Pixel P&L: New Year, New Troubles

Happy New Year 2026 to our readers! Here's hoping RAM and GPU prices drop, and may you snag that console you've been eyeing for years. And with that note, welcome to the year’s first Pixel P&L edition. This issue takes 5 minutes to read. If you only have one, here are the 5 most important things:

• WinZO Gaming faces escalating legal trouble as India freezes $23 million in assets during a money-laundering probe.

• Graphics card prices could hit $5,000 as AI demand creates an unprecedented memory crisis.

• Arc Raiders dominated Steam's holiday sales, outselling Battlefield 6 and other major releases.

• Next-gen consoles may be delayed as AI-driven RAM shortages force manufacturers to rethink launch plans.

• Ubisoft suspended Rainbow Six Siege's marketplace after an apparent hack gave players $13.3 million worth of credits.

Let's get into it.

India Freezes $23 Million in WinZO Gaming Probe

India's Enforcement Directorate froze Rs 192 crore ($21.3 million) in assets belonging to real-money gaming platform WinZO during December 30 raids at its accounting firm, escalating a money-laundering investigation into the startup.

The freeze targets bank balances, fixed deposits and mutual funds held by ZO Games, WinZO's wholly-owned Indian subsidiary. The action follows November's arrest of co-founders Saumya Singh Rathore and Paavan Nanda, though a Bengaluru court granted Rathore bail while denying Nanda's petition.

Authorities claim WinZO used bots and algorithms to play against users without disclosure, generating Rs 177 crore in commissions between May 2024 and August 2025. The probe also alleges the company routed $54 million to U.S. accounts through shell companies.

WinZO, backed by Griffin Gaming Partners and Kalaari Capital, shut its real-money operations in August following India's online money gaming ban. The company maintains that "fairness and transparency" underpin its platform while cooperating with investigators.

Graphics Card Prices Could Hit $5,000 Amid Memory Crisis

Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5090, which launched at $1,999 last year, and now sells for up to $3,500 on major retailers, could reach $5,000 in 2026 as the memory shortage deepens.

Reports from Chinese and South Korean sources indicate both Nvidia and AMD plan price increases for consumer graphics cards and data center GPUs in the first quarter of 2026. Chinese forum Board Channels first reported AMD notifying partners of January hikes, with Nvidia expected to follow in February.

Asus has already begun informing retailers of price adjustments, citing artificial intelligence-driven volatility in DRAM, NAND and SSD components plus higher advanced manufacturing costs.

Industry insiders told South Korean outlet Newsis the increases are not driven by GDDR7 memory contracts, which were locked earlier, but by surging AI data center demand pushing DRAM prices to unprecedented levels. Some high-end server memory now costs more than luxury vehicles.

The hikes will reportedly target only current-generation Radeon RX 9000 and RTX 50 cards, potentially leaving older GPUs more affordable for now.

⚡️Quick Bytes

Arc Raiders Tops Steam's Holiday Sales

Arc Raiders led Steam's revenue charts during the December 23-30 holiday period, according to SteamDB data. The extraction shooter outsold Battlefield 6 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which claimed second and third spots respectively. Steam Deck ranked second overall when hardware was included. Baldur's Gate 3, EA Sports FC 26, Dispatch, Cyberpunk 2077, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and GTA V rounded out the top sellers. 

AI Demand May Delay Next-Gen Consoles

Console manufacturers are considering delaying next-generation systems originally planned for 2027-2028 due to AI-driven RAM shortages, according to Insider Gaming’s report. Industry executives are debating whether to postpone releases, hoping RAM manufacturers can expand production capacity and lower prices. RAM modules have surged several hundred percent in recent months as AI demand depletes supply. The shortage creates difficult choices for console makers, who traditionally subsidize hardware to gain market share. Next-generation systems were already expected to carry higher price tags, but RAM costs could make them prohibitively expensive. Current-generation consoles may also see additional price increases in 2026.

Ubisoft Suspends Rainbow Six Siege Marketplace After Apparent Hack

Ubisoft suspended Rainbow Six Siege's marketplace after players received 2 billion in-game credits each, worth an estimated $13.3 million if purchased legitimately. The company restored servers after weekend outages but warned of login queues while conducting "investigations and corrections" over two weeks. Screenshots showed defamatory messages appearing for some users. The timing hurts Ubisoft during the lucrative Christmas period when new players typically make purchases. Some longtime players report missing previously bought items. Ubisoft confirmed irregular messages weren't from staff and said players won't be banned for spending received credits.

⚔️Side Quest

🤣Laugh:

📺 Watch: This video explores how perfect video game sequels like Star Fox 64, We Love Katamari, and Banjo-Tooie can doom franchises by fully realizing their potential, leaving developers trapped between repetitive retreads and risky genre pivots. Through deep analysis of beloved series, it examines the impossible balance between innovation and identity, revealing why industry pressures force studios into unsustainable expansion.

🎮 Play: I spent the holidays immersed in No Rest for the Wicked, a gorgeous isometric ARPG with stunning art direction and deep build variety. While real-time timegating mechanics feel arbitrary for a single-player experience, the exceptional environmental design, satisfying combat, and itemization depth kept me hooked. 

📚 Read: Bruno Dias dissects why video games can't adopt film's standardized labor practices despite persistent industry pressure. The essay explains how cinema's short-term crew model and union incentives created rigid specialization, while games' salaried workforce, diverse production methods, and iterative processes resist standardization. A crucial read challenging assumptions that Hollywood's labor model would solve gaming's organizational problems.

💡Did You Know

Sony once merged gaming and television into a single device? In 2010, the electronics giant released the BRAVIA KDL-22PX300, a 22-inch LCD TV with a built-in PlayStation 2. This innovative hybrid eliminated the need for separate gaming consoles and multiple cables, offering instant access to the PS2's legendary game library right out of the box. While the concept was ahead of its time, the model remained relatively niche due to its compact screen size and the PS3's growing dominance. Today, it stands as a fascinating footnote in Sony's history of experimentation with integrated entertainment systems.

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