Game Buoy Podcast Episode 190 – BIG NEWS

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Ahoy, mateys, and welcome to the GAMEBUOY.ORG video game podcast – your port of call for gaming news and views that maybe aren’t on your radar, but most definitely should be! On this episode, recorded Sunday, March 1, 2026, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy discuss some recent big news in gaming.

HOT TOPIC IS THE WAY THAT WE RHYME

• Legendary Castlevania and Bloodstained developer Shutaro Ida has passed away at the age of 52.
• Phil Spencer has left Xbox after 25 years; Sarah Bond has left as well, and Michael Pachter is not optimistic about the future of the brand.
• Saudi Arabia’s RTS has acquired the EVO fighting game tournaments; EVO insists its “traditions, values, and identity will remain unchanged” after the acquisition.
• Sony has shut down Bluepoint Games, who apparently was denied the opportunity to do a Bloodborne remake.
• NieR Automata has passed the 10 million games shipped marked, and a teaser trailer states that the game is “to be continued…”
• CyberConnect2 has announced .hack//Z.E.R.O. – a new action RPG in the .hack series.
• Koei Tecmo is transferring part of Team Ninja to Gust as part of internal restructuring.  
• Slay the Spire 2 will have 4-player co-op and comes to Early Access in March.

RELEASE UPDATES

• Balatro is now available for Switch 2. 
• Square Enix has opened up pre-registration for Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, which launches for iOS and Android on March 31.
• PowerWash Simulator 2’s  “Adventure Time Pack” DLC will launch on April 9.
• Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition will launch on May 28.
• Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 1+2 Dual Collection launches on July 9 for PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC via Steam.
• 70s-style Robot Anime Geppy-X, a remastered version of the Japanese-only PlayStation game 70’s Robot Anime Geppy-X, will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam on July 16.
• Marvel’s Wolverine officially releases on September 15 for PlayStation 5.

RETRO RELEASE UPDATES

• NSO Classics (+Expansion Pack) 2-17-26 – Virtual Boy Library
• Arcade Archives 2-19-26 – Adventure Canoe (1982, Taito)
• Console Archives 2-19-26 – Dezaemon (Famicom, 1991, ATHENA)
• Arcade Archives 2-26-26 – Rave Racer (1995, Namco)

CULTURE CLUB

• 2D Metroidvania game Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland is launching on March 31 for PC via Steam and coming to Switch later this year.
• King of Tokyo, based on the board game, will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC via Steam on May 21.
• Stop Killing Games is launching two NGOs in the UK and the US to take part in “long-term counter-lobbying.”
• Original Saints Row director Chris Stockman believes the franchise is dead and was “ghosted” by Embracer Group after they reached out to discuss reviving the franchise.
• Animation studio ufotable has released a trailer teasing a Tales of series 30th anniversary collaboration reveal on April 3.
• Yoko Taro of Drakengard and NieR fame is writing a new Evangelion anime.
• Discord is delaying delays controversial age verification rollout  following significant backlash from the community.
• Valve’s Deadlock is nearly as popular as Overwatch, despite being invite-only and in Early Access.
• GOG says “game preservation only works if people care” and is asking player “who give a s**t” to support its efforts.

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO

• The FFXIV Letter from the Producer Live XCI stream will air at 4am PT/7am ET on March 13, 2026. 
• Pokémon Pokopia director Takuto Edagawa has confirmed the game will have Minecraft-style “cloud” servers that don’t require the host to be online.
• Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is now available.
• A Super Pocket handheld themed to and featuring Rare games is being release.
• Destiny 2: Shadow and Order is getting delayed until June 9 as it gets large revisions and a new name.
• The directors of the Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly remake discussed how frightening things can be beautiful and that Japanese horror games are good at “restraining jump scares and graphic violence.”
• Kyouran Makaism has been announced for worldwide release as Disgaea Mayhem, due Summer 2026 for Switch, Switch 2, PS5, and PC.
• Limited Run Games and Konami have revealed Marvel Maximum Collection, a game that bundles six classic Marvel 8- and 16-bit arcade games into one package. 
• RedOctane has revealed their plastic instrument rhythm game, Stage Tour.
• Nioh 3 has sold 1 million copies in 2 weeks.

