YouTube Increases Subscription Fees to Skip Ads

Don’t hold your breath for Rust 2 anytime soon. But get ready to shell out more for YouTube Premium. And it looks like the beloved spy fish, James Pond, might be swimming into troubled waters if the rights holders of the iconic spy franchise have their way.

Here’s your Morning Checkpoint for April 10, 2026. The bizarre Metallic Terminator Skippy Peanut Butter has made its way into my feed, prompting a double-take on whether we’re witnessing a resurgence of AI or just a nostalgic throwback to the wild consumerism of the ’90s.

According to emails that some subscribers have started sharing on Reddit, the Light subscription is set to rise from $8 to $9 a month, while the Premium tier will jump from $14 to $16. Even the family plan is seeing an increase, going from $23 to $27.

These price hikes come as YouTube reportedly continues to dominate the streaming landscape, cramming its videos with more ads than ever. Welcome to the internet in 2026.

Fans are buzzing about a mysterious new Steam page for “Rust 2,” with many hoping it’s either a full sequel to the popular survival MMO or a revamped version of the original game using a different engine. However, Facepunch founder Garry Newman is urging everyone to disregard it.

“Nope. We’re not making Rust 2,” he stated, adding that he has “no idea at all” about the mysterious listing or who might be behind it.

In other news, a new rating for a port has been spotted on the Taiwan Digital Game Rating Committee board. Eidos Montreal, the studio behind the surprisingly well-received 2021 action shooter, has been facing some challenges lately.

The World Trademark Review has highlighted an ongoing dispute between the owners of the ’90s UK gaming parody, James Pond, and the rights holders of the legendary spy character. “James Pond is a longstanding, well-established and widely recognized video game property dating back to the early 1990s, with its own distinct identity, history, and audience in the games market,” states current owner System 3 in their new application for the character. Meanwhile, Danjaq, which holds the James Bond trademark, is contesting this filing.

Lastly, the hit survival game Project Zomboid has taken action against a recent source of mods that were injecting viruses into players’ files. Between 500 and 2,200 devices were found generating “malicious files outside of the Project Zomboid directory.”