Quick Hits

• The AI story of the day (times five): Epic Games has reportedly delayed its unannounced Disney crossover shooter featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters while pushing developers into an "AI first" production model — with PC Gamer reporting CEO-level framing that "our humble goal is to survive the AI revolution," and Kotaku claiming even the artwork will be AI-generated.
• DMZ is going early: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's extraction mode DMZ will release before the game's official launch, per Eurogamer — but Infinity Ward has simultaneously shot down hopes for PvE.
• Raiders return: Arc Raiders' Frozen Trail update, which bumps the game to version 2.0, has pulled lapsed players back in droves — though Eurogamer cautions the numbers might be deceptively high.
• Squadron 42 resurfaces: Star Citizen's long-awaited single-player campaign now has a Steam page and a 2027 launch window — GameSpot says the new trailer looks great but finds that date "hard to believe" after 12 years in development.
• RimWorld engine swap: Ludeon Studios is moving RimWorld from Unity to its own, faster in-house Waylith Engine — and apparently without breaking mods.

Pokémon & Nintendo

The AI conversation landed on Nintendo's doorstep too: Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has released a brand-new game that he says was completely AI-generated in just 30 minutes, telling VGC (via Nintendo Life) "It's truly astonishing" and "I can just give instructions to the AI." A fascinating counterpoint to Epic's top-down mandate — one legend tinkering willingly versus a studio reportedly being pushed.

On the hardware front, Digital Foundry has delivered its technical analysis of Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen on Switch 2, concluding "the game arrives in surprisingly good shape" — Nintendo Life calls it yet another Capcom banger for the system. Meanwhile, Bitmap Bureau's gorgeous beat 'em up He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction finally has a new release date that just misses 2026, and pre-orders are live now.

In the UK charts, EA Sports FC 27 holds the top spot for a third consecutive week, while the Kingdom Hearts Collection performs well but — as Nintendo Life punned — misses "the keys to the podium." Families take note: Gameloft's Bluey's Happy Snaps lands on Switch 2 as a light, breezy photography adventure.

And the Pokémon community is in peak cozy-season form: u/maveeluv showed off a handmade Breloom plush, u/DziQDDL crocheted(?) a Lapras rug, u/WolfJayden drew a Teddiursa with a pumpkin for spooky season, u/Tubadarobo sculpted a clay Archen figurine, and u/botgame88 is fluffing up Dubwool's friend group for Inktober. Bonus spot: Redditors caught a Pokémon reference in Nickelodeon's Rock Paper Scissors. Still debating how to pronounce "Ocarina"? Nintendo Life's got you covered with a delightfully nostalgic "Sheikdown."

Fortnite

The day's biggest cluster: five outlets covering Epic's pivot. Rock Paper Shotgun reports the directive includes "no more hand-written code" for the unannounced Marvel/Star Wars shooter, while Kotaku describes developers as "shocked" by the shift. Eurogamer frames it as "AI-accelerated development" accompanying an internal delay, and IGN confirms both the delay and the "AI first" mandate. With Epic's CEO telling PC Gamer the goal is surviving "the AI revolution," this is a story worth watching closely — it could reshape how Fortnite-adjacent projects get built.

Call of Duty

Infinity Ward continues its streak of surprising moves: Modern Warfare 4's DMZ extraction mode will launch ahead of the game itself, though Eurogamer reports the studio has firmly ruled out PvE. Elsewhere, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma discussed Microsoft's gaming direction with GameSpot, offering the wonderfully paradoxical "We must rely on the past, but we cannot rely on the past" — leaning on flagship franchises while pushing studios toward what's next.

Arc Raiders

Frozen Trail's 2.0 upgrade is being treated by many as a full re-launch of the extraction shooter, and the returning player counts reflect it — but Eurogamer wisely notes they might be deceptively high. For those diving back in: PC Gamer has a guide to snagging the Emperor Modulator, plus a PSA that crafting furniture in your outpost unlocks hundreds of extra storage slots (seriously, don't neglect it). Destructoid rounds up all the new weapon stencils — purely cosmetic, but a fun new way to trick out your arsenal.

Indie Games

No Man's Sky is coming to iPhone and iPad, spotlighted during Apple's Indie Games Week on the App Store. GameSpot also surfaced two Steam curios: a Tim Burton-flavored horror adventure channeling the twee-but-terrifying energy of early-2010s creepy games (Slender veterans, you know who you are), and a freaky tea party sim to scratch that Haunted Chocolatier itch — since ConcernedApe still doesn't know when his candy-coated follow-up will ship.

Steam & PC

Squadron 42's new Steam page revealed what Rock Paper Shotgun cheekily learned is a cast stuffed with famous actors, alongside that 2027 date GameSpot can't quite buy. RimWorld's engine migration to the Waylith Engine — announced in a Steam update — is genuinely wild if mods survive intact. And Valve quietly dropped the Steam Frame's CAD files on a Friday evening, sparking an immediate cottage industry of DIY wrist straps and, naturally, lifesize skull stands.