Wednesday news, with a short first post and a longer second one:

SALES & "SALES"/DEALS

Battlegrounds Passes 20 Million Copies Sold
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/battlegrounds-passes-20-million-copies-sold/
Battlegrounds is smashing through records since it’s release back in March and now recent news from Brendan (Player Unknown) Greenes Twitter is that Battegrounds has surpassed the 20 million copies sold mark.

LawBreakers has another free weekend this week
http://www.pcgamer.com/lawbreakers-has-another-free-weekend-this-week/
Evan billed LawBreakers as "nimble, graceful and original" in his review back in August, but Boss Key Productions' debut has since struggled to maintain its playerbase and, most crucially, its sales. In a bid to get more folk onside, it's free-to-try on Steam this weekend and is subject to a limited-time 50 percent discount.

And now, let's take a look at Steam's Midweek Madness deals:

• Expeditions: Viking is 33% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/445190/Expeditions_Viking/
• All Degica Games products, games and software (RPG Maker) are on sale with up to 90% off: http://store.steampowered.com/sale/degica/

Also, This War of Mine is on sale for the next couple of weeks with an 80% discount: http://store.steampowered.com/app/282070/This_War_of_Mine/

SOFTWARE

3DMark and other Futuremark benchmarks selling for cheap
http://www.pcgamer.com/3dmark-and-other-futuremark-benchmarks-selling-for-cheap/
If you've always wanted to benchmark your PC like the pros but didn't feel like forking over big bucks for full versions of 3DMark, VRMark, and PCMark 10, we have good news. Futuremark has partnered with Newegg to offer deep discounts on the Advanced versions of each benchmark.

>>Given that it's a Newegg deal, I guess it's only for the US, maybe even Canada.

MODS/EMULATORS

This mod for Grand Theft Auto V lets you become the God of Thunder, Thor, with all of his powers
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/mod-grand-theft-auto-v-lets-become-god-thunder-thor-powers/
In order to coincide with the release of Thor Ragnarok, modders JDHauser & stillhere released a brand new Thor mod for Grand Theft Auto V. As the mod’s title indicates, it will allow you to become the God of Thunder, Thor. This mod features 18 super moves, featuring from summoning Odin Force to using the Mjolnir. And yes you read that right, you can use the Mjolnir.

>>You'll need to download the Thor skin and then the mod, separately. Check the article to learn where you can get them.

GAMING NEWS

Hitman Game of The Year Edition Launched
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/hitman-game-year-edition-launched/
Since IO Interactives split from Square Enix we haven’t really heard anything much about Hitman and where the game is heaeding but now IO Interactive have come out and said there is much more Hitman on the way, beginning with the Game of The Year Edition.

Io Interactive confirms that a new Hitman is in the works
http://www.pcgamer.com/io-interactive-confirms-that-a-new-hitman-is-in-the-works/
As promised last week, Hitman Game of the Year Edition is now live on Steam, with a new four-mission campaign, additional weapons, suits, and challenges, and the reactivation of Elusive Targets. The GOTY will set you back $60, or $20 for anyone who already owns the Complete First Season. More relevant to the future of the series, however, (and therefore our interests) is a launch-day message posted by Io Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak confirming that a new Hitman is on the way.

Telltale Games lays off nearly a quarter of its staff
http://www.pcgamer.com/telltale-games-lays-off-nearly-a-quarter-of-its-staff/
Developer Telltale Games, best known for episodic story-driven games like The Walking Dead and Tales from the Borderlands, announced today that roughly 25 percent of its workforce has been laid off.

>>Sad news. I hope the best for those that have been laid off.

Here is how you can force mouse and remap keyboard keys in Nioh: Complete Edition (and other games)
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/can-force-mouse-remap-keyboard-keys-nioh-complete-edition-games/
As we’ve already stated, the PC keyboard controls in Nioh: Complete Edition are awful. The games does not allow players to remap the keyboard keys, there are no on-screen keyboard indicators, and it does not support the mouse at all. Thankfully, though, PC gamers can use a third-party tool in order to enable mouse support.

