura is ready to return to his normal activities.
Back in May 2024, Suzumura announced a break to recuperate from poor health. He returned to voice acting work a month later in June 2024. According to Intention's announcement, it appears that he didn't make a full recovery back then, as he has still been feeling ill. His doctor diagnosed him with adjustment disorder. Based on this result, Suzumura will go on a break to focus on his own well-being. At the end of the message, Intention thanks everyone for all of their support, as well as apologizes for the worry and trouble that this causes.
Kenichi Suzumura is a familiar voice for anime and video game fans, as he's portrayed many major or memorable roles throughout his career. Some of his most prominent anime roles include Shinn Asuka in Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny, Rogue in Fairy Tail, and Lavi in D.Gray-Man. His video game roles include Zack Fair in the Final Fantasy VII series, Sandalphon in Granblue Fantasy, and Senel in Tales of Legendia.
Intention will announce in the future when Suzumura will return to work.
The post Voice Actor Kenichi Suzumura on a Break for Health Reasons appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Thursday, February 12, 2026 11:00 AM
With Monster Hunter Stories 3, there's the impression this is a more mature take on this spin-off JRPG series. After all, we're seeing some advanced Riders who are Rangers tackling a major situation in this stand-alone installment. After getting to sample the early hours of the adventure, Siliconera had the chance to talk to Executive Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Kenji Oguro, Lead Game Designer Daisuke Wakahara, and Art Director Takahiro Kawano about the development of this installment and what made it unique.
Jenni Lada: Monster Hunter Stories 3 is quite a departure in tone from the shonen anime-style approach to the previous two games. What led to the change in direction for this installment and how did you adjust the narrative and character designs to suit the shift?
Ryozo Tsujimoto: So first of all, monster, when we were thinking about the concept of Monster Hunter Stories 3, after releasing Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, we were thinking about what we wanted to do. Because It was an RPG series, and with RPG at Capcom in general, we haven't had much experience working with it. But because we released Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Stories 2, we wanted to make this next installment a stand-alone, a very strong RPG title, that could not only be a representative of an RPG title from Capcom itself, but also as a Monster Hunter IP.
And when we thought about the concept of Monster Hunter Stories 3, we wanted to really focus on making it more RPG-like than it was. [The] JRPG [genre] is very well known overseas, but we wanted to really focus on making it a very strong RPG title. And if that was going to be the case, for Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2 the story basically focused on the Riders. With the Rider being a very newbie and growing throughout the story, and you kind of grow alongside with them.
But for the scenario of Monster Hunter Stories 3, we wanted the protagonist to be an elite Rider, a more experienced Rider, from the very beginning. As you progress through the story, the player would travel with their friends and their companions and can continue to grow with them, but also have a very serious story. So, to align with that, we wanted more mature characters and relationships to illustrate that world and the setting of the game, which led to more mature and non-shonen-like graphics and character designs.
Speaking of relationships, for the first time in a Monster Hunter Stories game we're getting relationship-building elements with the substories. What led the team to decide to implement these additional quests with your fellow Rangers in Monster Hunter Stories 3, and did fan feedback and requests to connect more with human characters influence the decision?
Kenji Oguro: We didn't really base it upon fan feedback or user feedback, not so much, but because we wanted to focus on making this title a JRPG. That was the biggest influence on wanting to illustrate the characters' relationships with the protagonist for this title. In the past titles, the relationship between the protagonist and the monsties monsters were always important, but we want to expand on that a little bit and focus on the journey of traveling with your friends, companions, because looking at other JRPG titles, that was a very big focus. We felt that we wanted to expand on that.
Up until now, we did have subquests within past Monster Hunter Stories. But rather than focusing on the quantity, having a lot more side quests and subquests, we want to focus on the quality of each of them. So a deeper connection to each of them.
We may not have as many side stories as compared to the subquests that we had in the past, but each of the side stories that are prepared for the characters are a lot deeper and [offer] a deeper connection.
Also because the story is a little more serious, a little bit more mature, we wanted to illustrate who the protagonist was, how they felt, [and] what were they thinking, and for the players to really understand that was an important factor. So we decided to make the protagonist be able to speak for this title so that we could understand what they are feeling, how they're feeling, what they're [hoping] to do in the future, and we want to express that through each scene that the player is playing through.
