It's a feature-length episode of The Game Informer Show this week. Marcus, Charles, and Eric gather together to discuss the games they've been playing lately, including the charming new 3D platformer Big Hops and return visits to games like Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.

Then, the trio get into a discussion about the subscription services in gaming that they still do, or don't, use. From Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus to various battle passes and MMO monthly subs, there are a lot of expenses that can easily add up. Are they all still worth it, or are we cutting some as part of our New Year's resolutions?

The Game Informer Show is a weekly podcast covering the video game industry. Join us every Friday for chats about your favorite titles – past and present – alongside Game Informer staff and special guests from around the industry.

Watch the video version:

Listen to "The State Of Gaming Subscriptions In 2026" on Spreaker.

Follow our hosts on social media:

• Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7)
• Charles Harte (@ChuckDuck365)
• Eric Van Allen (@seamoosi)

Jump ahead to a specific segment:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 05:37 - Big Hops
• 14:07 - Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
• 33:50 - Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• 46:44 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
• 1:06:18 - The State of Gaming Subscriptions in 2026

New World: Aeternum will be taken offline in roughly one year, Amazon Games has announced. The MMO was delisted from stores yesterday, January 15, but existing owners can still play the game until it’s shut down for good.

In a blog post on New World’s official website, the developer explains that New World: Aeternum’s official shutdown date will be January 31, 2027. An FAQ states that although the game has been removed from sale, owners can still install the game from their library. In October, Amazon Games announced the game would stop receiving new content, but it will continue to monitor bugs and performance for the remainder of the game’s lifetime.

Additionally, players can purchase New World's in-game currency, Marks of Fortune, until July 20. However, purchased currency cannot be refunded. Those who recently bought the game will need to contact customer support for their respective platform's storefronts to seek a potential refund.

“We want to thank the players for your dedication and passion,” reads the blog post. “We are grateful for the time spent crafting the world of Aeternum with you. Together we built something special. While we are saddened to say goodbye, we’re honored that we were able to share so much with the community.”

New World: Aeternum originally launched as simply New World for PC in 2021. The game centers on players inhabiting and surviving on a fantasy island, Aeternum, amid the 17th century during the Age of Exploration.  It came to consoles in 2024 with the Aeternum subtitle, along with major updates to the experience. The game was also featured in an episode of Amazon Prime’s Secret Level anthology series.

This news comes only a few months after Amazon laid off over 14,000 employees across its various divisions, including its gaming division. According to Amazon, the layoffs were made to streamline the company's workflow and management layers to ensure increased investment in its "biggest bets" as part of its push to embrace AI, which it called "the most transformative technology we've seen since the internet" at the time of the layoffs. Today's news about New World: Aeternum's impending closure comes in the same week that BioWare's Anthem was shut down for good. 

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the most iconic characters in all of video games, but not all of his games were hits. Sonic and the Black Knight is allegedly one of those games, but associate editor Charles Harte remembers playing it as a nine-year-old and feeling like it might be the coolest game of all time. Nearly 17 years later, we're revisiting this medieval adventure to see whether or not he was correct.

Originally released on March 13, 2009, Sonic and the Black Knight is the second and final game in the now-abandoned Sonic Storybook Series, which began in 2007 with Sonic and the Secret Rings. Both games see Sonic get sucked into the worlds of classic folklore, with Black Knight whisking him into the world of Arthurian legend. Armed with the legendary blade Caliburn, he embarks on a quest to save the kingdom. Critics at the time of release were less than enthusiastic about the outing; Sonic and the Black Knight was released to mostly poor reviews, including a 5/10 on page 87 of issue 193 of Game Informer.

Join Charles Harte and Marcus Stewart as they wield a Wii remote and travel back in time to the mythical days of 2009. You can tune in live each Friday on Twitch or YouTube at 12 pm PT/3 pm ET, or check out past episodes below:

Part 1 - Starting a Medieval Marathon
Part 2 - Attempted Regicide 

Resident Evil Requiem comes out next month, and fans have been frothing at the mouth for more news about it, especially since seeing the Game Awards trailer that confirmed Leon's playability. Today's Resident Evil Showcase gave us exactly that, with director Koshi Nakanishi breaking down the gameplay styles of both protagonists, Leon and Grace, amidst other tidbits of information about the game.

 

Capcom wanted to bring Leon back into the main series, especially after the success of the Resident Evil 4 Remake, but Leon's inherent combat skills and action hero vibe make him ill-suited for a full-on horror game. Grace Ashcroft is the solution to that, as her relative lack of experience makes her much more vulnerable and afraid of her encounters with zombies. Her sections play more like Resident Evil 2 or 7, Nakanishi says, while Leon's gameplay is very reminiscent of the remake of 4.

For example, Leon can parry again, but instead of his trusty combat knife, he now has a hatchet. Mechanically, it looks identical, and can be sharpened to maintain its durability. Leon can also take weapons from fallen foes – the showcase shows him parrying a massive chainsaw, shooting its wielder, and then grabbing it for himself. The footage also gives extra focus to how shooting specific body parts can be strategically helpful, like blasting out a zombie's kneecaps to stun them for a hatchet swing.

Meanwhile, Grace has much slower gameplay. We see her explore some kind of mansion, and while she has a weapon, ammo is much more scarce, so combat is worth avoiding if possible. That weapon, a large caliber assault revolver, is called "Requiem", which explains the game's title. Grace also shows off a new crafting system that requires zombie blood, so while fighting is especially deadly, the rewards might be worth it. One concoction is later injected into a zombie's neck, causing it to explode in a splatter of blood. Gross!

 

After showing some gameplay, the showcase moves on to remind players that either Grace or Leon's journeys can be played in first- or third-person, though footage typically shows Grace's camera perspective as the former and Leon's as the latter. There will also be a Casual difficulty option, which includes heavy aim assist, and a Classic option, which requires the player to find ink ribbons to save the game while playing as Grace.

The back half of the showcase is less gameplay-focused, explaining the game's collaboration with Porsche and watchmaker Hamilton, giving slightly more details about the deluxe edition, detailing the game's compatibility with GeForce NOW, announcing an upcoming worldwide concert series, and showing off some figurines of the protagonists. You can watch the full showcase for yourself right here.

Resident Evil Requiem launches February 27 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC. For more Requiem, check out our hands-on impressions and our interview with director Koshi Nakanishi and producer Masato Kumazawa.

A special broadcast revealing the next Life is Strange game is set to air next week. While we don’t know much more than that, the video does reveal that this new entry will launch in 2026.

The reveal stream will air on Tuesday, January 20, beginning at 12:30 pm ET. The stream’s cryptic video description reads “Separate the real from the rumor... Join us for the exclusive reveal of the next Life is Strange game,” so there’s little indication of what this next entry entails.

Will the next game be a follow-up to 2024’s Life is Strange: Double Exposure or something different entirely? It will also be interesting to see if the original Life is Strange developer Don't Nod will return to the franchise or if Deck Nine, which developed Double Exposure along with Life is Strange: True Colors and Life is Strange: Before the Storm, will continue to shepherd the franchise. The latter seems likely, as we know Don't Nod is busy working on Aphelion, which is also slated to launch this year.

What do you think (or hope) this new Life is Strange will be? Let us know in the comments.