Wednesday news, part two:

You're a cunning grim reaper in comedy puzzler Death Coming
http://www.pcgamer.com/youre-a-cunning-grim-reaper-in-comedy-puzzler-death-coming/
Death Coming, a new "non-linear puzzle game" according to developer Next Studio, begins with your death. From there, the story escalates to you assuming the role of death himself and using your environment to kill as many humans as you can.

Nuclear Throne's final update is now live
http://www.pcgamer.com/nuclear-thrones-final-update-is-now-live/
Vlambeer's Nuclear Throne, a "lightning-fast top-down roguelike shooter in which squidgy mutants vie for possession of the eponymous throne," came out a couple of years ago to widespread acclaim. We scored it 90/100 in our review, and it enjoys an "overwhelmingly positive" user review aggregate on Steam. It also wore out the developers pretty thoroughly.

New System Shock video shows off mutant dismemberment tech
http://www.pcgamer.com/new-system-shock-video-shows-off-mutant-dismemberment-tech/
Last month, we spoke to game director Jason Fader about how Nightdive is progressing on its System Shock reboot, and now you can see what some of the concepts they sent us look like in an early version of the game. The latest backer update, embedded above, gives us glimpses of a few decks, including the fully dilapidated medical deck, and some of the mutated ghouls wandering their halls.

Sonic Forces already has a patch to address widespread crashing issues
http://www.pcgamer.com/sonic-forces-already-has-a-patch-to-address-widespread-crashing-issues/
"Forces PC Players – we’ve just released an update that should fix most crashes. Please restart your game to ensure it’s applied, and let us know if you run into any other issues," the update reads.

Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove delayed to 2018
http://www.pcgamer.com/toejam-and-earl-back-in-the-groove-delayed-to-2018/
Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove, a new addition to the well-loved game series from the early '90s about a pair of alien rappers who crash-land on Earth, pulled in a half-million bucks on Kickstarter in early 2015. Following that came a partnership with Adult Swim, and the expectation that it would be out sometime in 2017. Sadly for those of you who have been waiting and watching the calendar slowly wind down, it's not going to happen.

LA Noire: The VR Case Files has been delayed
http://www.pcgamer.com/la-noire-the-vr-case-files-has-been-delayed/
Initially slated for a November 14 release, LA Noire's new VR component will now launch in December, according to Take-Two's most recent earnings report. In case you didn't know, Take-Two is Rockstar's parent company.

Take-Two wants 'recurrent consumer spending opportunities' in every future game
http://www.pcgamer.com/take-two-wants-recurrent-consumer-spending-opportunities-in-every-future-game/
Yesterday, Take-Two Interactive released its FY2018 second quarter results, where we learned that GTA 5 is the best-selling videogame of all time in the US. A coinciding conference call with company chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick also provided some interesting commentary on the direction of the publisher, and its plans to pursue microtransactions into the future.

>> Great...

Blizzard CEO on loot boxes: 'I don’t think Overwatch belongs in that controversy'
http://www.pcgamer.com/blizzard-president-on-loot-boxes-i-dont-think-overwatch-belongs-in-that-controversy/
According to the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) loot boxes are not gambling—despite the surrounding and ongoing controversy tied to randomised item systems. Speaking to their inclusion in Overwatch, Blizzard co-founder and president Mike Morhaime feels the shooter's interpretation of loot boxes is fair game.

>>Of course it's not! It's all the other publishers that copied their system that are to blame, not them. Right?

Total War: Rome 2—Empire Divided DLC announced, release date set
http://www.pcgamer.com/total-war-rome-2empire-divided-dlc-announced-release-date-set/
Last week, Creative Assembly discussed the direction of its historical Total War series. This week, the developer teased something new for Total War: Rome 2. And today, the turn-based strategy expert has unveiled Empire Divided as the new DLC heading to its 2013 stalwart.

Really? Because I complained before it's release. Haha

Although, one thing to keep in mind is that Loot Boxes were around before Overwatch. It just seems Blizzard made it more popular.

