Riot Games is laying off employees on its 2XKO team, just a few weeks after the game's 1.0 launch on PC and consoles on January 20. The company announced this in a blog post, and though it doesn't share how many employees are being laid off, a Riot spokesperson told Game Developer that approximately 80 employees were let go, which is around half of the game's development team. 

As for why, Riot says that while 2XKO has resonated with a passionate core audience, "overall momentum hasn't reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term." Despite the layoffs, Riot says it's committed to making key improvements to the game and supporting its community through tournament organizers and local fighting game communities.

 "After a lot of discussion and reflection, we are reducing the size of the 2XKO team," 2XKO executive producer Tom Cannon writes in the blog post. "I want you to know that decision wasn't made lightly. As we expanded from PC to console, we saw consistent trends in how players were engaging with 2XKO. The game hasn't resonated with a passionate core audience, but overall momentum hasn't reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term. With a smaller, focused team, we're going to dig in and make key improvements to the game, including some of the things we've already heard you asking for. We'll share some of our plans soon." 

Riot's plans for the 2026 Competitive Series are unchanged, Cannon writes in the blog post, adding this decision reflects a shift in how the team operates and isn't a "judgment on individual Rioters or a signal that the journey is over. We're reshaping the team to give 2XKO a more sustainable path forward." 

Cannon writes that Riot is committed to helping the affected employees through this transition, "including helping them explore opportunities within Riot where possible, and providing a minimum of 6 months of notice pay and severance where it's not." 

The hearts of Game Informer staff are with everyone affected by these layoffs. 

After casting Kratos last month, Amazon has filled the role of Atreus for its upcoming God of War live-action series. As reported by Variety, Callum Vinson will play the role of Kratos’ young son from the Norse series of games.

Vinson will play opposite Ryan Hurst’s Kratos in the upcoming series. The young actor has previously appeared in series such as Chucky, Long Bright River, Poker Face, and Dead Ringers. He also voices Piglet in the animated series Me & Winnie the Pooh/Playdate with Winnie the Pooh. In addition to God of War, Vinson’s upcoming appearances include roles in Netflix’s The Night Agent, and he will portray a young Jason Voorhees in Peacock’s Crystal Lake, a prequel to Friday the 13th slated to premiere this year.

Callum Vinson

Amazon’s God of War adapts the storyline of 2018’s God of War, which features Kratos and Atreus on a journey to lay Faye, Kratos’ wife and Atreus’ mother, to rest. Deadline shares Atreus’ official show description as:

"The ten-year old son of Kratos, who grew up in a remote forest cabin, isolated from the rest of the world and raised almost entirely by his mother Faye. He is an accomplished archer, has an affinity for animals and is intensely curious about what lies beyond the confines of his forest home. After his mother’s death, Atreus is left with a cold, distant father who he barely knows and who knows little about him in return. Nonetheless, Atreus yearns for his father’s approval and is desperate to prove he is strong enough to survive in a harsh and dangerous world."

So far, the announced cast is as follows:

Ryan Hurst - Kratos
Callum Vinson - Atreus
Max Parker - Heimdall
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson - Thor
Mandy Patinkin - Odin
Alastair Duncan - Mimir
Danny Woodburn - Brok
Jeff Gulka - Sindri

Amazon’s God of War currently has a two-season order and is now in pre-production in Vancouver. The series is led by showrunner, writer, and executive producer Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica). It will be co-produced by Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios, PlayStation Productions, and Tall Boy Productions.

[Source: Variety]

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PC
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios
Release: February 12, 2026

The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series has emerged as one of Sega’s top dogs over the last decade. For more than 20 years, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Japan-set crime-action franchise has delivered gripping narratives with stellar gameplay. Its latest effort, Yakuza Kiwami 3, a remake of the often-overlooked 2010 original that includes a new narrative side-story called Dark Ties, continues the momentum. While not perfect, it delivers the fun and fury of previous entries and features a plot that doesn’t pull punches.

Returning to the crime-riddled streets of Kamurocho and, now, the sunny townscape of Okinawa, protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is thrust back into the yakuza scene after his new life as an orphanage owner is threatened. For newcomers, Kiwami 3 isn’t as action-oriented as the original game or even Yakuza 0, but focuses on the drama and familial aspects, with questions of morality and trust at the forefront.

 

As a result, Yakuza 3 has one of my favorite narratives in the series, and Kiwami keeps it mostly intact, apart from some missed opportunities and plot changes. Characters like Mine and Rikiya shine, with this entry’s more dramatic flair bringing out the best from the actors. However, some flaws from the original story, like pacing, are noticeably untouched in this release, which proves even more disruptive in 2026.

