Hey folks! It’s Morning Checkpoint, coming in late in the afternoon for Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Ethan wrote this post as he usually does but he had to run to a meeting before penning an intro so this is Carolyn just dropping a few words here before the roundup proper begins. Today we’ve got Hideo Kojima hanging out at Xbox HQ, a Jenga-esque boardgame inspired by Final Fantasy 7, and the return of a ’90s Sega icon. Sorry, Vectorman fans, I’m talking about…
Ecco the dolphin is back, almost
Last May, a countdown clock teased Ecco‘s return. Now time is almost up and an anthology of old games in the dolphin franchise has been announced which includes an entirely new entry. “Ecco the Dolphin: Complete is built by original members of the Ecco development team, reunited after more than 30 years, and includes original creator Ed Annunziata along with members of the original composition, art, and programming teams,” reads the press release. “No one else can make this game.”
The anthology will not, however, seemingly include 2000’s Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future for the Dreamcast, possibly because Annunziata himself wasn’t involved. That game was generally well regarded, even as it served as a 3D reboot of the traditionally 2D series. It was the last game in the series to be released until now.
The Xbox mobile store isn’t dead, yet
Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma pushed back on claims by Windows Central that she had abandoned the initiative since coming into the position. The company has been looking to extend the Xbox PC and console gaming ecosystem onto smartphones but been stymied by Apple and Google’s monopolistic gatekeeping. “Three weeks ago, we filed an amicus because mobile competition still matters and we believe the future of play should be more open,” she wrote on X. “While I am still learning, the idea of an Xbox mobile store is not dead.”
Are we about to get Discord Nitro in Game Pass?
Sharma also teased a new collaboration with the gaming chat platform. It’s unclear if this will be some sort of integration of Game Pass directly into Discord or some bundling of both subscriptions’ benefits. “We’re teaming up again as we continue to make Game Pass more flexible for our players,” she wrote. “Some of you might start to see some code in the wild, and we will share more details with you all soon!”
Hideo Kojima wants you to know he’s still friends with Xbox
With XBOX’s Asha Sharma @asha_shar and Matt Booty @Xbox pic.twitter.com/lQTNL7H0bP
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) April 22, 2026
The Death Stranding 2 director is working on a blending of video game and cinematic storytelling called OD but we’ve heard very little about the horror project since its original 2023 announcement. It’s supposed to be an Xbox exclusive, or at least it seemed like it would be prior to Microsoft’s recent multiplatform push. Maybe it will still be an exclusive under the gaming division’s new leadership?
Either way, Kojima had fun posing with Matt Booty, Asha Sharma, and Vault Boy. The prolific X user also watched a movie or something with Phil Spencer. While in Washington he also popped next door to Valve. Perhaps both companies are courting him for their next-gen console pushes.
The changing of the guard at Xbox continues
Kiki Wolfkill is leaving Microsoft after 28 years. The Xbox veteran, long-time Halo developer, and former head of 343 Industries wrote on LinkedIn that she’s “grateful for the opportunities that Microsoft has given me and the career that it let me build in an industry that I love.” She added that “there is a version of me outside of Microsoft that I’m excited to grow and evolve.” Wolfkill had most recently been leading the company’s transmedia efforts across gaming, including the Halo and Fallout TV shows.
Final Fantasy 7‘s Shinra Tower climb gets the tabletop treatment
Ascend the Shinra Tower looks a bit like a dungeon RPG mixed with Jenga. Players place tiles to build the tower as they go, while Cloud and co. face off against Shinra enemies at regular intervals. Fail to manage development accordingly and the tower can get lopsided and fall over! It looks cute and potentially fun without being too involved. There’s no price tag yet but it’s coming out in January of 2027.
Annapurna’s next indie game about AI and happiness gets a summer release date
D-Topia will launch on July 14 across all consoles and PC. It was revealed last year and looks like a mash-up of a cozy adventure game with some Black Mirror-style twists on technology.
ICYMI:
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