SO CONTROVERSIAL

• PS3’s Metal Gear Solid 4, PSP’s Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, and its console version Peace Walker HD have been removed from the PS3, PSP, and Xbox stores.
• A popular competitive Street Fighter 6 player was detained by immigration enforcement.
• The new Final Fantasy 7 re-release on Steam has significant bugs, resulting in a “Mostly Negative” overall rating.
• Finji has revealed that TikTok is releasing racist and sexualized generative AI ads of its games without its permission.
• New York state’s attorney general is suing Valve over its use of loot boxes. 
• Reddit has banned a subreddit in which members were posting sexualized content of Diana from Pragmata.
• Highguard was reportedly secretly funded by Tencent.

DOOM AND GLOOM

• Jason Schreier revealed that over 100 members of the Highguard team were laid off and found out at an all-hands meeting.
• TiMi Montreal closes after five years without having released a single game.
• Midsummer Studios, founded in 2024 by former Firaxis developers, will be shutting down.
• Full Circle, the studio behind Skate, has laid off an unspecified number of staff.
• Amazon is no longer publishing Maverick Games’ open-world driving game, and they have canceled King of Meat less than 6 months after its launch.

RUMOR HAS IT

• Sony is reportedly considering delaying the PS6, and Nintendo Switch 2 is considering a price increase.
• Reports suggest that Sony is moving away from PC releases for single player games.

MINI-DISCUSSION

The Podcast Pirates discuss all the announcements from the Pokemon Presents 30th Anniversary Stream!

Sources referenced:

• Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Switch releases broken wide open by speedrunner who finishes them in under 3 hours and discovers the Legendary events are included (GamesRadar+)
• Nintendo Seemingly Rules Out Virtual Console Revival, Says It Remains Focused On Offering Classics Via Switch Online (Nintendo Life)
• Pokémon Sapphire And Ruby ROM Support Found In FireRed/LeafGreen Switch Files, Dataminer Claims (Kotaku)

WHAT’S UP

Captain Spike has been playing Virtual Boy on Nintendo Switch Online, Marvel Rivals, Animal Crossing,  One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, Mario Tennis Fever, and Pokemon FireRed. First Mate Slaggy McWaggy has been playing Disney Afternoon Collection, Mario Tennis Fever, and Pokemon FireRed.

SOCIAL LINKS QUESTION OF THE WEEK

This week we’re pivoting from our plans in order to talk about gaming current events. Including this week’s Pokemon Presents, which had many of us abuzz; what did you think about the announcements? Was there anything you were hoping to see that wasn’t featured?

EXITLUDE

SHOUT OUTS – “FRIENDS OF BUOY”

• Orange Lounge Radio IIDX, where every geek has a voice
• Aftermath, an independent, worker-owned website about video games, other media and internet culture
• Game Mechanics, where TTRPG designers “kick tires and run diagnostics on tabletop experiences”
• Walloping Websnappers! A Spider-Man Podcast, a dive into every Spider-Man cartoon ever made
• The Bobby Blackwolf Show, a weekly internet radio show and podcast discussing the latest news in gaming as well as sometimes reminiscing about gaming’s history
• Video Game Realness, a dose of gaming chit chat among friends
• Nintendo Pow Block, a dive into the week that was in the world of Nintendo
• Standard Issue Computing, retro and modern computer games, hardware, software, and history
• Sasha’s Retrobytes, “bytes” of vintage gaming including magazine scans and photographs
• Defunct Games, your daily source for modern video game reviews, exciting trivia competitions and old school magazine analysis
• Thomas Game Docs, where each video covers “a different aspect of video game history”
• Craig, Slaggy McWaggy’s robot boyfriend a multi-track voice channel recording bot for Discord