🍪 Nintendo Expands, Epic Complains, Sega Panics, PS Surges.

Hello there, global creators, trend watching analysts. Today we look at a major Nintendo acquisition, Epic’s push to normalize generative AI, Sega struggling with day one sales, Japan stampeding toward a cheaper PS5, and Ubisoft restructuring Assassin’s Creed Shadows for its second year.

Nintendo Picks Up Bandai Namco Studios Singapore

Nintendo is acquiring Bandai Namco Studios Singapore and will rename it Nintendo Studios Singapore in 2026. The studio has helped develop major Nintendo titles like Splatoon and specializes in high end art production. Nintendo will purchase 80 percent of the shares in April 2026 and the rest after operations stabilize.

📢 “Nintendo has made the decision to acquire shares… to strengthen the development structure of the Nintendo Group.”

🦊 Kiki: Nintendo wants more internal muscle and this is the cleanest way to get it. Their teams are world class but tiny. A Singapore studio that already speaks Nintendo’s development language is a perfect fit for art pipelines that keep ballooning in scale. 🍪 Chip lifts his paw and mimics spraying Splatoon ink in the air.

Epic’s Tim Sweeney Pushes To Remove AI Labels On Steam

Tim Sweeney is arguing that Valve corporation Steam and other storefronts should stop requiring developers to disclose generative AI usage. His reasoning is that AI will be used in nearly all future game production, so labeling it is unnecessary for players.

Critics see it differently. Label removal benefits companies using AI heavily without wanting the scrutiny.

📢 “It makes no sense for game stores, where AI will be involved in nearly all future production.”

🦊 Kiki: The guy has a point. We mostly notice AI in art because that’s the visible part, but let’s not pretend studios aren’t using AI in code, pipelines and a dozen quiet places behind the cables. If anything, the better approach is the opposite. Show which games are built fully by hand, like an artisanal label. Players don’t hate AI. They hate bad AI. You know, the kind that gives us those Black Ops 7 calling cards… whoops.🍪 Chip squints and leans closer like he’s trying to decode a pixelated, cursed image.

Sega Says “Definitive Editions” Hurt Day One Sales

Only 17 percent of SEGA’s recent game sales came from new releases. Investors questioned why. Sega thinks players hold off on buying games at launch because they expect a definitive edition to appear soon after.

They also admit their marketing is not communicating the appeal of their games clearly.

📢 “Users are hesitant to make purchases just in case the definitive edition is released shortly afterwards.”

🦊 Kiki: People wait when they do not trust the value. That is not a player problem. It is a messaging problem. If day one content feels incomplete or if expansions feel inevitable, players protect their wallets. Sega needs consistency, not excuses. 🍪 Chip crosses his tiny arms like a disappointed chocolate general.

Japan’s New PS5 Model Sells Four Times More Units

Sony released a Japan only, cheaper, region locked PS5. It works only in Japanese and requires a Japanese PSN account. At 55,000 yen it is far cheaper than the standard model.

Japanese players immediately rushed in. Sales jumped from 5,855 units to 23,381.

📢 “We’ve finally arrived,” said players celebrating the cut price model.

🦊 Kiki: A region locked console in 2025 feels strange, but it shows something simple. Japan buys when the price respects Japan. Sony wants to win back home turf and this is a direct admission that they were losing ground to Nintendo’s momentum. 🍪 Chip pumps his tiny fist like he just won a prize claw machine.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Drops Big Year 2 Expansion

Ubisoft Quebec City confirms there will be no major expansion like Claws of Awaji for Year 2. Instead the team will release fewer but chunkier updates, similar to the Attack on Titan crossover.

A co op mode called League could be coming next year. Rumors suggest Shadows may only receive two years of support as Ubisoft prepares for Assassin’s Creed Hexe.

📢 “There is no expansion on the size of Awaji planned.”

🦊 Kiki: Ubisoft is trying to reset expectations. Shadows sold well but engagement fell off quickly. Smaller updates can work, but only if the quality holds steady. After years of uneven DLC cycles, players want clarity, not reassurances. Their next AC will show whether they’ve actually learned anything or if they’re still chasing trends that don’t match what their audience wants.🍪 Chip bounces lightly as if comparing two very different chocolate chunks and trying to decide which one actually tastes right.

Stay ambitious, like Nintendo building new studios.
Keep questioning, like players challenging Epic’s AI silence.
And remember: trust shapes every launch. Win it and players show up. Lose it and even big brands struggle.

-🦁 Leo

For tips or leads: contact us here!