Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We have another weekly round-up of new game (board games and video games) releases, but before we get into those, we have some headlines to discuss. We missed last week, because I was on a romantic getaway with my spouse, so some of these headlines may come from the previous week, and we begin with a doozy. Xbox Gaming CEO Phil Spencer retires, and Spencer’s mentee Sarah Bond resigns. Woah! What is happening at Xbox? Let’s find out.

Xbox Gaming Changes Leadership

After nearly 40 years with Microsoft Gaming, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer retires. While Spencer will stay on in an advisory capacity later this year (2026), advisory roles are more symbolic. I don’t imagine Spencer having much input into Xbox’s future–if Xbox even has a future, but more on that in a little while. What muddies the water further is that Sarah Bond, who Spencer prepared to take over as CEO in the event of his leaving Xbox, resigned her position. Undoubtedly, Spencer and Bond are subject to a non-disclosure agreement, so we may need to wait numerous years before they share why they left the company, and Xbox/Microsoft hasn’t expanded on why the pair left. Talk about chaos.

But we’re not done yet. Microsoft Gaming/Xbox has named Spencer’s replacement: Asha Sharma. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2024, Sharma was chief operating officer of Instacart and previously vice president of product at Meta. Her role within Microsoft was within its CoreAI division. Uh, oh! Artificial Intelligence. Sharma immediately addressed gamer concerns with Microsoft/Xbox potentially leaning further into AI. She made the following statement: “Xbox will commit to the ‘future of play,’ and that Xbox would not focus on ‘soulless AI slop.'” There’s a lot to unpack with Sharma’s brief statement.

What does “Future of Play” mean? Sharma is saying the right things. She wants to return Xbox to its early days. She wants to focus on games. I’m all for better games. And Xbox has acquired a ton of developers. Fingers crossed that many of the better ones survive a potential reorganization or that the developers who do get let go can re-establish themselves as independent publishers. We’ve heard rumblings that Xbox could be disbanded. “A focus on games” could mean Microsoft has no interest in consoles, and to be fair, consoles don’t always garner huge revenue. And then, there was the bombshell dropped by Xbox co-founder Seamus Blackley during a Gamesbeat interview earlier this week. “I expect that [Sharma’s] job is going to be as a palliative care doctor who slides Xbox gently into the night.”

If the Xbox Series S/X is Microsoft’s final console, it may be a fate Xbox has been heading toward for years. I never bought Phil Spencer’s claim that a tablet can be an Xbox. Your phone can be an Xbox. I can be an Xbox. If anything can be an Xbox, doesn’t that mean that nothing is an Xbox? Microsoft Gaming could’ve been heading toward becoming a game developer/publisher and dropping the console producer for years, and it may not even be Sharma’s doing. Spencer’s past comments may have hinted at this shift.

But Sharma’s background in AI makes the “Future of Play” comment sound ominous for a different reason. While I like Sharma addressing the issue of soulless AI slop, this may be corporate speak. Gamers received their first impression of Sharma as head of Xbox this past week. Again, she’s saying the right things, but she has an extensive history with AI development. There are levels to AI integration. Most people don’t want AI slop, and Sharma may make good on her promise of not including AI slop, but I wouldn’t discount Xbox leaning heavier into higher levels of AI integration. Could we see AI voice acting, AI graphics for background assets (or even foreground graphical assets, because building character models is hard), or AI writing for side quests? Time will tell. This is a developing story.

Paramount Increases Its Offer for Warner Bros.

Guess who’s back. We’ve been following the Warner Bros. Sale for several months, and we may have several more months before the final deal goes through. Paramount offered $108 billion That would’ve been about $30 per share, but Warner Bros. declined, deciding to go with Netflix’s offer, but that was only for HBO Max and the Warner Bros. movie studio. Last week, Paramount upped its offer to $31 per share. Paramount wants all of Warner Bros. Discovery, which includes CNN, TNT, TBS, and other assets.

I had written this piece before Netflix responded to Paramount’s offer. I thought Netflix might increase its offer. Earlier in the week, there was a chance Warner Bros. could still accept Netflix’s offer. If Warner Bros. sold its two assets to Netflix, it would still have enough remaining assets to sell to another buyer, like Paramount. But Paramount’s offer was too tempting. The streaming giant Netflix has rescinded its offer. Paramount has acquired all of Warner Bros. Discovery. Even though both sides have agreed to the deal, it must go through regulatory agencies before being approved. We’ll see what the future holds.

This deal makes me wonder about CNN. Last year, Paramount appointed Bari Weiss as CBS News’ Editor in Chief. The hire was questionable at best, in large part because Weiss seldom fact-checks. That doesn’t work so well for a news network. Big changes may be on the horizon. We’ll keep you posted.