***********

Also glad that AMD is partnering up to kick Intel's Decelerator graphics to the curb.

But from the sounds of it... These graphics solutions will use a separate driver fork rather than be included in the main AMD graphics driver package, which is sad to see... And could potentially mean support for it gets dropped/ends up erratic.

Huge news, guys:

Intel to Develop Discrete GPUs, Hires Raja Koduri as Chief Architect & Senior VP
https://www.anandtech.com/show/12017/intel-to-develop-discrete-gpus-hires-raja-koduri-as-chief-architect
On Monday, Intel announced that it had penned a deal with AMD to have the latter provide a discrete GPU to be integrated onto a future Intel SoC. On Tuesday, AMD announced that their chief GPU architect, Raja Koduri, was leaving the company. Now today the saga continues, as Intel is announcing that they have hired Raja Koduri to serve as their own GPU chief architect. And Raja's task will not be a small one; with his hire, Intel will be developing their own high-end discrete GPUs.

Starting from the top and following yesterday’s formal resignation from AMD, Raja Koduri has jumped ship to Intel, where he will be serving as a Senior VP for the company, overseeing the new Core and Visual Computing group. As a chief architect and general manager, Intel is tasking Raja with significantly expanding their GPU business, particularly as the company re-enters the discrete GPU field. Raja of course has a long history in the GPU space as a leader in GPU architecture, serving as the manager of AMD’s graphics business twice, and in between AMD stints serving as the director of graphics architecture on Apple’s GPU team.

I'm sure there's a lot of angry people at AMD right now.

Why should they? It was a good riddance. Given the timeframe Raja was hired by AMD, maybe Fiji but surely both Polaris and Vega, the worst GPUs AMD developed since before the Terascale days, are his brainchildren. I have this theory he's an Nvidia undercover agent, since they are the ones who benefited the most from Raja's tenure over RTG.

Of course, to the company who developed Larrabee and Iris Graphics, Vega must look like a shining standard, so yeah.

There were some rumors that there was some infighting awhile back at the AMD Radeon Technology Group.
So this could be the remnants of that. (Or not. Rumors, salt and grains and all that.)

I highly doubt Intel will actually be competitive in the gaming space.
If anyone remembers from the i740 days... Outside of the pathetic performance... Intel had one massive caveat.
Drivers. They were terrible, not only were they fairly buggy and under-featured, but Intel just didn't support them over the long term.

AMD and nVidia have spent years improving their drivers to the point where they have more lines of code than the Windows kernel.
It's not going to be quick or easy for Intel to make inroads into the gaming space, that's for sure.

AMD and nVidia have also been working with a ton of Publishers/Developers for a massive amount of years, so they have industry connections on their side to leverage.

Nah. I don't think we can blame him for Polaris and Vega.

AMD's first mistake was bringing the Radeon Group under the CPU development house, integrating the Radeon team to push their Fusion initiative... Their GPU division then seemed to stagnate for a long time.
It was only a few years back that AMD spun off the Radeon Group so it would become a separate entity once again... Sadly GPU designs are in the development pipeline for many many years... Thus we haven't seen the fruits of that change just yet.
Plus another aspect is that AMD had to spin off allot of engineers, staff and other workers to try and get profitable over the years, that's also had an effect on their R&D.

Also, Vega and Polaris are decent parts and very efficient parts. Just not at the clockrates and voltages AMD is pushing.

Hopefully in a few more years we will see the Radeon group turn things around for the better.

I doubt Raja had any significant influence on Fiji or Polaris. Maybe there's something of him in Vega, but it's going to be Navi when we'll see his real work at RTG.

Time for the news:

SALES & "SALES"/DEALS

Turok, System Shock, and Tex Murphy headline 24-hour Steam sale
http://www.pcgamer.com/turok-system-shock-and-tex-murphy-headline-24-hour-steam-sale/
Independent publisher Nightdive, which specializes in resurrecting ancient videogames on modern platforms, is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a hefty one-day Steam sale. The sale is live at the time of writing and will continue through 10 a.m. Pacific (1 p.m. Eastern) tomorrow, Thursday, November 9.

