Welcome to the PixelPulse Weekly Recap, your snark-laden, hype-fueled, and occasionally exasperated rundown of everything that mattered in games this week. Let’s get into it, because the gaming world burned hotter than a freshly-served shawarma this week.

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**GTA 6: Delayed Again (Shocker!), Rockstar in Hot Water**

Just when you thought you could pencil in November 2026 for your Vice City vacation, Rockstar rips the date out of your calendar. GTA 6 is delayed again, now landing (allegedly) on November 19, 2026. Publisher Take-Two says it’s for “polish,” and CEO Strauss Zelnick is “highly confident” this is the last delay. (Sure, Jan.)

But wait, there’s more drama! Rockstar recently fired 30 to 40 employees, which the company claims was due to “leaking confidential information.” The fired staff, meanwhile, insist it was union-busting, and they staged protests outside Take-Two and Rockstar North’s UK offices, demanding reinstatement and back pay. If you thought game development was wild, just check the boardrooms.

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**Pokémon Legends: Z-A Expands with Mega Dimension DLC**

Nintendo dropped a new trailer for Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Mega Dimension DLC, launching December 10. Expect new Mega Evolutions (Mega Chimecho, Mega Baxcalibur), a surreal Hyperspace Lumiose, and the ability to over-level your Pokémon beyond 100. Korrina and Hoopa are in, and there’s even a donut chef named Ansha. Z-A also got its first post-launch patch, adjusting ranked battle balance and squashing bugs. The $30 price tag for the DLC stings, but you know you’re gonna buy it for the Mega Raichu forms alone.

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**Battlefield 6: Map Sizes, Fan Mods, and Aim Assist U-Turns**

The Battlefield 6 community is in open revolt over map sizes. After months of whining (and scientific Reddit spreadsheets), fans built their own giant Conquest maps in Portal mode. And guess what? Players are loving them, with servers packed and comments like “This is brilliant!” flying around. Meanwhile, devs are adjusting challenge requirements (finally), clarifying how bots work, and even reverting aim assist to the open beta settings after community backlash. Oh, and PC players are editing files to escape crossplay with sweaty controller kids. Firestorm in the forums, as always.

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**Fortnite: The Simpsons, Apu Drama, and Sidekick Outrage**

Fortnite's Simpsons season launched to big player numbers and rave reviews for its Springfield map. But Epic had to apologize after a goof where Apu was depicted with the wrong skin tone in a Be Sharps image. (They’re fixing it—chill.) Meanwhile, Epic is polling players over the unpopular Sidekick system, which requires you to rebuy pets just to change their fur color. Community response: “Why are you like this?”

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**Arc Raiders, Shroud, and the Multiplayer GOTY Push**

Arc Raiders has captured the hearts of multiplayer fans (and streamer Shroud), who urged his millions of followers to vote it for Game of the Year over single-player darling Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Shroud claims “us multiplayer gamers are the minority.” The stats say otherwise, but the community is fired up. Place your bets: will a live-service shooter finally take home the top trophy?

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**Square Enix Layoffs & the AI (Not So) Sweet Future**

Square Enix axed over 100 staff in the UK and US as part of a move to centralize development in Japan. The company says it will automate up to 70% of QA with generative AI by 2027. (Because who needs humans testing JRPGs for fun when Skynet can do it for pennies?)

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**Other Notable News**

- Pokémon TCG deals are everywhere, with Mega Evolution ETBs and White Flare bundles dropping to market value on Amazon (and even free if you’re a credit card ninja).
- Nintendo Switch 2 continues crushing it, with hardware sales forecasted at 19 million units before March 2026. Mario Kart World is selling like blue-shells at a villain convention.
- Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says he’d be sad if Red Dead Redemption 3 happens without him, but admits “it will probably happen.”
- Warhammer Survivors, a Vampire Survivors-style roguelike, was announced. The genre is now officially everywhere, including the 41st millennium.
- League of Legends’ new TCG, Riftbound, is out—and the rarest cards are already hitting four figures on the secondary market. Scalpers, assemble!

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**Looking Ahead**

- GTA 6’s delay means the next year is wide open for other heavy hitters. Will Clair Obscur, Arc Raiders, or Pokémon Legends Z-A dominate the awards?
- Fortnite’s next big event is November 29, with rumors swirling of a Kill Bill crossover and the return of The Seven.
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches in March 2025 after Ubisoft delayed it to cool down the Yasuke “controversy.”

That’s it for this wild week. Stay tuned, stay salty, and if you’re feeling down about another GTA delay, just remember: more time in the oven usually means a tastier game (unless you’re Duke Nukem Forever).

Game on, legends.