As a result, because the protagonist is allowed to speak in this title, we were able to illustrate a deeper connection with the companions and the protagonist itself.
When you first start the habitat restoration and conservation tutorial in Monster Hunter Stories 3 in the Azuria area, it starts by bringing Rathian back to the region, and we get to also understand how mutations work. How did you first come up with the idea of having this implemented into the game with the Rangers and is there any particular monster variant you can talk about that you were especially excited to include as part of this additional feature?
Kenji Oguro: Because the protagonist is a Ranger, and as a Ranger, their main activity is to recover and replenish the whole ecology that's gone into turmoil, we didn't want to just illustrate that within the story, but also implement it within the game cycle to link it with each other and make it a game experience for the user. Within the game, the big part of Monster Hunter Stories is to raise your monsters to not only just build a strong connection, but raising them and battle alongside with them.
In the original Monster Hunter Stories and 2, hatching eggs during the Rite of Channeling and building your own team with your favorite monsters was a very big part of the game system. But we wanted to expand on that. Originally, you can find eggs in very set locations, but we wanted to broaden that a little bit by having changes implemented in that area. "What if you were able to advance some of the ecology here and make changes?" You might have an area [where] you have your favorite monsties or monsters, in an area that you really like. We thought that that was a good idea to implement into the game system itself, and from that we had the game designers think of a system that we can implement into the game so we not only raise the monsties, but we actually also make changes to the environment itself.
Daisuke Wakahara: When you do habitat restoration, you will be able to encounter dual-element monsties that basically have elements that an original monster would not be able to have.So for example, if you release a Zinogre into a fire element area, If you find an Zinogre egg from there and hatch it, you might find a fire and thunder dual-element Zinogre. So the body is like originally it would be like a little bit yellow, green, and blue, but it'll be red because it has the fire elements.
As you continue to do habitat restoration, a specific area may have a monster that hasn't been introduced yet. Basically, deviant monsters may start to appear in that specific area.
And what kind of monsters you can look forward to is something that the development team would like for everybody to find out on their own, so we'll keep it a secret for now.
With Monster Hunter Stories 3, it feels like you encourage more constant riding and usage of abilities like breath, flight, and climbing than the previous two games. What led to these more interactive environments and in some cases even more layered maps, and how did the access to more powerful platform opportunities like the Switch 2 affect that?
Kenji Oguro: Because this is an RPG title, we thought the main focus was on the field that you can explore. In Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2, and moving on to 3, we thought about [what] were the elements that we really wanted to focus on to show that it was advanced. We thought the main focus would wherever you can explore was… We thought that was a place where we could really show Capcom's strengths. With the field actions, which are the actions that you can do on the field, how do we make [them] more fun was something that we really thought about. ...What can we do with it?
We thought of the Riding actions that we wanted to expand on for Monster Hunter Stories 3. And with that, Wakahara-san basically thought of how he could implement it into the game system. That turned into what we have right now.
In making that decision, specific consoles did not really have an effect on this. We weren't really thinking of, "Because we're gonna be having the game on a specific console, we should implement this into the game." We focused on trying to deliver this game to as many people as possible. So the game is available on not only specific platforms or consoles, but all platforms that we have.
Feral monsters play a big part in Monster Hunter Stories 3. How did you work on their appearance and movesets to ensure they feel different from their typical behaviors, and how did past Monster Hunter variants like tempered creatures influence the feral ones appearing here?
Takahiro Kawano: For the appearance of the monsters, we had the designers kind of have fun designing [them]. …For example, we have feral Arzuros. If you look at it very closely, at the body design, there were like skull marks that you can kind of see in some places. And for other monsters like feral Plesioth, the designer had like a kind of battleship image. So it has a red belly, if you look closely. So the designers had a lot of fun and were pretty free when designing the feral monsters.
Daisuke Wakahara: For the feral monsters, they have crystallized body parts. For the gameplay [we] wanted to put a focus on that. When the players are going against the feral monsters by breaking those crystallized parts, it weakens the feral monsters' skills, which makes it a lot easier for the players to fight.