>>Hurry up because it will end today, in about an hour!

Meanwhile, at GOG there's another sale: the Made in Poland sale. Featured games are The Witcher series, Shadow Warrior, Dying Light and plenty more.

Oh! And I forgot to put it yesterday. There's a new Humble Bundle: the Humble Strategy Simulator Bundle, with games like Train Simulator 2017 or Cities Skylines.

SOFTWARE

Twitch partners with Chess.com to grow 'chess as an online spectator sport'
http://www.pcgamer.com/twitch-partners-with-chesscom-to-grow-chess-as-an-online-spectator-sport/
Recently, I wrote a list of the best chess games on PC in which I included Chess.com as the best free, commercial online chess game. Today, Twitch announced a formal partnership with the service with a goal to "grow the global brand of chess as an online spectator sport."

>>I'm someone that finds watching others play to be extremely boring, and that fails to see why it's so popular. And yet, I guess that this move makes sense. I won't watch it, but it makes sense.

MODS/EMULATORS

This texture pack adds Ultra high resolution textures to id Software’s classic Doom games
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/texture-pack-adds-ultra-high-resolution-textures-id-softwares-classic-doom-game/
Modder ‘hoover1979’ has released the first tech demo for his Ultra High Resolution texture pack for id Software’s classic Doom games. According to the modder, this pack is still a long way from completion and all textures presented in this pack are subject to change. Moreover, this pack is compatible with almost all of id Software’s classic Doom games. In other words, you can use it in Doom, Doom II, and Plutonia Experiment.

>>You can learn more about it at moddb.

Trepang2 is perhaps the closest thing we’ll ever get to a F.E.A.R. remake and is created by a single person
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/trepang2-perhaps-closest-thing-well-ever-get-f-e-r-remake-created-single-person/
WilsonC is currently working on a new first-person shooter that will be using Unreal Engine 4, called Trepang2. Trepang2 promises to feature an AI that will be better than most of modern-day shooters. Not only that, but it feels – gameplay wise – as a great F.E.A.R. remake. Or at least it’s heavily influenced by Monolith’s shooter.

GAMING NEWS

New World of Tanks graphical update detailed, will feature improved lighting, water, effects, terrain and more
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-world-tanks-graphical-update-detailed-will-feature-improved-lighting-water-effects-terrain/
80level has posted a really detailed article about the upcoming graphical update for World of Tanks. This new update for World of Tanks will add some shading features as dynamic dirt, dynamic wetness, advanced material blending (read below) and vertex animation.

Injustice 2 releases on Steam on November 14th
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/injustice-2-releases-steam-november-14th/
The Steam store page for Injustice 2 has revealed that the game will release on November 14th. QLOC is responsible for the PC version of Injustice 2, which is currently having an online open beta.

Battlerite leaves Early Access, has been fully released as free to play
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/battlerite-leaves-early-access-has-been-fully-released-as-free-to-play/
Stunlock Studios announced today that team arena brawler Battlerite has now officially moved from Early Access to a full free-to-play commercial launch on Steam. To celebrate, the studio has unleashed a launch patch featuring a brand new champion, ‘Thorn,’ 200 new items including rare weapons, outfits, victory poses, legendary color variations and seven additional music tracks.

Hellbound is a new FPS inspired by Doom, Quake & Duke Nukem 3D, powered by Unreal Engine 4
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/hellbound-new-fps-inspired-doom-quake-duke-nukem-3d-powered-unreal-engine-4/
Saibot Studios has announced its new project which is a first person shooter. Developed in Unreal Engine 4, Hellbound feeds from the mechanics of genre classics such as DOOM, Quake and Duke Nukem 3D. In order to celebrate this announcement, Saibot released a teaser trailer for Hellbound, and you can view it below.