Fortunately, the game’s fist-to-face combat is still top-notch. One of the original’s biggest gameplay issues was its impossible-to-hit foes, and Kiwami 3 fixes that mistake while keeping the challenge. Plus, with the new Ryukyu style, you get more options in your street fights, like area-of-effect attacks and guard breaks. While 0 and Lost Judgment have Kiwami 3’s combat beat, this modern remake still delivers the brand of high-octane combat that made the series what it is. Plus, nothing beats using a bicycle to slam hooligans in the middle of traffic.

I just wish those satisfying fight sequences looked more consistent, as the visuals deliver a mixed bag. Sometimes, the crowded cityscapes and engaging cutscenes look great. Other times, textures and combat can feel a bit muddied. It starts to lose that seamless cutscene-to-gameplay transition the franchise often prides itself on, especially with recent titles like Infinite Wealth and Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

That aside, everything fans want in a Yakuza game is present, including mini-games and karaoke. While still fun, some aspects of the side content are a bit contrived. A few of the new activities are little more than minor rebrands of content from Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, like the new Bad Boy Dragon missions, which is disappointing for a mainline title. While managing your orphanage via minigames and substories are fun ways to experience the story and world, its forced inclusion into the main narrative often impedes the momentum of the plot if not actively engaged with.

The biggest addition is, of course, the new narrative arc Dark Ties, which follows antagonist Yoshitaka Mine on his rise to power in the Tojo Clan. While only a few chapters, akin to Kiwami 2’s Majima Saga, it does a great deal to show off Mine and his mysterious psyche. In a brains/brawn style matchup, both he and Kanda, the hotheaded leader of the Nishikiyama Family, are fun to watch bounce off each other. We also get some excellent back and forth between Mine and Daigo Dojima, otherwise absent in the main game 

Unfortunately, Dark Ties’ combat falls well short of the highs achieved by the main game. Mine’s style is too simplistic, and his move variety leaves much to be desired. His Rage system is a neat concept, as each charge makes attacks more powerful, helping against tougher enemies and leveling the playing field. Compared to Kiwami 3’s main game, it’s underwhelming, but the fun story is worth tolerating the underbaked gameplay.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 continues the solid streak for Ryu Ga Gotoku and the series. The gripping narrative and fun combat deliver on what players enjoy. It doesn’t raise the bar in any way, but newcomers and returning fans will find it a thrill ride from start to epic finish. 

Score: 8

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PlayStation has announced that it will host a State of Play livestream this week, featuring news, gameplay updates, and announcements from studios around the world. More specifically, the State of Play airs on Thursday, February 12, at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET, and will spotlight more than 60 minutes of third-party, indie, and first-party games. 

The State of Play will stream on PlayStation's various YouTube and Twitch channels. As for what to expect, that's anybody's guess. On the first-party front, PlayStation's Housemarque studio is launching Saros in April, after a delay from its original March date; Insomniac Games is releasing Marvel's Wolverine, which is set in the same universe as the studio's Spider-Man games, sometime this year as well, so there's a good chance we'll see both of these games on Thursday. 

On the third-party front, nobody would be surprised to see more Resident Evil Requiem, which has been closely aligned with PlayStation on marketing, and given Capcom's history with its prior Resident Evil games, there's a chance we get a Requiem demo – both Biohazard and Village received demos prior to launch. Capcom could also appear with another look at Pragmata before its April release, and we also expect to see various other third-party and indie games as well. 

With over an hour promised of news and updates, this will likely be one of PlayStation's biggest showcases of the year. 

Let us know what you want to see at the PlayStation State of Play in the comments below!

It's February, which in recent years has become an unexpected battleground for big new releases. Resident Evil Requiem is right around the corner, as is the Switch Virtual Boy peripheral – two video games experiences that are inspiring equal amounts of hype. The good news, is we have played both, which you can read about below. But more importantly, you can read about what we're playing this weekend, and what we think you might want to check out, as well.

It's Friday and it's time for the weekend and our usual recommendation of games and things you should check out! But before that, here's a recap of the biggest stories of the week:

• The Oral History Of Fallout
• Dragon Quet VII Reimagined Review
• Overwatch 2 Is Just 'Overwatch' Again And Five New Heroes Arrive Next Week
• I Played The Virtual Boy Games On Switch 2, And It Was Actually Kind Of Cool
• I Played Resident Evil Requiem And Pragmata On Switch 2 – And They Ran Surprisingly Well
• Mewgenics – Review In Progress

The Games You Should Check Out This Weekend