🍪 Grammys Hit a Sour Note, Square Enix Sparks Rage and more

Hello there, art lovers and code breakers.

Today we tune into a mix of ambition, irony, and revolution. From Grammy snubs to AI takeovers and Turkey’s growing game power, the industry keeps finding new ways to surprise us.

🎵 Grammy Nominations: Games Join the Orchestra

The 2026 Grammy nominations are out, and this year’s “Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games” brings a strong lineup: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Helldivers 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Star Wars Outlaws, and Sword of the Sea.

But the biggest story is the one that didn’t make the list. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, one of the year’s highest-rated games and a top performer on the Billboard Classical charts, was left out despite its success and critical praise.

📢 “Excellence in original scores for interactive media,” says the Recording Academy. Yet fans are calling this another case of mainstream bias.

🦊 Kiki: I get it. The Grammys love spectacle over subtlety. But leaving out Clair Obscur after ten weeks at number one? That’s like ignoring an encore because it felt too personal.

🍪 Chip: [sad violin noises]

⚙️ Square Enix Bets on AI, and Larian Fires Back

Square Enix plans to automate 70% of QA and debugging by 2027, which triggered heavy criticism after recent layoffs outside Japan.

Larian Studios’s publishing director, Michael Douse, called the decision “stupid,” saying QA teams are some of the most engaged people in the industry and can’t simply be replaced by machines.

🦊 Kiki: QA isn’t just about fixing bugs. It’s about understanding the game’s heartbeat. Cut that and you lose the pulse. AI should assist, not replace.

🍪 Chip: [glares at the nearest robot]

🎯 UK Rejects the ‘Stop Killing Games’ Campaign

The UK Parliament officially rejected the Stop Killing Games campaign, which asked for legal ways to preserve online titles once servers shut down.

The government said the idea would be too expensive and complicated to implement.

🦊 Kiki: So protecting billion-dollar companies from “costly preservation” is fine, but protecting players’ access isn’t? People just want to play what they paid for. That shouldn’t require a political movement.

🍪 Chip: [lights a candle for The Crew, Anthem, and every lost MMO]

🌍 Türkiye’s Game Industry Wins the Fast Track

Good news for once. Türkiye’s gaming sector is gaining global recognition at Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 Awards, with Xsolla sponsoring a new category for games.

The event celebrates the country’s fastest-growing tech companies, and Türkiye’s gaming market, now valued at over $3.3 billion, is showing serious international potential.

🦊 Kiki: Love to see it. While other regions argue about AI, Türkiye’s building a real foundation. Proof that creative talent doesn’t care where you’re born.

🍪 Chip: [throws tiny confetti]

Stay critical, like those who refused to ignore the E33 snub.
Keep evolving your ecosystem, like Türkiye’s rising game scene.
And remember, when the whole audience agrees on a winner, they’re probably right.

🦁 Leo

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