The Return of Console Exclusives

Sony is reportedly making moves that will annoy computer gaming fans. Find out the details below. Also, Nintendo shows off upcoming independent games. All this and more. Let’s go!

Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase

Nintendo held their Indie World Showcase to highlight games coming to the Switch and Switch 2. Many are ports from other systems, but the showcase included a few worth highlighting, including:

Rotwood

This new side-scrolling beat-em-up is a Switch 2 exclusive, and released the same day as the showcase.

Woodo

A unique and beautiful game where players assemble wood pieces and make them come alive. Woodo is coming to Switch and Switch 2 this summer. 

Denshattack!

Ever wish there was a snowboarding-esque game but with trains? You’re in luck! Hop in a train and take it off the rails through a colorful Japanese dystopia. Denshattack! arrives on Switch 2 June 17.

Blue Prince

One of last year’s biggest indie hits is available now for Switch 2. 

There is plenty more. Check out everything announced at the Indie World Showcase.

Only on PlayStation

A new report from Bloomberg that surfaced last week says Sony plans to stop releasing its first-party single-player games on PC, starting with Ghost of Yotei (which released last year) and Saros (releases April 30). Multi-player games such as Marathon will continue to come to additional systems. 

The report cited a couple of reasons for the change. First was the risk to the PlayStation brand. Sony worries that selling these games on PC could impact PlayStation 5 and even upcoming PlayStation 6 hardware sales. Add in the recent comments by Microsoft that the next Xbox will play PC games, and it’s easy to see why executives might be reluctant to have the next God of War game showing up on another console. 

Another big reason for the change is that sales of PlayStation games on PC have struggled. However, a report by analytics company Newzoo says this is due to the staggered release on PC. Sony often waits over a year to release new games on computers. “Release timing has a significant impact on PC engagement,” says Manu Rosier, Director of Market Intelligence at Newzoo. “When a PC version arrives years after the console launch, much of the early lifecycle demand has already been captured on the primary platform."

Rosier points out that early PlayStation titles on PC did well, including Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War and Marvel’s Spider-Man. However, more recent ports have not done nearly as well on PCs.

Side Quests (more stories worth reading)

➡️ We played a bunch of games during Steam Next Fest. We compiled a list of a few of our favorites. 

🎉 Also, March 10 is our three-year anniversary! Help us celebrate, let us know your favorite stories from The Games Letter in the comments, on Bluesky or using this form. 

🫰🏼 Demanding a refund with interest, Nintendo is suing the U.S. government over Trump’s “unlawful” tariffs that led to last minute Switch 2 preorder delays.  

👏🏾 The artist whose work was used in Bungie’s Marathon without her knowledge or permission was credited in the game as a visual design consultant. 

😢 Despite being featured on The Game Awards and having 2 million players since its launch, Highguard is shutting down March 12, less than two months after its launch. 

👎🏻 The White House is using video game footage to promote its war in Iran. Meanwhile, The Pokémon Company has criticized the Trump administration's use of its imagery in political memes, saying “our mission is to bring the world together.”

🖥️ Xbox CEO Asha Shar posted on Twitter that the next Xbox console is codenamed Project Helix, and confirmed it will play PC games. 

🍪 A copyright troll who had blocked any online mention of the obscure 1999 game Cookie’s Bustle has been defeated. 

👩🏿 According to new research the games industry is neglecting potential growth by not fully accommodating female players.

💲 Sony appears to be rolling out dynamic pricing on digital games, as people report seeing different prices for the same title. 

🇨🇳 The Trump administration could possibly force Chinese conglomerate Tencent to divest from their U.S.-based game holdings. 

😨 Yakuza series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi’s new studio could potentially close after NetEase pulled its funding for Gang of Dragon.

🏴‍☠️ Ubisoft provided an in-depth update on their Assassin's Creed Franchise, including an update on their Black Flag remake.

🤦🏻‍♂️ The studio behind MindsEye continues to claim “corporate sabotage” for the game’s failure, while laying off more employees. 

🚀 Players of Star Citizen aren’t happy about the lack of information about a January data breach. 

📈 Round numbers: Resident Evil Requiem sold over 5 million copies.

New Releases this week: 

Check out our article on 14 new games to play in March.

3/10: Mr. Sleepy Man (PC)
3/12: 1348 Ex Voto (PlayStation and PC)
3/12: Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
3/12: GreedFall: The Dying World (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
3/12: John Carpenter's Toxic Commando (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
3/12: Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
3/12: WWE 2K26 (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)

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