PC Gaming Weekly Roundup: Xbox’s AI Promise, RE Requiem Leaks, and Final Fantasy’s Big PC Pivot — Feb 22, 2026

Happy Sunday, PC gamers. Pour yourself a coffee, because this week delivered a whirlwind of news that’s shaping the future of the games we love — and the platforms we play them on. From a seismic leadership change at Xbox to Square Enix officially embracing the PC master race, plus Capcom playing damage control and Ubisoft reminding us it still has a pulse, there’s a lot to unpack. Let’s dive in.

New Xbox Boss Asha Sharma Draws a Line in the Sand Against “Soulless AI Slop”

In what might be the most significant shake-up at Microsoft’s gaming division in over a decade, Phil Spencer — the man who became synonymous with Xbox’s identity — is departing Microsoft. Stepping into his considerable shoes is Asha Sharma, and she wasted absolutely no time making her intentions known. In a statement that had Xbox fans across social media collectively exhaling with relief, Sharma promised a “renewed commitment to Xbox” and, perhaps more importantly, declared that the platform “will not flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop.”

Those words land with particular weight in 2026, a year in which AI-generated content has become an increasingly contentious topic across the gaming industry. From asset stores drowning in procedurally churned models to concerns about AI-written narratives, the fear of a quantity-over-quality deluge is very real. Sharma’s pledge signals that Xbox under her leadership intends to prioritize human-crafted, curated experiences — a stance that positions the brand as a counterpoint to the more aggressive AI-integration strategies we’ve seen elsewhere. For PC gamers who rely on the Xbox ecosystem through Game Pass and the Microsoft Store, this is welcome news.

Of course, promises made in the honeymoon phase of new leadership are easy to make and harder to keep. Spencer himself was beloved for his player-first rhetoric before the reality of corporate strategy complicated things. But the explicit, public nature of Sharma’s anti-AI-slop commitment gives fans a concrete benchmark to hold her accountable to. It’s a bold opening move — and the gaming world will be watching closely.

Resident Evil Requiem Leaks Force Capcom Into Damage Control Mode

If you’ve been anywhere near gaming Twitter, Reddit, or Discord this past week, you’ve probably had to dodge spoilers like a Licker in a hallway. Physical copies of Resident Evil Requiem made their way into unauthorized hands ahead of the game’s official release, and the floodgates opened — footage, story details, and major plot revelations began circulating online with reckless abandon. Capcom, understandably, was not thrilled.

The publisher released an official statement addressing the leaks, though the company stopped short of detailing exactly how the breach occurred. The situation is painfully familiar for major studios; pre-release leaks from physical copies have plagued launches from The Last of Us Part II to GTA VI. For PC gamers specifically, who often receive their versions day-and-date or slightly after console releases, these leaks create an agonizing minefield of spoilers during the wait. Capcom urged fans to be respectful of fellow players and to report leaked content where possible.

What this incident doesn’t appear to have dampened is the sheer excitement for Requiem itself. By most accounts, even the leaked footage has fans buzzing with anticipation rather than disappointment, suggesting Capcom may have another hit on its hands. The question now is whether the company can contain the damage and preserve the experience for the millions of players who want to go in fresh. Good luck out there, spoiler-dodgers.

Ubisoft Goes All-In: Multiple Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed Titles Confirmed in Development

Ubisoft, a company that has spent the last couple of years navigating turbulent financial waters and fan skepticism, came out swinging this week by confirming that not one but two Far Cry games are currently in development, alongside multiple new entries in the Assassin’s Creed franchise. It’s a doubling-down on the publisher’s flagship open-world IPs at a time when many wondered if Ubisoft might be scaling back.

The dual Far Cry development is particularly intriguing. Could we be looking at a mainline sequel alongside a smaller-scale spinoff? A live-service experiment paired with a traditional single-player campaign? Ubisoft hasn’t elaborated on the specifics, but the mere confirmation suggests the publisher is confident there’s still a massive audience hungry for tropical chaos, guerrilla warfare, and questionable wingsuit physics. On the Assassin’s Creed front, this likely refers to the continued expansion beyond Shadows, with rumors of multiple settings and time periods being explored simultaneously.

For PC gamers, Ubisoft’s commitment to these franchises is a double-edged sword. On one hand, these are historically some of the most visually ambitious open-world titles available, and PC has always been the platform where they look and perform their best. On the other hand, Ubisoft’s track record with PC optimization and launcher drama has tested our patience more than once. Here’s hoping quantity comes paired with the quality — and the technical polish — these iconic series deserve.

Square Enix Makes It Official: PC Is Now Final Fantasy’s “Lead Platform”

This might be the story of the week for the PC gaming faithful. Square Enix has confirmed that PC is now the lead platform for the Final Fantasy franchise going forward. Let that sink in. The series that was once the crown jewel of PlayStation exclusivity, the franchise that helped sell millions of consoles, is now being built with our rigs in mind first.

The shift has been telegraphed for a while — the PC ports of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XVI showed Square Enix was taking the platform increasingly seriously — but an official declaration of PC as the lead changes the calculus entirely. It means PC versions won’t be afterthought ports optimized months after the console release; they’ll be the foundation upon which other versions are built. For a community that has endured some truly dire Square Enix PC ports over the years (never forget the original Final Fantasy XIII launch on Steam), this represents a complete philosophical reversal.

Interestingly, this news dropped alongside revelations about Final Fantasy VII Remake coming to Nintendo Switch 2 via game-key cards, with director Naoki Hamaguchi explaining the technical compromises required. It paints a picture of a studio thinking carefully about each platform’s strengths and limitations — and deciding that PC’s raw power and flexibility make it the ideal development target. For RPG fans with a decent graphics card, the golden age of Final Fantasy on PC isn’t coming. It’s already here.

What’s Next

This week painted a fascinating picture of where the industry is headed. Xbox is betting on authenticity over AI shortcuts. Capcom is wrestling with the modern reality of pre-release security. Ubisoft is flooding the zone with its biggest brands. And Square Enix is fully embracing PC as its future. The common thread? Studios are being forced to pick their lanes and commit. The days of hedging bets and vague platitudes are over — players are demanding clarity, and this week, they got it.

Keep your eyes peeled for more details on all of these stories in the days ahead. Resident Evil Requiem‘s official launch should tell us whether the leaks helped or hurt the hype. Ubisoft’s next showcase will likely shed light on those mystery Far Cry projects. And Asha Sharma’s first major Xbox presentation could set the tone for an entirely new era at Microsoft. It’s an exciting time to be a PC gamer — stay tuned.