The Industrial Week from May 18 to 22, 2026, brought several interesting news items that are not only related to individual game announcements but also to the broader market picture, publishing strategies, sales results, and changes in studios. From Sony's pivot towards exclusivity for major single-player titles, to the new restructuring of Embracer Group, to the impressive numbers of Subnautica 2 and Capcom, the gaming industry once again shows how quickly it is changing.
Sony Interactive Entertainment reportedly will no longer release its major single-player titles on PC. According to information confirmed by Hermen Hulst, CEO of Sony's Studio Business Group, major PlayStation single-player projects are expected to remain tied to PlayStation 5 in the future. This follows earlier claims that games like Marvel’s Wolverine, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and God of War Trilogy Remake are likely to remain console exclusives, while external publishing deals should not be affected by the same decision. This move marks a significant shift compared to previous years when Sony was increasingly expanding its major franchises to the PC audience.
A major change was also announced by Embracer Group, which plans to split into two publicly listed companies. Fellowship Entertainment is expected to focus on the development, publishing, and licensing of major intellectual properties, including The Lord of the Rings, Tomb Raider, Kingdom Come Deliverance, Metro, Dead Island, and Darksiders, while the remaining Embracer is expected to continue operating as a more efficiently structured company with stronger cost control and more disciplined capital investments. The planned listing of Fellowship Entertainment on the Nasdaq Stockholm stock exchange is expected during 2027.
A new Canadian studio, Studio Reset, has emerged, founded by veterans from BioWare, Inflexion Games, and Timbre Games. These are the creators who worked on games such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, The Long Dark, and Anthem, and their first project is described as a neon-noir supernatural mystery set in a stylized Canadian urban landscape. The studio aims to work in a smaller, more sustainable format, focusing on original worlds, narrative mysteries, and design that does not rely on illogical puzzles.
Subnautica 2 has continued to achieve impressive results in Early Access. The game surpassed four million copies sold in just five days, after selling a million copies within the first hour and crossing the two million mark within the first 12 hours. The game has been available in Early Access since May 14, 2026, for Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store, and is also included in Game Pass. Such a start confirms how powerful the combination of the Early Access model, recognizable IP, and a large player community can be.
Capcom has updated its list of Platinum Titles, or games that have sold over a million copies. The biggest emphasis is again on the Resident Evil series, which continues to deliver strong results through new releases and long-term sales of older titles. Although Capcom has shown for years how major catalog titles can sell long after their release, the new list once again confirms how important Resident Evil and Monster Hunter are to the company's business pillars. In an industry where the risks of large budgets are increasingly discussed, Capcom's model of long-term sales and continuous brand strengthening remains one of the more stable examples.
Take-Two Interactive also provided additional confirmation of the importance of major releases. Grand Theft Auto VI is still scheduled for November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and the company's head, Strauss Zelnick, confirmed that Rockstar Games intends to launch marketing for the game during the summer. Although there were no new details about the price or pre-orders, the confirmation of the date itself is significant for the broader industry as it is a title that will likely have a strong impact on console sales results, publishing calendars, and marketing plans of other major companies.
