Daily Indie News Roundup #21 (17. 2. 2026.)

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Welcome back to Daily Indie News Roundup, where today’s headlines stretch from hardware shortages shaking the industry’s biggest players to indie cult simulators, underwater Lovecraftian roguelites, and major breakthroughs in emulation.

Whispers of the Eyeless Leaves Early Access March 17

Whispers of the Eyeless from Evil Gingerbread Studio and Anshar Publishing exits Early Access with its full 1.0 launch on March 17. In this haunting, hand-drawn strategy RPG, players assume the role of a prophet leading a cult through a grim, choice-driven world. The full release introduces the complete story campaign, two new districts, prophet customization, achievements, and the long-awaited ascension mechanic, deepening replayability.

Magical Princess Expands Demo Ahead of Spring 2026 Launch

Magical Princess, simulator inspired by the beloved Magical board game series, is coming to PC in Spring 2026. Developed by Neotoro. Inc and published by MAGI Inc., the game has just received a major demo update ahead of Steam Next Fest. Players step into the role of a widowed father raising his daughter Alice through her formative school years. Every decision shapes her Intelligence, Charm, Sense, and Stamina stats, branching into over 50 possible endings.

Galactic Vault Blasts Onto Steam March 10

Belgian indie studio MeepMeep Games has announced that its debut title, Galactic Vault, launches on Steam March 10, 2026. This fast-paced FPS roguelite centers around a highly flexible weapon system. After clearing each room, players choose add-ons that stack, synergize, and fundamentally reshape their firearms. With near-infinite combinations of rooms, enemies, bosses, and upgrades, every run promises chaos and creativity in equal measure.

Kentum’s Co-Op Update Launches Across All Platforms

The survival metroidvania Kentum now supports full local co-op, allowing two Kents to explore, build, and survive the year 10,000 together. The update introduces simultaneous exploration across biomes, shared or competitive base-building strategies, Steam Remote Play support, expanded base scaling, and secure in-base storage systems. Whether dividing labor or competing for efficiency, co-op fundamentally reshapes the survival loop.

Kioku: Last Summer Announced for 2026

Assemble Entertainment and Norwegian developer Lugn Games have revealed Kioku: Last Summer, a cozy, story-driven adventure launching on PC in 2026. Players control Asti, a spirited newcomer exploring an island filled with friendships, mysteries, and emotional tensions. The narrative unfolds day by day, unlocking quests, hidden areas, and evolving relationships throughout a magical summer. A demo is available now on Steam.

Titanium Court Revealed as Surreal Strategy for Clowns and Criminals

Indie label Fellow Traveller and developer AP Thomson have unveiled Titanium Court, described as a surreal strategy game blending tower defense, match-3, and roguelike mechanics. Set in a bizarre realm of magic and baseball references, players manage seven-battle runs divided into High Tide (resource matching) and Low Tide (deployment and setup) phases. Battles then auto-resolve in tense 30-second showdowns. A public demo is available ahead of Steam Next Fest.

Docked Launches March 5

Saber Interactive has released a new overview trailer for Docked, its realistic port simulation game launching March 5 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Players rebuild Port Wake after a devastating hurricane, mastering heavy machinery, fulfilling contracts, investing in infrastructure, and expanding logistics networks. One miscalculated maneuver can throw operations into chaos, adding tension to its methodical management systems.

Black Hole Fishing Launches April 7

DG Games’ Black Hole Fishing arrives April 7 on Steam, turning fishing into a cosmic incremental simulator. Starting with rock-throwing inefficiency, players soon acquire a literal black hole to vacuum fish for profit. From there, automation systems, trait breeding, and even the absurd Large Halibut Collider escalate the chaos. Beneath its humor lies a creeping mystery surrounding the enigmatic Ted Herring and the origin of the anomaly.

iRacing Arcade Races Coming to Steam in March

iRacing Studios and Original Fire Games will release iRacing Arcade on March 3 for $24.99, with console versions following this summer. Featuring a career mode that climbs from grassroots racing to GTP-class competition, the game combines arcade accessibility with realistic fuel and tire mechanics. Real-world-inspired tracks like Imola and Bahrain are reimagined in compact, stylized forms, alongside customizable motorsports campuses.

Total Chaos Gets Brutal New Game+ Mode Next Month

Apogee Entertainment and Trigger Happy Interactive have announced a free New Game+ update for Total Chaos arriving March 2. The update adds a persistent stalker known as The Hunter, reimagined chapters, a new Chapter 8 finale, expanded story content, and an alternate ending. Enemy aggression increases, resources grow scarcer, and survival becomes a relentless test of speed and awareness.