If the gameplay was focused mainly on just breaking the parts that that are crystallized, there wouldn't be much of a difference between normal monsters and feral monsters. I wanted to [add] a little twist to it. So that when you are trying to hit the crystallized parts, the feral monster would would obviously like to avoid it and wouldn't want you to do that. If you hit it at the wrong time, the feral monster will do a counter-attack and that really hurts. So you can't always just keep on hitting the crystallized parts. You actually need to strategize and think about, "Oh, right now, I probably shouldn't hit the crystallized parts or else the monster is going to counter-attack me."
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection comes to the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on March 13, 2026, and a demo is available. (Editor's Note: This interview was lightly edited for clarity.)
The post Interview: Leaning Into Monster Hunter Stories 3 JRPG Elements appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Thursday, February 12, 2026 10:01 AM
The Monster Hunter Stories series often leaned into a more youthful approach, with the original installment even appearing alongside a shonen anime adaptation of the adventure. It worked for it, and the sequel kept that trend going. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection breaks it with a mature story that considers things like effects of war on multiple countries and environments, accountability, and the delicate balance of life between humans and their environment. While it's quite a change, my early hours spent with Capcom's latest JRPG seem to suggest the direction is a positive one with a lot of elements that encourage deeper exploration of Rider responsibilities.
Monster Hunter Stories 3 begins with players customizing the prince or princess of the kingdom of Azuria. In addition to being a member of the royal family tied to an endangered Rathalos named Ratha, they are the leader of the Ranger corps of special Riders who dedicate their time to researching monsters and promoting healthy environments. That means investigating the Crystal Encroachment, dealing with invasive species to rescue endangered monster eggs, preserving the environment, and aiding people in the kingdom. When a delegation from Vermeil comes to request they break a Wyvernian pact following the Rift War between the two regions to find a solution to the issue hitting that country harder, Princess Eleanor agrees to stay in Azuria as a political ploy. However, as Eleanor gets closer to the player's avatar and Rangers and the crew learns more about what's going on, they find heading on a journey beyond the lands they know might be necessary for everyone's survival.
From the very outset of Monster Hunter Stories 3, the shift in direction can be felt. The art design is one of them, as this is a more mature cast of largely established Rider Rangers, with the exception being newcomer Thea who's just joined the ranks and serves as a reason to offer tutorials and insight into the faction's actions. Everyone is an adult. They have a Monstie partner they connect with, with our avatar having multiple available to cover all three types of damage (power, speed, and technical). The organization is already known for its research and community assistance. While the group is set up as an authority and the design means people and the Azuria and Cataracts areas both look established, it still feels open and easy to understand.
I also noticed this maturity in certain gameplay elements. One is the habitat restoration that features prominently for some story segments. We'll need to actively deal with a stronger-than-usual invasive monster that wouldn't normally be in the area. Defeating it isn't the priority in the first encounter in Azuria. Rather, surviving and driving it back to a nest is. Once that happens, we can go in, recover the endangered species egg, and begin the restoration process. Hatching and releasing it back into the wild makes it appear in dens' nests again in certain spots in a region. Then, by continuing to invest in that creature's progress, we can see additional developments like mutations with the Rathian in Azuria.
I also feel like that maturity is felt in the relationships between the Rangers characters in Monster Hunter Stories 3. During portions of the campaign. Side Stories with each member of the group come up, allowing our royal avatar an opportunity to connect with allies. In many cases, it helps us see how they interact with folks they've known for longer periods, such as Gaul or Kora. With Eleanor and Thea, it's a chance to see new relationships grow. These also often involve insight into communities, roles of the Rangers, and the monsters around them. I only had a chance to sample initial ones during my preview session, but the fact that they are multistep situations and do involve extra commentary seem to add an extra level of connection and insight into what these Riders are like.
From what I see in its opening hours, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection feels like a more mature approach in terms of characterizations and storytelling. These are established Riders who are using their unique connections to monsters to help restore and repair environments and assist people around them. They're a cohesive group that works well together both in the campaign and side stories. And rather than Capcom just telling us these are adults who understand the gravity of their roles and actions and act based on that, we see it in main quests, side quests, and habitat restoration.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection comes to the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on March 13, 2026, and a demo is available.
The post Preview: Monster Hunter Stories 3 Tonal Shift Suits Its Situation appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Thursday, February 12, 2026 9:00 AM
Atlus revealed that Keio is running a train with Persona brand collaborations to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the game franchise. It also shared that i-rights is running pop-up shops selling exclusive merchandise at Keio stations across Tokyo for a limited time.
