Friday news, part two:

Fortnite's leaked annual pass was a prototype that Epic has no plans to release
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-is-introducing-an-annual-battle-pass-with-exclusive-cosmetics-according-to-a-leak/
Epic Games is reportedly introducing a brand new battle pass to Fortnite called the 'Annual Pass.' This new pass grants access to all the 2020 battle passes and includes exclusive cosmetics, according to details uncovered in the files of Fortnite's v11.30 update that released Thursday morning. However, the price of the annual pass along with its release date has yet to be confirmed.
Update: Epic has clarified that, while an annual pass was at one point considered, there are currently no plans to launch one. The details dug up by dataminers were prototype features.

Sea of Thieves gets a tutorial to help new players set sail
https://www.pcgamer.com/sea-of-thieves-gets-a-tutorial-to-help-new-players-set-sail/
No longer will stormy seas send you overboard for Rare has finally added a tutorial, Maiden Voyage, to Sea of Thieves. The lack of tutorial has always been something of a black spot on the game, but now landlubbers can get involved in hoisting sails, scrubbing the deck, and taking charge of a fully functioning pirate ship.

Conan Exiles is free to play this weekend
https://www.pcgamer.com/conan-exiles-is-free-to-play-this-weekend/
The bone-crunching, survival MMO, https://store.steampowered.com/app/440900/Conan_Exiles/" target="_blank">Conan Exiles, is free to play on Steam for the weekend. The open-world sandbox has been updated with a bunch of new features in the last couple of months so if you've wanted to know what the brutal world of Conan the Barbarian is like then this is a great opportunity to have a look. If you're not familiar with Conan Exiles, its inclusion of a character dong slider might jog your memory.

Baby Yoda is now in The Sims 4
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-sims-4-baby-yoda/
The Child, aka Baby Yoda, has been stealing much of the pop culture spotlight since The Mandalorian debuted last month. There's no shortage of merchandise, memes, and everything in between, and now you can add a Baby Yoda statue to your Sims 4 household. It's not custom content, either. It's a special addition that comes with the latest game update.

Sayonara Wild Hearts, the neon motorcycle rhythm game, is now on Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/sayonara-wild-hearts-the-neon-motorcycle-rhythm-game-is-now-on-steam/
The stylish rhythm game Sayonara Wild Hearts was announced at the 2018 Game Awards, but alas, only for the Nintendo Switch. It also appeared on the PlayStation 4 and iOS devices when it launched in September of this year, and earned positive reviews all around, but of a PC release, there was no sign. That unfortunate oversight was corrected earlier today, when Sayonara Wild Hearts very suddenly and without warning appeared on Steam.

Rainbow Six Siege is getting a Stadium map, if leaked footage is real
https://www.pcgamer.com/rainbow-six-siege-is-getting-a-stadium-map-if-leaked-footage-is-real/
A new map is headed to Rainbow Six Siege, according to footage released by Siege leaker RolyNoly1. 'Stadium' is set in a stadium, and appears to borrow elements from the original Heresford Base map. The leaker indicates that Stadium is part of a Six Invitational 2020 event, so likely won't join the permanent map roster.

Grand strategy game Humankind will let you design your own leader
https://www.pcgamer.com/grand-strategy-game-humankind-will-let-you-design-your-own-leader/
Unlike Civ, Humankind is all about building up the fame of your leader—it's the battles you fight and the monuments you erect that that win a game, not conquest of the entire earth. To that end, you won't be playing a historical ruler in Humankind, but an avatar you create yourself.

Sharks take revenge on humans in a new Maneater trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/sharks-take-revenge-on-humans-in-a-new-maneater-trailer/
One of the problems with killer shark stories is that sharks don't actually kill very many humans. The movie Jaws has long been criticized for misrepresenting the toothy creatures. The latest trailer for Tripwire's shark RPG Maneater, which was shown today at The Game Awards, takes a moment to acknowledge that sharks aren't normally as bloodthirsty as the game portrays.

A new Final Fantasy 7 Remake trailer appears at The Game Awards
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-new-final-fantasy-7-remake-trailer-appears-at-the-game-awards/
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a long way from arriving on the PC: It will appear on the PlayStation 4 on March 3, 2020, where it will be exclusive for one year. After that, the leash is off—which isn't a guarantee that it will come to PC on March 3, 2021, but it could, so let's take a look at the new trailer rolled out at The Game Awards tonight.
>> deskpro2k3 has made a thread about it.

