The Cloud Dream of the Nine: A new beginning of a dream

If you read a lot of gaming news - or work with it, like I do - you cannot help but become a little cynical sometimes. 2026 has been a brutal year for the industry, following an equally galling 2025. Beset by layoffs, harried by studio closures, and somehow staring down the barrel of the console wars again, it's easy to feel the jaded fingers of cynicism creeping in. But, twice a year, I can feel my cup fill up in realtime, my belief in the games industry - and humanity at large, honestly - buoyed by seven days of the most wholesome, hopeful people in the world coming together to prop each oth