The train is being temporarily decorated with several Persona series protagonists until February 21, 2026. The panels also particularly promote the recently released Nintendo Switch 2 version of Persona 3 Reload and the free-to-play game Persona 5: The Phantom X.
Meanwhile, the pop-up shops appear at Shibuya, Kichijoji, Shinjuku, Fuchu, and Sakurajosui stations in two separate timeframes. After the first window closes on February 15, 2026, the second window will appear on February 21-23, 2026.
These shops will exclusively sell merchandise where protagonists of the series' mainline console games wear train station employee uniforms. Prices for the items range from ¥800 (~$5.20) for a full 7-in-1 set of flake stickers to ¥6,300 (~$41.15) for a complete box of charms with station name-themed plates, which are also being sold individually at random for ¥900 (~$5.90).
Keio is particularly noted for running the Inokashira Line, which is also featured on the Metro train map in the Persona 5 sub-series. Persona 5 Royal featured the train route connecting Shibuya and Kichijoji, which also includes a stop at the Inokashira Park station. Persona 5: The Phantom X also has the addition of Shimo-Kitazawa as the location of the Kokatsu Academy on the same line.
The Persona-branded Keio train will be available to see until February 21, 2026. The Persona 30th Anniversary pop-up shops at Keio stations across Tokyo will close on February 23, 2026.
The post Persona 30th Anniversary Train Launches appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Thursday, February 12, 2026 12:32 PM
Knockout Royalty is all set to be the next promo in FC 26, and it will feature some amazing cards in Ultimate Team if the leaks are to be believed.
EA Sports might have remained tight-lipped about the cards, but the promo has been confirmed. The upcoming campaign is brand new and will make its debut in Ultimate Team. Let's look at all the cards that have been revealed on social media.
Table of contents
All FC 26 Knockout Royalty Team 1 players (leaked)
The Knockout Royalty promo will have special cards of active footballers and legends alike. Expect to find promo items, Icons, and Heroes in packs when the campaign goes live. Here's a list of all the leaked cards that have appeared on social media as of writing.
Interestingly, EA Sports has also teased four new Heroes who will be part of the promo. However, their identities are yet to be revealed. Expect to find some promo items in SBCs and objectives. Unlike pack cards, you won't have to rely on your luck to obtain them.
FC 26 Knockout Royalty Team 1 release countdown
Team 1 items will be live on Friday, Feb. 13, when the Future Stars promo officially ends. The following countdown will expire once the promo goes live in Ultimate Team.
The countdown is based on the following times.
This is the usual schedule that EA Sports follows when it comes to releasing new promos in Ultimate Team. More leaks are expected to appear as we get closer to the release date. It will be interesting to find out which cards eventually make it to the final team release.
The post All FC 26 Knockout Royalty Team 1 players and release countdown appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Thursday, February 12, 2026 12:17 PM
As many probably expected, Highguard's development studio, Wildlight Entertainment, is seeing significant layoffs amid the game's less-than-stellar performance. One developer shared that "most of the team" has been let go, but the studio itself said only a "number" of non-essential developers were affected.
"Today we made an incredibly difficult decision to part ways with a number of our team members," the studio said on X. A "core group of developers" will remain at the company to "continue innovating on and supporting the game." This implies only non-essential workers were let go, perhaps even contractors, while the game is supposed to continue chugging along at the same or slightly lower pace.
This is a little different from what level designer Alex Graner said in a LinkedIn post preceding the official announcement by Wildlight. "Along with most of the team at Wildlight, I was laid off today," Graner wrote, saying this particular layoff "really stings" as the team has crafted tons of content that will probably never see the light of day (or, at least, won't be seen through to release by its creators).
From how Graner puts it, Wildlight Entertainment seems to have shed a lot more staff than what its post on X would have us believe. A "number" of non-core developers is in stark contrast to "most of the team." At any rate, a major restructuring has happened internally, and only time can tell how Highguard will turn out.