Dive or Die: Children of Rain Revealed for Q2 2026

French developer Drop Rate Studio and publisher Dear Villagers have unveiled Dive or Die: Children of Rain, a 2D Lovecraftian underwater roguelite set for Q2 2026. After years of “Black Rain,” humanity must recover sacred idols within 40 days or face extinction. Players manage a fragile surface camp while diving into the Abyssal Pool, balancing oxygen, injury, and creeping madness.

Elemental: Reforged Leaves Early Access March 17

Stardock has announced that Elemental: Reforged will fully launch March 17, 2026. This remastered 4X strategy RPG unifies content from Elemental: War of Magic, Fallen Enchantress, and Sorcerer King into a 64-bit 3D engine package. Each unit is unique, blending deep RPG systems with grand strategy mechanics in a procedurally generated fantasy world.

Piece by Piece Launches March 11

No More Robots and developer Gamkat will release cozy repair shop sim Piece by Piece on March 11 for PC, with a Switch version planned. Players fix heirlooms for woodland creatures while managing shop upkeep, customization, baking, and local gossip. A refreshed demo is now live with performance improvements and expanded language support.

RETRO NEWS

Lazuli Emerges as a Promising Rust-Based GameCube Emulator

A new Rust-based GameCube emulator called Lazuli has appeared on GitHub, already capable of booting titles like Super Mario Sunshine. Built around a PowerPC JIT compiler using Cranelift and leveraging wgpu for rendering, Lazuli embraces modern cross-platform architecture. While compatibility remains limited, the solo developer behind it aims to eventually expand into full Wii emulation.

Dolphin Adds Triforce Arcade Support After 17 Years

The team behind Dolphin has officially implemented support for Nintendo’s Triforce arcade hardware. Triforce powered arcade titles like Mario Kart Arcade GP and F-Zero AX. Emulating the platform has long been difficult due to unique hardware configurations and I/O quirks. After years of fragmented efforts and abandoned branches, developer crediar’s refined implementation has now been merged into Dolphin’s mainline builds, marking the culmination of over a decade of work.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Anchor Point Studios Spins Out from NetEase

Anchor Point Studios, founded in 2023 under NetEase, is transitioning to independence. Led by industry veteran Paul Ehreth, the Barcelona- and Seattle-based studio specializes in action-adventure games for console and PC. Ehreth described the move as a significant but optimistic milestone, thanking NetEase for its foundational support. The shift follows a broader trend of NetEase spinning out or shuttering Western studios.

Hasbro Closes Atomic Arcade, Snake Eyes Project Continues

Hasbro has confirmed the closure of Atomic Arcade, the studio formed under Wizards of the Coast in 2021. While layoffs have impacted staff, the unnamed Snake Eyes project has not been cancelled. Atomic Arcade had been developing a high-quality title centered on the G.I. Joe character.

Godot Maintainer Warns of “AI Slop” Pull Requests

A longtime contributor to Godot has expressed concern over a surge of AI-generated pull requests flooding the open-source engine’s GitHub. Maintainers now face growing strain verifying whether contributions are human-written and properly understood. With 4,681 open pull requests, the situation is reportedly becoming demoralizing for core contributors.

Clickout Media Lays Off Staff Amid AI Pivot

Clickout Media has reportedly laid off most of its editorial staff, including teams at The Escapist, as it pivots heavily toward AI-generated content. A skeleton crew of “AI Editors” is said to remain. The move comes less than a year after Clickout acquired The Escapist, raising fresh concerns about the future of human-led games journalism.

Mellow Launches Indie Launchpad Program

Contractor management platform Mellow has introduced Indie Launchpad, offering six months of free access to its hiring and compliance tools for indie studios with up to 15 team members. The initiative aims to reduce operational overhead, which Mellow claims can consume up to 15% of indie studio budgets, allowing developers to focus more on game creation.

Valve Warns of Steam Deck OLED Shortages Amid Ongoing RAM Crisis

Valve has confirmed that the Steam Deck OLED may be “intermittently” unavailable in certain regions due to the ongoing global RAM shortage. After reports surfaced that the device was out of stock in the US and Japan, Valve quietly added a note to the Steam Deck store page acknowledging supply instability.

This isn’t an isolated hiccup. Earlier this month, Valve delayed the launch of its upcoming hardware projects due to memory and storage shortages. The company still plans to ship its rumored Steam Machine revival, the Steam Frame VR headset, and a new Steam Controller in early 2026, but it has cautioned that availability and pricing will depend heavily on component supply conditions.