AI-Fueled Memory Chip Crisis May Delay Next Gen Consoles

It’s no secret that the current generation of gaming consoles has suffered setbacks due to the pandemic and unfair tariffs. We’ve discussed the tariffs, and let’s not relive the pandemic, but the rise of AI has also impacted the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. And AI may just impact the next generation of gaming consoles, too.

We haven’t heard official word that Sony or Microsoft plans to delay their next consoles. We haven’t even heard definitively if Nintendo plans to raise the price of the Switch 2. But there are rumors. These rumors began late last year in various articles by Reuters and Forbes. The AI boom has led to tech companies (specializing in AI) gobbling up memory chips. One also needs memory chips to produce gaming consoles. With AI’s demand for memory chips rising, there may not be enough memory chips for gaming consoles. This raises the price of memory chips. More expensive memory chips raise the price of gaming consoles. And new consoles like the PlayStation 6 and whatever Microsoft plans to name their next console–if they even make another console–get delayed by years. The industry’s current guess is 2028 or even 2029.

Again, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have made no formal plans to delay console releases and/or increase console prices, but all of those outcomes are on the table if the AI-fueled memory chip crisis continues. This is yet another developing story. We’ll keep you posted.

Perch: Birds of Play Launches on Kickstarter

In Perch, players fight for control of locations by commanding birds of their own and other players’ flocks. Earn points and command woodland creatures by having the most birds on a location, pushing your foes off the perch, and breaking ties to take the lead.

Each round, players add their birds into a shared bag. Players then draw birds of their own, and other players take turns stacking birds on location tiles. Each location tile will award variable points for majorities and sometimes grant players a unique ability. The game ends after five rounds, and the player who has earned the most points wins.

With a modular tile configuration and a variety of woodland creatures to control, each game will present a new tactical challenge.

Thank you for the stellar description, Inside Up Games. Perch: Birds of Play is the first major expansion to Perch. If you don’t have the base game, don’t worry. Perch: Birds of Play offers multiple pledge levels to accommodate those who are new to Perch. I would be one of those Perch newcomers. I’ve heard plenty of great things about this title, Perch: Birds of Play intends to add to Perch’s winning formula.

From what I’ve heard, Perch can get intense. Players fight each other for control of tiles. In short, Perch may share a theme with Wingspan (birds), but it feels more like a fist fight. If you have the base game, players can pick up Perch: Birds of Play for $24. If you’d like the base game and the expansion, the pledge level is $58. And there are other options for upgraded bits like the 3D birds pictured above. If you’re interested in Perch: Birds of Play, check out its KickStarter page.

The Old King’s Crown’s 2nd Printing and New Songs of Home Expansion Launches on GameFound

The Old King’s Crown is a game of card-driven conquest, where you play as heirs to a vacant throne, vying for control of an ancient, overgrown kingdom. Wield unique abilities and leverage your followers’ traits to best outwit your opponents across a map that stretches from the teetering heights of the castle to the dappled light of the necropolis.

As leader of your faction you will be staking claims with Heralds openly as well as positioning your forces in secret, hoping to claim the locations that fit your designs. However, keep an eye on your rivals, as they too have agents and agendas, poised to undo your best laid plans.

Royalty, rebels or ruses. What crown will you wear?

Another great description by the publisher. Thank you, Eerie Idol Games. Love the company name. The Old King’s Crown is yet another game I’ve heard great things about. It has a solid rating on BoardGameGeek, but it does skew toward the heavier side. One look at the game above cues one in about The Old King’s Crown’s complexity. But it looks as if it has plenty of iconography, and the board has a pleasant layout. This gives me the impression of a game that has a lot of moving parts, but it’s easy enough to understand once you get the flow.

The New Songs of Home expansion adds two new factions. Each faction has its own asymmetric gameplay, so two new factions are welcome news. The expansion also expands on The Old King’s Crown’s world. Another plus. The Old King’s Crown can be played competitively, cooperatively, or solo. That’s always a plus. As of this writing, we don’t have details of The Old King’s Crown’s pledge level costs, but if you’re interested in The Old King’s Crown, check out its GameFound page.

Hair Band Launches on KickStarter

Rock the stage and Rule the Strip!

In Hair Band, you’re an upstart 80’s glam metal band vying for Hollywood’s next record deal. But to get it, you’ll need to convince the label you’re the next big thing – get awesome, get fans, perfect your show, and complete your demo to sign on the dotted line.

