Good morning!

It’s been a wild week in gaming, and I’m here to break it all down for you—with just the right amount of sarcasm and caffeine-fueled takes.

In this edition, we’ve got:

• Split Fiction is already smashing records – It Takes Two who?

• Discord might be going public – Investors, get ready for non-stop pings.

• Xbox admits it fueled console wars – As if gamers needed any encouragement.

Oh, and Twitch’s trending games are all over the place—one of them just blew up by 1,359% (what even is FragPunk?).

Here’s everything you need to know this week in the world of gaming.

TOP STORY

Split Fiction is Absolutely Dominating – 1 Million Copies in 2 Days!

Hazelight has done it again. Their latest co-op masterpiece, Split Fiction, isn’t just a hit—it’s a record-breaking, It Takes Two-crushing, best-reviewed game of 2025 (so far). Critics love it, players love it, and guess what? It’s already sold over 1 million copies in just 48 hours.

For context, It Takes Two, Hazelight’s previous co-op banger (and Game of the Year winner), took almost a month to hit that number. And now, with the Friend’s Pass letting a second player download a free copy, the actual player count could be nearly double.

Oh, and did we mention it’s the highest-rated game of the year on Metacritic? That means it’s leaving Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds in the dust. Even Josef Fares (aka the "F** the Oscars"* guy) must be grinning ear to ear right now.

If Split Fiction keeps up this momentum, it could blow past It Takes Two’s 23 million lifetime sales in record time. Hazelight is on fire—again.

LATEST NEWS

GENERAL

• Looks like Discord might be leveling up—straight into the stock market. Reports say the gaming chat giant is in talks to go public, which means Wall Street might soon be arguing over Nitro perks. With a $15 billion valuation and a presence on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, Discord is basically the voice of gaming. Whether this move changes the platform or not, one thing’s for sure: investors better get used to ping notifications. (VideoGamesChronicle)

• Turns out Xbox wasn’t just playing games—it was stirring the pot. Former Xbox boss Peter Moore admits the company “encouraged” the console wars back in the day, calling them “healthy for the industry.” Fast forward to today, and Xbox is dropping games on PlayStation, so yeah… times have changed. Moore says the fight for market share isn’t the same anymore, but let’s be real—gamers will never stop arguing about consoles. (GamesRadar)

Which gaming platform reigns supreme in your setup? 🎮💻 Let’s settle this once and for all!

QUICK LINKS

• Ori developer Moon Studios goes fully independent, will finish No Rest For the Wicked without Take-Two.

• Rebellion CEO puts the studio's recent avoidance of layoffs down to control of scope and cost: 'Sometimes we say, guys, this game's too big'

• Blizzard admits Diablo 4 was too easy, plans to crank the difficulty up next season.

• Co-op zombie FPS Killing Floor 3 delayed to "later in 2025" 3 weeks before it was supposed to release following disastrous beta.

• Atelier Ryza’s famous thick thighs were influenced by Japan’s economic recession, according to series’ producer .

• After 31 years in games, Persona director Katsura Hashino just got a 'Newcomer Award' and $5,000 from the Japanese government

• First Battlefield 6 Gameplay & Deployment Screen Leak Online, Indicates Return To BF3 Aesthetic

LATEST VIDEO

I tried 'Assassin's Creed Valhalla' again before 'Shadows'...

With Assassin’s Creed Shadows dropping in less than two weeks, I figured it was time to dive back into Valhalla—a game I haven’t touched in nearly three years. Why? To remind myself why I didn’t like it and to see just how much Shadows is shaking things up.

Turns out, Ubisoft is cutting a lot of Valhalla’s core mechanics for Shadows. No more free climbing, torches, or even your trusty bird companion. Instead, Shadows is forcing players to actually plan their approach (shocking, I know), rather than just parkouring up every brick wall in sight.

Look, Valhalla was a massive success, but was it just junk food gaming? Shadows seems to be moving in a more focused, deliberate direction—which could be either brilliant or a total disaster. We’ll find out when reviews drop on March 18th. Until then, check out my full breakdown in the video and let me know—are you hyped for Shadows or mourning Valhalla?

WHAT’S TRENDING?

MOST POPULAR:

The Twitch king remains Just Chatting, even with a slight 📉 4.3% dip this week. But the gaming giants are still putting up big numbers:

🥇 Just Chatting – 63,690,509 hours watched (📉 -4.3%)
🥈 Grand Theft Auto V – 21,130,080 hours watched (📈 +10.0%)
🥉 League of Legends – 18,289,192 hours watched (📉 -8.9%)
🎯 Counter-Strike – 17,568,559 hours watched (📈 +7.7%)
🐉 World of Warcraft – 15,142,949 hours watched (📈 +45.1%) (biggest jump this week!)

TRENDING:

These games are blowing up on Twitch—some out of nowhere! If you’re looking for the next big thing, here’s where the hype is:

🔥 FragPunk – 3,260,231 hours watched (🚀 +1,359%)
🥊 Street Fighter 6 – 2,901,538 hours watched (🔥 +169.1%)
🕵️ R.E.P.O. – 3,501,661 hours watched (📈 +86.7%) (sleeper hit?)
🐉 World of Warcraft – 5,340,485 hours watched (📈 +45.1%)
🎮 Split Fiction – 5,964,208 hours watched (the co-op hype is real!)