Tim Sweeney starts peddling AI, Nintendo leaves journalists in the lurch, and Epic teases The Witcher 4

Good morning! Patch Notes has returned after a longer-than-expected hiatus and much like this journalist, who is celebrating their 32nd birthday tomorrow, has aged like that top shelf wine behind the counter at your local Bargain Booze. It’s similar, but a little bit different—and hopefully still largely palatable.

In its new format, Patch Notes will take center stage each Friday to spotlight the week’s biggest headlines and most fascinating news tidbits. We like to think you read everything we publish here at Game Developer, but on the rare occasion you’re too busy with other life antics we hope Patch Notes will become your one-stop-shop for game industry news. A buffet of headlines you can savor at your leisure.

It’s like a cozy breakfast in bed, but instead of perfectly seasoned eggs on toast its executives putting their feet directly into their own mouths while the industry implodes. I jest, of course. We also have other news. Anyway, that’s enough British cynicism for one week. Let’s get on with the main event, shall we? Here’s everything that happened in the wonderful world of video games over the past seven days:

via Game Developer // More layoffs and project cancellations at Polish studio People Can Fly, but this time the company claims its hand was forced by Japanese publisher Square Enix. In a series of scathingly blunt current reports outlining the situation, People Can Fly accused Square Enix of failing to draft a content rider relating to additional work on Project Gemini—which the Japanese company was slated to publish. People Can Fly said the uncertainty caused by that inaction resulted in the suspension of two projects (including Gemini) and 60 layoffs. 

Related:Reports of Switch 2 screen punctures raise questions over hardware packaging

via VGC // The Switch 2 finally landed this week, but those in the business of hardware reviews found themselves waiting to scramble together launch coverage after Nintendo declined to send review units out to reporters ahead of time. As noted by VGC, the Japanese company said hardware was held back because “important features and updates” will only be available on June 5. It’s a blow for both journalists and consumers, with the former likely having to rush through reviews and the latter having the wait for comprehensive coverage. Will Nintendo care? Given Switch 2 pre-orders have bolted out the door, probably not.

Related:Subway Surfers Blast developer Outplay Entertainment has laid off 21 workers

via Game Developer // Unreal Engine 5.6 is here, but that wasn’t necessarily the big reveal during Epic’s annual State of Unreal showcase. The Fortnite maker kicked off the show with a very impressive technical demo set inside the world of The Witcher 4. Although not a slice of the game itself—this morsel was built specifically for State of Unreal—the 14 minute spectacle provided a glimpse of key UE 5.6 features in action and teased what players can look forward to when The Witcher 4 does eventually debut. It also had some stellar horse animation, which is something the internet goes nuts for apparently. 

via IGN // Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is the latest exec to completely misread the room and begin spouting gumbo about how generative AI will pave the way for unimaginable video game experiences that will somehow be created with scant human input. Speaking to IGN, he claimed AI prompts will become a “fundamental part” of game engines and could even allow for “infinite dialogue” without the need for writers or actual creative input. “What would it take for a 10-person team to build a game like Zelda Breath of the Wild in which the AI is just doing all the dialogue and you’re just writing some character synopsis?,” he pondered. The answer, one could suggest, might have already been revealed in Fortnite, where Epic recently debuted an AI-powered version of Darth Vader capable of learning slurs. Unimaginable indeed. 

Related:RuneScape studio Jagex lays off an undisclosed number of ‘non-player facing’ staff

via FromSoftware // Elden Ring Nightreign has proven that people still aren’t tired of getting their ass handed to them by FromSoftware. The standalone multiplayer spin-off has surpassed 3.5 million unit sales and shipments within a week of launch. FromSoftware shared the milestone on X (via Google Translate) and pledged to continue supporting the title with updates and expansions. The original Elden Ring, meanwhile, is being given the movie treatment by none other than A24. 

via Apple // Just when you think LocalThunk’s acclaimed deck-building roguelike has won it all, the indie game that could inevitably manages to keep the streak going. This time, Balatro won over the boffins at Apple to nab one of the company’s prestigious Design Awards. It faced some pretty steep competition in the Games category—with Thank Goodness You’re Here! and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown also receiving nominations—but as has been the case so often recently, Balatro ultimately emerged victorious.

via PlayStation blog // Emerging from the bushes Homer Simpson style to ruin Nintendo’s long-awaited Switch 2 launch party, Sony unveiled its latest piece of PlayStation hardware this week in the guise of a wireless fight stick. I bet you didn’t think that’s where that sentence was going. Although it might not set hearts fluttering unless you’re a bonafide brawlhead, it’s still fascinating to see Sony experiment with new hardware for PlayStation—and in this instance, PC too. The wireless device, codenamed Project Defiant, has been designed by Sony Interactive Entertainment and sports nifty features like interchangeable restrictor gates, buttons with mechanical switches, and a DualSense-esque touchpad. It also gets bonus points for looking properly slick. 

via IGN // Everybody’s favourite multi-billion-dollar conglomerate Activision Blizzard played another blinder this week when it added in-game store advertisements to player loadouts in Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Warzone. As you can imagine, this went down like a lead balloon with players, who lambasted the Microsoft subsidiary for attempting to milk users who’d already forked out on a premium product. Activision acknowledged the issue and claimed the ads were the result of a “UI feature test” that was published in error. Hey, mistakes happen, but perhaps the bigger concern is that Activision had already deemed the feature worthy of testing. What’s that saying again—it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission? 

via Welsh Government // Six developers based in Wales have received a combined £850,000 in funding from the Welsh Government. It’s a slice of positive news for developers in the region, with the cash being dished out through The Games Scale Up Fund for Wales—the first scheme of its kind. The program was launched earlier this year by Creative Wales in partnership with the UK Games Fund and aims to help Welsh developers expand their projects beyond the ‘pilot’ stage. The recipients this time around include Cloth Cat, COPA Gaming, Goldborough Studios, Rocket Science, Sugar Creative, and Wales Interactive.

via CNBC // Apple has tried and failed to appeal a ruling that will prevent it from charging commissions on third-party payment links inside its apps—or telling developers how those links should look. The news relates to Apple’s high-profile legal battle with Epic Games, which saw the latter begin legal proceedings in a bid to add third-party payments methods to Fortnite. Epic eventually won out, paving the way for Fortnite to return to the App Store in the United States after a five year hiatus. As noted by CNBC, Apple says it will continue arguing over how third-party payments are implemented to ensure the App Store remains a “safe and trusted experience for our users.” Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney said the latest ruling means the “long national nightmare of the Apple tax is ended.”