Sons of the Forest is a demon-hunting sequel to the 'terrifying' survival game The Forest
https://www.pcgamer.com/sons-of-the-forest-is-a-demon-hunting-sequel-to-the-terrifying-survival-game-the-forest/
The Forest is an open-world survival game released in 2018, after a whopping four years of Early Access. The wait was apparently worthwhile, because these days it's got an awful lot of positive reviews on Steam. And now it's getting a sequel too.

Apex Legends' Holo-Day Bash is live now, with a new LTM and holiday cosmetics
https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-holo-day-bash-is-live-now-with-a-new-ltm-and-holiday-cosmetics/
From now—as in, right now—until January 7, Apex Legends will be celebrating the holidays with a new limited-time event called Mirage's Holo-Day Bash. The event will include a new LTM that's actually not a battle royale, but a 3v3v3 "point capture" mode called Winter Express.

Former Arkane bosses reveal their new game, an action-RPG called Weird West
https://www.pcgamer.com/former-arkane-bosses-reveal-their-new-game-an-action-rpg-called-weird-west/
In November, former Arkane creative director Raphael Colantonio and former Arkane executive producer Julien Roby announced that they'd rejoined forces to found a new indie developer called WolfEye Studios, whose first game would be revealed at The Game Awards. Tonight, as promised, it happened.

Gears Tactics arrives in April
https://www.pcgamer.com/gears-tactics-arrives-in-april/
Gears Tactics was announced at E3 in 2018, but raised a few eyebrows when it didn't make an appearance at the following E3 in 2019. It looks like it's back on track, though, because at The Game Awards tonight it received a new trailer (above) and a release date: April 28, 2020.
>> Looks good.

Naraka: Bladepoint is a multiplayer melee combat game with a striking visual style
https://www.pcgamer.com/naraka-bladepoint-is-a-multiplayer-melee-combat-game-with-a-striking-visual-style/
Chinese studio 24 Entertainment unveiled a multiplayer melee action game tonight at The Game Awards called Naraka: Bladepoint that promises a "boundless movement system" that enables players to climb, hang, wall-run, and more, aided by an "aim-at-whatever-you-want" grappling hook.

CONV/RGENCE is a League of Legends platformer starring Ekko
https://www.pcgamer.com/convrgence-a-league-of-legends-story-is-a-singleplayer-platformer-starring-ekko/
Ruined King isn't the only singleplayer game set in the League of Legends universe announced at The Game Awards tonight. We also got a brief teaser for CONV/RGENCE: A League of Legends Story, a colorful action platformer from developer Double Stallion Games being published by Riot Forge.

The Elder Scrolls Online is going to Skyrim
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-elder-scrolls-online-is-going-to-skyrim/
ZeniMax Online Studios unveiled a new Elder Scrolls Online cinematic at The Game Awards tonight that signals the conclusion of the Season of the Dragon. It's a suitably epic affair, packed with struggle and sacrifice, triumph and loss, and when it's all over and the smoke clears, the next phase of the big Tamrielic MMO is revealed: We're going to Skyrim.

Disco Elysium leads The Game Awards with four wins
https://www.pcgamer.com/disco-elysium-leads-the-game-awards-with-four-wins/
The Game Awards, the annual flurry of new game announcements interspersed here and there with bits of chit-chat and trophies, has come to an end for 2019. This year's event didn't really feel like it had any mega-blockbuster game reveals—no new Elder Scrolls game, or Mass Effect revivals—but there were certainly some big moments: Microsoft revealed a new Xbox, the Series X, and a new flagship game, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, and a new MMO set in the Magic: The Gathering universe is on the way, which could be fun.

Unlock the world with a piece of chalk in free puzzle game Chalkboard
https://www.pcgamer.com/unlock-the-world-with-a-piece-of-chalk-in-free-puzzle-game-chalkboard/
Chalk. It doesn't just go lovely with a bit of cheese, you can also use it to draw on things. Blackboards, for example. Walls, for another. If you do the latter in the aptly named Chalkboard, you'll cut bits out of the environment, and solve puzzles.

