That's roughly 9.1 Bethesdas.

Microsoft has taken another Western third party off the market in the largest video game acquisition ever.

The Redmond giant has entered into an agreement to purchase Activision Blizzard in a US$68.7bn deal, the largest all gaming acquisition in history. No closing date was given for the deal,... Read more...

The kind of pricing you'd expect from a monopoly and a company who's going in on NF*censored*

The Kingdom Hearts cloud releases for Switch will be out in three weeks, and now we have pricing as well.

The trio of streaming packages - containing remastered versions of Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, a remake of Dream Drop Distance from the 3DS, and Kingdom Hearts 3 - will be fully live on February... Read more...

The indies are getting out before they have to box with God.

Prominent games from last week we missed in the text of the column: Radirgy Swag and Japanese Rail Sim 3D: Journey to Kyoto were joined by Picross S7 on Monday, Card Fighters Clash came with Shakespearean "simulator" To Be Or Not To Be on Wednesday.

This week's early releases see Windjammer 2 (late... Read more...

Given the timing it's probably nothing to do with gestures wildly but the publisher won't say for sure.

One of the most successful board games ever will have its Switch digital version delisted this summer.

Asmodee Digital have begun the process to remove Pandemic, the co-op focused board game centred around defeating a global virus outbreak. The game is expected to be removed from the Switch eShop... Read more...

At one time, it could have been home to a Mad King and the late, great Brodie Lee.

Some more over-the-top grappling action with a unique history has finally nailed down a release month for Switch.

A new trailer has been released for Action Arcade Wrestling, which previously released on Steam and PlayStation / Xbox consoles: the Switch version is due in February. The over-the-top wrestling game is claiming 60FPS performance in handheld mode, even with ten performers in the ring, and offers a cel-shaded art style.

Wait, is that crafting?

A video has been posted that aims to answer many of the questions about Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

The Pokemon Company has posted a more than 13 minute video showing off the gameplay, which can be seen below:

That would be tomorrow, as of press time.

Switch Online is continuing to offer game trials, and the next one may sway you toward a game in Nintendo's New Years sale.

North American Switch Online subscribers (Expansion Pass NOT required) will be able to play Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker for free this weekend. Unlike most game trials which provided a few day's notice, the trial period for Captain Toad will begin tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET and run until 2:59 a.m. on January 21.

Sounds like a lot of you were looking for this one.

Perhaps the most demanded Neo Geo Pocket Color title has finally made its way to the Switch.

SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighter's Clash is now available for purchase on the eShop. As with other Neo-Geo Pocket Color releases, it retails for US$7.99 / C$10.07 or equivalents.

As the name suggests, Card... Read more...

In like a lion, out like a... whatever the hell Kirby is.

The "spring" release date for Kirby will actually be quite early in the month.

Nintendo have confirmed the fully 3D adventure will hit on March 25, with digital pre-orders now available. Players will have to rescue the entire Waddle Dee race.

2 player (local) co-op will also be available, with the second player controlling Bandana Waddle Dee.

"Brotherhood" isn't just a subtitle, it's also why most of the Ubisoft C-suite wasn't sacked for abusing their employees.

Another round of older Assassin's Creed titles is coming to Switch next month.

"The Ezio Collection", which features Assassin's Creed II (2009), Brotherhood (2010), and Revelations (2011) has been revealed for a Switch launch on February 17. The collection will includes all of the singleplayer... Read more...

Good news for fans of Japanese rail sims or shooters.

A couple of games whose localization was in question have suddenly appeared on the North American eShop.

Japanese Rail Sim 3D: Journey to Kyoto and shooter/slasher Radirgy Swag both released today in North America: Rail Sim is US$49.99/$64.99 while Radirgy Swag is $19.99/$24.99. Both titles are listed as published by Dispatch Games.

15 can become 31 so fast it'll make your head spin.

Last week saw the release count nearly double before the end of the day the list was first posted, and more than double by the end of the week (15 to 31), so expect similar shenanigans this week as we get back into the full swing of things. Some notable items that were dropped out of nowhere: Bandai... Read more...

One suspects that wasn't the main reason for the buyout.

The Take Two family has added another Switch publisher to its list - though they have a bit of a history.

Take Two have announced a deal to acquire Zynga - publishers of the upcoming Star Wars: Hunters - in a cash-and-stock deal worth US$12.7bn. The deal is expected to formally close by the end of June.

In about a decade and a half they went from Super Sandwich to super speedways.

An old friend of Nintendo has been acquired by the developer of one of the most well known simulators in racing.

Minnesota-based Monster Games have been acquired by iRacing Motorsports Simulations, the makers of the iRacing simulation that covers multiple formats of racing including stock cars,... Read more...

Still holding on to that eShop credit, I guess.

It's another quiet week - though at least Japan does have a few releases planned for the week. Perhaps the priciest of the bunch is "modern fantasy" visual novel Arcadia Fallen, which before I read up on it thought it would trigger the Kemco Alert. (Instead, that falls to Justice Chronicles.) Also,... Read more...

A great in football, game design, and turducken.

A sports Hall of Famer who had a profound impact on video games has died.

The NFL issued a statement today announcing the death of John Madden at the age of 85. No cause of death was disclosed for the Super Bowl-winning coach and commentator.

NFL legend John Madden died unexpected this morning. He was 85. pic.twitter.com/FoC1mAzoF6

We end the year with... crickets?

2020-2: Electric Boogaloo is ending with a definite whimper: Japan, for instance, is taking the entire week off barring the inevitable TBA Archives game. A major game is coming west anyway however, with the shooter compilation Deathsmiles I + II coming over (along with some DLC) - and aside from adventure title Lacuna, that's basically it for major releases to round out the year.

It will take all of Donald's strength this Festivus to not hold the Airing of Grievances in the middle of a client phone call.

Initially I thought about doing this as a Night Before Christmas ripoff but when I still have to do my non-NWR job all week after flying more than 3000 miles (4800 km), right after "the arse fell outta her", my usual lack of Christmas spirit is only exacerbated. So instead, we note that at least Nintendo... Read more...

RISE FWOM YOUR GWAVE

Sega apparently does what Nintendoes a fifth of.

A new update for the Genesis app available for subscribers to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass has dropped five new games into the app. The games are the same for both the West and Japan: RPG Sword of Vermillion, shooter Thunder Force II,... Read more...

And this game works in Sinnoh the way one might work in "Naga" or ironically, "Arceus".

A new trailer for Pokemon Legends: Arceus has shown off some familiar sounding clans.

The video (below) reveals a pair of clans who serve as "wardens" for Pokemon in the region, called the Diamond and Pearl clans. A group of merchants were also shown, including one who may be an ancestor of future Sinnoh Pokemon League champion Cynthia.