It is over. Christmas has been vanquished once more, our social obligations have been met, and now we can all enjoy those games we undoubtedly got from Christmas. Or Lego, that’s a big one too. Speaking of, there’s been that Lord of the Rings Minas Tirith set leak, or supposed leak. Just a rumour, but I am incredibly excited. Now with that piece of non-gaming news addressed, let’s see what’s gone on over the festive period.
007 First Light has been delayed until mid-2026
We are starting with some mixed news: 007 First Light has been kicked back until May 27th, 2026. IO Interactive has said that they want to use this two-month delay to “polish and refine” the project. Which is excellent. I have said it before, but I respect when a developer pushes back games. Just not the extent that Rockstar has been lately.
I much prefer when they come out and just say, “This isn’t fully cooked yet, give us a little bit”. Yes, I will happily give you all the time you need to make sure your game is the best it can be. Rushed development gives us the likes of Cyberpunk or MindsEye. Probably the latter is why IO is being a lot more critical here. Plus, now it releases on my birthday. It can only mean one thing. I am the next James Bond.
EA Shareholders approve sale to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund
It is the story that is terrifying the gaming world; the sale of EA to Saudi Arabia has been overwhelmingly approved. There are a few other parties involved, but the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund is the main one. Now, I am not the smartest tool in the shed, but even I know this is a scary time.
Let’s not go into the Saudi Arabia of it all; instead, it is the deal itself that is a worry. It is a Leveraged Buyout, which, by some wizardry, is landing EA with $20 billion of debt. EA, who are already the kings of microtransactions. This deal can only lead to even more of those, plus massive layoffs, no doubt, as they dig themselves out of this hole. The deal is not officially done, even after this shareholder approval. It will be subject to approval from regulatory bodies, so it might still fail. Honestly, let’s hope so.
FIFA is getting back in the game with a Netflix collaboration
Do you remember when FIFA took out a bazooka and monumentally shot itself in the foot? That doesn’t narrow it down, does it? I am specifically referring to the EA Sports FIFA series, when FIFA demanded a king’s ransom for the rights to the World Cup, and EA went “Nah”. FC Sports was born and continues to be a monolith, and FIFA was left with a huge hole in their pocketbook.
Well, now they are coming back, but with a twist. There isn’t much concrete news, besides the fact that it will be released on Netflix before the 2026 World Cup. It will also be played using mobile devices, even on TVs. I don’t think anyone will really care, to be blunt. FC Sports is still fantastic, without the World Cup, and you can still play as national teams. It will be developed by Delphi Interactive, though, who are also involved in 007 First Light. Just pointing that out as I realised all three of the stories so far are linked together.
Digimon Story Time Stranger gets a second DLC next month
I am beyond ecstatic that Digimon Story Time Stranger was a smash hit upon release. I adore Digimon, and the Story games are such good fun. The good times will keep on rolling, with the second season pass DLC releasing in January 2026. It is named Additional Digimon & Episode Pack 2: GAKU-RAN. The Digimon DLC names were never that creative.
There will be new Digibolution routes for Mega Digimon, including BanchoLillymon, BanchoStingmon, BanchoGolemon, and BanchoMamemon. All pale in comparison to the mighty Mega Garurumon, however. There will also be a questline that follows Hiroko Sagisaka. To be fair, it could be a DLC that revolved around a troupe of Numemon doing a 10-hour interpretive dance, and I would be delighted. Digimon is back!
Gaming legend Vince Zampella has sadly passed away
We are unfortunately ending on a rather dower note this week. Vince Zampella, one of the creators of Call of Duty and founder of Respawn Entertainment, has passed away in a vehicle accident. It takes a special type of talent to walk into an established genre and basically take it over, which is exactly what he did with shooters.
Beyond that, Respawn was involved in multiple other hit franchises, like Titanfall and the Star Wars Jedi titles. Even if you don’t like Call of Duty, like myself, you can still admire the influence Zampella had on gaming as a whole.
