Christopher Judge comments on his fellow Kratos. A new Kickstarter will transform your Switch 2 dock into an old-school GameCube. And two people who worked on Pirates of the Caribbean argue about what’s to blame for modern VFX looking dull and lifeless. It’s a very late edition of Morning Checkpoint, Kotaku‘s daily roundup of gaming news, rumors, and culture.
Who’s ready for more bad news for PC gaming? Samsung and SK Hynix are reportedly dropping NAND production to focus on DRAM. That could mean even more expensive SSDs. Bad timing for me to replace the PC I built back in 2015 with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960.
Christopher Judge has weighed in on Ryan Hurst being Kratos in the Prime TV series
Christopher Judge reacts to Ryan Hurst being cast as Kratos in the live-action ‘God of War’ show 🪓
“It’s a magnificent choice. Great actor and a gamer who actually played God of War since its inception. So Kudos, you’ve got a great live-action Kratos” pic.twitter.com/XFvPaMftH3
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) January 21, 2026
“It’s a magnificent choice,” the in-game performer for the titular character said this week. “Great actor and a gamer who actually played God of War since its inception. So kudos, you’ve got a great live-action Kratos.” The TV series also revealed that Max Parker will play the Watchman of Asgard, Heimdall.
Chris Pratt promises the Mario Galaxy movie still has more characters to reveal
“I’m not allowed to say what they are, but yes, there are some really incredible…Well, I think some of them have been released in the trailer–Rosalina, Bowser Jr.–and then there’s even a couple more that are not in the trailer that people should be excited to see,” the star of Mercy told Gamesradar. Who could it be?
The maker of Payday 3 is laying off developers
Multiple staffers at Starbreeze Studios have been let go, Insider Gaming reports. “Today, many of us at Starbreeze, Stockholm, got sad news and I’m now seeking a new role and would appreciate your support,” wrote one of them on LinkedIn. “After over 7 years, the longest I’ve ever been at any company in any industry, my time has (more than likely) come.”
No online multiplayer for Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Following in the footsteps of all the previous Lego games, the new Lego Batman won’t have online co-op. “Fans of all generations will be able to enjoy the game solo or team up with a friend or family member through two-player local couch cooperative gameplay only,” reads the FAQ (via Prima Games).
Turn your Switch 2 into a GameCube
Battle Dock coming soon! pic.twitter.com/hRdu7zI6IV
— Retro Fighters (@retrofightersco) January 19, 2026
A new dock on Kickstarter promises to do exactly that. It’s going for $40 with a January ship date and attaches directly to your existing Switch 2 dock. It comes in various old-school GameCube colors like silver, indigo, and orange, and has connectors for up to four of the retro console’s controllers. Perfect for when Switch Online adds Mario Kart Double Dash and Smash Bros. Melee, if ever.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties gets a free demo
It’s out today on PC and console, including Switch 2, and lets players experience a bit of the Ryukyu district in Okinawa as Kiryu and the series’ familiar Kamurocho setting in Tokyo as Mine. The full remaster and all-new side story releases on all platforms on February 12.
Dueling Pirates of the Caribbean VFX takes
Director Gore Verbinksi talked to But Why Tho (via VGC) about the state of VFX. “So it used to be a divide, with Unreal Engine being very good at video games, but then people started thinking maybe movies can also use Unreal for finished visual effects,” he said. “So you have this sort of gaming aesthetic entering the world of cinema.” He added, “I think that Unreal Engine coming in and replacing Maya as a sort of fundamental is the greatest slip backwards.”
Epic Games VFX supervisor Pat Tubach, who said he also worked on the Pirates movies, fired back. “It’s inaccurate for anyone in the industry to claim that one tool is to blame for some erroneously perceived issues with the state of VFX and CGI,” Tubach said in a statement to VGC. “Unreal Engine is primarily used for pre-visualization, virtual production, and in some cases final pixels. I can guarantee that the artists working on big blockbuster VFX films like Pirates of the Caribbean 10-15 years ago could only dream about having a tool as powerful as Unreal Engine on their desks to help them get the job done. And I should know–I was one of them.”
