Usually at this time on a Thursday evening, I'd be sitting down to record BRB UK with my good mates Tim and Coleman.

As you may know, Tim has been unable to join Coleman and I for the past few weeks as he has been unwell. It is with profound sadness that I have to let you all know that Tim passed away on Wednesday 18th February 2026, surrounded by his friends and family.

I have had the absolute privilege of being able to count Tim as one of my closest friends for the past 20 years. Long-time listeners will know that Tim and I have been talking absolute nonsense at one another for over 700 episodes, stretching from the days of On Her Majesty's Sarcastic Service, SG UK all the way through to BRB UK.

Tim enriched the lives of so many of us. He was selfless, supportive and kind. His love for life, and love for those around him, shone through in everything he did. He was at his happiest when connecting with you all, whether that was through the podcast or at one of our live events like Tabletop Tuesday.

All of us here at Big Red Barrel are still coming to terms with this devastating news. This community is something that Tim was instrumental in building, and everyone at the site will be honoured to keep it going in his memory.

Coleman and I will be back in a couple of weeks with a new episode, but we do need to take a little bit of time out for ourselves. If you're able, we'd love to hear your favourite Tim moments – you can leave a comment on BigRedbarrel.com, mention us on X, Threads & Bluesky or drop us a note on Discord. We'd be honoured to celebrate Tim's life with every single one of you.

We'll be back soon. But until then, toodle-bye.

Coleman's been revisiting a classic as he reviews Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, while Dan returns to the longhouses of Valheim to see how survival life's treating him in 2026

In the news, things are a lot less cosy. Ubisoft staff stage strikes across Europe amid restructuring, Wildlight Studio is hit with layoffs, and Riot trims the team behind 2XKO just weeks after launch.

Time Stamps

• 00:00:00 Start
• 00:00:21 Intro
• 00:02:19 Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
• 00:15:39 Valheim 5th Anniversary Update
• 00:24:17 Ubisoft Staff Strike Across Europe
• 00:28:53 Highguard Studio Hit With Layoffs
• 00:31:02 Riot Lays Off 2XKO Developers
• 00:33:52 No Man's Sky Gets Spider-Mechs and Gravity Guns
• 00:36:59 Microsoft Reportedly Planning Game Pass Changes
• 00:43:25 Check out our Merch at BigRedBarrel.com/Store
• 00:44:02 Go to BigRedBarrel.com and get in contact with us
• 00:44:45 Tabletop Tuesday at Loading Stoke Newington
• 00:45:43 I HAVE A QUESTION…
• 00:47:40 Outro – Fighting Spirit from Dragon Quest VII Reimagined

Thanks for listening to another episode of BRB UK. You can grab the MP3 for this episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, via RSS, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week, Dan and Coleman spend some time with a trio of games: Super Woden: Rally Edge, Mario Kart World, and Donkey Kong Bananza — and one of us may have quietly acquired a Nintendo Switch 2.

There's also a lot of news to get through. Nintendo's latest Partner Showcase brings a slate of new announcements, Valve has delayed its Steam Machine plans, and updates on The Outer Worlds series and Beyond Good & Evil 2 continue to raise questions. Elsewhere, Take-Two is still reaffirming a 2026 release for GTA 6.

Time Stamps

• 00:00:00 Start
• 00:00:19 Intro
• 00:02:57 Super Woden: Rally Edge
• 00:11:25 LEGO Game Boy
• 00:20:15 Coleman Did a Thing…
• 00:22:49 Mario Kart World
• 00:26:18 Donkey Kong Bananza
• 00:27:06 Nintendo Switch 2 So Far
• 00:36:25 Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase – February 2026
• 00:48:28 Valve Delays Steam Machine and Steam Frame
• 00:52:24 The Outer Worlds Series' Future Unclear
• 00:55:08 Beyond Good & Evil 2 Still in Development
• 00:57:29 Take-Two Reaffirms November Release for GTA 6
• 00:58:58 Check out our Merch at BigRedBarrel.com/Store
• 01:00:02 Tabletop Tuesday at Loading Stoke Newington
• 01:00:39 Go to BigRedBarrel.com and get in contact with us
• 01:03:56 Outro – Drive Or Die by DJ DeVito

Thanks for listening to another episode of BRB UK. You can grab the MP3 for this episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, via RSS, or wherever you get your podcasts.