Is Final Fantasy VII Remake running at 30fps on Switch 2 disappointing or good enough? Is the Game Awards bump really worth an estimated $12 million in new sales? And just how long will fans have to wait for Terminator: Survivors to come out of its self-imposed indefinite delay? It’s the latest edition of Morning Checkpoint, Kotaku‘s daily roundup of gaming news and culture.
We’re just beginning to wrap up our year-in-review coverage here, but my heart is already looking past the upcoming holidays to my favorite time of year: backlog season. I’m making a list, checking it twice—am I gonna maybe finally finish System Shock 2 and not just replay Xenogears again?
Terminator: Survivors is barely hanging on
With just two weeks left to go until it was supposed to release, Nacon’s post-apocalyptic adaptation of the franchise won’t be making its planned 2025 launch after all. Instead of getting a new ship date, however, the open-world game has been indefinitely delayed. It also won’t be launching with the previously promised co-op mode. There won’t be an Early Access phase either.
“After months of internal testing, discussions with players and fans of the license, we came to the conclusion that to give you an authentic “Terminator” experience with the best possible shooting and exploration gameplay, we would have to put aside the cooperative multiplayer,” the publisher announced on Tuesday. “We know this may come as a disappointment, but we believe it is the right creative direction for an uncompromising vision of the world after Judgment Day.”
Nintendo shareholders are worried about spiking memory costs
That big RAM shortage everyone keeps talking about? Investors are worried it’s about to hit the Switch 2 in a big way. Bloomberg reported that the cost of manufacturing the new console could already be going up. “The price Nintendo has to pay for the 12GB RAM (random access memory) modules in the Switch 2 jumped 41 percent in the current quarter, according to market intelligence firm TrendForce,” it writes.
Why is this happening? Why, the AI bubble of course.
Players are flocking to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 all over again
A Game Awards sweep, a big free update have, and a small sale on Steam have conspired to catapult the French RPG back up the charts. Alinea Analytics estimates that the game has sold another 300,000 copies since the showcase last week. Old players are coming back too. The Game Awards bump remains very real, at least for games that everyone already loved.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake has a free demo on Switch 2
The port includes the Intergrade expansion and arrives on Nintendo’s new console on January 22, 2026. Progress from the demo will carry over to the main game. It runs smoothly, though some fans are disappointed it’s locked at 30fps despite the slight visual downgrade. I played the opening earlier this year and thought it looked surprisingly great in handheld mode.
The Amazon-funded MOBA studio founded by ex-Ubisoft devs has been sold back to Ubisoft
March of Giants was revealed earlier this year. It’s led by creative director Xavier Marquis, the original creative director of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, and producer Alexandre Parizeau, the previous managing director of Ubisoft Toronto. Amazon divested them back to Ubisoft amid its latest round of big gaming cuts. Is this like a life raft seeking shelter aboard the Titanic?
Dota 2 gets its 128th hero: a frog who plays the mandolin
Largo was just added to Valve’s long-running MOBA in its mammoth 7.40 update. The most important part? He has a rhythm-based ultimate called Amphibian Rhapsody. “Every time he strums successfully, he gains a stack of Groovin,’” the description reads. “Each stack gives him bonus armor and reduces the mana cost of every song, but he loses a stack if he misses a beat. Stacks linger for a short duration when Largo’s song ends.”
Neat! Will this get me to go back to Dota after a multi-year break? Absolutely not.