Hearthstone's powerful Galakrond Shaman is already getting nerfed
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstones-powerful-galakrond-shaman-is-already-getting-nerfed/
Hearthstone: Descent of Dragons only launched a few days ago, but Blizzard is already working on a balance update that will tweak some of the new cards and make changes to the Shaman, which has lately become ridiculously powerful.

Frostpunk: The Last Autumn is a prequel expansion set before the world froze
https://www.pcgamer.com/frostpunk-the-last-autumn-is-a-prequel-expansion-set-before-the-world-froze/
The world of Frostpunk was already frozen over when we first got put in charge of one of humanity's last cities, but the next DLC will take us to an earlier point, before everything was quite as chilly. The Last Autumn is set during the construction of the life-saving generator that heats Frostpunk's city, when you could still see grass and all the water hadn't become ice.

Red Dead Online's boozy Moonshiners update is out now
https://www.pcgamer.com/red-dead-onlines-boozy-moonshiners-update-is-out-now/
Red Dead Redemption 2 players can start up their own moonshine business in Red Dead Online today. The latest Frontier Pursuit includes new properties, eventually letting you open your own speakeasy, along with missions, daily challenges and new gear.

Fortnite's 11.30 patch notes detail minor changes and Star Wars event prep
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-patch-notes-11-30-latest/
What's in the Fortnite 11.30 patch notes? This week's update has some big changes for console players, but the PC only gets a few minor tweaks in prep for the big Fortnite Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker clip event happening this weekend. Check the other bug fixes and improvements below.
>> And it brings 3 new Star Wars skins.

And these are the deals at GOG and Steam during the weekend:

+GOG

• The first one is the Paradox weekly sale with up to 75% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20191209_weekly_sale_paradox
• The other one is... well, it's the Winter Sale that will last until January, 2nd and has games up to 95% off. To help us, GOG has provided us with three shortcuts:
  • The first one the one that contains games that will only be on sale until the 26th: https://www.gog.com/promo/20191212_winter_sale_focus
  • The Gold Old Games one is about old games: https://www.gog.com/promo/20191212_winter_sale_good_old_games
  • And there's also the "Only the highest discounts" one that features the 95% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20191211_winter_sale_90

+Steam

• theHunter: Call of the Wild is free to try for the next day and 51% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/518790/theHunter_Call_of_the_Wild/
• The Early Access title Super Animal Royale, that has a free version to try, will be 30% off until January, 2nd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/843380/Super_Animal_Royale/
• The Don't Starve franchise is up to 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/dontstarve/
• Piranha Bytes has its games up to 80% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/piranhabytes/
• Degica Games also has its games up to 80% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/degica/
• And the weeklong deals.

And that's it. Until next week, have a happy and gaming weekend.

*** NEW CONTEST ***

• HEXUS EPIC Giveaway Day 5: Win an AMD Ryzen and Radeon bundle https://hexus.net/tech/features/cpu/137417-day-5-win-amd-ryzen-radeon-bundle/

The bundle consists of a Ryzen 7 3800X and an ASRock Radeon RX 5700 and the contest is GLOBAL.

"Gothic Playable Teaser" should be in your Steam Library, if you have any other Piranha Bytes game (Gothic, Arcania, Risen, Elex...) there.

So a remake of Gothic 1 is a possibility!!!

^Well, they've put money on that demo teaser, so yeah, looks like they're interested in doing one.

Oh man, all these B-tier games from TGA, and awards shorter than the time Linus spent trying to convince me to game one feet away from a 55' QLED screen... just to see news of them gives me the flashbacks.

Well, it seems it didn't take long for THQ to get into full wankrod mode.

Dear THQ Nordic, go fuck yourself, let PB do the remake of their own game, cause this crap you're serving us as glimpse into Gothic 1 remake has about as much with proper Gothic as Arcania had.

*** NEW CONTEST ***

• HEXUS EPIC Giveaway Day 6: Win a Shuttle XPC Barebone SZ270R8 PC https://hexus.net/tech/features/systems/137420-day-6-win-shuttle-xpc-barebone-sz270r8-pc/

This contest is restricted to UK and EUROPE only.

Let me guess, you didn't like it.

Yep, not one bit - it's not (completely) awful per se, but it's not Gothic and certainly not remake that Gothic 1 deserves.

THQN making deals with EGS has already soured my view of them, but seeing this as well just makes me doubt them even more. Seemed like a nice beginning for them, gathering back old IP's and the like, but now it seems that good time is behind us.