Each round, you’ll place your dice-as-rockers around Hollywood to write, rehearse, promote, gig, and party all night. But watch out! Musicians can be a reckless and unruly bunch. So, you’ll need to choose wisely to steer clear of drama that can derail your ambitions. The first band to complete 3 of the 4 record label requirements gets the deal and wins the game.

Rock on, Frown Clowns Games with that fun write-up for Hair Band. We’ve seen a few rock-inspired board games over the past year or two, but I’m a sucker for any dice-placement game. And the act of rolling makes sense for a rock-inspired game. Rock and “Roll.” Hair Band appears to capture the glam band vibe. The art above may come from Board Game Arena or Tabletop Simulator (a virtual board game), but the final product looks great. I chose to use a virtual board game picture to show more of the game. Vector graphics are more likely to maintain their crispness. But look at the dice. I choose pink.

I have yet to play Hair Band, but I’ll quote Alex Wolf (of Spielcraft Games, the publisher of the superb Cretaceous Rails), “(Hair Band) is a light, thematic strategy game where you lead your hair metal band to practice, play shows, and complete albums, and of course navigate the challenges that come with a rock and roll lifestyle.” Yep. I may have to try Hair Band. If you’re interested in Hair Band, check out its KickStarter page.

Sky Empire Launches on GameFound

In the skies over planet Dopheus, players will take on the role of a Doppler, a salamander-like creature with one mind and two bodies, in a quest to find the crystals and reactivate the monolith defense to thwart the invasion from the evil sentinels! Take part in this epic adventure, in more than 40 different airships, to find the crystals and stop the invasion – and become Emperor over all of Dopheus!

Sky Empire takes place over several game rounds, where players place their Dopplers either in the Council to take Council actions, or on the board for character unique abilites. Or both! You have two bodies! To take actions on the map you activate the tiles with an initiative token, and that allows you to move to this tile, explore, produce, construct and/or battle opponents!

To win the game, you must collect the four crystals, activate a monolith, and ascend to the position of the Emperor of Dopheus!

Yet another great description. Thank you, Greymarsh Games. I said it before, but publishers know their game a lot better than I do with these write-ups. I love it when a publisher provides a good description. That leaves me the opportunity to go into how great those miniatures look. Minis aren’t everything, but great-looking minis can enhance a theme. And a 4X Steampunk board game is one heck of a theme. Sky Empire is another complex board game–we got a couple of them on the list this week–and it plays over two and a half to six hours. Yowza! Sky Empire may just be the steampunk equivalent of Twilight Imperium.

While I’m not the biggest fan of six-hour-plus board games, I’d be willing to try Sky Empire. It looks stunning. I love the theme. And Sky Empire offers a solo mode. What? I can’t imagine purchasing a game as well-produced as Sky Empire for only the solo mode, but a solo option is great for a game I may struggle to find others willing play. That’s always something to consider. At the time of writing this post, we don’t have any details about Sky Empire’s pledge levels, but if you’re interested in Sky Empire, check out its GameFound page.

Resident Evil: Requiem Releases

Resident Evil: Requiem may be the perfect way to celebrate the horror survival franchise’s 30th anniversary. Acclaimed Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’s director Koshi Nakanishi returns in this title, and Resident Evil: Requiem’s narrative centers on the Raccoon City incident and the Umbrella Corp’s activities. Sure. Resident Evil: Requiem introduces a new protagonist, FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, but fan-favorite federal agent Leon S. Kennedy returns. Yes!

And players can shift from first-person to third-person. I love Resident Evil: Requiem’s customization. Does the game live up to the hype? We aren’t sure. I started writing this post early in the week, and reviews weren’t available. But Nakanishi’s return to the series, the focused story, and the ability to shift points of view make Resident Evil: Requiem a game to keep on one’s radar. Resident Evil: Requiem is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Tales of Berseria Remastered Releases

I have yet to play a title in the long-running Tales series. Honestly, I don’t know where to begin. Tales of Berseria is the sixteenth title in the series, and it was released almost ten years ago. Smaller gaps exist between original releases and video game remasters. Is ten years long enough to warrant a Tales of Berseria remaster? Again, I’m unsure. I’ve heard great things about this title, but I’ve also heard that, in terms of story, Tales of Berseria ventures from the mainline Tales series. Perhaps this tale of revenge is the Tales game I should try first.

Tales of Berseria Remastered looks stunning, but so did the original. For context, the original Tales of Berseria was a launch title for the PlayStation 4. Tales of Berseria features unique combat, and the remaster looks to retain this stellar combat and perhaps build upon it. Tales of Berseria is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.

That’s all of the geek news we have for this week. Which game are you the most excited to play? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.