Ascent: Infinite Realm is a new MMORPG from the creators of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, first screenshots & details
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/ascent-infinite-realm-new-mmorpg-creators-playerunknowns-battlegrounds-first-screenshots-details/
Kakao Games has announced that it will be publishing the new MMORPG Ascent: Infinite Realm, or A:IR, in Western territories. This upcoming MMORPG for PC is being developed by Bluehole, a leading South Korean studio known for the highly successful Tera and their recent blockbuster hit PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

Nioh: Complete Edition – First patch is now available, fixes various bugs
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/nioh-complete-edition-first-patch-now-available-fixes-various-bugs/
KOEI Tecmo and Team Ninja have released the first patch for Nioh: Complete Edition. This patch addresses three bugs that found their way on the final build of the game. Unfortunately, though, this patch does not bring any other meaningful improvements to the PC version.

The news, part two:

GOG adds trio of Sierra classics from the '90s
http://www.pcgamer.com/gog-adds-trio-of-sierra-classics-from-the-90s/
Launching in 1990, 1991 and 1995 respectively, Rise of the Dragon, Heart of China and Conqueror A.D. 1086 are now available on GOG, optimised for modern systems and DRM-free.

Surfing on rockets in Fortnite is the coolest exploit of the year
http://www.pcgamer.com/surfing-on-rockets-in-fortnite-is-the-coolest-exploit-of-the-year/
In Fortnite Battle Royale's Halloween update, pumpkin rockets entered the arena, and while they look as spooky as any winter squash, they serve a far greater purpose than setting the mood. You can ride the things, and really damn far.

Mass Effect's ten-year anniversary video teases a 'bright' future ahead
http://www.pcgamer.com/mass-effects-ten-year-anniversary-video-teases-a-bright-future-ahead/
Yesterday was November 7—N7 Day, in the parlance of Mass Effect fans, an occasion to celebrate all things about BioWare's hit sci-fi series. To mark the special day, BioWare released a "Ten Years of Mass Effect" video looking back on the history of the series and the things that made it special—and, despite the failure of Mass Effect: Andromeda to meet expectations, expressing hope for the future.

>>I'm posting today an article from yesterday that talks about something that happened the day before. Can it get more worse? And the worst part is that it's about a lie.

The videogame voice actors strike is officially over
http://www.pcgamer.com/the-videogame-voice-actors-strike-is-officially-over/
The videogame voice actors strike that began more than a year ago is finally over. SAG-AFTRA, the union representing the voice actors, has announced that its members voted "overwhelmingly" in favor of the tentative agreement that was reached in September.

Space Pirates and Zombies 2 leaves Early Access
http://www.pcgamer.com/space-pirates-and-zombies-2-leaves-early-access/
Released in 2011, Space Pirates and Zombies was more of a good idea than a good game: "Not quite ready for prime time, but with plenty of potential if the right choices are made," as we said in our review. A few years later the opportunity to grow that potential came along in the form of Space Pirates and Zombies 2, which went into Steam Early Access in May 2016, and yesterday made it into full release.

Stardew Valley multiplayer is 'coming along great,' Eric Barone wants you to look at his cabin
http://www.pcgamer.com/stardew-valley-multiplayer-is-coming-along-great-eric-barone-wants-you-to-look-at-his-cabin/
A month ago, we reported on a Stardew Valley mod that enables idyllic country living in multiplayer, but we also noted that official multiplayer support is on the way too. It's expected to go live in (hopefully) early 2018, and based on a tweet today from solo developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, it sounds very much like things are going well.

Tencent seemingly still pursuing Bluehole takeover bid
http://www.pcgamer.com/tencent-seemingly-still-pursuing-bluehole-takeover-bid/
Chinese tech company Tencent is apparently still pursuing the acquisition of PlayerUnknown's Battleground creator Bluehole—having had a bid turned down prior to the shooter's runaway success.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends exclusive card reveal
http://www.pcgamer.com/do-not-pub-the-elder-scrolls-legends-exclusive-card-reveal/
At the end of the month, The Elder Scrolls: Legends is heading to Sotha Sil's magical, mechanical Clockwork City in a new expansion that will add 35 story missions and 55 new cards, and we've got the exclusive reveal of one of the most fearsome: The mighty Clockwork Dragon, a 4/4 Legendary that can drop the hammer on plodding opponents in the Field lane or shore up your position in the Shadow lane against faster aggro decks.