Recently, I tried to look at it from a more positive perspective. I thought maybe Wildlight would retreat into the shadows, performing its due diligence and perhaps turning the tide around, much like No Man's Sky did after falling from 200,000 to 1,000 players (that one is still getting major updates, by the way). However, it turns out I was dead wrong, or maybe this is a necessary move to ensure long-term plans are put into motion.
We'll see.
The post Well, it looks like Highguard is on life support – 'This one really stings,' says one laid-off dev appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Thursday, February 12, 2026 10:58 AM
Having coins in Mewgenics allows you to get different items from the shop, but they're available in limited amounts.
But there's an easy way to make an infinite amount of money practically. No, I'm not talking about any exploits or glitches; this method is part of the game itself. While the method takes a fair bit of time, you can repeat the process to get as much money as required.
How to get infinite money in Mewgenics
The key to getting infinite money relies on two unique cat skills.
Next, start a battle in the easiest area/zone. The easier the battle, the better it is. Your two strong cats should do the major portion of the damage. They should also absorb as much Damage as possible. Use a few healing items if the situation gets difficult.
First, use the Pickpocket spell on the cat with Copycat. You'll steal one to three coins from them, but the reduced damage is redundant. Next, use the Copycat spell on the cat that has Pickpocket. That allows you to get more coins. Don't worry, because you're not stealing each other's coins.
You can pickpocket on any of your two other cats, but that will reduce their damage. You can do this once or twice, but don't keep abusing the spell since it will weaken the cats who have to fight the enemies. It's also beneficial if you keep a single enemy alive. Doing so will allow you to Pickpocket and Copycat for more turns.
Kill the last remaining enemy to return successfully, and you'll get plenty of coins from your run. Of course, the amount isn't "infinite" in the literal sense, but you can keep doing this method for as many time as you want. It takes a bit of time, but you'll never run out of coins on your adventure.
The post How to get infinite coins in Mewgenics appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Thursday, February 12, 2026 10:05 AM
Disney Dreamlight Valley often has secret prizes you can earn by navigating through long quest series. Mickey's trusty hound Pluto is one such reward, and he's by far one of the trickiest animals to find and meet.
If you're eager to get this pup at your side, you're going to have to put in quite a lot of work to make it happen. Recruiting him is a long process that requires you to check off many different missions along the way, so here's how to unlock Pluto in Disney Dreamlight Valley.
Table of contents
How to get Pluto in Disney Dreamlight Valley
Pluto is a quest reward Companion granted after completing a series of missions in DDV. He was added in the Feb. 11 update and won't be officially obtainable for a few weeks, as new missions tied to him are releasing on a weekly basis.
We'll provide updates here as all details surrounding his unlock process become available. So far, here's everything we know you need to have done to recruit him to your valley.
Unlock the Lady and the Tramp Realm
The first step in this process is to unlock the Lady and the Tramp Realm. If you have all other Realms unlocked, it'll cost you 13,000 Dreamlight to enter this one. The price may vary from this if you don't have all other Realms open, as the pricing scales based on how many doors you've opened.
Unlock Lady and Tramp
Once you've entered the Realm, get to work on all quests you get there to unlock Lady and Tramp. There are three missions you need to work through to unlock Tramp, and one additional one to recruit Lady.
Complete The Spaghetti Incident quest
After getting the iconic dog duo in your valley, check your mailbox to spot a letter from Merlin. This letter will trigger The Spaghetti Incident quest. Travel over to the Dream Castle to find and get rid of the rolling spaghetti balls all around. Proceed through the rest of this quest, which essentially just asks you to find and clean up additional balls around the valley, to move on.
Feb. 18 quest
The next mission you'll need to get done to unlock Pluto unlocks on Feb. 18, so we'll add it here then. This one asks you to visit the home of a canine villager to find some mysterious meatballs. This villager is likely Tramp since the first quest involved Lady.
Feb. 25 quest
A third main mission for unlocking Pluto drops on Feb. 25. This one will focus on finding some mysterious floating tomatoes around the valley and seems to be the last spaghetti ingredient we'll have to deal with.
Acquire all Mementos
When it comes time to actually get Pluto, you'll need to have obtained all available Mementos. There are five of them from your past adventures, plus the Well-Loved Dog Collar you found during the Meatballs quest with Lady and Tramp. Here's how to get each one.
