James Bond is poised to make his grand return to video games for the first time in over a decade through IO Interactive's 007 First Light, and we're excited to feature the world famous superspy's latest adventure on our next cover. We traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, to get the behind-the-scenes story of how the studio best known for the Hitman series developed another kind of globetrotting agent adventure.

Game Informer Magazine – Issue 375 (February 2026)

007 First Light is an origin story for Bond, telling how he became the agent he is in most media in which we see him depicted. As such, our cover art depicts this younger version of the character from a sequence called "The Iceland Incident" where MI6 first notice Bond's potential. However, according to art director Rasmus Poulsen, the art is not a direct adaptation of those events. "It's partially inspired by the story of the game, and it's partially inspired by the overall tone of the game," he says. "The thing that was important for us was that you get a sense of what the product feels like as a whole, rather than a singular scene."

But that's not all that's housed within the pages of this issue of Game Informer. The biggest feature in this issue is a massive look at the most exciting games in 2026 and beyond. Whether you're excited for Grand Theft Auto VI and Control: Resonant, or Judas and Stranger Than Heaven, or Forza Horizon 6 and Gears of War: E-Day, we've got you covered! 

But that's not all that's housed in the pages of this issue, which launches digitally on January 27! In addition to the in-depth 007 First Light cover story and our huge Most Anticipated Games of 2026 and Beyond section, we have a retrospective on the first 30 years of Bandai Namco's Tales franchise from contributor Michael Murphy, while freelancer Andrew King has a great investigation into the evolving definition of adventure games. Nicole Carpenter also contributes a fascinating look at the enormous success of a seemingly niche type of game in Love and Deepspace. All of that is on top of our standard suite of departments, including Gear, Replies, Reviews, Top Five, and smaller interviews 

The issue launches digitally on January 27, with print issues rolling out to subscribers in the subsequent weeks. If you don't already subscribe and would like to get a copy of this issue, you'll be able to find them at select newsstands and bookstores, or you can subscribe to receive the next 10 issues delivered straight to your mailbox.

Last year, Doug Bowser, one of the most ironically named people of all time, announced his impending retirement from Nintendo. Initially taking the role in April of 2019, he served as the chief operating officer and president of Nintendo of America for nearly seven years. Thanks to his regular appearances at public events, during Nintendo Directs, and in interviews, he was also one of the faces of the company, so his departure was big news. However, despite leaving his position just a few weeks ago on December 31, Bowser has already found a new gig – serving on the board of Hasbro.

Doug Bowser shakes hands with Bowser Bowser

A press release from this morning announced that Bowser and Carla Vernón (CEO of The Honest Company, Inc.) have been appointed to Hasbro's board of directors. The press release includes a statement from the board's current chair, Rich Stoddart, who says, "Doug and Carla bring extensive leadership experience across consumer brands and franchise management. Their expertise and guidance will be invaluable as Hasbro continues to execute its long-term innovation and growth strategy."

While Bowser himself likely won't be making headlines on Game Informer anymore, his influence will still be felt in the gaming space. In addition to IP marketed more towards younger kids, like Peppa Pig or Play-Doh, Hasbro owns Transformers and Wizards of the Coast, the company in charge of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, properties we cover quite frequently. At the very least, it's a job where people won't make fun of his name as much.

For more on the intersection between Hasbro and video games, read about the two in-development D&D games: Invoke's Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, recently revealed at the Game Awards, and an untitled action game from Giant Skull, a studio founded by Star Wars: Jedi director Stig Asmussen.

As part of our World of Warcraft: Midnight cover story, I spoke with several key developers at Blizzard about looking ahead to The Last Titan. This subsequent expansion will bookend the World Soul Saga trilogy.  Of course, Blizzard is tight-lipped about the expansion, as it's ostensibly several years away, but I was able to shed some light on its approach to redesigning Northrend, which the company has confirmed is a core focus of The Last Titan. Untouched since its introduction in 2008's Wrath of the Lich King expansion, the iconic location represents World of Warcraft's peak moments in pop culture.

Exclusive Details of Northrend's Redesign in The Last Titan:

Ball x Pit is getting its first big update next week, and it will bolster the game with “a wealth of content,” according to developer Kenny Sun and Friends. The update, titled The Regal, will add new characters, more balls, and other features.

The Regal arrives on Monday, January 26, and adds two characters to the ball-bouncing, town-building roguelike: The Carouser and The Falconer. As detailed in a Steam post, the Carosuer’s ability allows returning balls to orbit around him, while The Falconer has two falcons at her side that throw balls. 

Eight new balls join the game alongside several new passives that have not been detailed. The developer also teases an additional surprise it’s saving until the update launches. You can watch a YouTube short of the update in action here.

The Regal is the first of three big post-launch updates planned for Ball x Pit in 2026. The two remaining updates, Shadow and Naturalist, are slated to arrive in April and July, respectively. The Regal is coming to all versions of Ball x Pit on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, and PC. 

Grand Theft Auto VI developer Rockstar North was reportedly rocked by an explosion at its Edinburgh, Scotland headquarters this morning,  January 19. The incident was apparently tied to a malfunction in the studio's boiler room.

According to Scotland's The Herald, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was alerted to an emergency at Rockstar North after an alarm was raised at 5:02 a.m. local time. Seven emergency vehicles were dispatched, and firefighters worked to secure “structural damage" to the building. After three hours, the SFRS deemed the area safe and left the building around 9:21 a.m. No casualties were reported.

Rockstar North building

A Rockstar representative speaking to GameIndustry.biz and other outlets suggested that the structural damage was minimal and confirmed that the studio is “open and operational." The representative also stated that the incident was caused by a “malfunction in one of the heating boilers.”

"Many thanks to those that reached out with concern, and also to the police and fire crews who were on scene quickly to assess the situation - please know that everyone is well and our studio remains open and operational," said Rockstar's spokesperson.

Rockstar North is currently working on Grand Theft Auto VI, set to release on November 19 after years of anticipation and a couple of delays. While legions of fans await the game's launch with bated breath, we're just happy that none of Rockstar's employees appear to have been harmed by what could have been a much more dangerous situation.