Let's go with the Friday news! Yee-haa!

SALES & "SALES"/DEALS

GOG is giving away free copies of the first Syberia game
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/gog-giving-away-free-copies-first-syberia-game/
Adventure fans, here is something for you today. Microids and GOG are giving away free copies of the first Syberia game. Syberia is an original vision of the famous comic book artist and game developer Benoît Sokal. The game features an immersive story that focuses on character development.

Fantastic Klei Entertainment Steam sale also includes other great indies
http://www.pcgamer.com/fantastic-klei-entertainment-steam-sale-also-includes-other-great-indies/
An extraordinary collection of indie games is currently discounted on Steam as part of developer Klei Entertainment's weekend sale. Naturally, Klei's greatest hits are all discounted, but notably so are a few games that they had a hand in or just really like. The sale runs through 10 a.m. Pacific (1 p.m Eastern) Monday, November 13.

More deals, at the end of the second post, as with every Friday.

SOFTWARE

Volition removes the Denuvo anti-tamper tech from Agents of Mayhem
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/volition-removes-denuvo-anti-tamper-tech-agents-mayhem/
Better late than never I guess. Back in August, Deep Silver released Agents of Mayhem; a new open-world game from the creators of the Saints Row series. As with pretty much all latest games, Agents of Mayhem was using the Denuvo anti-tamper tech. However, Volition has released a new patch for it that completely removes it.

>>I doubt it has any impact on the game sales.

MODS/EMULATORS

Saints Row's Knifethrower minigun in Fallout 4 is all kinds of awesome
http://www.pcgamer.com/saints-rows-knifethrower-minigun-in-fallout-4-is-all-kinds-of-awesome/
Saints Row 4 is easily my favourite of Volition's batshit sandbox crime sim series. Its story was as forgettable as they come (something about aliens and presidents, I think?), but its weapons were great—from its laugh-out-loud Dubstep Gun, to its very NSFW Dildo Bat. Another of my favourites was Johnny Gat's The Knifethrower, which has now been modded into Fallout 4 to great effect.

>>You can get it from Nexus mods.

GAMING NEWS

Vampyr will be a complete experience, will not receive any DLC
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/vampyr-will-complete-experience-will-not-receive-dlc/
In an interview with MCVUK, Focus Home Interactive’s boss Cédric Lagarrigue revealed that Vampyr will not get any post-launch DLC. According to Cédric, Vampyr is a purely solo experience and will offer the complete experience from the get-go.

Alpha testing for Crytek’s Hunt: Showdown begins this Winter
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/alpha-testing-cryteks-hunt-showdown-begins-winter/
Crytek has announced that Hunt: Showdown is slated to go into Closed Alpha this Winter. PC players will be able to play Hunt: Showdown during multiple Closed Alpha testing phases this winter. This news comes just one month after Crytek announced that Hunt: Showdown will be released on Steam Early Access.

Electronic Arts acquires Respawn Entertainment, will work on new Star Wars and Titanfall games
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/electronic-arts-acquires-respawn-entertainment-will-work-new-star-wars-titanfall-games/
Electronic Arts announced today an agreement to acquire Respawn Entertainment. According to the press release, Respawn will work on a new title in the Titanfall franchise, a game set in the Star Wars universe and a VR gaming experience.

>>There's a thread about it, made by poklane. Anyone wants to make a thread betting when will EA close it?

Serious Sam 3 VR and Football Manager 2018 are now available on Steam
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/serious-sam-3-vr-football-manager-2018-now-available-steam/
Croteam and SEGA have announced that Serious Sam 3 VR and Football Manager 2018 are now available on Steam. In addition, Croteam’s VR shoorter comes with a 10% discount until November 16th.