Complete The Memento quest
Once you have all of the Mementos besides the Well-Loved Dog Collar, Merlin will send you some mail to start The Memento quest. All you need to do for this one is meet up with him and chat about the strange items you've acquired.
There's more to be revealed with the unlocking process for Pluto, but many of the key steps are already known, so you can get going on them to ensure you're ready to recruit him as soon as he's available. We'll update this guide with all the latest details as they become available, so check back here weekly to work your way through the next steps.
The post How to unlock Pluto in Disney Dreamlight Valley appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Thursday, February 12, 2026 8:53 AM
As you work through the many quests you're given in Disney Dreamlight Valley, you'll often be tasked with obtaining mission-exclusive items like the Purple Fruit fallen from a mad tree. These kinds of resources are tough to locate since they're only available during certain quests.
During Lady's Canine Cuisine mission, you're told to find Purple Fruit, but not given any additional hints or details for where it's located outside of a mad tree. There are loads of trees around the valley and DLC worlds, so figuring out which one this quest is referring to with the minimal information you're given is pretty difficult. Here's how to get Purple Fruit fallen from a mad tree in Disney Dreamlight Valley.
Table of contents
Where is the Purple Fruit fallen from a mad tree in Disney Dreamlight Valley?
The Purple Fruit fallen from a mad tree can be found by the Cheshire Cat's tree in DDV. For the purposes of the Canine Cuisine quest, you're looking for the house version of his tree, not the one you can visit in the Alice in Wonderland Realm.
Most villager houses can be freely placed anywhere in the valley, with a few exceptions like Mother Gothel, Maleficent, or Jafar, since they live in key landmark spots that cannot be moved. The Cheshire Cat's house, though, is a home that can be put anywhere you like.
This can make finding the Purple Fruit rather tough, as only you know where you chose to put this trickster feline's home. DLC worlds like Wishblossom Ranch, The Storybook Vale, and Eternity Isle are valid locations, too, so you might need to venture to one of these spots if that's where you chose to place him.
I have the Cheshire Cat set up in Teapot Falls over in The Storybook Vale, so when hunting for the Purple Fruit, I had to travel over there to obtain it. If you aren't sure where you put the Cheshire Cat, check the map of each world you have to find his icon. Unlike most other villagers, he's almost always home, so if you spot his icon on the map, there's a good chance he's marking this tree for you.
Purple Fruit fallen from a mad tree in Disney Dreamlight Valley
At the Cheshire Cat's mad tree, you're looking for a dark red and purple-tinged fruit somewhere on the ground nearby. The Purple Fruit has the exact same shape as the Dreamlight Fruit that grows on trees in the valley after completing Simba's Seed of Memories and The Dreamlight Grove missions.
You only need one Purple Fruit for the Canine Cuisine quest, so you'll only spot one on the ground near the tree. If you don't see it, try moving some nearby furniture around, as it may spawn hidden behind items or tucked away in corners, depending on what you have placed nearby.
Using Furniture mode to get an overhead view of the area may also be helpful if you're still struggling to locate it. The fruit also sparkles when you're decently close to it, so be sure to keep an eye out for that, too.
The post How to get Purple Fruit fallen from a mad tree in Disney Dreamlight Valley appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Thursday, February 12, 2026 8:20 AM
Subnautica 2's latest trailer has given a glimpse of how co-op will work in the upcoming title, and you'll be able to share your experience with your buddy.
Unlike the two older titles, Subnautica 2 will have complete support for co-op. While you can survive the isolation on your own, you can also bring a friend with you. Let's look at how co-op will work and how bringing a buddy will be advantageous for the two of you.
Subnautica 2 co-op explained
Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero were single-player experiences. All decisions you made in the game were entirely dependent on your decision-making. Subnautica 2 will have the same features available for the players, but a co-op mode will also be available.
Co-op in Subnautica 2 won't be like how it works in It Takes Two or Split Fiction. It will be optional, but there's native support. All party members will be playing in the same shared world. However, the players will be free when it comes to making in-game decisions. They can engage in the same activity or decide to do something else.
In essence, players will be able to convert their single-player worlds to multiplayer. Doing so will allow them to retain their progression for co-op. However, you can also create a new world to enjoy the game in co-op. Thanks to cross-platform support at launch, players using different systems will be able to play together.
There will be a few co-op exclusive features in Subnautica 2.
While everything looks fantastic as of writing, we have yet to have confirmed information about the launch date. Subnautica 2 is expected to be out in early access later this year.
The post How will co-op work in Subnautica 2 appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Thursday, February 12, 2026 7:11 AM
Lady and her beau Tramp have finally moved in as official villagers in Disney Dreamlight Valley. Something isn't quite right with Lady, though, and it's up to you to help her feel better and get settled in the Canine Cuisine quest.
As soon as Lady begins to feel comfortable in the valley, some unexpected chaos unsettles her, so you have to work on making things right again. There are some tricky components to this one, so here's a complete walkthrough for the Canine Cuisine quest in Disney Dreamlight Valley.
Table of contents
How to complete Canine Cuisine in Disney Dreamlight Valley
Go inside Chez Remy with Lady
To get things going, follow Lady into Chez Remy, as something there is bothering her. Turns out, she's just perplexed that the establishment is run by a rat, and starts barking at him as soon as you get inside. She won't stop, so head back outside to help calm her down.
Have some fun with Lady around the valley
Back outside, your new goal is to have some fun with Lady to help de-escalate the situation. Follow Lady to a new smell she picked up over in the Peaceful Meadow. Then, chat with her to see if she's feeling any better. She is, but a few more activities will help even more, so keep hanging out with her and working through the tasks that pop up.
There are three mini missions you'll need to check off to move on:
Once you're done with these three tasks, meet up with Lady to chat and see if she's feeling better. She's ready to give Remy a shot and apologize for her earlier behavior, so head back to his restaurant to check in.
Talk to Lady once you're inside to give her a proper introduction to Remy this time around. She's calm now and apologizes for being skeptical of Remy, explaining that it's because there was a mean rat who tried to hurt her owner's baby. While you were away, Remy found a recipe Lady might enjoy, so it's now time to get to work on it.
Gather the Ingredients for the Doggy Donut
There are four ingredients you need to get for the Doggy Donut recipe. These items are as follows.
Cook the Doggy Donut
With all the ingredients now obtained, head to any cooking station to cook the Doggy Donut. It's actually called a Strange Purple Donut when you go to cook it, since you'll soon learn it's been tampered with. Give it to Lady to see what she thinks.
As suspected, the Doggy Donut has indeed been tampered with. Someone changed the last ingredient to be different from what Remy meant for you to use, and considering you visited the Cheshire Cat's tree to get it, you already know who the culprit is.
Follow Lady as she tracks the scent
Lady is a bit upset about the situation, so follow her as she tracks down the Cheshire Cat to give him a piece of her mind. She stops at the top of the stairs leading down into Dazzle Beach from the Peaceful Meadow, so chat with her there to see what's going on.
Follow the purple cat tracks starting from the Dazzle Beach stairs
She stopped because she found some purple cat tracks you can follow. They start at the Dazzle Beach stairs and continue down into this biome. Follow the cat tracks around the beach until you reach the Cursed Cave.
This is the cavern at the very east end of the beach, and it's different from the Mystical Cave located near the middle of the beach, so make sure you choose the right one. Talk to the Cheshire Cat once you're inside.
Make peace between Lady and the Cheshire Cat
Now that the situation has been cleared up, it's time to officially make peace between Lady and the Cheshire cat by cooking the proper Doggy Donut. Remy gave you the right ingredient this time around, so head to a cooking station and select the Doggy Donut recipe to get going.
Place the Edwardian Dog Bowl near the Cheshire Cat's Tree
With the Doggy Donut now cooked, place the Edwardian Dog Bowl somewhere near the Cheshire Cat's Tree. Then, head over to it and chat with the Cheshire Cat to progress. He'll enjoy the meal alongside Lady and Tramp, and as soon as they're done, the Canine Cuisine quest will officially be complete.
The post Canine Cuisine quest walkthrough in Disney Dreamlight Valley appeared first on Destructoid. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Thursday, February 12, 2026 7:39 AM According to a recent report. The post Helldivers Movie Launches Next Year And Will Starring Jason Mamoa appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Thursday, February 12, 2026 7:07 AM The developer announced on social media. The post Wildlight Entertainment Lays Off Staff 2 Weeks After Highguard's Launch appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |